The Night of the First Revelation
The Prophet had withdrawn to the cave of Hira on Mount Nour (outside Mecca) for solitary contemplation — a practice he had followed for years, spending weeks at a time in retreat. In Ramadan of 610 CE, Jibril appeared and commanded: Iqra’.
The Prophet replied: “Ma ana bi-qari’” — I am not one who reads. Or: I am not able to read. The tradition preserves both interpretations: the Prophet was unlettered (ummi) — he did not read or write — and also this first contact with the divine was overwhelming, disorienting.
Jibril embraced him until the pressure became unbearable, then released and repeated: Iqra’. Three times — until the five verses came.
The Pen: Instrument of Divine Knowledge
The surah’s second movement names the instrument: al-qalam — the pen. “Who taught by the pen — taught man what he did not know.”
The pen as the means of divine instruction is significant: not oral transmission alone but written transmission. The Quran would be written down; the hadith would be written; the entire civilization of Islamic learning that followed was built around writing. The first word of revelation named reading; the first revelation named writing. Both were commanded before a single verse had been written.
The Third Movement: Pride and Rebellion (96:6-19)
The surah then turns to a specific event: a rebuke of someone who raa’hu istaghna — “sees himself self-sufficient” — and prohibits the Messenger from prayer. Commentators identify this as Abu Jahl, who threatened the Prophet publicly at the Ka’ba.
The response: “Does he not know that Allah sees?” (96:14) — the ultimate accountability. The surah ends with the command: “No! Do not obey him. Prostrate and draw near [to Allah].” The response to threat and prohibition is not retreat but more prostration.
See also: Quran Sciences, Tafsir Overview, Prophet Muhammad, Seerah Khadijah, Seerah Bilal Ibn Rabah, Noor Al Quran