By the pen and what they inscribe

The letter “noon” stands as one of the mysterious letters that opens certain surahs of the Qur’an, inviting deeper contemplation of the divine message that follows.

The oath itself is remarkable in its simplicity yet profound in its implications. Allah swears by two things: the pen, and whatever is being recorded through its use.

In Arabic grammar, when a pronoun appears without a clear antecedent, it creates an intentional ambiguity that opens multiple layers of meaning. The word “they” in “what they write” remains deliberately unspecified, allowing for various interpretations that enrich our understanding.

Several scholarly interpretations exist regarding who “they” refers to in this oath. One perspective identifies them as the angels who record our deeds, positioned on either shoulder, documenting every action we take.

Another understanding points to the angels who wrote down revelation from the Preserved Tablet (Al-Lawh Al-Mahfuz), bringing it to the messengers to teach them what Allah had revealed.

A third interpretation connects this to the scribes of previous revelations—the scholars and writers who transmitted the Torah and the Gospel. Unlike the Islamic tradition of memorization, the People of the Book preserved their scriptures primarily through written documentation, establishing systems of scribes who carefully recorded divine revelation.

The significance of this oath becomes clearer when we understand its purpose. Allah uses the pen and what is written as proof for what follows: the assertion that the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is not insane.

The centuries of Jewish and Christian scholarship that existed before the Prophet’s (peace be upon him) mission contain enough evidence within them to confirm that what he brought was truth, not madness.

Their own moving pens, their own documented traditions, became witnesses to his prophethood.

The verb form used here (‎يَسۡطُرُونَ‎, “they write”) encompasses both past and ongoing action. It refers not only to what had already been written by the time of revelation, but also to what would continue to be written.

Consider the vast ocean of Islamic scholarship that would emerge from this revelation: books of Tafsir, Hadith, Fiqh, Aqeedah, and countless other sciences.

The sheer volume and depth of knowledge that would be produced as a result of this message stands as evidence that the one who brought it could not have been insane.

The Qur’an’s influence on human knowledge and the philosophy of learning itself would become undeniable proof of the Prophet’s (peace be upon him) truthfulness. Time would tell that he was not insane at all.

Future generations would witness how this revelation shaped civilizations, elevated the pursuit of knowledge, and established frameworks for understanding that would benefit humanity across centuries.

According to some scholars, the opening ayahs of this surah may have been among the earliest revelations, possibly the second revelation after the first ayahs of Surah Al-‘Alaq:

That first revelation also contained a reference to the pen:

When the Prophet (peace be upon him) returned from that overwhelming experience and began to share what had occurred, some among those close to him wondered if perhaps he had lost his mind.

In that moment of vulnerability and uncertainty, Allah sent this confirmation.