The Glorious Quran and Science

,

Surah Ar-Raḥmān (The Most Merciful) — Chapter 55

Presented by Claude Editor’s note: We now have a modern understanding of the word Jinn mentioned at least three times in this Surah. However, this article presents the classical understanding from the classical commentators. Detailed Introduction Name, Placement, and Basic Data Surah Ar-Raḥmān is the 55th chapter of the Qur’an, comprising 78 verses (āyāt). It takes its name…

37–55 minutes
, , , ,

Presented by Claude

Editor’s note: We now have a modern understanding of the word Jinn mentioned at least three times in this Surah. However, this article presents the classical understanding from the classical commentators.

Detailed Introduction

Name, Placement, and Basic Data

Surah Ar-Raḥmān is the 55th chapter of the Qur’an, comprising 78 verses (āyāt). It takes its name from its very first word — Ar-Raḥmān, “The Most Merciful” — one of the most exalted Divine Names. Uniquely among the chapters of the Qur’an, this surah opens not with praise, not with an oath, not with the Basmalah’s continuation, but with a single Divine Name standing alone as a complete verse. Classical commentators (Al-Qurṭubī, Ibn Kathīr, Al-Rāzī) note this is deliberate: the entire surah is a meditation on the manifestations of that one Name.

Period of Revelation — A Scholarly Debate

The placement of Ar-Raḥmān is contested among classical scholars:

  • The majority view (Ibn ʿAbbās, Ikrimah, Ibn Zubayr, Al-Qurṭubī, most early authorities) holds it to be Makkan — revealed during the middle Makkan period when the early community faced intensifying opposition. The themes of cosmic signs, the unbelievers’ denial, and warnings about the Hereafter fit this context.
  • A minority view (some narrations from ʿĀʾishah and others) holds parts or all of it to be Madinan, citing certain references that seem to address established community concerns.
  • Maududi (Tafhīm al-Qurʾān) and Sayyid Qutb (Fī Ẓilāl al-Qurʾān) affirm the Makkan origin, with Qutb noting its rhythmic, hymnic quality is characteristic of Makkan revelation designed for memorization and recitation in worship.

Distinctive Literary Features

Ar-Raḥmān is among the most musically structured chapters of the Qur’an. Its defining feature is the refrain:

فَبِأَيِّ آلَاءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ “Then which of the favors of your Lord will you both deny?”

This refrain repeats thirty-one times, addressed in the dual form (tukadhdhibān) to two groups — classical commentators (Ibn Kathīr, Al-Ṭabarī) overwhelmingly identify them as jinn and humankind (al-thaqalān, “the two weighty species”), though a minority reading takes the dual as a rhetorical emphasis. The refrain functions like the chorus of a hymn, punctuating each cluster of divine favors with a challenge to gratitude.

Imam Al-Bayhaqī narrates that the Prophet ﷺ once recited Ar-Raḥmān to a gathering of jinn, and at each repetition of the refrain they would respond: “No, O our Lord, we deny none of Your favors — to You belongs all praise.” He is then reported to have said: “Everything has a bride, and the bride of the Qur’an is Surah Ar-Raḥmān” (recorded in narrations of varying strength).

Thematic Architecture

Classical commentators (Al-Rāzī in particular) identify a deliberate three-fold structure:

  1. The Cosmos as Theatre of Mercy (verses 1–30): Beginning with the teaching of the Qur’an and the creation of humanity, expanding outward to sun, moon, stars, trees, sky, balance, earth, fruits, seas — Mercy’s signs in the perceivable world.
  2. The Reckoning and the Two Destinations (verses 31–45): A pivot to the Day of Judgment, the inability of jinn and humans to escape divine reach, and the punishment of the deniers.
  3. The Two Pairs of Gardens (verses 46–78): Two superior gardens for the foremost, then two further gardens for those of lesser rank — each described with progressively rich detail of foliage, springs, fruits, and companions, culminating in a final return to the blessing of God’s Name.

Maududi observes that this structure mirrors the soul’s journey: from recognition of God in creation, to fear of accountability, to hope in the promise of reward — the classical triad of maʿrifah (knowledge), khawf (fear), and rajāʾ (hope).

Theological Centerpiece

The surah’s deepest theological insight, as elaborated by Ibn al-Qayyim in Madārij al-Sālikīn and echoed by Muhammad Asad in his commentary, is that Mercy is not one attribute among many — it is the matrix from which all of God’s actions toward creation proceed. The Qur’an itself is taught by Ar-Raḥmān (v. 1–2); humanity is created by Ar-Raḥmān (v. 3); speech is taught by Ar-Raḥmān (v. 4). Existence, revelation, and intelligibility are all framed as gifts of Mercy before any obligation is mentioned. The refrain therefore is not a guilt-trip but an invitation to shukr — gratitude as the proper human response to a universe saturated with grace.

Verse-by-Verse Text and Translations

For each verse below, the Arabic is provided, followed by ten widely circulated English translations from Islam Awakened’s compilation. I am paraphrasing each translation faithfully to its sense and choices but in summary form to respect copyright. For exact wording, consult the original publications.

The translators sampled across verses include: Yusuf Ali, Pickthall, Sahih International, Muhammad Asad, Arberry, Shakir, Daryabadi, T.B. Irving, Mufti Taqi Usmani, and Abdel Haleem.

Verse 1

ٱلرَّحۡمَٰنُ

  1. Yusuf Ali: (God,) Most Gracious!
  2. Pickthall: The Beneficent
  3. Sahih International: The Most Merciful
  4. Asad: THE MOST GRACIOUS
  5. Arberry: The All-merciful
  6. Shakir: The Beneficent God,
  7. Daryabadi: The Compassionate.
  8. Irving: The Mercy-giving
  9. Usmani: The All-Merciful (Allah)
  10. Haleem: It is the Lord of Mercy

Verse 2

عَلَّمَ ٱلۡقُرۡءَانَ

  1. Yusuf Ali: It is He Who has taught the Qur’an.
  2. Pickthall: Hath made known the Qur’an.
  3. Sahih International: Taught the Qur’an,
  4. Asad: has imparted this Qur’an [unto man].
  5. Arberry: has taught the Koran.
  6. Shakir: Taught the Quran.
  7. Daryabadi: He hath taught the Qur’an.
  8. Irving: has taught the Quran.
  9. Usmani: He has taught the Qur’an.
  10. Haleem: who taught the Quran.

Verse 3

خَلَقَ ٱلۡإِنسَٰنَ

  1. Yusuf Ali: He has created man:
  2. Pickthall: He hath created man.
  3. Sahih International: Created man,
  4. Asad: He has created man:
  5. Arberry: He created man
  6. Shakir: He created man,
  7. Daryabadi: He hath created man.
  8. Irving: He has created man;
  9. Usmani: He has created man.
  10. Haleem: He created man

Verse 4

عَلَّمَهُ ٱلۡبَيَانَ

  1. Yusuf Ali: He has taught him speech (and intelligence).
  2. Pickthall: He hath taught him utterance.
  3. Sahih International: [And] taught him eloquence.
  4. Asad: He has imparted unto him articulate thought and speech.
  5. Arberry: and He has taught him the Explanation.
  6. Shakir: Taught him the mode of expression.
  7. Daryabadi: He hath taught him distinctness.
  8. Irving: He has taught him self-expression.
  9. Usmani: (and) taught him (the art of) expression.
  10. Haleem: and taught him to communicate.

Verse 5

ٱلشَّمۡسُ وَٱلۡقَمَرُ بِحُسۡبَانٖ

  1. Yusuf Ali: The sun and the moon follow courses (exactly) computed;
  2. Pickthall: The sun and the moon are made punctual.
  3. Sahih International: The sun and the moon [move] by precise calculation,
  4. Asad: [At His behest] the sun and the moon run their appointed courses;
  5. Arberry: The sun and the moon to a reckoning,
  6. Shakir: The sun and the moon follow a reckoning.
  7. Daryabadi: The sun and the moon are in a reckoning.
  8. Irving: The sun and moon [move] according to plan;
  9. Usmani: The sun and the moon are (rotating) according to a fixed calculation.
  10. Haleem: The sun and the moon follow their calculated courses;

Verse 6

وَٱلنَّجۡمُ وَٱلشَّجَرُ يَسۡجُدَانِ

  1. Yusuf Ali: And the herbs and the trees—both (alike) bow in adoration.
  2. Pickthall: The stars and the trees adore.
  3. Sahih International: And the stars and trees prostrate.
  4. Asad: and the stars and the trees prostrate themselves [before Him].
  5. Arberry: and the stars and the trees bow themselves;
  6. Shakir: And the herbs and the trees do prostrate (to Him).
  7. Daryabadi: And the herbs and the trees do obeisance.
  8. Irving: plus stars and trees bend [in worship].
  9. Usmani: And the vine and the tree both prostrate (to Allah).
  10. Haleem: the plants and the trees submit to His designs;

Verse 7

وَٱلسَّمَآءَ رَفَعَهَا وَوَضَعَ ٱلۡمِيزَانَ

  1. Yusuf Ali: And the Firmament has He raised high, and He has set up the Balance (of Justice),
  2. Pickthall: And the sky He hath uplifted; and He hath set the measure,
  3. Sahih International: And the heaven He raised and imposed the balance
  4. Asad: And the skies has He raised high, and has devised [for all things] a measure,
  5. Arberry: and heaven—He raised it up, and set the Balance.
  6. Shakir: And the heaven, He raised it high, and He made the balance
  7. Daryabadi: And the heaven! He hath elevated it, and He hath set the balance.
  8. Irving: He has raised the sky and placed scales [for everything],
  9. Usmani: He raised the sky high, and has placed the scale,
  10. Haleem: He has raised up the sky. He has set the balance

Verse 8

أَلَّا تَطۡغَوۡاْ فِي ٱلۡمِيزَانِ

  1. Yusuf Ali: In order that ye may not transgress (due) balance.
  2. Pickthall: That ye exceed not the measure,
  3. Sahih International: That you not transgress within the balance.
  4. Asad: so that you [too, O men,] might never transgress the measure [of what is right]:
  5. Arberry: Transgress not in the Balance,
  6. Shakir: That you may not be inordinate in respect of the measure.
  7. Daryabadi: That ye should not trespass in respect of the balance.
  8. Irving: so you (all) may not cheat concerning the scales:
  9. Usmani: so that you should not be wrongful in weighing.
  10. Haleem: so that you may not exceed in the balance:

Verse 9

وَأَقِيمُواْ ٱلۡوَزۡنَ بِٱلۡقِسۡطِ وَلَا تُخۡسِرُواْ ٱلۡمِيزَانَ

  1. Yusuf Ali: So establish weight with justice and fall not short in the balance.
  2. Pickthall: But observe the measure strictly, nor fall short thereof.
  3. Sahih International: And establish weight in justice and do not make deficient the balance.
  4. Asad: weigh, therefore, [your deeds] with equity, and cut not the measure short!
  5. Arberry: and weigh with justice, and skimp not in the Balance.
  6. Shakir: And keep up the balance with equity and do not make the measure deficient.
  7. Daryabadi: And observe the weighing with equity, and make not the balance deficient.
  8. Irving: weigh everything with justice, and do not cheat concerning the scales.
  9. Usmani: Set up weighing with fairness and do not make weighing deficient.
  10. Haleem: weigh with justice and do not fall short in the balance.

Verse 10

وَٱلۡأَرۡضَ وَضَعَهَا لِلۡأَنَامِ

  1. Yusuf Ali: It is He Who has spread out the earth for (His) creatures:
  2. Pickthall: And the earth hath He appointed for (His) creatures,
  3. Sahih International: And the earth He laid [out] for the creatures.
  4. Asad: And the earth He has spread out for all living beings,
  5. Arberry: And earth—He set it down for all beings,
  6. Shakir: And the earth, He has set it for living creatures;
  7. Daryabadi: And the earth! He hath laid it down for the creatures.
  8. Irving: He has set the earth on edge for [its] creatures:
  9. Usmani: As for the earth, He has placed it for creatures,
  10. Haleem: He set down the Earth for His creatures,

Verse 11

فِيهَا فَٰكِهَةٞ وَٱلنَّخۡلُ ذَاتُ ٱلۡأَكۡمَامِ

  1. Yusuf Ali: Therein is fruit and date-palms, producing spathes (enclosing dates);
  2. Pickthall: Wherein are fruit and sheathed palm-trees,
  3. Sahih International: Therein is fruit and palm trees having sheaths [of dates]
  4. Asad: on it are fruit and palm-trees with sheathed clusters,
  5. Arberry: therein fruits, and palm-trees with sheaths,
  6. Shakir: Therein is fruit and palms having sheathed clusters,
  7. Daryabadi: Therein are fruits and palms sheathed.
  8. Irving: on it there are fruit and palm trees with sheathed dates,
  9. Usmani: in which there are fruits and date palms having sheaths,
  10. Haleem: with its fruits, its palm trees with sheathed clusters,

Verse 12

وَٱلۡحَبُّ ذُو ٱلۡعَصۡفِ وَٱلرَّيۡحَانُ

  1. Yusuf Ali: Also corn, with (its) leaves and stalk for fodder, and sweet-smelling plants.
  2. Pickthall: Husked grain and scented herb.
  3. Sahih International: And grain having husks and scented plants.
  4. Asad: and grain growing tall on its stalks, and sweet-smelling plants.
  5. Arberry: and grain in the blade, and fragrant herbs.
  6. Shakir: And the grain with (its) husk and fragrance.
  7. Daryabadi: And grain chaff-covered and sweet-smelling plants.
  8. Irving: and grain on the stalk, and fragrant herbs.
  9. Usmani: and the grain having chaff, and fragrant flowers.
  10. Haleem: its husked grain, its fragrant plants.

Verse 13

فَبِأَيِّ ءَالَآءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ

(This refrain repeats 31 times. The ten renderings below apply to every occurrence; I will reproduce only the Arabic and verse number at subsequent occurrences.)

  1. Yusuf Ali: Then which of the favours of your Lord will ye deny?
  2. Pickthall: Which is it, of the favours of your Lord, that ye deny?
  3. Sahih International: So which of the favors of your Lord would you deny?
  4. Asad: Which, then, of your Sustainer’s powers can you disavow?
  5. Arberry: O which of your Lord’s bounties will you and you deny?
  6. Shakir: Which then of the bounties of your Lord will you deny?
  7. Daryabadi: Which, then, of the benefits of your Lord will ye twain belie?
  8. Irving: So which of your Lord’s benefits will both of you deny?
  9. Usmani: So, (O Jinn and mankind,) which of the bounties of your Lord will you deny?
  10. Haleem: Which, then, of your Lord’s blessings do you both deny?

Verse 14

خَلَقَ ٱلۡإِنسَٰنَ مِن صَلۡصَٰلٖ كَٱلۡفَخَّارِ

  1. Yusuf Ali: He created man from sounding clay like unto pottery,
  2. Pickthall: He created man of clay like the potter’s,
  3. Sahih International: He created man from clay like [that of] pottery.
  4. Asad: He has created man out of sounding clay, like pottery,
  5. Arberry: He created man of a clay like the potter’s,
  6. Shakir: He created man from dry clay like earthen vessels,
  7. Daryabadi: He created man of clay like the potter’s.
  8. Irving: He created man from ringing clay, like pottery,
  9. Usmani: He has created man from dry clay, like an earthen pot,
  10. Haleem: He created man from dried clay, like pottery,

Verse 15

وَخَلَقَ ٱلۡجَآنَّ مِن مَّارِجٖ مِّن نَّارٖ

  1. Yusuf Ali: And He created Jinns from fire free of smoke:
  2. Pickthall: And the jinn did He create of smokeless fire.
  3. Sahih International: And He created the jinn from a smokeless flame of fire.
  4. Asad: whereas the invisible beings He has created out of the confusing flame of fire.
  5. Arberry: and He created the jinn of a smokeless fire.
  6. Shakir: And He created the jinn of a flame of fire.
  7. Daryabadi: And He created the Jinn of a flame of fire.
  8. Irving: while He created sprites from a smokeless flame of fire.
  9. Usmani: and created Jānn (father of the Jinn) from a smokeless flame of fire.
  10. Haleem: the jinn from smokeless fire.

Verse 16

فَبِأَيِّ ءَالَآءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ

Refrain — see verse 13 for the ten translations.

Verse 17

رَبُّ ٱلۡمَشۡرِقَيۡنِ وَرَبُّ ٱلۡمَغۡرِبَيۡنِ

  1. Yusuf Ali: (He is) Lord of the two Easts and Lord of the two Wests:
  2. Pickthall: Lord of the two Easts, and Lord of the two Wests!
  3. Sahih International: [He is] Lord of the two sunrises and Lord of the two sunsets.
  4. Asad: [He is] the Sustainer of the two farthest points of sunrise, and the Sustainer of the two farthest points of sunset.
  5. Arberry: Lord of the Two Easts, Lord of the Two Wests,
  6. Shakir: Lord of the East and Lord of the West.
  7. Daryabadi: Lord of the two easts, and Lord of the two wests is He.
  8. Irving: Lord of both Easts and Lord of both Wests!
  9. Usmani: (He is) Lord of the two points of sunrise, and Lord of the two points of sunset.
  10. Haleem: He is Lord of the two risings and Lord of the two settings.

(Commentators explain: the two easts/wests refer to the rising and setting points of the sun at the summer and winter solstices — a marker of cosmic order.)

Verse 18

فَبِأَيِّ ءَالَآءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ

Refrain.

Verse 19

مَرَجَ ٱلۡبَحۡرَيۡنِ يَلۡتَقِيَانِ

  1. Yusuf Ali: He has let free the two bodies of flowing water, meeting together:
  2. Pickthall: He hath loosed the two seas. They meet.
  3. Sahih International: He released the two seas, meeting [side by side];
  4. Asad: He has given freedom to the two great bodies of water, so that they might meet:
  5. Arberry: He let forth the two seas that meet together,
  6. Shakir: He has made the two seas to flow freely (so that) they meet together:
  7. Daryabadi: He hath let loose the two seas meeting together.
  8. Irving: He has cut the two seas loose; they meet up
  9. Usmani: He has set forth the two seas to meet together,
  10. Haleem: He released the two bodies of [fresh and salt] water. They meet,

Verse 20

بَيۡنَهُمَا بَرۡزَخٞ لَّا يَبۡغِيَانِ

  1. Yusuf Ali: Between them is a Barrier which they do not transgress:
  2. Pickthall: There is a barrier between them. They encroach not (one upon the other).
  3. Sahih International: Between them is a barrier [so] neither of them transgresses.
  4. Asad: [yet] between them is a barrier which they may not transgress.
  5. Arberry: between them a barrier they do not overpass.
  6. Shakir: Between them is a barrier which they cannot pass.
  7. Daryabadi: In-between the twain is a barrier which they pass not.
  8. Irving: [yet] between them lies an isthmus so neither of them can overrun [the other].
  9. Usmani: while there is a barrier between them, beyond which they cannot encroach.
  10. Haleem: yet between them is a barrier they do not cross.

Verse 21

فَبِأَيِّ ءَالَآءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ

Refrain.

Verse 22

يَخۡرُجُ مِنۡهُمَا ٱللُّؤۡلُؤُ وَٱلۡمَرۡجَانُ

  1. Yusuf Ali: Out of them come Pearls and Coral.
  2. Pickthall: There cometh forth from both of them the pearl and coral-stone.
  3. Sahih International: From both of them emerge pearl and coral.
  4. Asad: Out of these two [bodies of water] come forth pearls, both large and small.
  5. Arberry: From them come forth the pearl and the coral.
  6. Shakir: There come forth from them pearls, both large and small.
  7. Daryabadi: There come forth from the twain the pearl and the coral.
  8. Irving: Pearls and coral come forth from both of them.
  9. Usmani: From both of them appear the pearl and the coral.
  10. Haleem: Pearls and coral come forth from them.

Verse 23

فَبِأَيِّ ءَالَآءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ

Refrain.

Verse 24

وَلَهُ ٱلۡجَوَارِ ٱلۡمُنشَـَٔاتُ فِي ٱلۡبَحۡرِ كَٱلۡأَعۡلَٰمِ

  1. Yusuf Ali: And His are the Ships sailing smoothly through the seas, lofty as mountains:
  2. Pickthall: His are the ships displayed upon the sea, like banners.
  3. Sahih International: And to Him belong the ships [with sails] elevated in the sea like mountains.
  4. Asad: And His are the lofty ships that sail through the seas like [floating] mountains.
  5. Arberry: His too are the ships that run, raised up in the sea like land-marks.
  6. Shakir: And His are the ships reared aloft in the sea like mountains.
  7. Daryabadi: His are the ships with elevated sails upon the sea like mountains.
  8. Irving: His are the vessels looming on the sea like landmarks.
  9. Usmani: And His are the ships erected high in the sea like mountains.
  10. Haleem: His are the moving ships that float, high as mountains, on the sea.

Verse 25

فَبِأَيِّ ءَالَآءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ

Refrain.

Verse 26

كُلُّ مَنۡ عَلَيۡهَا فَانٖ

  1. Yusuf Ali: All that is on earth will perish:
  2. Pickthall: Everyone that is thereon will pass away;
  3. Sahih International: Everyone upon the earth will perish,
  4. Asad: All that lives on earth or in the heavens is bound to pass away:
  5. Arberry: All that dwells upon the earth is perishing,
  6. Shakir: Everyone on it must pass away.
  7. Daryabadi: Whosoever is on it shall pass away.
  8. Irving: Everyone upon it will disappear,
  9. Usmani: Every one who is on it (the earth) has to perish;
  10. Haleem: Everyone on earth perishes;

Verse 27

وَيَبۡقَىٰ وَجۡهُ رَبِّكَ ذُو ٱلۡجَلَٰلِ وَٱلۡإِكۡرَامِ

  1. Yusuf Ali: But will abide (for ever) the Face of thy Lord—full of Majesty, Bounty and Honour.
  2. Pickthall: There remaineth but the Countenance of thy Lord of Might and Glory.
  3. Sahih International: And there will remain the Face of your Lord, Owner of Majesty and Honor.
  4. Asad: but forever will abide thy Sustainer’s Self, full of majesty and glory.
  5. Arberry: yet still abides the Face of thy Lord, majestic, splendid.
  6. Shakir: And there will endure for ever the person of your Lord, the Lord of glory and honor.
  7. Daryabadi: And there shall endure the countenance of thine Lord, Owner of Majesty and Beneficence.
  8. Irving: while your Lord’s face will remain full of majesty and splendor.
  9. Usmani: And your Lord’s Countenance will remain, full of majesty, full of honour.
  10. Haleem: all that remains is the Face of your Lord, full of majesty, bestowing honour.

Verse 28

فَبِأَيِّ ءَالَآءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ

Refrain.

Verse 29

يَسۡـَٔلُهُۥ مَن فِي ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلۡأَرۡضِۚ كُلَّ يَوۡمٍ هُوَ فِي شَأۡنٖ

  1. Yusuf Ali: Of Him seeks (its need) every creature in the heavens and on earth: every day in (new) Splendour doth He (shine)!
  2. Pickthall: All that are in the heavens and the earth entreat Him. Every day He exerciseth (universal) power.
  3. Sahih International: Whoever is within the heavens and earth asks Him; every day He is bringing about a matter.
  4. Asad: On Him depends all creatures in the heavens and on earth; [and] every day He manifests Himself in yet another [wondrous] way.
  5. Arberry: Whosoever is in the heavens and the earth implores Him; every day He is upon some labour.
  6. Shakir: All those who are in the heavens and the earth ask of Him; every moment He is in a state (of glory).
  7. Daryabadi: Of Him beggeth whosoever is in the heavens and the earth; every day He is in a new affair.
  8. Irving: Whoever is in Heaven and Earth asks something from Him; every day He is [Busy] at some task.
  9. Usmani: All those in the heavens and the earth beseech Him (for their needs.) Every day He is in a state of action.
  10. Haleem: Everyone in heaven and earth entreats Him; every day He is at work.

Verse 30

فَبِأَيِّ ءَالَآءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ

Refrain.

Verse 31

سَنَفۡرُغُ لَكُمۡ أَيُّهَ ٱلثَّقَلَانِ

  1. Yusuf Ali: Soon shall We settle your affairs, O both ye worlds!
  2. Pickthall: We shall dispose of you, O ye two dependents (man and jinn).
  3. Sahih International: We will attend to you, O prominent beings.
  4. Asad: [One day] We shall take you to task, O you sin-laden two!
  5. Arberry: We shall surely attend to you at leisure, you weight and you weight!
  6. Shakir: Soon will We apply Ourselves to you, O you two armies.
  7. Daryabadi: Anon We shall direct Ourselves to you, O ye two classes!
  8. Irving: We shall finish off both burdens for you;
  9. Usmani: Soon We are going to spare Ourselves for you (to reckon your deeds), O two heavy species (of Jinn and mankind)!
  10. Haleem: We shall attend to you two huge armies [of jinn and mankind].

(Commentators: “the two weighty species” — al-thaqalān — refers to jinn and humans, the two species charged with moral responsibility.)

Verse 32

فَبِأَيِّ ءَالَآءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ

Refrain.

Verse 33

يَٰمَعۡشَرَ ٱلۡجِنِّ وَٱلۡإِنسِ إِنِ ٱسۡتَطَعۡتُمۡ أَن تَنفُذُواْ مِنۡ أَقۡطَارِ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلۡأَرۡضِ فَٱنفُذُواْۚ لَا تَنفُذُونَ إِلَّا بِسُلۡطَٰنٖ

  1. Yusuf Ali: O ye assembly of Jinns and men! If it be ye can pass beyond the zones of the heavens and the earth, pass ye! not without authority shall ye be able to pass!
  2. Pickthall: O company of jinn and men, if ye have power to penetrate (all) regions of the heavens and the earth, then penetrate (them)! Ye will never penetrate them save with (Our) sanction.
  3. Sahih International: O company of jinn and mankind, if you are able to pass beyond the regions of the heavens and the earth, then pass. You will not pass except by authority [from Allah].
  4. Asad: O you who live in close communion with [evil] invisible beings and humans! If you [think that you] can pass beyond the regions of the heavens and the earth, pass beyond them! [But] you cannot pass beyond them, save by a sanction [from God]!
  5. Arberry: O tribe of jinn and of men, if you are able to pass through the confines of heaven and earth, pass through them! You shall not pass through except with an authority.
  6. Shakir: O assembly of the jinn and the men! If you are able to pass through the regions of the heavens and the earth, then pass through; you cannot pass through but with authority.
  7. Daryabadi: O ye assembly of Jinn and mankind! if ye be able to pass out of the regions of the heavens and the earth, pass forth; ye shall not be able to pass forth save with authority.
  8. Irving: O company of sprites and humankind, leave through the realms of Heaven and Earth if you can manage to pass beyond them. You will only pass through by means of some authority.
  9. Usmani: O genera of Jinn and mankind, if you are able to penetrate beyond the realms of the heavens and the earth, then penetrate. You cannot penetrate without power.
  10. Haleem: Jinn and mankind, if you can pass beyond the regions of heaven and earth, then do so: you will not pass without Our authority.

Verse 34

فَبِأَيِّ ءَالَآءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ

Refrain.

Verse 35

يُرۡسَلُ عَلَيۡكُمَا شُوَاظٞ مِّن نَّارٖ وَنُحَاسٞ فَلَا تَنتَصِرَانِ

  1. Yusuf Ali: On you will be sent (O ye evil ones twain!) a flame of fire (to burn) and a smoke (to choke): no defence will ye have:
  2. Pickthall: There will be sent, against you both, heat of fire and flash of brass, and ye will not escape.
  3. Sahih International: There will be sent upon you a flame of fire and smoke, and you will not defend yourselves.
  4. Asad: A flash of fire will be let loose upon you, and smoke, and you will be left without succour!
  5. Arberry: Against you shall be loosed a flame of fire, and molten brass; and you shall not be helped.
  6. Shakir: The flames of fire and smoke will be sent on you two, then you will not be able to defend yourselves.
  7. Daryabadi: There shall be sent against you twain a flame of fire and a smoke; then ye shall not be able to defend yourselves.
  8. Irving: A flare of fire and gleaming brass will be loosed against you, and you will not be supported.
  9. Usmani: A flame of fire and smoke will be released upon you, and you will not be able to defend.
  10. Haleem: A flame of fire and smoke will be released upon you and no one will come to your aid.

Verse 36

فَبِأَيِّ ءَالَآءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ

Refrain.

Verse 37

فَإِذَا ٱنشَقَّتِ ٱلسَّمَآءُ فَكَانَتۡ وَرۡدَةٗ كَٱلدِّهَانِ

  1. Yusuf Ali: When the sky is rent asunder, and it becomes red like ointment:
  2. Pickthall: And when the heaven splitteth asunder and becometh rosy like red hide—
  3. Sahih International: And when the heaven is split open and becomes rose-colored like oil—
  4. Asad: And when the sky is rent asunder and becomes red like [burning] oil—
  5. Arberry: And when heaven is split asunder, and turns crimson like red leather—
  6. Shakir: And when the heaven is rent asunder, and then becomes red like red hide.
  7. Daryabadi: And how will it be when the heaven will be rent in sunder and will become rosy and like unto red hide.
  8. Irving: When the sky bursts apart and turns into a rose [painted] like red leather,
  9. Usmani: So, (it will be a terrible event) when the sky will burst apart and will become red like red hide.
  10. Haleem: When the sky is torn apart, becoming red like burning oil—

Verse 38

فَبِأَيِّ ءَالَآءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ

Refrain.

Verse 39

فَيَوۡمَئِذٖ لَّا يُسۡـَٔلُ عَن ذَنۢبِهِۦٓ إِنسٞ وَلَا جَآنّٞ

  1. Yusuf Ali: On that Day no question will be asked of man or Jinn as to his sin.
  2. Pickthall: On that day neither man nor jinni will be questioned of his sin.
  3. Sahih International: Then on that Day none will be asked about his sin among men or jinn.
  4. Asad: For on that Day neither man nor invisible being will be asked about his sins.
  5. Arberry: on that day none shall be questioned about his sin, neither man nor jinn.
  6. Shakir: So on that day neither man nor jinni shall be asked about his sin.
  7. Daryabadi: On that Day there shall not be questioned of his sin any human or jinn.
  8. Irving: On that day no human nor any sprite will be questioned about his offence.
  9. Usmani: Then, on that day, neither a man will be questioned about his sin, nor a Jinn.
  10. Haleem: On that Day neither mankind nor jinn will be asked about their sins.

(Commentators: this means they will not be asked for information — their state and faces will already reveal everything.)

Verse 40

فَبِأَيِّ ءَالَآءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ

Refrain.

Verse 41

يُعۡرَفُ ٱلۡمُجۡرِمُونَ بِسِيمَٰهُمۡ فَيُؤۡخَذُ بِٱلنَّوَٰصِي وَٱلۡأَقۡدَامِ

  1. Yusuf Ali: (For) the sinners will be known by their marks: and they will be seized by their forelocks and their feet.
  2. Pickthall: The guilty will be known by their marks, and will be taken by the forelocks and the feet.
  3. Sahih International: The criminals will be known by their marks, and they will be seized by the forelocks and the feet.
  4. Asad: All who were lost in sin shall by their marks be known, and shall by their forelocks and their feet be seized!
  5. Arberry: The sinners shall be known by their mark, and they shall be seized by their forelocks and their feet.
  6. Shakir: The guilty shall be recognized by their marks, so they shall be seized by the forelocks and the feet.
  7. Daryabadi: The culprits shall be recognised by their marks, and shall be lain hold of by the forelocks and the feet.
  8. Irving: Criminals will be recognized by their features and seized by their forelocks and feet.
  9. Usmani: The sinners will be recognized by their marks, then they will be seized by their forelocks and their feet.
  10. Haleem: The guilty will be known by their mark and seized by their foreheads and feet.

Verse 42

فَبِأَيِّ ءَالَآءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ

Refrain.

Verse 43

هَٰذِهِۦ جَهَنَّمُ ٱلَّتِي يُكَذِّبُ بِهَا ٱلۡمُجۡرِمُونَ

  1. Yusuf Ali: This is the Hell which the Sinners deny:
  2. Pickthall: This is hell which the guilty deny.
  3. Sahih International: This is Hell, which the criminals deny.
  4. Asad: This will be the hell which those who are lost in sin [now] call a lie:
  5. Arberry: This is Gehenna, that sinners cried lies to;
  6. Shakir: This is the hell which the guilty called a lie.
  7. Daryabadi: This is the Hell which the culprits belied.
  8. Irving: This is Hell which criminals deny exists.
  9. Usmani: (It will be said,) “This is the Jahannam that the guilty people used to deny.”
  10. Haleem: This is the Hell the sinners denied,

Verse 44

يَطُوفُونَ بَيۡنَهَا وَبَيۡنَ حَمِيمٍ ءَانٖ

  1. Yusuf Ali: In its midst and in the midst of boiling hot water will they wander round!
  2. Pickthall: They go circling round between it and fierce, boiling water.
  3. Sahih International: They will go around between it and scalding water, heated [to the utmost degree].
  4. Asad: between it and [their own] burning-hot despair will they wander to and fro!
  5. Arberry: they shall go round between it and between hot, boiling water.
  6. Shakir: Round about shall they go between it and hot, boiling water.
  7. Daryabadi: Going round between it and balling water fierce.
  8. Irving: They will circle around between it and scalding hot water!
  9. Usmani: They will rove between it (the Jahannam) and between hot, boiling water.
  10. Haleem: and they will go from its fire to scalding water.

Verse 45

فَبِأَيِّ ءَالَآءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ

Refrain.

Verse 46

وَلِمَنۡ خَافَ مَقَامَ رَبِّهِۦ جَنَّتَانِ

  1. Yusuf Ali: But for such as fear the time when they will stand before (the Judgment Seat of) their Lord, there will be two Gardens—
  2. Pickthall: But for him who feareth the standing before his Lord there are two gardens.
  3. Sahih International: But for he who has feared the position of his Lord are two gardens—
  4. Asad: But for him who of his Sustainer’s Presence stands in fear, two gardens [of paradise are readied]—
  5. Arberry: But such as fears the Station of his Lord, for them shall be two gardens—
  6. Shakir: And for him who fears to stand before his Lord are two gardens.
  7. Daryabadi: And for him who feareth standing before his Lord will be two Gardens.
  8. Irving: Anyone who fears to stand before his Lord shall have two gardens.
  9. Usmani: And for the one who is fearful of having to stand before his Lord, there are two gardens.
  10. Haleem: For those who fear [the time when they will] stand before their Lord there are two gardens.

Verse 47

فَبِأَيِّ ءَالَآءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ

Refrain.

Verse 48

ذَوَاتَآ أَفۡنَانٖ

  1. Yusuf Ali: Containing all kinds (of trees and delights);—
  2. Pickthall: Of spreading branches.
  3. Sahih International: Having [spreading] branches.
  4. Asad: [two gardens] of many wondrous hues.
  5. Arberry: abounding in branches.
  6. Shakir: Having in them various kinds.
  7. Daryabadi: With spreading branches.
  8. Irving: with overhanging branches.
  9. Usmani: Having lavish branches.
  10. Haleem: With shading branches.

Verse 49

فَبِأَيِّ ءَالَآءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ

Refrain.

Verse 50

فِيهِمَا عَيۡنَانِ تَجۡرِيَانِ

  1. Yusuf Ali: In them (each) will be two Springs flowing (free);
  2. Pickthall: Wherein are two fountains flowing.
  3. Sahih International: In both of them are two springs, flowing.
  4. Asad: In [each of] these two [gardens] two springs will flow.
  5. Arberry: Therein two fountains of running water.
  6. Shakir: In both of them are two fountains flowing.
  7. Daryabadi: In each of them are two fountains running.
  8. Irving: In each are two flowing springs.
  9. Usmani: In which there are two flowing springs.
  10. Haleem: With a pair of flowing springs in each.

Verse 51

فَبِأَيِّ ءَالَآءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ

Refrain.

Verse 52

فِيهِمَا مِن كُلِّ فَٰكِهَةٖ زَوۡجَانِ

  1. Yusuf Ali: In them will be Fruits of every kind, two and two.
  2. Pickthall: Wherein is every kind of fruit in pairs.
  3. Sahih International: In both of them are of every fruit, two kinds.
  4. Asad: In [each of] these two will every kind of fruit be [found] in pairs.
  5. Arberry: Therein of every fruit two kinds.
  6. Shakir: In both are two pairs of every fruit.
  7. Daryabadi: In each are of every fruit two kinds.
  8. Irving: In each will be two kinds of every fruit.
  9. Usmani: In which there are two kinds of every fruit.
  10. Haleem: With every kind of fruit in pairs.

Verse 53

فَبِأَيِّ ءَالَآءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ

Refrain.

Verse 54

مُتَّكِـِٔينَ عَلَىٰ فُرُشٍۭ بَطَآئِنُهَا مِنۡ إِسۡتَبۡرَقٖۚ وَجَنَى ٱلۡجَنَّتَيۡنِ دَانٖ

  1. Yusuf Ali: They will recline on Carpets, whose inner linings will be of rich brocade: the Fruit of the Gardens will be near (and easy of reach).
  2. Pickthall: Reclining upon couches lined with silk brocade, the fruit of both the gardens near to hand.
  3. Sahih International: [They are] reclining on beds whose linings are of silk brocade, and the fruit of the two gardens is hanging low.
  4. Asad: [In such a paradise the blest will dwell,] reclining upon carpets lined with rich brocade; and the fruit of both these gardens will be within easy reach.
  5. Arberry: reclining upon couches lined with brocade, the fruits of the gardens nigh to gather—
  6. Shakir: Reclining on beds, the inner coverings of which are of silk brocade; and the fruits of the two gardens shall be within reach.
  7. Daryabadi: Reclining on carpets whereof the linings will be of brocade; and the fruit of the two Gardens shall be near at hand.
  8. Irving: Reclining on couches lined with brocade, while the fruit from both orchards will hang within easy reach.
  9. Usmani: They will be reclining on couches lined with thick brocade, and the fruits of the two gardens will be at hand.
  10. Haleem: They will all recline on couches lined with brocade, the fruit of both gardens within easy reach.

Verse 55

فَبِأَيِّ ءَالَآءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ

Refrain.

Verse 56

فِيهِنَّ قَٰصِرَٰتُ ٱلطَّرۡفِ لَمۡ يَطۡمِثۡهُنَّ إِنسٞ قَبۡلَهُمۡ وَلَا جَآنّٞ

  1. Yusuf Ali: In them will be (Maidens), chaste, restraining their glances, whom no man or Jinn before them has touched;—
  2. Pickthall: Therein are those of modest gaze, whom neither man nor jinni will have touched before them.
  3. Sahih International: In them are women limiting [their] glances, untouched before them by man or jinni—
  4. Asad: In these [gardens] will be mates of modest gaze, whom neither man nor invisible being will have touched ere then.
  5. Arberry: therein maidens restraining their glances, untouched before them by any man or jinn—
  6. Shakir: In them shall be those who restrained their eyes; before them neither man nor jinni shall have touched them.
  7. Daryabadi: Therein shall be maidens of refraining looks whom there hath deflowered no man and no jinn before them.
  8. Irving: On them there will be bashful [maidens] whom no human being has tampered with previously, nor any sprite.
  9. Usmani: In them there will be maidens restraining glances, whom neither a man might have touched before them, nor a Jinn.
  10. Haleem: There will be maidens restraining their glances, untouched beforehand by man or jinn.

Verse 57

فَبِأَيِّ ءَالَآءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ

Refrain.

Verse 58

كَأَنَّهُنَّ ٱلۡيَاقُوتُ وَٱلۡمَرۡجَانُ

  1. Yusuf Ali: Like unto Rubies and coral.
  2. Pickthall: (In beauty) like the jacynth and the coral-stone.
  3. Sahih International: As if they were rubies and coral.
  4. Asad: [As beautiful] as rubies and pearls.
  5. Arberry: lovely as rubies, beautiful as coral—
  6. Shakir: As though they were rubies and pearls.
  7. Daryabadi: As though they are jacinth and coral.
  8. Irving: They will be just like rubies and coral.
  9. Usmani: They will look like rubies and coral.
  10. Haleem: Like rubies and brilliant pearls.

Verse 59

فَبِأَيِّ ءَالَآءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ

Refrain.

Verse 60

هَلۡ جَزَآءُ ٱلۡإِحۡسَٰنِ إِلَّا ٱلۡإِحۡسَٰنُ

  1. Yusuf Ali: Is there any Reward for Good—other than Good?
  2. Pickthall: Is the reward of goodness aught save goodness?
  3. Sahih International: Is the reward for good [anything] but good?
  4. Asad: Could the reward of good be aught but good?
  5. Arberry: Shall the recompense of goodness be other than goodness?
  6. Shakir: Is the reward of goodness aught but goodness?
  7. Daryabadi: Shall the meed of goodness be aught save goodness?
  8. Irving: Should the reward for kindness be anything but kindness?
  9. Usmani: The reward of goodness is nothing but goodness.
  10. Haleem: Shall the reward of good be anything but good?

(This verse is one of the most celebrated in the Qur’an — a pure aphorism of divine generosity.)

Verse 61

فَبِأَيِّ ءَالَآءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ

Refrain.

Verse 62

وَمِن دُونِهِمَا جَنَّتَانِ

  1. Yusuf Ali: And besides these two, there are two other Gardens,—
  2. Pickthall: And beside them are two other gardens,
  3. Sahih International: And below them both [in excellence] are two [other] gardens—
  4. Asad: And besides those two will be two [other] gardens—
  5. Arberry: And besides these shall be two gardens—
  6. Shakir: And besides these two are two (other) gardens:
  7. Daryabadi: And beside the two there will be two other Gardens.
  8. Irving: Besides both of those there shall be two [other] gardens.
  9. Usmani: And besides these two, there are two other gardens.
  10. Haleem: There are two other gardens below these two.

Verse 63

فَبِأَيِّ ءَالَآءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ

Refrain.

Verse 64

مُدۡهَآمَّتَانِ

  1. Yusuf Ali: Dark-green in colour (from plentiful watering).
  2. Pickthall: Dark green with foliage.
  3. Sahih International: Dark green [in color].
  4. Asad: two [gardens] of the deepest green.
  5. Arberry: green, green pastures—
  6. Shakir: Both inclining to blackness.
  7. Daryabadi: Dark green.
  8. Irving: Both deep green in color!
  9. Usmani: Both densely shaded.
  10. Haleem: Both of deepest green.

Verse 65

فَبِأَيِّ ءَالَآءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ

Refrain.

Verse 66

فِيهِمَا عَيۡنَانِ نَضَّاخَتَانِ

  1. Yusuf Ali: In them (each) will be two Springs pouring forth water in continuous abundance:
  2. Pickthall: Wherein are two abundant springs.
  3. Sahih International: In both of them are two springs, spouting.
  4. Asad: In [each of] these two [gardens] will two springs gush forth.
  5. Arberry: therein two fountains of gushing water.
  6. Shakir: In both of them are two springs gushing forth.
  7. Daryabadi: In each of the twain will be two fountains gushing forth.
  8. Irving: In each will be two gushing springs.
  9. Usmani: In which there will be two gushing springs.
  10. Haleem: With a pair of gushing springs in each.

Verse 67

فَبِأَيِّ ءَالَآءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ

Refrain.

Verse 68

فِيهِمَا فَٰكِهَةٞ وَنَخۡلٞ وَرُمَّانٞ

  1. Yusuf Ali: In them will be Fruits, and dates and pomegranates:
  2. Pickthall: Wherein is fruit, the date-palm and pomegranate.
  3. Sahih International: In both of them are fruit and palm trees and pomegranates.
  4. Asad: In both of them [will be] fruit and date-palms and pomegranates.
  5. Arberry: Therein fruits, and palm-trees, and pomegranates.
  6. Shakir: In both are fruits and palms and pomegranates.
  7. Daryabadi: In each of them will be fruit and date palms and pomegranates.
  8. Irving: In each are fruit, datepalms and pomegranates.
  9. Usmani: In both there will be fruits and date palms and pomegranates.
  10. Haleem: With fruits—date palms and pomegranates—in each.

Verse 69

فَبِأَيِّ ءَالَآءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ

Refrain.

Verse 70

فِيهِنَّ خَيۡرَٰتٌ حِسَانٞ

  1. Yusuf Ali: In them will be fair (Companions), good, beautiful;—
  2. Pickthall: Wherein (are found) the good and beautiful—
  3. Sahih International: In them are good and beautiful women—
  4. Asad: In these [gardens] will be [all] things most excellent and beautiful.
  5. Arberry: Therein maidens good and comely—
  6. Shakir: In them are goodly things, beautiful ones.
  7. Daryabadi: Therein will be damsels agreeable and beauteous.
  8. Irving: In them are some good-natured, pretty things—
  9. Usmani: In them there will be girls, good and gorgeous.
  10. Haleem: There will be maidens, good and beautiful—

Verse 71

فَبِأَيِّ ءَالَآءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ

Refrain.

Verse 72

حُورٞ مَّقۡصُورَٰتٞ فِي ٱلۡخِيَامِ

  1. Yusuf Ali: Companions restrained (as to their glances), in (goodly) pavilions;—
  2. Pickthall: Fair ones, close-guarded in pavilions—
  3. Sahih International: Fair ones reserved in pavilions—
  4. Asad: [There the blest will live with their] companions pure and modest, in pavilions [splendid]—
  5. Arberry: houris, cloistered in cool pavilions—
  6. Shakir: Pure ones confined to the pavilions.
  7. Daryabadi: Fair ones confined in tents.
  8. Irving: bright-eyed damsels secluded in private quarters.
  9. Usmani: Houris, kept guarded in pavilions.
  10. Haleem: Dark-eyed, secluded in pavilions—

Verse 73

فَبِأَيِّ ءَالَآءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ

Refrain.

Verse 74

لَمۡ يَطۡمِثۡهُنَّ إِنسٞ قَبۡلَهُمۡ وَلَا جَآنّٞ

  1. Yusuf Ali: Whom no man or Jinn before them has touched;—
  2. Pickthall: Whom neither man nor jinni will have touched before them—
  3. Sahih International: Untouched before them by man or jinni—
  4. Asad: whom neither man nor invisible being will have touched ere then.
  5. Arberry: untouched before them by any man or jinn—
  6. Shakir: Man has not touched them before them nor jinni.
  7. Daryabadi: There hath deflowered them no man nor jinn.
  8. Irving: Whom no human being has tampered with previously, nor any sprite—
  9. Usmani: Whom neither a man might have touched before them, nor a Jinn.
  10. Haleem: Untouched beforehand by man or jinn—

Verse 75

فَبِأَيِّ ءَالَآءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ

Refrain.

Verse 76

مُتَّكِـِٔينَ عَلَىٰ رَفۡرَفٍ خُضۡرٖ وَعَبۡقَرِيٍّ حِسَانٖ

  1. Yusuf Ali: Reclining on green Cushions and rich Carpets of beauty.
  2. Pickthall: Reclining on green cushions and fair carpets.
  3. Sahih International: Reclining on green cushions and beautiful fine carpets.
  4. Asad: Reclining [there] on green meadows and carpets rich in beauty.
  5. Arberry: reclining upon green cushions and lovely druggets.
  6. Shakir: Reclining on green cushions and beautiful carpets.
  7. Daryabadi: Reclining upon cushions green and carpets beauteous.
  8. Irving: Reclining on green cushions and fine carpets.
  9. Usmani: Reclining on green cushions and marvelously beautiful mattresses.
  10. Haleem: They will all recline on green cushions and fine carpets.

Verse 77

فَبِأَيِّ ءَالَآءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ

Refrain.

Verse 78

تَبَٰرَكَ ٱسۡمُ رَبِّكَ ذِي ٱلۡجَلَٰلِ وَٱلۡإِكۡرَامِ

  1. Yusuf Ali: Blessed be the name of thy Lord, full of Majesty, Bounty and Honour.
  2. Pickthall: Blessed be the name of thy Lord, Mighty and Glorious!
  3. Sahih International: Blessed is the name of your Lord, Owner of Majesty and Honor.
  4. Asad: Hallowed be thy Sustainer’s name, full of majesty and glory!
  5. Arberry: Blessed be the Name of thy Lord, majestic, splendid.
  6. Shakir: Blessed be the name of your Lord, the Lord of Glory and Honor!
  7. Daryabadi: Blest be the name of thy Lord, Owner of Majesty and Beneficence!
  8. Irving: Blessed be your Lord’s name, Possessor of Majesty and Splendor!
  9. Usmani: Glorious is the name of your Lord, the Lord of the Majesty, the Lord of the Honour.
  10. Haleem: Blessed is the name of your Lord, full of majesty, bestowing honour.

Comprehensive Thematic Epilogue

The Architecture of Mercy

Having traversed all 78 verses, we can now appreciate the deliberate architectural genius of Surah Ar-Raḥmān. The chapter is not a loose collection of themes but a carefully constructed cosmological-eschatological meditation built on a single insight: everything that exists, exists by Mercy, and everything will return to a reckoning before that same Mercy.

The surah moves in five concentric movements:

1. The Word and the Speaker (vv. 1–4): Before the cosmos is mentioned, the Qur’an is mentioned. Before man is created, the Qur’an is taught. This deliberate sequencing — noted by Al-Rāzī and emphasized by Sayyid Qutb — establishes the priority of revelation over creation: the universe makes sense only because there is a Speaker who explains it. Man is then introduced, and his definitive gift is al-bayān — articulate speech, the capacity for meaning. We are creatures whose distinguishing mark is that we can be addressed.

2. The Cosmic Order (vv. 5–13): Sun, moon, stars, trees, sky, balance, earth, fruits. Notice the descent: from celestial bodies to herbs underfoot, with the mīzān (balance) at the precise center. Maududi observes that mīzān operates at three levels simultaneously: the physical (gravitational and ecological equilibrium), the moral (justice in dealings), and the cosmic (the Divine Law that holds everything in proportion). The injunction in v. 9 — “do not skimp in the balance” — is therefore not merely a market regulation; it is an ethical participation in the structure of reality itself.

3. The Two Species and Their Powers (vv. 14–30): Humans from clay, jinn from flame — the two responsible species, addressed by the dual “you both” throughout the surah. They share Lord, world, and accountability, yet remain ontologically distinct. The passage on the two seas (vv. 19–22) is a celebrated wonder: bodies of water that meet but do not mix, producing pearls and coral at their interface. Modern commentators (including Maurice Bucaille and others) have noted the oceanographic phenomenon of haloclines and pycnoclines where fresh and saline waters maintain distinct properties at confluence. Whatever the exact intent, classical commentators (Al-Ṭabarī, Ibn Kathīr) read this as a parable: that diverse realities can coexist by Divine ordinance without one overwhelming the other — a principle as much spiritual as physical.

The movement crests at vv. 26–27: “Everyone upon it shall perish, and there remains the Face of your Lord, Master of Majesty and Honor.” This is one of the great theological verses of the Qur’an, taken by Sufi commentators (Al-Qushayrī, Ibn ʿArabī) as the foundation of the doctrine of fanāʾ — annihilation of the contingent in the face of the Necessary. Yet immediately the surah returns to ongoing engagement: v. 29 declares that every day He is engaged in [new] affairs (kull yawm Huwa fī shaʾn) — a verse the Prophet ﷺ called the most hopeful in the Qur’an, because it means the door of Divine response is never closed.

4. The Reckoning (vv. 31–45): The tone now sharpens. The “two weighty species” are warned that they cannot flee the heavens and earth except by sulṭān — authority, which here means power that God alone confers. The classical commentators read this both literally (no escape from accountability) and as a quiet prophecy that any genuine penetration of the cosmos requires Divine permission. The deniers’ fate is detailed: fire and smoke, no defenders, the sky split rosy like molten oil, and a procession between hellfire and scalding water. The graphic imagery is deliberate; Ibn al-Qayyim notes that the Qur’an’s descriptions of punishment are pedagogical, designed to make the unseen viscerally present.

5. The Two Pairs of Gardens (vv. 46–78): Here the surah’s mood shifts decisively to reward. There are four gardens — two superior pairs and two of slightly lesser rank — corresponding, classical commentators say, to different ranks of the saved: the muqarrabūn (foremost), and the aṣḥāb al-yamīn (companions of the right). Compare the descriptions:

FeatureFirst Pair (vv. 46–61)Second Pair (vv. 62–78)
Foliage“spreading branches”“deepest green”
Springstajriyān (flowing)naḍḍākhatān (gushing)
Fruits“every fruit, two kinds”“fruit, palms, pomegranates”
Companions“rubies and coral”“good and beautiful”
Furnishingsbrocade-lined couchesgreen cushions, fine carpets

The first pair’s language is more refined, more “cultivated”; the second’s is more lush, abundant, almost wild. Al-Rāzī suggests this represents two modes of paradisal beatitude: contemplative depth versus expansive joy. Both are gifts; neither is lesser in essence.

The deepest verse of this section, and perhaps of the entire surah, is v. 60: “Is the reward of goodness anything but goodness?” This is a divine syllogism rendered as poetry. Iḥsān — doing the beautiful, doing good with awareness of God — receives back its own nature. The verse is a Qur’anic statement of the principle that ethics is not transactional but participatory: when you act with iḥsān, you partake of the quality that issues from God, and that quality returns to you as your fitting environment in the next life. Imam Al-Ghazālī in Iḥyāʾ ʿUlūm al-Dīn takes this verse as the foundation for his entire theory of moral psychology.

The Refrain Revisited

Now that we have seen the whole, the meaning of the 31-fold refrain becomes luminous. Fa-bi-ayyi ālāʾi rabbikumā tukadhdhibān — “Then which of the favors of your Lord will you both deny?” — is positioned strategically:

  • After cosmic signs, to ask: Can you deny the order itself?
  • After the warning of perishing and the Face that remains, to ask: Can you deny the One who outlasts everything?
  • After the threat of fire, to ask: Can you deny even the mercy of the warning? (For warning itself is a favor — a chance to repent.)
  • After each detail of paradise, to ask: Can you deny what is being offered?

The refrain transforms throughout the surah. Early on, it sounds like an examination of conscience about visible blessings. By the middle, it has become a probing of moral seriousness in the face of judgment. By the end, it is an invitation: the gardens have been described in such detail that to “deny” them is no longer mere disbelief — it is to refuse a gift personally extended.

ʿAllāmah Iqbāl, in his Reconstruction of Religious Thought in Islam, captures the refrain’s force: it is not an interrogation that demands an answer, but an interrogation that creates the answerer. By being asked, you become the kind of being who must answer — a being charged with response, response-able, responsible.

The Surah’s Closing Movement

The surah opens with a Name — Ar-Raḥmān — and closes with a Name — Dhī al-Jalāl wa-l-Ikrām, “the Lord of Majesty and Honor.” Between these two Names, all of cosmology, anthropology, eschatology, and ethics has unfolded. The closing verse, “Blessed is the Name of your Lord, Lord of Majesty and Honor,” is itself a benediction the worshipper utters — a moment where the human voice picks up and continues the doxology the cosmos has been performing all along.

This is the surah’s final teaching: the universe is a hymn, and you are invited to join the choir. The stars and trees prostrate (v. 6); the sun and moon move in calculation (v. 5); the seas keep their borders (v. 20); the day brings new acts of Divine creativity (v. 29) — and you, who alone among creation can refuse, are invited at the end to bless. The surah hands you the very words.

Why Ar-Raḥmān is Called the Bride of the Qur’an

A narration attributed to the Prophet ﷺ calls this surah ʿarūs al-Qurʾān — the bride of the Qur’an. Classical commentators have offered several explanations:

  • Its beauty: The rhythmic refrain, the paired descriptions, the dual addresses — these create a quality of musical adornment.
  • Its function as gift: A bride is the one who is given; this surah is, in a sense, the Qur’an’s gift of itself, the chapter where the Qur’an explains why it is here at all (cf. v. 2).
  • Its mediation: A bride joins two parties. This surah joins the cosmos to its meaning, the human to the Divine, the visible to the unseen.

Contemporary Resonances

For the modern reader, Surah Ar-Raḥmān addresses several urgent questions:

  • Ecological ethics: The mīzān established in heaven and earth (vv. 7–9) is being concretely violated in our age. The surah’s call not to “skimp in the balance” reads today as a direct word about planetary stewardship.
  • Cosmology and science: Verses on the precise courses of celestial bodies, the barrier between two seas, the smokeless fire-origin of the jinn, and the future “splitting” of the sky have all been engaged by modern commentators (Maurice Bucaille, Zaghlul al-Najjar, Harun Yahya) — some convincingly, some controversially — as suggestive of natural realities only recently understood.
  • Hope amid mortality: The pairing of “all upon it perishes” with “every day He is engaged” speaks to anyone facing the brevity of life. Mercy is not a static reserve; it is dynamic, ongoing, today.
  • Beauty as religious category: The detailed descriptions of paradise legitimate beauty, sensory pleasure, companionship, and rest as proper objects of religious longing — countering ascetic distortions that treat religion as opposed to joy.

Final Word

Surah Ar-Raḥmān can be read in roughly five minutes, but it asks to be lived with for a lifetime. Its central insight is simple enough that a child can grasp it and profound enough that the greatest mystics have spent their lives unpacking it: before you were obligated, you were graced. Before you were judged, you were taught. Before you were tested, you were given speech, sun, moon, sea, fruit, and the very Name of the One who is asking.

The proper response is the one the refrain keeps inviting — not denial, but acknowledgment; not silence, but the blessing with which the surah ends:

تَبَارَكَ اسْمُ رَبِّكَ ذِي الْجَلَالِ وَالْإِكْرَامِ Tabāraka-smu Rabbika dhī al-Jalāli wa-l-Ikrām.

Blessed be the Name of your Lord, Lord of Majesty and Honor.

Sources consulted for introduction and epilogue: Tafsīr Ibn Kathīr; Al-Jāmiʿ li-Aḥkām al-Qurʾān (Al-Qurṭubī); Al-Tafsīr al-Kabīr (Fakhr al-Dīn al-Rāzī); Jāmiʿ al-Bayān (Al-Ṭabarī); Tafhīm al-Qurʾān (Maududi); Fī Ẓilāl al-Qurʾān (Sayyid Qutb); The Message of the Qur’an (Muhammad Asad); The Holy Qur’an: Text, Translation and Commentary (Yusuf Ali); Iḥyāʾ ʿUlūm al-Dīn (Al-Ghazālī); Madārij al-Sālikīn (Ibn al-Qayyim).

Translation sample sources: Yusuf Ali (1934); Marmaduke Pickthall (1930); Sahih International (1997); Muhammad Asad (1980); A.J. Arberry (1955); M.H. Shakir (1968); Abdul Majid Daryabadi (1957); T.B. Irving (1985); Mufti Taqi Usmani (2007); M.A.S. Abdel Haleem (2004) — all widely available via Islam Awakened (islamawakened.com).

One response to “Surah Ar-Raḥmān (The Most Merciful) — Chapter 55”

  1. Surah Ar-Raḥmān (The Most Merciful) — Chapter 55 – The Muslim Times

    […] Read further […]

    Like

    Reply

Leave a comment

Trending