249 Page Notes

13 Surah Ar-Rad

Page 249 - Related Hadith/Sunnah

13:1

13:2

13:3

13:4

13:5

Translation of the meaning by Sahih International.

Page 249 - Related Hadiths and Sunnah

Page 249 of the Quran introduces a brand-new chapter: Surah Ar-Ra'd (The Thunder, Chapter 13), Verses 1 through 5.

This page transitions from the narrative closure of Surah Yusuf into a powerful, sweeping discourse on theology, cosmology, and the physical signs of the Divine. It begins with the isolated letters (Alif, Lam, Meem, Ra) and asserts the absolute truth of the Quran.

The text then directs our attention to the physical universe: Allah raising the heavens without visible pillars, establishing His majesty over the Throne (al-`Arsh), and subjecting the sun and moon to precise, calculated orbits. It details the spreading of the earth, the placement of stabilizing mountains, flowing rivers, and pairs of every fruit. It highlights the mystery of neighboring plots of land (qita'un mutajawirat) that are watered by the exact same source yet yield completely different varieties of crops and palm trees (sinwanun wa ghayru sinwan). The page ends on a stark note, marveling at the stubbornness of those who witness these intricate biological marvels but mockingly ask: "When we are dust, will we really be raised in a new creation?"

The prophetic Sunnah and classical Ahadith directly connect to the concepts on this page, offering commentary on the nature of the Divine Throne, the mechanical orbits of the celestial bodies, agricultural parables of faith, and the certainty of the Resurrection.

1. The Elevation Above the Divine Throne (Istiwa)

Quranic Context (Verse 2): "...It is Allah who raised the heavens without pillars that you can see; then He established Himself above the Throne (thumma-stawa 'alal-'Arsh)..."

This verse establishes the immense scale of the cosmos and notes that Allah is established over His Throne, managing all universal affairs. The Sunnah contains numerous descriptions emphasizing the literal and metaphorical magnitude of the Throne (al-`Arsh) as the highest point of creation.

• The Scale of the Throne: The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ used vivid analogies to help the human mind grasp the sheer cosmic scale of the Throne relative to the rest of the universe:
  "The seven heavens in comparison to the Footstool (al-Kursi) are nothing but like a ring thrown out into a vast desert. And the virtue of the Throne (al-Arsh) over the Footstool is like the virtue of that desert over that ring."* — **Al-Asma' wa al-Sifat by Al-Bayhaqi & Kitab al-Arsh by Ibn Abi Shaybah (Sahih via corroborating chains)*

• The Highest Point in Paradise: When guiding believers on how to frame their ultimate spiritual ambitions, the Prophet ﷺ explicitly referenced the location of the Throne:
  "When you ask Allah, ask Him for Al-Firdaws, for it is the middle of Paradise and the highest part of Paradise, and above it is the Throne of the Most Merciful..."
  — Sahih al-Bukhari (7423)

2. The Regulated Orbits of the Sun and Moon

Quranic Context (Verse 2): "...and subjected the sun and the moon, each running [its course] for a specified term. He details the signs that you may, of the meeting with your Lord, be certain."

The verse describes the sun and moon as mechanical bodies subjected to strict physical boundaries and paths determined by divine command. The Sunnah provides a spiritual narrative behind this constant, uninterrupted celestial movement.

• The Sun's Prostration and Orbit: In a deep theological discussion with his companion Abu Dharr, the Prophet ﷺ explained that the sun’s daily cycle is an act of perpetual submission to its Creator:
  The Prophet ﷺ asked, "Do you know where the sun goes when it sets?" Abu Dharr replied, "Allah and His Messenger know best." He said, "Verily, it goes until it prostrates beneath the Throne and seeks permission to rise again, and it is permitted... A time is about to come when it will be told: 'Return from whence you came,' and it will rise from the West."
  — Sahih al-Bukhari (3199) & Sahih Muslim (159)

3. The Agricultural Parable of Human Hearts

Quranic Context (Verse 4): "And within the earth are neighboring plots (qita'un mutajawirat) and gardens of grapevines and crops and palm trees, growing several from a single root or otherwise (sinwanun wa ghayru sinwan), watered with one water; but We make some of them excel others in fruit..."

This verse uses a brilliant botanical sign: different plants grow side-by-side in the exact same soil, absorbing the exact same water, yet they manifest completely distinct tastes, shapes, and values. The Sunnah uses this exact environmental phenomenon as a metaphor for how different human hearts absorb divine guidance (Wahy).

• The Parable of the Rain and the Soil: The Prophet ﷺ categorized human receptivity to truth using three distinct types of land affected by the same rainfall:
  "The example of guidance and knowledge with which Allah has sent me is like abundant rain falling on the earth. There is a fertile soil that accepts the water and brings forth vegetation and grass in abundance. And there is another land that is hard; it holds the water and Allah benefits the people with it—they drink, irrigate, and plant. And a portion of it falls on flat, barren land; it neither holds water nor brings forth vegetation. That is the example of the one who understands the religion of Allah..."
  — Sahih al-Bukhari (79) & Sahih Muslim (2282)

4. The Blindness to the Reconstruction of Creation

Quranic Context (Verse 5): "And if you marvel, [O Muhammad] - then amazing is their saying, 'When we are dust, will we indeed be [brought] into a new creation?'..."

The page concludes by identifying the core intellectual roadblock of the polytheists: their sheer inability to believe that a decomposed body can be reconstructed. The Sunnah firmly counters this doubt by emphasizing that the God who engineered the vast universe from nothing can easily reassemble human remains.

• The Ultimate Re-creation from the Tailbone: The Sunnah reveals that human bodies do not entirely vanish into nothingness; a foundational biological element is preserved to serve as the structural anchor for the Resurrection:
  "The earth consumes all of the son of Adam except the tailbone (`ajb al-dhanab). From it he was created, and from it he will be reconstructed."
  — Sahih Muslim (2955) & Sahih al-Bukhari (4814)

References

• Al-Bayhaqi, A. B. (2002). Al-Asma' wa al-Sifat. Dar al-Kutub al-Ilmiyyah.

• Al-Bukhari, M. I. (1997). Sahih al-Bukhari. Darussalam Publishers.

• Al-Naysaburi, M. H. (2007). Sahih Muslim. Darussalam Publishers.

• Ibn Abi Shaybah, A. (1998). Kitab al-`Arsh. Dar al-Watan.

• Ibn Kathir, I. (2000). Tafsir Al-Quran Al-Azim (Vol. 4). Dar-us-Salam Publications.