AWOT (ALLAH WAY OF THINKING) PART 3 : QALAM

Assalamu’alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh

We meet again with me, Abu Musa.

After we studied Allah Way of Thinking in Part 2 yesterday, we came to understand that in order to recognize the verses of Allah both the cosmic verses (ayat kauniyah) found in the universe and the verbal verses (ayat qauliyah) in the form of divine text or words, humans use at least three instruments: the brain, instinct, and inner awareness.

Both ayat kauniyah and ayat qauliyah are received and perceived by humans through the brain via sound and form. Allah defines these two with a single term: Qalam.

Before moving on to the next themes, we need to understand that Allah SWT transfers all information given by Him to us through Qalam. For this reason, the Qur’an is also referred to as Qalamullah.

Qalam is interesting because Allah made it one of the 114 surahs in the Qur’an. Let us open Surah Al-Qalam: 1:

نٓۚ وَٱلۡقَلَمِ وَمَا يَسۡطُرُونَ

“Nun. By the Pen and what they inscribe.”

In this verse, the word Qalam is not explicitly translated. In some translations, Qalam is rendered as Pen. These two meanings seem somewhat strange, because in the first understanding Qalam refers to Kalamullah (the Word of Allah), while in the second it is understood as a pen. So which one is correct: Kalamullah or Pen?

First, we cannot deny that the pen was created by humans around the 4th century BCE. Its function is to write, so our minds naturally perceive the pen as a tool for writing, such as pencils, ballpoints, markers, brushes, and so on. But are we aware that before that era, there was no such thing as a pen or writing instrument? This leads to a logical consequence: if Qalam in the Qur’an is perceived merely as a writing tool, its meaning would be limited by a particular historical period.

This means that defining Qalam in the Qur’an solely as a pen is not accurate.

That leaves us with the second meaning: Kalamullah. But is this understanding correct?

The term kalam attributed to Allah, which today is mostly understood by Muslims as written Qur’anic text, actually carries a much broader meaning. If we look at Surah Al-‘Alaq: 4–5, Allah teaches Qalam not only to humans but to all of His creation. Let us examine the verses:

ٱلَّذِي عَلَّمَ بِٱلۡقَلَمِ

عَلَّمَ ٱلۡإِنسَٰنَ مَا لَمۡ يَعۡلَمۡ

“Who taught by means of the Qalam,”

“He taught man what he did not know.”

Thus, Qalam is not limited to text alone as we have commonly understood it in the Qur’an. Rather, Qalam is taught to all of Allah’s creation, humans and non-humans alike, including animals and jinn.

Why can we reach this conclusion? Because in verse 4 Allah does not use the word insan (human), and only in verse 5 does Allah specifically mention insan.

As an example of how Allah teaches animals through Qalam, we can observe how animal infants are able to nurse from their mothers and distinguish their own mother from others, as well as recognize their nests and offspring.

The word Qalam, which we often perceive as “words,” originates from the root Qa–La–Ma, which refers to arrangement, configuration, combination, and transformation. In other words, Qalam is a form that distinguishes one thing from another.

That is why Allah differentiates between guidance (huda) and criterion/distinction (furqan) in Surah Al-Baqarah: 185:

شَهۡرُ رَمَضَانَ ٱلَّذِيٓ أُنزِلَ فِيهِ ٱلۡقُرۡءَانُ هُدٗى لِّلنَّاسِ وَبَيِّنَٰتٖ مِّنَ ٱلۡهُدَىٰ وَٱلۡفُرۡقَانِۚ

“The month of Ramadan in which was revealed the Qur’an as guidance for mankind and clear proofs of guidance and criterion.”

Guidance and criterion are not the same thing. Guidance is the output from Allah, while criterion is the output of His creation. This is also reflected in the shahada, where the conjunction waw connects two distinct entities: Allah and Muhammad.

Moving on, if we refer again to Surah Al-‘Alaq: 5, we see that the function of Qalam is to teach humans what they did not know.

As an example, we can observe how a human baby is able to nurse directly from its mother, even if not placed near the nipple, the baby can instinctively search for it. In later stages, the baby learns to crawl and walk. At this stage, the baby also begins to learn furqan (distinction), such as distinguishing letters and arranging them into words.

This means that in humans, instinct (fu’ad) operates from infancy. Through Qalam, a baby learns from the simplest stages to the most complex forms of knowledge. As humans grow older, they continue to gain knowledge, either through teaching from other humans or through observing Allah’s other creations beyond themselves.

This is exemplified in the story of the children of Prophet Adam. Let us look at Surah Al-Ma’idah: 31:

فَبَعَثَ ٱللَّهُ غُرَابٗا يَبۡحَثُ فِي ٱلۡأَرۡضِ لِيُرِيَهُۥ كَيۡفَ يُوَٰرِي سَوۡءَةَ أَخِيهِۚ

“Then Allah sent a crow scratching in the ground to show him how to hide the corpse of his brother. He said, ‘Woe to me! Am I unable to be like this crow and hide the body of my brother?’ Then he became among the regretful.”

From this verse, we can also understand that Qalam, through the learning process, builds logic, because the foundation of logic consists of words, thoughts, ideas, arguments, and reasoning.

Al-Qalam as logic is also seen in Surah Al-Qalam: 1:

“Nun. By the Qalam and what they inscribe.”

This verse indicates that Al-Qalam represents the human potential to arrange things logically. The word yasturūn is also related to the term satire or structured composition something systematically arranged so that it appears as reality.

From here, we can conclude that Al-Qalam is a potential or center from which knowledge emerges. That is why it is said: “Allah taught man what he did not know.” From the word Qalam also comes Ta‘lim, meaning teaching or the process of enlightening the human intellect to become intelligent.

In knowledge, ta‘lim is also used to mean definition, for example, defining the meaning of prayer (shalat) so that its concept is understood.

In everyday life, when we engage in ta‘lim, we transform the teacher’s voice through our ears and the visual forms written on a board or projected on a screen through our eyes. Then our brain think and define. Our minds break down phenomena into their most basic elements (perception), reconstruct them, and draw conclusions.

All scientific development begins from the simplest form of perception, which then produces complexity through abstraction.

Even if Al-Qalam is interpreted as a writing instrument, it does not refer to the physical pen itself, but to its function formulating and distinguishing one letter from another. For example, we cannot write black ink on black paper; there must be a contrast. Likewise with letters: the combination of A, R, E, S and T forms AREST, which has a specific meaning. The same letters can be reconfigured to form ASTER, ASTRE, RATES, REAST, RESAT, SERTA, STARE, STRAE, TARES, TARSE, TEARS, TERAS, TREAS each with a different definition.

What about people with disabilities, such as the blind, deaf, or mute, does Allah also teach them through Qalam? The answer is yes. When one sensory instrument does not function, Allah strengthens the others. For the deaf and mute, Qalam is taught through visual forms, resulting in sign language. For the blind, Qalam is taught through tactile forms, giving rise to Braille.

Likewise, in professions requiring expertise, Allah teaches Qalam. For example, a doctor diagnosing cancer conducts research to identify cancer cells. Once identified, it is said that “the cancer has been recognized and treatment can be carried out.”?

Thus, Allah and the universe can be understood through the capability of Al-Qalam, which operates through learning, starting from perception and continuing through abstraction.

In conclusion, Al-Qalam carries a broad meaning: distinguishing, arranging, combining, producing structured language. Whether spoken language, sign language, or tactile language such as Braille. Let us look at Surah Ar-Rahman: 3–4:

خَلَقَ ٱلۡإِنسَٰنَ

عَلَّمَهُ ٱلۡبَيَانَ

“He created man,”

“And taught him expression.”

I am Abu Musa.

Until we meet again in the next studies.

Wassalamu’alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh

Note:

Did you know? All the words above and these words too are formed from just 26 letters. Yet, remarkably, they can explain meanings far beyond those letters. That is how Allah teaches humanity through Al-Qalam.

Allahu Akbar.

@AbuMusa2025