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 41-50وَ الَّذِیْنَAnd those whoهَاجَرُوْاemigratedفِیin (the way)اللّٰهِ(of) Allahمِنْۢafterبَعْدِafterمَا[what]ظُلِمُوْاthey were wrongedلَنُبَوِّئَنَّهُمْsurely We will give them positionفِیinالدُّنْیَاthe worldحَسَنَةً ؕgoodوَ لَاَجْرُbut surely the rewardالْاٰخِرَةِ(of) the Hereafterاَكْبَرُ ۘ(is) greaterلَوْifكَانُوْاtheyیَعْلَمُوْنَۙknow الَّذِیْنَThose whoصَبَرُوْا(are) patientوَ عَلٰیand onرَبِّهِمْtheir Lordیَتَوَكَّلُوْنَ they put their trust 16. An-Nahl Page 272وَ مَاۤAnd notاَرْسَلْنَاWe sentمِنْbefore youقَبْلِكَbefore youاِلَّاexceptرِجَالًاmenنُّوْحِیْۤWe revealedاِلَیْهِمْto themفَسْـَٔلُوْۤاso askاَهْلَ(the) peopleالذِّكْرِ(of) the Reminderاِنْifكُنْتُمْyouلَا(do) notتَعْلَمُوْنَۙknow بِالْبَیِّنٰتِWith the clear proofsوَ الزُّبُرِ ؕand the Booksوَ اَنْزَلْنَاۤAnd We sent downاِلَیْكَto youالذِّكْرَthe Remembranceلِتُبَیِّنَthat you may make clearلِلنَّاسِto the mankindمَاwhatنُزِّلَhas been sent downاِلَیْهِمْto themوَ لَعَلَّهُمْand that they mayیَتَفَكَّرُوْنَ reflect اَفَاَمِنَDo then feel secureالَّذِیْنَthose whoمَكَرُواplottedالسَّیِّاٰتِthe evil deedsاَنْthatیَّخْسِفَAllah will caveاللّٰهُAllah will caveبِهِمُwith themالْاَرْضَthe earthاَوْorیَاْتِیَهُمُwill come to themالْعَذَابُthe punishmentمِنْfromحَیْثُwhereلَاnotیَشْعُرُوْنَۙthey perceive اَوْOrیَاْخُذَهُمْthat He may seize themفِیْinتَقَلُّبِهِمْtheir going to and froفَمَاthen notهُمْtheyبِمُعْجِزِیْنَۙwill be able to escape اَوْOrیَاْخُذَهُمْthat He may seize themعَلٰیwithتَخَوُّفٍ ؕa gradual wastingفَاِنَّBut indeedرَبَّكُمْyour Lordلَرَءُوْفٌ(is) surely Full of Kindnessرَّحِیْمٌ Most Merciful اَوَ لَمْHave notیَرَوْاthey seenاِلٰی[towards]مَاwhatخَلَقَAllah has createdاللّٰهُAllah has createdمِنْfromشَیْءٍa thingیَّتَفَیَّؤُاInclineظِلٰلُهٗtheir shadowsعَنِtoالْیَمِیْنِthe rightوَ الشَّمَآىِٕلِand to the leftسُجَّدًاprostratingلِّلّٰهِto Allahوَ هُمْwhile theyدٰخِرُوْنَ (are) humble وَ لِلّٰهِAnd to Allahیَسْجُدُprostrateمَاwhateverفِی(is) inالسَّمٰوٰتِthe heavensوَ مَاand whateverفِی(is) inالْاَرْضِthe earthمِنْofدَآبَّةٍmoving creaturesوَّ الْمَلٰٓىِٕكَةُand the Angelsوَ هُمْand theyلَا(are) notیَسْتَكْبِرُوْنَ arrogant یَخَافُوْنَThey fearرَبَّهُمْtheir Lordمِّنْabove themفَوْقِهِمْabove themوَ یَفْعَلُوْنَand they doمَاwhatیُؤْمَرُوْنَ۠۩they are commanded

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Translation of Verse 41-50

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;

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

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Commentary

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)

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.