Surah Al-'Alaq | Ayahs:19 | Revelation Place:Mecca
Name:
The Surah is titled so, after the word 'alaq in the second verse of this Surah.
Period of Revelation: This Surah has two parts: the first part consists of 1-5, and the second of 6-19.
Beginning of Revelation:
The traditionists have related on the strength of their respective authorities the story of the beginning of revelation from Imam Az-Zuhri, who had it from Hadrat Urwah bin Zubair, who had it from Hadrat Aishah, his aunt. She states that revelations to the Holy Prophet (upon whom be peace) began in the form of true (according to other traditions, good) visions. Whichever vision he saw, it seemed as though he saw it in broad daylight. Afterwards solitude became dear to him and he would go to the Cave of Hira to engage in worship there for several days and nights (Hadrat Aishah has used the word tahannuth, which Imam Zuhri has explained as ta'abbud : devotional exercises. This was some kind of worship which he performed, for until then he had not been taught the method of performing the Prayer by Allah). He would take provisions with him and stay there for several days, then would return to Hadrat Khadijah who would again provide for him for a few more days. One day when he was in the Cave of Hira, Revelation came down to him unexpectedly and the Angel said, to him: "Read".

After this Hadrat Aishah reports the words of the Holy Prophet himself, to the effect, "I said: 'I cannot read!' Thereupon the Angel took me and pressed me until I could bear it no more. Then he left me and said: 'Read.' I said: 'I cannot read!' He pressed me a second time until I could bear it no more. Then he left me and said: 'Read.' I again said: 'I cannot read!' He pressed me for the third time until I could bear it no more. Then he left me and said: 'Iqra bismi Rabbi kal- ladhi khalaqa': (Read in the name of your Lord Who created) till he reached 'ma lam ya lam' (what he did not know)."

Then the Holy Messenger (upon whom be peace) returned home to Hadrat Khadijah trembling with fear, and said to her: "Cover me, cover me", and he was covered. When terror left him, he said: "O Khadijah, what has happened to me?" Then he narrated to her whatever had happened, and said: "I fear for my life." She said: "No never! Be of good cheer. By God, never will God debase you: you treat the kindred well, you speak the truth, (one tradition adds: you restore what is entrusted to you), you bear the burden of the helpless, you help the poor, you entertain the guests, and you cooperate in good works."
Then she took him to Waraqah bin Naufal, who was her cousin. He had become a Christian in pre-Islamic days, wrote the Gospel in Arabic and Hebrew, and had become very old and blind. Hadrat Khadijah said: "Brother, listen to the son of your brother." Waraqah said to the Holy Prophet: "What have you seen, nephew?" The Holy Prophet described what he had seen. Waraqah said: "This is the same Gabriel (the Angel of Revelation) which Allah had sent down to Moses. Would that I were a young man during your Prophethood! Would that I were alive when your tribe would expel you!" The Holy Prophet said: "Will they expel me?" Waraqah said: "Yes, never has it so happened that a person brought what you have brought and was not treated as an enemy. If I live till then I would help you with all the power at my command." But not very long after this Waraqah died.
Occasion of Revelation of verses 6-19:
This second part of the Surah was revealed when the Holy Messenger of Allah began to perform the Prayer in the Islamic way in the Ka'bah and Abu Jahl threatened and tried to prevent him from this. It so happened that after his appointment to Prophethood and even before he could start preaching Islam openly, he began to perform the Prayer in the precincts of the Ka'bah in the way Allah taught him; from this, the Quraish felt for the first time that he had adopted a new religion. The other people were watching on with curiosity, but Abu Jahl in his arrogance and pride threatened the Holy Prophet and forbade him to worship in that way in the Ka'bah. A number of the Ahadith have been related from Hadarat Abdullah ibn Abbas and Hadrat Abu Huraira, which mention the foolish behaviour of Abu Jahl.
Description from Quran.com