Sad · Makki · ayah 87 of 88

Sad 38:87

إِنْ هُوَ إِلَّا ذِكْرٌ لِّلْعَـٰلَمِينَ

“It is but a reminder to the worlds.”

Saheeh International

Essence

The surah that opened on a Book of reminder names it at its close: not his invention, not Makkah's, but for all the worlds.

A reflection

The surah ends where it began

This line appears word for word at 81:27, and the full treatment of what dhikr means is given there. What is different here is where the sentence stands.

Surah Sad opened with an oath: by the Quran, possessor of the Reminder (38:1). Seven ayat later the chiefs of Makkah gave their objection. Has the Reminder been sent down to him, out of all of us (38:8)? Their complaint had two narrowings in it. Why him, and why not us. Halfway through, the surah paused to say: this is a reminder (38:49).

Now, at the close, the noun returns once more, and it answers the chiefs on both counts. It is not his: he has just said he asks no wage and adds nothing (38:86). And it is not theirs either. It is for all the worlds. The men who wanted the Reminder to come through their own hands are told it was never addressed to a single town. A surah full of quarrels over who deserves the message ends by widening the address to everyone.

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.