Surah Alaq benefits: Al Alaq is the 96th surah of the Quran containing 19 ayahs that were revealed on separate occasions. It is a Makkan surah.
The first five ayahs of this surah were revealed to Prophet Muhammad SAW when he used to seclude himself in the cave of Hirah. The rest of the surah was revealed later on two different occasions when he started to openly pray in the Haram. Its main theme is the relation of Allah SWT with His creation.
It revolves around man’s creation from a blood clot, Allah teaching man with a pen, and mans’ ignorance after Allah SWT taught him. Man’s rebellion against God and thinking that he is needless of Him, his return to God in the afterlife. It also mentions the fate of those who stopped the Prophet SAW from worshipping.
The meaning of the word Alaq is ‘clinging mass’ or congealed blood.
What are the Benefits and Virtues of Surah Alaq?
This surah emphasizes the personal growth of human beings. How we gain knowledge through reading, writing, and memorization. Alaq refers to the third stage of embryogenesis, which is the development of a fetus. And it mainly revolves around the creation of man. It is one of the many short and easy to learn surahs from the quran.
1. Refuge from Jinns
Jinns are a real creation of Allah SWT and they have evil and good both. Allah SWT has made for us to protect ourselves from the evil of the jinn. An effective way of it will be to recite that which the Prophet SAW has narrated in his sunnah for us. Like Ayatul kursi and the Mu’awwidhatayan (Surah Al Alaq is one of the surahs.)
2. Special Surah
Allah SWT has made some surahs more special than others. These surahs are given this status according to some authentic( Saheeh) Hadiths that highlight the virtue of many surahs and surah Aalaq is one of them. Each of them discusses a particular topic that makes it stand out from the rest of the 114 surahs. They contain rulings, etiquettes, stories, and special events.
3. First Revelation
The first five Ayahs of this surah were the first-ever revelation brought to the Prophet SAW. it was brought to him by angel Gibrael in the cave of Hira when he used to seclude himself there for several days food the worship of Allah SWT.
4. Islam Knew Science 1400 Years Ago
Alaq means a blood clot of a leech-like substance. There was no advanced technology back in the days that could tell that the embryo inside the womb was once a blood clot. These verses of the Quran have also been able to answer several questions in the field of Embryology.
Dr.Keith L. Moore, a well-known Canadian embryologist, after reading the scientific facts in the Quran was better able to understand human production. Based on these facts he wrote a book that was awarded the best in the field of embryology written by a single author in 1982. According to him, there is a conflict between religion and genetics
He further proclaimed that these must have been the words of God revealed to Prophet Muhammad SAW because there was no way for a person to make up so many facts on his own.
5. A Proof of Prophethood
Everyone knew that the Prophet SAW did not know how to read and write. And whatever he spoke was nothing but from his heart. He was known for his truthfulness and honesty which made the people call him Sadiq al Amin. The Prophet SAW coming forward with this revelation was a miracle in itself. For him to create such unique words was impossible. God chose an untaught individual as His prophet and bearer of the Quran so that it would come out as unique and proof of his prophethood.
I would also recommend that you go through these manners of the Prophet Muhammad that we all need to adopt.
When people saw and heard him read these extremely eloquent and sophisticated words, people knew that this is not the reaction of a man, and certainly not an untaught. As a result, they came to the realization that these must be the words of God revealed to them like he claims them to be. To emphasize this, Allah SWT refers to the Prophet SAW in Surah Ankabut verse 48:
6. Contains Azaaim
This surah contains one of the four Azaa’im, which means that it provokes compulsory prostration. During the recitation of certain surahs, Allah SWT has made obligatory on us to prostrate: Sajdae Tilaawa. According to some schools of thought, there are 14 of them while others say they are only 4: surah Al-Sajdah, Surah An Najm, Surah Fussilat, and surah Al Alaq.
7. Human Rebellion
These verses of Surah Al Alaq talk about man’s rebellion against God. When he thinks he is not in need of God and is totally independent he grows ignorant to all that he has been blessed with. He ignores everything that Allah SWT has blessed him with. whereas, we are nothing without God. we have nothing and we know nothing from ourselves. We have been created by Him and he is the constant life-giver. He provides us for all our needs and manages all our affairs without us even knowing. Allah reminds us that we have to return to him so we should be very conscious of every action.
Concluding remarks:
Humans should never think that we can survive on this earth on our own. Even if we do survive here somehow, that is a test for us from Allah and eventually, we have to return to him in accountability.
