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Surah 55 · Madinah · 78 āyāt
Phase 05 · Hijrah and the building of Madinah(1–5 AH) — view in timelineAr-RaḥmānThe Most Merciful
الرحمن
A surah built on repetition: the refrain 'so which of the favours of your Lord would you deny?' recurs thirty-one times, addressed jointly to jinn and mankind. It opens by naming Allah with His mercy before naming anything He made, then moves through creation, the balance placed in the heavens and the earth, the two seas, the coming Judgement, and finally two pairs of gardens for those who feared standing before their Lord. The mainstream position of the muṣḥaf and the majority of exegetes places it among the Madinan revelations, though a number of scholars, noting its address to jinn and its stylistic closeness to early Makkan surahs, hold it to be Makkan; Ibn Kathīr records this difference of opinion in his introduction to the surah.
Why it was revealed
The surah was recited by the Prophet ﷺ to a gathering of jinn, and by his own testimony their response put the believers present to shame. It answers Quraysh's old objection to the name 'ar-Raḥmān' with an entire surah built around that very name.
Drawn fromQurʾān 25:60; Al-Tirmidhī 3291; Al-Tirmidhī 3291 (graded ḥasan); al-Qurṭubī, introduction to Sūrat ar-Raḥmān; Al-Qurṭubī, introduction to Sūrat ar-Raḥmān; Ibn Kathīr, introduction to Sūrat ar-Raḥmān; Ibn Kathīr, introduction to Sūrat ar-Raḥmān (on the Makkan/Madinan dispute)
The Prophet ﷺ recited Sūrat ar-Raḥmān to his companions, and when he reached the end he said, 'I recited it to the jinn on the night of the jinn, and they gave a better response than you did. Whenever I said, "So which of the favours of your Lord would you deny?" they said, "Not a single favour of Yours, our Lord, do we deny; to You be all praise."' Al-Qurṭubī records that when the Prophet ﷺ recited it to Quraysh they were silent, so he asked, 'What is wrong with you, that you are more silent than the jinn?'
Cited toAl-Tirmidhī 3291 (graded ḥasan); al-Qurṭubī, introduction to Sūrat ar-Raḥmān; Ibn Kathīr, introduction to Sūrat ar-Raḥmān (on the Makkan/Madinan dispute)
In the Prophet's ﷺ life
The name 'ar-Raḥmān' disputed by Quraysh
When earlier told to prostrate to 'ar-Raḥmān', the Makkans had asked, 'And what is ar-Raḥmān?' The surah answers by naming Allah with this very name before a single creature is mentioned.
Recalled in āyah 1, 2, 3
ٱلرَّحْمَـٰنُ
The Most Merciful
خَلَقَ ٱلْإِنسَـٰنَ
Created man,
Cited toIbn Kathīr, introduction to Sūrat ar-Raḥmān; cf. Qurʾān 25:60
- Madd — 2 vowels
- Madd — 2, 4 or 6 vowels
- Madd — 6 vowels (lāzim)
- Madd — 4 or 5 vowels (wājib)
- Ghunnah — 2 vowels
- Qalqalah
- Ikhfāʾ
- Ikhfāʾ shafawī
- Idghām shafawī
- Idghām with ghunnah
- Idghām without ghunnah
- Idghām mutajānisayn
- Idghām mutaqāribayn
- Iqlāb
- Hamzat al-waṣl
- Lām shamsiyyah
- Silent letter
Tajwīd markup and colour convention: Quran.com API (v4) — text_uthmani_tajweed. Recitation audio: Quran.com / Quran Foundation Audio API (v4).
Al-Raḥmān taught the Qurʾān before anything else is named
The surah opens not with creation but with the Name itself: ar-Raḥmān. He taught the Qurʾān, created man, and taught him speech — before the sun, the moon, the stars or the plants are mentioned. Then comes the sky raised and the balance set, with the command not to transgress in it. The refrain begins here and will not stop.
Drawn fromAl-Saʿdī on 55:7–9; Ibn Kathīr on 55:1–4
ٱلرَّحْمَـٰنُ
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The Most Merciful
خَلَقَ ٱلْإِنسَـٰنَ
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Created man,
ٱلشَّمْسُ وَٱلْقَمَرُ بِحُسْبَانٍ
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The sun and the moon [move] by precise calculation,
وَٱلسَّمَآءَ رَفَعَهَا وَوَضَعَ ٱلْمِيزَانَ
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And the heaven He raised and imposed the balance
فَبِأَىِّ ءَالَآءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ
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So which of the favors of your Lord would you deny?
From the tafsīr
Beginning with 'He taught the Qurʾān' before 'He created man' shows the priority of guidance over mere existence — the Book precedes even the description of how man was formed.
Cited toIbn Kathīr on 55:1–4
The balance (al-mīzān) placed in the heavens is mirrored by the command to weigh justly on earth — cosmic order and human justice are treated as one command.
Cited toAl-Saʿdī on 55:7–9
Key takeaways
- Guidance is named before creation itself — the Qurʾān is not an afterthought to human life but its starting point.
Drawn fromAl-Saʿdī on 55:7–9; Ibn Kathīr on 55:1–4
- The same Lord who balanced the heavens commands you to balance your own scales.
Drawn fromAl-Saʿdī on 55:7–9; Ibn Kathīr on 55:1–4
- The refrain is a rhetorical mirror: every favour named demands an answer from you personally.
Drawn fromAl-Saʿdī on 55:7–9; Ibn Kathīr on 55:1–4
Reflect
Which of the favours named in the first thirteen āyāt have you gone a full day without consciously thanking Him for?
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Question 1 of 2
According to al-Saʿdī, what does the cosmic balance in āyah 7 demand of people?
Question 2 of 2
What does the surah mention before it describes the creation of man?
The refrain addressed to jinn and mankind
Man is created from clay like pottery, jinn from a smokeless flame; both are addressed together throughout. The two seas meet yet do not overwhelm each other. Everyone upon the earth will perish; only the Face of your Lord, full of majesty and honour, remains. He is busy every day with some affair, and both jinn and mankind are told plainly: you will never break out of the dominions of the heavens and the earth except by a authority granted to you, which you do not have.
Drawn fromAl-Ṭabarī on 55:33; Ibn Kathīr on 55:26–27
كُلُّ مَنْ عَلَيْهَا فَانٍ
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Everyone upon it [i.e., the earth] will perish,
وَيَبْقَىٰ وَجْهُ رَبِّكَ ذُو ٱلْجَلَـٰلِ وَٱلْإِكْرَامِ
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And there will remain the Face of your Lord, Owner of Majesty and Honor.
From the tafsīr
'Everyone upon it will perish' encompasses every created thing without exception; what remains is the Face of Allah alone, which is why the Prophet ﷺ taught seeking refuge by 'Your Face, the Living, the Sustainer'.
Cited toIbn Kathīr on 55:26–27
'You will not pass except by an authority' means neither jinn nor mankind can escape Allah's dominion or His decree by their own power, however far their reach extends.
Cited toAl-Ṭabarī on 55:33
Key takeaways
- Jinn and mankind share the same address and the same accountability throughout this surah.
Drawn fromAl-Ṭabarī on 55:33; Ibn Kathīr on 55:26–27
- Everything other than Allah's Face is temporary; anchoring identity in what perishes is a losing wager.
Drawn fromAl-Ṭabarī on 55:33; Ibn Kathīr on 55:26–27
- No creature, however capable, escapes the boundaries Allah has set for it.
Drawn fromAl-Ṭabarī on 55:33; Ibn Kathīr on 55:26–27
Reflect
What have you built your sense of security on that āyah 26 says will perish?
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Question 1 of 2
What alone is said to remain in āyah 27?
Question 2 of 2
What does āyah 33 tell jinn and mankind about escaping the heavens and the earth?
The Day when jinn and mankind are questioned
The sky splits and turns red like dyed leather. On that day neither man nor jinn will be asked about his sin, because they are already known by their marks — seized by their forelocks and feet. This section pivots from cosmic description to the reckoning that the balance of āyah 7 was preparing for all along.
Drawn fromAl-Saʿdī on 55:39; Ibn Kathīr on 55:37
وَلِمَنْ خَافَ مَقَامَ رَبِّهِۦ جَنَّتَانِ
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But for he who has feared the position of his Lord are two gardens -
From the tafsīr
'Not asked' does not mean unaccountable; it means their guilt is manifest without need for interrogation, unlike the questioning that establishes proof in other contexts.
Cited toAl-Saʿdī on 55:39
The sky becoming like dyed, molten leather is one of the described transformations of the Hour, evidence that even the fixed order of the heavens is not permanent.
Cited toIbn Kathīr on 55:37
Key takeaways
- Some sins will be evident on the Day without need for questioning — outward marks will tell the story.
Drawn fromAl-Saʿdī on 55:39; Ibn Kathīr on 55:37
- The cosmic order you take for granted has an appointed end, described here in vivid physical terms.
Drawn fromAl-Saʿdī on 55:39; Ibn Kathīr on 55:37
- The balance mentioned early in the surah culminates in the Judgement described here.
Drawn fromAl-Saʿdī on 55:39; Ibn Kathīr on 55:37
Reflect
If your state were visible on your face right now, what would it reveal?
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Question 1 of 1
Why, according to al-Saʿdī, are the guilty 'not asked about their sin' in āyah 39?
The two gardens, and two more besides
For whoever feared standing before his Lord are two gardens, and beneath them two more — a structure of pairs running through the whole description: fruit of every kind in pairs, flowing springs, and companions untouched before by man or jinn. The rhetorical question sits at the centre of the promise: is the reward of good anything but good? The surah closes as it began, with the blessed Name of the Lord of majesty and honour.
Drawn fromAl-Qurṭubī on 55:60; Ibn Kathīr on 55:46
وَلِمَنْ خَافَ مَقَامَ رَبِّهِۦ جَنَّتَانِ
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But for he who has feared the position of his Lord are two gardens -
هَلْ جَزَآءُ ٱلْإِحْسَـٰنِ إِلَّا ٱلْإِحْسَـٰنُ
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Is the reward for good [anything] but good?
تَبَـٰرَكَ ٱسْمُ رَبِّكَ ذِى ٱلْجَلَـٰلِ وَٱلْإِكْرَامِ
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Blessed is the name of your Lord, Owner of Majesty and Honor.
From the tafsīr
Two ranks of gardens are described for two ranks of the fearful — the first, more excellent pair for those nearest to Allah, and the second pair, described in similar but lesser terms, for the believers generally.
Cited toIbn Kathīr on 55:46
'Is the reward of good anything but good?' was understood by several of the Salaf, including Ibn ʿAbbās, to mean that the reward for doing good (Tawḥīd and righteous deeds) in this life is nothing other than Paradise in the Hereafter.
Cited toAl-Qurṭubī on 55:60
Key takeaways
- The gardens described here are graded by the sincerity and fear of the one who earned them.
Drawn fromAl-Qurṭubī on 55:60; Ibn Kathīr on 55:46
- 'Is the reward of good but good?' is a principle for daily conduct, not only a description of the Hereafter.
Drawn fromAl-Qurṭubī on 55:60; Ibn Kathīr on 55:46
- The surah's structure — favour, refrain, favour, refrain — is itself a lesson in gratitude as a practice, not a feeling.
Drawn fromAl-Qurṭubī on 55:60; Ibn Kathīr on 55:46
Reflect
Recite the refrain slowly and name, out loud, three favours from today it applies to.
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Question 1 of 2
How did the Salaf, including Ibn ʿAbbās, explain 'is the reward of good anything but good' in āyah 60?
Question 2 of 2
According to Ibn Kathīr, why are two pairs of gardens described rather than one?
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Roots from this surah
Learn the three-letter root and you unlock every word built from it — across the whole Qur'an, not just this surah.
ر ح م
āyāt 1mercy, womb-like tenderness
- ٱلرَّحْمَـٰنthe Most Merciful
- رَحِيمespecially merciful
- رَحْمَةmercy
أ ل و
āyāt 13, 16, 18, 21a favour, a blessing bestowed
- ءَالَآءfavours
- إِلَىٰunrelated homograph, not from this root
و ز ن
āyāt 7, 8, 9to weigh, balance
- مِيزَانbalance, scale
- وَزْنweight
- لَا تَطْغَوْا۟do not transgress (paired command)
ب ق ي
āyāt 27to remain, endure
- يَبْقَىٰit remains
- بَاقٍremaining, lasting
- ٱلْبَاقِيَةthe everlasting
ف ن ي
āyāt 26to perish, come to an end
- فَانٍperishing
- فَنَاءannihilation
ح س ن
āyāt 60, 70goodness, excellence
- ٱلْإِحْسَـٰنexcellence in deed
- حِسَانbeautiful ones
- حَسَنgood, fine
ج ن ن
āyāt 46, 62to cover, conceal — a garden as a covered, shaded place
- جَنَّةgarden, paradise
- جَنَّتَانِtwo gardens
- جِنّjinn, the hidden ones
ب ر ك
āyāt 78blessing, increase that is fixed and lasting
- تَبَـٰرَكَblessed is
- بَرَكَةblessing
- مُبَارَكblessed
Carry this with you
- Guidance is named before creation itself — the Qurʾān precedes even man's own formation in the surah's order.
- Gratitude is meant to be a running practice, not a passing feeling — hence the refrain repeated thirty-one times.
- Everything other than Allah's Face will perish; build your security there and nowhere else.
- The believer's response to blessing should exceed even that of the jinn who answered the Prophet ﷺ that night.
- A cosmic balance and a market scale rest on the same command not to transgress.
- The reward for good is good — a rule of daily conduct as much as a description of Paradise.
- No creature, however far its reach, escapes Allah's decree without a permission it does not possess.
Where this surah connects
Cross-surah threads
Parts of the Qurʾān explain other parts. Each thread below opens the same subject as it is argued across every other surah you have studied, in revelation order.
Sources behind Sūrah Ar-Raḥmān
Every line of context, tafsīr and takeaway on this page traces back to one of these references. Ḥadīth numbers open on sunnah.com and āyah references open on quran.com, so you can check the claim rather than take it on trust. The Arabic text itself is fetched live from a verified public corpus.
Qur'an1
Tafsīr12
- Al-Qurṭubī on 55:60
- al-Qurṭubī, introduction to Sūrat ar-Raḥmān
- Al-Qurṭubī, introduction to Sūrat ar-Raḥmān
- Al-Saʿdī on 55:39
- Al-Saʿdī on 55:7–9
- Al-Ṭabarī on 55:33
- Ibn Kathīr on 55:1–4
- Ibn Kathīr on 55:26–27
- Ibn Kathīr on 55:37
- Ibn Kathīr on 55:46
- Ibn Kathīr, introduction to Sūrat ar-Raḥmān
- Ibn Kathīr, introduction to Sūrat ar-Raḥmān (on the Makkan/Madinan dispute)
Full exam — the whole surah, from memory
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Ar-Raḥmān — full exam
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Ar-Raḥmān · Al-Raḥmān taught the Qurʾān before anything else is named
According to al-Saʿdī, what does the cosmic balance in āyah 7 demand of people?
Arabic (Uthmānī script) and the Ṣaḥīḥ International translation are fetched live from the Quran.com API (v4), sourced from the King Fahd Complex muṣḥaf — api.quran.com API docs · Translation: Ṣaḥīḥ International · Integrity & testing protocol