The Clot, Read — Verse 4

Who taught the art of script by the pen — the first to write with it was the prophet Enoch Idrīs peace be upon him —

اقرأ -أيها النبي- ما أُنزل إليك من القرآن مُفْتَتِحًا باسم ربك المتفرد بالخلق، الذي خلق كل إنسان من قطعة دم غليظ أحمر. اقرأ -أيها النبي- ما أُنزل إليك، وإن ربك لكثير الإحسان واسع الجود، الذي علَّم خلقه الكتابة بالقلم، علَّم الإنسان ما لم يكن يعلم، ونقله من ظلمة الجهل إلى نور العلم.

وفي الأثر قيدوا العلم بالكتابة وفيه أيضا من عمل بما علم ورثه الله علم ما لم يكن يعلم.

وقوله - تعالى - : ( الذى عَلَّمَ بالقلم ) أى : علم الإنسان الكتابة بالقلم ، ولم يكن له علم بها ، فاستطاع عن طريقها أن يتفاهم مع غيره ، وأن يضبط العلوم والمعارف ، وأن يعرف أخبار الماضين وأحوالهم ، وأن يتخاطب بها مع الذين بينه وبينهم المسافات الطويلة .ومفعولا " علَّم " محذوفان ، دل عليهما قوله ( بالقلم ) أى : علم ناسا التكابة بالقلم .وتخصيص هذه الصفة بالذكر ، للإِيماء إلى إزالة ما قد يخطر بباله صلى الله عليه وسلم من تعذر الراءة بالنسبة له ، لجهله بالكتابة ، فكأنه - تعالى - يقول له : إن من علم غيرك القراءة والكتابة بالقلم ، قادر على تعليمك القراءة وأنت لا تعرف الكتابة ، ليكون ذلك من معجزاتك الدالة على صدقك ، وكفاك بالعلم فى الأمة معجزة .

( الَّذِي عَلَّمَ بِالْقَلَمِ ) خَلْقَهُ للكتابة والخط.كما حدثنا بشر، قال: ثنا يزيد، قال: ثنا سعيد، عن قتادة ( اقْرَأْ بِاسْمِ رَبِّكَ الَّذِي خَلَقَ ) قرأ حتى بلغ ( عَلَّمَ بِالْقَلَمِ ) قال: القلم: نعمة من الله عظيمة، لولا ذلك لم يقم، ولم يصلح عيش. وقيل: إن هذه أوّل سورة نـزلت في القرآن على رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم.* ذكر من قال ذلك:حدثني أحمد بن عثمان البصري، قال: ثنا وهب بن جرير، قال: ثنا أبي، &; 24-520 &; قال: سمعت النعمان بن راشد يقول عن الزهريّ، عن عروة، عن عائشة أنها قالت كان أوّل ما ابتدئ به رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم من الوحي الرؤيا الصادقة؛ كانت تجيء مثل فلق الصبح، ثم حُبِّب إليه الخلاء، فكان بغار حراء يتحنَّث فيه الليالي ذوات العدد، قبل أن يرجع إلى أهله، ثم يرجع إلى أهله فيتزوّد لمثلها، حتى فجأه الحق، فأتاه، فقال: يا محمد أنت رسول الله، قال رسول الله: " فَجَثَوْتُ لِرُكْبَتيَّ وأنا قائِمٌ، ثُمَّ رَجَعْتُ تَرْجُفُ بَوَادِرِي، ثُمَّ دَخَلْتُ عَلى خَدِيجَةَ، فَقُلْتُ: زَمِّلُونِي زَمِّلُونِي، حتى ذَهَبَ عنِّي الرَّوْعُ، ثُمَّ أتانِي فَقالَ: يا مُحَمَّدُ، أنا جِبْرِيُل وأنْتَ رَسُولُ اللهِ، قال: فَلَقَدْ هَمَمْت أنْ أطْرَحَ نَفسِي مِنْ حالِقٍ [مِنْ جَبَلٍ ] ، فَتَمَثَّل إليَّ حِينَ هَمَمْتُ بذلكَ، فَقالَ: يا مُحَمَّدُ، أنا جِبْرِيلُ، وأنْتَ رَسُولُ اللهِ، ثُمَّ قالَ: اقْرأ، قُلْتُ: ما أقْرأ؟ قال: فأخَذَنِي فَغطَّنِي ثَلاثَ مَرَّاتٍ، حتى بَلَغَ مِنِّي الجَهْدُ، ثُمَّ قالَ: ( اقْرَأْ بِاسْمِ رَبِّكَ الَّذِي خَلَقَ ) فَقَرأتُ، فأتَيْتُ خَدِيجَةَ، فَقَلْتُ: لَقَدْ أشْفَقْتُ عَلى نَفْسِي، فأخْبَرْتُها خَبرِي، فَقالَتْ: أبْشِرْ، فَوَاللهِ لا يُخْزِيكَ الله أبدًا، وَوَاللهِ إنَّكَ لَتَصِلُ الرَّحِمَ، وَتَصْدُقُ الحَدِيثَ، وَتُؤَدِّي الأمانَةَ، وَتحْمِلُ الكَلَّ، وَتَقْرِي الضَّيْفَ، وتُعِينُ عَلى نَوَائِبِ الْحَقّ، ثُمَّ انْطَلَقَتْ بِي إلى وَرَقَةَ بنِ نَوْفَل بنِ أسَدٍ، قالَتْ: اسْمَعْ مِنِ ابْنِ أخِيكَ، فَسأَلنِي، فأخْبَرْتُهُ خَبَرِي، فَقالَ: هَذا النَّامُوسُ الَّذِي أُنـزلَ عَلَى مُوسَى صَلى اللهُ عَليهِ وسلَّمَ، لَيْتَنِي فِيها جَذَعٌ، لَيْتَنِي أكُونُ حَيًّا حِينَ يُخْرِجُكَ قَوْمُكَ، قُلْتُ: أوَ مُخْرِجيَّ هُمْ؟ قال: نَعَمْ، إنَّهُ لَمْ يَجِئ رَجُلٌ قَطّ بِمَا جِئْتَ بِهِ، إلا عُودِيَ، وَلَئِنْ أدْرَكَنِي يَوْمُك أنْصُرْكَ نَصْرًا مُؤَزَّرًا، ثُمَّ كانَ أوَّل ما نـزلَ عَليَّ مِنَ القُرْآنِ بَعْدَ( اقرأ ) : ن وَالْقَلَمِ وَمَا يَسْطُرُونَ * مَا أَنْتَ بِنِعْمَةِ رَبِّكَ بِمَجْنُونٍ * وَإِنَّ لَكَ لأَجْرًا غَيْرَ مَمْنُونٍ * وَإِنَّكَ لَعَلى خُلُقٍ عَظِيمٍ * فَسَتُبْصِرُ وَيُبْصِرُونَ و يَا أَيُّهَا الْمُدَّثِّرُ * قُمْ فَأَنْذِرْ وَالضُّحَى * وَاللَّيْلِ إِذَا سَجَى فَجَثَوْتُ حدثني يونس، قال: أخبرنا ابن وهب، قال: أخبرني يونس، عن ابن شهاب، قال: ثني عروة أن عائشة أخبرته، وذكر نحوه، غير أنه لم يقل: فَجَثَوْتُ ل ما أنـزل عليّ من القرآن... الكلام إلى آخره.حدثنا ابن أبي الشوارب، قال: ثنا عبد الواحد، قال: ثنا سليمان الشيباني، قال: ثنا عبد الله بن شدّاد، قال: أتى جبريل محمدا، فقال: يا محمد اقرأ، فقال: &; 24-521 &; فَجَثَوْتُ قال: فضمه، ثم قال: يا محمد اقرأ، قال: " وما اقرأ؟" قال: ( بِاسْمِ رَبِّكَ الَّذِي خَلَقَ ) حتى بلغ ( عَلَّمَ الإنْسَانَ مَا لَمْ يَعْلَمْ ). قال: فجاء إلى خديجة، فقال: " يا خديجة ما أراه إلا قد عرض لي"، قالت: كلا والله ما كان ربك يفعل ذلك بك، وما أتيت فاحشة قطّ؛ قال: فأتت خديجة ورقة فأخبرته الخبر، قال: لئن كنت صادقة إن زوجك لنبيّ، ولَيَلْقَينّ من أمته شدة، ولئن أدركته لأومننّ به، قال: ثم أبطأ عليه جبريل، فقالت له خديجة: ما أرى ربك إلا قد قلاك، فأنـزل الله: وَالضُّحَى * وَاللَّيْلِ إِذَا سَجَى * مَا وَدَّعَكَ رَبُّكَ وَمَا قَلَى .حدثنا إبراهيم بن سعيد الجوهريّ، قال: ثنا سفيان، عن الزهريّ، عن عروة، عن عائشة- قال إبراهيم: قال سفيان: حفظه لنا ابن إسحاق- إن أوّل شيء أُنـزل من القرآن: ( اقْرَأْ بِاسْمِ رَبِّكَ الَّذِي خَلَقَ ).حدثنا عبد الرحمن بن بشر بن الحكم النيسابوري، قال: ثنا سفيان، عن محمد بن إسحاق، عن الزهريّ عن عروة، عن عائشة، أن أوّل سورة أُنـزلت من القرآن ( اقْرَأْ بِاسْمِ رَبِّكَ ).حدثنا ابن المثنى، قال: ثنا ابن أبي عديّ، عن شعبة، عن عمرو بن دينار، عن عُبيد بن عُمير، قال: أوّل سورة نـزلت على رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم ( اقْرَأْ بِاسْمِ رَبِّكَ الَّذِي خَلَقَ ).قال: ثنا عبد الرحمن بن مهدي، قال. ثنا شعبة، عن عمرو بن دينار، قال: سمعت عُبيد بن عُمير يقول، فذكر نحوه.حدثنا خلاد بن أسلم، قال. أخبرنا النضر بن شميل، قال: ثنا قرّة، قال: أخبرنا أبو رجاء العُطارديّ، قال: كنا في المسجد الجامع، ومقرئنا أبو موسى الأشعري ، كأني أنظر إليه بين بُردين أبيضين؛ قال أبو رجاء: عنه أخذت هذه السورة: ( اقْرَأْ بِاسْمِ رَبِّكَ الَّذِي خَلَقَ ) وكانت أوّل سورة نـزلت على محمد.حدثنا ابن حميد، قال: ثنا سلمة، قال: ثنا محمد بن إسحاق، عن بعض أصحابه، عن عطاء بن يسار، قال: أوّل سورة نـزلت من القرآن ( اقْرَأْ بِاسْمِ رَبِّكَ ).حدثنا ابن بشار، قال: ثنا يحيى وعبد الرحمن بن مهدي، قالا ثنا سفيان، عن ابن أبي نجيح، عن مجاهد، قال: أوّل ما نـزل من القرآن: ( اقْرَأْ بِاسْمِ رَبِّكَ ) وزاد ابن مهدي: و ن وَالْقَلَمِ .حدثنا أبو كُرَيب، قال: ثنا وكيع، عن شعبة، عن عمرو بن دينار، قال: سمعت عُبيد بن عُمير يقول: أوّل ما أنـزل من القرآن ( اقْرَأْ بِاسْمِ رَبِّكَ الَّذِي خَلَقَ ).قال ثنا وكيع، عن قُرّة بن خالد، عن أبي رجاء العُطارديّ، قال: إني لأنظر إلى أبي موسى وهو يقرأ القرآن في مسجد البصرة، وعليه بُردان أبيضان، فأنا أخذت منه ( اقْرَأْ بِاسْمِ رَبِّكَ الَّذِي خَلَقَ ) ، وهي أوّل سورة أنـزلت على محمد صلى الله عليه وسلم.قال: ثنا وكيع، عن سفيان، عن ابن أبي نجيح، عن مجاهد، قال: إن أوّل سورة أُنـزلت: ( اقْرَأْ بِاسْمِ رَبِّكَ الَّذِي خَلَقَ ). ثم ن وَالْقَلَمِ .حدثنا ابن حميد، قال: ثنا مهران، عن سفيان، عن ابن أبي نجيح، عن مجاهد، مثله.

"الذي علم بالقلم"، يعني الخط والكتابة.

الَّذِي عَلَّمَ بِالْقَلَمِ (4) ووصف { الذي علم بالقلم } يقتضيان صفات الأفعال ، مع ما فيه من الاستدلال القريب على ثبوت ما أشير إليه من الصفات بما تقتضيه الموصولية من الإِيماء إلى وجه بناء الخبر الذي يذكر معها . ووصف { الأكرم } يتضمن صفات الكمال والتنزيه عن النقائص .ومفعولا { علم بالقلم } محذوفان دل عليهما قوله : { بالقلم } وتقديره : علّم الكاتبين أو علّم ناساً الكتابة ، وكان العرب يعظمون علم الكتابة ويعدونها من خصائص أهل الكتاب كما قال أبو حية النُّميري: ... كما خُطّ الكتابُ بكفِّ يَوماًيَهُودِيَ يقارِب أو يُزيل ... ويتفاخر من يعرف الكتابة بعِلمه وقال الشاعر: ... تعلّمْتُ بَاجَاد وآلمُرَامِرٍ وسوَّدت أثوابي ولستُ بكاتب ... وذُكر أن ظهور الخط في العرب أول ما كان عند أهل الأنبار ، وأدخل الكتابة إلى الحجاز حربُ بن أمية تعلمه من أسْلم بن سدرة وتعلمه أسلم من مُرامِر بن مُرة وكان الخط سابقاً عند حمير باليمن ويسمى المُسْنَد .وتخصيص هذه الصلة بالذكر وجعلُها معترضة بين المبتدإ والخبر للإِيماء إلى إزالة ما خطر ببال النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم من تعذر القراءة عليه لأنه لا يعلم الكتابة فكيف القراءةُ إذْ قال للملك : «ما أنا بقارىء» ثلاث مرات ، لأن قوله : " ما أنا بقارىء " اعتذار عن تعذر امتثال أمره بقوله : { اقرأ } ؛ فالمعنى أن الذي علّم الناس الكتابة بالقلم والقراءة قادر على أن يعلمك القراءة وأنت لا تعلم الكتابة .والقلم : شَظيَّة من قصب ترقق وتثقّف وتبرى بالسكيننِ لتكون ملساء بين الأصابع ويجعلُ طرفها مشقوقاً شقاً في طول نصف الأنملة ، فإذا بلّ ذلك الطرف بسائل المداد يخُط به على الورق وشبهه ، وقد تقدم عند قوله تعالى : { إذ يلقون أقلامهم أيهم يكفل مريم } في سورة آل عمران ( 44 ) .

الذي من كرمه أن علم بالعلم و { عَلَّمَ بِالْقَلَمِ}

قوله تعالى : الذي علم بالقلم فيه ثلاث مسائل :الأولى : قوله تعالى : الذي علم بالقلم يعني الخط والكتابة ; أي علم الإنسان الخط بالقلم . وروى سعيد عن قتادة قال : القلم نعمة من الله تعالى عظيمة ، لولا ذلك لم يقم دين ، ولم يصلح عيش . فدل على كمال كرمه سبحانه ، بأنه علم عباده ما لم يعلموا ، ونقلهم من ظلمة الجهل إلى نور العلم ، ونبه على فضل علم الكتابة ، لما فيه من المنافع العظيمة ، التي لا يحيط بها إلا هو . وما دونت العلوم ، ولا قيدت الحكم ، ولا ضبطت أخبار الأولين ومقالاتهم ، ولا كتب الله المنزلة إلا بالكتابة ; ولولا هي ما استقامت أمور الدين والدنيا . وسمي قلما لأنه يقلم ; أي يقطع ، ومنه تقليم الظفر . وقال بعض الشعراء المحدثين يصف القلم :[ ص: 108 ] فكأنه والحبر يخضب رأسه شيخ لوصل خريدة يتصنع لم لا ألاحظه بعين جلالةوبه إلى الله الصحائف ترفعوعن عبد الله بن عمر قال : يا رسول الله ، أأكتب ما أسمع منك من الحديث ؟ قال : " نعم فاكتب ، فإن الله علم بالقلم " . وروى مجاهد عن أبي عمر قال : خلق الله - عز وجل - أربعة أشياء بيده ، ثم قال لسائر الحيوان : كن فكان : القلم ، والعرش ، وجنة عدن ، وآدم - عليه السلام - . وفيمن علمه بالقلم ثلاثة أقاويل : أحدها : أنه آدم - عليه السلام - ; لأنه أول من كتب ، قاله كعب الأحبار . الثاني : أنه إدريس ، وهو أول من كتب . قاله الضحاك . الثالث : أنه أدخل كل من كتب بالقلم ; لأنه ما علم إلا بتعليم الله سبحانه ، وجمع بذلك نعمته عليه في خلقه ، وبين نعمته عليه في تعليمه ; استكمالا للنعمة عليه .الثانية : صح عن النبي - صلى الله عليه وسلم - من حديث أبي هريرة ، قال : لما خلق الله الخلق كتب في كتابه - فهو عنده فوق العرش : إن رحمتي تغلب غضبي . وثبت عنه - عليه السلام - أنه قال : أول ما خلق الله : القلم ، فقال له : اكتب ، فكتب ما يكون إلى يوم القيامة ، فهو عنده في الذكر فوق عرشه .وفي الصحيح من حديث ابن مسعود : أنه سمع رسول الله - صلى الله عليه وسلم - يقول : " إذا مر بالنطفة ثنتان وأربعون ليلة ، بعث الله إليها ملكا فصورها ، وخلق سمعها وبصرها وجلدها ولحمها وعظمها ، ثم يقول ، يا رب ، أذكر أم أنثى ؟ فيقضي ربك ما شاء ويكتب الملك ثم يقول : يا رب أجله ، فيقول ربك ما شاء ، ويكتب الملك ، ثم يقول يا رب رزقه ، فيقضي ربك ما شاء ، ويكتب الملك ، ثم يخرج الملك بالصحيفة في يده ، فلا يزيد على ما أمر ولا ينقص ، وقال تعالى : إن عليكم لحافظين كراما كاتبين .قال علماؤنا : فالأقلام في الأصل ثلاثة : القلم الأول : الذي خلقه الله بيده ، وأمره أن يكتب . والقلم الثاني : أقلام الملائكة ، جعلها الله بأيديهم يكتبون بها المقادير والكوائن والأعمال . والقلم الثالث : أقلام الناس ، جعلها الله بأيديهم ، يكتبون بها كلامهم ، ويصلون بها مآربهم . وفي الكتابة فضائل جمة . والكتابة من جملة البيان ، والبيان مما اختص به الآدمي .[ ص: 109 ] الثالثة : قال علماؤنا : كانت العرب أقل الخلق معرفة بالكتاب ، وأقل العرب معرفة به المصطفى - صلى الله عليه وسلم - ; صرف عن علمه ; ليكون ذلك أثبت لمعجزته ، وأقوى في حجته ، وقد مضى هذا مبينا في سورة ( العنكبوت ) . وروى حماد بن سلمة عن الزبير بن عبد السلام ، عن أيوب بن عبد الله الفهري ، عن عبد الله بن مسعود قال : قال رسول الله - صلى الله عليه وسلم - : " لا تسكنوا نساءكم الغرف ، ولا تعلموهن الكتابة " .قال علماؤنا : وإنما حذرهم النبي - صلى الله عليه وسلم - ذلك لأن في إسكانهن الغرف تطلعا إلى الرجل ; وليس في ذلك تحصين لهن ولا تستر . وذلك أنهن لا يملكن أنفسهن حتى يشرفن على الرجل ; فتحدث الفتنة والبلاء ; فحذرهم أن يجعلوا لهن غرفا ذريعة إلى الفتنة . وهو كما قال رسول الله - صلى الله عليه وسلم - : " ليس للنساء خير لهن من ألا يراهن الرجال ، ولا يرين الرجال " . وذلك أنها خلقت من الرجل ، فنهمتها في الرجل ، والرجل خلقت فيه الشهوة ، وجعلت سكنا له ، فغير مأمون كل واحد منهما في صاحبه . وكذلك تعليم الكتابة ربما كانت سببا للفتنة ، وذلك إذا علمت الكتابة كتبت إلى من تهوى . والكتابة عين من العيون ، بها يبصر الشاهد الغائب ، والخط هو آثار يده . وفي ذلك تعبير عن الضمير بما لا ينطلق به اللسان ، فهو أبلغ من اللسان . فأحب رسوله - صلى الله عليه وسلم - أن ينقطع عنهن أسباب الفتنة ; تحصينا لهن ، وطهارة لقلوبهن .

The first five verses of this chapter were the very first verses which were revealed to the Prophet Muhammad. Almighty God created man out of ordinary material elements. Then He blessed him with the rare capacity to read and to understand the import of what he read. Then, man was given the additional capacity to use the pen and thus systematise and preserve his knowledge. While the capacity to read enables a man to acquire knowledge, the pen makes him capable of spreading this knowledge to others on a large scale. The ‘pen’ is a symbol of knowledge. In other words, through written words the believers are enjoined to acquire and spread the knowledge of the truth, wisdom and beauty of Islam. Today, spreading the word of God will be done by means of printed material and through other means of communication which includes the internet and the multimedia. Translations of the Quran in various languages, Islamic books and other printed material on Islam should be distributed as a part of dawah work on a large scale, so that the word of God reaches each and every home—big or small as predicted in a hadith (Musnad Ahmed). Thousands of men and women are dying every day without having had the message of God conveyed to them; without having had the opportunity to accept it, they have missed their chance of improving their lives in the Hereafter. In such a situation it is the solemn responsibility of the believers to desist from making excuses and seriously take up the mission of proclaiming the divine truth. The conveying of the message of Truth to everyone, the responsibility for which has been placed on the Muslims, is not like an optional subject, which you may either take up or leave off on some pretext. This is a responsibility of such a nature that it has to be discharged at all costs. Dawah, which in the Quran is called ‘warning and giving glad tidings’, is directly the mission of God. So that men might have no argument with God on the plea that they were unaware, this task was passed on to the believers themselves after the preservation of the Quran. This exigency has opened up the opportunity for man to perform this great divine task. Those who come forward to carry out this divine mission of dawah will receive special succour in this life and will be held deserving of great honour in the life Hereafter.

Verse [ 4] الَّذِي عَلَّمَ بِالْقَلَمِ (Who imparted knowledge by means of the Pen.) The preceding verse spoke of the creation of man. The current verse speaks of man's education or literacy, because knowledge, as part of education and literacy, distinguishes man from all other animals and creatures, and occupies the position of the crown of creation. There are two means, methods or media through which knowledge is imparted: [ 1] oral or spoken method or by word of mouth; and [ 2] Pen or written method. The command iqra' [ read ] at the beginning of Surah refers to the oral or spoken method. However, the current verse, which speaks more explicitly about imparting knowledge, speaks of the written method of recording and transmitting knowledge from generation to generation. Pen and Writing: The First and Most Important Means of Transmitting Knowledge An authentic narration of Sayyidna Abu Hurairah ؓ reports that the Messenger of Allah said: لَمَّا خلق اللہ الخلق کتب فی کتابہ فھو عندہ فوق العرش، ان رحمتی غلبت غضبی "When Allah created the creation, He inscribed a document which is with Him above the Throne: Indeed My mercy has preceded My anger." In another narration, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ is reported to have said: اوّل ما خلق اللہ القلم، فقال لہ : اکتب، فکتب ما یکون الٰی یوم القیامۃ فھو عندہ فی الذکر فوق عرشہٖ "The first thing Allah created was the pen. He told it to write, so it wrote what was to take place till Doomsday. This is with Allah on His Throne." [ Qurtubi ] Three Types of Pen Scholars have said that there are three types of pen in the world: [ 1] a Pen that Allah created with His own hand and instructed it to write the decree of the universe; [ 2] the pen of the angels who record the events that are to occur and their magnitude, they also use it to record the deeds of human beings; and [ 3] the pen of human beings, which they use to reduce their speech to writing. Writing, in fact, is a kind of speech [ or a manifestation of it ]. Humans are biologically programmed by Allah for speech, and it is thus natural, inborn and innate faculty. [ Qurtubi ] The leading authority on Tafsir, Mujahid, cites from Abu ` Amr that Allah created four things in the entire universe with His own Creative hand, and the rest of the creation came into being by His cosmic command of kun [ be ] and they became. The four things are: [ 1] the pen; [ 2] The Divine Throne; [ 3] the Garden of Eden; and [ 4] Holy Prophet 'Adam (علیہ السلام) . Who was First Trained in the Writing Skill and Art? Scholars have differed on this question. Some say the art and skill of writing was first imparted to the father of mankind, i.e. the prophet 'Adam (علیہ السلام) and he was the first one to write. [ Ka` b Ahbar ]. Others say that this art was first taught to the Holy Prophet Idris (علیہ السلام) and he was thus the very first scribe. [ Dahhak ]. Some others have observed that the art and skill of writing is the Divine knowledge given as a gift to anyone whom Allah wills. Writing Skill and Art: A Great Divine Gift Sayyidna Qatadah (رح) stated that Pen is a great Divine gift. If Allah had not granted man the art and skill of writing with pen, it would not have been possible for him to preserve or protect the religion in its pristine form, nor would it have been possible for him to conduct his worldly affairs in the proper manner. Sayyidna ` Ali' ؓ has stated that it is a great generosity that Allah has granted His servants knowledge of things they did not know. He drew them out from the darkness of ignorance and brought them into the light of knowledge. He urged them to acquire the art and skill of writing as it accrues great benefits. Only Allah is able to keep count of the benefits of writing. All sciences and philosophies are codified by means of pen. The history of the former and latter nations are compiled by means of pen. Their chronicles and monographs are preserved in writing. The Divinely revealed Books are committed to writing, and shall be preserved till the world lasts. The pen' is thus able to make great contribution towards the propagation and dissemination of spiritual sciences and Divine secrets revealed by the Qur'an and of physical sciences to which the study of the Qur'an imparted a great stimulus. Without the pen, all worldly and religious works will come to a standstill. Writing Skill and Art: Attitude of Scholars in All Ages Scholars of the former and the latter times have always realised the stupendous role pen plays in the preservation and transmission of knowledge, as a result they made a great use of it and left behind a huge legacy of books and writings. It is regretful to notice that in this age students and scholars have ignored the importance of this skill and art. As a result, scarcely a few people in a few million people have mastered the art, or developed the skill, of writing. To Allah do we direct our complaint! Writing Skill and Art: The Reason Why the Holy Prophet ﷺ was not Taught It is really very significant that mention should have been made of 'Pen' in a Book which was revealed to a person, the Final Messenger ﷺ ، who himself did not know how to read and write. The reason for this is the profound Divine wisdom underlying it. Allah had willed that the dignity and status of the Final Messenger ﷺ should be far above the thinking of the general populace. Allah placed the Holy Prophet ﷺ in an environment which was not favourable for any spontaneous accomplishments, nor was it conducive to any achievements by natural exposure. His birthplace was the rugged and rocky mountainous terrain. The desert of Arabia had fewer plants apart from the date-palms, little water apart from the zam zam well and the weather was always dry, far away from civilisation, and completely cut off from the cradle of knowledge and wisdom. The communications system or network was inaccessible; as a result, the people of Arabia had no contact with Syria, Iraq, Egypt and other civilised areas of the world. Hence, all the Arabs were referred to as 'unlettered' who generally had no respect for knowledge, wisdom and writing. Very rarely people had the opportunity to learn knowledge or to acquire the art and skill of writing. The Holy Prophet ﷺ was born in such bare region, among such illiterate tribes and in such harsh environment. He was never given the opportunity to become literate. It was inconceivable that a person born in such a surrounding will be gifted with knowledge, wisdom and high morals. He was, however, suddenly granted the cloak of Prophethood, together with incessant flow of knowledge and wisdom. The greatest of poets and orators of Arabia were subdued by the eloquence of the unlettered Holy Prophet ﷺ . This was his open and overt miracle. Every open-minded person should be able to see with his eye of certainty that his attainments were not the result of acquisition by his own efforts or human exertion, but they were the result of the invisible generosity of Allah Who endowed him with the Prophetic gift. This is the Divine wisdom underlying the reason why the Holy Prophet ﷺ was not trained in the skill and the art of writing. [ Adapted from Qurtubi ] Verse [ 5] عَلَّمَ الْإِنسَانَ مَا لَمْ يَعْلَمْ (Taught Man what he did not know." The preceding verse was concerned with a particular means of teaching, namely, 'pen', the written method. Many other Means of Teaching The present verse purports to say that the real teacher is Allah, and He has innumerable ways and means, besides pen, to impart knowledge. Therefore, the verse says that Allah taught man things with which he was unacquainted previously. The verse does not mention 'pen' or any other means of teaching. The reason for that is man is taught from the very inception of his life. First, he is gifted with intellect, the greatest means of receiving knowledge. Man, by the right use of intellect, is able to understand many things. Further, his entire environment is the manifestation of the perfect power of Allah and studded with the evidence of Divine power by witnessing which he is able to recognise his Creator. Revelation and inspiration are other means of knowledge. The knowledge of many essential things are learnt intuitively. Intuition is the God-given ability to know or understand things through feelings, rather than by considering facts or evidence. As a result, there is no need for tongue or pen. When a baby is born, it is not conscious of how its environment operates. However, it instinctively reaches out for the mother's breast, when it feels hungry and feeds itself. Who teaches it and who can teach it? Allah has taught it the 'skill' of crying since its birth. The cry of the baby is the means of satisfying all its needs. When it cries, it becomes a cause of concern for the parents to find out what is wrong. The baby's cry satisfies its hunger, thirst, heat and cold. Who teaches the new-born baby how to cry? All this is instinctive knowledge with which Allah has programmed every living organism, especially man. After the instinctive knowledge, man's knowledge continues to increase by word of mouth, and then by the supra-rational organ of intuition, called the heart. Apparently, there was no need to say مَا لَمْ يَعْلَمْ (... what he did not know) because normally knowledge is imparted of things that are not known. It is explicitly stated here, probably because man may not assume that the God-given knowledge and skills are the results of his own efforts and exertion. The concluding phrase مَا لَمْ يَعْلَمْ "what he did not know" has been added in order to make man realise that there was a time when he knew nothing, thus in [ 16:78] we came across أَخْرَ‌جَكُم مِّن بُطُونِ أُمَّهَاتِكُمْ لَا تَعْلَمُونَ شَيْئًا (And Allah has brought you forth from your mothers' wombs when you knew nothing...). This shows that knowledge is not an ingrained personal excellence of man. It is the gift of the Creator and the Master. [ Mazhari ]. Some scholars interpret the word 'man' to be referring to the Holy Prophet 'Adam (علیہ السلام) because he was the first man to whom knowledge was imparted, thus in [ 2:31] وَعَلَّمَ آدَمَ الْأَسْمَاءَ كُلَّهَا (And He taught 'Adam the names, all of them...). And others say the reference is to the Final Messenger ﷺ whose knowledge embraces the knowledge of all the previous Prophets (علیہم السلام) . As stated earlier, these five verses of this Surah represent the very beginning of the revelation of the Qur'an. Verses [ 6-19] of the Surah are of much later date. We assert this on the following grounds: These verses were revealed in connection with an incident in which Abu Jahl prevented the Holy Prophet from offering salah. In the initial stages of revelation and Prophet-hood, the Holy Prophet ﷺ had no enemies in Makkah. All used to call him by the title of 'al-Amin' [ the honest or upright ]. They respected and loved him. Abu Jahl's enmity and opposition obviously started when the Holy Prophet ﷺ proclaimed his propagation openly, called the people towards Islam publicly, and performed the salah in the Sacred Mosque. Salah was prescribed on the Night of Ascent, (Mi` raj). Therefore, prevention from salah, referred to in these verses, may not be imagined before that time.

(Who teacheth by the pen) Who teaches writing by the pen,

Which was revealed in Makkah This was the First of the Qur'an revealed بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَـنِ الرَّحِيمِ In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. The Beginning of the Prophethood of Muhammad ﷺ and the First of the Qur'an revealed Imam Ahmad recorded that `A'ishah said: The first thing that began happening with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ from the revelation was dreams that he would see in his sleep that would come true. He would not see any dream except that it would come true just like the (clearness of) the daybreak in the morning. Then seclusion became beloved to him. So, he used to go to the cave of Hira' and devote himself to worship there for a number of nights, and he would bring provisions for that. Then he would return to Khadijah and replenish his provisions for a similar number of nights. This continued until the revelation suddenly came to him while he was in the cave of Hira'. The angel came to him while he was in the cave and said, "Read!" The Messen- ger of Allah said, «فَقُلْتُ: مَا أَنَا بِقَارِىء» (I replied: "I am not one who reads.) Then he said, "So he (the angel) seized me and pressed me until I could no longer bear it. Then he released me and said: `Read!' So I replied: `I am not one who reads.' So, he pressed me a second time until I could no longer bear it. Then he released me and said: اقْرَأْ بِاسْمِ رَبِّكَ الَّذِى خَلَقَ (Read in the Name of your Lord who has created.) until he reached the Ayah, مَا لَمْ يَعْلَمْ (That which he knew not. )" So he returned with them (those Ayat) and with his heart trembling until he came (home) to Khadijah, and he said, «زَمِّلُونِي زَمِّلُونِي» (Wrap me up, wrap me up!) So they wrapped him up until his fear went away. After that he told Khadijah everything that had happened (and said), «قَدْ خَشِيتُ عَلَى نَفْسِي» (I fear that something may happen to me.) Khadijah replied, "Never! By Allah, Allah will never disgrace you. You keep good relations with your relatives, you speak the truth, you help the poor and the destitute, you serve your guests generously, and you help the deserving, calamity afflicted people." Khadijah then accompanied him to her cousin Waraqah bin Nawfal bin Asad bin `Abdul-`Uzza bin Qusay, who, during the period of ignorance became a Christian and used to scribe the Scriptures in Arabic. He would write from the Injil in Hebrew as much as Allah willed for him to write. He was an old man and had lost his eyesight. Khadijah said to him, "O my cousin! Listen to the story of your nephew." Waraqah asked, "O my nephew! What have you seen" Allah's Messenger ﷺ described what he saw. Waraqah said, "This is An-Namus whom Allah had sent to Musa. I wish I was young and could live until the time when your people would drive you out." Allah's Messenger ﷺ asked, «أَوَ مُخْرِجِيَّ هُمْ؟» (Will they drive me out) Waraqah replied in the affirmative and said, "Anyone who came with something similar to what you have brought, was treated with hostility and enmity; and if I should remain alive till that day then I would firmly support you." But Waraqah did not remain. He died and the revelation paused until Allah's Messenger ﷺ became sad according to what we were told. Due to this grief he set out a number of times with the intent of throwing himself from the mountain tops. However, every time he would reach the peak of a mountain to throw himself from it, Jibril would appear to him and say, "O Muhammad! You are truly the Messenger of Allah ﷺ!" Therefore, his worry would be eased, his soul would be settled and he would return (down from the mountain). Then, when the revelation did not come again for a long time, he set out as he had done before. So when he reached the peak of the mountain, Jibril appeared to him again and said to him the same as he had said before." This Hadith has been recorded in the Two Sahihs by way of Az-Zuhri. We have already discussed this Hadith's chain of narration, its text and its meanings at length in the beginning of our explanation of Sahih Al-Bukhari. Therefore, whoever would like to read it, it is researched there, and all praise and blessings are due to Allah. So the first thing that was revealed of the Qur'an were these noble and blessed Ayat. They are the first mercy that Allah bestowed upon His servants and the first bounty that Allah favored them with. The Honor and Nobility of Man is in His Knowledge These Ayat inform of the beginning of man's creation from a dangling clot, and that out of Allah's generosity He taught man that which he did not know. Thus, Allah exalted him and honored him by giving him knowledge, and it is the dignity that the Father of Humanity, Adam, was distinguished with over the angels. Knowledge sometimes is in the mind, sometimes on the tongue, and sometimes in writing with the fingers. Thus, it may be intellectual, spoken and written. And while the last (written) necessitates the first two (intellectual and spoken), the reverse is not true. For this reason Allah says, اقْرَأْ وَرَبُّكَ الاٌّكْرَمُ - الَّذِى عَلَّمَ بِالْقَلَمِ - عَلَّمَ الإِنسَـنَ مَا لَمْ يَعْلَمْ (Read! And your Lord is the Most Generous. Who has taught by the pen. He has taught man that which he knew not.) There is a narration that states, "Record knowledge by writing." There is also a saying which states, "Whoever acts according to what he knows, Allah will make him inherit knowledge that he did not know."