Surah Furqan

Surah Furqan is a Meccan surah and the twenty-fifth in the order of compilation. Furqan is the 'Criterion' or the 'Standard of True and False'. It is also another name for the Book of Allah, as every believer should use its words as a measurement of where we stand in the eyes of Allah.

Allah swt opens Surah Furqan by mentioning the disbelievers and those that mocked the Prophets of Allah. In verses 11-16 Allah swt gives and intense reminder of both the Hell Fire and Paradise. Those who deny the Day of Judgment are reminded of the fury of the Fire that they can hear even before they are close enough to see it. The Fire is described as being angry and hungry, as if waiting for the fuel that keeps it going, man and stone. The sounds of which will put such fear in the hearts of the wrongdoers that they will plead to be obliterated from existence but all they ask for at that point is of no use. They let the time for forgiveness and change pass over their life on earth. Allah swt then describes Paradise as a place that is greater than anything on earth and every wish will be granted. Who can turn away such an offer? Allah is saying everything that we ever wished for is attainable if we live this life in a righteous and obedient way. Allah swt then poses the question of what the person prefers, the anguish of the Fire that is beyond comprehension, or the bliss of Paradise that is perfect and eternal. Allah swt is reminding us that while Shaytan is present and always trying to deter us from good, the choice and the accountability is our in the end.

The deniers of the Qur'an are determined to question Allah, His Messengers, and His Book. In the previous surah we see that they mocked the Prophets of Allah about being nothing more than human beings. And as we have read in and understood from previous chapters, this is in fact on of the great blessings as it allows people to relate to their situations and believe they can also attain nearness to Allah. Similarly, the disbelievers mock the revelation of the Qur'an in phases but this too is a blessing. Some of the practices and customs of the Jahiliya Arabs were so far from the boundaries of Islam. To have brought revealed the Qur'an in all at once may have been overwhelming for the people and prevented them from making the transition into Islam. This is a lesson for us as well that when we engage in dialogue with other Muslims or non-Muslims we must not force Islam onto them. Allah brought Islam to the people over the course of twenty-three years. We cannot ask a person who just entered Islam to absorb twenty-three years of commands overnight. Allah shows us that it is okay to take time to progress forward in your Iman, small steps that remain consistent are better than leaps that you cannot nurture and sustain.

In verse 43, Allah swt bring our attention to our desires overruling His command. Allah is telling the Prophet in this verse that there are some who will never be guided. Those who follow their desires without concern of the commands of Allah are of those people. They are compared to cattle that do what they are created to do; yet these people go against their purpose in life and do not give second thought to it. Such people that Allah swt describes as never being guided have never seen and will never see the light of Allah. But there are those amongst us who have been given the light of Allah but fall into error and Allah reminds us in verse 70 and 71 that as long as we ask Allah for His forgiveness, He will forgive us. Even if we have transgressed into deep crime the door to Allah's forgiveness is always open and if we seek it with sincerity, then Allah can change our evil habits into good habits.

Allah swt describes in verse 63 the beautiful characteristics of the people who have taken the Criterion in their life and have earned the title of the 'Servant of the Merciful". How do we measure against the descriptions of these verses?

"Oh Allah grant us spouses and offspring that will be the comfort of our eyes, and give us the grace to lead the righteous" [Surah Al Furqan, Verse 74]