Sura al-Qalam
68
Introduction of Surah
al-Qalam is the 68th sura of the Qur’an, which means ‘The Pen’, and it takes its name from the 1st verse. The sura belongs to the Meccan period and comprises 52 verses, 300 words, 1,256 letters, and 2 segments. It is the 2nd sura in chronological order, revealed after Sura al-Saff. The sura begins by refuting the dis-believer’s accusation of the Holy Prophet’s (blessings and peace be upon him) being insane and reassuring the Holy Prophet (blessings and peace be upon him) by highly praising his character and virtues. The sura contains one of the most significant Qur’anic statements praising the esteemed status of the Holy Prophet (blessings and peace be upon him): ‘That he is upon a magnificently exalted moral character.’ The sura contrasts the nature of the believers and disbelievers, instructing the believers not to follow the people of the base character just because of their wealthy positions. The sura responds to the contemptuous behaviour of the staunchest opponents of the Holy Prophet (blessings and peace be upon him). Most commentators agree that these verses refer to Walid b. al-Mughira, for he had blasphemed the Holy Prophet (blessings and peace be upon him). In response, Allah Almighty cursed him with the ten disgraceful titles mentioned in the sura. The sura declared him ignoble and baseborn, referring to his being an illegitimate child of his mother, which she later confirmed. Some commentators say that these titles also refer to other derogators, such as Abu Jahl, al-Aswad b. ‘Abd Yaghuth and al-Akhnas b. Shariq. In this sura, Allah Almighty expounds the esteemed status of His beloved Prophet (blessings and peace be upon him), and defends him against the blasphemers by threatening them. Allah Almighty states: ‘So you will see, and they will see which of you is mad.’ (68:5–6). After praising the Holy Prophet (blessings and peace be upon him), Allah Almighty severely condemns his enemies by exposing their inferior characteristics and enumerating their disgraceful traits. Allah Al-mighty further refutes the most blasphemous person by declaring him an illegitimate child and concludes in the form of a miraculous threat by saying: “We will stigmatize him upon (his) trunk-like nose.” (68:16). This is to show that Allah Almighty’s defence of the Holy Prophet (blessings and peace be upon him) is much more effective than the defence of his own self. Futhermore, the sura proceeds with the story of the selfish garden owners of Yemen, whose greed and reluctance to share their harvest with the poor resulted in Allah Almighty’s punishment, and ultimately their own material loss. The sura concludes by referring to the account of Prophet Yunus (peace be upon him) and emphasises that the Qur’an is a Reminder for the whole world.
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In the Name of Allah, the Most Compassionate, the All-Merciful
ﮠﮡﮢ
68:5. You will see, and they will see,
فستبصر ويبصرون
(al-Qalam, 68 : 5)
ﮣﮤﮥ
68:6. which one of you is afflicted (with madness).
بأييكم المفتون
(al-Qalam, 68 : 6)
ﯓﯔﯕﯖ
68:8. So do not yield to the deniers.
فلا تطع المكذبين
(al-Qalam, 68 : 8)
ﯫﯬﯭﯮﯯ
68:13. (or) ignoble, and on top of that, baseborn (i.e. an illegitimate child),
* These Verses were sent down about Walid b. Mughira. The venerable ‘Abd Allah b. ‘Abbas states: ‘For no one else have so many humiliating titles been used to date in the Holy Book as Allah has given to this evil soul.’ Because Walid b. Mughira blasphemed against the glory of the Holy Prophet (blessings and peace be upon him), Allah replied, describing ten of Walid b. Mughira’s evils, and He also revealed his illegitimacy in the end. Later his mother validated this fact. See: Tafsir al-Qurtubi, al-Razi, al-Nasafi, etc.
عتل بعد ذلك زنيم
(al-Qalam, 68 : 13)
ﭮﭯﭰ
68:21. At dawn, they called out to one another:
فتنادوا مصبحين
(al-Qalam, 68 : 21)
ﭑﭒﭓﭔﭕﭖﭗﭘﭙﭚﭛﭜﭝ
