Sūrat al-ʿAlaq is the ninety-sixth chapter of the Quran and it was revealed in Mecca. It is widely considered, across the Muslim sectarian divide and across the centuries, to be the very first of the Quran to be revealed to Prophet Muhammad (s). It consists of nineteen verses.
From among the Prophet’s prominent companions, the Muslim sources give the names of the following whose opinions regarding the primacy of Sūrat al-ʿAlaq have been transmitted, and these are ʿĀʾishah, Abū Mūsā al-Ashʿarī, ʿAbd-Allāh ibn Abbas, and ʿAbd-Allāh ibn al-Zubayr.
In the Shia tradition, the opinion that Sūrat al-ʿAlaq is the first revelation is upheld on the basis of the reports from the Imams of the Prophet’s household. Thus Suyūṭī records in his work on Quranic sciences, al-Itqān fī ʿUlūm al-Qurʾān, that Imam al-Sajjād (a) was heard to say that the first surah to be revealed in Mecca was Sūrat al-ʿAlaq, while Qummī records the same regarding the primacy of this surah in his commentary, Tafsīr al-Qummī, from Imam al-Bāqir (a). In Uṣūl al-Kāfī, Kulaynī records that Imam al-Ṣādiq (a) is reported to have said: ‘The first that was revealed to the Messenger of Allah (s) was bi-sm allāh al-raḥmān al-raḥīm, iqraʾ bi-smi rabbika … and the last of it was idhā jāʾa naṣr allāh,’ while Yaʿqūbī, the ninth-century historian, records a report from Imam al-Ṣādiq (a) which also reiterates that this surah was the first Quranic revelation. Ṣadūq reports in ʿUyūn al-Akhbār that Imam al-Riḍā (a) said: ‘I heard my father narrate from his father that the first surah to descend was bi-sm allāh al-raḥmān al-raḥīm, iqraʾ bi-smi rabbika … and the last of it was idhā jāʾa naṣr allāh.’
Sūrat al-ʿAlaq was revealed during the Night of Ordainment (97:1, 44:2-3), in the month of Ramadan (2:185) at Ḥirāʾ when Prophet Muhammad (s) was around forty years of age, after which the Quranic revelations continued to come to Prophet Muhammad (s) over two decades in piecemeal fashion as mentioned in 17:106 and 25:32 in response to various contingent issues. This is while Prophet Muhammad (s) was given the mission of prophethood some time earlier to the inception of Quranic revelations. He was given this mission on 27 Rajab (known as yawm al-biʿthah or yawm al-mabʿath, the day of appointment). This date is mentioned in several reports from the Prophet’s companions such as Ibn Abbas, Anas ibn Mālik, Salmān al-Fārsī, and Abū Hurayrah, as well as in multiple reports from the Imams from the Prophet’s household. Consequently, the Imams have been attributed to have urged their partisans in favour of three specific devotional rituals to be performed on 27 Rajab due to its significance: 1. A twelve cycle ritual prayer said during the day or night of 27 Rajab. 2. Recitation of diverse litanies consisting of Quranic chapters and verses and non-Quranic recitals, terminating with supplications. 3. Fasting during the day of 27 Rajab. Thus Imam al-Ṣādiq (a) is reported to have said: ‘The day of 27 Rajab is when the Messenger of Allah (s) was conferred with [the office of] prophethood. Whoever recites twelve cycles of the ritual prayer at any time during that day … and then invokes Allah for the fulfilment of his wishes shall have them fulfilled unless the wishes are for the destruction of wealth and people, or against relatives.’ Imam al-Kāẓim (a) said: ‘Allah the mighty and majestic sent forth Muhammad (s) as a mercy for the worlds on 27 Rajab. Thus whoever fasts on that day shall have Allah register for him the reward of fasting sixty months.’ This is while the famous Asharite Shāfiʿī hadith scholar Bayhaqī reports in his work, Shuʿab al-Īmān, that Salmān al-Fārsī, the Prophet’s renowned companion, said: ‘There is a day and night in the month of Rajab which are such that whoever fasts during that day and keeps awake that night for devotion and worship is as if he has fasted a hundred years and kept awake for devotions a hundred years. And that is when three days remain of the month of Rajab for in it Allah sent forth Muhammad as a prophet.’
Most of the reports of biʿthah which mention the date when it occurred, do not mention the year when it happened or that any Quranic revelation took place on this occasion, while most reports which explicitly identify this chapter as the first revelation to Prophet Muhammad (s) do not mention the date when it occurred, such that it may be claimed that the revelation of this chapter was congruent with biʿthah, nor do these mention that the descent of this chapter was during the event of biʿthah. Nevertheless, the Quran’s testimony is sufficient with regards to the revelation of this chapter during the Night of Ordainment in the month of Ramadan. A distinction between the event of biʿthah and the onset of Quranic revelations is attested to in the Prophet’s biography, while the Quran also attests to such a possibility. The Prophet’s biography mentions the Prophet seeing true dreams, developing a fondness for seclusion, and hearing greetings made to him when he would wander far into the glens and valleys of Mecca, all prior to the onset of Quranic revelations. These experiences are interpreted to indicate the office of prophethood. Thus, Kulaynī reports from Zurārah who asked Imam al-Bāqir (a) about the distinction between a messenger (rasūl) and a prophet (nabī) in the context of 19:54. The Imam replied: ‘The prophet (nabī) is one who sees [visions] in his sleep and hears the voice [of the angel] but does not see the angel, while the messenger (rasūl) is one who hears the voice [of the angel], sees [visions] in his sleep, and sees the angel.’ Kulaynī further reports the following report from al-Aḥwal who asked Imam al-Bāqir (a) about the distinction between a messenger, a prophet, and a muḥaddath (one who is spoken to). The Imam replied: ‘The messenger is one to whom Gabriel comes to from in front, thus he sees him and converses with him and that is the messenger. As for the prophet, he is the one who sees [visions] in his sleep like the visions of Abraham and like what the Messenger of Allah saw of the signs of prophethood before the onset of revelations till Gabriel came to him from Allah with the messengership. And with respect to Muhammad, when the office of prophethood and that of messengership were combined for him from Allah, Gabriel would come to him and converse with him from in front, while there is from among the prophets one who is granted the office of prophethood, who sees [visions] in his sleep, and the spirit comes to him and speaks and converses with him without him seeing [the spirit] while awake, while a muḥaddath is one who is spoken to. Thus he hears but does not see [the angel while awake] or in his sleep.’
This is while the Quran mentions two prime examples of a lapse in time between a prophet being rendered a prophet and him being given a divine scripture. One is the case of Prophet Moses (a) and the other is the case of Prophet Jesus (a). Prophet Moses (a) was ordained a prophet with whom divine instructions and messages were shared well before being granted a scripture (28:29-42), which he was granted after a period of time (28:43-44). With regards to Prophet Jesus (a), the Quran describes him speaking miraculously from the cradle, describing himself as being a servant of God, a prophet of God, and has having been given a book (19:30-31). Several prominent commentators of the Quran have explained that the statement of Prophet Jesus (a) – that he had been given the book at that point in time, which was when he was still an infant – meant that it had been decreed that he would be given the book, and thus one meaning of these words was that this would be fulfilled in the future. Finally, as Subḥānī responds to Tabatabai’s contention, which was that he found it difficult to countenance a gap of about thirty days between the event of biʿthah and the onset of Quranic revelations, by asking: ‘What objection could there be in Prophet Muhammad (s) being given the mission of prophethood on one date and the inception of Quranic revelations taking place sometime later, such as two months later?’
Hence, while the first Quranic revelation occurred in the month of Ramadan during the Night of Ordainment, the Prophet’s prophetic mission commenced prior to that, on 27 Rajab. Thereafter, the Quranic revelations continued to come to Prophet Muhammad (s) over two decades in piecemeal fashion as mentioned in 17:106 and 25:32.
However, an alternative theory regarding the point in time when the first revelation occurred also exists. This maintains that Sūrat al-ʿAlaq was revealed during the event of the biʿthah, and hence the event of the first revelation and that of the commencement of the Prophet’s mission occurred concurrently, while 97:1, 44:2-3, and 2:185 refer to a complete and instantaneous revelation of the Quran. Discussions regarding this theory vis-a-vis the preferred theory presented earlier, may be read in the commentaries of the relevant verses. Nevertheless, the view preferred here was also favoured by a number of prominent past scholars such as, for example, Ibn Isḥāq, Mufīd, Zamakhsharī, and Ibn Shahrāshūb.
It appears that the majority of the commentators across the sectarian divide and across the centuries have inclined to the position that Sūrat al-ʿAlaq was revealed in at least two parts, where the first three/five verses of it were revealed at the onset of Quranic revelations, while the rest of the verses were revealed later, although the exact point in time in which the later verses were revealed is disputed and subject to debate. However, at least two contemporary scholars have argued against the two-part descent of Sūrat al-ʿAlaq. One of them is Tabatabai and the other is Amīn Aḥsan Iṣlāḥī. The debate regarding whether Sūrat al-ʿAlaq was revealed in one or two parts is somewhat longstanding, since Balādhūrī records a report in his al-Anṣāb al-Ashrāf which suggests that this issue was a matter of debate already during the second half of the second century ah (latter half of the eighth century ce).
There are at least two arguments in favour of a two-part descent of this surah. The first of these is the mention of the ritual prayer in verse 10, a ritual from which Prophet Muhammad (s) was hindered by an unnamed person (verse 9) whom the extra-Quranic literature identifies as Abū Jahl. The argument made is that since the Muslim ritual prayer (ṣalāh) was legislated as an obligation during the Night of Ascension, which was subsequent to the event of the onset of the Quranic revelations by some years, its mention in the latter half of this surah means that the relevant verses were revealed subsequent to the ritual prayer’s ordainment and could not have been revealed at the time of the onset of the revelations. Consequently, the descent of verses 6-19 must be situated, in terms of time, after the Night of Ascension, however since the year of the event of the Night of Ascension is subject to debate, it is consequently not established when exactly verses 6-19 were revealed.
However, this particular argument in favour of a two-part descent for this surah has been refuted by Tabatabai. He argues that the legislation of the ritual prayers during the Night of Ascension as reported in the traditions and understood by some in light of 17:78, pertains to the five daily ritual prayers in the form of two cycles, yet this does not disprove the existence of the ritual prayer before that time. This is because, he writes, references are made to the ritual prayer by various expressions in the Meccan surahs of the Quran, surahs that were revealed prior to surah 17, even though the relevant verses do not mention the form of the prayer. It may be presumed, he writes, that the prayer constituted of some recitations from the Quran and the act of prostration. In addition to that, he argues, there are several reports which have been transmitted that describe the Prophet saying the ritual prayer with Khadijah and Imam Ali (a) at the moment of the inception of his mission even though the prayer’s specific form is unknown. These two observations of Tabatabai are generally borne out by a study of the occurrence of various derivatives of the root letters ṣ-l-w (from which we have the term ṣalāh) in early Meccan surahs revealed chronologically prior to the revelation of 17:78-79, and a study of the historical sources regarding the origin and development of the Muslim ritual prayer in Mecca. The latter verify that the Muslim ritual prayer was established and practiced from the very onset of the faith, and a couple of relevant reports have been cited in the body of the commentary.
Thus, it may be concluded that the Muslim ritual prayer – as a devotional rite – was an accompaniment of Islam from the earliest times, that it was a prominent part of the new faith such that accepting the faith was tantamount to having to say the ritual prayer as true and correct worship of the one true God, and that it was equivalent to faith in Islam. Hence the objection of Tabatabai to the argument that this surah was revealed in two parts because it mentions the ritual prayer, which was legislated some time after the onset of Quranic revelations, which would in turn require verses 6-19 to be revealed at a subsequent point in time, is borne out since it seems that the ritual prayer existed right from the inception of the Muslim faith and has been a ubiquitous part of it.
The second argument in favour of a two-part descent for verses 6-19 is that the verses that describe the Prophet being hindered from the ritual prayer could only have been revealed after open and active opposition to the Prophet and his followers had begun which resulted in their persecution. This is because verses 6-19 mention manifest opposition to and persecution of the Prophet which began three years after the inception of his prophetic mission, famously held to have begun due to the revelation of 26:214-215 and 15:94-95, and due to his criticism of the deities of the polytheists, and his speaking of the perdition of the forefathers of the polytheists who had died in unbelief. Prior to that the Prophet engaged in quiet, secretive, and judicious preaching during which the people were generally aware of his activities, but these did not lead to major, open hostilities.
It is due to this element (that is, opposition and persecution) that Amīn Aḥsan Iṣlāḥī argues not only that Sūrat al-ʿAlaq was revealed as one, single entity, but also that it could not be the first Quranic revelation. He writes that deliberating on the contents of this surah, especially its tone, address, and style of address, suggests that it is a harmonious, whole, single, and well-knit unit. The tone of its first five verses is no different from that of the rest of the surah, while such is the severity of its style of address, he writes, that one fails to understand why such a surah should be regarded as the first revelation. Moreover, he writes, there is no indication within the surah to suggest it was revealed in two episodes. Hence, Amīn Aḥsan Iṣlāḥī appeals to the ‘tone, address, and style’ of the surah to argue against it being the first surah as well as arguing against it being revealed in two parts. Indeed, had it not been for the reports of the Imams from the Prophet’s family which say that it was the first surah, it would have been difficult to argue that it was, since its acrimonious ‘tone, address, and style’ makes it relevant to the period when open preaching and consequent strife were in earnest during the Prophet’s time in Mecca.
Hence, in light of the above, verses 6-19 which speak of a person intimidating the Prophet and preventing him from the ritual prayer, as well as containing censure and threats made towards him, would ideally be located after the first three years of cautious, secretive preaching. Irrespective of when exactly verses 6-19 occurred, their revelation would be sometime after the revelation of verses 1-5 when open hostilities had started and when the relationship of the Prophet and the Muslims with the Quraysh had deteriorated and become highly aggravated, and therefore this surah should have been revealed in two parts. Thus it is observed that the famous anecdote which is cited in the context of verse 9 and which describes Abū Jahl swearing to harm the Prophet when he next prostrated in prayer at the Kaaba, is situated by Ibn Isḥāq, the early biographer of Prophet Muhammad (s), after the onset of public preaching. This is unless it is argued that verses 6-19 refer not to Abū Jahl specifically (since no names have been mentioned) but to the nature of mankind in general. In this case these verses would describe the general tendency among mankind who transgress the bounds and prevent the worship of God when they become deluded by their false sense of security and independence. Subsequently, these verses were applied to Abū Jahl and became firmly associated with him in Muslim memory due to the perfect congruity between his role and the content of the verses. If this argument is found convincing then a case could be made that Sūrat al-ʿAlaq was revealed in its entirety at the inception of the Islamic faith.
Sūrat al-ʿAlaq is also referred to as Sūrat al-Iqraʾ due to the occurrence of this word in it. It begins with an instruction to the Prophet, and by extension to his followers, to acknowledge their Lord, their Creator, and their Teacher who is most generous. This is to be done by bringing Him to mind, calling upon Him, and remembering Him by reciting, praising, glorifying, and extolling His name, i.e. His attributes, as well as by expressing gratitude to Him for creating them from an insignificant clinging form, thereafter nourishing, raising, and looking after them all, as well as for teaching them all that they did not know, especially the significant art of writing and reading. This is mentioned in verses 1-5. These verses may also be understood to be in favour of the ritual prayer. They may also be understood as an imperative to recite and mention God’s name to others with the aim of preaching godliness and monotheism.
Thereafter, the narrative touches on the phenomenon of human tyranny and disobedience to God due to a false feeling of self-sufficiency. This is in spite of God’s graces on humans and all that has been made available to them of divine blessings and graces. Consequently the surah’s narrative informs of the punishment that awaits those who prevent and hinder God’s creatures from the path of God and the performance of good deeds. Finally, the surah terminates with God’s command to prostrate and draw near to Him.
The observation has also been made that the general framework of this surah demonstrates that pride is latent in human beings. It tends to be provoked and stimulated by feelings of self-sufficiency, while it disappears in the state of need and helplessness. Disregard of this experiential observation by the human being has the dangerous potential of leading him to an increase in disobedience and tyranny as he enjoys increased blessings from God, while disobedience and tyranny is a rapid mount towards destruction. On the other hand, if the human being remembers and recognises that he is essentially needy and ignorant, in need of continuous succour from God, of all types, and that it is God who has granted everything to him and therefore God is the truly generous one worthy of pride, gratitude, and praise, and that all blessings come forth from Him which require giving thanks to Him and praising Him and not disobeying Him, or opposing the truth or engaging in tyranny, then the human being would become content, at ease, and able to treat and contain the latent pride from rearing its ugly head even though he continues to be blessed with all types of abundant blessings. Consequently, as blessings upon him increase, he would only increase in gratitude, obedience to God, humbleness towards God’s creatures, and discharging God’s rights. Therefore, it seems that the important pivot of Sūrat al-ʿAlaq is the message of being aware of, of treating, and containing human pride and tyranny when obtaining various blessings such as knowledge, wealth, dignity, family, etc., by means of obedience and worship of God, and consequently the surah also terminates with the command to prostrate to God, an act that is considered to be the apex of a human being’s worship of God.
[1] Tibyan, 10/378; Aḥkām al-Qurʾān, 4/1954; Shawkani, 5/570. [2] Suyuti, 6/368; Shawkani, 5/570. [3] Zamakhshari, 4/775; Aḥkām al-Qurʾān, 4/1954; Shawkani, 5/570. [4] Suyuti, 6/368; Aḥkām al-Qurʾān, 4/1954. [5] The Perfect Guide to the Sciences of the Qur’an, p. 45. [6] Nur, 5/609 and 5/594. [7] Kafi, 2/628, h. 5, cited in Daqaiq, 14/346, and Nur, 5/609. [8] The Works of Ibn Wāḍiḥ al-Yaʿqūbī: An English Translation, 3/616. [9] Uyun, 2/5-6, h. 12; Daqaiq, 14/345-346; Nur, 5/609. [10] Tamhid, 1/108. [11] Taʾrīkh Ahl al-Bayt Naqlan ʿan al-Bāqir, wa al-Ṣādiq, wa al-Riḍā, wa al-ʿAskarī ʿan Ābāʾihim ʿalayhim al-salām, pp. 67-68; Iʿlām al-Warāʾ bi-Aʿlām al-Hudā, 1/102; http://sunnah.com/search/?q=start+of+revelation. [12] Tamhid, 1/107; Mawsūʿat al-Taʾrīkh al-Islāmī, 1/379-380. [13] Tamhid, 1/107; Mawsūʿat al-Taʾrīkh al-Islāmī, 1/379-380. [14] Tamhid, 1/107; Mawsūʿat al-Taʾrīkh al-Islāmī, 1/379-380. [15] Tamhid, 1/107; Mawsūʿat al-Taʾrīkh al-Islāmī, 1/379-380; Faḍāʾil Shahr Rajab, p. 500. [16] Wasail, 8/110 and 10/447-448; Amali.M, p. 28; Miṣbāḥ al-Mutahajjid, pp. 813, 820. [17] Miṣbāḥ al-Mutahajjid, pp. 813-817; Wasail, 8/110-112. [18] Miṣbāḥ al-Mutahajjid, pp. 813-817; Wasail, 8/110-112. [19] Miṣbāḥ al-Mutahajjid, pp. 813-820; Wasail, 10/447-449. [20] Wasail, 8/110. [21] Wasail, 10/448. [22] Cited in Tamhid, 1/107, as well as in Mawsūʿat al-Taʾrīkh al-Islāmī, 1/379-380. [23] An exception would be the report attributed to Imam al-Ṣādiq (a) in Yaʿqūbī’s work of history which has the Imam specify the day on which the revelation occurred as the month of Ramadan when ten days were yet left of it, which only serves to augment the argument that the event of the biʿthah and the event of the first Quranic revelation were two distinct occurrences (see The Works of Ibn Wāḍiḥ al-Yaʿqūbī, 3/616. [24] The Expeditions: An Early Biography of Muḥammad, p. 13; The Life of Muhammad: a Translation of Ibn Ishaq’s Sirat Rasul Allah, p. 105. [25] The Expeditions: An Early Biography of Muḥammad, p. 13; The Life of Muhammad: a Translation of Ibn Ishaq’s Sirat Rasul Allah, p. 105. [26] The Life of Muhammad: a Translation of Ibn Ishaq’s Sirat Rasul Allah, p. 105. [27] Kafi, 3/177. [28] Muḥsinī notes here that the perspective of comparison is limited and focussed to dreams, for otherwise Prophet Abraham (a) was one of the Resolute Prophets (ulū al-ʿazm) in addition to being a messenger (rasūl); see Ṣirāṭ al-Ḥaqq fī al-Maʿārif al-Islāmiyyah wa al-Uṣūl al-Iʿtiqādiyyah, 3/49. [29] Kafi, 3/176. A similar report is transmitted in Bihar, 18/270, citing Baṣāʾir al-Darajāt, p. 109, by Zurārah from Imam al-Bāqir (a). [30] Tabari, 16/60; Thalabi, 6/215. [31] Tabrisi, 6/792; Thalabi, 6/215. [32] Mizan, 2/16. [33] Mafahim, 7/105. [34] Mizan, 2/16; Tamhid, 1/109; al-Qurʾān al-Karīm wa Riwāyāt al-Madrasatayn, p. 110. [35] Tabrisi, 2/276, cited in Tamhid, 1/112. [36] Tamhid, 1/114. [37] Zamakhshari, 1/227, cited in Tamhid, 1/113. [38] Al-Manāqib, 1/150, cited in Tamhid, 1/113. [39] Anṣāb al-Ashrāf, 1/108. [40] The year and date during which the Night of Ascension is said to have occurred is subject to debate. With respect to the year, the range extends from the earlier years of the Prophet’s mission in Mecca to the later years of his time there. It has been suggested that in light of the multiple dates and years suggested for the Night of Ascension, perhaps this phenomenon took place multiple times and at least twice. This probability is based on at least two reports from Imam al-Ṣādiq (a) in favour of such a conclusion and these reports are in Khisal, 2/600, and Kafi, 1/442; however, the transmission chains of both reports have been criticised for deficiencies. See: https://www.islamquest.net/ar/archive/question/fa6152/tmpl/component/printme/1. [41] Mizan, 20/326-327. The historical sources say that the ritual prayer during the earliest Muslim period constituted of two cycles, including bowing and prostration. [42] 74:43, 87:14-15, 108:2, 107:4-5, 75:31-35, and 20:132. [43] The Life of Muhammad: a Translation of Ibn Ishaq’s Sirat Rasul Allah, pp. 112-115, 118; Taʾrīkh al-Rusul wa al-Mulūk, 2/311-312; Kitāb al-Irshād: The Book of Guidance into the Lives of the Twelve Imams, pp. 18-19; Beacons of Light: Muhammad the Prophet and Fatima the Radiant: A Partial translation of Iʿlām al-Warāʾ bi-Aʿlām al-Hudā, pp. 57-59; Kafi, 3/487, 3/272-273; Wasail, 4/46; al-Sīrah al-Nabawiyyah bi-Riwāyāt Ahl al-Bayt, 1/251-252. [44] Some of these reports have been cited under Insights from Hadith relevant to verse 1. [45] Kamal, 189, 344; Ṭūsī, Kitāb al-Ghaybah, pp. 332-333, 218; Bihar, 18/188; The Life of Muhammad: a Translation of Ibn Ishaq’s Sirat Rasul Allah, p. 117; The Works of Ibn Wāḍiḥ al-Yaʿqūbī, 3/617; The History of al-Ṭabari, 6/88; al-Istīʿāb fī Maʿrifat al-Aṣḥāb, 1/35; Qummi, 1/378. [46] The Expeditions: An Early Biography of Muḥammad, p. 23; The Life of Muhammad: a Translation of Ibn Ishaq’s Sirat Rasul Allah, p. 118; The Works of Ibn Wāḍiḥ al-Yaʿqūbī, 3/617; Ibn Hishām’s Sīrah, pp. 162-165, cited in Muḥammad at Mecca, p. 87; The History of al-Ṭabari, 6/93. [47] The Expeditions: An Early Biography of Muḥammad, p. 19; The Life of Muhammad: a Translation of Ibn Ishaq’s Sirat Rasul Allah, p. 118; The Works of Ibn Wāḍiḥ al-Yaʿqūbī, 3/617; Ibn Hishām’s Sīrah, pp. 162-165, cited in Muḥammad at Mecca, p. 87. [48] http://docvault.tadabbur-i-quran.org/tadabbur-text/volume-9/96/96%20Surah%20Alaq.pdf. [49] Qurṭubī, the thirteenth-century Cordoban Muslim scholar, whilst surmising the context of the revelation of the verses subsequent to verse 5 and the identity of the unnamed person subjected to harsh censure in them, who is identified in the exegetical literature as Abū Jahl, writes that it is also suggested that the entire surah was revealed in respect of Abū Jahl. Consequently, he suggests that the following may have happened. Abū Jahl forbade the Prophet from prayers whereupon God commanded him to go and pray in Masjid al-Ḥarām and to recite [in] the name of the Lord. Such a surmise therefore not only argues that the surah was revealed in one go but also that it was not the first revelation. What is also of significance here is how this report connects the surah with the ritual prayer and God’s remembrance (see al-Jāmiʿ li-Aḥkām al-Qurʾān, 21/123). Suyūṭī also records a report in his Quran commentary suggesting not only that this surah was revealed in one instant but also that it was revealed at a time when hostilities were in full swing. It reads as follows: ‘Ibn Abbas narrates that Abū Jahl said: “If Muhammad returns to pray at the site of the station [of Abraham], I shall certainly kill him.” At this Allah revealed the verses Recite in the name of your Lord who created … until No indeed! If he does not stop, We shall seize him by the forelock; a lying, sinful forelock! Let him summon his cohorts. We shall summon the guards of hell. Then the Prophet came to pray, so Abū Jahl was asked: “What prevents you from actualising what you had threatened?” He said: “I see blackness between myself and him.” Ibn Abbas said: “By Allah, had he moved [to do what he had threatened] the angels would have seized him while the people watched him.”’ (see Suyuti, 6/369). It could probably be conjectured, in a bid to resolve this problem, that verses 1-5 were revealed earlier and then these, along with the rest of the verses, were revealed at the moment when Abū Jahl attempted to thwart the Prophet from the prayer. [50] Taʾrīkh al-Ṣalāh fī al-Islām, pp. 23-24. [51] The Life of Muhammad: a Translation of Ibn Ishaq’s Sirat Rasul Allah, p. 135; Iʿlām al-Warāʾ bi-Aʿlām al-Hudā, p. 45. [52]A case in point is the following report: Abbas ibn ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib narrates: ‘One day, I was at the Masjid [al-Ḥarām] when Abū Jahl arrived and said: “I swear by God if I see Muhammad prostrating I shall trample his neck underfoot.” So I left to go to the Messenger of Allah and informed him of Abū Jahl’s speech whereupon the Prophet left in an angry mood till he arrived at the Mosque. He made such haste in entering the door that he broke through a wall. I said: “This is an evil day.” I put on a loincloth and followed him. The Messenger of Allah entered whilst reciting Recite in the name of your Lord who created. When he reached the [verse that described the] status of Abū Jahl [i.e. verse 6], a man said to Abū Jahl: “O Abū al-Ḥakam, here is Muhammad,” at which Abū Jahl said: “Do you not see what I see? By God, the horizon has closed over me.” When the Messenger reached the end of the surah, he prostrated.’ (See Suyuti, 6/370). This report appears to suggest that this surah had already been revealed prior to the incident and that the reason the Prophet was reciting it was because he was applying its contents to the situation at hand. What is of further significance is how this report connects the surah with the ritual prayer and God’s remembrance. [53] Amthal, 20/315. [54] Mudarrisi, 18/214.