It was also said: It is an oath by which Allah swore. And it was said: It is the opening of the surah. ‘Ata’ said: It is the initial of His names, Light and Helper.

Muhammad ibn Ka‘b said: Allah swore by His support for the believers (1).

“And by the Pen”: it is (2) the Pen with which Allah wrote the Record. It is a pen of light, its length spanning the distance between heaven and earth. It is said: The first thing Allah created was the Pen. He looked at it, and it split into two halves. Then He said, “Write all that will occur until the Day of Resurrection.” So it wrote this upon the Preserved Tablet. “And what they inscribe”: that is, what the recording angels write of the deeds of the children of Adam.

“By your Lord’s grace, you are not mad (2). You will certainly have an unfailing reward (3). And you are surely of sublime character (4).”

“By your Lord’s grace, you are not mad”: this is an answer to their saying, “O you to whom the Reminder has been sent down, you are surely mad!” (al-Hijr 15:6). Thus, Allah swore by Nun, the Pen, and what it writes of deeds, and said: “By your Lord’s grace”—that is, by the prophethood bestowed upon you by your Lord—“you are not mad”; meaning, you cannot be mad when Allah has bestowed prophethood and wisdom upon you. It was also said: by your Lord’s protection from sin. And it was said: It is like saying, “You are not mad—and praise be to Allah” (3). Another view is that it means: You are not mad, and the blessing belongs to your Lord, just as one says, “Glory be to You, O Allah, and praise is Yours,” meaning: all praise belongs to You.

“You will certainly have an unfailing reward”: that is, a reward neither diminished nor cut off, for your patience in bearing their false accusations against you.

“And you are surely of sublime character”: Ibn ‘Abbas and Mujahid said: It means a great religion—no religion is more beloved to Me or more pleasing in My sight than it—and that is the religion of Islam. Al-Hasan said: It is the manners taught by the Quran.

‘A’ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, was asked about the character of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, and she said: “His character was the Quran” (5).