Sūrat al-Raʿd
سورۃ الرعد
The commentator opens Sūrat al-Raʿd with a brief exhortation, completing the bridge from the close of Yūsuf:
Allāh — the Most Forgiving, the Most Merciful — is ever ready to forgive those who return to Him. Wrongdoers who repent find mercy; perseverance and rectification lead to ultimate success. The final victory belongs to kalimatu Allāh — the Word of Allāh, which always prevails. Just as Yūsuf (upon him be peace) was helped by Allāh, so too this community will — God willing — find relief and ease. But remember: first rectify your own inner states. Seek victory through taqwā — and seek divine help.
(And remember:)﴿ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يُغَيِّرُ مَا بِقَوْمٍ حَتَّىٰ يُغَيِّرُوا مَا بِأَنفُسِهِمْ ﴾(al-Raʿd 13:11) "Allāh does not change the condition of a people until they change what is within themselves."
About Sūrat al-Raʿd: Revealed in Makkah (with some verses held to be Madīnī). It contains 43 verses and 6 rukūʿāt (sections).
Bismillāhi l-raḥmāni l-raḥīm
﴿ الم ر تِلْكَ آيَاتُ الْكِتَابِ وَالَّذِي أُنزِلَ إِلَيْكَ مِن رَّبِّكَ الْحَقُّ وَلَٰكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ النَّاسِ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ ﴾Alif-Lām-Mīm-Rā tilka āyātu l-kitābi wa-lladhī unzila ilayka min rabbika l-ḥaqqu wa-lākinna akthara l-nāsi lā yuʾminūn "Alif-Lām-Mīm-Rā. These are the verses of the Book, and what was sent down to you from your Lord is the truth — yet most people do not believe." — al-Raʿd 13:1
Translation: Alif-Lām-Mīm-Rā. These are the verses of the scripture. What has been sent down to you from your Lord is the truth — but most people do not believe.
Commentary: Al-Muqaṭṭaʿāt — the isolated letters: Alif-Lām-Mīm-Rā. These are among the ḥurūf muqaṭṭaʿa, the disconnected letters that open certain sūras of the Qurʾān. Their precise meaning is known only to Allāh and His Messengerﷺ; various scholars have offered interpretations. The commentator notes: Allāhu aʿlam wa-arā — Allāh knows best and sees. Tilka āyātu l-kitāb — those are the verses of the Book — the Qurʾān itself. Wa-lladhī unzila ilayka min rabbika l-ḥaqq — and what was sent down to you is the truth. Despite this clear truth, most people still do not believe — not because the proof is insufficient but because the heart must be opened by Allāh's guidance.
﴿ اللَّهُ الَّذِي رَفَعَ السَّمَاوَاتِ بِغَيْرِ عَمَدٍ تَرَوْنَهَا ثُمَّ اسْتَوَىٰ عَلَى الْعَرْشِ وَسَخَّرَ الشَّمْسَ وَالْقَمَرَ كُلٌّ يَجْرِي لِأَجَلٍ مُّسَمًّى يُدَبِّرُ الْأَمْرَ يُفَصِّلُ الْآيَاتِ لَعَلَّكُمْ بِلِقَاءِ رَبِّكُمْ تُوقِنُونَ ﴾Allāhu lladhī rafaʿa l-samāwāti bi-ghayri ʿamadin tarawnahā thumma stawā ʿalā l-ʿarshi wa-sakhkhara l-shamsa wa-l-qamara kullun yajrī li-ajalin musamman yudabbiru l-amra yufaṣṣilu l-āyāti laʿallakum bi-liqāʾi rabbikum tūqinūn "Allah is He who raised the heavens without any pillars that you can see; then He settled on the Throne and put the sun and moon to service — each runs for an appointed term. He manages all affairs; He details the signs so that you may be certain of the meeting with your Lord." — al-Raʿd 13:2
Translation: Allāh is He who raised the heavens without pillars that you can see; then He settled His sovereignty upon the Throne; and He subjected the sun and the moon — each running its course to an appointed term. He governs all affairs and expounds His signs in detail, that you may attain certainty about the meeting with your Lord.
Commentary: Bi-ghayri ʿamadin tarawnahā — without any pillars visible to you. Some scholars understand this as meaning there are no pillars at all; others that there are unseen pillars (amad ghayr marʾiyya) of divine power. Thumma stawā ʿalā l-ʿarsh — then He established Himself upon the Throne. This phrase, recurring in the Qurʾān, is understood by the Ahl al-Sunna wa'l-Jamāʿa in the Maturīdī tradition without tashbīh (anthropomorphism) or taʿṭīl (denial): Allāh's istiwāʾ is real but its exact nature is beyond human comprehension; we affirm it and leave its modality to Allāh (tafwīḍ). Kullun yajrī li-ajalin musamman — each heavenly body runs to its fixed term — its prescribed orbit, measured and ordered by divine wisdom. Yudabbiru l-amr — He governs all of creation's affairs; not a leaf falls, not a breath is drawn, except by His management. Yufaṣṣilu l-āyāt — He expounds His signs with clarity, that the believer may attain certainty (yaqīn) of the Day of Meeting.
﴿ وَهُوَ الَّذِي مَدَّ الْأَرْضَ وَجَعَلَ فِيهَا رَوَاسِيَ وَأَنْهَارًا وَمِن كُلِّ الثَّمَرَاتِ جَعَلَ فِيهَا زَوْجَيْنِ اثْنَيْنِ يُغْشِي اللَّيْلَ النَّهَارَ إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لَآيَاتٍ لِّقَوْمٍ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ ﴾Wa-huwa lladhī madda l-arḍa wa-jaʿala fīhā rawāsiya wa-anhāran wa-min kulli l-thamarāti jaʿala fīhā zawjayni thnayni yughshī l-layla l-nahāra inna fī dhālika la-āyātin li-qawmin yatafakkarūn "And He is the One who spread out the earth, placed in it mountains and rivers, and made in it pairs of every fruit. He covers the night with the day. In that are signs for a people who reflect." — al-Raʿd 13:3
Translation: And He is the One who spread the earth wide and placed firm mountains and rivers in it, and made pairs of every kind of fruit therein. He draws the veil of night over the day. In all of this are signs for those who reflect.
Commentary: Madda l-arḍ — He spread the earth out, making it habitable. Rawāsī — firm mountains, anchors that prevent the earth from shaking uncontrollably. Anhār — rivers, the veins of life flowing across the land. Zawjayni thnayni — pairs of every fruit: male and female, sweet and sour, red and yellow, and all the other kinds of pairing in creation. Yughshī l-layla l-nahāra — the night covers the day like a garment; and the day covers the night — neither fully overtaking the other, creating the ordered rhythm of time that makes life possible. Inna fī dhālika la-āyāt — all of this is a treasury of signs for those who use their minds and hearts.
﴿ وَفِي الْأَرْضِ قِطَعٌ مُّتَجَاوِرَاتٌ وَجَنَّاتٌ مِّنْ أَعْنَابٍ وَزَرْعٌ وَنَخِيلٌ صِنْوَانٌ وَغَيْرُ صِنْوَانٍ يُسْقَىٰ بِمَاءٍ وَاحِدٍ وَنُفَضِّلُ بَعْضَهَا عَلَىٰ بَعْضٍ فِي الْأُكُلِ إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لَآيَاتٍ لِّقَوْمٍ يَعْقِلُونَ ﴾Wa-fī l-arḍi qiṭaʿun mutajāwirātun wa-jannātun mina l-aʿnābi wa-zarʿun wa-nakhīlun ṣinwānun wa-ghayru ṣinwānin yusqā bi-māʾin wāḥidin wa-nufaḍḍilu baʿḍahā ʿalā baʿḍin fī l-ukuli inna fī dhālika la-āyātin li-qawmin yaʿqilūn "And on the earth are neighbouring tracts, vineyards, cultivated fields, and palms — growing from one root and from separate roots — all watered by one water; yet We cause some to surpass others in taste. In that are signs for a people who reason." — al-Raʿd 13:4
Translation: And on the earth there are plots of land side by side — gardens of grapes, and fields of crops, and palm trees — growing in clusters from one root and as single trees — all watered by the same water, yet We make some surpass others in their fruit. In all of this there are signs for a people who use their reason.
Commentary: Qiṭaʿ mutajāwirāt — neighbouring parcels of earth, side by side. Yet the same water produces different results in each: this palm gives sweet fruit, that one bitter; this vine is lush, that one sparse. Ṣinwān wa-ghayru ṣinwān — palms growing from a single root (and sharing the name ṣinw, twin/related) and palms growing as independent trees. The same water, the same earth — yet infinite variety in outcome. The lugha (grammatical) note: ṣinwān when the second wāw-nūn would normally be elided in idghām, but here the wāw is kept because elision would collapse the word into ṣinwan. Nufaḍḍilu baʿḍahā ʿalā baʿḍin fī l-ukul — We distinguish some in taste and quality over others: this is a sign of divine artistry and qudra (power) that no mere natural force can account for.
The commentator quotes:﴿ وَفِي أَنفُسِكُمْ أَفَلَا تُبْصِرُونَ ﴾(al-Dhāriyāt 51:21) — "And in your own selves — do you not see?"
The signs of Allāh are not distant; they are in the earth beneath our feet and in ourselves.
﴿ وَإِن تَعْجَبْ فَعَجَبٌ قَوْلُهُمْ أَإِذَا كُنَّا تُرَابًا أَإِنَّا لَفِي خَلْقٍ جَدِيدٍ أُولَٰئِكَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا بِرَبِّهِمْ وَأُولَٰئِكَ الْأَغْلَالُ فِي أَعْنَاقِهِمْ وَأُولَٰئِكَ أَصْحَابُ النَّارِ هُمْ فِيهَا خَالِدُونَ ﴾Wa-in taʿjab fa-ʿajabun qawluhum a-idhā kunnā turāban a-innā la-fī khalqin jadīdin ulāʾika lladhīna kafarū bi-rabbihim wa-ulāʾika l-aghlālu fī aʿnāqihim wa-ulāʾika aṣḥābu l-nāri hum fīhā khālidūn "And if you wonder, what is truly wondrous is their saying: When we have become dust, shall we really be in a new creation? Those are they who disbelieve in their Lord; those are they on whose necks are chains; and those are the companions of the Fire — they will abide therein forever." — al-Raʿd 13:5
Translation: And if you find anything wondrous, most wondrous is their saying: "Can it be that when we have become dust, we shall really be brought into a new creation?" Those are the people who disbelieve in their Lord; they are those on whose necks are the fetters (of their disbelief); and they are the companions of the Fire in which they will remain forever.
Commentary: Fa-ʿajabun qawluhum — truly wondrous is their statement of disbelief in resurrection. They find it impossible that dust should be renewed into a living being — yet they themselves were created once from nothing. The second creation is no harder than the first. Al-aghlālu fī aʿnāqihim — fetters on their necks: the chains of their own kufr (rejection of truth) and kibr (arrogance), which bind them and prevent them from entering the way of guidance. Aṣḥābu l-nār hum fīhā khālidūn — the companions of the Fire, dwelling therein forever. This is the end of those who knowingly reject the clear signs.
﴿ وَيَسْتَعْجِلُونَكَ بِالسَّيِّئَةِ قَبْلَ الْحَسَنَةِ وَقَدْ خَلَتْ مِن قَبْلِهِمُ الْمَثُلَاتُ ﴾Wa-yastaʿjilūnaka bi-l-sayyiʾati qabla l-ḥasanati wa-qad khalat min qablihimu l-mathulāt "And they ask you to hasten the evil before the good, when examples of punishment have already passed before them." — al-Raʿd 13:6
Translation: And they challenge you to hasten the punishment before the mercy, even though exemplary punishments of past peoples have already come and gone before them.
Commentary: Yastaʿjilūnaka — they urge you to hasten. The Quraysh mockingly demanded: if you are a prophet, bring on the punishment now! Bi-l-sayyiʾa qabla l-ḥasana — they sought the evil (the punishment) before the good (the mercy). Wa-qad khalat min qablihimu l-mathulāt — but the exemplary punishments of prior nations have already come and gone. The destroyed peoples of the past are warning enough; yet the heedless do not heed.
The commentator then adds:
﴿ وَإِنَّ رَبَّكَ لَذُو مَغْفِرَةٍ لِّلنَّاسِ عَلَىٰ ظُلْمِهِمْ وَإِنَّ رَبَّكَ لَشَدِيدُ الْعِقَابِ ﴾— "And indeed your Lord is most forgiving to people despite their wrong, and indeed your Lord is severe in punishment" (al-Raʿd 13:6).
Both divine attributes are real and simultaneous: maghfira (forgiveness) for the repentant, and ʿiqāb (retribution) for the persistent wrongdoer.
﴿ وَيَقُولُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا لَوْلَا أُنزِلَ عَلَيْهِ آيَةٌ مِّن رَّبِّهِ إِنَّمَا أَنتَ مُنذِرٌ وَلِكُلِّ قَوْمٍ هَادٍ ﴾Wa-yaqūlu lladhīna kafarū lawlā unzila ʿalayhi āyatun min rabbihi innamā anta mundhirun wa-li-kulli qawmin hād "And those who disbelieve say: Why has no sign been sent down to him from his Lord? You are only a warner, and for every people there is a guide." — al-Raʿd 13:7
Translation: And the disbelievers say: Why has no miraculous sign been sent down to him from his Lord? Say: You are only a warner — and for every people there is a guide.
Commentary: Lawlā unzila ʿalayhi āya — why has a sign not been sent to him? They demanded specific miracles of their own choosing. The response: innamā anta mundhir — your role is to warn, to convey, to call. The provision of specific signs in response to human demands belongs to Allāh alone. Wa-li-kulli qawmin hād — every people has a guide: a prophet, a messenger. Allāh's guidance reaches every community through the medium He chooses. The signs (āyāt) are already present in the Qurʾān and in the creation; the demand for additional ones is merely pretext.
﴿ اللَّهُ يَعْلَمُ مَا تَحْمِلُ كُلُّ أُنثَىٰ وَمَا تَغِيضُ الْأَرْحَامُ وَمَا تَزْدَادُ وَكُلُّ شَيْءٍ عِندَهُ بِمِقْدَارٍ ﴾Allāhu yaʿlamu mā taḥmilu kullu unthā wa-mā taghīḍu l-arḥāmu wa-mā tazdādu wa-kullu shayʾin ʿindahu bi-miqdār "Allah knows what every female carries, and what the wombs contract and expand. And everything with Him is by measure." — al-Raʿd 13:8
Translation: Allāh knows what every female carries in her womb, and whatever the wombs fall short of (in term or size) or increase beyond — and everything before Him is by a precise measure.
Commentary: Mā taḥmilu kullu unthā — what every female carries: the gender, the term, the weight, the fate of every unborn life is known to Allāh before conception. Mā taghīḍu l-arḥām wa-mā tazdād — what the wombs fall short of in gestation or increase beyond the normal — all variations and anomalies are within Allāh's knowledge. Wa-kullu shayʾin ʿindahu bi-miqdār — and everything with Him is by a precise measure: there is no randomness in creation; every event, every development, is ordained and measured.
﴿ عَالِمُ الْغَيْبِ وَالشَّهَادَةِ الْكَبِيرُ الْمُتَعَالِ ﴾ʿĀlimu l-ghaybi wa-l-shahādati l-kabīru l-mutaʿāl "The Knower of the Unseen and the Witnessed — the Most Great, the Most Exalted." — al-Raʿd 13:9
Translation: The Knower of the unseen and the manifest — the Supremely Great, the Supremely Exalted.
Commentary: ʿĀlim al-ghayb wa-l-shahāda — Knower of what is hidden and what is visible; Allāh's knowledge encompasses both realms equally. Al-Kabīr — the Immeasurably Great; al-Mutaʿāl — the Supremely Exalted, whose rank transcends all comparison. These divine names (asmāʾ al-ḥusnā) are affirmed in their fullness according to the Maturīdī ʿaqīda: real, eternal, befitting His Majesty, without resemblance to created attributes.
﴿ سَوَاءٌ مِّنكُم مَّنْ أَسَرَّ الْقَوْلَ وَمَن جَهَرَ بِهِ وَمَنْ هُوَ مُسْتَخْفٍ بِاللَّيْلِ وَسَارِبٌ بِالنَّهَارِ ﴾Sawāʾun minkum man asarra l-qawla wa-man jahara bihi wa-man huwa mustakhfin bi-l-layli wa-sāribun bi-l-nahār "Alike among you is one who conceals his words and one who speaks them openly, and one who hides by night and one who goes freely in the daytime." — al-Raʿd 13:10
Translation: To Him all of you are the same — whether you speak in secret or openly, whether you hide under the cover of night or move about freely in the light of day.
Commentary: Sawāʾun — equal, the same, all known. Before the divine knowledge, there is no concealment. Man asarra l-qawl — the one who whispers; man jahara bihi — the one who speaks aloud; man huwa mustakhfin bi-l-layl — the one who conceals himself in the darkness of night; wa-sāribun bi-l-nahār — and the one who goes openly in the day — all are equally known to Allāh. This is a reminder that all conduct, public or private, visible or hidden, is before the All-Seeing.
﴿ لَهُ مُعَقِّبَاتٌ مِّن بَيْنِ يَدَيْهِ وَمِنْ خَلْفِهِ يَحْفَظُونَهُ مِنْ أَمْرِ اللَّهِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يُغَيِّرُ مَا بِقَوْمٍ حَتَّىٰ يُغَيِّرُوا مَا بِأَنفُسِهِمْ وَإِذَا أَرَادَ اللَّهُ بِقَوْمٍ سُوءًا فَلَا مَرَدَّ لَهُ وَمَا لَهُم مِّن دُونِهِ مِن وَالٍ ﴾Lahu muʿaqqibātun min bayni yadayhi wa-min khalfihi yaḥfaẓūnahu min amri Allāhi inna Allāha lā yughayyiru mā bi-qawmin ḥattā yughayyirū mā bi-anfusihim wa-idhā arāda Allāhu bi-qawmin sūʾan fa-lā maradda lahu wa-mā lahum min dūnihi min wāl "For each person there are successive guardian angels before him and behind him — they guard him by Allah's command. Verily Allah does not change the condition of a people until they change what is in themselves. And when Allah wills misfortune for a people, there is no averting it, and they have no protector besides Him." — al-Raʿd 13:11
Translation: There are for him (each person) angels in succession — before him and behind him — who guard him by Allāh's command. Truly Allāh does not change the condition of a people until they change what is within themselves. And when Allāh intends harm for a people, it cannot be averted — and they have no protector apart from Him.
Commentary: Muʿaqqibāt — angels who follow in succession, one after another, day and night, recording deeds and protecting the servant by Allāh's leave. Min bayni yadayhi wa-min khalfihi — in front of him and behind him: complete coverage, from every direction. Yaḥfaẓūnahu min amri Allāh — they guard him by Allāh's command; this protection is not absolute against the decreed fate, but is part of the ordered management of existence.
Inna Allāha lā yughayyiru mā bi-qawmin ḥattā yughayyirū mā bi-anfusihim — this is one of the most fundamental principles in the Qurʾān, already quoted twice by the commentator as the lesson of Sūrat Yūsuf. Nations are not destroyed unless they destroy themselves from within; Allāh does not take away a blessing from a people until they themselves change the inner disposition that made them deserving of it. The inverse is equally true: Allāh does not withhold His mercy from a people who genuinely reform themselves. This is the divine sunna (invariable way) in human affairs.
Wa-idhā arāda Allāhu bi-qawmin sūʾan fa-lā maradda lahu — when Allāh decrees harm for a people, nothing can deflect it. Wa-mā lahum min dūnihi min wāl — and they have no guardian, no protector, apart from Allāh. The lesson: seek Allāh's protection through righteousness, and guard it by preserving what is right within the self and the community.
﴿ هُوَ الَّذِي يُرِيكُمُ الْبَرْقَ خَوْفًا وَطَمَعًا وَيُنشِئُ السَّحَابَ الثِّقَالَ ﴾Huwa lladhī yurīkumu l-barqa khawfan wa-ṭamaʿan wa-yunshiʾu l-saḥāba l-thiqāl "He is the One who shows you lightning — as fear and as hope — and forms the heavy clouds." — al-Raʿd 13:12
Translation: He is the One who shows you lightning — inspiring both fear and hope — and raises up the heavy clouds.
Commentary: Barq — lightning. Khawfan wa-ṭamaʿan — fear (of thunderbolts, storms) and hope (of rain, relief from drought). The same phenomenon inspires two opposing emotions, both of which are appropriate in the believer's relationship with Allāh: khawf (fear of His displeasure and punishment) and ṭamaʿ or rajāʾ (hope of His mercy and provision). Al-saḥābu l-thiqāl — the heavy, laden clouds, bursting with rain. Allāh forms them from light water vapour into weighty formations — another sign of divine power.
﴿ وَيُسَبِّحُ الرَّعْدُ بِحَمْدِهِ وَالْمَلَائِكَةُ مِنْ خِيفَتِهِ وَيُرْسِلُ الصَّوَاعِقَ فَيُصِيبُ بِهَا مَن يَشَاءُ وَهُمْ يُجَادِلُونَ فِي اللَّهِ وَهُوَ شَدِيدُ الْمِحَالِ ﴾Wa-yusabbiḥu l-raʿdu bi-ḥamdihi wa-l-malāʾikatu min khīfatihi wa-yursilu l-ṣawāʿiqa fa-yuṣību bihā man yashāʾu wa-hum yujādilūna fī Allāhi wa-huwa shadīdu l-miḥāl "And the thunder glorifies His praise, as do the angels in awe of Him; and He sends the thunderbolts and strikes with them whom He wills — yet they argue about Allah, while He is mighty in power." — al-Raʿd 13:13
Translation: And the thunder glorifies His praise, and the angels glorify Him out of awe of Him. He sends down the thunderbolts and strikes with them whoever He wills — and yet they dispute about Allāh, while He is the possessor of overwhelming power.
Commentary: Yusabbiḥu l-raʿd — the very thunder glorifies Allāh. The thunderclap is itself a tasbīḥ — a declaration of Allāh's transcendence and freedom from all deficiency. Wa-l-malāʾikatu min khīfatihi — and the angels glorify Him out of awe: even the highest of creation are in a state of constant trembling reverence before Allāh. Wa-yursilu l-ṣawāʿiqa — He sends the thunderbolts (ṣawāʿiq), bolts of charged fire from the sky. Fa-yuṣību bihā man yashāʾ — He strikes with them whoever He wills: a reminder of divine power that no human arrangement can resist. Wa-hum yujādilūna fī Allāh — yet they argue and dispute about Allāh, raising doubts and objections. Wa-huwa shadīdu l-miḥāl — and He is of overwhelming might and cunning strategy (miḥāl: divine planning, power of action, the ability to execute His will against all opposition).
﴿ لَهُ دَعْوَةُ الْحَقِّ وَالَّذِينَ يَدْعُونَ مِن دُونِهِ لَا يَسْتَجِيبُونَ لَهُم بِشَيْءٍ إِلَّا كَبَاسِطِ كَفَّيْهِ إِلَى الْمَاءِ لِيَبْلُغَ فَاهُ وَمَا هُوَ بِبَالِغِهِ وَمَا دُعَاءُ الْكَافِرِينَ إِلَّا فِي ضَلَالٍ ﴾Lahu daʿwatu l-ḥaqqi wa-lladhīna yadʿūna min dūnihi lā yastajībūna lahum bi-shayʾin illā ka-bāsiṭi kaffayhi ilā l-māʾi li-yablugha fāhu wa-mā huwa bi-bālighuhu wa-mā duʿāʾu l-kāfirīna illā fī ḍalāl "To Him belongs the call of truth. And those they call upon besides Him respond to them not at all — except as one who stretches his palms toward water so that it might reach his mouth, but it never reaches him. And the supplication of the disbelievers is nothing but in error." — al-Raʿd 13:14
Translation: To Allāh alone belongs the true call. Those they invoke besides Him respond to them with nothing — like a man who stretches his hands toward water hoping it will reach his mouth, but it never will. The supplication of the disbelievers is nothing but futility and error.
Commentary: Lahu daʿwatu l-ḥaqq — to Allāh belongs the true invocation: only Allāh answers prayer; only to Allāh are petitions directed with true effect. Wa-lladhīna yadʿūna min dūnihi — those they call upon besides Him — idols, false deities, anything placed in Allāh's position — respond with nothing. The beautiful simile: ka-bāsiṭi kaffayhi ilā l-māʾi li-yablugha fāhu — like a man stretching his open palms toward water, hoping it will come to his mouth — but water does not come to an open hand stretched toward it; it only reaches one who scoops it up. The disbeliever's prayer to false gods is similarly futile: the gesture is there but no response ever comes. Wa-mā duʿāʾu l-kāfirīna illā fī ḍalāl — the invocation of the disbeliever directed at other than Allāh is nothing but pure misguidance.
﴿ وَلِلَّهِ يَسْجُدُ مَن فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ طَوْعًا وَكَرْهًا وَظِلَالُهُمْ بِالْغُدُوِّ وَالْآصَالِ ﴾Wa-lillāhi yasjudu man fī l-samāwāti wa-l-arḍi ṭawʿan wa-karhan wa-ẓilāluhum bi-l-ghuduwwi wa-l-āṣāl "And to Allah prostrate all who are in the heavens and the earth, willingly or unwillingly — and their shadows too, at morning and evening." — al-Raʿd 13:15
Translation: And to Allāh prostrate all who are in the heavens and the earth — willingly and unwillingly — and their shadows too, at morning and evening.
Commentary: Ṭawʿan wa-karhan — willingly or unwillingly. The believer prostrates willingly (ṭawʿ), with love and choice; the disbeliever and the entire creation prostrate involuntarily — their very existence, their shadow in the sun, their movements obey Allāh's laws. Wa-ẓilāluhum bi-l-ghuduwwi wa-l-āṣāl — and their shadows (bow and extend) in the morning and the evening, as the sun moves: a constant, visible sign of the submission of all creation to Allāh. Morning (ghuduww) and evening (āṣāl) — the two great times of prayer and praise.
﴿ قُلْ مَن رَّبُّ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ قُلِ اللَّهُ قُلْ أَفَاتَّخَذْتُم مِّن دُونِهِ أَوْلِيَاءَ لَا يَمْلِكُونَ لِأَنفُسِهِمْ نَفْعًا وَلَا ضَرًّا قُلْ هَلْ يَسْتَوِي الْأَعْمَىٰ وَالْبَصِيرُ أَمْ هَلْ تَسْتَوِي الظُّلُمَاتُ وَالنُّورُ أَمْ جَعَلُوا لِلَّهِ شُرَكَاءَ خَلَقُوا كَخَلْقِهِ فَتَشَابَهَ الْخَلْقُ عَلَيْهِمْ قُلِ اللَّهُ خَالِقُ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ وَهُوَ الْوَاحِدُ الْقَهَّارُ ﴾Qul man rabbu l-samāwāti wa-l-arḍi quli Allāhu qul a-fa-ttakhadhtum min dūnihi awliyāʾa lā yamlukūna li-anfusihim nafʿan wa-lā ḍarran qul hal yastawī l-aʿmā wa-l-baṣīru am hal tastawī l-ẓulumātu wa-l-nūru am jaʿalū lillāhi shurakāʾa khalaqū ka-khalqihi fa-tashābaha l-khalqu ʿalayhim quli Allāhu khāliqu kulli shayʾin wa-huwa l-wāḥidu l-qahhār "Say: Who is the Lord of the heavens and the earth? Say: Allah! Say: Have you then taken besides Him protectors who have no power over benefit or harm even for themselves? Say: Can the blind and the seeing be equal? Or can darkness and light be equal? Or have they ascribed partners to Allah who created as He created, so that creation seemed similar to them? Say: Allah is the Creator of all things — He is the One, the Overpowering." — al-Raʿd 13:16
Translation: Say: Who is the Lord of the heavens and the earth? Say: Allāh! Say: Have you then taken for yourselves beside Him protectors who cannot benefit or harm even themselves? Say: Can the blind and the sighted be equal? Or can darkness and light be equal? Have they ascribed to Allāh partners who created as He created, so that the creations appeared alike to them? Say: Allāh is the Creator of all things — He is the One, the Overpowerer of all.
Commentary: A sequence of rhetorical questions that dismantle the logic of polytheism point by point. The idol has no power over itself — lā yamliku li-nafsihi nafʿan wa-lā ḍarran — how can it have power over those who worship it? Hal yastawī l-aʿmā wa-l-baṣīr — can the blind and the sighted be alike? The one who follows the truth and the one who gropes in falsehood are not equals. Wa-l-ẓulumātu wa-l-nūr — can darkness and light be equal? Shirk (polytheism) is spiritual blindness and darkness; tawḥīd (monotheism) is sight and light. Am jaʿalū lillāhi shurakāʾa khalaqū ka-khalqihi — have their false gods created anything as Allāh created? If not, on what basis are they worshipped? Quli Allāhu khāliqu kulli shayʾ — say: Allāh is the Creator of everything. Wa-huwa l-wāḥidu l-qahhār — He is the One, the Overpowerer: the One who subdues and overcomes all things by His will.
The commentator adds a verse:
All prostrations of love are entirely for Him — everything is directed toward Him He who has found this truth needs nothing else from this world and the next
﴿ أَنزَلَ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ مَاءً فَسَالَتْ أَوْدِيَةٌ بِقَدَرِهَا فَاحْتَمَلَ السَّيْلُ زَبَدًا رَّابِيًا وَمِمَّا يُوقِدُونَ عَلَيْهِ فِي النَّارِ ابْتِغَاءَ حِلْيَةٍ أَوْ مَتَاعٍ زَبَدٌ مِّثْلُهُ كَذَٰلِكَ يَضْرِبُ اللَّهُ الْحَقَّ وَالْبَاطِلَ فَأَمَّا الزَّبَدُ فَيَذْهَبُ جُفَاءً وَأَمَّا مَا يَنفَعُ النَّاسَ فَيَمْكُثُ فِي الْأَرْضِ كَذَٰلِكَ يَضْرِبُ اللَّهُ الْأَمْثَالَ ﴾Anzala mina l-samāʾi māʾan fa-sālat awdiyatun bi-qadarihā fa-ḥtamala l-saylu zabadan rābiyān wa-mimmā yūqidūna ʿalayhi fī l-nāri btighāʾa ḥilyatin aw matāʿin zabadun mithluh kadhālika yaḍribu Allāhu l-ḥaqqa wa-l-bāṭila fa-ammā l-zabadu fa-yadhabu jufāʾan wa-ammā mā yanfaʿu l-nāsa fa-yamkuthu fī l-arḍi kadhālika yaḍribu Allāhu l-amthāl "He sent down water from the sky, and the valleys flowed according to their measure; the torrent carried along swelling foam. And from what they kindle in the fire — seeking ornament or utensils — there comes foam like it. Thus Allah strikes the true and the false. As for the foam, it passes away as refuse; but as for what benefits people, it remains in the earth. Thus Allah strikes the parables." — al-Raʿd 13:17
Translation: He sent down rain from the sky, and the valleys flowed according to their measure; the flood-current bore along a swelling froth. And similarly, from what they smelt in fire to make ornaments or wares, froth appears likewise. Thus does Allāh present the parable of truth and falsehood. The foam passes away as refuse. But what benefits people remains in the earth. Thus does Allāh strike parables.
Commentary: One of the most elegant parables in the Qurʾān. Rain falls and rivers flow in their measure (bi-qadarihā — each valley according to its capacity). The flood carries froth and scum on top — zabadan rābiyān — rising, puffed up, conspicuous. Similarly, when gold or silver or iron is melted in the furnace for making ornaments or tools, dross and slag rise to the surface. The froth and dross pass away — yadhabu jufāʾan — as worthless refuse. But what benefits people — pure water, purified metal — yamkuthu fī l-arḍ — remains and endures in the earth. This is the parable of ḥaqq (truth) and bāṭil (falsehood): falsehood may be conspicuous and noisy for a time, but it passes away; truth, however quiet, remains and continues to benefit.
The commentator draws the practical lesson: keep your own inner life free of the froth of worldly show and the dross of sin. What is sincere and true in the servant's deeds remains; what is performed for display vanishes. Falsehood makes noise and draws attention, but the sincere person should not be deceived — al-bāṭilu kāna zahūqā — falsehood is ever bound to perish.
﴿ لِلَّذِينَ اسْتَجَابُوا لِرَبِّهِمُ الْحُسْنَىٰ وَالَّذِينَ لَمْ يَسْتَجِيبُوا لَهُ لَوْ أَنَّ لَهُم مَّا فِي الْأَرْضِ جَمِيعًا وَمِثْلَهُ مَعَهُ لَافْتَدَوْا بِهِ أُولَٰئِكَ لَهُمْ سُوءُ الْحِسَابِ وَمَأْوَاهُمْ جَهَنَّمُ وَبِئْسَ الْمِهَادُ ﴾Li-lladhīna stajabu li-rabbihimu l-ḥusnā wa-lladhīna lam yastajibu lahu law anna lahum mā fī l-arḍi jamīʿan wa-mithlahu maʿahu la-ftadaw bihi ulāʾika lahum sūʾu l-ḥisābi wa-maʾwāhum jahannamu wa-biʾsa l-mihād "For those who respond to their Lord is the best reward. But those who do not respond to Him — even if they had all that is in the earth and the like of it besides, they would offer it all as ransom. Those will have an evil reckoning, and their refuge is Hell — a miserable resting-place." — al-Raʿd 13:18
Translation: For those who respond to their Lord — there is the most excellent reward. But those who do not respond to Him — even if they possessed everything in the earth twice over, they would offer it as ransom (to be saved from punishment). For them is the evil reckoning; their abode is Jahannam — and what a wretched abode!
Commentary: Li-lladhīna stajabu li-rabbihim al-ḥusnā — for those who respond to Allāh's call — obedience, faith, good deeds — there is al-ḥusnā, the beautiful reward, Janna and the pleasure of Allāh. Wa-lladhīna lam yastajibu lahu — as for those who refused — law anna lahum mā fī l-arḍi jamīʿan wa-mithlahu maʿahu la-ftadaw bihi — even if they possessed everything on earth doubled, they would desperately offer it as ransom against the punishment awaiting them. But ransom will not be accepted. Sūʾu l-ḥisāb — the evil reckoning; wa-maʾwāhum jahannam — their refuge is Hell; wa-biʾsa l-mihād — and how terrible a resting-place it is!
﴿ أَفَمَن يَعْلَمُ أَنَّمَا أُنزِلَ إِلَيْكَ مِن رَّبِّكَ الْحَقُّ كَمَنْ هُوَ أَعْمَىٰ إِنَّمَا يَتَذَكَّرُ أُولُو الْأَلْبَابِ ﴾A-fa-man yaʿlamu annamā unzila ilayka min rabbika l-ḥaqqu ka-man huwa aʿmā innamā yatadhakkaru ulū l-albāb "Is one who knows that what has been revealed to you from your Lord is the truth like one who is blind? Only those of understanding take heed." — al-Raʿd 13:19
Translation: Is the one who knows that what has been revealed to you from your Lord is the truth the same as one who is blind? Only those possessed of deep understanding truly take heed.
Commentary: The comparison of the knowing believer with the spiritually blind disbeliever. Ulū l-albāb — people of the lubb (kernel, core, inner essence of the heart and mind) — those who go beyond surface perception to the inner reality. They alone truly benefit from the reminder (tadhakkur).
﴿ الَّذِينَ يُوفُونَ بِعَهْدِ اللَّهِ وَلَا يَنقُضُونَ الْمِيثَاقَ ﴾Alladhīna yūfūna bi-ʿahdi Allāhi wa-lā yanquḍūna l-mīthāq "Those who fulfill the covenant of Allah and do not break the solemn pledge." — al-Raʿd 13:20
Translation: Those who fulfill Allāh's covenant and never break the firm pledge.
Commentary: ʿAhd Allāh — the covenant with Allāh: the primordial covenant of fitra (innate nature), the covenant of faith, the covenant of obedience. Wa-lā yanquḍūna l-mīthāq — they do not break what has been solemnly sealed and pledged. The first quality of those of understanding (ulū l-albāb) is faithfulness to their commitments before Allāh and before people.
﴿ وَالَّذِينَ يَصِلُونَ مَا أَمَرَ اللَّهُ بِهِ أَن يُوصَلَ وَيَخْشَوْنَ رَبَّهُمْ وَيَخَافُونَ سُوءَ الْحِسَابِ ﴾Wa-lladhīna yaṣilūna mā amara Allāhu bihi an yūṣala wa-yakhshawna rabbahum wa-yakhāfūna sūʾa l-ḥisāb "And those who join what Allah has commanded to be joined, and fear their Lord, and dread the evil of the reckoning." — al-Raʿd 13:21
Translation: And those who maintain the ties Allāh has commanded to be maintained, and who hold their Lord in reverent awe, and dread the evil of the reckoning.
Commentary: Yaṣilūna mā amara Allāhu bihi an yūṣal — they maintain what Allāh commanded to be maintained: the bonds of kinship (ṣilat al-raḥim), the bonds of faith and community, the rights of neighbours and fellow believers. Yakhshawna rabbahum — they have khashya of their Lord — a deep, knowledge-based awe combined with love. Wa-yakhāfūna sūʾa l-ḥisāb — and they dread the evil reckoning: not merely punishment but the shame and exposure of the Day of Judgment.
﴿ وَالَّذِينَ صَبَرُوا ابْتِغَاءَ وَجْهِ رَبِّهِمْ وَأَقَامُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَأَنفَقُوا مِمَّا رَزَقْنَاهُمْ سِرًّا وَعَلَانِيَةً وَيَدْرَءُونَ بِالْحَسَنَةِ السَّيِّئَةَ أُولَٰئِكَ لَهُمْ عُقْبَى الدَّارِ ﴾Wa-lladhīna ṣabarū btighāʾa wajhi rabbihim wa-aqāmū l-ṣalāta wa-anfaqū mimmā razaqnāhum sirran wa-ʿalāniyatan wa-yadraʾūna bi-l-ḥasanati l-sayyiʾata ulāʾika lahum ʿuqbā l-dār "And those who endure patiently seeking the Face of their Lord, and establish the prayer, and spend from what We have provided them — in secret and in the open — and repel evil with good — those will have the reward of the final abode." — al-Raʿd 13:22
Translation: And those who are patient in seeking the pleasure (wajh) of their Lord, who establish the prayer, who spend from what We have provided them — in secret and openly — and who repel evil with good deeds — for them is the excellent end of the final abode.
Commentary: A comprehensive portrait of the believer of true ulū l-albāb:
— Ṣabarū ibtighāʾa wajhi rabbihim — they are patient, not from necessity alone but as a positive choice in seeking Allāh's wajh (Face, pleasure, countenance). Wajh is used for the divine pleasure and presence; ibtighāʾu wajhihi — seeking nothing but Allāh's pleasure — is the mark of ikhlāṣ (sincerity).
— Wa-aqāmū l-ṣalāt — they establish the prayer: not just perform it casually but iqāma, fully and with presence of heart.
— Wa-anfaqū mimmā razaqnāhum sirran wa-ʿalāniya — they give from what Allāh has provided, both in secret and openly. Both forms are valid; secretive giving protects from show, public giving encourages others.
— Wa-yadraʾūna bi-l-ḥasanati l-sayyiʾa — and they repel evil with good: when wronged, they respond with goodness, not retaliation. The Sufi teaching (taṣawwuf) identifies this as one of the highest stations: mukāfaʾatu l-sharr bi-l-khayr — repaying wrong with grace.
Ulāʾika lahum ʿuqbā l-dār — for them is the excellent end: the ultimate good outcome in the Hereafter.
﴿ جَنَّاتُ عَدْنٍ يَدْخُلُونَهَا وَمَنْ صَلَحَ مِنْ آبَائِهِمْ وَأَزْوَاجِهِمْ وَذُرِّيَّاتِهِمْ وَالْمَلَائِكَةُ يَدْخُلُونَ عَلَيْهِمْ مِّن كُلِّ بَابٍ ﴾Jannātu ʿadnin yadkhulūnahā wa-man ṣalaḥa min ābāʾihim wa-azwājihim wa-dhurriyyātihim wa-l-malāʾikatu yadkhulūna ʿalayhim min kulli bāb "Gardens of Eden which they will enter, along with the righteous among their fathers, their spouses, and their offspring — and the angels will come to them from every gate." — al-Raʿd 13:23
Translation: Gardens of everlasting abode (ʿAdn) — they will enter them, along with those of their parents, spouses, and children who were righteous, and the angels will come to them from every gate.
Commentary: Jannātu ʿadn — the Gardens of Eden, of perpetual dwelling. Wa-man ṣalaḥa min ābāʾihim wa-azwājihim wa-dhurriyyātihim — and their righteous parents, spouses, and offspring will be gathered with them. This is a mercy of Allāh: that family ties are preserved in the Hereafter for those whose family members also attained righteousness. Wa-l-malāʾikatu yadkhulūna ʿalayhim min kulli bāb — and the angels will come through every gate — from the front, from the sides, from above, from below — greeting and honouring them.
﴿ سَلَامٌ عَلَيْكُم بِمَا صَبَرْتُمْ فَنِعْمَ عُقْبَى الدَّارِ ﴾Salāmun ʿalaykum bi-mā ṣabartum fa-niʿma ʿuqbā l-dār "Peace be upon you because of what you endured — how excellent is the reward of the final abode!" — al-Raʿd 13:24
Translation: Peace be upon you for what you endured — how excellent is the final reward of the ultimate abode!
Commentary: The angels greet the inhabitants of Paradise: Salāmun ʿalaykum — peace upon you. Not peace from trial (that is past) but peace as a state of being, an ontological peace that is the atmosphere of Paradise. Bi-mā ṣabartum — because of your patience — patience is what earned this reward; it is the bridge between this world's trials and the next world's peace. Fa-niʿma ʿuqbā l-dār — and how excellent is the ultimate home! This is the reward of the ṣābirīn (the patient) — Janna, and the greeting of the angels, and the pleasure of Allāh.
﴿ وَالَّذِينَ يَنقُضُونَ عَهْدَ اللَّهِ مِن بَعْدِ مِيثَاقِهِ وَيَقْطَعُونَ مَا أَمَرَ اللَّهُ بِهِ أَن يُوصَلَ وَيُفْسِدُونَ فِي الْأَرْضِ أُولَٰئِكَ لَهُمُ اللَّعْنَةُ وَلَهُمْ سُوءُ الدَّارِ ﴾Wa-lladhīna yanquḍūna ʿahda Allāhi min baʿdi mīthāqihi wa-yaqṭaʿūna mā amara Allāhu bihi an yūṣala wa-yufsidūna fī l-arḍi ulāʾika lahumu l-laʿnatu wa-lahum sūʾu l-dār "And those who break Allah's covenant after pledging it, and cut what Allah commanded to be joined, and spread corruption in the earth — those, for them is the curse, and for them is the evil of the final abode." — al-Raʿd 13:25
Translation: And those who break Allāh's covenant after having pledged it, who sever the bonds Allāh commanded to be maintained, and who spread corruption throughout the earth — those are the ones upon whom rests the curse (laʿna), and for them is the most wretched end of the final abode.
Commentary: The antithesis of the believers described above. Yanquḍūna ʿahda Allāh — they break the covenant. Yaqṭaʿūna mā amara Allāhu bihi an yūṣal — they sever what Allāh commanded to be joined: kinship, faith-bonds, rights of the community. Wa-yufsidūna fī l-arḍ — and they spread corruption and disorder in the land. Ulāʾika lahumu l-laʿna — upon these the curse (laʿna) — which means being expelled from Allāh's mercy. Wa-lahum sūʾu l-dār — and the worst final home: Jahannam. The contrast with the earlier portrait of the righteous could not be starker.
﴿ اللَّهُ يَبْسُطُ الرِّزْقَ لِمَن يَشَاءُ وَيَقْدِرُ ﴾Allāhu yabsuṭu l-rizqa li-man yashāʾu wa-yaqdir "Allah expands provision for whom He wills and restricts it." — al-Raʿd 13:26
Translation: Allāh expands provision for whoever He wills and restricts it (for whoever He wills).
Commentary: Yabsuṭu l-rizq — He spreads out provision in abundance. Wa-yaqdir — and He constricts it, gives just enough. Both are acts of Allāh's wisdom. The expansion of provision in this world is not a sign of Allāh's pleasure, nor is restriction a sign of displeasure; both may serve divine purposes. The commentator warns against the error of those who equate worldly wealth with divine favour or worldly poverty with divine rejection. Wa-mā l-ḥayātu l-dunyā fī l-ākhirata illā matāʿ — the life of this world compared to the Hereafter is nothing but brief, temporary provision (Yūsuf 12:57, similarly al-Raʿd 13:26).
﴿ وَيَقُولُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا لَوْلَا أُنزِلَ عَلَيْهِ آيَةٌ مِّن رَّبِّهِ قُلْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يُضِلُّ مَن يَشَاءُ وَيَهْدِي إِلَيْهِ مَنْ أَنَابَ ﴾Wa-yaqūlu lladhīna kafarū lawlā unzila ʿalayhi āyatun min rabbihi qul inna Allāha yuḍillu man yashāʾu wa-yahdī ilayhi man anāb "And the disbelievers say: Why has no sign been sent down to him from his Lord? Say: Allah leads astray whoever He wills and guides to Himself whoever turns in repentance." — al-Raʿd 13:27
Translation: And the disbelievers say: Why has no sign been sent down to him from his Lord? Say: Allāh leads astray whoever He wills and guides to Himself whoever turns to Him in sincere repentance (ināba).
Commentary: The repeated demand for a special miracle is met with the fundamental principle of divine hidāya (guidance) and iḍlāl (leading astray). Allāh guides those who turn to Him with sincerity (man anāb — those who constantly turn back to Allāh). The miracle they demand would not help them if their hearts are sealed; the signs that already exist suffice for those who genuinely seek. Wa-yahdī ilayhi man anāb — He guides to Himself those who turn to Him: the condition is ināba — a wholehearted turning and returning to Allāh, sincere repentance, and constant orientation toward Him.
﴿ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَتَطْمَئِنُّ قُلُوبُهُم بِذِكْرِ اللَّهِ أَلَا بِذِكْرِ اللَّهِ تَطْمَئِنُّ الْقُلُوبُ ﴾Alladhīna āmanū wa-taṭmaʾinnu qulūbuhum bi-dhikri Allāhi alā bi-dhikri Allāhi taṭmaʾinnu l-qulūb "Those who believe, and whose hearts find rest in the remembrance of Allah — verily in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find rest." — al-Raʿd 13:28
Translation: Those who believe and whose hearts find serene peace in the remembrance of Allāh — verily, in the remembrance of Allāh alone do hearts find true rest and tranquility.
Commentary: Alā bi-dhikri Allāhi taṭmaʾinnu l-qulūb — this is one of the most celebrated, most-quoted verses in the Qurʾān, and it is the foundation of the entire practice of dhikr (the invocation and remembrance of Allāh) in the Sufi path. Ṭumʾanīna — tranquility, stillness of heart, a state in which the heart is settled, grounded, at peace, neither anxious nor scattered. The heart does not find this peace in wealth, in reputation, in worldly comfort, in the satisfaction of desires — only in the remembrance of Allāh.
The commentator expands at length: as long as a person remains enmeshed in worldly distractions, the heart cannot find settled peace. The ʿārifīn (those who know Allāh) attain this peace not in isolation from the world but in the midst of the world — because their hearts are always with Allāh. The Sufi practice of dhikr — whether vocal or silent, whether individual or collective — is grounded precisely in this verse. The commentator quotes his own verse:
O dear, most intimate thought — my life is offered as your ransom The needless One has dismissed both worlds from His presence
And again:
The dearness of the heart has its own single Friend He who has found this Friend is free of the two worlds
He then gives practical counsel: do not leave the heart utterly without Allāh's remembrance. Attend to your worldly duties but do not let worldly absorption extinguish the candle of dhikr. When you do any work, dedicate it to Allāh. Keep free time sacred for His remembrance. The few days of this world are not worth surrendering to mere occupation and forgetfulness.
He quotes his own verse:
Still deep in the sleep of heedlessness — until when, until when? Rise while you still can — your time is running out
He also notes: the time of death is not fixed in human knowledge; one must always be prepared. Do not wait for retirement, old age, or leisure to begin turning to Allāh. Turn now. The greatest counsellor is remembrance of death (dhikru l-mawt).
﴿ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ طُوبَىٰ لَهُمْ وَحُسْنُ مَآبٍ ﴾Alladhīna āmanū wa-ʿamilū l-ṣāliḥāti ṭūbā lahum wa-ḥusnu maʾāb "Those who believe and do righteous deeds — for them is ṭūbā and an excellent return." — al-Raʿd 13:29
Translation: Those who believe and do righteous deeds — blessed are they (ṭūbā to them) and excellent is their return.
Commentary: Ṭūbā — a word of the most intensive faʿalā form, expressing the height of goodness and flourishing. According to a well-known ḥadīth, Ṭūbā is also the name of a great tree in Janna whose shade is vast and whose branches droop with every fruit and adornment. Wa-ḥusnu maʾāb — and how excellent is their return! The believing, right-acting person has a blessed life and a blessed return to Allāh.
﴿ كَذَٰلِكَ أَرْسَلْنَاكَ فِي أُمَّةٍ قَدْ خَلَتْ مِن قَبْلِهَا أُمَمٌ لِّتَتْلُوَ عَلَيْهِمُ الَّذِي أَوْحَيْنَا إِلَيْكَ وَهُمْ يَكْفُرُونَ بِالرَّحْمَٰنِ قُلْ هُوَ رَبِّي لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ عَلَيْهِ تَوَكَّلْتُ وَإِلَيْهِ مَتَابِ ﴾Kadhālika arsalnāka fī ummatin qad khalat min qablihā umamun li-tatlūwa ʿalayhimu lladhī awḥaynā ilayka wa-hum yakfurūna bi-l-raḥmāni qul huwa rabbī lā ilāha illā huwa ʿalayhi tawakkaltu wa-ilayhi matāb "Thus have We sent you among a community before which other communities have passed away, that you may recite to them what We have revealed to you — while they disbelieve in the Most Merciful. Say: He is my Lord — there is no god but He. In Him I place my trust, and to Him is my return." — al-Raʿd 13:30
Translation: Thus have We sent you among a community before which communities have come and gone — that you may recite to them what We have revealed to you, while they persist in denying al-Raḥmān (the Most Merciful). Say: He is my Lord — there is no god but He. In Him I place my trust, and to Him is my return.
Commentary: The Prophet Muhammadﷺwas sent to a community in a long line of prophetic missions. Li-tatlūwa ʿalayhim — to recite to them, to transmit the revelation. Wa-hum yakfurūna bi-l-Raḥmān — and they deny al-Raḥmān: some of the Quraysh pretended not to know the name al-Raḥmān, or objected to it. The response: Huwa rabbī — He is my Lord. Lā ilāha illā huwa — there is no god but He. ʿAlayhi tawakkaltu — in Him I place all trust. Wa-ilayhi matāb — and to Him is my turning back. This declaration of tawḥīd and tawakkul is the complete response to rejection and denial.
﴿ وَلَوْ أَنَّ قُرْآنًا سُيِّرَتْ بِهِ الْجِبَالُ أَوْ قُطِّعَتْ بِهِ الْأَرْضُ أَوْ كُلِّمَ بِهِ الْمَوْتَىٰ بَل لِّلَّهِ الْأَمْرُ جَمِيعًا ﴾Wa-law anna qurʾānan suyyirat bihi l-jibālu aw quṭṭiʿat bihi l-arḍu aw kullima bihi l-mawtā bal lillāhi l-amru jamīʿā "And if there were a Quran by which mountains could be moved, or the earth split asunder, or the dead caused to speak — yet all authority belongs to Allah." — al-Raʿd 13:31
Translation: Even if there were a Qurʾān capable of making mountains move, or splitting the earth asunder, or making the dead speak — all authority belongs to Allāh entirely.
Commentary: The conditional here is not disparaging to the Qurʾān — the Qurʾān is the greatest of all scriptures — but it addresses the demand of the Quraysh for specific material miracles. Even if every kind of earthly wonder were performed, those whose hearts are sealed would not Commentary: This verse answers those who demanded spectacular material miracles — that mountains should be moved by recitation, the earth split open, or the dead resurrected on the spot. The commentator explains: even if all this were done, those whose hearts are sealed would not believe. The verse emphasises Bal lillāhi l-amru jamīʿā — all authority, all power, all decree belongs to Allāh alone. The miracle of the Qurʾān is not the movement of mountains but the transformation of hearts — and that too only by Allāh's leave. Some scholars of commentary (mufassirūn) debated whether law here implies a real conditional or a hypothetical; the dominant Ḥanafī view, noted here, is that this Qurʾān does in fact possess all of these capacities by Allāh's power, but the issue is not the Qurʾān's capacity — it is the intractability of those who refuse to believe. Bal lillāhi l-amru jamīʿā — sovereignty over all affairs belongs to Allāh.
﴿ وَلَا يَزَالُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا تُصِيبُهُم بِمَا صَنَعُوا قَارِعَةٌ أَوْ تَحُلُّ قَرِيبًا مِّن دَارِهِمْ حَتَّىٰ يَأْتِيَ وَعْدُ اللَّهِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يُخْلِفُ الْمِيعَادَ ﴾Wa-lā yazālu lladhīna kafarū tuṣībuhum bimā ṣanaʿū qāriʿatun aw taḥullu qarīban min dārihim ḥattā yaʾtiya waʿdu Allāhi inna Allāha lā yukhlifu l-mīʿād "And those who disbelieve will not cease to be struck by calamity for what they have done, or it will descend near their homes — until the promise of Allah comes. Verily Allah does not break His promise." — al-Raʿd 13:31
Translation: Those who disbelieve will not cease to be afflicted by calamities — in consequence of their deeds — or such calamities will descend near their homes, until Allāh's promise arrives. Verily Allāh does not break His promise.
Commentary: Qāriʿa — a striking calamity, a severe affliction, something that hits hard. Tūṣībuhum bimā ṣanaʿū — it strikes them on account of what they have done. This is the divine law of consequence: wrongdoing brings calamity, whether directly upon the wrongdoers or near their dwellings — so that they cannot claim they were unwarned. Ḥattā yaʾtiya waʿdu Allāh — until Allāh's promise arrives: this is the promise of either definitive punishment in this world or the final reckoning on the Day of Resurrection. Inna Allāha lā yukhlifu l-mīʿād — Allāh never breaks His promise. The commentator draws the lesson for believers: divine respite (imhāl) must not be mistaken for divine indifference. Allāh gives time; He does not abandon justice.
The commentary on verse 13:31 continues from p.205: even if Allāh willed to guide all of mankind, those who choose disbelief have exercised their capacity to reject guidance, and forced guidance would contradict the divine wisdom in which human choice is embedded. The believers know that this Qurʾān sent down to the Prophetﷺis indeed true; the disbelievers are not going to benefit from more signs when they have hardened their hearts. The calamities that come upon them — either striking them personally or descending near their homes — are the fruit of their own deeds.
﴿ وَلَقَدِ اسْتُهْزِئَ بِرُسُلٍ مِّن قَبْلِكَ فَأَمْلَيْتُ لِلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا ثُمَّ أَخَذْتُهُمْ فَكَيْفَ كَانَ عِقَابِ ﴾Wa-laqadi stuḥziʾa bi-rusulin min qablika fa-amlayta li-lladhīna kafarū thumma akhadhtuhum fa-kayfa kāna ʿiqāb "Messengers before you were indeed mocked, but I gave the disbelievers respite, then I seized them — so how was My punishment?" — al-Raʿd 13:32
Translation: Messengers before you were indeed mocked, yet I granted the disbelievers respite — then I seized them. So how was My punishment?
Commentary: This is a consolation and a warning simultaneously. Stuḥziʾa bi-rusul — messengers were mocked: the Prophet Muhammadﷺis not the first to be subjected to ridicule. Every messenger endured it. Fa-amlayta — I gave them respite: the word imlāʾ means to give extended time, to let the rope play out. Thumma akhadhtuhum — then I seized them. Fa-kayfa kāna ʿiqāb — so how was My punishment? The question is rhetorical, summoning the listener to reflect on the fates of ʿĀd, Thamūd, the people of Lūṭ (upon him be peace), Pharaoh and his hosts. The punishment was total, devastating, exemplary. The mockery of the disbelievers of Mecca is therefore not merely an insult to the Prophetﷺ— it is the beginning of a pattern that history has shown ends only one way.
﴿ أَفَمَنْ هُوَ قَائِمٌ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ نَفْسٍ بِمَا كَسَبَتْ وَجَعَلُوا لِلَّهِ شُرَكَاءَ قُلْ سَمُّوهُمْ أَمْ تُنَبِّئُونَهُ بِمَا لَا يَعْلَمُ فِي الْأَرْضِ أَم بِظَاهِرٍ مِّنَ الْقَوْلِ ﴾Afa-man huwa qāʾimun ʿalā kulli nafsin bi-mā kasabat wa-jaʿalū lillāhi shurakāʾa qul sammūhum am tunabbiʾūnahu bi-mā lā yaʿlamu fī l-arḍi am bi-ẓāhirin mina l-qawl "Is then He Who watches over every soul and what it has earned — and yet they assign partners to Allah? Say: Name them! Or do you inform Him of something He does not know on the earth? Or is it merely an outward expression of words?" — al-Raʿd 13:33
Translation: Is then the One Who stands watch over every soul and what it earns comparable to anything else? And yet they assign partners to Allāh! Say: Name them! Or do you inform Him of something He does not know upon the earth? Or is this merely hollow speech?
Commentary: Qāʾimun ʿalā kulli nafsin bi-mā kasabat — Allāh is the One Who stands watch (qāʾim, ever-present, ever-vigilant) over every single soul and every deed it earns. Nothing escapes His observation, His record, His reckoning. From this totalising divine omniscience and watchfulness, the absurdity of shirk becomes self-evident: how can one who is watched by the All-Knowing be governed by alleged partners of that All-Knowing? Qul sammūhum — say: name them! Give them names, identify them, show their reality. They cannot, because these alleged partners are mere constructs — ẓāhir min al-qawl — empty, outward words with no substance.
The commentator reflects: the mushrikūn (polytheists) do not, in reality, know anything about their alleged partners that could justify worship. Their entire religious system rests on inherited custom and empty words. This verse exposes polytheism not as a great rival theology but as an intellectual vacuum.
﴿ بَلْ زُيِّنَ لِلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا مَكْرُهُمْ وَصُدُّوا عَنِ السَّبِيلِ وَمَن يُضْلِلِ اللَّهُ فَمَا لَهُ مِنْ هَادٍ ﴾Bal zuyyina li-lladhīna kafarū makruhum wa-ṣuddū ʿani l-sabīli wa-man yuḍlili Allāhu fa-mā lahu min hād "Rather, their scheming has been made to seem fair to those who disbelieve, and they have been turned away from the path. Whoever Allah leads astray has no guide." — al-Raʿd 13:33
Translation: Rather, their scheming has been made to seem attractive to those who disbelieve, and they have been turned away from the path. Whoever Allāh leaves astray has no guide.
Commentary: Zuyyina lahum makruhum — their cunning and scheming has been adorned, made to look fair in their own eyes. This is the inner dynamic of persistent disbelief: the very strategies they employ to resist truth become sources of self-satisfaction. Wa-ṣuddū ʿani l-sabīl — and they were blocked from the path. Their own scheming became the barrier. Wa-man yuḍlili Allāhu fa-mā lahu min hād — and whoever Allāh leaves in misguidance has no guide. The commentator emphasises that divine iḍlāl (leaving astray) comes after a person's own persistent rejection of guidance — it is not arbitrary but consequential. Once the capacity for guidance is forfeited through wilful rejection, no external guide can restore it. This is the terrible finality of a sealed heart.
﴿ لَّهُمْ عَذَابٌ فِي الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا وَلَعَذَابُ الْآخِرَةِ أَشَقُّ وَمَا لَهُم مِّنَ اللَّهِ مِن وَاقٍ ﴾Lahum ʿadhābun fī l-ḥayāti l-dunyā wa-la-ʿadhābu l-ākhirati ashaqqu wa-mā lahum mina Allāhi min wāq "For them is punishment in the life of this world, and the punishment of the Hereafter is indeed more severe — and they have no protector against Allah." — al-Raʿd 13:34
Translation: For them is punishment in the life of this world, and the punishment of the Hereafter is yet more severe — and they have no one to protect them from Allāh.
Commentary: The punishment is double: in this world — through calamities, defeat, humiliation, the gradual constriction of their affairs — and in the Hereafter, which is even more severe. Ashaqq — harder, heavier, more grievous. Wa-mā lahum mina Allāhi min wāq — and they have no shield, no protector, no guardian to ward off Allāh's punishment. The alleged partners and idols they worshipped cannot protect them. Their schemes, their cunning — all of it is nothing before the divine decree.
﴿ مَّثَلُ الْجَنَّةِ الَّتِي وُعِدَ الْمُتَّقُونَ تَجْرِي مِن تَحْتِهَا الْأَنْهَارُ أُكُلُهَا دَائِمٌ وَظِلُّهَا تِلْكَ عُقْبَى الَّذِينَ اتَّقَوا وَّعُقْبَى الْكَافِرِينَ النَّارُ ﴾Mathalu l-jannati llatī wuʿida l-muttaqūna tajrī min taḥtihā l-anhāru ukuluhā dāʾimun wa-ẓilluhā tilka ʿuqbā lladhīna ttaqaw wa-ʿuqbā l-kāfirīna l-nār "The parable of the Garden promised to the Godfearing: rivers flow beneath it, its fruits are everlasting, and its shade as well. That is the end of those who are Godfearing; and the end of the disbelievers is the Fire." — al-Raʿd 13:35
Translation: The description of the Garden promised to the Godfearing: rivers flow beneath it; its fruits are everlasting and so is its shade. That is the final abode of those who were Godfearing (muttaqūn); and the final abode of the disbelievers is the Fire.
Commentary: Mathalu l-janna — the mathal here is not a simile but a description, a pictorial presentation of the Garden's nature. Tajrī min taḥtihā l-anhār — rivers flow beneath it: the rivers of water, milk, honey, and wine (of the pure kind permitted in the Hereafter) that the Qurʾān describes in multiple places. Ukuluhā dāʾim — its provision of fruits is perpetual, never seasonal, never exhausted. Wa-ẓilluhā — and its shade too is permanent, not the shifting shade of this world's afternoon. Tilka ʿuqbā lladhīna ttaqaw — that is the ultimate end of the Godfearing. Wa-ʿuqbā l-kāfirīna l-nār — and the final end of the disbelievers is the Fire. The contrast is stark, permanent, and definitive.
The Gardens (jannāt ʿadn) mentioned across the Qurʾān will admit the righteous believers together with their parents, spouses, and offspring who were likewise righteous — as the earlier verses of this sūra (al-Raʿd 13:23) have stated. The commentary draws the reader's attention to this mercy: that righteous kinship draws together in the Gardens, a further blessing upon the Godfearing.
﴿ وَالَّذِينَ آتَيْنَاهُمُ الْكِتَابَ يَفْرَحُونَ بِمَا أُنزِلَ إِلَيْكَ وَمِنَ الْأَحْزَابِ مَن يُنكِرُ بَعْضَهُ قُلْ إِنَّمَا أُمِرْتُ أَنْ أَعْبُدَ اللَّهَ وَلَا أُشْرِكَ بِهِ إِلَيْهِ أَدْعُو وَإِلَيْهِ مَآبِ ﴾Wa-lladhīna ātaynāhumu l-kitāba yafraḥūna bi-mā unzila ilayka wa-mina l-aḥzābi man yunkiru baʿḍahu qul innamā umirtu an aʿbuda Allāha wa-lā ushrika bihi ilayhi adʿū wa-ilayhi maʾāb "Those to whom We have given the Book rejoice in what has been sent down to you; and among the factions there are those who reject part of it. Say: I have only been commanded to worship Allah and not associate anything with Him. To Him I call and to Him is my return." — al-Raʿd 13:36
Translation: Those to whom We gave the Scripture rejoice in what has been revealed to you. But among the factions are some who reject part of it. Say: I have only been commanded to worship Allāh and not to associate anything with Him. To Him I call, and to Him is my return.
Commentary: Alladhīna ātaynāhumu l-kitāb yafraḥūn — those sincere scholars and believers of the People of the Book who recognised the signs of the Prophetﷺin their own scriptures rejoice at the revelation of the Qurʾān, recognising its truth. Wa-mina l-aḥzābi man yunkiru baʿḍahu — but among the partisan factions (aḥzāb), those who have divided into sects and groups, there are those who reject parts of it — those parts that conflict with their inherited customs, their worldly interests, or their sectarian loyalties.
The response given to the Prophetﷺis decisive and illuminating: Innamā umirtu an aʿbuda Allāha — I have been commanded only to worship Allāh. Wa-lā ushrika bih — and to associate nothing with Him in that worship. Ilayhi adʿū — to Him I call all people. Wa-ilayhi maʾāb — and to Him is my return. The Prophet'sﷺposition is one of pure tawḥīd, total dedication, and unwavering daʿwa (invitation to Allāh). Whether or not factions accept or reject — his mission and his return are to Allāh alone.
﴿ وَكَذَٰلِكَ أَنزَلْنَاهُ حُكْمًا عَرَبِيًّا وَلَئِنِ اتَّبَعْتَ أَهْوَاءَهُم بَعْدَ مَا جَاءَكَ مِنَ الْعِلْمِ مَا لَكَ مِنَ اللَّهِ مِن وَلِيٍّ وَلَا وَاقٍ ﴾Wa-kadhālika anzalnāhu ḥukman ʿarabiyyan wa-la-ini ttabaʿta ahwāʾahum baʿda mā jāʾaka mina l-ʿilmi mā laka mina Allāhi min waliyyin wa-lā wāq "And thus We have sent it down as an Arabic ruling; and if you were to follow their desires after the knowledge that has come to you, you would have no protector and no guardian against Allah." — al-Raʿd 13:37
Translation: And thus We have sent it down as an Arabic decisive ruling — and were you to follow their desires after the knowledge that has come to you, you would have neither guardian nor protector from Allāh.
Commentary: Ḥukman ʿarabiyyan — sent down as an Arabic ḥukm (ruling, decisive judgment, wisdom). The Qurʾān is revealed in clear Arabic because the Arabs of Mecca are its first addressees, and its language is one of its miracles and its clarity. Wa-la-ini ttabaʿta ahwāʾahum — and if — a severe hypothetical — you were to follow their desires: the verse addresses the Prophetﷺdirectly, making clear the absolute inadmissibility of compromise with falsehood. Baʿda mā jāʾaka mina l-ʿilm — after knowledge has come to you. There can be no excuse of ignorance. Mā laka mina Allāhi min waliyyin wa-lā wāq — you would have no protector and no shield against Allāh. This is both a warning and a statement of principle: those who receive divine knowledge and then abandon it for human desire have no recourse.
﴿ وَلَقَدْ أَرْسَلْنَا رُسُلًا مِّن قَبْلِكَ وَجَعَلْنَا لَهُمْ أَزْوَاجًا وَذُرِّيَّةً وَمَا كَانَ لِرَسُولٍ أَن يَأْتِيَ بِآيَةٍ إِلَّا بِإِذْنِ اللَّهِ لِكُلِّ أَجَلٍ كِتَابٌ ﴾Wa-laqad arsalnā rusulan min qablika wa-jaʿalnā lahum azwājān wa-dhurriyyatan wa-mā kāna li-rasūlin an yaʾtiya bi-āyatin illā bi-idhni Allāhi li-kulli ajalin kitāb "And indeed We sent messengers before you and gave them wives and offspring. No messenger could bring a sign except by Allah's permission. For every term there is a written decree." — al-Raʿd 13:38
Translation: We have indeed sent messengers before you and gave them wives and offspring. No messenger was able to bring a sign except by Allāh's leave. For every appointed term there is a written decree.
Commentary: This verse addresses a related accusation: that the Prophetﷺwas not a true messenger because he lived a normal human life — married, with children. The response is: every prophet before him had wives and offspring; this is the normal condition of prophetic life. Prophethood does not require celibacy or withdrawal from the human condition. Wa-mā kāna li-rasūlin an yaʾtiya bi-āyatin illā bi-idhni Allāh — no messenger can produce a sign on his own initiative; all miracles are by Allāh's leave. The Prophetﷺcannot manufacture signs to satisfy the demand of every questioner; signs come when and as Allāh decrees. Li-kulli ajalin kitāb — for every appointed period there is a divine record: a fixed decree, a written order, a destined event. The demand for immediate signs does not change the divine timetable.
﴿ يَمْحُو اللَّهُ مَا يَشَاءُ وَيُثْبِتُ وَعِندَهُ أُمُّ الْكِتَابِ ﴾Yamḥū Allāhu mā yashāʾu wa-yuthbitu wa-ʿindahu ummu l-kitāb "Allah erases whatever He wills and confirms whatever He wills — and with Him is the Mother of the Book." — al-Raʿd 13:39
Translation: Allāh erases whatever He wills and affirms whatever He wills — and with Him is the Umm al-Kitāb (the primordial source-text, the Preserved Tablet).
Commentary: Yamḥū Allāhu mā yashāʾu wa-yuthbit — Allāh effaces what He wills and establishes what He wills. This is the verse of naskh (abrogation) and divine will: some rulings, some inscriptions, some worldly events are erased and others confirmed. The classical Ḥanafī commentators hold that this refers to the divine power over the world-order: provisions can be increased or decreased by duʿāʾ (supplication) and ṣadaqa (charitable giving), lifespans in the lawḥ maḥfūẓ of the guardian angels' records can be altered by divine will — not the ultimate decree in Umm al-Kitāb, which is absolute and unchanging.
Wa-ʿindahu ummu l-kitāb — and with Him is the Mother of the Book: the Umm al-Kitāb or al-Lawḥ al-Maḥfūẓ (the Preserved Tablet), the ultimate repository of all divine knowledge and decree, which nothing can alter. This is the supreme register in Allāh's presence, containing the final and absolute determination of all things. Whatever is known or revealed in this world and the next ultimately derives from that primordial source. The commentary closes with the reminder: every scrap of knowledge, every occurrence in the universe, has its ultimate origin with Allāh, and Allāh alone knows its full reality.
The commentary continues from p.209 on the theme of Umm al-Kitāb: all things — whether they appear to change or remain fixed, whether they seem to be erased or confirmed — are ultimately known in their totality only by Allāh. What is disclosed to human beings is partial; what is established in the divine record is complete and final. This should generate humility in the face of the unknown and trust (tawakkul) in Allāh's wisdom.
﴿ وَإِن مَّا نُرِيَنَّكَ بَعْضَ الَّذِي نَعِدُهُمْ أَوْ نَتَوَفَّيَنَّكَ فَإِنَّمَا عَلَيْكَ الْبَلَاغُ وَعَلَيْنَا الْحِسَابُ ﴾Wa-in mā nuriyannaka baʿḍa lladhī naʿiduhum aw natawaffayannaka fa-innamā ʿalayka l-balāghu wa-ʿalaynā l-ḥisāb "Whether We show you part of what We promise them, or take you (in death) — upon you is only the transmission (of the message), and upon Us is the reckoning." — al-Raʿd 13:40
Translation: Whether We cause you to witness some of what We have promised them, or We take you in death before that — upon you is only the duty of transmission (balāgh); and upon Us is the reckoning.
Commentary: Fa-innamā ʿalayka l-balāgh — your responsibility, O Prophetﷺ, is only the complete and faithful transmission of the message. You are not responsible for their acceptance or rejection; you are not responsible for the timing of the punishment. Wa-ʿalaynā l-ḥisāb — and upon Us is the reckoning and requital. This is a liberating and clarifying verse for the Prophetﷺand for every preacher, teacher, and carrier of the message after him: the burden of results is not theirs. Their duty is faithful, complete, clear transmission (balāgh mubīn). The results — guidance, punishment, delay, acceleration — belong entirely to Allāh.
﴿ أَوَلَمْ يَرَوْا أَنَّا نَأْتِي الْأَرْضَ نَنقُصُهَا مِنْ أَطْرَافِهَا وَاللَّهُ يَحْكُمُ لَا مُعَقِّبَ لِحُكْمِهِ وَهُوَ سَرِيعُ الْحِسَابِ ﴾A-wa-lam yaraw annā naʾtī l-arḍa nanquṣuhā min aṭrāfihā wa-Allāhu yaḥkumu lā muʿaqqiba li-ḥukmihī wa-huwa sarīʿu l-ḥisāb "Do they not see that We are coming to the land, reducing it from its borders? Allah judges — there is no overturning His judgment, and He is swift in reckoning." — al-Raʿd 13:41
Translation: Do they not see that We are advancing upon the land, diminishing it from its frontiers? Allāh judges — none can overturn His judgment — and He is swift in reckoning.
Commentary: Naʾtī l-arḍa nanquṣuhā min aṭrāfihā — We come to the land and reduce it from its borders. This refers to the gradual conquest of the Arabian Peninsula and the expansion of Islām at the expense of the realms of the disbelievers; day by day, territory after territory comes under the light of tawḥīd. The commentator observes: the Quraysh and the deniers do not see what is happening — the map of their dominion is shrinking, the umma of the Prophetﷺis growing, and every day more of them become Muslim. Wa-Allāhu yaḥkumu lā muʿaqqiba li-ḥukmih — Allāh decrees; none can revoke or reverse His decree. Wa-huwa sarīʿu l-ḥisāb — and He is swift in reckoning. His accounting may seem delayed to human perception, but in reality it arrives with precision and speed.
﴿ وَقَدْ مَكَرَ الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ فَلِلَّهِ الْمَكْرُ جَمِيعًا يَعْلَمُ مَا تَكْسِبُ كُلُّ نَفْسٍ وَسَيَعْلَمُ الْكُفَّارُ لِمَنْ عُقْبَى الدَّارِ ﴾Wa-qad makara lladhīna min qablihim fa-lillāhi l-makru jamīʿā yaʿlamu mā taksibu kullu nafsin wa-sa-yaʿlamu l-kuffāru li-man ʿuqbā l-dār "Those before them also plotted, but all plotting belongs to Allah. He knows what every soul earns, and the disbelievers will come to know whose will be the final abode." — al-Raʿd 13:42
Translation: Those before them also schemed and plotted — yet all scheming belongs entirely to Allāh. He knows what every soul earns, and the disbelievers will soon come to know whose is the final abode.
Commentary: Wa-qad makara lladhīna min qablihim — those before them — Pharaoh, Nimrod, the peoples of ʿĀd and Thamūd — all devised their schemes against the prophets. Fa-lillāhi l-makru jamīʿā — but all makr (counter-scheming, overturning of plots) belongs to Allāh. The Qurʾān uses this strong word for Allāh to indicate that His response to the schemes of the oppressors is more powerful, more comprehensive, more final than anything they can devise. Yaʿlamu mā taksibu kullu nafs — He knows what every soul earns: every scheme, every hidden intention, every private act is fully known. Wa-sa-yaʿlamu l-kuffāru li-man ʿuqbā l-dār — and the disbelievers will very soon come to know whose is the final home: theirs is the Fire, the believers' is Janna. The answer is already determined; they merely have yet to witness it.
﴿ وَيَقُولُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا لَسْتَ مُرْسَلًا قُلْ كَفَىٰ بِاللَّهِ شَهِيدًا بَيْنِي وَبَيْنَكُمْ وَمَنْ عِندَهُ عِلْمُ الْكِتَابِ ﴾Wa-yaqūlu lladhīna kafarū lasta mursalan qul kafā billāhi shahīdan baynī wa-baynakum wa-man ʿindahu ʿilmu l-kitāb "And those who disbelieve say: You are not a messenger. Say: Allah is sufficient as a witness between me and you — and so is whoever possesses knowledge of the Book." — al-Raʿd 13:43
Translation: The disbelievers say: You are not a messenger. Say: Allāh suffices as a witness between me and you — and so does whoever has knowledge of the Scripture.
Commentary: Lasta mursalan — you are not a messenger: this is the blunt, final denial of the Quraysh. The Prophetﷺis instructed not to argue at length but to state the decisive truth: Kafā billāhi shahīdan — Allāh suffices as witness. Allāh's testimony — expressed through the miracles of the Qurʾān, through the fulfilment of prophecy, through the signs of prophethood — is sufficient and requires no further corroboration from human beings. Wa-man ʿindahu ʿilmu l-kitāb — and those who have knowledge of the Book: the sincere scholars of the Torah and the Gospel who recognised the description of the Prophetﷺin their scriptures also bear witness. Their testimony supplements, though it is not required alongside, Allāh's own.
This is the seal of Sūrat al-Raʿd — ending with the affirmation of the Prophet'sﷺmission, the divine witness, and the knowledge embedded in the revealed scriptures. The sūra began with the proclamation of divine sovereignty over the heavens and the earth, the thunder's tasbīḥ, and the inescapability of divine knowledge — and it closes with the same affirmation: Allāh knows, Allāh witnesses, and Allāh's testimony is sufficient for all time.
End of Sūrat al-Raʿd (13). The next sūra, Sūrat Ibrāhīm (14), begins at p.211.