16—SURAH AN-NAHL (THE BEE)

NAME: In the ayah No.68, An-Nahl is mentioned as a sign of Allah’s lordship, which gives the Surah its name.
TIME OF REVELATION: It is Maccan and from the topics discussed it appears that it was revealed in the middle of the Maccan period, after the migration to Abyssinia (now Ethiopia).
CENTRAL THEME: To bring out in the open the falsity of polytheism and the truth of monotheism (Tawheed), and in this connection to lay stress on the great gifts from Allah, so that man may recognize his true Lord and Benefactor. This is the central theme of the Surah, but in view of the prevailing conditions and the needs of the time other matters have also been discussed, for example warning is given because of the demand to hasten the punishment, and the doubts of the deniers are also removed.
ORDER OF THE VERSES: Verses Nos. 1 to 3 form the preamble in which the polytheists are being shaken and the purpose of revelation is explained. Ayat 4 to 18 mention the great gifts of Allah which invite man to ponder and contemplate, and create the awareness about the real benefactor of man in his heart.
In ayat Nos. 19 to 32 polytheism is repudiated and the adverse fate of the polytheists and the good end of these who fear Allah is presented. Verses Nos. 33 to 40 answer some objections of the deniers.
In ayat Nos. 41 and 42 glad tidings are given to those who migrate in the cause of Allah.
Ayat Nos. 43 to 47 present the necessary clarification about prophethood and a warning to the deniers.
Ayat Nos. 48 to 60 deal with the arguments for tawheed and refutation of polytheism.
In Verses Nos. 61 to 65, some doubts of the deniers are removed.
In verses Nos. 66 to 83 the conscience of the polytheists is tried to be awakened by mentioning the great gifts of Allah.
In ayat Nos. 84 to 89 intimation is given about paying the condition of the infidels and the polytheists when they will be presented before Allah on the Day of Judgment.
In ayat Nos. 90 to 97 there is an exhortation for the dues of the fellow-slaves, avoiding evil, and living a clean life.
In ayat Nos. 98 to 105, there is direction for seeking refuge from Satan, as he does not like that people should understand Qur’an properly, therefore he creates doubts and misgivings. The doubts of the deniers are in reality the creations of Satan.
In Verses Nos. 106 to 111 there is comfort for the oppressed people of faith and warning for those who oppress them.
In ayat Nos. 112 to 114 an example is presented to the people of Makkah of a township whose people had been ungrateful to God, and there is direction to be thankful to Allah.
Direction is given in ayat Nos. 115 to 119 to people not to be superstitious and not to declare forbidden, things which Allah has declared lawful.
In ayat Nos. 120 to 123 that aspect of Prophet Ibrahim’s character is presented which shows that he was a thorough monotheist and a grateful slave, and not at all a polytheist.
In ayah No.124 it is shown that the Jews were given the command to observe Sabbath because of their involving themselves in disputes.
In Verses Nos. 125 to 128 a few directions are given to the Prophet and the people of fait.
16—SURAH AN-NAHL (THE BEE)

Verses (ayaat) 128.

In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

1. The command of Allah has come, so do not seek to hasten it.1 Immaculate is He and Exalted, above all that they associate (with Him).2

2. He sends down the angels with the spirit by His command to whom He will of His slaves,3 (saying): Warn mankind that there is no God except Me, so fear Me.4

3. He has created the heavens and the earth with truth.5 He is Exalted above all that they associate (with Him).

4. He created man from a drop of fluid, yet behold: he is an open disputant.6

5. And the cattle He has created, from them you have warm clothing,7 and other benefits,8 and thereof you eat; 9

6. And therein is beauty for you, when you bring them home in the evening, and when you take them to the pasture in the morning.10

7. And they carry your loads for you to a place you could not reach except with great physical toil.11 Indeed your Lord is Compassionate, Merciful.12

8. And horses, and mules and asses (He has created) that you may ride13 them and as embellishment. And he creates that which you do not know.14

9. And the straight path reaches Allah,15 and there are some other paths that are not straight16. And had He willed, He would have led you all aright.17

1. The thing which the polytheists were seeking to hasten was the divine punishment. They used to say why does the divine punishment about which the Prophet was warning them not coming down on them?”
They are seeking to hasten the punishment, and if its time were not fixed, the punishment would have definitely come.” — (Al-Ankabut-53).
Therefore, in the ayah the words ‘amrullah’ (Allah’s command) only signify Allah’s punishment, and the purpose is to explain that those who are seeking to hasten the divine punishment have been destined to receive their punishment, and the time has come near, when they would taste it. Accordingly, in a few years those who clung to their polytheism were completely wiped out, so much so that at the time of the Last Hajj of the Prophet (09 A.H.) not only there was not a single polytheist in Makkah but also in the whole of Arabia. In other words, Muslims’ swords descended on the polytheists in the form of divine punishment. This punishment was different from the punishment meted out to earlier nations, yet it is a fact that the opponents of the Prophet had to face total destruction.
Besides, it is also a fact that death is a very near thing, and when death comes to polytheist or infidels, the angels of punishment appear and his spirit tastes the pangs of punishment in the world of Barzakh (world between this and the next world). Then on the Day of Resurrection, -- ---- which is likely to occur very soon—such people will be thrown into the Hell for good. In short, for the polytheists and the unbelievers the divine punishment is, from every aspect, close by.

2. That is: Allah is above being associated with anybody. When these people ascribe to Him things which are below His divine status they can only deserve to receive His punishment.

3.’Rooh’ or spirit means the revelation which Allah sends down to the Prophets. Since it descends on the hearts of the prophets like the spirit, and it gives life to man, it has been called the Spirit, the ayah also reveals that prophethood is a divine gift, and Allah blesses only those of His slaves with it whom He selects for this exalted position. In other words, prophethood is not a thing which man can attain by his efforts, it is entirely a ‘divine gift in attaining which man’s efforts have no place.

4. That is: Whenever a revelation came from Allah, it brought the message of tawheed, i.e. monotheism. Therefore, all the teachings of all the prophets were that of monotheism, and they had directed men to a life with fear of God in hearts.
It is therefore, clear that the religions which teach polytheism in any form cannot be related to any true prophet, nor such a teaching can be termed as ‘revelation’ or word of God.

5. This has been explained in Note No.124, Surah Al-An’am.

6. Man has forgotten his origin that he has been created from a filthy droplet and has started disputing as to how the revival of dead is possible. Had he pondered over his first birth, he would have realized the reality that the God who can create from the lowly droplet of a fluid, man with such high talents can surely have the power to bring him to life again. And if man realizes this reality, then he would not dare dispute the power and authority of the All Powerful, Almighty, God.

7. That is: You prepare warm clothing from their hair and wool.

8. Some cattle are used for riding and some for ploughing the field. Some animals provide milk, and their skins are also found useful. Thus various benefits are derived from them.

9. Their flesh provides you food.

10. Since various benefits are derived from the cattle, and they are tended for increase in their numbers which means additional income, the scene of the cattle returning home in the evening or going to pastures in the morning gives pleasure and pride to the owner.
At the time of the revelation of Qur’an Arabs used to keep and tend cattle, which was one of their professions, Qur’an has drawn this picture to remind of this blessed gift from God.

11. In those days camels and bullocks were the main beasts of burden.

12. Allah is Compassionate and Merciful, that is why He has created creatures which relieve man of his toil and physical strains, and He has also bestowed innumerable gifts on him to make his life comfortable.

13. In the above lines were mentioned those creatures (cattle) which in Arabic are called ‘An’am’, that is camel, cow, sheep and goat. About them it is stated that ‘thereof you eat’. But the animals mentioned are horses, mules and asses, which have been created so that they may be used for riding. Therefore, the point that emerges from this is that those animals are for being eaten and these are for being used for riding. Human nature is also inclined towards eating the flesh of horses, mules and asses.

14. Probably it is a hint at those energies which were not yet known to mankind, but subsequent discoveries provided the modern means of transport to man, e.g. steam, petrol, electricity, etc., which produce the energy to run the rail engines, motor cars, ships and the aero planes, etc. and Allah alone knows what other things has He created for man to make his life more comfortable.

15. That is: The path of belief and virtuous acts is the only straight path leading to Allah. Man can reach Allah by following this path only and can thus seek His pleasure. Conventionally it is called ‘Islam’, towards which Qur’an invites everyone.
In the foregoing ayah Allah’s gift of creating animals for riding was mentioned, which automatically gave rise to the image of path and destination. In consonance with the occasion, the reader’s mind is turned towards the spiritual path and the real destination, that the path of monotheism is the straight path which alone leads up to God. It gives us an idea how the Quranic ayat are mutually interrelated and coordinated. Since Qur’an has building of the mind and thought in view, it diverts the mind towards high realities in accordance with the requirements of the occasion, and from this aspect there is deep co-ordination among the Quranic ayat.

16. That is: Apart from tawheed or monotheism, which is the path of Islam, no other path is straight, but that all other paths are tortuous, and they do not lead up to God. Let nobody be under the wrong impression that man can reach up to God by following any path, and that man may follow either monotheism or indulge in polytheism, it does not affect the consequences nor does it affect the final outcome. In the present times opportunists present the idea of the path of polytheism and idolatry being similar to the path of Islamic monotheism and equate Islam with other false and polytheistic religions in such attractive terms in keeping with their political objectives, e.g.
“The spirit of all religions is one, though their shapes are different. In the same way as the reality of water, which can be obtained from a well, from the springs and also from the ghats of the rivers.” — (Gagan’s Mazahib-i-Alam number (Urdu) page 64). “ All the beliefs in the world are like the branches of a tree, and every branch is different from other branch and has its own distinctive position, but the source or the origin of these branches is one and the same.” (Ibid p. 818).
Both these examples are misleading, for the water which has been contaminated by the filth of polytheism cannot be equal to the clean and pure water of the spring of monotheism, and how can the tree which bears bitter and sour fruits be equal to the tree which bears tasty and sweet fruits!

17. For explanations please see Note No.271, Surah An’am.
And for you He has subjected the night and the day, and the sun and the moon to be of service, and the stars are also subjected in service by His command. Verily, herein are signs for the people who have sense. (Al-Quran)

10. He it is who sent down water from the sky, which you drink, and from which grow plants on which you feed your cattle.

11. Thereby He causes crops to grow for you, and the olive, and date-palm and grapes and all kinds of fruit. Verily there is a sign for thinking men.18

12. And for you He has subjected the night and the day, and the sun and the moon to be of service,19 and the stars are also subjected in service by His command.20 Verily, herein are signs for the people who have sense.21

13. And whatever He has created for you on the earth of diverse colors, verily therein is a sign for the people who remember (Allah).22

14. And He it is who has subjected the sea to be of service that you eat fresh meat from it,23 and bring out from there ornaments that you wear.24 And you see the ships ploughing it so that you may seek His grace,25 and so that you may be grateful to Him.

15. And He has set firm mountains upon the earth, lest it should shake with you,26 and rivers and roads27 that you may find a way.28

16. And landmarks (too),29 and by stars also men find their way.30

17. Is then He who creates like one who creates not?31 Do you not then remember?

18. And if you would count the favours of Allah, you cannot reckon it.32 Verily Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.33

19. And Allah knows that which you hide and that which you proclaim.34

20. And those whom they invoke beside Allah created nothing, but were themselves created.

18. If man contemplates the gifts which are available to him as food and drink in daily life, he will recognize his Lord, who has created him and will realize that in reality He is his real benefactor. Modern man uses his energy in trying to find out what vitamins are found in which food and how many calories it contains, but he does not care to discover who has granted him these gifts, and what should be his attitude towards this benefactor and how should he show his gratitude. If man does not use his intelligence for this purpose, then he remains merely an animal.

19. That is: They have been so fixed that they function to serve mankind and be useful to them. For further explanation, please see Note No. 41, Surah Ibrahim.

20. Some benefits accruing from stars are obvious, e.g. their being decorative for the sky, which provides a pleasant sight for man, their rising and setting helps in calculating the time, they are a means of ascertaining the direction, and therefore, their help in the journeys in the desert or sea-travel is well-known. Allah knows better in what other ways they are being helpful to mankind.

21. If man uses his common sense, he cannot help realize that his Creator has not only spread His treasure of blessings and favors on the land but that He has also devised a gathering of stars and planets in the sky. When a man realizes this fact, the path of guidance opens up before him.

22. Are not these things of diverse colors samples of the best art, and do not they provide any lesson for you? Those who have a mind to learn take lesson from the writings of the Great Artists on every leaf in the nature.

23. The ocean has also been made beneficial for mankind by the great might of the Almighty. Accordingly, the ocean provides food to mankind in the form of fishes.

24. That is: pearls, shells and other ornamental stones, taken out from the see, are worn by women, which is also a great favor of Allah on mankind.

25. That is: By undertaking trade travels, you should meet your needs in a lawful way.

26. The three-fourth part of the earth is occupied by the sea. The planet earth is hanging in space, therefore, it may not be unlikely that like a ship, which becomes stable after the necessary ballast is placed in it, our earth might have been unstable in its earlier days and the ballast of mountains might have afforded the desired stability.

27. Means natural pathways.

28. That is: You may reach your destination.

29. That is: Such signs by seeing which the travelers may find their way and may reach their destination.

30. Stars are the means of finding direction, therefore, in the olden times in navigation help of stars is sought in finding the right directions.

31. When it is an inviolable reality that all gifts of nature are created by Allah, then His status has automatically become of God. Then those who have had no part or share in creation, but are themselves created by Him, how can they enjoy the status of God? To place the Creator and the created on par is most unreasonable and unjustifiable. The real waywardness of the polytheists is that they do not distinguish between the Creator and the created, and they associate the created ones with the Creator in His attributes, rights and authority. It may either be idolatry or hero-worship, all are the result of this false belief and practice.

32. It has been explained in Note No.43, Surah Ibrahim.

33. Allah is a great Forgiver, therefore, He is inviting you to appreciate His favors and turn towards His forgiveness, and He is Most Merciful, therefore, He wants that you should join the band of His slaves and come under the blissful shadow of His mercy.

34. This is a warning that if you deny the blessings of Allah then you should know that Allah knows all your hidden and proclaimed dealings and thoughts, and a day will surely dawn when He will place all these things before you.

35. Here particularly those gods of the polytheists are mentioned which were the historical personalities of the past, as is clear from the following ayah.

21. (They are) dead, not living. And they do not (even) know when they will be raised.36

22. Your God is one God. But those who do not believe in the Hereafter, their hearts are confirmed deniers and they are proud.37

23. Undoubtedly Allah knows what they keep hidden and what they proclaim. Verily, He does not like the proud.

24. And when they are asked: “What has your Lord sent down?” they say: “Fables of the ancient.”38

25. So that they may bear their own full burden on the Day of Resurrection, with a part of the burdens of those whom they mislead without knowledge.39 Lo! Evil is that which they bear.

26. Those who had gone before them had also plotted, so Allah struck at the foundation of their edifice, then the roof fell down on them from above them,40 and the punishment came to them they knew not from where.

27. Then on the Day of Resurrection He will disgrace them and will say: “Where are My partners, about whom you created disputes?” 41 (At that time) those who have been given knowledge42 will Say: “Verily, this day disgrace and evil are for the disbelievers.”

28. “Whom the angels cause to die while they are wronging their own selves.”43,44 Then they plead beseechingly: “We were not doing any wrong.” Nay! Verily Allah is the Knower of what you were doing.45

29. So enter the gates of Hell, to dwell therein forever 46(What an evil place indeed is the abode of the proud!

36. Means those personalities of the past whom the polytheists used to invoke for meeting their needs. They used to pray to them, appeal to them for help, and considered them interceders with Allah on their behalf. Here their false belief is refuted by saying that first of all they are not alive to hear your appeals for help, for they have long past left this world. As for their spirits in the world of Barzakh, they do no even know when the Day of Resurrection will occur and when they will be raised for living again. When these spirits do not know their own condition and future, how can they be able to meet your needs and come to your rescue ? For being able to meet the needs of others, first of all it is necessary to have the knowledge of the Unseen so that the condition of everyone may be known and his call for help may be heard. This is the specific attribute of Allah and there is no sharer or associate in this attribute.
To consider persons who are dead as alive and present and able to see everything like Allah is quite senseless and there is no argument in its favour, and this is the root cause of polytheism.
The polytheists of Arabia had no belief in the life after death, but the spirits of some past personages in whom they believed were believed to be having some say in the divine management, that they were in a position to go to their help, they could influence their luck, they could intercede with Allah in their behalf, and through their agency, they could attain Allah’s nearness, and therefore, there was nothing wrong in invoking them for meeting their needs. But Qur’an has declared their entire concept as false and polytheistic.
Generally the commentators have considered this ayah to be applicable to the idols, but the wording of the ayah does not conform to their interpretation, particularly the portion that states that they do not even know when they will be raised. In this connection obviously only human beings can be the right subject meant and there should be no difficulty in accepting this view.

37. It is an obvious fact that God is one, but since belief in monotheism necessitates belief in the Hereafter, those who want to lead an unbridled life in the world are not prepared to accept that belief and as a result of false belief they consider bowing before the truth an act below their dignity.

38. In the Qur’an chronicles of the past nations providing lessons for thought and the events of struggle between the truth and falsehood have been narrated. It had disturbed the mental peace of the people who used to ask their chiefs and leaders as to what kind of writing was Qur’an. They used to reply unhesitatingly that it was a book of fables of the ancient people, and nothing real.

39. That is: These chiefs and leaders who are misleading the people will not only be bearing their own burdens of sins undiminished but will also have to bear the burdens of sins of those whom they had misled. In a hadith, the Prophet (Sallal Lahu Alaihi Wa Sallam) has stated:
“And he who invited (others) towards misguidance, on him there will be the burden of sins in the same way as it will be on those who followed him, without there being any diminishing in their sins.” -(Muslim)
and ‘without knowledge’ means whatever they say about God and religion is merely a talk of ignorance. The light of knowledge of truth is not available to them. It is obvious that about God only what He Himself has disclosed can be said to be based on knowledge, and not what man says about God from his own imagination; and the method of Allah’s disclosing knowledge is what he sends down as revelation to His chosen prophets, which is a special means of knowledge. Therefore, the things which are received through the agency of prophets is based on solid knowledge.
It is thus revealed that all polytheistic philosophies and unbelieving theories, in however alluring and academic colour they may be presented, are absolutely based on ignorance, they have no relation with reality.

40. That is: There were quite a few nations in the past who had plotted and schemed against their prophets, but the prophets call to Truth shook the foundations of the order established by them on the basis of unbelief and polytheism, and when Allah’s judgment came, this order was uprooted from its very foundation, and the establishers of the order met with the worst destruction. For their disbelief and polytheism, the resultant punishment took such a form that the edifices constructed by them became their own graves, e.g. the earthquake shook the foundations of their dwellings from underneath and then the roof along with the entire building collapsed on them from the above.

41. That is: Those whom you associated with Me in My godhood—about whom you had invented all kinds of stories and indulged in lengthy disputes and discussion, where have they disappeared?

42. That is: Those whom knowledge was given in the world, in other words those who had derived benefit from that knowledge whose original source was the divine revelation, will feel, on seeing this condition of the polytheists in the divine court on the Day of Judgment, that the same fate, which was intimated by the divine revelation, awaits the polytheists. They will, therefore, loudly claim that today the disbelievers will meet their evil end, which they deserved. The ayah also reveals how Allah will honor the people with knowledge on the Day of Judgment.

43. This is a description from Allah about what kind of punishment the disbelievers will receive as stated above, but it is also shown that they are seized by the divine punishment from the very moment their souls depart from their bodies.

44. That is: By disbelieving and indulging in polytheism and rebellion against God they are wronging themselves, because they suppress the voice of their own conscience which only recognizes monotheism. It results in not only the stoppage of the development of their self but also in its diminution.

45. That is: On seeing the angels of death, the intoxication of their pride goes away, and they adopt the attitude of acceptance and submission, stopping all disputes. At that time, they are so much frightened that they deny all their misdeeds. But the angels belie their assertions and tell them that Allah is not unaware of their misdeeds and there is no chance for them to escape by telling lies.

46. The angels of death inform the idolaters and polytheists at the time of their death that on the Day of Resurrection they are to enter the Hell and to abide therein forever. This process starts from the beginning of the border of death, i.e. in the world of Barzakh, which in the hadith has been termed as the grave.
And the polytheists say: “Had Allah willed, we would not have worshipped anything beside Him, neither we nor our forefathers, nor would we have declared anything forbidden without (command from) Him.” Such was the way in which those who passed before them54 had acted. Then what responsibility is on the messengers save clear conveyance of the message? (Al-Quran)

30. And when those who fear Allah are asked: “What has your Lord sent down?” They say:” The best thing.” For those who performed good deeds in the world, there is good (reward),47 and the dwelling in the Hereafter will indeed be better. How excellent is the abode of those who fear Allah!

31. Gardens of Eden (perpetuity)which they will enter, underneath which rivers flow, wherein they will have whatever they like.48 Thus will Allah repay those who fear Him.

32. Those whom the angels cause to die while they are in a clean state,49 they say: “Peace be on you: Enter the Paradise in repayment of what you did.50

33. Are they (disbelievers) waiting for the angels51 to come down or for the deliverance of the judgement of your Lord?52 Those who have gone before them had done likewise. Allah did not wrong them, but they wronged themselves.

34. So that the evil which they did recoiled upon them, and that at which they mocked encompassed them.53

35. And the polytheists say: “Had Allah willed, we would not have worshipped anything beside Him, neither we nor our forefathers, nor would we have declared anything forbidden without (command from) Him.” Such was the way in which those who passed before them54 had acted. Then what responsibility is on the messengers save clear conveyance of the message?

36. And verily We have sent in every nation a messenger (with the message): Worship Allah and shun Taghut (Idols).55 Then some of them (there were) whom Allah guided, and some of them (there were) who were destined to go astray.56 So travel in the land and see what was the fate of the deniers.

47. The good reward which the righteous people get in this world itself is: clean earning, clean life, peace of mind, sweetness of faith, true honour and real greatness.

48. The real suffering of man is that what he wants he does not always get, and it is impossible in this world that man may always get everything that he wants; not even the greatest king in this world could get his every wish fulfilled. If it were so, this world would become Paradise. But Allah has not created this world for this purpose, and therefore, it would be absolutely wrong for any person to expect the fulfillment of his every wish. For this purpose, He has created Paradise in the next world, the very definition of which is that every wish of the entrants therein will be fulfilled and their every want will be met. It is the last word for the most desirable and the most desired thing.

49. In the condition in which their selves are completely free from any contamination of polytheism, disbelief, pride and sinning.

50. Truly pious people, who have fear of God always in their heart, are given the glad tidings of Paradise by the angels at the very time of their death.

51. That is: The angels of death.

52. That is: Punishment.

53. That is: The punishment, which they mocked at, finally encompassed them and they were exterminated by it.

54. These are mere excuses for avoiding the responsibility of accepting the truth. Such excuses and such arguments were also proffered by some nations in the past. The shifting of responsibility of their own waywardness and wrong-doing on to Allah is the work of those who are not at all serious or sober.

55. Here Taghut means idols, and they have been termed “Taghut” because man on worshipping them turns a rebel against God, as if the idols are the manifestation and source of rebellion and transgression. And shunning taghut means to shun worshipping idols. Accordingly, in the Quran at another place it is stated: “Those who shunned taghut lest they should worship them and turn to Allah (in repentance), for them there are glad tidings.” — (Az—Zumar —17). “So shun the filth of idols...” — (Al-Hajj — 30). “(Ibrahim prayed): Preserve me and my sons from worshipping idols.” — (Ibrahim —35). The verse means that every messenger from Allah had been preaching to his nations to shun idolatry, which has been a great means of rebellion against God, and the dawah of every messenger had been that his followers should worship Allah and only Allah. It may be noted that the word taghut is applicable to Satan and to the false gods, to the rebel human leaders and chiefs, and also to those who legislate against the divine law, and those rulers who give judgments according to their own self-made laws as against the divine laws. But every applicability has its occasion, and here the particular reference to context is the argument for its applicability to shunning idolatry. For further explanation of taghut, please see Surah Baqarah, Note No.418, Surah Nisa, Note No.118, and No. 143, and also Surah Maidah, Note No.180.

56. As a result of the message of truth of these prophets one group of people, by the grace of God, was blessed with guidance, and another group, on account of its obstinacy, was deprived of guidance, and was destined to go astray.

37. And if you keenly desire that they be rightly guided, Allah will not guide those whom He misleads,57 and they shall have no helpers.

38. And they solemnly swear by Allah that Allah will not raise the dead to life. Nay, it is a promise (binding) upon Him in truth, but most men do not know.58

39. So that He may manifest to them that in which they differ, and that those who disbelieved may know that they were liars.59

40. Our word for a thing when We intend it, We merely say for it: Be! and it is.60

41. And those who migrated for the cause of Allah after they had been oppressed,61 verily We will give them good place62 in the world, and surely the reward of the Hereafter is greater, if they but knew it;63

42. Those who were patient and put their trust in their Lord.

43. And we did not send (as Our messengers) before you other than men to whom We sent revelations.64 If you do not know, then ask the people of the Remembrance (Book).65

44. With clear signs and scriptures (were these messengers sent). And (O Prophet!) We have revealed to you Remembrance that you may explain to the people what has been revealed for them,66 and so that they may ponder.

45. Are those, who plot evil, fearless that Allah will not sink them into the earth or the punishment will not fall upon them, from where they do not know?

46. Or that He will not seize them while they are moving about; for which there is no escape for them;

57. That is: Those on whom Allah’s law of straying is made applicable, for them the path for guidance will never be opened, however keenly you may desire it.

58. This is a sure and definite promise of Allah that he will revive all mankind that had been dead on the Day of Resurrection, so that the judgment for the reward or punishment, as the case may be, be given. But many people are unaware of this promise, that is why they confidently deny it. But their ignorance will not change the reality. The revival of the dead on the Day of Resurrection will certainly take place, whether one may believe it or not.

59. As differences concerning God and religion have cropped up between different groups of men, and as varied and diverse practices have become rampant, it has become necessary that all should be raised to life again and gathered at one place and the reality may be unveiled before them; those who have been denying the reality, their lie and falsehood be substantially proved so that they may taste the bitter fruits of their straying. This is the obvious demand of justice and fairplay, therefore, the news about revival is not unreasonable, but it is absolutely reasonable.

60. This is the answer to the doubt of the deniers as to how it is possible to raise to life such a countless number of people. The answer is that when Allah wills something, he has not to do anything, He merely commands “Be!” and the thing comes into existence. For such an Almighty Being, reviving of the mankind is not at all difficult.
The fact is that man is very narrow-minded. He measures Allah’s might by his own parameters, and considers only what exists as possible. He is not prepared to accept the possibility of existence of a non-present thing, even though the intimation of its coming into existence is being given by the Creator of the Universe.

61. Refers to them migration to Abyssinia (Ethiopia), which took place in the fifth year of the prophethood. Those Arabs who had embraced Islam in Makkah were being persecuted in various ways by the idolaters, who were not prepared to allow freedom of conscience and religion to the Muslims. Having been compelled by brutal oppression and in order to preserve their faith a number of Muslims migrated to Ethiopia. The first caravan comprised of fifteen persons, including four ladies. Subsequently their number reached to eighty-three. Among the fortunate who received this blessing of migrating to Abyssinia, were Uthman (R), his wife Ruqaiyya (R), daughter of the Prophet, Zubair bin Al-Awam (R), Abdur Rehman bin Auf (R), Hatib bin A’mar (R), Abdullah bin Masood (R), and Jaffer (R). (Details of this event are given in the book ‘Seerat Ibn Hisham, Vol.I, pages 343 to 364).

62. This promise of Allah in favour of the muhajireen (migrators) was fulfilled, as the king of Abyssinia, who was a believer in Christ, permitted them to stay in his country in peace, and the leaders of the polytheists who had gone there from Makkah to prejudice the king against them had to return disappointed. Not only this, the king himself embraced Islam.
Subsequently when the Prophet (S.A. W.) migrated to Madina, these muhajireen also migrated from Abyssinia to Madina. This was their second migration (hijrat). Allah provided for the muhajireen such honour and position in Madina that nobody could even imagine.

63. That is: If these migrators would come to know what rewards await them, all their troubles and miseries would disappear.

64. In the text the word ‘rijalan’ is used, which means ‘man’ which shows that from among the humans only males have been sent as divine messengers.

65. Means the people of the Book, on whom the remembrance from God had been sent down. Whatever portion of this remembrance today exists in their Books, is sufficient to prove that all the messengers that were sent by Allah were men. Never was an angel sent direct to a nation as a divine messenger. This is an obvious historical fact, and if anyone is unaware of it, then he can satisfy himself by asking people of the Book about this.
It is to be noted that the people of the Book admitted that the divine messengers were all humans, e.g. Prophet Moosa and Prophet Eesa, both were men. In the Bible events of their childhood are also narrated. Therefore, Qur’an invited the attention of the polytheists, who were the deniers of Muhammad’s (Sallal Lahu Alaihi Wa Sallam) prophethood to a fact which was universally accepted and could be confirmed by the people of the Book.
It is also learnt as a corollary that giving reference of the earlier divine Scriptures in cases where they support and confirm the statements of Qur’an is not improper.
Some people have tried to prove that following the different schools of Fiqh is in order by referring to the Quranic statement’ Ask the people of the Remembrance (Book)’, although this ayah has no relation with the following of any person or any school of Fiqh. Qur’an had stated to ask the people of the Remembrance in connection with an accepted reality which is clear by a reference to context, so that the doubt held by the deniers should be removed. But the followers of the different schools of Fiqh try to take this verse as a proof in following personal direction of the Faqih in inferential problems, when in inferences there is a possibility of error, and after all they are not unanimously accepted truths. Besides Qur’an has stated that the query should be made to the people of the Remembrance without any specification, that is, it is not necessary that the person should be a certified or a degree-holder learned man (Aalim), but a person with knowledge will serve the purpose.

66. That is: Whatever Allah has revealed to you, explain the same with clarity to your people. Further in Ayah No.64 also similar directions have been given to the prophet (peace be upon him): “And We have revealed the Book to you only that you may explain to them that wherein they differ ...” —(An-Nahl—64). Therefore, the manner in which the Prophet (Sallal Lahu Alaihi Wa Sallam) explained clearly the verses of the Qur’an, its teachings, and its commands and the way in which he opened its hidden wisdom are the most reliable explanation, interpretation and commentary ( tafseer ) of the Qur’an, and for us the means of knowing them are the authentic ahadith (traditions).
And they allot a portion of what We have given them to what (gods) they know not. By Allah! You will surely be asked concerning all that you invent; And they assign to Allah daughters — Immaculate is He! —and to themselves what they desire; (Al-Quran)

47. Or that He will not seize them while they are fear-stricken?67 Verily your Lord is Compassionate, Most Merciful.68

48. Do they not see that every object that Allah created casts its shadow right and left,69 prostrating itself before Allah, and they are all humble?70

49. And before Allah prostrate themselves whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth of living creatures, and the angels (also),71 and they are not proud.

50. They fear their Lord above them, and do what they are bidden.72

51. And Allah said: “Take not two gods. There is only One God.73 So fear Me only.”

52. To Him alone belongs whatever is in the heavens and the earth and devotional obedience74 is essentially His forever. Will you then fear any other than Allah.

53. Whatever blessing you enjoy; it is from Allah. Then, when misfortune touches you, to Him you cry for help.75

54. Afterwards, when He rids you of the misfortune, a group76 of you attribute partners to their Lord.77

55. So as to deny what We have given them. Then enjoy, for soon will you come to know.

56. And they allot a portion of what We have given them to what (gods) they know not. By Allah! You will surely be asked concerning all that you invent;78

57. And they assign to Allah daughters —Immaculate is He!—and to themselves what they desire;79

67. That is: They may be already in a state of terror and then they are suddenly seized by the punishment from God, and they are made to taste catastrophe after catastrophe. After a few years of the revelation of these ayat, the infidels of Makkah had to face such kind of conditions. The Battle of Badr created a state of fear, in which the swords of Muslims fell on them like a divine scourge.

68. Allah is Compassionate and Most Merciful, that is why He does not hurry in meting out punishment, but gives respite so that you may reform and become deserving of His mercy.

69. It is a common thing of observation that everything casts its shadow on the earth. The falling of the shadow on the ground is the proof of the fact that every object is tied in the law of God, and it cannot prevent its shadow from falling on the ground, and falling of the shadow on the ground is the sign that it is prostrating itself before God. The shadow falls on the opposite side of the sun. If the sun is in the east, then the object’s shadow will fall on the west side, and if the sun is in the west, then the shadow will fall in the east side. It means that the shadow does not prostrate itself before the sun but before its Lord. The case of the infidel is strange. He refuses to bow down before Allah, but the shadow cast by him prostrates itself before Him. If he ponders over this matter, he will at once accept monotheism and bow down before Allah.

70. That is: There is no one big before the Creator. All the creatures are low and humble before Him. Where is then the question of anybody else being god and he being worshipped?

71. In the foregoing verse mention was made of the falling of the shadow which was a thing of common observation. In this verse, the reality of every living thing prostrating itself before Allah is being intimated, that is it bows down before Him and whatever form of bowing down that Allah has fixed for a particular kind of creature it bows down in that form.
This ayah also reveals that there are living creatures not only on the earth but also in the heavens.

72. Here four attributes of the angels have been mentioned. First: that they prostrate themselves before Allah alone. Second: They do not brag and are not proud, and do not transgress. Third: They fear their Lord, with this conviction that He is ever present above them. And fourth: That they are obedient and they do whatever they are bidden by Him to do. When this is the case of the angels, then what is the reason of associating them with God? If this is not abject ignorance, then what is? This is an ayat-i-sajdah, on reciting which it is necessary to perform a sajdah.

73. This has been a constant command of Allah and He has preserved it completely in the Qur’an.
The belief of more than one god is false from every aspect, though any person may be believing in dualism, or any person in trinity or any person may have invented umpteen number of gods—all these inventions are the example of ignorance and folly.
The concept of dualism (two gods) is particularly found among the Parsis (Zoroastrians). They have Yazdan as their god of good and Ahrman as their god of evil. The struggle between the good and the evil in the world has been philosophically interpreted by them in this way that the god of good is separate and the god of evil is separate, as if there is a constant struggle between the two gods and man is unaccountably being hit in their crossfire. When these two gods have not stopped their fighting as yet, how can then man be free from fighting in the world? This concept brings to fore the weakness of both the gods, for neither of the gods is powerful enough to subdue the other one, and therefore, nothing then remains for man except disappointment. What a poor concept of god that can be found in a religion! Immaculate is He and above what they say, Exalted and Great! (For further explanation, please see Note No.3 Surah Al-An’am).

74. In the text the word used is ‘Ad-Deen’, which here means obedience with the full sincerity of heart, and ‘Wasib’ used here means essential and permanent. It means that the essential and consistent obedience is our obligation to Allah. This obedience is neither temporary, casual nor dependent on anybody’s choice, but as a slave of Allah man’s relation with Him must be of this nature only, and it must be from the bottom of his heart, and not merely a formal, ceremonial or mechanical following of the rule.

75. Please see Note No.71, Surah Al-Ana’m.

76. That is: A group of mankind.

77. When Allah removes your misfortune, then instead of acknowledging Allah’s obligation, you acknowledge someone else’s saying that you were relieved by favours from such and such a person, etc.
The polytheists consider it to be the favour of some gods or goddesses, and among Muslims, those who indulge in polytheistic practices, think that it was due to the favour from ‘Aulia’ (Saints) or ‘peers’, they offer ‘nazr’ and ‘niaz’ in their names. This kind of polytheism among the Muslims was not found in the first century of Islam. This was invented later on, and now it has become so common that a large number of the present day Muslims do not consider it polytheism at all. If only they could see their faces in the mirror of these ayat!

78. For associating others as partners in Allah’s godhood, they have absolutely no proof. Even then they consider them as Allah’s associates and allot a portion of their income for spending in the presents and offerings (nazr-o-niaz) to these associates. (See Note No.247 Surah Al-Ana’m).

79. The Arab idolaters used to consider angels as the daughters of Allah, which was a baseless assumption. To have daughters was a disgraceful thing for them, as they liked to have only sons and having a daughter was thought to be a disgraceful situation. Thus they had set a lower standard for Allah than what standard they had set for themselves. This evil mentality of theirs is reproached here.
And Allah sent down water from the sky and with that revived the earth after her death. Verily in that there is a sign for the people who listen. And verily in the cattle there is a lesson for you. We give you to drink of what is in their bellies, from between the refuse and the blood, pure milk, a pleasant beverage for those who drink it. ( Al-Quran)

58. When the good tidings of the birth of a female is given to one of them, his face grows dark and he is stricken by inward gloom.

59. He hides himself from the people because of the evil of what tidings he has been given, (asking himself): Should he keep her with disgrace or bury here under the dust?80 Lo! How evil is their judgment!

60. For those who do not believe in the Hereafter is an evil example,81 and for Allah are the sublime attributes.82 He is the Mighty, the Wise.

61. If Allah were to bring to book mankind (immediately) for their wrong-doing, no living creature83 would have been left by Him, but He gives them respite to an appointed day, and when their time comes they cannot put it off an hour, nor can they advance (it).84

62. And they assign to Allah what they do not like (for themselves),85 and their tongues claim falsely that good reward awaits them.86 Without doubt, for them is the Fire and they will be left therein.87

63. By Allah,88 We verily sent messengers before you to other nations, but Satan made their misdeeds seem fair to them. So he is their patron today,89 and for them is painful punishment.

64. And we have revealed the Book to you only so that you may explain90 to them in which they differ, and it is a guidance and mercy for people who believe.

65. And Allah sent down water from the sky and with that revived the earth after her death.91 Verily in that there is a sign92 for the people who listen.93

66. And verily in the cattle there is a lesson for you.94 We give you to drink of what is in their bellies, from between the refuse and the blood, pure milk, a pleasant beverage for those who drink it.95

80. The Arabs followed the tribal system, in which security and defence had special importance. This aspect was strong in their thinking that birth of daughters was unwelcome for them. The mentality of the society was so corrupt that it considered the birth of a daughter as something to be abhorred to such an extent that whenever a man received the news that a daughter was born to him, his face used to darken with sorrow and he used to be overtaken by gloom. If he brought her up, he did so thinking it to be a disgrace, or to avoid this he used to bury her alive. The image of this brutal practice of the Arabs is drawn in these ayat, so that they may realize how wrong is their mentality!

81. That is: Those who have no belief in the Hereafter do essentially develop in themselves bad attributes, e.g. false beliefs, evil intentions, tendency to show off, jealousy and rancour, ill-gotten earnings, usurping other’s rights, wasteful spending, wrong doing and excesses etc. Therefore, they deserve to be compared with bad examples so that their condition may become clear to them. Accordingly in the Qur’an their belief of making someone other than Allah their master and controller has been likened to the weakest house, that of a spider (Surah Ankaboot - 41), they have been compared to blind and deaf persons (Surah Hood, 240), they are said to be like animals, which do not understand a thing. (Surah A’raf, -179).

82. For Allah no simile can be considered proper which would reflect any kind of defect or weakness attributable to Him. His attributes are excellent and sublime, therefore, about Him only what may express His grandeur and excellence can be stated. To say that the angels are Allah’s daughters is to attribute to God something which is very much below His dignity. Similarly to consider Allah like worldly kings, to say that people cannot present their needs before Him and that is necessary to obtain some ‘Wasila’ or agency for this purpose, is nothing else but inventing false and improper examples for God.

83. Here living creature means man, as is clear from the wording of the ayah: ‘No living creature would have been left by Him’.

84. Everybody has a time of respite till his death, and for the nations it is till their destruction.

85. It is a hint at their assigning daughters to Allah and desiring sons for themselves.

86. Inspite of these polytheistic beliefs and evil acts they assert that all is well for them, that the good things of the world available to them because of these invented partners (of Allah), and if at all the trouble of the Hereafter occurs, these partners (angels) will intercede on their behalf and obtain their salvation.

87. That is: They are dreaming of receiving good rewards, though Hell is going to be essentially their permanent abode, and they will be left therein in such a way that they will never get relief.

88. Here Allah swears by His own self. What can be more trustworthy and definite than this!

89. In this verse the Prophet (S.A.W.) is comforted that before him many messengers were sent to various peoples, but they did not listen to them and became a prey to the deception of Satan, and his nation (Arabs) have also made him their friend and patron.

90. Great differences exist among the peoples about God and religion. To clarify these differences, Allah revealed the holy Qur’an to Prophet Muhammad (Sallal Lahu Alaihi Wa Sallam ). After this there does not remain any reason for the people to have differences in these basic matters. If despite this people stick to their differences, then they themselves will be responsible for their acts.

91. That is: After a few showers of rain the dry land became green and verdant.

92. Sign of the fact that the God who can revive the dead land to life can also revive dead persons to life on the Day of Resurrection. For further explanation see Surah Baqarah, Note No.197.

93.That is: Those who listen with sincerity to understand and follow.

94.Lesson of Tawheed (monotheism), or Allah’s Lordship, of His perfect excellence and might.

95. That is: In the bellies of the cattle where dung and blood are produced, there pure milk is also produced. This milk does not contain even the slightest portion of these two filthy things, and man finds the taste of milk pleasant and palatable. In other words Allah has created for man innumerable mobile factories, in which a very high kind of beverage is produced, which is tasty and also health-giving.

67. And of the fruits of the date-palm and grapes, from which you derive intoxicating drink, and also good (nourishing) food.96 Surely, in that is a sign for the people who understand.97

68. And your Lord inspired the bee, saying: Build your homes in the mountains, in the trees, and in (the roofs) that they raise high;98

69. Then eat of all fruits,99 and follow the ways of your Lord made smooth100 (for you). From their bellies comes out a beverage of varied colours,101 in which there is healing for mankind. 102 Surely, there is a sign for the people who reflect.103

70. And Allah created you, then causes you to die, and some one of you is caused to reach the abject old age, so that he may not know after having had knowledge, Verily Allah is Knower, Powerful.104

71. And Allah has favoured some of you above’ others in provision. Then those who are more favoured will not share equally with their slaves their (excess) provision.105 Do they then deny the grace of Allah? 106

72. And Allah has provided you wives from among yourselves,107 from your wives, sons and grandsons, and has provided you with clean food. Do they then believe in falsehood and do they deny the favours of Allah? 108

73. And they worship beside Allah what cannot give them any food from the heavens and the earth, it is not at all in their power.

74. Do not then coin similitudes for Allah. Verily He knows and you know not.109

75. Allah gives an example:110 There is a slave, who has control of nothing, and there is one on whom We have bestowed a good provision from Us, and he spends therefrom secretly and openly. Are these two equal?111 Praise is for Allah (alone), but most of them do not know.112

96. The fruits obtained from the date-palm trees and the grape-creepers are the blissful gifts from Allah, but people misuse these fruits by distilling wines from them. The wording of the ayah that you derive intoxicating drinks and also good (nourishing) food from them is a clear pointer of the fact that intoxicating drink (food) is not good and nourishing.
Although the definite command about forbidding the drinking of wine was revealed subsequently (Surah Baqarah, ayah No.219, and Surah Maidah No.91), but much before this revelation, by the ayah under reference a clear hint of its not being a clean beverage is given.
It is not correct to think that wine was considered lawful in the earlier Shariahs (religions). Since drinking of wine according to Qur’an is a filthy and Satanic act, and Allah’s shariah cannot permit such things being considered lawful. In the Bible’s Book of Isaiah and Examples, wine is declared undesirable:
“Woe to those who are heroes at drinking wine, and valiant men in mixing strong drink,” (Isaiah 5:22)
“Be not among winebibbers, or among gluttonous eaters of meat;” (Proverbs 23: 20)
“Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawer and whoever is led astray by it is not wise.” (Proverbs 20: 1)

97. If man uses his common sense, he cannot fail to feel that his Lord is a great benefactor, who has created for him such excellent things, and when such a feeling is created in his heart, he will accept the tawheed (monotheism) to which Qur’an is inviting him.

98. Allah caused the bee to build its hive in high places, and to prepare honey by drinking the nectar from the flowers and the fruits. The kind of work that the bee performs is really mindboggling. In the hive she makes hexagonal compartments, whose angles are so identical and correct that it seems that some expert has made them with precision instruments. Then the bees perform their work of storing the honey collectively in the most orderly and systematic way. This craftsmanship of the bee is the result of inspiration from its Lord. The inspiration which it directly gets from Allah has been termed as “Wahi”.

99.In the text the word used is ‘thamarat’ (fruits), which is commonly used for fruits, flowers and produce. The bee sucks the juices from various fruits and flowers. This nectar is stored in a bag in its belly and is converted into honey, which it spits out and stores in the hive. The distance covered by the number of rounds it has to undertake to prepare and store one pound of honey is equal to three times’ rotation round the earth (vide Honey by Eva Crane, Director, Bee Research Association, Page 4).

100. ‘Ways of Lord made smooth for the bee’ means those methods by adopting which making of honey has been made easy for the bee. Every drop of honey which it prepares and stores requires it to go through very tiresome and difficult stages, but all these stages have been made so easy by its Lord that it is constantly busy in its work and goes to distant places in search of flowers and returns to its hive without losing its way. It sucks nectar from the fruits when their skin or rind has become soft or has split.

101. Honey has different colours, red, white, yellow. The honey varies in colour, taste and medical properties according to the kinds of flowers and fruits from which the bees suck the nectar.

102. Apart from being a tasty and useful food, honey is also a remedial prescription for various diseases. From ancient times people have been using it as a remedy. Honey is also a good preservative, because bacteria cannot survive in it, therefore, it is freely used in Unani medicine. According to modern research it has various kinds of vitamins and minerals. In other words, honey is also a good tonic.

103. Sign of the fact that by setting the bee to produce this beverage or diverse qualities and full of useful uses, He has provided for man a blissful gift, which expresses His Lordship and Greatness.

104. The abject old age in life means very old age, when man’s energies fail and some people reach such a stage that they are not aware of what they are doing. Their memory also becomes weak. At another place in Quran it is stated: “Allah is He who shaped you out of weakness, then after weakness gave strength, then after strength gave weakness and grey hair. (Surah Ar-Room -54).
“He whom We bring to old age, We turn him upside down in the world.” (Ya Seen -68).
Thus the physical downfall of man which occurs naturally is sufficient to open his eyes. The failure of the powers, one after another, after having enjoyed full strength, is the proof of the fact that man has no power over his own strength or weakness that he may feel proud. All the powers that he enjoys are given by his Creator. He takes them away whenever He wills. In reality the Being who knows everything and is Mighty is Allah only.

105. It is a fact that all persons are not equal in the matter of their earnings and the comforts of the world available to them. Some have all the luxuries and some have very little to eat. And so far as the slaves are concerned, their rights apart, it is an accepted principle that slaves do not share the property of their master and cannot enjoy equal status. If that were to be so, then a slave would not have remained a slave. Therefore, when a man does not permit a slave to enjoy the status of a partner in his property, then how does he allow Allah’s slaves to be partners in His godhood? How does man allow this to be attributed to God which he does not like for himself?
It should be noted that this example is given merely to clarify the wrong mentality of those who assign partners to Allah. It is similar to criticising their practice of declaring angels to be the daughters of Allah. It was then remarked that they had chosen sons for themselves but for Allah they assign daughters. The idea is to bring into focus the corruption in their mentality and falsehood of their belief, and not to give a certificate of approval for men to consider daughters as objectionable things. Here also the example of the slaves is given taking into consideration their basic status and not to deal with the problem of treating them. Therefore, the discussion should not be carried over to irrelevant fields. Some people have brought in economic philosophy in this connection, which is quite irrelevant here.

106. That is: When they properly understand the relation between a master and his slave, then how can they attribute the favours bestowed by God to have been bestowed by His slaves? Are God’s slaves and His creatures partners in His godhood and property? If not, and surely not, then on receiving any bounty and worldly comforts man should be thankful to God alone. But those who assign partners to Allah, on receiving good things of life do not thank God, but thank His slaves and His creatures that they received those worldly goodies by their favours.
This was about the practice of the polytheists. But in the present day same is the case of the ‘bidatloving’ Muslims. Whenever anyone of them gets a son or some wealth, etc., he considers it as the grace of Khwaja Gharib Nawaz and ‘Piran-i-Pir’ etc. and as a mark of gratitude offers ‘niaz’ and presents in their name. Inspite of these polytheistic activities these people think that their belief in tawheed is not at all affected. Would that they consider the teachings of Qur’an sincerely!

107. That is: For you wives are not provided from any other species but from your own species, from human beings so that you may be able to have relations of love and kindness with them.

108. Their case is very strange. They reap the benefits from the favours granted by Allah, but they are grateful to others. It should be noted that the polytheists of Makkah do not deny that these blessings and worldly good have been created and granted by God, but with this belief they also believe that so and so are their interceders with God on their behalf, and through their recommendation they get Allah’s blessings and favours, therefore, it is necessary to thank them. This belief placed the interceders on the pedestal of God and they treat them as if they are the gods.

109. The practice of coining examples and similitudes for Allah has opened the way for polytheism, e.g. in the beginning the concept of sons and daughters for Allah was only as an example or similitude, but when this concept became a firm belief, the example or the similitude disappeared, and the sons and daughters proposed by them became gods. Similarly, God was considered to be like a worldly king, and as it is necessary to have some agency or ‘wasila’ to get one’s request heard by the king, similarly it was considered, on the same lines, to have ‘wasila’ to get one’s prayer for help heard by God. When this concept became a belief, these agencies and ‘wasila’ achieved the position of godhood, after which they came to be invoked directly for help in prayer, to them the appeals for succour were made, to them pledges were made, offerings were presented, In short, different ways were adopted to worship them. The result was that the relation with one’s own real God weakened and relation with the selfmade gods was strengthened.
By forbidding to coin examples and similitudes for Allah, Qur’an has closed the door for committing polytheism. It says that to allow the imagination to run riot in relation to God is an act of ignorance. The wise and learned thing is to believe in the attributes of Allah which He himself has conveyed to us, for who can be more knowledgeable than Allah in the matter of His own attributes?

110. An example which refutes polytheism.

111. That is: A person is helpless and a slave and another person is independent and also munificent. Do you consider such two persons equal? No. Whenever you would like to go for help, you would approach the second person, and not the first person, because you know that he is helpless, he has no control over anything. In your personal and mutual dealings you will understand the difference between a helpless person and a person with power, and you act according to their status. But when the question of praying for getting your needs fulfilled arises, instead of turning to the Creator you turn to the creatures, and you consider His helpless slaves as your benefactors and you are grateful to them. Is this not an obvious act of ignorance.?

112. That is: real benefactor is Allah only and He only deserve to be thanked. But many people do not know this obvious fact, that is why they consider others as their benefactor instead of Allah and they are grateful to them.

76. And Allah gives one (more) example: There are two men, one of them dumb, having power over nothing, and he is a burden on his master; wherever he sends him, he brings no good (result). Is he equal with one who enjoins justice and follows a straight path? 113

77. To Allah are known the Unseen (secrets of) the heavens and the earth, and the matter of the Hour (of Doom) is but a twinkling of the eye, or it is nearer still.114 Verily Allah has power over all things.

78. And Allah brought you out of the wombs of your mothers, (while) you had no knowledge; and gave you ears, eyes and hearts so that you may be grateful.115

79. Do they not see the birds subservient (hanging) in the heavens’ vault (atmosphere)? None holds them except Allah. Verily in that is a sign for the people who believe.116

80. And Allah has provided you from your houses an abode,117 and has provided you of the skins of cattle houses which you find light118 on the day of your travel and on the day of camping; and of their wool and their fur and their hair, various kinds of articles of value and comfort for a while.119

81. And Allah has made for you of what He has created shades120 and has made you places of refuge in the mountains,121 and has provided you with garments to protect you from the heat;122 and coats (of armour) to shield you in your wars.124 Thus does He perfect his favours to you, in order that you may submit to Him.

82. Even then if they turn away, your duty is only clear conveyance (of the message).125

113. The first example was concerning tawheed. This second example is concerning prophethood: that on the one side are those sardars and leaders whose mouths are sealed, who do not speak out the truth, are deprived of doing any good, eat of the provision provided by their Lord but are ungratefully, they do not perform the good acts for which their Creator has sent them to this world. On the other side there is this messenger of Allah who follows the straight path of his Lord, and he is using his power of speech for speaking truth and for enjoining justice. Then who, between these two deserves to be made leader? It is obvious, it is the messenger of Allah. But it is amazing that instead of following the messenger of Allah people are going after these good for nothing leaders.

114. It means that for the Creator who has created this system of the universe, it is not at all difficult to destroy it and then create a new system and a new world. On the day on which Allah would like to cause the Doomsday to occur, it would occur in the twinkling of an eye, nay even quicker than that.
Man of ancient times considered the occurrence of Doomsday as unreasonable, because he thought that the system of the universe and this world are very strongly built entities. How can they be destroyed, how can these great mountains be razed to dust, but the modern scientific progress has shown that the energy released by the splitting of an atom is so great that it can destroy the entire city in no time: So the Being who has control over every atom of the universe, a slight hint from Him is sufficient to split the atoms of the universe, and release unimaginable energies and cause the explosion, which is known as the Doomsday. The Creator of this universe is undoubtedly, powerful to cause the explosion of the Doomsday, destroying the world in one second.

115. When a man is born, he is totally devoid of knowledge, but in his infancy he gradually, gets his faculties for properly seeing, hearing and thinking, which give him distinction over other creatures. These faculties are granted to man by Allah only, therefore, these favours demand that man should recognise his benefactor and should be thankful to Him. But man is careless and is ungrateful.

116. That is: If people really open their eyes and see the birds flying in the sky they will see the signs of Allah’s Lordship and might and they would then believe in Him. How do these birds fly in the atmosphere without taking help of any artificial contrivance? How do they hang in the air and do not fall down to the ground? Who it is that has given them wings to fly, and trained them to fly for miles in the sky without falling? Who is it that has caused them to be subservient and obedient to His command?

117. The art of building houses is also taught to man by Allah and He also provided the materials for the same. The comfort and tranquility man gets in the house is also provided by Allah.

118. That is: From the hides and skins of the animals’ tents are made, which can be folded and carried while traveling, and it is also easy to open them and pitch a tent when required to make a halt. In other words, they are folding houses, gifted by God.

119. Wool is obtained from sheep, fur from camels, etc., and hair from goats. Blankets, garments and flooring materials are made from these.

120. Shades of trees and mountains.

121. Caves and pits and pot-holes.

122. Garments which protect from sunstroke and heat of the sun. Above were mentioned those things which helped in making garments to protect from cold. Therefore, here particularly are mentioned garments which are made from cotton, and which protect from the sun, and which are a necessity in the hot countries like Arabia.

123. That is: Coat of arms, or mail.

124. Allah has showered on you so many blessings and favours that there is no physical and natural need of you that is not being met by these provisions. These favours have been granted to you so that you may recognise your Lord and become obedient to Him.

125. Even if after what has been stated above, ‘they do not find in their hearts a feeling of indebtedness and subjugation for the Lord and they still want to stick to their false beliefs, then they are responsible for their acts. The responsibility of the Prophet (S.A.W.) was merely to convey Allah’s message to them.

83. They recognize the favours of Allah., yet they deny them126 and most of them are ungrateful.

84. On the day when we will raise up from every nation a witness,127 then no leave will be given to disbelievers (for excuses),nor will they be asked to repent.128

85. And when the wrong-doers will see the punishment, it will not be made light for them, nor will they be reprieved.

86. And those who ascribed partners to Allah will behold those partners of theirs, they will say: “Our Lord! These are our partners whom we used to invoke instead of You.” But they will fling the saying to them (with the words): “Verily, you are liars!” 129

87. And on that day they will proffer submission to Allah,130 and all the falsehood that they invented will fail them.131

88. Those who disbelieve and debar (men) from the way of Allah, for them we will give punishment over punishment because of the corruption they wrought.132

89. And the day when we will raise in every nation a witness against them from their own people, and We will bring you as witness against these.133 And we have revealed the Book (as an argument against them) as an exposition of all things clearly,134 and a guidance and a mercy and good tidings for those who surrender to Allah.

90. And Allah enjoins justice135 and kindness,136 and giving to kinsfolk137, and forbids lewdness, and wickedness and oppression. He exhorts you in order that you may be reminded.

91. Fulfil the covenant of Allah when you have made a covenant,138 and do not break your oaths after you have solemnly affirmed them, and when you have made Allah a witness over you 139 Allah knows whatever you do.

126. The polytheists did not deny that these good things of life were created by God, but when someone was a recipient of a particular blessing, he considered it a favour of such and such saint or angel instead of Allah, or that it was the result of the intercession of recommendation of some other being through their ‘wasila’ or agency. On account of this belief this ‘wasila’ or ‘wasta’ (agency) were considered by them as worthy of their gratitude. Then they used to deal with them as they dealt with God only. Thus they admitted the blessings of God on the one hand, on the other they denied it by adopting a policy which was in contravention of that admission. This wrong attitude and wrong acts of the polytheists is being reproached here.

127. That is: The messenger of Allah who was sent to a particular nation with Allah’s message will give witness before Allah on the Day of Judgment that he conveyed Allah’s message to his people.

128. That is: After the witness of the Prophet, the disbelievers will have no chance of offering any false excuses before God, because the evidence of the Prophet will have convincingly proved their guilt. And they will not even be asked to seek forgiveness for their sins because the time for begging for forgiveness and reprieve would have passed. This chance they had in the world. In the Hereafter, they are to get the punishment according to their misdeeds.

129. From this refutation it is quite clear that here by the associates or partners of Allah, falsely ascribed, are not meant the idols but those personalities who were treated by the polytheists in the manner reserved only for God, e.g. presuming to be omnipresent and calling them for help to believe that they enjoy such authority that they can get whatever they want for their followers from God, that they fix the destiny and remove difficulties, and that they help on granting wealth and children from the Unseen, etc.
These persons will declare their followers liars on the Day of Judgment, saying that they did not know that they were being invoked by the followers for help and that they were quite unable to help them, and that the claim that they were making on their behalf was totally false.

130. That is: On that day these polytheists will admit their error and falsehood and will express their helplessness before God.

131. That is: Their falsehood that God has granted to such and such a person certain power and that they enjoy immense power etc, will be exposed and they will be proved to be totally false. It may be noted that polytheism is not only found in idolaters only but also in a large number of the present-day Muslims. Accordingly they have named one of their supposed benefactors as ‘Mushkil Kusha’ (Solver of Difficulties), another one as ‘Dastagir’ (hand-holder), someone as ‘Gharib Nawaz’ (Helper of the poor), and some other as ‘Ghause-i-Pak’ (Holy helper), and they try to convince others that this is not shirk (polytheism), although Qur’an has in principle declared all these things as shirk, their case is not at all different from this. These polytheistic activities of the ignorant Muslims are given the certificate of lawfulness by a section of the so-called ulema, so much so that in a recently published commentary on Qur’an it has been written that –
“Thus the Lord by His grace makes His favourite slaves masters of creation, but in spite of this they do not become equal to God, they remain His slaves only.”
This last portion is an open contradiction of what is said earlier, and a great mistake—as if belief, in their being master of creation is also not shirk. May God save us from such self-deception.

132. For Qur’an the greatest corruption is that man may indulge in polytheism and then spread it and may debar men from following the path of tawheed (monotheism).

133. For explanation, see Note No.96, Surah An-Nisa.

134. Quran’s subject is: “To show clearly the path of Allah to the people and to save them from going astray.” In view of this Qur’an has accordingly described the necessary things clearly and openly, which are quite sufficient for man’s guidance. As for the details of the Quranic commands and their practical forms, the sunnah of the Prophet has clearly and efficiently clarified them.
And when this is a fact that all the things which are concerned with man’s guidance and on whom the salvation of man in the Hereafter depends, have been clearly narrated, then there is no such belief which is necessary in the religion and has not been mentioned in the Qur’an. Therefore, those Muslims who add any additional belief to the beliefs already presented by the Quran, they introduce a very great ‘bidat’ (innovation) in the religion, and this has created different sects among Muslims. If they take Quran to be sufficient for matters of belief, then only sectarianism will end among them.

135. If on the one hand Quran is emphasising that man should establish his relationship with his Lord on the basis of truth, on the other hand it also insists that man should recognise his moral responsibilities and should keep right relationship with another man. It has declared carelessness for the right of fellow-human or usurpation of his right as a sin. The command given in this ayah is very comprehensive and holds moral basic values. Besides the command has a general appeal that is every person is its addressee. According to the time of its revelations, the ayah —not only the ayah but the whole surah—was revealed at time when the oppression of the Muslims by the disbelievers of Makkah had increased. On this occasion the command to do justice shakes man’s conscience. Justice is such an attribute for man that it is not only a matter of honour for him but also makes him follow the straight path. It may be words or action; justice is necessary in both.

136.The person may be anybody, and should be treated with kindness.

137. The relatives have precedence in the matter of rights. Treating them kindly and providing them financial support is essential.

138. The words “you have made a covenant” show that here by Allah’s covenant is meant the covenant which man consciously makes with Allah, e.g. in difficulties man’s pledge to Allah that if he is relieved of the difficulties he would become a grateful slave, but after being relieved he indulges in polytheism and becomes ungrateful to God (Surah An’am 63,64); or man’s this promise to Allah that if He gave him a healthy child he will become His grateful slave, and on getting the child his turning away from his promise and associating others with Allah in the grant of that favour (A’raf 189-190). It is obvious that not to fulfill these covenants is blatant dishonesty. In the covenant of Allah are included these pledges which someone has taken in respect of Allah only, and in the wider sense it also includes the covenant of obedience and worship.

139. Here oaths mean those covenants and agreements which are made among persons over Allah’s name. Among the Arabs there was the practice of making an agreement among themselves by mutually swearing by Allah. To break the oath means to break these agreements or not to fulfill the conditions therein, which is a very sinful act.
Whoever acts righteously, whether a male or a female, and is a believer, We will grant him a clean life; and verily We will reward them a recompense according to the noblest of their actions. (Al-Quran)

92. And do not be like the woman who unravelled the thread to bits after she has firmly spun it.140 You make your oaths deceit between you because of a group being superior in numbers than another group.141 Allah tries you through this.142 And verily He will explain to you on the Day of Resurrection that in which you differ.143

93. Had Allah willed He would have made you one ummah (nation), and He lets go astray whom He will and He guides whom He will.144 And you will be questioned about what you have been doing.

94. Do not make your oaths a deceit between you, lest a foot may slip after being firmly planted145 and you may taste evil for debarring others from the path of Allah, and you may incur great punishment.146

95. Do not sell Allah’s covenant for a small price. Verily, what Allah has is better for you, if you but knew.147

96. Whatever is with you will perish, and whatever is with Allah will remain.148 And We will reward those who suffered patiently a recompense according to their noblest actions.149

97. Whoever acts righteously, whether a male or a female, and is a believer, We will grant him a clean life;150and verily We will reward them a recompense according to the noblest of their actions.

98. And when you read (or recite) the Qur’an, seek refuge in Allah from Satan the outcast. 151

99. Verily he has no authority over those who believe and put trust in their Lord. 152

100. He has authority only over those who be friend him and those who ascribe partners to Him.153

140. That is: As cutting to shreds the thread which was spun from the cotton with great labour is a foolish act amounting to waste one’s own efforts, similarly to break one’s pledge and promise after strengthening it by swearing by God is also a great foolish act, the cause of immense loss.
This is a hint which points to the Jews who had made a covenant with Allah for following His Shariah, which they ultimately broke and became disobedient. The purpose of giving this example is to provide firmness and strength to those who had newly embraced Islam.

141. This is an address to those who, though had embraced Islam, the severity of the circumstances had made them a little unfirm, as is clear from the following ayah, e.g. Ubaidullah bin Jahash, who had become a Muslim but later on migrated to Abyssinia and converted to Christianity. (Al-Bidayah wan-Nahaya, Vol. IV p.143).
In this ayah oaths mean the kalimah of shahadat (witness) by reciting which a person comes under the subjugation of Islam. Accordingly, in the Surah Munafiqoon the witness of the hypocrites when they say that Muhammad is Allah’s messenger, has been termed as ‘aiman’ (oaths) (Surah Munafiqoon, 1-2).
And the meaning of making the oaths the means of dishonesty is to turn away from Islam, after embracing it, which is covenant-breaking with God, as also it is being traitrous with the Muslim ummah. At that time the group of Muslims in Makkah was very small, which had not power to even defend itself. On the other side was the group of the disbelievers which was very large and also had abundance of material wealth and power. This group was set on oppressing the Muslims on the basis of its might and numbers. On account of this severity of the circumstances, some Muslims were feeling weak and were shaky, for which they had been warned here.

142. Test to try their loyalty, as they had joined a group which was small and weak, but the might of truth was with it —to see whether they would remain with the group with truth on its side but weak or the group which has falsehood as its ideology but is powerful.

143. That is: On the Day of Judgment it will be clear as to which group was on the side of truth — the group which came into existence on the basis of tawheed and Islam or the group which came into existence on the basis of polytheistic religion.

144. Allah could have made every person a Muslim by His unlimited power, but since the purpose was to test mankind, man was given the freedom to exercise his choices, between truth and falsehood. Whatever side a person chooses Allah’s will put that person on that path, therefore, nobody should be influenced by the large numbers of the polytheists and disbelievers, but he should try to see by following which path he can get salvation.

145. This is addressed to the Muslims, and as stated in note No.141 above, here oaths mean to recite the kalimah of shahadat and to make covenant of obedience with Allah, and slipping of the foot means to turn away from that covenant.

146. That is: If you take the path of deviation after embracing Islam, then this act of yours would debar many persons from following the path of Allah. Thus you yourself would be misguided and would cause others to be misguided. If you do like this, you would have to face adverse consequence and a great painful punishment will await you.

147. That is: If you have broken your pledge for some worldly gains or in your greed for something, and have turned away from Islam, then mind you that however big this gain may be from the materialistic viewpoint, it would be very insignificant and meagre in comparison with the gains in the Hereafter. So make the Hereafter your objective and do not sacrifice your religion for the sake of meagre worldly benefits.

148.The wealth and property of the world will perish and the Hereafter is everlasting, therefore, make the Hereafter your goal and be desirous of its blessings.

149. Those who will remain steadfast in these severe trials, for them their excellent acts will decide their rank in the Hereafter and they will receive their reward according to these excellent acts.

150. The successful life that the people of faith will lead in the next world is a foregone conclusion, but Allah promises that in this world too He will make them live a clean life. Clean life includes purity of belief, light of faith, cleanness of heart, brightness of intellect, tranquillity of spirit, coolness of eyes, cleanliness of body, beauty of worship, lawful earnings, impeccable moral character, a sense of responsibilities, inclination towards pious deeds and abhorrence of evil deeds, etc. The sweetness which a believer experiences in his life when he is blessed with a clean life like this is such that materialists cannot even imagine it, and compared with this clean life the life of luxury and pleasure is nothing.

151.That is: This path of bliss, mentioned in the foregoing ayat, can be opened for you through Qur’an, provided you are alert against Satan while reading the Qur’an, for Satan is always aiming at preventing mankind from properly understanding Qur’an by means of putting doubts in their minds, etc; he creates doubts in the minds by confusing the intellect and tries to prove the teachings of Qur’an as wrong. In pursuance of this command at the time of reciting Qur’an it is necessary to recite ‘A’ oozu billahi minash shaitanir rajeem.’ (I seek refuge in Allah from Satan, the outcast), but this can be of benefit only when a man tries to read this with awareness and sincerely wants to understand Qur’an.

152. For explanation, please see Surah Hijr Note No.39.

153. Satan is able to deceive and entice only those who befriend him and indulge in polytheism, eschewing monotheism.
And when We reveal an ayah in place of another ayah,and Allah knows best what He reveals they say: “Surely, you are inventing.” (The fact is:) Most of them know not (what is the reality). (Al-Quran)

101. And when We reveal an ayah in place of another ayah,154—and Allah knows best what He reveals—they say: “Surely, you are inventing.” (The fact is:) Most of them know not (what is the reality).

102. Say: The holy spirit” 155 has revealed it from your Lord with truth, that it may strengthen (the faith of) those who believe, and as guidance and as glad tidings for those who have surrendered themselves to Allah (Muslimeen).

103. And We know that they say that surely a man teaches him, (although) the tongue of the man whom they falsely allude is non- Arabic, and this is clear Arabic speech.156

104. Verily those who disbelieve the revelations of Allah, Allah does not guide them, and for them is a painful punishment.

105. Only they invent falsehood who do not believe Allah’s revelations,157 and they themselves are the liars.

106. Whoever rejects faith in Allah after his belief— except him who is forced therefore and whose heart is still content with Faith158 — but whoever open their bosom to disbelief, on them is wrath from Allah; theirs will be a great punishment.159

107. That is because they have chosen the life of the world as against the Hereafter,160 and Allah does not guide the disbelieving people.

108. Such are those whose hearts, and ears and eyes have been sealed by Allah,161 and they are the heedless.

109. Assuredly in the Hereafter they will be the losers.

110. Then (however), for those who migrated after they had been persecuted, struggled in jihad,162 and suffered patiently, verily your Lord, after these (acts) is Most Forgiving, Most Merciful.

154. Qur’an is not a book like the books produced by men, which are presented in a complete form at one time, through which either something is added to the knowledge of men or which present some academic research. But this book has been sent down by man’s Creator for his guidance and instruction. Therefore, wisdom demanded that the group of its believers which would be formed in the early stages should receive timely guidance and instructions according to circumstances through this book, so that the objectives of Qur’an may also become clear and timely guidance may provide firmness to the faith of the faithful and strength of conviction in his action. In view of this great necessity the revelation of Qur’an was made in stages, gradually, and in this the difference of outline and detail occurred, which is quite natural, e.g. in the earlier surahs monotheism was presented in a comprehensive manner, but in the subsequent surahs its requirements or ramifications were presented. Similarly, in the beginning the command to worship God was given in an outline, but later on the details of worship like salat, etc. were given.
Muslims were asked to be patient in the face of oppression and tyranny, but in the later stages they were allowed to migrate to Abyssinia; in this surah a mention of the migration to Abyssinia has been made. Muslims were asked to explain their viewpoint to the infidels, but subsequently they were asked to avoid them. These are the things to which Qur’an refers to as revealing one ayah in place of another ayah, and as such there is no contradiction in these ayat, nor is any ayah ‘mansookh’(cancelled) in the traditional sense. Surah Nahl is a Maccan Surah, and that too of the middle period. Therefore, till then no command was revealed which had to be cancelled in the traditional sense. Therefore, the technical discussion about ‘nasikh’ and ‘mansookh’ (cancellation) here is irrelevant and there is no argument in its favour in the ayah. The statement in the following ayah that it may strengthen the faith of those who believe is sufficient to clarify its purpose.

155. ‘Roohul Q’uds’ (holy spirit) is the title of Archangel Jibril (Gabriel), who is the chief of the angels and who used to bring Allah’s revelations to Prophet Muhammad (Sallal Lahu Alaihi Wa Sallam).

156. Qur’an has not disclosed the name of the man about whom the idolaters used to say that he was teaching the Prophet. In the various narratives various names have been mentioned whose authenticity is doubtful. It proves the fact that there was no such person about whom such a preposterous thing could be imagined. If it were not so, the narrators would have stated his name without any dispute.
Qur’an clarifies that the person alluded to by the polytheists did not have Arabic as his mother tongue. Then how is it possible that such a person would be able to author Qur’an, which is in chaste Arabic and which has no equal in eloquence and appeal. For the refutation of the polytheists’ charge only this one argument was sufficient, otherwise for those who can think and ponder there is no paucity of proofs, which negate the theory or the falsehood of Quran’s being a mortal’s work, they positively assert the fact that it is the word of Allah only.

157. Those who can assign falsehood to God can only be those who do not believe in the revelations of Allah and to assign falsehood to God are two contradictory things. Therefore, the Prophet cannot be said to be guilty of telling lies. However this charge can squarely be applied to the opponents of the Prophet and the polytheists that they tell lies in the name of God, for either they have themselves invented their belief and their religion or they have followed those who have invented it. In any event they are the liars.

158. In this ayah exemption is given to those who have been forced to utter blasphemy or words of disbelief on condition that in their hearts they have full faith in God and are content with their belief. This exemption is merely a consent, but a man of determination, a Muslim should stake his life instead of uttering a word of disbelief from his mouth. The best examples of such a manly determination was that of Yassir (R) and Sumaiyyah (R) : the polytheists tortured them brutally and ultimately killed them but till their last they were not prepared to utter a word of disbelief.
Yassir (R) is the first Muslim male to have tested the cup of martyrdom in Makkah and Sumaiyya (R) is the first Muslim lady to have been martyred in Makkah for the cause of Islam.

159. That is: Whoever will be happy with disbelief and whose faith will be that of a disbeliever will be liable to receive Allah’s wrath and will not escape His punishment.

160. It is clear that to prefer the welfare in this world to the welfare in the Hereafter is the purpose of the disbeliever.

161. For explanation, see Surah Baqarah Note No.15.

162. Here by jihad is meant those efforts which a Muslim may make in spreading Allah’s religion in severely unfriendly conditions, even at the risk of his life.
Allah cites an example: a township was secure and well content, its provision in abundance came to it from every quarter, but it showed ingratitude for Allah’s favours, so Allah subjected them to taste scarcity and fear because of what they used to do. (Al-Quran)

111. On the day when every soul will come163 pleading for itself, and every soul will be repaid for what it did, and they will not be wronged.

112. Allah cites an example: a township was secure and well content, its provision in abundance came to it from every quarter, but it showed ingratitude for Allah’s favours, so Allah subjected them to taste scarcity and fear because of what they used to do. 164

113. And verily there came to them a messenger from among them, but they denied him, so that punishment seized them while they were wrong-doers.165

114. So eat of the lawful and good food which Allah has provided for you, and thank the favours of your Lord if you worship only Him.166

115. He has forbidden for you only carrion and blood and the flesh of swine and the animal which has been slaughtered in any other name than that of Allah’s,167 but for he who is driven by absolute necessity, neither craving nor transgressing, verily then Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.168

116. And do not declare, on account of what your tongues wrongfully qualify, falsely that This is lawful and this is forbidden, so that you invent a lie concerning Allah.109 Verily those who invent lies concerning Allah will never prosper.

117. Brief is the enjoyment, and then there is grievous punishment for them.170

118. And to the Jews We had forbidden what We have already narrated to you.171 We had not wronged them, but they wronged themselves.

163. That is: On the Day of Judgment every person will be anxious for his or her salvation, and he or she will offer all kinds of excuses in their defense.

164. It is only the case of the Meccan people that has been narrated in the form of an example. They were leading a secure and comfortable life and their articles of food, etc., were coming to the city from every side. But instead of appreciating these blessings from Allah, they became ungrateful, because of which Allah subjected them to famine conditions. This famine was so severe that people were starving and there was fear of loss of life.

165. The conditions of the people of Makkah as related above was instrumental in Allah’s sending His messenger from amongst them. But instead of appreciating this favour of Allah, they refused to accept him as Allah’s messenger and stuck to polytheism, which is the worst kind of wrong. Ultimately Allah subjected them to the severest punishment. This punishment was to be their fate in the near future, that is why it has been so narrated as if they had already received the punishment.
For the polytheists of Makkah the form of punishment was this that a few years after the revelation of these ayat, the Battle of Badr took place, in which big leaders of the Meccan people were killed. Thereafter other battles were also fought, and thus Allah’s punishment came down on the idolaters in the form of Muslims’ swords so effectively and conclusively that after this not a trace of polytheism or polytheists remained in that region.

166. The polytheists used to claim to be God worshippers in spite of their idolatry, therefore, they were told that if they were really worshippers of a Single God, it was necessary for them that they should eat only the food provided by Him which is clean and declared lawful by Him, and should not indulge in declaring such food as forbidden under the influence of polytheistic superstitions. It is also the demand of God’s worship that for the favours and blessing bestowed by Him, He should be thanked, and sacrificing animals in other than Allah’s name, offering gifts as a token of devotion to others (than Allah) be given up, as they are equivalent to worshipping other than Allah and are contradictory to worshipping the One and Only God.
This is a reference to the superstition of the polytheists who used to let loose some cattle in the name of idols and avoided drinking their milk or eating their flesh or riding them. In this way they were guilty of making unlawful what was declared to be lawful by God, and by assigning the bounty granted by Him to others they were showing their ingratitude.(For further explanation, see Surah Maidah Note No.249, and Surah An’am Notes Nos. 251 and 253).
Here the command to eat the flesh of such animals means that you should end the ‘religious sanctity’ that you have engendered in them and you should appreciate the favour of Allah and slaughter the animals provided by Him in His name only and eat them.

167. For the explanation of these things, please: see Surah Baqarah Notes Nos. 209 to 213). It should be noted that only that slaughtered animal is lawful to be eaten which has been slaughtered in the name of Allah, because the act of slaughtering in itself is a, form of worship and nearness to Allah. If any Muslim invokes the name of Allah while slaughtering an animal, and at the same time he also invokes the name of a saint or ‘peer’, then it will also amount to invoking the name of a person other than Allah.

168.This has been explained in Note No.214, Surah Baqarah.

169. The meaning of saying that a certain thing is halal (lawful) or haram (forbidden) is that Allah has commanded it to be so. To such a claim there should be some plausible proof, and this could only be Allah’s Shariah, which is received by mankind through the prophets. Therefore, without any supporting proof from the Shariah to declare that a thing is halal or haram, merely to suit one’s own desire is to invent a lie concerning Allah. This was the lie of the polytheists, but the greater falsehood is that which has been invented by the irreligious people of the modern times and that is God does not exist and that He is the creation of man’s own imagination, and therefore, the question of what is lawful and forbidden does not arise. (MayAllah give us refuge from such a blasphemy)

170. That is: Those who invent lies against Allah can enjoy their worldly pleasures only for a few days, but neither this worldly life of theirs is successful nor will they achieve any success in the life of the Hereafter. There they will have to undergo very grievous punishment.

171. Refers to Surah An’am, Ayah No.146. It should be noted that Surah An’am was revealed after the Surah Nahl, but these few ayat of Surah Nahl in which answers to some objections in connection with the Jews have been given, were revealed after Surah An’am, and their place was fixed in the Surah Nahl in view of their subject matter.

172. For explanation, please see Surah An’am Note No.266.
However, verily your Lord for those who did evil in ignorance and afterwards repented and amended— verily (for them) your Lord thereafter is indeed Forgiving, Merciful. (Al-Quran)

119. However, verily your Lord for those who did evil in ignorance and afterwards repented and amended— verily (for them) your Lord thereafter is indeed Forgiving, Merciful.173

120. Verily Ibrahim was an ideal personality,174 obedient to Allah,175 dedicated 176 (to Him), and he never was a polytheist;177

121. Grateful for His bounties.178 He chose him179 and guided him to a straight path.180

122. We gave him good (recompense) in the world.181 and in the Hereafter he will be the righteous.182

123. Then We sent you revelation asking you to follow the religion of Ibrahim, who was upright and was never of the polytheists.183

124. The Sabbath was appointed only for those who differed concerning It,184 and verily your Lord will judge between them on the Day of Judgment about what they used to differ.185

125. Call men to the path of your Lord with wisdom and kindly exhortation, and argue with them in a courteous manner.186 Verily your Lord is well aware of him who strays from His way and He is well aware of them who go aright.

126. If you retaliate, then retaliate with the like of what you were afflicted. But if you endure patiently, verily it is better for the patient. 187

127. And (O Prophet!) endure patiently. Your endurance is only by the help of Allah. Grieve not for them, and be not in distress at their intrigue.

128. Undoubtedly Allah is with those who fear Him, and those who perform good acts.

173. This verse invites those who are indulging in wrong religiosity on account of their ignorance to repent and amend.

174. In the text the word used is Ummah, which has several meanings. One meaning is: a personality who is peerless, and the other meaning is: Imam (leader) and teacher of virtues (Lisanul Arab, Vol. 12, page 27). Ibn Taimiah has taken it to mean an ideal personality (Majmu’ Fatawa Ibn Taimiah, Vol. 17, page 483) and we have preferred this meaning.
The purpose in mentioning this characteristic of Prophet Ibrahim was to impress upon the polytheists, who considered him as their leader and claimed to follow him, that the environment in which he was born was fully polytheistic, but his personality was unique and distinctive that he rose up as an ideal monotheist, who gave the lesson of tawheed to the world. Therefore, he is the Imam of the monotheists and not of the polytheists, and if they really wanted to be his followers, then they should adopt the path of monotheism. Further on his other attributes are narrated, which mirror his comprehensive and ideal personality.

175. In the text the word ‘Qanit’ is used, which means a person who is constantly submissive and obedient. Ibn Taimiah writes: “Qunut means constant obedience and qanit is one who is constantly obedient to Allah.” — (Majmu’ Fatawa Ibn Taimiah Vol: V, page 23).

176. The word used here is ‘Hanif. It means an upright person, and one who is dedicated to Allah. Ibn Taimiah states: “Hanif, i.e. Who turns towards Allah with his heart and not towards anyone else.” — (Ibid V.28, page 32).

177.Prophet Ibrahim was never a polytheist, therefore, to relate your polytheistic religion to him is absolutely wrong. It is elicited that Prophet Ibrahim had never indulged in polytheism in his life, therefore, what he had stated on seeing the stars cannot be termed, as an act of polytheism, for it was merely an argument in a discussion (Surah An’am Note No. 131).

178. That is: For the bounties of God, he was; thankful to God only and appreciated His favours.

179. That is: God had chosen him for prophethood.

180, After blessing him with prophethood, God opened the path of the religion (Islam) for him, which was a straight path, leading to Him.

181. Among the good recompense which Allah had granted Prophet Ibrahim in this world are honour and leadership, sons like Ismail and Ishaq, the auspicious region of Syria, the soul invigorating land of Makkah, and resources in abundance for doing righteous deeds, etc. Besides the speakers of Truth will ever keep the name of Prophet Ibrahim at the top of the World leaders. Peace be upon Prophet Ibrahim.

182. The first condition for success in the Hereafter is to be virtuous. The higher ranks come afterwards. Prophet Ibrahim had passed a virtuous and pious life in the world, therefore, in the Hereafter also he will be a virtuous personality.

183. Millat of Ibrahim means the way or religion of Prophet Ibrahim and his Shariah. His religion was the religion of tawheed, that is, Islam, and his Shariah was a simple one, which did not have those restrictions which were imposed subsequently on the Jews because of their disobedience. The rites of Hajj are also the part of the Shariah of Ibrahim. The revelation of Quran took place to keep alive the religion and the Shariah of Prophet Ibrahim, and the direction given to Prophet Muhammad (Sallal Lahu Alaihi Wa Sallam) to follow his way is to show that the path of Qur’an is the same which was that of Ibrahim, therefore to follow the path of Qur’an is to follow the path of Prophet Ibrahim, as against this the path of the polytheists is not the path of Prophet Ibrahim.

184. The explanation about the observance of Sabbath has been given in Surah A’raf Note No. 250. The best explanation of what is stated here— that is, the imposition of observance or Sabbath was ordained for those who had differed concerning that is— that which occurs in a hadith:
“The Messenger of Allah (Sallal Lahu Alaihi Wa Sallam) said that we are the ummah that came later on, but on the Day of Resurrection will be ahead of all, though they got the Book before us and We got it after them. It is this very day (Friday) which was made compulsory for them, but they differed in it. So Allah gave us guidance in this matter. Now they have remained behind us: Jews for tomorrow and the Christians for the day after tomorrow.” — (Muslim —Kitabul Juma’)
It means that in the beginning the Jews were ordained to observe Friday for performing special commands given by Allah, but they differed with their prophet, and insisted that Saturday should be appointed instead. Allah appointed this day for them, and because of their dispute He ordained severe commands for observing this day. Had they agreed to observe Friday as a special day, then such severe commands would not have been given. Thereafter, when the Christians came, they also differed in the matter of Sabbath and instead of Saturday, they reserved Sunday as a special day for themselves. But the Ummah of Muhammad (peace be upon him) got Friday by the grace of God. When they were given special commands regarding observance of Friday, they did not disagree. Thus the day of Friday, with which the week begins came to the lot of Muhammad’s Ummah. Jews remained a day behind because of Saturday and the Christians two days behind because of Sunday.
Concerning the command of slaughtering the cow also, the Jews, as narrated in Surah Baqarah, ayat 67 to 71, raised various kinds of queries. Similarly, they had also changed the words of the saying which they were ordained to utter while entering a city victoriously (Surah Baqarah, Verse No.58). Therefore, it is not unusual for them to have refused to agree to the observance of Friday, and Allah in view of their disagreement and mischief ordained them to observe Saturday with more restrictions.
As for the Christians, they differed from the Jews and reserved Sunday for themselves as their Sabbth instead of Saturday, although they believe in the Torah.
Accordingly, a commentator of the Bible writes:
“The changeover from Sabbath (Saturday in the Gentile Calendar) to Sunday as the day of worship was accomplished by the early 2nd Cent.”— (The Interpreter’s Commentary on the Bible, page 650).
Actually in this ayah the objection of the polytheists is being answered as to why this prophet does not give the command concerning the observance of Sabbath. They have been answered that the command for Sabbath was not given in the Shariah of Prophet Ibrahim, but that it was for the Jews on account of special circumstances, and since this Prophet was been given basically the same Shariah which was given to Prophet Ibrahim, there are no severe restrictions like Sabbath in it.

185. That is: The final judgment concerning all the disputes and disagreements that have been created about God’s religion and His Shariah will be given on the Day of Judgment.

186. Three ways have been mentioned here of inviting people to Allah’s religion:
The first method is of wisdom, that is, such points as may be appealing to common sense and intellect, which may include those arguments that are akin to human nature, and also reasoning with the help of signs in the universe. This method is more suitable for the intelligentsia.
The second method is that of kindly exhortation, that is to present such points as may appeal direct to the heart and which may create a feeling of emotional tenderness, etc., so that people’s hearts may be ready to accept the exhortation. This is not ‘sermonizing’, but it is imparting education and training, reminding and appealing. It includes presentation of moral-teaching instances from the histories of the prophets, reminding of the inevitable death, narrating the scheme of reward and punishment of Allah, etc. This method is more suited to the common people.
As regards the third method, it is of fair argumentation, which means that if it becomes necessary to argue and enter into discussion, it should be adopted provided a fair way of presenting the arguments is followed, that is if any argument is rejected, it should be done with reasonableness and every objection should be answered in a good way, and remaining within the limits of good etiquette so that opponent may not be provoked to obstinacy, resistance and violence, or else he will not be prepared to understand the main Dawah.
The main methods of dawah are only two as mentioned above and the method of argumentation and discussion has been adopted as of necessity. It becomes necessary when the opponent presents objections, doubts, or a false theory and philosophy. There are various examples of this in the Qur’an, e.g. Prophet Ibrahim’s argumentation with his people and Namrood (Nimrod), replies to the polytheists on their objections concerning revival of mankind on the Day of Resurrection, etc.

187. In Makkah the idolaters were subjecting the people of faith to inhuman oppression and torture for the reason that they had responded to the voice of their conscience and embraced Islam. The Muslims were a handful of people and were not in a position to wield their power in a collective way. In these circumstances they have been exhorted to suffer patiently, but they were also permitted to take revenge from their oppressor to the extent that they were made to suffer by him, that is you can inflict the same degree of affliction which you suffered at his hands, you are not allowed to exceed this limit. This provides us a guiding principle that in a non-Islamic society a Muslim, even if he is a da’ee (missionary) he is allowed to give tit for tat.