The following is excerpted Shaykh Hamzah Abdul Malik’s The Endless Banquet, Volume III, as well as from Imam al-Qushayri’s Tafsir of Surah al-Waqi’ah, which will be published in full as part of IGI’s Tafsir Reimagined series.
Introduction and Thematic Explanation
While Surah al-Qamar gives us graphic detail of Allah’s punishment, Surah al-Raḥman gives us extensive details of His blessings and rewards. This is a direct extension of the last ayah of Surah al-Qamar.
One of the most obvious themes in Surah al-Rahman is established in the recurring statement, “So which of the favors of your Lord would you deny?” Throughout this surah, Allah lists blessing after blessing and sign aft er sign, enumerating various means through which His mercy has manifested upon humanity.
Among other subjects, Allah speaks in this manner about:
The way He created nature
The spectacle of the Day of Judgment
The experiences that await the people of Heaven
The experiences of the people of Hell
Among all of these signs, Allah challenges humanity as well as the jinn – which is relatively rare in the Qur’an – to deny any of the blessings that He has given us. The fact is, even if people refuse to believe that these blessings are from Allah, they cannot change this reality. Such straightforward questioning places full responsibility on the reader to decide what kind of relationship they want to have with their Creator based on the response that they give to Him.
{The Beneficent; He taught the Qur’ān} These verses mean that the Beneficent (al-Raḥman), the One whom the monotheists recognize and the disbelievers deny, is the One who taught the Qur’ān. It has also been said that it means, “The Beneficent—the One who has shown them mercy, protected them from polytheism, ennobled them with faith, and demanded of them the word of God-consciousness—is the One who taught the Qur’ān to His servants.”
As for Allah, He makes it clear what kind of relationship He has with us, and that is one of mercy. He has already proven His mercy through the myriad of examples that He has shown us. Just the mere fact that He has given us the ability to communicate clearly is a sufficient sign to prove how merciful He is.
In addition, He gave us the Qur’an with guidance that solves all problems that human beings will face in this life and in the next. After reading this surah, one should be cleared of all doubts about the mercy of Allah and appreciate His willingness to embrace our repentance and raise us to the highest levels of Paradise.
Tafsir of Verses 1-32
He ﷻ said:
بِسْمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحْمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ
{In the Name of Allāh, the Beneficent, the Merciful} “In the Name of Allah” informs of us His might and His greatness. “The Beneficent, the Merciful” informs us His grace and His mercy. Spiritual happiness is perfected by witnessing His greatness, and physical bliss is obtained due to the existence of His mercy. If it were not for His greatness, no servant would have worshiped the Beneficent. If not for His mercy, no one would have loved Him.
He ﷻ said:
55|1| ٱلرَّحْمَٰنُ
55|2|عَلَّمَ ٱلْقُرْءَانَ
{The Beneficent; He taught the Qur’ān} These verses mean that the Beneficent (al-Rahman), the One whom the monotheists recognize and the disbelievers deny, is the One who taught the Qur’ān.
It has also been said that it means, “The Beneficent—the One who has shown them mercy, protected them from polytheism, ennobled them with faith, and demanded of them the word of God-consciousness—is the One who taught the Qur’an to His servants.”
It has also been said, “Al-Ḥaq Himself taught the Qur’an to His servants.”
It has also been said that, whenever Allāh gave something to our Prophet ﷺ, He would cause his ummah to participate in a manner befitting their characteristics. For example, while He said to the Prophet ﷺ {He taught you what you had not known}, He said to his ummah {The Beneficent; He taught the Qur’an}.
It has also been said, “Allah taught Adam عليه السلام all the names. Thereafter, he ordered him to present them to the Angels, and so Adam عليه السلام mentioned the names to them. He ﷻ said, {O Adam, inform [the Angels] of the names of all these things}. He also taught the Muslims the Qur’an, and said (upon the tongue of the Prophet ﷺ, “There is no prayer without Al-Fātiḥah. The one praying is in intimate conversation with his Lord.”
Therefore, He said to Adam عليه السلام, “Mention what I have taught you to the Angels”, and He said to us, “Speak to Me, O My slave, through that which I have taught you.” At times, the children of servants may be treated more gently than their fathers.”
It has also been said that He taught the Qur’an to the spirits, without any intermediary, before they became joined with the bodies. This is similar to how children are taught the Qur’an during childhood; before we are influenced by else, we learn His names.
Love for her came to me before I knew what love was
And since it found my heart unoccupied, it settled therein
It has also been said, “Drawing inspiration from days past…” when He would teach us Qur’an.
And it has been noted that, “He teaches them the Qur’an through His mercy, thus it is only by His mercy that they were able to recite the Qur’an. It is not that that they arrived at His mercy by reciting the Qur’ān.”
{The sun and the moon have a precise calculation} In other words, the sun and moon both run their course according to known laws; the passage of time is noted by their cycles.
He ﷻ said:
55|3|خَلَقَ ٱلْإِنسَٰنَ
55|4|عَلَّمَهُ ٱلْبَيَانَ
{He created the human being; He taught him speech} “The human being” refers to all of mankind. He taught them speech such that they became distinguished, and by it they were separated from all other animals. Further, He taught each group of people their own language by which they speak and communicate with each other.
Bayan (speech) is that by which meanings are clarified. The full explanation of bayan is detailed in the discussions of the religious fundamentals (uṣūl).
When the people of Mecca said, “It is only a man that teaches him,” Allāh ﷻ refuted them by saying, “Rather, Allah taught him.” With this interpretation, the human being referred to in this verse is the Prophet Muḥammad ﷺ. It has also been said that it refers to the Adam عليه السلام.
It is said that speech also enables mankind to know how to address others amongst their equals and counterparts. As for the people of faith and gnosis, their speech is their knowledge of how to address their Lord, and this is of varying degrees. Some address Him with their tongue, some with their breath, and some address Him with their tears:
The tears of a young man interpret what he is feeling
And his desires reveal what he hides
Yet others address Him with their moans and sighs: Tell me, with the tongue of your soul, how are you? What is your condition?
He ﷻ said:
55|5|ٱلشَّمْسُ وَٱلْقَمَرُ بِحُسْبَانٍ
{The sun and the moon have a precise calculation} In other words, the sun and moon both run their course according to known laws; the passage of time is noted by their cycles. Similarly, they both have a precisely appointed conclusion: the sun will be rolled up and the moon with be blotted out.
Allah has decreed that the sun of gnosis and the moon of knowledge similarly have a known measure. He causes them to follow their course over the horizon of the heart according to a predetermined decree.
He ﷻ said:
55|6|وَٱلنَّجْمُ وَٱلشَّجَرُ يَسْجُدَانِ
{And the star and the tree prostrate} It has been said that the star (najm) among trees is the one that has no trunk, whereas the tree (shajar) mentioned in the verse is that which has a trunk. It has also been said najm are those plants that move, while the shajar are the plants that do not move.
{Prostrate} They perform a prostration in affirmation of the Creator and His worthiness of veneration.
He ﷻ said:
It has been said that the star (najm) among trees is the one that has no trunk, whereas the tree (shajar) mentioned in the verse is that which has a trunk.
55|7|وَٱلسَّمَآءَ رَفَعَهَا وَوَضَعَ ٱلْمِيزَانَ
{He raised the heaven and established the balance} He elevated the heaven and raised it high, both expert and wise in His creation. He caused the stars to run their course within it, and set meteors therein. He preserved its horizons from corruption and, according to His will, established its eastern and western horizons.
He also created the balance between people so that they may interact with each other correctly. It has been said that “the balance” mentioned in this verse refers to the notion of justice.
He ﷻ said:
55|8|أَلَّا تَطْغَوْا۟ فِى ٱلْمِيزَانِ
{That you may not transgress the balance} Be just in all affairs, observing the rights of people and the rights of Allāh. This requires fairness and abandoning injustice and transgression in all things. With one’s actions, it requires sincerity (ikhlāṣ). With one’s states, truthfulness. With one’s life, it requires observing realities, consistency in one’s public and private character, and the abandonment of flattery, treachery, plotting, subtle polytheism, hidden hypocrisy and ambiguous acts.
He ﷻ said:
55|9|وَأَقِيمُوا۟ ٱلْوَزْنَ بِٱلْقِسْطِ وَلَا تُخْسِرُوا۟ ٱلْمِيزَانَ
{Establish weight with fairness and do not diminish the weight} Weigh goods for others in a manner that you would like them to be weighed for you, in full measure without decrease.
He ﷻ said:
55|10|وَٱلْأَرْضَ وَضَعَهَا لِلْأَنَامِ
55|11|فِيهَا فَٰكِهَةٌ وَٱلنَّخْلُ ذَاتُ ٱلْأَكْمَامِ
55|12|وَٱلْحَبُّ ذُو ٱلْعَصْفِ وَٱلرَّيْحَانُ
{He laid out the Earth for creatures. In it are fruits, palms with date sheaths, grains that grow on stalks, and fragrant plants} He created the Earth and made it an abode for all creatures. It is said that this verse means that He placed the Earth upon water and then stretched out its different regions. He then planted its trees and flowers, caused its rivers to flow, darkened its night and illuminated its day.
{In it are fruits…} This means that there are all kinds of fruits within the Earth that differ in their colors, tastes, aromas, benefits and harms. In addition, they differ in their seeds, trees, leaves and blossoms.
{palms with date sheaths} The date sheaths (akmām) refers to the covering of palm fibers and leaves.
{Grains} Such as wheat, barley, lentils and other grains.
{that grow on stalks} The stalks (‘aṣf) refers to the leaves of the plant.
{and fragrant plants} This could mean either odorous plants or ‘sustenance’. As the Arabs would say, “We went out in search of the rayḥān of Allāh.”
With these verses Allāh provides a reminder of His immense blessings in that which He created, illustrating their benefit in terms of nourishment and enjoyment.
He ﷻ said:
55|13|فَبِأَىِّ ءَالَآءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ
{palms with date sheaths} The date sheaths (akmām) refers to the covering of palm fibers and leaves.
{Then which of the favors of your Lord will you deny} Which of your Lord’s favors will you oppose? Favors (ālā’) are blessings. The dual form is used here to address the morally responsible amongst the jinn and mankind.
It is also said that it is customary for the Arabs to use the dual form irrespective of the number of people addressed, such as in the phrases: “Khalīlayya!” (My two friends!), “qifā!” (Both of you, stop!), “arjarāhā yā ghulām” (Both of you restrain her…), and “arhalāhā, yā ghulām” (Both of you ride her…)”.
He ﷻ said:
55|14|خَلَقَ ٱلْإِنسَٰنَ مِن صَلْصَٰلٍ كَٱلْفَخَّارِ
{He created the human being from clay like potting clay} “The human being” in this refers to Ādam. “Ṣalṣal” (clay) is a dried clay that makes a sound when it is agitated, such as pottery. It is also said that it is a clay mixed with pebbles, or it is said that it is a putrid clay due to the similarity between the words, “ṣalla” and “uṣalla” (when something spoils).
55|15|وَخَلَقَ ٱلْجَآنَّ مِن مَّارِجٍ مِّن نَّارٍ
{And He created the jānn from a smokeless flame of fire} “Mārij” refers to the flames mixed in a valley of fire.
55|16|فَبِأَىِّ ءَالَآءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ
{Then which of the favors of your Lord do you deny} This verse is again addressing the morally responsible among jinn and mankind. Allāh ﷻ repeated this verse in a number of places confirming each blessing that is mentioned separately, one after another.
The creation of Ādam from clay is a blessing in the way in which he was elevated to such a high status after his creation. It is said that Allāh reminded Ādam—and the children of Ādam—of their origin so that they would not become impressed with their status.
It is also said that He informed him of his worth so that he would not transgress his limit.
55|17|رَبُّ ٱلْمَشْرِقَيْنِ وَرَبُّ ٱلْمَغْرِبَيْنِ
{Lord of the two easts and the two wests} “Al-Mashriqayn” (the two easts) refers to the places where the sun rises in the summer and in the winter. Likewise, “Al-Maghribayn” (the two wests) refers to the places of sunset in both seasons. They are a blessing in that they follow a set and singular order to bring about complete benefit for creation.
It is also said that this verse refers to the eastern and western horizons of the heart, meaning the lights of knowledge and gnosis mentioned previously.
55|18|فَبِأَىِّ ءَالَآءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ
{Then which of the favors of your Lord will you deny?}
55|19|مَرَجَ ٱلْبَحْرَيْنِ يَلْتَقِيَانِ
55|20|بَيْنَهُمَا بَرْزَخٌ لَّا يَبْغِيَانِ
{He set loose the two seas that meet each other, but between them is a barrier that they do not transgress} The barzakh (barrier) refers to a partition placed by His decree between two things so that neither one would overcome the other. The barrier mentioned in this verses separates the sweet waters from the salt waters. It is also said that it separates the waters from the land, so that the seas do not overrun mankind and drown them.
55|21|فَبِأَىِّ ءَالَآءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ
{Then which of the favors of your Lord will you deny?}
55|22|يَخْرُجُ مِنْهُمَا ٱللُّؤْلُؤُ وَٱلْمَرْجَانُ
{They extract from them both pearls and coral} Lu’lu’ are large pearls, whereas marjān are either small pearls or coral.
The subtle allusion here is that He created two oceans in the heart: the ocean of fear and the ocean of hope; contraction and expansion; reverence and intimacy. From these two oceans of the heart we receive the pearls of pure states and the gems of subtle understanding.
{To Him belong the ships built high on the sea, like peaks} The word, “jawār” is the plural of jāriyah, which means a ship. {Like peaks} refers to the mountains; the largest and most imposing ships belong to Him.
It is also said that the two oceans are an allusion to the heart and ego; the heart is the ocean of sweet water and the ego is the ocean of salty water. All valuable gems and every subtle state is extracted from the ocean of the heart, whereas every blameworthy trait stems from the ocean of the ego. Pearls are only taken from the latter in order to ward off the unbearable states of the heart, and {between [the two seas] is a barrier that they don’t transgress}. Al-Ḥaq protects one from the other, so that neither are overcome.
55|23| فَبِأَىِّ ءَالَآءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ
{Then which of the favors of your Lord will you deny?}
55|24|وَلَهُ ٱلْجَوَارِ ٱلْمُنشَـَٔاتُ فِى ٱلْبَحْرِ كَٱلْأَعْلَٰمِ
55|25|فَبِأَىِّ ءَالَآءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ
{To Him belong the ships built high on the sea, like peaks} The word, “jawār” is the plural of jāriyah, which means a ship. {Like peaks} refers to the mountains; the largest and most imposing ships belong to Him.
55|26|كُلُّ مَنْ عَلَيْهَا فَانٍ
55|27|وَيَبْقَىٰ وَجْهُ رَبِّكَ ذُو ٱلْجَلَٰلِ وَٱلْإِكْرَامِ
{Everyone upon it will perish. Yet the Countenance of your Lord, Owner of Majesty and Generosity, will remain} Every single person on the face of the Earth will perish. This is a rational truth and has also been relayed in a traditional report, “The world and all upon her will perish, and the Countenance of your Lord, Owner of Majesty and Generosity, will abide.”
The Countenance (wajh) is an attribute of Allāh ﷻ. It is not an intellectual necessity, yet it is rationally possible. Moreover, the revelation has indicated its existence unequivocally.
It is said the Countenance cannot exist on its own, and so must invariably exist within His being and essence in order for it to abide forever. Whilst His Essence is intellectually knowable, His Countenance is only known by religious texts and transmitted reports. It is therefore of immense benefit to stipulate the Countenance in this verse.
{Will remain} Allāh’s permanence indicates a lack of deterioration of any kind, unlike everything else which will reduce and eventually end. This provides a consolation for Muslims faced with affliction or those who are deprived of a blessing; both the affliction and the deprivation will come to an end.
55|28|فَبِأَىِّ ءَالَآءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ
{Then which of the favors of your Lord will you deny?}
He ﷻ said:
55|29|يَسْـَٔلُهُۥ مَن فِى ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ ۚ كُلَّ يَوْمٍ هُوَ فِى شَأْنٍ
{All those in the Heavens and the Earth beseech Him; every day He brings about an affair} The people of the Heavens constantly ask Him for forgiveness, while the people of the Earth ask Him for sustenance and forgiveness both. They are all in absolute need of Him.
Shaykh Hamzah Abdul Malik’s The Endless Banquet is a thematic explanation of the Qur’an suitable for everyday reading.
In the Heavens and the Earth, there are also those who do not petition Him. They are the ones about whom it was said, “If (being busy with) My remembrance prevents someone from asking, I will give him better than that which those who ask are given.” It is also said that not everyone in the Heavens and the Earth ask for things contained within the Heavens and the Earth. Rather:
Between lovers there is a secret that pens and words
Of creation are incapable of conveying
{Every day He brings about an affair} Such as giving life and bringing about death, constricting the circumstances of some people and easing those of others, preserving the creation, and assigning certain attributes to them.
This verse contains a refutation of the Jews who said, “Allāh rests on the Sabbath. He does not do anything.” He revealed that His Will is present every day. If He were to stop preserving the creation for even a moment, it would disappear and be eradicated.
In any given moment He forgives sins, covers faults, removes difficulties, and purifies hearts. He distances one slave and lowers another. In every moment, He shows His servants a new generosity and a establishes a secret between them that is beyond observation.
It is said that this verse means that He conveys all decreed matters to their appointed time, every single day.
It is also said that it means that He reveals hidden matters and covers apparent matters every day; He brings home those who are absent, and causes the absence of those who are present.
55|30|فَبِأَىِّ ءَالَآءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ
{Then which of the favors of your Lord will you deny}
He ﷻ said:
55|31|سَنَفْرُغُ لَكُمْ أَيُّهَ ٱلثَّقَلَانِ
{We will attend to you, O two races of beings} This verse means “We will attend to your affair on the Day of Judgement […] We intend to judge you.” He ﷻ will not be distracted or prevented from that.
55|32|فَبِأَىِّ ءَالَآءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ
{Then which of the favors of your Lord will you deny}
Connections Between Surah al-Rahman and Other Surahs In the Qur’an
Imam al-Suyuti writes in Inner Dimensions from the Order of the Surahs in the Qur'an:
This passage is excerpted from Imam Ghazali Publishing’s translation of Imam al-Suyuti’s Asrar Tartib al-Qur’an, which will be published soon as Inner Dimensions from the Order of the Surahs in the Qur’an.
He (subhanahu wa ta ‘ala) said at the end of al-Qamar:
‘Nay! The Hour is their appointed time. And the Hour is more grievous and more bitter’ (al-Qamar 54:46)
Then He described the state of the criminals in Saqar (a name for Hell) and the state of the Godfearing in the gardens and rivers. He explains in depth, in this surah, the topics from the abstract verse in the order in which they occurred.
He starts by describing the bitterness of the Hour, alluding to its grievous nature. Then, He describes the Fire and its people, and Paradise and its people. That is why He says
‘The criminals will be known by their mark’ (al-Rahman 55:41)
He did not use ‘the disbelievers’ or a similar term, because of this surah’s connection to His words in the previous one:
‘Indeed, the criminals’ (al-Qamar 54:47)
Then, He describes Paradise and its people, saying:
‘Those who fear the station of their Lord will have two Gardens’ (al-Rahman 55:46)
That [fearing the station of the Lord] is the essence of fear of God. And, He didn’t say ‘Those who believe and are obedient will have’ or other such expressions, so that the words of the reference and the explanation are consistent.
From that, it should be recognized that this surah, in its entirety, is an explanation of the ending of the surah that came before it. And all praise is due to Allah for what He has inspired and caused us to understand.
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