بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَـٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ

96

العلق

Al-Alaq

The Clot • 19 Ayahs

Meccan
32
1

ٱقۡرَأۡ بِٱسۡمِ رَبِّكَ ٱلَّذِي خَلَقَ

پڑھو اپنے رب کے نام سے جس نے پیدا کیا

2

خَلَقَ ٱلۡإِنسَٰنَ مِنۡ عَلَقٍ

آدمی کو خون کی پھٹک سے بنایا، پڑھو

3

ٱقۡرَأۡ وَرَبُّكَ ٱلۡأَكۡرَمُ

اور تمہارا رب ہی سب سے بڑا کریم،

4

ٱلَّذِي عَلَّمَ بِٱلۡقَلَمِ

جس نے قلم سے لکھنا سکھایا

5

عَلَّمَ ٱلۡإِنسَٰنَ مَا لَمۡ يَعۡلَمۡ

آدمی کو سکھایا جو نہ جانتا تھا

6

كَلَّآ إِنَّ ٱلۡإِنسَٰنَ لَيَطۡغَىٰٓ

ہاں ہاں بیشک آدمی سرکشی کرتا ہے،

7

أَن رَّءَاهُ ٱسۡتَغۡنَىٰٓ

اس پر کہ اپنے آپ کو غنی سمجھ لیا

8

إِنَّ إِلَىٰ رَبِّكَ ٱلرُّجۡعَىٰٓ

بیشک تمہارے رب ہی کی طرف پھرنا ہے

9

أَرَءَيۡتَ ٱلَّذِي يَنۡهَىٰ

بھلا دیکھو تو جو منع کرتا ہے،

10

عَبۡدًا إِذَا صَلَّىٰٓ

بندے کو جب وہ نماز پڑھے

11

أَرَءَيۡتَ إِن كَانَ عَلَى ٱلۡهُدَىٰٓ

بھلا دیکھو تو اگر وہ ہدایت پر ہوتا،

12

أَوۡ أَمَرَ بِٱلتَّقۡوَىٰٓ

یا پرہیزگاری بتاتا تو کیا خوب تھا،

13

أَرَءَيۡتَ إِن كَذَّبَ وَتَوَلَّىٰٓ

بھلا دیکھو تو اگر جھٹلایا اور منہ پھیرا

14

أَلَمۡ يَعۡلَم بِأَنَّ ٱللَّهَ يَرَىٰ

تو کیا حال ہوگا کیا نہ جانا کہ اللہ دیکھ رہا ہے

15

كَلَّا لَئِن لَّمۡ يَنتَهِ لَنَسۡفَعَۢا بِٱلنَّاصِيَةِ

ہاں ہاں اگر باز نہ آیا تو ضرور ہم پیشانی کے بال پکڑ کر کھینچیں گے

16

نَاصِيَةٖ كَٰذِبَةٍ خَاطِئَةٖ

کیسی پیشانی جھوٹی خطاکار،

17

فَلۡيَدۡعُ نَادِيَهُۥ

اب پکارے اپنی مجلس کو

18

سَنَدۡعُ ٱلزَّبَانِيَةَ

ابھی ہم سپاہیوں کو بلاتے ہیں

19

كَلَّا لَا تُطِعۡهُ وَٱسۡجُدۡۤ وَٱقۡتَرِب۩

ہاں ہاں، اس کی نہ سنو اور سجدہ کرو اور ہم سے قریب ہوجاؤ، (السجدة ۔۱۴)

About Surah Al-Alaq

Surah Al-Alaq (العلق) is the 96th chapter of the Holy Quran. It contains 19 verses and is a Meccan Surah.

Read with Urdu translation (Kanz ul Iman) and English translation (Sahih International). Listen to audio recitation by multiple world-renowned reciters including Mishary Alafasy, Sudais, Shuraim, Husary, and more.

About Surah Al-Alaq

Al-Alaq is a Meccan surah of 19 verses whose first five verses were the very first revelation given to the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, in the Cave of Hira — opening with the command "Iqra" (Read/Recite).

Number

96th surah

Verses

19

Revelation

Meccan

Meaning

The Clot

The first revelationAllah as CreatorHuman arrogance

Why read it

Marks the historical beginning of the Quran's revelation and of Islam itself.

Key point

96:1 — "Read in the name of your Lord who created."

Continue reading

Historical Context

The first five verses of Al-Alaq were the very first words of the Quran revealed to the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, delivered by the angel Jibril in the Cave of Hira outside Makkah — the founding moment of his prophethood and of Islam's revelation. Aisha (RA) gave a detailed account of what followed: the Prophet ﷺ returned home trembling, was comforted and wrapped by his wife Khadijah (RA), who then took him to her cousin Waraqah ibn Nawfal, a Christian scholar, who recognized the experience as matching the revelation given to earlier prophets.

Main Themes

The command to read/recite

"Iqra" — opening the Quran's revelation with a command to read or recite, addressed to a Prophet ﷺ who, per the widely accepted account, could not read or write, making the instruction itself part of the sign.

Allah as the Creator and Teacher

Verses 3-5 tie creation directly to teaching — Allah who "taught by the pen" and "taught man what he did not know," linking knowledge itself to divine origin.

A warning against self-sufficient arrogance

The later verses (6-7) describe how man "transgresses" when he considers himself self-sufficient — a warning against arrogance born of material security, illustrated by a specific confrontation between the Prophet ﷺ and an early opponent.

Important Verses

96:1-5

The first revelation

"Read in the name of your Lord who created — created man from a clinging substance. Read, and your Lord is the most Generous — who taught by the pen — taught man that which he knew not." The historical starting point of the entire Quran.

96:19

The closing command to prostrate

"No! Do not obey him. But prostrate and draw near [to Allah]" — this verse is a recognized sajdah (prostration) verse; many reciters and listeners perform a prostration upon reciting or hearing it.

Hadith & Popular Descriptions

We include authenticity grading for each narration below — not every widely-repeated description of a surah comes from an equally strong source.

The beginning of revelation

Aisha (RA) narrated the detailed account of the first revelation in the Cave of Hira, the Prophet ﷺ's reaction, Khadijah's (RA) reassurance, and Waraqah ibn Nawfal's recognition of what had occurred.

Sahih al-Bukhari.

Frequently Asked Questions about Surah Al-Alaq

What is Surah Al-Alaq about?

Al-Alaq is a Meccan surah of 19 verses whose first five verses were the very first revelation given to the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, in the Cave of Hira — opening with the command "Iqra" (Read/Recite).

How many verses are in Surah Al-Alaq?

Surah Al-Alaq contains 19 verses (The Clot). It is the 96th surah of the Holy Quran.

Is Surah Al-Alaq Makki or Madani?

Surah Al-Alaq is a Makki surah — it was revealed in Makkah before the Hijrah.

What are the benefits of reading Surah Al-Alaq?

Marks the historical beginning of the Quran's revelation and of Islam itself.

Where can I read Surah Al-Alaq with Urdu translation?

You can read Surah Al-Alaq above with the full Arabic text, Urdu translation (Kanz ul Iman), and English translation (Sahih International), plus audio recitation.

Was Al-Alaq the very first surah revealed?

Its first five verses were the first words of the Quran revealed to the Prophet ﷺ — the rest of the surah (verses 6-19) came later. It is not surah 1 in the Quran's final compiled order (that's Al-Fatiha), since the Quran's mushaf arrangement does not follow revelation order.

Why does the Prophet ﷺ's inability to read matter here?

Classical scholarship points to this as part of the sign itself — a man widely known as unable to read or write receiving a command to "read," then going on to convey a text of this depth and precision, is presented as evidence the words were not his own composition.