Sūrah Ar-Ra'd, (Arabic: الرعد ), the Thunder, is the 13th sūrah (chapter) of Al-Qurʾān, composed of 43 verses (āyāt), part of Juzʼ13 with one Sajdah ۩ (Prostration) in the 15th verse. It is predominantly Makkan (though some scholars note a few Madinan verses, but its tone and themes are Makkan). The Surah begins with "المر (Alif. Lam. Mim. Ra", one of the Huroof Muqatta’at - Disjoined Letters. Please refer to our earlier post "Understanding the Holy Quran: Huroof Muqatta’at - Disjoined Letters" to know more about these disjoined letters.
The Sürah draws its name from the verse: “And the thunder glorifies His praise, and so do the angels out of fear of Him.” (13:13). Thunder here symbolizes The overwhelming power of Allah, nature itself bearing witness to His majesty.
We have already shared the Tafseer / Exegesis of the Surah. Herein under we will only present a condensed overview of the entire Sūrah, which includes the context, major themes and subjects and lessons that we can learn from this Sūrah, followed by references to some of the selected verses already published.
Context of revelation (Why this surah was revealed)
Surah Ar-Raʿd was revealed in the difficult times of life Prophet Muhammad ﷺ in the last stage of the Mission of the Holy Prophet at Makkah and during the same period in which Surahs Yunus, Hud and Al- A'araf were sent down. The mocking of the Prophet ﷺ at the hands of the dis-believers of Makkah was at its peak while rejecting the concept of resurrections and demanding a "sign" from the Heavenly Deity to satisfy them that Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was indeed a prophet of Allah. Allah responds by: (1)
Redirecting attention from spectacles to signs, (2) From external miracles to inner transformation, and (3) From impatience to moral endurance and (3)
Core theme of Surah Ar-Raʿd
Truth is not validated by noise or numbers, but by inner transformation and steadfastness upon divine guidance.
This sūrah is concerned with the oneness of God, the message, the Day of judgement, and the penalty. The sūrah revolves around an important axis: what is truth is clear through power and stability, and what is falsehood is clear through its weakness. The verses call upon people to not be deceived by the glitter of falsehood because it is inevitably fleeting, while the truth shines throughout the entire universe.
Rundown of the Surah with Selected / group of important verses
1️⃣ The Qur’an is truth—even if denied (13:1)
- “These are the verses of the Book; and what has been revealed to you from your Lord is the truth, but most people do not believe.”
- Lesson today: (1) Truth does not depend on majority approval, (2) Rejection does not negate reality, (3) Faith often begins in isolation
2️⃣ Allah’s signs in the universe (13:2–4)
- These verses mention: (1) Heavens raised without pillars, (2) Order of the sun and moon, (3) Diversity of land, crops, fruits
- “Indeed, in that are signs for people who reflect.” (13:4)
- Lesson today: (1) Islam invites reflection, not blind belief, (3) Scientific discovery should lead to humility, not arrogance
3️⃣ Certainty of resurrection (13:5)
- “If you are astonished, then astonishing is their saying: ‘When we are dust, will we indeed be in a new creation?’”
- Lesson today: (1) Denial of the Hereafter leads to moral confusion, (2) Accountability gives meaning to ethics
4️⃣ Allah does not change people until they change themselves (13:11)
- ⭐ One of the most cited verses: “Indeed, Allah does not change the condition of a people until they change what is within themselves.”
- Meaning: (1) Divine help follows moral reform, (2) Decline is internal before it is external
- Application today: (1) Personal growth precedes social reform. (2) Blaming systems without self-accountability is futile
- Applicability to Muslims: Muslims once dominated in all fields of science, astrology, astronomy, medicine, oceanography, mathematics and others while the Western world was far behind them. Now tides have changed. The initial euphoria of rise has subdued and taken over by the West / Non Muslims while Muslims have become entirely dependent on research and development in all forms of knowledge and sciences of the West. This verse should serve as an eye opener for the Muslims and to wake up from their slumber of ignorance to rise and reclaim their past glory.
5️⃣ Thunder, fear, and hope (13:12–13)
- “He shows you lightning, causing fear and hope…”
- Lesson - Faith balances: (1) Fear without despair, (2) Hope without complacency, and (3) Nature reminds us of human fragility
6️⃣ Falsehood is loud but shallow; truth is quiet but lasting (13:17)
- ⭐ A powerful parable: “As for the foam, it vanishes; but what benefits people remains on the earth.”
- Lesson today: (1) Trends fade, truth remains, (2) Propaganda disappears, principles endure, (3) Social media “noise” is not moral substance
7️⃣ The people of understanding (13:19–22)
- “Is one who knows that what has been revealed to you is the truth like one who is blind?”
- Allah describes the people of insight as those who: (1) Keep their covenant with Allah, (2) Maintain ties, (3) Are patient, and (4) Repel evil with good
- Lesson: (1) Faith is seen in character, not claims, (2) Knowledge must produce ethics
8️⃣ The world is not the reward (13:26)
- “The life of this world is nothing compared to the Hereafter except temporary enjoyment.”
- Lesson today: (1) Material comfort is not success, (2) Delayed justice is not denial of justice
9️⃣ The mission of the Prophet ﷺ (13:40)
- “Your duty is only to convey; upon Us is the reckoning.”
- There is a message in the verse for all people engaged in Da'wah - like all prophets, their job is only to extend the invitation. Thereafter, it is for others to come to Islam and those who still do not accept the ultimate truth, their matter is with Allah.
- Lesson: Da'wah is responsibility, not control for results belong to Allah.
Herein under are links to the explanation of some of the essential verses of Sürah Ar Ra’ad already published:
In time we shall add more verses for the benefit of our readers.
May Allāh (سبحانه و تعالى) help us understand Qur'ān and follow the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, which is embodiment of commandments of Allah contained in the Qur'ān. May Allah help us to be like the ones He loves and let our lives be lived helping others and not making others' lives miserable or unlivable. May all our wrong doings, whether intentional or unintentional, be forgiven before the angel of death knocks on our door.
وَمَا عَلَيۡنَاۤ اِلَّا الۡبَلٰغُ الۡمُبِيۡنُ
(36:17) and our duty is no more than to clearly convey the Message.”
That is Our duty is only to convey to you the message that Allah has entrusted us with. Then it is for you to accept it or reject it. We have not been made responsible for making you accept it forcibly, and if you do not accept it, we shall not be seized in consequence of your disbelief, you will yourselves be answerable for your actions on Day of Resurrection.
May Allah forgive me if my posts ever imply a piety far greater than I possess. I am most in need of guidance.
Reading the Qur'ān should be a daily obligation of a Muslim - Reading it with translation will make it meaningful. But reading its Exegesis / Tafsir will make you understand it fully. It will also help the Muslims to have grasp over social issues and their answers discussed in the Qur'an and other matter related to inter faith so that they are able to discuss issues with non-Muslims with authority based on refences from Qur'an.
Note: When we mention God in our posts, we mean One True God, we call Allah in Islam, with no associates. Allah is the Sole Creator of all things, and that Allah is all-powerful and all-knowing. Allah has no offspring, no race, no gender, no body, and is unaffected by the characteristics of human life.
You may also refer to our exclusive reference page: Selected verses from selected Surahs of Al-Qurʾān for compiled verses from other surahs.
For verses on Selected Subjects, please refer to our reference page: Selected Verses from Al Qur'an about a Specific Subject (Reference Page) to know more about what Qur'an says about specific subjects and our reference page: Selected Verses from the Qur'an. .
An effort has been made to gather explanation / exegesis of the surahs and selected verses of Al-Qurʾān from authentic sources and then present a least possible condensed explanation of the surah. In that the exegesis of the chapters of the Quran is mainly based on the "Tafhim al-Qur'an - The Meaning of the Qur'an" by one of the most enlightened scholars of the Muslim World Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi.
In addition, other sources which have been explored and views of other scholars have been incorporated while explaining meaning of a verse. Those desirous of detailed explanations and tafsir (exegesis), may refer to these sites. For expansion of meaning and themes / contextual background help from ChatGPT is also taken.
Disclaimer: The material for this post has been collected from the references given above. If anyone differs with the material contained in this post, one may consult the references and their authors. If someone has more material about the subject, he/she is most welcome to share in the comments box to make the post all encompassing.
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