Overview - Surah 55: ar-Rahman (The Most Merciful )
The Surah clearly indicates that Prophet Muhammad is Allah’s Prophet and Messenger for both human beings as well as Jinns. Allah's many blessings and favors are mentioned in this Surah. Human beings and Jinn are invited to remember these favors and not to deny Allah's blessings.
Sections:
- The various bounties of Allah.
- Everything is finite, but Allah is infinite. Everyone depends on Allah. The warnings to the guilty.
- The rewards for the righteous.
This Surah takes its name after the name of Allah mentioined in the first Ayat, الرَّحْمَـٰنُ "The Most Merciful" (55:1). This is the only Surah of the Qur'an that begins with a name of Allah, in this case, ar-Rahman.
There are 78 Ayat in this Surah.
Overview
| Total Ayat | 78 |
| Total Words * | 351 |
| Root Words * | 110 |
| Makki / Madani | Madani |
| Chronological Order* | 97th (according to Ibn Abbas) |
| Year of Revelation* | |
| Events during/before this Surah*
N/A
| |
| Events during/after still to occur*
N/A
| |
| Names of Prophets Mentioned
No Prophets names are mentioned in this Surah
| |
| Surah Index
Astronomy (celestial mechanics) (solar and lunar orbits), Astronomy (sunrise) , Astronomy (sunset) , Date palms, Earth, Grain, Heaven (several) , Heaven (virgin mates of modest gaze) , Hell, Humankind, Humankind (creation of) (from clay), Hur al-Ayn, Jinn, Jinn (created of fire) , Judgement (Day) (flash of fire followed by smoke), Judgement (Day) (red like burning oil), Judgement (Day) (rent asunder), Pearls, Pomegranates, Qur’an, Ruby, Sea, Ships, Trees, Water (two great bodies of)
| |
This is the only Surah of the Qur’an in which besides men, the Jinn - who are the other creation of the earth endowed with freedom of will and action - have been directly addressed. Both men and Jinn have been made to realise the wonders of God’s power, His countless blessings, their own helplessness and accountability before Him, and have been warned of the evil consequences of His disobedience and made aware of the best results of His obedience. At several other places in the Qur’an there are clear pointers to show that like the men, the Jinn too are a creation who have been endowed with freedom of will and action and are accountable, who have been granted the freedom of belief and unbelief, of obedience and disobedience, and among them too there are the believers and the unbelievers, the obedient and the rebellious, as among human beings. And among them too there exist such groups as have believed in the Prophets sent by God and in the Divine Books. This Surah clearly points out that the message of the Prophet and the Qur’an is meant both for men and for Jinn and that his Prophethood is not restricted to human beings alone.
Although in the beginning of the Surah the address is directed only to human beings, for to them only belongs the vicegerent of the earth, among them only have the Messengers of God been raised, and in their tongues only have the Divine Books been revealed, yet from verse 13 onwards both the men and the Jinn have been addressed and one and the same invitation has been extended to both.
- The Ayat revolve around the manifestation of the Rahmah [mercy] of Allah.
- The Surah begins with the name of Allah and ends guiding the reader to glorify His name:
الرَّحْمَـٰنُ "The Most Merciful." (55:1)
تَبَارَكَ اسْمُ رَبِّكَ ذِي الْجَلَالِ وَالْإِكْرَامِ "Blessed is the name of your Lord, Owner of Majesty and Honor." (55:78)
Manuscripts / Inscriptions
- There are 55 Ayat in Surah al-Qamar. Surah ar-Rahman is Surah no. 55.
- Surah al-Qamar ends with mentioning that the Believers will be with the King. Surah ar-Rahman begins with who this King is - He is ar-Rahman [the Most Merciful]
فِي مَقْعَدِ صِدْقٍ عِندَ مَلِيكٍ مُّقْتَدِرٍ "In a seat of truth (i.e. Paradise), near the Omnipotent King (Allah, the All-Blessed, the Most High, the Owner of Majesty and Honour) (54:55)
الرَّحْمَـٰنُ "The Most Merciful." (55:1) - Both Surah al-Qamar and ar-Rahman end with the mention of Paradise.
- Both Surah ar-Rahman and al-Waqiah end with similar Ayat
تَبَارَكَ اسْمُ رَبِّكَ ذِي الْجَلَالِ وَالْإِكْرَامِ "Blessed is the name of your Lord, Owner of Majesty and Honor." (55:78)
فَسَبِّحْ بِاسْمِ رَبِّكَ الْعَظِيمِ "So exalt the name of your Lord, the Most Great." (56:96)
- حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنُ وَاقِدٍ أَبُو مُسْلِمٍ السَّعْدِيُّ، حَدَّثَنَا الْوَلِيدُ بْنُ مُسْلِمٍ، عَنْ زُهَيْرِ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ، عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ الْمُنْكَدِرِ، عَنْ جَابِرٍ، رضى الله عنه قَالَ خَرَجَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم عَلَى أَصْحَابِهِ فَقَرَأَ عَلَيْهِمْ سُورَةَ الرَّحْمَنِ مِنْ أَوَّلِهَا إِلَى آخِرِهَا فَسَكَتُوا فَقَالَ " لَقَدْ قَرَأْتُهَا عَلَى الْجِنِّ لَيْلَةَ الْجِنِّ فَكَانُوا أَحْسَنَ مَرْدُودًا مِنْكُمْ كُنْتُ كُلَّمَا أَتَيْتُ عَلَى قَوْلِهِِ : ( فبأَىِّ آلاَءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ ) قَالُوا لاَ بِشَيْءٍ مِنْ نِعَمِكَ رَبَّنَا نُكَذِّبُ فَلَكَ الْحَمْدُ " . قَالَ أَبُو عِيسَى هَذَا حَدِيثٌ غَرِيبٌ لاَ نَعْرِفُهُ إِلاَّ مِنْ حَدِيثِ الْوَلِيدِ بْنِ مُسْلِمٍ عَنْ زُهَيْرِ بْنِ مُحَمَّ
Muhammad bin Al Munkadir narrated that, "Jabir [may Allah be pleased with him] said: “The Messenger of Allah came out to his Companions, and recited Surat Ar-Rahman from its beginning to its end for them, and they were silent. So he said: ‘I recited it to the Jinns on the ‘Night of the Jinns,’ and they had a better response to it than you did. Each time I came to Allah’s saying: ‘Which of your Lords favor do you deny.’ They said: “We do not deny any of Your favors our Lord! And Yours is praise.” Tirmidhee no. 3291
- This Surah address both Mankind and Jinn together - فَبِأَيِّ آلَاءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ "So which of the favors of your Lord would you [both] deny?" (55:16)
- The following Ayat has been repeated 30 times in this Surah, فَبِأَيِّ آلَاءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ "So which of the favors of your Lord would you deny?" (55:16)
- (55:33) is the longest Ayat of this Surah with 16 words,
يَا مَعْشَرَ الْجِنِّ وَالْإِنسِ إِنِ اسْتَطَعْتُمْ أَن تَنفُذُوا مِنْ أَقْطَارِ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ فَانفُذُوا ۚ لَا تَنفُذُونَ إِلَّا بِسُلْطَانٍ "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]" (55:33)
Total Word Count per Ayat (shows how many words per Ayat) = * | ||
Tafsir Zone
|
Sayyid Qutb Overview (Verses 19 - 25) Blessings in Seas and Rivers We now turn back to the earth and its waters, which God has made in exact measure that determines quantity, type, how it runs and how it is used: He has given freedom to the two great bodies of water, so that they may meet; yet between them is a barrier which they do not cross. Which, then, of your Lord's blessings do you both deny? Pearls and corals come from both. Which, then, of your Lord's blessings do you both deny? His are the lofty ships that sail like floating mountains through the seas. Which, then, of your Lord's blessings do you both deny? (Verses 19-25) The two bodies of water, expressed in the Arabic text as the two seas', are in fact the salty bodies of water including seas and oceans and the unsalted ones or rivers. God left them free to run and to meet, but did not allow them to exceed their limits. Each will fulfil its own function. In between them there is a barrier of the same nature, which God has put in place. The quantities of water on earth are not the result of any coincidence; they are determined by exact measure. Salty waters cover three-quarters of the earth's surface and they are mostly connected, while dry land represents only about one quarter of the earth. This very large quantity of salty water is the amount needed to keep the earth's atmosphere clean and suitable for supporting life. From this great mass of water evaporation takes place because of the heat of the sun, and what evaporates comes back in the form of rain which is the source of sweet water in all its forms, the most important of which finds its way into rivers. The careful proportion of the vastness of the sea, the heat of the sun, the cold temperatures in the upper atmosphere and other climatic conditions produce rain that provides unsalted waters, which is the mainstay of life for plants, animals and man. Almost all rivers end in the sea, transporting various salts and compounds from land to sea. Thus, rivers do not change the nature of sea water. Normally rivers run at a higher elevation than sea level. Thus, the sea does not encroach on a river's course, flooding it with salty water. Had that been the case, the nature of rivers would have altered and their function ceased. In between the two there is always this barrier which God has put in place, ensuring that these two water bodies continue to fulfil their respective natural functions. It is no wonder that all this is mentioned here as being among God's great blessings: "Which, then, of your Lord's blessings do you both deny?" (Verse 21) The surah also adds here some of the blessings God has placed in these two bodies of water, some of which can easily be seen: "Pearls and corals come from both." (Verse 22) The pearl is originally formed by a mollusc animal. Perhaps the pearl is one of the most marvellous wonders of the sea. The mollusc goes to the bottom of the sea inside its hard shell which keeps it safe from danger. It is different from other animals in form and life pattern. It has a fine, wonderful net, similar to that of a fisherman, which allows air, water and food to enter, but stops sand, stone and similarly unwanted objects. Below it is the mouths of the animal, each with four lips. Should a grain of sand or a small stone or a harmful organism get through the net, the mollusc immediately covers it with a sticky discharge which then solidifies to form a pearl. The size of the pearl differs according to the size of the foreign object that finds its way inside.' Coral is among God's amazing creation. It is found in the sea at depths ranging from 5 to 300 metres. It fixes its lower edge to a rock or weeds, keeping its mouth at the top. Around its mouth it has several protrusions used to capture food. Should a little creature touch any of these protrusions, it is immediately paralysed and sticks to the protrusion, which then shrinks and bends towards the coral mouth where the paralysed prey is pushed through a small passage similar to man's oesophagus. Coral reproduces itself by discharging reproductive cells which fertilize the eggs, and the baby coral will then stick itself to a stone or a weed, starting an independent life like its mother. Another sign of God's wonderful creation is that corals reproduce in another way, producing extensions that remain stuck to the main body. Thus the coral tree is formed with a wide trunk and narrower branches that may become very fine. The coral tree can reach 30 centimetres in length. Coral concentrations differ in colour: some are orange, some are of red carnation colour, some emerald blue, and others pale and dusty in colour. Red coral is the solid stem that remains after the living part has died. Coral stone-like concentrations can form large colonies. One of these is a chain of coral rocks known as the Great Barrier Reef, to the north east of Australia. The reef is 1,350 miles long and 50 miles wide. Man makes precious jewellery from both pearls and corals. God mentions both as part of His blessings and the surah adds here the usual comment: "Which, then, of your Lord's blessings do you both deny?" (Verse 23) |
Ibn Kathir (English)
Sayyid Qutb
Sha'rawi
Al Jalalain
الطبري - جامع البيان
ابن كثير - تفسير القرآن العظيم
القرطبي - الجامع لأحكام
البغوي - معالم التنزيل
ابن أبي حاتم الرازي - تفسير القرآن
ابن عاشور - التحرير والتنوير
ابن القيم - تفسير ابن قيّم
السيوطي - الدر المنثور
الشنقيطي - أضواء البيان
ابن الجوزي - زاد المسير
الآلوسي - روح المعاني
ابن عطية - المحرر الوجيز
الرازي - مفاتيح الغيب
أبو السعود - إرشاد العقل السليم
الزمخشري - الكشاف
البقاعي - نظم الدرر
الهداية إلى بلوغ النهاية — مكي ابن أبي طالب
القاسمي - محاسن التأويل
الماوردي - النكت والعيون
السعدي - تيسير الكريم الرحمن
عبد الرحمن الثعالبي - الجواهر الحسان
السمرقندي - بحر العلوم
أبو إسحاق الثعلبي - الكشف والبيان
الشوكاني - فتح القدير
النيسابوري - التفسير البسيط
أبو حيان - البحر المحيط
البيضاوي - أنوار التنزيل
النسفي - مدارك التنزيل
ابن جُزَيّ - التسهيل لعلوم التنزيل
علي الواحدي النيسابوري - الوجيز
السيوطي - تفسير الجلالين
المختصر في التفسير — مركز تفسير
|
|
|
- Surah 55. Ar-Rahman - Saad al Ghamidi https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqJ3k0YTBs8&index=55&list=PLhM2xiAUdw2cAqW_o3zZkbhJNw0bnaBZN
- Surah 55. Ar-Rahman Mahmoud Khalil Al Hussary https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8g3KMzGZ_EI&index=55&list=PLxpAkjlGauHfMFWX22VZWOKpzjr-vH_BM
- Surah 55. Ar-Rahman Muhammad Al Luhaydan https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c3q29pvDkl4
- Idris Akbar Surah Ar-Rahman https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vua7KTHLF_M
- Surah 55. Ar-Rahman Muhammad Minshawi https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otW1VxWD5EE&index=55&list=PLxpAkjlGauHdUcO_uc-8F8J2NUQRDZjPG
