While we were coming home yesterday, both of my Betas in the car along with me, we were caught by a sudden downpour. It began raining fast and we were only halfway back home.
The weather in Karachi had been so hot last month that we were more than glad to see such a pleasant change in the weather, both kids beaming and chattering in full excitement, watching huge amounts of water that had collected on the roads now and making discussions of what activity to indulge in as soon as they reached home. The activity they were planning was no other than that of playing out in the lawn in the rain!
Suddenly, there was a roar of thunder and lightening flashed across the sky.
“What was that? What is going on right now in this weather?”. cried out by younger Beta, looking puzzled. He had heard thunder before, but this time we were out and about, under the sky. I looked at him to tell him that it was just thunder and that heavier rains are on their way, trying hard to control my own fear and anxiety as I have myself always been much afraid of thunderstorms and lightening, since i was young.
As I grew up, I learnt more about thunderstorms, hailstorms and lightenings, how Allah Subhan ahu Wa Ta’ala had actually described lightening to be a source of fear, in Surah Ar-Rum (30:24), He says, “And of His signs is [that] He shows you the lightening [causing] fear and aspiration, and He sends down rain from the sky by which He brings to life the earth after its lifelessness”.
I also learnt how He has shown His Might and Power in the past to destroy complete nations and lands of non believers with the help of these natural phenomenon. That further increased my fear for this particular condition in weather. In Surah Fussilat (41:13), Allah says, “But if they turn away, then say, “I have warned you of a thunderbolt like the thunderbolt [that struck] ‘Aad and Thamud”. And also in Surah Ar-Ra’d (13:12-13;13), Allah says, “It is He who shows you lightening, [causing] fear and aspiration, and generates the heavy clouds. And the thunder exalts [ Allah ] with praise of Him”. (Sahih International). Lightening does causes fear, but it brings in glad tidings for us in the form of rainfall, much needed by dear Earth.
During the way, I told my kids to keep reciting Ayat ul Kursi, the first three Kalimas and Durood all the way until we safely reach our home. I didn’t know of any special Dua’as and supplications and on reaching home, we searched for some and found a list of Dua’as here. I think, all of us must endeavor to supplicate during such a weather to keep ourselves safe from any calamity.
Well, in the end, we also searched for some scientific facts and got to know that since light travels faster than sound, we see lightening before we hear thunder.
Picture courtesy: dawn.com
great article
Assalamu Allykum. I can relate! Lahore has been getting lots of rain lately and although the darkness and thunder does end up frightening us a bit, the benefits (the supplication acceptance time) outweigh the cons.
Wassalaam! Thankyou for dropping by, I visited your page too and really liked it a lot 🙂
We don’t often get thunderstorms in the UK. But when we do they are so frightening as not used to them!
exactly, these are not very common for us too, so we end up being scared of them!
May Allah bless us with beneficial rain. I like to be indoors at home when there’s rain and thunderstorms.
Thats the safest thing to do!
thank you for dua links..subhanAllah there’s a dua for pretty much everything.
I love how you refer to your kids as older beta and younger beta!
Lightning and thunderstorms are gorgeous reminders of Allahs power and wrath- very moving.
Thanks Sahar for dropping by and appreciating my work.
Such a beneficial reminder, JazakAllah Khairan. Thunderstorms always make me ponder over Allah’s power – this is nothing for Him, yet it terrifies us. May Allah have mercy on us all. Ameen.
Ameen.
Do you homeschool your kids? Darn autocorrect
My older son was on homeschooling for some time but now he will be joining a formal school from August. But this teaching part continues at home too, Alhamdulillah! And it must, because children gain knowledge from whatever is happening in their environments 🙂
I mean do you homeschooling your kids…
Do you homeschooling?
I love how the sight or sound of rain or thunder or lightening aids me to remember Allah and supplicate to him.
Lovely post! A way to teach kids to remember Allah !
Thank you so much!!
I am always afraid of thunderstorms… Jazak Allah for sharing the dua’s for such times 🙂
You are most welcome:)
I love how you keep exploring scientific facts with your children. 🙂
Haha.. thanks for dropping by aisha 🙂
My pleasure 🙂
I love rains as a result i love thunderstorms. It assures me that theres going to be lots of rain. As here in karachi we dont have much rains. But yes thunderstorms have been known to destroy nations! JazakAllah for the list of duas.
Thanks for dropping by!
Thunderstorms,lightening and anything of such kind scares me. Because i know I’m helpless and at the same I feel so strong about Allah’s presence. A mixed feelings that most of the times I can’t express.
Great post.
Thanks Veena! And you are so right about being helpless and knowing that we do not have control over anything. Nothing at all.
I visited your blog and really liked it. Would love to do a post on beauty myself 🙂
Thanks dear. Would love to read a beauty post of yours too. 🙂
Sure, I will let you know when Its up 😉
A great example of how to actively teach children about the wonders and sings of Allah swt. Jazakillahu khayrun for sharing
Thanks for coming here and reading this sister!
These storms always remind me that we are not in control of what happens on earth. Thanks for sharing this.
You are most welcome!
And yes, we human beings have no control, whatsoever on such natural phenomenon.
🙂
Here in the American South we have thunderstorms frequently. I grew up with them so am never frightened unless the winds are very strong or the lightening is striking nearby trees. Falling trees can crush homes and vehicles and fall across power lines, knocking out electric power. That is scary!
You are right, when lightening gets intense, then it becomes really frightening…
I’m afraid of thunderstorms but also awestruck by it! It’s so beautiful yet powerful sign of God’s magnificence.We are also having rainy plus thunderstorm season right now in Malaysia
Oh, rainy weather is always so welcome in places like Karachi, last year it didn’t rain at all.. the whole of summer and this year we were all waiting impatiently for it to arrive.
We welcomed the rainy season with same gusto here in Malaysia
Good for you :):)
Yes especially when we are getting the heat bumps and sunburns…
Yup, you are so right.. in Karachi here we had hundreds of people dying because of the intense heat wave 🙁
That’s terrible! This rain is rehmat from God or else we will perish!
Two days back there was a horrible thunder at 5 am in Lahore, that’s was too terrible lightening and thunder that birds kept silent for almost 10 minutes after that. Like your writing. May Allah bless us!
This occurred a few days back only in Karachi!
Thanks for the reblog.