Ghafir · Makki · ayah 7 of 85

Ghafir 40:7

ٱلَّذِينَ يَحْمِلُونَ ٱلْعَرْشَ وَمَنْ حَوْلَهُۥ يُسَبِّحُونَ بِحَمْدِ رَبِّهِمْ وَيُؤْمِنُونَ بِهِۦ وَيَسْتَغْفِرُونَ لِلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ رَبَّنَا وَسِعْتَ كُلَّ شَىْءٍ رَّحْمَةً وَعِلْمًا فَٱغْفِرْ لِلَّذِينَ تَابُوا۟ وَٱتَّبَعُوا۟ سَبِيلَكَ وَقِهِمْ عَذَابَ ٱلْجَحِيمِ

“Those [angels] who carry the Throne and those around it exalt [Allāh] with praise of their Lord and believe in Him and ask forgiveness for those who have believed, [saying], "Our Lord, You have encompassed all things in mercy and knowledge, so forgive those who have repented and followed Your way and protect them from the punishment of Hellfire.”

Saheeh International

Essence

The angels nearest the Throne give their praise to their Lord and their prayers to you: forgive those who turned.

A reflection

The greatest creatures, and what they do all day

The ayah opens on the highest scene in creation. Those who carry the Throne, and those around it.

The commentaries call them the nobles of the angels. One hadith gives a single measurement. The Prophet ﷺ said he had been permitted to speak of one angel among the bearers of the Throne. The distance from its earlobe to its shoulder is a journey of seven hundred years. Sunan Abi Dawud records it, graded ṣaḥīḥ.

The root of ʿarsh means something raised and roofed. The Arabs used it of a king's seat, a shade of palm branches, a trellis lifting a vine. Of the Throne of Allah, one lexicon says people know it only by its name. Its reality is beyond them.

Now look at what these beings do. They glorify with the praise of their Lord. They believe in Him. One commentary adds: they do not disdain His worship. The most immense creatures we have been told of spend their existence in humility before Him.

That is where human pride looks very small. We grow a little taller with each title, each follower, each room that goes quiet when we speak. We hold back from bowing when someone might be watching. Meanwhile those who bear the Throne are bowed in praise.

And one more detail, easy to miss. The ayah does not say they ask for anything for themselves. They praise, and then they pray for others. One commentary draws from this the shape of a whole life. Reverence for Allah's command comes first. Compassion for His creation follows from it.

If they need no grandeur, neither do we. If they spend their nearness on praying for others, there is no greater use for ours.

The full entry has 6 more reflections, questions to sit with, and "Live it today" - with the words, the roots and the tafsir alongside. Free, no account, works offline.