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Towards Understanding the Quran
With kind permission: Islamic Foundation UK
Introduction to Tafheem | Glossary | Verbs
Tafsirs: Maarif | Dawat | Ishraq | Clear

 Surah An-Nahl 16:111-116 [15/16] ↕
  
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Verse Summary -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
۞ يَوْمَ(On) the Day
تَأْتِى(when) will come
كُلُّevery
نَفْسٍsoul
تُجَـٰدِلُpleading
عَنfor
نَّفْسِهَاitself,
وَتُوَفَّىٰand will be paid in full
كُلُّevery
نَفْسٍsoul
مَّاwhat
عَمِلَتْit did
وَهُمْand they
لَا(will) not
يُظْلَمُونَbe wronged.
﴿١١١﴾
وَضَرَبَ ٱللَّهُAnd Allah sets forth
مَثَلاًa similitude
قَرْيَةً(of) a town
كَانَتْ(that) was
ءَامِنَةًsecure
مُّطْمَئِنَّةًand content,
يَأْتِيهَاcoming to it
رِزْقُهَاits provision
رَغَدًا(in) abundance
مِّنfrom
كُلِّevery
مَكَانٍplace,
فَكَفَرَتْbut it denied
بِأَنْعُمِ ٱللَّهِ(the) Favors of Allah,
فَأَذَٲقَهَا ٱللَّهُso Allah made it taste
لِبَاسَ(the) garb
ٱلْجُوعِ(of) the hunger
وَٱلْخَوْفِand the fear
بِمَاfor what
كَانُواْthey used (to)
يَصْنَعُونَdo.
﴿١١٢﴾
وَلَقَدْAnd certainly
جَآءَهُمْcame to them
رَسُولٌa Messenger
مِّنْهُمْfrom among them
فَكَذَّبُوهُbut they denied him;
فَأَخَذَهُمُso seized them
ٱلْعَذَابُthe punishment
وَهُمْwhile they
ظَـٰلِمُونَ(were) wrongdoers.
﴿١١٣﴾
فَكُلُواْSo eat
مِمَّاof what
رَزَقَكُمُ ٱللَّهُAllah has provided you -
حَلَـٰلاًlawful
طَيِّبًاand good.
وَٱشْكُرُواْAnd be grateful
نِعْمَتَ(for the) Favor
ٱللَّهِ(of) Allah,
إِنif
كُنتُمْ[you]
إِيَّاهُHim Alone
تَعْبُدُونَyou worship.
﴿١١٤﴾
إِنَّمَاOnly
حَرَّمَHe has forbidden
عَلَيْكُمُto you
ٱلْمَيْتَةَthe dead animal
وَٱلدَّمَand the blood
وَلَحْمَand the flesh
ٱلْخِنزِيرِ(of) the swine,
وَمَآand what
أُهِلَّhas been dedicated
لِغَيْرِto other (than)
ٱللَّهِAllah
بِهِۦ‌ۖ[with it].
فَمَنِBut (if) one
ٱضْطُرَّ(is) forced -
غَيْرَwithout (being)
بَاغٍdisobedient,
وَلَاand not
عَادٍa transgressor -
فَإِنَّthen indeed,
ٱللَّهَAllah
غَفُورٌ(is) Oft-Forgiving,
رَّحِيمٌMost Merciful.
﴿١١٥﴾
وَلَاAnd (do) not
تَقُولُواْsay
لِمَاfor that which
تَصِفُassert
أَلْسِنَتُكُمُyour tongues,
ٱلْكَذِبَthe lie,
هَـٰذَا"This
حَلَـٰلٌ(is) lawful
وَهَـٰذَاand this
حَرَامٌ(is) forbidden,"
لِّتَفْتَرُواْso that you invent
عَلَىabout
ٱللَّهِAllah
ٱلْكَذِبَ‌ۚthe lie.
إِنَّIndeed,
ٱلَّذِينَthose who
يَفْتَرُونَinvent
عَلَىabout
ٱللَّهِAllah
ٱلْكَذِبَthe lie,
لَا يُفْلِحُونَthey will not succeed.
﴿١١٦﴾

يَوۡمَ تَاۡتِىۡ كُلُّ نَفۡسٍ تُجَادِلُ عَنۡ نَّفۡسِهَا وَتُوَفّٰى كُلُّ نَفۡسٍ مَّا عَمِلَتۡ وَهُمۡ لَا يُظۡلَمُوۡنَ‏  وَضَرَبَ اللّٰهُ مَثَلًا قَرۡيَةً كَانَتۡ اٰمِنَةً مُّطۡمَـئِنَّةً يَّاۡتِيۡهَا رِزۡقُهَا رَغَدًا مِّنۡ كُلِّ مَكَانٍ فَكَفَرَتۡ بِاَنۡعُمِ اللّٰهِ فَاَذَاقَهَا اللّٰهُ لِبَاسَ الۡجُـوۡعِ وَالۡخَـوۡفِ بِمَا كَانُوۡا يَصۡنَعُوۡنَ‏  وَلَـقَدۡ جَآءَهُمۡ رَسُوۡلٌ مِّنۡهُمۡ فَكَذَّبُوۡهُ فَاَخَذَهُمُ الۡعَذَابُ وَهُمۡ ظٰلِمُوۡنَ‏  فَكُلُوۡا مِمَّا رَزَقَكُمُ اللّٰهُ حَلٰلًا طَيِّبًا وَّاشۡكُرُوۡا نِعۡمَتَ اللّٰهِ اِنۡ كُنۡـتُمۡ اِيَّاهُ تَعۡبُدُوۡنَ‏  اِنَّمَا حَرَّمَ عَلَيۡكُمُ الۡمَيۡتَةَ وَ الدَّمَ وَلَحۡمَ الۡخِنۡزِيۡرِ وَمَاۤ اُهِلَّ لِغَيۡرِ اللّٰهِ بِهٖ​ۚ فَمَنِ اضۡطُرَّ غَيۡرَ بَاغٍ وَّلَا عَادٍ فَاِنَّ اللّٰهَ غَفُوۡرٌ رَّحِيۡمٌ‏  وَلَا تَقُوۡلُوۡا لِمَا تَصِفُ اَلۡسِنَـتُكُمُ الۡكَذِبَ هٰذَا حَلٰلٌ وَّهٰذَا حَرَامٌ لِّـتَفۡتَرُوۡا عَلَى اللّٰهِ الۡكَذِبَ​ؕ اِنَّ الَّذِيۡنَ يَفۡتَرُوۡنَ عَلَى اللّٰهِ الۡكَذِبَ لَا يُفۡلِحُوۡنَؕ‏ 
Translation
(16:111) Allah's judgement will come about them all on the Day when everyone shall come pleading in his defence, and everyone shall be fully requited for his deeds and none shall be wronged in the least. (16:112) Allah sets forth the parable of (the people of) a town who were secure and content and whose sustenance came in abundance from every quarter. But then the people of the town showed ingratitude towards Allah for His bounties, so Allah afflicted them with hunger and fear in punishment for their evil deeds. (16:113) Most certainly a Messenger came to them from among them; but they rejected him, calling him a liar. Therefore chastisement seized them while they engaged in wrong-doing.112 (16:114) So eat out of the lawful and good sustenance that Allah has bestowed upon you, and thank Allah for His bounty,113 if it is Him that you serve.114 (16:115) Allah has forbidden you only carrion, and blood, and the flesh of swine; also any animal over which the name of any other than Allah has been pronounced. But whoever eats of them under compelling necessity - neither desiring it nor exceeding the limit of absolute necessity - surely for such action Allah is Much Forgiving, Most Merciful.115 (16:116) And do not utter falsehoods by letting your tongues declare: "This is lawful"116 and "That is unlawful," thus fabricating lies against Allah. Surely those who fabricate lies against Allah will never prosper.
Commentary

112. That habitation has not been specified here nor have the commentators definitely pointed out which that habitation was. However, there is a saying of Ibn Abbas (which seems to be correct) that the place referred to is Makkah itself. In that case, hunger and fear will mean the famine which prevailed over the people of Makkah for several years during the Prophethood of Muhammad (peace be upon him).

113. This shows that the above mentioned famine had come to an end at the time of the revelation of this Surah.

114. Here the observation of the lawful and the unlawful has been made the test of worship of Allah. Those who claim to be the servants of Allah will eat what is lawful and pure and show gratitude to Him and will scrupulously refrain from what is forbidden and impure.

115. Please refer also to (Surah Al-Baqarah, Ayat 173), (Surah Al-Maidah, Ayat 3) and (Surah Al-Anaam, Ayat 145).

116. This verse clearly shows that none but Allah has the right to declare a thing to be lawful or unlawful. Or, in other words, the right of making laws exclusively rests with Allah. Therefore, any person who will dare to decide about the lawful and the unlawful will transgress his powers. Of course, a person, who acknowledges the divine law as the final authority, may deduce from it whether a certain thing or action is lawful or unlawful.

The arrogation of the right of determining the lawful and the unlawful has been declared to be a falsehood on Allah for two reasons:

(1) Such a person, so to say, claims that what he declares to be lawful or unlawful, disregarding the authority of the divine Book, has been made lawful or unlawful by God.

(2) He means to claim that Allah has given up the authority of making lawful and unlawful and has thus left man free to make his own laws for the conduct of life. It is obvious that each of these claims will be a falsehood and a false imputation to Allah.