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Towards Understanding the Quran
With kind permission: Islamic Foundation UK
Introduction to Tafheem | Glossary | Verbs
Tafsirs: Maarif | Dawat | Ishraq | Clear

 Surah An-Nahl 16:35-36 [5/16] ↕
  
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Verse Summary -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
وَقَالَAnd said
ٱلَّذِينَthose who
أَشْرَكُواْassociate partners (with Allah),
لَوْ"If
شَآءَ ٱللَّهُAllah (had) willed
مَاnot
عَبَدْنَاwe (would) have worshipped
مِن دُونِهِۦother than Him
مِنany
شَىْءٍthing,
نَّحْنُwe
وَلَآand not
ءَابَآؤُنَاour forefathers
وَلَاand not
حَرَّمْنَاwe (would) have forbidden
مِن دُونِهِۦother than Him
مِن شَىْءٍ‌ۚanything."
كَذَٲلِكَThus
فَعَلَdid
ٱلَّذِينَthose who
مِن قَبْلِهِمْ‌ۚ(were) before them.
فَهَلْThen is (there)
عَلَىon
ٱلرُّسُلِthe messengers
إِلَّاexcept
ٱلْبَلَـٰغُthe conveyance
ٱلْمُبِينُclear?
﴿٣٥﴾
وَلَقَدْAnd certainly,
بَعَثْنَاWe sent
فِىinto
كُلِّevery
أُمَّةٍnation
رَّسُولاًa Messenger,
أَنِthat,
ٱعْبُدُواْ"Worship
ٱللَّهَAllah,
وَٱجْتَنِبُواْand avoid
ٱلطَّـٰغُوتَ‌ۖthe false deities."
فَمِنْهُمThen among them
مَّنْ(were some) whom
هَدَى ٱللَّهُAllah guided,
وَمِنْهُمand among them
مَّنْ(were) some
حَقَّتْwas justified
عَلَيْهِon them
ٱلضَّلَـٰلَةُ‌ۚthe straying.
فَسِيرُواْSo travel
فِىin
ٱلْأَرْضِthe earth
فَٱنظُرُواْand see
كَيْفَhow
كَانَwas
عَـٰقِبَةُthe end
ٱلْمُكَذِّبِينَ(of) the deniers.
﴿٣٦﴾

وَقَالَ الَّذِيۡنَ اَشۡرَكُوۡا لَوۡ شَآءَ اللّٰهُ مَا عَبَدۡنَا مِنۡ دُوۡنِهٖ مِنۡ شَىۡءٍ نَّحۡنُ وَلَاۤ اٰبَآؤُنَا وَلَا حَرَّمۡنَا مِنۡ دُوۡنِهٖ مِنۡ شَىۡءٍ​ؕ كَذٰلِكَ فَعَلَ الَّذِيۡنَ مِنۡ قَبۡلِهِمۡ​ۚ فَهَلۡ عَلَى الرُّسُلِ اِلَّا الۡبَلٰغُ الۡمُبِيۡنُ‏  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  
Translation
(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.
Commentary

30. In order to understand the significance of this argument the reader should keep in view (Ayats 148-150 and E.N.s 124-126 of Surah Al-Anaam), for this has been cited and answered there.

31. That is, your argument is not a new one but the same old one which had always been offered by erroneous people who went before you. Today you are, like them, excusing yourselves for your deviation and evil conduct, saying that it is the will of God. You know that this is a lame excuse that has been invented to delude yourselves, and to escape from admonition.

This answer also contains a subtle retort to the objection of the disbelievers that the Quran consisted merely of old stories of the ancients (Ayat 24). They meant to imply that the Prophet (peace be upon him) had nothing new to offer. So he was repeating the same old stories that had been repeated over and over again since the time of Prophet Noah (peace be upon him). The retort is this: If the Prophet (peace be upon him) was not presenting anything new but was reciting the old stories of the ancients, you yourselves are not putting forward any new excuse in defense of your evil deeds, but the same old excuse that was put forward by the people who went before you.

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.