Verses 9–18
6. Al-An'aam · The Cattle
Makkan165 verses
وَلَوْ جَعَلْنَٰهُ مَلَكًۭا لَّجَعَلْنَٰهُ رَجُلًۭا وَلَلَبَسْنَا عَلَيْهِم مَّا يَلْبِسُونَ
6:9Had We made him an angel, We would have surely made him a man, and We would have surely confounded them just as they confound [the truth now].
وَلَقَدِ ٱسْتُهْزِئَ بِرُسُلٍۢ مِّن قَبْلِكَ فَحَاقَ بِٱلَّذِينَ سَخِرُوا۟ مِنْهُم مَّا كَانُوا۟ بِهِۦ يَسْتَهْزِءُونَ
6:10Apostles were certainly derided before you. Then those who ridiculed them were besieged by what they used to deride.1
قُلْ سِيرُوا۟ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ ثُمَّ ٱنظُرُوا۟ كَيْفَ كَانَ عَٰقِبَةُ ٱلْمُكَذِّبِينَ
6:11Say, ‘Travel over the land, and then observe how was the fate of the deniers.’
قُل لِّمَن مَّا فِى ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ ۖ قُل لِّلَّهِ ۚ كَتَبَ عَلَىٰ نَفْسِهِ ٱلرَّحْمَةَ ۚ لَيَجْمَعَنَّكُمْ إِلَىٰ يَوْمِ ٱلْقِيَٰمَةِ لَا رَيْبَ فِيهِ ۚ ٱلَّذِينَ خَسِرُوٓا۟ أَنفُسَهُمْ فَهُمْ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ
6:12Say, ‘To whom belongs whatever is in the heavens and the earth?’ Say, ‘To Allah. He has made mercy incumbent upon Himself. He will surely gather you on the Day of Resurrection, in which there is no doubt. Those who have ruined their souls will not have faith.’23
۞ وَلَهُۥ مَا سَكَنَ فِى ٱلَّيْلِ وَٱلنَّهَارِ ۚ وَهُوَ ٱلسَّمِيعُ ٱلْعَلِيمُ
6:13To Him belongs whatever abides in the night and the day, and He is the All-hearing, the All-knowing.
قُلْ أَغَيْرَ ٱللَّهِ أَتَّخِذُ وَلِيًّۭا فَاطِرِ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ وَهُوَ يُطْعِمُ وَلَا يُطْعَمُ ۗ قُلْ إِنِّىٓ أُمِرْتُ أَنْ أَكُونَ أَوَّلَ مَنْ أَسْلَمَ ۖ وَلَا تَكُونَنَّ مِنَ ٱلْمُشْرِكِينَ
6:14Say, ‘Shall I take for guardian [anyone] other than Allah, the originator of the heavens and the earth, who feeds and is not fed?’ Say, ‘I have been commanded to be the first of those who submit [to Allah], and [told,] “Never be one of the polytheists.” ’4
قُلْ إِنِّىٓ أَخَافُ إِنْ عَصَيْتُ رَبِّى عَذَابَ يَوْمٍ عَظِيمٍۢ
6:15Say, ‘Indeed, should I disobey my Lord, I fear the punishment of a tremendous day.’
مَّن يُصْرَفْ عَنْهُ يَوْمَئِذٍۢ فَقَدْ رَحِمَهُۥ ۚ وَذَٰلِكَ ٱلْفَوْزُ ٱلْمُبِينُ
6:16Whoever is spared of it on that day, He has certainly been merciful to him, and that is manifest success.
وَإِن يَمْسَسْكَ ٱللَّهُ بِضُرٍّۢ فَلَا كَاشِفَ لَهُۥٓ إِلَّا هُوَ ۖ وَإِن يَمْسَسْكَ بِخَيْرٍۢ فَهُوَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَىْءٍۢ قَدِيرٌۭ
6:17Should Allah visit you with some distress there is no one to remove it except Him; and should He bring you some good, then He has power over all things.
وَهُوَ ٱلْقَاهِرُ فَوْقَ عِبَادِهِۦ ۚ وَهُوَ ٱلْحَكِيمُ ٱلْخَبِيرُ
6:18And He is the All-dominant over His servants, and He is the All-wise, the All-aware.
Tafsir
Commentary on this passage
Verse 9
1.In false arguments of infidels, one more argument was included that Angels would be their prophets instead of humans and we are not such a people as to believe only on whosoever resembles us. Allah the Almighty tried to make them understand as the last trial to complete his favour and said - If I sent angels, the angels would not be in the form of angels; as angels cannot be human for human beings and still be non-conformist. He would be like a man with clothes as people are wearing. Then what deficiency has left? If Allah the Mighty can make an angel better than a man. He can also make man better than an angel and in this way your demand can be completed.
Verse 14
2.The best method is applied to draw the attention of infidels for their mistake that the first question is that Allah is a creator of the heavens and the earth and how can another elevate him as a chief or guardian? The second matter is that when whole power control is in His hands then there is a danger of His chastisement of his disobedience and no one can say that anyone has a power except Allah. The third matter is that if the affliction is removed, it is His mercy and favour and if trouble appears then Allah has power to remove it and no one is supreme like Allah then how should we disobey His commands and why should others be made His equal or leave Him and incline to others?
Footnotes
Explanations of words and phrases in these verses
- 1
‘Haaq’ - It means being surrounded. That is they were surrounded by the punishment they used to ridicule.
- 2
That Allah has made mercy incumbent on Himself and it is itself a mercy (bounty).
- 3
The loss to the self is that man becomes oblivious of his material and spiritual needs and that he should put it into perilous condition. Such a person cannot be a believer.
- 4
‘Fatara’ means to split. Here it denotes originating something that did not have a precedent.
Benefit
An example of Divine mercy is that when Allah declared about His mercy He said: your Lord has made mercifulness incumbent upon Himself. And when He mentions about fasting He says that fasting is prescribed for you. He did not relate it to Himself directly since it is somewhat difficult to perform. The ayat informs us of another obligation which is not based on the commands of a master. It is ones own mercy and wisdom. It is stated to be an obligation based on wisdom.