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 51-60وَ قَالَAnd Allah has saidاللّٰهُAnd Allah has saidلَا(Do) notتَتَّخِذُوْۤاtakeاِلٰهَیْنِ[two] godsاثْنَیْنِ ۚtwoاِنَّمَاonlyهُوَHeاِلٰهٌ(is) Godوَّاحِدٌ ۚOneفَاِیَّایَso Me Aloneفَارْهَبُوْنِ you fear [Me] وَ لَهٗAnd to Him (belongs)مَاwhateverفِی(is) inالسَّمٰوٰتِthe heavensوَ الْاَرْضِand the earthوَ لَهُand to Himالدِّیْنُ(is due) the worshipوَاصِبًا ؕconstantlyاَفَغَیْرَThen is it other (than)اللّٰهِAllahتَتَّقُوْنَ you fear وَ مَاAnd whateverبِكُمْyou haveمِّنْofنِّعْمَةٍfavorفَمِنَ(is) fromاللّٰهِAllahثُمَّThenاِذَاwhenمَسَّكُمُtouches youالضُّرُّthe adversityفَاِلَیْهِthen to Himتَجْـَٔرُوْنَۚyou cry for help ثُمَّThenاِذَاwhenكَشَفَHe removesالضُّرَّthe adversityعَنْكُمْfrom youاِذَاbehold!فَرِیْقٌA groupمِّنْكُمْof youبِرَبِّهِمْwith their Lordیُشْرِكُوْنَۙassociate others 16. An-Nahl Page 273لِیَكْفُرُوْاSo as to denyبِمَاۤthat whichاٰتَیْنٰهُمْ ؕWe have given themفَتَمَتَّعُوْا ۫Then enjoy yourselvesفَسَوْفَsoonتَعْلَمُوْنَ you will know وَ یَجْعَلُوْنَAnd they assignلِمَاto whatلَاnotیَعْلَمُوْنَthey knowنَصِیْبًاa portionمِّمَّاof whatرَزَقْنٰهُمْ ؕWe have provided themتَاللّٰهِBy Allahلَتُسْـَٔلُنَّsurely you will be askedعَمَّاabout whatكُنْتُمْyou used (to)تَفْتَرُوْنَ invent وَ یَجْعَلُوْنَAnd they assignلِلّٰهِto Allahالْبَنٰتِdaughtersسُبْحٰنَهٗ ۙGlory be to Him!وَ لَهُمْAnd for themمَّا(is) whatیَشْتَهُوْنَ they desire وَ اِذَاAnd whenبُشِّرَis given good newsاَحَدُهُمْ(to) one of themبِالْاُنْثٰیof a femaleظَلَّturnsوَجْهُهٗhis faceمُسْوَدًّاdarkوَّ هُوَand heكَظِیْمٌۚsuppresses grief یَتَوَارٰیHe hides himselfمِنَfromالْقَوْمِthe peopleمِنْ(because) ofسُوْٓءِthe evilمَاof whatبُشِّرَhe has been given good newsبِهٖ ؕaboutاَیُمْسِكُهٗShould he keep itعَلٰیinهُوْنٍhumiliationاَمْorیَدُسُّهٗbury itفِیinالتُّرَابِ ؕthe dustاَلَاUnquestionablyسَآءَevilمَا(is) whatیَحْكُمُوْنَ they decide لِلَّذِیْنَFor those whoلَا(do) notیُؤْمِنُوْنَbelieveبِالْاٰخِرَةِin the Hereafterمَثَلُ(is) a similitudeالسَّوْءِ ۚ(of) the evilوَ لِلّٰهِand for Allahالْمَثَلُ(is) the similitudeالْاَعْلٰی ؕthe Highestوَ هُوَAnd Heالْعَزِیْزُ(is) the All-Mightyالْحَكِیْمُ۠All-Wise

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Translation of Verse 51-60

(16:51) Allah has commanded: "Do not take two gods;⁴³ for He is but One God. So fear Me alone."

(16:52) His is whatever is in the heavens and the earth, and obedience to Him inevitably pervades the whole universe.⁴⁴ Will you, then, hold in awe any other than Allah?⁴⁵

(16:53) Every bounty that you enjoy is from Allah; and whenever any misfortune strikes you, it is to Him that you cry for the removal of your distress.⁴⁶

(16:54) But as soon as He removes the distress from you, some of you associate others with their Lord⁴⁷ in giving thanks,

(16:55) that they may show ingratitude for the bounties We bestowed upon them. So enjoy yourselves for a while, soon you will come to know (the truth).

(16:56) They set apart for those, whose reality they do not even know,⁴⁸⁴⁹ a portion of the sustenance We have provided them. By Allah, you will surely be called to account for the lies that you have invented!

(16:57) They assign daughters to Allah⁵⁰ - glory be to Him - whereas they assign to themselves what they truly desire!⁵¹

(16:58) When any of them is told about the birth of a female his face turns dark, and he is filled with suppressed anger,

(16:59) and he hides himself from people because of the bad news, thinking: should he keep the child despite disgrace, or should he bury it in dust? How evil is their estimate of Allah!⁵²

(16:60) Those who do not believe in the Hereafter deserve to be characterized with evil attributes whereas Allah's are the most excellent attributes. He is the Most Mighty, the Most Wise.

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Commentary

43. The negation of two gods naturally includes the negation of more than two gods.

44. In other words, obedience to God is the axis around which the whole system of the universe revolves.

45. People are asked whether fear of any being other than the One True God, and desire to escape His wrath constitute an appropriate basis for man’s life?

46. The fact that man instantly turns to God alone in moments of distress is a clear testimony embedded in man’s own being. When faced with a serious crisis, all false notions woven by human fancies are shattered, and the true nature of man comes forward. This is the nature which knows none other than the One True God to be the true deity, the lord, the all-powerful master! (For further explanation see Towards Understanding the Qur’an, vol. I, al-An‘am 6, nn. 29 and 41, pp. 231-3 and 239-40, and Yunus 10, n. 31 above.)

47. Once the crisis is over, men are wont to join others — saints, gods and goddesses — with God in giving thanks and making offerings and sacrifices. By so doing, they are saying that in addition to God there are also others who had a hand in the kindness shown by God. The fact is that they believe that had these beings not been kind to them and had they not urged God to kindness, He would not have shown them any kindness.

48. The unbelievers have no reliable means of knowing whether God has associated anyone in His divinity and whether He has delegated any of His tasks to others; or whether or not He Has Placed any part of His realm into the care of others.

49. This refers to the sacrifices and offerings which people make to deities out of their earnings, and to the portion of their agricultural produce which they exclusively allocate for their gods and goddesses.

50. In the pantheon of Arabia, goddesses outnumbered gods. These goddesses were conceived to be the daughters of God. Likewise, angels were also considered to be God’s daughters.

51. That is, sons.

52. The attitude of the unbelievers was tantalizingly self-contradictory. On the one hand, they considered it a matter of shame to have daughters, and on the other, they had no compunction in saying that God had daughters.

Notwithstanding the gross ignorance and blasphemy in the claim that God had children, the unbelievers are specially reproached for cherishing a concept of God which, in terms of their own conception, showed God in an unfavorable light. Polytheistic beliefs had made them so blasphemous, insolent, and insensitive to God’s majesty that they had no hesitation in saying whatever they wished about God.