013- AL-RAʿD

THE THUNDER

AL-RAʿD

IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE COMPASSIONATE, THE MERCIFUL

# Alif. Lām. Mīm. Rā. These are the signs of the Book; and that which has been sent down unto thee from thy Lord is the truth, but most of mankind believe not. # God it is Who raised the heavens without pillars that you see, then mounted the Throne; and He made the sun and the moon subservient, each running for a term appointed. He directs the affair, expounding the signs, so that you may be certain of the meeting with your Lord. # He it is Who spread out the earth and placed therein firm mountains and streams, and of every kind of fruit He placed therein two kinds. He causes the night to cover the day. Truly in that are signs for a people who reflect. # Upon the earth are neighboring tracts, vineyards, sown fields, and date palms of a shared root and not of a shared root, watered by one water. And We have favored some above others in bounty. Truly in that are signs for a people who understand. # And if thou dost wonder, then wondrous is their saying, “When we are dust, shall we indeed be [raised] in a new creation?” It is they who disbelieve in their Lord; it is they who will have shackles upon their necks; and it is they who will be the inhabitants of the Fire; they shall abide therein. # Yet they would have thee hasten evil before good, though examples have passed before them. Truly thy Lord is Possessed of Forgiveness for mankind despite their wrongdoing, and truly thy Lord is severe in retribution. # Those who disbelieve say, “Why has not some sign been sent down upon him from his Lord?” Thou art but a warner; and for every people there is a guide. # God knows that which every female bears, how wombs diminish and how they increase. Everything with Him is according to a measure— # Knower of the Unseen and the seen, the Great, the Exalted. # Alike among you are those who speak secretly and those who do so openly, those who lurk by night, and those who go forth by day. # For him there are attendant angels to his front and to his rear, guarding him by God’s Command. Truly God alters not what is in a people until they alter what is in themselves. And when God desires evil for a people, there is no repelling it; and apart from Him they have no protector. # He it is Who shows you lightning, arousing fear and hope, and Who produces heavy-laden clouds. # The thunder hymns His praise, as do the angels, in awe of Him. He sends forth the thunderbolts and strikes therewith whomsoever He will. Yet they dispute concerning God, and He is severe in wrath. # Unto Him is the supplication of truth; and those whom they supplicate apart from Him answer them not in the least, save as one who stretches forth his palms toward water that it may reach his mouth, though it never reaches him. And the supplication of the disbelievers is naught but astray. # And unto God prostrates whosoever is in the heavens and on the earth, willingly or unwillingly, as do their shadows in the morning and the evening. # Say, “Who is the Lord of the heavens and the earth?” Say, “God.” Say, “Then have you taken, apart from Him, protectors who have no power over what benefit or harm may come to themselves?” Say, “Are the blind and the seer equal, or are darkness and light equal?” Or have they ascribed unto God partners who have created the like of His creation, such that that creation seems alike to them? Say, “God is the Creator of all things, and He is the One, the Paramount.” # He sends down water from the sky, so that the riverbeds flow according to their measure and the torrent carries a swelling froth; and from that which they kindle in the fire, seeking ornament or pleasure, is a froth like unto it. Thus does God set forth truth and falsehood. As for the froth, it passes away as dross. And as for that which benefits mankind, it remains on the earth. Thus does God set forth parables. # Those who answer their Lord shall have that which is most beautiful. But those who answer Him not—were they to possess all that is on the earth and the like of it besides, they would seek to ransom themselves thereby. For them there shall be an evil reckoning. Their refuge is Hell. What an evil resting place! # Is one who knows that what has been sent down unto thee from thy Lord is the truth like one who is blind? Only those who possess intellect reflect, # who fulfill the pact with God and break not the covenant, # who join what God has commanded be joined, fear their Lord, and dread an evil reckoning, # and who are patient, seeking the Face of their Lord, perform the prayer, and spend from that which We have provided them, secretly and openly, and who repel evil with good. For them there shall be the reward of the Abode— # Gardens of Eden that they shall enter along with those who were righteous from among their fathers, their spouses, and their progeny; and angels shall enter upon them from every gate. # “Peace be upon you because you were patient.” How excellent is the Ultimate Abode! # As for those who break God’s pact after accepting His covenant, and sever what God has commanded be joined, and work corruption upon the earth, it is they who shall have the curse, and theirs shall be the evil abode. # God outspreads and straitens provision for whomsoever He will. They rejoice in the life of the world; yet compared to the Hereafter, the life of the world is but [fleeting] enjoyment. # Those who disbelieve say, “Why has some sign not been sent down upon him from his Lord?” Say, “Truly God leads astray whomsoever He will and guides to Himself whosoever turns in repentance— # those who believe and whose hearts are at peace in the remembrance of God. Are not hearts at peace in the remembrance of God? # Those who believe and perform righteous deeds, theirs is blessedness and a beautiful return. # Thus have We sent thee unto a community before whom other communities have passed away, that thou mayest recite unto them that which We have revealed unto thee; yet they disbelieve in the Compassionate. Say, “He is my Lord; there is no god but He. In Him do I trust and unto Him do I turn.” # Were there a Quran whereby the mountains were set in motion, or the earth was cleft, or the dead were made to speak! Nay! Unto God belongs the affair altogether. Do not those who believe understand that if God had willed, He would have guided mankind all together? And those who disbelieve, calamity will never cease to befall them because of that which they have wrought, or to alight close to their abode until God’s Promise comes. Truly God will not fail the tryst. # Certainly messengers were mocked before thee. But I granted respite to those who disbelieved; then I seized them. How, then, was My Retribution! # What of He Who attends to every soul in accordance with what it has earned? Yet they ascribe partners unto God. Say, “Name them! Or will you inform Him of something He does not know upon the earth, or are these vain words?” Nay! But their plotting has been made to seem fair unto those who disbelieve, and they have been turned from the way. And whomsoever God leads astray, no guide has he. # Theirs shall be punishment in the life of this world, and surely the punishment of the Hereafter will be more wretched; they shall have none to shield them from God. # The parable of the Garden that has been promised to the reverent: with rivers running below, its food everlasting, as is its shade. That is the ultimate end of those who were reverent, while the ultimate end of the disbelievers is the Fire! # And those to whom We have given the Book rejoice in that which has been sent down unto thee. And among the parties are those who reject some of it. Say, “I have only been commanded to worship God, and to not ascribe partners unto Him. Unto Him do I call and unto Him is my return.” # Thus have We sent it down as a Judgment in Arabic. Yet if thou followest their caprices after the knowledge that has come to thee, thou shalt have no protector against God, and no defender. # Indeed We sent messengers before thee and appointed for them wives and progeny, and it is not for a messenger to bring a sign, save by God’s Leave; and for every term there is a Book. # God effaces what He will and establishes, and with Him is the Mother of the Book. # Whether We show thee a part of that which We promise them, or We take thee [unto Us], thine is only to proclaim, and Ours is the Reckoning. # Have they not considered how We come upon the land, reducing it of its outlying regions? And God judges; none repeals His Judgment, and He is swift in reckoning. # Indeed those who were before them plotted, but unto God belongs plotting altogether. He knows what every soul earns, and the disbelievers will know whose is the Ultimate Abode. # And those who disbelieve say, “You have not been sent.” Say, “God and whosoever possesses knowledge of the Book suffices as a witness between you and me.”

Commentary

# Alif. Lām. Mīm. Rā. These are the signs of the Book; and that which has been sent down unto thee from thy Lord is the truth, but most of mankind believe not.

1 For the detached letters, see 2:1c. Whereas the Book here is understood by some to refer to this specific sūrah (Bḍ, Kl, Z; cf. 10:1c) and the signs to its verses (Bḍ, Kl, R), that which has been sent down refers to the entire Quran (Q, Ṭ, Z). Despite the fact that the Quran is the truth, the majority of people do not accept it as true, which is why they believe not (Āl, Ṭs; see also 11:17; 40:59).

***

# God it is Who raised the heavens without pillars that you see, then mounted the Throne; and He made the sun and the moon subservient, each running for a term appointed. He directs the affair, expounding the signs, so that you may be certain of the meeting with your Lord.

2 Some interpret this verse to mean that the pillars holding up the heavens cannot be seen, but others say they are not supported by pillars at all (Ṭ). It is, nevertheless, God Who actually sustains the entire cosmic order (R), as in 22:65: He maintains the sky lest it fall upon the earth, save by His Leave. Responding to the people who believe not mentioned in v. 1, this verse is interpreted by some as drawing attention to the perfect order and harmony of the natural world, implying that deep reflection upon it will inevitably lead one to belief in God (R).

For God’s mounting the Throne and directing the affair, see 10:3c. In the

Quran, the notion of a term appointed encompasses all things in the created order (see, e.g., 6:60; 7:34; 11:3; 14:10; 16:61; 22:5; 22:33; 29:53; 30:8). In the present verse, mention of a term appointed indicates that the sun and the moon as well as all heavenly bodies will one day cease to be, as alluded to in 39:67: The whole earth shall be but a handful to Him on the Day of Resurrection, and the heavens will be enfolded in His right Hand. Reflection upon the nature of things, the manner in which they are sustained, and how they all exist for a finite measure of time is meant to engender a firm belief in God and the meeting with Him after death.

***

# He it is Who spread out the earth and placed therein firm mountains and streams, and of every kind of fruit He placed therein two kinds. He causes the night to cover the day. Truly in that are signs for a people who reflect.

3 According to Ibn Juzayy, He it is Who spread out the earth may appear to suggest that the earth is flat and not, as was widely acknowledged in his time, round. For him, however, the verse speaks of the earth as spread out because of the fact that every portion of land on earth, although flat from our perspective, comprises a greater whole, namely, the surface of the earth, which is round. Of every kind of fruit He placed therein two kinds has been interpreted as referring to two colors, light and dark, or two types of taste, sweet and sour (Kl). For God’s causing the night to cover the day, see also 7:54.

***

# Upon the earth are neighboring tracts, vineyards, sown fields, and date palms of a shared root and not of a shared root, watered by one water. And We have favored some above others in bounty. Truly in that are signs for a people who understand.

4 Despite the fact that the earth is watered by one water, what emerges from the neighboring tracts, vineyards, sown fields, and date palms is variegated. This is understood to disprove a purely naturalistic explanation of the manner in which objects emerge in this world, because the water is the same, yet the things that emerge from the earth are vastly different in type (Bḍ, Kl, Q). If it is argued that this is due to the fact that there are different kinds of seeds in the earth that are actualized by the one water that reaches them, it can then be asked where they originated in the first place (Q). Such evidence is provided as an argument for a single Creator, the existence of Whom is the only reality that can account for their existence and their variegated natures; see 13:2c.

***

# And if thou dost wonder, then wondrous is their saying, “When we are dust, shall we indeed be [raised] in a new creation?” It is they who disbelieve in their Lord; it is they who will have shackles upon their necks; and it is they who will be the inhabitants of the Fire; they shall abide therein.

5 This verse is saying, “If you are astonished that they do not accept you despite the fact that they know you to be truthful (see 10:16c), then even more astonishing than this is their disbelief in the Resurrection” (Q). The disbelievers’ amazement at and rejection of the Resurrection are recounted many times throughout the Quran; their most common objection is, What! When we are bones and dust, shall we indeed be resurrected as a new creation? (17:49, 98; see also, e.g., 23:35, 82; 36:78). For the shackles described as being upon their necks, see 36:8c.

***

# Yet they would have thee hasten evil before good, though examples have passed before them. Truly thy Lord is Possessed of Forgiveness for mankind despite their wrongdoing, and truly thy Lord is severe in retribution.

6 Though examples have passed before them of the past nations who were punished for disbelieving in their messengers (Kl), out of mockery the Makkan idolaters hastened evil, namely, God’s Punishment (R, Ṭb, Z), before the good, which is a reference to God’s Mercy (Ṭb, Ṭs); see also 10:11c; 10:49c; 27:46; 36:48c. Truly thy Lord is Possessed of Forgiveness for mankind despite their wrongdoing means that, despite people’s disbelief and disobedience, God covers their faults in this world and does not take them to task right away (Aj). The verse’s last sentence is understood to mean that, if they repent, God will forgive them, but if they do not, then they should know that He is severe in retribution (R); see also 41:43.

***

# Those who disbelieve say, “Why has not some sign been sent down upon him from his Lord?” Thou art but a warner; and for every people there is a guide.

7 For the Makkans’ request for a sign to be sent down upon the Prophet from his Lord, see 6:37, 109; 10:20c. For the function of prophets as warners, see 4:165c. For every people there is a guide can refer to the fact that all nations have received guidance from God through His sending messengers to them (see 10:47c). According to Ibn ʿAjībah, when this verse was revealed, the Prophet exclaimed to ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib, “I am the warner and you, O ʿAlī, are the guide.” ***

# God knows that which every female bears, how wombs diminish and how they increase. Everything with Him is according to a measure—

# Knower of the Unseen and the seen, the Great, the Exalted.

8–9 God knows that which every female bears (cf. 35:11; 41:47), whether it will be a male or female, sound or deficient, tall or short (R); and, more important, He knows the inner workings of each soul before it is born (see also 2:117c; 5:7c). How wombs diminish and how they increase refers to the length of the gestation period in each womb (JJ). For God as Knower of the Unseen and the seen, see 6:59; 59:22c. The use of measure (miqdār) evokes the use of measure in 54:49: Truly We have created everything according to a measure (qadar). Regarding the theological significance of qadar, see 54:49c.

***

# Alike among you are those who speak secretly and those who do so openly, those who lurk by night, and those who go forth by day.

10. Following directly upon v. 9, which speaks of God’s all-encompassing Knowledge (Bḍ), this verse is understood to mean that no matter what one’s condition is, God is fully aware of one’s actions (Bḍ, Qm). This fact is meant to engender not only vigilance in one’s actions, but also constant and intense selfscrutiny of one’s thoughts and the state of one’s heart (Aj). As the second Caliph ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb (d. 22/644) is reported to have said, “Take yourselves to account before you are taken to account.”

***

# For him there are attendant angels to his front and to his rear, guarding him by God’s Command. Truly God alters not what is in a people until they alter what is in themselves. And when God desires evil for a people, there is no repelling it; and apart from Him they have no protector.

11. The angels are continuously attendant upon the one who lurks by night and goes forth by day (v. 10; AF). God alters not what is in a people, namely, their blessings related to this life, such as sound health and wealth (M), until they alter what is in themselves, that is, until they misuse these blessings to disobey God (Kl, My, R); see 8:52–54c. Some have also understood God alters not what is in a people until they alter what is in themselves to mean that God will not alter the positive or negative circumstances of people until they themselves bring about changes in their actions and lives. When God desires evil for a people refers to when He wishes to punish them (Q) on account of their altering the blessings that He has given them (M); cf. 10:107.

***

# He it is Who shows you lightning, arousing fear and hope, and Who produces heavy-laden clouds.

# The thunder hymns His praise, as do the angels, in awe of Him. He sends forth the thunderbolts and strikes therewith whomsoever He will. Yet they dispute concerning God, and He is severe in wrath.

12–13 Cf. 30:24. When one sees the flashes of lightning, it inspires fear of the impending thunder, but also hope that rain may descend (R). This verse is also believed to have symbolic levels of meaning. For example, according to the philosopher Shihāb al-Dīn al-Suhrawardī (d. 587/1191), the lightning referred to in this verse symbolizes the initial Divine flashes of illumination that descend suddenly upon the soul of the person walking along the spiritual path, bringing about much joy. Such a person has fear that these flashes will vanish and hope that they will remain (Majmūʿa-yi āthār-i fārsī-yi Shaykh-i Ishrāq [Tehran, 1980], 301).

That the thunder hymns His praise refers to the Quranic notion that all things in the heavens and on the earth glorify God, as in 17:44: The seven heavens, and the earth, and whosoever is in them glorify Him. And there is no thing, save that it hymns His praise, though you do not understand their praise. Truly He is Clement, Forgiving; see also 57:1; 59:1, 24; 61:1; 62:1; 64:1c. Many commentators also note a tradition asserting that thunder is the name of the angel who controls the clouds (Bg, Qm, R); see also 2:19c. In this reading, the thunder hymns His praise refers to the angel’s voice as it glorifies God (Kl, M), declaring His Transcendence and Incomparability (Bq, Ṭs). The other angels, likewise, hymn His praise out of awe, that is, out of reverence for and magnification of Him (N).

He sends forth the thunderbolts and strikes therewith whomsoever He will is said to refer to the mortal thunderbolt with which God struck Arbad ibn Rabīʿah, who had plotted with ʿĀmir ibn al-ṭufayl to kill the Prophet (Bḍ, Z). Others, however, say that the wording in this verse is too general to refer to this specific instance (Kl); see also 24:43. According to the Sufi commentator al-Kāshānī, the thunderbolts here refer to the “august glories” (sabaḥāt) of Divinity that manifest God’s Might and Grace, thereby annihilating the egotistical desires of whomsoever He will, referring to those who love God and yearn for Him (K).

Yet they, namely, the disbelievers (Kl), dispute concerning God; see also 22:3c, 22:8; 31:20. Wrath translates miḥāl, which is derived from ḥīlah, meaning “plot” or “ruse.” Thus, He is severe in wrath is understood to mean that God is intense in plotting (Kl, Ṭs); see v. 42; 3:54; 7:99; 8:30c; 10:21c; 27:50. See also 7:183 and 68:45: Truly My scheme is firm.

***

# Unto Him is the supplication of truth; and those whom they supplicate apart from Him answer them not in the least, save as one who stretches forth his palms toward water that it may reach his mouth, though it never reaches him. And the supplication of the disbelievers is naught but astray.

14. Unto Him is the supplication of truth refers to the shahādah, “There is no god but God” (lā ilāha illa’Llāh; AF, Kl, My). More generally, it can refer to any form of supplication that God accepts and to which He responds, as in 40:60: Call upon Me, and I shall respond to you. The supplication of truth therefore is supplication to God, whereas the supplication to what is other than Him is futile (Kl), as is the case with those whom they—that is, the disbelievers—supplicate apart from Him, namely, idols and false gods (Z). The false gods that people call upon other than God answer them not in the least, because they do not have the ability to bring about harm or benefit (see 5:76; 10:18; 25:55), since they do not possess any power, as in 35:13: As for those upon whom you call apart from Him, they do not possess so much as the husk of a date stone (cf. 7:194; 31:29; 34:22). This is why, on the Last Day, they will not be able to answer those who called upon them for help (see 18:52; 28:64). The one who calls upon false gods is thus likened to one who stretches forth his palms toward water that it may reach his mouth; just as the water cannot perceive that his hands are outstretched for it, so too are those whom one calls upon apart from God unable to hear his supplications and respond to them (Z). And the supplication of the disbelievers is naught but astray is identical to a portion of 40:50.

***

# And unto God prostrates whosoever is in the heavens and on the earth, willingly or unwillingly, as do their shadows in the morning and the evening.

15. Cf. 16:48–49; 22:18. Prostrates here expresses the idea of submission, lowliness, and the inability to refuse (R), which is why 19:93 says, There is none in the heavens and on the earth, but that it comes unto the Compassionate as a servant; see also 2:116c. That all things prostrate to God willingly or unwillingly means that all things at all moments are “prostrate,” that is, submitted existentially before God: either they understand this state of affairs and prostrate voluntarily in recognition of it, or they prostrate involuntarily and unwittingly; see also 3:83c. From a spiritual perspective and with respect to human beings’ prostration before God, al-Maybudī says that a prostration is done willingly when one submits to God’s Command and Majesty without any hope of reward or gain; the prostration done unwillingly occurs when one prostrates to God out of desire for something, whether it is to elicit blessings or to avoid some form of harm. As do their shadows is a way of saying that even their shadows submit to God (M), which means that every aspect of their being is under His Sway; and in the morning and the evening implies that they do so perpetually (N). See also 16:48: Have they not considered that whatsoever God has created casts its shadow to the right and to the left, prostrating to God while in a state of abject humility?

***

# Say, “Who is the Lord of the heavens and the earth?” Say, “God.” Say, “Then have you taken, apart from Him, protectors who have no power over what benefit or harm may come to themselves?” Say, “Are the blind and the seer equal, or are darkness and light equal?” Or have they ascribed unto God partners who have created the like of His creation, such that that creation seems alike to them? Say, “God is the Creator of all things, and He is the One, the Paramount.”

16. Commentators observe that the answer, God, immediately follows the question posed to the Makkan idolaters, Who is the Lord of the heavens and the earth? because they will not be able to provide any answer other than “God” (Bḍ), owing to the self-evident nature of His Being (Kl) and because a number of them had some form of belief in Allāh among their pantheon of deities (see 10:18c; 39:3). For similar questions posed to the Makkan idolaters that are meant to provoke in their minds the immediacy of God’s Lordship and Agency, see also 29:61; 29:63; 31:25; 39:38; 43:87. After establishing God’s Lordship, the question that follows, Have you taken, apart from Him, protectors who have no power over what benefit or harm may come to themselves? is meant to highlight the irrationality of the Makkans’ reliance upon deities other than Him; it makes the point that if these deities cannot benefit or harm themselves, surely they cannot bring about benefit or harm for those who call upon them (Bḍ). The blind and the seer are metaphors in the Quran for the disbeliever and the believer, respectively, and darkness and light for disbelief and faith (Kl) or ignorance and knowledge; see 33:43c. For a fuller discussion of the Quranic symbolism of light, see 6:1c; 24:35c. Or have they ascribed unto God partners who have created the like of His creation, such that that creation seems alike to them? is a rhetorical question designed to make clear to them that their partners cannot do what God does, and since this is the case, there can be no likeness between God and their idols (Ṭs). This argument is meant to lead them to the conclusion that these idols they have created are not worthy of worship (Ṭs), as God is the Creator of all things.

***

# He sends down water from the sky, so that the riverbeds flow according to their measure and the torrent carries a swelling froth; and from that which they kindle in the fire, seeking ornament or pleasure, is a froth like unto it. Thus does God set forth truth and falsehood. As for the froth, it passes away as dross. And as for that which benefits mankind, it remains on the earth. Thus does God set forth parables.

17. This verse provides two similitudes concerning truth and falsehood (Bg). In the first similitude, the water that God causes to fall from the sky usually fills the riverbeds . . . according to their measure; if a torrent is generated by the water that God has sent down (Bg), it churns up dirt and impurities, forming a swelling froth, which goes on to become attached to trees and the sides of valleys (Bg) and is basically useless. When the torrent subsides, the water returns to its pure state (Bg) and is then useful to people in numerous ways.

In the second similitude, when retrieving precious metals such as gold, silver, or copper from the earth (JJ, Kl), the ores are heated over fire in order to purify them so that the desired metals can be extracted, providing ornament or pleasure for people. In the refining process, impurities rise to the top of the molten metal as froth, which is like unto the froth carried by the torrent.

  Falsehood, like the scum generated by the torrent and the refining process, passes away as dross. The truth, like the pure water and precious metals—that which benefits mankind—remains; cf. 17:81: Truth has come, and falsehood has vanished. Truly falsehood is ever vanishing.

***

# Those who answer their Lord shall have that which is most beautiful. But those who answer Him not—were they to possess all that is on the earth and the like of it besides, they would seek to ransom themselves thereby. For them there shall be an evil reckoning. Their refuge is Hell. What an evil resting place!

18. Those who answer their Lord refers to those who respond to God’s Call to believe in Him and accept prophecy (Q). That which is most beautiful refers to Divine Assistance in this world (Q) or to Paradise (Bg); cf. 10:26–27c. On the idea of seeking to ransom oneself in the Hereafter, see 3:91; 5:36; 10:54; 39:47; 70:11.

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# Is one who knows that what has been sent down unto thee from thy Lord is the truth like one who is blind? Only those who possess intellect reflect,

19. This verse presents a fundamental distinction between one who knows that what has been revealed is the truth and one who rejects it (AF), or between one who can see the truth and one who cannot (Ṭū). Thus, one who knows that what has been sent down unto thee from thy Lord is the truth accepts it, whereas one who is blind, which is to say, blind in the heart so that one cannot “see,” does not do so (Aj, Bḍ); cf. 11:24; 13:16; 35:19–20; 40:58.

***

# who fulfill the pact with God and break not the covenant,

# who join what God has commanded be joined, fear their Lord, and dread an evil reckoning,

# and who are patient, seeking the Face of their Lord, perform the prayer, and spend from that which We have provided them, secretly and openly, and who repel evil with good. For them there shall be the reward of the Abode—

20–22 These verses describe those who possess intellect mentioned in the previous verse. Many commentators note that pact and covenant refer to the same reality, the primordial covenant mentioned in 7:172: And when thy Lord took from the Children of Adam, from their loins, their progeny and made them bear witness concerning themselves, “Am I not your Lord?” they said, “Yea we bear witness.” The word pact is thus a specific reference to the pretemporal pledge that human beings made with God before the creation of the world, guaranteeing that they would acknowledge His Lordship. Covenant, on the other hand, refers to the pact in general, encompassing such matters as the servants’ belief in God and their relationship with each other (Z); see 7:172c; 33:7c. Alternately, some have said that pact is a reference to the moral and legal responsibility (taklīf) with which God has charged human beings, whereas covenant refers to the specific details related to that charge in accordance with their free will, such as the promise to obey God and act righteously (R).

Who join what God has commanded be joined refers, among other things, to human beings keeping their family ties, acting in the best possible manner toward their blood relatives, and being kind to the poor and the needy (IK). To join what God has commanded can also refer to the fulfillment of all acts of obedience (Q). Fear their Lord refers to the fear of breaking blood ties or to the fear of all acts of disobedience toward God (Q). For the combination of patience and prayer, see 2:45, 153: Seek help in patience and prayer.

Seeking the Face of their Lord (see also 2:272; 30:38) means that they accomplish all of the things just mentioned for no selfish reason whatsoever and not out of pride or religious ostentation, but only because they seek God’s Contentment or the beatific vision of His Face (Aj). Al-Ṭabarī explains that repel evil with good means “repel evil by doing good”; cf. 23:96; 28:54; 41:34–36. For them there shall be the reward of the Abode—that is, the most praiseworthy end in the Hereafter (JJ)—namely, Paradise (IJ).

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# Gardens of Eden that they shall enter along with those who were righteous from among their fathers, their spouses, and their progeny; and angels shall enter upon them from every gate.

# “Peace be upon you because you were patient.” How excellent is the Ultimate Abode!

23–24 Gardens of Eden are understood to refer to the reward of the Abode mentioned in vv. 22, 24 (Ṭ). The reference to those who were righteous from among their fathers, their spouses, and their progeny is to those who believed in God during life in this world (Ṭ). The angels shall enter upon them from every gate with presents and gifts from God in order to honor them (Q); see also 39:75c. For the greeting of peace in Paradise, see 10:10c; 14:23; 33:44; 36:58; 39:73.

***

# As for those who break God’s pact after accepting His covenant, and sever what God has commanded be joined, and work corruption upon the earth, it is they who shall have the curse, and theirs shall be the evil abode.

25. The first part of this verse is repeated verbatim in 2:27; both verses link corruption to breaking the covenant with God. Elsewhere, working corruption is implicitly or explicitly connected to physical violence (see 2:205; 5:33, 64; 28:4); often it implies a combination of moral or worldly corruption (see 7:103; 11:85). For the overall implications of working corruption upon the earth, see 2:11–12c; 30:41c.

It is they who shall have the curse is interpreted to mean, as the idea of “curse” often is in the Quran, that they will be distant from God’s Mercy (Ṭs); and theirs shall be the evil abode can refer to an evil outcome in this world or to punishment in Hell in the Hereafter (Z). According to another interpretation, it is they who shall have the curse means that they will be distant from God’s Presence (Aj), while theirs shall be the evil abode refers to the sorrow that they will experience on account of being veiled from God and remaining behind the door to His Presence (Aj).

***

# God outspreads and straitens provision for whomsoever He will. They rejoice in the life of the world; yet compared to the Hereafter, the life of the world is but [fleeting] enjoyment.

26. God outspreads and straitens provision for whomsoever He will appears a number of times throughout the Quran (see, e.g., 17:30; 28:82; 29:62; 30:37; 34:36, 39); see also 5:64c. The second part of this verse is related to the phrase the enjoyment of the life of this world (for which, see 3:14; 9:38; 28:60; 42:36; 43:35). This life, compared to the Hereafter, is merely [fleeting] enjoyment because, as 29:64 says, The life of this world is naught but diversion and play; and surely the Abode of the Hereafter is life indeed, if they but knew (cf. 3:185; 6:32; 47:36). As the Companion Abu’l-Dardāʾ (d. 31/652) is reported to have said, “When you detest this world, you will come to love the next world; and you will abstain from this world according to the measure of your love for the next world” (al-Ghazzālī, Iḥyāʾ [Beirut, 1997], 4:161).

***

# Those who disbelieve say, “Why has some sign not been sent down upon him from his Lord?” Say, “Truly God leads astray whomsoever He will and guides to Himself whosoever turns in repentance—

27. For the request for a sign to be sent down upon the Prophet from his

Lord, see 10:20c. For God’s leading astray, see 4:88–90c; 4:143c (see also, e.g., 17:97; 18:17; 74:31c). Whosoever turns in repentance refers to any who believe, repent to God for their sins, and return to Him with their heart (My), namely, those who believe and whose hearts are at peace in the remembrance of God mentioned in the following verse (AF, Bḍ; Kl). On the concept of repentance, see 4:17–18c; 51:18c; 66:8c; 92:10c; 110:3c.

***

# those who believe and whose hearts are at peace in the remembrance of God. Are not hearts at peace in the remembrance of God?

28. This verse is one of the main scriptural foundations for the Sufi practice of dhikr Allāh, or the invocation and remembrance of God. It also refers to the spiritual state of the heart at peace, which the Quran presents as the state of the perfected soul. The soul is first a soul that commands to evil (12:53), then becomes the blaming soul (75:2), and finally is transformed into the soul at peace (89:27); see also the commentaries on these verses. Are not hearts at peace in the remembrance of God? is therefore understood to refer to the repose (Bḍ) and spiritual intimacy (Aj) that hearts find in remembering and invoking God, which are central to Sufi spiritual practice.

There are many Prophetic sayings about the remembrance of God, such as, “The world and all that is in it is accursed, except for the remembrance of God.” Thus it is in the remembrance of God that one may find safety from the din, clamor, and dispersive power of the world. On one occasion, one of the Prophet’s Companions said, “O Messenger of God, the laws and conditions of Islam are much for me. Tell me something that I can always keep.” The Prophet replied, “Let thy tongue be always moist with the remembrance of God.” Also, the Prophet once asked his Companions, “Shall I tell you about the best of all deeds, the best act of piety in the eyes of your Lord, which will elevate your status in the Hereafter, and which carries more virtue than the spending of gold and silver in the service of God or taking part in jihād and slaying or being slain in the way of God? The remembrance of God.”

Hearts not in the remembrance of God are described in the Quran as “diseased” (see, in particular, 47:20–21c) and “blind” (see 22:46). Regarding the heart, 83:14 states, Nay! But that which they used to earn has covered their hearts with rust. The Prophet is reported to have said, “For everything there is a polish, and the polish of the heart is the remembrance of God.” One of the most common analogies for the heart therefore is a mirror. When a mirror has stains on it, it does not reflect accurately the object that stands before it. Some aspects of the object standing before a grimy mirror may come through, but not the object in its actual pristine form. The heart, likewise, is capable of becoming sullied by evil actions and thoughts in general and by the forgetfulness of God in particular, so that it cannot reflect the truth in its purity and totality. Sufis thus say that whenever human beings are in a state of forgetfulness of God, the mirror of the heart becomes rusty and is therefore in need of polishing. Constant remembrance and invocation of God thus burnishes the mirror of the heart so that it is no longer covered by the rust of forgetfulness of Him. When a heart becomes totally polished, the Reality that stands before it, namely, God, is reflected in it without the barrier of the human ego. It is this kind of purified heart to whom allusion is made in the famous ḥadīth qudsī, “The heavens and the earth cannot contain Me, but the heart of My faithful servant can contain Me.” A polished heart, also known in Islamic mysticism as the “eye of the heart” (ʿayn al-qalb) when it has opened, thus reflects God as He is to Himself, since He looks at Himself through the polished mirror and only sees Himself. Such a heart is at peace, because it is in a state of perpetually witnessing God (Aj, Rb), thereby coming to a deeper understanding of such verses as 2:115: Wheresoever you turn, there is the Face of God.

In the language of spiritual alchemy, the remembrance of God is described as an elixir that eventually turns the lead or base metal of the soul into pure gold (R). This is similar to when God’s Majesty descends upon the heart through the act of remembrance: it acts as an elixir for the heart, gradually transforming it from a dark, murky substance into one that is pure, luminous, unchangeable (R), and able to “see.” The heart is thus changed from its fallen state, symbolized by lead, to its state of perfection, symbolized by gold.

This verse can also refer to the peace that comes about by virtue of God’s remembrance of human beings. One Sufi gloss on this verse states, “There are a people whose hearts are at peace because of their remembrance of God. And there are a people whose hearts are at peace because of God’s Remembrance of them —the Remembrance of God is surely greater” (29:45; My). Each of these two perspectives, in a sense, emphasizes different aspects of 2:152, So remember Me, and I shall remember you (My); see also 2:152c; 29:45c; cf. 7:51; 9:67.

***

# Those who believe and perform righteous deeds, theirs is blessedness and a beautiful return.

29. Those who believe and perform righteous deeds is seen as a reference to those who turn in repentance, mentioned in v. 27 (Kl). Blessedness translates ṭūbā, which can refer to a good life in this world (Āl, Ṭū), Paradise (Ṭū), or a tree in Paradise (R, Ṭū). More generally, it is understood to describe the joyous state of people in Paradise (My). Beautiful return (see also 38:25, 40, 49, 55) means that when they die and return to God (Q), they will have a beautiful outcome in the Hereafter (JJ, Ṭ).

***

# Thus have We sent thee unto a community before whom other communities have passed away, that thou mayest recite unto them that which We have revealed unto thee; yet they disbelieve in the Compassionate. Say, “He is my Lord; there is no god but He. In Him do I trust and unto Him do I turn.”

30. Thus have We sent thee unto a community, namely, the last of communities to receive revelation (N, R), before whom other communities have passed away, that is, the previous nations to whom God’s messengers have been sent (Aj). That thou mayest recite unto them that which We have revealed unto thee, meaning the revelation that God has bestowed upon the Prophet (Ṭ). They disbelieve in the Compassionate; that is, they are opposed to and reject God’s Oneness (Ṭ) because most of mankind believe not (see 13:1c). It is also said that the words yet they disbelieve in the Compassionate refer to the incident when the Makkans were told to prostrate to the Compassionate (al-Raḥmān, a Divine Name to which they were not accustomed), and they derisively said, “And who is the Compassionate?” (JJ, Q); see also 25:60c. According to another report, it refers to an incident that took place during the signing of the Treaty of Ḥudaybiyah in 6/628. When the words “In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful” were written on the treaty, one of the Makkans said, “We do not recognize the Compassionate!” (Th). For more on the Treaty of Ḥudaybiyah and this controversy, see the introduction to Sūrah 48; 2:114c; 2:190–94c.

He is my Lord; that is, “I believe in and affirm the Lordship and Divinity of the One in Whom you disbelieve” (IK). In Him do I trust “in all of my affairs” (IK). Unto Him do I turn; that is, “In a state of penitence I turn toward Him, for this is His right to which no one else can lay claim” (IK; cf. 11:88; 42:10).

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# Were there a Quran whereby the mountains were set in motion, or the earth was cleft, or the dead were made to speak! Nay! Unto God belongs the affair altogether. Do not those who believe understand that if God had willed, He would have guided mankind all together? And those who disbelieve, calamity will never cease to befall them because of that which they have wrought, or to alight close to their abode until God’s Promise comes. Truly God will not fail the tryst.

31. Cf. 6:111: Even if We were to send down angels unto them, and the dead were to speak to them, and We were to gather all things in front of them, they would still not believe, unless God wills. Similarly, in the present verse the words Were there a Quran whereby the mountains were set in motion, or the earth was cleft, or the dead were made to speak were revealed in response to the mocking by the disbelievers of Makkah, who told the Prophet to pray to God, asking Him to move the mountains, cause rivers to gush forth from the ground, and to bring their ancestors back to life so that they could speak with them (W).

Unto God belongs the affair altogether refers particularly to the Makkans’ guidance, which is to say that their guidance is in His Hands although it has a universal import. If He wills that they believe, then they will believe. But if He does not will it, then the signs that they demand be shown to them will not benefit them (IJ). According to Ibn al-Jawzī, this part of the verse goes on to confirm what follows it, namely, Do not those who believe understand that if God had willed, He would have guided mankind all together? For the relationship between God’s Will and human guidance, see commentary on 10:99–100; 54:49. Calamity, such as afflictions to themselves, their children, and property (Kl), will never cease to befall them—that is, the Makkans (JJ)—because of that which they have wrought, that is, because of their disbelief (JJ) and the conduct caused by it. Until God’s Promise comes is understood by many to refer to the conquest of Makkah by the Prophet (JJ, Kl). For the meaning of Truly God will not fail the tryst (cf. 3:9, 195; 39:20), see 3:9c.

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# Certainly messengers were mocked before thee. But I granted respite to those who disbelieved; then I seized them. How, then, was My Retribution!

32. For the manner in which those who mock God’s messengers are punished for their mockery, see 6:10; 11:8; 16:34; 39:48; 40:83; 45:33; 46:26. But I granted respite to those who disbelieved; then I seized them. How, then, was My Retribution! echoes 22:44: But I granted the disbelievers a respite, then I seized them in punishment. And how, then, was the change I wrought! The meaning of How, then, was My Retribution! is, “What do you think of what I have done with them? The same shall I do to the idolaters among your people!” (Q).

***

# What of He Who attends to every soul in accordance with what it has earned? Yet they ascribe partners unto God. Say, “Name them! Or will you inform Him of something He does not know upon the earth, or are these vain words?” Nay! But their plotting has been made to seem fair unto those who disbelieve, and they have been turned from the way. And whomsoever God leads astray, no guide has he.

33. In the first sentence the comparison is implied rather than explicit (JJ): Is He Who attends to, or watches over, every soul in accordance with what it has earned, whether good or evil, like those idols that some worship? Or will you inform Him of something, namely, the partners they would ascribe to God (Kl). Vain words are words with no inward meaning (JJ), because they are based on a false opinion. For the wider Quranic theme of people’s actions being made to seem fair to them, which in this verse includes their plotting, see 3:14c; 6:42–44c; and also 13:42: unto God belongs plotting altogether. For the hopelessness in guiding those whom God leads astray, see 4:88, 143: Whomsoever God leads astray, thou wilt not find a way for him; and 18:17: Whomsoever He leads astray, thou wilt find no protector to lead him aright (cf. 7:186; 17:97; 39:23, 36; 40:33; 42:44, 46).

***

# Theirs shall be punishment in the life of this world, and surely the punishment of the Hereafter will be more wretched; they shall have none to shield them from God.

34. Punishment in the life of this world refers to a variety of trials (N), such as death and slavery (Bḍ, Bg, Q), as well as various forms of illness and affliction (Q). Punishment in the next life is here described as more wretched than punishment in the present life (JJ); elsewhere the punishment in the next life is described as more severe and more lasting (20:127), greater (39:26; 68:33), and more disgraceful (41:16). They, the disbelievers, shall have none to shield them from God, meaning they shall have no one to prevent God’s Punishment from afflicting them (JJ); cf. v. 37; 40:21.

***

# The parable of the Garden that has been promised to the reverent: with rivers running below, its food everlasting, as is its shade. That is the ultimate end of those who were reverent, while the ultimate end of the disbelievers is the Fire!

35. For Paradise with rivers running below, see 2:25c. Al-Zamakhsharī observes that its food everlasting is similar to neither out of reach, nor forbidden (56:33), which describes the fruits of Paradise. Its shade, which is likewise everlasting, is to be contrasted with the shade in this life, which withdraws in accord with the sun’s positions (see also 56:30c); see also 47:15 and commentary.

***

# And those to whom We have given the Book rejoice in that which has been sent down unto thee. And among the parties are those who reject some of it. Say, “I have only been commanded to worship God, and to not ascribe partners unto Him. Unto Him do I call and unto Him is my return.”

36. The Book here is the Quran (Ni), and those who rejoice (cf. 3:173; 5:83; 8:2; 9:124; 17:109; 39:23; 47:17) are the Prophet’s Companions and those who believe in him (Ṭs). That which has been sent down unto thee refers to the Divine injunctions and the different forms of knowledge that have been given to the Prophet (Ni). Such people contrast starkly with those who rejoice in the life of the world (v. 26). Those who reject some of it is in reference to the Jews and the Christians (IK), who accepted those aspects of the Prophet’s teachings that conformed to their laws and beliefs, such as their sacred history and some legal injunctions, but rejected what was specific to Islam, such as the prophethood of Muhammad (Ni).

***

# Thus have We sent it down as a Judgment in Arabic. Yet if thou followest their caprices after the knowledge that has come to thee, thou shalt have no protector against God, and no defender.

37. A Judgment in Arabic is said to refer to the entire Quran; that is, it judges between truth and falsehood in the language of the Arabs (Q). Alternately, it can refer to the rulings found in the Quran (Q). This does not, however, mean that the Prophet was only sent to Arabs and those who have learned the Arabic language, to which allusion is made in 34:28: And We sent thee not, save as a bearer of glad tidings and a warner to mankind entire. But most of mankind know not; see also commentary on this verse as well as 4:79; 7:158; 21:107. According to Islamic belief, the Quran was revealed in Arabic, because God chose an Arab as the Messenger through whom to reveal the Quran. That is why 14:4 states, We have sent no messenger, save in the language of his people, that he might make clear unto them. Other verses speak of the Quran as an Arabic Quran (12:2; 20:113; 39:28; 41:3; 42:7; 43:3) and [in a] clear, Arabic tongue (16:103; cf. 26:195; 46:12).

Yet if thou followest their caprices after the knowledge that has come to thee—that is, “If you accept the Makkan idolaters’ caprices in worshipping other than God and turning to a direction other than the Kaʿbah” (Q)—thou shalt have no protector against God, and no defender. Al-Qurṭubī notes that although this verse is directly addressed to the Prophet, it is intended for his whole community. For similar verses condemning the following of caprices after the gaining of knowledge, see 2:120, 145; see also 5:48; 42:15; 45:18. Regarding the nature of caprice, see 45:23c.

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# Indeed We sent messengers before thee and appointed for them wives and progeny, and it is not for a messenger to bring a sign, save by God’s Leave; and for every term there is a Book.

38. Indeed We sent messengers before thee and appointed for them wives and progeny is meant to be a rebuke of those who objected that the Prophet was a mortal, with human needs (Kl), as in 25:7: And they say, “What ails this Messenger, who eats food and walks in the markets? Why is there not an angel sent down unto him to be a warner with him?” In 40:78 the phrase And it is not for a messenger to bring a sign, save by God’s Leave is repeated verbatim. For every term there is a Book can refer to the fact that God has a fixed term that He has established for every matter that He has determined (M), or to the Quranic theme of the universality of revelation (Bg, Z), for which, see 3:3; 3:19c; 3:85c;

5:48c; 10:47c; 16:36; 22:67; 35:31; 65:12c. See also the essay “The Quranic View of Sacred History and Other Religions.”

***

# God effaces what He will and establishes, and with Him is the Mother of the Book.

39. Al-Rāzī explains that God effaces what He will and establishes means that, in accordance with what the Divine Will has decreed, “He brings things into existence at one moment and makes them nonexistent at another; gives life at one moment and causes death at another; bestows riches at one moment and causes poverty at another.” The Mother of the Book (Umm al-kitāb; cf. 3:7; 43:4) refers, according to some, to the fundamental source of Divine Revelation from which the Quran and other Divinely revealed books are transcribed (Ṭ); others identify it with the Preserved Tablet mentioned in 85:22 (see 85:22c; Bg, Kl, R, Z), and still others say it refers to God’s Knowledge (R).

***

# Whether We show thee a part of that which We promise them, or We take thee [unto Us], thine is only to proclaim, and Ours is the Reckoning.

40. Whether We show thee a part of that which We promise them, or We take thee [unto Us] is echoed in 10:46 and 40:77 (see also 10:46c). In the Quran the main duty of the prophets is to convey the message they have been given, as in 5:67: O Messenger! Convey that which has been sent down unto thee from thy Lord, and if thou dost not, thou wilt not have conveyed His message (see also 2:272; 3:20; 29:18; 88:21–22). Ours is the Reckoning means, “When they come to Us, We shall recompense them” (JJ); cf. 88:26: Then truly with Us lies their reckoning.

***

# Have they not considered how We come upon the land, reducing itof its outlying regions? And God judges; none repeals His Judgment, and He is swift in reckoning.

41. They are the people of Makkah (AF, JJ), and how We come upon the land, reducing it of its outlying regions (cf. 21:44) refers to God’s giving Muhammad victory over the Makkans (JJ; see Sūrah 48) and its environs (AF). From a spiritual perspective, one can say that when God comes upon the land of the heart of the sincere believer, He reduces it of its outlying regions, that is, the believer’s concerns for things other than God. For God as swift in reckoning, see also 2:202; 3:19, 199; 5:4; 14:51; 24:39; 40:17.

***

# Indeed those who were before them plotted, but unto God belongsplotting altogether. He knows what every soul earns, and the disbelievers will know whose is the Ultimate Abode.

42. Here unto God belongs plotting altogether, but elsewhere He is referred to as the best of plotters (3:54; 8:30), which conveys the notion that the outcome of all things is under God’s control, since His “plot” will always overcome any plots by human beings; cf. see also 7:99; 10:21c; 14:46c; 27:50; 86:15–16. This notion is connected to the broad Quranic theme that all wrongdoings rebound upon those who commit them, as in 35:43: Yet evil plotting besets none but its authors.

The disbelievers will know whose is the Ultimate Abode functions as an elucidation of God’s plotting mentioned earlier in the verse (Bḍ). It is also a way of putting fear in the hearts of the disbelievers, since it implies that, although they are ignorant right now of the end of affairs, in the Hereafter they will come to know who will receive the praiseworthy end (R), namely, Paradise, which is the reward of the Abode (see 13:20–22c). In other words, whose is the Ultimate Abode will be made clear to the disbelievers when they meet God on the Day of Judgment and they are cast in Hell, and the believers enter Heaven (Ṭ).

***

# And those who disbelieve say, “You have not been sent.” Say, “God and whosoever possesses knowledge of the Book suffices as a witness between you and me.”

43. Whosoever possesses knowledge of the Book (cf. 27:40) refers either to those who know the Quran and its inimitable nature (Aj, Bḍ), or to the Madinan Jewish convert to Islam ʿAbd Allāh ibn Salām and other Jewish and Christian converts who are said to have known about the Prophet Muhammad based on references in the Torah and the Gospel (see 46:10c; Aj). According to Shiite scholars, whosoever possesses knowledge of the Book refers to the Shiite Imams (aʾimmat āl Muḥammad; Ṭū) generally and/or to ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib specifically (Qm).

Source: The Study Quran, by Sayyed Hossein Nasr and 4 Others

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