Meccan, consisting of 19 verses; from the beginning of it up to [the verse] what he did not know, was the first of the Qur’ān to be revealed, in the cave at Hirā’, as reported by al-Bukhārī.

Recite, bring recitation into existence, beginning with: In the Name of your Lord Who created, all creatures;

created man (al-insān: the generic) from a blood-clot (‘alaq is the plural of ‘alaqa, which is a small quantity of congealing blood).

Recite: (reiterating the first one) and your Lord is the Most Generous, having no counterpart in terms of His generosity (wa-rabbuka’l-akram is a circumstantial qualifier referring to the subject [of the verb] iqra’, ‘recite’),

Who taught, [the art of] script, by the pen — the first to write with it was [the prophet] Enoch (Idrīs), peace be upon him —

taught man (al-insān: the generic) what he did not know, before he was taught, in the way of guidance, [the art of] writing, crafts and so on.

Nay, but verily man is [wont to be] rebellious,

when he sees it, that is to say, his own soul, to be self-sufficient, in terms of wealth — this was revealed regarding Abū Jahl (ra’ā, ‘sees’, means [to see] mentally; istaghnā, ‘self-sufficient’, is the second direct object; an ra’āhu, ‘when he sees it’, is an object denoting reason).

Surely to your Lord, O man, is the return — [meant as] a threat for him — and so He will requite the rebellious one with what he deserves.

Have you seen (a-ra’ayta in all three instances [here and below] is an exclamation of wonder) him, namely, Abū Jahl, who forbids

a servant, namely, Muhammad (s), when he prays?

Have you considered what if he, the one forbidden, should be upon [a path of] guidance,

or (aw is for division) be bidding [others] to fear of God?

Have you considered what if he, the one forbidding the Prophet, should be denying [God’s guidance] and turning away?, from faith.

Is he not aware that God sees?, what has issued from him, that is to say, He does [indeed] know it and will requite him for it. In other words, ‘Marvel, O you being addressed, at the way in which he forbids prayer, and at the fact that the one being forbidden is actually the one upon guidance, bidding to fear of God, while the one forbidding is a denier, disregarding faith’.

No indeed! — a repudiation of him — Assuredly if (la-in: the lām is for oaths) he does not desist, from the disbelief that he is upon, We shall seize him by the forelock, We shall drag him to the Fire by his forelock,

a lying, iniquitous forelock! (nāsiyatin: an indefinite noun substituting for a definite) — the description of this [forelock] in such terms is meant figuratively, and what is actually meant is that individual.

Let him, then, call upon [the henchmen of] his council, the members of his council (nādin) — a place of assembly where people gather to talk. He [Abū Jahl] had said to the Prophet (s) in reproof, having forbidden him from prayer, ‘You are well aware that there is none in this [town] who has [recourse to] as large a council [of men] as I do. Verily, I shall fill this [entire] valley with mature steeds and young men [in battle] against you if you so wish!’

We shall call the Zabāniya, the grim stern angels to destroy him, as [stated] in the hadīth, ‘Had he called his council [of henchmen] together, the Zabāniya would have seized him right before his own eyes!’.

No indeed! — a repudiation of him — Do not obey him, O Muhammad (s) and abandon prayer, and prostrate yourself, perform prayer to God, and draw near, to Him through obedience to Him.