Virtues and benefits of Surah Ar-Ra’d
No hadith reports a virtue specific to Surah Ar-Ra’d; its merit is that it belongs to the Mathani, given to the Prophet ﷺ in place of the Gospel, and contains a prostration. In it are “The thunder glorifies His praise, and the angels out of awe of Him”, which gives it its name, and “It is in the remembrance of Allah that hearts find rest”. It answers those who deny revelation.
Its virtues at a glance
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One of the Mathani given in place of the Gospel
It is one of the Mathani, given to the Prophet ﷺ in place of the Gospel, according to the hadith of Wathilah ibn al-Asqa’: “I was given the seven long ones in place of the Torah, the Mi’un in place of the Psalms, and the Mathani in place of the Gospel.”
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A surah with a prostration
It is one of the surahs of the Qur’an that contain a prostration of recitation.
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The thunder that glorifies Allah
It takes its name from the verse “The thunder glorifies His praise, and the angels out of awe of Him”. ’Amir ibn Abdullah ibn az-Zubayr, when he heard thunder, would stop talking and say: “Glory be to the One whose praise the thunder glorifies, and the angels out of awe of Him”, then: “This is a severe warning for the people of the earth.”
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Messengers given wives and offspring
Ibn Majah reports from Samurah that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ forbade celibacy (at-tabattul); Qatadah recited in this regard this verse of the surah: “We sent messengers before you and gave them wives and offspring.”
What the surah is about
- Proofs of Allah’s perfect power and wisdom in the universe and its phenomena
- The Qur’an is from Allah, and the Messenger ﷺ is truthful in what he conveys
- A reply to the obstinate demands the idolaters made of the Prophet ﷺ
- Making the Prophet ﷺ steadfast and consoling him for the harm he suffered
- Two parables of truth and falsehood, and the fate of the followers of each
- Allah’s law: He changes a people’s condition when they change what is within themselves
- People of understanding, whose hearts find rest in the remembrance of Allah
- The Messenger’s task is to convey; guidance belongs to Allah alone
Main purpose: To answer those who deny revelation and prophethood by showing the signs of Allah’s greatness.
About Surah Ar-Ra’d
Ar-Ra’d is the 13th surah in the order of the Qur’an; it has forty-three verses in the Kufan count and has borne this name, its only known one, since the Prophet’s ﷺ time. Reports on where it was revealed conflict: Meccan, Medinan, or mixed. The preferred view is that it is Meccan, since its style and themes are those of the Meccan surahs, and that it was revealed in the period following the deaths of Abu Talib and Khadijah.
Detailed study in Arabic
The full Arabic text: introduction, virtues, themes, and a study of the chain and authenticity of each hadith.
- التعريف بسورة الرعد
- فضائل سورة الرعد
- مقاصد سورة الرعد
- مكان نزول سورة الرعد
- تلخيص سورة الرعد
- أهم الموضوعات التي تناولتها سورة الرعد
- الأحاديث الواردة في الفضل ودرجتها
Virtues of other surahs
All 114 surahs- Virtues of Surah Al-Kahf A light between two Fridays and protection from the Dajjal
- Virtues of Surah Al-Mulk Intercedes for its reciter and protects from the grave’s punishment
- Virtues of Surah Ya-Sin Whoever recites it at night seeking Allah’s Face is forgiven
- Virtues of Surah Al-Baqarah Satan flees the house where it is recited; it is the peak of the Qur’an
- Virtues of Surah Al-Fatihah The greatest surah of the Qur’an, without which there is no prayer
- Virtues of Surah Al-Ikhlas It equals a third of the Qur’an; loving it earns Allah’s love
- Virtues of Surah Al-Waqi’ah One of the surahs that greyed the Prophet ﷺ; he recited it at Fajr
- Virtues of Surah Ar-Rahman Recited by the Prophet ﷺ to the jinn, who responded better than people
- Ayat al-Kursi The greatest verse in the Book of Allah, a guard against Satan