وَمِنْ ءَايَـٰتِهِۦ يُرِيكُمُ ٱلْبَرْقَ خَوْفًا وَطَمَعًا وَيُنَزِّلُ مِنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ مَآءً فَيُحْىِۦ بِهِ ٱلْأَرْضَ بَعْدَ مَوْتِهَآ ۚ إِنَّ فِى ذَٰلِكَ لَـَٔايَـٰتٍ لِّقَوْمٍ يَعْقِلُونَ 24
Translations
And of His signs is [that] He shows you the lightning [causing] fear and aspiration, and He sends down rain from the sky by which He brings to life the earth after its lifelessness. Indeed in that are signs for a people who use reason.
Transliteration
Wa min ayatihi yureekum al-barqa khawfan wa tama'an wa yunazzilu min as-sama'i ma'an fa-yuhyi bihi al-arda ba'da mawtiha. Inna fee dhalika la-ayatin li-qawmin ya'qilun.
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah presents lightning and rain as divine signs demonstrating Allah's power and wisdom. Lightning evokes both fear (from its danger) and hope (as a sign of forthcoming rain), while the rain itself revives the dead earth, symbolizing spiritual resurrection and renewal. Classical scholars like Al-Qurtubi emphasize that these natural phenomena are not coincidental but deliberate signs (ayat) pointing to the Creator's attributes of power, mercy, and sustenance, designed specifically for those who reflect upon creation with reason ('aql).
Revelation Context
Surah Ar-Rum is a Meccan surah addressing the polytheists of Mecca. This ayah appears within a broader passage (30:20-25) enumerating Allah's signs in creation—including human creation, language diversity, sleep, and the celestial bodies. The context emphasizes that these observable natural phenomena are clear evidences of Allah's oneness, intended to guide those willing to use their intellect to recognize the Creator.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: 'The cloud is the House of water, the wind is the messenger of the punishment of Allah, and the rain is the mercy of Allah' (authenticated in various collections). Additionally, Islamic tradition encourages reflection on rain and lightning as reminders of the Day of Judgment and divine power.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches believers to observe the natural world as a direct communication from Allah, cultivating both reverence (through the fear inspired by lightning) and hope (through the provision of rain), while encouraging rational contemplation as a pathway to deeper faith and gratitude for divine sustenance.
Related Ayahs
إِنَّ فِى خَلْقِ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ وَٱخْتِلَـٰفِ ٱلَّيْلِ وَٱلنَّهَارِ وَٱلْفُلْكِ ٱلَّتِى تَجْرِى فِى ٱلْبَحْرِ بِمَا يَنفَعُ ٱلنَّاسَ وَمَآ أَنزَلَ ٱللَّهُ مِنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ مِن مَّآءٍ فَأَحْيَا بِهِ ٱلْأَرْضَ بَعْدَ مَوْتِهَا وَبَثَّ فِيهَا مِن كُلِّ دَآبَّةٍ وَتَصْرِيفِ ٱلرِّيَـٰحِ وَٱلسَّحَابِ ٱلْمُسَخَّرِ بَيْنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ لَـَٔايَـٰتٍ لِّقَوْمٍ يَعْقِلُونَ
Indeed, in the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the alternation of the night and the day, and the [great] ships which sail through the sea with that which benefits people, and what Allāh has sent down from the heavens of rain, giving life thereby to the earth after its lifelessness and dispersing therein every [kind of] moving creature, and [His] directing of the winds and the clouds controlled between the heaven and earth are signs for a people who use reason.
لِّنُحْـِۧىَ بِهِۦ بَلْدَةً مَّيْتًا وَنُسْقِيَهُۥ مِمَّا خَلَقْنَآ أَنْعَـٰمًا وَأَنَاسِىَّ كَثِيرًا
That We may bring to life thereby a dead land and give it as drink to those We created of numerous livestock and men.
هُوَ ٱلَّذِى يُرِيكُمْ ءَايَـٰتِهِۦ وَيُنَزِّلُ لَكُم مِّنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ رِزْقًا ۚ وَمَا يَتَذَكَّرُ إِلَّا مَن يُنِيبُ
It is He who shows you His signs and sends down to you from the sky, provision. But none will remember except he who turns back [in repentance].
وَٱلَّذِىٓ أَخْرَجَ ٱلْمَرْعَىٰ
And who brings out the pasture