Surah 55. Ar-Rahman

Which, then, of your Sustainer's powers can you disavow?

  - Mohammad Asad

Then, O jinn and men, which of your Rabb’s favors will both of you deny?

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Then which of your Lord's favours will you both deny?

  - Mustafa Khattab

Which is it, of the favors of your Lord, that ye deny?

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Then which of the favors of your Lord will ye deny?

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

And besides those two will be yet two [other] gardens²⁸ -

  - Mohammad Asad

Most of the commentators assume - not very convincingly - that the "two other gardens" are those to which believers of lesser merit will attain. As against this weak and somewhat arbitrary interpretation, it seems to me that the juxtaposition of "two other gardens" with the "two" previously mentioned is meant to convey the idea of infinity in connection with the concept of paradise as such: gardens beyond gardens beyond gardens in an endless vista, slightly varying in description, but all of them symbols of supreme bliss.

And besides these two there shall be two other gardens.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And below these two 'Gardens' will be two others.

  - Mustafa Khattab

And beside them are two other gardens,

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

And besides these two there are two other Gardens ⁵²¹³

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

See n. 5205 above.

which, then, of your Sustainer's powers can you disavow? -

  - Mohammad Asad

Then, O jinn and men, which of your Rabb’s favors will both of you deny?

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Then which of your Lord's favours will you both deny?

  - Mustafa Khattab

Which is it, of the favors of your Lord, that ye deny?

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Then which of the favors of your Lord will ye deny?

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

two [gardens] of the deepest green.²⁹

  - Mohammad Asad

I.e., by reason of abundant watering (Taj al-'Arus). It is to be noted that the adjective "green" is often used in the Qur'an to indicate ever-fresh life: e.g., the "green garments" which the inmates of paradise will wear ( 18:31 and 6:21 ), or the "green meadows" upon which they will recline (cf. verse {76} of he present surah).

Densely shaded with dark green trees.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Both will be dark green.

  - Mustafa Khattab

Dark green with foliage.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Dark green in color (from plentiful watering). ⁵²¹⁴

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

"Dark-green in colour": these Gardens will also be fruitful and flourishing, and watered plentifully; but their aspect and characteristics will be different, corresponding to the subjective differences in the ideas of Bliss among those who would respectively enjoy, the two sets of Gardens.

Which, then, of your Sustainer's powers can you disavow?

  - Mohammad Asad

Then, O jinn and men, which of your Rabb’s favors will both of you deny?

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Then which of your Lord's favours will you both deny?

  - Mustafa Khattab

Which is it, of the favors of your Lord, that ye deny?

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Then which of the favors of your Lord will ye deny?

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

In [each of] these two [gardens] will two springs gush forth.

  - Mohammad Asad

In both of them there will be two gushing springs.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

In each will be two gushing springs.

  - Mustafa Khattab

Wherein are two abundant springs.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

In them (each) will be two springs pouring forth water in continuous abundance: ⁵²¹⁵

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

In comparison with the Springs in the other two Gardens, described in lv. 50 above, these Springs would seem to irrigate crops of vegetables and fruits requiring a constant supply of abundant water.

Which, then, of your Sustainer's powers can you disavow?

  - Mohammad Asad

Then, O jinn and men, which of your Rabb’s favors will both of you deny?

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Then which of your Lord's favours will you both deny?

  - Mustafa Khattab

Which is it, of the favors of your Lord, that ye deny?

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Then which of the favors of your Lord will ye deny?

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

In both of them will be [all kinds of] fruit, and date-palms and pomegranates.

  - Mohammad Asad

Each planted with fruit trees, dates and pomegranates.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

In both will be fruit, palm trees, and pomegranates.

  - Mustafa Khattab

Wherein is fruit, the date palm and pomegranate

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

In them will be Fruits and dates and pomegranates: ⁵²¹⁶

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

See last note. Cf. also with Iv. 52 above, where "fruits of every kind" are mentioned.

Which, then, of your Sustainer's powers can you disavow?

  - Mohammad Asad

Then, O jinn and men, which of your Rabb’s favors will both of you deny?

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Then which of your Lord's favours will you both deny?

  - Mustafa Khattab

Which is it, of the favors of your Lord, that ye deny?

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Then which of the favors of your Lord will ye deny?

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

In these [gardens] will be [all] things most excellent and beautiful.

  - Mohammad Asad

In each of them, there will be chaste and beautiful virgins.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

In all Gardens will be noble, pleasant mates.

  - Mustafa Khattab

Wherein (are found) the good and beautiful.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

In them will be fair (companions) good beautiful ⁵²¹⁷

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

See n. 5209 above. Goodness and Beauty are specially feminine attributes.

Which, then, of your Sustainer's powers can you disavow?

  - Mohammad Asad

Then, O jinn and men, which of your Rabb’s favors will both of you deny?

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Then which of your Lord's favours will you both deny?

  - Mustafa Khattab

Which is it, of the favors of your Lord, that ye deny?

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Then which of the favors of your Lord will ye deny?

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

[There the blest will live with their] companions pure³⁰ and modest, in pavillions [splendid] -

  - Mohammad Asad

For this rendering of the plural noun hur (which is both masculine and feminine), see note [8] on 56:22 , the earliest occurrence of this term in the Qur'an; also note [13] on 56:34 .

Hüris (beautiful damsels) sheltered in their tents.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

'They will be' maidens with gorgeous eyes, reserved in pavilions.

  - Mustafa Khattab

Fair ones, close guarded in pavilions

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Companions restrained (as to their glances) in (goodly) pavilions ^{5218 5219}

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Maqsurat here is the passive participle of the same verb as the active participle Qasirat in Iv. 56, xxxvii. 48 and xxxviii. 52. As I have translated Qasirat by the phrase "restraining (their glances)", I think I am right in translating the passive Maqsurat by "restrained (as to their glances)". This is the only place in the Qur-an where the passive form occurs.

The Pavilions seem to add dignity to their status. In the other Gardens (Iv. 58), the description "like rubies and corals" is perhaps an indication of higher dignity.

which, then, of your Sustainer's powers can you disavow? -

  - Mohammad Asad

Then, O jinn and men, which of your Rabb’s favors will both of you deny?

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Then which of your Lord's favours will you both deny?

  - Mustafa Khattab

Which is it, of the favors of your Lord, that ye deny?

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Then which of the favor of your Lord will ye deny?

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

[companions] whom neither man nor invisible being will have touched ere then.

  - Mohammad Asad

Whom neither man nor Jinn has ever touched before.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

No human or jinn has ever touched these 'maidens' before.¹

  - Mustafa Khattab

 Before these righteous servants in Paradise.

Whom neither man nor jinn will have touched before them

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Whom no man or Jinn before them has touched

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Which, then, of your Sustainer's powers can you disavow?

  - Mohammad Asad

Then, O jinn and men, which of your Rabb’s favors will both of you deny?

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Then which of your Lord's favours will you both deny?

  - Mustafa Khattab

Which is it, of the favors of your Lord, that ye deny?

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Then which of the favors of your Lord will ye deny?

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali