Quran chapter: Chapter 13: Thunder (Al-Ra`ad)

Shifts (of angels) take turns, staying with each one of you – they are in front of you and behind you. They stay with you, and guard you in accordance with God’s commands. Thus, God does not change the condition of any people unless they themselves make the decision to change. If God wills any hardship for any people, no force can stop it. For they have none beside Him as Lord and Master.

لَهُ مُعَقِّبٰتٌ مِن بَينِ يَدَيهِ وَمِن خَلفِهِ يَحفَظونَهُ مِن أَمرِ اللَّهِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لا يُغَيِّرُ ما بِقَومٍ حَتّىٰ يُغَيِّروا ما بِأَنفُسِهِم وَإِذا أَرادَ اللَّهُ بِقَومٍ سوءًا فَلا مَرَدَّ لَهُ وَما لَهُم مِن دونِهِ مِن والٍ

lahoo mu’aqqibaatum mim baini yadaihi wa min khalfihee yahfazoonahoo min amril laah; innal laaha laa yughaiyiru maa biqawmin hattaa yughaiyiroo maa bianfusihim; wa izaaa araadal laahu biqawmin sooo’an falaa maradda lah; wa maa lahum min dooniheeminw waal

He is the One who shows you the lightning as a source of fear, as well as hope, and He initiates the loaded clouds.

هُوَ الَّذى يُريكُمُ البَرقَ خَوفًا وَطَمَعًا وَيُنشِئُ السَّحابَ الثِّقالَ

huwal lazee yureekumul barqa khawfanw wa tama’anw wa yunshi’us sahaabas siqaal

The thunder praises His glory, and so do the angels, out of reverence for Him. He sends the lightning bolts, which strike in accordance with His will. Yet, they argue about God, though His power is awesome.

وَيُسَبِّحُ الرَّعدُ بِحَمدِهِ وَالمَلٰئِكَةُ مِن خيفَتِهِ وَيُرسِلُ الصَّوٰعِقَ فَيُصيبُ بِها مَن يَشاءُ وَهُم يُجٰدِلونَ فِى اللَّهِ وَهُوَ شَديدُ المِحالِ

wa yusabbihur ra’du bihamdihee walmalaaa’ikatu min kheefatihee wa yursilus sawaa’iqa fa yuseebu bihaa mai yashaaa’u wa hum yujaadiloona fil laahi wa Huwa shadeedul mihaal

Imploring Him is the only legitimate supplication, while the idols they implore beside Him, cannot ever respond. Thus, they are like those who stretch their hands to the water, but nothing reaches their mouths. The supplications of the disbelievers are in vain.

لَهُ دَعوَةُ الحَقِّ وَالَّذينَ يَدعونَ مِن دونِهِ لا يَستَجيبونَ لَهُم بِشَىءٍ إِلّا كَبٰسِطِ كَفَّيهِ إِلَى الماءِ لِيَبلُغَ فاهُ وَما هُوَ بِبٰلِغِهِ وَما دُعٰؤُاْ الكٰفِرينَ إِلّا فى ضَلٰلٍ

lahoo da’watul haqq; wallazeena yad’oona min doonihee laa yastajeeboona lahum bishai’in illaa kabaasiti kaffaihi ilal maaa’i liyablugha faahu wa maa huwa bibaalighih; wa maa du’aaa’ul kaafireena illaa fee dalaal

(All Creation Has Submitted to God)

To God prostrates everyone in the heavens and the earth, willingly or unwillingly, and so do their shadows in the mornings and the evenings.*

وَلِلَّهِ يَسجُدُ مَن فِى السَّمٰوٰتِ وَالأَرضِ طَوعًا وَكَرهًا وَظِلٰلُهُم بِالغُدُوِّ وَالـٔاصالِ

wa lillaahi yasjudu man fis samaawaati wal ardi taw ‘anw wa karhanw wa zilaaluhum bilghuduwwi wal aasaal

*13:15 Even the disbelievers prostrate; they cannot, for example, control their heartbeats, their lungs, or peristalsis. The shadows are predetermined by God’s design of the solar and the lunar orbits, and by the peculiar shape of the planet earth which causes the four seasons. The absolute precision of the sun/earth relation is proven by the invention of solar clocks and their shadows.

Say, “Who is the Lord of the heavens and the earth?” Say, “God.” Say, “Why then do you set up besides Him masters who do not possess any power to benefit or harm even themselves?” Say, “Is the blind the same as the seer? Is darkness the same as the light?” Have they found idols besides God who created creations similar to His creations, to the point of not distinguishing the two creations? Say, “God is the Creator of all things, and He is the One, the Supreme.”

قُل مَن رَبُّ السَّمٰوٰتِ وَالأَرضِ قُلِ اللَّهُ قُل أَفَاتَّخَذتُم مِن دونِهِ أَولِياءَ لا يَملِكونَ لِأَنفُسِهِم نَفعًا وَلا ضَرًّا قُل هَل يَستَوِى الأَعمىٰ وَالبَصيرُ أَم هَل تَستَوِى الظُّلُمٰتُ وَالنّورُ أَم جَعَلوا لِلَّهِ شُرَكاءَ خَلَقوا كَخَلقِهِ فَتَشٰبَهَ الخَلقُ عَلَيهِم قُلِ اللَّهُ خٰلِقُ كُلِّ شَىءٍ وَهُوَ الوٰحِدُ القَهّٰرُ

qul mar Rabbus samaawaati wal ard; qulillaah; qul afattakhaztum min dooniheee awliyaaa’a laa yamlikoona li anfusihim naf’anw wa laa darraa; qul hal yastawil a’maa wal baseeru am hal tastawiz zulumaatu wannoor; am ja’aloo lillaahi shurakaaa’a khalaqoo kakhalqihee fatashaa bahal khalqu ‘alaihim; qulil laahu Khaaliqu kulli shai’inw wa Huwal Waahidul Qahhar

(The Truth vs Falsehood)

He sends down water from the sky, causing the valleys to overflow, then the rapids produce abundant foam. Similarly, when they use fire to refine metals for their jewelry or equipment, foam is produced. God thus cites analogies for the truth and falsehood. As for the foam, it goes to waste, while that which benefits the people stays close to the ground. God thus cites the analogies.

أَنزَلَ مِنَ السَّماءِ ماءً فَسالَت أَودِيَةٌ بِقَدَرِها فَاحتَمَلَ السَّيلُ زَبَدًا رابِيًا وَمِمّا يوقِدونَ عَلَيهِ فِى النّارِ ابتِغاءَ حِليَةٍ أَو مَتٰعٍ زَبَدٌ مِثلُهُ كَذٰلِكَ يَضرِبُ اللَّهُ الحَقَّ وَالبٰطِلَ فَأَمَّا الزَّبَدُ فَيَذهَبُ جُفاءً وَأَمّا ما يَنفَعُ النّاسَ فَيَمكُثُ فِى الأَرضِ كَذٰلِكَ يَضرِبُ اللَّهُ الأَمثٰلَ

anzala minas samaaa’i maaa’an fasaalat awdiyatum biqadarihaa fahtamalas sailu zabadar raabiyaa; wa mimmmaa yooqidoona ‘alaihi fin naarib tighaaa’a bilyatin aw mataa’in zabadum misluh; kazaalika yadribul laahul haqqa wal baatil; fa ammaz zabadu fa yazhabu jufaaa’aa; wa ammaa maa yanfa’un naasa fa yamkusu fil ard; kazaalika yadribul laahul amsaal

Those who respond to their Lord deserve the good rewards. As for those who failed to respond to Him, if they possessed everything on earth – even twice as much – they would readily give it up as ransom. They have incurred the worst reckoning, and their final abode is Hell; what a miserable destiny.

لِلَّذينَ استَجابوا لِرَبِّهِمُ الحُسنىٰ وَالَّذينَ لَم يَستَجيبوا لَهُ لَو أَنَّ لَهُم ما فِى الأَرضِ جَميعًا وَمِثلَهُ مَعَهُ لَافتَدَوا بِهِ أُولٰئِكَ لَهُم سوءُ الحِسابِ وَمَأوىٰهُم جَهَنَّمُ وَبِئسَ المِهادُ

lillazeenas tajaaboo lirabbihimul husnaa; wallazeena lam yastajeeboo lahoo law anna lahum maa fil ardi jamee’anw wa mislahoo ma’ahoo laftadaw bih; ulaaa’ika lahum sooo’ul hisaab; wa ma’waahum Jahannamu wa bi’sal mihaad

(Believers Versus Disbelievers
(1) The Believers)

Is one who recognizes that your Lord’s revelations to you are the truth equal to one who is blind? Only those who possess intelligence will take heed.

أَفَمَن يَعلَمُ أَنَّما أُنزِلَ إِلَيكَ مِن رَبِّكَ الحَقُّ كَمَن هُوَ أَعمىٰ إِنَّما يَتَذَكَّرُ أُولُوا الأَلبٰبِ

afamai ya’lamu annamaaa unzila ilaika mir Rabbikal haqqu kaman huwa a’maa; innamaa yatazakkaru ulul albaab

They are the ones who fulfill their pledge to God, and do not violate the covenant.

الَّذينَ يوفونَ بِعَهدِ اللَّهِ وَلا يَنقُضونَ الميثٰقَ

allazeena yoofoona bi’ahdil laahi wa laa yanqu doonal meesaaq