Al-ʻAlaq or The Clot (, al-ʻalaq, also known as "The Clinging Thing" or "The Embryo"), is the 96th chapter (sūrah) of the Qur'an. It is composed of 19 āyāt or verses. It is sometimes also known as Sūrat Iqrā (, "Read"). Chapter 96 of the Qur'an is traditionally believed to have been Muhammad's first revelation. While on retreat in the Cave of Hira, located at Mountain Jabal al-Nour near Mecca, Angel Gabriel appears before The Islamic Prophet and commands him to “Read!”. He responded, “But I cannot read!”. Then the angel Gabriel embraced him tightly and then revealed to him the first lines, “Read: In the name of your Lord Who created, (1) Created human from a clot. (2) Read: And your Lord is the Most Generous, (3) Who taught by the pen, (4) Taught human that which he knew not.” (Bukhari 4953). It is traditionally understood the first five ayat or verses (1–5) of Surah Alaq were revealed; however, this is not the first fully complete Surah to be revealed and was actually revealed in 3 parts. {بسم الله الرحمان الرحيم} اقْرَأْ بِاسْمِ رَبِّكَ الَّذِي خَلَقَ ﴿١﴾ خَلَقَ الْإِنسَانَ مِنْ عَلَقٍ ﴿٢﴾ اقْرَأْ وَرَبُّكَ الْأَكْرَمُ ﴿٣﴾ الَّذِي عَلَّمَ بِالْقَلَمِ ﴿٤﴾ عَلَّمَ الْإِنسَانَ مَا لَمْ يَعْلَمْ ﴿٥ Summary 1-5 Angel Gabriel commanding towards Muhammad to recite the first verses of the Qur'an. 6-14 Rebuke of Abu Jahl for hindering the Muslim cause. 15 ۩ 19 Abu Jahl threatened with the torments of Hell as punishment. 1-5 The first revelation The first five verses of this sura are believed by some to be the first verses of the Quran claimed to be related by Muhammad. He received them while on a retreat in a mountain cave at Hira, just outside the city of Mecca in 610 CE. A few commentators disagree with this account, claiming that the first revelation was the beginning of surat al-Muddaththir or surat al-Fatiha, but theirs is a minority position. Moreover, the term ‘Insan’ which is translated to man or human appears 65 times in the Qur'an, applying to both sexes of mankind, a generic ‘man’. 6–19 the morality and beliefs of mankind The remainder of the surah, claimed to have been revealed later, questions the morality and beliefs of mankind, who "thinks himself self-sufficient", unaware that all things will return to their Lord. Once man becomes self-satisfied, he has the tendency to transgress. These ayahs were