Tafsir Maariful Quran
Quran Translation and Commentary by Maulana Mufti Mohammad Shafi. Translation by Prof. Muhammad Hasan Askari & Prof. Muhammad Shamim. Revised by Justice Mufti Muhammad Taqi UsmaniQuran Translation
Word for Word by
Dr. Shehnaz Shaikh
& Kausar Khatri
1. Al-Fatihah
2. Al-Baqarah
3. Al-Imran
4. Al-Nisa
5. Al-Maidah
6. Al-Anam
7. Al-Araf
8. Al-Anfal
9. Al-Taubah
10. Yunus
11. Hud
12. Yusuf
13. Al-Rad
14. Ibrahim
15. Al-Hijr
16. Al-Nahl
17. Bani Israil
18. Al-Kahf
19. Maryam
20. Ta-Ha
21. Al-Anbiya
22. Al-Hajj
23. Al-Muminun
24. An-Nur
25. Al-Furqan
26. Ash-Shuara
27. An-Naml
28. Al-Qasas
29. Al-Ankabut
30. Ar-Rum
31. Luqman
32. As-Sajdah
33. Al-Ahzab
34. Saba
35. Fatir
36. Yasin
37. As-Saffat
38. Saad
39. Az-Zumar
40. Al-Mumin
41. Ha-Meem-As-Sajdah
42. AShura
43. Az-Zukhruf
44. Ad-Dukhan
45. Al-Jathiyah
46. Al-Ahqaf
47. Muhammad
48. Al-Fath
49. Al-Hujurat
50. Al-Qaf
51. Adh-Dhariyat
52. At-Tur
53. An-Najm
54. Al-Qamar
55. Al-Rahman
56. Al-Waqiah
57. Al-Hadid
58. Al-Mujadalah
59. Al-Hashr
60. Al-Mumtahinah
61. As-Saff
62. Al-Jumuah
63. Al-Munafiqun
64. Al-Taghabun
65. At-Talaq
66. At-Tahrim
67. Al-Mulk
68. Al-Qalam
69. Al-Haqqah
70. Al-Maarij
71. Nuh
72. Al-Jinn
73. Al-Muzzammil
74. Al-Muddhththir
75. Al-Qiyamah
76. Ad-Dahr
77. Al-Mursalat
78. An-Naba
79. An-Naziat
80. Abas
81. At-Takwir
82. Al-Infitar
83. At-Tatfif
84. Al-Inshiqaq
85. Al-Buruj
86. At-Tariq
87. Al-Ala
88. Al-Ghashiyah
89. Al-Fajr
90. Al-Balad
91. Ash-Shams
92. Al-Lail
93. Ad-Duha
94. Al-Inshirah
95. At-Tin
96. Al-Alaq
97. Al-Qadr
98. Al-Bayyinah
99. Az-Zilzal
100. Al-Adiyat
101. Al-Qariah
102. At-Takathur
103. Al-Asr
104. Al-Humazah
105. Al-Fil
106. Al-Quraish
107. Al-Maun
108. Al-Kauthar
109. Al-Kafirun
110. An-Nasr
111. Al-Lahab
112. Al-Ikhlas
113. Al-Falaq
114. An-Nas
16. An-Nahl Page 271 وَ قَالَ And said الَّذِیْنَ those who اَشْرَكُوْا associate partners (with Allah) لَوْ If شَآءَ Allah (had) willed اللّٰهُ Allah (had) willed مَا not عَبَدْنَا we (would) have worshipped مِنْ other than Him دُوْنِهٖ other than Him مِنْ any شَیْءٍ thing نَّحْنُ we وَ لَاۤ and not اٰبَآؤُنَا our forefathers وَ لَا and not حَرَّمْنَا we (would) have forbidden مِنْ other than Him دُوْنِهٖ other than Him مِنْ anything شَیْءٍ ؕ anything كَذٰلِكَ Thus فَعَلَ did الَّذِیْنَ those who مِنْ (were) before them قَبْلِهِمْ ۚ (were) before them فَهَلْ Then is (there) عَلَی on الرُّسُلِ the messengers اِلَّا except الْبَلٰغُ the conveyance الْمُبِیْنُ clear وَ لَقَدْ And certainly بَعَثْنَا We sent فِیْ into كُلِّ every اُمَّةٍ nation رَّسُوْلًا a Messenger اَنِ that اعْبُدُوا Worship اللّٰهَ Allah وَ اجْتَنِبُوا and avoid الطَّاغُوْتَ ۚ the false deities فَمِنْهُمْ Then among them مَّنْ (were some) whom هَدَی Allah guided اللّٰهُ Allah guided وَ مِنْهُمْ and among them مَّنْ (were) some حَقَّتْ was justified عَلَیْهِ on them الضَّلٰلَةُ ؕ the straying فَسِیْرُوْا So travel فِی in الْاَرْضِ the earth فَانْظُرُوْا and see كَیْفَ how كَانَ was عَاقِبَةُ the end الْمُكَذِّبِیْنَ (of) the deniers اِنْ If تَحْرِصْ you desire عَلٰی [for] هُدٰىهُمْ their guidance فَاِنَّ then indeed اللّٰهَ Allah لَا (will) not یَهْدِیْ guide مَنْ whom یُّضِلُّ He lets go astray وَ مَا and not (are) لَهُمْ for them مِّنْ any نّٰصِرِیْنَ helpers وَ اَقْسَمُوْا And they swear بِاللّٰهِ by Allah جَهْدَ strongest اَیْمَانِهِمْ ۙ (of) their oaths لَا Allah will not resurrect یَبْعَثُ Allah will not resurrect اللّٰهُ Allah will not resurrect مَنْ (one) who یَّمُوْتُ ؕ dies بَلٰی Nay وَعْدًا (it is) a promise عَلَیْهِ upon Him حَقًّا (in) truth وَّ لٰكِنَّ but اَكْثَرَ most النَّاسِ (of) the mankind لَا (do) not یَعْلَمُوْنَۙ know لِیُبَیِّنَ That He will make clear لَهُمُ to them الَّذِیْ that یَخْتَلِفُوْنَ they differ فِیْهِ wherein وَ لِیَعْلَمَ and that may know الَّذِیْنَ those who كَفَرُوْۤا disbelieved اَنَّهُمْ that they كَانُوْا were كٰذِبِیْنَ liars اِنَّمَا Only قَوْلُنَا Our Word لِشَیْءٍ to a thing اِذَاۤ when اَرَدْنٰهُ We intend it اَنْ (is) that نَّقُوْلَ We say لَهٗ to it كُنْ Be فَیَكُوْنُ۠ and it is
(16:35) The polytheists said, “If Allah had so willed, we would have not worshipped anything other than Him - neither we nor our forefathers - nor would we have made anything unlawful without (a command from) Him.” Similar was the reaction of those who were before them. Therefore, the messengers’ obligation is no more than to convey the message clearly
(16:36) We did raise a messenger among every people, with the message: “Worship Allah and stay away from the Rebel (the Satan).” Then, there were some among them whom Allah guided, and there were others against whom deviation (from the right path) was established. So, travel on earth and see how was the fate of those who rejected (the prophets)
(16:37) If you are keen for their guidance, then, (remember that) Allah does not lead those to the right path whom He lets go astray, and for them there are no helpers
(16:38) They swore by Allah on solemn oaths: “Allah will not resurrect those who die.” Why not? It is a promise on His part, which is due to come true, but most of the people do not know
(16:39) (He will resurrect all of them,) so that He discloses for them what they have been disputing about, and so that those who disbelieve may know that they were liars
(16:40) Whenever We intend to do something, We do no more than say to it, “Be,” and it comes to be
The first doubt expressed by these disbelievers was: If Allah does not like our Kufr and Shirk and other unlawful deeds, why would He not stop us from doing so by force?
The absurdity of this doubt was all too evident. Therefore, instead of answering it, just saying words of comfort for the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم was considered sufficient, so that he does not feel sad about such senseless questions. The reason why their doubt was absurd is also obvious. Allah Ta` ala has set up the system of this world on the basic arrangement that human beings have not been kept under compulsion totally. A kind of power to choose was given to them. If they use this choice in obedience to Allah, they have their reward for it; and if they use it to disobey Him, then, there stands His promise of punishment. That there will be a day of Judgment when the dead shall be resurrected and called to account for their deeds are the consequential outcome of this early warning. If Allah Ta' ala had decided that He would force everyone to obey Him, who then would have dared to remain outside the fold of obedience to Him? But, His wisdom so required that such compulsion was not appropriate. Therefore, choice was given to human beings. Now, if the disbelievers were to say - had Allah disliked our ways, why would He not stop us by force? - It is an absurd and hostile question.
From verse 36 in the present Surah: وَلَقَدْ بَعَثْنَا فِي كُلِّ أُمَّةٍ رَّ‌سُولًا (And We did raise a messenger among every people), as well as from verse 24 of Surah Fatir: وَإِن مِّنْ أُمَّةٍ إِلَّا خَلَا فِيهَا نَذِيرٌ (And there is no group of people among whom there has not been a warner - 35:24), it outwardly appears that messen-gers may have also been sent to areas now known as India and Pakistan - whether residents of the area, or located in another country whose deputies or emissaries had reached there. Then, there is the verse of Surah Al-Qasas: لِتُنذِرَ قَوْمًا مَّا أَتَاهُم مِّن نَّذِيرٍ (so that you may warn a people unto whom came no warner - 28:46). The sense released by the verse is that no warner had come before him to the people unto whom the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم was sent. This can be answered by saying that this obviously refers to the people of Arabia who became the first addressees of the prophetic mission of Sayyidna Muhammad al-Mustafa صلى الله عليه وسلم - the fact being that no prophet since Sayyidna Ismail (علیہ السلام) had appeared among them. Therefore, the title given to these people in the Holy Qur'an was "Ummiyyin" (the unlettered ones). This does not necessarily imply that no prophet came before him in the rest of the world as well. Allah knows best.