Ma'arif al-Qur'an · Tafsir · in English
Al-'Alaq 96:15–18
96:15–18Page 597
كـَلَّا لَئِن لَّمۡ يَنتَهِ لَنَسۡفَعَۢا بِٱلنَّاصِيَةِ ١٥
No! If he does not desist, We will surely drag him by the forelock1 –
نَاصِيَةٖ كَٰذِبَةٍ خَاطِئَةٖ ١٦
A lying, sinning forelock.
فَلۡيَدۡعُ نَادِيَهُۥ ١٧
Then let him call his associates;
سَنَدۡعُ ٱلزَّبَانِيَةَ ١٨
We will call the angels of Hell.1
Verse [ 15 - concluding part ] لَنَسْفَعًا بِالنَّاصِيَةِ (...We will certainly drag [ him ] by forelock.) The nasfa'an is derived from the infinitive safuun which means 'to seize and drag' and the word nasiyah means 'forelock', that is, the front part of a person's hair that falls forward over the forehead. When a person's forelock is seized, he becomes helpless in the hands of the seizer.
Text: through the Quran Foundation. The ayahs: Quran Foundation. Sources and licences