Surah Al-Alaq - English Translation by Shabbir Ahmed
ٱقۡرَأۡ بِٱسۡمِ رَبِّكَ ٱلَّذِي خَلَقَ
Read! With the Name of your Lord Who created
Surah Al-Alaq, Verse 1
خَلَقَ ٱلۡإِنسَٰنَ مِنۡ عَلَقٍ
Created man from a zygote
Surah Al-Alaq, Verse 2
ٱقۡرَأۡ وَرَبُّكَ ٱلۡأَكۡرَمُ
Read! For, your Lord is the Most Generous. (He has placed a tremendous blessing in learning and teaching)
Surah Al-Alaq, Verse 3
ٱلَّذِي عَلَّمَ بِٱلۡقَلَمِ
Who has taught the use of the pen
Surah Al-Alaq, Verse 4
عَلَّمَ ٱلۡإِنسَٰنَ مَا لَمۡ يَعۡلَمۡ
Taught man what he knew not
Surah Al-Alaq, Verse 5
كَلَّآ إِنَّ ٱلۡإِنسَٰنَ لَيَطۡغَىٰٓ
Nay, verily, man tries to play God! ('Tagha' = Being a false god, 'Taghut' = Grossly overweening = Arrogance beyond limits = Creating rebellion = Trespassing Divine Values)
Surah Al-Alaq, Verse 6
أَن رَّءَاهُ ٱسۡتَغۡنَىٰٓ
(And) in that he looks upon himself as self-sufficient. (Forgetting how indebted he is to the Creator and the society for all his mental and physical possessions)
Surah Al-Alaq, Verse 7
إِنَّ إِلَىٰ رَبِّكَ ٱلرُّجۡعَىٰٓ
Behold, unto your Lord is the return. (Everything that exists goes back to the Creator as its Source and is bound by His Law. All people will be returned to Him for Judgment. Mankind will eventually return to the Divine System of life)
Surah Al-Alaq, Verse 8
أَرَءَيۡتَ ٱلَّذِي يَنۡهَىٰ
Have you seen the kind of man who forbids
Surah Al-Alaq, Verse 9
عَبۡدًا إِذَا صَلَّىٰٓ
Another servant when he follows the Divine Messages
Surah Al-Alaq, Verse 10
أَرَءَيۡتَ إِن كَانَ عَلَى ٱلۡهُدَىٰٓ
Have you seen that if such a person were on the right road
Surah Al-Alaq, Verse 11
أَوۡ أَمَرَ بِٱلتَّقۡوَىٰٓ
Or his affairs were to lead him to Blissful security
Surah Al-Alaq, Verse 12
أَرَءَيۡتَ إِن كَذَّبَ وَتَوَلَّىٰٓ
Mark out that he, then, would have known that, by thus practically denying the Truth, he is turning away from all that is good
Surah Al-Alaq, Verse 13
أَلَمۡ يَعۡلَم بِأَنَّ ٱللَّهَ يَرَىٰ
Does he not know that Allah sees to it that His Laws are enforced without exception
Surah Al-Alaq, Verse 14
كَلَّا لَئِن لَّمۡ يَنتَهِ لَنَسۡفَعَۢا بِٱلنَّاصِيَةِ
Nay, if such a person desists not, We (Our Law of Requital) will seize him by the forelock (to a state of humiliation)
Surah Al-Alaq, Verse 15
نَاصِيَةٖ كَٰذِبَةٍ خَاطِئَةٖ
A forelock that is given to denial and committing fault upon fault
Surah Al-Alaq, Verse 16
فَلۡيَدۡعُ نَادِيَهُۥ
Let him, then, call upon his advisory council
Surah Al-Alaq, Verse 17
سَنَدۡعُ ٱلزَّبَانِيَةَ
We shall summon the apprehending forces
Surah Al-Alaq, Verse 18
كَلَّا لَا تُطِعۡهُ وَٱسۡجُدۡۤ وَٱقۡتَرِب۩
Nay, never be intimidated by a man like this! But submit completely in adoration to Divine Commands, and let every step of yours bring you nearer to your noble Goal
Surah Al-Alaq, Verse 19