Verses 73–79
16. An-Nahl · The Bee
Makkan128 verses
وَيَعْبُدُونَ مِن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ مَا لَا يَمْلِكُ لَهُمْ رِزْقًۭا مِّنَ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ شَيْـًۭٔا وَلَا يَسْتَطِيعُونَ
16:73They worship besides Allah what has no power to provide them with anything from the heavens and the earth, nor are they capable [of anything].1
فَلَا تَضْرِبُوا۟ لِلَّهِ ٱلْأَمْثَالَ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يَعْلَمُ وَأَنتُمْ لَا تَعْلَمُونَ
16:74So do not draw comparisons for Allah: indeed Allah knows and you do not know.
۞ ضَرَبَ ٱللَّهُ مَثَلًا عَبْدًۭا مَّمْلُوكًۭا لَّا يَقْدِرُ عَلَىٰ شَىْءٍۢ وَمَن رَّزَقْنَٰهُ مِنَّا رِزْقًا حَسَنًۭا فَهُوَ يُنفِقُ مِنْهُ سِرًّۭا وَجَهْرًا ۖ هَلْ يَسْتَوُۥنَ ۚ ٱلْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ ۚ بَلْ أَكْثَرُهُمْ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ
16:75Allah draws a parable: a slave owned [by his master] who has no power over anything, and another one [a free man] whom We have provided a goodly provision and who spends out of it secretly and openly. Are they equal? All praise belongs to Allah. But most of them do not know.
وَضَرَبَ ٱللَّهُ مَثَلًۭا رَّجُلَيْنِ أَحَدُهُمَآ أَبْكَمُ لَا يَقْدِرُ عَلَىٰ شَىْءٍۢ وَهُوَ كَلٌّ عَلَىٰ مَوْلَىٰهُ أَيْنَمَا يُوَجِّههُّ لَا يَأْتِ بِخَيْرٍ ۖ هَلْ يَسْتَوِى هُوَ وَمَن يَأْمُرُ بِٱلْعَدْلِ ۙ وَهُوَ عَلَىٰ صِرَٰطٍۢ مُّسْتَقِيمٍۢ
16:76Allah draws [another] parable: Two men, one of whom is dumb, having no power over anything and who is a liability to his master: wherever he directs him he does not bring any good. Is he equal to someone who enjoins justice and is [steady] on a straight path?2
وَلِلَّهِ غَيْبُ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ ۚ وَمَآ أَمْرُ ٱلسَّاعَةِ إِلَّا كَلَمْحِ ٱلْبَصَرِ أَوْ هُوَ أَقْرَبُ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَىْءٍۢ قَدِيرٌۭ
16:77To Allah belongs the Unseen of the heavens and the earth. The matter of the Hour is just like the twinkling of an eye, or [even] swifter. Indeed Allah has power over all things.
وَٱللَّهُ أَخْرَجَكُم مِّنۢ بُطُونِ أُمَّهَٰتِكُمْ لَا تَعْلَمُونَ شَيْـًۭٔا وَجَعَلَ لَكُمُ ٱلسَّمْعَ وَٱلْأَبْصَٰرَ وَٱلْأَفْـِٔدَةَ ۙ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ
16:78Allah has brought you forth from the bellies of your mothers while you did not know anything. He made for you hearing, eyesight, and hearts so that you may give thanks.3
أَلَمْ يَرَوْا۟ إِلَى ٱلطَّيْرِ مُسَخَّرَٰتٍۢ فِى جَوِّ ٱلسَّمَآءِ مَا يُمْسِكُهُنَّ إِلَّا ٱللَّهُ ۗ إِنَّ فِى ذَٰلِكَ لَءَايَٰتٍۢ لِّقَوْمٍۢ يُؤْمِنُونَ
16:79Have they not regarded the birds disposed in the air of the sky: no one sustains them except Allah. There are indeed signs in that for a people who have faith.
Tafsir
Commentary on this passage
Verse 76
1.After discussing about the helplessness of idols Allah explains to people by giving different examples that the helpless servant cannot compare himself equally to his master and the dumb man cannot become equal to the judge, then how can 1he helpless and dumb idols be equal to Allah? Why people have become senseless and why they don’t understand the difference?
Verse 78
2.After creating the world, Allah has given the reference to man himself that he was i1liter8te when he was born. He was so ignorant that he did not know anything and later on he became so elevated that he denied Allah’s bounties! It was the demand of Allah’s favour that he should be thankful to Him.
Verse 79
3.If people would guess about the condition of birds, the mode of life would be changed. To run an aeroplane, we need machines and many complicated instruments and besides this if fuel is over, it would crash at once. While a bird flies here and there for a long time without fuel and instruments. This is only Allah’s favour that the heavenly bodies float in space and the whole universe is working by His commands
Footnotes
Explanations of words and phrases in these verses
- 1
The sustenance of Man on the earth as well as the heavens. Rain falls from the heavens and crops grow from I the earth. Idols neither control sustenance not are they capable of anything else.
- 2
Abkum - Dumb, Kail means lazy who does not do anything himself and is a burden on others. That is why the traditions state that a lazy person who remains a burden on others is accursed and distant from divine mercy. Divine mercy is in the share of those who strive and struggle. It is not for those who are slothful.
- 3
The plural of Am is Amaat. But here a ‘ha’ is added so that there should be a difference between the plural of the people of intellect and the foolish ones. However, in the opinion of some this additional ‘ha’ is for emphasis.
Benefit
As regards the matter of sustenance we cannot even deny the powers of Allah and his guarantee and neither can we deny the role of effort and striving. And the result of compromising both these aspects is that neither should one struggle so hard that one loses faith in Allah nor should one become lazy as to stop trying. The correct method is to keep trying and having faith in the mercy of Allah, because He does not allows the labours of man to be wasted.