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 38-43وَ لَقَدْAnd certainlyاَرْسَلْنَاWe sentرُسُلًاMessengersمِّنْfromقَبْلِكَbefore youوَ جَعَلْنَاand We madeلَهُمْfor themاَزْوَاجًاwivesوَّ ذُرِّیَّةً ؕand offspringوَ مَاAnd notكَانَwasلِرَسُوْلٍfor a Messengerاَنْthatیَّاْتِیَhe comesبِاٰیَةٍwith a signاِلَّاexceptبِاِذْنِby the leaveاللّٰهِ ؕ(of) AllahلِكُلِّFor everythingاَجَلٍ(is) a timeكِتَابٌ prescribed یَمْحُوا(Is) eliminatedاللّٰهُ(by) AllahمَاwhatیَشَآءُHe willsوَ یُثْبِتُ ۖۚand confirmsوَ عِنْدَهٗۤand with Himاُمُّ(is) the Mother (of)الْكِتٰبِ the Book وَ اِنْAnd whetherمَّا(what)نُرِیَنَّكَWe show youبَعْضَa partالَّذِیْ(of) whatنَعِدُهُمْWe have promised themاَوْorنَتَوَفَّیَنَّكَWe cause you to dieفَاِنَّمَاso onlyعَلَیْكَon youالْبَلٰغُ(is) the conveyanceوَ عَلَیْنَاand on Usالْحِسَابُ (is) the reckoning اَوَ لَمْDid notیَرَوْاthey seeاَنَّاthat Weنَاْتِیcomeالْاَرْضَ(to) the landنَنْقُصُهَاreducing itمِنْfromاَطْرَافِهَا ؕits bordersوَ اللّٰهُAnd Allahیَحْكُمُjudgesلَا(there is) noمُعَقِّبَadjusterلِحُكْمِهٖ ؕ(of) His Judgmentوَ هُوَAnd Heسَرِیْعُ(is) Swiftالْحِسَابِ (in) the reckoning وَ قَدْAnd certainlyمَكَرَplottedالَّذِیْنَthose whoمِنْ(were) fromقَبْلِهِمْbefore themفَلِلّٰهِbut for Allahالْمَكْرُ(is) the plotجَمِیْعًا ؕallیَعْلَمُHe knowsمَاwhatتَكْسِبُearnsكُلُّeveryنَفْسٍ ؕsoulوَ سَیَعْلَمُand will knowالْكُفّٰرُthe disbelieversلِمَنْfor whomعُقْبَی(is) the finalالدَّارِ the home 13. Ar-Ra'd Page 255وَ یَقُوْلُAnd sayالَّذِیْنَthose whoكَفَرُوْاdisbelieveلَسْتَYou are notمُرْسَلًا ؕa MessengerقُلْSayكَفٰیSufficientبِاللّٰهِ(is) Allahشَهِیْدًۢا(as) a Witnessبَیْنِیْbetween meوَ بَیْنَكُمْ ۙand between youوَ مَنْand whoeverعِنْدَهٗ[he] hasعِلْمُknowledgeالْكِتٰبِ۠(of) the Book

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Translation of Verse 38-43

(13:38) We indeed sent many Messengers before you and We gave them wives and children;⁵⁶ and no Messenger had the power to produce a miraculous sign except by the command of Allah.⁵⁷ Every age has its own (revealed) Book.

(13:39) Allah effaces whatever He wills and retains whatever He wills. With Him is the Mother of the Book.⁵⁸

(13:40) (O Prophet), whether We make you see a part of the punishment that We have threatened them with come to pass during your life-time, or We take you away before that happens, your duty is no more than to convey the Message, and it is for Us to make a reckoning.⁵⁹

(13:41) Do they not see that We are advancing in the land, diminishing it by its borders on all sides?⁶⁰ Allah judges, and no one has the power to reverse His judgement. He is swift in reckoning.

(13:42) Those who lived before them also devised many a plot,⁶¹ but the master plot rests with Allah. He knows what everyone does. The deniers of the truth will soon come to know whose end is good.

(13:43) The unbelievers claim that you have not been sent by Allah. Tell them: "Allah is sufficient as a witness between me and you; and so also do those who know the Scriptures."⁶²

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Commentary

56. This is the answer to another objection hurled at the Prophet (peace be on him). The unbelievers decried him for being one like ordinary mortals insofar as his life was also encumbered with such worldly concerns as those relating to spouse and children. They were at a loss to appreciate how someone who was God’s Messenger could also have sexual urges which would prompt him to marry.

57. This is the answer to another objection. The opponents contended that Prophet Moses (peace be on him) was supported by the miracles of a white, shining hand, and the miraculous rod. Likewise, Jesus was also supported by miracles. He was granted the power to restore sight to the blind, and to cure the leper. In the same manner, Prophet Salih (peace be on him) was supported by another supernatural token — that of a she-camel. The unbelievers would recount all that and then ask: ‘Which miraculous sign can Prophet Muhammad (peace be on him) produce to support his claim to be a Prophet?’ In response, the unbelievers are informed that the miraculous sign which a Prophet shows does not represent his own innate power. The decision as to when a miraculous sign is shown, and through whom, rests entirely with God.

Were God to decide so, He would show some miraculous signs through Prophet Muhammad (peace be on him) as well. But since the Prophet (peace be upon him) lays no claim to the powers of God, it is not fair to ask him to come forth with miraculous signs.

58. This, again, is in answer to an objection raised by the unbelievers. They had asked why a new Book should have been revealed even though the earlier scriptures were extant. They took note of the Prophet’s claim that the earlier scriptures had been distorted, and that with the revelation of the Qur’an — which replaced them ~ the earlier scriptures stood abrogated. To this the unbelievers responded: ‘How can a book revealed by God be tampered with? Why did God not protect it from such tampering’s?’ They also expressed their skepticism about the Prophet’s claim that the Qur’an was the Word of the same God Who had earlier revealed the Torah and the Gospels. They contended that they were not convinced with that claim since several injunctions of the Qur’an were opposed to the injunctions embodied in the earlier scriptures. In this connection, they pointed out that many a thing which had been made unlawful in the Torah was subsequently made lawful in the Qur’an.

More detailed answers to these questions have been provided in the surahs which were revealed later. Here the answer consists merely of a succinct explication of the matter.

The expression Umm al-Kitab (‘Mother of the Book’) which occurs in the verse refers to that ‘Original Book’ which is the source of all heavenly scriptures.

59. The Prophet (peace be on him) is asked not to fret about those who rejected his message. He should not feel distressed about their fate, nor overly concerned as to when they would be subjected to God’s chastisement.

Disregarding all that, and leaving the ultimate judgement to God, the Prophet (peace be on him) should steadily proceed with the task entrusted to him.

It should be noted that while the present statement is apparently addressed to the Prophet (peace be on him), it is in fact meant for his enemies. The latter had often challenged the Prophet (peace be on him) and had asked him to bring upon them God’s scourge — of which he had warned them — then and there.

60. The opponents are reminded that Islam’s influence was spreading to every nook and cranny of Arabia. This naturally meant the shrinking of the unbelievers’ influence and growing pressure upon them. Did these not indicate that they were heading towards their doom? What God says here, viz. ‘We are advancing in land’, is a very subtle and refined way of indicating the direction of the change which was then taking place. Since Islam is from God, Who supports the propounders of that message, the spread of Islam has been characterized as the advance of God Himself.

61. There is nothing new in the fact that the unbelievers had resorted to lies, deception and repressive measures to thwart the voice of truth. In the past, people who wanted to achieve that purpose had resorted to more or less the same measures.

62. Everyone who has any knowledge of the scriptures will testify to the fact that the teaching of the Prophet (peace be on him) is exactly the same as that of the earlier Prophets.