Surah Al-Furqan, the 25th chapter of the Holy Quran, holds a prominent position within Islamic
scripture. It’s very title, translating to “The Criterion” or “The Discernment,” underscores its central
theme: the Quran itself as the guiding light that separates truth from falsehood, illuminating the path for
humanity.
Context and Historical Significance:
Understanding Surah Al-Furqan‘s historical context is crucial. Revealed during the Meccan period, a time
characterized by intense opposition towards Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and the nascent Muslim
community, the Surah served as a powerful response to the challenges and doubts raised by the
disbelievers.
Themes from the Text
1. Allah's Sovereignty and Creation
o Allah's dominion over the heavens and earth (2).
o He has no partner or offspring and creates everything perfectly (2).
o Creation is subject to Allah’s precise measure and purpose (2, 59).
2. Rejection of Polytheism
o False gods have no power to create, harm, or benefit (3).
o Allah alone deserves worship, and associating partners with Him is rejected (55).
3. Criticism of Disbelievers' Claims
o Allegations against the Qur'an and Prophet Muhammad (4–5, 32–33).
o Mockery and false analogies made against the Messenger (41–43).
o Denial of the Resurrection and arrogance towards the truth (11, 21).
4. Consequences of Disbelief and Sins
o Hellfire as a punishment for disbelievers (11–14).
o Loss of good deeds for sinners (23).
o Regret of wrongdoers on the Day of Judgment (27–29).
5. Promise of Paradise for the Righteous
o Description of eternal gardens and blessings for the believers (15–16, 75–76).
o Patience and faithfulness rewarded with high ranks in Paradise (75).
6. Role of the Qur'an and the Prophet
o The Qur'an as a guidance revealed gradually for strengthening faith (1, 32).
o Prophet Muhammad as a warner and bringer of glad tidings (56).
7. Signs in Nature
o The alternation of night and day (62).
o The creation of the sun, moon, and stars as signs (61).
o The provision of rain and the balance in nature (47–50).
8. Accountability and the Day of Judgment
o Resurrection and judgment emphasized (26).
o False deities disavowing their worshipers on the Day of Judgment (17–19).
o Regret of disbelievers for their actions (27–29).
Attributes of Ibad-ur-Rahman
Surah Furqan , verses (63-77).
َ َوٱلَّذِينَ َيقُولُون٦٤ س َّجدٗا َوقِ َٰ َي ٗما ُ ۡ َوٱلَّذِينَ َي ِبيتُونَ ل َِر ِب ِهم٦٣ س َٰلَ ٗما َ ْط َب ُه ُم ۡٱل َٰ َج ِهلُونَ قَالُوا َ ض ه َۡو ٗنا َوإِذَا خَا ِ علَى ۡٱۡل َ ۡر َ َشون ُ ۡٱلرحۡ َٰ َم ِن ٱلَّذِينَ َيم َّ َُو ِع َباد
َٰ ۡ َ َّ
َ َوٱلذِينَ إِذَآ أنفَقُواْ لَمۡ يُسۡ ِرفُواْ َولَمۡ َيقت ُ ُرواْ َوكَانَ َب ۡينَ ذَلِك٦٦ سا ٓ َء ۡت ُمسۡ تَقَ ٗرا َو ُمقَ ٗاما َ إِ َّن َها٦٥ عذَا َب َها كَانَ غ ََرا ًما َ اب َج َه َّن َۖ َم إِ َّن َ َعذ َ ع َّنا
َ َر َّبنَا ٱصۡ ِر ۡف
َونَ َو َمن َي ۡف َع ۡل َٰذَلِكَ َي ۡلق َٰ ِ َّ وٱلَّذِينَ ََل َي ۡدعُونَ مع٦٧ ضع ۡف لَهُ قَو ٗاما
َۚ ُق َو ََل َي ۡزنِ ٱَّللُ ِإ ََّل ِب ۡٱل َح
َّ س ٱلَّتِي َح َّر َم َ ٱَّلل ِإلَ ًها َءاخ ََر َو ََل َي ۡقتُلُونَ ٱل َّن ۡف َ َ َ َ َ َ َٰ ُي٦٨ أَثَ ٗاما
ٓ َٰ ُ
َّ صلِحٗ ا فَأ ْولَئِكَ يُ َب ِد ُل
ُٱَّلل َ َٰ ع َمٗل ٗ َ عمِ َل َ َاب َو َءا َمنَ َو َ إَِل َمن ت٦٩ ۡٱلعَذَابُ َي ۡو َم ۡٱل ِق َي َم ِة َو َيخل ۡد فِيِۦه ُم َها ًنا
َّ ُ ۡ َٰ
ور َو ِإذَا َم ُّرواْ ِبٱللَّ ۡغ ِوَ ٱلز ُّ َ َوٱلَّذِينَ ََل َي ۡش َهدُون٧١ ٱَّلل َمتَابٗ ا ِ َّ صلِحٗ ا فَإِ َّن ۥهُ َيتُوبُ ِإلَى َ َٰ عمِ َل َ َاب َو
َ َو َمن ت٧٠ ورا َّرحِ ٗيما ٗ ُغف َّ َس َٰ َن ٖۗت َوكَان
َ ُٱَّلل َ س ِيـَٔا ِت ِهمۡ َحَ
َٰ ُ ۡ َ ۡ َ ُ ُ َّ
َوٱلذِينَ َيقولونَ َر َّبنَا ه َۡب لنَا مِ ن أز َٰ َو ِجنَا َوذ ِر َّي ِتنَا٧٣ ص ٗما َوعُمۡ َيانا ٗ ُ عل ۡي َها َ ْ َ
َ ت َر ِب ِهمۡ لمۡ يَخِ ُّروا ِ َوٱلذِينَ إِذا ذك ُِروا ِبـَٔا َي٧٢ قُ َّرة َ أ َ ۡعيُن َم ُّروا ك َِر ٗاما
َٰ ْ ُ َ َّ ْ
ٓ َٰ
سن َۡت ُمسۡ تَقَ ٗرا َو ُمقَ ٗاما ُ َٰ َخ ِلدِينَ فِي َه َۚا َح٧٥ س َٰلَ ًما َ ص َب ُرواْ َويُلَقَّ ۡونَ فِي َها تَحِ ي َّٗة َو َ أ ُ ْولَئِكَ يُجۡ زَ ۡونَ ۡٱلغُ ۡرفَةَ ِب َما٧٤ َوٱجۡ َع ۡلنَا ل ِۡل ُمتَّقِينَ ِإ َما ًما عا ٓ ُؤ ُك ۡ َۖم َ ُلَ ۡو ََل د
َۢ
٧٧ ف َيكون لِزَ ا َما ُ ُ َ س ۡو َ ُ ۡ َّ َ ۡ َ
َ عا ُؤك ۡم فقد كذبتمۡ ف َ َۖ ُ ٓ َ َ ُ ْ ۡ ُ
َ ُقل َما َيعۡ َب ُؤا ِبكمۡ َر ِبي ل ۡوَل د٧٦ ف َيكون لِزَ ا َما َۢ ُ ُ َ س ۡو َ فَقَ ۡد َكذَّ ۡبتمۡ ف
َ ُ
The ˹true˺ servants of the Most Compassionate are those who walk on the earth humbly, and when the
foolish address them ˹improperly˺, they only respond with peace (63). They are˺ those who spend ˹a good
portion of˺ the night, prostrating themselves and standing before their Lord (64). ˹They are˺ those who pray,
“Our Lord! Keep the punishment of Hell away from us, for its punishment is indeed unrelenting (65). It is
certainly an evil place to settle and reside (66). ˹They are˺ those who spend neither wastefully nor stingily,
but moderately in between (67). ˹They are˺ those who do not invoke any other god besides Allah, nor take
a ˹human˺ life—made sacred by Allah—except with ˹legal˺ right,1 nor commit fornication. And whoever
does ˹any of˺ this will face the penalty (68). Their punishment will be multiplied on the Day of Judgment,
and they will remain in it forever, in disgrace (69). As for those who repent, believe, and do good deeds,
they are the ones whose evil deeds Allah will change into good deeds. For Allah is All-Forgiving, Most
Merciful (70). And whoever repents and does good has truly turned to Allah properly (71). ˹They are˺ those
who do not bear false witness, and when they come across falsehood, they pass ˹it˺ by with dignity (72).
˹They are˺ those who, when reminded of the revelation of their Lord, do not turn a blind eye or a deaf ear
to it (73). They are˺ those who pray, “Our Lord! Bless us with ˹pious˺ spouses and offspring who will be
the joy of our hearts, and make us models for the righteous (74).” It is they who will be rewarded with
˹elevated˺ mansions ˹in Paradise˺ for their perseverance, and will be received with salutations and ˹greetings
of˺ peace (75). staying there forever. What an excellent place to settle and reside!(76) Say, ˹O Prophet,˺
“You ˹all˺ would not ˹even˺ matter to my Lord were it not for your faith ˹in Him˺. But now you
˹disbelievers˺ have denied ˹the truth˺, so the torment is bound to come”(77).
Twelve characteristics that are foundational to Islamic ethics, which are:
1. Walking with tranquility and dignity (Humility).
2. Avoiding arguments with the ignorant (Forbearance).
3. Praying Night prayer (Tahajjud: Devotion in Worship).
4. Supplicating for salvation from the torment of the fire (Fear of Hellfire).
5. Avoiding extravagance and stinginess. (Moderation in Spending)
6. Worshiping Allah alone and staying away from polytheism (Purity in Belief and Action).
7. Not killing the innocent soul.
8. Abstaining from adultery.
9. Continuous Repentance.
10. Avoiding gatherings of falsehood and lie.( Avoidance of Falsehood and Idle Talk)
11. Admonishing with the verses of Allah.
12. Praying for the righteousness of one's family and offspring.
Explanation:
His true servants are those who adopt the way of His obedience consciously and develop such desirable
characteristics.
They do not walk haughtily and arrogantly like the tyrants and mischief-makers, but their gait is of a
gentle, right thinking and good-natured person. Walking humbly does not mean walking like a weak or
sick person, nor does it imply the gait of a hypocrite who walks ostentatiously to show humility or fear of
God.
The true servants of the Merciful do not believe in vengeance, even though they may have to deal with
the ignorant people who behave rudely and insolently towards them. If they happen to come across such
people, they wish them peace and turn away.
They neither spend their nights in fun and merry making nor in gossips and telling tales, nor in doing
wicked deeds, for these are the ways of the ignorant people. The true servants of Allah pass their nights in
worshipping and remembering Him as much as they can.
Their worship has not made them vain and proud to presume that they are the beloved ones of Allah and
that the Fire of Hell will not touch them. On the other hand, in spite of all their worship and good deeds,
they are so filled with the fear of the torment of Hell that they pray to their Lord to save them from it, for
they do not depend upon their own work for success in the Hereafter but upon the mercy of Allah.
The true servants of Allah adopt the golden mean between the two extremes in spending their money.
They neither go beyond prudence and necessity in expenditure nor live in wretched circumstances in
order to save and hoard money but are frugal.
The true servants refrain from three great sins: shirk, murder and adultery.
This is a good news for those people who repented and reformed themselves, for they will have the
benefit of the general amnesty.
The true servants of Allah do not behave like the blind and the deaf towards the revelations of Allah,
when they are recited to them for their admonition. They do not turn a deaf ear to their teachings and
message and do not deliberately close their eyes to the signs that they are asked to observe, but are deeply
moved by them. They follow and practice what they are enjoined and retrain from what is forbidden.
The most distinctive characteristic of the true servants is their eagerness for prayer to Allah.
The true servants courageously endured their persecution by the enemies of the truth; they remained
firm and steadfast in their struggle to establish Allah’s way in the land.
