Surah An-Nahl 16:77-83 - Quran Translation Commentary

(16:77) And to Allah belongs the Unseen of the heavens and the earth. And, the matter of the Hour is no more than a twinkling of the eye, or it might be closer.¹¹⁹ Verily, Allah has power over all things

(16:78) Allah brought you out of the wombs of your mothers not knowing a thing, and He gave you the (power of) hearing, sight¹²⁰ and hearts,¹²¹ that you might give thanks.

(16:79) Have they not seen the birds poised in the middle of the heavenly air.¹²² No one holds them (from falling) except Allah. Surely, in that is a sign for a people who would believe.

(16:80) And Allah has made for you out of your homes a repose, and made for you from the cattle’s skins houses that you find light (to handle) the day of your travel and the day of your encampment;¹²³ and, of their wool, their fur, and their hair,¹²⁴ furnishing¹²⁵ - a provision for a while.

(16:81) And Allah made for you out of what He created, shades,¹²⁶ and made for you of the mountains shelters, and made for you garments that protect you from heat and garments that protect you from your own violence.¹²⁷ Even so He perfects His blessing upon you, that haply you will submit.¹²⁸

(16:82) But, if they turn away then upon you is only a clear delivery (of the message).

(16:83) They recognize Allah’s blessings, yet they deny them,¹²⁹ and most of them are ungrateful.

Commentary

119. The apparent abrupt change in the subject draws the following note from Mawdudi, “The question of the After-life has been introduced with seeming abruptness in this discussion for a good reason. The purpose is to drive home to people that the choice between monotheism and polytheism is not just a theoretical issue. They should rather be conscious, quite conscious, that the Day of Judgment will suddenly overtake them and decide man’s success or failure in the Next Life. With this note of warning, the discourse on God’s unity is resumed.”

Yusuf Ali comments: “Lures of this world and its fleeting pleasures often make man forget that the life hereafter is an imminent reality. Many of those who claim to believe in the life to come act and behave as if it belonged to a distant future, and had no relevance to their present activities and mode of living. The Qur’an repeatedly reminds man that the Hour of Reckoning is not a distant possibility, but very close to man, and could come to pass any moment. The wisest course for man, therefore, is to be always alert and watchful and steer clear of all forms of sin and impiety, for when the Promised Hour comes it will come all of a sudden and without any prior notice.”

120. Note once again, as everywhere in the Qur’an, the power of hearing always precedes that of sight, for without hearing, one cannot speak, and unable to speak, one is unable to learn, whereas being without the sight of eye is comparatively less disadvantageous. Again, hearing comes in singular but sight in plural, because in a wider view, one can see several things at a time, whereas one can never hear more than one voice: two complete sentences of fair length from two speakers, at one time (Au.).

121. The allusion by the word “af’idah” of the original is to the spiritual-based intellect (Au.).

122. The addition of the words “heavenly air” suggests that the conditions that prevail in the atmosphere are different from those on the surface of the earth. The air is purer and more refreshing (Au.).

123. Majid comments: “The reference is to the portable dwellings or tents, which formed an essential factor not only of the nomad life of the ancients but also play an important part in the camp-life of the moderns. Leaving aside the pastoral tribes of the interior of Asia, who have necessarily to be tent dwellers, ‘in Western countries tents are used chiefly in military encampments, by travelers and explorers, and for temporary ceremonial occasions and public gatherings’ (Ebr., xxvi, p. 634, 11th ed.).”

The importance of tents does not need overemphasis. The removal of tents from everyday life on any given day, whether in the east or in the west, will cause unknown inconvenience to millions of people (Au.).

124. Yusuf Ali writes: “Suf, wool, is what we get from sheep. Sha`r, hair, is what we get from goats or similar animals, for weaving into fabrics. Wabar is the soft camel’s hair of which, also, fabrics are woven; they may be considered intermediate between the other two; by extension and analogy the term may be applied to furs and such things, by way of illustration.”

“Wabar” in fact, as Asad points out, “is the soft wool growing on the shoulders of camels (“camel-hair”) used in the weaving of fine cloth and sometimes also of bedouin tents.”

125. Wealth, furniture and leather clothes are various interpretations of the textual word “athath” (Ibn Jarir). That is, carpets, clothes, articles of convenience and comfort, etc. (Ibn Kathir).

126. Shades: such as of the trees.

127. E.g., coats of mail of the past civilizations, and bullet proof vests of the modern times (Au.)

128. “All these blessings, which have both a physical and (by promoting the good of man) a spiritual purpose, should teach us to rally to Allah and tune our will with His Universal Will, which is another name for Islam” (Yusuf Ali)

`Ata al-Khurasani has said something worth reporting. He said, ‘Do you notice that Allah said, “And Allah made for you out of what He created, shades and made for you of the mountains, shelters,” although, what He provided the humankind as valleys is more and better. That is because the first to be addressed were people who lived among mountains. And, consider Allah’s words, “And ... of their wool, their fur, and their hair furnishing - a provision for a while,” although He has provided to mankind more of other materials than mentioned here. That is because the first to be addressed were people who depended heavily on wool and fur. Again, consider Allah’s words (24: 43), “And He sends down from the sky mountains (of clouds) in which is hail,” although snow and ice are greater wonders. But, rain and hail were sufficient means of wonder for the people addressed, who knew nothing about snow and ice. Again, see how Allah addressed them with words (16: 81), “clothes that protect you from the heat,” although clothes that protect mankind from cold are worthier. But Allah chose to mention clothes against heat because the first of those addressed were people who faced the harshness of heat and spared them of a talk that they would not have fully appreciated” (Ibn Jarir, Ibn Kathir).

129. Another possible meaning, and of Ibn Jarir’s preference, as originally expressed by Mujahid, Suddi and others, is that they recognize that the Prophet (saws) is a Messenger of Allah, a great blessing unto them, yet they deny him.

Ibn Abi Hatim has recorded,

عن مجاهد؛ أن أعرابيًا أتى رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم فسأله، فقرأ عليه رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم: { وَاللَّهُ جَعَلَ لَكُمْ مِنْ بُيُوتِكُمْ سَكَنًا } قال الأعرابي: نعم. قال: { وَجَعَلَ لَكُمْ مِنْ جُلُودِ الأنْعَامِ بُيُوتًا تَسْتَخِفُّونَهَا يَوْمَ ظَعْنِكُمْ وَيَوْمَ إِقَامَتِكُمْ } قال الأعرابي: نعم. ثم قرأ عليه، كل ذلك يقول الأعرابي: نعم، حتى بلغ: { كَذَلِكَ يُتِمُّ نِعْمَتَهُ عَلَيْكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُسْلِمُونَ } فولى الأعرابي، فأنزل الله: { يَعْرِفُونَ نِعْمَةَ اللَّهِ ثُمَّ يُنْكِرُونَهَا وَأَكْثَرُهُمُ الْكَافِرُونَ

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that once a bedouin came to the Prophet and inquired about Islam. The Prophet told him, “Allah made your homes a (means of) comfort?” He said, “Yes.” Then the Prophet recited, “And He made for you homes out of the skins of the cattle?” He replied, “Yes.” The Prophet recited the rest of the verses and the bedouin kept on saying yes, until when he recited, “That is how He completed his favors so that you may surrender,” the bedouin turned his back and went away. The Prophet then recited, “They recognize Allah’s favors and then deny them” (Ibn Kathir). But Alusi drops a hint that it might be a weak hadith.

Durr al-Manthur has the hadith, but is Mursal (Au.).