Ar-Ra’d | The Thunder
[13:1] Alif, Lam, Mim, Ra. These are the verses of the Book. What has been sent down to you from your Lord is true, but most of the people do not believe.
[13:2] Allah is the One who raised the heavens without pillars that you can see them. Then He positioned Himself on the Throne and subjugated the sun and the moon, each one of them running to an appointed time. He manages all matters, elaborating the signs, so that you may be sure of meeting your Lord.
[13:3] He is the One who spread out the earth and made mountains and rivers on it, and created in it the pairs of two from all the fruits. He makes the night cover the day. Surely, in that, there are signs for people who think.
[13:4] And in the earth there are tracts of land neighboring each other, and gardens of grapes, and farms and date palms, some having twin trunks and some having a single one. (Although) all of them are irrigated with the same water, We make some of them better than others in taste. Surely, in that, there are signs for people who understand.
[13:5] If you wonder, then wondrous indeed is their saying, ‘Is it that, once we are dust, we are to be created anew?’ They are those who have disbelieved in their Lord, and they are those who (shall) have shackles around their necks, and they are the people of the Fire. They shall remain there forever.
[13:6] They ask for evil to come sooner than good, while punishments have really come to pass (against people) earlier to them. And surely, your Lord is the lord of forgiveness for the people against their wrongdoing, and surely, your Lord is severe in punishing.
[13:7] The disbelievers say, ‘Why is it that no sign has been sent down to him from his Lord?’ You are but a warner, and for every people, there is a guide.
[13:8] Allah knows what every female carries and what the wombs decrease or increase. Everything has measured with Him.
[13:9] He is the Knower of the hidden and the manifest. He is the Great, the High.
[13:10] Alike (for Him) is he, from among you, who speaks quietly and he who speaks aloud, and he who hides in the night and he who walks out in the day.
[13:11] For everyone (from among you) there are angels replacing one another, in front of him and behind him, who guard him under the command of Allah. Surely, Allah does not change the condition of a people unless they change themselves. When Allah intends evil for a people, there is no way to turn it back, and for them, there is no patron other than Him.
[13:12] He is the One who makes you see the lightening in fear and hope, and who forms the heavy clouds.
[13:13] The thunder proclaims His purity with His praise, and (so do) the angels, out of His awe. And He sends the thunderbolts and strikes with it whom He wills. They are quarreling about Allah, and He is stern in His plan.
[13:14] True prayers are to be directed to Him alone, and those to whom they pray instead of Him do not respond to them at all, but they are like one who stretches his hands towards the water so that it may reach his mouth (by itself), while it is not to reach it. And the prayer of the disbelievers (that they make to false gods) is nothing but straying in the void.
[13:15] To Allah bow in prostration all who are in the heavens and the earth, willingly or unwillingly, and their shadows as well in morns and eves.
[13:16] Say, ‘Who is the Lord of the heavens and the earth?’ Say, ‘Allah’. Say, ‘Have you, then, taken as protectors those besides Him who possess no power to cause benefit or harm even to themselves?’ Say, ‘Is it that a blind person and a sighted one are equal, or that all sorts of the darkness and the light are alike? Or, have they ascribed such partners with Allah who (according to their belief) have created (some of the creation) as He has created, and thus the creation seemed to them alike?’ Say, ‘Allah is the Creator of all things, and He is the One, the All-Dominant’.
[13:17] He sent down water from the heavens, so the canals flowed according to their capacity, and the flood carried bulging scum. And a similar scum comes up from what they melt in the fire to obtain ornaments or other objects. This is how Allah depicts the truth and the untruth. As for the scum, it goes to be thrown away, while that which benefits people remains on the earth. This is how Allah brings out the parables.
[13:18] For those who obey their Lord there is the best of rewards; and those who do not obey Him (shall be in such a plight that) even if they possess all that is on earth, rather twice as much, they would offer it in ransom (to redeem themselves from the punishment). For these, there is the worst of reckoning, and their abode is Hell, which is an evil bed to rest.
[13:19] Now, can the one who knows that whatever has been revealed to you from your Lord is the truth, be equal to one who is blind? Only the people of understanding respond to the advice —
[13:20] those who fulfill (their) pledge with Allah and do not break the covenant,
[13:21] and those who maintain the relationships Allah has commanded to be maintained and fear their Lord and are frightful of evil reckoning,
[13:22] and those who observe patience in order to seek the pleasure of their Lord and establish Salah and spend secretly and openly from what We have given to them, and repel evil with good. Those are the ones for whom there is the ultimate abode,
[13:23] the eternal gardens they enter, and those as well who are righteous from their fathers, spouses, and progeny. The angels will enter onto them from every gate.
[13:24] (saying) ‘Peace on you for the patience you observed. So, how excellent is the ultimate abode’.
[13:25] As for those who break their pledge with Allah after it has been made binding, and cut off the relationships Allah has commanded to be joined, and make mischief in the land, those are the ones for whom there is the curse, and for them, there is the evil abode.
[13:26] Allah expands the provision for whom He wills and narrows it (for whom He wills). They are happy with the worldly life, while the worldly life, compared to the Hereafter, is nothing but a little enjoyment.
[13:27] The disbelievers say, ‘Why is it that no sign (of their choice) has been sent down to him from his Lord?’ Say, ‘Allah lets go astray whom He wills and gives guidance to those who turn to Him,
[13:28] the ones who believe and their hearts are peaceful with the remembrance of Allah. Listen, the hearts find peace only in the remembrance of Allah’.
[13:29] Those who believe and do good deeds, for them, there is the bliss and a good place to return.
[13:30] Thus We have sent you, amidst a community before which many communities have passed away, so that you may recite to them what We have revealed to you, while they disbelieve in Ar-Rahman (the All-Merciful Allah). Say, ‘He is my Lord. There is no god but He. In Him, I place my trust, and to Him is my return’.
[13:31] And even if there were a Qur‘an wherewith the mountains could be moved, or the earth could be split apart, or wherewith the dead are spoken to, (they would not believe). In fact, every decision rests only with Allah. Are the believers not satisfied with the fact that, if Allah willed, He would have brought all the people to the right path? And the disbelievers are continually receiving affliction because of what they did, or it visits somewhere close to their homes until Allah‘s promise will come to pass. Surely, Allah does not go back upon His promise.
[13:32] Messengers have been mocked at before you, so I let the disbelievers go on for a while. Then I seized them. So, how was My punishment?
[13:33] Is then He, who is watchful over everyone and over whatever he does, (equal to their false deities?) Still, they have made partners with Allah. Say, ‘Give their names. Is it that you are informing Him of something on earth He does not know, or of just empty words?’ But, their ill- designs have been made alluring for the disbelievers, and they have been barred from the Path. And for the one whom Allah deprives of guidance, there is no one to guide.
[13:34] For them there is punishment in the worldly life, and indeed the punishment of the Hereafter is even harder, and for them, there is none to save them from Allah.
[13:35] Here is the description of the Paradise promised to the God-fearing: underneath it, the rivers flow; its food is everlasting and (so is) its shade. This is the ultimate abode of the God-fearing while the ultimate abode of the disbelievers is Fire.
[13:36] Those to whom We have given the Book are happy with what has been sent down to you. And among their groups, there are those who deny some of it. Say, I am commanded only to worship Allah and not to ascribe partners to Him. To Him, I call and to Him is my return.
[13:37] Thus We have sent it down, being a command in Arabic. And if you follow their desires, after the knowledge that has come to you, there shall be neither a friend for you against Allah nor a savior.
[13:38] We have sent messengers before you, and gave them wives and children. It is not for a messenger to bring a verse without the will of Allah. For every age, there are some rules prescribed.
[13:39] Allah wipes off what He wills and affirms (what He wills), and with Him is the Mother Book.
[13:40] And if We show you (O prophet) some of what We have promised to them, or We take you back to Us (before that), in both cases you have only to convey the message, and We have to reckon.
[13:41] Have they not seen that We are coming to the land narrowing it down from all its sides? Allah judges; there is none to repel His judgment. And He is swift at reckoning.
[13:42] Those before them did devise plans, but all the real plans belong only to Allah. He knows what every soul earns, and the disbelievers will soon know for whom is the excellent end.
[13:43] The disbelievers say, You are not a messenger. Say, ‘Allah, is sufficient as a witness between me and you, and those too (are my witnesses) who have the knowledge of the Book’.
[13:1] Alif, Lam, Mim, Ra. These are the verses of the Book. What has been sent down to you from your Lord is true, but most of the people do not believe.
[13:2] Allah is the One who raised the heavens without pillars that you can see them. Then He positioned Himself on the Throne and subjugated the sun and the moon, each one of them running to an appointed time. He manages all matters, elaborating the signs, so that you may be sure of meeting your Lord.
[13:3] He is the One who spread out the earth and made mountains and rivers on it, and created in it the pairs of two from all the fruits. He makes the night cover the day. Surely, in that, there are signs for people who think.
[13:4] And in the earth there are tracts of land neighboring each other, and gardens of grapes, and farms and date palms, some having twin trunks and some having a single one. (Although) all of them are irrigated with the same water, We make some of them better than others in taste. Surely, in that, there are signs for people who understand.
[13:5] If you wonder, then wondrous indeed is their saying, ‘Is it that, once we are dust, we are to be created anew?’ They are those who have disbelieved in their Lord, and they are those who (shall) have shackles around their necks, and they are the people of the Fire. They shall remain there forever.
[13:6] They ask for evil to come sooner than good, while punishments have really come to pass (against people) earlier to them. And surely, your Lord is the lord of forgiveness for the people against their wrongdoing, and surely, your Lord is severe in punishing.
[13:7] The disbelievers say, ‘Why is it that no sign has been sent down to him from his Lord?’ You are but a warner, and for every people, there is a guide.
[13:8] Allah knows what every female carries and what the wombs decrease or increase. Everything has measured with Him.
[13:9] He is the Knower of the hidden and the manifest. He is the Great, the High.
[13:10] Alike (for Him) is he, from among you, who speaks quietly and he who speaks aloud, and he who hides in the night and he who walks out in the day.
[13:11] For everyone (from among you) there are angels replacing one another, in front of him and behind him, who guard him under the command of Allah. Surely, Allah does not change the condition of a people unless they change themselves. When Allah intends evil for a people, there is no way to turn it back, and for them, there is no patron other than Him.
[13:12] He is the One who makes you see the lightening in fear and hope, and who forms the heavy clouds.
[13:13] The thunder proclaims His purity with His praise, and (so do) the angels, out of His awe. And He sends the thunderbolts and strikes with it whom He wills. They are quarreling about Allah, and He is stern in His plan.
[13:14] True prayers are to be directed to Him alone, and those to whom they pray instead of Him do not respond to them at all, but they are like one who stretches his hands towards the water so that it may reach his mouth (by itself), while it is not to reach it. And the prayer of the disbelievers (that they make to false gods) is nothing but straying in the void.
[13:15] To Allah bow in prostration all who are in the heavens and the earth, willingly or unwillingly, and their shadows as well in morns and eves.
[13:16] Say, ‘Who is the Lord of the heavens and the earth?’ Say, ‘Allah’. Say, ‘Have you, then, taken as protectors those besides Him who possess no power to cause benefit or harm even to themselves?’ Say, ‘Is it that a blind person and a sighted one are equal, or that all sorts of the darkness and the light are alike? Or, have they ascribed such partners with Allah who (according to their belief) have created (some of the creation) as He has created, and thus the creation seemed to them alike?’ Say, ‘Allah is the Creator of all things, and He is the One, the All-Dominant’.
[13:17] He sent down water from the heavens, so the canals flowed according to their capacity, and the flood carried bulging scum. And a similar scum comes up from what they melt in the fire to obtain ornaments or other objects. This is how Allah depicts the truth and the untruth. As for the scum, it goes to be thrown away, while that which benefits people remains on the earth. This is how Allah brings out the parables.
[13:18] For those who obey their Lord there is the best of rewards; and those who do not obey Him (shall be in such a plight that) even if they possess all that is on earth, rather twice as much, they would offer it in ransom (to redeem themselves from the punishment). For these, there is the worst of reckoning, and their abode is Hell, which is an evil bed to rest.
[13:19] Now, can the one who knows that whatever has been revealed to you from your Lord is the truth, be equal to one who is blind? Only the people of understanding respond to the advice —
[13:20] those who fulfill (their) pledge with Allah and do not break the covenant,
[13:21] and those who maintain the relationships Allah has commanded to be maintained and fear their Lord and are frightful of evil reckoning,
[13:22] and those who observe patience in order to seek the pleasure of their Lord and establish Salah and spend secretly and openly from what We have given to them, and repel evil with good. Those are the ones for whom there is the ultimate abode,
[13:23] the eternal gardens they enter, and those as well who are righteous from their fathers, spouses, and progeny. The angels will enter onto them from every gate.
[13:24] (saying) ‘Peace on you for the patience you observed. So, how excellent is the ultimate abode’.
[13:25] As for those who break their pledge with Allah after it has been made binding, and cut off the relationships Allah has commanded to be joined, and make mischief in the land, those are the ones for whom there is the curse, and for them, there is the evil abode.
[13:26] Allah expands the provision for whom He wills and narrows it (for whom He wills). They are happy with the worldly life, while the worldly life, compared to the Hereafter, is nothing but a little enjoyment.
[13:27] The disbelievers say, ‘Why is it that no sign (of their choice) has been sent down to him from his Lord?’ Say, ‘Allah lets go astray whom He wills and gives guidance to those who turn to Him,
[13:28] the ones who believe and their hearts are peaceful with the remembrance of Allah. Listen, the hearts find peace only in the remembrance of Allah’.
[13:29] Those who believe and do good deeds, for them, there is the bliss and a good place to return.
[13:30] Thus We have sent you, amidst a community before which many communities have passed away, so that you may recite to them what We have revealed to you, while they disbelieve in Ar-Rahman (the All-Merciful Allah). Say, ‘He is my Lord. There is no god but He. In Him, I place my trust, and to Him is my return’.
[13:31] And even if there were a Qur‘an wherewith the mountains could be moved, or the earth could be split apart, or wherewith the dead are spoken to, (they would not believe). In fact, every decision rests only with Allah. Are the believers not satisfied with the fact that, if Allah willed, He would have brought all the people to the right path? And the disbelievers are continually receiving affliction because of what they did, or it visits somewhere close to their homes until Allah‘s promise will come to pass. Surely, Allah does not go back upon His promise.
[13:32] Messengers have been mocked at before you, so I let the disbelievers go on for a while. Then I seized them. So, how was My punishment?
[13:33] Is then He, who is watchful over everyone and over whatever he does, (equal to their false deities?) Still, they have made partners with Allah. Say, ‘Give their names. Is it that you are informing Him of something on earth He does not know, or of just empty words?’ But, their ill- designs have been made alluring for the disbelievers, and they have been barred from the Path. And for the one whom Allah deprives of guidance, there is no one to guide.
[13:34] For them there is punishment in the worldly life, and indeed the punishment of the Hereafter is even harder, and for them, there is none to save them from Allah.
[13:35] Here is the description of the Paradise promised to the God-fearing: underneath it, the rivers flow; its food is everlasting and (so is) its shade. This is the ultimate abode of the God-fearing while the ultimate abode of the disbelievers is Fire.
[13:36] Those to whom We have given the Book are happy with what has been sent down to you. And among their groups, there are those who deny some of it. Say, I am commanded only to worship Allah and not to ascribe partners to Him. To Him, I call and to Him is my return.
[13:37] Thus We have sent it down, being a command in Arabic. And if you follow their desires, after the knowledge that has come to you, there shall be neither a friend for you against Allah nor a savior.
[13:38] We have sent messengers before you, and gave them wives and children. It is not for a messenger to bring a verse without the will of Allah. For every age, there are some rules prescribed.
[13:39] Allah wipes off what He wills and affirms (what He wills), and with Him is the Mother Book.
[13:40] And if We show you (O prophet) some of what We have promised to them, or We take you back to Us (before that), in both cases you have only to convey the message, and We have to reckon.
[13:41] Have they not seen that We are coming to the land narrowing it down from all its sides? Allah judges; there is none to repel His judgment. And He is swift at reckoning.
[13:42] Those before them did devise plans, but all the real plans belong only to Allah. He knows what every soul earns, and the disbelievers will soon know for whom is the excellent end.
[13:43] The disbelievers say, You are not a messenger. Say, ‘Allah, is sufficient as a witness between me and you, and those too (are my witnesses) who have the knowledge of the Book’.
Tafsir
Overview of Surah Ar-Ra’d
- Title and Position: Surah Ar-Ra’d is the 13th chapter of the Quran. The title “Ar-Ra’d” translates to “The Thunder,” named after the mention of thunder in the surah as a sign of God’s power.
- Verses and Structure: This surah contains 43 verses. It is known for its emphasis on the signs of God in the natural world and the affirmation of the Quran’s truth.
- Themes and Messages: Major themes include the power and wisdom of God as reflected in creation, the reality of the Resurrection and the Day of Judgment, and the importance of patience and faith.
- Significance in Islamic Thought: Surah Ar-Ra’d is significant for its discussions on the relationship between God’s creation and human life, faith, and the afterlife.
Detailed Explanation
- Signs of God in Nature: The surah draws attention to the natural phenomena, such as thunder, lightning, and rain, as signs of God’s power and mercy, encouraging reflection on the creation.
- Affirmation of the Quran’s Truth: It emphasizes the truthfulness of the Quran, addressing doubts raised by disbelievers and affirming the prophethood of Muhammad.
- Resurrection and Judgment: Surah Ar-Ra’d discusses the reality of the resurrection and the Day of Judgment, highlighting the accountability of human actions.
- Moral and Spiritual Guidance: The surah provides guidance on moral conduct, the importance of patience in adversity, and the necessity of steadfast faith.
- Response to Deniers: It addresses the responses to those who deny the truth of the Quran and the message of Islam, providing arguments against their skepticism.
FAQs
- Why is Surah Ar-Ra’d named after thunder?
- The surah is named “Ar-Ra’d” (The Thunder) because it uses the phenomenon of thunder as a symbol of God’s power and a reminder of His presence in the natural world.
- How does Surah Ar-Ra’d illustrate the signs of God in nature?
- It points to various natural phenomena, like rain, thunder, and the changing of winds, as reflections of God’s power, wisdom, and mercy, urging contemplation and understanding.
- What does Surah Ar-Ra’d say about the Resurrection and the Day of Judgment?
- The surah reaffirms the reality of the Resurrection and the Day of Judgment, emphasizing that every soul will be accountable for its deeds.
- How does Surah Ar-Ra’d guide Muslims in their faith?
- It provides guidance on maintaining steadfast faith, being patient in the face of adversity, and adhering to moral righteousness in accordance with Islamic teachings.
- The surah is named “Ar-Ra’d” (The Thunder) because it uses the phenomenon of thunder as a symbol of God’s power and a reminder of His presence in the natural world.
- It points to various natural phenomena, like rain, thunder, and the changing of winds, as reflections of God’s power, wisdom, and mercy, urging contemplation and understanding.
- The surah reaffirms the reality of the Resurrection and the Day of Judgment, emphasizing that every soul will be accountable for its deeds.
- It provides guidance on maintaining steadfast faith, being patient in the face of adversity, and adhering to moral righteousness in accordance with Islamic teachings.
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