Surah Al-Alaq

The name. Al-Alaq means "The Clot," taken from its second verse describing man as created from a clinging substance (96:2), though the surah's fame rests less on its title than on its opening, which is held to be the first revelation given to the Prophet, delivered while he was in retreat at the cave of Hira. It is Meccan — the earliest Meccan material in the whole Quran — and its first five verses stand apart from the rest of the surah, which was completed later.

What it is known for. The surah is known simply as the beginning of revelation itself: "Recite, in the name of your Lord who created" (96:1), followed by the statement that Allah taught man by the pen, what he did not know (96:4-5), verses often cited as the Quran's own opening statement on reading, writing, and knowledge. Its second half turns to someone who tries to stop a worshipper from praying, without naming him, and ends with a command to prostrate and draw near to Allah (96:19) — one of a small number of verses in the Quran at which a reciter and listener customarily perform a prostration on the spot.

Reading it. At 19 ayahs it is a short surah, read easily in one sitting, though a first-time reader should notice that it reads as two distinct pieces rather than one: five compact opening verses on creation, recitation, and knowledge, followed by a longer section addressed to a specific act of opposition. The prostration at its close is worth knowing in advance, since it changes how the surah is recited and heard rather than simply read silently.