13. Ar-Ra'd

For him for man are attendants angels who follow him to his front and to his rear guarding him through God’s command that is by His command from the danger of the jinn and others. Indeed God does not alter the state of a people — He does not deprive them of His grace — unless they have altered the state of their souls from their comely nature through an act of disobedience. And if God wills misfortune chastisement for a people there is none that can repel it either from among the attendant angels or others; and they for whom God wills misfortune have no protector min wālin min is extra to avert it from them apart from Him that is other than God.

He it is Who shows you the lightning inspiring fear in travellers of thunderbolts and hope for those who are at home of rain; and He produces He creates the clouds that are heavy with rain.

And the thunder — this is an angel who is in charge of the clouds driving them while he constantly proclaims His praise that is he says ‘Glory be to God through His praise’ subhāna’Llāh wa-bi-hamdihi and so too the angels proclaim His praise in awe of Him that is of God. He unleashes the thunderbolts — these are a fire which issues forth from the clouds — and smites with them whom He will such that it burns that person this was revealed regarding a man to whom the Prophet s had sent someone to invite to Islam and who said ‘Who is the Messenger of God? And what is God? Is He made of gold or of silver or of copper?’ whereupon a thunderbolt came down on him and blew off the top of his head; yet they that is the disbelievers dispute argue with the Prophet s about God though He is great in might in power or in the severity of His retribution.

His exalted be He is the call of truth that is the words that constitute it the truth and these are ‘there is no god but God’ lā ilāha illā’Llāh; and those upon whom they call read yad‘ūn or tad‘ūn ‘you call’ those whom they worship apart from Him that is other than Him — namely the idols — do not answer them anything of which they ask; save as is the response to one who stretches forth his hands towards water at the edge of a well calling to it that it may reach his mouth by its rising through the well to reach him but it would never reach it that is reach his mouth ever likewise they the idols will not answer them; and the call of the disbelievers their worship of idols — or their actual supplication — goes only astray it is only in perdition.

Say O Muhammad (s) to your people ‘Who is the Lord of the heavens and the earth?’ Say ‘God’ — and even if they do not say it there can be no other response. Say to them ‘Then have you taken beside Him other than Him protectors idols to worship who have no power to benefit or harm themselves?’ and you abandon the One Who is their Possessor? an interrogative meant as a rebuke. Say ‘Are the blind one and the seer respectively the disbeliever and the believer equal? Or are darkness disbelief and the light faith equal? No! Or have they set up for God associates who have created the like of His creation so that creation seems alike that is is what the associates create and the creation of God alike to them?’ so that they believe them worthy of being worshipped on account of what these associates have created? an interrogative of disavowal; in other words not so! None save the Creator is worthy of being worshipped. Say ‘God is the Creator of all things having no associate therein and so He cannot have an associate in terms of worship; and He is the One the Subjugator’ of His servants.

He then strikes a similitude of truth and falsehood saying He exalted be He sends down water rain from the sky whereat the valleys flow according to their measure according to their full capacity and the flood carries a scum that swells rising above it and this scum is the filth and the like that lies on the surface of the earth and from that which they smelt read tūqidūn ‘you smelt’ or yūqidūn ‘they smelt’ in the fire of the earth’s minerals such as gold silver or copper desiring seeking to make ornaments adornment or ware which is useful such as utensils when they the minerals are melted; there rises a scum the like of it that is the like of the scum of the flood and this latter scum consists of the impurities expelled by the bellows. Thus in the way mentioned God points out truth and falsehood that is He points out the similitude thereof. As for the scum of the flood and of the minerals smelted it passes away as dross useless refuse while that which is of use to mankind in the way of water and minerals lingers remains in the earth for a time likewise falsehood wanes and is eventually effaced even if it should prevail over the truth at certain times. Truth on the other hand is established and enduring. Thus in the way mentioned God strikes He makes clear similitudes.

For those who respond to their Lord those who answer Him by way of obedience there shall be the goodly reward Paradise and those who do not respond to Him namely the disbelievers — if they possessed all that is in the earth and therewith the like of it they would offer it to redeem themselves therewith against the chastisement. For such there shall be an awful reckoning and that is that they will be requited for every single thing they did none of which will be forgiven and their abode shall be Hell an evil resting place it is!

The following was revealed regarding Hamza and Abū Jahl Is he who knows that what is revealed to you from your Lord is the truth and so believes in it like him who is blind? and does not know it nor believes in it? No! But only people of pith possessors of intellect remember heed such admonitions;

such as fulfil God’s covenant meaning the one that was taken from them while they were still atoms — or meaning any covenant — and do not break the pact by abandoning belief or religious obligations;