Saba · Makki · ayah 6 of 54

Saba 34:6

وَيَرَى ٱلَّذِينَ أُوتُوا۟ ٱلْعِلْمَ ٱلَّذِىٓ أُنزِلَ إِلَيْكَ مِن رَّبِّكَ هُوَ ٱلْحَقَّ وَيَهْدِىٓ إِلَىٰ صِرَٰطِ ٱلْعَزِيزِ ٱلْحَمِيدِ

“And those who have been given knowledge see that what is revealed to you from your Lord is the truth, and it guides to the path of the Exalted in Might, the Praiseworthy.”

Saheeh International

Essence

Where some scheme against the signs, people given knowledge see the revelation as the truth and a road to the Mighty, the Praiseworthy.

A reflection

Whose approval is worth having

The road the revelation opens does not end at a rule or a system. It ends at a Person: al-ʿAzīz al-Ḥamīd, the Mighty, the Praiseworthy.

The lexicons picture ʿizza as an eagle's nest on the highest crag. It is out of every hand's reach, never overpowered, rare and therefore precious. Ḥamīd is the One praised in everything He says, does, legislates and decrees. The ayah has just spoken of people straining to defeat the signs (34:5). Now it names the One they were straining against.

One classical reader asks a sharp question. Why does might come before praise, when mercy is usually placed first? His answer turns the order into a gift. The pleasure of One who is truly mighty is worth more than the pleasure of one who is not. Might frightens, yes. It also makes the approval worth seeking.

Think of a master calligrapher in an old city. His students copy the same letters for twelve years. He says almost nothing. Then one morning he looks at a page and writes his licence beneath it. Praise from a passer-by would be pleasant. That single signature changes a life, because of whose hand made it.

Here is where the ego shrinks. Most of us run on the approval of people who cannot reach very high. A colleague's nod, a stranger's like, a relative's grudging compliment. We bend whole weeks around them. The ayah quietly asks why you are queuing for such small signatures. The path in front of you leads to the One whose approval is the only one that cannot be overturned.

And He does not need yours. He is Ḥamīd whether anyone praises Him or not. The praise is for you: it trains your eye to recognise what is truly worth admiring.

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.