Surah Al-Waaqia 56:44 — Meaning, Translation & Reflection
سُورَةُ الوَاقِعَةِ · Meccan · Verse 44 of 96
لَّا بَارِدٍۢ وَلَا كَرِيمٍ
English: neither cool nor refreshing.
Bengali: যা শীতল নয় এবং আরামদায়কও নয়।
Meaning & Reflection
'Neither cool nor good.' al-Saadi and Ibn Ashur note the verse strips the false shade of both possible virtues — 'la barid' (not cooling) and 'la karim' (not gracious or beneficial): it fails in every way a shade is supposed to help. Ask yourself: the double negation is exact and merciless — the counterfeit comfort offers neither relief nor any goodness at all. It is the anatomy of a dead end: something I turned to for rescue that gives nothing back. It invites a hard audit of my own refuges: the habit, the distraction, the indulgence I flee to — is it actually 'cool' (does it relieve me) and 'good' (does it benefit me)? Or, examined honestly, is it neither — just a smoke I keep mistaking for shelter because I have nowhere better I'm willing to run?
Grounded in classical tafsir: al-Saadi, Ibn Ashur, al-Biqa'i.
Reflect with the Five Lenses
Maani's framework for Tadabbur (heart-centred reflection) on Surah Al-Waaqia 56:44:
- Wording. Look closely at the specific words and structure. Which word stands out, and why might Allah have chosen it here?
- Quranic Worlds. Place the verse in its context — what is happening around it, and what world does it open up?
- Personal Experience. Ask not just what this means, but what it means TO me and FOR me, right now in my life.
- Connections. How does this verse connect to other verses, to the Sunnah, or to themes across the Quran?
- General Lessons. What timeless lesson or action point can I carry away and live by?