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.