The Creation of Thunder, lightning and thunderbolts
Selections from the Book The Story of The Beginning of Creation and The Creation of Adam, peace be upon him …
Written by Dr. Ali Muhammad al-Sallabi...
Episode (46)
Allah Almighty says: {It is He who shows you lightning, [causing] fear and aspiration, and generates the heavy clouds. (12) And the thunder exalts [Allah] with praise of Him - and the angels [as well] from fear of Him - and He sends thunderbolts and strikes therewith whom He wills while they dispute about Allah; and He is severe in assault. (13)} [Ar-Ra'd: 12-13]. This means that {It is He who shows you lightning,} indicating that He is the one who controls the lightning, which appears as a bright light flashing through the clouds. {[causing] fear and aspiration,}: Fear for the traveler who worries about the harm and difficulty caused by storms, and aspiration for the resident who hopes for the blessings and benefits that rain brings and desires the provision from Allah Almighty.
{and generates the heavy clouds.}, meaning He creates them anew; they are heavy due to their abundance of water and are close to the ground. {And the thunder exalts [Allah] with praise of Him} as stated in {And there is not a thing except that it exalts [Allah] by His praise,} [Al-Isra: 44]. {and the angels [as well] from fear of Him} means they are humbled before their Lord, fearing His might. {and He sends thunderbolts and strikes} which are the fires that emerge from the clouds, {therewith whom He wills} meaning among His servants, as He wishes and intends . {while they dispute about Allah; and He is severe in assault.} meaning He is powerful and strong, so whatever He wills, He accomplishes. Nothing can escape Him, and no one can flee from Him. If He is the One who drives the rains and the clouds containing the sustenance for His servants, and He manages all affairs, with even the great creatures that are feared being submissive to Him, then He alone deserves to be worshiped.
In these verses, there is a cosmic truth: the cause of lightning, thunder, and thunderbolts, along with the formation of heavy rain clouds—those massive clouds in stormy weather—is the intense attraction between two opposing electrical charges within the clouds. When parts of the clouds come close to one another, the opposite charges gather and meet, leading to these phenomena.
Science informs us that lightning is a highly heated, intensely bright, and extremely fast electrical spark. It occurs when electricity passes through the air between masses of thunderclouds. As the electricity moves through the air, it heats the air to a very high degree. The air then expands rapidly but cools down and returns to its original state just as quickly. This rapid expansion and contraction create large vibrational waves, which spread through the air between the clouds and the ground, producing the sound of thunder. Thus, science aligns with the general explanation of the cause of lightning, thunder, and thunderbolts—namely, the interaction of positive and negative charges within the clouds.
- Lightning and thunder hazards:
Allah Almighty says: {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 Allah is encompassing of the disbelievers. (19) The lightning almost snatches away their sight. Every time it lights [the way] for them, they walk therein; but when darkness comes over them, they stand [still]. And if Allah had willed, He could have taken away their hearing and their sight. Indeed, Allah is over all things competent. (20)} [Al-Baqarah: 19-20]. This is a remarkable scene, full of movement and marked by turbulence. It conveys confusion and misguidance, filled with terror, fear, and bewilderment. The scene contains flashes of light and echoes of sound. A heavy downpour from the sky is described; {within which is darkness, thunder and lightning.}, {Every time it lights [the way] for them, they walk therein;}, {but when darkness comes over them, they stand [still].}; That is: lost and unsure of where to go, fearful of the thunderclaps, as they {They put their fingers in their ears against the thunderclaps in dread of death.}
The movement that pervades the entire scene—from the pouring rain to the darkness, thunder, and lightning, to the terrified and confused individuals caught in it, and the hesitant, frightened steps that halt when darkness falls—vividly portrays, through suggestive emotional imagery, the state of confusion, uncertainty, and anxiety that those hypocrites experience. This dynamic scene mirrors their internal turmoil, as they wander aimlessly, filled with fear and disorientation.
- Ali Muhammad al-Sallabi, The Story of The Beginning of Creation and The Creation of Adam, peace be upon him, pp. 320-323.
- The Scientific Interpretation of Cosmic Verses: Its History and the Scholars’ Position on It, Bakr Zaki Ibrahim Awad, pp. 70-71.
- In the Shade of the Qur’an, Qutb, 1/46.
For further information and review of the sources for the article, see:
The Book of The Story of The Beginning of Creation and The Creation of Adam, peace be upon him on the official website of Sheikh Dr. Ali Muhammad al-Sallabi:
