Surah An-Naml 27:59-66 - Quran Translation Commentary

59. Say: ‘Praise be to Allah and Peace be upon His slaves whom He has chosen! ⁹⁰ (Ask them:) Is Allah best or that they ascribe as partners to Him ? ⁹¹

60. (Worthy of worship are they) or He who created the heavens and the earth, and sends down water from the sky? From this We caused to spring forth gardens of delight, whose trees were not possible for you to grow. Is there any other god with Allah?⁹² Nay, but these are the people who deviate (from Truth).

61. (Worthy of worship are they) or He who made the earth a fixed abode,⁹³ and placed the rivers in its folds, and set mountains upon it, and placed a barrier⁹⁴ between the two seas? Is there any other god with Allah? Nay, but most of them know not.⁹⁵

62. (Worthy of worship are they) or He who answers the oppressed one when he cries out to him and removes the evil,⁹⁶ and makes you rulers⁹⁷ of the earth? Is there any other god with Allah? Nay, but Little do they remember!⁹⁸

63. (Worthy of worship are they) or He who guides⁹⁹ you in the darknesses of the land and the sea, and who sends winds as harbingers of His mercy?¹⁰⁰ Is there any other god with Allah? High Exalted is Allah from all that they ascribe as partner to him ! ¹⁰¹

64. (Worthy of worship are they) or He who originates creation and, thereafter shall reproduce it and who gives you sustenance from the heaven and the earth ? Is there any other god with Allah? Say: “Bring proof, if you are truthful.”¹⁰²

65. Say (to them): “None in the heavens and the earth knows the Unseen except Allah ; ¹⁰³ and they know not when they will be raised.¹⁰⁴

66. Nay, but jumbled is their knowledge of the Hereafter. Nay, they are confused about it. Nay, they are blind about it.¹⁰⁵

Commentary

90. The chronicles which have been narrated above culminate in Allah’s praise and prayers of Peace for the chosen slaves of Allah. In these events the attributes of Allah’s justice. wisdom and mercy are manifest, therefore, He is worthy of praises and encomiums, and His chosen slaves-the Prophetshave become worthy of our prayers, Peace upon them for fulfilling their responsibilities so efficiently. For them prayers of Peace only come out from the hearts of the believers. It is the reason why with the names of the Prophets the words. Alaihis Salam’ (Peace be upon them) are uttered or written.

91. The question is to the polytheists that the God who is ruling over His slaves with such wisdom is better or the idols of bricks and stones whom they have elevated to the rank of gods?

92. Quran’s argument on Allah’s existence and His oneness is natural, easily understandable and convincing. It does not talk the language of philosophy, nor does it raise theoretical discussions, for its addressee is the common man, not a particular section of humanity. It does so because the messages that are conveyed in the philosophical and theoretic style may impress the intellect, but they are not accepted by the heart. But the arguments of Qur’an, inspite of being simple, are so effective and forceful that they are accepted not only by the intellect but also by the heart and a state of faith and belief is created. Here also Qur’an argues on Allah’s being one and the only God in the same manner.

If man ponders with a clear mind over the existence of the heavens and the earth and over the provision and sustenance that he gets from them, on which his very life depends, his heart will at once cry out that all this has not come into existence by itself, but there is a Creator of all these things and this universe is a perfect system, whose various constituents co-ordinate with each other for fulfilling the purpose for which they were created. Accordingly, with the co-ordination between the heavens and the earth, water comes down as rain, which helps in producing food for mankind and animals. If the heavenly energies like the heat of the sun and the winds, etc. had not co-ordinate with the earth, there could not have been rain nor could the food be produced. These things which can be observed are ample proof of the fact that there is God of the universe and there is only one God. If there were no God, the universe would have been disorderly and purposeless. And if there were more than one God then there would not have been co-ordination among its constituents. These arguments for monotheism are simple, but they are so deep, strong, and absolute that they cut at the roots of godlessness and atheism, and also of the belief of more than one god. In short the existence of God and His oneness is not an imaginary thing, nor is it a philosophical concept, but a reality whose knowledge is received by man directly, provided he keeps his eyes open and does not mutilate his nature.

So far as the creation of the heavens and the earth is concerned, the Qur’an very clearly says that Allah has brought them and all the things between them into existence from non-existence. This was also the belief of the polytheists of Arabia. But the belief of the polytheists of India is very involved and extremely misleading. For example Rig Veda says that the sky and the earth came out of God’s self:

“Out of himself came the invisible world, out of himself came the sky and the earth.” -(The Spiritual Heritage of India by Swami Prabhavananda, P. 32, with reference to Rig veda x 121 : 1-2 ).

The English translation of Rig Veda has been published by the Veda Pratisthan, New Delhi. In its Foreword the translator has clarified that God alone is the creator of the world, but not in the sense that he has brought it into existence from non-existence but according to the Vedic philosophy, God, who is the Creator and matter or prakriti which is primordial, but co-exist eternally.

“The Vedic philosophy is a concept of co-existence of the two eternals, God the Creator and Primordial matter, Prakriti ; ” (Rig Veda Samhita, Vol.1.P.6).

What a lowly concept of God, that though He is accepted as a Creator but on the level of a creature. In other words God is not able to bring anything into existence from non-existence, when Qur’an invites mankind to believe in God as a Creator and an Absolutely Powerful and Supreme Being.

93. That is: He created the earth in such a way that it has become possible to inhabit man on it. If there were no air zone on the earth, it would have been impossible for man to live on he earth as it is: impossible on the moon. Similarly the earth has been placed at such a distance from the sun that if there were anything more and less than what it is, then there would not have been any life on the earth, as the planets which are very near or very far from the sun, there is no sign of life on them. But the earth is at such a suitable distance from the sun that it is fully capable of sustaining life on it. Has all this happened on its own, or was it the result of the creation and planning of an Absolute Mighty Being?

94. For explanation, please see Surah Al- Furqan, Note No. 71

95. That is: They are totally godless people, and they do not want that they should attain the correct recognition of God.

96. It is the experience of everybody that when he is in the throes of extreme pain he remembers God and then invokes him for relief. And it is God alone who relieves him of his suffering. This is the evidence of man’s innermost self that God alone is Reliever. But in spite of this internal evidence what a large number of people invokes beings other than God for relief in their suffering!

97. It is Allah only Who has made man controller of the affairs on the earth. It is man who is able to use everything on this earth for his own good and he rules over everything. If anybody claims that these powers have been bestowed on man by somebody else, then he should present proof for his claim, but the polytheists are also non-claimants that somebody else has given these powers to man. As for the atheists, they have no answer to this question as to from where man has got all these powers.

98. That is: All these favours from God are such as turn men towards God, but it is not often that people turn to God.

99. That is: he has fixed such signs that it is easy for man to find his path and he may be able to find in what direction he should proceed, e.g. mountains, rivers, which are the means of finding ways in the journeys on land, similarly there are stars which help in finding the direction while sailing by the sea.

100. Means the rains of mercy.

101. That is: Even the polytheists believe in Allah, but their Concept of God is very lowly. The Polytheists of Arabia were unable to form the right concept of Allah’s might and greatness, and the polytheists of India made god lower than even man.

102. That is: If you have any proof of the fact that there is any other being besides Allah Who creates anything for the first time, and also recreates it and then provides sustenance to the created one, then put up that proof. But those who believe in a number of gods, had neither any proof earlier, nor have they any proof now. The polytheists of Arabia said that this belief is being held from the times of their forefathers, and the polytheists of India present polytheism in a philosophical colour, but what they say is absurd talk and also self contradictory. On the one hand there is a claim for the unity of God :

“God alone is one.” -(Rig Veda Samhita-Introduction Vol.I.p.73), and on the other hand there is the belief about Trinity:

“Ours is a Holy Trinity, the family of three eternals, the Infinite Supreme Self (the father) (ii)the eternal Primal matter, the Prakriti (the Mother) and (iii) the numberless infinitesimal self (the sons).” Rig Veda Samhita -Introduction Vol. I page 16).

And there is also the concept of numberless gods: “There are as many Devas or spiritual Entities as there are qualities in the World.” -(Outlines of Vedanta P.131) Moreover, there is also a claim that the Higher God has given birth to other gods: “From a part of him was born the body of Universe and out of his body were born the gods, the earth and men.”

-(Spiritual Heritage of India, p.32)

As against all these involved and contradictory statements, Quran presents the facts of Allah’s oneness in such a reasonable manner that a man of clear mind cannot feel any complication or contradiction, and the heart and the mind accept the obvious truth.

103.That is: When none besides Allah has the knowledge of the Unseen and hidden things, then this belief about some one that he/she has the power to hear the invocation of his followers and relieves them from their distress is baseless and absolutely wrong, whether they are saints or pious people.

What a pity that inspite of this obvious explanation in the Qur’an a section of Muslims is under the wrong impression that there is nothing wrong in invoking these pious people who are buried in the graves for relieving them of their distress and suffering. They believe that these pious people know the condition of every one while they are in their graves, they hear when they are invoked, and help those who invoke them, although according to the clarification of the Qur’an none of these things are correct. They have neither the knowledge of the Unseen, nor are they gods that anybody may invoke them and they may hear the invocation, nor can they reach out to help anybody while in the world of Barzakh. A highly exaggerated concept has been established in respect of the Prophet, Sallal Lahu Alaihi Wa Sallam, in respect of the knowledge of the Unseen and then discussions and debates are held on this point. If Qur’an is studied with a clear mind then all waywardness and misguidance will be vanished. For further explanation regarding the knowledge of the Unseen, please see Surah An’am Note No.8, and Surah A’raf Note No.291.

104. That is: Those who are buried in the graves have no knowledge as to when the Doomsday will occur, and when will they be raised. Similarly the jinns and the angels also do not know when the Doomsday will occur, then how have they become the knower of the Unseen that they may come to the rescue of their invokers?

105. As is stated above, the people of Arabia were not totally unaware of the belief about the Hereafter. Whatever remains of the prophetic guidance that were left with them also included some peripheral knowledge of the Hereafter. But when some uninformed and polytheistic concepts were mixed with this smattering of knowledge the result was profound confusion, e.g. their concept that once man died and his body became dust, how could he be revived with his body, similarly their belief that when these deities are their interceders before God on their behalf, and when they worship them, why would they not help in their salvation. Thus when their knowledge became a conglomerate of confusion, they lost their belief of the Hereafter and became doubtful of its occurrence. This doubt subsequently turned into their denial as a result of their selfish desires, and they became so much blind that they could not see any sign which pointed to the occurrence of the Hereafter.

And so far as the polytheists of India are concerned, they also have a concept of sorts about the reward and punishment, which in its original source might be the result of some prophetic guidance and nature’s direction. But the concept of the multiple gods and the theory of reincarnation has complicated the belief about the Hereafter in such a way that now there is no more any concept of the Hereafter in their beliefs. The concept of the compensation for any act with them is that whoever performs an evil deed, his soul after death adopts varying forms: it can adopt the form of a man as also the form of an insect :

“Souls enter various forms of existence from man to worm.” -(Outlines of Hinduism, by T.M. Mahadevan P.63).

Then this round of births and re-births goes on till the soul attains the recognition of Brahma (God). And whoever performs good deeds, to the extent that his desires become dead, he is not reborn, he becomes a part of Brahma (God):

“But he in whom desire is stilled suffers no rebirth after death, having attained to the highest desiring only the self, he goes to no other world. Realising Brahman, he becomes Brahman.” - (Spiritual Heritage of India, p.68).

We seek Allah’s refuge from such a concept! How polytheistic is this concept of compensation for acts that a man of good deeds becomes part of God,’ as if God is an ocean in which rivers fall. Similarly the idea of a man of bad deeds being reborn off and on is only a baseless talk which has been given a philosophical form. This theory is contradictory to the teachings of the prophets and is also against reason and against reality. The agreed teachings of all the prophets is that for the compensation of the good and bad acts of men a day is fixed by Allah, i.e. the Day of Judgment, when He will raise all the dead with their bodies and everybody will have to account for his acts individually before God. Those who had accepted the true faith and had acted righteously will deserve everlasting rewards and those who had disbelieved and held polytheistic beliefs will be liable to get everlasting punishment for their false beliefs and rebellious attitudes, and they will be hurled into the Hellfire. The theory of re-incarnation is contradictory to the teachings of the prophets and no divine book supports this theory.

The concept of re-incarnation is against reason and it is a circle which has neither a beginning nor an end. Did man came into existence first or animal? If man came first, then in his first birth he would have been a man. And if man came into existence first, then what would he have been in his earlier or the first birth. Then nobody knows before this how many times he has been taking births, and as a punishment of what crime they have taken this birth. The theory of re-incarnation is against reality, for the beginning of mankind had started with a man and a woman. If this theory were correct, then these two persons would have taken birth again and again. But such an increase in the human population that it has reached billions and trillions mark repudiates this theory.

In short the theory of re-incarnation is a false and unreasonable theory. As against this the belief in the Hereafter is a reasonable one and is based on realism.