Surah 16. An-Nahl

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Verses [Section]: 1-9[1], 10-21 [2], 22-25 [3], 26-34 [4], 35-40 [5], 41-50 [6], 51-60 [7], 61-65 [8], 66-70 [9], 71-76 [10], 77-83 [11], 84-89 [12], 90-100 [13], 101-110 [14], 111-119 [15], 120-128 [16]

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Quran Text of Verse 111-11916. An-Nahl Page 280یَوْمَ(On) the Dayتَاْتِیْ(when) will comeكُلُّeveryنَفْسٍsoulتُجَادِلُpleadingعَنْforنَّفْسِهَاitselfوَ تُوَفّٰیand will be paid in fullكُلُّeveryنَفْسٍsoulمَّاwhatعَمِلَتْit didوَ هُمْand theyلَا(will) notیُظْلَمُوْنَ be wronged وَ ضَرَبَAnd Allah sets forthاللّٰهُAnd Allah sets forthمَثَلًاa similitudeقَرْیَةً(of) a townكَانَتْ(that) wasاٰمِنَةًsecureمُّطْمَىِٕنَّةًand contentیَّاْتِیْهَاcoming to itرِزْقُهَاits provisionرَغَدًا(in) abundanceمِّنْfromكُلِّeveryمَكَانٍplaceفَكَفَرَتْbut it deniedبِاَنْعُمِ(the) Favors of Allahاللّٰهِ(the) Favors of Allahفَاَذَاقَهَاso Allah made it tasteاللّٰهُso Allah made it tasteلِبَاسَ(the) garbالْجُوْعِ(of) the hungerوَ الْخَوْفِand the fearبِمَاfor whatكَانُوْاthey used (to)یَصْنَعُوْنَ do وَ لَقَدْAnd certainlyجَآءَهُمْcame to themرَسُوْلٌa Messengerمِّنْهُمْfrom among themفَكَذَّبُوْهُbut they denied himفَاَخَذَهُمُso seized themالْعَذَابُthe punishmentوَ هُمْwhile theyظٰلِمُوْنَ (were) wrongdoers فَكُلُوْاSo eatمِمَّاof whatرَزَقَكُمُAllah has provided youاللّٰهُAllah has provided youحَلٰلًاlawfulطَیِّبًا ۪and goodوَّ اشْكُرُوْاAnd be gratefulنِعْمَتَ(for the) Favorاللّٰهِ(of) Allahاِنْifكُنْتُمْ[you]اِیَّاهُHim Aloneتَعْبُدُوْنَ you worship اِنَّمَاOnlyحَرَّمَHe has forbiddenعَلَیْكُمُto youالْمَیْتَةَthe dead animalوَ الدَّمَand the bloodوَ لَحْمَand the fleshالْخِنْزِیْرِ(of) the swineوَ مَاۤand whatاُهِلَّhas been dedicatedلِغَیْرِto other (than)اللّٰهِAllahبِهٖ ۚ[with it]فَمَنِBut (if) oneاضْطُرَّ(is) forcedغَیْرَwithout (being)بَاغٍdisobedientوَّ لَاand notعَادٍa transgressorفَاِنَّthen indeedاللّٰهَAllahغَفُوْرٌ(is) Oft-Forgivingرَّحِیْمٌ Most Merciful وَ لَاAnd (do) notتَقُوْلُوْاsayلِمَاfor that whichتَصِفُassertاَلْسِنَتُكُمُyour tonguesالْكَذِبَthe lieهٰذَاThisحَلٰلٌ(is) lawfulوَّ هٰذَاand thisحَرَامٌ(is) forbiddenلِّتَفْتَرُوْاso that you inventعَلَیaboutاللّٰهِAllahالْكَذِبَ ؕthe lieاِنَّIndeedالَّذِیْنَthose whoیَفْتَرُوْنَinventعَلَیaboutاللّٰهِAllahالْكَذِبَthe lieلَاthey will not succeedیُفْلِحُوْنَؕthey will not succeed مَتَاعٌAn enjoymentقَلِیْلٌ ۪littleوَّ لَهُمْand for themعَذَابٌ(is) a punishmentاَلِیْمٌ painful وَ عَلَیAnd toالَّذِیْنَthose whoهَادُوْاare JewsحَرَّمْنَاWe have forbiddenمَاwhatقَصَصْنَاWe relatedعَلَیْكَto youمِنْbeforeقَبْلُ ۚbeforeوَ مَاAnd notظَلَمْنٰهُمْWe wronged themوَ لٰكِنْbutكَانُوْۤاthey used (to)اَنْفُسَهُمْthemselvesیَظْلِمُوْنَ wrong 16. An-Nahl Page 281ثُمَّThenاِنَّindeedرَبَّكَyour Lordلِلَّذِیْنَto those whoعَمِلُواdidالسُّوْٓءَevilبِجَهَالَةٍin ignoranceثُمَّthenتَابُوْاrepentedمِنْۢafterبَعْدِafterذٰلِكَthatوَ اَصْلَحُوْۤا ۙand corrected themselvesاِنَّindeedرَبَّكَyour Lordمِنْۢafter thatبَعْدِهَاafter thatلَغَفُوْرٌ(is) surely Oft-Forgivingرَّحِیْمٌ۠Most Merciful

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Translation of Verse 111-119

(16:111) Allah's judgement will come about them all on the Day when everyone shall come pleading in his defence, and everyone shall be fully requited for his deeds and none shall be wronged in the least.

(16:112) Allah sets forth the parable of (the people of) a town who were secure and content and whose sustenance came in abundance from every quarter. But then the people of the town showed ingratitude towards Allah for His bounties, so Allah afflicted them with hunger and fear in punishment for their evil deeds.

(16:113) Most certainly a Messenger came to them from among them; but they rejected him, calling him a liar. Therefore chastisement seized them while they engaged in wrong-doing.¹¹²

(16:114) So eat out of the lawful and good sustenance that Allah has bestowed upon you, and thank Allah for His bounty,¹¹³ if it is Him that you serve.¹¹⁴

(16:115) Allah has forbidden you only carrion, and blood, and the flesh of swine; also any animal over which the name of any other than Allah has been pronounced. But whoever eats of them under compelling necessity - neither desiring it nor exceeding the limit of absolute necessity - surely for such action Allah is Much Forgiving, Most Merciful.¹¹⁵

(16:116) And do not utter falsehoods by letting your tongues declare: "This is lawful"¹¹⁶ and "That is unlawful," thus fabricating lies against Allah. Surely those who fabricate lies against Allah will never prosper.

(16:117) Brief is their enjoyment of the world, and thereafter they shall suffer a painful chastisement.

(16:118) We have already recounted to you¹¹⁸ what We prohibited¹¹⁷ to the Jews. In so doing We did not wrong them; it is they who wronged themselves.

(16:119) But to those who commit evil out of ignorance and then repent and amend their ways, thereafter your Lord will be Much Forgiving, Most Merciful.

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Commentary

112. There are no clear indications that help one identify the ‘town’ alluded to in the previous verse; even commentators on the Qur’an have been unable to identify it. It is Ibn ‘Abbas’ opinion that the town referred to in the parable is Makka itself. (See al-Qurtubi’s comments on verse 113 of the present surah — Ed.) As for the hunger and fear mentioned in the verse (i.e. verse 113), this possibly refers to the famine that held the Makkans in its grip for quite some time after the advent of the Prophet (peace be on him).

113. We thus learn that the famine mentioned above had come to an end by the time the present surah was revealed.

114. The believers are directed to abstain from deciding on their own what is lawful and what is not. They. may partake of all that God has declared to be lawful and good, and should give thanks to Him. Conversely, they should abstain from all things unlawful in the Law of God.

115. The same command recurs elsewhere as well. See al-Baqarah 2: 173; al-Ma' idah 5: 3; and al-An‘am 6: 119.

116. The verse lays down categorically that no one other than God has the authority to declare something lawful or otherwise. In other words, God alone is the Law-Maker. If anyone else makes bold to declare on his own certain things to be lawful and others unlawful, he certainly goes beyond his legitimate limits. No such statements may be made unless one can demonstrate that such opinions are based on God’s commands* By arrogating the right to declare things lawful or unlawful, one becomes guilty of inventing lies against God.

For anyone who declares certain things to be lawful and others unlawful is guilty of any one of the following. He will either claim that his declarations of lawful and unlawful are in accordance with God’s own declarations.

Alternatively, he will claim that God has withdrawn His own prerogative to give man the Law which he might follow, and has, thereby, now delegated it to man himself. In either case, the statement is false and is tantamount to inventing lies against God.

117. All this is in response to the objections that were being made against the above-mentioned command, viz. to consider God alone to be the Law-Giver. The Makkan unbelievers pointed an accusing finger towards the Muslims, charging that they had made lawful many a thing which was unlawful in the Old Testament. They further agreed that if the Mosaic Law was also from God then the Muslims were themselves guilty of violating God’s Law. They also pointed out that if the Law revealed to Moses and the Law revealed to Muhammad (peace be on him) were both from one and the same source — God — how can one explain the differences between them?

Another major objection they made was that the Prophet (peace be on him) had dispensed with the law of the Sabbath which figures in the Old Testament. The kernel of their objection was that there were now two possibilities of which the Muslims had to choose one. They should either admit that they had changed one of God’s laws out of their own volition. Or they should admit that they acknowledge that God gave two contradictory commands in two different versions of His Law.