Ghafir · Makki · ayah 8 of 85

Ghafir 40:8

رَبَّنَا وَأَدْخِلْهُمْ جَنَّـٰتِ عَدْنٍ ٱلَّتِى وَعَدتَّهُمْ وَمَن صَلَحَ مِنْ ءَابَآئِهِمْ وَأَزْوَٰجِهِمْ وَذُرِّيَّـٰتِهِمْ ۚ إِنَّكَ أَنتَ ٱلْعَزِيزُ ٱلْحَكِيمُ

“Our Lord, and admit them to gardens of perpetual residence which You have promised them and whoever was righteous among their forefathers, their spouses and their offspring. Indeed, it is You who is the Exalted in Might, the Wise.”

Saheeh International

Essence

The angels ask not only that you enter the gardens of staying, but that those you love who were righteous enter with you.

A reflection

Why the prayer ends with Almighty and Wise

A prayer for forgiveness and Paradise might be expected to close with 'You are the Forgiving, the Merciful'. This one closes differently. Innaka anta al-ʿAzīzu al-Ḥakīm: truly You, You alone, are the Almighty, the Wise.

Why these two names?

One commentary explains what each carries. ʿIzza, might, is the perfection of power. Ḥikma, wisdom, is the perfection of knowledge. From these two, it says, come all of His creating and commanding, His rewarding and His punishing. Another commentary reads the closing line as the reason for the request. You are the One whom nothing can resist, and You do only what wisdom requires. Bringing these people into the gardens is among the things wisdom requires.

The root of ḥakīm has a picture. The ḥakama is the part of a horse's bridle that runs round its jaw, checking it from bolting. Wisdom, in that picture, is a restraint that saves.

Now think about what the angels have just asked for. Not one person in Paradise, but a family gathered: parents, spouses, children. Anyone who has tried to hold a family together knows how impossible that is for us.

A mother spends weeks on a wedding seating plan. This uncle cannot sit near that cousin. Her daughter will not speak to her brother. She moves the cards round and round, and still knows the day might fall apart.

Our pride tells us that with enough effort we can arrange the people we love into one place. This ayah gently corrects it. Gathering hearts and homes for ever takes perfect power and perfect wisdom. The angels know whose names to call on for that.

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.