Day 13, Answer 13, #AyahLookup  Challenge:

(original question here: https://quranreflect.com/posts/23093#comments) 

Surat Al Raad mentions many pairs and entities that belong to this huge kingdom of Allah, 
and reminds us that our creator controls ALL OF THEM, despite them being opposites to one another. 
The day, and the night 
the sun, and the moon, 

These pairs do exist in human behaviors and choices,
The right, and the wrong, 
Even when we choose to do good, this could be done in secret, or in public, 

There are 32 pairs that exist in Surah 13, can you find them? we asked this question and got beautiful reflections

Safiyya Ihsan wrote: 

'Using your prompt I tried scouting for some pairs and was able to fish out the following: Night and day, male and female, mountains and rivers, sun and moon, angels before and behind, hope and fear, rain and thunder, heaven and earth, truth and falsehood, jannah and jahannam, darkness and light, blindness and sight.
The ayahs that resonated with me for tying these pairs together are verses 2-3 & 11.
Verses 2-3: It is Allah Who has raised the heavens without pillars- as you can see- then established Himself on the Throne. He has subjected the sun and the moon, each orbiting for an appointed term. He conducts the whole affair. He makes the signs clear so that you may be certain of the meeting with your Lord. And He is the One Who spread out the earth and placed firm mountains and rivers upon it, and created fruits of every kind in pairs. He covers the day with night. Surely in this are signs for those who reflect.
Verse 11: For each one there are successive angels before
and behind, protecting them by Allah's command. Indeed, ***Allah would never change a people's state of favour until they change their own state of faith.*** And if it is Allah's Will to torment a people, it can never be averted, nor can they find a protector other than Him.'

(يمحو الله) أي: الملك الأعظم، (ما يشاء) أي: محوه من الشرائع والأحكام وغيرها بالنسخ؛ فيرفعه، (ويثبت) ما يشاء إثباته من ذلك بأن يقره ويمضي حكمه،... كل ذلك بحسب المصالح التابعة لكل زمن؛ فإنه العالم بكل شيء، وهو الفعال لما يريد، لا اعتراض عليه. البقاعي:4/160.
السؤال: ما الحكمة من نسخ بعض الأحكام، وإثبات بعضها؟

* يمكنك وضع إجابتك عن الأسئلة في التعليقات حتى تعمّ الفائدة

* للمزيد عن هذه الآية في مصحف تدبر وعمل: https://altadabbur.com/#aya=13_39

#وقفة_تدبرية

Subhan'Allah! This ayah resonates deeply with me, especially whenever I seek change in my life and within myself. Recently, I had the privilege of attending MAS CON LA for the first time, Alhamdulillah! During the event, one of the speakers highlighted this verse, reminding me of my journey when I first converted to Islam. Back then, I worked to build new habits and let go of old ones. Of course, these changes didn’t happen overnight—it took many mistakes, persistence, and self-agency to believe in myself.

This ayah serves as a powerful reminder: while the outcomes are always in Allah’s سبحانه وتعالى hands, we are also called to believe in ourselves, in each other, and in the strength of the ummah. This belief is crucial for building the resilience we need to navigate this life and prepare for the hereafter, insha'Allah.

Today, as I reflect, I am reminded that tomorrow offers another chance to do more—to find clarity, rally courage, and take collective action to stand for what we believe in. It is our responsibility to strive for meaningful change, including seeking positions of influence to mobilize policies that benefit our ummah. Most importantly, it's not about how we start but how we end—with hope in the mercy and guidance that Allah سبحانه وتعالى has given us. 
#surah #Ar-Rad #Thunder #change #MondayReflections #ReflectingWithHope #CollectiveAction #Empower

Day 13, Question 13, #AyahLookup ​ Challenge:

A very interesting observation, and a very different challenge from previous days:
Surat Al Raa'd is the 'Surah of pairs and opposites'.
What does that mean? 

The Surah mentions many pairs, that are opposites to each other, (e.g. the day and the night)
and last time I counted, there was around 34 of them! 
34 pairs in a relatively short surah... 
There should be some amazing clues and gems that are hidden for us, 
What are the Ayahs that mention such pairs?
What is a reflection you can share on these ayahs?
What are bigger lessons and implications that we can learn from these pairs about Allah? about this dunia? and about ourselves? 

PS:
1. To learn about the challenge: please check: https://quranreflect.com/posts/22122 
2. Please search for all the related Ayah in Surah 13,  
3. Please type your answer as a hidden comment to help others participate in the challenge

Thunder strikes fear in the heart of people. Its deep rumbling wakes up sleepers and makes children cry. 
Yet this verse teaches us that there is a difference between perception and reality. It may be a terrifying sound, but it is truly tasbeeh, praise of God, something beautiful and heavenly.  
Similarly, the sky may be clear and things appear safe, but something strikes suddenly from the sky, shattering the normalcy. 
Like many things on earth, things are not always as we perceive.
