Tafseer of The Thunder · Ar-Ra'd · 13:31
And if there was any qur'an by which the mountains would be removed or the earth would be broken apart or the dead would be made to speak, [it would be this Qur'an], but to Allah belongs the affair entirely. Then have those who believed not accepted that had Allah willed, He would have guided the people, all of them? And those who disbelieve do not cease to be struck, for what they have done, by calamity - or it will descend near their home - until there comes the promise of Allah. Indeed, Allah does not fail in [His] promise.
Important: The Arabic source text is always authoritative. This translation is a study aid and has not been verified by scholars — do not use it as a basis for religious proof or for deriving rulings (ahkam). When in doubt, always consult the Arabic text and a qualified scholar.
Abū Jaʿfar said: The Exalted says: وَلا يَزَالُ — O Muḥammad — الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا the disbelievers of your people — تُصِيبُهُمْ بِمَا صَنَعُوا on account of their disbelief in Allah, their rejection of you, and their expulsion of you from their midst — قَارِعَةٌ — that is the striking calamity, the chastisement and the disasters that befall them: sometimes through killing, sometimes through wars, and sometimes through famine. أَوْ تَحُلُّ — you, O Muḥammad — He says: or you descend — قَرِيبًا مِنْ دَارِهِمْ (near their dwelling-place) with your army and your companions — حَتَّى يَأْتِيَ وَعْدُ اللَّهِ (until the promise of Allah comes) which He has promised you concerning them, and that is your victory over them and your conquest of their land and your domination over them by the sword. إِنَّ اللَّهَ لا يُخْلِفُ الْمِيعَادَ (verily, Allah does not break the promise) — He says: verily, Allah will bring to you, O Muḥammad, what He has promised you of victory over them, for He does not break His promise.
And the exegetes said something similar to what we have said about this.
Mention of who said that:
20418 — [Muḥammad ibn al-Muthanā related to us, saying: Abū Dāwūd related to us,] saying: Al-Masʿūdī related to us, on the authority of Qatāda, on the authority of Saʿīd ibn Jubayr, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, concerning His word: وَلا يَزَالُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا تُصِيبُهُمْ بِمَا صَنَعُوا قَارِعَةٌ — he said: a military force. أَوْ تَحُلُّ قَرِيبًا مِنْ دَارِهِمْ — he said: Muḥammad. حَتَّى يَأْتِيَ وَعْدُ اللَّهِ — he said: the Conquest of Mecca.
20419 — Ibn Wakīʿ related to us, saying: my father related to us, on the authority of Al-Masʿūdī, on the authority of Qatāda, on the authority of Saʿīd ibn Jubayr, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās — similarly, but he did not mention "military force."
20420 — Al-Ḥasan ibn Muḥammad related to us, saying: Abū Qaṭan related to us, saying: Al-Masʿūdī related to us, on the authority of Qatāda, on the authority of Saʿīd ibn Jubayr, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās — he recited this verse: وَلا يَزَالُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا تُصِيبُهُمْ بِمَا صَنَعُوا قَارِعَةٌ — he said: "al-qāriʿa" is the military force. أَوْ تَحُلُّ قَرِيبًا مِنْ دَارِهِمْ — he said: that is Muḥammad ﷺ. حَتَّى يَأْتِيَ وَعْدُ اللَّهِ — he said: the Conquest of Mecca.
20421 — Al-Muthanā related to me, saying: Abū Ghassān related to us, saying: Zuhayr related to us, that Khuṣayf related to them, on the authority of ʿIkrima, concerning His word: وَلا يَزَالُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا تُصِيبُهُمْ بِمَا صَنَعُوا قَارِعَةٌ أَوْ تَحُلُّ قَرِيبًا مِنْ دَارِهِمْ — he said: it was revealed in Medina concerning the military forces of the Prophet ﷺ. أَوْ تَحُلُّ — you, O Muḥammad — قَرِيبًا مِنْ دَارِهِمْ.
20422 — Ibn Wakīʿ related to us, saying: my father related to us, on the authority of Al-Naḍr ibn ʿArabī, on the authority of ʿIkrima: وَلا يَزَالُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا تُصِيبُهُمْ بِمَا صَنَعُوا قَارِعَةٌ — he said: military force. أَوْ تَحُلُّ قَرِيبًا مِنْ دَارِهِمْ — he said: you, O Muḥammad.
20423 — Muḥammad ibn Saʿd related to me, saying: my father related to me, saying: my uncle related to me, saying: my father related to me, on the authority of his father, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, concerning His word: وَلا يَزَالُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا تُصِيبُهُمْ بِمَا صَنَعُوا قَارِعَةٌ — he says: a chastisement from heaven that descends upon them. أَوْ تَحُلُّ قَرِيبًا مِنْ دَارِهِمْ — he means: the descent of the Prophet ﷺ upon them and his fighting against them.
20424 — Al-Ḥasan ibn Muḥammad related to us, saying: Shabāba related to us, saying: Warqāʾ related to us, on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid, concerning His word: تُصِيبُهُمْ بِمَا صَنَعُوا قَارِعَةٌ — a military force of theirs is struck, or a disaster strikes them — or Muḥammad descends near their dwelling-place. And His word: حَتَّى يَأْتِيَ وَعْدُ اللَّهِ — he said: the Conquest.
20425 — Al-Muthanā related to me, saying: Al-Ḥajjāj related to us, saying: Ḥammād ibn Zayd related to us, on the authority of ʿAbd Allāh ibn Abī Najīḥ: أَوْ تَحُلُّ قَرِيبًا مِنْ دَارِهِمْ — he means the Prophet ﷺ.
20426 — Al-Qāsim related to us, saying: Al-Ḥusayn related to us, saying: Ḥajjāj related to me, on the authority of Ibn Jurayj, on the authority of Mujāhid — similar to the narration of Al-Ḥasan via Shabāba.
20427 — Al-Ḥārith related to me, saying: ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz related to us, saying: Qays related to us, on the authority of Khuṣayf, on the authority of ʿIkrima, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās — he said: قَارِعَةٌ — he said: the military forces.
20428 — … he said: ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz related to us, saying: ʿAbd al-Ghaffār related to us, on the authority of Manṣūr, on the authority of Mujāhid: قَارِعَةٌ — he said: a disaster from Muḥammad. أَوْ تَحُلُّ قَرِيبًا مِنْ دَارِهِمْ — he said: you, O Muḥammad. حَتَّى يَأْتِيَ وَعْدُ اللَّهِ — he said: the Conquest.
20429 — … he said: Isrāʾīl related to us, on the authority of Khuṣayf, on the authority of Mujāhid: قَارِعَةٌ — he said: an army corps.
20430 — … he said: ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz related to us, saying: ʿAmr ibn Thābit related to us, on the authority of his father, on the authority of Saʿīd ibn Jubayr: تُصِيبُهُمْ بِمَا صَنَعُوا قَارِعَةٌ — he said: a military force. أَوْ تَحُلُّ قَرِيبًا مِنْ دَارِهِمْ — he said: you, O Muḥammad.
20431 — Bishr related to us, saying: Yazīd related to us, saying: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda, concerning His word: وَلا يَزَالُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا تُصِيبُهُمْ بِمَا صَنَعُوا قَارِعَةٌ — that is to say: on account of their deeds, the evil deeds. And His word: أَوْ تَحُلُّ قَرِيبًا مِنْ دَارِهِمْ — you, O Muḥammad. حَتَّى يَأْتِيَ وَعْدُ اللَّهِ — and the promise of Allah is: the Conquest of Mecca.
20432 — Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Aʿlā related to us, saying: Muḥammad ibn Thawr related to us, on the authority of Maʿmar, on the authority of Qatāda: قَارِعَةٌ — he said: a blow. أَوْ تَحُلُّ قَرِيبًا مِنْ دَارِهِمْ — he said: he means the Prophet ﷺ — he says: or you descend near their dwelling-place.
20433 — Aḥmad ibn Isḥāq related to us, saying: Abū Aḥmad related to us, saying: Muḥammad ibn Ṭalḥa related to us, on the authority of Ṭalḥa, on the authority of Mujāhid: تُصِيبُهُمْ بِمَا صَنَعُوا قَارِعَةٌ — he said: a military force.
20434 — Aḥmad ibn Isḥāq related to us, saying: Abū Aḥmad related to us, saying: Sufyān related to us, on the authority of Layth, on the authority of Mujāhid: تُصِيبُهُمْ بِمَا صَنَعُوا قَارِعَةٌ — he said: the military forces that the Prophet ﷺ sent. أَوْ تَحُلُّ قَرِيبًا مِنْ دَارِهِمْ — you, O Muḥammad. حَتَّى يَأْتِيَ وَعْدُ اللَّهِ — he said: the Conquest of Mecca.
20435 — … he said: Abū Aḥmad related to us, saying: Isrāʾīl related to us, on the authority of one of his companions, on the authority of Mujāhid: تُصِيبُهُمْ بِمَا صَنَعُوا قَارِعَةٌ — he said: an army corps.
20436 — Yūnus related to me, saying: Ibn Wahb informed us, saying: Ibn Zayd said, concerning His word: وَلا يَزَالُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا تُصِيبُهُمْ بِمَا صَنَعُوا قَارِعَةٌ — he said: a striking chastisement.
And others said: the meaning of His word أَوْ تَحُلُّ قَرِيبًا مِنْ دَارِهِمْ is: or the striking calamity descends near their dwelling-place.
Mention of who said that:
20437 — Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Aʿlā related to us, saying: Muḥammad ibn Thawr related to us, on the authority of Maʿmar, on the authority of Qatāda — he said: Al-Ḥasan said: أَوْ تَحُلُّ قَرِيبًا مِنْ دَارِهِمْ — he said: or the striking calamity descends near their dwelling-place.
20438 — Bishr related to us, saying: Yazīd related to us, saying: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda, on the authority of Al-Ḥasan — he said: أَوْ تَحُلُّ قَرِيبًا مِنْ دَارِهِمْ — he said: or the striking calamity descends.
And others said concerning His word حَتَّى يَأْتِيَ وَعْدُ اللَّهِ: it is the Day of Resurrection.
Mention of who said that:
20439 — Al-Muthanā related to me, saying: Muʿallā ibn Asad related to us, saying: Ismāʿīl ibn Ḥakīm related to us, on the authority of a man whom he named, on the authority of Al-Ḥasan, concerning His word: حَتَّى يَأْتِيَ وَعْدُ اللَّهِ — he said: the Day of Resurrection.
