55.

Sura Rehman (or The Beneficent)

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

The Sura commences with the “Compassionate” attribute of Allah and

ends with those of His being the Master of glory and beneficient”. The refrain
“Which of your Lord’s blessings would you deny?” interspersed 31 times
among its 78 verses.

The Sura relates the favours which Allah has extended to the mankind.
He has taught the Quran. Created man and taught him articulate speech. The
sun and the moon pursue their ordered course. The plants and the trees bow
down in adoration. He raised the heaven high and set the balance that you
might not transgress the balance. Give just weight and full measure. He laid
the earth for his creatures. Therein are the fruits and the seathed palm trees,
chaffed grain and scented herbs.

After the above brief description of His manifest favours Allah posed a
self-declarant question: “Which of your Lord’s blessings would you deny?”

Allah then supplements the lists of His favours to the mankind and
says that He created the man from the dry clay like earthenware and the jinn
from the smokeless flame of fire. Then which of the favours of your Lord
would you deny?

He is the Lord of the two easts and the Lord of the two wests. He joins
the two bodies of the flowing waters meeting each others, but between them is
a partition, which they infringe not. Pearls and corals come from both.
Subservient to Him are the ships that sail like mountains upon the ocean.

All that is on earth are doomed to die but the Lord will abide for ever
in all its majesty and glory. All those in heavens and earth beseech him. Every
day He exercises His power. Allah shall surely find the time to judge you – the
two communities of men and jinn.

Allah then further addresses the mankind and the jinn and tells them
that if they have power to penetrate the confines of heaven and earth, then
penetrate them. But this is not possible for them except with Allah’s own
authority. Flames of fire shall be lashed at them and they shall not be able to
ward it off.

When the sky splits asunder and reddens like a rose or stained leather,
on that day neither man nor jinn shall be asked about his sins. The wrongdoers
shall be known by their marks. They shall be seized by their forelocks and
their feet. They shall be told that this is the Hell which you used to deny. They
shall wander between fire and water fiercely seething.
 And for those that fear the majesty of their Lord there are two gardens.
Both of these have trees with branches spread out and flowing springs.
Therein is every kind of fruit close to them. The inmates shall be reclining on
carpets whose lining shall be of brocade. In the gardens shall be maidens of
modest gaze, whom neither man nor jinn had ever touched before. As if they
were shelled rubies and corals. Shall the reward of goodness be anything but
good?

And beside these there shall be two other gardens intensely green.
Therein are two gushing fountains and fruits, palms and pome-granates. In
them shall be chaste and fair ones. Dark-eyed virgins sheltered in their tents.
Neither man jinn have ever touched them. The inmates shall be reclining on
green cushions and fine carpets. Then which of your Lord’s blessings would
you deny?