Surah Ar-Ra'd (13) — Ayah 31

(Ayah31) ➊ {وَ لَوْ اَنَّ قُرْاٰنًا سُيِّرَتْ بِهِ الْجِبَالُ … : ’’ قُرْاٰنًا ‘‘} is an indefinite noun, any Quran, meaning any book to be recited. {’’لَوْ ‘‘} is conditional, its answer is omitted, which is automatically understood from the context of the verse and is also present in other places in the Noble Quran. Two answers are mentioned in the exegeses and both are correct. One is that if there were indeed such a Quran by which mountains could be moved, or by which the earth could be cut, or by which the dead could be spoken to, even then these people would not believe, because they are denying out of stubbornness and hostility. These three things are specifically mentioned because, after the miracle of the Noble Quran, in response to whose challenge everyone had been rendered speechless, now those people were specifically demanding to see these three things. Allah Almighty said that when, despite being rendered speechless, these people did not believe in this Quran, then even if such a Quran were to come by which their demands would be fulfilled, they still would not believe, because all matters are in Allah’s hands, and when these people, due to their hostility, did not believe in this Quran—which is the greatest of all miracles—and have become the target of Allah’s wrath,then how and from where would they be granted the ability to believe after seeing their desired miracles, due to Allah’s wrath? When someone deliberately closes their eyes, how can anyone show them anything, as He said: «{ وَ لَوْ اَنَّنَا نَزَّلْنَاۤ اِلَيْهِمُ الْمَلٰٓىِٕكَةَ وَ كَلَّمَهُمُ الْمَوْتٰى وَ حَشَرْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ قُبُلًا مَّا كَانُوْا لِيُؤْمِنُوْۤا اِلَّاۤ اَنْ يَّشَآءَ اللّٰهُ وَ لٰكِنَّ اَكْثَرَهُمْ يَجْهَلُوْنَ }» [ الأنعام : ۱۱۱ ] “And even if We had sent down the angels to them, and the dead had spoken to them, and We had gathered everything before them, they would not have believed unless Allah willed, but most of them behave ignorantly.” From this verse, the answer to {’’ لَوْ ‘‘ } is clearly understood.
The second answer to this {’’ لَوْ ‘‘} is that if there were any Quran possessing these qualities, it would be this very Quran, as He said: «{ لَوْ اَنْزَلْنَا هٰذَا الْقُرْاٰنَ عَلٰى جَبَلٍ لَّرَاَيْتَهٗ خَاشِعًا مُّتَصَدِّعًا مِّنْ خَشْيَةِ اللّٰهِ }» [ الحشر : ۲۱ ] “If We had sent down this Quran upon a mountain, you would surely have seen it humbled and splitting asunder from the fear of Allah.” In this is the statement of the greatness of this Quran, that the demands you are making for the Quran, none of them are difficult to fulfill, but the entire matter is in Allah’s hands, and to do so would be against His wisdom, because if after that you did not believe, you would be annihilated by punishment, as happened with previous nations.

➋ The commentators have written two meanings for {اَفَلَمْ يَايْـَٔسِ الَّذِيْنَ اٰمَنُوْۤا:} and {’’ اَفَلَمْ يَايْـَٔسِ ‘‘}, one meaning is that {’’ أَفَلَمْ يَعْلَمْ ‘‘}—that have those who have believed not realized that the signs these people are demanding, Allah Almighty is capable of showing them, because He has power over everything, but to show such signs with the expectation that they will believe is useless, because He knows that these people are so rebellious and stubborn that even after seeing these signs, they will not believe. And the second meaning of {’’ اَفَلَمْ يَايْـَٔسِ ‘‘} is that have the Muslims not yet despaired of their believing, even though they know…

➌ {اَنْ لَّوْ يَشَآءُ اللّٰهُ لَهَدَى النَّاسَ جَمِيْعًا :}—that guidance depends on Allah Almighty’s will, which can occur even without showing these signs. (Shawkani)

➍ {وَ لَا يَزَالُ الَّذِيْنَ كَفَرُوْا … :}—that these disbelievers of Makkah are not ones to believe after seeing signs. They will believe only in such a way that, as a punishment for their deeds, some calamity will continue to descend upon them day after day, such as killing, imprisonment, famine, or disease, etc. Thus, Shah Abdul Qadir (may Allah have mercy on him) writes: “But the disbelievers will become Muslims in such a way that calamity will continue to befall them, whether upon them or upon their neighbors, until all of Arabia comes to faith. That calamity was jihad at the hands of the Muslims.” (Mawdhih)

➎ { اَوْ تَحُلُّ قَرِيْبًا مِّنْ دَارِهِمْ:}—that the calamity will descend upon those around them, and they will take heed by seeing their condition.

➏ { اِنَّ اللّٰهَ لَا يُخْلِفُ الْمِيْعَادَ:}—thus, Allah Almighty’s promise was fulfilled; some of the Quraysh were killed and some were imprisoned, until Allah’s promise was fulfilled, that is, Makkah was conquered.

31. 1 Imam Ibn Kathir states that every heavenly book is called Qur'an, just as it is mentioned in a hadith that Hazrat Dawud ؑ would order the preparation of an animal and in the meantime would recite the Qur'an once (Sahih Bukhari). Here, it is obvious that by Qur'an is meant Zabur. The meaning of the verse is that if previously any heavenly book had been revealed such that, upon hearing it, mountains would move or the earth would be traversed or the dead would speak, then this characteristic would be present in the Qur'an to an even greater degree, because it surpasses previous books in its miraculousness and eloquence. And some have explained its meaning as: even if miracles were manifested through this Qur'an, still the disbelievers would not believe, because believing or not believing depends on Allah's will, not on miracles. That is why it is said, all matters are in Allah's hands.

31. 2 Which will surely come into their observation or knowledge so that they may take heed.

31. 3 That is, either the Day of Judgment will occur, or the people of Islam will attain absolute victory and dominance.

31. And if there were a Qur’an by which mountains could be moved, or the earth traversed, or the dead could be made to speak [41], even then those who disbelieve would not believe. But all matters [42] are in Allah’s hands. Have not the believers yet despaired (of the disbelievers’ demand for signs)? For if Allah had willed, He could have guided all people. And disaster will continue to afflict the disbelievers because of what they do, or it will descend near their homes [43], until Allah’s promise comes to pass. Surely, Allah never fails in His promise.

[41]
Showing Physical Miracles is Useless:

The word ﴿قُطّعت﴾ has appeared, and "qata‘ arḍ" means to traverse a distance, and ﴿قَطّع﴾ means to break into pieces, to tear apart, or to split open, and all these meanings can be intended here. That is, distances would be traversed instantly, or the earth would be broken into pieces, or it would be split open. And in this verse, there is mention of the demands for physical miracles that the Quraysh used to make from time to time, for example: one, that the mountains surrounding Makkah be removed from here so that the land becomes spacious for us; second, that the earth should split and springs should gush forth from it so that our shortage of water is alleviated; third, that one of our dead ancestors should come back to life before us and confirm what you keep telling us about resurrection, then we will believe you. In response, Allah Almighty said that if there were any Quran by following which such events could occur, it would be this Quran. But even then, you people would not believe, and even if We showed you any of these miracles, you would still call it a feat of magic. You would still not believe.

[42] Upon the repeated demands of the disbelievers for such a physical miracle, sometimes this thought would arise in the hearts of some Muslims as well, that if Allah were to show such a miracle, it would be better; these disbelievers would believe, and our difficulties would also be reduced. Allah Almighty answered this by saying that in reality, showing such a miracle is the work of Allah alone, because all matters are under His authority and control. But the believers should remember that Allah has absolutely no intention of showing such a miracle. The reason for this was previously explained: that even if these disbelievers see such a miracle, they will not believe, rather their stubbornness will increase. And here, the answer is given that if the objective were that the disbelievers be compelled to believe after seeing such a miracle, then Allah has the power to compel them to believe even without showing such a miracle. But such faith has no value. Value only exists when a person, with freedom of will and understanding, believes by his own choice.

[43] If the word ﴿تَحُلُ﴾ is considered as a third person feminine singular verb, then its meaning is as explained above. And if it is considered as a second person masculine singular verb, then its meaning would be: "or you will descend near the houses of these disbelievers," and by this is meant the conquest of Makkah, as is also mentioned in ﴿وَاَنْتَ حِلٌّ بِهٰذَا الْبَلَدِ﴾. In this verse, the address is not only to the disbelievers of Makkah but to all disbelievers. And according to the first meaning, the calamities refer to famine, the crushing defeat of the disbelievers in the Battle of Badr, and other calamities, and Allah's promise refers to the conquest of Makkah, as a result of which the backbone of disbelief was broken. And if the second meaning is taken, then the calamity that befell near their houses refers to the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah, which, in terms of its outcome, proved to be very bad for the disbelievers, and Allah's promise in any case refers to the conquest of Makkah.