Surah Rahman

This Surah has 78 verses and it is ‘makki’. Imam Ja’far as-Sadiq (a.s.) has said that reciting this Surah on Friday after the dawn prayers carries great reward. Surah as-Rahman removes hypocrisy from one’s heart.

On the Day of Judgement, this Surah will come in the shape of a human being who will be handsome and will have a very nice scent. Allah (S.w.T.) will then tell him to point out those people who used to recite this Surah and he will name them. Then he will be allowed to beg pardon for those whom he names and Allah (S.w.T.) will pardon them.

The Imam (a.s.) also said that if a person dies after reciting this Surah, then is considered a martyr. Writing this Surah and keeping it makes all difficulties and problems vanish and also cures eye ailments. Writing it on the walls of a house keeps away all types of household pests. If recited at night, then Allah (S.w.T.) sends an angel to guard the reciter until he wakes up and if recited in the daytime then an angel guards him until sunset.

Hadith – 1

The Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) went to the companions and recited Surah ar Rahman but they were all quiet. He told them that he went to the jinn and recited it to them and they were responsive. And when he would recite the verses ‘And which of the favours of the Lord will you deny’ the jinn would respond ‘There is nothing among your bounties that we can deny, all praise belong to Allah’

References: Jami At-Tirmidhi, Ibn al Mundhir, Al Adhama & Hakim 2/474

Hadith – 2

Abdullah Ibn Mas’ud (Radi Allahu Anhu) reported that the Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) said, ‘Everything has an adornment, and the adornment of the Qur’an is Surah Ar Rahman’

Reference: Imam Bayhaqi (Rahmatullah Allaih) in Shuab Al Imaan

Virtues of Surah ar-Rahman

Surah ar-Rahman encourages us to reflect on the concept of Divine Mercy. Allah has given us various gifts. Life in this world is a gift too — the trees, food, our surroundings, air, water, healthy body and mind, family, friends, everything is a gift. We take it all for granted, but at the end of it all, every such gift matters.

Surah ar-Rahman helps us remember that all such Divine Favours are not something we should neglect. By repeating “Which is it, of the Favours of your Lord, that ye deny?” this Surah tells us that we should not deny any of the Favours of our Lord.

“Which is it, of the Favours of your Lord, that ye deny?”

As per the context of that time, the disbelievers were continuously and outrageously denying the truth and were openly torturing the Muslims. The repetition of “Which is it, of the Favors of your Lord, that ye deny?” was in fact a constant reminder to the deniers of truth who were ungrateful and blind to the Greatness of Allah and in their pride, would attack and kill Muslims without provocation.

Surah ar-Rahman beautifully conveys the infinite list of Blessings of Allah. It touches the heart and brings tears to the eyes of true believers.

The Ultimate Truth

Human beings have a weakness of ignoring the truth — we know that everything is perishable, yet we remain madly in pursuit of the worldly riches and comforts. We should be aware that whatever we have in this life is not permanent — our family and friends might leave us, good health might decline, our wealth might perish, and so on. Yet, we remain proud and arrogant.

Surah ar-Rahman repeatedly reminds us to be thankful to Allah because whatever we have is His Gift to us. Thus, we must work for the Hereafter and get engaged in doing good deeds and strive to please Allah Alone.

As such, we should know that, as practising Muslims, learning Surah ar-Rahman by heart can prove to be a source of peace and tranquility. by reminding ourselves of the various Favours of Allah, we can combat stress and depression and also strengthen our faith.