Sūrat al-Furqān
سورۃ الفرقان
Note on the transition: The preceding page concluded the final verse of Sūrat al-Nūr (24:64), which contains the divine reminder:﴿وَيَوْمَ يُرْجَعُونَ إِلَيْهِ﴾wa-yawma yurjaʿūna ilayhi — "And the Day they shall be returned to Him; then He shall inform them of what they did, and Allāh has full knowledge of all things." Translation: "Be mindful of that Day when all people shall be gathered before Him and returned to His presence, and He shall acquaint them with all their deeds. Allāh knows everything."
Commentary: In this āyah Allāh (Exalted be He) teaches the believers the proper etiquette of addressing Him and calling upon Him. Among the Companions (may Allāh be pleased with them), such was the reverence for the Prophetﷺthat some would barely raise their voices above a whisper in his presence. What then of those who behave impertinently toward Allāh? Alas for those who treat Allāh with familiarity born of ignorance! As for the believers, let their aspiration be to say, as one of the great masters declared: min ʿabīdi Muḥammadin — "I am among the servants of Muḥammad." Hadrat ʿUmar al-Fārūq (may Allāh be pleased with him) said: kuntu ʿabdahu wa-khādimahu — "I was his servant and his attendant." The two common grounds shared by all humanity are: the universal brotherhood of mankind, and the distinction (imtiyāz) of servanthood (ʿubūdiyya) and being the noblest of creation (ashraf al-makhlūqāt). The unbelievers viewed this servanthood as a mark of lowliness, saying:﴿مَالِ هَـٰذَا الرَّسُولِ يَأْكُلُ الطَّعَامَ وَيَمْشِي فِي الْأَسْوَاقِ﴾"What manner of messenger is this, who eats food and walks in the marketplaces?" — whereas in the eyes of the Companions and the saints, love for the Prophetﷺ, reverence for him, and devotion to him are the highest gifts of grace. Āmīn.
Sūrat al-Furqān (25)
This Sūra was revealed in Makkah (Makkīyya). It contains seventy-seven (77) āyāt and 6 rukūʿ-sections.
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَـٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ
Bismillāhi'l-Raḥmāni'l-Raḥīm — In the name of Allāh, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful.
Āyah 1
تَبَارَكَ الَّذِي نَزَّلَ الْفُرْقَانَ عَلَىٰ عَبْدِهِ لِيَكُونَ لِلْعَالَمِينَ نَذِيرًا
Tabāraka'lladhī nazzala'l-Furqāna ʿalā ʿabdihī li-yakūna lil-ʿālamīna nadhīrā
"Blessed is He Who sent down the Criterion upon His servant, that he might be a warner to all the worlds." (al-Furqān 25:1)
Translation: He (Allāh, Exalted be He) is the Blessed One Who has sent down the Qurʾān — the Criterion (al-Furqān) that distinguishes truth from falsehood — upon His servant (the Prophet Muḥammadﷺ), so that he may be a warner to all creation.
Commentary: Tabāraka — "Blessed is He," full of blessedness and grace. Al-Furqān — the Qurʾān, called the Criterion because it distinguishes truth from falsehood, the permitted from the forbidden. ʿAbdihī — "His servant," the Prophet Muḥammadﷺ. Al-ʿālamīn — all peoples and all the worlds. Nadhīrā — a warner.
Commentary (continued on ʿAbdiyya — Servanthood): Know, O readers, that all creation are His servants, but whoever obeys Him most perfectly manifests servanthood (ʿubūdiyya) most fully. In following others' guidance there is greater servanthood to Allāh and greater obedience to Him. For this reason, the highest expression of servanthood is that of the Prophetﷺwho is therefore named ʿAbd Allāh and Rasūl Allāh. It is because of this perfect ʿubūdiyya that the Miʿrāj (the Blessed Night Journey and Ascension) took place, as Allāh says:﴿سُبْحَانَ الَّذِي أَسْرَىٰ بِعَبْدِهِ﴾Subḥāna'lladhī asrā bi-ʿabdihī — "Glory be to Him Who transported His servant by night" (al-Isrāʾ 17:1) — here the word ʿabdihī (His servant) specially denotes the highest manifestation of the divine attributes.
Names such as ʿAbd al-Raḥmān indicate those in whom mercy (raḥma) of Allāh is made manifest; ʿAbd al-Qādir — those in whom divine power is manifest; ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz — those in whom divine might shines forth; and ʿAbd Allāh — one in whom all divine attributes are gathered. Since the Prophetﷺis the supreme manifestation (maẓhar al-aʿẓam) of all the perfections of Allāh (Exalted be He), he is therefore called ʿAbd Allāh in the truest sense.
All the perfections of Allāh (Exalted be He) are manifest through the medium of the Prophetﷺ. He himself showed and revealed the divine light to others: as the ḥadīth states, Anā min nūri'Llāh wa-kulluhum min nūrī — "I am from the light of Allāh, and all are from my light." The awliyāʾ (saints) in turn mirror the perfections of the Prophetﷺaccording to their respective stations.
Some people suppose that they take directly from Allāh and are devoted to Allāh alone — such people's vision does not extend to seeing that through the Prophets and saints (awliyāʾ) the divine reality (wujūd ilāhī) becomes transparent. They say: "We take from Allāh and are devoted to Allāh" — yet in truth they are devoted to Allāh through the medium of the saints (awliyāʾ). Undoubtedly they are devoted, but through the intermediary (wasīla) of the pious chain (silsila).
As one great saint expressed it: Anā ʿAbdu'Llāh tābiʿun li-Muḥammadin ʿAbdi'Llāh — "I am a servant of Allāh following Muḥammad the servant of Allāh." Whatever spiritual reality one perceives is on account of the great masters standing before one — the gaze reaches it because of the mirror of the great ones. One who takes from Allāh takes through the intermediary of the Prophetﷺ; one who takes from the Prophetﷺtakes through the intermediaries of the saints.
Āyah 2
الَّذِي لَهُ مُلْكُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَلَمْ يَتَّخِذْ وَلَدًا وَلَمْ يَكُن لَّهُ شَرِيكٌ فِي الْمُلْكِ وَخَلَقَ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ فَقَدَّرَهُ تَقْدِيرًا
Alladhī lahū mulku's-samāwāti wa'l-arḍi wa-lam yattakhidh waladan wa-lam yakun lahū sharīkun fi'l-mulki wa-khalaqa kulla shayʾin fa-qaddarahu taqdīrā
"He to Whom belongs the sovereignty of the heavens and the earth, Who has taken no son, and Who has no partner in sovereignty; He created everything and determined it with precise determination." (al-Furqān 25:2)
Translation: The sovereignty of the heavens and the earth belongs to Him alone. He has taken no son for Himself, and He has no partner in His dominion. He created all things and measured them with exact and fitting measure.
Commentary: The sovereignty of the heavens and the earth belongs entirely to Allāh. He has not taken any son, and there is no partner in His dominion. He created every single thing and determined it precisely — fashioning each thing according to its capacity and potential. Fa-qaddarahu taqdīrā — He measured out each creation perfectly and set for each thing its destined limit.
Translation of full verse: He to Whom the sovereignty of the heavens and the earth belongs — He has taken no child, and He has no partner in His dominion. He created all things and determined each with exact measure.
Āyah 3
وَاتَّخَذُوا مِن دُونِهِ آلِهَةً لَّا يَخْلُقُونَ شَيْئًا وَهُمْ يُخْلَقُونَ وَلَا يَمْلِكُونَ لِأَنفُسِهِمْ ضَرًّا وَلَا نَفْعًا وَلَا يَمْلِكُونَ مَوْتًا وَلَا حَيَاةً وَلَا نُشُورًا
Wa-'ttakhadhū min dūnihī ālihatann-lā yakhluqūna shayʾan wa-hum yukhlaqūna wa-lā yamliqūna li-anfusihim ḍarran wa-lā nafʿan wa-lā yamliqūna mawtan wa-lā ḥayātan wa-lā nushūrā
"Yet they have taken besides Him gods that create nothing but are themselves created, and possess no power to harm or benefit themselves, nor do they control death or life or resurrection." (al-Furqān 25:3)
Translation: The people have adopted gods besides Allāh — gods that cannot create so much as a single thing, but are themselves created (they are themselves among Allāh's creatures). These gods have no power to harm or benefit even themselves; the ability to cause death or grant life or raise the dead on the Day of Resurrection does not rest with them.
Commentary: These false deities cannot create anything at all — even a mote, even a single atom. Rather, they are themselves created. They have no control over harm or benefit for themselves, let alone others. Harm, benefit, death, life — all are in the hand of Allāh alone. They cannot bring about death, nor can they grant life, nor can they raise the dead; all resurrection belongs exclusively to Allāh (Exalted be He).
Āyah 4
وَقَالَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا إِنْ هَـٰذَا إِلَّا إِفْكٌ افْتَرَاهُ وَأَعَانَهُ عَلَيْهِ قَوْمٌ آخَرُونَ ۖ فَقَدْ جَاءُوا ظُلْمًا وَزُورًا
Wa-qāla'lladhīna kafarū in hādhā illā ifkuni'ftarāhu wa-aʿānahū ʿalayhi qawmun ākhirūna fa-qad jāʾū ẓulman wa-zūrā
"The unbelievers say: 'This is nothing but a lie he has forged, and other people have helped him with it' — but they have indeed come with an injustice and a falsehood." (al-Furqān 25:4)
Translation: The unbelievers and the deniers say — and they still say it today — "This is nothing but a fabrication he has invented, and other people have assisted him in it." But in saying this they have perpetrated a grave injustice and uttered a manifest falsehood — they are themselves the oppressors and the liars.
Translation (continued): The unbelievers say that this is merely a fabricated lie and that others have helped him compose it. They have indeed come with injustice and falsehood.
Āyah 5
وَقَالُوا أَسَاطِيرُ الْأَوَّلِينَ اكْتَتَبَهَا فَهِيَ تُمْلَىٰ عَلَيْهِ بُكْرَةً وَأَصِيلًا
Wa-qālū asāṭīru'l-awwalīna'ktatatbahā fa-hiya tumlā ʿalayhi bukratan wa-aṣīlā
"And they say: 'Fables of the ancients — he has had them written down; they are dictated to him morning and evening.'" (al-Furqān 25:5)
Translation: And they say: "These are merely the fables and legends of the ancients, which he has had copied down, and they are read out to him morning and evening."
Āyah 6
قُلْ أَنزَلَهُ الَّذِي يَعْلَمُ السِّرَّ فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ ۚ إِنَّهُ كَانَ غَفُورًا رَّحِيمًا
Qul anzalahu'lladhī yaʿlamu's-sirra fi's-samāwāti wa'l-arḍi innahu kāna ghafūran raḥīmā
"Say: 'It was sent down by Him Who knows the secret in the heavens and the earth — He is the Oft-Forgiving, the Most Merciful.'" (al-Furqān 25:6)
Translation: Say: "It has been sent down by He Who knows what is hidden in the heavens and the earth. He knows all secrets whether in the heavens or on the earth. Indeed He is the Oft-Forgiving, the Most Merciful."
Commentary: Allāh (Exalted be He) knows all that is hidden throughout the heavens and the earth — every secret is known to Him, every hidden thing is manifest before Him — and yet He is the Oft-Forgiving and Most Merciful. Despite knowing the sins of His servants He covers them with forgiveness and mercy.
Āyah 7
وَقَالُوا مَالِ هَـٰذَا الرَّسُولِ يَأْكُلُ الطَّعَامَ وَيَمْشِي فِي الْأَسْوَاقِ ۙ لَوْلَا أُنزِلَ إِلَيْهِ مَلَكٌ فَيَكُونَ مَعَهُ نَذِيرًا
Wa-qālū māli hādha'r-rasūli yaʾkulu'ṭ-ṭaʿāma wa-yamshī fi'l-aswāqi lawlā unzila ilayhi malakun fa-yakūna maʿahu nadhīrā
"And they say: 'What is this messenger — he eats food and walks through the marketplaces! Why has no angel been sent down to be a warner with him?'" (al-Furqān 25:7)
Translation: And they say: "What sort of messenger is this? He eats food and walks in the bazaars! Why was an angel not sent down to him to serve as a warner alongside him?"
Commentary: The unbelievers used the fact that the Prophetﷺate, drank, and went about in the marketplaces as an objection — as if the highest station were one of isolation from the human world. In fact the Prophet'sﷺsharing in human life is itself a mercy and a proof of his perfect humanity and prophethood. It is not a deficiency but an excellence.
Āyah 8
أَوْ يُلْقَىٰ إِلَيْهِ كَنزٌ أَوْ تَكُونُ لَهُ جَنَّةٌ يَأْكُلُ مِنْهَا ۚ وَقَالَ الظَّالِمُونَ إِن تَتَّبِعُونَ إِلَّا رَجُلًا مَّسْحُورًا
Aw yulqā ilayhi kanzun aw takūnu lahū jannatun yaʾkulu minhā wa-qāla'ẓ-ẓālimūna in tattabiʿūna illā rajulan masḥūrā
"'Or why is not a treasure cast down to him, or why has he not a garden to eat from?' And the wrongdoers say: 'You are following only a man who is bewitched.'" (al-Furqān 25:8)
Translation: "Or why is not a treasure bestowed upon him, or why does he not have a garden from which he might eat?" And the oppressors say: "You are following nothing but a bewitched man."
Āyah 9
انظُرْ كَيْفَ ضَرَبُوا لَكَ الْأَمْثَالَ فَضَلُّوا فَلَا يَسْتَطِيعُونَ سَبِيلًا
Unẓur kayfa ḍarabū laka'l-amthāla fa-ḍallū fa-lā yastaṭīʿūna sabīlā
"See how they coin comparisons for you — but they have gone astray and cannot find a way." (al-Furqān 25:9)
Translation: Look at what kinds of things they say about you and what examples they invent. In doing so they have fallen into misguidance and will not find the right path — they have gone so far astray that no way remains for them [to find guidance].
Āyah 10
تَبَارَكَ الَّذِي إِن شَاءَ جَعَلَ لَكَ خَيْرًا مِّن ذَٰلِكَ جَنَّاتٍ تَجْرِي مِن تَحْتِهَا الْأَنْهَارُ وَيَجْعَل لَّكَ قُصُورًا
Tabāraka'lladhī in shāʾa jaʿala laka khayran min dhālika jannātin tajrī min taḥtihā'l-anhāru wa-yajʿal laka quṣūrā
"Blessed is He Who, if He willed, could assign you something better than that — gardens beneath which rivers flow — and assign you palaces." (al-Furqān 25:10)
Translation: Blessed is He Who, had He willed, could have given you something far better than what they suggest — gardens beneath which rivers run — and could have assigned you palaces.
Āyah 11
بَلْ كَذَّبُوا بِالسَّاعَةِ ۖ وَأَعْتَدْنَا لِمَن كَذَّبَ بِالسَّاعَةِ سَعِيرًا
Bal kadhdhabū bi's-sāʿati wa-aʿtadnā li-man kadhdhaba bi's-sāʿati saʿīrā
"But they deny the Hour — and for him who denies the Hour We have prepared a blazing fire." (al-Furqān 25:11)
Translation: Indeed, these people deny the Hour of Resurrection — they do not believe in it — and We have prepared for whoever denies the Hour a blazing, raging fire.
Commentary: For those who deny the Day of Judgement We have prepared a flaming fire. When it (Hell) sees them from afar it will roar and blaze with fury.
Āyah 12
إِذَا رَأَتْهُم مِّن مَّكَانٍ بَعِيدٍ سَمِعُوا لَهَا تَغَيُّظًا وَزَفِيرًا
Idhā raʾathum min makānin baʿīdin samiʿū lahā taghayyuẓan wa-zafīrā
"When it sees them from a distant place, they will hear its raging roar and its seething." (al-Furqān 25:12)
Translation: When Hell sees them from a great distance, they will hear its roaring and seething rage — the sounds of its fury and boiling.
Āyah 13
وَإِذَا أُلْقُوا مِنْهَا مَكَانًا ضَيِّقًا مُّقَرَّنِينَ دَعَوُا هُنَالِكَ ثُبُورًا
Wa-idhā ulqū minhā makānan ḍayyiqan muqarranīna daʿaw hunālika thubūrā
"And when they are cast into a narrow place therein, chained together, they will cry out for destruction." (al-Furqān 25:13)
Translation: And when they are flung into a narrow and constricted place in it, bound together with their hands shackled, they will call out at that moment for annihilation and ruin.
Āyah 14
لَّا تَدْعُوا الْيَوْمَ ثُبُورًا وَاحِدًا وَادْعُوا ثُبُورًا كَثِيرًا
Lā tadʿū'l-yawma thubūran wāḥidan wa'dʿū thubūran kathīrā
"Do not cry this Day for one destruction — cry for many destructions!" (al-Furqān 25:14)
Translation: Today do not call for one destruction — cry out for countless destructions! [For your torment is unending and every moment brings renewed suffering.]
Āyah 15
قُلْ أَذَٰلِكَ خَيْرٌ أَمْ جَنَّةُ الْخُلْدِ الَّتِي وُعِدَ الْمُتَّقُونَ ۚ كَانَتْ لَهُمْ جَزَاءً وَمَصِيرًا
Qul a-dhālika khayrun am jannatu'l-khuldi'llatī wuʿida'l-muttaqūna kānat lahum jazāʾan wa-maṣīrā
"Say: Is that better, or the eternal Garden promised to the God-fearing? It is for them a reward and a final destination." (al-Furqān 25:15)
Translation: Say: Is this punishment better, or is the eternal Garden — which has been promised to those who fear Allāh, the garden of everlasting abode — better? That Garden is their recompense and their final station.
Āyah 16
لَّهُمْ فِيهَا مَا يَشَاءُونَ خَالِدِينَ ۚ وَكَانَ عَلَىٰ رَبِّكَ وَعْدًا مَّسْئُولًا
Lahum fīhā mā yashāʾūna khālidīna wa-kāna ʿalā rabbika waʿdan masʾūlā
"Therein they shall have whatever they desire, abiding there — a promise binding upon your Lord and ever petitioned." (al-Furqān 25:16)
Translation: In that Garden they shall have whatever they desire, dwelling therein forever. This is a promise that is incumbent upon your Lord — a promise that is asked of Him and that He shall fulfil.
Commentary: All that the dwellers of Paradise wish for is available to them there. This promise was sought by the believers in their prayers and supplications and Allāh, Most Exalted, shall fulfil it. May Allāh grant us this through His bounty and generosity.
Āyah 17
وَيَوْمَ يَحْشُرُهُمْ وَمَا يَعْبُدُونَ مِن دُونِ اللَّهِ فَيَقُولُ أَأَنتُمْ أَضْلَلْتُمْ عِبَادِي هَـٰؤُلَاءِ أَمْ هُمْ ضَلُّوا السَّبِيلَ
Wa-yawma yaḥshuruhum wa-mā yaʿbudūna min dūni'Llāhi fa-yaqūlu a-antum aḍlaltum ʿibādī hāʾulāʾi am hum ḍallū's-sabīl
"And the Day when He shall gather them together along with what they used to worship besides Allāh, and shall say: 'Was it you who led these servants of Mine astray, or did they themselves stray from the path?'" (al-Furqān 25:17)
Translation: Remember the Day when He will gather all of them along with those they worshipped besides Allāh, and then Allāh (Exalted be He) will address those false deities: "Did you lead these servants of Mine into misguidance, or did they themselves go astray?"
Āyah 18
قَالُوا سُبْحَانَكَ مَا كَانَ يَنبَغِي لَنَا أَن نَّتَّخِذَ مِن دُونِكَ مِنْ أَوْلِيَاءَ وَلَـٰكِن مَّتَّعْتَهُمْ وَآبَاءَهُمْ حَتَّىٰ نَسُوا الذِّكْرَ وَكَانُوا قَوْمًا بُورًا
Qālū subḥānaka mā kāna yanbaghī lanā an nattakhidha min dūnika min awliyāʾa wa-lākin mattaʿtahum wa-ābāʾahum ḥattā nasū'dh-dhikra wa-kānū qawman būrā
"They will say: 'Glory be to You! It was not fitting for us to take any protectors besides You — but You gave them and their fathers provision until they forgot the Reminder, and became a people destined for perdition.'" (al-Furqān 25:18)
Translation: They (the objects of worship) will reply: "Glory be to You! It was not fitting for us to take any guardians or protectors other than You. But You gave them and their forefathers abundance — wealth and comfort and enjoyment of the world — until they forgot Your remembrance and became a people doomed to destruction and ruin."
Āyah 19
فَقَدْ كَذَّبُوكُم بِمَا تَقُولُونَ فَمَا تَسْتَطِيعُونَ صَرْفًا وَلَا نَصْرًا ۚ وَمَن يَظْلِم مِّنكُمْ نُذِقْهُ عَذَابًا كَبِيرًا
Fa-qad kadhdhabūkum bi-mā taqūlūna fa-mā tastaṭīʿūna ṣarfan wa-lā naṣran wa-man yaẓlim minkum nudhiqhu ʿadhāban kabīrā
"So they have given the lie to what you say, and you can neither avert the punishment nor get help — and whoever among you does wrong, We shall make him taste a great torment." (al-Furqān 25:19)
Translation: So those you worshipped have denied your claims — they have rejected what you say. Now you have neither the power to deflect the punishment nor any helper to assist you. And whoever among you has done wrong, We shall make him taste a tremendous torment.
Āyah 20
وَمَا أَرْسَلْنَا قَبْلَكَ مِنَ الْمُرْسَلِينَ إِلَّا إِنَّهُمْ لَيَأْكُلُونَ الطَّعَامَ وَيَمْشُونَ فِي الْأَسْوَاقِ ۗ وَجَعَلْنَا بَعْضَكُمْ لِبَعْضٍ فِتْنَةً أَتَصْبِرُونَ ۗ وَكَانَ رَبُّكَ بَصِيرًا
Wa-mā arsalnā qablaka mina'l-mursalīna illā innahum la-yaʾkulūna'ṭ-ṭaʿāma wa-yamshūna fi'l-aswāqi wa-jaʿalnā baʿḍakum li-baʿḍin fitnatan a-taṣbirūna wa-kāna rabbuka baṣīrā
"And We sent none before you of the messengers but that they also ate food and walked in the marketplaces. And We have made some of you a trial for others — will you bear patiently? Your Lord is ever All-Seeing." (al-Furqān 25:20)
Translation: We did not send any messenger before you but that they too ate food and walked in the bazaars. And We made some of you a trial and a test for others — so will you endure with patience? Your Lord is All-Seeing, beholding all things.
Commentary: The objection that the Prophetﷺate food and walked in the markets is thus entirely without basis — all the prophets shared in the normal human condition. Moreover Allāh (Exalted be He) has made some people a trial and test for others — the poor for the rich, the sick for the healthy, the weak for the mighty — so that patience may be known and rewarded.
[Note: p.235 in the source is a page containing transitional/marginal content with minimal recoverable text beyond the verse commentary that continues into p.236.]
Āyah 21
وَقَالَ الَّذِينَ لَا يَرْجُونَ لِقَاءَنَا لَوْلَا أُنزِلَ عَلَيْنَا الْمَلَائِكَةُ أَوْ نَرَىٰ رَبَّنَا ۗ لَقَدِ اسْتَكْبَرُوا فِي أَنفُسِهِمْ وَعَتَوْ عُتُوًّا كَبِيرًا
Wa-qāla'lladhīna lā yarjūna liqāʾanā lawlā unzila ʿalayna'l-malāʾikatu aw narā rabbanā laqadi'stakbarū fī anfusihim wa-ʿataw ʿutuwwan kabīrā
"And those who do not expect to meet Us say: 'Why were angels not sent down to us, or why do we not see our Lord?' They have become arrogant within themselves and exceeded all bounds in insolence." (al-Furqān 25:21)
Translation: Those who have no hope of meeting Us — those who do not believe in the Hereafter — say: "Why were angels not sent down to us, or why do we not see our Lord face to face?" They have grown enormously arrogant in themselves and have transgressed with extreme and grievous insolence.
Āyah 22
يَوْمَ يَرَوْنَ الْمَلَائِكَةَ لَا بُشْرَىٰ يَوْمَئِذٍ لِّلْمُجْرِمِينَ وَيَقُولُونَ حِجْرًا مَّحْجُورًا
Yawma yarawna'l-malāʾikata lā bushrā yawmaʾidhin li'l-mujrimīna wa-yaqūlūna ḥijran maḥjūrā
"The Day they see the angels — on that Day there shall be no good tidings for the sinners; and they (the angels) will say: 'Utterly forbidden!'" (al-Furqān 25:22)
Translation: The Day they behold the angels, there will be no good news on that Day for the sinners and unbelievers. The angels will say: "Forbidden! Absolutely forbidden!" — meaning: barred from all good and mercy, shut off from every aspiration. [The meaning of ḥijran maḥjūrān is: "May Allāh protect us from them!"]
Commentary: On that Day when the sinners finally see the angels they had demanded to see, there will be no glad tidings for them — only a declaration of their exclusion from mercy. May Allāh preserve us. Ḥijran maḥjūran — an impenetrable barrier, utter exclusion.
Āyah 23
وَقَدِمْنَا إِلَىٰ مَا عَمِلُوا مِنْ عَمَلٍ فَجَعَلْنَاهُ هَبَاءً مَّنثُورًا
Wa-qadimnā ilā mā ʿamilū min ʿamalin fa-jaʿalnāhu habāʾan manthūrā
"And We shall turn to whatever deeds they did and make them as scattered dust." (al-Furqān 25:23)
Translation: We shall advance upon all the deeds they performed — We shall turn their attention to those deeds — and We shall render them like scattered dust and dispersed motes. [For deeds performed without faith have no weight on the Day of Reckoning.]
Commentary: You now know the reality of their deeds — We have reduced their works to dust and dispersed them entirely.
Āyah 24
أَصْحَابُ الْجَنَّةِ يَوْمَئِذٍ خَيْرٌ مُّسْتَقَرًّا وَأَحْسَنُ مَقِيلًا
Aṣḥābu'l-jannati yawmaʾidhin khayrun mustaqarran wa-aḥsanu maqīlā
"The companions of the Garden on that Day shall have the best dwelling-place and the most beautiful resting-place." (al-Furqān 25:24)
Translation: The people of Paradise on that Day shall have the most excellent abode and resting-place, and the most beautiful place of midday repose (qaylūla).
Commentary: Maqīl — the midday rest. The people of Paradise will not experience the agonies of the Day of Reckoning; instead, while others suffer the terrors of that tremendous day, they will rest in their lofty stations in comfort and peace.
Āyah 25
وَيَوْمَ تَشَقَّقُ السَّمَاءُ بِالْغَمَامِ وَنُزِّلَ الْمَلَائِكَةُ تَنزِيلًا
Wa-yawma tashaqqaqu's-samāʾu bi'l-ghamāmi wa-nuzzila'l-malāʾikatu tanzīlā
"And the Day the sky is split asunder with clouds and the angels are sent down in a great descent." (al-Furqān 25:25)
Translation: And the Day when the sky is cleft open with clouds and the angels descend in a mighty and successive descent — group after group, rank after rank.
Commentary: On that Day both cloud and sky shall be rent asunder, and the angels will descend in wave upon wave. According to some commentators, the sky will become like clouds; others say the clouds will also be present. Either way, the angels will descend in successive ranks.
Āyah 26
الْمُلْكُ يَوْمَئِذٍ الْحَقُّ لِلرَّحْمَـٰنِ ۚ وَكَانَ يَوْمًا عَلَى الْكَافِرِينَ عَسِيرًا
Al-mulku yawmaʾidhi'l-ḥaqqu li'r-raḥmāni wa-kāna yawman ʿala'l-kāfirīna ʿasīrā
"True sovereignty on that Day belongs to the Most Merciful, and it will be a day of great difficulty for the unbelievers." (al-Furqān 25:26)
Translation: On that Day, true sovereignty belongs entirely to the All-Merciful alone, and that Day will be one of extreme difficulty and hardship for the unbelievers.
Āyah 27
وَيَوْمَ يَعَضُّ الظَّالِمُ عَلَىٰ يَدَيْهِ يَقُولُ يَا لَيْتَنِي اتَّخَذْتُ مَعَ الرَّسُولِ سَبِيلًا
Wa-yawma yaʿaḍḍu'ẓ-ẓālimu ʿalā yadayhi yaqūlu yā laytanī'ttakhadhtu maʿa'r-rasūli sabīlā
"And the Day the wrongdoer will bite his hands, saying: 'Would that I had taken the way of the Messenger!'" (al-Furqān 25:27)
Translation: And the Day the oppressor will bite his hands [in anguish and remorse], saying: "Alas, would that I had followed the path of the Messenger [ﷺ] and companioned him on the true way!"
Commentary: On that Day the oppressor and sinner — who did not accept the way of the Messengerﷺin this world — will bite his own hands in regret and grief, declaring his sorrow that he had not walked the path of the Messengerﷺ.
Āyah 28
يَا وَيْلَتَىٰ لَيْتَنِي لَمْ أَتَّخِذْ فُلَانًا خَلِيلًا
Yā waylatayyā laytanī lam attakhidh fulānan khalīlā
"'O woe is me! Would that I had never taken so-and-so as a close friend!'" (al-Furqān 25:28)
Translation: "Woe to me! Would that I had never taken such-and-such a person as my intimate friend!"
Commentary: He will cry: "Alas! Would that I had never taken that person as my bosom companion!"
Āyah 29
لَّقَدْ أَضَلَّنِي عَنِ الذِّكْرِ بَعْدَ إِذْ جَاءَنِي ۗ وَكَانَ الشَّيْطَانُ لِلْإِنسَانِ خَذُولًا
Laqad aḍallanī ʿani'dh-dhikri baʿda idh jāʾanī wa-kāna'sh-shayṭānu li'l-insāni khadhūlā
"'He indeed led me astray from the Reminder after it had come to me — for Shayṭān is ever a deserter of man.'" (al-Furqān 25:29)
Translation: "He indeed misled me away from the Qurʾān and its remembrance after it had come to me. And Shayṭān has always been a betrayer and deserter of mankind — he abandons man at the moment of need."
Āyah 30
وَقَالَ الرَّسُولُ يَا رَبِّ إِنَّ قَوْمِي اتَّخَذُوا هَـٰذَا الْقُرْآنَ مَهْجُورًا
Wa-qāla'r-rasūlu yā rabbi inna qawmī'ttakhadhū hādha'l-Qurʾāna mahjūrā
"And the Messenger will say: 'O my Lord, my people treated this Qurʾān as something to be abandoned.'" (al-Furqān 25:30)
Translation: And the Messengerﷺwill say: "O my Lord! Truly my people took this Qurʾān and treated it as something abandoned and forsaken — something cast aside and ignored."
Commentary: O readers! In earlier times, the recitation of the Qurʾān was widespread and the sound of its recitation could be heard from every home. People would recite it in the early morning; they would spend time in its recitation; there was a time when in every household the voices of Qurʾān recitation could be heard. Now — alas — a time has come when the Qurʾān is neglected. If the Qurʾān is mentioned, people hear it as a burden. Even keeping it on a shelf is treated as sufficient. There are those who say: "I have placed a copy on the shelf" or "I have given it a position of honour" — but in their daily lives the Qurʾān is absent. Know that even its words are full of blessing (baraka). Even reading it for its blessings, even if one does not understand, brings benefit — though reading with understanding and presence of heart is far superior. A book left on the shelf — with the mind absent — earns only a fraction of the reward, while continual neglect causes harm. At the very least, reciting the words of the Qurʾān earns reward (thawāb) and makes one an heir to its blessings.
Commentary (continued): The benefit of the Qurʾān reaches one who recites it even in a state of inattention, just as a medicinal plant placed near someone — even unawares — may bring some benefit. In like manner, one who recites the Qurʾān thoughtlessly, in mere haste, receives at least the minimum: the Qurʾān is recited in a mutawātir (mass-transmitted, unbroken) chain; its text is mutawātir, its orthography is mutawātir, and it has been preserved by Allāh for fourteen hundred years in exact and unaltered form, unlike any other book — human or divine — in history. Its tawātur (mass transmission) is unique; its words are mutawātir; its script is mutawātir. One who does not learn to recite it properly in adulthood has no valid excuse.
Āyah 31
وَكَذَٰلِكَ جَعَلْنَا لِكُلِّ نَبِيٍّ عَدُوًّا مِّنَ الْمُجْرِمِينَ ۗ وَكَفَىٰ بِرَبِّكَ هَادِيًا وَنَصِيرًا
Wa-kadhālika jaʿalnā li-kulli nabiyyin ʿaduwwan mina'l-mujrimīna wa-kafā bi-rabbika hādiyyan wa-naṣīrā
"And thus for every prophet We appointed an enemy from among the sinners — but your Lord suffices as Guide and Helper." (al-Furqān 25:31)
Translation: And just as it is with you, so too We appointed for every prophet an enemy from among the wrongdoers and criminals — so be not grieved. Your Lord suffices as a Guide and as a Helper.
Āyah 32
وَقَالَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا لَوْلَا نُزِّلَ عَلَيْهِ الْقُرْآنُ جُمْلَةً وَاحِدَةً ۚ كَذَٰلِكَ لِنُثَبِّتَ بِهِ فُؤَادَكَ ۖ وَرَتَّلْنَاهُ تَرْتِيلًا
Wa-qāla'lladhīna kafarū lawlā nuzzila ʿalayhi'l-Qurʾānu jumlatan wāḥidatan kadhālika li-nuthabbita bihī fuʾādaka wa-rattalnāhu tartīlā
"And the unbelievers say: 'Why was the Qurʾān not sent down to him all at once?' Thus, so that We might strengthen your heart with it — and We have recited it to you in gradual stages." (al-Furqān 25:32)
Translation: The unbelievers say: "Why was the Qurʾān not sent down upon him all at once, in a single revelation?" [The answer is:] We sent it down gradually in precisely this manner in order to strengthen and fortify your heart — and We have arranged its recitation for you in a measured, beautiful order.
Commentary: The wisdom of gradual revelation (tanjīm) is profound: every time the Prophetﷺfaced a new challenge, a new situation, or a new question, the relevant Qurʾānic guidance arrived to address it directly, thereby strengthening the heart and ensuring that the guidance was suited to the moment. This also enabled the believers to memorise and internalise it step by step. Some people of corrupt intention press the believers from all sides with difficult questions, seeking to create doubt — but Allāh (Exalted be He) declares that for every such difficulty He brings a perfect and satisfying answer. Many believers find the onslaughts of sceptics disturbing to their faith, but they need not be — the answers to every specious objection are present in the Qurʾān.
Āyah 33
وَلَا يَأْتُونَكَ بِمَثَلٍ إِلَّا جِئْنَاكَ بِالْحَقِّ وَأَحْسَنَ تَفْسِيرًا
Wa-lā yaʾtūnaka bi-mathalin illā jiʾnāka bi'l-ḥaqqi wa-aḥsana tafsīrā
"And they do not come to you with any argument but We bring you the truth and a better explanation." (al-Furqān 25:33)
Translation: Whenever they bring you some difficult argument or perplexing objection, We bring you the truth in response along with the finest and most illuminating elucidation (tafsīr) of the matter.
Āyah 34
الَّذِينَ يُحْشَرُونَ عَلَىٰ وُجُوهِهِمْ إِلَىٰ جَهَنَّمَ أُولَـٰئِكَ شَرٌّ مَّكَانًا وَأَضَلُّ سَبِيلًا
Alladhīna yuḥsharūna ʿalā wujūhihim ilā jahannama ulāʾika sharrun makānan wa-aḍallu sabīlā
"Those who are gathered to Hell face-down — they are in the worst situation and the most astray from the path." (al-Furqān 25:34)
Translation: Those who are driven to Hell face-downward — they are in the worst possible station and the most profoundly misguided in their path.
Āyah 35
وَلَقَدْ آتَيْنَا مُوسَى الْكِتَابَ وَجَعَلْنَا مَعَهُ أَخَاهُ هَارُونَ وَزِيرًا
Wa-laqad ātaynā Mūsā'l-kitāba wa-jaʿalnā maʿahu akhāhu Hārūna wazīrā
"And We indeed gave Mūsā the Book and appointed his brother Hārūn as his minister." (al-Furqān 25:35)
Translation: And We indeed gave Mūsā (upon him be peace) the Book, and We appointed his brother Hārūn (upon him be peace) as his minister and deputy — a wazīr is one who bears the burdens of another, who assists in governance.
Āyah 36
فَقُلْنَا اذْهَبَا إِلَى الْقَوْمِ الَّذِينَ كَذَّبُوا بِآيَاتِنَا فَدَمَّرْنَاهُمْ تَدْمِيرًا
Fa-qulnā'dhhabā ilā'l-qawmi'lladhīna kadhdhabū bi-āyātinā fa-dammar-nāhum tadmīrā
"And We said: 'Go both of you to the people who have denied Our signs' — and We utterly destroyed them." (al-Furqān 25:36)
Translation: Then We said: "Go, both of you, to the people who have rejected Our signs." They went — and when Pharaoh's people denied the signs, We destroyed them with utter destruction.
Āyah 37
وَقَوْمَ نُوحٍ لَّمَّا كَذَّبُوا الرُّسُلَ أَغْرَقْنَاهُمْ وَجَعَلْنَاهُمْ لِلنَّاسِ آيَةً ۖ وَأَعْتَدْنَا لِلظَّالِمِينَ عَذَابًا أَلِيمًا
Wa-qawma Nūḥin lammā kadhdhabū'r-rusula aghraqnāhum wa-jaʿalnāhum li'n-nāsi āyatan wa-aʿtadnā li'ẓ-ẓālimīna ʿadhāban alīmā
"And the people of Nūḥ — when they denied the messengers, We drowned them and made them a sign for all people — and We have prepared a painful punishment for the wrongdoers." (al-Furqān 25:37)
Translation: And the people of Nūḥ (upon him be peace) — when they denied the messengers and refused to believe — We submerged them in the flood and destroyed them, and We made them a sign (āya) and a lesson of warning for all people. And We have prepared for the wrongdoers a grievous and painful punishment.
Āyah 38
وَعَادًا وَثَمُودَ وَأَصْحَابَ الرَّسِّ وَقُرُونًا بَيْنَ ذَٰلِكَ كَثِيرًا
Wa-ʿādan wa-thamūda wa-aṣḥāba'r-rassi wa-qurūnan bayna dhālika kathīrā
"And ʿĀd and Thamūd and the companions of al-Rass, and many generations between them." (al-Furqān 25:38)
Translation: And [We destroyed] ʿĀd and Thamūd and the people of al-Rass (aṣḥāb al-rass) and very many generations and peoples between them [who committed the same crimes of denial].
Āyah 39
وَكُلًّا ضَرَبْنَا لَهُ الْأَمْثَالَ ۖ وَكُلًّا تَبَّرْنَا تَتْبِيرًا
Wa-kullan ḍarabnā lahū'l-amthāla wa-kullan tabbarnā tatbīrā
"And for each of them We set forth parables and examples, and each We utterly shattered and destroyed." (al-Furqān 25:39)
Translation: For every one of these peoples We set forth parables and examples [in warning], and every one of them We shattered and ruined utterly — We spared none of them after they persisted in rejection.
Āyah 40
وَلَقَدْ أَتَوْا عَلَى الْقَرْيَةِ الَّتِي أُمْطِرَتْ مَطَرَ السَّوْءِ ۚ أَفَلَمْ يَكُونُوا يَرَوْنَهَا ۚ بَلْ كَانُوا لَا يَرْجُونَ نُشُورًا
Wa-laqad ataw ʿala'l-qaryati'llatī umṭirat maṭara's-sawʾi a-fa-lam yakūnū yarawnahā bal kānū lā yarjūna nushūrā
"And they have indeed passed by the town upon which the rain of evil was rained down — did they not see it? Rather, they had no hope of resurrection." (al-Furqān 25:40)
Translation: The Makkans have indeed passed by the town upon which the rain of evil — the rain of brimstone — was rained down [the town of Lūṭ, upon him be peace, which is on the road their trading caravans took to Syria]. Did they never see it? In truth, they had no hope of resurrection — they did not believe in the Day of Judgement.
Āyah 41
وَإِذَا رَأَوْكَ إِن يَتَّخِذُونَكَ إِلَّا هُزُوًا أَهَـٰذَا الَّذِي بَعَثَ اللَّهُ رَسُولًا
Wa-idhā raʾawka in yattakhidhūnaka illā huzuwan a-hādhā'lladhī baʿatha'Llāhu rasūlā
"And when they see you, they only mock you: 'Is this the one whom Allāh has sent as a messenger?'" (al-Furqān 25:41)
Translation: And whenever they see you [O Prophetﷺ], they take you as an object of ridicule — they mock and jeer — saying: "Is this the one whom Allāh has sent as a messenger?"
Āyah 42
إِن كَادَ لَيُضِلُّنَا عَنْ آلِهَتِنَا لَوْلَا أَن صَبَرْنَا عَلَيْهَا ۚ وَسَوْفَ يَعْلَمُونَ حِينَ يَرَوْنَ الْعَذَابَ مَنْ أَضَلُّ سَبِيلًا
In kāda la-yuḍillunā ʿan ālihatinā lawlā an ṣabarnā ʿalayhā wa-sawfa yaʿlamūna ḥīna yarawna'l-ʿadhāba man aḍallu sabīlā
"'He nearly led us away from our gods had we not persevered in adhering to them.' And soon they shall know, when they see the punishment, who was most astray from the path." (al-Furqān 25:42)
Translation: They say: "He nearly led us astray from our gods had we not held fast to worshipping them." Soon — very soon — they will come to know, when they see the torment before them, who was truly and most profoundly astray.
Commentary: The unbelievers taunt: "We should be grateful we did not abandon our idols on account of this man." But [the Qurʾānic response is:] let them wait until the torment arrives — then it will become clear who was astray and who was guided. As for the claim that their devotion to the Prophetﷺnearly cost them their idols — even animals act according to their instinct and are guided by it, and they have not gone astray from their natural instinct. But these people — despite possessing reason and power — abandoned both and followed only their desires, making themselves worse than animals.
Āyah 43
أَرَأَيْتَ مَنِ اتَّخَذَ إِلَـٰهَهُ هَوَاهُ أَفَأَنتَ تَكُونُ عَلَيْهِ وَكِيلًا
A-raʾayta mani'ttakhadha ilāhahu hawāhu a-fa-anta takūnu ʿalayhi wakīlā
"Have you seen him who has taken his desire as his god? Will you then be a guardian over him?" (al-Furqān 25:43)
Translation: Have you beheld the one who has made his caprice and vain desire (hawā) his god? He is a slave to his own whims. Do you then consider yourself his guardian and keeper?
Āyah 44
أَمْ تَحْسَبُ أَنَّ أَكْثَرَهُمْ يَسْمَعُونَ أَوْ يَعْقِلُونَ ۚ إِنْ هُمْ إِلَّا كَالْأَنْعَامِ ۖ بَلْ هُمْ أَضَلُّ سَبِيلًا
Am taḥsabu anna aktharahum yasmaʿūna aw yaʿqilūna in hum illā ka'l-anʿāmi bal hum aḍallu sabīlā
"Or do you think that most of them listen or understand? They are only like cattle — nay, they are more astray from the path." (al-Furqān 25:44)
Translation: Or do you suppose that most of them truly hear or think? They are no better than cattle — indeed they are even more astray than cattle.
Commentary: Allāh (Exalted be He) has granted the human being both the power of intellect (ʿaql) and the power of desire (nafs). Angels have only intellect without desire; animals have only desire without developed intellect. When a human employs intellect to govern desire and spirit triumphs over appetite, he rises above the angels. But when a human suppresses intellect, submits to base desire, and lives solely for appetite, he becomes worse than an animal — for an animal is excused by its nature, whereas a human who chooses this path has no excuse. The animal follows its nature and thus does not go astray from it. But the person who abandons reason is more lost than any animal. Hence the Qurʾān says: bal hum aḍallu sabīlā — "They are even more astray."
Āyah 45
أَلَمْ تَرَ إِلَىٰ رَبِّكَ كَيْفَ مَدَّ الظِّلَّ وَلَوْ شَاءَ لَجَعَلَهُ سَاكِنًا ثُمَّ جَعَلْنَا الشَّمْسَ عَلَيْهِ دَلِيلًا
A-lam tara ilā rabbika kayfa madda'ẓ-ẓilla wa-law shāʾa la-jaʿalahu sākinan thumma jaʿalnā'sh-shamsa ʿalayhi dalīlā
"Have you not seen how your Lord spread out the shadow? Had He willed He could have made it still — then We made the sun its indicator." (al-Furqān 25:45)
Translation: Have you not contemplated how your Lord stretches out the shadow? Had He willed, He could have made it fixed and motionless — but instead He made the sun its marker and guide, so that the movement of the shadow indicates the passage of the sun across the sky.
Commentary: Some great scholars have said that the station of the divine essence is one of absolute transcendence — beyond comparison (tanzīh) — and that the world is like a shadow compared to it. In the common domain, the shadow is the sign and indicator of the one who casts it, yet it cannot itself be seen directly. Similarly, the entirety of the visible world is the shadow and indicator of the Divine Reality. From the shadow one knows the light; from the world one knows its Maker. The sun is the indicator of the shadow — meaning, by studying the movements of this world we know Allāh's existence, power, and wisdom. There will come a time when this shadow will extend to its limit, and then a time when it will be completely withdrawn.
Āyah 46
ثُمَّ قَبَضْنَاهُ إِلَيْنَا قَبْضًا يَسِيرًا
Thumma qabaḍnāhu ilaynā qabḍan yasīrā
"Then We draw it toward Ourselves — a gentle drawing." (al-Furqān 25:46)
Translation: Then We draw it gradually toward Ourselves — a gentle, gradual withdrawal. [The shadow shrinks as the sun rises higher until it disappears at noon.]
Āyah 47
وَهُوَ الَّذِي جَعَلَ لَكُمُ اللَّيْلَ لِبَاسًا وَالنَّوْمَ سُبَاتًا وَجَعَلَ النَّهَارَ نُشُورًا
Wa-huwa'lladhī jaʿala lakumu'l-layla libāsan wa'n-nawma subātan wa-jaʿala'n-nahāra nushūrā
"And He it is Who made the night a covering for you, and sleep a rest, and made the day a rising." (al-Furqān 25:47)
Translation: And He it is Who made the night a garment and covering for you [shrouding you in repose and darkness], and sleep a rest and cessation of activity, and made the day a time of awakening, activity, and the business of living.
Āyah 48
وَهُوَ الَّذِي أَرْسَلَ الرِّيَاحَ بُشْرًا بَيْنَ يَدَيْ رَحْمَتِهِ ۚ وَأَنزَلْنَا مِنَ السَّمَاءِ مَاءً طَهُورًا
Wa-huwa'lladhī arsala'r-riyāḥa bushran bayna yaday raḥmatihī wa-anzalnā mina's-samāʾi māʾan ṭahūrā
"And He it is Who sends the winds as heralds of glad tidings before His mercy, and We send down from the sky purifying water." (al-Furqān 25:48)
Translation: And He it is Who sends the winds as heralds and glad tidings (bushrā) in advance of His mercy [i.e. rain]. Bayna yaday raḥmatihī — in advance of the rain, as the monsoon winds precede the rains. And We send down from the sky purifying water (māʾ ṭahūr) — water that is itself pure and also purifies other things.
Āyah 49
لِّنُحْيِيَ بِهِ بَلْدَةً مَّيْتًا وَنُسْقِيَهُ مِمَّا خَلَقْنَا أَنْعَامًا وَأَنَاسِيَّ كَثِيرًا
Li-nuḥyiya bihī baldatan mayyitan wa-nasqiyahu mimmā khalaqnā anʿāman wa-anāsiyya kathīrā
"So that We may give life thereby to a dead land and give it as drink to those We have created — cattle and many people." (al-Furqān 25:49)
Translation: We send it so that We may revive dead, barren land and give it to drink — to the livestock and cattle We have created and to many human beings. [The rain revives the earth, provides drink to animals and humans, and brings forth vegetation from the dead ground.]
Commentary: On the word māʾ ṭahūr (purifying water): The schools of Qurʾānic reading (qirāʾāt) differ on the precise pronunciation here. Some read it as ṭahūran (more emphatic), others as ṭāhiran. The former indicates water that purifies others in addition to being itself pure. This water is sent down to revive dead lands and to provide drink to cattle and countless human beings.
Āyah 50
وَلَقَدْ صَرَّفْنَاهُ بَيْنَهُمْ لِيَذَّكَّرُوا فَأَبَىٰ أَكْثَرُ النَّاسِ إِلَّا كُفُورًا
Wa-laqad ṣarrafnāhu baynahum li-yadhdhakkarū fa-abā aktharu'n-nāsi illā kufūrā
"And We have distributed it among them so that they might take heed — but most people refuse to do anything but disbelieve." (al-Furqān 25:50)
Translation: And We have distributed this [rain and water] among them in various ways and in different measures so that they might take heed and remember [their Lord's blessings]. But most people refuse to do anything except remain ungrateful and denying.
Āyah 51
وَلَوْ شِئْنَا لَبَعَثْنَا فِي كُلِّ قَرْيَةٍ نَّذِيرًا
Wa-law shiʾnā la-baʿathnā fī kulli qaryatin nadhīrā
"And had We willed We could have raised up a warner in every town." (al-Furqān 25:51)
Translation: Had We so willed, We could have sent a separate warner in every town and settlement — but in Our wisdom We chose to send one universal Prophetﷺfor all the worlds.
Āyah 52
فَلَا تُطِعِ الْكَافِرِينَ وَجَاهِدْهُم بِهِ جِهَادًا كَبِيرًا
Fa-lā tuṭiʿi'l-kāfirīna wa-jāhidhum bihī jihādan kabīrā
"So do not obey the unbelievers, and strive against them with it in a great striving." (al-Furqān 25:52)
Translation: Therefore do not obey the unbelievers and do not yield to their demands — instead, strive against them by means of [the Qurʾān] with a mighty and great striving (jihād kabīr).
Commentary: Know, O readers, that the meaning of jihād is broad and comprehensive. Striving for Islām may take many forms: through the tongue, through the pen, through wealth, through good conduct, and through physical confrontation when necessary. Allāh (Exalted be He) commands that the unbelievers must not be obeyed. Alas for those Muslims who — out of worldly fear or greed — obey the unbelievers, follow their lead, act on their signals, and defer to their preferences! True tolerance (mudārā) is between equals, where it is warranted by genuine inability. But deference and servility to those who seek to destroy Islam is not tolerance — it is humiliation and abasement. The believers must maintain their Islamic identity (hawiyya), their Islamic culture and civilisation, with dignity. Islamic culture, Islamic upbringing (tarbiya), and Islamic character (akhlāq) — these are the true marks of a Muslim. Mere dress or speech is not tahdhīb (refinement). Those whose ethics and conduct accord with Allāh's commands — they are the truly refined.
Commentary (continued): The moral degradation (akhlāqī tanazzul) of Muslims today has caused them to forget the counsel of their elders. The guidance of the scholars and saints is not heeded. The current state — alas — is that Muslims are sunk in moral ruin: they have forsaken the admonition of the pious predecessors and are heedless of sincere advice. May Allāh grant them rectification. [reconstructed]
Āyah 53
وَهُوَ الَّذِي مَرَجَ الْبَحْرَيْنِ هَـٰذَا عَذْبٌ فُرَاتٌ وَهَـٰذَا مِلْحٌ أُجَاجٌ وَجَعَلَ بَيْنَهُمَا بَرْزَخًا وَحِجْرًا مَّحْجُورًا
Wa-huwa'lladhī maraja'l-baḥrayni hādhā ʿadhbun furātun wa-hādhā milḥun ujājun wa-jaʿala baynahumā barzakhan wa-ḥijran maḥjūrā
"And He it is Who has caused the two seas to flow and meet — this one is sweet and palatable, and this one is salty and bitter. And He has placed between them a barrier and a forbidding partition." (al-Furqān 25:53)
Translation: And He it is Who has made the two bodies of water flow and meet — one sweet, fresh, and pleasant to drink, the other saltwater, bitter and brackish. Yet He has placed between them a barrier (barzakh) and a firm partition, so that neither transgresses upon the other.
Commentary: This is one of the remarkable signs of Allāh's power: where freshwater rivers meet the salty sea, there is a natural barrier — a barzakh — that prevents complete mixing. Observing the tides in rivers reveals clearly how the fresh water presses in one direction and the saltwater in another. Scientific investigation confirms what was revealed fourteen centuries ago in the Qurʾān.
Āyah 54
وَهُوَ الَّذِي خَلَقَ مِنَ الْمَاءِ بَشَرًا فَجَعَلَهُ نَسَبًا وَصِهْرًا ۗ وَكَانَ رَبُّكَ قَدِيرًا
Wa-huwa'lladhī khalaqa mina'l-māʾi basharan fa-jaʿalahu nasaban wa-ṣihran wa-kāna rabbuka qadīrā
"And He it is Who created from water a human being, then made him related by blood and by marriage — and your Lord is ever All-Powerful." (al-Furqān 25:54)
Translation: And He it is Who created from water a human being and then made him into lineages (nasab) and relations by marriage (ṣihr). Your Lord is ever All-Powerful over all things.
Āyah 55
وَيَعْبُدُونَ مِن دُونِ اللَّهِ مَا لَا يَنفَعُهُمْ وَلَا يَضُرُّهُمْ ۗ وَكَانَ الْكَافِرُ عَلَىٰ رَبِّهِ ظَهِيرًا
Wa-yaʿbudūna min dūni'Llāhi mā lā yanfaʿuhum wa-lā yaḍurruhum wa-kāna'l-kāfiru ʿalā rabbihī ẓahīrā
"Yet they worship besides Allāh what can neither benefit them nor harm them — and the unbeliever has always been an aider against his Lord." (al-Furqān 25:55)
Translation: Yet the people worship, besides Allāh, those things that can neither benefit them nor harm them. And the unbeliever has always been one who opposes his Lord and takes sides against Him — a helper of Allāh's enemies.
Āyah 56
وَمَا أَرْسَلْنَاكَ إِلَّا مُبَشِّرًا وَنَذِيرًا
Wa-mā arsalnāka illā mubashshiran wa-nadhīrā
"And We have not sent you except as a bearer of glad tidings and a warner." (al-Furqān 25:56)
Translation: And We have sent you [O Prophetﷺ] for no other purpose than to be a bearer of glad tidings (mubashshir) to the believers and a warner (nadhīr) to those who deny.
Āyah 57
قُلْ مَا أَسْأَلُكُمْ عَلَيْهِ مِنْ أَجْرٍ إِلَّا مَن شَاءَ أَن يَتَّخِذَ إِلَىٰ رَبِّهِ سَبِيلًا
Qul mā asʾalukum ʿalayhi min ajrin illā man shāʾa an yattakhidha ilā rabbihī sabīlā
"Say: 'I ask of you no recompense for it — only that whoever wills may take a path to his Lord.'" (al-Furqān 25:57)
Translation: Say [O Prophetﷺ]: "I ask you no recompense or reward for this [the Qurʾān and my message] — except that whoever wishes may take the way that leads to his Lord."
Āyah 58
وَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَى الْحَيِّ الَّذِي لَا يَمُوتُ وَسَبِّحْ بِحَمْدِهِ ۚ وَكَفَىٰ بِهِ بِذُنُوبِ عِبَادِهِ خَبِيرًا
Wa-tawakkal ʿala'l-Ḥayyi'lladhī lā yamūtu wa-sabbiḥ bi-ḥamdihī wa-kafā bihī bi-dhunūbi ʿibādihī khabīrā
"And put your trust in the Ever-Living Who never dies, and glorify His praise — and He suffices as the All-Aware of the sins of His servants." (al-Furqān 25:58)
Translation: And place your trust (tawakkul) in the Ever-Living Who does not die. Glorify and exalt Him with His praise (tasbīḥ bi-ḥamdihī). Declare His transcendence and devote your heart to His remembrance. He suffices — He is fully aware of the sins of His servants.
[This page contains the Āyat al-Sajda (prostration verse) indicator for al-Furqān 25:60.]
Āyah 59
الَّذِي خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ وَمَا بَيْنَهُمَا فِي سِتَّةِ أَيَّامٍ ثُمَّ اسْتَوَىٰ عَلَى الْعَرْشِ ۚ الرَّحْمَـٰنُ فَاسْأَلْ بِهِ خَبِيرًا
Alladhī khalaqa's-samāwāti wa'l-arḍa wa-mā baynahumā fī sittati ayyāmin thumma'stawā ʿala'l-ʿarshi'r-raḥmānu fas-al bihī khabīrā
"He Who created the heavens and the earth and all that is between them in six days, then established Himself upon the Throne — the All-Merciful. Ask anyone well-informed about Him." (al-Furqān 25:59)
Translation: He — the Ever-Living Whom you are commanded to trust — created the heavens and the earth and all that is between them in six days (that is, in six cosmic phases and stages of creation). Then He established Himself upon the Throne (istawā ʿala'l-ʿarsh) in a manner befitting His Majesty. He is the All-Merciful (al-Raḥmān). Ask about Him from one who is truly knowledgeable and well-informed about His nature.
Commentary: When the world had been completed and set in order, the divine sovereignty became fully manifest over the Throne (ʿarsh). The Throne is the seat of divine governance. Istawā is understood in the Maturīdī Sunnī tradition as indicating divine establishment over the Throne in a manner befitting His absolute transcendence (tanzīh), without any likeness to created beings (tashbīh). As for the khabīr — the one "well-informed" — ask those of true learning and spiritual insight. The nature of the Throne, its magnitude, the grandeur of Allāh's sovereignty — these are known only to a degree permitted by Allāh.
Commentary (continued): The number of stars and galaxies and the vastness of the cosmos are such that human understanding cannot encompass them — mā aʿṭāka minhu qalīlan — "Of knowledge He has given you but little" (al-Isrāʾ 17:85). Yet this only increases wonder and magnifies the power of Allāh (Exalted be He). The entire cosmos is thus a proof of Allāh's creative majesty.
Āyah 60
وَإِذَا قِيلَ لَهُمُ اسْجُدُوا لِلرَّحْمَـٰنِ قَالُوا وَمَا الرَّحْمَـٰنُ أَنَسْجُدُ لِمَا تَأْمُرُنَا وَزَادَهُمْ نُفُورًا
Wa-idhā qīla lahumu'sjudū li'r-raḥmāni qālū wa-ma'r-raḥmānu a-nasjudu li-mā taʾmurunā wa-zādahum nufūrā۩
"And when it is said to them: 'Prostrate before the All-Merciful!', they say: 'And what is the All-Merciful? Shall we prostrate before what you command us?' — and it only increases them in aversion." (al-Furqān 25:60)
Translation: And when it is said to them, "Prostrate before the All-Merciful (al-Raḥmān)," they reply: "And what is this 'All-Merciful'? Are we to prostrate before whatever you command us to?" This only increases them in revulsion and aversion.
Commentary: Prostration before the All-Merciful is obligatory (wājib). [Sajda tilāwa — a prostration of recitation is required here upon reciting this āyah.] The unbelievers of Makkah, in their arrogance, rejected the divine name al-Raḥmān as unknown to them — yet in doing so their hatred and aversion to the truth only grew deeper.
Āyah 61
تَبَارَكَ الَّذِي جَعَلَ فِي السَّمَاءِ بُرُوجًا وَجَعَلَ فِيهَا سِرَاجًا وَقَمَرًا مُّنِيرًا
Tabāraka'lladhī jaʿala fi's-samāʾi burūjan wa-jaʿala fīhā sirājan wa-qamaran munīrā
"Blessed is He Who placed constellations in the sky and set therein a radiant lamp and an illuminating moon." (al-Furqān 25:61)
Translation: Blessed — full of exalted blessing — is He Who placed the constellations (burūj) in the sky [the twelve zodiacal stations and many others, which the stars occupy in their various configurations]. And He placed therein a brilliant lamp — the sun — and a luminous, illuminating moon.
Commentary: The burūj (constellations/zodiacal stations) are the great star-groups in the sky: Aries (Ḥamal), Taurus (Thawr), Gemini (Jawzāʾ), Cancer (Saraṭān), Leo (Asad), Virgo (Sunbula), Libra (Mīzān), Scorpio (ʿAqrab), Sagittarius (Qaws), Capricorn (Jadī), Aquarius (Dalw), and Pisces (Ḥūt). The planets move through these stations in their appointed courses. Beyond these are countless other star-groups. The sun is the great lamp (sirāj) — scientific investigation confirms that each fixed star is itself a sun, vastly larger than our own sun, and that our sun is among the smaller stars. The moon (qamar) is munīr — luminous, shining by reflected light. The moon orbits the earth; the earth orbits the sun; the sun in its turn makes its journey in a great orbit around the centre of the galaxy.
Āyah 62
وَهُوَ الَّذِي جَعَلَ اللَّيْلَ وَالنَّهَارَ خِلْفَةً لِّمَنْ أَرَادَ أَن يَذَّكَّرَ أَوْ أَرَادَ شُكُورًا
Wa-huwa'lladhī jaʿala'l-layla wa'n-nahāra khilfatan li-man arāda an yadhdhakkara aw arāda shukūrā
"And He it is Who made the night and the day as a succession — for one who desires to remember or desires to give thanks." (al-Furqān 25:62)
Translation: And He it is Who made the night and the day to succeed each other in alternation (khilfa) — so that the one who desires to remember Allāh and be mindful may do so, and the one who wishes to give thanks for Allāh's blessings may find the opportunity to do so.
Commentary: The alternation of night and day — each following the other in measured succession — is itself a divine mercy, providing time for remembrance (dhikr), reflection (tafakkur), gratitude (shukr), worship, and rest in turn. The one who misses the opportunity of remembrance at night may avail it by day, and vice versa. This is the divine generosity in the ordering of time.
The Servants of the All-Merciful (ʿIbād al-Raḥmān)
Āyah 63
وَعِبَادُ الرَّحْمَـٰنِ الَّذِينَ يَمْشُونَ عَلَى الْأَرْضِ هَوْنًا وَإِذَا خَاطَبَهُمُ الْجَاهِلُونَ قَالُوا سَلَامًا
Wa-ʿibādu'r-raḥmāni'lladhīna yamshūna ʿala'l-arḍi hawnan wa-idhā khāṭabahumu'l-jāhilūna qālū salāmā
"And the servants of the All-Merciful are those who walk upon the earth in humility; and when the ignorant address them, they say: 'Peace.'" (al-Furqān 25:63)
Translation: And the servants of the All-Merciful (ʿibād al-Raḥmān) — those elect servants specially devoted to the Most Merciful — are those who walk upon the earth with gentleness, humility, and modesty (hawnan): they do not walk with arrogance or vanity. And when the ignorant and foolish address them with insolence or abuse, they respond only with: "Peace" (salāmā) — they practice salāma (well-wishing and non-retaliation) and remove themselves from strife.
Commentary: This begins the magnificent passage describing the qualities of the ʿibād al-Raḥmān — the true servants of the All-Merciful. Their first quality is humility in gait: they do not walk with pride or swagger. Their second quality is: when confronted with the insolence of the ignorant, they do not respond in kind — they simply say "Peace" and disengage, thereby refusing to descend to the level of the abusive.
Āyah 64
وَالَّذِينَ يَبِيتُونَ لِرَبِّهِمْ سُجَّدًا وَقِيَامًا
Wa'lladhīna yabītūna li-rabbihim sujjadan wa-qiyāmā
"And those who pass the night before their Lord in prostration and standing." (al-Furqān 25:64)
Translation: And those who pass their nights in the worship of their Lord — prostrating (sajda) and standing (qiyām) — engaged in the tahajjud (night prayer) and remembrance of Allāh throughout the long hours of the night.
Āyah 65
وَالَّذِينَ يَقُولُونَ رَبَّنَا اصْرِفْ عَنَّا عَذَابَ جَهَنَّمَ ۖ إِنَّ عَذَابَهَا كَانَ غَرَامًا
Wa'lladhīna yaqūlūna rabbanā'ṣrif ʿannā ʿadhāba jahannama inna ʿadhābahā kāna gharāmā
"And those who say: 'Our Lord! Avert from us the punishment of Hell — its punishment is indeed a clinging torment.'" (al-Furqān 25:65)
Translation: And those who pray: "Our Lord! Turn away from us the torment of Hell — its punishment is indeed a perpetual and clinging affliction (gharām)."
Commentary: Gharām means an inescapable and relentless torment — a debt or penalty that cannot be remitted. The ʿibād al-Raḥmān are those who, despite their worship and righteous deeds, remain constantly fearful of the punishment of Hell and continually seek refuge from it — a mark of genuine spiritual humility and consciousness of one's absolute dependence upon Allāh.
Āyah 66
إِنَّهَا سَاءَتْ مُسْتَقَرًّا وَمُقَامًا
Innahā sāʾat mustaqarran wa-muqāmā
"Indeed it is an evil dwelling-place and resting-place." (al-Furqān 25:66)
Translation: Indeed, it is the most wretched station and resting-place — evil as a dwelling and as a place of sojourn.
Āyah 67
وَالَّذِينَ إِذَا أَنفَقُوا لَمْ يُسْرِفُوا وَلَمْ يَقْتُرُوا وَكَانَ بَيْنَ ذَٰلِكَ قَوَامًا
Wa'lladhīna idhā anfaqū lam yusrifū wa-lam yaqturū wa-kāna bayna dhālika qawāmā
"And those who, when they spend, are neither extravagant nor miserly, but take a middle course between the two." (al-Furqān 25:67)
Translation: And those who, when they spend in the way of Allāh and on their households, are neither extravagant (isrāf) — wasting wealth in vain — nor miserly (iqtār) — withholding what is due. Rather, their expenditure is balanced and moderate (qawām) — the middle path between excess and deficiency.
Commentary: O readers! Who are those who engage in extravagance (isrāf) in this world? Alas, it is the Muslims — at weddings, at celebrations, in borrowed ceremonies — they squander fortunes. Who spends lavishly at usurious (ribā) occasions? Muslims. Who goes to casinos and gambling dens? Who drinks alcohol? Who dishonours family wealth in shameless entertainment? Who ruins family finances on pomp and show without purpose? Alas — these are among the Muslims of our day. These are the gatherings of extravagance (isrāf) that are contrary to the Qurʾānic ideal of the ʿibād al-Raḥmān. The present-day "celebrations" (shādiān) of Muslims have become occasions of ruin (barbādiān). The Qurʾān commands:﴿إِهْدِنَا الصِّرَاطَ الْمُسْتَقِيمَ﴾— "Guide us to the straight path" — the path of balance, neither excess nor deficiency. Every excess (ifrāṭ) is forbidden and every extreme of deprivation (tafrīṭ) is also blameworthy. May Allāh guide us to the middle way.
Āyah 68
وَالَّذِينَ لَا يَدْعُونَ مَعَ اللَّهِ إِلَـٰهًا آخَرَ وَلَا يَقْتُلُونَ النَّفْسَ الَّتِي حَرَّمَ اللَّهُ إِلَّا بِالْحَقِّ وَلَا يَزْنُونَ ۚ وَمَن يَفْعَلْ ذَٰلِكَ يَلْقَ أَثَامًا
Wa'lladhīna lā yadʿūna maʿa'Llāhi ilāhan ākhara wa-lā yaqtulūna'n-nafsa'llatī ḥarrama'Llāhu illā bi'l-ḥaqqi wa-lā yazūna wa-man yafʿal dhālika yalqa athāmā
"And those who do not call upon any other god besides Allāh, and do not kill the soul whose life Allāh has made sacred, except through the due process of justice, and do not commit adultery — and whoever does these things shall meet punishment." (al-Furqān 25:68)
Translation: And [the servants of the All-Merciful are] those who do not invoke any deity alongside Allāh — they commit no shirk (associating partners with Allāh). And they do not kill the human soul that Allāh has sanctified except through legal right (i.e. in justified execution or defensive warfare as decreed by Islamic law). And they do not commit fornication or adultery (zinā). Whoever does any of these things shall encounter severe punishment.
Commentary: Here three of the gravest sins are enumerated: polytheism (shirk), unjust killing, and zinā (illicit sexual intercourse). The ʿibād al-Raḥmān are free of all three. [The author here elaborates at length on extravagance and social corruption:] Who is it, in this age, who squanders money on interest-bearing transactions (ribā)? Who ruins families through extravagance at weddings? Who fills the tabloids with social excess? These are symptoms of a community that has drifted from the ethics of the ʿibād al-Raḥmān. The straight path (ṣirāṭ al-mustaqīm) is one of moderation — guided, not excessive, not deficient.
Āyah 69
يُضَاعَفْ لَهُ الْعَذَابُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ وَيَخْلُدْ فِيهِ مُهَانًا
Yuḍāʿaf lahū'l-ʿadhābu yawma'l-qiyāmati wa-yakhludd fīhi muhānā
"The punishment shall be doubled for him on the Day of Resurrection, and he shall abide therein in humiliation." (al-Furqān 25:69)
Translation: For such a person the punishment shall be multiplied and redoubled on the Day of Resurrection, and he shall remain in it — in Hell — in a state of dishonour, humiliation, and contempt.
Āyah 70
إِلَّا مَن تَابَ وَآمَنَ وَعَمِلَ عَمَلًا صَالِحًا فَأُولَـٰئِكَ يُبَدِّلُ اللَّهُ سَيِّئَاتِهِمْ حَسَنَاتٍ ۗ وَكَانَ اللَّهُ غَفُورًا رَّحِيمًا
Illā man tāba wa-āmana wa-ʿamila ʿamalan ṣāliḥan fa-ulāʾika yubaddilu'Llāhu sayyiʾātihim ḥasanātin wa-kāna'Llāhu ghafūran raḥīmā
"Except for those who repent, believe, and do righteous deeds — for them Allāh will replace their evil deeds with good deeds. And Allāh is ever Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful." (al-Furqān 25:70)
Translation: However, those who repent (tawba), bring true faith (īmān), and perform righteous deeds — for such persons Allāh will replace their evil deeds with good ones. Allāh is ever Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.
Commentary: Among the greatest and most awe-inspiring gifts of divine mercy is this: that Allāh (Exalted be He) does not merely forgive the sins of the sincere penitent, but replaces those sins with good deeds. The stages of this divine grace are: first, the act of maghfira (forgiveness — covering and erasing the sin, so that it leaves no trace and its very name is blotted out); then the transformation of the sin itself into a meritorious act in the divine record. This is known as tabdīl al-sayyiʾāt bi'l-ḥasanāt — the exchange of evils for goods. Some say this means that in place of the sinful acts, the person now performs their opposites out of repentance and gratitude — the former site of sin becomes a site of virtue. Others say that Allāh literally inscribes good deeds in the divine ledger in place of the recorded sins. Either way, this is among the miracles of Allāh's mercy.
The author then relates a beautiful account [reconstructed from the source's intent]: On the Day of Resurrection, Allāh (Exalted be He) will address the servant asking: "What deeds have you brought?" The servant will enumerate — hesitantly — his many sins and misdeeds. Yet he will also mention his helplessness and need before Allāh. Allāh will say: "I have replaced all your sins with good deeds in the Record." The servant will begin pointing out each entry: "O Lord — what of this sin?" And Allāh will say: "We have replaced it." He will then declare: Ya Arḥam al-Rāḥimīn — "O Most Merciful of the merciful!" And Allāh will show him his place in Paradise. This is from the gifts of al-Raḥmān — His mercy surpasses all human expectation. Astaghfiru'Llāha wa-atūbu ilayh.
Commentary (continued): O Most Merciful of the merciful! How greatly we are in need and how greatly we have sinned — yet the harm of our sins does not compare to the vastness of His forgiveness. Deal with us now according to Your grace (faḍl) and generosity (karam) rather than our worthiness. We are unworthy, but You are Allāh — the Most Generous. Astaghfiru'Llāha rabbi min kulli dhambin wa-atūbu ilayh.
Āyah 71
وَمَن تَابَ وَعَمِلَ صَالِحًا فَإِنَّهُ يَتُوبُ إِلَى اللَّهِ مَتَابًا
Wa-man tāba wa-ʿamila ṣāliḥan fa-innahū yatūbu ilā'Llāhi matābā
"And whoever repents and does righteous deeds — he indeed turns to Allāh in true repentance." (al-Furqān 25:71)
Translation: And whoever repents and accompanies his repentance with righteous deeds — he is indeed one who truly turns to Allāh with a complete and genuine return (matāb).
Commentary: Know, O readers, that when a servant turns toward Allāh, Allāh too turns toward him with His mercy. What are the fruits of this divine turning? Forgiveness (maghfira): sins are covered and buried; the record is cleansed; even the remembrance of the sin is not made manifest. Then comes tabdīl (replacement of evil with good). This is the highest level of Allāh's forgiveness — it is fawqa ṭāqat al-ʿibād (beyond what the servants could dare to hope for). As for ḥuqūq al-ʿibād (rights owed to other humans) — those Allāh does not remit without the aggrieved party's consent. Allāh's mercy is far vaster than human expectation. Our sins bring us great loss — yet if we turn sincerely to Allāh, He deals with us according to what befits His supreme generosity. May Allāh grant us sincere repentance. Astaghfiru'Llāha rabbi min kulli dhambin wa-atūbu ilayh.
Āyah 72
وَالَّذِينَ لَا يَشْهَدُونَ الزُّورَ وَإِذَا مَرُّوا بِاللَّغْوِ مَرُّوا كِرَامًا
Wa'lladhīna lā yashhadūna'z-zūra wa-idhā marrū bi'l-laghwi marrū kirāmā
"And those who do not attend false witness and when they pass by idle talk, they pass by with dignity." (al-Furqān 25:72)
Translation: And [the servants of the All-Merciful are] those who do not participate in false testimony, falsehood, or gatherings of idle frivolity — and when they happen to pass by or be in proximity to vain, frivolous activity (laghw), they pass by with dignity and nobility (kirāman) — they do not linger or participate.
Āyah 73
وَالَّذِينَ إِذَا ذُكِّرُوا بِآيَاتِ رَبِّهِمْ لَمْ يَخِرُّوا عَلَيْهَا صُمًّا وَعُمْيَانًا
Wa'lladhīna idhā dhukkurū bi-āyāti rabbihim lam yakhirrū ʿalayhā ṣumman wa-ʿumyānā
"And those who, when they are reminded of the signs of their Lord, do not fall upon them deaf and blind." (al-Furqān 25:73)
Translation: And those who, when reminded of the signs (āyāt) and commandments of their Lord, do not behave toward them as though deaf and blind — they do not ignore or turn away from them. Rather, they heed the reminder with open ears and perceptive hearts.
Āyah 74
وَالَّذِينَ يَقُولُونَ رَبَّنَا هَبْ لَنَا مِنْ أَزْوَاجِنَا وَذُرِّيَّاتِنَا قُرَّةَ أَعْيُنٍ وَاجْعَلْنَا لِلْمُتَّقِينَ إِمَامًا
Wa'lladhīna yaqūlūna rabbanā hab lanā min azwājinā wa-dhurriyyātinā qurrata aʿyunin wa'jaʿalnā li'l-muttaqīna imāmā
"And those who say: 'Our Lord! Grant us from our spouses and our offspring the comfort of our eyes, and make us an exemplar for the God-fearing.'" (al-Furqān 25:74)
Translation: And those who pray: "Our Lord! Grant us from our wives and our children the coolness and comfort of our eyes [qurrat aʿyun — the joy and delight of the heart] — righteous spouses and righteous offspring who are a source of joy and comfort. And make us leaders and examples (imāmān) for the God-fearing."
Commentary: Qurrat aʿyun — the "cooling of the eyes" — in Arabic idiom, when one's eyes are "cooled" it means joy, consolation, and delight. The ʿibād al-Raḥmān do not merely pray for personal piety; they pray that their households, their wives, and their children be a source of joy through their religion — that seeing them brings spiritual happiness. And they do not confine their aspiration to their own salvation — they pray to be leaders, guides, and exemplars for the righteous, that Allāh might make them a means of guidance for others.
Āyah 75
أُولَـٰئِكَ يُجْزَوْنَ الْغُرْفَةَ بِمَا صَبَرُوا وَيُلَقَّوْنَ فِيهَا تَحِيَّةً وَسَلَامًا
Ulāʾika yujzawna'l-ghurfata bi-mā ṣabarū wa-yulaqqawna fīhā taḥiyyatan wa-salāmā
"Those shall be rewarded with the highest chambers of Paradise for their patient endurance, and they shall be met therein with greeting and peace." (al-Furqān 25:75)
Translation: Such people shall be rewarded with the lofty chambers and elevated halls of Paradise (al-ghurfa) in recompense for their patient steadfastness (ṣabr). And in those elevated abodes they shall be greeted with salutations of peace and honour.
Āyah 76
خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا ۚ حَسُنَتْ مُسْتَقَرًّا وَمُقَامًا
Khālidīna fīhā ḥasunat mustaqarran wa-muqāmā
"Abiding therein forever — excellent it is as a dwelling-place and a station." (al-Furqān 25:76)
Translation: They shall abide in those chambers and in Paradise forever — it is the most excellent dwelling-place and the most beautiful station.
Āyah 77
قُلْ مَا يَعْبَأُ بِكُمْ رَبِّي لَوْلَا دُعَاؤُكُمْ ۖ فَقَدْ كَذَّبْتُمْ فَسَوْفَ يَكُونُ لِزَامًا
Qul mā yaʿbaʾu bikum rabbī lawlā duʿāʾukum fa-qad kadhdhabtum fa-sawfa yakūnu lizāmā
"Say: 'My Lord would not concern Himself with you were it not for your supplication — but you have denied, and soon the punishment shall be inescapable.'" (al-Furqān 25:77)
Translation: Say [O Prophetﷺ]: "My Lord would not give you any consideration were it not for your worship and supplication (duʿāʾ). But you have denied — and soon the consequence of your denial shall cling to you inescapably and without release."
Commentary: O readers! What is the meaning of duʿāʾ here? It means worship and devotion — servanthood before Allāh. The very purpose of human existence before Allāh is duʿāʾ — the act of calling upon Him, worshipping Him, recognising one's utter need before Him. Without this, what weight does a person carry in the sight of Allāh? And this duʿāʾ, this turning to Allāh, transforms everything: the good deeds become accepted; the sincerely penitent heart finds grace. In my view (fī khāṭirī), the essence of duʿāʾ is neediness (iftiqār) — humility and absolute dependence before Allāh. This is the root and origin of all worship. Allāh (Exalted be He) says to His servant: "Were it not for your calling upon Me, your turning to Me — what would I have of you?" This is the ultimate statement of what makes the human being honoured before Allāh: the act of ʿibāda (worship) through duʿāʾ. But those who deny and reject — their denial shall be a lizām — a thing clinging and inescapably attached to them, a consequence that shall overtake them without fail.
[End of Sūrat al-Furqān — p.255]