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 35-4016. An-Nahl Page 271وَ قَالَAnd saidالَّذِیْنَthose whoاَشْرَكُوْاassociate partners (with Allah)لَوْIfشَآءَAllah (had) willedاللّٰهُAllah (had) willedمَاnotعَبَدْنَاwe (would) have worshippedمِنْother than Himدُوْنِهٖother than Himمِنْanyشَیْءٍthingنَّحْنُweوَ لَاۤand notاٰبَآؤُنَاour forefathersوَ لَاand notحَرَّمْنَاwe (would) have forbiddenمِنْother than Himدُوْنِهٖother than Himمِنْanythingشَیْءٍ ؕanythingكَذٰلِكَThusفَعَلَdidالَّذِیْنَthose whoمِنْ(were) before themقَبْلِهِمْ ۚ(were) before themفَهَلْThen is (there)عَلَیonالرُّسُلِthe messengersاِلَّاexceptالْبَلٰغُthe conveyanceالْمُبِیْنُ clear وَ لَقَدْAnd certainlyبَعَثْنَاWe sentفِیْintoكُلِّeveryاُمَّةٍnationرَّسُوْلًاa MessengerاَنِthatاعْبُدُواWorshipاللّٰهَAllahوَ اجْتَنِبُواand avoidالطَّاغُوْتَ ۚthe false deitiesفَمِنْهُمْThen among themمَّنْ(were some) whomهَدَیAllah guidedاللّٰهُAllah guidedوَ مِنْهُمْand among themمَّنْ(were) someحَقَّتْwas justifiedعَلَیْهِon themالضَّلٰلَةُ ؕthe strayingفَسِیْرُوْاSo travelفِیinالْاَرْضِthe earthفَانْظُرُوْاand seeكَیْفَhowكَانَwasعَاقِبَةُthe endالْمُكَذِّبِیْنَ (of) the deniers اِنْIfتَحْرِصْyou desireعَلٰی[for]هُدٰىهُمْtheir guidanceفَاِنَّthen indeedاللّٰهَAllahلَا(will) notیَهْدِیْguideمَنْwhomیُّضِلُّHe lets go astrayوَ مَاand not (are)لَهُمْfor themمِّنْanyنّٰصِرِیْنَ helpers وَ اَقْسَمُوْاAnd they swearبِاللّٰهِby Allahجَهْدَstrongestاَیْمَانِهِمْ ۙ(of) their oathsلَاAllah will not resurrectیَبْعَثُAllah will not resurrectاللّٰهُAllah will not resurrectمَنْ(one) whoیَّمُوْتُ ؕdiesبَلٰیNayوَعْدًا(it is) a promiseعَلَیْهِupon Himحَقًّا(in) truthوَّ لٰكِنَّbutاَكْثَرَmostالنَّاسِ(of) the mankindلَا(do) notیَعْلَمُوْنَۙknow لِیُبَیِّنَThat He will make clearلَهُمُto themالَّذِیْthatیَخْتَلِفُوْنَthey differفِیْهِwhereinوَ لِیَعْلَمَand that may knowالَّذِیْنَthose whoكَفَرُوْۤاdisbelievedاَنَّهُمْthat theyكَانُوْاwereكٰذِبِیْنَ liars اِنَّمَاOnlyقَوْلُنَاOur Wordلِشَیْءٍto a thingاِذَاۤwhenاَرَدْنٰهُWe intend itاَنْ(is) thatنَّقُوْلَWe sayلَهٗto itكُنْBeفَیَكُوْنُ۠and it is

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Translation of Verse 35-40

(16:35) Those who associate others with Allah in His Divinity say: "Were Allah to will so, neither we nor our forefathers would have worshipped any other than Him, nor would we have prohibited anything without His command."³⁰ Their predecessors proffered similar excuses.³¹ Do the Messengers have any other duty but to plainly convey the Message?

(16:36) We raised a Messenger in every community (to tell them): "Serve Allah and shun the Evil One."³² Thereafter Allah guided some of them while others were overtaken by error.³³ Go about the earth, then, and observe what was the end of those who rejected the Messengers,³⁴ calling them liars.

(16:37) (O Muhammad), howsoever eager you may be to show them the Right Way, Allah does not bestow His guidance on those whom He lets go astray; and in fact none will be able to help them.

(16:38) They swear most solemnly in the name of Allah and say: "Allah shall not raise to life any who dies." (Yes, He will do so); that is a promise by which He is bound, even though most people do not know that.

(16:39) (That is bound to happen in order that) He may make clear to them the reality regarding the matters on which they differ and that the unbelievers may realize that they were liars.³⁵

(16:40) (As for the possibility of resurrection, bear in mind that) whenever We do will something, We have to do no more than say: "Be", and it is.³⁶

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Commentary

30. The whole argument of the polytheists was mentioned in al-An‘am 6: 148-9, and then it was refuted. (For an appreciation of the matter see Towards Understanding the Qur’an, vol. II, al-An‘am 6: 148-9, and nn: 124-6, pp. 287-9.)

31. There is nothing new in the argument that if anyone falls into error or evil it was because of God’s will. This pretext has always been made use of by evil-doers in order to deceive their conscience and silence the well-wishers who admonish them.

What is being said here is the first rejoinder to the point made by the polytheists. In order to have a deeper understanding of this, it is worth recalling that in the preceding verses the polytheists dismissed the Qur’4n as ‘merely the tale of olden times’. In other words, they argued that the Prophet (peace be on him) was merely relating what had already been said thousands of times since olden days. Here these detractors are being told that they themselves have come up with nothing new. Their present plea is itself a repetition of what people had been saying over and over again since ancient times.

32. Itis not apt for polytheists to hold God’s will to.be responsible for their evil deeds, and. for not honoring God’s directives in respect of what is lawful and what is unlawful. Their plea is unjustified as God has raised His Messengers in every community. Each of these Messengers informed his people that they should serve only the One True God; that they had not been created to serve Taghut. Thus, human beings had already been adequately informed that God does not approve their falling into doctrinal error or committing evil deeds. The plea that if God had willed it so, they would not have fallen into error, does not, therefore, hold water. What it amounts to is that they wanted God not to send Messengers who would teach and explain but rather send those who would forcefully put them off the wrong way and compel them to follow the right way. (In order to appreciate the distinction between God’s will and God’s good pleasure see Towards Understanding the Qur’an, vol. Il, al-An‘am 6, n. 80, pp. 266-7 and Tafhim al-Qur’ an, al-Zumar 39, n. 20.)

33. Whenever a Messenger came, his people were split into two groups.

One group consisted of those who accepted his teachings (and this was possible only because of God's succor). The other group was made up of those who clung to their inherited error. (For further elaboration see Towards Understanding the Qur’an, vol. Il, al-An‘am 6, n. 28, p. 231.)

34. Experience is the best criterion for knowing what is true. If this view is correct, then it is easy for man to realize what is proved by the cumulative record of man’s past. Who was the victim of God’s wrath: Pharaoh and his people or Moses and the Israelites? Did God’s punishment strike Salih and his followers or those who rejected him, calling him a liar? Did it befall Hud, Noah and other Messengers and their followers or those who rejected their call? Do the events of the past justify the conclusion that those persons who, thanks to God’s will, commit polytheism and develop the criterion to distinguish between lawful and unlawful independent of God’s guidance, enjoy God’s approval and good pleasure? On the contrary, facts clearly prove that those who cling to error despite counsel and admonition, are allowed to commit guilt to a point, but when they go too far in their defiance, they are altogether destroyed by God.

35. This shows that both rational and moral considerations require that Resurrection and Final Judgement ought to take place. This is necessary because from the outset of man’s existence, there have been countless differences among human beings about what constitutes the truth. These differences have led to division within races, nations and families. They have also given rise to different creeds, cultures and societies based on a diversity of views. Millions of people have had such strong feelings about their religious doctrines that they have staked their lives, wealth, honor and everything else that they value so as to defend and promote them. On numerous occasions, fierce conflicts have broken out between the adherents of different religious views, each religious group doing its best to destroy the others completely. Yet those who were vanquished or obliterated, refused to give up their religious positions. Reason demands that, at least at some point, man should be in a position to know for sure the extent to which each of the doctrines was true or false; to know who are the people who followed the right way and who deviated from it. It seems impossible that the truth will ever become indisputably clear to all in the present world. Hence, there has :o be another life to fulfil this human requirement. - Life-after-Death, however, is not only a requirement of reason. It is also a moral requirement. A great many people have been party to the differences mentioned earlier. Some of them were oppressors and wrong-doers while others were victims of oppression and wrong-doing. Some people made sacrifices while others subjected them to these sacrifices. In addition, everyone adopted according to his lights, a moral philosophy and attitude which affects — for good or bad — the lives of billions, even trillions of other human. beings.

Now, a time must come when the moral consequences of these attitudes should be visible in the form of reward or punishment. If the present world is not so constituted that the true and full moral consequences of man’s actions can become apparent, then there must be another world to ensure that this is so.

36. The unbelievers assume that the resurrection all at one time of all human beings who ever lived in the world will be exceedingly difficult. They obviously do not bear in mind the extent of God’s power. For God does not require, in order to carry out whatever He wills, any of the resources that are ordinarily needed. All that the implementation of any act requires is His command. If He commands, all the resources are instantly provided and the conditions for the implementation of God’s intended act are created forthwith- It ought to be remembered that the present world also came to be merely because God so willed. And were He to so will, another world can instantly come into existence merely by virtue of His command.