055
(Surah 055)
الرَّحْمَٰن
Surah Ar-Rahman
The Most Merciful · Seventy-Eight Verses
Compiled for Mike Rashid King
Ta'awwudh · Seeking Refuge
أَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ الرَّجِيمِ
A'udhu billahi min ash-shaytani ar-rajim. I seek refuge in Allah from Satan, the accursed.
The Name · Bismillah
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ
Bismillahi ar-Rahmani ar-Rahim. In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
✦
The Surah · Ar-Rahman
﴾١﴿ ٱلرَّحْمَٰنُ
Ar-Rahman
The Most Merciful.
﴾٢﴿ عَلَّمَ ٱلْقُرْءَانَ
'Allama al-Qur'an
He taught the Quran.
﴾٣﴿ خَلَقَ ٱلْإِنسَٰنَ
Khalaqa al-insan
He created man.
﴾٤﴿ عَلَّمَهُ ٱلْبَيَانَ
'Allamahu al-bayan
He taught him clear speech.
﴾٥﴿ ٱلشَّمْسُ وَٱلْقَمَرُ بِحُسْبَانٍۢ
Ash-shamsu wal-qamaru bihusban
The sun and the moon run by calculation.
﴾٦﴿ وَٱلنَّجْمُ وَٱلشَّجَرُ يَسْجُدَانِ
Wan-najmu wash-shajaru yasjudan
And the stars and the trees prostrate.
﴾٧﴿ وَٱلسَّمَآءَ رَفَعَهَا وَوَضَعَ ٱلْمِيزَانَ
Was-sama'a rafa'aha wa wada'a al-mizan
And the sky He raised, and He set the balance.
﴾٨﴿ أَلَّا تَطْغَوْا۟ فِى ٱلْمِيزَانِ
Alla tatghaw fi al-mizan
So do not transgress in the balance.
﴾٩﴿ وَأَقِيمُوا۟ ٱلْوَزْنَ بِٱلْقِسْطِ وَلَا تُخْسِرُوا۟ ٱلْمِيزَانَ
Wa aqimu al-wazna bil-qisti wa la tukhsiru al-mizan
And establish weight in justice and do not fall short in the balance.
﴾١٠﴿ وَٱلْأَرْضَ وَضَعَهَا لِلْأَنَامِ
Wal-arda wada'aha lil-anam
And the earth He laid down for the creatures.
﴾١١﴿ فِيهَا فَٰكِهَةٌۭ وَٱلنَّخْلُ ذَاتُ ٱلْأَكْمَامِ
Fiha fakihatun wan-nakhlu dhatu al-akmam
In it is fruit, and palm trees with sheathed clusters.
﴾١٢﴿ وَٱلْحَبُّ ذُو ٱلْعَصْفِ وَٱلرَّيْحَانُ
Wal-habbu dhu al-'asfi war-rayhan
And grain with its husk, and fragrant herbs.
﴾١٣﴿ فَبِأَىِّ ءَالَآءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ
Fabi-ayyi ala'i Rabbikuma tukadhdhiban
So which of the favors of your Lord will you two deny.
﴾١٤﴿ خَلَقَ ٱلْإِنسَٰنَ مِن صَلْصَٰلٍۢ كَٱلْفَخَّارِ
Khalaqa al-insana min salsalin kal-fakhkhar
He created man from clay like pottery.
﴾١٥﴿ وَخَلَقَ ٱلْجَآنَّ مِن مَّارِجٍۢ مِّن نَّارٍۢ
Wa khalaqa al-janna min marijin min nar
And He created the jinn from a smokeless flame of fire.
﴾١٦﴿ فَبِأَىِّ ءَالَآءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ
Fabi-ayyi ala'i Rabbikuma tukadhdhiban
So which of the favors of your Lord will you two deny.
﴾١٧﴿ رَبُّ ٱلْمَشْرِقَيْنِ وَرَبُّ ٱلْمَغْرِبَيْنِ
Rabbu al-mashriqayni wa Rabbu al-maghribayn
Lord of the two easts and Lord of the two wests.
﴾١٨﴿ فَبِأَىِّ ءَالَآءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ
Fabi-ayyi ala'i Rabbikuma tukadhdhiban
So which of the favors of your Lord will you two deny.
﴾١٩﴿ مَرَجَ ٱلْبَحْرَيْنِ يَلْتَقِيَانِ
Maraja al-bahrayni yaltaqiyan
He released the two seas, meeting.
﴾٢٠﴿ بَيْنَهُمَا بَرْزَخٌۭ لَّا يَبْغِيَانِ
Baynahuma barzakhun la yabghiyan
Between them is a barrier they do not transgress.
﴾٢١﴿ فَبِأَىِّ ءَالَآءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ
Fabi-ayyi ala'i Rabbikuma tukadhdhiban
So which of the favors of your Lord will you two deny.
﴾٢٢﴿ يَخْرُجُ مِنْهُمَا ٱللُّؤْلُؤُ وَٱلْمَرْجَانُ
Yakhruju minhuma al-lu'lu'u wal-marjan
From them come pearl and coral.
﴾٢٣﴿ فَبِأَىِّ ءَالَآءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ
Fabi-ayyi ala'i Rabbikuma tukadhdhiban
So which of the favors of your Lord will you two deny.
﴾٢٤﴿ وَلَهُ ٱلْجَوَارِ ٱلْمُنشَـَٔاتُ فِى ٱلْبَحْرِ كَٱلْأَعْلَٰمِ
Wa lahu al-jawari al-munsha'atu fi al-bahri kal-a'lam
And His are the ships raised high in the sea like mountains.
﴾٢٥﴿ فَبِأَىِّ ءَالَآءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ
Fabi-ayyi ala'i Rabbikuma tukadhdhiban
So which of the favors of your Lord will you two deny.
﴾٢٦﴿ كُلُّ مَنْ عَلَيْهَا فَانٍۢ
Kullu man 'alayha fan
Everyone upon it will perish.
﴾٢٧﴿ وَيَبْقَىٰ وَجْهُ رَبِّكَ ذُو ٱلْجَلَٰلِ وَٱلْإِكْرَامِ
Wa yabqa wajhu Rabbika dhu al-jalali wal-ikram
And there remains the Face of your Lord, Owner of Majesty and Honor.
﴾٢٨﴿ فَبِأَىِّ ءَالَآءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ
Fabi-ayyi ala'i Rabbikuma tukadhdhiban
So which of the favors of your Lord will you two deny.
﴾٢٩﴿ يَسْـَٔلُهُۥ مَن فِى ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ ۚ كُلَّ يَوْمٍ هُوَ فِى شَأْنٍۢ
Yas'aluhu man fi as-samawati wal-ard, kulla yawmin huwa fi sha'n
Everyone in the heavens and the earth asks Him. Every day He is upon a matter.
﴾٣٠﴿ فَبِأَىِّ ءَالَآءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ
Fabi-ayyi ala'i Rabbikuma tukadhdhiban
So which of the favors of your Lord will you two deny.
﴾٣١﴿ سَنَفْرُغُ لَكُمْ أَيُّهَ ٱلثَّقَلَانِ
Sanafrughu lakum ayyuha ath-thaqalan
We will attend to you, you two burdens.
﴾٣٢﴿ فَبِأَىِّ ءَالَآءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ
Fabi-ayyi ala'i Rabbikuma tukadhdhiban
So which of the favors of your Lord will you two deny.
﴾٣٣﴿ يَٰمَعْشَرَ ٱلْجِنِّ وَٱلْإِنسِ إِنِ ٱسْتَطَعْتُمْ أَن تَنفُذُوا۟ مِنْ أَقْطَارِ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ فَٱنفُذُوا۟ ۚ لَا تَنفُذُونَ إِلَّا بِسُلْطَٰنٍۢ
Ya ma'shara al-jinni wal-insi ini istata'tum an tanfudhu min aqtari as-samawati wal-ardi fanfudhu, la tanfudhuna illa bisultan
O company of jinn and men, if you are able to pass beyond the zones of the heavens and the earth, then pass. You will not pass except by authority.
﴾٣٤﴿ فَبِأَىِّ ءَالَآءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ
Fabi-ayyi ala'i Rabbikuma tukadhdhiban
So which of the favors of your Lord will you two deny.
﴾٣٥﴿ يُرْسَلُ عَلَيْكُمَا شُوَاظٌۭ مِّن نَّارٍۢ وَنُحَاسٌۭ فَلَا تَنتَصِرَانِ
Yursalu 'alaykuma shuwazun min narin wa nuhasun fala tantasiran
There will be sent against you a flame of fire and smoke, and you will not be helped.
﴾٣٦﴿ فَبِأَىِّ ءَالَآءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ
Fabi-ayyi ala'i Rabbikuma tukadhdhiban
So which of the favors of your Lord will you two deny.
﴾٣٧﴿ فَإِذَا ٱنشَقَّتِ ٱلسَّمَآءُ فَكَانَتْ وَرْدَةًۭ كَٱلدِّهَانِ
Fa-idha inshaqqati as-sama'u fakanat wardatan kad-dihan
When the sky splits open and becomes rose colored like oil.
﴾٣٨﴿ فَبِأَىِّ ءَالَآءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ
Fabi-ayyi ala'i Rabbikuma tukadhdhiban
So which of the favors of your Lord will you two deny.
﴾٣٩﴿ فَيَوْمَئِذٍۢ لَّا يُسْـَٔلُ عَن ذَنۢبِهِۦٓ إِنسٌۭ وَلَا جَآنٌّۭ
Fayawma'idhin la yus'alu 'an dhanbihi insun wa la jann
On that Day no man or jinn will be asked about his sin.
﴾٤٠﴿ فَبِأَىِّ ءَالَآءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ
Fabi-ayyi ala'i Rabbikuma tukadhdhiban
So which of the favors of your Lord will you two deny.
﴾٤١﴿ يُعْرَفُ ٱلْمُجْرِمُونَ بِسِيمَٰهُمْ فَيُؤْخَذُ بِٱلنَّوَٰصِى وَٱلْأَقْدَامِ
Yu'rafu al-mujrimuna bisimahum fayu'khadhu bin-nawasi wal-aqdam
The criminals will be known by their marks, and they will be seized by the forelocks and the feet.
﴾٤٢﴿ فَبِأَىِّ ءَالَآءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ
Fabi-ayyi ala'i Rabbikuma tukadhdhiban
So which of the favors of your Lord will you two deny.
﴾٤٣﴿ هَٰذِهِۦ جَهَنَّمُ ٱلَّتِى يُكَذِّبُ بِهَا ٱلْمُجْرِمُونَ
Hadhihi jahannamu allati yukadhdhibu biha al-mujrimun
This is Hell, which the criminals denied.
﴾٤٤﴿ يَطُوفُونَ بَيْنَهَا وَبَيْنَ حَمِيمٍ ءَانٍۢ
Yatufuna baynaha wa bayna hamimin an
They will circle between it and scalding water at its peak.
﴾٤٥﴿ فَبِأَىِّ ءَالَآءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ
Fabi-ayyi ala'i Rabbikuma tukadhdhiban
So which of the favors of your Lord will you two deny.
﴾٤٦﴿ وَلِمَنْ خَافَ مَقَامَ رَبِّهِۦ جَنَّتَانِ
Wa liman khafa maqama Rabbihi jannatan
And for the one who fears the standing before his Lord are two gardens.
﴾٤٧﴿ فَبِأَىِّ ءَالَآءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ
Fabi-ayyi ala'i Rabbikuma tukadhdhiban
So which of the favors of your Lord will you two deny.
﴾٤٨﴿ ذَوَاتَآ أَفْنَانٍۢ
Dhawata afnan
Both with spreading branches.
﴾٤٩﴿ فَبِأَىِّ ءَالَآءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ
Fabi-ayyi ala'i Rabbikuma tukadhdhiban
So which of the favors of your Lord will you two deny.
﴾٥٠﴿ فِيهِمَا عَيْنَانِ تَجْرِيَانِ
Fihima 'aynani tajriyan
In both are two springs flowing.
﴾٥١﴿ فَبِأَىِّ ءَالَآءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ
Fabi-ayyi ala'i Rabbikuma tukadhdhiban
So which of the favors of your Lord will you two deny.
﴾٥٢﴿ فِيهِمَا مِن كُلِّ فَٰكِهَةٍۢ زَوْجَانِ
Fihima min kulli fakihatin zawjan
In both are two of every fruit.
﴾٥٣﴿ فَبِأَىِّ ءَالَآءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ
Fabi-ayyi ala'i Rabbikuma tukadhdhiban
So which of the favors of your Lord will you two deny.
﴾٥٤﴿ مُتَّكِـِٔينَ عَلَىٰ فُرُشٍۭ بَطَآئِنُهَا مِنْ إِسْتَبْرَقٍۢ ۚ وَجَنَى ٱلْجَنَّتَيْنِ دَانٍۢ
Muttaki'ina 'ala furushin bata'inuha min istabraq, wa jana al-jannatayni dan
Reclining on couches lined with brocade, the fruit of both gardens hanging low.
﴾٥٥﴿ فَبِأَىِّ ءَالَآءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ
Fabi-ayyi ala'i Rabbikuma tukadhdhiban
So which of the favors of your Lord will you two deny.
﴾٥٦﴿ فِيهِنَّ قَٰصِرَٰتُ ٱلطَّرْفِ لَمْ يَطْمِثْهُنَّ إِنسٌۭ قَبْلَهُمْ وَلَا جَآنٌّۭ
Fihinna qasiratu at-tarfi lam yatmithhunna insun qablahum wa la jann
In them are women restraining their glances, untouched before them by man or jinn.
﴾٥٧﴿ فَبِأَىِّ ءَالَآءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ
Fabi-ayyi ala'i Rabbikuma tukadhdhiban
So which of the favors of your Lord will you two deny.
﴾٥٨﴿ كَأَنَّهُنَّ ٱلْيَاقُوتُ وَٱلْمَرْجَانُ
Ka-annahunna al-yaqutu wal-marjan
As if they were rubies and coral.
﴾٥٩﴿ فَبِأَىِّ ءَالَآءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ
Fabi-ayyi ala'i Rabbikuma tukadhdhiban
So which of the favors of your Lord will you two deny.
﴾٦٠﴿ هَلْ جَزَآءُ ٱلْإِحْسَٰنِ إِلَّا ٱلْإِحْسَٰنُ
Hal jaza'u al-ihsani illa al-ihsan
Is the reward for excellence anything but excellence.
﴾٦١﴿ فَبِأَىِّ ءَالَآءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ
Fabi-ayyi ala'i Rabbikuma tukadhdhiban
So which of the favors of your Lord will you two deny.
﴾٦٢﴿ وَمِن دُونِهِمَا جَنَّتَانِ
Wa min dunihima jannatan
And below them both are two more gardens.
﴾٦٣﴿ فَبِأَىِّ ءَالَآءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ
Fabi-ayyi ala'i Rabbikuma tukadhdhiban
So which of the favors of your Lord will you two deny.
﴾٦٤﴿ مُدْهَآمَّتَانِ
Mudhammatan
Dark green.
﴾٦٥﴿ فَبِأَىِّ ءَالَآءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ
Fabi-ayyi ala'i Rabbikuma tukadhdhiban
So which of the favors of your Lord will you two deny.
﴾٦٦﴿ فِيهِمَا عَيْنَانِ نَضَّاخَتَانِ
Fihima 'aynani naddakhatan
In both are two gushing springs.
﴾٦٧﴿ فَبِأَىِّ ءَالَآءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ
Fabi-ayyi ala'i Rabbikuma tukadhdhiban
So which of the favors of your Lord will you two deny.
﴾٦٨﴿ فِيهِمَا فَٰكِهَةٌۭ وَنَخْلٌۭ وَرُمَّانٌۭ
Fihima fakihatun wa nakhlun wa rumman
In both are fruit, palm trees, and pomegranate.
﴾٦٩﴿ فَبِأَىِّ ءَالَآءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ
Fabi-ayyi ala'i Rabbikuma tukadhdhiban
So which of the favors of your Lord will you two deny.
﴾٧٠﴿ فِيهِنَّ خَيْرَٰتٌ حِسَانٌۭ
Fihinna khayratun hisan
In them are good and beautiful ones.
﴾٧١﴿ فَبِأَىِّ ءَالَآءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ
Fabi-ayyi ala'i Rabbikuma tukadhdhiban
So which of the favors of your Lord will you two deny.
﴾٧٢﴿ حُورٌۭ مَّقْصُورَٰتٌۭ فِى ٱلْخِيَامِ
Hurun maqsuratun fi al-khiyam
Fair ones reserved in pavilions.
﴾٧٣﴿ فَبِأَىِّ ءَالَآءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ
Fabi-ayyi ala'i Rabbikuma tukadhdhiban
So which of the favors of your Lord will you two deny.
﴾٧٤﴿ لَمْ يَطْمِثْهُنَّ إِنسٌۭ قَبْلَهُمْ وَلَا جَآنٌّۭ
Lam yatmithhunna insun qablahum wa la jann
Untouched before them by man or jinn.
﴾٧٥﴿ فَبِأَىِّ ءَالَآءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ
Fabi-ayyi ala'i Rabbikuma tukadhdhiban
So which of the favors of your Lord will you two deny.
﴾٧٦﴿ مُتَّكِـِٔينَ عَلَىٰ رَفْرَفٍ خُضْرٍۢ وَعَبْقَرِىٍّ حِسَانٍۢ
Muttaki'ina 'ala rafrafin khudrin wa 'abqariyyin hisan
Reclining on green cushions and fine rich carpets.
﴾٧٧﴿ فَبِأَىِّ ءَالَآءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ
Fabi-ayyi ala'i Rabbikuma tukadhdhiban
So which of the favors of your Lord will you two deny.
﴾٧٨﴿ تَبَٰرَكَ ٱسْمُ رَبِّكَ ذِى ٱلْجَلَٰلِ وَٱلْإِكْرَامِ
Tabaraka ismu Rabbika dhi al-jalali wal-ikram
Blessed is the name of your Lord, Owner of Majesty and Honor.
The Tafsir · The Breakdown
What The Surah Means
Overview
Surah Ar-Rahman is seventy-eight verses, chapter 55. It opens with a name rather than a command, and the name is the subject of the first verse standing alone. Everything that follows is presented as the output of that name.
The surah is built on a question asked thirty-one times. So which of the favors of your Lord will you two deny. It is addressed to two parties, mankind and jinn, in the dual, and it is not rhetorical. Each time it lands, it lands on the item just listed.
Ar-Rahman. He taught the Quran. He created man. He taught him clear speech. Four lines, in that order.
Verses 1–13 · The Order of the Teaching
Ar-Rahman. He taught the Quran. He created man. He taught him clear speech.
The sequence is the argument. The teaching of the Quran is named before the creation of man. Ibn Kathir notes the ordering and the mercy it demonstrates, that the guidance was prepared before the one who would need it existed.
'Allamahu al-bayan: He taught him clear expression. The distinguishing human capacity named here is the ability to make meaning explicit, which is the same faculty being used to deny.
Ash-shamsu wal-qamaru bihusban: the sun and the moon run by calculation. Wan-najmu wash-shajaru yasjudan: and the stars and the trees prostrate.
Was-sama'a rafa'aha wa wada'a al-mizan, alla tatghaw fi al-mizan: He raised the sky and set the balance, so do not transgress in the balance. The balance in the cosmos and the balance in your trade are named in consecutive lines. Wa aqimu al-wazna bil-qist wa la tukhsiru al-mizan. Establish weight in justice and do not fall short in the balance.
Then the first refrain arrives, at verse 13, and everything before it is what the question is about.
He set a balance in the sky and told you not to cheat with the scales. The two sentences are adjacent on purpose.
Verses 14–25 · Two Materials, Two Easts, Two Seas
He created man from clay like pottery, and He created the jinn from a smokeless flame of fire.
Two beings, two materials, stated side by side, which is why the refrain is in the dual throughout the surah.
Rabbu al-mashriqayni wa Rabbu al-maghribayn: Lord of the two easts and the two wests. The pairing continues as the organizing pattern of the entire surah.
Maraja al-bahrayni yaltaqiyan, baynahuma barzakhun la yabghiyan: He released the two seas, meeting, and between them a barrier they do not transgress. The same verb as the prohibition on transgressing the balance. The water keeps a limit that men are being asked to keep.
Yakhruju minhuma al-lu'lu'u wal-marjan: from them come pearl and coral. The product of the meeting is named, and it comes from the boundary being kept rather than dissolved.
Two seas meet and do not overrun each other, and what comes out of the meeting is a pearl.
Verses 26–34 · What Remains
Everyone upon it will perish, and there remains the Face of your Lord, Owner of Majesty and Honor.
Kullu man 'alayha fan: everyone upon it is perishing. The verb is in the form of an ongoing state rather than a future event. The perishing is present tense.
Wa yabqa wajhu Rabbika dhu al-jalali wal-ikram: and the Face of your Lord remains, Owner of Majesty and Honor. Two attributes, majesty and generosity, held together in one title.
Yas'aluhu man fi as-samawati wal-ard, kulla yawmin huwa fi sha'n: everyone in the heavens and the earth asks Him, and every day He is upon a matter. The verse rules out the idea of a distant God who set things running. He is engaged with a matter continuously.
Ya ma'shara al-jinni wal-insi ini istata'tum an tanfudhu min aqtari as-samawati wal-ardi fanfudhu, la tanfudhuna illa bisultan: if you are able to pass beyond the zones of the heavens and the earth, then pass. You will not pass except by authority. The permission and the limit are stated in one line.
Everything on it is perishing now, and the Face remains. And He is upon a matter every single day.
Verses 35–45 · The Register of the Guilty
The criminals will be known by their marks, and will be seized by the forelocks and the feet.
Yu'rafu al-mujrimuna bisimahum: the criminals are known by their marks. Identification is not by trial in this passage. It is by appearance, which reverses the usual order.
Fayawma'idhin la yus'alu 'an dhanbihi insun wa la jann: on that Day no man or jinn will be asked about his sin. The questioning is unnecessary because the record is complete, which is the same conclusion Al-Qiyamah reached from a different direction.
The refrain continues through the passage, which is the surah's most demanding structural feature. The favors question is asked in the middle of a description of the Fire, and it is asked because the warning is itself among the favors.
Known by their marks, and not asked. The question about favors keeps returning, even here.
Verses 46–78 · Two Gardens, Then Two More
And for the one who fears the standing before his Lord are two gardens.
Wa liman khafa maqama Rabbihi jannatan: two gardens for the one who feared the standing. Not who feared punishment. Who feared the standing itself, the moment of being before Him.
The description proceeds in pairs, exactly as the whole surah has. Two springs, two of every fruit, couches lined with brocade, and fruit hanging low enough to reach.
Hal jaza'u al-ihsani illa al-ihsan: is the reward for excellence anything but excellence. The line is the summary of the reciprocity the surah has been building, and it is stated as a question with no answer given.
Wa min dunihima jannatan: and below them, two more gardens. A second tier is named, described with dark green foliage, gushing springs, and fruit, and the mufassirun read the two pairs as ranks.
Tabaraka ismu Rabbika dhi al-jalali wal-ikram: blessed is the name of your Lord, Owner of Majesty and Honor. The surah that opened with a name closes on the same name, blessed, with the same title that was given to the Face that remains.
Two gardens for the one who feared the standing, and two below them. It opened on the name and it closes on the name.
Structural Summary
Seventy-Eight Verses. Which Will You Deny.
Verses 1–4The OrderThe Quran taught before man was created, then man, then clear speech.
Verses 5–13The BalanceSun and moon by calculation, a sky raised, a balance set, and a command not to cheat the scales.
Verses 14–25The PairsClay and flame, two easts and two wests, two seas that meet and keep their limit, and the pearl that comes from it.
Verses 26–30What RemainsEveryone on it is perishing. The Face remains, and every day He is upon a matter.
Verses 31–45The ZonesPass beyond the zones only by authority, and the criminals known by their marks and not asked.
Verses 46–61Two GardensFor the one who feared the standing. Is the reward for excellence anything but excellence.
Verses 62–78Two MoreA second pair below them, and the closing blessing on the name of the Owner of Majesty and Honor.
Why This Surah Is For You
The first four verses set an order most people never notice. The Quran was taught before man was created. The provision of guidance precedes the existence of the one who needs it, which is the same principle the surah spends seventy-eight verses illustrating.
Verses 7 to 9 put the cosmic balance and your business scales in adjacent lines. He raised the sky and set the balance, so do not transgress in the balance, and establish weight in justice. There is no separation in this surah between how the universe is calibrated and how you weigh what you sell.
Verse 29 removes the distant God. Every day He is upon a matter. Not a mechanism that was started and left. A continuous engagement, which is why the surah keeps asking which favor you would like to deny.
Verse 46 defines the man who receives the two gardens as the one who feared the standing before his Lord. Not the punishment. The standing. That is a different fear, and it is available to a man who is not afraid of much else.
The Practice · Daily Integration
Seventy-Eight Verses. Keep the Balance.
Read it aloud in one sitting and let the refrain do its work. Thirty-one times is the design and it does not survive silent skimming.
Audit your scales this week against verses 8 and 9. Weight in justice, and nothing falling short.
Say verse 29 on a day you feel unattended. Every day He is upon a matter.
Answer the refrain honestly once. Which favor of your Lord are you actually denying right now.
He taught the Quran before He created man. So which of the favors of your Lord will you deny.
آمِين
Prepared with discipline · Ameen
Verse-By-Verse · Test Yourself
The Quiz
Two questions per verse. Translation and a key Arabic word. Walk through it slow. The goal is comprehension, not speed.
Verse 11 / 156
The Verse
بِسْمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحْمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ ٱلرَّحْمَٰنُ
Ar-Rahman
What does verse 1 say?