Sürah Al Qalam (The Pen القلم), also called Sürah Nūn (The Arabic letter: نٓ) is the sixty-eighth sūrah (chapter) of the Qur'an with 52 verses (āyāt). This Sürah describes God's justice and the judgment day. We have already published the Summary and Tafseer / Exegesis of the Sürah, which can be accessed from by clicking on the highlighted links: | Summary | Exegesis / Tafseer |
Herein under we present an overview entire Sūrah and some of the important verses for selective reading / references. The following overview includes the context, major themes and subjects and lessons that we can learn from this Sūrah, followed by references to some of the selected verses already published.
Overview of Sürah Al Qalam
Surah Al-Qalam (The Pen) is an early Makkan surah, revealed when the Prophet ﷺ was facing extreme resistance from the polytheists of Makkah who mocked him and attacked on his character only because he was preaching a religion which was tangent to the faith practiced by them since ages. Thus the central purpose of this surah is to:
- Defend the character of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ,
- Expose the mindset of arrogant rejecters, and
- Teach patience, integrity, and accountability.
Main Theme of the Surah
The surah revolves around three powerful themes:
- Defense (دفاع) of the Prophet ﷺ
- Right at the beginning of the Surah, it has been Divinely reassured that the Prophet assumes a great character and those who mock him are the one's who do not see beyond their myopic vision: “By the pen… you are not, by the favor of your Lord, mad. And indeed, you are upon a عظیم character.”
- Through this verse, Allah directly rejects accusations of the idol worshippers and elevates the Prophet’s character.
- Exposure of corrupt mindset The surah describes a type of person who is: (1) Arrogant, (2) Greedy, and (3) Oppressive, who mock the truth. This doesn't refer to one person but a recurring human type.
- Story of the أصحاب الجنة (People of the Garden) A group of men is described here who planned to hoard wealth and denied the poor their share. Resultantly, their garden was destroyed overnight.
Context of Revelation
In early Makkah when the Prophet ﷺ proclaimed himself as prophet of Allah and invited the polytheists of Makkah to Islam, was labeled as a madman, a poet and a liar, trying to mislead the people from their faith of their forefathers.
Thus in the surah, Allah reassures His prophet telling him that his character was the proof of his honesty and truthfulness, which even the polytheist acknowledged before his prophethood. Thus has been Divinely reassured that truth will finally prevail, despite mockery and resistance by the disbelievers of Makkah.
Lessons for Us Today
- Character over reputation:
- One should try to sacrifice his character to earn a cheap reputation or position by lying or harming interests of others.
- Today many a People chase image, branding, reputation - but the real worth of man is his character (akhlaq), not public opinion - which should be upheld at all costs.
- That is The Qur’an says: "Focus on who you are, not what people say."
- Don’t be shaken by criticism
- The Prophet ﷺ was insulted, mocked and even physically mishandled to leave his preaching - yet remained firm and finally succeeded.
- Here is lesson for us and that is Truth is not measured by popularity, for may tycoons, politicians and demagogues wield popularity for the weak and meek are to afraid of opposing them. Yet one day their empires and positions and power crumble and the weak yet truthful succeed.
- Wealth can corrupt silently - Story of the garden
- The parable of garden in the surah shows that Greed doesn’t start big - It begins with Small selfish decisions. And the wealth earned through corruption piles up until the prescribed time given to them by Allah to repent. And when they do not, the wrath of Allah falls much heavier than they might have ever imagined.
- Today we see people making corruption by small compromises of their character - but it slowly becomes a mindset.
- Usurping the rights of the poor حقوق of the poor That is how corruption snatches rights of the poor. When rich people avoid giving charity, the forget that their wealth is a trust, not absolute ownership
- Arrogance blinds truth
- The rejecters didn’t lack intelligence - They lacked humility
- Today we still find that Ego blocks guidance and despite knowing the truth, we still bcling to the faith, culture and traditions of our forefathers as did the disbelievers of Makkah/
Reflective Verses
Herein under we share some of the important and reflective verses from the surah, which can reshape our beliefs and aspirations and focus more positively to the message and deen of Islam:
- Character of the Prophet ﷺ:
- (68:4): “Indeed, you are upon a tremendous character.”
- Reflection: Character is the highest شهادة (testimony)
- Warning against bad traits
- (68:10–13): “Do not obey every worthless habitual swearer… slanderer… منع للخير (preventer of good)…”
- Reflection: These traits destroy individuals and societies
- Story of the Garden
- (68:17–19): “We tested them as We tested the أصحاب الجنة…”
- Reflection: Blessings can be removed suddenly
- Realization after loss
- (68:28): “Did I not tell you to glorify Allah?”
- Reflection: Often we realize after loss, not before
- Final accountability
- (68:35–36): “Shall We treat the المسلمين like the criminals?”
- Reflection: Ultimate justice is with Allah
- The Pen (Qalam) at the beginning is symbol of Knowledge, Truth and Record of deeds - this suggests: What is written and recorded matters eternally
- Hidden danger of success: The أصحاب الجنة were Successful and Wealthy - but they failed morally which led to their downfall.
- Tests (آزمائش) are subtle: Hardship's are not always tests - Even blessings are tests more than hardship tests.
Core Message
The core message of Sürah Al Qalam is that (1) Truth stands even when mocked, (2) Character defines your worth, (3) Wealth is a test, and (4) Accountability is inevitable
Now let us share herein some of the selected ayat / verses from this surah already shared:
In time we will add more selected ayat / verses from this surah.
May Allāh (سبحانه و تعالى) help us understand Qur'ān and follow the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, which is embodiment of commandments of Allah contained in the Qur'ān. May Allah help us to be like the ones He loves and let our lives be lived helping others and not making others' lives miserable or unlivable. May all our wrong doings, whether intentional or unintentional, be forgiven before the angel of death knocks on our door.
وَمَا عَلَيۡنَاۤ اِلَّا الۡبَلٰغُ الۡمُبِيۡنُ
(36:17) and our duty is no more than to clearly convey the Message.”
That is Our duty is only to convey to you the message that Allah has entrusted us with. Then it is for you to accept it or reject it. We have not been made responsible for making you accept it forcibly, and if you do not accept it, we shall not be seized in consequence of your disbelief, you will yourselves be answerable for your actions on Day of Resurrection.
May Allah forgive me if my posts ever imply a piety far greater than I possess. I am most in need of guidance.
Reading the Qur'ān should be a daily obligation of a Muslim - Reading it with translation will make it meaningful. But reading its Exegesis / Tafsir will make you understand it fully. It will also help the Muslims to have grasp over social issues and their answers discussed in the Qur'an and other matter related to inter faith so that they are able to discuss issues with non-Muslims with authority based on refences from Qur'an.
Note: When we mention God in our posts, we mean One True God, we call Allah in Islam, with no associates. Allah is the Sole Creator of all things, and that Allah is all-powerful and all-knowing. Allah has no offspring, no race, no gender, no body, and is unaffected by the characteristics of human life.
You may also refer to our exclusive reference page: Selected verses from selected Surahs of Al-Qurʾān for compiled verses from other surahs.
For verses on Selected Subjects, please refer to our reference page: Selected Verses from Al Qur'an about a Specific Subject (Reference Page) to know more about what Qur'an says about specific subjects and our reference page: Selected Verses from the Qur'an.
An effort has been made to gather explanation / exegesis of the surahs and selected verses of Al-Qurʾān from authentic sources and then present a least possible condensed explanation of the surah. In that the exegesis of the chapters of the Quran is mainly based on the "Tafhim al-Qur'an - The Meaning of the Qur'an" by one of the most enlightened scholars of the Muslim World Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi.
In addition, other sources which have been explored and views of other scholars have been incorporated while explaining meaning of a verse. Those desirous of detailed explanations and tafsir (exegesis), may refer to these sites. For expansion of meaning and themes / contextual background help from ChatGPT is also taken.
Disclaimer: The material for this post has been collected from the references given above. If anyone differs with the material contained in this post, one may consult the references and their authors. If someone has more material about the subject, he/she is most welcome to share in the comments box to make the post all encompassing.
Please share this page to your friends and family members through Facebook, WhatsApp or any means on social media so that they can also be benefited by it and better understand Islam and the Qur'ān - Insha Allah (Allah Willing) you shall be blessed with the best of both worlds.
%20from%20Al%20Qur'an.jpg)
0 comments:
Post a Comment