Tafheem ul Quran

Surah 16 An-Nahl, Ayat 41-50

وَالَّذِيۡنَ هَاجَرُوۡا فِى اللّٰهِ مِنۡۢ بَعۡدِ مَا ظُلِمُوۡا لَـنُبَوِّئَنَّهُمۡ فِى الدُّنۡيَا حَسَنَةً​  ؕ وَلَاَجۡرُ الۡاٰخِرَةِ اَكۡبَرُ​ۘ لَوۡ كَانُوۡا يَعۡلَمُوۡنَۙ‏  ﴿16:41﴾ الَّذِيۡنَ صَبَرُوۡا وَعَلٰى رَبِّهِمۡ يَتَوَكَّلُوۡنَ‏ ﴿16:42﴾ وَمَاۤ اَرۡسَلۡنَا مِنۡ قَبۡلِكَ اِلَّا رِجَالًا نُّوۡحِىۡۤ اِلَيۡهِمۡ​ فَسۡـئَلُوۡۤا اَهۡلَ الذِّكۡرِ اِنۡ كُنۡتُمۡ لَا تَعۡلَمُوۡنَۙ‏ ﴿16:43﴾ بِالۡبَيِّنٰتِ وَالزُّبُرِ​ؕ وَاَنۡزَلۡنَاۤ اِلَيۡكَ الذِّكۡرَ لِتُبَيِّنَ لِلنَّاسِ مَا نُزِّلَ اِلَيۡهِمۡ وَلَعَلَّهُمۡ يَتَفَكَّرُوۡنَ‏ ﴿16:44﴾ اَفَاَمِنَ الَّذِيۡنَ مَكَرُوا السَّيِّاٰتِ اَنۡ يَّخۡسِفَ اللّٰهُ بِهِمُ الۡاَرۡضَ اَوۡ يَاۡتِيَهُمُ الۡعَذَابُ مِنۡ حَيۡثُ لَا يَشۡعُرُوۡنَۙ‏ ﴿16:45﴾ اَوۡ يَاۡخُذَهُمۡ فِىۡ تَقَلُّبِهِمۡ فَمَا هُمۡ بِمُعۡجِزِيۡنَۙ‏ ﴿16:46﴾ اَوۡ يَاۡخُذَهُمۡ عَلٰى تَخَوُّفٍؕ فَاِنَّ رَبَّكُمۡ لَرَءُوۡفٌ رَّحِيۡمٌ‏  ﴿16:47﴾ اَوَلَمۡ يَرَوۡا اِلٰى مَا خَلَقَ اللّٰهُ مِنۡ شَىۡءٍ يَّتَفَيَّؤُا ظِلٰلُهٗ عَنِ الۡيَمِيۡنِ وَالشَّمَآئِلِ سُجَّدًا لِّلَّهِ وَهُمۡ دٰخِرُوۡنَ‏ ﴿16:48﴾ وَلِلّٰهِ يَسۡجُدُ مَا فِى السَّمٰوٰتِ وَمَا فِى الۡاَرۡضِ مِنۡ دَآبَّةٍ وَّالۡمَلٰۤـئِكَةُ وَهُمۡ لَا يَسۡتَكۡبِرُوۡنَ‏ ﴿16:49﴾ يَخَافُوۡنَ رَبَّهُمۡ مِّنۡ فَوۡقِهِمۡ وَيَفۡعَلُوۡنَ مَا يُؤۡمَرُوۡنَ ۩‏  ﴿16:50﴾

(16:41) As for those who have forsaken their homes for the sake of Allah after enduring persecution, We shall certainly grant them a good abode in this world; and surely the reward of the Hereafter is much greater.37 If they could but know (what an excellent end awaits) (16:42) those who remain steadfast and put their trust in their Lord. (16:43) (O Muhammad), whenever We raised any Messengers before you, they were no other than human beings;38 (except that) to them We sent revelation. So ask those who possess knowledge39 if you do not know. (16:44) We raised the Messengers earlier with Clear Signs and Divine Books, and We have now sent down this Reminder upon you that you may elucidate to people the teaching that has been sent down for them,40 and that the people may themselves reflect. (16:45) Do those who have been devising evil plans (against the mission of the Messenger) feel secure that Allah will not cause the earth to swallow them up or that chastisement will not come upon them from a direction that they will not even be able to imagine; (16:46) or that He will not suddenly seize them while they are going about to and fro and they will be unable to frustrate His design, (16:47) or that He will not seize them when they are apprehensive of the impending calamity? Surely your Lord is Most Compassionate, Most Merciful. (16:48) Do the people not see how the objects Allah has created cast their shadows right and left, prostrating themselves in utter submission to Allah?41 (16:49) All living creatures and all angels in the heavens and on the earth are in prostration before Allah;42 and never do they behave in arrogant defiance. (16:50) They hold their Lord, Who is above them, in fear, and do as they are bidden.


Notes

37. This is to comfort the Muslim emigrants from Makkah to Habash, who were forced to leave their homes because of the unbearable persecution they suffered at the hands of the disbelievers. The change of the scene from the disbelievers to the emigrants to Habash contains a subtle warning to the disbelievers that they should not remain under any delusion that they would get off free from punishment for their cruel behavior towards those Muslims, so as to say: O cruel people! There shall be Resurrection to reward the oppressed believers and to punish you for your persecution of them.

38. This is the answer to the objection of the mushriks of Makkah (which has not been cited here) that they could not believe that Muhammad (peace be upon him) was a Prophet of God because he was a human being like them. They have been told that the same objection had been raised against all the Prophets who came before him.

39. “Those who possess knowledge” are the scholars of the people of the Books and others, who, though not scholars in the strict sense had sufficient knowledge of the teachings of the revealed Books and were acquainted with the stories of the former Prophets.

40. In this connection, it is worthwhile to note that this duty of making plain and explaining the teachings of the Book was to be performed by Prophet not only by word of mouth but also practically. It was required that he should organize, under his own guidance, a Muslim community and establish it in accordance with the principles of the Book. This duty of the Prophet (peace be upon him) has been stated here especially to show the wisdom of sending a man as a Messenger, for, otherwise the Book could have been sent through the angels or could have been printed and sent directly to each man. But in this way; that purpose for which Allah in His Wisdom and Bounty and Providence designed to send the Book could not have been served. For, that purpose demanded that the Book should be brought by a perfect man, who should present it piece by piece, explain its meaning, remove the difficulties and doubts, answer objections etc. and above all, he should show towards those who rejected and opposed it that kind of attitude which is worthy of the bearer of this Book. On the other hand, he should guide those who believed in it in every aspect of life and set before them his own excellent pattern of life. Then he should train them individually and collectively on the principles of the Book; so as to make them a model society for the rest of mankind.

Let us now consider this (verse 43) from another point of view. Just as it cuts at the root of the argumentation of those who rejected the creed that a human Prophet could bring the Book, in the same way, it repudiates the view of those who plead that the Book should be accepted without any exposition of it from the Prophet. This latter view is contradictory to this verse, whatever be the position taken by its exponents. They might either be of the opinion that (a) the Prophet did not give any explanation of the Book he presented or that (b) the only acceptable thing is the Book and not any exposition thereof by the Prophet, or that (c) now the Book alone suffices us, for its exposition by the Prophet has lost its utility or that (d) now the Book alone is authentic for the exposition by the Prophet has ceased to exist, or if it does exists, it cannot be relied upon.

If they take the position (a), it will mean that the Prophet did not fulfill the purpose for which he was chosen to be the bearer of the Book: otherwise Allah could send it through an angel or directly to each person.

If they take the position (b) or (c), (God forbid) they will be accusing Allah of doing a useless thing by sending His Book through a Prophet, when He could have printed copies of the Quran and sent those directly to the people.

In case, they take the position (d), they, in fact, repudiate both the Quran and its exposition by the Prophet (peace be upon him). Then the only rational course left for them would be to accept the view of those who believe in the necessity of a new Prophet and a new revelation; whereas Allah Himself considers the exposition of the Book by the Prophet as an essential thing, and puts it forward as an argument for the necessity of a Prophet. Now if the view of those who reject tradition that the explanation of the Prophet (peace be upon him) has disappeared from the world is to be accepted, then two conclusions are inevitable; First, the Prophethood of Muhammad (peace be upon him) as a pattern for us has ceased to exist, and the only relation we have with him is the same that we have with the other former Prophets, e.g. Houd, Salih, Shuaib, etc. (peace be upon them). That is, we have only to testify that they were Prophets but we have no obligation to follow their patterns, for we have none with us. This position obviously leads to the need of a new Prophet, for it automatically refutes the doctrine of the finality of Prophethood. The second inevitable conclusion will be that a new Book is needed because in that case the Quran alone could not, according to its author, suffice. Thus in the face of this verse, there is no argument left to prove that the Quran is self sufficient to explain itself, for it itself says that there is no need of a Prophet to explain it. Thus it is absolutely necessary that a new Book must be sent down. May Allah destroy such people. In their enthusiasm to repudiate tradition, they are really cutting at the very root of Islam itself.

41. The argument is this: The fact that everything a man, an animal, a tree or a mountain casts its shadow, is a clear proof of its material nature, and everything which is made of matter, is a creation of Allah and is subject to a universal law. In this case the law is that every material thing casts its shadow, which is symbolical of its servitude, and it cannot have any share whatsoever in Godhead.

42. That is, not only all things on the earth alone but also all things in the heavens, including all those whom people have been regarding as gods and goddesses, and considering to be closely related to Allah are subservient to God, and have no share whatsoever in His Godhead. Incidentally, it implies the existence of living creatures not only on the earth but in the planets, too.