Al-Qiyamah (The Resurrection): (27) And [they will ask]: "Who will heal [him]?" (Man Rāqin?)

There are two issues concerning this verse:

Issue 1: The Meaning of Rāqin (Healer/Charmer)

There are two interpretations for the word Rāqin:

The First View: It is derived from ruqyah (incantation/charm). It is said, Raqāhu yarquhū ruqyah when one seeks protection for him with something that heals him, just as one says, "In the name of Allah, I perform ruqyah upon you."

1. The Speakers: Those who say this are the people surrounding the person who is near death.
2. The Interrogation: This question (Man Rāqin?) can mean a request, as if they are asking for a physician to cure him and someone to perform ruqyah upon him.
3. Alternatively, it can be a question expressing denial or despair, like when someone says in hopelessness: "Who is capable of charming this person who is about to die?"

The Second View: The phrase Man Rāqin? is derived from the verb raqā yarqī ruqiyyan (to ascend/rise), as in the verse: "And we will never believe in your ascent/rising" (وَلَن نُؤْمِنَ لِرُقِيِّكَ).

1. The Speakers: On this interpretation, the speakers are the Angels.
2. Ibn Abbas said: The Angels dislike approaching a disbeliever. So, the Angel of Death asks, "Who will ascend with this disbeliever's soul?"
3. Al-Kalbi said: Seven Angels of Mercy and seven Angels of Punishment attend a servant at the time of death, along with the Angel of Death. When the soul reaches the point of ascent (tarāqī), some of them look at others, asking, "Who will ascend with his soul to the heavens?"—meaning, "Who will take it up?"

Issue 2: The Pronunciation of the Nūn (The Letter 'N')

Al-Wāḥidī stated that pronouncing the Nūn before labial letters (letters produced by the lips) is generally disliked (i.e., assimilation/merging is preferred). Therefore, pronouncing the Nūn in Man Rāqin should not be permissible.

However, Ḥafṣ narrated from ‘Āṣim the pronunciation of the Nūn in both Man Rāqin and in the verse: "Nay, but what they have earned has rusted over their hearts" (بَلْ رَانَ) [Al-Muṭaffifīn: 14].

Abū ‘Alī al-Fārisī said he does not know the justification for this pronunciation. Al-Wāḥidī suggested that the justification might be that the reciter intended to pause on Man and Bal, pronounced the Nūn clearly, and then began the subsequent word. Al-Wāḥidī considered this recitation style unsatisfactory.

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