Surah 6. Al-An'am

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Verses [Section]: 1-10[1], 11-20 [2], 21-30 [3], 31-40 [4], 41-50 [5], 51-55 [6], 56-60 [7], 61-70 [8], 71-82 [9], 83-90 [10], 91-94 [11], 95-100 [12], 101-110 [13], 111-121 [14], 122-129 [15], 130-140 [16], 141-144 [17], 145-150 [18], 151-154 [19], 155-165 [20]

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Quran Text of Verse 21-30وَ مَنْAnd whoاَظْلَمُ(is) more unjustمِمَّنِthan (he) whoافْتَرٰیinventsعَلَیagainstاللّٰهِAllahكَذِبًاa lieاَوْorكَذَّبَrejectsبِاٰیٰتِهٖ ؕHis SignsاِنَّهٗIndeedلَاnotیُفْلِحُwill be successfulالظّٰلِمُوْنَ the wrongdoers وَ یَوْمَAnd (the) DayنَحْشُرُهُمْWe will gather themجَمِیْعًاallثُمَّthenنَقُوْلُWe will sayلِلَّذِیْنَto those whoاَشْرَكُوْۤاassociated others with AllahاَیْنَWhere (are)شُرَكَآؤُكُمُyour partnersالَّذِیْنَthose whomكُنْتُمْyou used toتَزْعُمُوْنَ claim ثُمَّThenلَمْnotتَكُنْwill beفِتْنَتُهُمْ(for) them a pleaاِلَّاۤexceptاَنْthatقَالُوْاthey sayوَ اللّٰهِBy Allahرَبِّنَاour Lordمَاnotكُنَّاwe wereمُشْرِكِیْنَ those who associated others (with Allah) اُنْظُرْLookكَیْفَhowكَذَبُوْاthey liedعَلٰۤیagainstاَنْفُسِهِمْthemselvesوَ ضَلَّAnd lostعَنْهُمْfrom themمَّاwhatكَانُوْاthey used toیَفْتَرُوْنَ invent وَ مِنْهُمْAnd among themمَّنْ(are those) whoیَّسْتَمِعُlistenاِلَیْكَ ۚto youوَ جَعَلْنَاbut We have placedعَلٰیoverقُلُوْبِهِمْtheir heartsاَكِنَّةًcoveringsاَنْlestیَّفْقَهُوْهُthey understand itوَ فِیْۤand inاٰذَانِهِمْtheir earsوَقْرًا ؕdeafnessوَ اِنْAnd ifیَّرَوْاthey seeكُلَّeveryاٰیَةٍsignلَّاnotیُؤْمِنُوْاwill they believeبِهَا ؕin itحَتّٰۤیUntilاِذَاwhenجَآءُوْكَthey come to youیُجَادِلُوْنَكَand argue with youیَقُوْلُsayالَّذِیْنَthose whoكَفَرُوْۤاdisbelievedاِنْNotهٰذَاۤ(is) thisاِلَّاۤbutاَسَاطِیْرُ(the) talesالْاَوَّلِیْنَ (of) the former (people) وَ هُمْAnd theyیَنْهَوْنَforbid (others)عَنْهُfrom itوَ یَنْـَٔوْنَand they keep awayعَنْهُ ۚfrom itوَ اِنْAnd notیُّهْلِكُوْنَthey destroyاِلَّاۤexceptاَنْفُسَهُمْthemselvesوَ مَاand notیَشْعُرُوْنَ they perceive وَ لَوْAnd ifتَرٰۤیyou (could) seeاِذْwhenوُقِفُوْاthey are made to standعَلَیbyالنَّارِthe Fireفَقَالُوْاthen they (will) sayیٰلَیْتَنَاOh! Would that weنُرَدُّwere sent backوَ لَاand notنُكَذِّبَwe would denyبِاٰیٰتِ(the) Signsرَبِّنَا(of) our Lordوَ نَكُوْنَand we would beمِنَamongالْمُؤْمِنِیْنَ the believers 6. Al-An'am Page 131بَلْNayبَدَاbecame manifestلَهُمْfor themمَّاwhatكَانُوْاthey used toیُخْفُوْنَconcealمِنْfromقَبْلُ ؕbeforeوَ لَوْAnd ifرُدُّوْاthey were sent backلَعَادُوْاcertainly they (would) returnلِمَاto whatنُهُوْاthey were forbiddenعَنْهُfrom itوَ اِنَّهُمْand indeed theyلَكٰذِبُوْنَ certainly are liars وَ قَالُوْۤاAnd they saidاِنْNotهِیَit (is)اِلَّاexceptحَیَاتُنَاour lifeالدُّنْیَا(of) the worldوَ مَاand notنَحْنُweبِمَبْعُوْثِیْنَ (will be) resurrected وَ لَوْAnd ifتَرٰۤیyou (could) seeاِذْwhenوُقِفُوْاthey will be made to standعَلٰیbeforeرَبِّهِمْ ؕtheir LordقَالَHe (will) sayاَلَیْسَIs notهٰذَاthisبِالْحَقِّ ؕthe truthقَالُوْاThey will sayبَلٰیYesوَ رَبِّنَا ؕby our LordقَالَHe (will) sayفَذُوْقُواSo tasteالْعَذَابَthe punishmentبِمَاbecauseكُنْتُمْyou used toتَكْفُرُوْنَ۠disbelieve

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Translation of Verse 21-30

21. And who can be more wrong-doer then he who invents a lie against Allah or denies His revelations⁴⁰? Verily, the wrong-doers never shall succeed.

22. And on the day⁴¹ when we gather them all together, we shall say to those who ascribed partners (to Us): “Where are your partners whom you have been asserting?”

23. There will then be (left) no subterfuge for them but to say: “By Allah, our Lord, we were not polytheists.” ⁴²

24. See how they lie against themselves! And what they had invented will leave them in the lurch.⁴³

25. And of them there are some who listen to you, but We have cast veils on their hearts so that they may not understand, and have made their ears hard of hearing; ⁴⁴ and even if they see every sign, they will not believe in them, so much so that when they come to you to argue, these disbelievers say: “This is nothing else but the fables of the ancients.”

26. And they forbid (others) from it and (themselves) avoid it. They ruin none but themselves, but they perceive it not.

27. And if you could see them when they will be made to stand before the fire of Hell! They will say: “Would that we were sent back! Then we would not deny the revelations of our Lord and would be among the true believers.”⁴⁶

28. (This wishful thinking would not be the result of the truth not having been dawned on them), but (because) what they concealed before, will become manifest to them.⁴⁷ And if they were returned (to the world) they will repeat the same things which they were forbidden to do ⁴⁸ And indeed they are absolute liars.

29. And they say: “There is nothing except our life on this earth, and never shall we be raised up again.⁴⁹

30. And if you could only see when they will be held before their Lord. He will ask: “Is not this the reality?”⁵⁰ They will say: “Yes, by our Lord!” He will say: “Then taste the punishment for rejecting faith.”

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Commentary

40. This is an invitation to the rejecters of faith to ponder: If this accusation of theirs is correct that this man (prophet) has made a false claim of his prophethood, then he has ascribed a great falsehood to God, therefore, he is a great wrong- doer. But do you really think that this man is of such a type? Can a personality that is an epitome of truth invent such a great lie? Can false claims and invented untruths go with the purity and excellence of character? If the reply to all this is in the negative, then you should ponder over your own position. Are you not then proving yourselves to be the great wrong-doers by denying and rejecting the verses and signs of Allah?

Another aspect of the meaning of this verse is that a person who ascribes falsehood to God that He has associated such and such others in His godhood is the greatest wrong—doer. Similarly, the person who belies the true signs of Allah is the greatest criminal and sinner.

41. That is on the day of Resurrection.

42. That is: Today these idolaters are not prepared to give up their gods, but tomorrow when they will find themselves in the Court of Allah, they will not be able to find any excuses for their polytheistic acts, and they will be so much frightened of the punishment for their idolatry and will be nervous that to show their innocence of polytheism, they will tell lies. But this lie of theirs would be thrown back to their faces.

43. All those whom they had made their gods would disappear, and none of their gods will come for their help.

44. Some people hear the talk of prophet, not for accepting the truth but for arguing with him. And it is a rule of Allah that a person who is not ready to listen to and grasp the words of truth with an open mind, he is not granted the guidance to accept the truth, and the veils of desires so cover his heart that however hard the missionary may try, the truth does not enter his (the listener’s) heart. Since this result accrues according to a rule fixed by Allah, that is under the law of nature, Allah terms it as casting veils on their heart and making their ears hard of hearing.

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

45. The history of the past nations and the events of the destruction of those who belied the prophets related in the Quran are absolutely based on truth. They have been related so that the people may take a lesson from them. and may know what are the real causes of the rise and fall of the nations. But the rejecters of the Quran used to mock and jeer at it and used to say that these are the fictitious tales of the ancient peoples. Even today’s rejecters say the same thing that these are the tales of yore.

46. The distressing picture of the polytheists and the idolaters on the Day of Judgment has been shown in the form of words today so that those who are polytheists or idolaters should come to their senses and should reform their ways to avoid feeling sorry on the Day of Judgment.

47. That is: On the day of Judgment their grief and wish to go back to the world will not be on account of the fact that the reality had become manifest to them on that day and it was to clear to them in their worldly life. but because the evil purposes and the wrong motivations under the pressure of which they had not accepted the truth and which they had been concealing had come out in the open. No excuse was now left for them.

48. That is: If they are again sent to this world, where the environment will be the same as before, i.e. that of temptations and testing: and when they will again be put to test. they will adopt the same attitude and will act in the same way under their carnal desires in which they had acted earlier.

49. The idolaters of Makkah did not believe in the life after death. They believed that Allah was the Creator of man, but they said that the life of man on this earth is first and the last, no other life’ would be given to man after this. The idolaters of India are also in the footsteps of the idolaters of Makkah, the only difference being that Indians believe in re-birth, i.e. a man’s taking rebirth in the form of an animal, a tree, etc. and that this re-birth occurs in this world only. This belief denies the belief of resurrection of man. There is no concept in this belief of the Day of Resurrection or of the people answering before God for what they did in this world, and of God’s awarding reward and punishment according to men’s deeds.

As for the modern men who are fed up with religion, they are so much immersed in their materialistic pursuits that they have no time to think for the life of the Hereafter. The amusements for this life have made them totally unserious and casual about the Hereafter. According to an Urdu poet: How a drinker can be interested in the promise of tomorrow’s (Hereafter’s) pleasures; he should drink the wine today, because that tomorrow will never come. etc. etc.

50. Those who are not prepared to accept the belief in the Day of Judgement in the light of the arguments, will accept it only when they are made to observe it. This opportunity to observe cannot be provided in this life. However, when the Day of Resurrection will occur they will surely observe it. and at that time they will also admit that the Day of Judgement is a reality. But the acceptance of this belief on that day will not save them from their punishment.