Al-Furqaan (The Criterion)

Verse 1

Table of Contents

In the Name of Allah, The Beneficent, The Merciful

(The Distinction)

(Revealed in Mecca)

77 verses in 6 sections

This Sura contains seventy seven verses and it has been sent down in Mecca.

In the first verses of this Sura, the Qur’an has rendered it into ‘Furqan’ which means the separator of right from wrong; and that is why this Sura has been called ‘Furqan’.

This Sura consists of some verses about the pretexts of the pagans and the answers given to them.

They are also about the lives of the former peoples, such as; the people of Rass, and the people’s regret in the Hereafter, the signs of Unity, the greatness of Allah in nature, and the comparison of believers with unbelievers; but the most important part of the verses of this holy Sura is about the qualities of /‘ibad-ur-rahman/ (the servants of Allah) who are the true servants of Allah, which begins from verse 63 up to the end of the Sura.

We hope, by reciting these verses and contemplating on them, which results the improvement of our behaviour and manner basing on these qualities, we can pave the way of receiving the Divine grace and favours in the world and Hereafter and entering Paradise.

The Virtue of Reciting Al-Furqan

There is a tradition quoted from ‘Ishaq-ibn-‘Ammar from Hadrat ‘Abul-Hassan Musa-ibn-Ja’far who told him:

“Do not abandon reading Sura /tabaraka/ (Al-Furqan) since if any (believer) reads it every night, He will not punish him at all and He will not reckon him and his abode will be in the Exalted Firdaus (Paradise).”1

Note

Section 1: The Apostle Muhammad, A Warner to the Whole World

Surah Al-Furqan - Verse 1

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِيمِ‌ تَبارَكَ الَّذِي نَزَّلَ الْفُرْقانَ عَلی‌ عَبْدِهِ لِيَكُونَ لِلْعالَمِينَ نَذِيراً (1)

In the Name of Allah, The Beneficent, The Merciful

1. “Blessed is He Who sent down the Furqan (The Distinction of right and wrong) upon His servant that he may be a Warner to the worlds;”

The Qur’anic word /tabaraka/ may be is derived from the word /baraka/ in the sense of ‘stable’ and ‘fixed’. Or it is possible that it is derived from /barakat/ that means ‘abundant goodness’.

It implies that He Who descended the Holy Qur’an is the source of many blessings and one of His blessings, as an example, is this very descending of the Qur’an. Yes, what blessing is more important than the divine law that has led milliards of people from darkness to the light of guidance in the course of history?

The Qur’anic word /nuzul/ means to send down at once and immediately, if it is in the form of the word /’anzalna/, and it means to send down gradually if it is in the form of the word /nazzala/.

But the holy Qur’an has enjoyed both kinds of descending; one time is in the Night of determination (Honour) in which Qur’an was revealed to the Prophet (S) at one instance, about which, it says:

“Surely, We sent it (the Qur’an) down on the Night of Honour.”2

And the other time is done gradually during 23 years.

The Qur’an says:

“And (it is) Qur’an which We have divided (in sections) so that you may read it to the people at a slow pace and We have sent it down gradually in portion.”3

And in another occurrence it says:

“...He Who sent down the Furqan (the Distinction of right and wrong) upon His servant...”4

Anyway, the Qur’an has come from a blessed source, thus, through the first verse, it says:

“Blessed is He Who sent down the Furqan (The Distinction of right and wrong) upon His servant that he may be a Warner to the worlds;”

It is interesting that the blessedness of Allah’s Essence is introduced by descending of Furqan, that is Qur’an, the separator of truth and falsehood. This shows that the best favour and blessing is that man has got a means for cognition, knowing the difference between truth and falsehood.

Another interesting thing is that the Qur’anic word Furqan has sometimes been used in the sense of Qur’an and sometimes it means the miracles that distinguish truth from falsehood. Sometimes it is applied to Torah, but here, with regard to the context of this verse and the other verses, it means the Qur’an.

In some narrations we read that when Imam Sadiq (as) was asked about the difference between the Qur’an and Furqan, he said:

“The Qur’an refers to these celestial Books wholly, and Furqan refers to the clear verses.”5

This noble narration is not in contrast with Furqan being distinguisher of all verses of the Qur’an and its purpose is that clear verses have got a clearer and more obvious extension of Furqan and distinguishing of truth from falsehood.

The blessing of ‘distinguishing and knowing’ is so important that the Glorious Qur’an has been introduced as the great reward of those who are pious, where it says:

“O you who have Faith! If you be in awe of Allah, He will assign for you a discrimination (between right and wrong) ...”6

Yes, distinguishing truth from falsehood is possible only through piety, for sins, love and hatred cover truth with a thick veil and they blind man’s perception and insight.

Anyway, the Glorious Qur’an is the best Furqan. It is a means for distinguishing truth from falsehood in all life system of man. It is a means for knowing truth and falsehood during personal and social life and it is a criterion for thoughts, beliefs, laws, judgments, customs, rules and ethics.

This matter is also important that the verse says:

“...Who sent down the Furqan (The Distinction of right and wrong) upon His servant...”

Yes, it is the sincere servitude and submission that makes a man deserving and worthy for receiving Furqan and accepting the criteria of knowing truth and falsehood.

Finally, the last matter mentioned in this verse is that the ultimate aim of Furqan is to warn people of the world, a warning that leads man to feel responsibility for duties and obligations that are put on his shoulder.

The Qur’anic phrase /lil ‘alamin/, meaning: ‘(the peoples) of the worlds’, shows that Islam religion is universal and is not limited to a certain region, race and tribe.

But some have used it for the Prophet (S) as being the seal of the prophets, for the word /‘alamin/ not only is not limited to place, but also it is not chronologically limited to a special time and it includes all the future generations, too.