The Merit of Reciting the Chapter In this vein...

The Merit of Reciting the Chapter In this vein, it is narrated from the Noble Prophet (S) that one who recites the Chapter Nun wa ’l-Qalam shall be granted the Divine Rewards in store for those who possess moral nobilities.[^1] It is narrated from Imam Sadiq (as) that one who recites the Chapter Nun wa ’l-Qalam in his obligatory or supererogatory ritual prayers shall be safeguarded by God Almighty against indigence for good and shall be secure against the pressures of the grave upon his demise and shall be granted Divine Graciousness.[^2] It is worthy of note, however, that being granted such Rewards is subject to honoring religious obligations rather than paying lip service to the same.

The Chapter in question is the only One opening with the detached letter nun. Mention has been made above as to the detached letter, particularly under the opening blessed Verses of Chapters 2, 3, and 7. What is worthy of note herein is that some Qur’anic exegetes maintain that the detached letter is a hypochoristicon of and an allusion to the Arabic Divine Attribute rahman ("the Most Gracious"), though some have considered it as a metalypsis alluding to a river in Paradise.

The blessed Verse 1 contains oaths taken as to two most significant issues in human life, saying: "By the pen and by what they write." The oath is quite astonishing, since the object of the oath is seemingly an insignificant point, a piece of reed or something resembling the same and a little black material.

Nonetheless, it is the fountainhead of all human civilizations, advancements, and development of sciences, awakening of thought, formation of religions and schools of thought, and the springhead of human guidance and awareness such that human life thereby falls into pre-historic and historic eras.