Al-Alaq العلق
The Clot
Al-Alaq's first five verses are, by the dominant account, the very first words of the Quran to be revealed — delivered to Muhammad ﷺ in the cave at Hira through the angel Jibril, opening with the command Iqra, "Read" or "Recite," addressed to a man tradition describes as unable to read. The surah grounds that command immediately in creation: God who created man from a clinging clot, who taught by the pen, who taught man what he did not know. Its second half, revealed later, shifts to confront a specific opponent — commonly identified as Abu Jahl — who forbade a servant of God from praying, and warns him of the consequences of persisting. The surah ends with a command to prostrate, and Al-Alaq's final verse is one of the Quran's recitation prostrations (sajdah), observed by reciters and listeners alike.
ٱقْرَأْ بِٱسْمِ رَبِّكَ ٱلَّذِى خَلَقَ
Read! In the name of your Lord who created:
خَلَقَ ٱلْإِنسَـٰنَ مِنْ عَلَقٍ
He created man from a clinging form.
ٱقْرَأْ وَرَبُّكَ ٱلْأَكْرَمُ
Read! Your Lord is the Most Bountiful One
ٱلَّذِى عَلَّمَ بِٱلْقَلَمِ
who taught by [means of] the pen,
عَلَّمَ ٱلْإِنسَـٰنَ مَا لَمْ يَعْلَمْ
who taught man what he did not know.
كَلَّآ إِنَّ ٱلْإِنسَـٰنَ لَيَطْغَىٰٓ
But man exceeds all bounds
أَن رَّءَاهُ ٱسْتَغْنَىٰٓ
when he thinks he is self-sufficient:
إِنَّ إِلَىٰ رَبِّكَ ٱلرُّجْعَىٰٓ
[Prophet], all will return to your Lord.
أَرَءَيْتَ ٱلَّذِى يَنْهَىٰ
Have you seen the man who forbids
عَبْدًا إِذَا صَلَّىٰٓ
[Our] servant to pray?
أَرَءَيْتَ إِن كَانَ عَلَى ٱلْهُدَىٰٓ
Have you seen whether he is rightly guided,
أَوْ أَمَرَ بِٱلتَّقْوَىٰٓ
or encourages true piety?
أَرَءَيْتَ إِن كَذَّبَ وَتَوَلَّىٰٓ
Have you seen whether he denies the truth and turns away from it?
أَلَمْ يَعْلَم بِأَنَّ ٱللَّهَ يَرَىٰ
Does he not realize that God sees all?
كَلَّا لَئِن لَّمْ يَنتَهِ لَنَسْفَعًۢا بِٱلنَّاصِيَةِ
No! If he does not stop, We shall drag him by his forehead––
نَاصِيَةٍ كَـٰذِبَةٍ خَاطِئَةٍ
his lying, sinful forehead.
فَلْيَدْعُ نَادِيَهُۥ
Let him summon his comrades;
سَنَدْعُ ٱلزَّبَانِيَةَ
We shall summon the guards of Hell.
كَلَّا لَا تُطِعْهُ وَٱسْجُدْ وَٱقْتَرِب ۩
No! Do not obey him [Prophet]: bow down in worship and draw close.
Arabic text and translation (M.A.S. Abdel Haleem) via the Quran.Foundation API.
Frequently asked
Nineteen verses.
Meccan, revealed in Makkah.
Its opening verses are widely held to be the first revelation received by the Prophet ﷺ, delivered in the cave at Hira.
Yes — its final verse is one of the Quran's sajdah at-tilawah (recitation prostration) verses.