Verses 14–17
13. Ar-Ra'd · The Thunder
Madinan43 verses
لَهُۥ دَعْوَةُ ٱلْحَقِّ ۖ وَٱلَّذِينَ يَدْعُونَ مِن دُونِهِۦ لَا يَسْتَجِيبُونَ لَهُم بِشَىْءٍ إِلَّا كَبَٰسِطِ كَفَّيْهِ إِلَى ٱلْمَآءِ لِيَبْلُغَ فَاهُ وَمَا هُوَ بِبَٰلِغِهِۦ ۚ وَمَا دُعَآءُ ٱلْكَٰفِرِينَ إِلَّا فِى ضَلَٰلٍۢ
13:14[Only] to Him belongs the true invocation; and those whom they invoke besides Him do not answer them in any wise—like someone who stretches his hands towards water [desiring] that it should reach his mouth, but it does not reach it—and the invocations of the faithless only go awry.
وَلِلَّهِ يَسْجُدُ مَن فِى ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ طَوْعًۭا وَكَرْهًۭا وَظِلَٰلُهُم بِٱلْغُدُوِّ وَٱلْءَاصَالِ ۩
13:15To Allah prostrates whoever there is in the heavens and the earth, willingly or unwillingly, and their shadows at sunrise and sunset.1
قُلْ مَن رَّبُّ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ قُلِ ٱللَّهُ ۚ قُلْ أَفَٱتَّخَذْتُم مِّن دُونِهِۦٓ أَوْلِيَآءَ لَا يَمْلِكُونَ لِأَنفُسِهِمْ نَفْعًۭا وَلَا ضَرًّۭا ۚ قُلْ هَلْ يَسْتَوِى ٱلْأَعْمَىٰ وَٱلْبَصِيرُ أَمْ هَلْ تَسْتَوِى ٱلظُّلُمَٰتُ وَٱلنُّورُ ۗ أَمْ جَعَلُوا۟ لِلَّهِ شُرَكَآءَ خَلَقُوا۟ كَخَلْقِهِۦ فَتَشَٰبَهَ ٱلْخَلْقُ عَلَيْهِمْ ۚ قُلِ ٱللَّهُ خَٰلِقُ كُلِّ شَىْءٍۢ وَهُوَ ٱلْوَٰحِدُ ٱلْقَهَّٰرُ
13:16Say, ‘Who is the Lord of the heavens and the earth?’ Say, ‘Allah!’ Say, ‘Have you then taken others besides Him for guardians, who have no control over their own benefit or harm?’ Say, ‘Are the blind one and the seer equal? Are darkness and light equal?’ Have they set up for Allah partners who have created like His creation, so that the creations seemed confusable to them? Say, ‘Allah is the creator of all things, and He is the One and the All-paramount.’
أَنزَلَ مِنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ مَآءًۭ فَسَالَتْ أَوْدِيَةٌۢ بِقَدَرِهَا فَٱحْتَمَلَ ٱلسَّيْلُ زَبَدًۭا رَّابِيًۭا ۚ وَمِمَّا يُوقِدُونَ عَلَيْهِ فِى ٱلنَّارِ ٱبْتِغَآءَ حِلْيَةٍ أَوْ مَتَٰعٍۢ زَبَدٌۭ مِّثْلُهُۥ ۚ كَذَٰلِكَ يَضْرِبُ ٱللَّهُ ٱلْحَقَّ وَٱلْبَٰطِلَ ۚ فَأَمَّا ٱلزَّبَدُ فَيَذْهَبُ جُفَآءًۭ ۖ وَأَمَّا مَا يَنفَعُ ٱلنَّاسَ فَيَمْكُثُ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ ۚ كَذَٰلِكَ يَضْرِبُ ٱللَّهُ ٱلْأَمْثَالَ
13:17He sends down water from the sky whereat the valleys are flooded to [the extent of] their capacity, and the flood carries along a swelling scum. And from what they smelt in the fire for the purpose of [making] ornaments or wares, [there arises] a similar scum. That is how Allah compares truth and falsehood. As for the scum, it leaves as dross, and that which profits the people stays in the earth. That is how Allah draws comparisons.23
Tafsir
Commentary on this passage
Verse 14
1.It is a fact that to beg from a man-made god is like running towards a mirage. It is of no use and one does not get anything from imaginary deities.
2.The Holy Quran has mentioned different examples of infidelity and faith. Infidelity is like blindness and Islam is vision. Infidelity is darkness and faith is light. It is clear that blindness cannot be like vision and darkness cannot be like light. Another example is that Islam is like water and infidelity an outer form. Islam is metal and infidelity is like a collection of outer form and looks nice from the outside hut when the excitement is over it perishes and water and gold are left behind as they are useful to us. Water is the symbol of fundamental need and metal is the sign of another need. Islam is useful for both but infidelity is useless.
Footnotes
Explanations of words and phrases in these verses
Benefit
Kurah is used for hidden dirt and karah is for apparent impurity. It means that the abomination of a non-believer is under the influence of external factor, otherwise from the aspect of nature he is also prepared for humility and sincerity.
- 1
Ghudu is the plural of Ghada, that is morning. Aasaal is the plural of aseel, that is evening, the time period from Asr to Maghrib. Prostrating to the shadow indicates severe power that leave alone the realities, its shadows are also worth prostrating upon. In the view of Sufis ‘Manfisamawaat’ indicates bodies and the shadow denotes souls. Allah knows best. It should be clear that the word zalaal is not the proof that everything has a shadow.
- 2
Haliya - Gold and silver jewellery. Mata’ are copper and iron instruments.
- 3
Jafaa - Invalid and useless.
Benefit
Soo-ul Hisab is not an unjust accounting. It is in this world take account of every penny. So they fear that in the Hereafter they will have to give account in a similar manner. And this shall be very unjust because the fear of Allah is not on the basis of His injustice, it is due to His justice.