(He launcheth the thunderbolts and smiteth with them whom He will…) [13:13].
Nasr ibn Abi Nasr al-Wa'iz informed us> Abu Sa'id 'Abd Allah ibn Muhammad ibn Nusayr> Muhammad ibn Ayyub al-Razi> 'Abd al-Wahhab> 'Ali ibn Abi Sarah al-Shaybani> Thabit> Anas ibn Malik who reported that once the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, sent a man to one of the Arab tyrants, saying: “Go and tell him to come and see me”. He said: “O Messenger of Allah, he is too haughty to comply”. He said: “Go and tell him to come and see me”. The man went and said to him: “The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, asks you to come and see him”. The man retorted: “What is Allah? Is He made of gold, silver or copper?” The man went back and informed the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, saying: “I told you that he is too haughty to comply”. He said: “Go to him a second time and ask him to come and see me”. He went and the man repeated exactly what he said in the previous occasion. The Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, asked the man to go and call him a third time, and the man repeated what he said in the two previous occasions. The man said: “As he was talking to me, Allah sent above his head a cloud which thundered and a bolt of lightning struck him and removed his skull”. Allah, exalted is He, then revealed (He launcheth the thunderbolts and smiteth with them whom He will while they dispute (in doubt) concerning Allah, and He is mighty in wrath).
According to the reports of Abu Salih, Ibn Jurayj and Ibn Zayd, Ibn 'Abbas said: “This verse and the verse before it were revealed about 'Amir ibn al-Tufayl and Arbad ibn Rabi'ah. These two men went to see the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, and, as they were coming, one of the prophetic Companions said: 'O Messenger of Allah, here is 'Amir ibn al-Tufayl coming toward you'. He said: 'Leave him, Allah will guide him if He wants good for him'. He proceeded along until he stood in front of the Prophet and said: 'O Muhammad, what do I get if I become Muslim?' He said: 'You get what the Muslims get and you suffer what they suffer'. He said: 'In that case put me in charge after you die'. He said: 'No, that is not up to me; that is up to Allah, exalted is He, and He appoints whoever He wills'. He said: 'In that case, put me in charge of the Arab nomads and you will be in charge of the settlers'. The Prophet said: 'No!' He said: 'What are you going to give me, then?' He said: 'I will give you the reins of horses to use in military conquest'. He said: 'Do I not have them already?' This man had told Arbad ibn Rabi'ah, that once he started talking to the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, he should go behind the Prophet and strike him with his sword. Arbad pulled out his sword about a span but Allah, exalted is He, jammed it and he could not pull it out completely. When 'Amir started gesturing to Arbad, The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, turned back and saw Arbad handling his sword. He prayed: 'O Allah, deal with them for me as You will'. Allah, exalted is He, sent on Arbad a thunderbolt, on a sunny day, and burned him. 'Amir ran away, saying: 'O Muhammad, you called your Lord and He killed Arbad. By Allah, I will fill the land against you with unsaddled horses and unbearded youths'. The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, said: 'Allah, exalted is He, will stop you from doing that, as will the Aws and the Khazraj'. 'Amir then spent the night in the house of a woman from Banu Salul. In the morning, he collected his weapons and left saying: 'By the Lat and al-'Uzza, would Muhammad and his companion (meaning the angel of death) show themselves to me, I will stab them with my spear'. When Allah, exalted is He, saw how he behaved, He sent him an angel who hit him with his wing and thrust him on the dust. A huge gland, resembling a camel's gland, straightaway appeared on each of his knees. He returned to the house of the woman from Banu Salul, saying: 'A gland like a camel's gland, and dying in the house of the woman from Banu Salul', and he died on the back of his horse. Allah, exalted is He, revealed about him this (Alike of you is he who hideth the saying and he who noiseth it abroad) [13:10] up to His saying (The prayer of disbelievers goeth (far) astray) [13:14]”.
Asbab Al-Nuzul by Al-Wahidi , trans. Mokrane Guezzou