Surah Ar-Rahman 55:35
سُورَةُ الرَّحۡمَٰن · Medinan · Verse 35 of 78
يُرْسَلُ عَلَيْكُمَا شُوَاظٌۭ مِّن نَّارٍۢ وَنُحَاسٌۭ فَلَا تَنتَصِرَانِ
Translation
A flash of fire and smoke will be released upon you and no one will come to your aid.
English translation: M.A.S. Abdel Haleem.
Meaning and reflection
'There will be sent upon you a flame of fire and smoke, and you will not be helped.' Ibn Ashur and al-Saadi note this seals the previous challenge: not only can you not flee the cosmos, you could not withstand what is sent against you, and no ally could rescue you. Ask yourself: much of my security rests on the assumption that if things went truly wrong, someone, my people, my resources, my cleverness, could help me. This verse pictures a moment with no helper at all. It is not meant to terrify for its own sake but to relocate my trust: if there is a scenario where every earthly helper fails, then the only wise thing is to be right with the One who sends, before I ever need to be defended from Him. Where have I placed my ultimate safety in helpers who, at the decisive moment, cannot help?
Grounded in classical tafsir: Ibn Ashur, al-Saadi, al-Biqa'i.
Reflect on this verse
Open Surah Ar-Rahman 55:35 in Maani to reflect on it through the Five Lenses: its wording, its context, what it means for you, its connections across the Quran and its lessons, grounded in classical tafsir.