Anwar Al-Quran

Verses 43–54

16. An-Nahl · The Bee

Makkan128 verses

وَمَآ أَرْسَلْنَا مِن قَبْلِكَ إِلَّا رِجَالًۭا نُّوحِىٓ إِلَيْهِمْ ۚ فَسْـَٔلُوٓا۟ أَهْلَ ٱلذِّكْرِ إِن كُنتُمْ لَا تَعْلَمُونَ

16:43We did not send [any apostles] before you except as men to whom We revealed. Ask the People of the Reminder if you do not know.

بِٱلْبَيِّنَٰتِ وَٱلزُّبُرِ ۗ وَأَنزَلْنَآ إِلَيْكَ ٱلذِّكْرَ لِتُبَيِّنَ لِلنَّاسِ مَا نُزِّلَ إِلَيْهِمْ وَلَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ

16:44[We sent them] with manifest proofs and scriptures. We have sent down the reminder to you so that you may clarify for the people that which has been sent down to them, so that they may reflect.1

أَفَأَمِنَ ٱلَّذِينَ مَكَرُوا۟ ٱلسَّيِّـَٔاتِ أَن يَخْسِفَ ٱللَّهُ بِهِمُ ٱلْأَرْضَ أَوْ يَأْتِيَهُمُ ٱلْعَذَابُ مِنْ حَيْثُ لَا يَشْعُرُونَ

16:45Do those who devise evil schemes feel secure that Allah will not make the earth swallow them, or the punishment will not overtake them whence they are not aware?

أَوْ يَأْخُذَهُمْ فِى تَقَلُّبِهِمْ فَمَا هُم بِمُعْجِزِينَ

16:46Or that He will not seize them in the midst of their bustle, whereupon they will not be able to frustrate [Him]?2

أَوْ يَأْخُذَهُمْ عَلَىٰ تَخَوُّفٍۢ فَإِنَّ رَبَّكُمْ لَرَءُوفٌۭ رَّحِيمٌ

16:47Or that He will not visit them with attrition? Indeed your Lord is most kind and merciful.

أَوَلَمْ يَرَوْا۟ إِلَىٰ مَا خَلَقَ ٱللَّهُ مِن شَىْءٍۢ يَتَفَيَّؤُا۟ ظِلَٰلُهُۥ عَنِ ٱلْيَمِينِ وَٱلشَّمَآئِلِ سُجَّدًۭا لِّلَّهِ وَهُمْ دَٰخِرُونَ

16:48Have they not regarded that whatever thing Allah has created casts its shadow to the right and to the left, prostrating to Allah in utter humility?3

وَلِلَّهِ يَسْجُدُ مَا فِى ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَمَا فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ مِن دَآبَّةٍۢ وَٱلْمَلَٰٓئِكَةُ وَهُمْ لَا يَسْتَكْبِرُونَ

16:49To Allah prostrates whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth, including animals and angels, and they are not arrogant.

يَخَافُونَ رَبَّهُم مِّن فَوْقِهِمْ وَيَفْعَلُونَ مَا يُؤْمَرُونَ ۩

16:50They fear their Lord above them, and do what they are commanded.

۞ وَقَالَ ٱللَّهُ لَا تَتَّخِذُوٓا۟ إِلَٰهَيْنِ ٱثْنَيْنِ ۖ إِنَّمَا هُوَ إِلَٰهٌۭ وَٰحِدٌۭ ۖ فَإِيَّٰىَ فَٱرْهَبُونِ

16:51Allah has said, ‘Do not worship two gods. Indeed He is the One God, so be in awe of Me [alone].’

وَلَهُۥ مَا فِى ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ وَلَهُ ٱلدِّينُ وَاصِبًا ۚ أَفَغَيْرَ ٱللَّهِ تَتَّقُونَ

16:52To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and the earth, and to Him belongs the enduring religion. Will you, then, be wary of other than Allah?4

وَمَا بِكُم مِّن نِّعْمَةٍۢ فَمِنَ ٱللَّهِ ۖ ثُمَّ إِذَا مَسَّكُمُ ٱلضُّرُّ فَإِلَيْهِ تَجْـَٔرُونَ

16:53Whatever blessing you have is from Allah, and when a distress befalls you, you make entreaties to Him.5

ثُمَّ إِذَا كَشَفَ ٱلضُّرَّ عَنكُمْ إِذَا فَرِيقٌۭ مِّنكُم بِرَبِّهِمْ يُشْرِكُونَ

16:54Then, when He removes the distress from you—behold, a part of them ascribe partners to their Lord,

Tafsir

Commentary on this passage

Verse 43

1.This is a common law and it is a duty of everyone that if a man does not know about anything he should ask those who knows it and should not continue to be ignorant about it. But according to the tradition, children means the members of the Prophet’s family because they know all the truths and can remove the practical thirst of those who are ignorant.

Verse 45

2.Allah has informed infidels about four kinds of worldly chastisements (a) To sink under the ground just as Qaroon was caused to sink. (b) Sudden appearance of the chastisement just as chastisement appeared all of a sudden on the community of Lut (a.s.) (c) To be ruined while travelling just as some other communities were destroyed (d) Slowly decrease and perish one day and cannot have control over it.

Verse 54

3.This is a great fault of the nature of human being that first he obtains the bounties from Allah and then disregards them and when a calamity befalls he starts crying out for help and when the trouble is removed he takes others as partners of Allah and is not ready to follow the right path at any cost.

Footnotes

Explanations of words and phrases in these verses

  1. Benefit

    The Creator of the Universe has mentioned the. Quran as Zikr in front of miracles and books. Zikr means reminder and this denotes that Quran is an everlasting reminder to call the people towards truth. That is why Ahle Zikr are not the Jew and Christian Scholars. They are the purified Imams (a.s.), though for the infidels the Jew and Christian Scholars were also Ahle Zikr who could have testified for the truth.

  2. 1

    Bayyinaat is the plural of Bayyinah. Clear sign means miracle. Zobor is the plural of Zaboor, that is books and scriptures.

  3. 2

    Taqallub - To walk about or travel. Takhauf is ‘in terror’. Or according to Tabarsi (r.a.) ‘very slowly so that one day it is completely destroyed’.

  4. 3

    Tafyaa - The turning of the shadow. It remains to the West in the morning and in the afternoon it turns to the East. It is under divine command in both the conditions. That is it prostrates before Allah, alone.

  5. 4

    Wasib means everlasting, that is always obedient.

  6. 5

    Jawaar - To plead loudly.

  7. Benefit

    The remaining of the shade of physical objects is the best way to comfort a traveller and to be able to see things. That is why the Holy Quran has given it a permanent status and mentioned it to be under Allah’s command.