Tafheem ul Quran

Surah 16 An-Nahl, Ayat 36-36

وَلَـقَدۡ بَعَثۡنَا فِىۡ كُلِّ اُمَّةٍ رَّسُوۡلًا اَنِ اعۡبُدُوا اللّٰهَ وَاجۡتَنِبُوا الطَّاغُوۡتَ​ۚ فَمِنۡهُمۡ مَّنۡ هَدَى اللّٰهُ وَمِنۡهُمۡ مَّنۡ حَقَّتۡ عَلَيۡهِ الضَّلٰلَةُ​ ؕ فَسِيۡرُوۡا فِىۡ الۡاَرۡضِ فَانْظُرُوۡا كَيۡفَ كَانَ عَاقِبَةُ الۡمُكَذِّبِيۡنَ‏  ﴿16:36﴾

(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.


Notes

32. That is, you are not justified in excusing yourselves for these sins, saying that it is the will of God for We sent Messengers to every ummat, who told the people in plain words that they should worship Us and none else, and should not follow and obey taghut. Besides this, We have already warned you that We do not approve of your deviations. Why should you then put forward this excuse for your deviations? Do you mean to say that We ought to have sent such Messengers as would have forced you to follow the right way instead of bringing you to it by preaching? Please refer to (E.N. 80 of Surah Al-Anaam) for the distinction between God’s will and God’s approval).

33. That is, Whenever a Messenger came to a people, they were divided into two groups.

(1) Those who accepted the message (and that, too, could not have been possible except with the will of Allah).

(2) Those who rejected it and stuck to their deviation (For explanation see (E.N. 28 of Surah Al-Anaam).

34. That is, you can see for yourselves the lesson of human history. It is this that the people, who rejected the message, incurred the scourge of Allah like Pharaoh and the people of Pharaoh, while Prophet Moses (peace be upon him) received the blessings of Allah.