The Reality of Thunder and Lightning in the Light of Qur’an and Hadith
Reference: Fatāwā Muḥammadiyyah, Vol. 1, Page 209
❖ Question
What is the reality of the thunder and lightning we hear and see? From where does it come? Does the Qur’an or Hadith provide any explanation regarding it?
❖ Answer
Al-ḥamdu lillāh, waṣ-ṣalātu was-salāmu ʿalā Rasūlillāh, ammā baʿd!
Thunder and lightning are actually the sound and flash caused by the whip of the angel Raʿd, who drives the clouds. This has been clarified in both Qur’an and Hadith.
Guidance from the Qur’an
Surah al-Raʿd (13:13):
﴿وَيُسَبِّحُ الرَّعدُ بِحَمدِهِ وَالمَلـئِكَةُ مِن خيفَتِهِ وَيُرسِلُ الصَّوعِقَ فَيُصيبُ بِها مَن يَشاءُ وَهُم يُجـدِلونَ فِى اللَّهِ وَهُوَ شَديدُ المِحالِ﴾
"The thunder glorifies His praise, as do the angels from fear of Him, and He sends thunderbolts and strikes with them whom He wills. Yet they dispute about Allah, while He is mighty in power."
Surah al-Ṣāffāt (37:1-2):
﴿فَالزّجِرتِ زَجرًا﴾
"By those angels who drive the clouds forcefully."
These verses indicate the role of the angel Raʿd and the angels under his command.
Hadith from Ibn ʿAbbās (RA)
It is narrated that the Jews came to the Prophet ﷺ and asked:
"O Abū al-Qāsim! What is Raʿd (thunder)?"
The Prophet ﷺ replied:
"Raʿd is an angel appointed over the clouds. He has whips of fire with which he drives the clouds wherever Allah wills. The sound you hear is the driving of the clouds, and the flash (lightning) comes from the whip."
This narration is found in Musnad Aḥmad, Sunan al-Nasāʾī, and Jāmiʿ al-Tirmidhī (vol. 2, p. 14, tafsīr of Sūrah al-Raʿd).
The Reality of Raʿd and Lightning
① Raʿd is an angel.
② Barq (lightning) is the flash of his whip.
③ The thunderous sound is the noise of driving the clouds with that whip.
It is therefore understood that the fire of the whip manifests as lightning, and its impact can result in thunder and strikes.
Shaykh Mawlānā Sharf al-Dīn Muḥaddith Dehlawī رحمه الله also held this same opinion.
ھذا ما عندی واللہ أعلم بالصواب
