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Al-Baqarah 19

Ayah 19 of 286 · Medinan

أَوۡ كَصَيِّبٖ مِّنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ فِيهِ ظُلُمَٰتٞ وَرَعۡدٞ وَبَرۡقٞ يَجۡعَلُونَ أَصَٰبِعَهُمۡ فِيٓ ءَاذَانِهِم مِّنَ ٱلصَّوَٰعِقِ حَذَرَ ٱلۡمَوۡتِۚ وَٱللَّهُ مُحِيطُۢ بِٱلۡكَٰفِرِينَ ١٩

Or [it is] like a rainstorm from the sky within which is darkness, thunder and lightning. They put their fingers in their ears against the thunderclaps in dread of death. But Allāh is encompassing1 of the disbelievers.

Translation: Saheeh International (English)

1 Allāh states in the Qur’ān that He has certain attributes such as hearing, sight, hands, face, mercy, anger, coming, encompassing, being above the Throne, etc. Yet, He has disassociated Himself from the limitations of human attributes or human imagination. Correct Islāmic belief requires faith in the existence of these attributes as Allāh has described them without applying to them any allegorical meanings or attempting to explain how a certain quality could be (while this is known only to Allāh) and without comparing them to creation or denying that He (subḥānahu wa taʿālā) would have such a quality. His attributes are befitting to Him alone, and "There is nothing like unto Him." (42:11)

Word by word

Each word's meaning and sound

  1. أَوۡOraw
  2. كَصَيِّبٖlike a rainstormkaṣayyibin
  3. مِّنَfrommina
  4. ٱلسَّمَآءِthe skyl-samāi
  5. فِيهِin it (are)fīhi
  6. ظُلُمَٰتٞdarkness[es]ẓulumātun
  7. وَرَعۡدٞand thunderwaraʿdun
  8. وَبَرۡقٞand lightningwabarqun
  9. يَجۡعَلُونَThey putyajʿalūna
  10. أَصَٰبِعَهُمۡtheir fingersaṣābiʿahum
  11. فِيٓinfī
  12. ءَاذَانِهِمtheir earsādhānihim
  13. مِّنَfrommina
  14. ٱلصَّوَٰعِقِthe thunderclapsl-ṣawāʿiqi
  15. حَذَرَ(in) fear (of)ḥadhara
  16. ٱلۡمَوۡتِۚ[the] deathl-mawti
  17. وَٱللَّهُAnd Allahwal-lahu
  18. مُحِيطُۢ(is) [the One Who] encompassesmuḥīṭun
  19. بِٱلۡكَٰفِرِينَthe disbelieversbil-kāfirīna

Tafsir

In the example related to water, a storm full of darkness, thunder and lightning is described. Some people are terrified by it and put their fingers in their ears because of the strength of the thunderclaps, scared of death. Allah surrounds the disbelievers, and has absolute power over them, so they cannot escape Him.

Al-Mukhtasar in interpreting the Noble Quran