from their good state, and thus disobey their Lord.
“And when Allah wills harm for a people”—that is, punishment and destruction—“none can repel it,” that is, none can turn it back. “And they have no protector apart from Him,” meaning, no refuge to which they may turn. It has also been said: no guardian to take charge of their affairs and ward the punishment away from them.
“He is the One Who shows you lightning, inspiring both fear and hope, and produces heavy clouds (12). The thunder glorifies His praises, as do the angels in awe of Him. And He sends thunderbolts, striking with them whomsoever He wills, while they dispute about Allah; and He is severe in might (13).”
His saying, exalted is He, “He is the One Who shows you lightning, inspiring both fear and hope”: it was said that it inspires fear of the thunderbolt and hope for the benefit of rain. It was also said that fear is for the traveler, who fears its harm and hardship, whereas hope is for the resident, who hopes for its blessing and benefit.
It was also said that fear concerns rain falling out of its proper place and season, while hope concerns it falling in its proper place and season. There are lands in which, when rain falls, their people suffer drought, and when rain does not fall, they prosper.
“And produces heavy clouds,” laden with rain. It is said: Allah brought forth the cloud, and it appeared—that is, He made it manifest, and so it became visible. The word for clouds is plural; its singular is cloud. Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, said: “The clouds are the sieve of water.”
“And the thunder glorifies His praises.” Most exegetes hold that Thunder is the name of an angel who drives the clouds, and that the sound heard from it is his glorification (1).
Ibn Abbas said: “Whoever hears the sound of thunder and says, ‘Glory be to Him whom the thunder glorifies with His praise, and so do the angels in awe of Him; and He is over all things competent,’ then, should a thunderbolt strike him, I am liable for his blood money.”
It is related from Abdullah ibn al-Zubayr that, whenever he heard the sound of thunder, he would stop speaking and say: “Glory be to Him whom the thunder glorifies with His praise, and so do the angels in awe of Him.” He would then say: “Indeed, this warning is severe for the people of the earth” (2).
In some reports, Allah the Exalted says: “If My servants obeyed Me, I would give them rain at night, cause the sun to rise upon them by day, and not let them hear the sound of thunder” (3).