Verses 55–64
16. An-Nahl · The Bee
Makkan128 verses
لِيَكْفُرُوا۟ بِمَآ ءَاتَيْنَٰهُمْ ۚ فَتَمَتَّعُوا۟ ۖ فَسَوْفَ تَعْلَمُونَ
16:55being unthankful for what We have given them. So let them enjoy. Soon they shall know!
وَيَجْعَلُونَ لِمَا لَا يَعْلَمُونَ نَصِيبًۭا مِّمَّا رَزَقْنَٰهُمْ ۗ تَٱللَّهِ لَتُسْـَٔلُنَّ عَمَّا كُنتُمْ تَفْتَرُونَ
16:56They assign a share in what We have provided them to what they do not know. By Allah, you will surely be questioned concerning what you used to fabricate.1
وَيَجْعَلُونَ لِلَّهِ ٱلْبَنَٰتِ سُبْحَٰنَهُۥ ۙ وَلَهُم مَّا يَشْتَهُونَ
16:57And they attribute daughters to Allah—immaculate is He—while they will have what they desire!
وَإِذَا بُشِّرَ أَحَدُهُم بِٱلْأُنثَىٰ ظَلَّ وَجْهُهُۥ مُسْوَدًّۭا وَهُوَ كَظِيمٌۭ
16:58When one of them is brought the news of a female [newborn], his face becomes darkened, and he chokes with suppressed agony.2
يَتَوَٰرَىٰ مِنَ ٱلْقَوْمِ مِن سُوٓءِ مَا بُشِّرَ بِهِۦٓ ۚ أَيُمْسِكُهُۥ عَلَىٰ هُونٍ أَمْ يَدُسُّهُۥ فِى ٱلتُّرَابِ ۗ أَلَا سَآءَ مَا يَحْكُمُونَ
16:59He hides from the people out of distress at the news he has been brought: shall he retain it in humiliation, or bury it in the ground! Behold! Evil is the judgement that they make.
لِلَّذِينَ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ بِٱلْءَاخِرَةِ مَثَلُ ٱلسَّوْءِ ۖ وَلِلَّهِ ٱلْمَثَلُ ٱلْأَعْلَىٰ ۚ وَهُوَ ٱلْعَزِيزُ ٱلْحَكِيمُ
16:60There is an evil description for those who do not believe in the Hereafter, and the loftiest description belongs to Allah, and He is the All-mighty, the All-wise.3
وَلَوْ يُؤَاخِذُ ٱللَّهُ ٱلنَّاسَ بِظُلْمِهِم مَّا تَرَكَ عَلَيْهَا مِن دَآبَّةٍۢ وَلَٰكِن يُؤَخِّرُهُمْ إِلَىٰٓ أَجَلٍۢ مُّسَمًّۭى ۖ فَإِذَا جَآءَ أَجَلُهُمْ لَا يَسْتَـْٔخِرُونَ سَاعَةًۭ ۖ وَلَا يَسْتَقْدِمُونَ
16:61Were Allah to take mankind to task for their wrongdoing, He would not leave any living being upon it. But He respites them until a specified time; so when their time comes they shall not defer it by a single hour nor shall they advance it.
وَيَجْعَلُونَ لِلَّهِ مَا يَكْرَهُونَ وَتَصِفُ أَلْسِنَتُهُمُ ٱلْكَذِبَ أَنَّ لَهُمُ ٱلْحُسْنَىٰ ۖ لَا جَرَمَ أَنَّ لَهُمُ ٱلنَّارَ وَأَنَّهُم مُّفْرَطُونَ
16:62They attribute to Allah what they dislike [for themselves], and their tongues assert the lie that the best of rewards [in the Hereafter] will be theirs. Undoubtedly, the Fire shall be their lot and they will be foremost [in entering it].4
تَٱللَّهِ لَقَدْ أَرْسَلْنَآ إِلَىٰٓ أُمَمٍۢ مِّن قَبْلِكَ فَزَيَّنَ لَهُمُ ٱلشَّيْطَٰنُ أَعْمَٰلَهُمْ فَهُوَ وَلِيُّهُمُ ٱلْيَوْمَ وَلَهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌۭ
16:63By Allah, We have certainly sent [apostles] to nations before you. But Satan made their deeds seem decorous to them. So he is their master today and there is a painful punishment for them.
وَمَآ أَنزَلْنَا عَلَيْكَ ٱلْكِتَٰبَ إِلَّا لِتُبَيِّنَ لَهُمُ ٱلَّذِى ٱخْتَلَفُوا۟ فِيهِ ۙ وَهُدًۭى وَرَحْمَةًۭ لِّقَوْمٍۢ يُؤْمِنُونَ
16:64We did not send down the Book to you except [for the purpose] that you may clarify for them what they differ about, and as a guidance and mercy for a people who have faith.
Tafsir
Commentary on this passage
Verse 58
1.One of the distinctive features of the period of ignorance was that they did not tolerate the female child. Some people buried her alive or threw her from a great height and some people drowned them and some killed them. This was regarded as honour and shame. Once a man wanted to bury his daughter, she cried out: What is my fault? But the father buried her alive and after this he converted to Islam and became a Muslim; but according to his own confession he did not enjoy Islam and could not get satisfaction of any kind. Of course to kill the girl without any reason was a great sin but this sin was absolutely light than those who killed thousands of innocent people for atomic experiments and they do not even feel sorry for this deed. Islam has considered the daughter as comfort for her father’s life and adornment for his funeral and the generation of the Prophet (s.a.) has also continued from his daughter.
Footnotes
Explanations of words and phrases in these verses
Benefit
Though the custom of burying alive the daughters started due to war and treaty between two clans but later it became a common social custom whose cause were economic, communal and gender based and they had reduced the people to savages. Islam severely opposed this custom and bestowed a lofty status to the daughters, so much so that it made them the flower of life.
- 1
This ignorance is a characteristic of the idols, they do not know anything and it is a characteristic of the polytheists that they are ignorant of the reality of these idols that they do not have a share.
- 2
A person who is enraged but cannot express his anger is like the one who is swallowing blood or poison.
- 3
Mithl: It is the meaning of characteristic. That the infidels have worst characteristic and the almighty has the best qualities.
- 4
Mufrat denotes a person who is put forward and Mufrit denotes crossing the limits by oneself. Mufarrit denotes one who has a shortcoming.
Benefit
Ajal-e-Moosamma is apparently the time of death till when everybody is given a chance to repent for his sins or he shall be doomed to perdition.