Tafheem ul Quran

Surah 13 Ar-Ra'd, Ayat 27-31

وَيَقُوۡلُ الَّذِيۡنَ كَفَرُوۡا لَوۡلَاۤ اُنۡزِلَ عَلَيۡهِ اٰيَةٌ مِّنۡ رَّبِّهٖؕ قُلۡ اِنَّ اللّٰهَ يُضِلُّ مَنۡ يَّشَآءُ وَيَهۡدِىۡۤ اِلَيۡهِ مَنۡ اَنَابَ ​ۖ ​ۚ‏  ﴿13:27﴾ اَلَّذِيۡنَ اٰمَنُوۡا وَتَطۡمَـئِنُّ قُلُوۡبُهُمۡ بِذِكۡرِ اللّٰهِ​ ؕ اَلَا بِذِكۡرِ اللّٰهِ تَطۡمَـئِنُّ الۡقُلُوۡبُ ؕ‏ ﴿13:28﴾ اَلَّذِيۡنَ اٰمَنُوۡا وَعَمِلُوا الصّٰلِحٰتِ طُوۡبٰى لَهُمۡ وَحُسۡنُ مَاٰبٍ‏  ﴿13:29﴾ كَذٰلِكَ اَرۡسَلۡنٰكَ فِىۡۤ اُمَّةٍ قَدۡ خَلَتۡ مِنۡ قَبۡلِهَاۤ اُمَمٌ لِّـتَتۡلُوَا۟ عَلَيۡهِمُ الَّذِىۡۤ اَوۡحَيۡنَاۤ اِلَيۡكَ وَ هُمۡ يَكۡفُرُوۡنَ بِالرَّحۡمٰنِ​ؕ قُلۡ هُوَ رَبِّىۡ لَاۤ اِلٰهَ اِلَّا هُوَۚ عَلَيۡهِ تَوَكَّلۡتُ وَاِلَيۡهِ مَتَابِ‏  ﴿13:30﴾ وَلَوۡ اَنَّ قُرۡاٰنًا سُيِّرَتۡ بِهِ الۡجِبَالُ اَوۡ قُطِّعَتۡ بِهِ الۡاَرۡضُ اَوۡ كُلِّمَ بِهِ الۡمَوۡتٰى​ ؕ بَلْ لِّلّٰهِ الۡاَمۡرُ جَمِيۡعًا ​ؕ اَفَلَمۡ يَايۡـئَسِ الَّذِيۡنَ اٰمَنُوۡۤا اَنۡ لَّوۡ يَشَآءُ اللّٰهُ لَهَدَى النَّاسَ جَمِيۡعًا ؕ وَلَا يَزَالُ الَّذِيۡنَ كَفَرُوۡا تُصِيۡبُهُمۡ بِمَا صَنَعُوۡا قَارِعَةٌ اَوۡ تَحُلُّ قَرِيۡبًا مِّنۡ دَارِهِمۡ حَتّٰى يَاۡتِىَ وَعۡدُ اللّٰهِ​ ؕ اِنَّ اللّٰهَ لَا يُخۡلِفُ الۡمِيۡعَادَ‏ ﴿13:31﴾

(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.

Notes

43. Please also keep in view the answer that has been given to this question in (Ayat 7).

44. This is the answer to their question. It is not due to the lack of signs that they were going astray, but it is the lack of any desire in them to seek right guidance. For Allah does not force one to follow the right way, if he deliberately turns away from it. He lets such persons wander on the wrong ways they choose to wander. Nay, even all those things that should serve as a means to guidance for a seeker of truth become the means of deviation for the one who seeks deviation. So much so that the light which helps show the way to the former, dazzles the eyes of the latter. This is how Allah leads astray a person.

This answer to the demand of a sign is matchless in its eloquence. It says to them: O misguided people, it is not due to the lack of signs that you are not finding the right path, but it is due to the lack of any desire in you for it. You do not see any of the countless signs that are scattered all around you because you have no desire to go to the right way. How can then any sign be helpful to you? For you would not see any of those signs. However those, who seek the right way to Allah, see these signs and find the right way with their help.

45. That is, in this way that We have not given you a sign they demanded.

46. That is, instead of serving that most Compassionate Lord, they are discarding His service and setting up other partners in His attributes, powers, rights and giving thanks to others for His blessings.

47. This verse has been addressed to the believers who were feeling uneasy that no such sign was being sent as was demanded by the disbelievers. They thought that such a sign would convince the disbelievers and they would accept Islam. Therefore when no such sign was sent, they became all the more uneasy for the lack of the fulfillment of the demand that gave rise to doubts about the Prophethood of the Messenger (peace be upon him). The question posed in this verse is meant to remove that uneasiness of the Muslims. It is like this: Do you think that they would have embraced Islam if such and such signs had been shown to them all of a sudden along with a Surah of the Quran? Are you under the delusion that they are quite ready to accept Islam and are waiting only for such a sign? Do you think that those people who have failed to see the light of the truth in the teachings of the Quran, in the phenomena of the universe, in the pure and spotless life of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and in the wonderful change in the lives of his companions, would see the light of the truth in the moving of the mountains, in the cleavage of the earth and in the coming out of the dead from the graves?

48. “But to Allah belongs the command entirely” and He can show any sign if He so desires. He is not showing any sign for it does not fit in the scheme laid down for the guidance of man. As the real object is to show guidance to mankind through the Prophet and not to compel them to believe in the Prophethood of a Prophet, He desires that the people should gain guidance by thinking and observing wisely and not by seeing signs.

49. That is, if the object had been to make human beings believers even without consciously understanding it, Allah could have created them believers by birth.