Sūrah Al-Furqān

āyāt 2–6

This passage begins by describing God as the One who possesses everything in the heavens and the earth, who has no son and no partner in His dominion, and who created all things with precise planning. However, people have chosen other gods besides Him, gods that create nothing but are themselves created, and who cannot bring harm or benefit to themselves or control death, life, or resurrection. Those who disbelieve claim that this Qur’ān is a fabrication made up by the Prophet ﷺ, with help from others, thereby committing a great wrong and a lie. They further suggest that the Qur’ān consists of ancient tales that the Prophet ﷺ wrote down and that are dictated to him morning and evening. The Prophet ﷺ is instructed to tell them that this revelation comes from the One who knows every secret in the heavens and the earth, and that He is always Forgiving and Merciful.

āyāt 8–13

The disbelievers demand that a treasure be sent down to the Prophet ﷺ or that he should have a garden to eat from, and they call him a man bewitched. Allah points out that they make these absurd comparisons because they have gone astray and cannot find the right path. Allah then says He is blessed, for He could have given the Prophet ﷺ something better than what they requested – gardens with flowing rivers and grand palaces. However, these disbelievers have denied the Day of Judgment, and for those who deny it, Allah has prepared a raging Fire. When Hellfire sees them from afar, they will hear its furious roar, and when they are thrown into a constricted place within it, bound in chains, they will beg for destruction.

āyāt 14–19

On the Day of Judgement, those who disbelieved will be told not to cry for just one destruction, but for many destructions. The Prophet ﷺ is then asked to consider if this fate is better, or the everlasting Garden promised to those who are righteous. For the righteous, the Garden is an eternal reward and their ultimate destination, where they will have everything they desire, a promise from God that is worthy of being fulfilled. Then, the āyāt describe a day when God will gather all people and what they worshipped besides Him. He will ask those false gods if they misled His servants, or if the servants went astray on their own. The false gods will respond by glorifying God, stating that they themselves would never have taken other protectors besides Him. They will explain that God had provided comfort for those people and their fathers, causing them to forget the message and become a ruined people. Because of this testimony, the false gods will deny the claims of the disbelievers, who will then be unable to avert or find help against their punishment. It is also stated that whoever commits injustice among them will be made to taste a great punishment.

āyāt 8–13

The disbelievers demanded that a treasure be sent down to the Prophet ﷺ from the heavens, or that he should have a garden from which he could eat. They also claimed that he ﷺ was merely a man bewitched. Allah points out how they invent these comparisons, showing they have completely lost their way and cannot find guidance. Then, Allah declares His blessing, stating that if He wished, He could grant the Prophet ﷺ something far better than what they requested, like gardens with rivers flowing beneath them, or even palaces. But these disbelievers have denied the Day of Judgment, and for those who deny it, Allah has prepared a raging Fire. When this Fire sees them from afar, they will hear its fierce roar and fury. And when they are cast into a confined space within it, bound in chains, they will call out for their own destruction.

āyāt 14

On that Day, those who denied will be told not to lament just one destruction, but to lament many destructions.

āyāt 17–19

This passage describes a scene on the Day of Judgement when God will gather those who worshipped others besides Him. He will ask what they worshipped if they had misled His servants, or if those servants had strayed on their own. The worshipped entities will declare God's perfection, stating they never took any protectors other than Him, but rather God had given comforts to those people and their ancestors until they forgot the message and became a lost people. Then, the false gods will deny the claims of their past worshippers, meaning those worshippers will be unable to escape or find help, and whoever among them committed injustice will face a great punishment.

āyāt 23

On the Day of Judgment, God will examine the deeds of those who rejected Him, and turn their actions into scattered dust, making them worthless.

āyāt 28–29

Someone will express deep regret, wishing they had never taken a particular person as a friend. They will lament that this friend misguided them from the remembrance of God after it had reached them, stating that Satan always abandons human beings in the end.

āyāt 21–22

Those who do not anticipate meeting with God question why angels are not sent down to them, or why they cannot see God. They have shown immense arrogance and insolence in their souls. However, on the Day they do see the angels, there will be no good news for the wrongdoers, and the angels will declare that paradise is forbidden and inaccessible to them.

āyāt 22

On the Day when the disbelievers see the angels, there will be no good news for these wrongdoers. The angels will then declare that entry into Paradise is forbidden and inaccessible to them.

āyāt 23

Allah then turns to every deed they did in the world and makes it scattered dust — good acts done without faith, or done for show, weigh nothing on that Day. The lesson is that what a deed is built on matters as much as the deed itself.

āyāt 24–26

On that Day, the dwellers of Paradise will have a superior dwelling and a more peaceful resting place. That will be the Day when the sky will split open with clouds, and the angels will descend in continuous ranks. On that Day, all true kingship will belong solely to the Most Merciful, and it will be an exceedingly hard day for those who disbelieved.

āyāt 30–33

The Messenger ﷺ complains to his Lord that his people have abandoned this Qur’ān. Allah responds that He has appointed enemies from among the sinful for every prophet, but Allah is sufficient as a guide and a helper. Unbelievers question why the Qur’ān was not revealed all at once; Allah explains this was to strengthen the Prophet's ﷺ heart, revealing it gradually. Whenever they bring an argument against him, Allah provides the truth and the best explanation in response.

āyāt 34–39

Those who are dragged on their faces to Hell are in the worst position and are farthest astray in their path. Allah tells us that He had given Mūsā عليه السلام the Scripture and made his brother Hārūn عليه السلام his assistant. He instructed them both to go to a people who denied His signs, and He utterly destroyed those people. Allah also drowned the people of Nūḥ عليه السلام when they denied the messengers, making them a sign for all mankind, and He has prepared a painful punishment for such wrongdoers. Additionally, Allah destroyed the people of ʿĀd and Thamūd, the companions of the well, and many generations in between; for each of them, He presented examples as warnings, and then He utterly destroyed them all.

āyāt 40–44

This passage speaks of people who have passed by a town that was destroyed by an evil rain, yet they do not reflect on it because they do not believe in the resurrection. When these people see the Prophet ﷺ, they mock him, saying he is merely a man sent by God, and they claim he almost turned them away from their gods if they had not been steadfast. They will realize, however, when they see the punishment, who was truly misguided. The sūrah then asks if you have considered those who follow their own desires as a god, questioning if you could be responsible for such a person. It further asks if you think most of them truly hear or reason, concluding that they are like cattle, or even more astray.

āyāt 45–50

This passage asks us to consider how God stretches out the shadows, and how He could have made them fixed if He wished. Then, He made the sun a guide for the shadow, which He then gradually draws back. It is God Who made the night a covering for you, and sleep a means of rest, and the day a time for activity. He sends the winds as good news before His mercy, and sends down pure water from the sky, with which He brings a lifeless land to life and provides drink for many of His creatures, including livestock and people. God has distributed this water among them so they might reflect, but most people choose to reject the truth.

āyāt 51–52

This stretch of revelation tells us that God could have sent a warner to every single city if He had willed. Therefore, the Prophet ﷺ should not obey those who disbelieve. Instead, he ﷺ is commanded to strive against them vigorously using this very Qur'ān.

āyāt 54–59

God is the One who created humans from water, establishing family ties through lineage and marriage, and He is fully capable of all creation. Yet, some people worship things other than God that can neither benefit nor harm them, and such disbelievers become allies against their Lord. The Prophet ﷺ was sent only to bring good news and to give warnings; he asks for no reward from people, only that those who wish may choose a path leading to their Lord. Therefore, trust in the Ever-Living God who never dies, and praise Him; He is fully aware of His servants' sins. He is the One who created the heavens and the earth and everything between them in six days, then established Himself over the Throne—the Most Merciful—so ask about Him from one who knows well, like the Prophet ﷺ.

āyāt 60–62

When people are told to prostrate to the Most Merciful, they ask who the Most Merciful is and if they should prostrate to something they are simply ordered to, which only increases their resistance. Then, it is stated that blessed is the One who placed great stars in the sky, along with a burning lamp and a luminous moon. And it is He who made the night and the day follow each other, as signs for anyone who wishes to remember or be grateful.

āyāt 64–66

The servants of the Most Merciful are those who spend parts of their night in prayer, prostrating and standing before their Lord. They also pray, asking their Lord to protect them from the punishment of Hellfire, knowing that its torment is persistent and that it is a terrible place to settle and reside.

āyāt 68–69

The true servants of the Most Merciful are those who do not worship anything alongside God, nor do they unlawfully take a life that God has made sacred, nor do they commit adultery. Anyone who engages in these actions will face severe consequences. Their punishment will be intensified on the Day of Resurrection, and they will remain in disgrace.

āyāt 71–76

These verses describe the qualities of the servants of the Most Merciful. They are those who repent and do good deeds, truly turning to Allāh. They do not give false testimony, and when they encounter empty or ill speech, they pass by honorably. When reminded of their Lord's messages, they do not ignore them as if deaf and blind, but rather pay heed. They also pray for their spouses and children to be a source of joy, and for themselves to be leaders for the righteous. Such people will be rewarded with high chambers in Paradise for their steadfastness, where they will be welcomed with greetings and peace, residing there forever in an excellent settlement and dwelling.

āyāt 77

The Prophet ﷺ is commanded to declare that Allah would not care for people if not for their earnest prayers and calling upon Him. This is because those who disbelieve have rejected the truth, and their denial will inevitably stick with them.