Surah 16. An-Nahl

---

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]

---

Quran Text of Verse 41-50وَ الَّذِیْنَAnd those whoهَاجَرُوْاemigratedفِیin (the way)اللّٰهِ(of) Allahمِنْۢafterبَعْدِafterمَا[what]ظُلِمُوْاthey were wrongedلَنُبَوِّئَنَّهُمْsurely We will give them positionفِیinالدُّنْیَاthe worldحَسَنَةً ؕgoodوَ لَاَجْرُbut surely the rewardالْاٰخِرَةِ(of) the Hereafterاَكْبَرُ ۘ(is) greaterلَوْifكَانُوْاtheyیَعْلَمُوْنَۙknow الَّذِیْنَThose whoصَبَرُوْا(are) patientوَ عَلٰیand onرَبِّهِمْtheir Lordیَتَوَكَّلُوْنَ they put their trust 16. An-Nahl Page 272وَ مَاۤAnd notاَرْسَلْنَاWe sentمِنْbefore youقَبْلِكَbefore youاِلَّاexceptرِجَالًاmenنُّوْحِیْۤWe revealedاِلَیْهِمْto themفَسْـَٔلُوْۤاso askاَهْلَ(the) peopleالذِّكْرِ(of) the Reminderاِنْifكُنْتُمْyouلَا(do) notتَعْلَمُوْنَۙknow بِالْبَیِّنٰتِWith the clear proofsوَ الزُّبُرِ ؕand the Booksوَ اَنْزَلْنَاۤAnd We sent downاِلَیْكَto youالذِّكْرَthe Remembranceلِتُبَیِّنَthat you may make clearلِلنَّاسِto the mankindمَاwhatنُزِّلَhas been sent downاِلَیْهِمْto themوَ لَعَلَّهُمْand that they mayیَتَفَكَّرُوْنَ reflect اَفَاَمِنَDo then feel secureالَّذِیْنَthose whoمَكَرُواplottedالسَّیِّاٰتِthe evil deedsاَنْthatیَّخْسِفَAllah will caveاللّٰهُAllah will caveبِهِمُwith themالْاَرْضَthe earthاَوْorیَاْتِیَهُمُwill come to themالْعَذَابُthe punishmentمِنْfromحَیْثُwhereلَاnotیَشْعُرُوْنَۙthey perceive اَوْOrیَاْخُذَهُمْthat He may seize themفِیْinتَقَلُّبِهِمْtheir going to and froفَمَاthen notهُمْtheyبِمُعْجِزِیْنَۙwill be able to escape اَوْOrیَاْخُذَهُمْthat He may seize themعَلٰیwithتَخَوُّفٍ ؕa gradual wastingفَاِنَّBut indeedرَبَّكُمْyour Lordلَرَءُوْفٌ(is) surely Full of Kindnessرَّحِیْمٌ Most Merciful اَوَ لَمْHave notیَرَوْاthey seenاِلٰی[towards]مَاwhatخَلَقَAllah has createdاللّٰهُAllah has createdمِنْfromشَیْءٍa thingیَّتَفَیَّؤُاInclineظِلٰلُهٗtheir shadowsعَنِtoالْیَمِیْنِthe rightوَ الشَّمَآىِٕلِand to the leftسُجَّدًاprostratingلِّلّٰهِto Allahوَ هُمْwhile theyدٰخِرُوْنَ (are) humble وَ لِلّٰهِAnd to Allahیَسْجُدُprostrateمَاwhateverفِی(is) inالسَّمٰوٰتِthe heavensوَ مَاand whateverفِی(is) inالْاَرْضِthe earthمِنْofدَآبَّةٍmoving creaturesوَّ الْمَلٰٓىِٕكَةُand the Angelsوَ هُمْand theyلَا(are) notیَسْتَكْبِرُوْنَ arrogant یَخَافُوْنَThey fearرَبَّهُمْtheir Lordمِّنْabove themفَوْقِهِمْabove themوَ یَفْعَلُوْنَand they doمَاwhatیُؤْمَرُوْنَ۠۩they are commanded

---

Translation of Verse 41-50

(16:41) As for those who have forsaken their homes for the sake of Allah after enduring persecution, We shall certainly grant them a good abode in this world; and surely the reward of the Hereafter is much greater.³⁷ If they could but know (what an excellent end awaits)

(16:42) those who remain steadfast and put their trust in their Lord.

(16:43) (O Muhammad), whenever We raised any Messengers before you, they were no other than human beings;³⁸ (except that) to them We sent revelation. So ask those who possess knowledge³⁹ if you do not know.

(16:44) We raised the Messengers earlier with Clear Signs and Divine Books, and We have now sent down this Reminder upon you that you may elucidate to people the teaching that has been sent down for them,⁴⁰ and that the people may themselves reflect.

(16:45) Do those who have been devising evil plans (against the mission of the Messenger) feel secure that Allah will not cause the earth to swallow them up or that chastisement will not come upon them from a direction that they will not even be able to imagine;

(16:46) or that He will not suddenly seize them while they are going about to and fro and they will be unable to frustrate His design,

(16:47) or that He will not seize them when they are apprehensive of the impending calamity? Surely your Lord is Most Compassionate, Most Merciful.

(16:48) Do the people not see how the objects Allah has created cast their shadows right and left, prostrating themselves in utter submission to Allah?⁴¹

(16:49) All living creatures and all angels in the heavens and on the earth are in prostration before Allah;⁴² and never do they behave in arrogant defiance.

(16:50) They hold their Lord, Who is above them, in fear, and do as they are bidden.

---

Commentary

37. This is an allusion to those who migrated to Abyssinia under the pressure of persecution from the Makkan unbelievers; this persecution had assumed unbearable proportions. The mention of the Muhajirun following the rejoinder to those who denied the Hereafter is done with a special purpose. It is to warn the Makkan unbelievers that after having perpetrated all kinds of cruelties, there is no reason for them to entertain the illusion that they would go unpunished, and that the grievances of the oppressed would never be redressed.

38. Here an objection of the unbelievers is refuted without making explicit mention of it. The same objection had been made in the past against other Prophets, and the contemporaries of the Prophet (peace be on him) also often gave vent to it. The objection consisted of pleading that a Prophet is no more than any other human being. How could they, then, accept him to be God’s Messenger?

39. They are directed to ask the religious scholars of the People of the Book, and all those knowledgeable persons acquainted with the teachings of the scriptures and the history of previous Prophets.

40. The Prophet (peace be on him) is instructed to elucidate the teachings embodied in the Qur’an ~ the ‘Admonition’. He is required to elucidate those teachings not merely by word of mouth. He is also required to do so by his conduct, by establishing a full-fledged Islamic society under his supervision and by establishing and operating a whole order of human life in consonance with that ‘Admonition’.

Thus, God explains the wisdom underlying the choice of human beings to serve as God’s Messengers. As for ‘Admonition’ (al-dhikr), it could have been sent through angels. It could also have been distributed on a mass scale among human beings in the form of a printed work. This would not, however, have fulfilled God’s purpose, Who, in His wisdom and compassion, willed that the Qur’an be revealed for man’s guidance. That purpose could be best realized by having it communicated to mankind through someone who would be the best specimen of humanity. The Book of God was revealed to the Prophet (peace be on him) in fragments so that he might communicate it to the people gradually.

While so doing he should explain any aspect of the Book to people which might be incomprehensible to them. He should also remove the doubts of those Who had any, disabuse their minds of misconceptions, and answer the objections of those who might have misgivings or objections.

It was also quite obvious that many would not believe in the Book of God, and that they would always oppose and resist it. The Messenger (peace be on him) was required to deal with such people in a manner that befits the bearers of such an exalted Book. As for those who decide to believe in it, it was required by the Prophet (peace be on him) to provide them with directives relating to every aspect of their lives, and to present before them a shining embodiment of these directives through his own life. He is also required to train his followers — both on an individual and a collective level — in order that an ideal human society comes into being; the kind of society which translates into practice the ideals of social order in consonance with the purposes which the Qur’an seeks to achieve.

This verse furnishes a weighty argument against those who do not believe that human beings can serve as God’s message-bearers. Likewise, it refutes the standpoint of those who reject the Hadith and seek to derive guidance from the Book of God alone without considering it necessary to be guided by the elucidation and elaboration of the Book by the Prophet (peace be on him). Such people take a variety of positions. One of these is that the Prophet (peace be on him) did not elucidate the Book. His task was simply confined to delivering it to people. Some of them take the position that what people are bound by is the Book of God, but not its elucidation by the Prophet (peace be on him). Others are of the view that the Book is sufficient to guide people and its elucidation was, therefore, unnecessary. They also argue that only the Qur’an is proved to be extant in an authentic form, and that the Prophet's true elucidation of it is either no longer extant or at least is not found in any trustworthy form.

Regardless of which of these positions they may take, each one of them comes into sharp conflict with the verse in question.

Let us take the first position, viz. that the Prophet (peace. be on him) did not elucidate the Qur’an and confined his efforts merely. to presenting the text of the Book. This view destroys the very purpose of revealing the Book to the Prophet instead of having it sent to people either directly or via angels.

Let us now consider the second option: that men should obtain guidance only from the Book of God but not from the Prophet’s elucidation of it. This reflects poorly on the institution of Messengers established by God. For if this supposition was sound, the Book might as well have been sent directly to human beings without the intermediation of His Messengers.

As for those who regard the Prophet’s-elucidation as. untrustworthy, this amounts to an annulment of the Qur’an as well as of the prophethood of Muhammad (peace be on him). In fact, were we to follow this assumption, it would require acceptance of a new Prophet and a new revelation. For in this verse, God describes the Prophet (peace be on him) as indispensable for elucidating the Book, emphasizing that a Messenger is necessary to explain the intent of the Qur’an.

Now, we come to those who reject the Hadith on the grounds that the Prophet’s explanation and elucidation can no longer be found in the world.

This inevitably leads to two conclusions. First, that the ideal character of the Prophet (peace be on him) is no longer available to mankind for emulation.

Thus, for all practical purposes, our relationship with Muhammad (peace be on him) is similar to that with the Prophets of the past such as Hid, Salih, and Shu‘ayb (peace be on them). For we believe in them but do not consider them models to be emulated in our own lives for the simple and obvious reason that we lack reliable information about them. If we were to hold the same view about the Prophet (peace be on him), this necessarily calls for the advent of a new Messenger. For if that is the case, only a fool would still insist that Muhammad (peace be on him) is the final Messenger. The second conclusion to which this line of thinking leads is that the Qur’an has become incapable of guiding mankind. This is so because the Qur’an itself declares that without the elucidation of its teachings by the Prophet (peace be on him), it, in itself, does not suffice for man’s guidance. Hence, once it is accepted that the elucidation of the Qur’an does not exist in a trustworthy form, the need for a new revelation and the advent of a new Messenger is automatically established. Those who deny the Hadith are, therefore, undermining the very foundations of Islam.

41. The shadow of every physical object, be it a mountain or tree or animal or human being, testifies to the fact that everything is subject to a universal law. All are characterized by subservience to the Lord of the universe and none has any share of His divinity. That something casts a shadow indicates its materiality. And materiality, in turn, is a proof of its being a creature bound in servitude to God.

42. Apart from terrestrial beings, even heavenly beings which have been mistakenly conceived since time immemorial for gods, goddesses and kith and kin of God, are in fact beings in bondage to God. None has any share of His divinity at all.

Incidentally, the above verse also alludes to the fact that living beings are not special to the earth, but are also found on other planets. The same point has been made in al-Shura (42: 29).