Ar-Rahmaan (The Beneficent)

33. O assembly of jinn and men! If you have power to pass beyond¹ the zones of the heavens and the earth, then pass beyond [them]. But you shall never be able to pass them, except with extraordinary power.

34. Then which of the Blessings of your Lord will you both [jinn and men] deny?

The Arabic word ma‘shar is cognate with ‘ashr ("ten") and ‘ashira ("relatives"). The word is attested thrice in the Holy Qur’an in all the instances of which jinn precedes men.

The reason lying behind such precedence may be the points that jinn exceed men in terms of quantity, jinn were created before men;

("And We created jinn before [men]"),

and jinn are more prepared to soar in the heavens. Nevertheless, men precede jinn in some other instances. The Arabic word sultan denotes material strength and might leading some to conquer others. It is also applied to academic authority and solid arguments leading to academic and intellectual authority.

It is worthy of note that the blessed Verse in question may also allude to the world, astronautics, transcending the atmosphere of the earth, and penetration into the heavens, since the depth of the earth, the farthest points in space, and celestial bodies may be conquered by jinn. The clause in astata‘tum in lieu of law astata‘tum connotes contingence.

The clause illa bi-sulttan-in alludes to the fact that it is possible to penetrate into the heavens and the earth, particularly to the effect that in the Glorious Qur’an, the Arabic word sultan connotes academic authority.

Taking into account, the contextual meanings of the preceding and the following blessed Verses, it may also make a reference to Resurrection and the impossibility of evading Divine Tribunal.

Thus, the blessed Verse in question is saying:

"O jinn and men! If you truly intend to evade Divine Recompense and Chastisement, make an attempt to transcend the boundaries of the heavens and the earth and thereby leave the bounds of His Omnipotence. However, you may never embark upon the same, unless through Divine Might and such Might is not at your disposal. You may never evade the Tribunal of Divine Justice. Wherever you go, you shall be Divine Realm. Wherever you stand, it shall be His Sovereignty.”

Such weak creatures may never transcend the boundaries of Divine Sovereignty.

Likewise, Imam ‘Ali (as) in the exhilarating invocation of Kumayl says:

"No one may evade Your Omnipotence and Sovereignty."

The blessed Verse 34 is again asking the rhetorical question:

"Then which of the Blessings of your Lord will you both [jinn and men] deny?"