By Umm Muhammad Abizer

Lessons from Surah Al-‘Alaq

What Do We Attach to When We Wake Up?

What is the very first thing we reach for when we wake up?

Is it water?

Coffee?

Our phone?

That first attachment quietly sets the tone for the entire day,  and often, for our entire life.

Most of our inner struggle comes from what we attach ourselves to. We blame, judge, feel upset over what we cannot control, and cling tightly to our comfort zones. Yet no matter how much we acquire, a bigger house, a better job, more followers, money, recognition, we still feel an emptiness inside.

Why?

Because anything we attach to besides Allah will never truly satisfy us. No matter how high it looks, it is still lower than what the heart was created for.

 There Is More to Life Than the Routine

Life becomes mechanical when attachment is misplaced.

Wake up.

Drop the kids.

Cook.

Work.

Repeat.

But Allah did not create us for survival,  He created us for life. And to change our life, we do not need to change everything. We only need to change what our heart is attached to.

When we attach to Allah and His revelation — the Qur’an — something inside us wakes up. This is kalāmullāh, the speech of Allah. It does not just inform the mind; it revives the heart.

When the Qur’an enters the heart, it brings sweetness, joy, and meaning. Even decrees we once resisted become easier to accept, not because they change, but because we change.

This is where Surah Al-‘Alaq meets us.

 ‘Alaq — The Surah of Attachment

The word ‘alaq means attachment, connection.

Allah is teaching us: just as life began with attachment in the womb, spiritual life begins with attachment to Him.

We want the highest quality of life, not just more, but better. Allah is Al-Jawād: He gives both quality and quantity. While human calculation says, “Choose one, either this or that,” Allah gives both when we attach to Him sincerely.

We think we must sacrifice time with family to grow spiritually, or sacrifice spirituality to succeed in life. But Allah makes both possible when we trust His nurturing.

 Rabb: The One Who Nurtures You Step by Step

Surah Al-‘Alaq mentions Rabb three times in just nineteen verses.

A Rabb does not overwhelm.

He nurtures gradually.

He customizes growth.

We often resist nurturing because of ego, arrogance, or comparison. We say, “This doesn’t suit me.” But Allah knows exactly what fits us, size by size, step by step.

When the heart opens to the Qur’an, it feels like life has started again. Even if the heart felt dead before, Al-Ḥayy revives it.

 Revelation Was Not Sent to Break Us — But to Reveal Us

The first revelation did not come to disturb the Prophet ﷺ, but to reveal him.

When something triggers us, instead of reacting, we can say:

“O Allah, I know You are teaching me through this. Help me take the best from it, not the worst of myself.”

This is attachment.

Surah Al-‘Alaq teaches us to attach fully — not partially.

Not a little here, a little there.

But completely, through tawhid.

The more we know Allah, the more dignified we become. We no longer sink into the lowest of behaviors because we know Who we belong to.

 From Ego to Sujud

Sometimes we dislike seeing others do good,  not because it is wrong, but because it exposes what we are neglecting. This is the nafs resisting growth.

Surah Al-‘Alaq ends by calling us to the closest place to Allah: Sujūd.

Because when we overcome the ego, we come closer. When we lower ourselves, Allah raises us. Every moment becomes worship:

Drinking water with gratitude

Driving with patience

Responding with du‘ā instead of anger

This is real attachment.

May Allah revive our hearts through His Qur’an,

Make us people of attachment to Him alone,

And allow us to see our Rabb in every situation He takes us through.

Ameen

 This blogpost has been extracted from a lecture at Markaz As-Salaam Dubai(UAE), by Sister Umm Muhammad Abizer. She is a published author and educator, known for her reflective and thought-provoking writing that bridges spiritual insight with practical self-development.