Ar-Rahman: (13) "So which of the favors of your Lord will you both deny?"

There are several discussions regarding this verse:

The First Discussion: Who is being addressed?

There are several views:

1. Humans and Jinn (The Two Species):
   • View 1: Al-Anām (mankind/creatures) is a name encompassing both Jinn and humans, as previously mentioned. The pronoun refers back to what is included in Al-Anām.
   • View 2: Al-Anām primarily refers to humans, but the Jinn were intended (manawī) and later explicitly mentioned by the phrase, "{And He created the Jinn}" (Ar-Rahman: 15). Therefore, the pronoun can refer back to what was intended but not explicitly stated. This is permissible even if nothing from the intended subject is explicitly mentioned (e.g., "I don't know which is better, Zayd or 'Amr").
   • View 3: The addressee was intended in thought (fī al-niyyah) but not in explicit wording. It is as if He said: "So which of the favors of your Lord will you both deny, O Two Species?"

2. Male and Female: The pronoun refers back to them.

3. Repetition for Emphasis: It means, "So which of your Lord's favors do you deny?" repeated twice, once for each party, using a single phrasing for emphasis.

4. Generality encompassing two exhaustive categories: The address is general, but it encompasses two categories that cover everything exhaustively, leaving nothing outside. If one states that God created those who reason and those who do not, or what is manifest and what is hidden, this implies universality. It is as if He said: "O you two categories, {So which of the favors of your Lord will you both deny?}."
   • Note: An exhaustive division fundamentally consists of only two parts. If more are mentioned, one division is folded into another. For example, if you say, "Color is either black, or white, or red, or yellow, or other," it is equivalent to saying: "Color is either black or not-black, or white or not-white," and so on. Thus, the reference points to the two exhaustive categories, affirming that nothing and no one has the right to deny God's favors.

5. Denial by Heart vs. Tongue: Denial can be by the heart without the tongue (like the hypocrites), or by the tongue without the heart (like the obstinate deniers), or by both. Thus, denial is either linguistic or internal. It is as if He said: "O Heart and Tongue, which of your Lord's favors will you both deny?" For the favors have reached a limit that even the obstinate cannot continuously deny.

6. Denial of Revelation vs. Denial of Intellect: The denier denies the Messenger and the transmitted proofs in the Qur'an, and denies reason and the proofs in the horizons and within themselves. It is as if He said: "O you two deniers, which of your Lord's favors will you both deny?" The signs of prophethood have clearly appeared (Ar-Rahman taught the Qur'an), as have the signs of Unity (God created man and taught him expression, raised the heaven, and set the earth).

7. Actual Denier vs. Potential Denier: The denier might be actively denying now, or the denial might be expected later. So God says: "O denier, you deny, and you engage in falsehood, and the thought of denying crosses your chest—{So which of the favors of your Lord will you both deny?}."

These views are somewhat close to one another. The most apparent interpretation is Humans and Jinn, due to their mention later in the Surah: "{We shall attend to you, O Two Species}" (Ar-Rahman: 31), and "{And I did not create the Jinn and mankind except to worship Me}" (Ar-Rahman: 56), and "{He created man from sounding clay like the clay of pottery * And He created the Jinn}" (Ar-Rahman: 14), and other verses. The interpretation of The Two Species is supported by its frequent appearance in the Qur'an, and the interpretation of Generality by intending two exhaustive types that encompass all.

One might argue that Generality is preferable. If the intent was specifically the Humans and Jinn addressed by "{So which of the favors of your Lord will you both deny?}," He would not have said, after mentioning the creation of man, "I created you, O Human..." or "I created you, O Jinn..." since the discourse would then be addressed to them individually. But when He said "man," it indicated that the addressee was not only him, implying generality. It becomes as if He said: "O all creation and listeners, We created man from sounding clay like the clay of pottery, and We created the Jinn from a smokeless fire of a metal." The rest of the explanation will follow in other places in the Tafsir of this Surah, God willing.

The Second Discussion: What is the wisdom in addressing them when no addressee was previously mentioned?

This is a case of shift in perspective (iltifāt). The opening of the Surah is based on addressing whomever hears. So, when He said: "{The Most Merciful * Taught the Qur'an}" (Ar-Rahman: 1, 2), it is as if He said: "Listen, O listeners." The address serves as reproach and deterrence. It is as if God alerts the heedless denier that He is presenting himself as standing before his Lord, where his Lord says to him: "I have bestowed upon you such and such favor, and then He asks: 'Which of My favors do you deny?'" Undoubtedly, at this point, the person would feel a shame that would not occur if the address were in the third person (absence).

The Third Discussion: What is the wisdom in choosing the word Rabb (Lord), and why did He use the dual form Rabbikumā (your two Lords) when He intended to address one person, given that He is the present Speaker? Why is the denial attributed to the addressee directed toward the absent one? Why didn't He say, "Which of My favors do you deny?" which would be more appropriate for direct address?

In the preceding Surah (Al-Qamar), He said: "{Thamud denied the warnings}" (Al-Qamar: 23), "{The people of Lot denied the warnings}" (Al-Qamar: 33), and "{They denied Our signs}" (Al-Qamar: 42). He also said: "{So We seized them}" (Al-Qamar: 42), and "{How [severe] was My punishment and My warnings}" (Al-Qamar: 21). All these instances attribute the action to the first-person pronoun (We/My) because they concern threat and punishment. God Almighty is too great to be feared; if He had said, "The Capable One seized them" or "The Destroyer seized them," it would not carry the same weight of glorification as saying, "{So We seized them}." This is why He said: "{And Allah warns you of Himself}" (Al 'Imran: 28, 30).

This is similar to how a powerful figure asserts: "I am the one you know," which establishes a stronger threat than saying, "The one who punishes you will punish you."

Since attributing the action to the Self (first person) was used in that Surah concerning destruction and punishment, in this Surah, when explaining Mercy, He used a word that removes overwhelming awe: the word Rabb (Lord). It is as if He said: "So which of the favors of your Lord will you both deny?"—meaning, He is your Sustainer.

The Fourth Discussion: What is the wisdom in repeating this verse thirty-one times?

First Answer: The purpose of repetition is affirmation and reinforcement (taqrīr). As for this specific number, numbers in divine speech are tawqīfī (determined by revelation); people's minds cannot fully grasp the measure of the ordained. It is best not to over-analyze distant implications in God's speech, adhering to the saying of 'Umar (may God be pleased with him) when reading Surah 'Abasa: "I know all of this; what is 'Abas' (frowning)? Then he raised the stick he held and said, 'This is a test for 'Umar, and what concern is it of yours, 'Umar, if you do not know what 'Abas' means?' Then he said: Follow what is made clear to you in this Book, and leave what is not." The benefit of God's words in this Surah will be explained later, God willing.

Second Answer: What we mentioned previously: In the preceding Surah, He said: "{How [severe] was My punishment and My warnings}" four times to explain the meaning contained therein, and three times for affirmation and repetition. The numbers three and seven have special significance, as we explained regarding "{And the sea is reinforced by seven seas after it}" (Luqman: 27). Since He mentioned punishment three times, He mentioned the favors thirty-one times to explain the meaning contained therein, and thirty times for affirmation. The favors are mentioned ten times the frequency of the punishment, alluding to the meaning of "{Whoever brings a good deed, he will have ten times the like thereof, and whoever brings an evil deed, he will not be recompensed except the like of it}" (Al-An'am: 16).

Third Answer: The thirty repetitions are affirmation after the initial explanation in the first verse. The address is to both Jinn and Humans. Favors are limited to averting harm and achieving desired goals. The greatest harm is the punishment of Hell, which has seven gates. The ultimate goal is the bliss of Paradise, which has eight gates. Closing the seven gates and opening the eight gates are both favors and honors. When these favors are considered relative to both Jinn and Humans, they total thirty times the repetitions for affirmation. The first time serves to explain the meaning. This view is narrated but considered weak because God mentioned both worldly and otherworldly favors, whereas this explanation restricts itself to otherworldly favors.

Fourth Answer: The gates of Hell are seven. God mentioned seven verses related to warning against Hell, starting from "{We shall attend to you, O Two Species}" up to "{They will move between it [Hell] and intensely hot water}" (Ar-Rahman: 31-44). After that, He mentioned two Gardens where He said: "{But for him who feared the standing before his Lord, there will be two Gardens}" (Ar-Rahman: 46). Each Garden has eight gates that are fully opened for the pious. From the beginning of the Surah up to the verses of warning mentioned, He repeated "{So which of the favors of your Lord will you both deny?}" eight times: seven times for affirmation through repetition, completing the large number seven (whose reason for selection we explained in the context of "{seven seas}" (Luqman: 27), and we will touch upon it again, God willing). This makes a total of thirty times. The one time that follows the numerous favors is for explaining the meaning (which is the original context), and the multiplication is repetition, making it thirty-one times.

Then, the Almighty said:

! 7 < { He created man from sounding clay like the clay of pottery. } > 7 !