Surah AR-RAHMAN / The Beneficent in English | Surah 55

Surah Ar-Rahman is the 55th of the Holy Quran and is composed of 78 verses in which Allah evokes the various blessings upon us that are but the perfect expression of His Mercy and His Love. The themes addressed in this Meccan surah are the manifestation of the Attribute of Allah, Ar-Rahman, from which this surah takes its name, drawn from the first verse. In a perfect style, Allah calls upon mankind and the jinn to meditate on the Creation of Allah and His Blessings upon them.

Introduction and circumstances of the revelation of Ar-Rahman

By way of introduction, we may pause to study this surah through the comparison between the Holy Quran and the qualities recognized by all for effective communication. To capture and hold attention, a communicator must be able to:

1. have interesting content to share
2. a distinctive style
3. and know the audience he is going to address

Thus, and Allah is above any analogy, it appears that the Quran combines these three characteristics, since it is a perfect discourse revealed by the Creator of all things and Master of the Worlds: Allah.

This surah being a Meccan surah, according to the opinion of the majority of scholars, let us recall that the audience is the disbelieving people of Mecca who were relentless in refuting the prophethood and the Quran. They called the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, a liar, madman, poet, possessed, sorcerer, and refused to listen to the Quran when it was recited. The disbelievers, after having disparaged the verses they heard, and refused to believe in the Hereafter (the Unseen), were relentless in demanding something visible to prove the truthfulness of the revelation.

This surah is thus a response to the idolaters. In this surah Allah teaches us that the Quran is a proof of Love and compassion for mankind and the Jinn, the only ones endowed with free will. Were it not so, Allah would have destroyed them long ago. Instead, Allah teaches them that the Quran is a miracle in itself.

The style of this surah is very distinctive, since it involves the repetition of a single verse. In the same way that when someone does not want to listen to what we have important to tell him, we repeat our message several times, one verse, repeated 31 times in this surah, gives rhythm to this chapter of the Quran and gives it its distinctive style. And to Allah belong the finest examples!

As for the content of this surah, it also takes on a particularity that can be observed in comparison with the following surah, Al-Waqi'a. This surah sets out 5 subjects, which are:

• Those brought near to Allah and what they will have in Paradise
• The people of the right hand and what they will have in Paradise (another level of Paradise)
• the people of the left hand and what awaits them in Hell
• The reminder of the Creations of Allah, over which He alone has Power, to make us humble
• The power of the Quran

In Surah Ar-Rahman, the content speaks, in reverse order, of the power of the Quran, the creations of Allah, of what Hell contains, the Two Gardens for the righteous, and below them two other gardens and what they contain.

A unique surah with a unique message that addresses mankind and the Jinn as the prophetic traditions indicate.

Explanations of the meaning of Ar-Rahman

The Name of Allah highlighted from the very first verse is Ar-Rahman. This name, very often translated as the Most Merciful, is to be understood by considering its etymology. It comes from Rahm, which is the womb of the mother. The rahm is not a place that has pity and mercy toward the child it carries, but the place that protects it, nourishes it, brings it everything the baby needs without its being aware of it at that moment. The mother does not merely carry it; she already loves it and takes care of her child without limit.

And to Allah belong the finest examples.

Ar-Rahman is an Attribute of Allah that combines the Care, the Love and above all the Protection that Allah has for His Creatures. Rahma is not only (not really) mercy and pity but an expression of the Love of Allah for us.

The hyperbolic form (mubalagha) of this word Rahman must be understood in order to grasp its meaning. The "An" at the end of this word in Arabic is a form used to express an excessive manner of being or doing. Ghadhib means, for example, to be angry, whereas "ghadhiban" means excessively angry.

This word also expresses that the fruits of His Protection are felt at the very moment He grants us this excessive Protection... not later. He is Rahman all the time; at the very moment we are reflecting, His Protection, His love for us, brings us immediate, and not future, blessings. We breathe without being aware of it. Our organs function without our having to take any action for that, and so on. It is not a blessing that we will feel later. It is immediate and constant.

Ar-Rahman is the Protector, the One who takes care of His Creatures in a way that is beyond all comprehension.

The first thing that proves His Love for us is the Quran.

The first two verses of this surah are constructed in a surprising way to encourage meditation on each verse. Whereas it is accepted that a sentence does not separate the subject from its action with a period, Allah cites His Name in one verse then teaches us that He is the One who taught the Quran in the second verse.

Ar-Rahman is a subject of reflection sufficient in itself to meditate upon. Then Allah is the One who taught the Quran. The Quran is therefore a gesture of extreme mercy toward us. A personal invitation to be His students, to read it, to understand it and to draw near to Him through the Quran, His Word. He named Himself and said that He teaches the Quran but did not say to whom. It is a gift offered to all those who are willing. A powerful message with which He, to Him be the Majesty and the Glory, begins this surah. The Quran is a Reminder as verse 11 of surah 80, as well as others, states. A Reminder for people who forget, since Insan (Man) comes from the root meaning to forget in Arabic.

If we recognize Allah as our Creator (verse 3) and above all as Ar-Rahman (verse 1), the Most Merciful, then we are all encouraged to become students of the Quran, before our Teacher, the Creator of the Universe.

Verse 4: He also taught clear language. This is another blessing with which Allah, the Full of Compassion for us, our Supreme Protection, has favored us. Al-Bayan means the ability to express oneself clearly, to communicate. Allah thus teaches us that He is the One who taught us to speak, endowed with language, and in this it is an invitation to respect all the languages of all countries. Allah taught speech to mankind and the jinn, but He chose one (Arabic) to reveal the Quran, just as He created mankind and the jinn but chose His Prophets from among mankind.

It must also be recalled that speech is an honor with which Allah has favored us and that He correlates it with the fact that He taught us the Quran. Thus the tongue, the organ with which we speak, must be used only to express good, far from futilities and vulgarity. Allah taught it the faculty of speech in order to better understand the Quran.

Ar-Rahman is the Name of Allah that most expresses the Protection and Mercy He has for us.
The Quran is the most evident manifestation of His Love.
Al-Insan, man, is the greatest creation of Allah among all His Creations.
Al-Bayan, language, is one of the greatest blessings among all the blessings with which Allah has favored us, in order to be able to read and recite His Word.

A few brief explanations

From verse 5 to 13, Allah teaches us that the Universe evolves according to His Order and His Command.

From verse 14 to verse 25 the wonders of Allah are set forth to mankind and the jinn to allow them to meditate on the Blessings of Allah.

From verse 26 to verse 33 Allah has control over all things while mankind and the jinn have need of Him, and no one can escape Him.

From verse 36 to 45 on the Day of Resurrection the two groups will have accounts to render and Allah describes the end of the guilty. From verse 46 to the end of the surah, reference is made to the rewards of those who will have done good and who fear to appear before their Lord.

It is an eloquent discourse, and the most perfect, from the Sovereign of the Worlds, in which each manifestation of His Power, each blessing upon mankind and the jinn, each description of what is prepared in Hell and each reward prepared in Paradise is followed by an appeal to the intelligence of mankind and the jinn to meditate: Which of these blessings will you deny?

According to Tirmidhi, as the people kept silent while the Prophet recited Surah Ar-Rahman, he said: " Why do I not hear the same good responses that the jinn gave when they heard me recite this same surah?"

Indeed, this episode is related in Surah Al-Ahqaf 29 Verse 32.

May Allah grant us always to recognize His Sovereignty and His Blessings upon us and grant us to serve Him out of love for Him. Amin