Ar-Rahman
Ar - Rahmaan (Arabic الرحمن, DMG ar -Rahman, the Merciful ' ) is the name of the 55th Sura of the Koran. It consists of 78 verses, but of which a like a refrain is repeated 31 times. The name of the sura, which is also the name of God as an essential part of basmala is taken from the first verse and probably the earliest attestation of returning to rabbinic and Old South Arabian prototypes term in the Koran. Content is emphasized especially the detailed description of Paradise, which was frequently taken up and developed in later suras again.
Temporal classification
The chronology of the Qur'an is difficult and is partially controversial. The repeated by the Cairo printing traditional Islamic chronology provides the sura as Madinan. Theodor Nöldeke however, one ar - Rahmaan in his chronology of the Koran due to the rather short Verslänge to the early Meccan suras. The speech in verses 8-9 he holds, however, because of their content and the verse 33 because of its above-average length for later additions. In particular, the first assumption is clearly rejected by Angelika Neuwirth, because they do not recognize the connection between cosmology and ethics, and is formally not hold; However, in the 33rd verse could be possibly the passage yā -ma ʿ Šara l - ǧinni wa-l - ʾ insi extract as a later insertion. Within the early Meccan suras counting ar - Rahmaan because of their innovations to a rather late group.
Content, commentary and interpretation
The most obvious characteristic of Surat ar - Rahmaan is their refrain that with the 13th verse every two to three verses is repeated starting:
A similar refrain has only the sura 77 with the multiple, but less consistent and frequent repeated line ويل يومئذ للمكذبين / wailun yauma ʾ IDIN li - l - mukaḏḏibīna / how bad it is on that day ordered by those who ( our message ) rejecters explain! 'on. The change between the constant reminder and a variety or their interpretations of Sura gives a liturgical, litany- like character.
Surat is the content divided into three parts hymn, polemics and eschatological scenes of hell and paradise, where the exact demarcation between the surahs parts is controversial: Possibility is a first break with both the first occurrence of the refrain as well as with the 31 verse, in which the praise of the creation for the first time goes into the subject of the Last Judgment. Furthermore, can the beginning of the eschatological final part either already start with verse 37 or until verse 46.
What is striking is that in the Qur'an particularly frequent use of dual forms, which is used not only in the simultaneous speech of jinn and men but also very concise in the description of paradise and a few other pairs or antithetical designed motifs. Nöldeke saw this as justified in rhyme coercion: " For example, in the 55th sura of two heavenly gardens, if the speech is, each with two sources and two kinds of fruit and two other similar gardens, so you can clearly see that the dual for the sake of rhymes are needed. " However Neuwirth holds the significance of content so marked thoughts and images as well as contrary to the fact that the use of the dual already in the pre-Islamic poetry was a" adopt specific poetic style nuance ".
In fact, the dualism could do as a " divine hypostasis " or as development and confirmation of the issues raised in Sura 51:49 thesis of pairwise creation of all earthly life are considered: ومن كل شىء خلقنا زوجين لعلكم تذكرون / wa - min kulli Sai ʾ in ḫalaqnā zauǧaini la ʿ allakum taḏakkarūna / And of all ( living ), we have created a pair. Perhaps you would let you warn. ' In addition, they also pointed to parallels between the Qur'an and the Bible's Psalm 136.
In later revelations the motives of the Sure frequently be taken up again, such as in Surah 53:55 with reference to the refrain: فبأى ءالآء ربك تتمارى / fa -bi- ayyi Ala ʾ i rabbika tatamārā /, Which want of the benefits of your Lord thou deny it? ' in the later Medinan suras in the Qur'an 55 only rudimentary implied theme of the houris is conceptually expanded significantly.
Reception and Evaluation
In the biography of the Prophet by Ibn Ishaaq is reported that Ibn Mas ʿ companion of the Prophet, the Qur'an was recited ūd to defy his opponents in Mecca, and was therefore seriously physically attacked and injured by them. Nevertheless, he assured that " God's enemies never easier to bear " were as at that moment, and that he gladly did the next day go back to them in order to present them. Tilman Nagel does not see anywhere in the Koran, " the praise of the benevolent creator God with such moving words sung " as in ar - Rahmaan, but is puzzled by the appearance of the torments of hell in verses 35-45, which seems incongruous to him at the point. Angelika Neuwirth, according to the Qur'an as a whole can " as the poetic text of the Koran are ".