Surah Ar-Rahman is the Qur'an's fifty-fifth surah, 78 ayat revealed in Makkah, and one of the few surahs built almost entirely around a single repeated question: "So which of the favors of your Lord would you deny?" It appears 31 times, addressed in the dual to both jinn and mankind together, after nearly every favor God lists, from the sun and moon moving on a fixed reckoning to the two seas that meet without mixing to the gardens waiting for whoever feared standing before Him. Below is the complete surah, in Arabic and in English, with what the classical tafsir says about its harder lines and how long it takes to listen to the whole thing in one sitting.
A surah built on one repeated question
Surah Ar-Rahman opens with Allah's name Ar-Rahman, the Most Merciful, and moves straight into what He has taught and made: the Qur'an itself, mankind's power of speech, the sun and moon moving by precise calculation, the earth spread out and stocked with fruit and grain. After each small cluster of favors, the surah returns to the same line: "So which of the favors of your Lord would you deny?"
Commentators note that the address is in the dual, رَبِّكُمَا ("your Lord", speaking to two), which is why classical tafsir reads the whole surah as addressing jinn and mankind side by side rather than people alone. The first half moves through creation, astronomy, the sea and the balance in which everything is weighed. The second half turns to what is coming: a warning that neither jinn nor humans can escape Allah's reach, and then a long description of the gardens prepared for "whoever has feared the position of his Lord."
The full text of Surah Ar-Rahman
الرَّحْمَٰنُ ﴿١﴾ عَلَّمَ الْقُرْآنَ ﴿٢﴾
الرحمن: 1-2"The Most Merciful Taught the Qur’ān,"
Ar-Rahmaan 55:1-2, Saheeh International
خَلَقَ الْإِنسَانَ ﴿٣﴾ عَلَّمَهُ الْبَيَانَ ﴿٤﴾
الرحمن: 3-4"Created man, [And] taught him eloquence."
Ar-Rahmaan 55:3-4, Saheeh International
الشَّمْسُ وَالْقَمَرُ بِحُسْبَانٍ ﴿٥﴾ وَالنَّجْمُ وَالشَّجَرُ يَسْجُدَانِ ﴿٦﴾
الرحمن: 5-6"The sun and the moon [move] by precise calculation, And the stars and trees prostrate."
Ar-Rahmaan 55:5-6, Saheeh International
وَالسَّمَاءَ رَفَعَهَا وَوَضَعَ الْمِيزَانَ ﴿٧﴾ أَلَّا تَطْغَوْا فِي الْمِيزَانِ ﴿٨﴾ وَأَقِيمُوا الْوَزْنَ بِالْقِسْطِ وَلَا تُخْسِرُوا الْمِيزَانَ ﴿٩﴾
الرحمن: 7-9"And the heaven He raised and imposed the balance That you not transgress within the balance. And establish weight in justice and do not make deficient the balance."
Ar-Rahmaan 55:7-9, Saheeh International
وَالْأَرْضَ وَضَعَهَا لِلْأَنَامِ ﴿١٠﴾ فِيهَا فَاكِهَةٌ وَالنَّخْلُ ذَاتُ الْأَكْمَامِ ﴿١١﴾ وَالْحَبُّ ذُو الْعَصْفِ وَالرَّيْحَانُ ﴿١٢﴾ فَبِأَيِّ آلَاءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ ﴿١٣﴾
الرحمن: 10-13"And the earth He laid [out] for the creatures. Therein is fruit and palm trees having sheaths [of dates] And grain having husks and scented plants. So which of the favors of your Lord would you deny?"
Ar-Rahmaan 55:10-13, Saheeh International
خَلَقَ الْإِنسَانَ مِن صَلْصَالٍ كَالْفَخَّارِ ﴿١٤﴾ وَخَلَقَ الْجَانَّ مِن مَّارِجٍ مِّن نَّارٍ ﴿١٥﴾ فَبِأَيِّ آلَاءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ ﴿١٦﴾
الرحمن: 14-16"He created man from clay like [that of] pottery. And He created the jinn from a smokeless flame of fire. So which of the favors of your Lord would you deny?"
Ar-Rahmaan 55:14-16, Saheeh International
Ibn Kathir explains that man here was made from a dry clay that rings like pottery when struck, while the jinn were made from the tip of a smokeless flame: two very different materials the surah keeps naming side by side, because it keeps addressing both kinds of creation together.
رَبُّ الْمَشْرِقَيْنِ وَرَبُّ الْمَغْرِبَيْنِ ﴿١٧﴾ فَبِأَيِّ آلَاءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ ﴿١٨﴾
الرحمن: 17-18"[He is] Lord of the two sunrises and Lord of the two sunsets. So which of the favors of your Lord would you deny?"
Ar-Rahmaan 55:17-18, Saheeh International
Ibn Kathir explains "the two sunrises and the two sunsets" as the point on the horizon where the sun rises and sets at the height of summer, and the point where it rises and sets at the depth of winter: a drift that happens every year without anyone arranging it.
مَرَجَ الْبَحْرَيْنِ يَلْتَقِيَانِ ﴿١٩﴾ بَيْنَهُمَا بَرْزَخٌ لَّا يَبْغِيَانِ ﴿٢٠﴾ فَبِأَيِّ آلَاءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ ﴿٢١﴾
الرحمن: 19-21"He released the two seas, meeting [one another]; Between them is a barrier so neither of them transgresses. So which of the favors of your Lord would you deny?"
Ar-Rahmaan 55:19-21, Saheeh International
Ibn Kathir explains that the two seas are the fresh water of rivers and the salt water of the sea, which meet without either one overpowering the other, held apart by a barrier so that the fresh water does not turn salty and the salt water does not turn fresh.
يَخْرُجُ مِنْهُمَا اللُّؤْلُؤُ وَالْمَرْجَانُ ﴿٢٢﴾ فَبِأَيِّ آلَاءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ ﴿٢٣﴾
الرحمن: 22-23"From both of them emerge pearl and coral. So which of the favors of your Lord would you deny?"
Ar-Rahmaan 55:22-23, Saheeh International
وَلَهُ الْجَوَارِ الْمُنشَآتُ فِي الْبَحْرِ كَالْأَعْلَامِ ﴿٢٤﴾ فَبِأَيِّ آلَاءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ ﴿٢٥﴾
الرحمن: 24-25"And to Him belong the ships [with sails] elevated in the sea like mountains. So which of the favors of your Lord would you deny?"
Ar-Rahmaan 55:24-25, Saheeh International
كُلُّ مَنْ عَلَيْهَا فَانٍ ﴿٢٦﴾ وَيَبْقَىٰ وَجْهُ رَبِّكَ ذُو الْجَلَالِ وَالْإِكْرَامِ ﴿٢٧﴾ فَبِأَيِّ آلَاءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ ﴿٢٨﴾
الرحمن: 26-28"Everyone upon it [i.e., the earth] will perish, And there will remain the Face of your Lord, Owner of Majesty and Honor. So which of the favors of your Lord would you deny?"
Ar-Rahmaan 55:26-28, Saheeh International
Ibn Kathir notes that everything named earlier in the surah, however lasting it looks, still belongs to what will perish; only "the Face of your Lord" remains.
يَسْأَلُهُ مَن فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ ۚ كُلَّ يَوْمٍ هُوَ فِي شَأْنٍ ﴿٢٩﴾ فَبِأَيِّ آلَاءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ ﴿٣٠﴾
الرحمن: 29-30"Whoever is within the heavens and earth asks Him; every day He is in [i.e., bringing about] a matter. So which of the favors of your Lord would you deny?"
Ar-Rahmaan 55:29-30, Saheeh International
سَنَفْرُغُ لَكُمْ أَيُّهَ الثَّقَلَانِ ﴿٣١﴾ فَبِأَيِّ آلَاءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ ﴿٣٢﴾
الرحمن: 31-32"We will attend to you, O prominent beings. So which of the favors of your Lord would you deny?"
Ar-Rahmaan 55:31-32, Saheeh International
يَا مَعْشَرَ الْجِنِّ وَالْإِنسِ إِنِ اسْتَطَعْتُمْ أَن تَنفُذُوا مِنْ أَقْطَارِ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ فَانفُذُوا ۚ لَا تَنفُذُونَ إِلَّا بِسُلْطَانٍ ﴿٣٣﴾ فَبِأَيِّ آلَاءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ ﴿٣٤﴾
الرحمن: 33-34"O company of jinn and mankind, if you are able to pass beyond the regions of the heavens and the earth, then pass. You will not pass except by authority [from Allāh]. So which of the favors of your Lord would you deny?"
Ar-Rahmaan 55:33-34, Saheeh International
يُرْسَلُ عَلَيْكُمَا شُوَاظٌ مِّن نَّارٍ وَنُحَاسٌ فَلَا تَنتَصِرَانِ ﴿٣٥﴾ فَبِأَيِّ آلَاءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ ﴿٣٦﴾
الرحمن: 35-36"There will be sent upon you a flame of fire and smoke, and you will not defend yourselves. So which of the favors of your Lord would you deny?"
Ar-Rahmaan 55:35-36, Saheeh International
فَإِذَا انشَقَّتِ السَّمَاءُ فَكَانَتْ وَرْدَةً كَالدِّهَانِ ﴿٣٧﴾ فَبِأَيِّ آلَاءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ ﴿٣٨﴾
الرحمن: 37-38"And when the heaven is split open and becomes rose-colored like oil So which of the favors of your Lord would you deny?"
Ar-Rahmaan 55:37-38, Saheeh International
فَيَوْمَئِذٍ لَّا يُسْأَلُ عَن ذَنبِهِ إِنسٌ وَلَا جَانٌّ ﴿٣٩﴾ فَبِأَيِّ آلَاءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ ﴿٤٠﴾
الرحمن: 39-40"Then on that Day none will be asked about his sin among men or jinn. So which of the favors of your Lord would you deny?"
Ar-Rahmaan 55:39-40, Saheeh International
يُعْرَفُ الْمُجْرِمُونَ بِسِيمَاهُمْ فَيُؤْخَذُ بِالنَّوَاصِي وَالْأَقْدَامِ ﴿٤١﴾ فَبِأَيِّ آلَاءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ ﴿٤٢﴾
الرحمن: 41-42"The criminals will be known by their marks, and they will be seized by the forelocks and the feet. So which of the favors of your Lord would you deny?"
Ar-Rahmaan 55:41-42, Saheeh International
هَٰذِهِ جَهَنَّمُ الَّتِي يُكَذِّبُ بِهَا الْمُجْرِمُونَ ﴿٤٣﴾ يَطُوفُونَ بَيْنَهَا وَبَيْنَ حَمِيمٍ آنٍ ﴿٤٤﴾ فَبِأَيِّ آلَاءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ ﴿٤٥﴾
الرحمن: 43-45"This is Hell, which the criminals deny. They will circulate between it and scalding water, heated [to the utmost degree]. So which of the favors of your Lord would you deny?"
Ar-Rahmaan 55:43-45, Saheeh International
وَلِمَنْ خَافَ مَقَامَ رَبِّهِ جَنَّتَانِ ﴿٤٦﴾ فَبِأَيِّ آلَاءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ ﴿٤٧﴾
الرحمن: 46-47"But for he who has feared the position of his Lord are two gardens So which of the favors of your Lord would you deny?"
Ar-Rahmaan 55:46-47, Saheeh International
From here the surah turns to Paradise itself, describing two gardens for "whoever has feared the position of his Lord," and later, from verse 62, a second pair of gardens "below them" in excellence. Classical tafsir reads this as two ranks of reward rather than one garden described twice.
ذَوَاتَا أَفْنَانٍ ﴿٤٨﴾ فَبِأَيِّ آلَاءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ ﴿٤٩﴾
الرحمن: 48-49"Having [spreading] branches. So which of the favors of your Lord would you deny?"
Ar-Rahmaan 55:48-49, Saheeh International
فِيهِمَا عَيْنَانِ تَجْرِيَانِ ﴿٥٠﴾ فَبِأَيِّ آلَاءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ ﴿٥١﴾
الرحمن: 50-51"In both of them are two springs, flowing. So which of the favors of your Lord would you deny?"
Ar-Rahmaan 55:50-51, Saheeh International
فِيهِمَا مِن كُلِّ فَاكِهَةٍ زَوْجَانِ ﴿٥٢﴾ فَبِأَيِّ آلَاءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ ﴿٥٣﴾
الرحمن: 52-53"In both of them are of every fruit, two kinds. So which of the favors of your Lord would you deny?"
Ar-Rahmaan 55:52-53, Saheeh International
مُتَّكِئِينَ عَلَىٰ فُرُشٍ بَطَائِنُهَا مِنْ إِسْتَبْرَقٍ ۚ وَجَنَى الْجَنَّتَيْنِ دَانٍ ﴿٥٤﴾ فَبِأَيِّ آلَاءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ ﴿٥٥﴾
الرحمن: 54-55"[They are] reclining on beds whose linings are of silk brocade, and the fruit of the two gardens is hanging low. So which of the favors of your Lord would you deny?"
Ar-Rahmaan 55:54-55, Saheeh International
فِيهِنَّ قَاصِرَاتُ الطَّرْفِ لَمْ يَطْمِثْهُنَّ إِنسٌ قَبْلَهُمْ وَلَا جَانٌّ ﴿٥٦﴾ فَبِأَيِّ آلَاءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ ﴿٥٧﴾
الرحمن: 56-57"In them are women limiting [their] glances, untouched before them by man or jinnī So which of the favors of your Lord would you deny?"
Ar-Rahmaan 55:56-57, Saheeh International
كَأَنَّهُنَّ الْيَاقُوتُ وَالْمَرْجَانُ ﴿٥٨﴾ فَبِأَيِّ آلَاءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ ﴿٥٩﴾
الرحمن: 58-59"As if they were rubies and coral. So which of the favors of your Lord would you deny?"
Ar-Rahmaan 55:58-59, Saheeh International
هَلْ جَزَاءُ الْإِحْسَانِ إِلَّا الْإِحْسَانُ ﴿٦٠﴾ فَبِأَيِّ آلَاءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ ﴿٦١﴾
الرحمن: 60-61"Is the reward for good [anything] but good? So which of the favors of your Lord would you deny?"
Ar-Rahmaan 55:60-61, Saheeh International
Ibn Kathir explains that this verse sets the rule behind everything Paradise is described as containing afterward: good is repaid with good, and what believers receive in the next life beyond that is a favor from Allah rather than a wage anyone could claim to have earned outright.
وَمِن دُونِهِمَا جَنَّتَانِ ﴿٦٢﴾ فَبِأَيِّ آلَاءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ ﴿٦٣﴾
الرحمن: 62-63"And below them both [in excellence] are two [other] gardens So which of the favors of your Lord would you deny?"
Ar-Rahmaan 55:62-63, Saheeh International
مُدْهَامَّتَانِ ﴿٦٤﴾ فَبِأَيِّ آلَاءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ ﴿٦٥﴾
الرحمن: 64-65"Dark green [in color]. So which of the favors of your Lord would you deny?"
Ar-Rahmaan 55:64-65, Saheeh International
فِيهِمَا عَيْنَانِ نَضَّاخَتَانِ ﴿٦٦﴾ فَبِأَيِّ آلَاءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ ﴿٦٧﴾
الرحمن: 66-67"In both of them are two springs, spouting. So which of the favors of your Lord would you deny?"
Ar-Rahmaan 55:66-67, Saheeh International
فِيهِمَا فَاكِهَةٌ وَنَخْلٌ وَرُمَّانٌ ﴿٦٨﴾ فَبِأَيِّ آلَاءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ ﴿٦٩﴾
الرحمن: 68-69"In both of them are fruit and palm trees and pomegranates. So which of the favors of your Lord would you deny?"
Ar-Rahmaan 55:68-69, Saheeh International
فِيهِنَّ خَيْرَاتٌ حِسَانٌ ﴿٧٠﴾ فَبِأَيِّ آلَاءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ ﴿٧١﴾
الرحمن: 70-71"In them are good and beautiful women So which of the favors of your Lord would you deny?"
Ar-Rahmaan 55:70-71, Saheeh International
حُورٌ مَّقْصُورَاتٌ فِي الْخِيَامِ ﴿٧٢﴾ فَبِأَيِّ آلَاءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ ﴿٧٣﴾
الرحمن: 72-73"Fair ones reserved in pavilions So which of the favors of your Lord would you deny?"
Ar-Rahmaan 55:72-73, Saheeh International
لَمْ يَطْمِثْهُنَّ إِنسٌ قَبْلَهُمْ وَلَا جَانٌّ ﴿٧٤﴾ فَبِأَيِّ آلَاءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ ﴿٧٥﴾
الرحمن: 74-75"Untouched before them by man or jinnī So which of the favors of your Lord would you deny?"
Ar-Rahmaan 55:74-75, Saheeh International
مُتَّكِئِينَ عَلَىٰ رَفْرَفٍ خُضْرٍ وَعَبْقَرِيٍّ حِسَانٍ ﴿٧٦﴾ فَبِأَيِّ آلَاءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ ﴿٧٧﴾
الرحمن: 76-77"Reclining on green cushions and beautiful fine carpets. So which of the favors of your Lord would you deny?"
Ar-Rahmaan 55:76-77, Saheeh International
تَبَارَكَ اسْمُ رَبِّكَ ذِي الْجَلَالِ وَالْإِكْرَامِ ﴿٧٨﴾
الرحمن: 78"Blessed is the name of your Lord, Owner of Majesty and Honor."
Ar-Rahmaan 55:78, Saheeh International
Listening to Surah Ar-Rahman
Surah Ar-Rahman is 78 ayat, short enough to listen to from start to finish in one sitting. Quran Orb's recording, read by Maher Al-Muaiqly in the Hafs riwayah, runs 7 minutes and 20 seconds. Because the refrain returns so often, many listeners use this surah as an early stop when they start memorizing by listening; the repeated line gives the ear something fixed to hold on to between the parts that change. If you want to hear how other reciters pace the same surah, our guide to well-known reciters is a good place to compare voices.
Frequently asked questions
How many ayat does Surah Ar-Rahman have?
78 ayat, all quoted above in Arabic with an English translation.
Why does Surah Ar-Rahman repeat the same question so many times?
The line "So which of the favors of your Lord would you deny?" appears 31 times, once after nearly every cluster of favors the surah lists. It is addressed in the dual, to jinn and mankind together, and classical tafsir reads it as an invitation to answer rather than stay silent: after each favor named, affirm it rather than deny it.
Where was Surah Ar-Rahman revealed?
It is a Makkan surah, revealed before the migration to Madinah.
Is there a hadith about the virtue of reciting Surah Ar-Rahman?
No hadith with a confirmed grading and reference could be verified for a special reward tied to reciting this surah specifically, so this article does not repeat those claims.
What is the "barzakh" mentioned in Surah Ar-Rahman?
It is the barrier Allah places between the fresh water of rivers and the salt water of the sea in verses 19 to 20, so that the two meet without either one overpowering or changing the other.
Sources
- Saheeh International, English translation of the Quran
- Tafsir Ibn Kathir