Surah Al-Waqi'ah 56:44
سُورَةُ الوَاقِعَةِ · Meccan · Verse 44 of 96
لَّا بَارِدٍۢ وَلَا كَرِيمٍ
Translation
neither cool nor refreshing.
English translation: M.A.S. Abdel Haleem.
Meaning and reflection
'Neither cool nor good.' al-Saadi and Ibn Ashur note the verse strips the false shade of both possible virtues, 'la barid' (not cooling) and 'la karim' (not gracious or beneficial): it fails in every way a shade is supposed to help. Ask yourself: the double negation is exact and merciless, the counterfeit comfort offers neither relief nor any goodness at all. It is the anatomy of a dead end: something I turned to for rescue that gives nothing back. It invites a hard audit of my own refuges: the habit, the distraction, the indulgence I flee to, is it actually 'cool' (does it relieve me) and 'good' (does it benefit me)? Or, examined honestly, is it neither, just a smoke I keep mistaking for shelter because I have nowhere better I'm willing to run?
Grounded in classical tafsir: al-Saadi, Ibn Ashur, al-Biqa'i.
Topics that discuss this verse
Surah Al-Waqi'ah 56:44 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
Open Surah Al-Waqi'ah 56:44 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.