Az-Zumar · Makki · ayah 75 of 75

Az-Zumar 39:75

وَتَرَى ٱلْمَلَـٰٓئِكَةَ حَآفِّينَ مِنْ حَوْلِ ٱلْعَرْشِ يُسَبِّحُونَ بِحَمْدِ رَبِّهِمْ ۖ وَقُضِىَ بَيْنَهُم بِٱلْحَقِّ وَقِيلَ ٱلْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ ٱلْعَـٰلَمِينَ

“And you will see the angels surrounding the Throne, exalting [Allāh] with praise of their Lord. And it will be judged between them in truth, and it will be said, "[All] praise to Allāh, Lord of the worlds."”

Saheeh International

Essence

Angels ring the Throne glorifying their Lord, every case is settled with truth, and the last word of the surah is praise.

A reflection

One Throne left standing

The surah's last scene widens out. Wa-tarā al-malāʾikata ḥāffīna min ḥawli al-ʿarsh: and you will see the angels encircling the Throne on every side.

The root of ʿarsh is established in the lexicons as raising something built. The Arabs knew it as a king's throne. They also used it for humbler raised things: a shade of palm-sticks, a frame for vines, the wooden head of a well. And they had an expression for a ruler who fell: his ʿarsh was toppled. Of the Throne of Allah, one lexicon says, people know only its name.

The root of ḥāffīn has an image too. The ḥafāfā of anything are its two sides, its edges. One commentary notes that the word is hardly used of one alone, because encircling needs many.

Now think of every throne the surah has passed. The idols, the patrons, the 'partners' that people set up beside Allah. The proud man who said his wealth came from his own knowledge (39:49). On this Day every ʿarsh of this world has been toppled. One Throne is left standing, and the angels are ringed round it.

Picture the morning after a great summit of world leaders. Forty gilded chairs, each one carried in for a president, are stacked by the cleaners in a single storeroom. Nobody remembers which chair was whose.

This is what the ego needs to see. All our pride is built on small raised platforms: a title, a following, a reputation. The ayah does not mock them. It simply shows where they end, and what remains.

The angels do not stand there to be seen. They are absorbed in what they see. Yusabbiḥūna bi-ḥamdi rabbihim: glorifying their Lord with praise. One commentary explains: they say subḥāna Allāhi wa-bi-ḥamdih.

Does Allah need that praise? Sahih Muslim records Him saying, through His Prophet ﷺ: O My servants, you will never be able to harm Me, nor benefit Me. Suppose the first and last of you, men and jinn, had the heart of the most God-fearing among you. It would add nothing to My kingdom. The praise is not a need He has. It is the right response of every creature that sees Him truly.

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.