Ash-Shu'ara · Makki · ayah 104 of 227

Ash-Shu'ara 26:104

وَإِنَّ رَبَّكَ لَهُوَ ٱلْعَزِيزُ ٱلرَّحِيمُ

“And indeed, your Lord - He is the Exalted in Might, the Merciful.”

Saheeh International

Essence

The refrain of 26:9 follows Ibrahim's portrait of his Lord, gathering everything he said of Him into two names.

A reflection

The great man who boasted only of his need

This exact line was first met at 26:9, and its full treatment lives there. Here it closes Ibrahim's story, and it lands after something no other story in the surah contains: a prophet describing his own Lord.

Ibrahim stood alone against his father, his people and their idols. By any human measure he was a giant. Yet when he speaks of his Lord (26:78-82), every sentence is about his own need. He created me. He guides me. He feeds me and gives me drink. When I fall ill, He cures me. He will cause me to die, then give me life. I hope He will forgive me.

The man of greatest courage in the story claims no strength of his own. Then the surah adds its two names: your Lord is the Mighty, the Merciful. The might Ibrahim leaned on was never his.

This is hard on the ego, which likes to be seen as self-made. Allah does not repeat this line because He needs it heard. He was the Mighty before anyone said so. The line is for us, so that we lean where Ibrahim leaned and stop pretending to stand alone.

The full entry has 2 more reflections, questions to sit with, and "Live it today" - with the words, the roots and the tafsir alongside. Free, no account, works offline.