Introduction to
Surah
13. Ar-Ra'd
In the Name of Allâh, the Most
Beneficent, the Most Merciful.
1. Alif-Lâm-Mîm-Râ.
[These letters are one of the miracles of the Qur'ân
and none but Allâh (Alone) knows their meanings].
These are the Verses of the Book (the Qur'ân),
and that which has been revealed unto you (Muhammad SAW) from your Lord is the truth,
but most men believe not.
2. Allâh is
He Who raised the heavens without any pillars that you can see.
Then, He Istawâ (rose above) the Throne (really in
a manner that suits His Majesty). He has subjected the sun and
the moon (to continue going round)! Each running (its course)
for a term appointed. He regulates all affairs, explaining the
Ayât (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs,
revelations, etc.) in detail, that you may believe with certainty
in the meeting with your Lord.
3. And it is He Who
spread out the earth, and placed therein firm mountains and rivers
and of every kind of fruits He made Zawjain Ithnaîn (two
in pairs - may mean two kinds or it may mean: of two sorts, e.g.
black and white, sweet and sour, small and big, etc.) He brings
the night as a cover over the day. Verily, in these things, there
are Ayât (proofs, evidences, lessons, signs, etc.)
for people who reflect.
4. And in the earth
are neighbouring tracts, and gardens of vines, and green crops
(fields etc.), and date-palms, growing out two or three from a
single stem root, or otherwise (one stem root for every palm ),
watered with the same water, yet some of them We make more excellent
than others to eat. Verily, in these things, there are Ayât
(proofs, evidences, lessons, signs) for the people who understand.
5. And if you (O
Muhammad SAW)
wonder (at these polytheists who deny your message of Islâmic
Monotheism and have taken besides Allâh others for worship
who can neither harm nor benefit), then wondrous is their saying:
"When we are dust, shall we indeed then be (raised) in a
new creation?" They are those who disbelieve in their Lord!
They are those who will have iron chains tying their hands to
their necks. They will be dwellers of the Fire to abide therein.
6. They ask you to
hasten the evil before the good, yet (many) exemplary punishments
have indeed occurred before them. But verily, your Lord is full
of Forgiveness for mankind inspite of their wrong-doing. And verily,
your Lord is (also) Severe in punishment.
7. And the disbelievers
say: "Why is not a sign sent down to him from his Lord?"
You are only a warner, and to every people there is a guide.
8. Allâh knows
what every female bears, and by how much the wombs fall short
(of their time or number) or exceed. Everything with Him is in
(due) proportion.
9. All-Knower of
the unseen and the seen, the Most Great, the Most High.
10. It is the same
(to Him) whether any of you conceal his speech or declare it openly,
whether he be hid by night or go forth freely by day.
11. For each (person),
there are angels in succession, before and behind him.[]
They guard him by the Command of Allâh. Verily! Allâh
will not change the good condition of a people as long as they
do not change their state of goodness themselves (by committing
sins and by being ungrateful and disobedient to Allâh).
But when Allâh wills a people's punishment, there can be
no turning back of it, and they will find besides Him no protector.
12. It is He who
shows you the lightning, as a fear (for travellers) and as a hope
(for those who wait for rain). And it is He Who brings up (or
originates) the clouds, heavy (with water).
13. And Ar-Ra'd[]
(thunder) glorifies and praises Him, and so do the angels because
of His Awe, He sends the thunderbolts, and therewith He strikes
whom He wills, yet they (disbelievers) dispute about Allâh.
And He is Mighty in strength and Severe in punishment.
14. For Him (Alone)
is the Word of Truth (i.e. none has the right to be worshipped
but He). And those whom they (polytheists and disbelievers) invoke,
answer them no more than one who stretches forth his hand (at
the edge of a deep well) for water to reach his mouth, but it
reaches him not, and the invocation of the disbelievers is nothing
but an error (i.e. of no use).
15. And unto Allâh
(Alone) falls in prostration whoever is in the heavens and the
earth, willingly or unwillingly, and so do their shadows in the
mornings and in the afternoons.
16. Say (O Muhammad
SAW): "Who is the Lord of the
heavens and the earth?" Say: "(It is) Allâh."
Say: "Have you then taken (for worship) Auliyâ'
(protectors, etc.) other than Him, such as have no power either
for benefit or for harm to themselves?" Say: "Is the
blind equal to the one who sees? Or darkness equal to light? Or
do they assign to Allâh partners who created the like of
His creation, so that the creation (which they made and His creation)
seemed alike to them." Say: "Allâh is the Creator
of all things, He is the One, the Irresistible."
17. He sends down
water (rain) from the sky, and the valleys flow according to their
measure, but the flood bears away the foam that mounts up to the
surface, and (also) from that (ore) which they heat in the fire
in order to make ornaments or utensils, rises a foam like unto
it, thus does Allâh (by parables) show forth truth and falsehood[].
Then, as for the foam it passes away as scum upon the banks, while
that which is for the good of mankind remains in the earth. Thus
Allâh sets forth parables (for the truth and falsehood,
i.e. Belief and disbelief).
18. For those who
answered their Lord's Call [believed in the Oneness of Allâh
and followed His Messenger Muhammad SAW
i.e. Islâmic Monotheism] is Al-Husna (i.e. Paradise).
But those who answered not His Call (disbelieved in the Oneness
of Allâh and followed not His Messenger Muhammad SAW), if they had all that is in the
earth together with its like, they would offer it in order to
save themselves (from the torment, it will be in vain). For them
there will be the terrible reckoning. Their dwelling place will
be Hell; - and worst indeed is that place for rest.[]
19. Shall he then
who knows that what has been revealed unto you (O Muhammad SAW) from your Lord is the truth be
like him who is blind? But it is only the men of understanding
that pay heed.
20. Those who fulfill
the Covenant of Allâh and break not the Mîthâq
(bond, treaty, covenant);
21. Those who join
that which Allâh has commanded to be joined (i.e. they are
good to their relatives and do not sever the bond of kinship),
fear their Lord, and dread the terrible reckoning (i.e. abstain
from all kinds of sins and evil deeds which Allâh has forbidden
and perform all kinds of good deeds which Allâh has ordained).
22. And those who
remain patient, seeking their Lord's Countenance, perform As-Salât
(Iqâmat-as-Salât), and spend out of that which
We have bestowed on them, secretly and openly, and defend evil
with good, for such there is a good end;
23. 'Adn (Eden)
Paradise (everlasting Gardens), which they shall enter and (also)
those who acted righteously from among their fathers, and their
wives, and their offspring. And angels shall enter unto them from
every gate (saying):
24. "Salâmun
'Alaikum (peace be upon you) for that you persevered in patience!
Excellent indeed is the final home!"
25. And those who
break the Covenant of Allâh, after its ratification, and
sever that which Allâh has commanded to be joined (i.e.
they sever the bond of kinship and are not good to their relatives),
and work mischief in the land, on them is the curse (i.e. they
will be far away from Allâh's Mercy); And for them is the
unhappy (evil) home (i.e. Hell)[].
26. Allâh increases
the provision for whom He wills, and straitens (it for whom He
wills), and they rejoice in the life of the world, whereas the
life of this world as compared with the Hereafter is but a brief
passing enjoyment.
27. And those who
disbelieve say: "Why is not a sign sent down to him (Muhammad
SAW) from his Lord?" Say: "Verily,
Allâh sends astray whom He wills and guides unto Himself
those who turn to Him in repentance."
28. Those who believe
(in the Oneness of Allâh - Islâmic Monotheism), and
whose hearts find rest in the remembrance of Allâh, Verily,
in the remembrance of Allâh do hearts find rest[].
29. Those who believe
(in the Oneness of Allâh - Islâmic Monotheism), and
work righteousness, Tûbâ (it means all kinds
of happiness or name of a tree in Paradise) is for them and a
beautiful place of (final) return.
30. Thus have We
sent you (O Muhammad SAW)
to a community before whom other communities have passed away,
in order that you might recite unto them what We have inspired
to you, while they disbelieve in the Most Beneficient (Allâh)
Say: "He is my Lord! Lâ ilâha illâ Huwa
(none has the right to be worshipped but He)! In Him is my
trust, and to Him will be my return with repentance."
31. And if there
had been a Qur'ân with which mountains could be moved (from
their places), or the earth could be cloven asunder, or the dead
could be made to speak (it would not have been other than this
Qur'ân). But the decision of all things is certainly with
Allâh. Have not then those who believe yet known that had
Allâh willed, He could have guided all mankind? And a disaster
will not cease to strike those who disbelieve because of their
(evil) deeds or it (i.e. the disaster) settle close to their homes,
until the Promise of Allâh comes to pass. Certainly, Allâh
does not fail in His Promise.
32. And indeed (many)
Messengers were mocked at before you (O Muhammad SAW), but I granted respite to those
who disbelieved, and finally I punished them. Then how (terrible)
was My Punishment!
33. Is then He (Allâh)
Who takes charge (guards, maintains, provides, etc.) of every
person and knows all that he has earned (like any other deities
who know nothing)? Yet they ascribe partners to Allâh. Say:
"Name them! Is it that you will inform Him of something He
knows not in the earth or is it (just) a show of false words."
Nay! To those who disbelieve, their plotting is made fairseeming,
and they have been hindered from the Right Path, and whom Allâh
sends astray, for him, there is no guide.
34. For them is a
torment in the life of this world, and certainly, harder is the
torment of the Hereafter. And they have no protector against Allâh.
35. The description
of the Paradise which the Muttaqûn (pious - see V.2:2):
have been promised! -Underneath it rivers flow, its provision
is eternal and so is its shade, this is the end (final destination)
of the Muttaqûn (pious - see V.2:2), and the
end (final destination) of the disbelievers is Fire. (See Verse
47:15)
36. Those to whom
We have given the Book (such as 'Abdullâh bin Salâm
and other Jews who embraced Islâm), rejoice at what has
been revealed unto you (i.e. the Qur'ân)[],
but there are among the Confederates (from the Jews and pagans)
those who reject a part thereof. Say (O Muhammad SAW): "I am commanded only to
worship Allâh (Alone) and not to join partners with Him.
To Him (Alone) I call and to Him is my return."
37. And thus have
We sent it (the Qur'ân) down to be a judgement of authority
in Arabic. Were you (O Muhammad SAW)
to follow their (vain) desires after the knowledge which has come
to you, then you will not have any Walî (protector)
or defender against Allâh.
38. And indeed We
sent Messengers before you (O Muhammad SAW), and made for them wives and
offspring. And it was not for a Messenger to bring a sign except
by Allâh's Leave. (For) each and every matter there is a
Decree (from Allâh).
39. Allâh blots
out what He wills and confirms (what He wills). And with Him is
the Mother of the Book (Al-Lauh Al-Mahfûz)
40. Whether We show
you (O Muhammad SAW)
part of what We have promised them or cause you to die, your duty
is only to convey (the Message) and on Us is the reckoning.
41. See they not
that We gradually reduce the land (of disbelievers, by giving
it to the believers, in war victories) from its outlying borders.
And Allâh judges, there is none to put back His Judgement
and He is Swift at reckoning.
42. And verily, those
before them did devise plots, but all planning is Allâh's.
He knows what every person earns, and the disbelievers will know
who gets the good end (final destination).
43. And those who
disbelieve, say: "You (O Muhammad SAW) are not a Messenger." Say:
"Sufficient for a witness between me and you is Allâh
and those too who have knowledge of the Scripture (such as 'Abdullâh
bin Salâm and other Jews and Christians who embraced Islâm)."
