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 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.
