Surah Ar-Ra'd (13) — Ayah 17

(Ayah 17) ➊ { اَنْزَلَ مِنَ السَّمَآءِ مَآءً …: ’’ اَوْدِيَةٌ‘‘} (Naale) is the plural of valley, which originally refers to a place where water flows. The empty space between two mountains is also called this, and sometimes it is used in the sense of a path, because in the mountains, paths usually run along the edges of mountain streams. {’’ زَبَدًا ‘‘} is the rubbish and foam that rises to the surface of water due to its rapid flow, or that rises to the top of a pot. { ’’ رَابِيًا ‘‘ ’’ رَبَا يَرْبُوْ رَبْوًا ‘‘} is an active participle from (ن), meaning one that increases or rises. {’’حِلْيَةٍ ‘‘} is the jewelry of gold, silver, etc., with which a person adorns himself. {’’ جُفَآءً ‘‘} is the rubbish or foam, etc., that the stream or pot throws to the sides, and this is called {’’ جُفَآءً ‘‘}.

Shawkani (may Allah have mercy on him) said that these are two examples that Allah Almighty has given for truth and falsehood. The meaning is that it is possible that sometimes falsehood may prevail over truth, but in the end Allah Almighty erases it and renders it worthless and valueless; the good end is for truth and the people of truth. Just as foam and rubbish may indeed cover the water, but in the end, the water throws them to the sides and renders them useless, and people benefit from the pure water. Similarly, when gold, silver, and other metals are melted, their impurities also rise to the top, but in the end, some are skimmed off and thrown away, and some are burned away. In short, all the impurities go to waste, and the beneficial metal remains in its pure state for people, like gold and silver, from which they make jewelry, or iron, copper, and brass, etc., from which utensils, weapons, and other items are made. Ustadh Muhammad Abduh (may Allah have mercy on him) writes that in these two examples, truth (the Qur’an) is likened to water, and the streams are the hearts of people, who benefit from the truth according to their own capacity and ability, or the truth is the jewelry with which human souls are adorned, and people obtain various kinds of benefits and advantages in this world and the Hereafter from it. The example of falsehood is like that of foam, which, at the time of conflict with the truth, temporarily rises to the top but in the end disappears. Abu Musa (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: [مَثَلُ مَا بَعَثَنِيَ اللّٰهُ مِنَ الْهُدَی وَالْعِلْمِ كَمَثَلِ الْغَيْثِ الْكَثِيْرِ أَصَابَ أَرْضًا، فَكَانَ مِنْهَا نَقِيَّةٌ، قَبِلَتِ الْمَاءَ، فَأَنْبَتَتِ الْكَلَأَ وَالْعُشْبَ الْكَثِيْرَ وَكَانَتْ مِنْهَا أَجَادِبُ أَمْسَكَتِ الْمَاءَ، فَنَفَعَ اللّٰهُ بِهَا النَّاسَ فَشَرِبُوْا وَسَقَوْا وَزَرَعُوْا، وَأَصَابَ مِنْهَا طَائِفَةً أُخْرَی، إِنَّمَا هِيَ قِيْعَانٌ لَا تُمْسِكُ مَاءً وَلَا تُنْبِتُ كَلَأً فَذٰلِكَ مَثَلُ مَنْ فَقُهَ فِيْ دِيْنِ اللّٰهِ وَنَفَعَهُ مَا بَعَثَنِيَ اللّٰهُ بِهِ فَعَلِمَ وَعَلَّمَ، وَمَثَلُ مَنْ لَمْ يَرْفَعْ بِذٰلِكَ رَأْسًا وَلَمْ يَقْبَلْ هُدَی اللّٰهِ الَّذِيْ أُرْسِلْتُ بِهِ ] [ بخاری، العلم، باب فضل من علم و علّم : ۷۹ ] “The example of the knowledge and guidance with which Allah has sent me is like abundant rain that fell on a land. One part of that land was very good (fertile), it accepted (absorbed) the water, then produced much grass and fodder, and some parts were hard ground hollows that held the water, so Allah benefited people with it; they drank from it, gave others to drink, and cultivated crops, and some parts were barren plains that neither held water nor grew grass. This is the example of the one who understood Allah’s religion and benefited from the knowledge and guidance with which Allah sent me, and the example of the one who neither raised his head towards it nor accepted the guidance with which I was sent (the last of these three is the example of the disbeliever).”

➋ {كَذٰلِكَ يَضْرِبُ اللّٰهُ الْاَمْثَالَ :} That is, to make things clear, Allah Almighty gives examples in this way, as He has given two examples here: one that occurs to desert and mountain people (streams), and one that occurs to city people (metals). Similarly, at the beginning of Surah Al-Baqarah, two examples of the hypocrites are given, and in Surah An-Nur (39, 40), two examples of the disbelievers are given. In short, many examples are given in the Qur’an and Hadith to explain things.

17. 1. The meaning of "بقدرھا وسعت" is that if the valley, that is, the space between two mountains, is narrow, it holds less water, and if it is wide, it holds more water. That is, the descent of the Quran, which is the source of guidance and explanation, is likened to the descent of rain because the benefit of the Quran is also general like the benefit of rain. The valleys are likened to hearts because water settles in the valleys and streams just as the Quran and faith settle in the hearts of the believers.

17. 1. When the foam rises above the water and whatever is useless is eliminated and the winds carry it away, disbelief is meant, which, like the foam, is something that will be blown away and eliminated.

17. 2. This is the second form: when copper, brass, lead, or gold and silver are heated in fire to make jewelry or utensils, foam also rises above them. Then this foam disappears before your eyes, and the metal remains in its original form.

17. 3. That is, when truth and falsehood come together and clash, falsehood does not have stability and permanence, just as the foam of a flood does not remain with the water, and the foam of metals, which are heated in fire, does not remain with the metals, but rather it is useless and eliminated.

17. 4. That is, there is no benefit from it, because the foam does not remain with the water or the metal, but gradually settles down or the winds carry it away. The example of falsehood is also like the foam.

17. 5. That is, water and gold, silver, copper, brass, etc., these things remain, from which people benefit and take advantage. Similarly, the truth remains, whose existence is never lost and whose benefit is everlasting.

17. 6. That is, to make the matter understandable and to impress it upon the mind, examples are given, as here two examples have been given, and similarly, at the beginning of Surah Al-Baqarah, examples have been given for the hypocrites. Likewise, in Surah An-Nur, verses 39 and 40, two examples have been given for the disbelievers. And in the ahadith, the Prophet ﷺ also explained many matters to people through examples. For details, see Tafsir Ibn Kathir.

17. He is the One Who sends down water from the sky, and the valleys flow according to their measure, and the torrent carries swelling foam. And from what they heat in the fire, seeking to make ornaments or utensils, there arises a foam like it. Thus Allah sets forth the example of truth and falsehood. As for the foam, it vanishes as scum, but what benefits [25] people remains on the earth. Thus Allah sets forth examples.

[25]
Two Examples of the Battle Between Truth and Falsehood and the Survival of the Most Beneficial:

In this example, the knowledge of revelation is likened to the rain of mercy, and those people of sound nature who believe are likened to streams and rivers, which, according to their capacity, become full and flow with this rain of mercy. The commotion and uproar created by the opponents and deniers in response to the call of truth is likened to the foam and scum that appears on the surface of the water in such a flood. But the reality of this foam and scum is only that, at any time, the river may surge and throw it onto the banks, where the wind and sun dry it up and finish it off, and all of it mixes with the soil, while the water—which is the thing that benefits people—remains. Whether a part of it is absorbed by the earth or most of it continues to flow to irrigate the land and then goes on to irrigate another region. The second example of truth and falsehood is that when metals, from which jewelry or other useful items are made, are heated in a crucible, their useless and impure parts rise to the top and not only cover the useful part but completely overshadow it. But in the end, all of this burns away and is thrown out, and the molten metal from which jewelry, etc., is made remains below. In the same way, in the battle between truth and falsehood, at one point, falsehood certainly overshadows the truth. But in the end, only the truth remains, because it is the thing that benefits people. From these two examples, it becomes clear that the Noble Quran and its teachings, which are beneficial to people, are everlasting and eternal. In every era, great scholars of the Quran have arisen and will continue to arise. Falsehood comes out to confront them and, in the beginning, overshadows the truth. Then, when Allah Almighty strikes blows against falsehood through the truth or through the scholars of divine revelation against the opponents and deniers of the truth, falsehood soon perishes like scum and foam, and only the truth remains. The reason for its survival is that it possesses the ability to benefit people. It should be noted that Darwin, in his theory of evolution, used the term "Survival of the Fittest." That is, only that which has the ability to survive remains. The Quran, in contrast, mentions the survival of the most beneficial, which appeals to reason much more than Darwin's term. That is, Darwin's theory is that if something has the ability to survive, it will remain; if not, it will not. Whereas the Quran states that only that which benefits people remains. There was no benefit for people in the dross, so it was burned away. There was benefit for people in the gold, so it remained.