Surah al-Furqan

Classification: Meccan, except for verses 68, 69, and 70, which are Medinan. Number of Verses: 77

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

1. Blessed is He who sent down the Criterion upon His servant that he may be to the worlds a warner.

2. He to whom belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth and who has not taken a son and has not had a partner in dominion and has created each thing and determined it with [precise] determination.

Barakah (Blessing): The abundance of good and its increase. From this is the saying: "Blessed is Allah" (Al-A'raf). It carries two meanings:

1. The increase and multiplication of His goodness.
2. His transcendence and exaltation above all things in His attributes and actions.

Al-Furqan: An infinitive (masdar) meaning to separate between two things. The Quran is named as such because it separates truth from falsehood. Alternatively, it is because it was not sent down all at once, but rather separated (farruqan)—divided into parts during its revelation. Do you not see His saying: "And [it is] a Quran which We have separated [by intervals] that you might recite it to the people over a period, and We have sent it down progressively" (Al-Isra: 106)? The word al-farq has also been used with this meaning, as the poet said: "And a polytheist disbelieving in the farq (the separation/the Quran)."

"Upon His servant": According to Ibn al-Zubayr (may Allah be pleased with him), this refers to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and his nation, as in: "We have certainly sent down to you a Book" (Al-Anbiya: 10), and "Say, 'We have believed in Allah and what has been sent down to us'" (Al-Baqarah: 136).

The pronoun in "to be" (li-yakuna): It refers either to His servant or to the Furqan. The reading of Ibn al-Zubayr supports its reference to the Furqan.

"To the worlds": To the Jinn and mankind.

"A warner" (nadhiran): Meaning one who warns (mundhiran), or it is an infinitive meaning "a warning," similar to al-nakir meaning "the denial." From this is His saying: "How [severe] was My punishment and My warning (nudhur)?" (Al-Qamar: 16).

"He to whom belongs...": This is in the nominative case as a substitute (badal) for "He who sent down," or as a nominative for praise, or in the accusative case. If you ask: "How is the separation between the substitute and the original permitted?" I say: Nothing has separated them, because the original's relative clause is "sent down," and "to be" is a causal clause for it; it is as if the original was not complete without it.

"And created each thing and determined it with [precise] determination": If you ask: "Creation implies estimation (taqdir), so what is the meaning of 'He created... and determined it'? It is as if He said: 'He estimated each thing and then estimated it'?" I say: The meaning is that He brought everything into existence while observing estimation and proportion. He fashioned it and prepared it for what it is suited for. For example: He created man in this estimated, proportioned form you see, and prepared him for the obligations and interests attached to him in matters of religion and worldly life. Likewise, every animal and inanimate object was brought forth in a balanced nature, estimated by the patterns of wisdom and management. He prepared it for a specific purpose and interest, matching what it was destined for, without deviation. Or, God’s bringing into existence is called "creation" because He does not bring anything into existence—due to His wisdom—except in a manner of estimation without discrepancy. Thus, when it is said "Allah created such-and-such," it is equivalent to saying "He brought it into existence," without looking at the etymological root. It is as if it were said: "He brought everything into existence and determined it in its creation; He did not create it flawed." It is also said: "He set for it a limit and an end," meaning He determined it to remain until a known term.

"But they have taken besides Him gods who create nothing, while they are created, and possess not for themselves any harm or benefit and possess not [power to cause] death or life or resurrection."