Welcome to our weekly program "Path towards Enlightenment" in which we present you a fluent and easy-to-understand explanation of the ayahs of the holy Quran.

We start from where we left you last Friday and here is ayah 47 of Surah Roum:

وَلَقَدْ أَرْسَلْنَا مِن قَبْلِكَ رُسُلًا إِلَىٰ قَوْمِهِمْ فَجَاءُوهُم بِالْبَيِّنَاتِ فَانتَقَمْنَا مِنَ الَّذِينَ أَجْرَمُوا ۖ وَكَانَ حَقًّا عَلَيْنَا نَصْرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ

“Certainly We sent Prophets to their people before you, and they brought them manifest proofs. Then We took vengeance upon those who were guilty, and it was a must for Us to help the faithful.”

If you might recall, last week we explained to you Ayah 46 of this Surah which has given a beautiful description of winds and how they bring life to earth by making everything fresh, and how they make ships sail on the surface of the seas, as well as set in motion several other things, despite the progress of technology, which itself is dependent upon the winds, which in turn are manifest proof of the power of the One and Only God and order He has decreed in the universe. The Ayah that we recited to you now highlights four of the ways of Almighty Allah for guiding mankind to the right path and saving them from doom which people bring upon themselves by their own sinister deeds. (1), the sending of prophets to convey divine commands and to devise laws for abstaining from wrongs, vices, and sins. (2) The power of miracles through which the Prophets demonstrate to the doubters the signs of Allah in the world of creation. (3) The retribution of the unrepentant sinners and intransigent disbelievers who continue to ignore the blessings of God and fail to avail of the numerous opportunities offered to them for repentance, reform and rectifying of wrongs. (4) Victory promised by God to the believers, who are assured of divine assistance for their good deeds and their abstention from evil. The gist of this ayah is that Allah has undertaken to help the believers, and without being in need of anyone else, He will fulfil His promise.

By the way, this sentence is a form of consolation for those Muslims in the time of Prophet Mohammad (blessings of God upon him and his progeny) who were under the severe pressure of the powerful pagan Arabs of Mecca.

From this ayah we learn that:

1. By sending Prophets and granting them the power to perform miracles, the All-Merciful God has shown clear reasons and proofs to mankind.
2. Divine punishment for the intransigent disbelievers and unrepentant sinners depends on the discretion of the All-Wise God, after all forms of guidance have been shown, and all opportunities for repentance and reform have been made available. 
3. The victory of the true believers over the faithless, and the triumph of righteousness over wrong, is the definite Promise of God.

Now we listen to and read ayahs 48 and 49 of Surah Roum:

اللَّـهُ الَّذِي يُرْسِلُ الرِّيَاحَ فَتُثِيرُ سَحَابًا فَيَبْسُطُهُ فِي السَّمَاءِ كَيْفَ يَشَاءُ وَيَجْعَلُهُ كِسَفًا فَتَرَى الْوَدْقَ يَخْرُجُ مِنْ خِلَالِهِ ۖ فَإِذَا أَصَابَ بِهِ مَن يَشَاءُ مِنْ عِبَادِهِ إِذَا هُمْ يَسْتَبْشِرُونَ

وَإِن كَانُوا مِن قَبْلِ أَن يُنَزَّلَ عَلَيْهِم مِّن قَبْلِهِ لَمُبْلِسِينَ

“It is Allah who sends the winds. Then they raise a cloud, then He spreads it as He wishes in the sky, and forms it into fragments, whereat you see the rain issuing from its midst. Then, when He strikes with it whomever of His servants that He wishes, behold, they rejoice;”

“And indeed they had, before it was sent down upon them, been despondent earlier.”

These two Ayahs again refer to the powers and wonders of the winds in order to make it clear to mankind the handiwork of the One and Only Creator Who has not left humanity without guidance. These Ayahs mean to say that natural changes are the signs of the Power, Wisdom, and Devices of Allah. They refer to the movement of fragments of clouds, and how rains fall, as per the Will of Almighty Creator. This shows that raining or rainfall, as one of the important functions, has been entrusted by God to the winds, which He has created. It is the winds that carry the fragments of cloud from over the seas toward dry and thirsty lands, and it is the winds that have the duty of stretching the clouds and preparing them for being bearers of rain. In other words, the winds are like an aware and experienced shepherd that dexterously gathers cattle or sheep from the pastures and herds them towards a certain path and then prepares them to be milked. It is worth noting that in spite of the storm and clouds that cover the expanse of the sky, small drops of rain find their way from inside the thick masses of clouds toward the earth, and they make people rejoice at the prospect of a bumper crop and availability of enough water for drinking for both mankind and the livestock, in addition to the functioning of industries. The power and blessings of winds and rainfall are realized when water, the elixir of life, stands out as a clear example of the proof of God’s Majesty and monotheism. Rainfall gladdens us with its refreshing message by making flowers bloom as gardens, parks and the countryside take on a lush green appearance. The farmer who faces drought and had been despondent with grief, now rejoices at the sight of clouds and rains that shower on his fields. This is indication of the Infinite Favour and Mercy of our Loving Creator. 

From these ayahs we learn that:

1. The natural phenomena is not accidental, but is a clear sign of Might and Majesty of the All-Wise God in wonderfully administrating the affairs of the entire universe including Planet Earth.
2. The One and Only Creator of the universe has created an excellent and orderly system for the benefit of the Best of His creation, that is, mankind.
3. Contemplation and proper cognizance of the bounties of nature save mankind from disbelief, polytheism, atheism, agnosticism, and all other devilish tendencies.

AS/ME/SS