Ar-Ra'd 13:41
The Thunder · Juz 13 · Page 254
أَوَلَمۡ يَرَوۡاْ أَنَّا نَأۡتِي ٱلۡأَرۡضَ نَنقُصُهَا مِنۡ أَطۡرَافِهَاۚ وَٱللَّهُ يَحۡكُمُ لَا مُعَقِّبَ لِحُكۡمِهِۦۚ وَهُوَ سَرِيعُ ٱلۡحِسَابِ ٤١
Have they not seen that We set upon the land, reducing it from its borders?1 And Allāh decides; there is no adjuster of His decision. And He is swift in account.
1 translator’s note
- Referring to the spread of Islām through Allāh's Prophet (ﷺ) and the diminishing of those areas controlled by the polytheists. ↩
Tafsir · in English
Tazkirul Quran
Brief · Short modern reflections on each passage.
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Commentary on 13:40–42
The result of the rejection of God’s religion becomes apparent in the Hereafter, but if the addressees of a prophet reject his call, the consequences start manifesting themselves in the present world itself. However, there is not one fixed principle for this worldly outcome. This has appeared in different forms during the periods of different prophets. In the case of the Prophet Muhammad, by the special dispensation of the Almighty, the followers of the Prophet were made dominant over his opponents. In the last stage of the Makkah period, when the tribal chiefs of Makkah had rejected him, the call of Islam was gradually spreading within Madina and among the tribes outside Makkah. In other words, Islam’s missionary power was conquering the surroundings of Makkah and was advancing towards Makkah itself. In the case of the Prophet Muhammad the will of God appeared in the shape of missionary conquests. Here Dawah strategy is called divine strategy. This shows its importance. When the Quraysh expelled the Prophet Muhammad from Makkah, they thought that they had finished him. At that time he was a person whose means of livelihood had been destroyed; a person who was deprived of the support of his own tribe. After doing all this, the Quraysh were very happy. They thought that they had buried the problem of the Prophet once and for all. But they could not understand that the mission of Dawah is the greatest weapon of a missionary, and this is something which nobody can snatch from him. All other deprivations of the missionary only result in increasing the force of his missionary call; these do not reduce this force in any way. Accordingly, at the very moment when the Quraysh thought that they had deprived the Prophet of everything, his missionary call was spreading all round among the Arab tribes. People’s hearts were won over by him. This process was quietly but constantly going on. And the conquest of Makkah was, in fact, its culminating point. Those who had been considered only “tens of hundreds” by the people of Makkah and had been uprooted from their homes, in only a few years’ time became “ten thousand and returned to Makkah in such strength that the people of Makkah did not have the courage to prevent them from entering their city. Those whose interests are adversely affected by the call for acknowledgement of truth try to suppress it by adopting various devices against it. But in the end, devices are in the hand of God. He has power over everybody. The initial manifestation of God’s superiority is taking place in the present world. The perfect manifestation of this will take place in the Hereafter, when even the blind will see it and even the deaf will hear it.
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13:35
۞ مَّثَلُ ٱلۡجَنَّةِ ٱلَّتِي وُعِدَ ٱلۡمُتَّقُونَۖ تَجۡرِي مِن تَحۡتِهَا ٱلۡأَنۡهَٰرُۖ أُكُلُهَا دَآئِمٞ وَظِلُّهَاۚ تِلۡكَ عُقۡبَى ٱلَّذِينَ ٱتَّقَواْۚ وَّعُقۡبَى ٱلۡكَٰفِرِينَ ٱلنَّارُ ٣٥
The example [i.e., description] of Paradise, which the righteous have been promised, is [that] beneath it rivers flow. Its fruit is lasting, and its shade. That is the consequence for the righteous, and the consequence for the disbelievers is the Fire.
13:36
وَٱلَّذِينَ ءَاتَيۡنَٰهُمُ ٱلۡكِتَٰبَ يَفۡرَحُونَ بِمَآ أُنزِلَ إِلَيۡكَۖ وَمِنَ ٱلۡأَحۡزَابِ مَن يُنكِرُ بَعۡضَهُۥۚ قُلۡ إِنَّمَآ أُمِرۡتُ أَنۡ أَعۡبُدَ ٱللَّهَ وَلَآ أُشۡرِكَ بِهِۦٓۚ إِلَيۡهِ أَدۡعُواْ وَإِلَيۡهِ مَـَٔابِ ٣٦
And [the believers among] those to whom We have given the [previous] Scripture rejoice at what has been revealed to you, [O Muḥammad], but among the [opposing] factions are those who deny part of it [i.e., the Qur’ān]. Say, "I have only been commanded to worship Allāh and not associate [anything] with Him. To Him I invite, and to Him is my return."
13:37
وَكَذَٰلِكَ أَنزَلۡنَٰهُ حُكۡمًا عَرَبِيّٗاۚ وَلَئِنِ ٱتَّبَعۡتَ أَهۡوَآءَهُم بَعۡدَ مَا جَآءَكَ مِنَ ٱلۡعِلۡمِ مَا لَكَ مِنَ ٱللَّهِ مِن وَلِيّٖ وَلَا وَاقٖ ٣٧
And thus We have revealed it as an Arabic legislation.1 And if you should follow their inclinations after what has come to you of knowledge, you would not have against Allāh any ally or any protector.
1 translator’s note
- i.e., revealed in the Arabic language. ↩
13:38
وَلَقَدۡ أَرۡسَلۡنَا رُسُلٗا مِّن قَبۡلِكَ وَجَعَلۡنَا لَهُمۡ أَزۡوَٰجٗا وَذُرِّيَّةٗۚ وَمَا كَانَ لِرَسُولٍ أَن يَأۡتِيَ بِـَٔايَةٍ إِلَّا بِإِذۡنِ ٱللَّهِۗ لِكُلِّ أَجَلٖ كِتَابٞ ٣٨
And We have already sent messengers before you and assigned to them wives and descendants. And it was not for a messenger to come with a sign except by permission of Allāh. For every term is a decree.
13:39
يَمۡحُواْ ٱللَّهُ مَا يَشَآءُ وَيُثۡبِتُۖ وَعِندَهُۥٓ أُمُّ ٱلۡكِتَٰبِ ٣٩
Allāh eliminates what He wills or confirms, and with Him is the Mother of the Book.1
1 translator’s note
- The Preserved Slate (al-Lawḥ al-Maḥfūẓ), in which is inscribed the original of every scripture revealed by Allāh. ↩
13:40
وَإِن مَّا نُرِيَنَّكَ بَعۡضَ ٱلَّذِي نَعِدُهُمۡ أَوۡ نَتَوَفَّيَنَّكَ فَإِنَّمَا عَلَيۡكَ ٱلۡبَلَٰغُ وَعَلَيۡنَا ٱلۡحِسَابُ ٤٠
And whether We show you part of what We promise them or take you in death, upon you is only the [duty of] notification, and upon Us is the account.
13:41
أَوَلَمۡ يَرَوۡاْ أَنَّا نَأۡتِي ٱلۡأَرۡضَ نَنقُصُهَا مِنۡ أَطۡرَافِهَاۚ وَٱللَّهُ يَحۡكُمُ لَا مُعَقِّبَ لِحُكۡمِهِۦۚ وَهُوَ سَرِيعُ ٱلۡحِسَابِ ٤١
Have they not seen that We set upon the land, reducing it from its borders?1 And Allāh decides; there is no adjuster of His decision. And He is swift in account.
1 translator’s note
- Referring to the spread of Islām through Allāh's Prophet (ﷺ) and the diminishing of those areas controlled by the polytheists. ↩
13:42
وَقَدۡ مَكَرَ ٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبۡلِهِمۡ فَلِلَّهِ ٱلۡمَكۡرُ جَمِيعٗاۖ يَعۡلَمُ مَا تَكۡسِبُ كُلُّ نَفۡسٖۗ وَسَيَعۡلَمُ ٱلۡكُفَّٰرُ لِمَنۡ عُقۡبَى ٱلدَّارِ ٤٢
And those before them had plotted, but to Allāh belongs the plan entirely. He knows what every soul earns, and the disbelievers will know for whom is the final home.