25:1 Al-Furqaan (The Criterion)

هذا بيان لعظمته الكاملة وتفرده [بالوحدانية] من كل وجه وكثرة خيراته وإحسانه فقال: { تَبَارَكَ ْ} أي: تعاظم وكملت أوصافه وكثرت خيراته الذي من أعظم خيراته ونعمه أن نزل هذا القرآن الفارق بين الحلال والحرام والهدى والضلال وأهل السعادة من أهل الشقاوة، { عَلَى عَبْدِهِ ْ} محمد صلى الله عليه وسلم الذي كمل مراتب العبودية وفاق جميع المرسلين، { لِيَكُونَ ْ} ذلك الإنزال للفرقان على عبده { لِلْعَالَمِينَ نَذِيرًا ْ} ينذرهم بأس الله ونقمه ويبين لهم مواقع رضا الله من سخطه، حتى إن من قبل نذارته وعمل بها كان من الناجين في الدنيا والآخرة الذين حصلت لهم السعادة الأبدية والملك السرمدي، فهل فوق هذه النعمة وهذا الفضل والإحسان شيء؟ فتبارك الذي هذا من بعض إحسانه وبركاته.

يقول تعالى حامدا لنفسه الكريمة على ما نزله على رسوله الكريم من القرآن العظيم كما قال تعالى "الحمد لله الذي أنزل على عبده الكتاب ولم يجعل له عوجا قيما لينذر بأسا شديدا من لدنه ويبشر المؤمنين الذين يعملون الصالحات" الآية وقال ههنا "تبارك" وهو تفاعل من البركة المستقرة الثابتة الدائمة "الذي نزل الفرقان" نزل فعل من التكرر والتكثر كقوله "والكتاب الذي نزل على رسوله والكتاب الذي أنزل من قبل" لأن الكتب المتقدمة كانت تنزل جملة واحدة والقرآن نزل منجما مفرقا مفصلا آيات بعد آيات وأحكاما بعد أحكام وسورا بعد سور وهذا أشد وأبلغ وأشد اعتناء بمن أنزل عليه كما قال في أثناء هذه السورة "وقال الذين كفروا لولا نزل عليه القرآن جملة واحدة كذلك لنثبت به فؤادك ورتلناه ترتيلا ولا يأتونك بمثل إلا جئناك بالحق وأحسن تفسيرا" ولهذا سماه ههنا الفرقان لأنه يفرق بين الحق والباطل والهدى والضلال والغي والرشاد والحلال والحرام وقوله "على عبده" هذه صفه مدح وثناء لأنه أضافه إلى عبوديته كما وصفه بها في أشرف أحواله وهي ليلة الإسراء فقال "سبحان الذي أسرى بعبده ليلا" وكما وصفه بذلك في مقام الدعوة إليه "وأنه لما قام عبدالله يدعوه كادوا يكونون عليه لبدا" وكذلك وصفه عند إنزال الكتاب عليه ونزول الملك إليه "تبارك الذي نزل الفرقان على عبده ليكون للعالمين نذيرا" وقوله "ليكون للعالمين نذيرا" أي إنما خصه بهذا الكتاب المفصل العظيم المبين المحكم الذي "لا يأتيه الباطل من بين يديه ولا من خلفه تنزيل من حكيم حميد" الذي جعله فرقانا عظيما ليخصه بالرسالة إلى من يستظل بالخضراء ويستقل على الغبراء كما قال صلى الله عليه وسلم "بعثت إلى الأحمر والأسود" وقال "إني أعطيت خمسا لم يعطن أحد من الأنبياء قبلي" فذكر منهن "أنه كان النبي يبعث إلى قومه خاصة وبعثت إلى الناس عامة" كما قال تعالى "قل يا أيها الناس إني رسول الله إليكم جميعا" الآية أي الذي أرسلني هو مالك السموات والأرض الذي يقول للشيء كن فيكون وهو الذي يحيى ويميت.

Which was revealed in Makkah

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَـنِ الرَّحِيمِ

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

Blessed be Allah

Here Allah praises Himself for the Noble Qur'an He has revealed to His noble Messenger . This is like the Ayat:

الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذِى أَنْزَلَ عَلَى عَبْدِهِ الْكِتَـبَ وَلَمْ يَجْعَل لَّهُ عِوَجَا قَيِّماً لِّيُنْذِرَ بَأْسًا شَدِيدًا مِّن لَّدُنْهُ وَيُبَشِّرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ الَّذِينَ يَعْمَلُونَ الصَّـلِحَاتِ

(All the praises and thanks be to Allah, Who has sent down to His servant the Book, and has not placed therein any crookedness. (He has made it) straight to give warning of a severe punishment from Him, and to give glad tidings to the believers, who do righteous deeds...) 18:1-2 Here Allah says:

تَبَارَكَ

(Blessed be He.) The verbal form used here implies an ongoing, permanent, eternal blessing.

الَّذِى نَزَّلَ الْفُرْقَانَ

(Who sent down the criterion) The verb Nazzala is a form which implies something done a great deal and often. This is like the Ayah:

وَالْكِتَـبِ الَّذِى نَزَّلَ عَلَى رَسُولِهِ وَالْكِتَـبِ الَّذِى أَنَزلَ مِن قَبْلُ

(And the Book which He (Nazzala) sent down to His Messenger, and the Scripture which He (Anzala) sent down to those before (him)) (4:136). Each of the previous Books was sent down at one time, but the Qur'an was revealed gradually, in stages, Ayat after Ayat, rulings after rulings, Surahs after Surahs. This is more eloquent and indicative of greater care for the one to whom it is revealed, as Allah says later in this Surah:

وَقَالَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ لَوْلاَ نُزِّلَ عَلَيْهِ الْقُرْءَانُ جُمْلَةً وَحِدَةً كَذَلِكَ لِنُثَبِّتَ بِهِ فُؤَادَكَ وَرَتَّلْنَاهُ تَرْتِيلاً - وَلاَ يَأْتُونَكَ بِمَثَلٍ إِلاَّ جِئْنَـكَ بِالْحَقِّ وَأَحْسَنَ تَفْسِيراً

(And those who disbelieve say: "Why is not the Qur'an revealed to him all at once" Thus, that We may strengthen your heart thereby. And We have revealed it to you gradually, in stages. And no example or similitude do they bring, but We reveal to you the truth, and the better explanation thereof.) (25:32-33) This Surah was named Al-Furqan, because it is the criterion that decides between truth and falsehood, guidance and misguidance, right and wrong, lawful and unlawful.

عَلَى عَبْدِهِ

(to His servant) This description is one of praise and commendation, because here Allah is connecting him to Himself, describing him as His servant. Allah also described him in this manner when referring to the noblest of events, the Night of the Isra', as He said:

سُبْحَانَ الَّذِى أَسْرَى بِعَبْدِهِ لَيْلاً

(Glorified be He Who took His servant for a journey by night) (17:1). Allah also described him in this way when He described how he stood and called to Him:

وَأَنَّهُ لَّمَا قَامَ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ يَدْعُوهُ كَادُواْ يَكُونُونَ عَلَيْهِ لِبَداً

(And when the servant of Allah stood up invoking Him in prayer they (the Jinn) just made round him a dense crowd as if sticking one over the other (in order to listen to the Prophet's recitation).) (72:19) This description is also used here when Allah describes how the Book is revealed to him and how the angel comes down to him:

تَبَارَكَ الَّذِى نَزَّلَ الْفُرْقَانَ عَلَى عَبْدِهِ لِيَكُونَ لِلْعَـلَمِينَ نَذِيراً

(Blessed be He Who sent down the criterion to His servant that he may be a warner to all nations.)

لِيَكُونَ لِلْعَـلَمِينَ نَذِيراً

(that he may be a warner to all nations.) means, he alone has been blessed with this great, detailed, clear Book which,

لاَّ يَأْتِيهِ الْبَـطِلُ مِن بَيْنِ يَدَيْهِ وَلاَ مِنْ خَلْفِهِ تَنزِيلٌ مِّنْ حَكِيمٍ حَمِيدٍ

(Falsehood cannot come to it from before it or behind it, (it is) sent down by the All-Wise, Worthy of all praise (Allah).) (41:42) The One Who made it the mighty criterion, singled him out to convey it to those who seek the shade of trees and to those who live on the land (i.e., to all of mankind, nomad and settled alike), as the Prophet said:

«بُعِثْتُ إِلَى الْأَحْمَرِ وَالْأَسْوَد»

(I have been sent to the red and the black.) And he said:

«إِنِّي أُعْطِيتُ خَمْسًا لَمْ يُعْطَهُنَّ أَحَدٌ مِنَ الْأَنْبِيَاءِ قَبْلِي»

(I have been given five things which no Prophet before me was given. ) Among them he mentioned:

«كَانَ النَّبِيُّ يُبْعَثُ إِلَى قَوْمِهِ خَاصَّةً وَبُعِثْتُ إِلَى النَّاسِ عَامَّة»

(Before me a Prophet was sent only to his own people, but I have been sent to all of mankind.) And Allah says:

قُلْ يَأَيُّهَا النَّاسُ إِنِّى رَسُولُ اللَّهِ إِلَيْكُمْ جَمِيعًا

(Say: "O mankind! Verily, I am sent to you all as the Messenger of Allah...") (7:158), meaning, the One Who has sent me is the Sovereign of the heaven and the earth, who merely says to a thing "Be!" and it is. He is the one who gives life and causes death. Allah says here:

الَّذِى لَهُ مُلْكُ السَّمَـوَتِ وَالاٌّرْضِ وَلَمْ يَتَّخِذْ وَلَداً وَلَمْ يَكُن لَّهُ شَرِيكٌ فِى المُلْكِ

(He to Whom belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth, and Who has begotten no son and for Whom there is no partner in the dominion.) Allah states that He is above having any offspring or partner. Then He tells us:

خَـلِقُ كُلِّ شَىْءٍفَقَدَّرَهُ تَقْدِيراً

(He has created everything, and has measured it exactly according to its due measurements.) meaning, everything apart from Him is created and subject to Him. He is the Creator, Lord, Master and God of all things, and everything is subject to His dominion, control and power.

Blessed exalted is He Who revealed the Criterion al-furqān the Qur’ān — called thus al-furqān because it has discriminated faraqa between truth and falsehood — to His servant Muhammad (s) that he may be to all the worlds to mankind and the jinn but not the angels a warner a threatening of God’s chastisement.

Special features of the Surah

There is consensus among the commentators that this Surah was revealed in Makkah. However, Sayyidna Ibn ` Abbas ؓ and Qatadah ؓ contend that three of its verses are Madani and rest of the Surah is Makkan. Yet Qurtubi and a few others maintain that the Surah itself is Madani and only a few verses are Makkan.

The gist of the subject matter of the Surah is to describe and define the greatness of the Holy Qur'an and the truth of the prophethood of the Holy Prophet ﷺ ، to which there were doubts expressed by the unbelievers. The Surah contains answers to their objections.

Commentary

تَبَارَ‌كَ (25:1) is derived from بَرَکَہ ، meaning abundance of a good thing. Sayyidna Ibn ` Abbas ؓ ` e' ' has explained that the meaning of the first verse is that all blessings are from Allah alone. فُرْ‌قَانَ (Furgan, translated above as 'criterion' )is a title of the Qur'an and its meaning is to distinguish. The Holy Qur'an by its very nature distinguishes between right and wrong, and differentiates, through miracles between the right people and the wrong ones, hence it is called as Furqan.

لِلْعَالَمِينَ (warner to the worlds - 25:1). This proves that the Holy Prophet ﷺ prophethood was for the entire universe and not just for a certain community or time, as was the case with other prophets. In a Hadith recorded in Sahih Muslim, the Holy Prophet ﷺ has pointed out six special features about his prophethood. One of the special features is the universality of his prophethood i.e. it is for all ages and all people.