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Tafsir Al Qurtubi

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“Nun” as a tablet of light

“Nun” as the inkwell

“Nun” as the fish under the seventh earth

The main report used to support the narrative of a fish being under the Earth

Why the whale and fish narrative is from the Isra’iliyyat

“Nun” as a letter, an oath, the opening of the surah, or a name connected to al Rahman

“Nun” as a disconnected letter, with the grammatical argument

The strongest view on the meaning of “Nun”

The meanings mentioned for “Nun”

“Nun” as a tablet of light

Muʿawiyah ibn Qurrah (d. 113 AH) narrated from his father, as marfuʿ, that the Prophet ﷺ said: “Nun is a tablet of light.” (Al Nukat wa al ʿUyun 60/6. Tafsir al Tabari 144/23.) Ibn Kathir said after attributing it to al Tabari: “This is a mursal and strange report.” (Tafsir Ibn Kathir, on Surah al Qalam: 1.)

“Nun” as the inkwell

Thabit al Bunani (d. 127 AH) narrated that “Nun” is the inkwell. (Tafsir al Tabari 143/23.) It also came through Thabit al Thumali from Ibn ʿAbbas. Al Hasan al Basri (d. 110 AH) and Qatadah (d. 117 AH) said the same. (Tafsir Abi al Layth 392/3. Tafsir al Tabari 143/23.) Al Alusi mentioned this as narrated from Ibn ʿAbbas, al Hasan, Qatadah, and al Dahhak, and mentioned that al Zamakhshari denied the coming of “Nun” with the meaning of the inkwell in the Arabic language, while Ibn ʿAtiyyah allowed the possibility of it being a dialect, or a word that was Arabised. (Ruh al Maʿani 27/239–331. Al Kashshaf 4/140–141. Al Muharrar al Wajiz 5/345.)

A longer marfuʿ report was also mentioned through al Walid ibn Muslim (d. 195 AH), from Malik ibn Anas (d. 179 AH), from Sumayy, from Abu Salih al Samman (d. 101 AH), from Abu Hurayrah, with the wording that “the first thing Allah created was the Pen”, then He created the Nun and it is the inkwell, then “Write”, and it added mention of the intellect. (Ahkam al Qur’an by Ibn al ʿArabi 1843/4.)

Ibn ʿAdi narrated it and said: “With this chain, it is false and rejected.” (al Kamil 2272/6–2273.) Al Dhahabi said Ibn ʿAdi was correct in grading it as false. (al Mizan 61/4.)

Against this, the sound marfuʿ narration was affirmed as what Ahmad narrated, number 22705, from ʿUbadah ibn al Samit: “The first thing Allah created was the Pen. Then He said: Write. So in that hour it ran with what is to be until the Day of Resurrection.” (Musnad Ahmad 22705.)

“Nun” as the fish under the seventh earth

Mujahid (d. 104 AH) said : “كان يقال: النون: الحوت الذي تحت الأرض السابعة”. “It used to be said: ‘Nun’ is the fish that is under the seventh earth.” (Jamiʿ al Bayan 23/140–148.) 

Tafsir al Baghawi then placed the same meaning under Ibn ʿAbbas رضي الله عنه and grouped key names on it: “اختلفوا فيه فقال ابن عباس: هو الحوت الذي على ظهره الأرض. وهو قول مجاهد ومقاتل والسدي والكلبي”. “They differed over it. Ibn ʿAbbas said: it is the fish on whose back is the earth. This is the saying of Mujahid, Muqatil, al Suddi, and al Kalbi.” (Tafsir al Baghawi 374/4.) 

Al Qurtubi expanded the list of names attached to the same meaning: “وكذا قال مقاتل ومرة الهمداني وعطاء الخراساني والسدي والكلبي: إن النون هو الحوت الذي عليه الأرضون”. “Likewise Muqatil, Murrah al Hamdani, ʿAta al Khurasani, al Suddi, and al Kalbi said: ‘Nun’ is the fish upon which are the earths.” (Al Jamiʿ li Ahkam al Qur’an 21/136–139.)

The main report used to support the narrative of a fish being under the Earth

The longest and most repeated route in these sources is the mawquf report through Abu Dhabyan from Ibn ʿAbbas رضي الله عنه, in Tafsir al Tabari, with the sequence of creation and the spreading of the earth on the Nun. One wording is: “أول ما خلق الله من شيء القلم… ثم خلق النون فدحيت الأرض على ظهره… فاضطرب النون فمادت الأرض فأثبتت بالجبال”. “The first thing Allah created was the Pen… then He created the Nun and the earth was spread on its back… then the Nun shook and the earth swayed, so it was made firm by the mountains.” (Jamiʿ al Bayan 23/140–148.) 

Tafsir al Baghawi also transmitted the same report and connected it to the opening verse: “ثم قرأ ابن عباس: (ن والقلم وما يسطرون)”. (Tafsir al Baghawi /4/374)

Why the whale and fish narrative is from the Isra’iliyyat

The sources themselves contain clear internal signs that the material is not built on a sound marfuʿ foundation, and later critical comments in the same set of references openly ascribe it to Isra’iliyyat.

First, the detailed whale and fish cosmology is tied to mawquf reports and to material attributed to Kaʿb al Ahbar, with long narrative detail and multiple names.

Tafsir al Baghawi transmitted variations in the fish name, and then transmitted from Kaʿb: “قال كعب الأحبار: إن إبليس تغلغل إلى الحوت الذي على ظهره الأرض…”. Al Qurtubi likewise transmitted the Kaʿb story with the same kind of detail.

Second, the muhaqqiq of al ʿAzamah, Diya Allah ibn Muhammad al Mubarakfuri, gave a direct ruling on this category of reports: “لم يرد في الكتاب والسنة الصحيحة ذكر هذا الحوت الذي يحمل الأرض، وكل ما ورد من هذا القبيل مأخوذ من الأخبار الإسرائيلية”. “No mention of this fish that carries the earth has come in the Book and the authentic Sunnah, and everything of this type is taken from the Israelite reports.” (Al ʿAzamah 4/1400.)

Third, Ibn Kathir identified much of this material spread on a Fish being unte the earth through al Suddi’s route, being from the Isra’iliyyat: “هذا الإسناد يذكر به السدي أشياء كثيرة فيها غرابة، وكان كثير منها متلقى من الإسرائيليات”. “This chain is one by which al Suddi mentions many things with strangeness, and much of it was taken from the Isra’iliyyat.”

Fourth, Muhammad Abu Shahbah summarised the same point under a chapter title that places it inside Isra’iliyyat, then said: “واضطراب النقل عنه يقلل الثقة بما روي عنه… والظاهر أنه افتراء عليه، أو هو من الإسرائيليات ألصق به”. “The disturbance in what is transmitted from him reduces trust in what is narrated from him… and what appears is either false attribution to him, or it is from the Isra’iliyyat attached to him.”

Together, these statements establish the point that the belief of a Fish being under the Earth, is not supported by the Qur’an and the authentic Sunnah, and the recognised route of spread is Isra’iliyyat material, and this was just relayed by the early Imams.

Mujahid (d. 104 AH) transmitted it by saying “كان يقال”, which indicates it being a statement that was being ciruclated.

Murrah al Hamdani appears inside the well known route that Ibn Kathir attributes to al Suddi, “عن مرة الهمداني”, and Ibn Kathir explicitly said that this Suddi route takes much from Isra’iliyyat.

Al Suddi (d. 127 AH) is directly identified by Ibn Kathir as a transmitter whose chain carried many strange matters, with much taken from Isra’iliyyat, which explains why the “fish under the earth” meaning and its attached creation details were repeated under his route.

“Nun” as a letter, an oath, the opening of the surah, or a name connected to al Rahman

Al Dahhak (d. 105 AH) narrated from Ibn ʿAbbas that “Nun” is the last letter from the letters of al Rahman, and that “Alif Lam Ra”, “Ha Mim”, and “Nun” are separated letters of al Rahman. (Al Nukat wa al ʿUyun 60/6. Iʿrab al Qur’an by al Nahhas 5/3. Tafsir al Baghawi 475/4. Tafsir al Tabari 142/23, through ʿIkrimah from Ibn ʿAbbas.)

Ibn Zayd (d. 182 AH) said: it is an oath by which Allah swore. (Tafsir al Tabari 144/23.) Ibn Kaysan said: it is the opening of the surah. (Tafsir al Baghawi 375/4.) It was also said: it is the name of the surah. (Al Nukat wa al ʿUyun 60/6.)

ʿAta and Abu al ʿAliyah (d. 90 AH) said: it is the opening of His name, Nasir, and Nur, and Nasir. Muhammad ibn Kaʿb (d. 108 AH) said: Allah swore by His help for the believers, and the clarification is: “وَكَانَ حَقًّا عَلَيْنَا نَصْرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ” “And it was a duty upon Us to help the believers.” (Surah al Rum: 47.) Jaʿfar al Sadiq (d. 148 AH) said: it is a river from the rivers of Paradise, called Nun.

“Nun” as a disconnected letter, with the grammatical argument

Al Qushayri Abu Nasr ʿAbd al Rahim chose that “Nun” is the known letter from the letters of the alphabet, because it was not made iʿrab, and if it were a complete word it would be made iʿrab, while “the Pen” was made iʿrab, so it is a letter of spelling like the rest of the openings of the surahs. (As quoted in the discussion gathered from the same set of references given, including Tafsir al Qurtubi 21/136–139 and Ruh al Maʿani 27/239–331.)

Imam al Tabari also placed this view under the category of the openings of the surahs and favoured that it resembles the other letters of spelling that surahs were opened with. (Jamiʿ al Bayan 23/140–148.)

Abu Hayyan said: “Nothing of that is authentic except that it is a name from the names of the letters of the alphabet.” (Kitab al Isra’iliyyat wa al Mawduʿat fi Kutub al Tafsir by Muhammad Abu Shahbah pg 305–306.)

Al Alusi also pointed out the extent of disagreement in the reports about its meaning. He noted that it is even attributed to Ibn Abbas that it is the last letter from the name al Rahman and that this name was divided. Because of the wide variation in what has been transmitted about its meaning, he supported the view that it is simply a letter. (Ruh al Maʿani 27/239–331.)

The strongest view on the meaning of “Nun”

The strongest view among what remained after the grading and criticism is that “Nun” is a disconnected letter from the letters of the alphabet, like the other openings of the surahs, and that it is treated as one of the letters of spelling. (Jamiʿ al Bayan 23/140–148. Ruh al Maʿani 27/239–331. Kitab al Isra’iliyyat wa  al Mawduʿat fi Kutub al Tafsir by Muhammad Abu Shahbah pg 305–306.)

This view is also further supported by a grammatical point: if it were a full word, it would display normal inflection, whereas a single letter remains fixed in its form. It was also reinforced by the conclusion that no specific interpretations were established with reliable authenticity, apart from understanding it as a letter. (Ruh al Maʿani 27/239–331. Kitab al Isra’iliyyat wa al Mawduʿat fi Kutub al Tafsir by Muhammad Abu Shahbah pg 305–306.)

Complete Translation of Sources Used

Tafsir Al Qurtubi

Differences About the Interpretation of “Nun”

They differed about its interpretation. Muʿawiyah ibn Qurrah (d. 113 AH) narrated from his father, raising it as marfuʿ (raised to the Prophet ﷺ), that he said: “Nun is a tablet of light.” (Al Nukat wa al ʿUyun 60/6. Al Tabari reported it in his Tafsir 144/23. Ibn Kathir attributed it in his Tafsir of this verse to al Tabari, then said: “This is a mursal (a chain with a missing Companion) and strange report.”)

Thabit al Bunani (d. 127 AH) narrated that “Nun” is the inkwell. (Al Tabari reported it in his Tafsir 143/23, and in it is a narration from Thabit al Thumali, from Ibn ʿAbbas.)

Al Hasan al Basri (d. 110 AH) and Qatadah (d. 117 AH) said it. (Tafsir Abi al Layth 392/3. Al Tabari reported it in his Tafsir 143/23.)

Al Walid ibn Muslim (d. 195 AH) said: Malik ibn Anas (d. 179 AH), from Sumayy, the freed slave of Abu Bakr, from Abu Salih al Samman (d. 101 AH), from Abu Hurayrah, who said: I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say: “The first thing Allah created was the Pen. Then He created the Nun, and it is the inkwell, and that is His saying, Nun. By the Pen.

Then He said to it: Write. It said: What shall I write. He said: What has been, and what is to be, until the Day of Resurrection, of deed, or term, or provision, or trace. So the Pen ran with what is to be until the Day of Resurrection.”

He said: “Then He sealed the mouth of the Pen, so it did not speak, and it will not speak until the Day of Resurrection. Then He created the intellect, and the Compeller said: I have not created any creation more astonishing to Me than you.

By My might and My majesty, I will complete you in whom I love, and I will lessen you in whom I hate.” He said: “Then the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: The most complete of people in intellect are those most obedient to Allah, and those who do the most of His obedience.” (Ahkam al Qur’an by Ibn al ʿArabi 1843/4. The report was narrated by Ibn ʿAdi in al Kamil 2272/6–2273, and he said: “With this chain, it is false and rejected.” Al Dhahabi said in al Mizan 61/4 that Ibn ʿAdi was correct in grading this hadith as false. 

The sound narration is what Ahmad narrated, number 22705, from ʿUbadah ibn al Samit, raising it: “The first thing Allah created was the Pen. Then He said: Write. So in that hour it ran with what is to be until the Day of Resurrection.” It will be mentioned again.)

“Nun” as the Fish Under the Seventh Earth

From Mujahid (d. 104 AH): It used to be said “Nun” is the fish that is under the seventh earth. He said: “And the Pen” is that by which the dhikr (the Remembrance) was written. Muqatil (d. 150 AH), Murrah al Hamdani, ʿAta al Khurasani (d. 135 AH), al Suddi (d. 127 AH), and al Kalbi (d. 146 AH) also said: the Nun is the fish upon which the earths are. (Tafsir al Tabari 141/23–142. Tafsir al Baghawi 374/4. These reports are from the Isra’iliyyat, reports from the People of the Book.)

Abu Dhabyan narrated from Ibn ʿAbbas that he said: The first thing Allah created was the Pen, then it ran with what is to be.

Reports from Isra’iliyyat About the Fish and the Earth

Then He raised the steam of water and created from it the sky. Then He created the Nun, and He spread the earth upon its back. Then the earth shook, so it was made firm by the mountains, and indeed the mountains boast over the earth. Then Ibn ʿAbbas recited:

ن وَالْقَلَمِ

And al Kalbi and Muqatil (d. 150 AH) said: Its name is al Bahmut. (Tafsir al Baghawi 374/4. Al Alusi restricted it in Ruh al Maʿani 29/23: al Bahmut, with the description of its letters. The report of Ibn ʿAbbas was narrated by al Hakim in al Mustadrak 498/2, and al Tabari in his Tafsir 140/23, and it has preceded at 385/1.)

Abu al Yaqzan and al Waqidi (d. 207 AH) said: Liyuna. (Al Baghawi mentioned it in his Tafsir 374/4 from al Waqidi.)

Kaʿb said: Luthutha. And he said: Balhumuna. (Its name is inconsistent in the copies and the sources.)

Kaʿb said: Iblis penetrated deeply into the fish upon whose back are the earths, and he whispered into its heart and said: “Do you know what is upon your back, O Luthuna, of beasts, and trees, and earths, and other than that.

If you were to throw them off, you would cast them all from your back.” So Liyuna was about to do that, so Allah sent to it a creature, and it entered its nostril and reached its brain.

So the fish cried out loudly to Allah, mighty and majestic, because of it, and Allah permitted it, so it came out. Kaʿb said: By Allah, it looks at it and it looks at it. If it intends anything of that, it returns as it was. (That is how it is in the copies. What is in the sources that will be mentioned is: “So it cried out loudly.” And al ʿajj is raising the voice in talbiyah. Al Nihayah, ʿajjaj. Tafsir al Baghawi 475/4. Abu Nuʿaym narrated it in al Hilyah 6/8. It is a pure Isra’ili report, false. It has preceded at 385/1.)

“Nun” as a Letter, an Oath, or the Opening of the Surah

Al Dahhak (d. 105 AH) narrated from Ibn ʿAbbas that “Nun” is the last letter from the letters of al Rahman. He said: al Ra, and Ha Mim, and Nun, al Rahman, exalted, are separated letters. (Al Nukat wa al ʿUyun 60/6. Al Nahhas mentioned it in Iʿrab al Qur’an 5/3. Al Baghawi mentioned it in his Tafsir 475/4. Al Tabari narrated it 142/23 from Ibn ʿAbbas, through the narration of ʿIkrimah from him.)

Ibn Zayd (d. 182 AH) said: It is an oath by which Allah, exalted, swore. (Al Tabari narrated it in his Tafsir 144/23.)

Ibn Kaysan said: It is the opening of the surah. (Tafsir al Baghawi 375/4, without attribution.)

And it was said: It is the name of the surah. (Al Nukat wa al ʿUyun 60/6.)

ʿAta and Abu al ʿAliyah (d. 90 AH) said: It is the opening of His name, Nasir, and Nur, and Nasir.

Muhammad ibn Kaʿb (d. 108 AH) said: Allah, exalted, swore by His help for the believers, and it is true. Its clarification is His saying:

وَكَانَ حَقًّا عَلَيْنَا نَصْرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ

(Al Rum: 47)

Jaʿfar al Sadiq (d. 148 AH) said: It is a river from the rivers of Paradise, called Nun.

And it was said: It is the known letter from the letters of the alphabet, because if it were other than that, it would have been made iʿrab (grammatical inflection). This is the choice of al Qushayri Abu Nasr ʿAbd al Rahim in his tafsir.

He said: Because “Nun” is a letter that was not made iʿrab, and if it were a complete word it would be made iʿrab, just as the Pen was made iʿrab. So it is a letter of spelling, as in the rest of the openings of the surahs.

Upon this it was said: It is the name of the surah, meaning: this is Surah “Nun.”

Then he said: “And the Pen,” He swore by the Pen because of what is in it of clarification, like the tongue. It applies to every pen by which writing is done, of what is in the sky and what is on the earth. From that is the saying of Abu al Fath al Busti: He counted it among what gains glory and generosity.

وعدوه مما يكسب المجد والكرم
إذا أقسم الأبطال يوماً بسيفهم
كفى قلم الكتاب عزاً ورفعة
مدى الدهر أن الله أقسم بالقلم

“And they counted it among what earns honour and generosity.
When the brave warriors one day swear by their swords,
the pen of the writers is enough in honour and elevation
for all time, since Allah has sworn by the pen.”

(The two lines are in Zahr al Adab by al Qayrawani 432/1, and in it is “glory” in place of “honour.” Abu al Fath is ʿAli ibn Muhammad al Usayti, the scribe, the poet of his time, who died in the year 401. Al Siyar 147/17–148.)

The poets have many lines about preferring the Pen over the sword, and what we mentioned is the highest of them.

Ibn ʿAbbas said: This is an oath by the Pen that Allah created, and He commanded it, so it ran with writing everything that is to be until the Day of Resurrection.

He said: It is a Pen of light, its length is like what is between the sky and the earth.

Reports About the Creation of the Pen

It is said: Allah created the Pen. Then He looked at it, and it split into two halves, then He said: Run. It said: “My Lord, with what shall I run.” He said: “With what is to be until the Day of Resurrection.” So it ran upon al Lawh al Mahfuz (the Preserved Tablet). (Tafsir al Baghawi 375/4.)

Al Walid ibn ʿUbadah ibn al Samit said: My father advised me at his death and said: “O my son, fear Allah, and know that no fear of Allah, and no reaching knowledge, will be reached until you believe in Allah alone, and in al Qadar (the Decree), its good and its evil. I heard the Prophet ﷺ say: ‘The first thing Allah created was the Pen. Then He said to it: Write. It said: O my Lord, what shall I write. He said: Write the Decree. So the Pen ran in that hour with what was, and what is to be, forever.'” (Al Tayalisi narrated it in his Musnad, number 577, in full. Ahmad narrated it, number 22705, with similar wording. Al Tirmidhi narrated it, number 2155, and he said: “This hadith is strange from this route.”)

Ibn ʿAbbas said: The first thing Allah created was the Pen, then He commanded it to write what is to be, so it wrote among what it wrote:

تَبَّتْ يَدَا أَبي لهب

(Al Masad: 1)

(Al Khatib al Baghdadi narrated it in his Tarikh 205/14.)

Qatadah (d. 117 AH) said: The Pen is a blessing from Allah, exalted, upon His servants. (Al Tabari narrated it in his Tafsir 527/24. Al Khatib narrated it in al Jamiʿ li Akhlaq al Rawiy 391/1–392.)

Others said: Allah created the first Pen, so it wrote what is to be in the dhikr (the Remembrance), and He placed it with Him above His Throne. Then He created the second Pen to write with it on the earth, as will come in the clarification in Surah Iqra, “Read in the name of your Lord.” (Al ʿAlaq: 1) (Ahkam al Qur’an by Ibn al ʿArabi 1843/4, and in it is “so that those on earth may know by it” in place of “to write by it on the earth.”)

Al Jāmiʿ li Aḥkām al Qurʾān 21/136–139

Tafsir Al Tabari

The Interpretation of the Saying of Allah, Exalted is He

ن وَالْقَلَمِ وَمَا يَسْطُرُونَ مَا أَنتَ بِنِعْمَةِ رَبِّكَ بِمَجْنُونِ وَإِنَّ لَكَ لَأَجْرًا غَيْرَ مَمْنُون

Nun. By the Pen and what they write. By the favour of your Lord, you are not mad. And indeed, for you is a reward that is not cut off. (Al Qalam: 1–3)

The People of Interpretation Differed About the Interpretation of His Saying, Exalted is He: “Nun”

They differed about the interpretation of His saying: “Nun”.

So some of them said: It is the fish upon which the earths are.

Mention of Those Who Said That

Muhammad ibn al Muthanna (d. 252 AH) narrated to us. He said: Ibn Abi ʿAdi (d. 194 AH) narrated to us, from Shuʿbah (d. 160 AH), from Sulayman (d. 148 AH), from Abu Dhabyan (d. 90 AH), from Ibn ʿAbbas, who said: “The first thing Allah created of anything was the Pen, so it ran with what is to be.

Then He raised the steam of water, and the heavens were created from it. Then the Nun was created, and the earth was spread on the back of the Nun. ‘Then the Nun moved, so the earth swayed’, so it was made firm by the mountains, and indeed the mountains boast over the earth.” He said: And he recited: وَالْقَلَمِ وَمَا يَسْطُرُونَ. (It was narrated by al Musannaf in his Tarikh 33/1, 51. ʿAbd al Razzaq narrated it in his Tafsir 307/2. Ibn Abi Shaybah narrated it 101/14. Ibn Abi Hatim narrated it, as in Tafsir Ibn Kathir 210/8. Abu al Shaykh narrated it in al ʿAẓamah, number 900.

Al Ajurri narrated it in al Shariʿah, number 183. Al Hakim narrated it 498/2. Al Khatib narrated it in his Tarikh 59/9, by the route of Sulayman, and he is al Aʿmash, with it. It is also in Tafsir Mujahid, page 668, likewise. Al Suyuti attributed it in al Durr al Manthur 249/6 to al Firyabi, Saʿid ibn Mansur, ʿAbd ibn Humayd, Ibn al Mundhir, Ibn Mardawayh, and al Diya in al Mukhtarah.)

Tamim ibn al Muntasir (d. 228 AH) narrated to us. He said: Ishaq (d. 238 AH) narrated to us, from Sharik (d. 177 AH), from al Aʿmash (d. 148 AH), from Abu Dhabyan (d. 90 AH), or Mujahid (d. 104 AH), from Ibn ʿAbbas, with its likeness, except that he said: “So the heavens were split from it.” (It was narrated by al Musannaf in his Tarikh 33/1, 51.)

Ibn Bashshar (d. 252 AH) narrated to us. He said: Yahya (d. 198 AH) narrated to us. He said: Sufyan (d. 161 AH) narrated to me. He said: Sulayman (d. 148 AH) narrated to me, from Abu Dhabyan (d. 90 AH), from Ibn ʿAbbas, who said: “The first thing Allah created was the Pen. He said: Write. It said: What shall I write.

He said: Write the Decree. So it ran with what is to be, from that day until the establishment of the Hour. Then the Nun was created, and the steam of water was raised, and the sky was split from it, and the earth was spread on the back of the Nun. Then the Nun shook, so the earth swayed, so it was made firm by the mountains, and indeed it boasts over the earth.”

Wasil ibn ʿAbd al Aʿla (d. 249 AH) narrated to us. He said: Muhammad ibn Fudayl (d. 195 AH) narrated to us, from al Aʿmash (d. 148 AH), from Abu Dhabyan (d. 90 AH), from Ibn ʿAbbas, who said: “The first thing Allah created of anything was the Pen. He said to it: Write. It said: What shall I write, O Lord. He said: Write the Decree. He said: So the Pen ran with what is to be from that until the establishment of the Hour.

Then He raised the steam of water, and the heavens were split from it. Then the Nun was created, and the earth was spread out on its back. Then the Nun shook, so the earth swayed, so it was made firm by the mountains, and indeed it boasts over the earth.” (It was narrated by al Musannaf in his Tarikh 33/1, 50.)

Wasil ibn ʿAbd al Aʿla (d. 249 AH) narrated to us. He said: Wakiʿ (d. 197 AH) narrated to us, from al Aʿmash (d. 148 AH), from Abu Dhabyan (d. 90 AH), from Ibn ʿAbbas, with its likeness. (It was narrated by al Musannaf in his Tarikh 33/1, 51. Al Bayhaqi narrated it in al Sunan 3/9, and in al Asma’ wa al Sifat, number 804, by the route of Wakiʿ with it.)

And Muhammad ibn ʿAmr (d. 214 AH) narrated to me. He said: Abu ʿAsim (d. 212 AH) narrated to us. And al Harith (d. 282 AH) said: al Hasan (d. 249 AH) narrated to us. He said: Warqa’ (d. 197 AH) narrated to us, all of them from Ibn Abi Najih (d. 131 AH), that Ibrahim ibn Abi Bakr informed him, from Mujahid (d. 104 AH), who said: “It used to be said: the Nun is the fish that is under the seventh earth.” (It was narrated by al Musannaf in his Tarikh 33/1, 51.)

Ibn ʿAbd al Aʿla (d. 248 AH) narrated to us. He said: Ibn Thawr (d. 153 AH) narrated to us. He said: Maʿmar (d. 154 AH) said: al Aʿmash (d. 148 AH) narrated to us, that Ibn ʿAbbas said: “Indeed, the first thing created was the Pen.” Then he mentioned the like of the hadith of Wasil, from Ibn Fudayl, and he added in it: Then Ibn ʿAbbas recited: ن وَالْقَلَمِ وَمَا يَسْطُرُونَ.

Ibn Humayd (d. 248 AH) narrated to us. He said: Jarir (d. 188 AH) narrated to us, from ʿAta (d. 114 AH), from Abu al Duha Muslim ibn Subayh (d. 100 AH), from Ibn ʿAbbas, who said: “Indeed, the first thing my Lord created was the Pen, so He said to it: Write. So it wrote what is to be until the Hour is established.

Then He created the Nun above the water, then He pressed the earth on it.” (It was narrated by al Musannaf in his Tarikh 34/1.) (It was narrated by al Musannaf in his Tarikh 34/1, 51, 52. ʿAbd Allah narrated it in al Sunnah, number 871, by the route of Jarir with it. It is in Tafsir Mujahid, page 668. Al Ajurri narrated it in al Shariʿah, number 182, both of them by the route of ʿAta with it.) (Its verification has preceded at 103/12, 104.)

Others Said: It is a Letter From the Letters of al Rahman

Mention of Those Who Said That

ʿAbd Allah ibn Ahmad al Marwazi (d. 300 AH) narrated to us. He said: ʿAli ibn al Husayn (d. 234 AH) narrated to us. He said: My father al Husayn ibn Waqid (d. 159 AH) narrated to us, from Yazid (d. 182 AH), from ʿIkrimah (d. 105 AH), from Ibn ʿAbbas: “Al Ra, and Waw by itself, and Nun: letters of al Rahman, separated.” (Al Suyuti attributed it in al Durr al Manthur 250/6 to ʿAbd ibn Humayd and Ibn al Mundhir.)

Muhammad ibn Maʿmar (d. 246 AH) narrated to me. He said: ʿAyyash ibn Ziyad al Bahili (d. 240 AH) narrated to us. He said: Shuʿbah (d. 160 AH) narrated to us, from Abu Bishr (d. 128 AH), from Saʿid ibn Jubayr (d. 95 AH), from Ibn ʿAbbas, his saying: “Al Ra, and Ha, and Nun.” He said: A separated name.

Others Said: “Nun” is the Inkwell, and “the Pen” is the Pen

Mention of Those Who Said That

Ibn Humayd (d. 248 AH) narrated to us. He said: Yaʿqub (d. 252 AH) narrated to us. He said: My brother ʿIsa ibn ʿAbd Allah narrated to us, from Thabit al Thumali, from Ibn ʿAbbas, who said: “Indeed Allah created the Nun, and it is the inkwell, and He created the Pen, so He said: Write. It said: What shall I write.

He said: Write what is to be until the Day of Resurrection, of a deed done, righteousness or wickedness, or a provision apportioned, lawful or unlawful.

Then He bound every thing of that to its affair, its entering into the universe, and its remaining in it, how much, and its leaving it from it, how. Then He placed over the servants guardians, and for the Book storekeepers. So the guardians copy each day from the storekeepers the deed of that day.

Then when the provision is finished, and the trace is cut off, and the term is completed, the guardians come to the storekeepers seeking the deed of that day, so the storekeepers say to them: We do not find for your companion anything with us. So the guardians return and find that they have died.” He said: Then Ibn ʿAbbas said: “Are you not an Arab people who hear the guardians saying:

إِنَّا كُنَّا نَسْتَمْسِحُ مَا كُنتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ

Indeed, We were copying what you used to do.” (Al Ma’iyah: 29)

“And is copying anything except from an original.” (Ibn Kathir mentioned it in his Tafsir 212/8 from al Musannaf. Al Suyuti attributed it in al Durr al Manthur 125/6 to al Musannaf and Ibn al Mundhir. Its verification has preceded at 104/21, 105.)

Ibn ʿAbd al Aʿla (d. 248 AH) narrated to us. He said: Ibn Thawr (d. 153 AH) narrated to us, from Maʿmar (d. 154 AH), from al Hasan (d. 110 AH) and Qatadah (d. 117 AH), about His saying: “Nun.” They said: “It is the inkwell.” (Ibn Kathir mentioned it in his Tafsir 212/8 from al Musannaf. Al Suyuti attributed it in al Durr al Manthur 250/6 to ʿAbd al Razzaq and Ibn al Mundhir.)

Ibn Humayd (d. 248 AH) narrated to us. He said: al Hakam ibn Bashir (d. 200 AH) narrated to us. He said: ʿAmr (d. 180 AH) narrated to us, from Qatadah (d. 117 AH), who said: “The Nun is the inkwell.”

Others Said: It is a Tablet of Light

Mention of Those Who Said That

Al Hasan ibn Shabib al Maktab (d. 240 AH) narrated to us. He said: Muhammad ibn Ziyad al Jazari (d. 180 AH) narrated to us, from Qurat ibn Abi al Furat (d. 155 AH), from Muʿawiyah ibn Qurrah (d. 113 AH), from his father, who said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, about His saying: “Nun. By the Pen and what they write”: “A tablet of light that runs with what is to be until the Day of Resurrection.”

Others Said: It is an Oath That Allah Swore By

Mention of Those Who Said That

Bishr (d. 206 AH) narrated to us. He said: Yazid (d. 206 AH) narrated to us. He said: Saʿid (d. 168 AH) narrated to us, from Qatadah (d. 117 AH), about His saying: “Nun. By the Pen and what they write”: “Allah swears by whatever He wills.”

Yunus (d. 264 AH) narrated to me. He said: Ibn Wahb (d. 197 AH) informed us. He said: Ibn Zayd (d. 182 AH) said about the saying of Allah: “Nun. By the Pen and what they write”: “This is an oath that Allah swore by.”

Others Said: It is a Name From the Names of the Surah

Others Said: It is a Letter From the Letters of the Alphabet

We have already mentioned the statement about what resembles that from the letters of spelling that the beginnings of the surahs were opened with, and the statement about this is like the statement about that. (Imam At Tabari favours the view that Nun is one of the huruf muqattat/disconnected letters like Alif Laam Meen, Ha Meem)

The Reciters Differed About the Recitation of “Nun”

The Nun was made clear in it, and in “Nun”, by the generality of the reciters of al Kufah except al Kisa’i (d. 189 AH), and the generality of the reciters of al Basrah, because it is a letter of spelling, and spelling is built upon stopping upon it even if it is connected. Al Kisa’i used to assimilate the last Nun of the two and conceal it, building upon connection. (With assimilation, Warsh, al Bazzi, Ibn Dhakwan, ʿAsim, those transmitted from them, Hisham, al Kisa’i, Yaʿqub, and Khalaf from himself recited. The rest recited with making it clear. Abu Jaʿfar paused upon “Nun”. See Ithaf Fudala’ al Bashar, page 260.)

The correct statement with us about that is that they are two eloquent recitations. Whichever of them the reciter reads with, he has been correct, except that making the Nun clear is more eloquent and more well known, so it is more pleasing to me.

The Pen

As for the Pen, it is the known pen, except that what our Lord swore by from the pens is the pen that Allah, Exalted is He, created, so He commanded it, and it ran with writing all that is to be until the Day of Resurrection.

The Report of al Walid ibn ʿUbadah ibn al Samit

Muhammad ibn Muʿawiyah al Anmati (d. 245 AH) narrated to me. He said: ʿAbbad ibn al ʿAwwam (d. 186 AH) narrated to us. He said: ʿAbd al Wahid (d. 176 AH) narrated to us. He said: I heard ʿAta (d. 114 AH) say: I asked al Walid ibn ʿUbadah ibn al Samit about Ibn Sulaym, how was the advice of your father when death came to him.

So he said: He called me and said: “O my son, fear Allah, and know that you will not fear Allah, and you will not reach knowledge, until you believe in Allah alone, and the Decree, its good and its evil. Indeed, I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say: ‘Indeed the first thing Allah created was the Pen, so He said to it: Write. It said: O Lord, what shall I write. He said: Write the Decree.’ He said: ‘So the Pen ran in that hour with what was, and what is to be, forever.’” (See what has preceded at 204/1 and what follows it.) (What is correct has preceded at 430/4.) (It was narrated by al Musannaf in his Tarikh 32/1–33. Al Tayalisi narrated it, number 578. Al Tirmidhi narrated it, number 3319. Al Baghawi narrated it in al Jaʿdiyyat, number 3478, by the route of ʿAbd al Wahid ibn Sulaym with it.)

Muhammad ibn ʿAbd Allah al Tusi (d. 240 AH) narrated to me. He said: ʿAli ibn al Hasan ibn Shaqiq (d. 215 AH) narrated to us. He said: ʿAbd Allah ibn al Mubarak (d. 181 AH) informed us. He said: Rabbah ibn Zayd (d. 170 AH) informed us, from ʿUmar ibn Habib (d. 150 AH), from al Qasim ibn Abi Bazzah (d. 132 AH), from Saʿid ibn Jubayr (d. 95 AH), from Ibn ʿAbbas, that he used to narrate that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “The first thing Allah created was the Pen, and He commanded it, so it wrote every thing.” (It was narrated by al Musannaf in his Tarikh 32/1. Al Darimi narrated it in al Radd ʿala al Marisi, page 198, by the route of Nuʿaym ibn Hammad. ʿAbd Allah narrated it in al Sunnah, number 854. Ibn Abi ʿAsim narrated it in al Sunnah, number 108. Abu Yaʿla narrated it, number 2329. Al Tabarani narrated it, number 12500. Abu Nuʿaym narrated it in al Hilyah 181/8. Al Bayhaqi narrated it 3/9, and in al Asma’ wa al Sifat, number 803, by the route of Ibn al Mubarak with it.)

Musa ibn Sahl al Ramli (d. 245 AH) narrated to us. He said: Nuʿaym ibn Hammad (d. 228 AH) narrated to us. He said: Ibn al Mubarak (d. 181 AH) narrated to us, with his chain, from the Prophet ﷺ, with its likeness. (Musa ibn Sahl al Ramli narrated to us. He said: Nuʿaym ibn Hammad narrated to us. He said: Ibn al Mubarak narrated to us, and his chain, from the Prophet ﷺ, with its likeness.)

Ibn Bashshar (d. 252 AH) narrated to us. He said: ʿAbd al Rahman (d. 198 AH) narrated to us. He said: Sufyan (d. 161 AH) narrated to us, from Abu Hashim (d. 120 AH), from Mujahid (d. 104 AH), who said: I said to Ibn ʿAbbas: “Indeed some people deny the Decree.” So he said: “Indeed they deny the Book of Allah. I will take by the hair of one of them, and I will shake him with it.

Indeed Allah was upon His Throne before He created anything. So the first thing Allah created was the Pen, so it ran with what is to be until the Day of Resurrection. So the people only run upon an affair that has already been finished.” (In al Radd ʿala al Jahmiyyah and al Shariʿah: “then I will seize his forelock.” “And I will shake him” means: I will seize him, I will unsettle him and move him. “And I will seize his forelock” means: I will seize him by his forelock.) (It was narrated by al Musannaf in his Tarikh 34/1–35. Al Darimi narrated it in al Radd ʿala al Jahmiyyah, page 12. Al Ajurri narrated it in al Shariʿah, number 351. Al Lalaka’i narrated it in Iʿtiqad Ahl al Sunnah, number 1223, by the route of Sufyan with it.)

Ibn al Muthanna (d. 252 AH) narrated to us. He said: ʿAbd al Samad (d. 197 AH) narrated to us. He said: Shuʿbah (d. 160 AH) narrated to us. He said: Abu Hashim narrated to us, he heard Mujahid (d. 104 AH), who said: I heard ʿAbd Allah, he does not know Ibn ʿUmar or Ibn ʿAbbas, say: “Indeed the first thing Allah created was the Pen, so the Pen ran with what is to be, and the people today only act in what has already been finished.” (It was narrated by al Musannaf in his Tarikh 35/1.) (The established wording is from al Tarikh. See Tahdhib al Kamal 183/19.) (The established wording is from al Tarikh. See Tahdhib al Kamal 198/14.)

Surah al Qalam: Verse 1

Yunus (d. 264 AH) narrated to me. He said: Ibn Wahb (d. 197 AH) informed us. He said: Muʿawiyah ibn Salih (d. 158 AH) narrated to me. And ʿUbayd ibn Adam (d. 240 AH) narrated to me. He said: My father Adam (d. 220 AH) narrated to us. He said: al Layth ibn Saʿd (d. 175 AH) narrated to us, from Muʿawiyah ibn Salih (d. 158 AH), from Ayyub ibn Ziyad (d. 165 AH), who said: ʿUbadah ibn al Walid ibn ʿUbadah ibn al Samit (d. 200 AH) narrated to me.

He said: My father informed me. He said: My father ʿUbadah ibn al Samit said: “O my son, I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say: ‘Indeed the first thing Allah created was the Pen, so He said to it: Write. So it ran in that hour with what is to be until the Day of Resurrection.’” (It was narrated by al Musannaf in his Tarikh 32/1. Ahmad narrated it 317/5, by the route of al Layth with it. Ibn Abi Shaybah narrated it 114/14. Al Bazzar narrated it, number 2687. Al Ajurri narrated it in al Shariʿah, number 346, by the route of Muʿawiyah ibn Salih with it. Al Suyuti attributed it in al Durr al Manthur 250/6 to Ibn Mardawayh.)

Muhammad ibn ʿAmr (d. 214 AH) narrated to me. He said: Abu ʿAsim (d. 212 AH) narrated to us. He said: ʿIsa (d. 169 AH) narrated to us, from Ibn Abi Najih (d. 131 AH), from Mujahid (d. 104 AH), about His saying: “Nun, and the Pen.” He said: “The one with which the dhikr was written.” (Ibn Kathir mentioned it in his Tafsir 213/8 from Ibn Abi Najih with it. Al Suyuti attributed it in al Durr al Manthur 250/6 to ʿAbd ibn Humayd and Ibn al Mundhir.)

Al Harith (d. 282 AH) narrated to me. He said: al Hasan (d. 249 AH) narrated to us. He said: Warqa’ (d. 197 AH) narrated to us, from Ibn Abi Najih (d. 131 AH). Ibrahim ibn Abi Bakr informed him, from Mujahid (d. 104 AH), about His saying: “Nun, and the Pen.” He said: “The one with which the dhikr was written.”

Tafsir Al Alusi

The Recitation of “Nun”

It was recited with sukun when stopping. Most recited it with sukun on the Nun, and with its assimilation into the waw of “and the Pen”, with ghunnah (nasal sound) according to some, and without it according to others. (See the details in al Taysir, page 183, al Nashr 2/18, Tafsir al Qurtubi 21/135, al Bahr al Muhit 8/307.)

It was also recited with kasrah on the Nun. Ibn ʿAbbas, Ibn Abi Ishaq, and ʿIsa, with a differing report from him, recited it with fathah. (This is how the compiler attributed the recitation. However, what has been found in the sources is that the recitation of Ibn ʿAbbas and Ibn Abi Ishaq is with kasrah on the Nun, not fathah. The recitation with fathah was attributed to Saʿid ibn Jubayr and ʿIsa ibn ʿUmar, with a differing report from him. See al Qira’at al Shadhdhah, page 159, Tafsir al Qurtubi 21/135, al Bahr al Muhit 8/307.)

All of this is due to the meeting of two silent letters.

The Grammatical Possibilities

It is permissible that the fathah is due to implying a particle of oath in the place of jarr, like their saying, “By Allah, I will surely do it”, with jarr. It is also permissible that it is nasb due to implying “Mention”, and the like, not fathah, and that it is prevented from being declined due to definiteness and femininity, on the understanding that it is a proper name of the surah.

Then, if it is taken as:

1. A name for the letter, recited in sequence in the pattern of enumeration for challenge, as is well known and clarified in its place.
2. A name for the surah, in the nasb sense mentioned.
3. Marfuʿ, as the predicate of an omitted subject.

Then the waw in His saying, Exalted is He, “and the Pen”, is for oath. If it is taken as something sworn by, then it is for conjunction to it, as is well known.

The View of the Salaf and the Khalaf

The Salaf chose that “Nun” is from the mutashabih (ambiguous). More than one from the Khalaf said that here it is from the names of the letters.

They said: This is supported by the fact that if it were a common noun or a proper name, it would have been declined, either with tanwin or as prevented from being declined, and it would have been written as it is pronounced. Its writing as it is seen is for the intention of stopping.

Treating connection like stopping is contrary to the basis. It is accepted that the script of the Mushaf is not analogised, but the basis is to follow analogy as much as possible.

A View That It Is the Name of a Fish

It was said: It is a name of a fish upon which the earth is, called al Yahmut, with a fathah on the ya and sukun on the ha.

In a hadith narrated by al Diya in al Mukhtarah, and al Hakim, who graded it as sound, and a collection from Ibn ʿAbbas: Allah, Exalted is He, created the Nun, then the earth was spread on it, then the Nun shook, so the earth swayed, so it was made firm by the mountains, then he recited:

ن وَالْقَلَمِ

Nun. By the Pen. (Al Qalam: 1)

and so on. (Al Mukhtarah 10/18, al Mustadrak 2/498. Ibn Jarir also narrated it in al Tafsir 23/141.)

This was also narrated from Mujahid (d. 104 AH).

A View That It Means the Inkwell

It was narrated from Ibn ʿAbbas, al Hasan (d. 110 AH), Qatadah (d. 117 AH), and al Dahhak, that it is a name for the inkwell. Al Zamakhshari (d. 538 AH) denied the coming of “Nun” with the meaning of the inkwell in the language, or in a usage that is relied upon. (In al Kashshaf 4/140–141.)

Ibn ʿAtiyyah (d. 542 AH) said: It is possible that it is a language of some Arabs, or a foreign word that has been Arabised. He quoted the saying of the poet:

إذا ما الشوق برح بي إليهم
ألقت النون بالدمع السجوم

When longing pressed upon me for them, the Nun cast down flowing tears. (Al Muharrar al Wajiz 5/345. The line was also mentioned by al Razi in his Tafsir 30/77, and Abu Hayyan in al Bahr 8/307.)

The Meaning of “The Pen”

The earlier group, among them are those who explained the Pen as the one that wrote on al Lawh al Mahfuz (the Preserved Tablet) what is to be until the Day of Resurrection. Among them are those who explained it as the pen of the noble scribes, the writing angels. “Al” in both explanations is for the known specific meaning.

The latter group, among them are those who explained it as the category, with the definiteness being generic. Among them, and they are few, are those who explained it as what has already been mentioned as well, but what appears from their words is that the inkwell is not the known inkwell. Rather, it is an inkwell created on the day that that Pen was created.

Additional Reports

From Muʿawiyah ibn Qurrah (d. 113 AH), raising it: “Indeed Nun is a tablet of light, and the Pen is a Pen of light, running with what is to be until the Day of Resurrection.” (Al Tabari narrated it in his Tafsir 23/144. Ibn Kathir said after mentioning it: “This is a mursal and strange report.”)

From Jaʿfar al Sadiq (d. 148 AH) that it is a river from the rivers of Paradise.

A Comment on What Is Sound

In al Bahr: “Perhaps nothing of that is sound.” (Al Bahr al Muhit 8/307.)

Meaning: from everything mentioned regarding “Nun”, except that it is a name from the names of the letters. It is as if, if he had knowledge of the narrations we mentioned, he did not regard the grading of al Hakim as sound in what was first narrated from Ibn ʿAbbas, nor the fact that one of its narrators is al Diya in al Mukhtarah, which is, in consideration, close to the sound collections, nor the many routes narrated from him.

This is what is most likely, due to the much difference in what was narrated from him in specifying what is meant by it, to the point that it was narrated from him that it is the last letter from the letters of al Rahman, and that this noble name was separated into “Alif Lam Ra”, and “Ha Mim”, and “Nun”.

Rūḥ al Maʿānī fī Tafsīr al Qurʾān 27/239–331

Bidāyah wal Nihāyah by Ibn Kathīr

The Beginning of Creation

They said: “Allah’s Throne was upon the water, and He had not created anything from what He created before the water. When He wanted to create creation, He brought forth smoke from the water, and it rose above the water. He rose over it, so He named it heaven. Then He dried the water and made it one earth. Then He split it and made it seven earths in two days, Sunday and Monday.

He created the earth upon a whale. It is the Nun which Allah mentioned:

“Nun. By the pen and what they write.” (Al Qalam: 1)

The whale was in the water, the water was upon a smooth stone, the smooth stone was upon the back of an angel, the angel was upon a rock, and the rock was in the wind. This is the rock mentioned by Luqman. It is neither in the heaven nor on the earth.

Then the whale moved and became restless, so the earth shook. Then Allah fixed the mountains upon it, so it became firm.”

Allah created the mountains on Tuesday, along with the benefits within them.

On Wednesday, He created trees, water, cities, inhabited places, and ruined places.

He then split the heaven, while it had been joined together, and made it seven heavens in two days, Thursday and Friday. Friday was called Jumuʿah because the creation of the heavens and the earth was gathered together in it.

He revealed to every heaven its command. Then he said:

“He created in every heaven its creation, including the angels, seas, mountains of hail, and things known only to Him. Then He adorned the heaven with stars, making them an adornment and a protection, by which it is guarded from the devils. When He finished creating what He wished, He rose over the Throne.”

Ibn Kathir’s Comment on This Report

This chain is one through which al Suddi mentions many things that contain strange reports. Much of it was taken from Isra’iliyyat.

When Kaʿb al Ahbar accepted Islam during the time of ʿUmar, he would speak in the presence of ʿUmar ibn al Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, about things from the knowledge of the People of the Book. ʿUmar would listen to him in order to bring him close, and also out of amazement at what he had, since much of it agreed with the truth brought by the pure Sharia.

Because of this, many people considered it permissible to transmit what Kaʿb al Ahbar reported. This was also due to the permission that came regarding narrating from the Children of Israel. However, much error often occurs in what is narrated from him. It is not necessarily from him himself, but from the books he quoted from, because much error and many mistakes had entered those books.

Kitāb al Bidāyah wa al Nihāyah by Ibn Kathīr 1/33–35

Kitāb al Isrāʾīliyyāt wa al Mawḍūʿāt fī Kutub al Tafsīr

Isra’iliyyat in the Interpretation of “Nun and the Pen”

From that is what many of the commentators mention regarding the saying of Allah:

“Nun. By the pen.” (Al Qalam: 1)

They say that it is the whale upon whose back the earth rests, and it is called “al Yahmut”.

Reports Attributed to Ibn ʿAbbas

Ibn Jarir al Tabari and Jalal al Din al Suyuti both mentioned reports attributed to Ibn Abbas, including: “The first thing Allah created was the pen, and it wrote what will occur. Then the vapour of the water was raised, and the heavens were created from it. Then the Nun was created, and the earth was spread upon it. Then the Nun shook, so the earth moved, and it was stabilised with the mountains.”

It has also been reported from Ibn ʿAbbas that “Nun” refers to the ink pot. This meaning is perhaps closer and more fitting with the mention of the pen.

Linguistic and Interpretive Differences

Al Zamakhshari rejected that “Nun” could mean an ink pot in the Arabic language.

It is also reported from Ibn ʿAbbas that it refers to the final letter in the word “al Rahman”, and that this noble name was divided into “Alif Lam Ra” and “Ha Mim” and “Nun”.

The inconsistency in what is reported from him reduces confidence in these narrations, especially the first report. What is apparent is that it is falsely attributed to him, or that it is from Isra’iliyyat which was attached to his name.

Critical Assessment by Ibn al Qayyim

Ibn Qayyim al Jawziyyah said, while speaking about fabricated narrations: “From this is the narration that Qaf is a mountain of green emerald surrounding the universe like a wall surrounds a garden, and that the heaven rests upon its edges.

And from this is the narration that the earth is upon a rock, and the rock is upon the horn of a bull. When the bull moves its horn, the rock moves. This is from the fabrications of the People of the Book who intended to mock the messengers.”

Statement of Abu Hayyan

Abu Hayyan al Andalusi said in his tafsir:

“Nothing of that is authentic except that it is a name from the names of the letters of the alphabet.”

The Strongest View on the Disconnected Letters

This view is the strongest regarding the opening letters of the surahs, such as “Alif Lam Mim”, “Ha Mim”, and “Nun”.

They are names referring to the letters of the alphabet. They serve as a proof of the miraculous nature of the Qur’an, as though Allah is saying that the Qur’an is composed from these same letters, yet the Prophet ﷺ challenged mankind and the jinn with it, and they were unable to produce anything like it. This shows that it is not from the speech of a human, but from the Creator of all power and ability.

Kitāb al Isrāʾīliyyāt wa al Mawḍūʿāt fī Kutub al Tafsīr by Muḥammad Abū Shahbah pg 305–306

Al ʿAẓamah by Abū al Shaykh al Aṣbahānī

ʿAbd al Raḥmān ibn Abī Ḥātim said: Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn al Ḥakam narrated to me, he said: Ashhab narrated to us from Mālik رحمه الله تعالى, who said: Zayd ibn Aslam رحمه الله تعالى claimed that a prophet from among the prophets said to them: “The earth is upon a whale.” So a man denied him. He then sat by the shore of the sea. A fish passed by, like a small mound, and he said: “Is this it?”

He said: “No.” Then another fish passed, and he said: “I do not know its size. Is this it?” He said: “No.” Then another passed when the day had become bright until midday, and he said: “Is this it?” He said: “No. That whale consumes every day seventy thousand of the likes of this.”

Riḍāʾ Allāh al Mubārakfūrī said in the footnote: This report is from the Isra’iliyyat that became known through Wahb, and there has not come in the Book nor in the authentic Sunnah any mention of this whale that carries the earth. Everything that has come of this type is taken from Israelite reports. And Allah knows best.

Al ʿAẓamah by Abū al Shaykh al Aṣbahānī 4/1400