30. Ar-Rum (The Byzantines)

Mecca Period [6-7 years before Hijra]

The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:

اللَّهُ الَّذِي يُرْسِلُ الرِّيَاحَ فَتُثِيرُ سَحَابًا...

30:48. It is Allah Who sends the Winds, and they raise the Clouds:

C3566. Again the Parable of the Winds is presented from another aspect, both physical and spiritual.

In the physical world, see their play with the Clouds:

how they suck up the moisture from terrestrial water, carry it about in dark clouds as needed, and break it up with rain as needed.

So Allah's wonderful Grace draws up men's spiritual aspirations from the most unlikely places and suspends them as dark mysteries, according to His holy Will and Plan: and when His Message reaches the hearts of men even in the smallest fragments, how its recipients rejoice, even though before it, they were in utter despair!

...فَيَبْسُطُهُ فِي السَّمَاء كَيْفَ يَشَاء...

then does He spread them in the sky as He wills,

...وَيَجْعَلُهُ كِسَفًا فَتَرَى الْوَدْقَ يَخْرُجُ مِنْ خِلَالِهِ...

and break them into fragments, until thou seest rain-drops issue from the midst thereof:

...فَإِذَا أَصَابَ بِهِ مَن يَشَاء مِنْ عِبَادِهِ ...

then when He has made them reach such of his servants as He wills,

C3567. See last note.

... إِذَا هُمْ يَسْتَبْشِرُونَ ﴿٤٨﴾

behold, they do rejoice!

وَإِن كَانُوا مِن قَبْلِ أَن يُنَزَّلَ عَلَيْهِم مِّن قَبْلِهِ لَمُبْلِسِينَ ﴿٤٩﴾

30: 49. Even though, before they received (the rain) -- just before this -- they were dumb with despair!

Asad’s Version:

30;47 And indeed, [O Muhammad, even] before thee did We send forth apostles - each one unto his own people" - and they brought them all evidence of the truth: and then, [by causing the believers to triumph,] We inflicted Our retribution upon those who [deliberately] did evil: for We had willed it upon Ourselves to succour the believers.

(30:48) It is God who sends forth the winds [of hope],"so that they raise a cloud - whereupon He spreads it over the skies as He wills, and causes it to break up so that thou seest rain issue from within it: and as soon as He causes it to fall upon whomever He wills of His servants - lo! they rejoice,

(30:49) even though a short while ago, [just] before it was sent down upon them, they had abandoned all hope!