Ar-Rahman

Linkage of the Surah and the Wisdom of Repeating the words, 'Which of the bounties of your Lord will you deny?'

The preceding Surah Al-Qamar was mainly concerned with some of the rebellious nations of antiquity who were punished for rejecting the Divine Message. The description of every punishment was followed by the sentence: فَكَيْفَ كَانَ عَذَابِي وَنُذُرِ‌ (Then how was My torment and My warnings? ...54:16). This sentence was repeated many times in order to warn people against similar Divine punishment. Another verse that was repeated as a refrain at telling intervals is وَلَقَدْ يَسَّرْ‌نَا الْقُرْ‌آنَ لِلذِّكْرِ‌ فَهَلْ مِن مُّدَّكِرٍ‌ “ And indeed We have made the Qur'an easy for seeking advice. So, is there one to seek advice?...54:17). This verse urges people to accept the Qur'anic Message, believe in it and follow its right guidance.

Surah Ar-Rahman, on the other hand, mainly describes the boons and bounties of Allah, of this world as well as of the Hereafter. Thus when a particular bounty of Allah is described, the verse: فَبِأَيِّ آلَاءِ رَ‌بِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ fa-bi-ayyi' ala'i Rabbikuma tukadhdhiban (So, which of the bounties of your Lord will you deny?) is used deliberately as a refrain in order to awaken the people and urge them to give thanks to Allah for His favours. This verse is repeated thirty-one times in the Surah. According to the rules of stylish usage, repetition of an expression serves the deliberate purpose of 'emphasis'. Especially, the repetition in these two Surahs of the Qur'an is repetition only in apparent form. In reality, the repeated sentence is each time related to a new subject, and having its own significance, cannot be taken as redundant. In Surah Al-Qamar, the فَكَيْفَ كَانَ عَذَابِي وَنُذُرِ‌ (Then how was My torment 54:16) has followed the description of each new torment. Likewise, in Surah Ar-Rahman, after the description of every new bounty the verse فَبِأَيِّ آلَاءِ رَ‌بِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ (So, (0 mankind and Jinn,) which of the bounties of your Lord will you deny?) is repeated, which being related to a new subject is not redundant. ` Allamah Suyati (رح) terms this device of repetition as At-tardid. Arab masters of eloquence, regard this device as aesthetically beautiful, polished, effective, moving, forceful and persuasive use of language. The device is used both in prose as well as in poetry. It is used not only in Arabic but [ almost in all the languages of the world, as for instance ] the most accomplished and consummate poets of Persian and Urdu have used them. This is no occasion to collect samples of their compositions here. Tafsir Rah-ul-Ma` ani has collected its several examples on this occasion.

Was Surah Ar-Rahman Revealed in Makkah or Madinah?

On the basis of a few narratives Imam Qurtubi concluded that this Surah was revealed in Makkah, and he prefers this view. Tirmidhi records from Sayyidna Jabir ؓ that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ recited this Surah before some people who remained silent. The Holy Prophet ﷺ said:

"I recited this Surah to the Jinns, on the night of Jinn, and their receptive response was better than yours! Whenever I recited Allah's statements فَبِأَيِّ آلَاءِ رَ‌بِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ (So, (0 mankind and Jinn,) which of the bounties of your Lord will you deny?) They said: لَا بِشیءِ مِّن نِّعَمِکَ رَبَّنَا نُکَذِّبُ فَلَکَ الحَمد 'None of your bounties do

we deny, our Lord! All praise is due to You'.

This narrative indicates that this Surah was revealed in Makkah, because 'the night of the Jinn' refers to the night when the Messenger of Allah ﷺ met the Jinns to convey to them the Message of the Qur'an and impart knowledge to them. This incident took place in Makkah. Likewise, Imam Qurtubi refers to a few more narratives which indicate that this Surah was revealed in Makkah.

The opening word of the first verse of the Surah is Ar-Rahman (The All-Merciful). One of the reasons for beginning the Surah with this name of Allah is presumably that the infidels of Makkah were unaware of this name of Allah. They used to say, وَمَا الرَّ‌حْمَٰنُ "What is Ar-Rahman? " [ as mentioned in 25:60] This name has been selected here to let them know it.

The second reason could be to indicate that teaching the Qur'an, which has been mentioned in the next verse as Allah's act, was a sheer gift flowing from Allah's beneficence, and not because this or any other act is obligatory on Allah for which He could be held responsible, nor because He is in need of anyone.

In the entire Surah, Allah's bounties - worldly as well spiritual - are continuously recounted. The greatest of all bounties is the knowledge of the Holy Qur'an, because it is an all-comprehensive Book directing man in temporal and spiritual matters and in matters relating to this world and the next. Those who heeded the Holy Qur'an and fulfilled its right, like the blessed Companions, Allah raised their status in the Hereafter and blessed them with inconceivable bounties and favours. In this world too they are promoted to such high stations as the greatest of kings were not able to attain.

Grammatically speaking, the verb عَلَّمَ ` allama [ to teach ] requires two objects, the direct and the indirect: [ 1] that of which the knowledge is imparted; and [ 2] he to whom the knowledge is imparted. Here the first object [ the Holy Qur'an ] is explicitly stated, but the second object is not. Some of the exegetes express the view that the second object is the Messenger of Allah ﷺ who was taught the Qur'an directly by Allah, and through him the entire creation. It is possible to look at it from another point of view: The purpose of the Holy Qur'an is to give guidance to the entire creation of Allah, and to teach them good morals and the righteous deeds. Therefore, no particular object has been specified. The fact that the second object has not been explicitly specified indicates its generality, that is, it refers to the totality of human beings.

خَلَقَ الْإِنسَانَ عَلَّمَهُ الْبَيَانَ (He has created man. He has taught him [ how ] to express himself...55:4) Man's creation itself is a great boon of Allah and in the natural order of things he is first and foremost, so much so that even imparting the knowledge of the Qur'an, which is mentioned first, can only take place after his creation. However, the bounty of Qur'anic knowledge is mentioned first, and the creation of man later, because the fundamental object of man's creation is to impart to him the knowledge of the Holy Qur'an, and for him to follow its guidance as stated elsewhere in the Qur'an: وَمَا خَلَقْتُ الْجِنَّ وَالْإِنسَ إِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُونِ (And I did not create the Jinns and the human beings except that they should worship Me.) [ 51:56] Surely, worship without Divine guidance is not possible. The source of the Divine guidance is the Holy Qur'an. Thus Qur'anic knowledge is mentioned before man's creation.

Having created man, uncountable bounties are bestowed upon him. Of them, imparting the knowledge of expression has been mentioned especially, because the bounties necessary for man's growth and development, and his existence and survival like his food and water, his protection against cold and heat, his dwelling arrangements and so on are bounties in which all creatures are equal partners. Among the bounties that are peculiar to human beings Knowledge of the Qur'an has been mentioned first, and it was followed by the knowledge of expressions, because deriving benefit from the Qur'an, and imparting it to others, is dependent on the knowledge of expression. The word bayan ('how to express himself) comprehends all the means of communication created by Allah, like speech, writing etc. There are various languages and dialects of various nations in various regions of the world. All these are constituent parts of linguistic knowledge which is the practical interpretation or application of the verse عَلَّمَ آدَمَ الْأَسْمَاءَ كُلَّهَا (And He taught Adam (علیہ السلام) the names, all of them) [ 2:31] فَتَبَارَ‌كَ اللَّهُ أَحْسَنُ الْخَالِقِينَ

Allah's Signs

الشَّمْسُ وَالْقَمَرُ‌ بِحُسْبَانٍ (The sun and the moon are [ bound ] by a [ fixed ] calculation...55:5) This verse draws attention to two of the celestial bodies from among the bounties of Allah. They are especially mentioned presumably because the entire system of this world depends on the movement of these bodies in their orbits in perfect succession, according to precise calculation that is never delayed nor disturbed.

The word حُسْبَانٍ husban with dammah [=u ] on the first letter is, according to some lexicologists, used in the sense of hisab, the infinitive, meaning 'to calculate', like ghufran [ to forgive ], 3 subhan [ to declare purity ], قرآن Qur'an [ to recite or read ]. Other lexicologists feel that husban is the plural of hisab. The meaning of the verse, according to the former lexicologists, would be: The two bodies, on which depends man's entire life, run on fixed courses. They are subject to certain laws and they perform regularly, punctually and unerringly their allocated tasks - alternation of night and day, change of seasons and determination of years and months. If we go by the latter lexicologists' interpretation that husban is the plural of hisab, then it will refer to the fact that each of the sun and the moon has its own calculated orbits. The entire solar system is proceeding on the basis of different calculations, and each one of them is so firm and accurate that no deviation has ever occurred, since millions of years, even for a second.

This age is regarded as an age of ascension for science. The marvelous new inventions of the scientific age have caused wonders even for the philosophers. However, there is a clear difference between human inventions and Divine creation, which every discerning person can observe. Human inventions are subject to a series of continuous breakdown and damage, which require to be serviced, repaired, overhauled or refurbished. A machine, no matter how strong or sophisticated, needs to be repaired or at least serviced after a while. If this is not done in time, it will remain useless. The huge Divine creation, on the other hand, needs no repairs, no service nor refurbishing at any time. Neither the solar system overtakes the lunar movement, nor does the lunar movement outstrip the solar system. The sun and the moon and other celestial bodies, each float and move in its own orbit.

وَالنَّجْمُ وَالشَّجَرُ‌ يَسْجُدَانِ (And the vine and the tree both prostrate [ to Allah ]....55:6). The word najm refers to the 'plants having no stem' and the word shajar refers to any 'tree' with stems or trunk, twigs and branches. All of them prostrate to Allah. Sajdah or prostration is the supreme symbol of humility, respect, surrender and unconditional love and obedience of Allah. In this context, the verse means that Allah has assigned a specific task to every tree, plant, creeper, and their leaves and fruits for the benefit of mankind and they are performing their tasks without the slightest deviation from their assigned duties. The plants without stems and the trees humbly submit themselves to Allah's will. Verse [ 6], read along with the preceding verse [ 5], shows that everything, from the largest celestial body to the smallest plant, is subject to His laws manifest in nature. A little disturbance in or deviation from their set course would bring down in pieces the whole universe, which has been created for the service of man. It is inconceivable, therefore, that man for whose service this vast and complicated but perfectly regulated universe has been brought into being would have been created without a purpose. The life of man surely has a grand Divine aim to which repeated reference has been made in this entire Surah and in other parts of the Qur'an. There are two types of obedience: [ 1] obedience that is carried out by free will, as for instance, man and jinn are given free will to choose between obeying Allah's laws or disobeying them; and [ 2] all other creation of Allah are assigned specific tasks or duties to perform without any choice. The latter is referred to as ita’ ah takwiniyyah or jabriyyah 'compelled or coerced obedience'. In the current verse, the word sajdah refers to this type of 'obedience to Allah's laws in nature' where the natural objects have no choice.