Al Qur'an, like all other three Divine scriptures, is a book of Divine wisdom which only men of wisdom, intellect and understanding can really understand. every word of Al Qur'an is to be read again and again to know the wisdom behind it. Sometimes even a small verse has hidden powerful theological truth which when pondered upon bewilders the reader.
In this context, we share a very small verse, the 26th verse of Sürah 55. Ar Raḥmān ٱلرَّحْمَٰنِ which unfolds a Divine truth when deeply reflected upon. Herein under is the verse followed by its explanation:
كُلُّ مَنْ عَلَيْهَا فَانٍ
“All that is on it (the earth) will perish.”
A profound verse which lays down one of the most fundamental truths of Islamic theology and worldview: absolute mortality of creation and absolute permanence of Allah alone.:
First, neither you are immortal nor the provisions that you are enjoying in this world everlasting. Immortal and everlasting is the Being of the High and Supreme God alone Whose greatness this universe testifies, and by Whose grace and kindness you have been favored with these bounties. Now, if some one among you behaves arrogantly, it would be due to his own meanness. If a foolish person assumes haughtiness in his tiny sphere of authority, or becomes god of a few helpless men who fall into his hand, this farce would not last long. A godhead that lags for a mere score or two score years in a corner of the earth whose size in this limitless universe is not even equal to a pea seed, and then becomes a legend of the past, is not something of which one may feel proud and arrogant.
The other important truth of which both these creations have been warned is: None of those whom you have set up as deities and removers of hardships and fulfiller of needs, apart from Allah, whether they are angels or prophets or the moon and the sun, or some other creation, can fulfill any of your needs. These helpless creatures and things themselves stand in need of Allah’s help for their needs and requirements. They themselves pray to Him for help. When they are not able to remove their own hardships, how will they remove your hardships? Whatever is happening in this limitless universe, from the earth to the heavens, is happening under the command of One God alone. No one else has any share in His Godhead. No one therefore can influence anyone else’s destiny in any way.
Here is a deep, structured explanation in light of Qur’an, Sunnah, and Tafsīr:
Universal mortality — no exception for creation
- The word كُلُّ (kullu) means: Every single thing, without exception.
- And مَنْ (man) includes: All living beings be it the Jinn, Animals, and Humans, even Kings & beggars, Believers & disbelievers and the mighty & the weak
- That is nothing on earth — no matter how powerful, beautiful, advanced, or admired — is exempt.
This echoes many Qur’anic verses:
- “Every soul shall taste death.” (3:185)
- “Wherever you may be, death will overtake you.” (4:78)
- “We did not grant immortality to any human before you.” (21:34)
This demolishes the illusion of permanence in dunya / our earthly world.
Collapse of worldly pride and false security
In the verse above, فَانٍ (fān) means vanishing, decaying, coming to an end
Thus this part of the verse directly confronts the human Arrogance, Attachment to wealth, Obsession with status, Trust in systems, power, or technology, that is whatever people build — empires, businesses, reputations, cities, ideologies — all share the same destiny:
فَانٍ (fān) not only means just the death — it is total fading of worldly reality. This is why Qarun/Korah, Pharaoh, and past nations are lessons: They seemed permanent — but they became history.
A doorway to Tawḥīd (Oneness of Allah)
This verse is immediately followed by:
وَيَبْقَىٰ وَجْهُ رَبِّكَ ذُو الْجَلَالِ وَالْإِكْرَامِ
“And there will remain the Face of your Lord, Owner of Majesty and Honor.” (55:27)
This contrast is deliberate:
- All creations are Fān (perishing), while Allah is Bāqī (Everlasting)
- All creations are Dependent while the Almighty Allah is Self-Sufficient
- All creations are weak and meek, while the ever remaining Allah is All Powerful
This is pure Tawḥīd al-Rubūbiyyah and al-Asmāʾ waṣ-Ṣifāt. For only Allah is: Al-Ḥayy (The Ever-Living) and Al-Qayyūm (Self-Existing) - click on the highlighted blue text to understand the meaning of these two attributes of Allah.
Spiritual wisdom: where should the heart attach?
This verse answers a deep human question: What is safe to love completely? - and the Islam’s answer: Don’t attach your heart to what will die - Attach it to the One who never dies
The Prophet ﷺ said: “Love whom you wish, but you will surely part from him.” (Reported in meaning in several narrations)
So the verse trains the believer to: (1) Love creation with balance. (2) Rely on Allah with certainty, and Seek the Hereafter over dunya
A cure for grief, arrogance, and despair
This single verse gives:
- For the grieving: What you lost was never permanent.
- For the arrogant: You yourself are temporary.
- For the hopeless: The One you turn to is not temporary.
This is why scholars note that this verse equalizes kings and beggars in the reality of death.
Connection to Surah Ar-Raḥmān’s theme
Surah ar-Raḥmān is about: Blessings to the jinn and humans, Power, Judgment, Mercy of Allah and His neutral and impartial Accountability.
This verse marks a turning point:
- From enjoying blessings to remembering their end.
- It teaches: Blessings are real — but not eternal and that Accountability is real — and eternal.
A Daʿwah and life principle for today
When viewed our world which is obsessed with: Legacy, Fame, Digital immortality, Wealth accumulation, this verse declares:
- No matter how advanced you become — you are still temporary.
- True success is not being remembered on earth, but Being accepted by Allah in the Hereafter
One powerful theological summary
Everything you see, love, fear, or rely on in this world is guaranteed to perish — only Allah is permanent, and only what is done for Him will last.
The verse notes that all that exists on Earth will perish but the one and only God never dies. Just as the creation of this universe is a miracle of God, similarly the end is also a sign of His power because it shows that He is so Magnificent and Self-Sufficient that He does not depend on His creation in any way. He does not need anything. Compare it with any of your own creation and your attitude towards its preservation, the heartbreak you feel if it is lost or broken; can you ever have the courage to break your own piece of craft? We are so weak in front of Him. So, then how can we deny the Almighty Lord? We recognize His power to give us but we do not recognize our duty towards Him which is to be His obedient slaves. It is His decision that He does not punish us in this world and lets us have our way; so people think that they can keep avoiding His accountability forever.
The above explanation of a very small verse unfolds the stark realities of which we normally close our eyes and turn away to the pomp and show of the wordily life, not being any heed to cautions such like verses contain for the man, and jinn, to know that there still is time that we steer our lives on the path which is being shown to us and the hidden realities that are being open to us. Only men who have the wisdom and intellect to reflect will catch this powerful theological truth.
May Allāh (سبحانه و تعالى) help us understand Qur'ān and follow the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, which is embodiment of commandments of Allah contained in the Qur'ān. May Allah help us to be like the ones He loves and let our lives be lived helping others and not making others' lives miserable or unlivable. May all our wrong doings, whether intentional or unintentional, be forgiven before the angel of death knocks on our door.
وَمَا عَلَيۡنَاۤ اِلَّا الۡبَلٰغُ الۡمُبِيۡنُ
(36:17) and our duty is no more than to clearly convey the Message.”
That is Our duty is only to convey to you the message that Allah has entrusted us with. Then it is for you to accept it or reject it. We have not been made responsible for making you accept it forcibly, and if you do not accept it, we shall not be seized in consequence of your disbelief, you will yourselves be answerable for your actions on Day of Resurrection.
May Allah forgive me if my posts ever imply a piety far greater than I possess. I am most in need of guidance.
Reading the Qur'ān should be a daily obligation of a Muslim - Reading it with translation will make it meaningful. But reading its Exegesis / Tafsir will make you understand it fully. It will also help the Muslims to have grasp over social issues and their answers discussed in the Qur'an and other matter related to inter faith so that they are able to discuss issues with non-Muslims with authority based on refences from Qur'an.
Note: When we mention God in our posts, we mean One True God, we call Allah in Islam, with no associates. Allah is the Sole Creator of all things, and that Allah is all-powerful and all-knowing. Allah has no offspring, no race, no gender, no body, and is unaffected by the characteristics of human life.
You may refer to more Selected Verses from Sürah 55. Ar Raḥmān ٱلرَّحْمَٰنِ (The Most Merciful) already published. You may also refer to our exclusive reference page: Selected verses from selected Surahs of Al-Qurʾān for compiled verses from other surahs.
For verses on Selected Subjects, please refer to our reference page: Selected Verses from Al Qur'an about a Specific Subject (Reference Page) to know more about what Qur'an says about specific subjects and our reference page: Selected Verses from the Qur'an.
An effort has been made to gather explanation / exegesis of the surahs and selected verses of Al-Qurʾān from authentic sources and then present a least possible condensed explanation of the surah. In that the exegesis of the chapters of the Quran is mainly based on the "Tafhim al-Qur'an - The Meaning of the Qur'an" by one of the most enlightened scholars of the Muslim World Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi.
In addition, other sources which have been explored and views of other scholars have been incorporated while explaining meaning of a verse. Those desirous of detailed explanations and tafsir (exegesis), may refer to these sites. For expansion of meaning and themes / contextual background help from ChatGPT is also taken.
Disclaimer: The material for this post has been collected from the references given above. If anyone differs with the material contained in this post, one may consult the references and their authors. If someone has more material about the subject, he/she is most welcome to share in the comments box to make the post all encompassing.
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