سُوْرَةُ الرَّعْدِ
Surah Ar-Ra'd (13) — Ayah 13
وَيُسَبِّحُ ٱلرَّعْدُ بِحَمْدِهِۦ وَٱلْمَلَـٰٓئِكَةُ مِنْ خِيفَتِهِۦ وَيُرْسِلُ ٱلصَّوَٰعِقَ فَيُصِيبُ بِهَا مَن يَشَآءُ وَهُمْ يُجَـٰدِلُونَ فِى ٱللَّهِ وَهُوَ شَدِيدُ ٱلْمِحَالِ ﴿13﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
And Ar-Ra‘d (thunder) glorifies and praises Him, and so do the angels because of His Awe. He sends the thunderbolts, and therewith He strikes whom He wills, yet they (disbelievers) dispute about Allâh. And He is Mighty in strength and Severe in punishment.
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
وَيُسَبِّحُ
wayusabbiḥu
And glorifies
ٱلرَّعْدُ
l-raʿdu
the thunder
بِحَمْدِهِۦ
biḥamdihi
with his praise
وَٱلْمَلَـٰٓئِكَةُ
wal-malāikatu
and the Angels
مِنْ
min
for
خِيفَتِهِۦ
khīfatihi
fear of Him
وَيُرْسِلُ
wayur'silu
And He sends
ٱلصَّوَٰعِقَ
l-ṣawāʿiqa
the thunderbolts
فَيُصِيبُ
fayuṣību
and strikes
بِهَا
bihā
with it
مَن
man
whom
يَشَآءُ
yashāu
He wills
وَهُمْ
wahum
yet they
يُجَـٰدِلُونَ
yujādilūna
dispute
فِى
fī
about
ٱللَّهِ
l-lahi
Allah
وَهُوَ
wahuwa
And He
شَدِيدُ
shadīdu
(is) Mighty
ٱلْمِحَالِ
l-miḥāli
(in) Strength
Tafsir al-Quran al-Karim — Hafiz Abdus Salam Bin Muhammad Bhutvi
Tafsir al-Quran al-Karim is a 4-volume Quran commentary by Hafiz Abdus Salam bin Muhammad Bhutvi, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar and Sheikh ul-Hadith from Pakistan. Based on over 45 years of teaching and research, this tafsir follows the methodology of Tafsir bil-Ma'thur — interpreting the Quran through authentic Hadith, statements of the Companions, and the understanding of the early generations (Salaf). It is distinguished by its complete avoidance of Israeliyyat (Judeo-Christian narratives) and unverified reports. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
(Ayah13) ➊ {وَ يُسَبِّحُ الرَّعْدُ بِحَمْدِهٖ …: ’’ الرَّعْدُ ‘‘} meaning the thunder of the cloud, in this verse Allah Almighty has mentioned the thunder of the cloud, the falling lightning, and its rumble to express His perfect power, majesty, and greatness. These glorify Him with His praise, that Allah Almighty is free from every deficiency and flaw and is the owner of every perfection and virtue, and the angels also glorify and praise Him out of fear of Him. In fact, this is the duty of everything in the universe. He said: «{ وَ اِنْ مِّنْ شَيْءٍ اِلَّا يُسَبِّحُ بِحَمْدِهٖ وَ لٰكِنْ لَّا تَفْقَهُوْنَ تَسْبِيْحَهُمْ}» [ بنی إسرائیل : ۴۴ ] "And there is nothing except that it glorifies Him with His praise, but you do not understand their glorification." In the Noble Qur’an, it is mentioned that many things possess feeling and speech, which we consider to be without speech. In the time of Solomon (peace be upon him), the speech of the ant and Solomon (peace be upon him) understanding it, as well as his conversation with the hoopoe, are mentioned in Surah An-Naml. In Surah Al-Baqarah, it is mentioned that stones fall, split, and water gushes out of them out of fear of Allah. The conversation of Hell and Paradise is mentioned in the Qur’an and Hadith, and now science has proven through experiments that plants have consciousness and feeling. The heavens and the earth not weeping over the death of disbelievers is in Surah Ad-Dukhan (29). The mention of birds and mountains glorifying with David (peace be upon him) morning and evening is in Surah Sad (18, 19). There are some well-known hadiths regarding {’’ الرَّعْدُ ‘‘}. A long narration is reported from Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both), in which it is mentioned that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said in response to a question from the Jews: {’’ الرَّعْدُ ‘‘} "Ar-Ra'd is an angel among the angels who is appointed over the cloud, in his hand is a whip of fire, with which he drives the cloud, and the sound that is heard from it is the sound of him driving the cloud, until he drives it to the place where he is commanded." This hadith is in Tirmidhi (3117), Musnad Ahmad (1/274, H: 2487), and Sunan Kubra an-Nasa’i (6/336, H: 9072), etc. Shaykh Al-Albani (may Allah have mercy on him) mentioned it in Silsilah Sahihah (4/491, H: 1872) and after a lengthy discussion said that in his view, this hadith is at least Hasan. However, in the takhrij of Musnad Ahmad, Shu'ayb Arna'ut called this long hadith of Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) Hasan, but called this part about thunder Munkar. (And Allah knows best)
If someone says that science considers it to be the result of the friction of pieces of cloud, then tell him that this does not contradict the hadith, for that friction also occurs as a result of the movement of the clouds by someone’s command. Nothing in the universe is moving by itself. A companion from the tribe of Banu Ghifar narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: [ إِنَّ اللّٰهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ يُنْشِئُ السَّحَابَ فَيَنْطِقُ أَحْسَنَ النُّطْقِ وَيَضْحَكُ أَحْسَنَ الضَّحْكِ ] [ السلسلۃ الصحیحۃ : 409/2، ح : ۱۶۶۵ ] "When Allah Almighty creates the cloud, it speaks, the best speaking, and laughs, the best laughing." Shaykh Al-Albani (may Allah have mercy on him) mentioned it in Sahihah, referencing Musnad Ahmad and several books of hadith, and declared its chain Sahih, and Shu'ayb Arna'ut also declared its chain Sahih in Musnad Ahmad (39/91, 92, H: 23686). It is thus known that this thunder and lightning is the speech of the cloud and its laughter. As for whether "Ra’d" is the voice of an angel or the speech of the cloud, the reality is that both are correct, and there is no contradiction between them.
➋ {وَ يُرْسِلُ الصَّوَاعِقَ …:} In Mufradat Raghib, it is stated that "Sa’iqah" comes in three meanings: (1) Death, as in: «{فَصَعِقَ مَنْ فِي السَّمٰوٰتِ وَ مَنْ فِي الْاَرْضِ }» [ الزمر : ۶۸ ] (2) Punishment, as in: «{ اَنْذَرْتُكُمْ صٰعِقَةً مِّثْلَ صٰعِقَةِ عَادٍ وَّ ثَمُوْدَ }» [ حٰمٓ السجدۃ : ۱۳ ] (3) Fire, as He said: «{ وَ يُرْسِلُ الصَّوَاعِقَ } » [ الرعد : ۱۳ ] because the meaning of Sa’iqah is an extremely severe sound produced in the atmosphere (the crash of lightning), then as a result, any of the aforementioned three things can occur, so in reality, Sa’iqah is one thing, the rest are its effects. The flash of lightning that comes with Sa’iqah is extremely intense, Allah Almighty sends the thundering lightnings, then strikes with lightning whomever He wills, while they are heedlessly disputing about Allah Almighty.
➌ {وَ هُمْ يُجَادِلُوْنَ فِي اللّٰهِ :} That is, even after seeing so many signs, they dispute about Allah Almighty, sometimes denying His perfect knowledge and power and His being the only deity, and say how will He resurrect again, and sometimes they deny His messengers, and sometimes they hasten for His punishment.
➍ { وَ هُوَ شَدِيْدُ الْمِحَالِ:} Imam Raghib has stated the root of {’’ الْمِحَالِ ‘‘} as {’’ مَحْلٌ ‘‘} and has given the meaning of {’’ شَدِيْدُ الْمِحَالِ ‘‘} as: {’’شَدِيْدُ الْأَخْذِ بِالْعُقُوْبَةِ‘‘ } that is, He is severe in seizing with punishment. Imam Raghib has also written the statement of some scholars that its root is {’’حَوْلٌ‘‘}, meaning {’’ قُوَّةٌ ‘‘}, that is, He is very powerful. In this case, the meem is additional.
If someone says that science considers it to be the result of the friction of pieces of cloud, then tell him that this does not contradict the hadith, for that friction also occurs as a result of the movement of the clouds by someone’s command. Nothing in the universe is moving by itself. A companion from the tribe of Banu Ghifar narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: [ إِنَّ اللّٰهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ يُنْشِئُ السَّحَابَ فَيَنْطِقُ أَحْسَنَ النُّطْقِ وَيَضْحَكُ أَحْسَنَ الضَّحْكِ ] [ السلسلۃ الصحیحۃ : 409/2، ح : ۱۶۶۵ ] "When Allah Almighty creates the cloud, it speaks, the best speaking, and laughs, the best laughing." Shaykh Al-Albani (may Allah have mercy on him) mentioned it in Sahihah, referencing Musnad Ahmad and several books of hadith, and declared its chain Sahih, and Shu'ayb Arna'ut also declared its chain Sahih in Musnad Ahmad (39/91, 92, H: 23686). It is thus known that this thunder and lightning is the speech of the cloud and its laughter. As for whether "Ra’d" is the voice of an angel or the speech of the cloud, the reality is that both are correct, and there is no contradiction between them.
➋ {وَ يُرْسِلُ الصَّوَاعِقَ …:} In Mufradat Raghib, it is stated that "Sa’iqah" comes in three meanings: (1) Death, as in: «{فَصَعِقَ مَنْ فِي السَّمٰوٰتِ وَ مَنْ فِي الْاَرْضِ }» [ الزمر : ۶۸ ] (2) Punishment, as in: «{ اَنْذَرْتُكُمْ صٰعِقَةً مِّثْلَ صٰعِقَةِ عَادٍ وَّ ثَمُوْدَ }» [ حٰمٓ السجدۃ : ۱۳ ] (3) Fire, as He said: «{ وَ يُرْسِلُ الصَّوَاعِقَ } » [ الرعد : ۱۳ ] because the meaning of Sa’iqah is an extremely severe sound produced in the atmosphere (the crash of lightning), then as a result, any of the aforementioned three things can occur, so in reality, Sa’iqah is one thing, the rest are its effects. The flash of lightning that comes with Sa’iqah is extremely intense, Allah Almighty sends the thundering lightnings, then strikes with lightning whomever He wills, while they are heedlessly disputing about Allah Almighty.
➌ {وَ هُمْ يُجَادِلُوْنَ فِي اللّٰهِ :} That is, even after seeing so many signs, they dispute about Allah Almighty, sometimes denying His perfect knowledge and power and His being the only deity, and say how will He resurrect again, and sometimes they deny His messengers, and sometimes they hasten for His punishment.
➍ { وَ هُوَ شَدِيْدُ الْمِحَالِ:} Imam Raghib has stated the root of {’’ الْمِحَالِ ‘‘} as {’’ مَحْلٌ ‘‘} and has given the meaning of {’’ شَدِيْدُ الْمِحَالِ ‘‘} as: {’’شَدِيْدُ الْأَخْذِ بِالْعُقُوْبَةِ‘‘ } that is, He is severe in seizing with punishment. Imam Raghib has also written the statement of some scholars that its root is {’’حَوْلٌ‘‘}, meaning {’’ قُوَّةٌ ‘‘}, that is, He is very powerful. In this case, the meem is additional.
Tafsir Ahsan al-Bayan — Hafiz Salahuddin Yusuf
Tafsir Ahsan al-Bayan is a well-known Quran commentary by Hafiz Salahuddin Yusuf, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar from Pakistan. This tafsir explains the meanings of the Quran in accordance with the methodology of the Salaf (early righteous generations), relying on authentic sources and straightforward language. Due to its reliability and adherence to sound Islamic scholarship, the Saudi government publishes and distributes this tafsir among the Hujjaj (pilgrims) visiting the Haramain. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
13. 1 As stated at another place (وَ اِنْ مِّنْ شَیْءٍ اِلَّاُ یُسَبِّحُ بِحَمْدِہٖ) (Bani Isra'il. 44) everything declares the glorification of Allah.
13. 2 That is, through it He destroys whomever He wills.
13. 3 The meaning of محال is taken as power of seizing and planning, etc., that is, He is of great power, severe in retribution, and one who plans.
13. 2 That is, through it He destroys whomever He wills.
13. 3 The meaning of محال is taken as power of seizing and planning, etc., that is, He is of great power, severe in retribution, and one who plans.
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran — Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran (Facilitation of the Quran) is a comprehensive Quran commentary by Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar from Pakistan. Known for his eloquent and accessible writing style, Kilani authored this tafsir with a focus on clarity — making Quranic meanings understandable to the common reader. The tafsir provides detailed historical context for verses related to battles and expeditions, and firmly refutes modernist ideologies using strong scriptural evidence. It is widely regarded as an invaluable resource for understanding the Quran and countering deviant interpretations. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
The thunder glorifies His praise, as do the angels in awe of Him. He sends the thunderbolts and strikes with them whom He wills, yet they dispute about Allah [20], while His plan is mighty indeed [20.1].
[20] That is, sometimes they dispute about His very existence, questioning whether He even exists or not, and sometimes they dispute about His powers. For example, someone might say that these clouds, rain, lightning, thunder, and thunderbolts, etc., are produced merely due to natural causes—so where does Allah’s power come into this? Or they dispute about Allah sending down revelation to a servant and making him a prophet. These are such matters that, if Allah wills, He can destroy such people by striking them with lightning. Accordingly, some commentators have also narrated such incidents.
[20۔1]
Muhāl (Severe Grasp):
The meaning of "maḥl" is to act against someone with strength and harsh plotting (Mufradat al-Qur’an, Munjid). Thus, the meaning of "maḥl" includes both strength and strategy, and "muḥāl" means one who severely seizes someone with planning and strategy. In this sense, one meaning has been mentioned above. The second meaning of this phrase could be that His grasp is very severe, and the third is that He is very powerful.
[20] That is, sometimes they dispute about His very existence, questioning whether He even exists or not, and sometimes they dispute about His powers. For example, someone might say that these clouds, rain, lightning, thunder, and thunderbolts, etc., are produced merely due to natural causes—so where does Allah’s power come into this? Or they dispute about Allah sending down revelation to a servant and making him a prophet. These are such matters that, if Allah wills, He can destroy such people by striking them with lightning. Accordingly, some commentators have also narrated such incidents.
[20۔1]
Muhāl (Severe Grasp):
The meaning of "maḥl" is to act against someone with strength and harsh plotting (Mufradat al-Qur’an, Munjid). Thus, the meaning of "maḥl" includes both strength and strategy, and "muḥāl" means one who severely seizes someone with planning and strategy. In this sense, one meaning has been mentioned above. The second meaning of this phrase could be that His grasp is very severe, and the third is that He is very powerful.
