Verses 52–58
6. Al-An'aam · The Cattle
Makkan165 verses
وَلَا تَطْرُدِ ٱلَّذِينَ يَدْعُونَ رَبَّهُم بِٱلْغَدَوٰةِ وَٱلْعَشِىِّ يُرِيدُونَ وَجْهَهُۥ ۖ مَا عَلَيْكَ مِنْ حِسَابِهِم مِّن شَىْءٍۢ وَمَا مِنْ حِسَابِكَ عَلَيْهِم مِّن شَىْءٍۢ فَتَطْرُدَهُمْ فَتَكُونَ مِنَ ٱلظَّٰلِمِينَ
6:52Do not drive away those who supplicate their Lord morning and evening desiring His face. Neither are you accountable for them in any way, nor are they accountable for you in any way, so that you may drive them away and thus become one of the wrongdoers.1
وَكَذَٰلِكَ فَتَنَّا بَعْضَهُم بِبَعْضٍۢ لِّيَقُولُوٓا۟ أَهَٰٓؤُلَآءِ مَنَّ ٱللَّهُ عَلَيْهِم مِّنۢ بَيْنِنَآ ۗ أَلَيْسَ ٱللَّهُ بِأَعْلَمَ بِٱلشَّٰكِرِينَ
6:53Thus do We test them by means of one another so that they should say, ‘Are these the ones whom Allah has favoured from among us?!’ Does not Allah know best the grateful?!
وَإِذَا جَآءَكَ ٱلَّذِينَ يُؤْمِنُونَ بِـَٔايَٰتِنَا فَقُلْ سَلَٰمٌ عَلَيْكُمْ ۖ كَتَبَ رَبُّكُمْ عَلَىٰ نَفْسِهِ ٱلرَّحْمَةَ ۖ أَنَّهُۥ مَنْ عَمِلَ مِنكُمْ سُوٓءًۢا بِجَهَٰلَةٍۢ ثُمَّ تَابَ مِنۢ بَعْدِهِۦ وَأَصْلَحَ فَأَنَّهُۥ غَفُورٌۭ رَّحِيمٌۭ
6:54When those who have faith in Our signs come to you, say, ‘Peace to you! Your Lord has made mercy incumbent upon Himself: whoever of you commits an evil [deed] out of ignorance and then repents after that and reforms, then He is indeed all-forgiving, all-merciful.’2
وَكَذَٰلِكَ نُفَصِّلُ ٱلْءَايَٰتِ وَلِتَسْتَبِينَ سَبِيلُ ٱلْمُجْرِمِينَ
6:55Thus do We elaborate the signs, so that the way of the guilty may be exposed.
قُلْ إِنِّى نُهِيتُ أَنْ أَعْبُدَ ٱلَّذِينَ تَدْعُونَ مِن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ ۚ قُل لَّآ أَتَّبِعُ أَهْوَآءَكُمْ ۙ قَدْ ضَلَلْتُ إِذًۭا وَمَآ أَنَا۠ مِنَ ٱلْمُهْتَدِينَ
6:56Say, ‘I have been forbidden to worship those whom you invoke besides Allah.’ Say, ‘I do not follow your desires, for then I will have gone astray, and I will not be among the [rightly] guided.’
قُلْ إِنِّى عَلَىٰ بَيِّنَةٍۢ مِّن رَّبِّى وَكَذَّبْتُم بِهِۦ ۚ مَا عِندِى مَا تَسْتَعْجِلُونَ بِهِۦٓ ۚ إِنِ ٱلْحُكْمُ إِلَّا لِلَّهِ ۖ يَقُصُّ ٱلْحَقَّ ۖ وَهُوَ خَيْرُ ٱلْفَٰصِلِينَ
6:57Say, ‘Indeed I stand on a manifest proof from my Lord and you have denied it. What you seek to hasten is not up to me. Judgement belongs only to Allah; He expounds the truth and He is the best of judges.’
قُل لَّوْ أَنَّ عِندِى مَا تَسْتَعْجِلُونَ بِهِۦ لَقُضِىَ ٱلْأَمْرُ بَيْنِى وَبَيْنَكُمْ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ بِٱلظَّٰلِمِينَ
6:58Say, ‘If what you seek to hasten were with me, the matter would surely have been decided between you and me, and Allah knows best the wrongdoers.’
Tafsir
Commentary on this passage
Verse 54
1.In the beginning this Surah mentions about the objection of the enemies of Islam and has given answers repeatedly and that is why the verses mostly begin with the word ‘Qul’ which is commonly used for repetitive answers and its intention is to point out that it has no concern with the personality of Prophet (s.a.) but he has the status of interpreting. Whatever is said he conveys. Whatever objection is taken is for Allah, who works invisibly in the veil. In the beginning this objection was taken, why do not Apostles manifest openly? Then mentioned this in ridicule. Various answers were given about it. Then they repeated their first demand about the strange deity to made their chief. The answer of this question was also given. Then they asked for miracles according to their desires. This answer was given in different ways. Then they raised a question about hasty punishment that if you are a true Prophet, send the wrath on us soon. This answer was also given. And in this way, the continuous objections of the enemies of religion and their replies are mentioned in this Surah. The specialty of Meccan Surahs is that in them faith is emphasized more than deeds and objections raised against them have been clarified.
Footnotes
Explanations of words and phrases in these verses
- 1
Gadawah is the period from dawn till sunrise and Isha is from Maghrib to Isha or from Zawaal to sunset.
- 2
Salaam is a masterpiece of Islamic behaviour. It is an announcement of the message of peace and a prayer for the person who is addressed that Islam encourages each one of us to desire peace for others and demands that we invoke peace and security for others. Even if other solutions of the world make a mention of peace and well-being the element of dua is absent, and it is a great religious defect. It’s a pity that inspite of having such an excellent mode of greeting the rich and ruling class started the custom of saying ‘Aadaab’ which is nothing except flattery of the person who is addressed. Announcing ones status is one thing and praying for the well-being for the other person is something else.
Aristocracy demands its exaltation and thus it is always demanding salutation, while Islam utters a prayer of well-being. That is why we are supposed to greet the high and low people with Salam.
Benefit
The gathering of Qiyamat was called a Divine Mercy in the 12th ayat. In 45th ayat the forgiveness of sins due to repentance after sins is called unlimited mercy. It is indeed a great mercy. Though Allah indeed had the right not to forgive.