Living The Quran
From Issue: 1035 [Read full issue]
Illusions of Power
Al-Alaq (The Blood Clot) Sura 96: Verses 1-8
"Recite, in the name of your Lord, who has created, has created the human being of a suspending mixture. Read, and your Lord is the Most Bountiful, who has taught through the pen, taught the human being what he[/she] did not know. Nay, surely, the human being becomes grossly overweening whenever he[/she] believes himself [/herself] to be self-sufficient. Surely, unto your Lord is the return."
These were the first verses revealed to Prophet Muhammad about his message and his mission. Here God is reminding the human being of his/her biological origin: the mixed suspension of the sperm and egg, which although little, has all the potential of the human merits, at the top of which are the human mind and free will. The human being has been endowed with the linguistic power that gives names to all that he/she experiences. He/she has been enabled by God to turn the spoken language into written symbols, and thus the human being has been able to record what he/she knows and extend this record to others, an achievement that has been essential in preserving the history of civilization. By enabling the human being to use the pen and to learn and spread knowledge, God has helped humankind exchange and extend information over the earth. The earliest Quranic verses stress this civilizational role of the humankind on earth, where it has been entrusted with being the successive agents of God.
The multi-faculties of the human being, including his/her intellect, knowledge, speech and writing, however, may lead him/her to experience illusions of power and self-sufficiency and thus transgress all bounds and deny others' rights. The verses remind a person with such a tyrannical attitude that regardless of the amounts of power that he/she may achieve in this worldly life, the return of all human beings to their Lord is inevitable, and the accountability and requital of every individual for all of his/her deeds in this life will certainly follow in the eternal life to come.
Compiled From:
"Concepts of the Quran" - Fathi Osman, p. 120