سورة الرعد   

Surah Name: Ar-R'ad Meaning: The Thunder

  • Revealed at Makkah
  • It is a Makkan Sūrah and is a continuation of the evidence of Allah-SWT ’s Unity and the validity of the Prophethood discussed in the final Āyāt of Sūrah Yūsaf-AS. The Sūrah begins by introducing its contents as part of a unique book in Allah-SWT ’s Own Words and a great miracle in itself. It is beyond human power to produce anything remotely similar to it. All that is revealed in this Book can never ever be proved wrong by any human being. It explains matters pertaining to this temporal life as well as the Ākhirah and dwells at length on diverse topics such as birth, procreation, politics, morality and economics. Moreover, the prophecies it made about various events of the world proved to be right. There is absolutely no reason to ignore its injunctions pertaining to Divinity and the Ākhirah.
  • Total Number of Rukū / Sections 6
  • Total Number of Āyāt / Parts 43
  • Sūrah / Chapter number 13
  • Rukū / Section 1 contains Āyāt / Parts 7
  • Siparah/ Volume 13

bismillah

المر تِلْكَ آيَاتُ الْكِتَابِ وَالَّذِيَ أُنزِلَ إِلَيْكَ مِن رَّبِّكَ الْحَقُّ وَلَـكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ النَّاسِ لاَ يُؤْمِنُونَ

Aliflammeemra tilka ayatu alkitabi wa(a)llathee onzila ilayka min rabbika alhaqqu walakinna akthara a(l)nnasi la yuminoon(a)

Alif. Lām. Mīm. Rā. These are the verses of the Book. And what is sent down to you-SW  from your-SW  Rabb-SWT is truth, but most of the people believe not.

(13:1)

اللّهُ الَّذِي رَفَعَ السَّمَاوَاتِ بِغَيْرِ عَمَدٍ تَرَوْنَهَا ثُمَّ اسْتَوَى عَلَى الْعَرْشِ وَسَخَّرَ الشَّمْسَ وَالْقَمَرَ كُلٌّ يَجْرِي لأَجَلٍ مُّسَمًّى يُدَبِّرُ الأَمْرَ يُفَصِّلُ الآيَاتِ لَعَلَّكُم بِلِقَاء رَبِّكُمْ تُوقِنُونَ

Allahu allathee rafaAAa a(l)ssamawati bighayri AAamadin tarawnaha thumma istawa AAala alAAarshi wasakhkhara a(l)shshamsa wa(a)lqamara kullun yajree liajalin musamman yudabbiru alamra yufassilu alayati laAAallakum biliqai rabbikum tooqinoon(a)

Allah-SWT it is Who-SWT has raised the heavens without the pillars you can see, then He-SWT established Himself on the Throne and subjected the sun and the moon to Himself, each running to a period determined. He-SWT directs the affair and details the Signs, that perhaps you may be convinced of the meeting with your Rabb-SWT .

(13:2)

وَهُوَ الَّذِي مَدَّ الأَرْضَ وَجَعَلَ فِيهَا رَوَاسِيَ وَأَنْهَارًا وَمِن كُلِّ الثَّمَرَاتِ جَعَلَ فِيهَا زَوْجَيْنِ اثْنَيْنِ يُغْشِي اللَّيْلَ النَّهَارَ إِنَّ فِي ذَلِكَ لَآيَاتٍ لِّقَوْمٍ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ

Wahuwa allathee madda alarda wajaAAala feeha rawasiya waanharan wamin kulli a(l)ththamarati jaAAala feeha zawjayni ithnayni yughshee allayla a(l)nnahara inna feethalika laayatin liqawmin yatafakkaroon(a)

And He-SWT it is Who-SWT has stretched the earth, and placed therein firm mountains and rivers, and of every fruit He-SWT has placed therein two in pairs. He-SWT covers the night with the day; verily in that are Signs for people who ponder.

(13:3)

وَفِي الأَرْضِ قِطَعٌ مُّتَجَاوِرَاتٌ وَجَنَّاتٌ مِّنْ أَعْنَابٍ وَزَرْعٌ وَنَخِيلٌ صِنْوَانٌ وَغَيْرُ صِنْوَانٍ يُسْقَى بِمَاء وَاحِدٍ وَنُفَضِّلُ بَعْضَهَا عَلَى بَعْضٍ فِي الأُكُلِ إِنَّ فِي ذَلِكَ لَآيَاتٍ لِّقَوْمٍ يَعْقِلُونَ

Wafee alardi qitaAAun mutajawiratun wajannatun min aAAnabin wazarAAun wanakheelun sinwanun waghayru sinwanin yusqa bimain wahidin wanufaddilu baAAdaha AAala baAAdin fee alokuli inna fee thalika laayatin liqawmin yaAAqiloon(a)

And in the earth are regions adjoining and gardens of vine and corn-fields, and pal trees clustered and single, watered by the same water; yet some We-SWT make excel others in food. Verily in that are Signs for people who reflect.

(13:4)

وَإِن تَعْجَبْ فَعَجَبٌ قَوْلُهُمْ أَئِذَا كُنَّا تُرَابًا أَئِنَّا لَفِي خَلْقٍ جَدِيدٍ أُوْلَـئِكَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ بِرَبِّهِمْ وَأُوْلَئِكَ الأَغْلاَلُ فِي أَعْنَاقِهِمْ وَأُوْلَـئِكَ أَصْحَابُ النَّارِ هُمْ فِيهَا خَالِدونَ

Wain taAAjab faAAajabun qawluhum aitha kunna turaban ainna lafee khalqin jadeedin olaika allatheena kafaroo birabbihim waolaika alaghlalu fee aAAnaqihim waolaika ashabu a(l)nnari hum feeha khalidoon(a)

And should you marvel, then marvellous is their saying: when we have become dust, shall we be in new creation? These are they who disbelieved in their Rabb-SWT ; and these! – shackles around their necks; and these shall be the fellows of the Fire as abiders therein forever.

(13:5)

وَيَسْتَعْجِلُونَكَ بِالسَّيِّئَةِ قَبْلَ الْحَسَنَةِ وَقَدْ خَلَتْ مِن قَبْلِهِمُ الْمَثُلاَتُ وَإِنَّ رَبَّكَ لَذُو مَغْفِرَةٍ لِّلنَّاسِ عَلَى ظُلْمِهِمْ وَإِنَّ رَبَّكَ لَشَدِيدُ الْعِقَابِ

WayastaAAjiloonaka bi(al)ssayyiati qabla alhasanati waqad khalat min qablihimu almathulatu wainna rabbaka lathoo maghfiratin li(l)nnasi AAala thulmihim wainna rabbaka lashadeedu alAAiqab(i)

And they ask you to hasten the evil before the good, while examples have already gone forth before them. And your Rabb-SWT is Owner of Forgiveness to mankind despite their wrong-doing; and verily your Rabb-SWT is Severe in requital.

(13:6)

وَيَقُولُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ لَوْلآ أُنزِلَ عَلَيْهِ آيَةٌ مِّن رَّبِّهِ إِنَّمَا أَنتَ مُنذِرٌ وَلِكُلِّ قَوْمٍ هَادٍ

Wayaqoolu allatheena kafaroo lawla onzila AAalayhi ayatun min rabbihi innamaanta munthirun walikulli qawmin had(in)

And those who disbelieve say: why is not a Sign sent down to him-SW  from his Rabb-SWT ? You-SW  are but a Warner, and to every people there is a guide.

(13:7)
In The Name of Allah-SWT the Most Gracious, The Most Merciful
SECRETS OF REVELATION:

Whatever the Holy Prophet-SW says about Dīn, or the Divine Attributes or the Ākhirah and the recompense is not based on his-SW personal opinion. Rather he-SW speaks what Allah-SWT reveals unto him-SW . Thus no one can challenge the sayings of the Holy Prophet-SW and none of them can ever be proved wrong. These are also revealed by Allah-SWT and must be believed in exactly as one believes in the Qurān. The only difference is that the Qurān comprises Words and Meanings from Allah-SWT and is therefore, recited while the Hadith comprises Meanings by Allah-SWT in the words of the Holy Prophet-SW, hence it is not recited in Salāt. His-SW sayings, by virtue of being from Allah-SWT , are absolutely true but unfortunately many resort to denial thus stand deprived of faith.

 

Philosophers and the Sky

The philosophers think that the blue canopy we see is not actually the sky. Rather, we see a bluish hue where our sight reaches its limits. But they cannot say with certainty that this blue canopy is not actually the colour of the heaven. And He-SWT declares the ‘Arsh as the Throne and the centre for administration for the entire universe. The notion that Allah-SWT is seated on the ‘Arsh in incorrect, as He-SWT is above all limits and any such assumption suggests physical or spatial limitations. He-SWT manifests His-SWT Grace and Splendour in His-SWT Own way. The ‘Arsh is the administrative centre for running the universe. He-SWT is the One Who-SWT has harnessed the sun, the moon and the whole solar system to perform the assigned duty. They are on the move at a pre-determined pace, on their specified paths, in the ordained manner for billions of years, directly influencing the entire system of universe. The slightest imbalance in their movement or the minutest variation in the intensity of sunlight can affect human life, even the existence of human race. But it never happens so.

 

Destiny and Planning

It is Allah-SWT Who plans everything whereas man is only responsible to employ the means available at his disposal. The means cannot be effective by themselves, rather, it is Allah-SWT Who-SWT creates the effects and brings about the results. And it is He-SWT Who plans all affairs of the universe. He-SWT has embedded ample evidence in the entire system with meticulous details so that man can learn and evaluate for himself, that one day he has to stand before Allah-SWT . When everything in this system has an end result, how can the human life be an exception to this rule? Just witness His-SWT Omnipotence that He-SWT has spread out the earth which appears as a flat sheet from every direction in spite of being spherical in shape. He-SWT has installed gigantic mountains on it which balance its rotation while holding oceans of clean water on their peaks in the form of snow. Springs and rivers flow to ensure the growth of vegetation and fruits of all kinds. He-SWT has added colour to each and every fruit; a single branch can bear sweet as well as tangy fruits. The variety in fruits is beyond human calculation. He-SWT has also classified then into male and female plants. The female plant bears fruit only after it has been fertilized by the pollen from the male plant. Indeed He-SWT is the Most Powerful. He-SWT cloaks the daylight with the darkness of the nights; both bringing different bounties for mankind. All this contains unlimited Signs for those who ponder.

 

The same piece of land yields varying crops of fruits and flowers on its contiguous sections. Whereas the soil is one; water supplied to it is the same, yet every stalk bears a different crops by Allah-SWT ’s Command. A single orchard is laden with a variety of fruits, grape vines and date pals each having a different effect. Given sound intellect, all these phenomena can be clearly conceived as masterpieces of His-SWT Omnipotence and Magnificence.

 

After witnessing such clear Signs it is very strange that the infidels still question the Resurrection. They ask that once the physical bodies decompose how can they be brought back to life? But little do they realize that even more incredible is the fact that each moment brings innumerable things into existence and passes countless things into extinction. It is only His-SWT Omnipotence that matter, widely scattered in the form of food all over the earth’s expanse, is brought together to constitute as much as they were scattered before birth. Can recreating, then, be difficult for the Creator, Who-SWT initially created? The denial by the infidels is indeed foolish and strange. They do not believe in the One Who-SWT has created them and sustains them. This denial has indeed become a yoke around their necks. They are the dwellers of Hell, for disbelief is an evil that drives a disbeliever into Hell forever.

 

Just look at their wisdom that instead of seeking guidance and beneficence from the Holy Prophet-SW, they demand that Divine Punishment should be unleashed upon them. They want the Holy Prophet-SW to prove his-SW credibility by invoking the promised doom after which they say they will certainly believe. Is their any sense at all in what they say? Once destroyed, will they have the time to believe?

 

Visitations of Divine Wrath have stricken many unfortunate nations before and their ruins can be seen to date. These morbid sites bear witness to the fact that contention with the Prophets-AS invokes His-SWT Fury and doom, after which the opportunity for reformation is not given. Your Rabb-SWT is indeed Munificent that people continue to wrong themselves and oppress others but He-SWT keeps on forgiving, overlooking and giving respite. He-SWT does not take people to task instantly for their misdeeds. However, there is a limit, and once crossed it invokes His-SWT doom, which indeed is very severe. Are all the miracles and the miraculous Word, that is, Qurān, and the extraordinary qualities of the Holy Prophet-SW not sufficient to convince them that they demand yet another miracle? The Holy Prophet-SW invites them to Allah-SWT and asserts that only He-SWT is Omnipotent. At no time has he-SW ever claimed to have the power of being able to do whatever he-SW may please. Hence presenting such a demand to him-SW makes no sense. He-SW invites people to the truth and forewarns them of the eternal outcome of their deeds while there is still time for reformation.

 

Miracle and Karamah

A miracle is a Divine Act, Allah-SWT manifests at the hands of His-SWT Prophets-AS at His-SWT Will. This miracle is termed as Karamah when manifested at the hands of a Wali, truly devoted follower of a Prophet-AS. A miracle is a testimony of the authenticity of the Prophet-AS raised by Him-SWT into a particular nation. Sometimes He-SWT deputes Prophets-AS and Messengers-AS and at others makes their devoted followers to convey the Message on their behalf. Every nation was blessed with noble souls who invited people to piety and truth. It was not necessary to send a Prophet-AS to each and every settlement. Nevertheless, the task of inviting people to Allah-SWT was carried out everywhere, in every era, according to His-SWT Plan, in one way or the other.

previousnext