تَبَارَكَ ٱلَّذِى نَزَّلَ ٱلْفُرْقَانَ عَلَىٰ عَبْدِهِۦ لِيَكُونَ لِلْعَـٰلَمِينَ نَذِيرًا 1
Translations
Blessed is He who sent down the Criterion upon His Servant that he may be to the worlds a warner -
Transliteration
Tabaraka allathee nazzala al-Furqana ala abdihi liyakuna li-al-alameen natheeran
Tafsir (Explanation)
This opening ayah of Surah Al-Furqan glorifies Allah (Exalted is He) for revealing the Qur'an—called 'Al-Furqan' (The Criterion) because it distinguishes between truth and falsehood—upon His servant Muhammad (peace be upon him). The phrase 'Tabaraka' (Blessed/Exalted) emphasizes Allah's infinite blessing and majesty. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir explain that the purpose of this revelation is to make the Qur'an a universal warning (natheer) for all mankind, calling them away from idolatry and toward monotheism.
Revelation Context
This ayah opens Surah Al-Furqan, a Meccan surah revealed during the early Meccan period. It establishes the foundational theme of the surah: the Qur'an as a divine criterion and warning for humanity. The opening serves to introduce the surah's emphasis on the Qur'an's miraculous nature and its universal mission to warn all peoples.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: 'I have been sent as a warner and a bringer of glad tidings' (Sahih Bukhari 4:1). Additionally, the hadith emphasizing the Qur'an's role as a guide: 'Indeed, this Qur'an guides to that which is most upright' (Surah Al-Isra 17:9)—a related Quranic principle affirming the Qur'an's guiding function.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah reminds believers that the Qur'an is not merely a religious text for a specific community, but a universal guidance and warning meant for all humanity. For modern readers, it emphasizes the responsibility to understand, internalize, and convey the Qur'anic message as a criterion for distinguishing right from wrong in all aspects of life.
Related Ayahs
ٱلَّذِى خَلَقَ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضَ وَمَا بَيْنَهُمَا فِى سِتَّةِ أَيَّامٍ ثُمَّ ٱسْتَوَىٰ عَلَى ٱلْعَرْشِ ۚ ٱلرَّحْمَـٰنُ فَسْـَٔلْ بِهِۦ خَبِيرًا
He who created the heavens and the earth and what is between them in six days and then established Himself above the Throne - the Most Merciful, so ask about Him one well informed [i.e., the Prophet (ﷺ)].
إِن كَادَ لَيُضِلُّنَا عَنْ ءَالِهَتِنَا لَوْلَآ أَن صَبَرْنَا عَلَيْهَا ۚ وَسَوْفَ يَعْلَمُونَ حِينَ يَرَوْنَ ٱلْعَذَابَ مَنْ أَضَلُّ سَبِيلًا
He almost would have misled us from our gods had we not been steadfast in [worship of] them." But they are going to know, when they see the punishment, who is farthest astray in [his] way.
وَلَقَدْ ءَاتَيْنَا مُوسَى ٱلْكِتَـٰبَ وَجَعَلْنَا مَعَهُۥٓ أَخَاهُ هَـٰرُونَ وَزِيرًا
And We had certainly given Moses the Scripture and appointed with him his brother Aaron as an assistant.
وَهُوَ ٱلَّذِى جَعَلَ ٱلَّيْلَ وَٱلنَّهَارَ خِلْفَةً لِّمَنْ أَرَادَ أَن يَذَّكَّرَ أَوْ أَرَادَ شُكُورًا
And it is He who has made the night and the day in succession for whoever desires to remember or desires gratitude.