تَبَارَكَ ٱلَّذِىٓ إِن شَآءَ جَعَلَ لَكَ خَيْرًۭا مِّن ذَٰلِكَ جَنَّٰتٍۢ تَجْرِى مِن تَحْتِهَا ٱلْأَنْهَٰرُ وَيَجْعَل لَّكَ قُصُورًۢا
Blessed is He who, if He willed, could have made for you [something] better than that - gardens beneath which rivers flow - and could make for you palaces.
Introduction
This is āyah 10 of Sūrat Al-Furqaan (The Criterion), the 42nd sūrah in the traditional order of revelation. It was revealed in the Meccan period and sits within Juzʾ 18. Meccan verses tend to address faith, the oneness of God, and the hereafter.
This introduction is a starting point — the community and Bilal will enrich it over time.
Revelation & occasion
- Period
- Meccan
- Order revealed
- 42 of 114
- Surah
- Al-Furqaan (25)
(Blessed is He Who, if He will, will assign thee better than (all) that�) [25:10]. Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Ibrahim al-Muqri' informed us> Ahmad ibn Abi al-Furat> 'Abd Allah ibn Muhammad ibn Ya'qub Bukhari> Muhammad ibn Humayd ibn Farqad> Ishaq ibn Bishr> Juwaybir> al-Dahhak> Ibn 'Abbas who said: �When the idolaters ridiculed the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, for his poverty, saying [as reported by Allah's words in 25:7] (What aileth this messenger (of Allah) that he eateth food and walketh in the markets?), the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, felt sad. Gabriel, peace be upon him, came from his Lord to console him, saying: 'Peace be with you, O Messenger of Allah. The Lord of might greets you with the greeting of peace and says to you (We never sent before thee any messengers but lo! They ate food and walked in the markets�) [25:20]', i.e. they seek their livelihood in this world�. He said: �As Gabriel, peace be upon him, and the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, were talking, Gabriel, peace be upon him, started melting until he shrunk to the size of a lentil. The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, asked: 'What happened that made you shrink to the size of a lentil?' He said: 'O Muhammad, a gate of heaven which has never been opened before has opened just now, and I fear that your people will be chastised for ridiculing you regarding your poverty'. The Prophet and Gabriel, peace be upon them, started crying. Then Gabriel returned to his initial state and said: 'Good news for you, O Muhammad! Here is Ridwan, the keeper of the Garden who brings you contentment from your Lord'. Ridwan came along holding a bundle of shining light, greeted them with the greeting of peace, and then said: 'O Muhammad, the Lord of might greets you with the greeting of peace and says to you: here are the keys to the stores of this world which are like the wing of gnat compared with what you have with Me in the Afterlife, which will remain undiminished'. The Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, looked at Gabriel, peace be upon him, as if seeking his counsel, upon which Gabriel struck the ground with his hand and said: 'Humble yourself to Allah!' And so he said: 'O Ridwan, I have no need for them; poverty is much beloved to me.
Tafsir
Hafiz Ibn Kathir
Chains of transmission
Oral — isnād
- ~610–632 CERevelation & memorisation
Received by the Prophet ﷺ and preserved by the ḥuffāẓ (memorisers) among the Companions.
- 1st century AHMutawātir transmissionawaiting curation
Carried by mass-transmission through the generations of qurrāʾ.
- TodayLiving chainsawaiting curation
Continuous ijāzah chains link reciters today back to the Prophet ﷺ.
Verified isnād chains for this āyah will be added by curators.
Written — the manuscript record
- ~650 CEʿUthmānic codicesawaiting curation
The standardised muṣḥaf sent to the great cities (e.g. the Topkapı and Samarqand codices).
- 8th–10th c.Early Ḥijāzī & Kūfic foliosawaiting curation
Surviving leaves in Birmingham, Sanaa, Paris (BnF) and beyond.
- Modern printModern printawaiting curation
The 1924 Cairo edition → today: the standard printed muṣḥaf used worldwide.
A curated chain of manuscript images for this exact āyah — roughly one per century — is coming. Help us source and verify them.
And now — what do you think?
The text, its history and the classical commentary are laid out above. Share your own understanding, ask a question, or reason with others.
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