Surah Al-Furqan: Distinguishing Truth Through Allah's Signs

Surah Al-Furqan: The Distinction Between Believers and Non-Believers

In Surah al-Furqan, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala refers to the Qur'an itself as a distinguisher. The Qur'an is a Furqan. That word Furqan, coming from the word Farq — something that shows us the difference between a couple of things.

And so the Qur'an is labeled as the Furqan. The Qur'an is something that shows us the truth, separates it from the falsehood. The Qur'an is our guide.

And so throughout this surah, Surah al-Furqan, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala talks about the different qualities of the Qur'an and how it benefits a person, how it guides a person. The passage I wanted to go through is near the end. There are certain places in this surah where Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala describes Himself as Tabarak. He uses this word Tabarak. This word is only for Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. It talks about the greatness of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

And in the final passage, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, continuing on that theme of distinguishing, shows us the distinction between the believers and the non-believers. Just before this passage, the second-to-last passage of this surah, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala talks about His own proofs. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala goes on at length discussing the different dalail — the different proofs of His existence, the creation that is around. And Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala uses all of that to prove His own existence.

Allah's Creation as Proof of His Existence

Finishing off that passage, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says:

Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says, "This is who I am." And going through all of the proofs, He ends off saying: "This is who I am." Allah is the one who has created the skies, the earth, and whatever is between them in six days.

Thereafter, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala starts to transition into the next. That those who have recognized Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala and recognized His status are different, and those who don't are different.

And so Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says that when it is said to them — this verse now talking about those that haven't recognized Allah — when it's said to them to prostrate for Al-Rahman, they say, "What is Rahman?" The arrogance, right? Without any sort of recognition. Not even "who?" — but "what?" What is Rahman? Am I supposed to prostrate to something I don't even know about? Am I supposed to prostrate because you tell me to do so? These are the people that haven't recognized.

The Final Passage: Signs of Allah's Greatness

Then Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala starts the final passage. The final passage begins again:

The greatness of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala — how blessed is Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala — who has put in the skies stars and planets, and has put the sun and moon in the sky.

He put the sun and moon there, and He put the night and day there. The night and day come because of the sun and moon, but the sun and moon themselves are not the doers. Allah is the one that makes things happen. And so Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala repeats His name — wa huwa alladhi — He is the one that makes the night and day come.

Khilfatan liman arada an yadhdhakkara aw arada shukura — He has them come one after the other, showing us change, showing us that there's control. This is done for people who want to turn back to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala — people who are far from Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala and they want to turn back — or those who are already believing in Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala and they want to increase. Aw arada shukura — they intend to be grateful to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

But at the end of the day, the point of these signs, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala mentions Himself: liyadhdhakkara — so that the person can remember, so the person can think about it. These signs that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala puts on the world, they're meant for us to recognize, they're meant for us to ponder over. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says so Himself in the Qur'an. You're supposed to be thinking about the creation of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

The Qualities of 'Ibad al-Rahman

The next discussion then is: who are actually the believers? If these are the people that haven't recognized Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, then who are those that are going to recognize Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala? Then it continues:

The slaves of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, the servants of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala — they are those who walk on the ground with humility, they walk with humbleness in front of the people. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says this about the people of iman, the people who have recognized Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. They have these certain qualities. There's going to be a whole list of them. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala goes through the entire description of their qualities.

Who are these people who have recognized Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala? When they're walking, they're walking humbly, they're walking with humility, they're walking out of tawadu'. They're not arrogant in front of the people. They have a balance though — they're not so prideful that they're going to walk around as if there's something great about them. They recognize their weaknesses, they recognize they're servants of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

But at the same time, they're also not so meek, so weak, and so excessively humble that they don't know what they stand for. Wa idha khatabahumu al-jahiluna qalu salama — when the ignorant people come and they want to start discussions, they want to start arguments, then they walk away from it.

This is something we're going to see again and again in this passage — the concept of the balance of their qualities. This is the first ayah starting this passage. Wa 'ibadu al-Rahman — they are the slaves of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. They are the slaves of Al-Rahman. This is an honor for them. This is an honor to be addressed as the slave of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

The Honor of Being Allah's Slave

This surah — Surah al-Furqan — even at the very beginning, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala mentions the honor of the Prophet ﷺ by calling him an abd. The first ayah of the surah:

Blessed is Allah who has revealed the Furqan — again referring to the Qur'an — on His abd. Abd we translate as a slave. We don't normally consider that an honor. No one really thinks of a slave as an honor. Why is it honorable to be a slave of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala?

The truth is we're all trying to be slaves of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. Each one of us has this idea and this intention that I want to separate from the dunya. I want to get away from all of this. I want to get away from my love of wealth, my love of all the attractive things. I don't want to be a slave of the dunya. I don't want to be a slave of my nafs. I just want to be khalis for Allah. I want to be sincerely, truly only for Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

To get to that level of ikhlas, to get to that level of sincerity, is a true honor. And that's what's meant here. They're the slaves of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala because they've reached to that level. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala starts the surah by saying the Prophet ﷺ is already on that status. The Prophet ﷺ is already on that honor. Nazzala 'ala 'abdihi. And then He ends the surah saying that you can also get to that level. You can also get to the level of being a sincere worshiper of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. Being only for Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. Being a slave not to anyone else, not of anything else — but being a slave only of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

Wa 'ibadu al-Rahman — they are the slaves of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. They have humility with the people around them. They're not overly prideful that they're going to boast in front of people. But they're also not overly submissive that they don't know what they're standing for. When the ignorant people are talking to them, they know how to respond. They say salam to them. They part with peace. They separate with peace and they move on. Because they know what their priorities are.

Their Worship at Night

That was their behavior with the people around them. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala then continues:

As for their behavior with Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala — they are those that spend their nights in qiyam and in sujood for Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. They spend their nights standing and prostrating to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. Specifically the night is mentioned. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala emphasizes this. They're not just praying — everyone prays. But these special servants of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, those that have dedicated themselves to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, they express that dedication. You see that dedication in them. You see it because they're praying when no one else is praying. They're worshiping Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala when others have forgotten Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

So these two qualities they've had: their behavior with the people — a balanced, moderate approach — and their behavior with Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. Both of these that they express, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala then continues in the next ayah.

Their Constant Du'a: Seeking Protection from Hellfire

They say — and even this verb that's used, yaquluna, they're constantly saying this — they're constantly making this du'a to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala: "O Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, keep the punishment away from us." They recognize that just by outwardly being involved in the a'mal of khayr, just by outwardly doing the actions that are righteous, doesn't automatically guarantee them protection, doesn't guarantee them a spot close to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. They have the humility to recognize that with Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. And so although they're regularly involved with good actions, they still recognize Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala above them. They still recognize that they could be at fault. They recognize their weaknesses.

Their actions are not bringing an ego in them. Their actions don't make them feel that I'm worth something, that I'm doing something for Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. They recognize all of the tawfiq is from Allah. They recognize everything comes from Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. Whatever virtues I see in myself, whatever goodness I see in myself — all of it is only because Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala put it there. If Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala at any moment wants to take any of it away, it's fully in His control. They recognize: this is Allah's control, this is not my control, this is not my accomplishment.

The consistency in du'a is important. This concept of the du'a that they're making — we're going to see this multiple times in the passage. This is the first time it's being mentioned, and it's going to be mentioned multiple times. One of the qualities of these Ibad al-Rahman — the qualities of these servants of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala — they don't just make du'a once in a while. It's not only on the nights of Ramadan that they're making du'a. It's not only on special occasions that you're going to see them crying on the musalla. It's continuous, a latent quality in who they are. This is built in. They're always calling out to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

They recognize: "O Allah, this punishment of Yours — inna 'adhabaha kana gharama — it's pursuant. It's a punishment that's always going to stick." Gharim is like a creditor — someone who is owed money. When they're always hounding after the person that owes them money, that's a gharim, that's someone who's always chasing after you. And they say, "O Allah, this 'adhab is that gharim." This punishment of Yours, O Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, it's pursuant. It's always going after those that it goes after.

Innaha sa'at mustaqarran wa muqama — This as well, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, on their behalf, says that this place in Jahannam is a terrible place of rest. It's a terrible abode.

Balance in Spending

And there are those that when they spend, they neither waste nor are they miserly. As I mentioned, that concept of balance is being shown again. They have balance in their humility, they have balance in their interactions, in their spending. When they're spending, they're not overly wasteful. And when they're spending, they're not overly miserly. Wa kana bayna dhalika qawama — rather their spending is moderate in nature. It's in between.

Avoiding the Three Major Sins

And there are those that don't call upon anyone else alongside Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. This is important, right? Anyone can do these good actions. But unless you're doing them for Allah, it doesn't matter. Unless you do it with iman, unless you do it with the love of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, unless you do it with recognition of who Allah is — just giving charity on its own is not beneficial. Just doing the actions on their own isn't beneficial if it's done with riya, if it's done with insincerity. It requires a person to recognize Allah alone, to put Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala above all. And so Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala mentions that these are people who don't call anyone else with Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. They're not doing any shirk, they're not attributing power to anyone besides Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. They know who Allah is.

Wa la yaqtuluna al-nafsa allati harrama Allahu illa bil-haqq — they don't go and kill people. Wa la yazuna — neither do they commit adultery. There are three major sins mentioned in this verse. The first is the absolute worst — the shirk of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, by turning away from Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. Then the next one is a bit lower in severity: killing people without right. And the next one after that is again slightly less in severity: committing adultery.

The way Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala talks about killing people — la yaqtuluna al-nafsa allati harrama Allahu illa bil-haqq — they don't kill unless they have the right to do so. The right to do so that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala gives them is for the different hudud, the different punishments that are established in Islam.

Wa man yaf'al dhalika yalqa athaman — whoever does any of those things, whoever falls into those sins, then understand that definitely they will face the punishment. They will face the consequences that are coming.

Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says that 'adhab, that punishment that comes with it — don't take it lightly. Yuda'afu lahu al-'adhabu — that punishment is going to be compounded. Multiplied for them will be the punishment on the Day of Qiyamah. It's going to start immediately. Wa yakhlud fihi muhana — and he's going to remain in it forever, disgraced.

The 'adhab being compounded has multiple aspects. Firstly, this is only for kuffar — this is only for the non-believers. And we know this from this ayah and the next ayah as well, which will indicate to that fact. The concept of the multiplication of 'adhab is only for kuffar. As for Muslims, we understand that one bad deed equals one sin. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala doesn't do dhulm. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala doesn't oppress anyone. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala doesn't give them any punishment worse than what they've deserved. So we understand generally one bad deed equals one sin.

But for these people who have left Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, their punishment is compounded. They didn't believe in Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. They didn't act in accordance with what Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala wanted them to do. They have multitudes of sin, and so they have multiple layers of punishment. But even that punishment is such that it's going to be multiplied over time. If you have one punishment, over time you can get desensitized to it. Over time it doesn't feel as bad. Over time you get used to it. You can see like the Tibetan monks — those involved in karate and the different martial arts — they work on their stamina. They can punch a brick wall again and again until their knuckles can sustain it. They become desensitized. They're able to withstand it after a while. Jahannam doesn't work like that. Yuda'afu lahu al-'adhabu — the 'adhab is multiplied. It's compounded. He's going to stay in there forever, disgraced. He tried to put himself above Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala will put him below everything.

The Door of Repentance

This is — as I was mentioning — the verse that shows us that this is talking about kuffar, this is talking about non-believers. If they however repent, they have a chance. If they repent, they accept iman. Illa man taba wa amana wa 'amila salihan — and they do good deeds. Fa'ula'ika yubaddilu Allahu sayyi'atihim hasanat — then these are people whom Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala will change and replace all of their evil deeds with good deeds. Wa kana Allahu Ghafuran Rahima — that's who Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is.

You might think it's a big deal. You might think that's insane — for someone to be deserving of such terrible punishment, and just by making tawbah, by bringing iman, all of that pain can be switched to something so amazing, to something so sweet, to get to the closeness of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. You might think that's beyond anyone. But Allah can do it. Wa kana Allahu Ghafuran Rahima — Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala ends the ayah reminding us about His mercy.

Remember, this is not just anyone we're talking about. This is Allah. This is Al-Ghafur. This is Al-Rahim. More merciful, more forgiving than anyone you've ever met, than anything you could imagine. The qualities of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala are limitless. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala actually takes His own name — wa kana Allahu — when Allah takes His name, He's talking about His kamal. This is Allah. This is His perfection and His qualities.

Then Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala continues — that was for the non-believers. That hope is there for the believers as well. The next ayah continues:

Whoever repents and they do good deeds. This one doesn't have that part about iman. The previous verse mentioned iman as well — they believe. This one doesn't mention it because they're already believers. We're already talking about Muslims. As for those Muslims that may fall in sin, as for those Muslims that may also turn away from Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala and may also have ended up in a place where they deserve the punishment of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala — that hope is there for them as well. The hope remains. Wa man taba wa 'amila salihan fa'innahu yatubu ila Allahi mataba — if you repent to Allah, and if you change your deeds, if you start doing good, then he is turning his way back to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

Avoiding Falsehood and Futility

Then Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala continues, going back into the main purpose of the passage — the qualities of these believers, these Ibad al-Rahman:

There are those that don't present themselves at places of falsehood. They are people that you won't find in negative, bad, harmful environments. You won't find them there. La yashhaduna al-zura — they don't present themselves in places of zur, in places of lies, in places of harm. They're people of taqwa. They're people who want to protect themselves. They want to put a guard up. They want to protect themselves from things that might harm them. And so forget about being involved in the sin — la yashhaduna al-zura — they won't even be there.

You find them in good company. They don't lie themselves. They won't themselves be involved in lying. They won't themselves be involved in falsehood. Neither would they ever be witness to it.

Wa idha marru bil-laghwi marru kiraman — if they were ever to pass by something of futility, if they happen to pass by something like that, they wouldn't go there and attend it. But if they happen to pass by, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says: when they pass by futility, then they pass by with honor and grace, with respect. They're not walking by disrespecting themselves by gawking at the dunya, by being impressed by any disobedience of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. They walk away with grace, they walk away with honor. Again, as we said, they know who they are. They know what they stand for. These are people of priority. These are people of Allah.

Responding to the Signs of Allah with Attentiveness

Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala continues — who are these people? When they are reminded by the signs of their Rabb, they don't fall upon it deaf and blind. They're reminded because they understand that learning is not a self-study endeavor. You can self-study to an extent, but at the end of the day you need a teacher, you need a guide. Everyone does. And so these are people Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala describes as idha dhukkiruu — when they're reminded. As in they allow themselves to be reminded. They go to places of reminders. They allow themselves to meet ulama. They spend time with mashayikh. They spend time with scholars. They're reminded.

Lam yakhirru 'alayha summan wa 'umyanan — they don't fall upon it with deaf ears, with blind hearts. They're paying attention. They're paying attention and they're dedicated. They show their dedication to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

The praise of these Ibad al-Rahman — it's not just that they heard the ayat. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala mentioned at the beginning of the passage as well — that's the purpose of all of this. The purpose why Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala puts all of these signs before you: liman arada an yadhdhakkara — it's for those people that want to take a lesson, that want to heed, that want to understand what Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is trying to say to them. And so Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala repeats that again here. They don't fall upon it deaf and blind.

And obviously they're not literally deaf and blind. But in their behavior, in their attitude to the verses of Allah, to the verses of the Qur'an — what's their approach? Are they approaching it as if it's something passive, something just going over their ears? Or do they approach it with dedication?

Their Second Du'a: For Righteous Families and Leadership

The passage further continues that they are those who say, "O Allah, O our Rabb" — they're making another du'a here. I had mentioned that du'a is something that's consistent with these people. These Ibad al-Rahman — the du'a is constant with them. They're always turning back to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. And so this is the second time it's being mentioned.

They're making du'a to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala: "O Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, grant us from our spouses and from our children the coolness of our eyes, the settling of our hearts, the comfort, the peace of mind." Meaning they care about others, right? Their 'ibadiyat — their servitude to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala — is not a selfish servitude. It's not that they're only looking out for themselves. They actively make du'a for others. They make du'a to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala: let others also be close to You, O Allah. Let others prioritize You just like I prioritize You, O Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. This is how Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala describes them.

Waj'alna lil-muttaqina imama — and allow us to be a guide for all of the muttaqeen, for the pious, for the righteous. We should aspire to great heights. The du'a they're making is: "O Allah, I want to be at the top. I want to be the leader of the pious and the righteous." We should aspire to be as close to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala as possible. And although he's talking about a group of people — "O Allah, make all of us" — the word for a leader is one singular leader, imaman. Waj'alna lil-muttaqina imama — grant all of us the ability to be a leader. One singular leader, there's one path towards Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

The Reward: The Highest Abodes of Jannah

Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala having described these people, going over the entire description, coming to the conclusion of the passage, says:

These are people that will be granted the highest abodes. Bima sabaru — because of the sabr they went through. Because of the patience they went through. It wasn't easy for them. You look at righteous people sometimes, you look at ulama and you think: it must be so nice to be in their shoes. It must be so nice to be a scholar who has everything figured out. It must be so nice to be a person who actually wakes up for tahajjud, who's always there. If only I could be like that. It must be so easy for them.

Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala tells us — it's never been easy. Bima sabaru — they went through patience, they went through difficulties, but they did it for Allah. If we have the patience, if we express that sabr in front of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, we can also get to that position of being Ibad al-Rahman.

Wa yulaqqawna fiha tahiyyatan wa salama — when they get there, when they get to Jannah, then the sabr ends. Then there's no more concept of sabr. In Jannah, there'll just be greetings, there'll just be peace, there'll just be enjoyment, tranquility, happiness, pleasure. No more worries. No sabr after that.

They will also stay in there forever. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala juxtaposes. Earlier we talked about the people of Jahannam. We mentioned that they're going to be staying in there forever. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says the same about the people of Jannah. They will also be in there forever. Just as Jahannam is compounded so that a person doesn't get desensitized, Jannah is the same. Jannah is also compounded. The enjoyments are compounded. So you don't get tired of it, you don't get bored of it. It's always going to be better and better.

Hasunat mustaqarran wa muqama — Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says it's a great place of staying, of residing. It's interesting — it's the same exact words that were mentioned about Jahannam. Jahannam was referred to as the worst of abodes, the worst of dwelling. And then when talking about Jannah, the same words are used again. Hasunat mustaqarran wa muqama.

The Conclusion of Surah Al-Furqan

The surah then ends here:

And as part of the conclusion, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala brings a summary and highlights some of the points that we've already talked about. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala concludes: Qul ma ya'ba'u bikum Rabbi lawla du'a'ukum — tell them, my Rabb is not really going to care about you if it's not for your du'a. If you're not invoking Him, if you're not turning towards Him, if you don't show your care towards Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is not going to show that care back to you.

Lawla du'a'ukum — if it wasn't for your du'a. Again that concept of du'a is brought up. Du'a is consistent in them. Du'a is necessary for a mu'min. Faqad kadhdhabtum fasawfa yakunu lizama — O you non-believers, you kuffar, you have denied it. And so soon this 'adhab will be pursuant. It will be dedicated to you. And it will be compulsory.

May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala save us from such an 'adhab. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala grant us the tawfiq to become Ibad al-Rahman. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala allow all of us to meet in that ghurfa, to meet in that highest level of Jannah.