Al-Qalam

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القلم
Al-Qalam
The Pen

Arabic text · English translation

Classification Meccan
Alternate titles (Ar.) ن
Other names nūn
Position Juzʼ 29
Number of Rukus 2
Number of verses 52
Number of words 301
Number of letters 1,289
Opening muqaṭṭaʻāt 1

Sūrat al-Qalam (Arabic: سورة القلم‎‎, “The Pen”) is the sixty-eighth sura of the Qur'an with 52 ayat. The Surat describes Allah's justice and the judgment day. Three important themes of this Surah are response to the opponents objections, warning and admonition to the disbelievers, and exhortation of patience to the Islamic prophet Muhammad.[1] Chronologically, this is the first appearance of any of the "disjointed" [i.e., single] letters (muqattaat) which precede a number of the surahs of the Qur'an[2] while in Quranic Order this is the last surah to have the appearance of (muqattaat).[3]

Asbab al-nuzul

Asbab al-nuzul (occasions or circumstances of revelation) is a secondary genre of Qur'anic exegesis (tafsir) directed at establishing the context in which specific verses of the Qur'an were revealed. Though of some use in reconstructing the Qur'an's historicity, asbab is by nature an exegetical rather than a historiographical genre, and as such usually associates the verses it explicates with general situations rather than specific events. Most of the mufassirun say that this surah was revealed at Mecca, at a stage when opposition to Muhammad had grown very strong and intense verbally.[4] At the same time, here seems absence of any physical violence towards Muslims.[5] According to some historians including William Muir,[6] ayaat 9 to 16 refer to Walid ibn al-Mughirah as his personality traits fit in the character defined in these ayaat and a tradition by Ibn Abbas that "We know of no one whom God has described in the derogatory way in which He describes him, blighting him with ignominy that will never leave him (the adverbial qualifier [ba'da dhalika, 'moreover'] is semantically connected to zanim, 'ignoble')".[7] Tafsir al-Jalalayn also highlights the correlation in 16th ayah: "Soon We shall brand him on the snout"[8][9] and his nose being chopped off by a sword at the Battle of Badr. However the target personality is not restricted to a single person as the ayaat describe a personality type and not a name[10] and the description starts with a plural form: "So do not obey the deniers".[11]

Period of revelation

Surahs in the Qur'an are not arranged in the chronological order of revelation[12] because order of wahy or chronological order of revelation is not a part of Quran. Muhammad told his followers sahaba the placement in Quranic order of every Wahy revealed along with the original text of Quran.[13] Wm Theodore de Bary, an East Asian studies expert, describes that "The final process of collection and codification of the Quran text was guided by one over-arching principle: God's words must not in any way be distorted or sullied by human intervention. For this reason, no serious attempt, apparently, was made to edit the numerous revelations, organize them into thematic units, or present them in chronological order....".[14][15] Surat Al-Qalam is a Meccan sura[16] and meccan suras are chronologically earlier suras that were revealed to Muhammad at Mecca before the hijrah to Medina in 622 CE. They are typically shorter, with relatively short ayat, and mostly come near the end of the Qur'an's 114 surahs. Most of the surahs containing muqatta'at are Meccan. Henceforth apart from traditions, this surah qualifies to be Meccan typically. According to some classical traditions, commentaries and tafsirs the proposed order is 2nd in place right after Muhammad's first revelation.[17] The supporting argument of this surah being the second revelation is that Arabs were unaware of angels in the time of Jahiliyyah and news of Muhammad's first revelation made them curious about the sanity of Muhammad, thus to refute this idea God revealed the first seven ayaat of Surah Qalam.[18]

On the other hand, the latest suggested order is 18th place according to Theodor Nöldeke and John Medows Rodwell[19] setting the order band from 2nd to 18th. Sayyid Qutb (d. 1966), who was an Egyptian author, Islamist of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood, in his Magnum opus Fi Zilal al-Qur'an (In the shades of the Qur'an) highlights a very interesting fact that The opening and the ending of the surah tackles the same point, therefore it is not possible to identify a specific time of revelation.[20] George Sale estimates the revelation to be from fourth year of Islam.[21]

The major scholars of Islam agree (Ijma) however that this is one of the earliest surahs to be revealed at Makkah.[22][23] And perhaps the most balanced statement regarding time of revelation of this surah comes from Muhammad Asad (2 July 1900 – 20 February 1992)[24] a Jewish-born Austro-Hungarian journalist, traveler, writer, linguist, thinker, political theorist, diplomat and Islamic scholar:[25]

In the chronological order of revelation, this surah most probably occupies the third place. Some authorities – among them Suyuti – incline to the view that it was revealed immediately after the first five verses of surah 96 ("The Germ-Cell"); this, however, is contradicted by some of the best-authenticated traditions, according to which most of surah 74 came second in the order of revelation (see introductory note to that surah). In any case, "The Pen" is undoubtedly one of the oldest parts of the Qur'an.[26]

—Muhammad Asad – The Message of The Qur'an 1980

Coherence with adjacent surahs

The idea of textual relation between the verses of a chapter has been discussed under various titles such as nazm and munasabah in non-English literature and coherence, text relations, intertextuality, and unity in English literature. Hamiduddin Farahi, an Islamic scholar of the Indian subcontinent, is known for his work on the concept of nazm, or coherence, in the Quran. Fakhruddin al-Razi (died 1209 CE), Zarkashi (died 1392) and several other classical as well as contemporary Quranic scholars have contributed to the studies.[27][28][29]

Connection with previous surah

Surah Al-Mulk (67) and Surah Qalam (68) form a pair with regard to their subject matter.[30] Thus there is no principal difference between the central themes and topics of the two. The difference lies in the style, nature of arguments and the tone adopted. In Surah Mulk, the Quraysh are warned of the Day of Judgement, while in Surah Qalam they are warned of the punishment which a people necessarily face if they deny their punishment of the Day of Judgement, similar is the warning sounded in this sūrah. However, this sūrah is more stern in its tone.[31] surah Mulk focused on believing in Allah, this surah Qalam focuses on believing in His Messenger, Muhammad (sal Allah alayhi wasalam).[32]

Connection with next surah

Surah Al-Haaqqa (69) also deeply resembles Surah Qalam (68), both having same the central theme: substantiation of the Day of Judgement. However, the nature of arguments is different in both. Just as the greatness and truth of the Qur'an are explained in the surah Qalam (68) and people are warned of the consequences of rejecting the Qur'an, similarly, in the next surah (69) this subject is discussed. The difference is that in surah 68, it is discussed in the opening part while in surah 69 it is in the concluding part. (Javed Ahmad Ghamidi (born 1951), a Pakistani Muslim theologian, Quran scholar, exegete, and educationist).[33] Near the end of surah Qalam, Allah says:[34] “then leave Me (to deal) with the one who rejects this Hadeeth/Statement.“ and in the beginning of surah Al-Haaqqa, Allah tells how He dealt with previous nations (ʿĀd and Thamud) who rejected and oppressed the Messenger of Allah who came to them. Allah mentioned two groups of people briefly in surah Qalam; i.e. in Ayah 38 He mentions the people of Paradise, and in ayah 42 He mentions people who will not be able to prostrate/sajdah to Allah. Allah talks about two groups of people who receive their books on Judgment Day, good and bad. [35]

Theme of the surah

There are almost 7 divisions in the entire Qur'an according to Themes.[32][36] The final of these 7 sections starts from surah Al-Mulk [surah number 67] to surah Al-Nas [surah number 114].[37] This final part [last 7th of the Quran] focuses on; sources of Reflection, People, their final scenes they will face on Judgment Day and Hellfire and Paradise in general[38] and Admonition to the Quraysh about their fate in the Herein and the Hereafter if they deny Muhammad, specifically .[39] The surah carries the theme that Let the good carry on their work, in spite of abuse of Companions of Evil: let all remember Allah, before Whom all men are on trial,[40] and and.[41] True Judgement comes from Allah, and not from the false standards of men[42][43] Muhammad is addressed as if to say: "The disbelievers call you a madman whereas the Book that you are presenting and the sublime conduct that you practise are by themselves sufficient to refute their false accusations. Soon they will see as to who was mad and who was sane."

The disbelievers are admonished that well being in the Hereafter inevitably belongs to those who are God conscious. It is utterly against reason that in the Hereafter, the obedient servants should meet the same fate as the guilty. Those who are being called upon to bow before God in the world and refuse to do so, would be unable to prostrate themselves on the Day of Resurrection, even if they wanted to do so, and thus would stand disgraced and condemned. They have no reasonable ground for opposing the Rasool, they cannot either make the claim that they know with certainty that he is not a true Rasool, nor that what he says is false.

In conclusion, Muhammad has been exhorted: "Bear with patience the hardships that you may have to face in the way of preaching the Faith until Allah's judgement arrives, and avoid the impatience which caused suffering and affliction to Jonah."[1]

Subject Matter of the surah

This surah opens with the single discrete Arabic letter Nun (letter) and the oath of the Divine One swearing by the instrument of THE PEN, as well as all knowledge that people are able to preserve and communicate thereby, is split into 3 parts according to the subject matter:[32]

Hadith about al-Qalam

Although scholars including ibn Taymiyyah claim that Muhammad has commented on the whole of the Qur'an, others including Ghazali cite the limited amount of narratives, thus indicating that he has commented only on a portion of the Qur'an[47] yet the first and foremost exegesis/tafsir of the Qur'an is found in hadith of Muhammad.[48] Hadīth (حديث) is literally "speech"; recorded saying or tradition of Muhammad validated by isnad; with Sirah Rasul Allah these comprise the sunnah and reveal shariah. According to Aishah,[49][50] the life of Prophet Muhammad was practical implementation of Qur'an.[51][52][53] Therefore higher count of hadith elevates the importance of the pertinent surah from a certain perspective.
Since salah is one of the prior most practice in Islam, its connection surah al-Qalam according to hadith is as followes :

Surah al-Qalam contains an ayah "The Day the shin will be uncovered and they are invited to prostration but the disbelievers will not be able".[55][56] This ayah is from the category of Mutashabih and cannot be explained or understood decisively except from the hadith.

References

  1. 1 2 http://www.alim.org/library/quran/surah/introduction/68/MAL
  2. ↑ Muhammad Asad, Al-Qur'an translation, The Message of the Qur'an, First Hardback, 1980, Dar Al-Andalus, Gibraltar, ISBN 1904510000
  3. ↑ "Chronological Order of Surahs".
  4. ↑ "68. Surah Al Qalam (The Pen) - Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi - Tafhim al-Qur'an - The Meaning of the Qur'an".
  5. ↑ "The Quran, vol. 4 - Online Library of Liberty".
  6. ↑ The Corân – William Muir
  7. ↑ Tafsir al-Jalalayn by Jalal al-Din al-Mahalli and Jalal ad-Din as-Suyuti
  8. ↑ "The Quranic Arabic Corpus - Word by Word Grammar, Syntax and Morphology of the Holy Quran".
  9. ↑ Iman Mohammad Kashi; Uwe Hideki Matzen; Online Quran Project contributors. "Al-Quran (القرآن) — Online Quran Project — Translation and Tafsir". The Quran.
  10. ↑ Iman Mohammad Kashi; Uwe Hideki Matzen; Online Quran Project contributors. "Al-Quran (القرآن) — Online Quran Project — Translation and Tafsir". The Quran.
  11. ↑ Iman Mohammad Kashi; Uwe Hideki Matzen; Online Quran Project contributors. "Al-Quran (القرآن) — Online Quran Project — Translation and Tafsir". The Quran.
  12. ↑ Robinson, Neal (2003). Discovering the Qur'an: A Contemporary Approach to a Veiled Text (PDF). Georgetown University Press. pp. 25–97. ISBN 1589010248.
  13. ↑ Israr Ahmed – Bayan-ul-Quran – Introduction
  14. ↑ Approaches to the Asian Classics, Irene Bloom, Wm Theodore de Bary, Columbia University Press, 1990, p. 65 ISBN 0231070055, 9780231070058
  15. ↑ Eastern Canons.
  16. ↑ Quran Verses in Chronological Order
  17. ↑ "Quran Verses in Chronological Order: Qran.org".
  18. ↑ Surah Al-Qalam (68:1–7)
  19. ↑ The Koran(1861) ISBN 0460874381, Paperback
  20. ↑ Sayid Qutb, Fi Dhilal al-Quran. Beirut: Dar al-Shurruq (1981)
  21. ↑ Sale, G., A Comprehensive Commentary on the Quran, (1896)
  22. ↑ Abul A'la Maududi – Tafhim ul-Qur'an (The Meaning of the Qur'an)
  23. ↑ Abdullah Yusuf Ali – Quran English Translation & Commentary
  24. ↑ Windhager, Günther (2002). Leopold Weiss alias Muhammad Asad: Von Galizien nach Arabien 1900–1927 (in German). ISBN 9783205993933. p. 203
  25. ↑ "Leopold Weiss alias Muhammad Asad: Von Galizien nach Arabien 1900–1927" (PDF).
  26. ↑ "The Message of The Quran". Archived from the original on 13 October 2012.
  27. ↑ El-Awa, Salwa (2005). Textual Relations in Qur'an: Relevance, Coherence and Structure. Routledge. ISBN 1134227477.
  28. ↑ Mir, Mustansir (1986). Coherence in the Qur'an : a study of Islahi's concept of nazm in Tadabbur-i Qur'an. American Trust Publications. ISBN 0892590653.
  29. ↑ Hamiduddin Farahi, translated by Tariq Mahmood Hashmi (2008). Exordium to coherence in the Quran : an English translation of Fātiḥah Niẓām al-Qurʼān (1st ed.). Lahore: al-Mawrid. ISBN 9698799575.
  30. ↑ http://www.al-mawrid.org/pages/articles_english_detail.php?rid=1556&cid=578
  31. ↑ http://www.al-mawrid.org/pages/articles_english_detail.php?rid=1349&cid=543
  32. 1 2 3 Abdul Nasir Jangda - Tafsir lectures - Bayyinah Institute, 2300 Valley View ln. Suite 500 Irving, TX 75062
  33. ↑ http://www.al-mawrid.org/pages/articles_english_detail.php?rid=1351&cid=544
  34. ↑ Quran Surah 68: ayah 44
  35. ↑ http://www.linguisticmiracle.com/tafsir/haqqah
  36. ↑ Tadabbur-i-Quran#Contents
  37. ↑ http://bayyinah.com/podcast/lectures/68_qalam_a.mp3
  38. ↑ http://www.linguisticmiracle.com/tafsir/qalam
  39. ↑ Esposito, John, ed. (2003), "Islahi, Amin Ahsan", The Oxford Dictionary of Islam, Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-512558-4
  40. ↑ (Quran 68:1-33)
  41. ↑ Abdullah Yusuf Ali – Quran English Translation & Commentary Note#C.247
  42. ↑ Quran 68:34-52
  43. ↑ http://www.quran4u.com/Tafsiraya/068%20Qalam.pdf
  44. ↑ http://www.alim.org/library/quran/ayah/theme/68#sthash.hYBjzRAz.dpuf
  45. ↑ Quran 68:17 to 68:33
  46. ↑ http://www.linguisticmiracle.com/home/qalam
  47. ↑ Muhsin Demirci, Tefsir Usulü, 120
  48. ↑ Şatibi, El-muvafakat
  49. ↑ Reference  : Sunan Abi Dawud 1342 In-book reference  : Book 5, Hadith 93 English translation  : Book 5, Hadith 1337
  50. ↑ Al-Adab Al-Mufrad » Dealings with people and good character - كتاب English reference  : Book 14, Hadith 308 Arabic reference  : Book 1, Hadith 308
  51. ↑ Sahih Al- Jami' AI-Saghir, No.4811
  52. ↑ Sunan Ibn Majah 2333 In-book reference  : Book 13, Hadith 26 English translation  : Vol. 3, Book 13, Hadith 2333
  53. ↑ Grade : Sahih (Darussalam) Reference  : Sunan an-Nasa'i 1601 In-book reference  : Book 20, Hadith 4 English translation  : Vol. 2, Book 20, Hadith 1602
  54. ↑ Narrated Ibn Mas'ud: Abu Dawud said: This is the arrangement of Ibn Mas'ud himself. Reference : Sunan Abi Dawud 1396 In-book reference : Book 6, Hadith 26 English translation : Book 6, Hadith 1391
  55. ↑ Quran 68:42
  56. ↑ "The Quranic Arabic Corpus - Word by Word Grammar, Syntax and Morphology of the Holy Quran".
  57. ↑ 'Abd Allah ibn 'Amr ibn al-'As (May Allah be pleased with them) said that Narrated Abu Sa‘id al-Khudri Narrated this Hadith
  58. ↑ [Muslim] Sunnah.com reference : Book 19, Hadith 3 Arabic/English book reference : Book 19, Hadith 1810
  59. ↑ Sahih al-Bukhari 7439 In-book reference  : Book 97, Hadith 65 USC-MSA web (English) reference  : Vol. 9, Book 93, Hadith 532 (deprecated numbering scheme)

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Al-Mulk		 Surah 68 Next sura:
Al-Haaqqa
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