Al-Furqan · Makki · ayah 59 of 77

Al-Furqan 25:59

ٱلَّذِى خَلَقَ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضَ وَمَا بَيْنَهُمَا فِى سِتَّةِ أَيَّامٍ ثُمَّ ٱسْتَوَىٰ عَلَى ٱلْعَرْشِ ۚ ٱلرَّحْمَـٰنُ فَسْـَٔلْ بِهِۦ خَبِيرًا

“He who created the heavens and the earth and what is between them in six days and then established Himself above the Throne[1034] - the Most Merciful, so ask about Him one well informed [i.e., the Prophet (ﷺ)].”

Saheeh International

Essence

The One you are told to trust made the heavens, the earth and all between, then rose over the Throne: the Most Merciful.

A reflection

Shown the work before you hand over your life

The previous ayah told the Messenger ﷺ to rely on the Living who does not die. This ayah carries on the same sentence. In the grammar given by several commentaries, 'who created' describes that same Living One. Before you lean your whole weight on someone, you are shown who He is.

One commentary gathers what the passage has now said of Him. He is living and does not die. He knows everything, down to His servants' sins. And He has power over everything, because He created the heavens and the earth. Therefore, it concludes, reliance belongs to Him alone.

Picture a couple planning an extension who interview three builders. They ask each the same thing: show us the last thing you built. One brings photos of a garden wall. Another shows a loft conversion. The couple do not think the builders vain for answering. They asked.

Human beings ask that of everyone they trust. Here the answer comes before the question. What has He built? The heavens, the earth, and everything between them.

That should do something to the ego. We are quick to list our own achievements and slow to notice whose world they sit in. A page of degrees and promotions looks different beside 'the heavens and the earth and what is between them'. The phrase leaves nothing out. The ground under the office, the air in the meeting room and the light on the page are all in it.

So the doubt sometimes raised here, that God is boasting of His works, mistakes the purpose. A builder who shows his work is not asking for applause. He is helping you decide whether to hand him your house. This ayah helps the reader decide whether to hand over a life.

And then it names Him. Not 'the Mighty', not 'the Avenger', but al-Raḥmān: the Most Merciful. The Builder of everything is merciful, and anyone deciding whether to trust Him should know that first.

The full entry has 5 more reflections, questions to sit with, and "Live it today" - with the words, the roots and the tafsir alongside. Free, no account, works offline.