Surah 13. Ar-Ra'd

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Verses [Section]: 1-7[1], 8-18 [2], 19-26 [3], 27-31 [4], 32-37 [5], 38-43 [6]

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Quran Text of Verse 27-31وَ یَقُوْلُAnd sayالَّذِیْنَthose whoكَفَرُوْاdisbelievedلَوْ لَاۤWhy has notاُنْزِلَbeen sent downعَلَیْهِupon himاٰیَةٌa Signمِّنْfromرَّبِّهٖ ؕhis LordقُلْSayاِنَّIndeedاللّٰهَAllahیُضِلُّlets go astrayمَنْwhomیَّشَآءُHe willsوَ یَهْدِیْۤand guidesاِلَیْهِto Himselfمَنْwhoeverاَنَابَۖۚturns back اَلَّذِیْنَThose whoاٰمَنُوْاbelievedوَ تَطْمَىِٕنُّand find satisfactionقُلُوْبُهُمْtheir heartsبِذِكْرِin the remembranceاللّٰهِ ؕ(of) AllahاَلَاNo doubtبِذِكْرِin the remembranceاللّٰهِ(of) Allahتَطْمَىِٕنُّfind satisfactionالْقُلُوْبُؕthe hearts 13. Ar-Ra'd Page 253اَلَّذِیْنَThose whoاٰمَنُوْاbelievedوَ عَمِلُواand didالصّٰلِحٰتِrighteous deedsطُوْبٰیblessednessلَهُمْ(is) for themوَ حُسْنُand a beautifulمَاٰبٍ place of return كَذٰلِكَThusاَرْسَلْنٰكَWe have sent youفِیْۤtoاُمَّةٍa nationقَدْverilyخَلَتْhave passed awayمِنْfromقَبْلِهَاۤbefore itاُمَمٌnationsلِّتَتْلُوَاۡso that you might reciteعَلَیْهِمُto themالَّذِیْۤwhatاَوْحَیْنَاۤWe revealedاِلَیْكَto youوَ هُمْwhile theyیَكْفُرُوْنَdisbelieveبِالرَّحْمٰنِ ؕin the Most GraciousقُلْSayهُوَHeرَبِّیْ(is) my Lordلَاۤ(there is) noاِلٰهَgodاِلَّاexceptهُوَ ۚHimعَلَیْهِUpon HimتَوَكَّلْتُI put my trustوَ اِلَیْهِand to Himمَتَابِ (is) my return وَ لَوْAnd ifاَنَّthat wasقُرْاٰنًاany Quranسُیِّرَتْcould be movedبِهِby itالْجِبَالُthe mountainsاَوْorقُطِّعَتْcould be cloven asunderبِهِby itالْاَرْضُthe earthاَوْorكُلِّمَcould be made to speakبِهِby itالْمَوْتٰی ؕthe deadبَلْNayلِّلّٰهِwith Allahالْاَمْرُ(is) the commandجَمِیْعًا ؕallاَفَلَمْThen do notیَایْـَٔسِknowالَّذِیْنَthose whoاٰمَنُوْۤاbelieveاَنْthatلَّوْifیَشَآءُhad willedاللّٰهُAllahلَهَدَیsurely, He would have guidedالنَّاسَallجَمِیْعًا ؕall of the mankindوَ لَاAnd notیَزَالُwill ceaseالَّذِیْنَthose whoكَفَرُوْاdisbelieveتُصِیْبُهُمْto strike themبِمَاfor whatصَنَعُوْاthey didقَارِعَةٌa disasterاَوْorتَحُلُّit settlesقَرِیْبًاcloseمِّنْfromدَارِهِمْtheir homesحَتّٰیuntilیَاْتِیَcomesوَعْدُ(the) promiseاللّٰهِ ؕ(of) AllahاِنَّIndeedاللّٰهَAllahلَا(will) notیُخْلِفُfailالْمِیْعَادَ۠(in) the Promise

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Translation of Verse 27-31

(13:27) Those who have rejected (the message of Muhammad) say: "Why has no sign been sent down upon him from his Lord?"⁴³ Tell them: "Allah lets go astray those whom He wills, and guides to Himself those who turn to Him."⁴⁴

(13:28) Such are the ones who believe (in the message of the Prophet) and whose hearts find rest in the remembrance of Allah. Surely in Allah's remembrance do hearts find rest.

(13:29) So those who believe (in the message of the Truth) and do good are destined for happiness and a blissful end.

(13:30) Thus have We sent you as a Messenger⁴⁵ to a community before which many other communities have passed away that you may recite to them whatever We have revealed to you. And yet they deny the Lord of Mercy.⁴⁶ Say to them: "He is my Lord, there is no god but Him. In Him I have placed all my trust and to Him I shall return."

(13:31) And what would have happened were a Qur'an to be revealed wherewith mountains could be set in motion, or the earth cleft, or the dead made to speak?⁴⁷ (To show such signs is not at all difficult for) everything rests entirely with Allah.⁴⁸ So, do not the people of faith (still look forward to such a sign in response to the demand of the unbelievers and) despair as a result of knowing that had Allah so willed, He could have guided all to the Truth.⁴⁹ Misfortune continues to afflict the unbelievers on account of their misdeeds, or to befall on locations close to their habitation. This will continue until Allah's promise (of chastisement) is fulfilled. Indeed Allah does not go back upon His promise.

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Commentary

43. This question has already been answered in verse 7 above and that should be kept in view here. Virtually the same objection has been mentioned here. However, here it is refuted in a different way.

44. God does not forcibly direct to the right way those who, instead of turning to God for guidance, defiantly turn away from Him. God allow, such people to stumble in the deviant ways of their choice. The same factors which direct those who seek God’s guidance to the right way are allowed to become e factors of misguidance in respect of those who seek error. Such persons are unable to benefit from the light which, rather than illuminating their path merely serves to dazzle their vision. This is what is meant by saying that: Allah let go astray those whom He wills.’

The Qur’anic rejoinder to the unbelievers’ demand for a miraculous sign is surpassing in its eloquence. For as we know, the unbelievers used to ask the Prophet (peace be on him) to produce some miraculous sign. They claimed that only after some such sign had been shown to them would they be convinced of the truth of his claim. Such people are being told that if they failed to find the right way, it is not because there were no signs pointing to it. Their failure was the result of their not being keen enough to be led to the right way. There are signs galore. They are spread all around them. And yet, they are led by none of those signs to God for they are not interested in being directed to His Way. In such instances, how can any sign be of any avail to them? As for those who earnestly seek the way of God, there is no dearth of signs for them. Such people observe those signs and are directed to the right way.

45. That is to say that the Prophet (peace be on him) was sent without any signs of the kind which the unbelievers had clamored for.

46. This is an indictment of the unbelievers. They have definitely turned away from devotion to God; they associate others with God in His attributes and powers and rights; they offer thanks to others than God for the bounties bestowed upon them by God alone.

47. In order to appreciate this verse it is important to bear in mind that it is in fact addressed to the Muslims rather than to the unbelievers. When the Muslims repeatedly came across the unbelievers’ demand for miraculous signs, they anxiously desired that some miraculous sign — one that would persuade the unbelievers to believe — should indeed be shown to them.

Moreover, the believers noticed that since such signs were not in evidence, despite the demand for them, the unbelievers had an opportunity to stir up doubts about the truth of the Prophet’s message. This increased their anxiety.

In the present verse the Muslims are being asked if they were really convinced that had such miraculous signs been shown, the unbelievers would have embraced the true faith? Did they entertain the illusion that the unbelievers were all but ready to believe and the only thing that was lacking was a miraculous sign? Such a view is altogether erroneous and simplistic. For the unbelievers were a myopic lot who had failed to observe the light of the truth in the teachings of the Qur’an, in the natural phenomena spread all across the universe, in the exemplary life of the Prophet (peace be on him), and in the great transformation brought about in the lives of the Companions by the teachings of Islam. How can it be conceived that those who remained unmoved by all the great signs of the truth mentioned above would be stirred by merely observing, let us say, that a mountain had moved, or that the earth was rent asunder, or that dead bodies had risen from their graves?

48. The true reason for not showing miraculous signs was not that God had no power to show such signs, but rather because such a method was inconsistent with God’s scheme of things. For the true purpose of that scheme was not so much to drive some people into affirming the prophethood of some Prophet, but to help them attain true guidance. Such a purpose can only be achieved by reforming people’s outlook and re-orienting their thinking pattern.

49. Had the purpose merely been that people should believe without understanding and without being rationally convinced then perhaps God did not have to show miraculous signs. That purpose could have been achieved by simply creating all human beings as born believers.