Surah Ar-Rahman
Full Surah Ar-Rahman audio with the length of each recording, and what the surah’s repeated refrain is asking.
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Surah Ar-Rahman (55) is 78 verses and takes about 9 to 13 minutes to recite. It is one of the most listened-to surahs in the Quran, and for good reason: it is built on a refrain that repeats thirty-one times, and it is almost impossible to hear it once and not wait for the next repetition.
The refrain — fa-bi-ayyi ala’i rabbikuma tukadhdhiban, "so which of the favours of your Lord will you deny?" — turns the surah from a list into an argument. Everything in it is a favour being counted, and the question is asked of both humans and jinn after each one.
The surah is also the one people reach for when something good has happened. If that is why you are here, play it and let the refrain do the work; it was written for exactly that.
What to recite
What the surah counts
Creation, the balance, the sun and moon on a measured course, plants and fruit, the seas, then the descriptions of the gardens. The structure is deliberate: it moves from what everybody can see to what nobody has seen, and it pauses after each to ask the same question.
Where to listen
It works well as a full listen, and it also works broken up, because the refrain gives you natural stopping points. If you are learning it, learn the refrain first; everything else hangs off it.
Questions
How long does Surah Ar-Rahman take?
About 9 to 13 minutes. It is 78 verses, and the exact length of each recording is shown in the player before you press play.
How many times is the refrain repeated?
Thirty-one times in most counts, once after each description of a favour. It is the most-repeated line in the Quran.
Is there a specific reward for listening to it?
The surah is Quran and reciting it is rewarded like any other part of the Quran. Specific promises attached to particular surahs are often weakly sourced, and it is better to read it for its content than for a promised return.