Surah Ar-Rahman 55:5
سُورَةُ الرَّحۡمَٰن · Medinan · Verse 5 of 78
ٱلشَّمْسُ وَٱلْقَمَرُ بِحُسْبَانٍۢ
Translation
The sun and the moon follow their calculated courses;
English translation: M.A.S. Abdel Haleem.
Meaning and reflection
'The sun and the moon run by precise calculation.' al-Saadi and Ibn Ashur note the exactness, 'bi-husban', a reckoning so unfailing that the whole order of days, seasons, tides and calendars rests on it, never late, never erratic. Ask yourself: the entire structure of my life, when I wake, plant, travel, break my fast, is built on the assumption that the sun and moon will keep their appointments. I never thank them because they never fail. This verse asks me to see that flawless reliability as a mercy actively maintained, not a given. What else in my life runs so faithfully that I've stopped noticing it is running at all, and Who is keeping it on time?
Grounded in classical tafsir: al-Saadi, Ibn Ashur, al-Biqa'i.
Topics that discuss this verse
Surah Ar-Rahman 55:5 is discussed in 7 study guides on Maani. Each guide gathers the key verses, Arabic words and lessons of one Quranic topic.
Reflect on this verse
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