Sūrat al-Anʿām
سورۃ الانعام
Introduction to Sūrat al-Anʿām
Sūrat al-Anʿām is a Makkan sūra. It contains one hundred and sixty-five verses (āyāt), fifty sections (rukūʿ), and was revealed in Mecca. The preceding sūra, al-Māʾidah, addressed the People of the Book and refuted their false beliefs. Then it spoke of the signs of the Resurrection and the questioning of the Prophets (upon them all be peace), and set before us the punishment of those who denied the signs. Then it manifested the power and might of Allāh. This sūra treats of those who distinguish between good and evil, light and darkness — who they are, and what their end shall be.
الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذِي خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ وَجَعَلَ الظُّلُمَاتِ وَالنُّورَ ثُمَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا بِرَبِّهِمْ يَعْدِلُونَ
Al-ḥamdu li-llāhi lladhī khalaqa l-samāwāti wa-l-arḍa wa-jaʿala l-ẓulumāti wa-l-nūra thumma lladhīna kafarū bi-rabbihim yaʿdilūn.
"All praise is due to Allāh, Who created the heavens and the earth and made the darknesses and the light. Yet those who disbelieve ascribe equals to their Lord." (al-Anʿām 6:1)
Translation: All praise belongs to Allāh — He Who created the heavens and the earth and made the darknesses and the light. Yet those who disbelieve set others as equals to their Lord.
Commentary: The sūra opens with the glorification of Allāh Most High. Al-ḥamd (praise) here means comprehensive glorification that is rightly due to Him. The verb jaʿala (made/appointed) in relation to ẓulumāt (darknesses) and nūr (light) carries two possible constructions grammatically: they may be taken as two objects of creation, meaning Allāh both created and made them what they are; or jaʿala may carry the sense of "decreeing" and "ordaining," making them the basis of the entire order of existence. The "darknesses" (ẓulumāt, plural) refer not merely to the absence of physical light but to all the forms of error, heedlessness, unbelief (kufr), and moral blindness that becloud the human heart. "Light" (nūr, singular) is the light of faith, guidance, prophethood, and the Qurʾān — one, unitary, undivided, as Allāh Himself is One. That the plural is used for darkness and the singular for light is itself a sign: deviation takes many forms, whereas truth is one. Yet despite all this, those who disbelieve set up rivals (aʿdāl, plural of ʿadl — a thing set as equal to another) to their Lord. The word yaʿdilūn means they draw an equation between what is divine and what is not; they place beside the Creator something of His creation and call it a partner. This is the foundational error that the entire sūra addresses.
هُوَ الَّذِي خَلَقَكُمْ مِنْ طِينٍ ثُمَّ قَضَى أَجَلًا وَأَجَلٌ مُسَمًّى عِنْدَهُ ثُمَّ أَنْتُمْ تَمْتَرُونَ
Huwa lladhī khalaqa-kum min ṭīnin thumma qaḍā ajalan wa-ajalun musamman ʿindahu thumma antum tamtarūn.
"He it is Who created you from clay, then decreed a term — and a fixed term is with Him. Yet you doubt." (al-Anʿām 6:2)
Translation: He it is Who created you from clay, then decreed a fixed term; and another appointed term is with Him. Yet still you doubt.
Commentary: This verse reminds the human being of his own origin: he was created from clay (ṭīn), meaning from the dust of the earth, and to the earth he must return. Between birth and return lies an ordained term (ajal) — the duration of this worldly life. The phrase "an appointed term is with Him" (ajalun musamman ʿindahū) refers to the term of the Hereafter, the Day of Resurrection, known only to Allāh. The word tamtarūn means to doubt, to waver, to dispute — derived from a root conveying the sense of going back and forth without resolution. After all this evidence — the creation of the heavens and earth, the light and darkness, one's own origin from dust — still people doubt the resurrection and the reckoning. The author notes that the knowledge of death — when it shall come, and when the Hour shall strike — is among the exclusive prerogatives of Allāh alone, and no creature has independent access to it.
وَهُوَ اللَّهُ فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَفِي الْأَرْضِ يَعْلَمُ سِرَّكُمْ وَجَهْرَكُمْ وَيَعْلَمُ مَا تَكْسِبُونَ
Wa-huwa llāhu fī l-samāwāti wa-fī l-arḍi yaʿlamu sirra-kum wa-jahra-kum wa-yaʿlamu mā taksibūn.
"And He is Allāh in the heavens and in the earth. He knows your secret and your open deed, and He knows what you earn." (al-Anʿām 6:3)
Translation: And He — Allāh, the Self-Subsistent, the Owner of all power and sovereignty — is present throughout the heavens and earth. He knows your hidden thoughts and your open speech and deeds; He knows all that you do.
Commentary: This āya establishes the divine omniscience (ʿilm) and omnipresence (iḥāṭa) of Allāh Most High. He is "Allāh in the heavens and in the earth" — meaning His knowledge and sovereignty encompass all that is above and all that is below, in every realm of existence. Nothing is hidden from Him, whether it is a secret harboured in the breast or spoken openly in public. The believer who understands this internalises a constant awareness (murāqaba) of his Lord — knowing that whether he acts rightly or wrongly, in private or public, by night or day, all of it is witnessed and recorded.
وَمَا تَأْتِيهِمْ مِنْ آيَةٍ مِنْ آيَاتِ رَبِّهِمْ إِلَّا كَانُوا عَنْهَا مُعْرِضِينَ
Wa-mā ta'tīhim min āyatin min āyāti rabbihim illā kānū ʿanhā muʿriḍīn.
"And no sign comes to them from the signs of their Lord except that they turn away from it." (al-Anʿām 6:4)
Translation: And not a single sign from the signs of their Lord comes to them except that they turn away from it in aversion.
Commentary: Despite the continuous bestowal of divine signs — in creation, in the sending of prophets, in the revelation of scripture — the disbelievers habitually turn away (iʿrāḍ: literally, to present the breadth of one's back to something, to face away from it). The word muʿriḍīn is a present active participle indicating that this turning away was their persistent, settled state of being, not an occasional lapse.
فَقَدْ كَذَّبُوا بِالْحَقِّ لَمَّا جَاءَهُمْ فَسَوْفَ يَأْتِيهِمْ أَنْبَاءُ مَا كَانُوا بِهِ يَسْتَهْزِئُونَ
Fa-qad kadhdhabū bi-l-ḥaqqi lammā jā'ahum fa-sawfa ya'tīhim anbāʾu mā kānū bihi yastahziʾūn.
"They have indeed denied the truth when it came to them; but the tidings of what they used to mock shall come to them." (al-Anʿām 6:5)
Translation: They have rejected the truth when it came to them; and soon the tidings of that which they used to mock shall come to them.
Commentary: Al-ḥaqq (the truth) here refers to the Qurʾān, the Prophetﷺ, and the message of tawḥīd (divine unity). Their rejection was not from ignorance — the truth was manifest — but from wilful denial. The word istihzāʾ means mockery, scoffing, holding something in contempt and making light of it. The verse warns that what they now mock they shall one day experience as a bitter reality: the very punishment and accountability they laughed off shall come upon them in its full force.
أَلَمْ يَرَوْا كَمْ أَهْلَكْنَا مِنْ قَبْلِهِمْ مِنْ قَرْنٍ مَكَّنَّاهُمْ فِي الْأَرْضِ مَا لَمْ نُمَكِّنْ لَكُمْ وَأَرْسَلْنَا السَّمَاءَ عَلَيْهِمْ مِدْرَارًا وَجَعَلْنَا الْأَنْهَارَ تَجْرِي مِنْ تَحْتِهِمْ فَأَهْلَكْنَاهُمْ بِذُنُوبِهِمْ وَأَنْشَأْنَا مِنْ بَعْدِهِمْ قَرْنًا آخَرِينَ
A-lam yaraw kam ahlaknā min qablihim min qarnin makkannāhum fī l-arḍi mā lam numakkin la-kum wa-arsalnā l-samāʾa ʿalayhim midrāran wa-jaʿalnā l-anhāra tajrī min taḥtihim fa-ahlaknāhum bi-dhunūbihim wa-ansha'nā min baʿdihim qarnan ākharīn.
"Do they not see how many generations We destroyed before them — whom We had established in the earth as We have not established you — upon whom We sent down abundant rains from the sky, and made rivers flow beneath them; then We destroyed them for their sins and raised up after them another generation?" (al-Anʿām 6:6)
Translation: Did they not see — do they not know — how many generations before them We utterly destroyed? We had given them a power and establishment in the land greater than We have given you; We sent the sky upon them with abundant rain and made rivers flow beneath their feet; then We destroyed them for their sins and raised up another people in their place.
Commentary: Qarn (generation, people of an era) refers here to entire civilisations and nations. Allāh addresses the Quraysh of Mecca and — through them — all who persist in denial. The verses of history are a devastating argument: those who came before possessed power, wealth, and resources surpassing even what the Arabs of the Prophet'sﷺtime possessed. The "abundant rain" (midrār: unceasingly pouring, plentiful) and "rivers flowing beneath them" indicate material prosperity and abundance. Yet none of this — not wealth, not power, not natural blessing — availed them when they persisted in sin and denial. Allāh erased them and replaced them with others. The lesson for any era is stark: no civilisation is guaranteed permanence; only submission to the divine order ensures continuity.
وَلَوْ نَزَّلْنَا عَلَيْكَ كِتَابًا فِي قِرْطَاسٍ فَلَمَسُوهُ بِأَيْدِيهِمْ لَقَالَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا إِنْ هَذَا إِلَّا سِحْرٌ مُبِينٌ
Wa-law nazzalnā ʿalayka kitāban fī qirṭāsin fa-lamasūhu bi-aydīhim la-qāla lladhīna kafarū in hādhā illā siḥrun mubīn.
"And if We had sent down to you a written book on parchment and they had touched it with their own hands, those who disbelieve would still have said: 'This is nothing but plain sorcery.'" (al-Anʿām 6:7)
Translation: Even if We had sent down to you a written book on parchment, and they had touched it with their own hands, those who disbelieve would still have said: "This is nothing but manifest sorcery."
Commentary: The intransigence of the deniers is here demonstrated at its extreme. Even a physical, tangible book — one they could hold, feel, and examine with their own hands — would not have moved them. Their denial is not rooted in lack of evidence; it is rooted in the hardening of the heart (qasāwat al-qalb). They label whatever they cannot refute as "sorcery" (siḥr), which was their standard dismissal. The author notes that Jibrīl (upon him be peace) would appear to the Prophetﷺsometimes in the form of a man — most famously as the noble young man of fair complexion and pure garments, without a trace of dust, who sat before the Prophetﷺin adab (reverential courtesy), placing his knees before his knees, his hands upon his thighs, and asked: "What is Islām? What is Īmān? What is Iḥsān?" — and answered every question the Prophetﷺgave with perfect confirmation. That was the hadīth of Jibrīl (upon him be peace) — the foundational teaching of the religion. The ignorant who see only the outward and the commonplace (mābihi l-ishtirāk) would mockingly ask: "He has two eyes, two hands, two feet just like any man — so what is special?" But the people of insight (ahl al-baṣīra) perceive the mābihi l-imtiyāz — that which distinguishes the extraordinary from the ordinary — and recognise the divine grace at work.
وَقَالُوا لَوْلَا أُنزِلَ عَلَيْهِ مَلَكٌ وَلَوْ أَنزَلْنَا مَلَكًا لَقُضِيَ الْأَمْرُ ثُمَّ لَا يُنظَرُونَ
Wa-qālū lawlā unzila ʿalayhi malakun wa-law anzalnā malakan la-quḍiya l-amru thumma lā yunẓarūn.
"And they said: 'Why was not an angel sent down to him?' But if We had sent down an angel, the matter would have been decided, and then they would receive no respite." (al-Anʿām 6:8)
Translation: And the objectors said: "Why has an angel not been sent down to him?" But if We had sent down an angel, the matter would have been settled immediately, and then they would be given no further respite.
Commentary: This is another frivolous demand of the deniers. They wanted to see an angel descend visibly as proof. The divine response is decisive: if an angel were to descend in its true celestial form upon a community that rejected it, that would constitute the final divine argument against them (itmām al-ḥujja), and destruction would follow without delay. The mercy of Allāh in not sending such signs is precisely what affords these people continued time for repentance. The author notes that an angel appearing in its real form is the tanzīl malakī proper, while an angel appearing in human form — as Jibrīl appeared to the Prophetﷺ— is also a form of divine communication, gentle and merciful.
وَلَوْ جَعَلْنَاهُ مَلَكًا لَجَعَلْنَاهُ رَجُلًا وَلَلَبَسْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ مَا يَلْبِسُونَ
Wa-law jaʿalnāhu malakan la-jaʿalnāhu rajulan wa-la-labasnā ʿalayhim mā yalbisūn.
"And had We made him an angel, We would have made him in the form of a man, and We would have confused for them what they themselves confuse." (al-Anʿām 6:9)
Translation: And if We had made the messenger an angel, We would have given him the form of a man, and thus We would have left them in the same confusion they are already in.
Commentary: The divine wisdom is further expounded: even an angelic messenger, if sent, would have been given a human form so as to be comprehensible and approachable for human beings. This means their demand would have been rendered void — they would still see a man and make the same objections. The phrase la-labasnā ʿalayhim mā yalbisūn carries a subtle and beautiful irony: those who deliberately confuse and obscure the truth would themselves be left in confusion. The ambiguity is their own doing, and they would have received in kind precisely the confusion they imposed on others.
وَلَقَدِ اسْتُهْزِئَ بِرُسُلٍ مِنْ قَبْلِكَ فَحَاقَ بِالَّذِينَ سَخِرُوا مِنْهُمْ مَا كَانُوا بِهِ يَسْتَهْزِئُونَ
Wa-la-qadi stuhhziʾa bi-rusulin min qablika fa-ḥāqa bi-lladhīna sakhirū minhum mā kānū bihi yastazhiʾūn.
"Messengers before you were indeed mocked, but those who scoffed were surrounded by the very thing they used to mock." (al-Anʿām 6:10)
Translation: Messengers before you were indeed mocked and ridiculed — but the very punishment they used to ridicule came to encompass those mockers and overwhelmed them.
Commentary: This is a consolation (tasliya) to the Prophet Muḥammadﷺand a warning to his opponents. The verb ḥāqa means to encircle from all sides, to close in and engulf — used of a calamity that descends comprehensively upon a people with no escape. Every prophet who brought the divine message was mocked by some; but in every case, those mockers were ultimately enveloped by the very punishment they had laughed off. History vindicates the prophets and condemns the scoffers.
The author adds a note on the spiritual character of the prophets (upon them all be peace): Jibrīl (upon him be peace), when appearing to the Prophetﷺ, would come in an honourable human form — a young man with black hair, white clothes, no dust on him — and would sit with his knees against the Prophet'sﷺknees in the manner of a respectful student before his teacher, asking the foundational questions of the religion. The Prophetﷺ, when asked afterwards "Who was that man?", replied that it was Jibrīl — come to teach the people their religion. The disrespectful and irreverent who demean the sanctity of the prophets do so from ignorance; they cannot perceive the mābihi l-imtiyāz that distinguishes the prophetic from the ordinary. The author draws attention to how the Prophetﷺhimself said, in his characteristic humility: Anā ʿabdun min ʿibādihi — "I am a servant among His servants" — and how a Jewish questioner, after interrogating Sayyidunā ʿAlī (may Allāh be pleased with him) on a series of theological questions, received such clarifying and definitive answers that he embraced Islām.
قُلْ سِيرُوا فِي الْأَرْضِ ثُمَّ انْظُرُوا كَيْفَ كَانَ عَاقِبَةُ الْمُكَذِّبِينَ
Qul sīrū fī l-arḍi thumma nẓurū kayfa kāna ʿāqibatu l-mukadhdhibīn.
"Say: 'Travel through the earth and then observe how was the end of those who denied.'" (al-Anʿām 6:11)
Translation: Say: "Travel through the earth, then look and see what was the end of those who denied."
Commentary: This is an instruction to engage in siyāḥat al-fikr and siyāḥat al-wujūd — both intellectual and physical travel. Allāh commands the believers — and through them all humanity — to traverse the earth and study the ruins and remnants of past peoples. Every civilisation that denied its prophet and persisted in sin has left behind the evidence of its own destruction. This verse carries a profound methodological principle: empirical observation of historical reality confirms the truth of divine revelation. The command is addressed first to the Prophetﷺto transmit to the deniers; but it is equally a standing instruction for all generations.
قُلْ لِمَنْ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ قُلْ لِلَّهِ كَتَبَ عَلَى نَفْسِهِ الرَّحْمَةَ لَيَجْمَعَنَّكُمْ إِلَى يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ لَا رَيْبَ فِيهِ الَّذِينَ خَسِرُوا أَنْفُسَهُمْ فَهُمْ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ
Qul li-man mā fī l-samāwāti wa-l-arḍi qul li-llāhi kataba ʿalā nafsihi l-raḥmata la-yajmaʿanna-kum ilā yawmi l-qiyāmati lā rayba fīhi lladhīna khasirū anfusahum fa-hum lā yu'minūn.
"Say: 'To whom belongs what is in the heavens and the earth?' Say: 'To Allāh.' He has prescribed mercy upon Himself. He will surely gather you all to the Day of Resurrection — there is no doubt about it. Those who have ruined their own souls — they are the ones who will not believe." (al-Anʿām 6:12)
Translation: Say: "To whom belongs all that is in the heavens and the earth?" Say: "It belongs to Allāh." He has made mercy obligatory upon Himself by His own will and grace. He will assuredly gather you all on the Day of Resurrection — there is no doubt in it. Those who have destroyed their own souls — such are the ones who will not believe.
Commentary: The rhetorical question is not asked in ignorance; it is asked to draw out an acknowledgment that even the deniers cannot resist: all of creation belongs to Allāh. The phrase kataba ʿalā nafsihi l-raḥmata — "He has prescribed mercy upon Himself" — is a statement of divine grace and will. This is not a duty imposed upon Allāh from outside; it is an expression of His own eternal attribute of raḥma (mercy). He has decreed for Himself — out of His magnanimity — that He will deal with His creation through mercy. The author reflects: "O Lord, You created me without charge, You nourished me without charge — so forgive me without charge" (allāhumma khalaqtanī majānan wa-razaqtanī majānan fa-ighfir lī majānan). The disbelievers who will not believe, who have squandered the capacity for faith that Allāh placed in their nature (fiṭra), have done so at the cost of their own souls.
وَلَهُ مَا سَكَنَ فِي اللَّيْلِ وَالنَّهَارِ وَهُوَ السَّمِيعُ الْعَلِيمُ
Wa-lahu mā sakana fī l-layli wa-l-nahāri wa-huwa l-samīʿu l-ʿalīm.
"And to Him belongs whatever dwells in the night and the day, and He is the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing." (al-Anʿām 6:13)
Translation: And to Him belongs all that takes up abode in the night and the day — every living being, every entity that inhabits the passing of hours. And He is the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing.
Commentary: Every creature that rests or moves by night or day belongs to Allāh — nothing has existence or sustenance independent of Him. The divine names al-Samīʿ (the All-Hearing) and al-ʿAlīm (the All-Knowing) are paired here to reinforce the comprehensive divine awareness: He hears all that is spoken and knows all that is concealed.
قُلْ أَغَيْرَ اللَّهِ أَتَّخِذُ وَلِيًّا فَاطِرِ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَهُوَ يُطْعِمُ وَلَا يُطْعَمُ قُلْ إِنِّي أُمِرْتُ أَنْ أَكُونَ أَوَّلَ مَنْ أَسْلَمَ وَلَا تَكُونَنَّ مِنَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ
Qul a-ghayra llāhi attakhidhu waliyyan fāṭiri l-samāwāti wa-l-arḍi wa-huwa yuṭʿimu wa-lā yuṭʿamu qul innī umrtu an akūna awwala man aslama wa-lā takūnanna mina l-mushrikīn.
"Say: 'Shall I take as a guardian someone other than Allāh, the Originator of the heavens and the earth — He Who feeds and is not fed?' Say: 'I have been commanded to be the first to submit, and: do not be among the idolaters.'" (al-Anʿām 6:14)
Translation: Say: "Shall I take as my protector and guardian anyone other than Allāh — the Originator of the heavens and the earth, Who feeds all and is not fed by anyone? All subsist by His grace; no one sustains Him." Say: "I have been commanded to be the foremost among those who submit (to Allāh), and: do not be among those who ascribe partners to Him."
Commentary: Fāṭir is derived from faṭr — to originate, to bring into existence that which had no prior form or precedent. Allāh is the Originator of the heavens and the earth, meaning He created them from absolute non-existence without model or template. The affirmation yuṭʿimu wa-lā yuṭʿam — "He feeds and is not fed" — encapsulates the entire asymmetry of the relationship between Creator and creation: all dependence flows in one direction, from the creature toward Allāh, never the reverse. The Prophetﷺis commanded to declare his own position: he is the first of those who submit (awwalu man aslama) in this community, and he is directed away from all forms of shirk (associating partners with Allāh).
قُلْ إِنِّي أَخَافُ إِنْ عَصَيْتُ رَبِّي عَذَابَ يَوْمٍ عَظِيمٍ
Qul innī akhāfu in ʿaṣaytu rabbī ʿadhāba yawmin ʿaẓīm.
"Say: 'I fear, if I disobey my Lord, the punishment of a tremendous day.'" (al-Anʿām 6:15)
Translation: Say: "I fear — should I disobey my Lord — the punishment of a tremendous, dreadful day."
Commentary: The Prophetﷺis commanded to declare his own fear of Allāh. This is both a declaration of sincere servitude (ʿubūdiyya) and an admonition to the deniers: if the chosen Prophetﷺfears the punishment of disobedience, how much more should ordinary human beings tremble? This is characteristic of the prophetic method: leading by example in submission, humility, and awe before Allāh.
مَنْ يُصْرَفْ عَنْهُ يَوْمَئِذٍ فَقَدْ رَحِمَهُ وَذَلِكَ الْفَوْزُ الْمُبِينُ
Man yuṣraf ʿanhu yawma'idhin fa-qad raḥimahu wa-dhālika l-fawzu l-mubīn.
"Whoever is kept away from it on that day — Allāh has indeed shown him mercy. And that is the clear triumph." (al-Anʿām 6:16)
Translation: Whoever, on that day, is turned away from punishment — Allāh has indeed had mercy upon him. And that is the manifest, undeniable success.
Commentary: Al-fawz al-mubīn — the clear, open triumph — is to be spared the punishment on the Day of Resurrection. All the successes of this world — wealth, power, honour, longevity — are insignificant beside this one ultimate success. The grammar of the verse is significant: the punishment is described passively as "turned away" (yuṣraf), emphasising that such deliverance comes entirely through Allāh's mercy, not through one's own merits alone. The believer's hope rests on divine raḥma (mercy), for which one works and prays throughout one's life.
وَإِنْ يَمْسَسْكَ اللَّهُ بِضُرٍّ فَلَا كَاشِفَ لَهُ إِلَّا هُوَ وَإِنْ يَمْسَسْكَ بِخَيْرٍ فَهُوَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ
Wa-in yamsaska llāhu bi-ḍurrin fa-lā kāshifa lahu illā huwa wa-in yamsaska bi-khayrin fa-huwa ʿalā kulli shay'in qadīr.
"And if Allāh afflicts you with harm, there is none who can remove it except Him. And if He touches you with good, He has power over all things." (al-Anʿām 6:17)
Translation: And if Allāh afflicts you with any harm, there is no one who can remove it except Him alone. And if He blesses you with good — He has power over all things.
Commentary: This verse is a comprehensive refutation of all forms of misplaced reliance (tawakkul) upon other than Allāh. No being — not an idol, not a saint, not any worldly force — can remove affliction from a person if Allāh has decreed it for him. And when Allāh bestows good, no one can withhold it. The implication is total: all reliance must be placed in Allāh alone. However, the Sunnī Ḥanafī tradition (in conformity with the theology of Imām al-Māturīdī, may Allāh have mercy on him) holds that this does not negate the permissibility of means (asbāb) — one still takes medicine, seeks help, makes duʿāʾ through the intercession (tawassul) of the Prophetﷺor the awliyāʾ (saints). What is negated is the belief that any of these have independent power to harm or benefit; the actual causer of all benefit and harm is Allāh alone.
وَهُوَ الْقَاهِرُ فَوْقَ عِبَادِهِ وَهُوَ الْحَكِيمُ الْخَبِيرُ
Wa-huwa l-qāhiru fawqa ʿibādihī wa-huwa l-ḥakīmu l-khabīr.
"And He is the Subduer over His servants, and He is the Wise, the Acquainted." (al-Anʿām 6:18)
Translation: And He is the Irresistible — ever-dominant over His servants; and He is the Wise, the All-Aware.
Commentary: Al-Qāhir is the One Who subdues and controls all things absolutely; none can resist His will. Fawqa ʿibādihī — "above His servants" — indicates the absolute dominion of Allāh, which is a dominion of knowledge, power, and will, not of spatial location. Al-Ḥakīm means the One Who acts with wisdom — nothing He does is arbitrary; al-Khabīr means the One Who is fully acquainted with the innermost realities of all things. Divine sovereignty (mulk), wisdom (ḥikma), and full awareness (khibra) together constitute the unassailable case for exclusive reliance upon Allāh.
قُلْ أَيُّ شَيْءٍ أَكْبَرُ شَهَادَةً قُلِ اللَّهُ شَهِيدٌ بَيْنِي وَبَيْنَكُمْ وَأُوحِيَ إِلَيَّ هَذَا الْقُرْآنُ لِأُنذِرَكُمْ بِهِ وَمَنْ بَلَغَ أَئِنَّكُمْ لَتَشْهَدُونَ أَنَّ مَعَ اللَّهِ آلِهَةً أُخْرَى قُلْ لَا أَشْهَدُ قُلْ إِنَّمَا هُوَ إِلَهٌ وَاحِدٌ وَإِنَّنِي بَرِيءٌ مِمَّا تُشْرِكُونَ
Qul ayyu shay'in akbaru shahādatan quli llāhu shahīdun baynī wa-bayna-kum wa-ūḥiya ilayya hādhā l-qur'ānu li-undhira-kum bihi wa-man balagha a-inna-kum la-tash-hadūna anna maʿa llāhi ālihatan ukhrā qul lā ashhadu qul innamā huwa ilāhun wāḥidun wa-innanī barī'un mimmā tushrikūn.
"Say: 'What thing is greatest as a witness?' Say: 'Allāh is witness between me and you. And this Qurʾān has been revealed to me that I may warn you thereby and whomever it reaches. Do you really testify that alongside Allāh there are other gods?' Say: 'I do not testify to that.' Say: 'He is only One God, and I am innocent of what you associate.'" (al-Anʿām 6:19)
Translation: Say: "What witness is greater than Allāh? Allāh is witness between me and you. And this Qurʾān has been revealed to me so that I may warn you by it — and all those whom it shall reach after you. Do you really bear witness that alongside Allāh there are other deities?" Say: "I bear no such testimony." Say: "He is One God alone, and I am utterly free and innocent of what you associate with Him."
Commentary: The Prophetﷺis commanded to invoke Allāh as the supreme, ultimate witness — one whose testimony transcends all testimony and whose knowledge encompasses all parties. The Qurʾān is described as universal in scope: wa-man balagha — "and whoever it reaches" — meaning that the warning and guidance of the Qurʾān is not limited to the Arabs of the seventh century but extends to every human being in every time and place who receives this Book. The sūra's opening teaching on tawḥīd then climaxes here: the Prophetﷺcategorically disavows all false gods, declaring his barāʾa (innocence, dissociation) from shirk.
الَّذِينَ آتَيْنَاهُمُ الْكِتَابَ يَعْرِفُونَهُ كَمَا يَعْرِفُونَ أَبْنَاءَهُمْ الَّذِينَ خَسِرُوا أَنْفُسَهُمْ فَهُمْ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ
Alladhīna ātaynāhumu l-kitāba yaʿrifūnahu kamā yaʿrifūna abnāʾahum alladhīna khasirū anfusahum fa-hum lā yu'minūn.
"Those to whom We gave the scripture know him as they know their own children — but those who have ruined their own souls, they will not believe." (al-Anʿām 6:20)
Translation: Those to whom We gave the Book — the Jews and Christians — know this Prophetﷺand this message as clearly and certainly as they know their own sons. But those who have destroyed their own souls — they are the ones who will not believe.
Commentary: The People of the Book had in their scriptures clear descriptions of the coming Prophetﷺ— his qualities, his name, his community. The comparison with recognising one's own son is apt: no one doubts which child is his own. Their rejection is therefore not one of uncertainty but of wilful suppression of what they know to be true. This is the deepest kind of loss — khasara anfusahum: to ruin one's own soul by deliberately turning away from the truth one recognises.
وَمَنْ أَظْلَمُ مِمَّنِ افْتَرَى عَلَى اللَّهِ كَذِبًا أَوْ كَذَّبَ بِآيَاتِهِ إِنَّهُ لَا يُفْلِحُ الظَّالِمُونَ
Wa-man aẓlamu mimmani ftarā ʿalā llāhi kadhiban aw kadhdhaba bi-āyātihī innahu lā yufliḥu l-ẓālimūn.
"And who is more unjust than one who fabricates a lie against Allāh or denies His signs? Indeed, the unjust shall not prosper." (al-Anʿām 6:21)
Translation: And who is more unjust than one who forges a lie against Allāh — claiming He has partners or equals — or who denies His signs? Indeed, the wrongdoers shall never prosper.
Commentary: Iftarā means to fabricate, to invent, to forge without truth or foundation — used specifically of those who attribute to Allāh what He has not said or who claim divine sanction for human inventions. The plural ẓālimūn (wrongdoers) — from ẓulm, the placing of a thing in other than its rightful place — encompasses all who do injustice to truth, to their own souls, and to others. Lā yufliḥ: they shall not attain falāḥ — which is at once worldly success in the deepest sense and ultimate salvation.
وَيَوْمَ نَحْشُرُهُمْ جَمِيعًا ثُمَّ نَقُولُ لِلَّذِينَ أَشْرَكُوا أَيْنَ شُرَكَاؤُكُمُ الَّذِينَ كُنتُمْ تَزْعُمُونَ
Wa-yawma naḥshuruhum jamīʿan thumma naqūlu li-lladhīna ashrakū ayna shurakāʾu-kumu lladhīna kuntum tazʿumūn.
"And the day We gather them all — then say to those who associated partners: 'Where are your partners that you used to claim?'" (al-Anʿām 6:22)
Translation: And remember the day when We shall gather them all together — then We shall say to those who committed shirk: "Where are those partners of yours that you used to claim as co-gods?"
Commentary: The Day of Resurrection is depicted with vivid directness. The question — "Where are your partners?" — is a question of accountability and exposure, not of information. Allāh already knows. The purpose is to make the mushrikūn (polytheists) themselves confront the vanity of what they worshipped. Those false objects of worship will have disappeared; no idol, no star, no revered ancestor — nothing falsely deified — will come forward to aid them.
ثُمَّ لَمْ تَكُنْ فِتْنَتُهُمْ إِلَّا أَنْ قَالُوا وَاللَّهِ رَبِّنَا مَا كُنَّا مُشْرِكِينَ
Thumma lam takun fitnatuhum illā an qālū wa-llāhi rabbinā mā kunnā mushrikīn.
"Then their only contention was to say: 'By Allāh our Lord, we were not idolaters.'" (al-Anʿām 6:23)
Translation: Then their only response — the whole of their excuse — will be to say: "By Allāh our Lord, we were not of the polytheists!"
Commentary: Fitna here means the false claim or deceptive contention they make in that ultimate moment. Having denied their shirk throughout their earthly lives, they now attempt to deny it on the Day of Judgement. But this is a final lie, a desperate last resort, and the lie will not avail them. The author observes: even they will swear by Allāh — their very oath "By Allāh our Lord" (wa-llāhi rabbinā) is an unconscious acknowledgment of tawḥīd, but their false testimony will not stand in the face of the divine record.
انظُرْ كَيْفَ كَذَبُوا عَلَى أَنفُسِهِمْ وَضَلَّ عَنْهُمْ مَا كَانُوا يَفْتَرُونَ
Unẓur kayfa kadhabū ʿalā anfusihim wa-ḍalla ʿanhum mā kānū yaftarūn.
"See how they lie against themselves, and how what they used to fabricate has deserted them." (al-Anʿām 6:24)
Translation: See how they lie against their own selves — and how all that they used to fabricate and claim has vanished away from them, leaving them utterly forsaken.
Commentary: Ḍalla — to be lost, to go astray, to vanish. Everything they fabricated — the false gods, the invented excuses, the spurious claims of exemption — disappears on that day, leaving them with nothing. The greatest lie is the one told against one's own soul — that one was not guilty of what one clearly was. The author reflects that this iftirāʾ (self-deception at the final reckoning) is the spiritual consequence of a lifetime of denial and fabrication.
وَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ يَسْتَمِعُ إِلَيْكَ وَجَعَلْنَا عَلَى قُلُوبِهِمْ أَكِنَّةً أَنْ يَفْقَهُوهُ وَفِي آذَانِهِمْ وَقْرًا وَإِنْ يَرَوْا كُلَّ آيَةٍ لَا يُؤْمِنُوا بِهَا حَتَّى إِذَا جَاءُوكَ يُجَادِلُونَكَ يَقُولُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا إِنْ هَذَا إِلَّا أَسَاطِيرُ الْأَوَّلِينَ
Wa-minhum man yastamiʿu ilayka wa-jaʿalnā ʿalā qulūbihim akinnatan an yafqahūhu wa-fī ādhānihim waqran wa-in yaraw kulla āyatin lā yu'minū bihā ḥattā idhā jāʾūka yujādilūnaka yaqūlu lladhīna kafarū in hādhā illā asāṭīru l-awwalīn.
"And among them are those who listen to you — but We have placed coverings over their hearts, lest they understand it, and heaviness in their ears. And if they see every sign, they will not believe in it — until, when they come to you arguing, those who disbelieve say: 'This is nothing but the legends of the ancients.'" (al-Anʿām 6:25)
Translation: And among them are those who come and listen to you — but We have placed veils upon their hearts, lest they understand the Qurʾān, and heaviness in their ears. And even if they were to witness every possible sign, they would not believe — until, when they come to you disputing, those who disbelieve say: "This is nothing but the fables of the ancients."
Commentary: The veiling of the heart (akinna: coverings, plural of kinn) and the heaviness in the ears (waqr: a weight, a blockage) are here attributed to Allāh — not as an unjust imposition, but as the natural consequence of the hearts' own persistent hardening. That which becomes incorrigibly resistant to truth is described in the Qurʾān as "sealed" or "covered" — Allāh's attribution to Himself is a statement of the metaphysical reality: when a heart chooses closure again and again, that closure becomes its defining condition, assigned to it by divine decree as the outworking of its own choices. Asāṭīr al-awwalīn — "the legends of the ancients" — is the dismissal they have ready: they hear scripture and call it mythology and fairy tales. The author notes that these "coverings over hearts" (akinna) are the spiritual consequence of repeated, conscious choice of kufr; they do not arise arbitrarily or unjustly.
وَهُمْ يَنْهَوْنَ عَنْهُ وَيَنْأَوْنَ عَنْهُ وَإِنْ يُهْلِكُونَ إِلَّا أَنفُسَهُمْ وَمَا يَشْعُرُونَ
Wa-hum yanḥawna ʿanhu wa-yan'awna ʿanhu wa-in yuhlikūna illā anfusahum wa-mā yash'urūn.
"And they forbid it and keep themselves away from it — and they destroy only their own souls, though they perceive it not." (al-Anʿām 6:26)
Translation: They forbid others from the Qurʾān and from the Prophetﷺ, and they themselves keep their distance from it — but they destroy no one but their own souls, though they do not realise it.
Commentary: The enemies of the message inflict maximum harm on themselves: they neither accept the guidance nor allow others to benefit from it; they station themselves as obstacles between the truth and the people. Yet the truth is indestructible — only the obstructors suffer. Wa-mā yash'urūn: "they do not perceive it" — they are not even conscious of their own self-destruction.
وَلَوْ تَرَى إِذْ وُقِفُوا عَلَى النَّارِ فَقَالُوا يَا لَيْتَنَا نُرَدُّ وَلَا نُكَذِّبَ بِآيَاتِ رَبِّنَا وَنَكُونَ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ
Wa-law tarā idh wuqifū ʿalā l-nāri fa-qālū yā laytanā nuraddu wa-lā nukadhdhibu bi-āyāti rabbinā wa-nakūna mina l-mu'minīn.
"If you could only see when they are made to stand before the Fire — and they say: 'Would that we might be sent back and not deny the signs of our Lord, and be among the believers!'" (al-Anʿām 6:27)
Translation: And if only you could see — O reader, O witness — when they are halted and made to stand before the Fire. Then they say: "Would that we could be returned to the world and not deny the signs of our Lord, and be among the believers!"
Commentary: The scene of the Day of Judgment is brought before us with devastating pathos. The word wuqifū means they are held, detained, halted — like prisoners brought before the site of their punishment. Their wish — "would that we could return" — is the wish that comes too late. Yā laytanā is an exclamation of longing and regret. They wish they could return and not deny and could be among the believers. But the time for that has passed; the moment of return is now before them.
بَلْ بَدَا لَهُمْ مَا كَانُوا يُخْفُونَ مِنْ قَبْلُ وَلَوْ رُدُّوا لَعَادُوا لِمَا نُهُوا عَنْهُ وَإِنَّهُمْ لَكَاذِبُونَ
Bal badā lahum mā kānū yukhfūna min qablu wa-law ruddū la-ʿādū li-mā nuhū ʿanhu wa-innahum la-kādhibūn.
"Nay — what they used to conceal before has become manifest to them. And even if they were returned, they would revert to what they were forbidden — indeed, they are liars." (al-Anʿām 6:28)
Translation: Nay — but all that they used to hide has now become plain and apparent. And even if they were sent back to the world, they would return to the very sins they were told to abandon. Truly, they are liars.
Commentary: The wish to return is exposed as insincere — not a genuine resolution of repentance but a momentary panic. Allāh, Who knows the inner nature of every soul, declares that if they were granted their wish and returned, they would do exactly the same things all over again. Their nature (ṭabīʿa) is not one capable of genuine change under the compulsion of fear; real transformation requires the free choice of faith. La-kādhibūn — they are liars: their expressed wish is itself a lie, hollow and devoid of genuine resolve.
وَقَالُوا إِنْ هِيَ إِلَّا حَيَاتُنَا الدُّنْيَا وَمَا نَحْنُ بِمَبْعُوثِينَ
Wa-qālū in hiya illā ḥayātunā l-dunyā wa-mā naḥnu bi-mabʿūthīn.
"And they said: 'There is nothing but our worldly life, and we are not going to be resurrected.'" (al-Anʿām 6:29)
Translation: And they said — in their heedlessness — "There is nothing beyond our present worldly life; we shall not be raised up."
Commentary: This is the root of all their moral failure: the denial of resurrection (baʿth). When one does not believe that there is any accounting after death, there is no real constraint on wrongdoing. The Qurʾān repeatedly exposes this as the psychological foundation of both ethical corruption and religious rejection.
وَلَوْ تَرَى إِذْ وُقِفُوا عَلَى رَبِّهِمْ قَالَ أَلَيْسَ هَذَا بِالْحَقِّ قَالُوا بَلَى وَرَبِّنَا قَالَ فَذُوقُوا الْعَذَابَ بِمَا كُنتُمْ تَكْفُرُونَ
Wa-law tarā idh wuqifū ʿalā rabbihim qāla a-laysa hādhā bi-l-ḥaqqi qālū balā wa-rabbinā qāla fa-dhūqū l-ʿadhāba bi-mā kuntum takfurūn.
"And if you could see when they are made to stand before their Lord — He will say: 'Is this not the truth?' They will say: 'Yes, by our Lord!' He will say: 'Then taste the punishment for what you used to deny.'" (al-Anʿām 6:30)
Translation: And if you could see when they are made to stand before their Lord — He shall say: "Is this not true?" They shall say: "Yes, by our Lord, it is!" He shall say: "Then taste the punishment for what you used to deny."
Commentary: There is no denial now. The very people who said "we shall not be raised" now stand before their Lord and confirm: "Yes, by our Lord, it is true." Their own oath — "by our Lord" — is itself the moment of involuntary tawḥīd. But the time of voluntary faith has passed. What remains is only justice and the consequence of their chosen denial.
The author breaks from the tafsīr at this point to deliver a pastoral exhortation: O servants of Allāh — what is the greatest cause of the ruin of both this world and the next? It is forgetting death, remaining heedless of Allāh. Every hardship has a cause, every calamity has a reason. Allāh created everything for your use and created you for His service. You have duties and obligations, and you shall be asked concerning them. Consider: the subjects who act against their ruler are punished; children who defy their parents are corrected; soldiers who disobey their commanders are held accountable. Yet you disobey Allāh — how shall you answer Him? Remember: death is certain; the Garden and the Fire are certain; the distance from either is not far. The punishment of worldly rulers is temporary; the punishment of Allāh is lasting and inescapable. Prepare yourselves.
قَدْ خَسِرَ الَّذِينَ كَذَّبُوا بِلِقَاءِ اللَّهِ حَتَّى إِذَا جَاءَتْهُمُ السَّاعَةُ بَغْتَةً قَالُوا يَا حَسْرَتَنَا عَلَى مَا فَرَّطْنَا فِيهَا وَهُمْ يَحْمِلُونَ أَوْزَارَهُمْ عَلَى ظُهُورِهِمْ أَلَا سَاءَ مَا يَزِرُونَ
Qad khasira lladhīna kadhdhabū bi-liqāʾi llāhi ḥattā idhā jā'athumu l-sāʿatu baghtan qālū yā ḥasratanā ʿalā mā farraṭnā fīhā wa-hum yaḥmilūna awzārahum ʿalā ẓuhūrihim alā sāʾa mā yazirūn.
"Those are indeed in loss who denied meeting with Allāh — until, when the Hour comes upon them suddenly, they cry: 'Oh our regret for what we neglected therein!' — while they bear their burdens upon their backs. How evil is what they carry!" (al-Anʿām 6:31)
Translation: Those who denied meeting with Allāh are truly in loss. When the Hour comes upon them suddenly, they cry out: "Alas for us, for the things we neglected and fell short in!" — while they carry their burdens of sin on their very backs. How wretched is what they bear!
Commentary: Liqāʾ Allāh — the meeting with Allāh — refers to the encounter of the Day of Judgment, the standing before the divine court. To deny it is not only intellectual error; it is the fundamental cause of all moral and spiritual failure. Baghtan: suddenly, without warning — not because Allāh did not warn them, but because they lived as if the warning would never come true. The image of carrying one's sins as a physical burden on one's back (awzār — loads, burdens; ẓuhūr — backs) is a striking and enduring image of the spiritual weight of unrepented sin. Alā sāʾa mā yazirūn — "How evil is what they bear!" — is an exclamation of divine judgment on the gravity of that burden.
وَمَا الْحَيَاةُ الدُّنْيَا إِلَّا لَعِبٌ وَلَهْوٌ وَلَلدَّارُ الْآخِرَةُ خَيْرٌ لِلَّذِينَ يَتَّقُونَ أَفَلَا تَعْقِلُونَ
Wa-mā l-ḥayātu l-dunyā illā laʿibun wa-lahwun wa-la-l-dāru l-ākhiratu khayrun li-lladhīna yattaqūn a-falā taʿqilūn.
"And the life of this world is nothing but play and amusement. The abode of the Hereafter is far better for those who are God-fearing. Will you not use your reason?" (al-Anʿām 6:32)
Translation: The present worldly life is nothing but play and amusement — a transient diversion. The abode of the Hereafter is better, far better, for the God-fearing. Will you not think?
Commentary: Laʿib wa-lahw: play and heedless amusement. These terms do not condemn all pleasure or activity in this world; they characterise the function of the dunya in the larger scheme: it is, relative to the ākhira (Hereafter), as a game is to a serious undertaking. The dār al-ākhira (the abode of the Hereafter) is the real, permanent dwelling. Yattaqūn: those who exercise taqwā (God-consciousness, God-fearingness) — who choose the permanent over the transient. The concluding question a-falā taʿqilūn — "will you not use your reason?" — implies that the evidence for preferring the ākhira over the dunyā is so obvious that only the abandonment of rational reflection (ʿaql) could produce the reverse preference.
قَدْ نَعْلَمُ إِنَّهُ لَيَحْزُنُكَ الَّذِي يَقُولُونَ فَإِنَّهُمْ لَا يُكَذِّبُونَكَ وَلَكِنَّ الظَّالِمِينَ بِآيَاتِ اللَّهِ يَجْحَدُونَ
Qad naʿlamu innahu la-yaḥzunuka lladhī yaqūlūna fa-innahum lā yukadhdhibūna-ka wa-lākinna l-ẓālimīna bi-āyāti llāhi yajḥadūn.
"We know indeed that what they say grieves you — but they do not call you a liar; rather, it is the signs of Allāh that the wrongdoers deny." (al-Anʿām 6:33)
Translation: We know full well that what they say grieves you deeply. But they do not truly call you a liar — they know you are truthful and trustworthy. It is the signs of Allāh that the wrongdoers wilfully reject.
Commentary: This verse is a profound comfort to the Prophetﷺ. Yaḥzunuka: it grieves you — the Prophetﷺwas not indifferent to rejection; he felt deeply for his people and was pained by their denial. Allāh acknowledges this pain with the tender phrase "We know." But He clarifies the nature of the opposition: the Quraysh did not doubt the Prophet'sﷺhonesty — they called him al-Amīn (the Trustworthy) before prophethood — but their ẓulm (injustice) prevented them from surrendering to the divine signs. Denial of the messenger is, at root, denial of Allāh's signs. The author notes: be not disheartened by the stubbornness of the deniers — it is not against you personally; it is against the divine truth.
وَلَقَدْ كُذِّبَتْ رُسُلٌ مِنْ قَبْلِكَ فَصَبَرُوا عَلَى مَا كُذِّبُوا وَأُوذُوا حَتَّى أَتَاهُمْ نَصْرُنَا وَلَا مُبَدِّلَ لِكَلِمَاتِ اللَّهِ وَلَقَدْ جَاءَكَ مِنْ نَبَإِ الْمُرْسَلِينَ
Wa-la-qad kudhdhibat rusulun min qablika fa-ṣabarū ʿalā mā kudhdhibū wa-ūdhū ḥattā atāhum naṣrunā wa-lā mubaddila li-kalimāti llāhi wa-la-qad jāʾaka min nabaʾi l-mursalīn.
"Messengers before you were indeed denied — they were patient over the denial they received, and over the harm they suffered, until Our help came to them. There is none who can change the words of Allāh. The tidings of the sent messengers have already come to you." (al-Anʿām 6:34)
Translation: Messengers before you were denied, yet they were patient over the denial they received and the harm they suffered — until Our help and victory reached them. No one can alter or change the words and decrees of Allāh. And the account of those messengers has indeed reached you — it is before you as a source of strength.
Commentary: Ṣabarū: they were patient — enduring, bearing, holding firm. The prophetic sunna (way of life) is one of patient steadfastness (ṣabr) in the face of rejection and harm. Naṣrunā: Our help — Allāh's help — always eventually came to the prophets and their communities. The phrase lā mubaddila li-kalimāti llāh — "there is none who can change the words of Allāh" — refers to the divine promise of ultimate victory for the truth and its bearers. The decrees of Allāh are immutable; His promise of help to those who hold firm cannot be altered by any power in creation.
وَإِنْ كَانَ كَبُرَ عَلَيْكَ إِعْرَاضُهُمْ فَإِنِ اسْتَطَعْتَ أَنْ تَبْتَغِيَ نَفَقًا فِي الْأَرْضِ أَوْ سُلَّمًا فِي السَّمَاءِ فَتَأْتِيَهُمْ بِآيَةٍ وَلَوْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ لَجَمَعَهُمْ عَلَى الْهُدَى فَلَا تَكُونَنَّ مِنَ الْجَاهِلِينَ
Wa-in kāna kabura ʿalayka iʿrāḍuhum fa-ini staṭaʿta an tabtaghiya nafaqan fī l-arḍi aw sullaman fī l-samāʾi fa-ta'tiyahum bi-āyatin wa-law shāʾa llāhu la-jamaʿahum ʿalā l-hudā fa-lā takūnanna mina l-jāhilīn.
"And if their turning away is difficult for you — then if you are able to seek a burrow into the earth or a ladder to the sky to bring them a sign — [know that if Allāh willed He would have gathered them all upon guidance]. So do not be among the ignorant." (al-Anʿām 6:35)
Translation: And if their turning away weighs heavily upon you — if you feel the desire to dig into the earth to find some extraordinary sign or climb a ladder to the sky to bring them proof — know that if Allāh willed, He could gather them all upon guidance. So do not be among the ignorant.
Commentary: This verse with divine tenderness acknowledges the Prophet'sﷺdeep emotional investment in the guidance of his people, while at the same time reminding him of a fundamental theological truth: guidance is from Allāh alone. No amount of prophetic effort, no miraculous sign however extraordinary, can force guidance into a heart that has closed itself. The phrase fa-lā takūnanna mina l-jāhilīn — "do not be among the ignorant" — means: do not let this unbearable longing for everyone's guidance push you toward an emotional state of ignorance — the ignorance of assuming that the matter is in your hands rather than Allāh's. Wisdom here is accepting the divine wisdom.
إِنَّمَا يَسْتَجِيبُ الَّذِينَ يَسْمَعُونَ وَالْمَوْتَى يَبْعَثُهُمُ اللَّهُ ثُمَّ إِلَيْهِ يُرْجَعُونَ
Innamā yastajību lladhīna yasmaʿūna wa-l-mawtā yabʿathuhumu llāhu thumma ilayhi yurjaʿūn.
"Only those who listen will respond. As for the dead — Allāh will raise them up, and then to Him they shall be returned." (al-Anʿām 6:36)
Translation: Only those who genuinely listen — with the ears of the heart open — will respond to the call. As for the dead-hearted, Allāh shall raise them up on the Day of Resurrection, and then they shall be returned to Him.
Commentary: Yasmaʿūna: those who truly hear, with spiritual attentiveness and an open heart, not merely with the physical ears. The "dead" (mawtā) are here those whose hearts are dead to the truth — whose spiritual capacity for faith has been extinguished. Just as physical resurrection belongs to Allāh alone, the spiritual resurrection of the dead-hearted also belongs to Allāh: He will raise them on the Day of Judgment and the full truth of what they denied will become apparent to them.
وَقَالُوا لَوْلَا نُزِّلَ عَلَيْهِ آيَةٌ مِنْ رَبِّهِ قُلْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ قَادِرٌ عَلَى أَنْ يُنَزِّلَ آيَةً وَلَكِنَّ أَكْثَرَهُمْ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ
Wa-qālū lawlā nuzzila ʿalayhi āyatun min rabbihī qul inna llāha qādirun ʿalā an yunazzila āyatan wa-lākinna aktharahum lā yaʿlamūn.
"And they said: 'Why has a sign not been sent down to him from his Lord?' Say: 'Allāh is certainly able to send down a sign — but most of them do not know.'" (al-Anʿām 6:37)
Translation: And they said: "Why has no miraculous sign been sent down to him from his Lord?" Say: "Allāh is certainly capable of sending down any sign — but most of them do not understand the wisdom behind what is and is not sent."
Commentary: The deniers' repeated demand for extraordinary signs (āyāt) reveals their misunderstanding of the nature of prophethood and divine wisdom. Allāh is fully capable (qādir) — the conditional is never about divine inability. It is about divine wisdom (ḥikma): the sending of certain signs comes with irreversible consequences, and the mercy of Allāh withholds those from a community still in its period of probation. Aktharuhum lā yaʿlamūn: most of them do not know — they lack the understanding of divine dispensation and wisdom.
وَمَا مِنْ دَابَّةٍ فِي الْأَرْضِ وَلَا طَائِرٍ يَطِيرُ بِجَنَاحَيْهِ إِلَّا أُمَمٌ أَمْثَالُكُمْ مَا فَرَّطْنَا فِي الْكِتَابِ مِنْ شَيْءٍ ثُمَّ إِلَى رَبِّهِمْ يُحْشَرُونَ
Wa-mā min dābbatin fī l-arḍi wa-lā ṭāʾirin yaṭīru bi-janāḥayhi illā umamun amthālukum mā farraṭnā fī l-kitābi min shay'in thumma ilā rabbihim yuḥsharūn.
"There is no creature walking on the earth, nor a bird flying on its two wings, except that they are communities like you. We have not neglected anything in the Book. Then to their Lord they shall be gathered." (al-Anʿām 6:38)
Translation: There is no creature that walks the earth, nor any bird that flies on its two wings, except that they constitute communities like your own. We have left nothing out of the Book. Then to their Lord they shall be gathered.
Commentary: This verse opens a remarkable vista of the universality of divine governance. Every animal, every bird — species and communities in their own right — exists within a providential order. Allāh provides for all of them, guides them according to their nature (fiṭra), and has written their sustenance and their term in the Kitāb (the Preserved Tablet). The verse refutes any sense of human exceptionalism as a ground for pride: all creatures are communities (umam) with their own order, and all — human and animal — shall ultimately be gathered before their Lord. The author notes that everything is inscribed in the divine Book; nothing in the natural order is outside of Allāh's knowledge and governance.
وَالَّذِينَ كَذَّبُوا بِآيَاتِنَا صُمٌّ وَبُكْمٌ فِي الظُّلُمَاتِ مَنْ يَشَإِ اللَّهُ يُضْلِلْهُ وَمَنْ يَشَأْ يَجْعَلْهُ عَلَى صِرَاطٍ مُسْتَقِيمٍ
Wa-lladhīna kadhdhabū bi-āyātinā ṣummun wa-bukmun fī l-ẓulumāti man yasha'i llāhu yuḍlilhu wa-man yasha' yajʿalhu ʿalā ṣirāṭin mustaqīm.
"And those who deny Our signs are deaf and dumb, in darkness. Allāh leads astray whom He wills, and guides whom He wills onto a straight path." (al-Anʿām 6:39)
Translation: Those who deny Our signs are deaf and dumb, plunged in darkness. Allāh leads astray whom He wills — those whose inner capacity for guidance has been squandered — and He guides whom He wills onto the straight path, those in whose nature the capacity for righteousness remains alive.
Commentary: Ṣumm wa-bukm fī l-ẓulumāt: deaf, dumb, in darkness — a triple deprivation. They cannot hear the truth, cannot speak it, and are surrounded by the darkness of their own denial. The divine mashīʾa (will) mentioned here operates in conformity with the Māturīdī theological position: Allāh guides those who are open and willing, and leaves in misguidance those who have hardened themselves. His will is not arbitrary; it aligns with the reality of each soul's choice. The ṣirāṭ al-mustaqīm (straight path) is the path of tawḥīd, obedience, and sincere following of the Prophetﷺ.
قُلْ أَرَأَيْتَكُمْ إِنْ أَتَاكُمْ عَذَابُ اللَّهِ أَوْ أَتَتْكُمُ السَّاعَةُ أَغَيْرَ اللَّهِ تَدْعُونَ إِنْ كُنتُمْ صَادِقِينَ
Qul a-ra'aytakum in atākum ʿadhābu llāhi aw atatku-mu l-sāʿatu a-ghayra llāhi tadʿūna in kuntum ṣādiqīn.
"Say: 'Tell me — if the punishment of Allāh comes to you, or the Hour comes to you, will you call upon other than Allāh, if you are truthful?'" (al-Anʿām 6:40)
Translation: Say: "Tell me — if the punishment of Allāh were to descend upon you, or the Hour of Reckoning were to arrive, would you then call upon anyone other than Allāh — if you are telling the truth about your gods?"
Commentary: This is a powerful practical argument. In moments of extreme crisis — when the punishment is imminent or death approaches — even the most committed idolater instinctively calls upon Allāh. The very emergency that strips away pretence reveals the underlying fiṭra: the innate recognition of Allāh as the only true refuge. The author cites the example of ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib (may Allāh be pleased with him): in the heat of battle, even those who normally invoked other protectors would cry out "Allāh, Allāh!" — the name of the true Lord breaks through all the overlays of falsehood in the moment of genuine need.
بَلْ إِيَّاهُ تَدْعُونَ فَيَكْشِفُ مَا تَدْعُونَ إِلَيْهِ إِنْ شَاءَ وَتَنْسَوْنَ مَا تُشْرِكُونَ
Bal iyyāhu tadʿūna fa-yakshifu mā tadʿūna ilayhi in shāʾa wa-tansawna mā tushrikūn.
"Nay — it is Him alone you will call upon, and He will remove whatever you called upon Him for, if He wills — and you will forget what you used to associate." (al-Anʿām 6:41)
Translation: No — in that moment of extremity, it is Him alone you will call upon. And He will remove the harm you called upon Him to remove, if He wills — and in that moment you will have forgotten your false gods entirely.
Commentary: The bal (nay) signals a correction and clarification: in truth, in the moment of genuine need, it is Allāh alone they call. The idols are forgotten. This is the Qurʾān's elegant exposure of the incoherence of shirk: the mushrik himself, in the moment of truth, is a muwwaḥḥid (one who affirms divine unity). The gods he ascribed are exposed as mere mental constructs that dissolve when reality presses in.
وَلَقَدْ أَرْسَلْنَا إِلَى أُمَمٍ مِنْ قَبْلِكَ فَأَخَذْنَاهُمْ بِالْبَأْسَاءِ وَالضَّرَّاءِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَضَرَّعُونَ
Wa-la-qad arsalnā ilā umamin min qablika fa-akhādhnāhum bi-l-ba'sāʾi wa-l-ḍarrāʾi laʿallahum yataḍarraʿūn.
"And We have indeed sent messengers to nations before you, and We seized them with hardship and suffering so that they might humble themselves." (al-Anʿām 6:42)
Translation: We have indeed sent messengers to nations before you, then seized those nations with hardship (ba'sāʾ: poverty, affliction) and suffering (ḍarrāʾ: pain, distress), so that they might humble themselves and turn to Allāh in earnest supplication.
Commentary: Ba'sāʾ and ḍarrāʾ together encompass all forms of external affliction and inner pain — poverty, illness, loss, war. These are among the divine instruments of iʿādat (return) — means by which Allāh invites those who have strayed to turn back. The purpose (laʿallahum yataḍarraʿūn) is that they humble themselves (taḍarruʿ: to cast oneself down in supplication, to come before Allāh in poverty and neediness). Affliction, in the divine economy, is often mercy in disguise.
فَلَوْلَا إِذْ جَاءَهُمْ بَأْسُنَا تَضَرَّعُوا وَلَكِنْ قَسَتْ قُلُوبُهُمْ وَزَيَّنَ لَهُمُ الشَّيْطَانُ مَا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ
Fa-lawlā idh jāʾahum ba'sunā taḍarraʿū wa-lākin qasat qulūbuhum wa-zayyyana lahumu l-shayṭānu mā kānū yaʿmalūn.
"Why then, when Our affliction came to them, did they not humble themselves? But their hearts had hardened, and Satan made fair-seeming to them all that they used to do." (al-Anʿām 6:43)
Translation: So why — when Our affliction and punishment came upon them — did they not humble themselves and turn back? Instead their hearts hardened, and Shayṭān adorned and beautified for them all that they used to do.
Commentary: This verse reveals the tragic mystery of the hardened heart: even affliction — which is meant to soften and humble — fails to penetrate it. The hardness of heart (qasāwat al-qalb) is a spiritual condition where the capacity for tawba (repentance) and inābā (returning to Allāh) has been damaged by persistent sin. And Shayṭān compounds the problem by making their evil deeds appear not only permissible but attractive and virtuous — zayyyana lahum (he beautified for them). This is the demonic work of inversion: making wrong seem right, sin seem virtue, heedlessness seem wisdom.
فَلَمَّا نَسُوا مَا ذُكِّرُوا بِهِ فَتَحْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ أَبْوَابَ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ حَتَّى إِذَا فَرِحُوا بِمَا أُوتُوا أَخَذْنَاهُمْ بَغْتَةً فَإِذَا هُمْ مُبْلِسُونَ
Fa-lammā nasū mā dhukkirū bihi fataḥnā ʿalayhim abwāba kulli shay'in ḥattā idhā fariḥū bi-mā ūtū akhadhnāhum baghtatan fa-idhā hum mublisūn.
"So when they forgot what they had been reminded of, We opened to them the doors of all things — until, when they rejoiced in what they were given, We seized them suddenly; and at once they were in despair." (al-Anʿām 6:44)
Translation: When they forgot what they had been reminded of — when the warnings left no impression — We opened for them the doors of every worldly bounty and ease, until they rejoiced and became intoxicated with what they had been given. Then We seized them suddenly — and at once they were plunged in despair.
Commentary: This is one of the most sobering verses in the Qurʾān. The opening of "the doors of all things" (fataḥnā ʿalayhim abwāba kulli shay') — worldly prosperity, abundance, ease — is not a sign of divine favour for those who have rejected the truth; it is the divine stratagem of gradual giving before ultimate taking (istidrāj: the drawing in of one who is heedless, letting them advance far in their heedlessness before the sudden reckoning). Baghtatan: suddenly, without warning, without opportunity for preparation. Mublisūn: utterly despairing, bereft of all hope — from iblās, the state of being overcome with hopeless despair. The author warns: when blessings multiply upon those who persist in wrongdoing, the believer should not be deceived; it may be istidrāj — Allāh's drawing them toward their end.
فَقُطِعَ دَابِرُ الْقَوْمِ الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا وَالْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ
Fa-quṭiʿa dābiru l-qawmi lladhīna ẓalamū wa-l-ḥamdu li-llāhi rabbi l-ʿālamīn.
"So the last remnant of the people who did wrong was cut off. And all praise is for Allāh, Lord of all the worlds." (al-Anʿām 6:45)
Translation: So the root of the people who did wrong was cut off — utterly and completely. And all praise belongs to Allāh, Lord of all the worlds.
Commentary: Dābir: the last one, the uttermost root, the very remnant. When Allāh's punishment comes upon a people that has persisted in ẓulm (wrongdoing), it is total: not merely a defeat but an annihilation of the very root of their power and existence. The verse follows this with the Glorification of Allāh — al-ḥamdu li-llāhi rabb al-ʿālamīn — because the elimination of oppression and falsehood is itself a form of praise-worthy divine action; it is the Lord of all worlds maintaining the justice of His creation.
قُلْ أَرَأَيْتُمْ إِنْ أَخَذَ اللَّهُ سَمْعَكُمْ وَأَبْصَارَكُمْ وَخَتَمَ عَلَى قُلُوبِكُمْ مَنْ إِلَهٌ غَيْرُ اللَّهِ يَأْتِيكُمْ بِهِ انظُرْ كَيْفَ نُصَرِّفُ الْآيَاتِ ثُمَّ هُمْ يَصْدِفُونَ
Qul a-ra'aytum in akhadha llāhu samʿakum wa-abṣārakum wa-khatama ʿalā qulūbikum man ilāhun ghayru llāhi ya'tīkum bihi unẓur kayfa nuṣarrifu l-āyāti thumma hum yaṣdifūn.
"Say: 'Tell me — if Allāh were to take away your hearing and your sight and seal your hearts — what god other than Allāh could restore them to you?' See how We set forth the signs in various ways, and yet they turn away." (al-Anʿām 6:46)
Translation: Say: "Consider — if Allāh were to take away your hearing and your sight, and seal your hearts shut — what deity other than Allāh could possibly restore them to you?" See how We present the signs in many different forms and from many angles — and yet they turn away in aversion.
Commentary: The rhetorical challenge is absolute: name any created power capable of restoring to you the gifts of hearing, sight, and the open heart — if Allāh were to remove them. There is none. The verse points to the utter dependence of the human being even in his most basic faculties. Nuṣarrifu l-āyāt: We turn the signs, present them, rotate them — varied in form, approach, and argument — and yet yaṣdifūn: they turn away, swerve, evade. The failure is not in the presentation of the divine argument but in the willful evasion of those who hear.
قُلْ أَرَأَيْتَكُمْ إِنْ أَتَاكُمْ عَذَابُ اللَّهِ بَغْتَةً أَوْ جَهْرَةً هَلْ يُهْلَكُ إِلَّا الْقَوْمُ الظَّالِمُونَ
Qul a-ra'aytakum in atākum ʿadhābu llāhi baghtan aw jahratan hal yuhlaku illā l-qawmu l-ẓālimūn.
"Say: 'Tell me — if the punishment of Allāh comes to you suddenly or openly, will any be destroyed except the wrongdoing people?'" (al-Anʿām 6:47)
Translation: Say: "Consider — if the punishment of Allāh descends upon you suddenly in the night or openly in broad daylight — will any be destroyed except the wrongdoers?"
Commentary: The punishment of Allāh is precisely targeted: it does not fall upon the innocent. Baghtatan (suddenly) or jahratan (openly, in full sight) — whether the divine punishment comes without warning or with visible, public signs — it is the ẓālimūn (wrongdoers) who are destroyed by it. The righteous are protected, preserved, or taken in mercy rather than in punishment.
وَمَا نُرْسِلُ الْمُرْسَلِينَ إِلَّا مُبَشِّرِينَ وَمُنذِرِينَ فَمَنْ آمَنَ وَأَصْلَحَ فَلَا خَوْفٌ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا هُمْ يَحْزَنُونَ
Wa-mā nursi-lu l-mursalīna illā mubashshirīna wa-mundhirīna fa-man āmana wa-aṣlaḥa fa-lā khawfun ʿalayhim wa-lā hum yaḥzanūn.
"And We do not send messengers except as bearers of good tidings and as warners. So whoever believes and reforms — no fear shall come upon them, nor shall they grieve." (al-Anʿām 6:48)
Translation: We send messengers only as bearers of glad tidings and as warners. So whoever believes and reforms his conduct — no fear shall come upon such persons, nor shall they grieve.
Commentary: The twin function of all prophets and messengers is tabshīr (glad tidings) and indhār (warning): they bring good news of the mercy and reward of Allāh, and they warn of the punishment for those who reject. The condition for relief from fear and grief — lā khawfun ʿalayhim wa-lā hum yaḥzanūn, the Qurʾānic formula of ultimate security — is two-fold: faith (āmana) and righteous reform (aṣlaḥa). Faith without reform of conduct is incomplete; reform without faith is directionless. Together they constitute the full response to the prophetic message.
وَالَّذِينَ كَذَّبُوا بِآيَاتِنَا يَمَسُّهُمُ الْعَذَابُ بِمَا كَانُوا يَفْسُقُونَ
Wa-lladhīna kadhdhabū bi-āyātinā yamassuhumu l-ʿadhābu bi-mā kānū yafsuqūn.
"And those who denied Our signs — punishment shall touch them for their defiance." (al-Anʿām 6:49)
Translation: And those who denied Our signs — punishment shall come upon them as a consequence of their sinful defiance (fusūq: transgression and rebellion against the divine command).
Commentary: Fusūq is transgression and rebellion — not merely error but wilful crossing of divine boundaries. The punishment (ʿadhāb) that touches them is the consequence of their own kasb (earning/acquiring) through fusūq. This is the principle of divine justice: the punishment is commensurate with and consequent upon the act.
قُلْ لَا أَقُولُ لَكُمْ عِنْدِي خَزَائِنُ اللَّهِ وَلَا أَعْلَمُ الْغَيْبَ وَلَا أَقُولُ لَكُمْ إِنِّي مَلَكٌ إِنْ أَتَّبِعُ إِلَّا مَا يُوحَى إِلَيَّ قُلْ هَلْ يَسْتَوِي الْأَعْمَى وَالْبَصِيرُ أَفَلَا تَتَفَكَّرُونَ
Qul lā aqulu la-kum ʿindī khazāʾinu llāhi wa-lā aʿlamu l-ghayba wa-lā aqulu la-kum innī malakun in attabiʿu illā mā yūḥā ilayya qul hal yastawī l-aʿmā wa-l-baṣīru a-falā tatafakkarūn.
"Say: 'I do not say to you: the treasuries of Allāh are with me; nor do I know the unseen; nor do I say to you: I am an angel. I only follow what is revealed to me.' Say: 'Are the blind and the seeing equal? Will you not reflect?'" (al-Anʿām 6:50)
Translation: Say: "I do not claim to you that the treasuries of Allāh are in my possession; nor do I claim independent knowledge of the unseen (ghayb); nor do I claim to you that I am an angel. I follow only what is revealed to me." Say: "Are the blind and the seeing the same? Will you not think?"
Commentary: The Prophetﷺis commanded to declare three things he does not claim: (1) possession of the divine treasuries, (2) independent knowledge of the ghayb, (3) angelic status. These were demands some made — wanting a prophet who could produce wealth, foretell all things, and appear in supernatural form. The prophetic response is clear and honest: "I am a man receiving revelation; I follow what is sent down to me; my authority comes from revelation, not from metaphysical prerogatives I possess independently." The comparison of the blind and the seeing (al-aʿmā wa-l-baṣīr) applies to the believer who receives divine guidance versus the denier who rejects it: are the knower and the ignorant equal? The believer and the denier? The righteous and the corrupt? Clearly not — and the choice of which to be is before every person.
The author notes a delicate theological point: the ghayb belongs exclusively to Allāh bi-l-dhāt (by essence). But Allāh may grant knowledge of aspects of the ghayb to those He chooses — prophets, and through them the saints (awliyāʾ). Such kashf (unveiling) and ilhām (inspiration) are real and acknowledged, but they are gifts of divine grace (mawhaba), not independent possession. The ignorant who demand from scholars and saints what only Allāh possesses, or who come with frivolous requests confusing divine gifts with conjuring — these are admonished here.
وَأَنذِرْ بِهِ الَّذِينَ يَخَافُونَ أَنْ يُحْشَرُوا إِلَى رَبِّهِمْ لَيْسَ لَهُمْ مِنْ دُونِهِ وَلِيٌّ وَلَا شَفِيعٌ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَّقُونَ
Wa-andhir bihi lladhīna yakhāfūna an yuḥsharū ilā rabbihim laysa lahum min dūnihi waliyyun wa-lā shafīʿun laʿallahum yattaqūn.
"And warn by it those who fear that they shall be gathered to their Lord — they will have no protector and no intercessor apart from Him — so that they may attain taqwā." (al-Anʿām 6:51)
Translation: Warn by means of the Qurʾān those who fear the gathering before their Lord — those who understand that when they stand before Allāh they will have no protector and no intercessor other than Him — so that they may attain taqwā (God-fearingness, piety).
Commentary: The Qurʾān is directed first to those who are already disposed toward fear of Allāh and accountability — those whose hearts are alive. The phrase "no protector (walī) and no intercessor (shafīʿ) apart from Him" is a strong statement about the ultimate reality of the Day of Judgment: no earthly relationship, no tribal tie, no patron will avail. However — and the author is careful here — this verse does not deny all forms of intercession (shafāʿa). The Sunnī position, grounded in many clear aḥādīth, is that intercession does occur on the Day of Judgment, but only by the permission of Allāh (bi-idhnihi) and only for those whom He permits to be interceded for. The author explicitly cites: wa-man yashfaʿ shafāʿatan ḥasanatan yakun lahu naṣībun minhā (al-Nisāʾ 4:85) — "Whoever intercedes with a good intercession shall have a share of it." He also quotes the āya wa-staghfara lahumu l-rasūlu la-wajadū llāha tawwāban raḥīmā (al-Nisāʾ 4:64) — "Were the Messenger to seek forgiveness for them, they would find Allāh All-Relenting, All-Merciful." And the supplication of Ibrāhīm (upon him be peace): sa-astaghfiru la-ka wa-rabbī — "I shall seek forgiveness for you from my Lord." Intercession, in the Sunnī understanding, is a reality and a mercy — a gift of divine permission, not an independent power that overrides the divine will.
وَلَا تَطْرُدِ الَّذِينَ يَدْعُونَ رَبَّهُمْ بِالْغَدَاةِ وَالْعَشِيِّ يُرِيدُونَ وَجْهَهُ مَا عَلَيْكَ مِنْ حِسَابِهِمْ مِنْ شَيْءٍ وَمَا مِنْ حِسَابِكَ عَلَيْهِمْ مِنْ شَيْءٍ فَتَطْرُدَهُمْ فَتَكُونَ مِنَ الْظَالِمِينَ
Wa-lā taṭrudi lladhīna yadʿūna rabbahum bi-l-ghadāti wa-l-ʿashiyyi yurīdūna wajhahu mā ʿalayka min ḥisābihim min shay'in wa-mā min ḥisābika ʿalayhim min shay'in fa-taṭrudahum fa-takūna mina l-ẓālimīn.
"And do not drive away those who call upon their Lord morning and evening, seeking His face. Nothing of their reckoning is upon you, and nothing of your reckoning is upon them — so that you drive them away and become among the wrongdoers." (al-Anʿām 6:52)
Translation: And do not drive away those who call upon their Lord morning and evening, seeking only His countenance (wajhahu). You are not responsible for their reckoning in the least, nor are they responsible for yours. Were you to drive them away, you would become one of the wrongdoers.
Commentary: This verse was revealed in response to pressure from the proud Quraysh chiefs, who resented sitting in the same gathering as poor Muslims. They demanded that the Prophetﷺsend away the poor, enslaved, and socially marginalised believers — men like Bilāl, Ṣuhayb, Khabbāb, and ʿAmmār (may Allāh be pleased with them all) — when the nobles wished to attend. The divine response is unequivocal: these are the people of ikhlāṣ (sincerity), seeking only Allāh's wajh (face/countenance) — not status, not wealth, not social recognition. No prophet can drive them away. Each soul is responsible for its own account alone. The author reflects: the true measure of nearness to Allāh is sincerity of heart (ikhlāṣ) and the seeking of His pleasure — not worldly position.
وَكَذَلِكَ فَتَنَّا بَعْضَهُمْ بِبَعْضٍ لِيَقُولُوا أَهَؤُلَاءِ مَنَّ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِمْ مِنْ بَيْنِنَا أَلَيْسَ اللَّهُ بِأَعْلَمَ بِالشَّاكِرِينَ
Wa-kadhālika fatannā baʿḍahum bi-baʿḍin li-yaqūlū a-hāʾulāʾi manna llāhu ʿalayhim min bayninā a-laysa llāhu bi-aʿlama bi-l-shākirīn.
"And thus We have tried some of them by others — so that they say: 'Are these the ones whom Allāh has favoured among us?' Is Allāh not most knowing of the grateful?" (al-Anʿām 6:53)
Translation: And thus We have tried some people by means of others — so that the wealthy and proud say: "Are these lowly ones the ones Allāh has favoured over us?" Is Allāh not most fully aware of the grateful?
Commentary: The fitna (trial) here is the test of social hierarchy: Allāh has placed the seemingly lowly and poor among the ranks of His beloved believers, and the wealthy, proud, and powerful among the ranks of His deniers. This inverts the worldly hierarchy entirely. Those who cannot see past the outward measure of wealth and social status are exposed by this trial. A-laysa llāhu bi-aʿlama bi-l-shākirīn — "Is Allāh not most knowing of the grateful?" — the answer is self-evident: Allāh's criterion for grace is shukr (gratitude, which includes both belief and righteous action), not wealth or social standing. The author notes with passion: the worldly rich who sit in paradise will say, "These poor ones are in paradise?" But the measure of Allāh is gratitude, sincerity, and service — not the dunya's metrics.
وَإِذَا جَاءَكَ الَّذِينَ يُؤْمِنُونَ بِآيَاتِنَا فَقُلْ سَلَامٌ عَلَيْكُمْ كَتَبَ رَبُّكُمْ عَلَى نَفْسِهِ الرَّحْمَةَ أَنَّهُ مَنْ عَمِلَ مِنْكُمْ سُوءًا بِجَهَالَةٍ ثُمَّ تَابَ مِنْ بَعْدِهِ وَأَصْلَحَ فَأَنَّهُ غَفُورٌ رَحِيمٌ
Wa-idhā jāʾaka lladhīna yu'minūna bi-āyātinā fa-qul salāmun ʿalaykum kataba rabbukum ʿalā nafsihi l-raḥmata annahu man ʿamila minkum sūʾan bi-jahālatin thumma tāba min baʿdihi wa-aṣlaḥa fa-annahu ghafūrun raḥīm.
"And when those who believe in Our signs come to you, say: 'Peace be upon you. Your Lord has prescribed mercy upon Himself: whoever of you does evil in ignorance, then repents after it and reforms — He is All-Forgiving, All-Merciful.'" (al-Anʿām 6:54)
Translation: And when those who believe in Our signs come to you, say to them: "Peace be upon you — salāmun ʿalaykum." Your Lord has written mercy upon Himself: whoever among you commits an evil deed in a state of ignorance, then repents thereafter and reforms his conduct — He is All-Forgiving, All-Merciful.
Commentary: The instruction to the Prophetﷺto greet the believing poor with salām (peace) — rather than dismissing them as the proud demanded — is itself a proclamation of divine mercy. Salāmun ʿalaykum: You are in the protection and peace of Allāh. The condition for divine forgiveness is tawba (repentance) followed by iṣlāḥ (genuine reform of conduct) — both are required. Bi-jahāla: "in a state of ignorance" — this refers not only to intellectual ignorance but to the state of being overcome by heedlessness and the lower self, which the scholars classify as a form of spiritual ignorance. Tawba after such lapses is fully accepted by the All-Forgiving (Ghafūr), All-Merciful (Raḥīm) Lord. The author notes: Allāh conceals the sins of those who repent publicly, changing their record from sin to forgiveness — and indeed, for those whose tawba is complete, the Qurʾān promises tabdīl al-sayyiʾāt ḥasanāt — the transformation of bad deeds into good ones (al-Furqān 25:70).
وَكَذَلِكَ نُفَصِّلُ الْآيَاتِ وَلِتَسْتَبِينَ سَبِيلُ الْمُجْرِمِينَ
Wa-kadhālika nufaṣṣilu l-āyāti wa-li-tastabīna sabīlu l-mujrimīn.
"And thus do We set forth the signs in detail, so that the way of the criminals may become clear." (al-Anʿām 6:55)
Translation: And thus We expound Our signs in detail and at length, so that the path of the criminals may become plain and manifest — that the believers may recognise it and keep well away from it.
Commentary: Nufaṣṣilu l-āyāt: We detail, expand, and expound Our signs — in different modes and from different angles. The purpose is practical: so that sabīl al-mujrimīn (the way of the criminals) becomes unmistakable to the believer. Knowledge of the path of error is part of the knowledge of guidance; to recognise what leads to ruin is as important as recognising what leads to salvation.
قُلْ إِنِّي نُهِيتُ أَنْ أَعْبُدَ الَّذِينَ تَدْعُونَ مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ قُلْ لَا أَتَّبِعُ أَهْوَاءَكُمْ قَدْ ضَلَلْتُ إِذًا وَمَا أَنَا مِنَ الْمُهْتَدِينَ
Qul innī nuhītu an aʿbuda lladhīna tadʿūna min dūni llāhi qul lā attabiʿu ahwāʾakum qad ḍalāltu idhan wa-mā ana mina l-muhtadīn.
"Say: 'I have been forbidden to worship those you invoke besides Allāh.' Say: 'I will not follow your desires — for then I would have gone astray and would not be among the guided.'" (al-Anʿām 6:56)
Translation: Say: "I am forbidden from worshipping those you call upon besides Allāh." Say: "I will not follow your desires and caprices — for if I were to do so, I would have gone astray and would certainly not be among the rightly guided."
Commentary: The Prophetﷺdeclares his categorical prohibition of all worship of other than Allāh and his equally categorical refusal to follow ahwāʾ (desires, whims, subjective preferences) as a basis for religion. Ahwāʾ is the plural of hawā — the pull of the soul toward what it likes regardless of what is true or right. To follow desires in matters of religion is to go astray (ḍalāl) — the Prophetﷺmakes this a matter of personal testimony: if he followed desires, he would be astray; how much more so for others?
قُلْ إِنِّي عَلَى بَيِّنَةٍ مِنْ رَبِّي وَكَذَّبْتُمْ بِهِ مَا عِنْدِي مَا تَسْتَعْجِلُونَ بِهِ إِنِ الْحُكْمُ إِلَّا لِلَّهِ يَقُصُّ الْحَقَّ وَهُوَ خَيْرُ الْفَاصِلِينَ
Qul innī ʿalā bayyinatin min rabbī wa-kadhdhabtum bihi mā ʿindī mā tastaʿjilūna bihi ini l-ḥukmu illā li-llāhi yaquṣṣu l-ḥaqqa wa-huwa khayru l-fāṣilīn.
"Say: 'I stand on a clear proof from my Lord, and you have denied it. I do not have with me what you seek to hasten. The judgment belongs to Allāh alone — He will relate the truth, and He is the best of decisors.'" (al-Anʿām 6:57)
Translation: Say: "I stand on a clear proof from my Lord, and you have rejected it. What you seek to hasten — the punishment — is not in my hands. Judgment belongs to Allāh alone; He narrates the truth and decides according to it, and He is the best of all those who give decisive judgment."
Commentary: The Prophetﷺstands on bayyina — a clear, luminous proof, a manifest evidence from his Lord. The deniers, in their arrogance, used to demand: "Bring the punishment now if you are truthful!" The response is: the timing and execution of divine judgment is not in the Prophet'sﷺhands. Al-ḥukmu illā li-llāh — judgment belongs to Allāh alone: this is a theological foundation (aṣl kalāmī) as much as a practical statement. Khayru l-fāṣilīn: the Best of those who give decisive judgment — meaning there is no judgment more just, more comprehensive, or more perfectly appropriate than Allāh's.
قُلْ لَوْ أَنَّ عِنْدِي مَا تَسْتَعْجِلُونَ بِهِ لَقُضِيَ الْأَمْرُ بَيْنِي وَبَيْنَكُمْ وَاللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ بِالظَّالِمِينَ
Qul law anna ʿindī mā tastaʿjilūna bihi la-quḍiya l-amru baynī wa-bayna-kum wa-llāhu aʿlamu bi-l-ẓālimīn.
"Say: 'If I had with me what you seek to hasten, the matter between me and you would have already been settled. And Allāh is most knowing of the wrongdoers.'" (al-Anʿām 6:58)
Translation: Say: "If the punishment you demand were in my power to bring, the matter between us would have been settled long ago. And Allāh is fully aware of the wrongdoers."
Commentary: The Prophetﷺclarifies that the withholding of immediate punishment is not powerlessness but divine wisdom and mercy. If the Prophetﷺhad the power to bring the punishment on demand, the matter would have been resolved instantly. But Allāh is both more merciful (in giving respite) and more knowing (in knowing precisely the state of every ẓālim) than any immediate response would reflect.
وَعِنْدَهُ مَفَاتِحُ الْغَيْبِ لَا يَعْلَمُهَا إِلَّا هُوَ وَيَعْلَمُ مَا فِي الْبَرِّ وَالْبَحْرِ وَمَا تَسْقُطُ مِنْ وَرَقَةٍ إِلَّا يَعْلَمُهَا وَلَا حَبَّةٍ فِي ظُلُمَاتِ الْأَرْضِ وَلَا رَطْبٍ وَلَا يَابِسٍ إِلَّا فِي كِتَابٍ مُبِينٍ
Wa-ʿindahu mafātiḥu l-ghaybi lā yaʿlamuhā illā huwa wa-yaʿlamu mā fī l-barri wa-l-baḥri wa-mā tasquṭu min waraqatin illā yaʿlamuhā wa-lā ḥabbatin fī ẓulumāti l-arḍi wa-lā raṭbin wa-lā yābisin illā fī kitābin mubīn.
"With Him are the keys of the unseen — none knows them except Him. And He knows all that is in the land and the sea. Not a leaf falls but He knows it, and there is no grain in the darkness of the earth, nor anything moist or dry, but it is in a clear Record." (al-Anʿām 6:59)
Translation: The keys of the unseen are with Him alone — none knows them but He. He knows all that is in the dry land and in the sea. Not a single leaf falls from a tree but He knows it; not a single grain lies in the darkness of the earth, nothing moist and nothing dry — but it is recorded in a clear and manifest Book.
Commentary: This is one of the most majestic verses in the Qurʾān on divine omniscience. Mafātiḥ al-ghayb — the keys of the unseen — are the ultimate repositories of knowledge that no created being can access independently. The five matters mentioned in ḥadīth (inna llāha ʿindahu ʿilmu l-sāʿa..., al-Luqmān 31:34) are the archetypal examples: the Hour, the rain, what is in the womb, what a soul shall earn tomorrow, where a soul shall die. Every leaf that falls — every individual event, however microscopic — is known to Allāh and recorded in the kitāb mubīn (the clear, manifest Book, i.e. the Preserved Tablet, al-lawḥ al-maḥfūẓ). The author reflects on those who seek from scholars and saints what belongs exclusively to Allāh — the knowledge of the absolute ghayb — and admonishes: Allāh has given His slaves the knowledge they need, to the extent He has gifted it; beyond that, all is His alone.
وَهُوَ الَّذِي يَتَوَفَّاكُمْ بِاللَّيْلِ وَيَعْلَمُ مَا جَرَحْتُمْ بِالنَّهَارِ ثُمَّ يَبْعَثُكُمْ فِيهِ لِيُقْضَى أَجَلٌ مُسَمًّى ثُمَّ إِلَيْهِ مَرْجِعُكُمْ ثُمَّ يُنَبِّئُكُمْ بِمَا كُنتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ
Wa-huwa lladhī yatawaffākum bi-l-layli wa-yaʿlamu mā jaraḥtum bi-l-nahāri thumma yabʿathukum fīhi li-yuqḍā ajalun musamman thumma ilayhi marjiʿukum thumma yunabbi'ukum bi-mā kuntum taʿmalūn.
"And He it is Who takes your souls by night, and He knows what you have committed by day. Then He raises you up in it, that a term appointed may be fulfilled. Then to Him is your return, and then He will inform you of what you used to do." (al-Anʿām 6:60)
Translation: And He it is Who takes you in sleep by night — gathering your souls unto Him — and He knows all that you have done during the day. Then He raises you up again by morning, so that the appointed term may be completed. Then to Him is your return, and He shall inform you of all that you used to do.
Commentary: This verse connects the nightly tawaffā (the taking of the soul in sleep) with the greater tawaffā of death. Sleep is called "the lesser death" (al-mawt al-aṣghar) in the tradition. Every night when a person sleeps, the soul is taken by Allāh — the body lies as if lifeless, deprived of full consciousness; and every morning it is returned. This is both a sign and a rehearsal for the final taking. Allāh knows all that the person did during the day — all the jurḥ (lit. "wounds" — acts, deeds, earnings, whether of good or ill). The final marjiʿ (return) to Allāh will bring full disclosure of every act performed throughout one's life.
وَهُوَ الْقَاهِرُ فَوْقَ عِبَادِهِ وَيُرْسِلُ عَلَيْكُمْ حَفَظَةً حَتَّى إِذَا جَاءَ أَحَدَكُمُ الْمَوْتُ تَوَفَّتْهُ رُسُلُنَا وَهُمْ لَا يُفَرِّطُونَ
Wa-huwa l-qāhiru fawqa ʿibādihī wa-yursilu ʿalaykum ḥafaẓatan ḥattā idhā jāʾa aḥadakumu l-mawtu tawaffathu rusulunā wa-hum lā yufarriṭūn.
"And He is the Irresistible over His servants, and He sends guardian angels over you — until, when death comes to one of you, Our messengers take him, and they do not fall short in their duty." (al-Anʿām 6:61)
Translation: And He is the Irresistible, dominant over His servants. He sends guardian angels (ḥafaẓa) over you — watchers who record and protect — until, when the moment of death comes to any of you, Our appointed messengers (the angels of death) take that soul completely, and they are never remiss or negligent in their duty.
Commentary: The ḥafaẓa (guardian angels) are those described in numerous āyāt and aḥādīth as attending every human being, recording deeds. When the fixed, appointed term (ajal musamman) arrives, the angels of death — rusulunā (Our messengers) — take the soul in full (tawaffathu: to take completely, without leaving anything behind). Lā yufarriṭūn: they do not fall short, do not err, do not miss the moment — every soul is taken precisely at its appointed hour.
ثُمَّ رُدُّوا إِلَى اللَّهِ مَوْلَاهُمُ الْحَقِّ أَلَا لَهُ الْحُكْمُ وَهُوَ أَسْرَعُ الْحَاسِبِينَ
Thumma ruddū ilā llāhi mawlāhumu l-ḥaqqi alā lahu l-ḥukmu wa-huwa asraʿu l-ḥāsibīn.
"Then they are returned to Allāh, their True Master. Beware — the judgment belongs to Him, and He is the swiftest of reckoners." (al-Anʿām 6:62)
Translation: Then all souls are returned to Allāh — their True, Real Master. Know well: all judgment belongs to Him, and He is the swiftest of reckoners.
Commentary: Al-mawlā l-ḥaqq: the True Master — ḥaqq (real, true, rightful) as opposed to any claimed or false mastership. The divine judgment on the Day of Resurrection is described as the swiftest of reckonings (asraʿu l-ḥāsibīn) — not because it is hasty or cursory, but because Allāh's omniscience means no deliberation, no investigation, no consultation is needed: He knows all perfectly already, and the reckoning will be completed in the time it takes to look. The author reflects: how little time remains; death is close; the world shall not last forever; soon every person will be before this swift and perfect Reckoner.
قُلْ مَنْ يُنَجِّيكُمْ مِنْ ظُلُمَاتِ الْبَرِّ وَالْبَحْرِ تَدْعُونَهُ تَضَرُّعًا وَخُفْيَةً لَئِنْ أَنجَانَا مِنْ هَذِهِ لَنَكُونَنَّ مِنَ الشَّاكِرِينَ
Qul man yunajjīkum min ẓulumāti l-barri wa-l-baḥri tadʿūnahu taḍarruʿan wa-khufyatan la-in anjānā min hādhihi la-nakūnanna mina l-shākirīn.
"Say: 'Who delivers you from the darknesses of land and sea, when you call upon Him in humility and in secret: "If He delivers us from this, we will surely be among the grateful"?'" (al-Anʿām 6:63)
Translation: Say: "Who saves you from the terrors of land and sea — those darknesses of confusion and peril — when you call upon Him, crying in humble supplication and in secret: 'If He saves us from this, we shall surely be of the grateful'?"
Commentary: Ẓulumāt al-barr wa-l-baḥr: the darknesses of land and sea — the multiple crises and terrors one faces in the world, by land or sea. In moments of extreme danger, every human being cries out to Allāh — the fiṭra (primordial nature) overrides cultural conditioning and trained suppression of religious instinct. The plea comes in two modes: taḍarruʿan (openly, intensely, with outward urgency) and khufyatan (secretly, in the inner recesses of the heart). And the promise made in the extremity: "If He saves us, we shall be of the grateful (shākirīn)." But many — as the next verse reveals — break this promise once the danger passes.
قُلِ اللَّهُ يُنَجِّيكُمْ مِنْهَا وَمِنْ كُلِّ كَرْبٍ ثُمَّ أَنتُمْ تُشْرِكُونَ
Quli llāhu yunajjīkum minhā wa-min kulli karbin thumma antum tushrikūn.
"Say: 'Allāh saves you from it and from every distress — then you ascribe partners to Him.'" (al-Anʿām 6:64)
Translation: Say: "It is Allāh Who saves you from it — and from every anguish and distress. Then — you ascribe partners to Him!"
Commentary: The word karb (anguish, suffocation, distress) is one of the most expressive words in Arabic for profound inner suffering and outer crisis. Allāh removes it — wholly, comprehensively — and yet the response of the heedless is to return to shirk and ingratitude. The thumma (then) carries the force of reproachful astonishment: "And then — after all that — you associate partners with Him?" The contrast is meant to shock the conscience into awareness of its own inconsistency.
قُلْ هُوَ الْقَادِرُ عَلَى أَنْ يَبْعَثَ عَلَيْكُمْ عَذَابًا مِنْ فَوْقِكُمْ أَوْ مِنْ تَحْتِ أَرْجُلِكُمْ أَوْ يَلْبِسَكُمْ شِيَعًا وَيُذِيقَ بَعْضَكُمْ بَأْسَ بَعْضٍ انظُرْ كَيْفَ نُصَرِّفُ الْآيَاتِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَفْقَهُونَ
Qul huwa l-qādiru ʿalā an yabʿatha ʿalaykum ʿadhāban min fawqikum aw min taḥti arjulikum aw yalbisākum shiyaʿan wa-yudhīqa baʿḍakum ba'sa baʿḍin unẓur kayfa nuṣarrifu l-āyāti laʿallahum yafqahūn.
"Say: 'He has power to send punishment upon you from above you or from beneath your feet, or to confuse you in sects and make you taste the violence of one another.' See how We set forth the signs in various ways so that they may understand." (al-Anʿām 6:65)
Translation: Say: "He has full power to send upon you a punishment from above — whether from the sky — or from beneath your feet, or to confuse you into warring factions and make you taste the fury of one another." See how We present the signs in varied forms, so that they may reflect and understand.
Commentary: Three forms of divine punishment are enumerated: from above (min fawq), from below (min taḥt), and from within — the worst of the three — division and mutual violence (shiyaʿ: sects, factions; the verb labbasa means to confuse, mix up, set against each other). The last form is the most terrifying because it is self-inflicted and ongoing: a community that fragments into warring factions destroys itself from within. The author notes that when Allāh sends this punishment, no external enemy is needed; the community becomes its own enemy. The three verses are narrated in a ḥadīth of the Prophetﷺ(al-Bukhārī; Muslim, via Jābir ibn ʿAbd Allāh, may Allāh be pleased with him): when the first two were revealed, the Prophetﷺwas granted a reprieve from Allāh; the third (an yalbisākum shiyaʿan) was not reprieved — indicating that internal division is a mercy Allāh may withhold from a community or send upon them according to their deeds. [reconstructed]
وَكَذَّبَ بِهِ قَوْمُكَ وَهُوَ الْحَقُّ قُلْ لَسْتُ عَلَيْكُمْ بِوَكِيلٍ
Wa-kadhdhaba bihi qawmuka wa-huwa l-ḥaqqu qul lastu ʿalaykum bi-wakīl.
"And your people have denied it, though it is the truth. Say: 'I am not a guardian over you.'" (al-Anʿām 6:66)
Translation: Your people have rejected it, though it is the pure truth. Say: "I am not set over you as a guardian or custodian — my responsibility is to convey, not to compel."
Commentary: Wakīl: one who is entrusted with full responsibility for another's affairs, a guardian or trustee. The Prophetﷺis not the custodian of the disbelievers' choices — he cannot force them to believe. His responsibility is conveyance (balāgh); their accountability for their choice is their own. This draws a line between prophetic duty (to convey and warn) and human freedom and accountability.
لِكُلِّ نَبَإٍ مُسْتَقَرٌّ وَسَوْفَ تَعْلَمُونَ
Li-kulli naba'in mustaqarrun wa-sawfa taʿlamūn.
"For every tidings there is a time of fulfillment — and you shall come to know." (al-Anʿām 6:67)
Translation: Every prophecy and warning has its appointed moment of realisation — and you shall come to know.
Commentary: Mustaqarr: a place of settling, a fixed moment of fulfilment. Every divine warning, every promise, every prophetic statement will come to rest in its reality at the appointed time. Wa-sawfa taʿlamūn: "you shall come to know" — a statement of measured, certain promise-warning. The Prophet'sﷺcritics mocked what they had not yet seen; they will see it.
وَإِذَا رَأَيْتَ الَّذِينَ يَخُوضُونَ فِي آيَاتِنَا فَأَعْرِضْ عَنْهُمْ حَتَّى يَخُوضُوا فِي حَدِيثٍ غَيْرِهِ وَإِمَّا يُنسِيَنَّكَ الشَّيْطَانُ فَلَا تَقْعُدْ بَعْدَ الذِّكْرَى مَعَ الْقَوْمِ الظَّالِمِينَ
Wa-idhā ra'ayta lladhīna yakhūḍūna fī āyātinā fa-aʿriḍ ʿanhum ḥattā yakhūḍū fī ḥadīthin ghayrihi wa-immā yunsiyannaka l-shayṭānu fa-lā taqʿud baʿda l-dhikrā maʿa l-qawmi l-ẓālimīn.
"And when you see those who engage in vain discourse about Our signs, turn away from them until they engage in different talk. And if Shayṭān makes you forget, do not sit, after remembering, with the wrongdoing people." (al-Anʿām 6:68)
Translation: When you see those who engage in frivolous mockery and argumentation about Our signs, turn away from them and do not sit with them until they move on to a different subject. And if Shayṭān causes you to forget and you find yourself in such a gathering — as soon as you remember, do not remain seated among the wrongdoers.
Commentary: Yakhūḍūna: to wade into deeply, to plunge into — used of those who engage in reckless, disrespectful discourse about the divine signs, mocking and raising baseless objections. The command is practical and decisive: withdraw from such gatherings. The exception — idhā yunsiyannaka l-shayṭān — acknowledges human forgetfulness: if one inadvertently finds oneself in such a place, the moment of dhikrā (remembrance) is the moment of obligation to leave. The author reflects: there are three categories of those who sit with mockers of religion: (1) those who are grounded in knowledge and can respond; (2) those who know a little but wish to invite them back; and (3) the unknowing who may be corrupted. The unknowing should especially avoid the company of those who mock the signs of Allāh.
وَمَا عَلَى الَّذِينَ يَتَّقُونَ مِنْ حِسَابِهِمْ مِنْ شَيْءٍ وَلَكِنْ ذِكْرَى لَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَّقُونَ
Wa-mā ʿalā lladhīna yattaqūna min ḥisābihim min shay'in wa-lākin dhikrā laʿallahum yattaqūn.
"And the God-fearing are not responsible in the least for the reckoning of those people — but a reminder, so that perhaps they too may become God-fearing." (al-Anʿām 6:69)
Translation: The God-fearing (muttaqūn) bear no responsibility for the sins of those who mock. But they should offer a reminder — in the hope that the mockers may yet come to taqwā.
Commentary: The muttaqūn are freed from bearing any part of the sinful people's account. Their duty is simply to remind (dhikrā) — once, with sincerity and wisdom — and then leave the matter to Allāh. There is hope in laʿallahum yattaqūn: "perhaps they may fear Allāh." The possibility of change and guidance is not foreclosed; it is always present while the heart is still beating.
وَذَرِ الَّذِينَ اتَّخَذُوا دِينَهُمْ لَعِبًا وَلَهْوًا وَغَرَّتْهُمُ الْحَيَاةُ الدُّنْيَا وَذَكِّرْ بِهِ أَنْ تُبْسَلَ نَفْسٌ بِمَا كَسَبَتْ لَيْسَ لَهَا مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ وَلِيٌّ وَلَا شَفِيعٌ وَإِنْ تَعْدِلْ كُلَّ عَدْلٍ لَا يُؤْخَذْ مِنْهَا أُولَئِكَ الَّذِينَ أُبْسِلُوا بِمَا كَسَبُوا لَهُمْ شَرَابٌ مِنْ حَمِيمٍ وَعَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ بِمَا كَانُوا يَكْفُرُونَ
Wa-dhari lladhīna ttakhadhū dīnahum laʿiban wa-lahwan wa-gharrathumu l-ḥayātu l-dunyā wa-dhakkir bihi an tubsala nafsun bi-mā kasabat laysa lahā min dūni llāhi waliyyun wa-lā shafīʿun wa-in taʿdil kulla ʿadlin lā yu'khadh minhā ulā'ika lladhīna ubsilū bi-mā kasabū lahum sharābun min ḥamīmin wa-ʿadhābun alīmun bi-mā kānū yakfurūn.
"And leave those who have taken their religion as play and amusement and whom worldly life has deceived. And remind by it lest a soul be given up to destruction for what it has earned — it will have no protector and no intercessor apart from Allāh — and if it should offer every compensation, none will be taken from it. Those are the ones given up to destruction for what they have earned — for them is a drink of scalding water and a painful punishment because they used to disbelieve." (al-Anʿām 6:70)
Translation: Leave aside — do not be consumed by — those who have made their religion into a sport and a pastime, and whom the dunya has deceived and intoxicated. But warn by means of the Qurʾān, lest a soul be delivered up to ruin for what it has accumulated of sin — having no protector and no intercessor apart from Allāh. Even if it offered every possible compensation and ransom, none would be accepted from it. Those are the ones who have been delivered up to destruction because of what they earned — for them shall be a drink of scalding hot water and a painful punishment, because of their denial.
Commentary: Dhadhdhara (here wa-dhari): to leave alone, to let go. The Prophetﷺis not to exhaust himself or be distracted by those utterly given over to worldly diversion and heedlessness. But the warning (tadhkira) must still be offered — not to force change but to fulfil the prophetic duty of reminder. Tubsala: to be delivered up, surrendered, abandoned to one's fate. Ḥamīm: scalding hot water — one of the characteristic punishments of the Fire. The verse is a comprehensive depiction of spiritual bankruptcy: no protector, no intercessor, no ransom — the person who spent his life in heedlessness arrives at the reckoning entirely alone, with nothing.
قُلْ أَنَدْعُو مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ مَا لَا يَنفَعُنَا وَلَا يَضُرُّنَا وَنُرَدُّ عَلَى أَعْقَابِنَا بَعْدَ إِذْ هَدَانَا اللَّهُ كَالَّذِي اسْتَهْوَتْهُ الشَّيَاطِينُ فِي الْأَرْضِ حَيْرَانَ أَلَهُ أَصْحَابٌ يَدْعُونَهُ إِلَى الْهُدَى ائْتِنَا قُلْ إِنَّ هُدَى اللَّهِ هُوَ الْهُدَى وَأُمِرْنَا لِنُسْلِمَ لِرَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ
Qul a-nadʿū min dūni llāhi mā lā yanfaʿunā wa-lā yaḍurruna wa-nuraddu ʿalā aʿqābinā baʿda idh hadānā llāhu ka-lladhī staḥwathu l-shayāṭīnu fī l-arḍi ḥayrāna alahu aṣḥābun yadʿūnahu ilā l-hudā i'tinā qul inna hudā llāhi huwa l-hudā wa-umirnā li-nuslima li-rabbi l-ʿālamīn.
"Say: 'Shall we invoke, besides Allāh, what can neither benefit us nor harm us, and be turned back on our heels after Allāh has guided us — like one whom the devils have led astray in the earth, bewildered, having companions who call him to guidance: "Come to us"?' Say: 'The guidance of Allāh — that is true guidance. And we are commanded to submit to the Lord of all worlds.'" (al-Anʿām 6:71)
Translation: Say: "Shall we call upon, beside Allāh, things that can neither benefit us nor harm us — and turn back on our heels after Allāh has guided us? That would make us like the one whom the Shayāṭīn have led astray, wandering bewildered and lost in the earth, while his true companions call out to him: 'Come to us — come to guidance!' " Say: "The guidance of Allāh — that alone is true guidance. And we are commanded to submit to the Lord of all the worlds."
Commentary: The image of turning back on one's heels (ruddū ʿalā aʿqābihim) after guidance is a powerful metaphor for apostasy or regression — having received the divine guidance of Islām and then abandoning it for false deities or worldly distractions. The comparison is to a traveller bewitched by the Shayāṭīn: the word istaḥwat (to gain dominion over, to take possession of) describes the demonic capture of the heart. The lost person is not completely without help — there are companions (aṣḥāb) who call him back to guidance, but he is too confused (ḥayrān: bewildered, disoriented) to respond. Hudā llāhi: the guidance of Allāh — this alone is the true guidance (al-hudā), not the pseudo-guidance of philosophers, Shayāṭīn, worldly counsellors, or false traditions.
وَأَنْ أَقِيمُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَاتَّقُوهُ وَهُوَ الَّذِي إِلَيْهِ تُحْشَرُونَ
Wa-an aqīmū l-ṣalāta wa-ttaqūhu wa-huwa lladhī ilayhi tuḥsharūn.
"And to establish the prayer and to fear Him — and He it is to Whom you shall be gathered." (al-Anʿām 6:72)
Translation: And we are commanded to establish the prayer (ṣalāt) with steadfastness and devotion, and to maintain taqwā — God-consciousness — of Him. And He it is to Whom you shall all be gathered.
Commentary: The submission (islām) commanded in the previous verse is made concrete here: it manifests through the establishment of ṣalāt (prayer) and the maintenance of taqwā. Prayer is the pillar of the religion — the physical, verbal, and spiritual act of turning to Allāh five times daily. Taqwā is the ongoing inner orientation that guards one from what displeases Allāh. And the final reminder: all shall be gathered before Him.
وَهُوَ الَّذِي خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ بِالْحَقِّ وَيَوْمَ يَقُولُ كُنْ فَيَكُونُ قَوْلُهُ الْحَقُّ وَلَهُ الْمُلْكُ يَوْمَ يُنفَخُ فِي الصُّورِ عَالِمُ الْغَيْبِ وَالشَّهَادَةِ وَهُوَ الْحَكِيمُ الْخَبِيرُ
Wa-huwa lladhī khalaqa l-samāwāti wa-l-arḍa bi-l-ḥaqqi wa-yawma yaqūlu kun fa-yakūnu qawluhu l-ḥaqqu wa-lahu l-mulku yawma yunfakhu fī l-ṣūri ʿālimu l-ghaybi wa-l-shahādati wa-huwa l-ḥakīmu l-khabīr.
"And He it is Who created the heavens and the earth in truth. And the day He says: 'Be,' it is — His word is the truth. And to Him belongs the dominion on the day the trumpet is blown. He is Knower of the unseen and the witnessed, and He is the Wise, the Acquainted." (al-Anʿām 6:73)
Translation: And He it is Who created the heavens and the earth in truth and with purpose. And on the day He says "Be!" (kun) — it is (fa-yakūna). His word is ever truth. To Him belongs all sovereignty on the day when the trumpet (ṣūr) is blown. He is the Knower of the unseen and the visible — and He is the Wise, the All-Aware.
Commentary: Bi-l-ḥaqq: with truth, with purpose, with right — the creation of the heavens and earth is not arbitrary or playful but purposeful and true. Kun fa-yakūn: the divine creative word — when Allāh decrees something, He says "Be" and it is. This is the Qurʾānic expression of divine omnipotence: there is no interval between divine will and divine act. The Day of Resurrection is the day of absolute divine sovereignty (mulk): on that day, every other claimed sovereignty dissolves and only Allāh's sovereignty remains. ʿĀlimu l-ghaybi wa-l-shahāda: Knower of the hidden and the witnessed — nothing is outside His knowledge, whether it is perceivable to created beings or entirely beyond their perception.
وَإِذْ قَالَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ لِأَبِيهِ آزَرَ أَتَتَّخِذُ أَصْنَامًا آلِهَةً إِنِّي أَرَاكَ وَقَوْمَكَ فِي ضَلَالٍ مُبِينٍ
Wa-idh qāla Ibrāhīmu li-abīhi Āzara a-tattakhidhu aṣnāman ālihatan innī arāka wa-qawmaka fī ḍalālin mubīn.
"And when Ibrāhīm said to his father Āzar: 'Do you take idols as gods? Indeed, I see you and your people in manifest error.'" (al-Anʿām 6:74)
Translation: And recall when Ibrāhīm (upon him be peace) said to his father Āzar: "Do you take idols as gods? I see you and your people in plain, manifest error."
Commentary: The story of Sayyidunā Ibrāhīm (upon him be peace) is now introduced — one of the most celebrated Qurʾānic narratives on the journey to tawḥīd. Jews, Christians, and Muslims all venerate Ibrāhīm (upon him be peace); his story carries extraordinary force as a shared reference. His father's name is given as Āzar — a name mentioned in the Qurʾān for the father of Ibrāhīm in the context of idol-worship. The patriarch's bold challenge to his father is the beginning of the prophetic mission of Ibrāhīm: not timidity but clarity, not accommodation but honest declaration of truth. Ḍalāl mubīn: manifest, clear error — not ambiguous or uncertain, but plain to see.
وَكَذَلِكَ نُرِي إِبْرَاهِيمَ مَلَكُوتَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَلِيَكُونَ مِنَ الْمُوقِنِينَ
Wa-kadhālika nurī Ibrāhīma malakūta l-samāwāti wa-l-arḍi wa-li-yakūna mina l-mūqinīn.
"And thus We showed Ibrāhīm the dominion of the heavens and earth, that he might be of those who have certainty." (al-Anʿām 6:75)
Translation: And thus We showed Ibrāhīm the sovereignty and inner reality (malakūt) of the heavens and the earth — so that he would attain certainty (yaqīn) of conviction.
Commentary: Malakūt: the inner sovereignty, the hidden reality, the metaphysical dominion — as opposed to mulk which is the outward, visible kingdom. Allāh showed Ibrāhīm the malakūt — the inner truth of the heavens and earth — as a direct unveiling (kashf), lifting the veil between the seen and the unseen for him. The purpose: li-yakūna mina l-mūqinīn — "so that he would be among those of certainty." Yaqīn (certainty) is the highest degree of faith and knowledge — not merely belief but direct, unshakeable experiential certainty of truth.
فَلَمَّا جَنَّ عَلَيْهِ اللَّيْلُ رَأَى كَوْكَبًا قَالَ هَذَا رَبِّي فَلَمَّا أَفَلَ قَالَ لَا أُحِبُّ الْآفِلِينَ
Fa-lammā janna ʿalayhi l-laylu ra'ā kawkaban qāla hādhā rabbī fa-lammā afala qāla lā uḥibbu l-āfilīn.
"When the night covered him with darkness, he saw a star and said: 'This is my Lord!' But when it set, he said: 'I do not love those that set.'" (al-Anʿām 6:76)
Translation: When the night drew over him in darkness, he saw a star. He said: "Could this be my Lord?" But when it set and disappeared, he said: "I do not love those that set and vanish."
Commentary: The scholars have understood this passage as Ibrāhīm (upon him be peace) engaging in a deliberate, pedagogical argument for his people — leading them step by step through the reasoning that eliminates stars, moon, and sun from the category of rabb (Lord). He did not actually believe the star was his Lord; the statement is istifhāmī (interrogative in nature) — "Is this my Lord?" — or it is a ḥikāyat ḥāl (representation of an inner process of reasoning) for the benefit of his audience. When the star sets (afala: to disappear below the horizon), he declares: I cannot love what is impermanent, transient, subject to setting and vanishing. The Lord must be eternal, self-subsisting, not subject to rising and setting.
فَلَمَّا رَأَى الْقَمَرَ بَازِغًا قَالَ هَذَا رَبِّي فَلَمَّا أَفَلَ قَالَ لَئِنْ لَمْ يَهْدِنِي رَبِّي لَأَكُونَنَّ مِنَ الْقَوْمِ الضَّالِّينَ
Fa-lammā ra'ā l-qamara bāzighan qāla hādhā rabbī fa-lammā afala qāla la-in lam yahdinī rabbī la-akūnanna mina l-qawmi l-ḍāllīn.
"When he saw the moon rising, he said: 'This is my Lord!' But when it set, he said: 'If my Lord does not guide me, I shall surely be of the people who go astray.'" (al-Anʿām 6:77)
Translation: When he saw the moon rising, he said: "Could this be my Lord?" But when it too set, he said: "If my Lord does not guide me, I shall surely be of those who go astray."
Commentary: The moon, too, is found wanting: it sets. The honest confession — "If my Lord does not guide me, I will be among those who go astray" — is a beautiful and humbling statement of prophetic tawāḍuʿ (humility) and dependence on divine guidance. Even the greatest of rational minds, the khalīl Allāh (the intimate friend of Allāh), acknowledges that without divine guidance, all reasoning is insufficient.
فَلَمَّا رَأَى الشَّمْسَ بَازِغَةً قَالَ هَذَا رَبِّي هَذَا أَكْبَرُ فَلَمَّا أَفَلَتْ قَالَ يَا قَوْمِ إِنِّي بَرِيءٌ مِمَّا تُشْرِكُونَ
Fa-lammā ra'ā l-shamsa bāzighatan qāla hādhā rabbī hādhā akbaru fa-lammā afalat qāla yā qawmi innī barī'un mimmā tushrikūn.
"When he saw the sun rising, he said: 'This is my Lord — this is greater!' But when it set, he said: 'O my people, I am free of what you associate.'" (al-Anʿām 6:78)
Translation: When he saw the sun rising in brilliance, he said: "Could this be my Lord? This is greater!" But when the sun too set, he declared: "O my people — I am innocent and free of all that you associate with Allāh!"
Commentary: The sun — the greatest and most magnificent of the visible celestial bodies — is the final candidate in this argument by elimination. But it too sets. And with its setting, the argument reaches its conclusion: if even the sun — the grandest observable entity in the cosmos — is subject to rising and setting, it cannot be the Lord. The Lord must be beyond all impermanence. Ibrāhīm's (upon him be peace) declaration of barāʾa (innocence, dissociation) from shirk is categorical and public. The author notes a grammatical subtlety: the sun (shams) is feminine in Arabic (bāzighatan), hence the feminine particle is used, and Ibrāhīm (upon him be peace) says hādhā (masculine) — because the referent (rabb, Lord) is masculine — demonstrating his awareness that the sun itself is not the Lord.
إِنِّي وَجَّهْتُ وَجْهِيَ لِلَّذِي فَطَرَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ حَنِيفًا وَمَا أَنَا مِنَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ
Innī wajjahtu wajhiya li-lladhī faṭara l-samāwāti wa-l-arḍa ḥanīfan wa-mā ana mina l-mushrikīn.
"Indeed, I have turned my face toward He Who created the heavens and the earth, as a ḥanīf, and I am not of the polytheists." (al-Anʿām 6:79)
Translation: "I have turned my face — my whole being, my complete attention and devotion — toward the One Who originated the heavens and the earth, as a pure ḥanīf (ḥanīfan: one turned away from all falsehood toward pure, undivided truth), and I am not of the idolaters."
Commentary: Wajjahtu wajhī: a profound expression — "I have directed my face" means I have oriented my entire self, my being, my turning and my longing, toward Allāh. Ḥanīf is a Qurʾānic term of immense importance: it refers to the one who is utterly turned away from falsehood and utterly turned toward the one truth — the pure monotheist who has rejected all deviation. It is the characterisation of the millat Ibrāhīm (the way of Ibrāhīm, upon him be peace) — the original, primordial religion of tawḥīd before the distortions of later generations. Faṭara l-samāwāti wa-l-arḍ: the One who originated the heavens and earth — the One Who created everything from absolute non-existence without template.
وَحَاجَّهُ قَوْمُهُ قَالَ أَتُحَاجُّونِي فِي اللَّهِ وَقَدْ هَدَانِي وَلَا أَخَافُ مَا تُشْرِكُونَ بِهِ إِلَّا أَنْ يَشَاءَ رَبِّي شَيْئًا رَبِّي أَحَاطَ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ عِلْمًا أَفَلَا تَتَذَكَّرُونَ
Wa-ḥājjahu qawmuhu qāla a-tuḥājjūnanī fī llāhi wa-qad hadānī wa-lā akhāfu mā tushrikūna bihi illā an yashāʾa rabbī shay'an rabbī aḥāṭa bi-kulli shay'in ʿilman a-falā tatadhdhakarūn.
"And his people argued with him. He said: 'Do you argue with me about Allāh, when He has already guided me? I do not fear what you associate with Him — unless my Lord wills something. My Lord encompasses all things in knowledge. Will you not be reminded?'" (al-Anʿām 6:80)
Translation: His people disputed and argued with him about Allāh. He said: "Do you argue with me about Allāh, when He has already guided me? I do not fear those things you associate with Him — those idols and false gods — unless my Lord wills that something should befall me. My Lord encompasses all things in His knowledge. Will you not take heed?"
Commentary: Ibrāhīm's (upon him be peace) people — idol-worshippers of long standing — confronted him with angry opposition. His response is the response of the person grounded in yaqīn (certainty): "What is the point of arguing with me about Allāh after He has already guided me?" The second part — lā akhāfu mā tushrikūna bihi — is the declaration of freedom from fear of the false gods. The idols have no power to harm him; only if Allāh wills could any harm come to him. This is the theology of pure tawḥīd in action: the idol-fearing heart is enslaved; the God-fearing heart is free. Rabbī aḥāṭa bi-kulli shay'in ʿilman: my Lord encompasses all things in knowledge — everything is within His knowledge and governance; the idols know nothing and govern nothing.
وَكَيْفَ أَخَافُ مَا أَشْرَكْتُمْ وَلَا تَخَافُونَ أَنَّكُمْ أَشْرَكْتُمْ بِاللَّهِ مَا لَمْ يُنَزِّلْ بِهِ عَلَيْكُمْ سُلْطَانًا فَأَيُّ الْفَرِيقَيْنِ أَحَقُّ بِالْأَمْنِ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ
Wa-kayfa akhāfu mā ashraktum wa-lā takhāfūna annakum ashraktum bi-llāhi mā lam yunazzil bihi ʿalaykum sulṭānan fa-ayyu l-farīqayni aḥaqqu bi-l-amni in kuntum taʿlamūn.
"And how should I fear what you have associated when you do not fear that you have associated with Allāh that for which He has not sent down any authority? Which of the two parties is more deserving of security — if you knew?" (al-Anʿām 6:81)
Translation: "And how should I fear what you have set up as partners, when you do not fear that you have associated with Allāh things for which He sent down no authority or proof whatsoever? Which of the two parties is more deserving of safety and security — if you truly had knowledge?"
Commentary: Ibrāhīm (upon him be peace) turns the argument back on his people with devastating logical force. The idolaters fear the idols and try to instil fear of them in others. But they themselves show no fear of Allāh — whom they associate with powerless objects. The true question is: who should be afraid? The monotheist who submits to the real Power, or the polytheist who submits to invented powers while disrespecting the actual One? Aḥaqqu bi-l-amn: more deserving of safety, more entitled to security — the word amn (safety, peace, security) is the same root as īmān (faith). There is a profound connection: the person of faith (muʾmin) is the person who has true security (amn), because he relies on the One Who actually controls all things.
الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَلَمْ يَلْبِسُوا إِيمَانَهُمْ بِظُلْمٍ أُولَئِكَ لَهُمُ الْأَمْنُ وَهُمْ مُهْتَدُونَ
Alladhīna āmanū wa-lam yalbisū īmānahum bi-ẓulmin ulā'ika lahumu l-amnu wa-hum muhtadūn.
"Those who believe and do not mix their faith with injustice — those shall have security, and they are the rightly guided." (al-Anʿām 6:82)
Translation: Those who believe and do not mix their faith with injustice — those are the ones who shall have true security (amn), and they are the rightly guided.
Commentary: When this verse was revealed, the Companions (may Allāh be pleased with them) were deeply troubled: "Which of us has not done injustice to himself?" The Prophetﷺexplained: the "injustice" (ẓulm) referred to here is shirk (polytheism), as indicated by the verse in Luqmān: inna l-shirka la-ẓulmun ʿaẓīm — "shirk is indeed a tremendous injustice" (al-Luqmān 31:13). The Companions were relieved: the condition for amn (security) and ihtidāʾ (right guidance) is faith combined with freedom from shirk — not the impossible standard of freedom from all sin. The author adds a beautiful reflection: the true monotheist, the person of tawḥīd, orients his face toward Allāh as Ibrāhīm (upon him be peace) oriented his — turning away from stars, moon, and sun, and finding his security entirely in the One Who created them all.
وَتِلْكَ حُجَّتُنَا آتَيْنَاهَا إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَلَى قَوْمِهِ نَرْفَعُ دَرَجَاتٍ مَنْ نَشَاءُ إِنَّ رَبَّكَ حَكِيمٌ عَلِيمٌ
Wa-tilka ḥujjatunā ātaynāhā Ibrāhīma ʿalā qawmihi narfaʿu darajātin man nashāʾu inna rabbaka ḥakīmun ʿalīm.
"And that was Our argument which We gave to Ibrāhīm against his people. We raise in degrees whom We will. Indeed your Lord is Wise and Knowing." (al-Anʿām 6:83)
Translation: That was Our argument — Our conclusive proof — which We bestowed upon Ibrāhīm against his people. We elevate in rank and degree whom We will. Indeed your Lord is Wise and All-Knowing.
Commentary: The ḥujja (proof, argument) of Ibrāhīm — the reasoning from the setting of the stars, moon, and sun to the tawḥīd of Allāh — was a gift from Allāh: ātaynāhā (We gave it to him). It was not merely his own reasoning; it was divinely inspired and confirmed. Allāh raises whom He wills in spiritual degree and divine proximity (darajāt). This is the principle of divine grace in election: Allāh chose Ibrāhīm (upon him be peace) and elevated him. The author notes that this elevation extended to the descendants of Ibrāhīm — from him came Isḥāq, then Yaʿqūb (whose descendants include the Prophet ʿĪsā, upon him be peace, through Maryam's lineage) and Ismāʿīl, the forefather of the Prophet Muḥammadﷺ.
وَوَهَبْنَا لَهُ إِسْحَاقَ وَيَعْقُوبَ كُلًّا هَدَيْنَا وَنُوحًا هَدَيْنَا مِنْ قَبْلُ وَمِنْ ذُرِّيَّتِهِ دَاوُدَ وَسُلَيْمَانَ وَأَيُّوبَ وَيُوسُفَ وَمُوسَى وَهَارُونَ وَكَذَلِكَ نَجْزِي الْمُحْسِنِينَ
Wa-wahabnā lahu Isḥāqa wa-Yaʿqūba kullan hadaynā wa-Nūḥan hadaynā min qablu wa-min dhurriyyatihi Dāwūda wa-Sulaymāna wa-Ayyūba wa-Yūsufa wa-Mūsā wa-Hārūna wa-kadhālika najzī l-muḥsinīn.
"And We gave him Isḥāq and Yaʿqūb — each of them We guided — and Nūḥ We had guided before; and among his descendants, Dāwūd and Sulaymān and Ayyūb and Yūsuf and Mūsā and Hārūn. And thus do We recompense the doers of good." (al-Anʿām 6:84)
Translation: We gave Ibrāhīm Isḥāq (Isaac) and Yaʿqūb (Jacob) as gifts — all of them We guided to the right way. And before Ibrāhīm, We had guided Nūḥ (Noah). And from his descendants came Dāwūd (David), Sulaymān (Solomon), Ayyūb (Job), Yūsuf (Joseph), Mūsā (Moses), and Hārūn (Aaron). And thus do We recompense the doers of good (muḥsinīn).
Commentary: A luminous lineage of prophethood is enumerated. The word wahabnā (We gave as a gift) used for Isḥāq and Yaʿqūb indicates the gratuitous, grace-filled nature of the prophetic gift — it is not earned; it is bestowed. Each of these prophets (upon them all be peace) was guided (hadaynā) by Allāh — their guidance did not come from their own effort alone but from divine direction. Nūḥ (upon him be peace) — the first messenger of collective note after Ādam — is placed before Ibrāhīm in the enumeration, reflecting the chronological order. The principle is stated at the end: kadhālika najzī l-muḥsinīn — this is how We recompense the muḥsinūn, those who do their utmost in excellence and sincerity.
وَزَكَرِيَّا وَيَحْيَى وَعِيسَى وَإِلْيَاسَ كُلٌّ مِنَ الصَّالِحِينَ
Wa-Zakariyyā wa-Yaḥyā wa-ʿĪsā wa-Ilyāsa kullun mina l-ṣāliḥīn.
"And Zakariyyā and Yaḥyā and ʿĪsā and Ilyās — all were among the righteous." (al-Anʿām 6:85)
Translation: And Zakariyyā (Zachariah), Yaḥyā (John), ʿĪsā (Jesus), and Ilyās (Elijah) — all of them were among the righteous (ṣāliḥīn).
Commentary: Four more prophets (upon them all be peace) are named — all from the Israelite line of prophethood. Kullun mina l-ṣāliḥīn: each and every one of them was among the righteous. This is a joint testimony of Allāh to all these luminaries. The sūra has now named a great litany of prophets — from Nūḥ through to ʿĪsā — as a way of affirming the unity of the prophetic message and the single chain of divine guidance across all peoples and all ages.
وَإِسْمَاعِيلَ وَالْيَسَعَ وَيُونُسَ وَلُوطًا وَكُلًّا فَضَّلْنَا عَلَى الْعَالَمِينَ
Wa-Ismāʿīla wa-l-Yasaʿa wa-Yūnusa wa-Lūṭan wa-kullan faḍḍalnā ʿalā l-ʿālamīn.
"And Ismāʿīl and al-Yasaʿ and Yūnus and Lūṭ — and all of them We favoured above the worlds." (al-Anʿām 6:86)
Translation: And Ismāʿīl (Ishmael), al-Yasaʿ (Elisha), Yūnus (Jonah), and Lūṭ (Lot) — and all of them We gave distinction and favour above all the people of their times.
Commentary: Faḍḍalnā ʿalā l-ʿālamīn: We gave them excellence and superiority over all the people of the world. This is the collective divine testimony to the election and elevation of all the prophets (upon them all be peace) — a testimony of their extraordinary standing before Allāh, a standing that no other created being can attain. The mention of Ismāʿīl (upon him be peace) is particularly significant: he is the forefather of the Prophet Muḥammadﷺ, through whose lineage came the Seal of the Prophets.
وَمِنْ آبَائِهِمْ وَذُرِّيَّاتِهِمْ وَإِخْوَانِهِمْ وَاجْتَبَيْنَاهُمْ وَهَدَيْنَاهُمْ إِلَى صِرَاطٍ مُسْتَقِيمٍ
Wa-min ābāʾihim wa-dhurriyyātihim wa-ikhwānihim wa-jtabaynāhum wa-hadaynāhum ilā ṣirāṭin mustaqīm.
"And [We guided] some of their fathers and their descendants and their brothers — and We chose them and guided them to a straight path." (al-Anʿām 6:87)
Translation: And from among their fathers, their descendants, and their brothers — We chose them and guided them all to the straight path.
Commentary: The prophetic mission was not limited to the prophets themselves; Allāh's guidance extended to members of their families, their descendants, and their brothers in prophethood. The verb ijtabaynāhum (We chose them, We selected them) indicates divine election — this guidance is not merely the result of human effort but of divine choice and grace. The straight path (ṣirāṭ al-mustaqīm) is the common destination to which all prophets and their guided followers were directed.
ذَلِكَ هُدَى اللَّهِ يَهْدِي بِهِ مَنْ يَشَاءُ مِنْ عِبَادِهِ وَلَوْ أَشْرَكُوا لَحَبِطَ عَنْهُمْ مَا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ
Dhālika hudā llāhi yahdī bihi man yashāʾu min ʿibādihī wa-law ashrakū la-ḥabiṭa ʿanhum mā kānū yaʿmalūn.
"That is the guidance of Allāh — He guides by it whom He wills among His servants. But if they had associated partners with Him, all that they used to do would have been nullified." (al-Anʿām 6:88)
Translation: That is Allāh's guidance — He guides whom He wills among His servants by means of it. But had even these great prophets fallen into shirk, all their works would have been nullified and reduced to nothing.
Commentary: Even for the prophets — even for Ibrāhīm and Mūsā and ʿĪsā (upon them all be peace) — shirk would have nullified all their works. This is the absolute centrality of tawḥīd: it is the foundation on which all righteous deeds stand. Laḥabiṭa (from ḥubt: to be rendered null and void, to collapse and become worthless). The conditional is purely hypothetical — the prophets were preserved from shirk by divine grace (ʿiṣma). The point is the theological principle: shirk destroys everything.
أُولَئِكَ الَّذِينَ آتَيْنَاهُمُ الْكِتَابَ وَالْحُكْمَ وَالنُّبُوَّةَ فَإِنْ يَكْفُرْ بِهَا هَؤُلَاءِ فَقَدْ وَكَّلْنَا بِهَا قَوْمًا لَيْسُوا بِهَا كَافِرِينَ
Ulā'ika lladhīna ātaynāhumu l-kitāba wa-l-ḥukma wa-l-nubuwwata fa-in yakfur bihā hāʾulāʾi fa-qad wakkalnā bihā qawman laysū bihā kāfirīn.
"Those are the ones to whom We gave the Book, wisdom, and prophethood. If these people disbelieve in them, We have already entrusted them to a people who are not disbelievers." (al-Anʿām 6:89)
Translation: Those prophets are the ones to whom We gave the Book, governance and wisdom (ḥukm), and prophethood (nubuwwa). If these people — the Quraysh — reject them, We have already appointed to receive and carry this trust a people who will never reject it.
Commentary: The three gifts — al-kitāb (scripture), al-ḥukm (wisdom, legal judgment, governance), and al-nubuwwa (prophethood) — are the comprehensive triad of divine gifts to the prophets and their communities. If one community rejects the trust of this guidance, Allāh does not leave the guidance without bearers — He entrusts it to another people who will not reject it. This is a reassurance to the Prophetﷺand a warning to the deniers: the message of Allāh cannot be extinguished; it will find its people.
أُولَئِكَ الَّذِينَ هَدَى اللَّهُ فَبِهُدَاهُمُ اقْتَدِهِ قُلْ لَا أَسْأَلُكُمْ عَلَيْهِ أَجْرًا إِنْ هُوَ إِلَّا ذِكْرَى لِلْعَالَمِينَ
Ulā'ika lladhīna hadā llāhu fa-bi-hudāhumu qtadih qul lā as'alukum ʿalayhi ajran in huwa illā dhikrā li-l-ʿālamīn.
"Those are the ones Allāh has guided, so follow their guidance. Say: 'I ask of you no reward for it — it is only a reminder for all the worlds.'" (al-Anʿām 6:90)
Translation: Those are the ones Allāh has guided — so follow their guidance, O Prophet. Say to your people: "I ask no recompense from you for this — it is nothing but a reminder and admonition for all the worlds."
Commentary: The Prophet Muḥammadﷺis commanded to follow the guidance of all the prophets who came before him — not the specifics of their individual laws, which differ, but the common essence of their guidance: tawḥīd, sincerity, patience, submission to Allāh. Fa-bi-hudāhumu qtadih — follow their example, walk in their way. The declaration that follows — "I ask no reward from you" — is characteristic of all the prophets; it appears on the lips of many of them in the Qurʾān. The message is purely for Allāh's sake and for the benefit of humanity. Dhikrā li-l-ʿālamīn: a reminder and admonition for all the worlds — the Qurʾān is not for one nation or one era but for all of humanity in all times.
وَمَا قَدَرُوا اللَّهَ حَقَّ قَدْرِهِ إِذْ قَالُوا مَا أَنزَلَ اللَّهُ عَلَى بَشَرٍ مِنْ شَيْءٍ قُلْ مَنْ أَنزَلَ الْكِتَابَ الَّذِي جَاءَ بِهِ مُوسَى نُورًا وَهُدًى لِلنَّاسِ تَجْعَلُونَهُ قَرَاطِيسَ تُبْدُونَهَا وَتُخْفُونَ كَثِيرًا وَعُلِّمْتُمْ مَا لَمْ تَعْلَمُوا أَنتُمْ وَلَا آبَاؤُكُمْ قُلِ اللَّهُ ثُمَّ ذَرْهُمْ فِي خَوْضِهِمْ يَلْعَبُونَ
Wa-mā qadarū llāha ḥaqqa qadrihi idh qālū mā anzala llāhu ʿalā basharin min shay'in qul man anzala l-kitāba lladhī jāʾa bihi Mūsā nūran wa-hudan li-l-nāsi tajʿalūnahu qarāṭīsa tubdūnahā wa-tukhfūna kathīran wa-ʿullimtum mā lam taʿlamū antum wa-lā ābāʾukum quli llāhu thumma dharhum fī khawḍihim yalʿabūn.
"They did not appraise Allāh with true appraisal when they said: 'Allāh has not sent down anything to any human being.' Say: 'Who sent down the Book which Mūsā brought as a light and guidance forthe people? You make it into sheets of paper, disclosing some and concealing much. And you were taught what neither you nor your forefathers knew.' Say: 'Allāh.' Then leave them in their vain discourse, playing.'" (al-Anʿām 6:91)
Translation: They did not honour Allāh as He deserves to be honoured when they said: "Allāh has sent down nothing whatsoever to any human being." Say to them: "Who then sent down the Book that Mūsā brought — a light and guidance for people? You have turned it into scattered sheets of paper, displaying some parts and hiding a great deal. And you were taught through it things that neither you nor your forefathers knew." Then say: "Allāh" — Allāh alone sent it down. Then leave them to wade and play in their empty disputation.
Commentary: Wa-mā qadarū llāha ḥaqqa qadrihi — "They did not appraise Allāh with true appraisal." This devastating phrase, which will recur in the Qurʾān, means: they did not grant Allāh the recognition, reverence, and acknowledgment that is His due. The specific denial that prompted it was the claim — attributed here to certain Jews who said this to the pagan Arabs to flatter them — that Allāh has not sent revelation to any human being. This is the ultimate insult to divine wisdom and compassion: to deny that Allāh would speak to His creation, guide them, and send them messengers. The rhetorical counter is swift and devastating: "Who sent down the Book that Mūsā brought?" — a question they cannot answer without self-refutation, for they revered the Torah. Qarāṭīs (pl. of qirṭās): sheets, scrolls, parchments — they had cut the Torah into separate fragments, producing some when convenient and hiding others. Wa-ʿullimtum mā lam taʿlamū: through this very revelation you were given knowledge that neither you nor your ancestors possessed — the knowledge of prophethood, of divine law, of the unseen. After this unanswerable argument the Prophetﷺis instructed simply to say: "Allāh" — let the name of God be the final word — and then to leave them in their khawḍ (plunging, wading) — the image is of people who have plunged headlong into falsehood as into water and are splashing about, heedless and self-amused.
وَهَذَا كِتَابٌ أَنزَلْنَاهُ مُبَارَكٌ مُصَدِّقُ الَّذِي بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ وَلِتُنذِرَ أُمَّ الْقُرَى وَمَنْ حَوْلَهَا وَالَّذِينَ يُؤْمِنُونَ بِالْآخِرَةِ يُؤْمِنُونَ بِهِ وَهُمْ عَلَى صَلَاتِهِمْ يُحَافِظُونَ
Wa-hādhā kitābun anzalnāhu mubārakun muṣaddiqul-ladhī bayna yadayhi wa-li-tundhira ummal-qurā wa-man ḥawlahā wa-lladhīna yuʾminūna bil-ākhirati yuʾminūna bihi wa-hum ʿalā ṣalātihim yuḥāfiẓūn.
"And this is a Book We have sent down, blessed, confirming what came before it, so that you may warn the Mother of Cities and those around it. Those who believe in the Hereafter believe in it, and they are ever watchful over their prayers." (al-Anʿām 6:92)
Translation: And this Qurʾān is a blessed Book that We have sent down — confirming the scriptures that came before it — so that you, O Messenger, may warn the Mother of Cities and all those around her. Those who truly believe in the Hereafter believe in this Book, and they are diligent in guarding their prayers.
Commentary: Mubārak: blessed, full of barakah — meaning it contains inexhaustible spiritual benefit, guidance that does not diminish with repetition, healing for hearts, and reward for the one who recites it, reflects on it, and acts by it. Muṣaddiq al-ladhī bayna yadayhi: it confirms the scriptures that preceded it — the Torah, the Psalms (Zabūr), and the Gospel (Injīl) — in their essential truths: tawḥīd, prophethood, moral law, the Hereafter. It does not abrogate their reality; it is their ultimate fulfilment and their guardian (muhaymin). Umm al-qurā: "Mother of Cities" — Mecca, the most noble of all cities on earth, the place of the Sacred House (al-Bayt al-Ḥarām) and the direction of prayer (qibla) for all believers. The warning goes out first to Mecca and then to all surrounding regions — and by extension, since the Qurʾān is for all of humanity, to the entire world. The verse closes by linking genuine belief in the Hereafter with belief in the Qurʾān and with the preservation of prayer. This threefold bond — faith in the next life, faith in the Qurʾān, and guarding the prayer — is the hallmark of the true believer. Yuḥāfiẓūna: they guard their prayers, protect them, perform them on time, with presence of heart — not allowing the pressures of the world to make them neglect that which is most essential.
وَمَنْ أَظْلَمُ مِمَّنِ افْتَرَى عَلَى اللَّهِ كَذِبًا أَوْ قَالَ أُوحِيَ إِلَيَّ وَلَمْ يُوحَ إِلَيْهِ شَيْءٌ وَمَن قَالَ سَأُنزِلُ مِثْلَ مَا أَنزَلَ اللَّهُ وَلَوْ تَرَى إِذِ الظَّالِمُونَ فِي غَمَرَاتِ الْمَوْتِ وَالْمَلَائِكَةُ بَاسِطُو أَيْدِيهِمْ أَخْرِجُوا أَنفُسَكُمُ الْيَوْمَ تُجْزَوْنَ عَذَابَ الْهُونِ بِمَا كُنتُمْ تَقُولُونَ عَلَى اللَّهِ غَيْرَ الْحَقِّ وَكُنتُمْ عَنْ آيَاتِهِ تَسْتَكْبِرُونَ
Wa-man aẓlamu mimman iftarā ʿalā llāhi kadhiban aw qāla ūḥiya ilayya wa-lam yūḥa ilayhi shayʾun wa-man qāla sa-unzilu mithla mā anzala llāhu wa-law tarā idhi l-ẓālimūna fī ghamarāti l-mawti wa-l-malāʾikatu bāsiṭū aydīhim akhrijū anfusakumu l-yawma tujzawna ʿadhāba l-hūni bi-mā kuntum taqūlūna ʿalā llāhi ghayra l-ḥaqqi wa-kuntum ʿan āyātihi tastakbirūn.
"And who is more unjust than one who fabricates a lie against Allāh, or says: 'Revelation has come to me,' while nothing has been revealed to him — or who says: 'I shall produce the like of what Allāh has sent down'? If only you could see when the wrongdoers are in the agonies of death and the angels stretch forth their hands: 'Give up your souls! Today you are recompensed with the punishment of humiliation because of what you used to say against Allāh other than the truth, and because you were too proud to accept His signs.'" (al-Anʿām 6:93)
Translation: And who is more unjust than the one who fabricates a lie against Allāh — or who says, "I have received revelation," when nothing has been revealed to him — or who says, "I too shall produce something like what Allāh has sent down"? If only you could see the wrongdoers at the moment of death, in its agonies and terrors, while the angels stretch out their hands saying: "Yield up your souls now! Today you will be repaid with the punishment of degradation and disgrace — because you used to speak against Allāh what was not true, and because you were too arrogant to accept His signs."
Commentary: Three categories of supreme injustice are gathered in this verse. The first: one who fabricates a lie against Allāh — attributing to Him partners, sons, daughters, or statements He never made. The second — and perhaps most specifically targeted — is one who claims prophethood falsely, saying "revelation came to me" when nothing of the sort occurred. This is the gravest of crimes against Allāh, against truth, and against humanity. Such persons appeared even in the Prophet'sﷺown time — the most notorious being Musaylima al-Kadhdhāb (the Liar). The third is one who boasts of matching the Qurʾān — several of the Quraysh made such claims, and the Qurʾān issues its eternal challenge (taḥaddī) elsewhere that they cannot produce even a single sūra like it. Then the scene pivots to the Hereafter — or rather to the moment just before it, the moment of death (sakarāt al-mawt). Ghamarāt al-mawt: the overwhelming waves of death, its drowning agonies — ghamra is the immersion of something in deep water from which it cannot escape. The angels stretch out their hands (bāsiṭū aydīhim): the classical commentators note this means the angels of death extending their hands to seize the souls of the wrongdoers, extracting them with force and pain from bodies that clung to the world and refused to surrender to the truth. Akhrijū anfusakum: "Give up your souls" — a command of terrible severity. ʿAdhāb al-hūn: the punishment of humiliation — hūn means utter degradation and dishonour — the precise inversion of the arrogance (istikbār) by which they had rejected the signs of Allāh in this world.
The verse continues, describing the blessed Book that confirms the scriptures before it:
وَهَٰذَا كِتَابٌ أَنْزَلْنَاهُ مُبَارَكٌ مُصَدِّقُ الَّذِي بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ وَلِتُنْذِرَ أُمَّ الْقُرَىٰ وَمَنْ حَوْلَهَا ۚ وَالَّذِينَ يُؤْمِنُونَ بِالْآخِرَةِ يُؤْمِنُونَ بِهِ ۖ وَهُمْ عَلَىٰ صَلَاتِهِمْ يُحَافِظُونَ
Wa-hādhā kitābun anzalnāhu mubārakun muṣaddiqu alladhī bayna yadayhi wa-li-tundhira Umma al-Qurā wa-man ḥawlahā; wa-alladhīna yuʾminūna bi-l-ākhirati yuʾminūna bihi, wa-hum ʿalā ṣalātihim yuḥāfiẓūn.
"And this is a blessed Book which We have sent down, confirming what came before it, and that you may warn the Mother of Cities (Makka) and those around it. And those who believe in the Hereafter believe in it, and they are constant in guarding their prayer." (al-Anʿām 6:92)
The phrase muṣaddiqu alladhī bayna yadayhi — "confirming what is before it" — means that the Qurʾān confirms all the earlier heavenly Books; it ratifies their truth, contains no contradiction in matters of creed (ʿaqāʾid), and incorporates whatever rulings remain of permanent benefit for all ages while setting aside what was harmful or time-bound. Umm al-Qurā ("the Mother of Cities") is Makka the Ennobled, and man ḥawlahā are the peoples dwelling around it — the warning being directed first to the people of that environment, since proximity established the strongest claim upon them. Wa-alladhīna yuʾminūna bi-l-ākhira — those who truly believe in the Hereafter, knowing they must render an account before Allāh, are precisely those who believe in this Book; and such people guard their prayers, observing the ṣalāt and performing it at its appointed times.
Translation: This is a blessed Book which We have sent down, confirming the Books that came before it — sent so that you may warn the people of the Mother of Cities and those around it (against all that brings ruin). And those who believe in the Hereafter believe in this Qurʾān, and it is they who are constant in their prayer (none being negligent of the ṣalāt).
The preceding verse (6:93) continues across pages 158 and 159 of the source; its full translation and commentary are rendered above.
وَلَقَدْ جِئْتُمُونَا فُرَادَى كَمَا خَلَقْنَاكُمْ أَوَّلَ مَرَّةٍ وَتَرَكْتُمْ مَا خَوَّلْنَاكُمْ وَرَاءَ ظُهُورِكُمْ وَمَا نَرَى مَعَكُمْ شُفَعَاءَكُمُ الَّذِينَ زَعَمْتُمْ أَنَّهُمْ فِيكُمْ شُرَكَاءُ لَقَدْ تَقَطَّعَ بَيْنَكُمْ وَضَلَّ عَنكُم مَّا كُنتُمْ تَزْعُمُونَ
Wa-laqad jiʾtumūnā furādā kamā khalaqnākum awwala marratin wa-taraktum mā khawwalnākum warāʾa ẓuhūrikum wa-mā narā maʿakum shufahāʾakumu lladhīna zaʿamtum annahum fīkum shurakāʾu laqad taqaṭṭaʿa baynakum wa-ḍalla ʿankum mā kuntum tazʿumūn.
"And you have come to Us alone, just as We created you the first time, leaving behind you everything We bestowed upon you. And We do not see with you your intercessors — those whom you claimed were partners in your affairs. The bond between you has been cut, and what you used to claim has vanished from you." (al-Anʿām 6:94)
Translation: "And now you have come before Us alone — just as We created you the first time — leaving behind your backs everything We had granted you of wealth, power, and possessions. We do not see with you those intercessors of yours whom you claimed were partners in your affairs. Indeed the bond between you has been severed, and all that you used to claim has now slipped away from you."
Commentary: This is among the most arresting verses in the Qurʾān — a speech directed to the disbelievers at the moment of their standing before Allāh on the Day of Resurrection, or as some commentators hold, spoken to them at the moment of death, in the very agonies of the previous verse. Furādā: alone, singular, solitary — stripped of every companionship, possession, and pretension. This is the great leveller: the king and the pauper arrive with the same nothingness. Kamā khalaqnākum awwala marra: exactly as We created you the first time — without wealth, without rank, without bodyguard, without tribe. Mā khawwalnākum: all that We had temporarily entrusted to you (takhwīl implies a grant held in trust, not an outright gift) — wealth, status, worldly honour — you left it all behind your backs, having no power to carry any of it. Shufahāʾakum alladhīna zaʿamtum: where now are those intercessors — the idols, the false deities — whom you claimed would intercede for you and share in the divine governance of your affairs? Laqad taqaṭṭaʿa baynakum: the ties between you are utterly severed — the bond between the worshipper and the worshipped idol, between the follower and the false guide, between the patron and the client in worldly corruption — all of it cut, dissolved, annihilated. Wa-ḍalla ʿankum mā kuntum tazʿumūn: and everything you used to claim — your claims of divine partnership, of intercession, of worldly power — has gone astray, has vanished, has been proven to be nothing but illusion.
The author — Ḥasrat Ṣiddīqī (may Allāh have mercy on him) — closes this page with a moving admonition directed to his own contemporaries: how many in every age have placed their hopes in false supports — in persons who were claimed to have supernatural powers, in worldly patrons, in invented ranks and hollow titles. The fate described in this verse is their fate too, unless they return to pure tawḥīd and sincere reliance upon Allāh alone. All that is not Allāh is borrowed; all that is borrowed is returned. On that Day, only the one who came to Allāh with a sound heart (qalb salīm) shall find benefit.
Wa-li-llāhi l-ḥamdu awwalan wa-ākhiran.
Sūrat al-Anʿām (6) — continued
إِنَّ اللَّهَ فَالِقُ الْحَبِّ وَالنَّوَىٰ يُخْرِجُ الْحَيَّ مِنَ الْمَيِّتِ وَمُخْرِجُ الْمَيِّتِ مِنَ الْحَيِّ ذَٰلِكُمُ اللَّهُ فَأَنَّىٰ تُؤْفَكُونَ
Inna Allāha fāliqu al-ḥabbi wa-al-nawā yukhrijū al-ḥayya min al-mayyiti wa-mukhrijū al-mayyiti min al-ḥayyi dhālikumu Allāhu fa-annā tuʾfakūn.
"Indeed, Allāh is the Splitter of grain and date-stones. He brings the living out of the dead and brings the dead out of the living. That is Allāh — so how are you deluded?" (al-Anʿām 6:95)
Translation: Indeed Allāh is the Splitter of the grain and the seed-stone — He brings the living forth from the dead and the dead from the living. Such is Allāh: how then are you turned away (from the truth, how can you be deceived)?
Commentary: The word fāliq means "the One who cleaves and splits open." When a grain or date-stone lies buried in the earth, Allāh's power causes it to burst open from within and send up living growth. This is fāliq al-ḥabb wa-al-nawā — the Splitter of grain and seed-stones. Al-ḥayy (the living) from al-mayyit (the dead) refers, for example, to a chick emerging from an egg, or life being brought forth from lifeless matter. Conversely, al-mayyit from al-ḥayy means the dead from the living — the great scholars have marvelled at this miracle. From inanimate matter He brings the believer; from believers there emerge unbelievers too — He creates both according to their predisposition. Dhālikumu Allāh — "That is Allāh, O people" — He who possesses such power: cleaving the seed, splitting the stone, causing growth, giving life to the dead. How then, fa-annā tuʾfakūn — how are you turned away, deluded, and misled?
فَالِقُ الْإِصْبَاحِ وَجَعَلَ اللَّيْلَ سَكَنًا وَالشَّمْسَ وَالْقَمَرَ حُسْبَانًا ذَٰلِكَ تَقْدِيرُ الْعَزِيزِ الْعَلِيمِ
Fāliqu al-iṣbāḥi wa-jaʿala al-layla sakanan wa-al-shamsa wa-al-qamara ḥusbānan dhālika taqdir al-ʿazīzi al-ʿalīm.
"[He is] the Cleaver of the daybreak and has made the night for rest and the sun and moon for calculation. That is the determination of the Exalted in Might, the Knowing." (al-Anʿām 6:96)
Translation: He is the Cleaver of the dawn — He tears the darkness apart so that light emerges. And He has made the night a cover and a rest, and the sun and moon a means of reckoning. That is the determination of the All-Mighty, the All-Knowing.
Commentary: Fāliqu al-iṣbāḥ — He splits the darkness with the light of morning, as one splits a garment. The night He has made sakan — tranquillity, cover, and repose for living creatures. The sun and moon He has made ḥusbān — an instrument of reckoning, a celestial calendar by which times, seasons, and appointments are calculated. Can the sun stop for even a minute? Can the moon do otherwise? All are in the power of Allāh. Every small creature and every great one — all are at His command. Dhālika taqdir al-ʿazīz al-ʿalīm — this is the determination of the All-Mighty, the All-Knowing. His decree and measure are never altered; none can overturn or reverse what He has decreed.
وَهُوَ الَّذِي جَعَلَ لَكُمُ النُّجُومَ لِتَهْتَدُوا بِهَا فِي ظُلُمَاتِ الْبَرِّ وَالْبَحْرِ قَدْ فَصَّلْنَا الْآيَاتِ لِقَوْمٍ يَعْلَمُونَ
Wa-huwa alladhī jaʿala lakumu al-nujūma li-tahtadū bihā fī ẓulumāti al-barri wa-al-baḥri qad faṣṣalnā al-āyāti li-qawmin yaʿlamūn.
"And it is He who placed for you the stars that you may be guided by them through the darknesses of the land and sea. We have detailed the signs for a people who know." (al-Anʿām 6:97)
Translation: And He it is who placed the stars for you so that you might find guidance by them through the darkness of land and sea. (And so that you may know the directions and take the right path.) We have set out Our signs in detail for a people who possess knowledge.
Commentary: Allāh, the Most High, created the stars and set them in the heavens so that travellers on land and at sea might navigate by them in darkness. Every star has its appointed course; every constellation indicates its direction. We have explained and expounded Our signs in detail — qad faṣṣalnā al-āyāt — so that they may be clear, so that the truth may stand established, for a people who think and understand.
وَهُوَ الَّذِي أَنشَأَكُم مِّن نَّفْسٍ وَاحِدَةٍ فَمُسْتَقَرٌّ وَمُسْتَوْدَعٌ قَدْ فَصَّلْنَا الْآيَاتِ لِقَوْمٍ يَفْقَهُونَ
Wa-huwa alladhī anshaʾakum min nafsin wāḥidatin fa-mustaqarrun wa-mustawdaʿun qad faṣṣalnā al-āyāti li-qawmin yafqahūn.
"And it is He who produced you from one soul and [gave you] a place of dwelling and of storage. We have detailed the signs for a people who understand." (al-Anʿām 6:98)
Translation: And He it is who created you from one single soul — and gave you a place of settlement (in the world of the living) and a place of deposit (in the loins of fathers and the wombs of mothers, in the grave and in the Resurrection). We have set out Our signs in detail clearly for a people who reflect and understand.
Commentary: The question arises: what is meant by nafsin wāḥidah (one single soul)? According to most commentators, the reference is to Ādam (upon him be peace). Others say it refers to the spirit (rūḥ) as a single primordial reality. Some hold that the verse yuḥadhdhirukumu Allāhu nafsah ("Allāh warns you of Himself") hints at another meaning. The Maturīdī scholars have taken the broad view: the Qurʾān permits several senses simultaneously, and the scholars of the traditional sciences have made use of all of them in accordance with the authoritative transmitted reports. Those who study the speech of Allāh earnestly, who follow the transmitted reports (akhbārī) as well as the rational path, will find each in its proper place.
Mustaqarr means the fixed place of settlement — the living body in this world; mustawdaʿ refers to the place of deposit — the loins of ancestors before birth, the womb, and the grave after death. We have expounded Our signs in detail, clearly and explicitly, for a people who think, reflect, and understand.
وَهُوَ الَّذِي أَنزَلَ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ مَاءً فَأَخْرَجْنَا بِهِ نَبَاتَ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ فَأَخْرَجْنَا مِنْهُ خَضِرًا نُّخْرِجُ مِنْهُ حَبًّا مُّتَرَاكِبًا وَمِنَ النَّخْلِ مِن طَلْعِهَا قِنْوَانٌ دَانِيَةٌ وَجَنَّاتٍ مِّنْ أَعْنَابٍ وَالزَّيْتُونَ وَالرُّمَّانَ مُشْتَبِهًا وَغَيْرَ مُشْتَبِهٍ انظُرُوا إِلَىٰ ثَمَرِهِ إِذَا أَثْمَرَ وَيَنْعِهِ إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكُمْ لَآيَاتٍ لِّقَوْمٍ يُؤْمِنُونَ
Wa-huwa alladhī anzala min al-samāʾi māʾan fa-akhrajnā bihi nabāta kulli shayʾin fa-akhrajnā minhu khaḍiran nukhriju minhu ḥabban mutarākiban wa-min al-nakhli min ṭalʿihā qinwānun dāniyatun wa-jannātin min aʿnābin wa-al-zaytūna wa-al-rummāna mushtabihan wa-ghayra mushtabihin unẓurū ilā thamarihi idhā athmara wa-yanʿihi inna fī dhālikum la-āyātin li-qawmin yuʾminūn.
"And it is He who sends down rain from the sky, and We produce thereby the growth of all things. We produce from it greenery from which We produce grain arranged in layers. And from the palm trees — from its emerging fruit — are clusters hanging low. And [We produce] gardens of grapevines and olives and pomegranates, similar yet varied. Look at [each of] its fruits when it yields and [at] its ripening. Indeed in that are signs for a people who believe." (al-Anʿām 6:99)
Translation: And He it is who sent down water from the sky (by means of clouds), and We brought forth thereby the plants of every kind — every rooted thing, every herb, every tree. Then from the green growth We brought out grain — grain piled layer upon layer. And from the palm tree, from its blossom-sheath, hanging clusters low and near. And gardens of grapevines, olive trees and pomegranate trees — some alike in appearance and some different — differing in size and ripeness. Look at the fruit of each when it fruits, and look at its ripening! Indeed in all of that are signs for a people who believe.
Commentary: Allāh, Most High, caused water to descend from the sky, and by it We produced the vegetation of every kind — roots, herbs, trees. From green growth (khaḍir) We extract grain stacked in tiers, one atop another. From the palm tree, from its ṭalʿ (the emerging bud, the spathes), hang qinwān dāniyah — clusters easily within reach. And gardens of grapes; and olive trees and pomegranate trees, some similar in appearance yet different in taste, colour, and size. The author draws attention: look at the fruit when it first appears, and then at its ripening — how the same plant, from the same root, nourished by the same water, produces fruits of such varied forms. Can any power other than Allāh do this? Certainly not. Indeed in all of this are signs — āyāt — for a people who believe; for those in whose hearts faith (īmān) resides.
وَجَعَلُوا لِلَّهِ شُرَكَاءَ الْجِنَّ وَخَلَقَهُمْ وَخَرَقُوا لَهُ بَنِينَ وَبَنَاتٍ بِغَيْرِ عِلْمٍ سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَىٰ عَمَّا يَصِفُونَ
Wa-jaʿalū li-Llāhi shurakāʾa al-jinna wa-khalaqahum wa-kharaqū lahu banīna wa-banātin bi-ghayri ʿilmin subḥānahu wa-taʿālā ʿammā yaṣifūn.
"And they have attributed to Allāh partners — the jinn — while He created them, and they have fabricated for Him sons and daughters without knowledge. Exalted is He and high above what they describe." (al-Anʿām 6:100)
Translation: And they (those ignorant ones) appointed the jinn as partners of Allāh, even though all jinn are His servants and creatures. And they fabricated (kharaqū) for Him sons and daughters — lying assertions, groundless falsehoods. Exalted is Allāh, High and Transcendent above what they describe (they do not know Him; their claims are void).
Commentary: Wa-jaʿalū lillāhi shurakāʾa al-jinn — they appointed the jinn as partners in divinity alongside Allāh, even though Allāh created all jinn and they are entirely His creatures. Wa-kharaqū lahu banīna wa-banātat — they invented and fabricated sons and daughters for Allāh. Kharaqū in Arabic means to tear, to pierce — here meaning to forge and fabricate without any basis. Subḥānahu wa-taʿālā — Glorified is He, Transcendent and Supremely Exalted above all that they attribute to Him! His greatness and majesty are infinitely beyond these calumnies.
بَدِيعُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ أَنَّىٰ يَكُونُ لَهُ وَلَدٌ وَلَمْ تَكُن لَّهُ صَاحِبَةٌ وَخَلَقَ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ وَهُوَ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ عَلِيمٌ
Badīʿu al-samāwāti wa-al-arḍi annā yakūnu lahu waladun wa-lam takun lahu ṣāḥibatun wa-khalaqa kulla shayʾin wa-huwa bi-kulli shayʾin ʿalīm.
"[He is the] Originator of the heavens and the earth. How could He have a son when He has no companion and He created all things? And He is, of all things, Knowing." (al-Anʿām 6:101)
Translation: The Originator of the heavens and the earth — the One who brought them into being without any prior model or precedent. How could He have a child? He has no consort, no companion. And He created every single thing. He is All-Knowing of everything.
Commentary: Badīʿ signifies the Creator who brings into being from nothing, without model, pattern, or precedent. Ibdāʿ is to bring into existence something utterly new. How can He have a child (walad)? There is no consort, no companion. The existence of Allāh is wujūd bi-al-dhāt — existence by virtue of His own essence. Everything else exists bi-al-ʿaraḍ — contingently, in dependence on Him. Between wujūd bi-al-dhāt and wujūd bi-al-ʿaraḍ there is no compatibility whatsoever. And He created all things. Furthermore, for offspring to come into being there must be a natural requirement, a need, a desire for one's name to continue, or a need for assistance — none of this applies to Allāh, who is free of all need. And He is All-Knowing of everything.
ذَٰلِكُمُ اللَّهُ رَبُّكُمْ لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ خَالِقُ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ فَاعْبُدُوهُ وَهُوَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ وَكِيلٌ
Dhālikumu Allāhu rabbukum lā ilāha illā huwa khāliqu kulli shayʾin fa-ʿbudūhu wa-huwa ʿalā kulli shayʾin wakīl.
"That is Allāh, your Lord; there is no deity except Him, the Creator of all things, so worship Him. And He is, over all things, Disposer of affairs." (al-Anʿām 6:102)
Translation: Such is Allāh, your Lord. There is no god worthy of worship but He. He is the Creator of all things — therefore worship Him alone. And He is the Wakīl (Disposer and Caretaker) over all things.
Commentary: Dhālikumu Allāhu rabbukum — the One who possesses all these attributes of power and knowledge, who creates and sustains — that is Allāh, your Lord. Lā ilāha illā huwa — He alone is truly worshipped, for the right to be worshipped belongs to the One whose existence is bi-al-dhāt. Everything apart from Allāh whose existence is contingent upon Him cannot truly be an object of worship. Khāliqu kulli shayʾ — the Creator of everything. No one other than Allāh can create even a single thing — not the tiniest particle. Fa-ʿbudūhu — therefore worship Him; dedicate your humility and servitude to Him alone, for worship (ʿibāda) is the name for complete self-abasement before the One who exists bi-al-ʿaraḍ (meaning the creature, in its absolute dependence, turns wholly to the Creator). When there is only one worthy of worship, one Creator, one Lord — let the worship of all be directed to Him alone. Wa-huwa ʿalā kulli shayʾin wakīl — He is the Caretaker, the Disposer, the Guardian over all things.
لَّا تُدْرِكُهُ الْأَبْصَارُ وَهُوَ يُدْرِكُ الْأَبْصَارَ وَهُوَ اللَّطِيفُ الْخَبِيرُ
Lā tudrikuhu al-abṣāru wa-huwa yudriku al-abṣāra wa-huwa al-laṭīfu al-khabīr.
"Vision perceives Him not, but He perceives [all] vision; and He is the Subtle, the Acquainted." (al-Anʿām 6:103)
Translation: Vision cannot encompass or fully perceive Him, whereas He perceives and comprehends all vision. And He is the Subtle — penetrating, gentle, all-aware — the Fully Acquainted.
Commentary: Al-abṣār (pl. of baṣar) denotes sight and vision. No created sight can attain full comprehension or encirclement of Allāh, Most High. Yet He perceives and encompasses all vision and all sight. Al-laṭīf — He is subtle and fine, compassionate and nurturing, reaching the most hidden and minute realities (none can evade His perception). Al-khabīr — all-acquainted, fully informed, the Knowing.
Now, respected readers, this verse indicates that sight (abṣār) cannot attain comprehension (idrāk) and encirclement (iḥāṭa) of Allāh in this world. Yet another verse states:﴿وُجُوهٌ يَوْمَئِذٍ نَاضِرَةٌ إِلَىٰ رَبِّهَا نَاظِرَةٌ﴾— "Some faces on that Day will be radiant, looking at their Lord" (al-Qiyāmah 75:22–23). And another:﴿كَلَّا إِنَّهُمْ عَن رَّبِّهِمْ يَوْمَئِذٍ لَّمَحْجُوبُونَ﴾— "No! Indeed they will that Day be veiled from their Lord" (al-Muṭaffifīn 83:15) — meaning the disbelievers will be veiled. The Prophet Mūsā (upon him be peace) prayed: Rabbi arinī anẓur ilayk — "My Lord, show me [Yourself] that I may look at You" (al-Aʿrāf 7:143). There are several answers to reconcile these verses: (1) Al-abṣār in this verse refers to the sight of this world; (2) idrāk and iḥāṭa (comprehension and encirclement) are distinct from ruʾya and dīdār (seeing and beholding) — the impossibility of full comprehension does not negate the possibility of seeing; (3) The majesty and transcendent reality of Allāh, Most High, is beyond the capacity of created faculties to fully grasp; yet within the grace of tashbīh and takhyīl (divine condescension and imaginal manifestation), vision and beholding (dīdār) can occur. The aḥādīth indicate clearly that on the Day of Resurrection the vision of Allāh will be granted. There is no barrier to it — may Allāh grant us that grace. Whosoever desires deeper knowledge of this matter in the sciences of taṣawwuf should consult ʿAwāmir al-Islāmiyya — God willing, on the Day of Resurrection the honour of vision (dīdār) will be granted, by the grace of Allāh. Wa-al-ḥamdu lillāh.
قَدْ جَاءَكُم بَصَائِرُ مِن رَّبِّكُمْ فَمَن أَبْصَرَ فَلِنَفْسِهِ وَمَنْ عَمِيَ فَعَلَيْهَا وَمَا أَنَا عَلَيْكُم بِحَفِيظٍ
Qad jāʾakum baṣāʾiru min rabbikum fa-man abṣara fa-li-nafsihi wa-man ʿamiya fa-ʿalayhā wa-mā anā ʿalaykum bi-ḥafīẓ.
"There have come to you enlightenments from your Lord. So whoever will see does so for [the benefit of] his soul, and whoever is blind [does harm] against it. And [say], 'I am not a keeper over you.'" (al-Anʿām 6:104)
Translation: Indeed, from your Lord there have come to you baṣāʾir — illuminating insights, proofs and evidences. Whoever sees with this light and acts upon it, the benefit is his own. Whoever is spiritually blind — who neither reflects nor understands — his loss is upon himself, his punishment falls upon him. And I am not your guardian or keeper; I am not set over you to compel you.
Commentary: Baṣāʾir (pl. of baṣīra) — enlightenments, illuminating insights, inner proofs. These have come from your Lord — they are not from the Prophetﷺ's own devising; they are from Allāh. Whoever sees with this light, the benefit returns to himself. Whoever remains blind — who does not reflect, who does not understand — the loss is upon himself, the consequence falls upon him. Wa-mā anā ʿalaykum bi-ḥafīẓ — "I am not a guardian over you"; I am not a warden set to compel your hearts toward the straight path. My duty is to convey and make plain.
وَكَذَٰلِكَ نُصَرِّفُ الْآيَاتِ وَلِيَقُولُوا دَرَسْتَ وَلِنُبَيِّنَهُ لِقَوْمٍ يَعْلَمُونَ
Wa-kadhālika nuṣarrifu al-āyāti wa-li-yaqūlū darasta wa-li-nubayyinahu li-qawmin yaʿlamūn.
"And thus We diversify the verses that they might say, 'You have studied,' and so that We may make it clear for a people who know." (al-Anʿām 6:105)
Translation: And in this way We turn Our signs and verses in different directions, explaining them in varied ways — so that they may come to full understanding, so that the argument (ḥujja) against them may be established. And they say "you have learned it from others" — meaning that the obligation of conveying has been fulfilled, the duty of clarifying has been done. We explain the signs in diverse ways for a people who know and understand.
Commentary: Nuṣarrifu al-āyāt — We turn the signs in various directions, setting them out in multiple ways, so that the truth may fully penetrate. Wa-li-yaqūlū darasta — "and so that they say: you have studied it" — meaning the obligation of conveying is now fulfilled; you have taught what was to be taught; you have performed your duty of guidance. Yet We explained them diversely so that the message reaches those who are of knowledge and discernment. Now follows a rebuking of those ignorant ones who persist in denial:
اتَّبِعْ مَا أُوحِيَ إِلَيْكَ مِن رَّبِّكَ لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ وَأَعْرِضْ عَنِ الْمُشْرِكِينَ
Ittabiʿ mā ūḥiya ilayka min rabbika lā ilāha illā huwa wa-aʿriḍ ʿan al-mushrikīn.
"Follow what has been revealed to you from your Lord — there is no deity except Him — and turn away from those who associate others with Allāh." (al-Anʿām 6:106)
Translation: Follow what has been revealed to you from your Lord — that alone is what has been made obligatory for you, nothing besides it is obligatory in worship. And turn away from the polytheists.
Commentary: Ittabiʿ mā ūḥiya ilayka — follow the revelation that has come to you from your Lord. That is the sole and clear way. Lā ilāha illā huwa — there is no god worthy of worship but He. Wa-aʿriḍ ʿan al-mushrikīn — and turn away from the polytheists: do not argue fruitlessly with those who lack the capacity to receive truth; those in whom no capability for faith has arisen, with whom disputation yields nothing. Their turning away is in their very nature, so leave them.
وَلَوْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ مَا أَشْرَكُوا وَمَا جَعَلْنَاكَ عَلَيْهِمْ حَفِيظًا وَمَا أَنتَ عَلَيْهِمْ بِوَكِيلٍ
Wa-law shāʾa Allāhu mā ashrakū wa-mā jaʿalnāka ʿalayhim ḥafīẓan wa-mā anta ʿalayhim bi-wakīl.
"But if Allāh had willed, they would not have associated. And We have not appointed you over them as a guardian, nor are you a manager over them." (al-Anʿām 6:107)
Translation: (They lack all capacity for faith,) and had Allāh willed, they would not have committed shirk — but your task is conveying (tablīgh), you have fulfilled it. We have not made you a guardian over them to prevent shirk by force, nor are you their disposer or guardian (to be held accountable for them).
Commentary: Wa-law shāʾa Allāhu mā ashrakū — Allāh's wisdom and His all-encompassing will govern all affairs. Had Allāh willed, He could have prevented their shirk — but the divine wisdom (ḥikmat ilāhī) has its own requirements; each human being is tested according to his disposition and nature. What happens is what was always destined to happen, given the nature He created in each creature. Wa-mā jaʿalnāka ʿalayhim ḥafīẓan — We did not make you their guardian, preventing shirk by compulsion. Wa-mā anta ʿalayhim bi-wakīl — you are not accountable for their deeds; their reckoning rests on themselves.
وَلَا تَسُبُّوا الَّذِينَ يَدْعُونَ مِن دُونِ اللَّهِ فَيَسُبُّوا اللَّهَ عَدْوًا بِغَيْرِ عِلْمٍ كَذَٰلِكَ زَيَّنَّا لِكُلِّ أُمَّةٍ عَمَلَهُمْ ثُمَّ إِلَىٰ رَبِّهِمْ مَّرْجِعُهُمْ فَيُنَبِّئُهُم بِمَا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ
Wa-lā tasubbū alladhīna yadʿūna min dūni Allāhi fa-yasubbū Allāha ʿadwan bi-ghayri ʿilmin kadhālika zayyannā li-kulli ummatin ʿamalahum thumma ilā rabbihim marjiʿuhum fa-yunabbi'uhum bi-mā kānū yaʿmalūn.
"And do not insult those they invoke other than Allāh, lest they insult Allāh in enmity without knowledge. Thus We have made pleasing to every community their deeds. Then to their Lord is their return, and He will inform them about what they used to do." (al-Anʿām 6:108)
Translation: (O believers!) Do not revile those whom the polytheists call upon other than Allāh — otherwise, in retaliation, they will revile Allāh in enmity and ignorance. In this way We have made the actions of every community seem fair to them (due to the defects of their own nature). Then their return is to their Lord and He will inform them of all that they used to do.
Commentary: The prohibition here is precise and of great importance: lā tasubbū alladhīna yadʿūna min dūni Allāh — do not curse and revile those whom the polytheists worship besides Allāh. The reason: fa-yasubbū Allāha ʿadwan bi-ghayri ʿilm — they will, in retaliation and ignorance, revile Allāh Most High. Answering wrong with wrong gives them the pretext to blaspheme. Your religion is sound; your proofs are clear; argument with them is pointless once they have shown their incapacity. Kadhālika zayyannā li-kulli ummatin ʿamalahum — thus We have, through the very constitution of their nature (fiṭrat), made every community's deeds seem fair and attractive to them. Good and evil will become manifest at the reckoning. Then they will all return to the Lord, and He will inform them of what they were doing — and inform them of its consequence.
The author, raḥimahu Allāh, comments: Reviling elders, answering questions with insults, spitting at the doors of shrines, disparaging the elders of other religions — all of these are impermissible in the same way. Allāh, Most High, never permitted unbecoming or hurtful language even in regard to idols; what then of insulting the elders of His creation? Remember: you are more honoured before Allāh than Mūsā and Hārūn (upon them be peace), and your interlocutor is more recalcitrant than Pharaoh — yet Allāh commanded those two noble prophets:﴿وَقُولَا لَهُ قَوْلًا لَيِّنًا﴾— "And speak to him gently" (Ṭā Hā 20:44). The Messenger of Allāhﷺdeclared:«اللَّهَ اللَّهَ فِي أَصْحَابِي مَنْ أَحَبَّهُمْ فَبِحُبِّي أَحَبَّهُمْ وَمَنْ أَبْغَضَهُمْ فَبِبُغْضِي أَبْغَضَهُمْ»— "Fear Allāh, fear Allāh regarding my Companions! Whoever loves them, loves them through his love of me; whoever hates them, hates them through his hatred of me." — Those who curse the Companions are destined for curses themselves, in this world and the next. May no Muslim fall into such ruin. May Allāh protect us all, and may love of the Companions and those dear to the Prophetﷺremain firmly planted in our hearts. Āmīn, yā Rabb al-ʿĀlamīn.
وَأَقْسَمُوا بِاللَّهِ جَهْدَ أَيْمَانِهِمْ لَئِن جَاءَتْهُمْ آيَةٌ لَّيُؤْمِنُنَّ بِهَا قُلْ إِنَّمَا الْآيَاتُ عِندَ اللَّهِ وَمَا يُشْعِرُكُمْ أَنَّهَا إِذَا جَاءَتْ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ
Wa-aqsamū bi-Llāhi jahda aymānihim la-in jāʾathum āyatun la-yuʾminunna bihā qul innamā al-āyātu ʿinda Allāhi wa-mā yushʿirukum annahā idhā jāʾat lā yuʾminūn.
"And they swear by Allāh their strongest oaths that if a sign came to them, they would surely believe in it. Say, 'Signs are only with Allāh.' And what will make you perceive that even if a sign came, they would not believe?" (al-Anʿām 6:109)
Translation: (These people) swear great oaths in the name of Allāh — they swear strenuously that if some sign or miracle were to come to them, they would certainly believe. Say: Signs are exclusively with Allāh. And how do you know (O believers!) — perhaps even if a sign came, they would not believe.
Commentary: Wa-aqsamū bi-Llāhi jahda aymānihim — they took their strongest and most emphatic oaths by Allāh, swearing: if only one sign (āya), one miracle, would come to us, then we would certainly believe. But these are heedless people — they have accumulated so many signs and proofs, yet they do not believe. They ask: "Give us a sign!" Their very nature is such that they will not believe even if one comes. Qul innamā al-āyātu ʿinda Allāh — say to them: signs and miracles are solely at Allāh's disposal; they are in His treasure; the treasury of signs is inexhaustible with Allāh. Wa-mā yushʿirukum — and how do you know, O believers, whether even if a sign came they would believe? They would not — their very nature has turned away from faith.
وَنُقَلِّبُ أَفْئِدَتَهُمْ وَأَبْصَارَهُمْ كَمَا لَمْ يُؤْمِنُوا بِهِ أَوَّلَ مَرَّةٍ وَنَذَرُهُمْ فِي طُغْيَانِهِمْ يَعْمَهُونَ
Wa-nuqallibu afʾidatahum wa-abṣārahum kamā lam yuʾminū bihi awwala marratin wa-nadharuhum fī ṭughyānihim yaʿmahūn.
"And We will turn away their hearts and their eyes just as they refused to believe in it the first time. And We will leave them in their transgression, wandering blindly." (al-Anʿām 6:110)
Translation: And (because of their obduracy in turning away) We will turn over their hearts and their eyes — just as they did not believe the first time when they had every opportunity to do so. And We will leave them in their transgression, wandering blindly.
Commentary: Wa-nuqallibu afʾidatahum wa-abṣārahum — We overturn and reverse their hearts and their sight. From believing? No — they are obstinate, heedless, their very nature is now opposed to faith. Kamā lam yuʾminū bihi awwala marratin — just as they did not believe the first time, when truth was set before them fully. Even now they do not believe. Wa-nadharuhum fī ṭughyānihim yaʿmahūn — and We will leave them in their transgression, wandering in their own blindness and confusion.
[Pages 171 contains a highly garbled passage, largely irrecoverable from OCR. The content appears to be marginal annotations, publisher's notes, and possibly poetry verses. No coherent connected tafsīr passage is recoverable.]
وَلَوْ أَنَّنَا نَزَّلْنَا إِلَيْهِمُ الْمَلَائِكَةَ وَكَلَّمَهُمُ الْمَوْتَىٰ وَحَشَرْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ قُبُلًا مَّا كَانُوا لِيُؤْمِنُوا إِلَّا أَن يَشَاءَ اللَّهُ وَلَٰكِنَّ أَكْثَرَهُمْ يَجْهَلُونَ
Wa-law annanā nazzalnā ilayhimu al-malāʾikata wa-kallamahumu al-mawtā wa-ḥasharnā ʿalayhim kulla shayʾin qubulān mā kānū li-yuʾminū illā an yashāʾa Allāhu wa-lākinna aktharahum yajhalūn.
"And even if We had sent down to them the angels [with the message] and the dead spoke to them and We gathered together every [created] thing in front of them, they would not believe unless Allāh should will. But most of them, [out of] ignorance, are unaware." (al-Anʿām 6:111)
Translation: And even if We had sent the angels down to them, and the dead had spoken to them directly, and We had gathered every conceivable thing before them as direct evidence (qubulā) — still they would not have believed, unless Allāh should will otherwise. But most of them act in ignorance.
Commentary: Wa-law annanā nazzalnā ilayhimu al-malāʾikata — suppose We sent the angels down to them and they conversed with them; and wa-kallamahumu al-mawtā — suppose the dead spoke to them and confirmed the truth; and wa-ḥasharnā ʿalayhim kulla shayʾin qubulā — suppose every creature in creation was gathered face to face before them — mā kānū li-yuʾminū — still they would not believe, because there is no capacity (qābiliyya) in them; it is not in their nature. Illā an yashāʾa Allāh — unless Allāh specifically wills it for them and opens their hearts. Wa-lākinna aktharahum yajhalūn — but most of them are ignorant — they do not even know their own spiritual incapacity.
وَكَذَٰلِكَ جَعَلْنَا لِكُلِّ نَبِيٍّ عَدُوًّا شَيَاطِينَ الْإِنسِ وَالْجِنِّ يُوحِي بَعْضُهُمْ إِلَىٰ بَعْضٍ زُخْرُفَ الْقَوْلِ غُرُورًا وَلَوْ شَاءَ رَبُّكَ مَا فَعَلُوهُ فَذَرْهُمْ وَمَا يَفْتَرُونَ
Wa-kadhālika jaʿalnā li-kulli nabiyyin ʿaduwwan shayāṭīna al-insi wa-al-jinni yūḥī baʿḍuhum ilā baʿḍin zukhrūfa al-qawli ghurūran wa-law shāʾa rabbuka mā faʿalūhu fa-dharahum wa-mā yaftarūn.
"And thus We have made for every prophet an enemy — devils from mankind and jinn, inspiring to one another decorative speech in delusion. But if your Lord had willed, they would not have done it, so leave them and what they invent." (al-Anʿām 6:112)
Translation: And in this manner We appointed for every prophet enemies — the satans of humankind and jinn — who whisper into each other's hearts adorned and deceptive speech, in order to delude. And had your Lord willed, they would not have done so. Leave them, then, and leave what they fabricate.
Commentary: Wa-kadhālika jaʿalnā li-kulli nabiyyin ʿaduwwan — just as it has been with this Prophetﷺand this community, so too with every prophet before him: We appointed enemies. Shayāṭīna al-insi wa-al-jinni — the satans (shayāṭīn) among both humans and jinn — the wicked and malevolent among each kind. Yūḥī baʿḍuhum ilā baʿḍin — they inspire one another by whispers and insinuations (wasāwis). Note that awḥā / yūḥī in its linguistic sense means a subtle, concealed indication, though technically waḥy from Allāh to His prophets is the protected (maʿṣūm) revelation. Here the usage means the whispering of temptation from one enemy of truth to another. Zukhrūfa al-qawl — glittering, adorned speech that appears beautiful but is empty falsehood. Ghurūran — for the purpose of delusion. Wa-law shāʾa rabbuka mā faʿalūhu — had your Lord willed, they would not have done so; but the divine wisdom (ḥikma) requires the testing of souls and the unfolding of each one's nature. Fa-dharahum — leave them alone; and leave their fabrications.
The author, raḥimahu Allāh, warns: Guard yourself from the disciples of such satanic teachers. Once they introduce the word waḥy and then redefine it to mean merely "whisperings," when the unwary accept this, they then use the same word for the authentic revelation sent down from above. Their whole method is to sow confusion among people. Apart from them, there are countless other disciples of such people — no divine guide (pīr) among them, no messenger. They have made the commands of Allāh and His Messengerﷺa thing of sport. Fear of Allāh is absent from their hearts, and respect for the Prophetﷺlikewise. Ignorant Muslims become their prey and fall away from the religion. Beware of their harm! They are robbers of faith and religion. Hold fast to what Allāh and His Messenger have said, and remain firmly upon it. These are times of fitna. Turn to Allāh and His Messenger, and do not face these misguidances alone. Lā ḥawla wa-lā quwwata illā bi-Llāh.
وَلِتَصْغَىٰ إِلَيْهِ أَفْئِدَةُ الَّذِينَ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ بِالْآخِرَةِ وَلِيَرْضَوْهُ وَلِيَقْتَرِفُوا مَا هُم مُّقْتَرِفُونَ
Wa-li-taṣghā ilayhi afʾidatu alladhīna lā yuʾminūna bi-al-ākhirati wa-li-yarḍawhu wa-li-yaqtarifū mā hum muqtarifūn.
"And so that the hearts of those who disbelieve in the Hereafter will incline to it and be pleased with it and so they will commit what they are committing." (al-Anʿām 6:113)
Translation: And so that the hearts of those who do not believe in the Hereafter may be drawn toward this adorned and deceptive speech — and that they may be pleased with it — and so that they may persist in committing what they commit.
Commentary: Wa-li-taṣghā ilayhi afʾidatu alladhīna lā yuʾminūna bi-al-ākhira — so that those hearts that are devoid of faith in the Hereafter, and enthralled by this worldly life, may incline toward and be attracted to these glittering deceptions. Wa-li-yarḍawhu — and that they may be pleased with them and approve of them. Wa-li-yaqtarifū mā hum muqtarifūn — and that they may commit the misdeeds they keep committing. Those who have abandoned belief in the Afterlife are led astray by such whisperings of shayṭān.
أَفَغَيْرَ اللَّهِ أَبْتَغِي حَكَمًا وَهُوَ الَّذِي أَنزَلَ إِلَيْكُمُ الْكِتَابَ مُفَصَّلًا وَالَّذِينَ آتَيْنَاهُمُ الْكِتَابَ يَعْلَمُونَ أَنَّهُ مُنَزَّلٌ مِّن رَّبِّكَ بِالْحَقِّ فَلَا تَكُونَنَّ مِنَ الْمُمْتَرِينَ
Afa-ghayra Allāhi abtaghī ḥakaman wa-huwa alladhī anzala ilaykumu al-kitāba mufaṣṣalan wa-alladhīna ātaynāhumu al-kitāba yaʿlamūna annahu munazzalun min rabbika bi-al-ḥaqqi fa-lā takūnanna min al-mumtarīn.
"Then is it other than Allāh I should seek as judge while it is He who has revealed to you the Book explained in detail? And those to whom We [previously] gave the Scripture know that it is sent down from your Lord in truth, so never be among the doubters." (al-Anʿām 6:114)
Translation: Shall I then seek anyone other than Allāh as judge and arbitrator? He alone is the One who revealed to you the Book, explained in full detail. And those to whom We gave the Scripture (the People of the Book) know that it has been sent down from your Lord in truth. Therefore, do not be among those who doubt.
Commentary: Afa-ghayra Allāhi abtaghī ḥakaman — is there any judge or arbitrator (ḥakam) other than Allāh? There is none. Allāh alone is the judge in all matters. The Qurʾān contains the account of all things. Wa-huwa alladhī anzala ilaykumu al-kitāba mufaṣṣalan — and He is the One who sent down to you the Book, expounded and detailed in all its contents. Wa-alladhīna ātaynāhumu al-kitāba yaʿlamūna — the learned among the People of the Book, those who study their own scriptures and follow them faithfully, know with certainty that this Qurʾān has been sent down from your Lord in truth. Fa-lā takūnanna min al-mumtarīn — therefore, do not be among those who doubt or waver.
وَتَمَّتْ كَلِمَتُ رَبِّكَ صِدْقًا وَعَدْلًا لَّا مُبَدِّلَ لِكَلِمَاتِهِ وَهُوَ السَّمِيعُ الْعَلِيمُ
Wa-tammat kalimatu rabbika ṣidqan wa-ʿadlan lā mubaddila li-kalimātihi wa-huwa al-samīʿu al-ʿalīm.
"And the word of your Lord has been fulfilled in truth and in justice. None can alter His words, and He is the Hearing, the Knowing." (al-Anʿām 6:115)
Translation: And the word of your Lord stands complete — in truth and in justice. None can alter or change His words and decrees. He is the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing. (No other word or decree can take its place.)
Commentary: Wa-tammat kalimatu rabbika ṣidqan wa-ʿadlan — the word (kalima) of your Lord is complete and perfect in both truth (ṣidq) — accuracy and veracity in all its reports — and justice (ʿadl) — fairness and equity in all its rulings. Lā mubaddila li-kalimātihi — no one can alter, modify, or replace His words, His commands, or His decrees. Wa-huwa al-samīʿu al-ʿalīm — He is the All-Hearing: He hears everything; who else hears as He hears? Who else knows as He knows?
وَإِن تُطِعْ أَكْثَرَ مَن فِي الْأَرْضِ يُضِلُّوكَ عَن سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ إِن يَتَّبِعُونَ إِلَّا الظَّنَّ وَإِنْ هُمْ إِلَّا يَخْرُصُونَ
Wa-in tuṭiʿ akthara man fī al-arḍi yuḍillūka ʿan sabīli Allāhi in yattabiʿūna illā al-ẓanna wa-in hum illā yakhruṣūn.
"And if you obey most of those upon the earth, they will mislead you from the way of Allāh. They follow not except assumption, and they are not but falsifying." (al-Anʿām 6:116)
Translation: And if you follow the majority of those who are in the world, they will lead you astray from the path of Allāh. They follow nothing but conjecture (ẓann) — they merely engage in baseless guesswork. Their words are entirely empty, far from the truth, devoid of substance.
Commentary: Wa-in tuṭiʿ akthara man fī al-arḍi — the majority of people in the world, if followed, will lead one astray from Allāh's path. This refers to those living in darkness, without divine guidance. In yattabiʿūna illā al-ẓann — they follow nothing but corrupt conjecture (ẓann fāsid), false speculation and groundless assumptions. Wa-in hum illā yakhruṣūn — they only engage in false surmise and groundless guesswork. All their speech is baseless, far from truth. Their entire output is falsehood.
إِنَّ رَبَّكَ هُوَ أَعْلَمُ مَن يَضِلُّ عَن سَبِيلِهِ وَهُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِالْمُهْتَدِينَ
Inna rabbaka huwa aʿlamu man yaḍillu ʿan sabīlihi wa-huwa aʿlamu bi-al-muhtadīn.
"Indeed, your Lord — He is most knowing of who strays from His way, and He is most knowing of the rightly guided." (al-Anʿām 6:117)
Translation: Indeed your Lord knows best who strays from His path, and He knows best those who are rightly guided.
Commentary: Allāh, Most High, knows full well who is misled and who is guided. He knows every degree of every person's condition. His knowledge is complete (ʿilm-e-kāmil) and He is aware of all the rightly guided.
فَكُلُوا مِمَّا ذُكِرَ اسْمُ اللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ إِن كُنتُمْ بِآيَاتِهِ مُؤْمِنِينَ
Fa-kulū mimmā dhukira ismu Allāhi ʿalayhi in kuntum bi-āyātihi muʾminīn.
"So eat of that over which the name of Allāh has been mentioned, if you are believers in His verses." (al Anʿām 6:118)
Translation: So eat of that over which Allāh's name has been invoked (the bismillah at the time of slaughter), if you are indeed believers in His signs and His commands.
Commentary: Here the law of slaughter (dhabḥ) is addressed. Shayṭān and those influenced by him had instilled the notion that an animal found dead is carrion (mayta) — that Allāh's killing of it is somehow inferior to a human's slaughter — and that carrion should be eaten while properly slaughtered meat is avoided. The opposite is true. This verse commands: eat of what has been slaughtered with the name of Allāh, if you truly believe in His signs. As for the invocation: bismillah is said at slaughter. The Prophetﷺhimself prescribed: after uttering min Muḥammadin wa-ālihi (in some narrations), the bismillah and Allāhu akbar are pronounced at the time of slaughter. To slaughter in the name of Shayṭān is absolutely forbidden. To make a dedication to a direction other than Allāh is a separate prohibition. However, to slaughter with the words bismillah on behalf of another as a gift — such as slaughtering a sacrificial animal and dedicating its reward (thawāb) to a departed soul (īṣāl al-thawāb) — is valid and permitted. May Allāh grant understanding.
وَمَا لَكُمْ أَلَّا تَأْكُلُوا مِمَّا ذُكِرَ اسْمُ اللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ وَقَدْ فَصَّلَ لَكُم مَّا حَرَّمَ عَلَيْكُمْ إِلَّا مَا اضْطُرِرْتُمْ إِلَيْهِ وَإِنَّ كَثِيرًا لَّيُضِلُّونَ بِأَهْوَائِهِم بِغَيْرِ عِلْمٍ إِنَّ رَبَّكَ هُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِالْمُعْتَدِينَ
Wa-mā lakum allā taʾkulū mimmā dhukira ismu Allāhi ʿalayhi wa-qad faṣṣala lakum mā ḥarrama ʿalaykum illā ma-ḍṭurirtum ilayhi wa-inna kathīran la-yuḍillūna bi-ahwāʾihim bi-ghayri ʿilmin inna rabbaka huwa aʿlamu bi-al-muʿtadīn.
"And why should you not eat of that upon which the name of Allāh has been mentioned while He has explained in detail to you what He has forbidden you, excepting that to which you are compelled. And indeed, do many people lead [others] astray through their passions without knowledge. Indeed, your Lord — He is most knowing of the transgressors." (al-Anʿām 6:119)
Translation: What possible reason do you have not to eat of what Allāh's name has been pronounced over? When Allāh has already set out in detail for you everything He has forbidden — except in cases of dire necessity (iḍṭirār) — yet many people lead others astray through their own desires, in ignorance. Indeed your Lord knows best those who transgress all bounds.
Commentary: The question is direct and pointed: you have been told clearly what is permitted and what is forbidden — what possible justification remains for refusing to eat that over which Allāh's name has been pronounced? Wa-qad faṣṣala lakum mā ḥarrama ʿalaykum — everything that is forbidden has been clearly explained and enumerated. Illā ma-ḍṭurirtum ilayhi — except in absolute necessity (iḍṭirār) — in a state of dire compulsion (majbūrī), one may consume even what is ordinarily forbidden, up to the level of preserving life. Wa-inna kathīran la-yuḍillūna bi-ahwāʾihim — yet many people, following their desires and passions, lead others into error. They declare ḥalāl what Allāh declared ḥarām and ḥarām what He declared ḥalāl — that is shirk fī al-aḥkām (associating others with Allāh in legislation). These people are unaware that disobedience (iṣyān) in commands is also a form of shirk. Inna rabbaka huwa aʿlamu bi-al-muʿtadīn — indeed your Lord knows best those who transgress all limits.
وَذَرُوا ظَاهِرَ الْإِثْمِ وَبَاطِنَهُ إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يَكْسِبُونَ الْإِثْمَ سَيُجْزَوْنَ بِمَا كَانُوا يَقْتَرِفُونَ
Wa-dharū ẓāhira al-ithmi wa-bāṭinahu inna alladhīna yaksibūna al-ithma sa-yujzawna bi-mā kānū yaqtarifūn.
"And leave what is apparent of sin and what is concealed thereof. Indeed, those who earn [blame for] sin will be recompensed for that which they used to commit." (al-Anʿām 6:120)
Translation: And abandon all sin — both the outward (ẓāhir) and the inward (bāṭin). Indeed those who earn sin will soon receive their recompense for what they used to commit.
Commentary: Wa-dharū ẓāhira al-ithmi wa-bāṭinahu — abandon both the apparent and the hidden forms of sin. Your outward conduct must be sound, your inner state (bāṭin) must also be pure: your appearance and your character must both accord with the commands of Allāh. Inna alladhīna yaksibūna al-ithma sa-yujzawna — those who persist in earning sin will very soon receive their full recompense for all they have committed.
وَلَا تَأْكُلُوا مِمَّا لَمْ يُذْكَرِ اسْمُ اللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ وَإِنَّهُ لَفِسْقٌ وَإِنَّ الشَّيَاطِينَ لَيُوحُونَ إِلَىٰ أَوْلِيَائِهِمْ لِيُجَادِلُوكُمْ وَإِنْ أَطَعْتُمُوهُمْ إِنَّكُمْ لَمُشْرِكُونَ
Wa-lā taʾkulū mimmā lam yudhkari ismu Allāhi ʿalayhi wa-innahu la-fisqun wa-inna al-shayāṭīna la-yūḥūna ilā awliyāʾihim li-yujādilūkum wa-in aṭaʿtumūhum innakum la-mushrikūn.
"And do not eat of that upon which the name of Allāh has not been mentioned, for indeed, it is grave disobedience. And indeed do the devils inspire their allies [among men] to dispute with you. And if you were to obey them, indeed, you would be associators [of others with Allāh]." (al-Anʿām 6:121)
Translation: And do not eat of that (animal) over which Allāh's name was not pronounced at the time of slaughter — for that is indeed grave sin. And the shayāṭīn inspire their human allies with whispers so that they may argue and dispute with you. If you obey them, you will yourselves become polytheists.
Commentary: Wa-lā taʾkulū mimmā lam yudhkari ismu Allāhi ʿalayhi — do not eat of what has been slaughtered without the invocation of Allāh's name at the time of slaughter. Wa-innahu la-fisq — it is indeed fisq — grave sin and disobedience. The question of the required invocation (tasmiya): the pronouncing of Allāh's name (bismillah) is obligatory at slaughter according to the Ḥanafī school. An animal killed without any invocation, intentionally, is not permissible (ḥalāl) to eat. Wa-inna al-shayāṭīna la-yūḥūna ilā awliyāʾihim — the shayāṭīn (both human and jinn devils) whisper and inspire their allies and companions to dispute and argue with you — to contend that animals slaughtered without the name of Allāh, or that dead animals (mayta), are permissible. Wa-in aṭaʿtumūhum innakum la-mushrikūn — if you were to obey them in this — accepting their ruling over Allāh's ruling — you would yourselves be associators in obedience (shirk fī al-aḥkām).
The author, raḥimahu Allāh, adds a weighty exhortation: The command of shirk fī al-aḥkām is a grave matter. Those who make what Allāh declared ḥalāl into ḥarām, and what He made ḥarām into ḥalāl — these people do not know that such alteration is itself shirk in Allāh's legislation. Some also make the issue of fātiḥa (reciting al-Fātiḥa as a gift for the deceased) ḥarām — ask them: Is the text of Sūrat al-Fātiḥa ḥarām? Is the sending of reward (īṣāl al-thawāb) ḥarām? Is turning toward the spirit of a saint seeking blessing (tawajjuh) ḥarām? May Allāh enlighten hearts. In the time of the Prophetﷺ, Saʿd (may Allāh be pleased with him) dug a well for his mother as a form of charity on her behalf — the Prophetﷺdeclared it valid — and this encompasses īṣāl al-thawāb. And an animal slaughtered in the way specified — with bismillah — on behalf of a departed soul, is permissible. Remember: you are Muslims. Allāh's commands are binding upon you.
أَوَمَن كَانَ مَيْتًا فَأَحْيَيْنَاهُ وَجَعَلْنَا لَهُ نُورًا يَمْشِي بِهِ فِي النَّاسِ كَمَن مَّثَلُهُ فِي الظُّلُمَاتِ لَيْسَ بِخَارِجٍ مِّنْهَا كَذَٰلِكَ زُيِّنَ لِلْكَافِرِينَ مَا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ
Awa-man kāna mayyitan fa-aḥyaynāhu wa-jaʿalnā lahu nūran yamshī bihi fī al-nāsi ka-man mathaluhu fī al-ẓulumāti laysa bi-khārijin minhā kadhālika zuyyina li-al-kāfirīna mā kānū yaʿmalūn.
"And is one who was dead and We gave him life and made for him light by which to walk among the people like one who is in darknesses, never to emerge from them? Thus it has been made pleasing to the disbelievers that which they were doing." (al-Anʿām 6:122)
Translation: Is the one who was spiritually dead (in the darkness of unbelief), whom We gave life (through knowledge and faith), and for whom We made a light by which he walks among people — is he like the one whose similitude is in layers of darkness, unable to emerge from them? That is how the deeds of the disbelievers were made beautiful to them.
Commentary: Awa-man kāna mayyitan fa-aḥyaynāhu — one who was spiritually dead, whom We revived. This is an extended metaphor (istiʿāra): death here means the state of spiritual ignorance and unbelief. We gave him life through knowledge — giving knowledge to the ignorant, showing the sinner the right path, giving life to the spiritually dead. Wa-jaʿalnā lahu nūran yamshī bihi fī al-nāsi — We made for him a light — the light of faith and guidance — by which he walks among people. The contrast: the one who remains in layers of darkness, from which he cannot emerge — this is the disbeliever. Kadhālika zuyyina li-al-kāfirīna mā kānū yaʿmalūn — in that same manner, what the disbelievers do has been made to seem beautiful to them. Their own deeds appear good to them, so they persist — and they do not realize what awaits them.
وَكَذَٰلِكَ جَعَلْنَا فِي كُلِّ قَرْيَةٍ أَكَابِرَ مُجْرِمِيهَا لِيَمْكُرُوا فِيهَا وَمَا يَمْكُرُونَ إِلَّا بِأَنفُسِهِمْ وَمَا يَشْعُرُونَ
Wa-kadhālika jaʿalnā fī kulli qaryatin akābira mujrimīhā li-yamkurū fīhā wa-mā yamkurūna illā bi-anfusihim wa-mā yashʿurūn.
"And thus We have placed in every city the greatest of its criminals to conspire therein. But they conspire not except against themselves, and they perceive [it] not." (al-Anʿām 6:123)
Translation: And in this manner We placed in every town and city the leading criminals among its people — the chiefs of corrupt factions — so that they might plot and scheme within it. But in truth they scheme against none but themselves, though they do not perceive it.
Commentary: Wa-kadhālika jaʿalnā fī kulli qaryatin akābira mujrimīhā — We placed in every settlement and city the leaders (akābir) of its criminals — the chiefs and heads of corrupt groups, the leaders of deviance. Li-yamkurū fīhā — so that they might contrive and scheme therein, plotting against the believers and against truth. Wa-mā yamkurūna illā bi-anfusihim — but in reality their scheming harms no one but themselves: what they plan against others ultimately falls back upon them. Wa-mā yashʿurūn — and they do not perceive this; they have no consciousness of the real consequences of their own deception.
وَإِذَا جَاءَتْهُمْ آيَةٌ قَالُوا لَن نُّؤْمِنَ حَتَّىٰ نُؤْتَىٰ مِثْلَ مَا أُوتِيَ رُسُلُ اللَّهِ اللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ حَيْثُ يَجْعَلُ رِسَالَتَهُ سَيُصِيبُ الَّذِينَ أَجْرَمُوا صَغَارٌ عِندَ اللَّهِ وَعَذَابٌ شَدِيدٌ بِمَا كَانُوا يَمْكُرُونَ
Wa-idhā jāʾathum āyatun qālū lan nuʾmina ḥattā nuʾtā mithla mā ūtiya rusulu Allāhi Allāhu aʿlamu ḥaythu yajʿalu risālatahu sa-yuṣību alladhīna ajramū ṣaghārun ʿinda Allāhi wa-ʿadhābun shadīdun bi-mā kānū yamkurūn.
"And when a sign comes to them, they say, 'Never will we believe until we are given like that which was given to the messengers of Allāh.' Allāh is most knowing of where He places His message. There will afflict those who committed crimes debasement before Allāh and severe punishment for what they used to conspire." (al-Anʿām 6:124)
Translation: When a sign comes to them, they say: "We will never believe unless we are given the same as what the messengers of Allāh were given." Allāh knows best where to place His message. Those who have committed crimes will be struck with humiliation and degradation before Allāh, and a severe punishment — for the scheming they used to engage in.
Commentary: Wa-idhā jāʾathum āyatun qālū lan nuʾmina ḥattā nuʾtā mithla mā ūtiya rusulu Allāh — when a sign comes to them, these ignorant materialists, steeped in materialism, fixated on the visible and the tangible, say: "We will not believe until we are given the same as was given to the Messengers of Allāh" — meaning: until we too receive prophethood and miraculous gifts. This is the folly of one who has never understood that the capacity for prophethood (qābiliyyat-e-nubuwwa) is itself a special divine gift. Allāhu aʿlamu ḥaythu yajʿalu risālatahu — Allāh knows best where to place His message of prophethood; who is worthy of bearing it, who has the capacity and preparedness to carry this trust. Sa-yuṣību alladhīna ajramū ṣaghārun ʿinda Allāh — those who have sinned and conspired will soon be struck with ṣaghār — disgrace, humiliation, and abasement before Allāh. These arrogant ones thought themselves equal to the prophets — soon humiliation will be their lot. Wa-ʿadhābun shadīd — and a severe punishment — because of the scheming they used to do against the messengers and against the believers.
The capacity for prophethood (qābiliyyat-e-nubuwwat) is a great thing. Even to receive Islam requires capacity in the heart. Allāh opens the breast of whomever He wills to guide — and constricts the breast of whomever He wills to lead astray. Faith can never be forced into the heart of one in whom capacity is absent.
فَمَن يُرِدِ اللَّهُ أَن يَهْدِيَهُ يَشْرَحْ صَدْرَهُ لِلْإِسْلَامِ وَمَن يُرِدْ أَن يُضِلَّهُ يَجْعَلْ صَدْرَهُ ضَيِّقًا حَرَجًا كَأَنَّمَا يَصَّعَّدُ فِي السَّمَاءِ كَذَٰلِكَ يَجْعَلُ اللَّهُ الرِّجْسَ عَلَى الَّذِينَ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ
Fa-man yuridi Allāhu an yahdiyahu yashraḥ ṣadrahu li-al-islāmi wa-man yurid an yuḍillahu yajʿal ṣadrahu ḍayyiqan ḥarajan ka-annamā yaṣṣaʿʿadu fī al-samāʾi kadhālika yajʿalu Allāhu al-rijsa ʿalā alladhīna lā yuʾminūn.
"So whoever Allāh wants to guide — He expands his breast to [contain] Islam; and whoever He wants to misguide — He makes his breast tight and constricted as though he were climbing into the sky. Thus does Allāh place defilement upon those who do not believe." (al-Anʿām 6:125)
Translation: Whomever Allāh wills to guide, He opens and expands his breast for Islam — for its obedience and acceptance. Whomever He wills to leave in misguidance, He makes his breast narrow and constricted — as though he were climbing into the sky (where the higher one ascends, the more the air thins and breathing becomes difficult — no fresh air reaches him). In this way Allāh places rijs (filth, impurity, punishment, and disgrace) upon those who refuse to believe.
Commentary: Fa-man yuridi Allāhu an yahdiyahu — whomever Allāh wills to guide. Yashraḥ ṣadrahu li-al-islām — He opens and expands his breast for Islam, for its practice and acceptance. Wa-man yurid an yuḍillahu — whomever He wills to leave astray — because that person's nature and disposition were such that they had no capacity for faith. Yajʿal ṣadrahu ḍayyiqan ḥarajan — He makes his breast narrow and constricted. Ka-annamā yaṣṣaʿʿadu fī al-samāʾ — as though he were ascending into the sky — pressed, weighed down, unable to breathe. Kadhālika yajʿalu Allāhu al-rijsa ʿalā alladhīna lā yuʾminūn — in this manner Allāh places rijs — impurity, punishment, disgrace, and affliction — upon those who do not believe.
وَهَٰذَا صِرَاطُ رَبِّكَ مُسْتَقِيمًا قَدْ فَصَّلْنَا الْآيَاتِ لِقَوْمٍ يَذَّكَّرُونَ
Wa-hādhā ṣirāṭu rabbika mustaqīman qad faṣṣalnā al-āyāti li-qawmin yadhdhakkarūn.
"And this is the path of your Lord, [leading] straight. We have detailed the verses for a people who remember." (al-Anʿām 6:126)
Translation: And this is the path of your Lord — straight, direct. We have set out and explained all Our signs in detail for a people who reflect and take heed.
Commentary: Wa-hādhā ṣirāṭu rabbika mustaqīman — this is the straight path of your Lord. Mustaqīman functions here as a condition and attribute — it is straight (sawādhā rāsta), upright. Qad faṣṣalnā al-āyāt — We have expounded the signs in full detail — all the signs, all the proofs, all the arguments — for a people who reflect and remember.
لَهُمْ دَارُ السَّلَامِ عِندَ رَبِّهِمْ وَهُوَ وَلِيُّهُم بِمَا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ
Lahum dāru al-salāmi ʿinda rabbihim wa-huwa waliyyuhum bi-mā kānū yaʿmalūn.
"For them will be the Home of Peace with their Lord. And He will be their protecting friend because of what they used to do." (al-Anʿām 6:127)
Translation: For them — in their Lord's presence — is the Abode of Peace (dār al-salām — Paradise). And He is their Protecting Friend and Guardian, because of the righteous deeds they used to do. (In the Abode of Peace there will be no sorrow, no affliction, no suffering — peace in every sense.)
Commentary: Lahum dāru al-salām — for those who walk the straight path, for those whose breasts are opened to Islam, the Abode of Peace (dār al-salām) awaits with their Lord — Paradise, where there is perfect peace and freedom from all harm, grief, and affliction. Wa-huwa waliyyuhum — and He is their Walī — their Guardian, their Protector, their Loving Friend. Bi-mā kānū yaʿmalūn — on account of the righteous deeds they used to perform. The doer of good deeds will receive it, and the doer of evil will receive its consequence. One who does good and departs the world will find his Lord a Friend; one who remained in darkness will return to meet that darkness.
[Page 183 contains highly garbled OCR material — marginal notes, publisher's marks, and isolated Arabic fragments — with no recoverable tafsīr text.]
وَيَوْمَ يَحْشُرُهُمْ جَمِيعًا يَا مَعْشَرَ الْجِنِّ قَدِ اسْتَكْثَرْتُم مِّنَ الْإِنسِ وَقَالَ أَوْلِيَاؤُهُم مِّنَ الْإِنسِ رَبَّنَا اسْتَمْتَعَ بَعْضُنَا بِبَعْضٍ وَبَلَغْنَا أَجَلَنَا الَّذِي أَجَّلْتَ لَنَا قَالَ النَّارُ مَثْوَاكُمْ خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا إِلَّا مَا شَاءَ اللَّهُ إِنَّ رَبَّكَ حَكِيمٌ عَلِيمٌ
Wa-yawma yaḥshuruhum jamīʿan yā maʿshara al-jinni qadi istaktharatum min al-insi wa-qāla awliyāʾuhum min al-insi rabbanā istamtaʿa baʿḍunā bi-baʿḍin wa-balughnā ajalanā alladhī ajjaltu lanā qāla al-nāru mathwākum khālidīna fīhā illā mā shāʾa Allāhu inna rabbaka ḥakīmun ʿalīm.
"And [mention] the Day when He will gather them all together [and say], 'O company of jinn, you have made great efforts with humankind.' And their allies among humankind will say, 'Our Lord, some of us made use of others, and we have [now] reached our term which You appointed for us.' [Allāh] will say, 'The Fire is your residence, wherein you will abide eternally, except for what Allāh wills. Indeed, your Lord is Wise and Knowing.'" (al-Anʿām 6:128)
Translation: And remember the Day when He will gather them all together, and will say: "O company of the jinn! You have taken a great multitude from among humankind (you seduced and exploited them in great numbers)." And their human allies will say: "Our Lord! Some of us benefited from others and exploited each other, and now we have reached the term You appointed for us." Allāh will say: "The Fire is your abode — remain in it forever, except for those whom Allāh wills (the believers who sinned and have already received their due in this world or in a period in the Fire). Indeed your Lord is Wise and Knowing."
Commentary: Yā maʿshara al-jinn — O company (maʿshar) of jinn! The word maʿshar refers to a gathered group, a community of beings who associate together. The jinn are one nation. There are believers and unbelievers among them; there is a view that they have prophets too — though there is disagreement on this point. It seems that no community other than humankind and jinn has prophets. Qadi istaktharatum min al-insi — you have taken very many from humankind, seduced them, and increased your following at their expense. Wa-qāla awliyāʾuhum min al-insi — and the human allies — those who obeyed the jinn-satans in this world — will say: Rabbanā istamtaʿa baʿḍunā bi-baʿḍin — our Lord, some of us made use of others: the jinn misled humans and humans obeyed them, each exploiting the other in its own way. Wa-balughnā ajalanā — and now we have reached the term You appointed for us — we have fulfilled our worldly span. Qāla al-nāru mathwākum — Allāh will say: the Fire is your abode, your residence. Khālidīna fīhā — remain therein perpetually. Illā mā shāʾa Allāh — except those believers who sinned but had faith, and whom Allāh has willed to pardon after a period of trial. Inna rabbaka ḥakīmun ʿalīm — indeed your Lord is Wise and Knowing.
وَكَذَٰلِكَ نُوَلِّي بَعْضَ الظَّالِمِينَ بَعْضًا بِمَا كَانُوا يَكْسِبُونَ
Wa-kadhālika nuwallī baʿḍa al-ẓālimīna baʿḍan bi-mā kānū yaksibūn.
"And thus will We make some of the wrongdoers allies of others for what they used to earn." (al-Anʿām 6:129)
Translation: And in this manner We make some of the wrongdoers companions and allies of others — because of the evils they used to commit and accumulate together.
Commentary: Wa-kadhālika nuwallī baʿḍa al-ẓālimīna baʿḍan — Allāh Most High joins some wrongdoers to other wrongdoers in partnership and alliance, as punishment — a fellowship of the unjust. Bi-mā kānū yaksibūn — on account of the deeds they used to earn and the evils they accumulated together. Their mutual partnership in evil leads to mutual partnership in punishment. One who takes the satanic ones as companions in this world will share their abode in the next.
The author, raḥimahu Allāh, remarks: One who dedicates his offering to idols or to saints in the wrong spirit — dedicating what Allāh created for His worship to others — will be joined to those he worshipped. The matter has become alarming: some among those who call themselves Muslims have abandoned the higher spiritual works (aʿmāl ʿulwiyya) and replaced them with the lower. The connection with Allāh grows distant while the connection with shayṭān grows stronger. In earlier times there were those of sound knowledge (ʿilm) and those of righteous action (ʿamal) together; now neither is visible. The influence of pure souls has diminished; the influence of shayṭāns — both human and demonic — has increased.
يَا مَعْشَرَ الْجِنِّ وَالْإِنسِ أَلَمْ يَأْتِكُمْ رُسُلٌ مِّنكُمْ يَقُصُّونَ عَلَيْكُمْ آيَاتِي وَيُنذِرُونَكُمْ لِقَاءَ يَوْمِكُمْ هَٰذَا قَالُوا شَهِدْنَا عَلَىٰ أَنفُسِنَا وَغَرَّتْهُمُ الْحَيَاةُ الدُّنْيَا وَشَهِدُوا عَلَىٰ أَنفُسِهِمْ أَنَّهُمْ كَانُوا كَافِرِينَ
Yā maʿshara al-jinni wa-al-insi alam yaʾtikum rusulun minkum yaquṣṣūna ʿalaykum āyātī wa-yundhirūnakum liqāʾa yawmikum hādhā qālū shahidnā ʿalā anfusinā wa-gharrathumu al-ḥayātu al-dunyā wa-shahidū ʿalā anfusihim annahum kānū kāfirīn.
"O company of jinn and mankind, did there not come to you messengers from among you, relating to you My verses and warning you of the meeting of this Day of yours?' They will say, 'We bear witness against ourselves'; and the worldly life had deluded them, and they will bear witness against themselves that they were disbelievers." (al-Anʿām 6:130)
Translation: (Allāh will say) "O company of jinn and humankind! Did messengers not come to you from among your own kind, reciting to you My signs and warning you of this Day?" They will say: "We bear witness against ourselves." The worldly life had deceived and ensnared them — and they will bear witness against themselves that they were disbelievers.
Commentary: Yā maʿshara al-jinni wa-al-insi — O assembly of jinn and humankind! This call will resound on the Day of Gathering. Alam yaʾtikum rusulun minkum — did messengers not come to you from among yourselves? Most scholars hold that prophets come only from humankind, and that the jinn also received the message through the human prophets. Yaquṣṣūna ʿalaykum āyātī — reciting to you My signs, explaining My verses. Wa-yundhirūnakum liqāʾa yawmikum hādhā — and warning you of the meeting of this very Day. Qālū shahidnā ʿalā anfusinā — they will say: we bear witness against ourselves — they will confess and acknowledge their own spiritual failure. Wa-gharrathumu al-ḥayātu al-dunyā — the worldly life had deceived and deluded them, kept them imprisoned in its attractions and snares. Wa-shahidū ʿalā anfusihim annahum kānū kāfirīn — and they will bear witness against themselves that they were disbelievers. How desperate will be that day of self-testimony!
The author continues: Allāh, Most High, does not destroy a town or a people until their guidance is cut off. There are two categories: (1) the community that actually received and embraced Islam; (2) the community to which the call of Islam came but which persistently rejected it. For both, Allāh does not wish to punish them on account of their transgression before making them fully aware and bringing them to a final reckoning. The Announcer (munādī) and Reminder (muzakkir) will give the final call before punishment descends.
ذَٰلِكَ أَن لَّمْ يَكُن رَّبُّكَ مُهْلِكَ الْقُرَىٰ بِظُلْمٍ وَأَهْلُهَا غَافِلُونَ
Dhālika an lam yakun rabbuka muhlikā al-qurā bi-ẓulmin wa-ahluhā ghāfilūn.
"That is because your Lord would not destroy the cities for wrongdoing while their people were unaware." (al-Anʿām 6:131)
Translation: That (the sending of messengers and the establishing of the proof against them) is because your Lord is not One to destroy any town on account of wrongdoing while its people are yet unaware (without having first made the proof clear and given warning).
Commentary: Dhālika an lam yakun rabbuka muhlikā al-qurā bi-ẓulmin wa-ahluhā ghāfilūn — Allāh, Most Merciful, does not destroy any community or township on account of its wrongdoing while it is still unaware and no messenger has been sent to it. The proof (ḥujja) must first be established; the warning must have been given; guidance must have been offered — only then, if they persist in rejection, will the punishment descend.
وَلِكُلٍّ دَرَجَاتٌ مِّمَّا عَمِلُوا وَمَا رَبُّكَ بِغَافِلٍ عَمَّا يَعْمَلُونَ
Wa-li-kullin darajātun mimmā ʿamilū wa-mā rabbuka bi-ghāfilin ʿammā yaʿmalūn.
"And for all are degrees [of reward and punishment] for what they have done, and your Lord is not unaware of what they do." (al-Anʿām 6:132)
Translation: And for each person there are ranks and degrees according to what they have done. Allāh knows all, and your Lord is not heedless of anything they do.
Commentary: Wa-li-kullin darajātun mimmā ʿamilū — every person, according to his deeds, has a corresponding degree or rank. In the Hereafter, ranks in Paradise and in the Fire are differentiated by what one did in this world. Every deed is fully recorded; Allāh notes all of it. Wa-mā rabbuka bi-ghāfilin ʿammā yaʿmalūn — your Lord is not heedless of what they do. No deed — however small — escapes His knowledge. What one sows, one reaps, as surely as one enters the earth and rises again from it. Those who pursue good deeds will find them there; those who persist in sin will meet the consequence.
وَرَبُّكَ الْغَنِيُّ ذُو الرَّحْمَةِ إِن يَشَأْ يُذْهِبْكُمْ وَيَسْتَخْلِفْ مِن بَعْدِكُم مَّا يَشَاءُ كَمَا أَنشَأَكُم مِّن ذُرِّيَّةِ قَوْمٍ آخَرِينَ
Wa-rabbuka al-ghaniyyu dhū al-raḥmati in yashaʾ yudhhib-kum wa-yastakhlif min baʿdikum mā yashāʾu kamā anshaʾakum min dhurriyyati qawmin ākharīn.
"And your Lord is the Free of need, the possessor of mercy. If He wills, He can do away with you and give succession after you to whomever He wills, just as He produced you from the descendants of another people." (al-Anʿām 6:133)
Translation: Your Lord is the Rich, the Self-Sufficient, the Possessor of all Mercy. If He wills, He can take you all away and raise up in your place whomever He wills — just as He raised you from the descendants of other peoples before you.
Commentary: Wa-rabbuka al-ghaniyyu dhū al-raḥmati — your Lord is absolutely self-sufficient (ghanī) — He has no need of your worship or obedience. He is also the Possessor of Mercy (dhū al-raḥma). Though He is ghanī by essence and independent in all His attributes, He is also full of mercy. In yashaʾ yudhhib-kum — if He wills, He can remove you entirely — sweep you away, annihilate you. Wa-yastakhlif min baʿdikum mā yashāʾ — and appoint after you whomever He wills as a successor on this earth. Kamā anshaʾakum min dhurriyyati qawmin ākharīn — just as He produced you from the descendants of earlier peoples, those who came before you. The warning is clear: ingratitude toward Allāh's blessings leads to replacement.
The author, raḥimahu Allāh, observes: The nations that preceded us produced far more numerous saints and scholars than we have. Today, the memory of all their names barely survives. Pride and arrogance have overcome all; each person is ready to cut the other's throat. The promise of Allāh is true — and what He has declared will come to pass.
إِنَّ مَا تُوعَدُونَ لَآتٍ وَمَا أَنتُم بِمُعْجِزِينَ
Inna mā tūʿadūna la-ātin wa-mā antum bi-muʿjizīn.
"Indeed, what you are promised is coming, and you will not cause failure [to Allāh]." (al-Anʿām 6:134)
Translation: Indeed, what you are promised (by Allāh) is coming — it will most certainly occur. And you have no power to frustrate or escape from Allāh. (Whatever has been decreed will be fulfilled; we have no power to avert it.)
Commentary: Inna mā tūʿadūna la-ātin — all that you have been promised — of the Day of Reckoning, the Resurrection, the reward and the punishment — is certainly coming. There is no doubt in it. It is already on its way. Wa-mā antum bi-muʿjizīn — and you cannot frustrate or escape Allāh; none can outrun His decree or weaken His power.
قُلْ يَا قَوْمِ اعْمَلُوا عَلَىٰ مَكَانَتِكُمْ إِنِّي عَامِلٌ فَسَوْفَ تَعْلَمُونَ مَن تَكُونُ لَهُ عَاقِبَةُ الدَّارِ إِنَّهُ لَا يُفْلِحُ الظَّالِمُونَ
Qul yā qawmi iʿmalū ʿalā makānatikum innī ʿāmilun fa-sawfa taʿlamūna man takūnu lahu ʿāqibatu al-dāri innahu lā yufliḥu al-ẓālimūn.
"Say, 'O my people, work according to your position; indeed, I am working. And you are going to know who will have the good consequence of the home. Indeed, the wrongdoers will not succeed.'" (al-Anʿām 6:135)
Translation: Say: "O my people! Work according to your own capacity and status. I am working according to mine. Very soon you will come to know whose final outcome (ʿāqiba) is blessed. Indeed, the wrongdoers shall never prosper."
Commentary: Qul yā qawmi iʿmalū ʿalā makānatikum — say: O my people! Proceed according to your own station, your own capacity. Innī ʿāmil — and I, too, am working — proceeding according to mine. Fa-sawfa taʿlamūna — you will very soon know. Man takūnu lahu ʿāqibatu al-dār — whose final outcome (ʿāqibat al-dār) is good and whose is ruinous. Innahu lā yufliḥu al-ẓālimūn — the wrongdoers shall not prosper. All their worldly pursuit will end in failure and loss; the people of faith (ahl al-īmān) will prevail in the ultimate reckoning.
وَجَعَلُوا لِلَّهِ مِمَّا ذَرَأَ مِنَ الْحَرْثِ وَالْأَنْعَامِ نَصِيبًا فَقَالُوا هَٰذَا لِلَّهِ بِزَعْمِهِمْ وَهَٰذَا لِشُرَكَائِنَا فَمَا كَانَ لِشُرَكَائِهِمْ فَلَا يَصِلُ إِلَى اللَّهِ وَمَا كَانَ لِلَّهِ فَهُوَ يَصِلُ إِلَىٰ شُرَكَائِهِمْ سَاءَ مَا يَحْكُمُونَ
Wa-jaʿalū li-Llāhi mimmā dharaʾa min al-ḥarthi wa-al-anʿāmi naṣīban fa-qālū hādhā lillāhi bi-zaʿmihim wa-hādhā li-shurakāʾinā fa-mā kāna li-shurakāʾihim fa-lā yaṣilu ilā Allāhi wa-mā kāna lillāhi fa-huwa yaṣilu ilā shurakāʾihim sāʾa mā yaḥkumūn.
"And they assign to Allāh from what He created of crops and livestock a share and say, 'This is for Allāh' — by their claim — 'and this is for our partners [associated with Allāh].' But what is for their 'partners' does not reach Allāh, while what is for Allāh — this reaches their 'partners.' Evil is that which they rule." (al-Anʿām 6:136)
Translation: And they appointed from what Allāh created — from crops and livestock — a portion, saying: "This is for Allāh" (by their own claim) and "this is for our partners (idols)." But what they set aside for their idols never reaches Allāh, whereas what they designated for Allāh ends up being diverted to their idols. How evil is their judgment!
Commentary: The pagan Arabs had a custom of dividing their crops and cattle: one portion designated for Allāh, another for their idols. But what they claimed was "for Allāh" they would, by some pretext, give to the idols as well, while what was truly "for Allāh" was never given its full due. Fa-mā kāna li-shurakāʾihim fa-lā yaṣilu ilā Allāh — what was designated for their idols never reached Allāh's cause. Wa-mā kāna lillāhi fa-huwa yaṣilu ilā shurakāʾihim — but what was designated for Allāh ended up going to their idols. Sāʾa mā yaḥkumūn — how vile is the rule and judgment they impose! This describes the warped arbitration of those who ignore the commandments of the true God and follow their own whims in religious matters.
The author, raḥimahu Allāh, addresses his readers about the correct distribution of crops and cattle among the fuqarāʾ (the poor), in accordance with Islamic law.
وَكَذَٰلِكَ زَيَّنَ لِكَثِيرٍ مِّنَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ قَتْلَ أَوْلَادِهِمْ شُرَكَاؤُهُمْ لِيُرْدُوهُمْ وَلِيَلْبِسُوا عَلَيْهِمْ دِينَهُمْ وَلَوْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ مَا فَعَلُوهُ فَذَرْهُمْ وَمَا يَفْتَرُونَ
Wa-kadhālika zayyana li-kathīrin min al-mushrikīna qatla awlādihim shurakāʾuhum li-yurdūhum wa-li-yalbisū ʿalayhim dīnahum wa-law shāʾa Allāhu mā faʿalūhu fa-dharahum wa-mā yaftarūn.
"And likewise, to many of the polytheists their partners have made pleasing the killing of their children in order to bring about their destruction and to cover them with confusion in their religion. And if Allāh had willed, they would not have done so. So leave them and what they invent." (al-Anʿām 6:137)
Translation: And in this manner the idols and satanic companions of many of the polytheists made the killing of their own children seem beautiful to them — to destroy them and to confuse and corrupt their religion for them. Had Allāh willed, they would not have done so. Leave them, then, and what they fabricate.
Commentary: Wa-kadhālika zayyana li-kathīrin min al-mushrikīna qatla awlādihim shurakāʾuhum — the idols and satanic human allies of the polytheists made the killing of their children seem beautiful and praiseworthy. Li-yurdūhum — in order to destroy them. Wa-li-yalbisū ʿalayhim dīnahum — and to confuse and corrupt their religion — making them confound ḥalāl with ḥarām, muddling their very sense of right and wrong. Wa-law shāʾa Allāhu mā faʿalūhu — had Allāh willed they would not have done so. Fa-dharahum wa-mā yaftarūn — leave them and their fabrications to Allāh.
وَقَالُوا هَٰذِهِ أَنْعَامٌ وَحَرْثٌ حِجْرٌ لَّا يَطْعَمُهَا إِلَّا مَن نَّشَاءُ بِزَعْمِهِمْ وَأَنْعَامٌ حُرِّمَتْ ظُهُورُهَا وَأَنْعَامٌ لَّا يَذْكُرُونَ اسْمَ اللَّهِ عَلَيْهَا افْتِرَاءً عَلَيْهِ سَيَجْزِيهِمْ بِمَا كَانُوا يَفْتَرُونَ
Wa-qālū hādhihi anʿāmun wa-ḥarthun ḥijrun lā yaṭʿamuhā illā man nashāʾu bi-zaʿmihim wa-anʿāmun ḥurrimat ẓuhūruhā wa-anʿāmun lā yadhkurūna isma Allāhi ʿalayhā iftirāʾan ʿalayhi sa-yajzīhim bi-mā kānū yaftarūn.
"And they say, 'These animals and crops are forbidden; no one may eat from them except whom we will' — by their claim — and [they say] animals whose backs are forbidden [to ride] and animals over which the name of Allāh is not mentioned — [all of this is] invented lie against Him. He will punish them for what they used to invent." (al-Anʿām 6:138)
Translation: And they say: "These animals and these fields are ḥijr — forbidden, reserved — none may eat of them except those we permit" — by their own false claim. And there are animals whose backs they have made forbidden for riding; and animals over which they do not mention Allāh's name (at slaughter) — all of this is a fabrication (iftirāʾ) against Allāh. Allāh will soon recompense them for all that they fabricate.
Commentary: Wa-qālū hādhihi anʿāmun wa-ḥarthun ḥijr — the pagan Arabs had various self-invented prohibitions about certain animals and crops: some were declared ḥijr — reserved and forbidden for general consumption, available only to whom the priests and cult-leaders designated. Bi-zaʿmihim — by their own groundless claim, with no authority from Allāh. Wa-anʿāmun ḥurrimat ẓuhūruhā — certain animals whose backs they declared forbidden for riding. Wa-anʿāmun lā yadhkurūna isma Allāhi ʿalayhā — and animals over which they deliberately refrained from invoking Allāh's name — as a false act of piety toward their idols. Iftirāʾan ʿalayh — all of this is pure fabrication against Allāh — a lie attributed to Allāh. Sa-yajzīhim — Allāh will very soon recompense and punish them for all that they fabricated.
وَقَالُوا مَا فِي بُطُونِ هَٰذِهِ الْأَنْعَامِ خَالِصَةٌ لِّذُكُورِنَا وَمُحَرَّمٌ عَلَىٰ أَزْوَاجِنَا وَإِن يَكُن مَّيْتَةً فَهُمْ فِيهِ شُرَكَاءُ سَيَجْزِيهِمْ وَصْفَهُمْ إِنَّهُ حَكِيمٌ عَلِيمٌ
Wa-qālū mā fī buṭūni hādhihi al-anʿāmi khāliṣatun li-dhukūrinā wa-muḥarramun ʿalā azwājinā wa-in yakun maytatan fa-hum fīhi shurakāʾu sa-yajzīhim waṣfahum innahu ḥakīmun ʿalīm.
"And they say, 'What is in the bellies of these animals is exclusively for our males and forbidden to our females. But if it is a stillborn, they all share it.' He will punish them for their description; indeed He is Wise and Knowing." (al-Anʿām 6:139)
Translation: And they say: "Whatever is in the wombs of these animals belongs exclusively to our males and is forbidden to our wives and women" — yet if it is a stillborn (mayta), then all — men and women — share it. Allāh will soon punish them for what they assert (these baseless and foolish rulings). Indeed He is Wise and Knowing.
Commentary: Yet another custom of the pagan Arabs: the foetus within a she-camel or cow, if born alive, belonged only to the men; the women were forbidden from it. Yet if it was stillborn, both men and women ate it. Sa-yajzīhim waṣfahum — Allāh will punish them for their descriptions, their baseless rulings and arbitrary prohibitions. Innahu ḥakīmun ʿalīm — He is Wise and Knowing; He does not allow such futile and harmful rulings to pass unrecompensed.
قَدْ خَسِرَ الَّذِينَ قَتَلُوا أَوْلَادَهُمْ سَفَهًا بِغَيْرِ عِلْمٍ وَحَرَّمُوا مَا رَزَقَهُمُ اللَّهُ افْتِرَاءً عَلَى اللَّهِ قَدْ ضَلُّوا وَمَا كَانُوا مُهْتَدِينَ
Qad khasira alladhīna qatalū awlādahum safahan bi-ghayri ʿilmin wa-ḥarramū mā razaqahumu Allāhu iftirāʾan ʿalā Allāhi qad ḍallū wa-mā kānū muhtadīn.
"Those will have lost who killed their children in foolishness without knowledge and prohibited what Allāh had provided for them, inventing untruth about Allāh. They have gone astray and were not guided." (al-Anʿām 6:140)
Translation: Lost and ruined indeed are those who killed their children in folly and ignorance — and who prohibited what Allāh had granted them as provision, fabricating lies against Allāh. They have gone utterly astray, and they were never on the path of guidance.
Commentary: Qad khasira alladhīna qatalū awlādahum safahan bi-ghayri ʿilm — they are truly destroyed and ruined — those who killed their own children out of sheer foolishness, without any knowledge or justification. Safahan — folly, stupidity, mindlessness. In their jahiliyya, they would bury their daughters alive, throw newborns into wells, burn sons as sacrifices to idols or out of vainglory. Wa-ḥarramū mā razaqahumu Allāhu iftirāʾan ʿalā Allāh — and they prohibited what Allāh had made lawful for them — livestock, crops, good things — attributing these prohibitions falsely to Allāh. Qad ḍallū wa-mā kānū muhtadīn — they have gone completely astray; guidance was never in their nature; their very disposition was opposed to guidance.
The author, raḥimahu Allāh, now addresses his contemporaries: The practices of the pagan Arabs, which Allāh is rebuking here, have their analogues in every age. In this very era, is there not infanticide? Yes, there certainly is. Under the pretext of unlawful love and unchaste attachment, children are killed before birth and the young are murdered. The author laments what he sees in his own era of Hyderabad (Deccan): children raised in ignorance of Islam, sent to non-Muslim schools, raised by non-Muslim guardians — this, too, is a form of the spiritual killing of children. The abandonment of Islamic education (taʿlīm) is a form of death. Being deprived of Islamic morality (akhlāq) is death. Giving children to the influence of non-Muslims — boards, institutions — is all a variety of this same category. O Muslims, look to your condition! Compare the state of Muslims with that of non-Muslims in your midst. You will find the difference. Adopt Islamic morality (akhlāq islāmiyya). Only then will your nation be a source of joy.
Lā ilāha illā Allāh Muḥammadun rasūlu Allāh. Allāhu Akbar! Allāhu Akbar!
وَهُوَ الَّذِي أَنشَأَ جَنَّاتٍ مَّعْرُوشَاتٍ وَغَيْرَ مَعْرُوشَاتٍ وَالنَّخْلَ وَالزَّرْعَ مُخْتَلِفًا أُكُلُهُ وَالزَّيْتُونَ وَالرُّمَّانَ مُتَشَابِهًا وَغَيْرَ مُتَشَابِهٍ كُلُوا مِن ثَمَرِهِ إِذَا أَثْمَرَ وَآتُوا حَقَّهُ يَوْمَ حَصَادِهِ وَلَا تُسْرِفُوا إِنَّهُ لَا يُحِبُّ الْمُسْرِفِينَ
Wa-huwa alladhī anshaʾa jannātin maʿrūshātin wa-ghayra maʿrūshātin wa-al-nakhla wa-al-zarʿa mukhtalifan ukuluhu wa-al-zaytūna wa-al-rummāna mutashābihan wa-ghayra mutashābihin kulū min thamarihi idhā athmara wa-ātū ḥaqqahu yawma ḥaṣādihi wa-lā tusrifū innahu lā yuḥibbu al-musrifīn.
"And it is He who produced gardens, both trellised and untrellised, and date palms and crops of different flavors and olives and pomegranates, similar and dissimilar. Eat of [each of] its fruit when it yields and give its due [zakāt] on the day of its harvest. And be not excessive. Indeed, He does not like those who commit excess." (al-Anʿām 6:141)
Translation: He it is who brought forth gardens — both trained on trellises and untrained — and date palms and crops of varying produce, and olive trees and pomegranates, similar in form yet differing in kind. Eat of their fruit when they produce, and give the due right (ḥaqq) on the day of harvest. Do not commit waste and excess — for indeed Allāh does not love those who are wasteful.
Commentary: Jannātin maʿrūshāt — trellised gardens, those trained upward on supports. Wa-ghayra maʿrūshāt — untrained gardens. Wa-al-nakhla wa-al-zarʿa mukhtalifan ukuluhu — date palms and cultivated fields, varying in their fruits and produce. Wa-al-zaytūna wa-al-rummāna mutashābihan wa-ghayra mutashābih — olives and pomegranates, some similar in external appearance and some dissimilar. Kulū min thamarihi idhā athmara — eat of the fruit when it produces. Wa-ātū ḥaqqahu yawma ḥaṣādihi — and give its due — the obligatory portion — on the day of harvest. This refers to the zakāt (ʿushr or nisf ʿushr) due on agricultural produce according to the Ḥanafī school. What is liable to zakāt must be paid; the poor (fuqarāʾ) present at harvest must be given their portion without delay. Wa-lā tusrifū — do not be wasteful, do not engage in excess spending, do not dissipate wealth. Innahu lā yuḥibbu al-musrifīn — Allāh does not love those who commit extravagance and waste.
The author, raḥimahu Allāh, grieves at the condition of Muslims of his era: from birth to burial, every occasion is marked by extravagance and waste (isrāf). They take interest-bearing loans from non-Muslims to fund their prodigalities; then they find themselves enslaved to debt and flattery. Their religious integrity falls away. This entire wealth is squandered in futile activities — drinking, gambling, wasteful celebrations — while the commands of Allāh are abandoned. When Muslims possessed wealth, honour, knowledge, and virtue (kamāl) were also present. Now wealth is gone, honour is gone, virtue is gone — all consumed in waste and extravagance. Reduce waste. Spend with wisdom. Wealth will grow. What one gives to others — what one gives for the sake of Allāh — Allāh will multiply it in return. Remember: dignity without wealth is false; beauty without wealth is nothing. Look how a spider weaves its web and how a fly flies to it — study the ways of creation. Kaff kaff āmad shamm bī-dard aṣrār jo... [reconstructed: be restrained; one who forces extravagance dishonours himself].
وَمِنَ الْأَنْعَامِ حَمُولَةً وَفَرْشًا كُلُوا مِمَّا رَزَقَكُمُ اللَّهُ وَلَا تَتَّبِعُوا خُطُوَاتِ الشَّيْطَانِ إِنَّهُ لَكُمْ عَدُوٌّ مُّبِينٌ
Wa-min al-anʿāmi ḥamūlatan wa-farshan kulū mimmā razaqakumu Allāhu wa-lā tattabiʿū khuṭuwāti al-shayṭāni innahu lakum ʿaduwwun mubīn.
"And of the livestock are those for burdens and those too small [for burdens]. Eat of what Allāh has provided for you and do not follow the footsteps of Satan. Indeed, he is to you a clear enemy." (al-Anʿām 6:142)
Translation: And from the livestock (He has created) those suitable for carrying heavy loads (ḥamūla) and those small for that purpose (farsh — such as sheep, goats, smaller cattle). Eat of what Allāh has provided for you, and do not follow in the footsteps of Shayṭān — for he is to you a manifest enemy.
Commentary: Ḥamūla refers to the large animals suitable for carrying loads — the camels, for example. Farsh refers to the smaller animals, those that are close to the ground — small enough to be spread out like a carpet (farsh), including small livestock used primarily for their meat, milk, and wool. [In one reading, these refer respectively to the larger and smaller cattle.] Kulū mimmā razaqakumu Allāh — eat of what Allāh has provided for you from among them — for He has made them ḥalāl. Wa-lā tattabiʿū khuṭuwāti al-shayṭān — and do not follow Shayṭān step by step. Khuṭuwāt al-shayṭān — the footsteps of Shayṭān — his path, his way, his deceptions. Do not follow what Shayṭān made ḥarām of what Allāh made ḥalāl, or made ḥalāl of what Allāh made ḥarām. Innahu lakum ʿaduwwun mubīn — he is your open and manifest enemy.
ثَمَانِيَةَ أَزْوَاجٍ مِّنَ الضَّأْنِ اثْنَيْنِ وَمِنَ الْمَعْزِ اثْنَيْنِ قُلْ آلذَّكَرَيْنِ حَرَّمَ أَمِ الْأُنثَيَيْنِ أَمَّا اشْتَمَلَتْ عَلَيْهِ أَرْحَامُ الْأُنثَيَيْنِ نَبِّئُونِي بِعِلْمٍ إِن كُنتُمْ صَادِقِينَ
Thamāniyata azwājin min al-ḍaʾni ithnayni wa-min al-maʿzi ithnayni qul ā-al-dhakārayni ḥarrama am al-unthayayni ammā ishtamalat ʿalayhi arḥāmu al-unthayayni nabbiʾūnī bi-ʿilmin in kuntum ṣādiqīn.
"[He created] eight mates — of the sheep, two and of the goats, two. Say, 'Is it the two males He has forbidden or the two females or that which the wombs of the two females contain? Inform me with knowledge, if you should be truthful.'" (al-Anʿām 6:143)
Translation: Eight pairs: from sheep (ḍaʾn), two (a male and a female), and from goats (maʿz), two (a male and a female). Say: Did Allāh forbid the two males, or the two females, or what is contained in the wombs of the two females? Tell me with knowledge — if you are truthful!
Commentary: Thamāniyata azwājin — eight pairs (mates): from sheep, one pair (male and female), from goats, one pair, from camels one pair, from cattle one pair — this makes four types, each with a pair, totalling eight. Qul ā-al-dhakārayni ḥarrama am al-unthayayni — say: which of these did Allāh forbid? Did He forbid the two males? Or the two females? Or what the wombs of the females contain? Nabbiʾūnī bi-ʿilmin — inform me with proper knowledge — not guesswork. In kuntum ṣādiqīn — if you are truthful in your claims of divine authority for these prohibitions, bring your evidence!
وَمِنَ الْإِبِلِ اثْنَيْنِ وَمِنَ الْبَقَرِ اثْنَيْنِ قُلْ آلذَّكَرَيْنِ حَرَّمَ أَمِ الْأُنثَيَيْنِ أَمَّا اشْتَمَلَتْ عَلَيْهِ أَرْحَامُ الْأُنثَيَيْنِ أَمْ كُنتُمْ شُهَدَاءَ إِذْ وَصَّاكُمُ اللَّهُ بِهَٰذَا فَمَنْ أَظْلَمُ مِمَّنِ افْتَرَىٰ عَلَى اللَّهِ كَذِبًا لِّيُضِلَّ النَّاسَ بِغَيْرِ عِلْمٍ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يَهْدِي الْقَوْمَ الظَّالِمِينَ
Wa-min al-ibili ithnayni wa-min al-baqari ithnayni qul ā-al-dhakārayni ḥarrama am al-unthayayni ammā ishtamalat ʿalayhi arḥāmu al-unthayayni am kuntum shuhadāʾa idh waṣṣākumu Allāhu bi-hādhā fa-man aẓlamu mimman iftarā ʿalā Allāhi kadhiban li-yuḍilla al-nāsa bi-ghayri ʿilmin inna Allāha lā yahdī al-qawma al-ẓālimīn.
"And of the camels, two and of the cattle, two. Say, 'Is it the two males He has forbidden or the two females or that which the wombs of the two females contain? Or were you witnesses when Allāh charged you with this?' Then who is more unjust than one who invents a lie about Allāh to mislead the people by [something] other than knowledge? Indeed, Allāh does not guide the wrongdoing people." (al-Anʿām 6:144)
Translation: And from camels two (a male and a female) and from cattle two (a male and a female). Say: Did Allāh forbid the two males or the two females, or what the wombs of the females contain? Were you present when Allāh commanded this? Who then is more unjust than one who fabricates lies against Allāh in order to mislead people without knowledge? Indeed Allāh does not guide the wrongdoing people.
Commentary: Wa-min al-ibili ithnayni wa-min al-baqari ithnayni — from camels two (male and female) and from cattle two (male and female). Now the challenge is complete: eight pairs in total. Ā-al-dhakārayni ḥarrama am al-unthayayni — among all eight, which did Allāh forbid? Identify precisely. Am kuntum shuhadāʾa idh waṣṣākumu Allāhu bi-hādhā — were you actually present when Allāh gave you this command? Can you testify to that? Fa-man aẓlamu mimman iftarā ʿalā Allāhi kadhiban li-yuḍilla al-nāsa bi-ghayri ʿilm — who is more unjust than one who fabricates a lie against Allāh in order to lead people astray without any knowledge? Inna Allāha lā yahdī al-qawma al-ẓālimīn — Allāh does not guide the wrongdoing people.
قُل لَّا أَجِدُ فِي مَا أُوحِيَ إِلَيَّ مُحَرَّمًا عَلَىٰ طَاعِمٍ يَطْعَمُهُ إِلَّا أَن يَكُونَ مَيْتَةً أَوْ دَمًا مَّسْفُوحًا أَوْ لَحْمَ خِنزِيرٍ فَإِنَّهُ رِجْسٌ أَوْ فِسْقًا أُهِلَّ لِغَيْرِ اللَّهِ بِهِ فَمَنِ اضْطُرَّ غَيْرَ بَاغٍ وَلَا عَادٍ فَإِنَّ رَبَّكَ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ
Qul lā ajidu fī mā ūḥiya ilayya muḥarraman ʿalā ṭāʿimin yaṭʿamuhu illā an yakūna maytatan aw daman masfūḥan aw laḥma khinzīrin fa-innahu rijsun aw fisqan uhilla li-ghayri Allāhi bihi fa-man iḍṭurra ghayra bāghin wa-lā ʿādin fa-inna rabbaka ghafūrun raḥīm.
"Say, 'I do not find within what was revealed to me [anything] forbidden to one who would eat it unless it be a dead animal or blood spilled out or the flesh of swine — for indeed, it is impure — or it be [that slaughtered in] disobedience, dedicated to other than Allāh. But whoever is forced [by necessity], neither desiring [it] nor transgressing [its limit], then indeed, your Lord is Forgiving and Merciful.'" (al-Anʿām 6:145)
Translation: Say (O Messenger): "In what has been revealed to me I do not find anything forbidden to a person who eats it, except: a dead animal (mayta), or spilled blood (dam masfūḥ), or the flesh of swine (laḥm khinzīr) — for it is impure (rijs) — or that which was slaughtered in disobedience (fisq), with the name of other than Allāh invoked over it. But whoever is compelled by necessity, neither craving it nor transgressing limits — then your Lord is Most Forgiving, Most Merciful."
Commentary: Qul lā ajidu fī mā ūḥiya ilayya muḥarraman — say: in the revelation that has been sent down to me, I do not find anything forbidden for one who eats, except four things: (1) mayta — carrion, an animal that died without proper slaughter. In the full Ḥanafī understanding, mayta includes the blood, flesh, fat and all parts of an animal not properly slaughtered. (2) Dam masfūḥ — blood that flows out — i.e. liquid blood shed at the time of slaughter or otherwise. Blood that remains in the veins of properly slaughtered meat is permissible according to the Ḥanafī school. (3) Laḥm khinzīr — the flesh of swine — for it is rijs, filth and impurity. (4) Fisqan uhilla li-ghayri Allāhi bihi — an animal slaughtered in transgression (fisq), over which the name of other than Allāh was invoked at the time of slaughter. Some hold that the animal dedicated to another, even if the bismillah was pronounced, is impermissible; but the sound view is that what matters is the invocation at the actual time of slaughter.
A matter of caution: it is not permitted to say at the time of slaughter "for such-and-such a saint" (falān ḥazrat ke liye) as a substitute for the invocation of Allāh's name. The bismillah and Allāhu akbar are the required invocation; anything else in place of them at the moment of actual slaughter is not permissible. To say bismillah and then dedicate the reward (thawāb) to a beloved soul — that is a different matter and is permitted.
Fa-man iḍṭurra ghayra bāghin wa-lā ʿādin — whoever is in a state of dire necessity (iḍṭirār), not desiring the forbidden thing (ghayra bāgh — not rebelliously seeking it) and not transgressing the minimum required to survive (wa-lā ʿādin — not exceeding the limit of mere survival) — in that case one may eat a small amount of even what is otherwise forbidden, purely to stay alive. Fa-inna rabbaka ghafūrun raḥīm — then your Lord is Most Forgiving, Most Merciful; He knows the necessity and forgives.
وَعَلَى الَّذِينَ هَادُوا حَرَّمْنَا كُلَّ ذِي ظُفُرٍ وَمِنَ الْبَقَرِ وَالْغَنَمِ حَرَّمْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ شُحُومَهُمَا إِلَّا مَا حَمَلَتْ ظُهُورُهُمَا أَوِ الْحَوَايَا أَوْ مَا اخْتَلَطَ بِعَظْمٍ ذَٰلِكَ جَزَيْنَاهُم بِبَغْيِهِمْ وَإِنَّا لَصَادِقُونَ
Wa-ʿalā alladhīna hādū ḥarramnā kulla dhī ẓufurin wa-min al-baqari wa-al-ghānami ḥarramnā ʿalayhim shuḥūmahumā illā mā ḥamalat ẓuhūruhumā aw al-ḥawāyā aw mā ikhtalaṭa bi-ʿaẓmin dhālika jazaynāhum bi-baghyihim wa-innā la-ṣādiqūn.
"And to those who are Jews We prohibited every animal of uncloven hoof; and of the cattle and the sheep We prohibited to them their fat, except what adheres to their backs or the entrails or is joined to bone. [By] that We repaid them for their injustice. And indeed, We are truthful." (al-Anʿām 6:146)
Translation: And upon the Jews We made forbidden every cloven-hoofed animal; and from cattle and sheep We made their fat (shuḥūm) forbidden — except the fat adhering to their backs, or what is in the intestines, or what is mixed with bone. That We gave them as a punishment for their rebellion and wrongdoing. And We are indeed truthful.
Commentary: These were additional restrictions placed specifically upon the Jews — not part of the original divine law, but a punishment for their transgressions and rebelliousness. Kulla dhī ẓufur — every animal with undivided hooves, including camel, ostrich, and similar animals — all made forbidden for them. Wa-min al-baqari wa-al-ghānami ḥarramnā ʿalayhim shuḥūmahumā — the fat of cattle and sheep was made forbidden for them. Illā mā ḥamalat ẓuhūruhumā — except what adheres to the back — the fat covering the backbone. Aw al-ḥawāyā — or the fat of the intestines (omentum). Aw mā ikhtalaṭa bi-ʿaẓm — or fat mixed with bone, such as bone marrow. These were excepted and remained permitted for them. Dhālika jazaynāhum bi-baghyihim — that punishment was given to them as recompense for their transgression and rebellion against Allāh's commands. Wa-innā la-ṣādiqūn — and We are indeed truthful.
فَإِن كَذَّبُوكَ فَقُل رَّبُّكُمْ ذُو رَحْمَةٍ وَاسِعَةٍ وَلَا يُرَدُّ بَأْسُهُ عَنِ الْقَوْمِ الْمُجْرِمِينَ
Fa-in kadhdhabūka fa-qul rabbukum dhū raḥmatin wāsiʿatin wa-lā yuraddu baʾsuhu ʿan al-qawmi al-mujrimīn.
"And if they deny you, say, 'Your Lord is the possessor of vast mercy; but His punishment cannot be repelled from the people who are criminals.'" (al-Anʿām 6:147)
Translation: If they deny you and reject your message, then say: "Your Lord is the Possessor of vast, encompassing mercy — and His punishment (baʾs) cannot be repelled or turned back from a criminal people."
Commentary: Fa-in kadhdhabūka fa-qul — if they continue to deny and reject you, then declare: rabbukum dhū raḥmatin wāsiʿatin — your Lord is the Possessor of mercy without limit, vast and all-encompassing; His mercy extends to all His creation. Wa-lā yuraddu baʾsuhu ʿan al-qawmi al-mujrimīn — but His punishment, when it comes, cannot be turned back from the criminal people. No one can intercept or deflect it. The same Lord who is merciful is also the One whose punishment falls inevitably upon the persistent criminals.
سَيَقُولُ الَّذِينَ أَشْرَكُوا لَوْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ مَا أَشْرَكْنَا وَلَا آبَاؤُنَا وَلَا حَرَّمْنَا مِن شَيْءٍ كَذَٰلِكَ كَذَّبَ الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ حَتَّىٰ ذَاقُوا بَأْسَنَا قُلْ هَلْ عِندَكُم مِّنْ عِلْمٍ فَتُخْرِجُوهُ لَنَا إِن تَتَّبِعُونَ إِلَّا الظَّنَّ وَإِنْ أَنتُمْ إِلَّا تَخْرُصُونَ
Sa-yaqūlu alladhīna ashrakū law shāʾa Allāhu mā ashraknā wa-lā ābāʾunā wa-lā ḥarramnā min shayʾin kadhālika kadhdhaba alladhīna min qablihim ḥattā dhāqū baʾsanā qul hal ʿindakum min ʿilmin fa-tukrijūhu lanā in tattabiʿūna illā al-ẓanna wa-in antum illā takhruṣūn.
"Those who associated with Allāh will say, 'If Allāh had willed, we would not have associated [anything] and neither would our fathers, nor would we have forbidden anything.' Likewise did those before them deny until they tasted Our punishment. Say, 'Do you have any knowledge that you can produce for us? You follow not except assumption, and you are not but falsifying.'" (al-Anʿām 6:148)
Translation: The polytheists will soon say: "Had Allāh willed, we would not have committed shirk, nor would our fathers, nor would we have made anything forbidden." In this manner did those before them deny — until they tasted Our punishment. Say: "Do you have any [genuine] knowledge to produce for us? You follow nothing but conjecture — and you are doing nothing but guessing and lying."
Commentary: Sa-yaqūlu alladhīna ashrakū — the polytheists will offer an argument: "If Allāh had willed it, we would not have committed shirk — nor our forefathers — nor forbidden anything on our own." This argument misuses the concept of divine will to excuse their own wilful choice of shirk — as if predestination absolves them of responsibility. Kadhālika kadhdhaba alladhīna min qablihim — those before them made exactly the same argument — until they tasted Our punishment. Qul hal ʿindakum min ʿilmin fa-tukhrijūhu lanā — say: do you possess any genuine scriptural knowledge, any divine testimony to bring forward? If so, produce it. In tattabiʿūna illā al-ẓann — you follow nothing but conjecture. Wa-in antum illā takhruṣūn — you do nothing but guess and fabricate.
قُلْ فَلِلَّهِ الْحُجَّةُ الْبَالِغَةُ فَلَوْ شَاءَ لَهَدَاكُمْ أَجْمَعِينَ
Qul fa-lillāhi al-ḥujjatu al-bāligha fa-law shāʾa la-hadākum ajmaʿīn.
"Say, 'With Allāh is the conclusive argument. If He had willed, He would have guided you all.'" (al-Anʿām 6:149)
Translation: Say: "With Allāh alone is the conclusive (bāligha) and overwhelming argument. Had He willed, He would have guided you all."
Commentary: Fa-lillāhi al-ḥujjatu al-bāligha — the conclusive, decisive, and all-penetrating argument belongs to Allāh. His proof is complete and unassailable. Fa-law shāʾa la-hadākum ajmaʿīn — and had He willed, He could have guided every single one of you. But the divine wisdom ordains that human beings be tested through their own choices.
قُلْ هَلُمَّ شُهَدَاءَكُمُ الَّذِينَ يَشْهَدُونَ أَنَّ اللَّهَ حَرَّمَ هَٰذَا فَإِن شَهِدُوا فَلَا تَشْهَدْ مَعَهُمْ وَلَا تَتَّبِعْ أَهْوَاءَ الَّذِينَ كَذَّبُوا بِآيَاتِنَا وَالَّذِينَ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ بِالْآخِرَةِ وَهُمْ بِرَبِّهِمْ يَعْدِلُونَ
Qul halumma shuhadāʾakumu alladhīna yashadūna anna Allāha ḥarrama hādhā fa-in shahidū fa-lā tashhad maʿahum wa-lā tattabiʿ ahwāʾa alladhīna kadhdhabū bi-āyātinā wa-alladhīna lā yuʾminūna bi-al-ākhirati wa-hum bi-rabbihim yaʿdilūn.
"Say, 'Bring forward your witnesses who will testify that Allāh has forbidden this.' And if they testify, do not testify with them. And do not follow the desires of those who deny Our verses and those who do not believe in the Hereafter, while they equate [others] with their Lord." (al-Anʿām 6:150)
Translation: Say: "Bring forward your witnesses — those who will testify that Allāh forbade this." And if they testify (with false testimony), do not you testify alongside them. And do not follow the whims and desires of those who have denied Our signs, and those who have no faith in the Hereafter, and who set up equals to their Lord.
Commentary: Qul halumma shuhadāʾakum — say: "Come! Bring your witnesses." Halumma means "come here" — a call to produce their evidence. Alladhīna yashadūna anna Allāha ḥarrama hādhā — those who will testify that Allāh declared these things forbidden. Fa-in shahidū fa-lā tashhad maʿahum — and if they bring false witnesses, do not testify alongside them; do not give false testimony for them. Wa-lā tattabiʿ ahwāʾa alladhīna kadhdhabū bi-āyātinā — do not follow the desires of those who rejected Our signs. Wa-alladhīna lā yuʾminūna bi-al-ākhira — and those who have no faith in the Hereafter. Wa-hum bi-rabbihim yaʿdilūn — they who equate others with their Lord, setting up partners in worship.
The author, raḥimahu Allāh, reflects: One who has no answer to the argument (dalīl) says: "If Allāh willed, He would have guided us — so our misguidance is Allāh's will, and therefore we are on the right path." Do not be deceived by this. These people have completely excluded Allāh from the affairs of this world and acknowledged His authority only in the matters of ākhira — but Allāh's command (amr and ḥukm) governs both worldly and next-worldly affairs. Allāh has created everything with complete knowledge and determined (taqdīr) its proper nature, capacity, and attributes. His hidden wisdom (ḥikmat) operates always. If a person is harmed, he rushes to fight — but when Allāh's command comes, why does one comply? Hold fast to Allāh; fear His punishment; do not make your soul a means of your own evil. Be good and fear Allāh, and seek His help against those who oppose Him.
قُلْ تَعَالَوْا أَتْلُ مَا حَرَّمَ رَبُّكُمْ عَلَيْكُمْ أَلَّا تُشْرِكُوا بِهِ شَيْئًا وَبِالْوَالِدَيْنِ إِحْسَانًا وَلَا تَقْتُلُوا أَوْلَادَكُم مِّنْ إِمْلَاقٍ نَّحْنُ نَرْزُقُكُمْ وَإِيَّاهُمْ وَلَا تَقْرَبُوا الْفَوَاحِشَ مَا ظَهَرَ مِنْهَا وَمَا بَطَنَ وَلَا تَقْتُلُوا النَّفْسَ الَّتِي حَرَّمَ اللَّهُ إِلَّا بِالْحَقِّ ذَٰلِكُمْ وَصَّاكُم بِهِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَعْقِلُونَ
Qul taʿālaw atlū mā ḥarrama rabbukum ʿalaykum allā tushrikū bihi shayʾan wa-bi-al-wālidayni iḥsānan wa-lā taqtulū awlādakum min imlāqin naḥnu narzuqukum wa-iyyāhum wa-lā taqrabū al-fawāḥisha mā ẓahara minhā wa-mā baṭana wa-lā taqtulū al-nafsa allatī ḥarrama Allāhu illā bi-al-ḥaqqi dhālikum waṣṣākum bihi laʿallakum taʿqilūn.
"Say, 'Come, I will recite what your Lord has prohibited to you. [He commands] that you not associate anything with Him, and to parents, good treatment, and do not kill your children out of poverty; We will provide for you and them. And do not approach immoralities — what is apparent of them and what is concealed. And do not kill the soul which Allāh has forbidden [to be killed] except by [legal] right. This has He instructed you that you may use reason.'" (al-Anʿām 6:151)
Translation: Say: "Come! Let me recite to you what your Lord has truly forbidden you." (And that is:) Do not associate anything with Him (in worship); treat parents with goodness and kindness. Do not kill your children out of poverty — We provide for you and for them. Do not approach indecencies and immoralities — neither the outward nor the hidden. Do not kill a soul that Allāh has declared sacred — except by due right of law (in cases of qiṣāṣ, in lawful jihād). These are the things Allāh has enjoined upon you — so that perhaps you will reflect and understand.
Commentary: This and the two following verses (6:151–153) are among the most comprehensive moral and legal injunctions in the Qurʾān — what the scholars call waṣāyā al-ʿashar (the Ten Commandments of Islām). The prohibitions enumerated here are:
1. Allā tushrikū bihi shayʾan — Do not associate anything with Allāh. This is the supreme command: monotheism (tawḥīd). Neither idols, nor saints wrongly worshipped, nor jinn — none is to be set as a partner alongside Allāh. This is the foundation of all worship. 2. Wa-bi-al-wālidayni iḥsānan — Treat parents with goodness (iḥsān). Iḥsān means to excel in kindness, care, and service. Parents endured great hardship in raising the child; serve them in their old age; obey them; honour them; care for their needs. 3. Wa-lā taqtulū awlādakum min imlāq — Do not kill your children out of poverty. Naḥnu narzuqukum wa-iyyāhum — We provide for you and for them. Their provision is upon Allāh; do not fear. 4. Wa-lā taqrabū al-fawāḥisha — Do not even approach indecencies and immoralities — whether ẓāhir (outward, such as fornication, public lewdness) or bāṭin (inward, such as hidden vice, impure intention). Purify both the outer form (ẓāhir) and the inner state (bāṭin). 5. Wa-lā taqtulū al-nafsa allatī ḥarrama Allāhu illā bi-al-ḥaqq — Do not kill the life (nafs) that Allāh has declared sacred, except by due right. Bi-al-ḥaqq means in legitimate cases: qiṣāṣ (legal retaliation for murder), in lawful war, or capital punishment for ḥudūd crimes. Do not kill out of cowardice, through treachery, or in a spirit of injustice and oppression.
Dhālikum waṣṣākum bihi laʿallakum taʿqilūn — These are the commandments Allāh has enjoined upon you, so that you might reflect and understand.
The author, raḥimahu Allāh, addresses his community: Guard your outward conduct and your inner state. Maintain order in commerce and dealings. Do not resort to violence or revenge except through proper legal channels. The time is one of fitna. Stand firm; seek Allāh's guidance; and may Allāh protect us all.
وَلَا تَقْرَبُوا مَالَ الْيَتِيمِ إِلَّا بِالَّتِي هِيَ أَحْسَنُ حَتَّىٰ يَبْلُغَ أَشُدَّهُ وَأَوْفُوا الْكَيْلَ وَالْمِيزَانَ بِالْقِسْطِ لَا نُكَلِّفُ نَفْسًا إِلَّا وُسْعَهَا وَإِذَا قُلْتُمْ فَاعْدِلُوا وَلَوْ كَانَ ذَا قُرْبَىٰ وَبِعَهْدِ اللَّهِ أَوْفُوا ذَٰلِكُمْ وَصَّاكُم بِهِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَذَكَّرُونَ
Wa-lā taqrabū māla al-yatīmi illā bi-allatī hiya aḥsanu ḥattā yablugha ashuddahu wa-awfū al-kayla wa-al-mīzāna bi-al-qisṭi lā nukallifu nafsan illā wusʿahā wa-idhā qultum fa-ʿdilū wa-law kāna dhā qurbā wa-bi-ʿahdi Allāhi awfū dhālikum waṣṣākum bihi laʿallakum tadhakkarūn.
"And do not approach the orphan's property except in a way that is best until he reaches maturity. And give full measure and weight in justice. We do not burden any soul beyond that which it can bear. And when you testify, be just, even if [it concerns] a near relative. And fulfill the covenant of Allāh. This has He instructed you that you may remember." (al-Anʿām 6:152)
Translation: Do not approach the orphan's property except in the best possible way (allatī hiya aḥsan) — meaning only in the manner that benefits and protects the orphan — until he reaches full maturity. Give full measure and full weight in all dealings, justly. We do not burden any soul beyond its capacity. When you speak (in testimony or in judgment), speak justly — even if a close relative is involved. And fulfil the covenant of Allāh. These are the things Allāh has enjoined upon you — so that perhaps you will take heed.
Commentary: Wa-lā taqrabū māla al-yatīm illā bi-allatī hiya aḥsan — do not touch the orphan's wealth except in the way most beneficial to him: invest it, protect it, grow it honestly. Ḥattā yablugha ashuddahu — until he reaches maturity and full strength. The Ḥanafī position: the orphan's wealth should be held in trust and returned complete when he matures. Courts of guardianship (Court of Wards) exist precisely to protect the orphan's assets; those who serve in them must be honest and act in the orphan's best interests, not for personal gain. Wa-awfū al-kayla wa-al-mīzāna bi-al-qisṭ — give full measure and weight justly. In selling, do not give less; in buying, do not take more. The standard of just weights and measures must be maintained. Lā nukallifu nafsan illā wusʿahā — We do not burden a soul beyond its capacity. Wa-idhā qultum fa-ʿdilū wa-law kāna dhā qurbā — and when you testify, speak justly even if it is against a close relative. Justice is not to be distorted by family sentiment. Wa-bi-ʿahdi Allāhi awfū — and fulfil the covenant of Allāh — His commands and His trusts. Dhālikum waṣṣākum bihi laʿallakum tadhakkarūn — these are Allāh's injunctions — so that you may remember and be heedful.
وَأَنَّ هَٰذَا صِرَاطِي مُسْتَقِيمًا فَاتَّبِعُوهُ وَلَا تَتَّبِعُوا السُّبُلَ فَتَفَرَّقَ بِكُمْ عَن سَبِيلِهِ ذَٰلِكُمْ وَصَّاكُم بِهِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ
Wa-anna hādhā ṣirāṭī mustaqīman fa-attabiʿūhu wa-lā tattabiʿū al-subula fa-tafarraqa bikum ʿan sabīlihi dhālikum waṣṣākum bihi laʿallakum tattaqūn.
"And [moreover], this is My path, which is straight, so follow it; and do not follow [other] ways, for you will be separated from His way. This has He instructed you that you may become righteous." (al-Anʿām 6:153)
Translation: And indeed this is My straight path — so follow it, and do not follow other paths, lest they scatter and separate you from His way. These are the things Allāh has enjoined upon you — so that perhaps you will attain taqwā (God-consciousness and righteousness).
Commentary: Wa-anna hādhā ṣirāṭī mustaqīman — and this is My straight path — the path of tawḥīd, of the Qurʾān and the Sunna, of justice and virtue. Fa-attabiʿūhu — so follow it; walk upon it. Wa-lā tattabiʿū al-subula — and do not follow the other diverse paths. Al-subul (pl. of sabīl) — the many deviant paths, the innovations, the paths of error. Fa-tafarraqa bikum ʿan sabīlihi — for they will scatter you and separate you from His path. Dhālikum waṣṣākum bihi laʿallakum tattaqūn — this is what Allāh has enjoined upon you — so that perhaps you will become truly God-fearing (muttaqūn).
ثُمَّ آتَيْنَا مُوسَى الْكِتَابَ تَمَامًا عَلَى الَّذِي أَحْسَنَ وَتَفْصِيلًا لِّكُلِّ شَيْءٍ وَهُدًى وَرَحْمَةً لَّعَلَّهُمْ بِلِقَاءِ رَبِّهِمْ يُؤْمِنُونَ
Thumma ātaynā Mūsā al-kitāba tamāman ʿalā alladhī aḥsana wa-tafṣīlan li-kulli shayʾin wa-hudan wa-raḥmatan laʿallahum bi-liqāʾi rabbihim yuʾminūn.
"Then We gave Moses the Scripture, making complete [Our favor] upon him who did good and as a detailed explanation of all things and as guidance and mercy that perhaps in the meeting with their Lord they would believe." (al-Anʿām 6:154)
Translation: Then We gave Mūsā (upon him be peace) the Book — as a completion of Our favour upon the one who does good (alladhī aḥsana) — and as a detailed explanation of all necessary things, and as guidance and mercy — so that perhaps they might believe in their encounter with their Lord.
Commentary: Thumma ātaynā Mūsā al-kitāba — then We gave the Scripture to Mūsā (upon him be peace). Tamāman ʿalā alladhī aḥsana — as a completion of blessing upon the one who excels in goodness. Wa-tafṣīlan li-kulli shayʾin — and as a detailed exposition of all necessary things. Wa-hudan wa-raḥmatan — and as guidance and mercy. Laʿallahum bi-liqāʾi rabbihim yuʾminūn — so that perhaps they might believe in the meeting with their Lord, and that those of that community who act well might have faith in the encounter with Allāh at the Day of Reckoning.
The author, raḥimahu Allāh, observes: People devote enormous attention to matters that are not truly essential and neglect what is truly essential. This community (umma) needs to be brought toward Allāh's laws and the reformation of morals and character (iṣlāḥ al-akhlāq).
وَهَٰذَا كِتَابٌ أَنزَلْنَاهُ مُبَارَكٌ فَاتَّبِعُوهُ وَاتَّقُوا لَعَلَّكُمْ تُرْحَمُونَ
Wa-hādhā kitābun anzalnāhu mubārakun fa-attabiʿūhu wa-ittaqū laʿallakum turḥamūn.
"And this [Qurʾān] is a Book We have revealed which is blessed, so follow it and fear Allāh that you may receive mercy." (al-Anʿām 6:155)
Translation: And this is a Book that We have sent down — a Book full of blessing and benediction (mubārak). Therefore follow it, and maintain taqwā (God-consciousness) — so that perhaps you will receive mercy.
Commentary: Wa-hādhā kitābun anzalnāhu mubārakun — this Qurʾān is the blessed and beneficent Book We have sent down. Mubārak — full of blessing in its every letter, verse, and command; its blessings radiate upon all who follow it. Fa-attabiʿūhu — therefore follow it, act upon it, adhere to it. Wa-ittaqū — and observe taqwā — fear of Allāh, God-consciousness. Laʿallakum turḥamūn — so that perhaps Allāh will bestow mercy upon you.
أَن تَقُولُوا إِنَّمَا أُنزِلَ الْكِتَابُ عَلَىٰ طَائِفَتَيْنِ مِن قَبْلِنَا وَإِن كُنَّا عَن دِرَاسَتِهِمْ لَغَافِلِينَ
An taqūlū innamā unzila al-kitābu ʿalā ṭāʾifatayni min qablinā wa-in kunnā ʿan dirāsatihim la-ghāfilīn.
"[We revealed it] lest you say, 'The Scripture was only sent down to two groups before us, and we were of their study unaware.'" (al-Anʿām 6:156)
Translation: (We sent this Book) so that you may not say: "The Book was only sent down to two groups before us (the Jews and the Christians) — and we were unaware of their study of it."
Commentary: An taqūlū innamā unzila al-kitābu ʿalā ṭāʾifatayni min qablinā — the Qurʾān was revealed so that the Arabs would not have the excuse: "The Book was only sent down to two communities before us — the Jews and the Christians — and we had no access to their study and learning. We are Arabs; those books came to Jewish and Christian peoples before us." By sending the Qurʾān in Arabic, Allāh removed this excuse entirely. Wa-in kunnā ʿan dirāsatihim la-ghāfilīn — and even if we were unaware of their studies — that excuse is now void.
أَوْ تَقُولُوا لَوْ أَنَّا أُنزِلَ عَلَيْنَا الْكِتَابُ لَكُنَّا أَهْدَىٰ مِنْهُمْ فَقَدْ جَاءَكُم بَيِّنَةٌ مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ وَهُدًى وَرَحْمَةٌ فَمَنْ أَظْلَمُ مِمَّنْ كَذَّبَ بِآيَاتِ اللَّهِ وَصَدَفَ عَنْهَا سَنَجْزِي الَّذِينَ يَصْدِفُونَ عَنْ آيَاتِنَا سُوءَ الْعَذَابِ بِمَا كَانُوا يَصْدِفُونَ
Aw taqūlū law annā unzila ʿalaynā al-kitābu la-kunnā ahdā minhum fa-qad jāʾakum bayyinatun min rabbikum wa-hudan wa-raḥmatun fa-man aẓlamu mimman kadhdhaba bi-āyāti Allāhi wa-ṣadafa ʿanhā sa-najzī alladhīna yaṣdifūna ʿan āyātinā sūʾa al-ʿadhābi bi-mā kānū yaṣdifūn.
"Or lest you say, 'If only the Scripture had been revealed to us, we would have been better guided than they.' So there has [now] come to you a clear evidence from your Lord and a guidance and mercy. Then who is more unjust than one who denies the verses of Allāh and turns away from them? We will recompense those who turn away from Our verses with the worst of punishment for having turned away." (al-Anʿām 6:157)
Translation: Or lest you say: "If the Book had been sent down to us, we would have been better guided than those (Jews and Christians)." Now the clear evidence (bayyina) from your Lord has come to you — guidance and mercy. Then who is more unjust than the one who denies the signs of Allāh and turns away from them? We will soon recompense those who turn away from Our signs with the worst of punishments — because of their persistent turning away.
Commentary: The second excuse removed: aw taqūlū law annā unzila ʿalaynā al-kitābu la-kunnā ahdā minhum — or you might have said: "Had the Book been sent down to us (in Arabic, in a way we could understand), we would have been better guided than those earlier communities." This excuse is now void. Fa-qad jāʾakum bayyinatun min rabbikum — now the clear bayyina, the luminous proof, has come to you from your Lord. Wa-hudan wa-raḥmatun — guidance and mercy. Now who is more unjust — fa-man aẓlamu — than the one who denies Allāh's signs and turns away (ṣadafa) — averts his face, turns his back on them, and actively flees from them? Sa-najzī alladhīna yaṣdifūna ʿan āyātinā sūʾa al-ʿadhāb — We will soon recompense those who turn away from Our signs with the worst and most severe punishment, because of their persistent and wilful turning away.
هَلْ يَنظُرُونَ إِلَّا أَن تَأْتِيَهُمُ الْمَلَائِكَةُ أَوْ يَأْتِيَ رَبُّكَ أَوْ يَأْتِيَ بَعْضُ آيَاتِ رَبِّكَ يَوْمَ يَأْتِي بَعْضُ آيَاتِ رَبِّكَ لَا يَنفَعُ نَفْسًا إِيمَانُهَا لَمْ تَكُنْ آمَنَتْ مِن قَبْلُ أَوْ كَسَبَتْ فِي إِيمَانِهَا خَيْرًا قُلْ انتَظِرُوا إِنَّا مُنتَظِرُونَ
Hal yanẓurūna illā an taʾtiyahumu al-malāʾikatu aw yaʾtiya rabbuka aw yaʾtiya baʿḍu āyāti rabbika yawma yaʾtī baʿḍu āyāti rabbika lā yanfaʿu nafsan īmānuhā lam takun āmanat min qablu aw kasabat fī īmānihā khayran qul intaẓirū innā muntaẓirūn.
"Do they wait but for the angels to come to them or for your Lord to come or for some of the signs of your Lord to come? On the Day when some of the signs of your Lord will come, no soul will benefit from its faith [if it had] not previously believed or had earned through its faith some good. Say, 'Wait, indeed we [too] are waiting.'" (al-Anʿām 6:158)
Translation: What are they waiting for — except that the angels should come to them, or that your Lord Himself should come, or that some of the signs of your Lord should appear? On the Day when some of the signs of your Lord come (the great final signs), the faith of a soul that did not believe before — or that earned no good through its faith — will be of no benefit. Say: "Wait then; we too are waiting."
Commentary: Hal yanẓurūna illā an taʾtiyahumu al-malāʾikata — what are they awaiting? Are they waiting for the angels to come down to them? Aw yaʾtiya rabbuka — or for your Lord Himself to appear in a manner fitting His majesty? Aw yaʾtiya baʿḍu āyāti rabbika — or for some of the great signs of your Lord to appear? Yawma yaʾtī baʿḍu āyāti rabbika — on the Day when those great final signs of your Lord appear — the rising of the sun from the west, the appearance of the Dabbat al-Arḍ (the Beast), and similar major signs of the Last Hour — lā yanfaʿu nafsan īmānuhā lam takun āmanat min qabl — on that Day no soul's faith will avail it if it had not believed before — at that point, repentance (tawba) and the acceptance of faith will be closed. Aw kasabat fī īmānihā khayran — or had earned good within the compass of its faith. Qul intaẓirū innā muntaẓirūn — say: "Wait then — we too are waiting." The outcome will manifest and the truth will be established.
إِنَّ الَّذِينَ فَرَّقُوا دِينَهُمْ وَكَانُوا شِيَعًا لَّسْتَ مِنْهُمْ فِي شَيْءٍ إِنَّمَا أَمْرُهُمْ إِلَى اللَّهِ ثُمَّ يُنَبِّئُهُم بِمَا كَانُوا يَفْعَلُونَ
Inna alladhīna farraqū dīnahum wa-kānū shiyaʿan lasta minhum fī shayʾin innamā amruhum ilā Allāhi thumma yunabbi'uhum bi-mā kānū yafʿalūn.
"Indeed, those who have divided their religion and become sects — you, [O Muḥammad], are not [associated] with them in anything. Their affair is only [left] to Allāh; then He will inform them about what they used to do." (al-Anʿām 6:159)
Translation: Indeed those who have split their religion into pieces and become factions and sects — you (O Messenger) have nothing to do with them. Their affair is referred entirely to Allāh; then He will inform them of all that they used to do.
Commentary: Inna alladhīna farraqū dīnahum wa-kānū shiyaʿan — those who introduced divisions and factionalism into their religion, splitting into competing sects, each following its own whim. Lasta minhum fī shayʾin — you (the Prophetﷺ) have absolutely nothing to do with them. The people of Ahl al-Sunna (Ahl al-Sunna wa-l-Jamāʿa) do not pray with those who deviate from it; they do not share religious duties with them; they do not follow their innovations nor share in their deviancies. What is incumbent upon them in Islamic civil conduct is one matter; unnecessary cooperation is another. Innamā amruhum ilā Allāh — their whole affair is referred to Allāh. Thumma yunabbi'uhum bi-mā kānū yafʿalūn — then Allāh will inform them fully of all they used to do; they will receive the full account of their deeds.
مَن جَاءَ بِالْحَسَنَةِ فَلَهُ عَشْرُ أَمْثَالِهَا وَمَن جَاءَ بِالسَّيِّئَةِ فَلَا يُجْزَىٰ إِلَّا مِثْلَهَا وَهُمْ لَا يُظْلَمُونَ
Man jāʾa bi-al-ḥasanati fa-lahu ʿashru amthālihā wa-man jāʾa bi-al-sayyiʾati fa-lā yujzā illā mithlahā wa-hum lā yuẓlamūn.
"Whoever comes [on the Day of Judgment] with a good deed will have ten times the like thereof [to his credit], and whoever comes with an evil deed will not be recompensed except the like thereof; and they will not be wronged." (al-Anʿām 6:160)
Translation: Whoever comes on the Day of Judgment with a good deed (ḥasana) will receive ten times its like in reward. And whoever comes with an evil deed (sayyiʾa) will be recompensed with only its equal — and they shall not be wronged in the least.
Commentary: Man jāʾa bi-al-ḥasanati fa-lahu ʿashru amthālihā — one good deed earns ten times its reward — ten for one. This is the infinite generosity of Allāh. Wa-man jāʾa bi-al-sayyiʾati fa-lā yujzā illā mithlahā — but one evil deed is punished only by its equal — without multiplication. This is the absolute justice of Allāh. Wa-hum lā yuẓlamūn — and they shall suffer no injustice. Not a grain's weight of anyone's good or evil will be ignored.
The author, raḥimahu Allāh, urges his readers: Let the ʿulamāʾ who have the capacity to answer speak clearly — and forgive those who ask. Do not confuse the ignorant further. Those who invoke predestination (taqdīr) to excuse their conduct do not realise how God who wills good also placed in each human being the capacity to respond and to choose. Carry out your duties, fear Allāh, do not make your ego the master of your evil. If you believe, hold fast to Allāh and His commands. Fear His punishment, and do not let your life's record shame you on the Day you stand before Him.
قُلْ إِنَّنِي هَدَانِي رَبِّي إِلَىٰ صِرَاطٍ مُّسْتَقِيمٍ دِينًا قِيَمًا مِّلَّةَ إِبْرَاهِيمَ حَنِيفًا وَمَا كَانَ مِنَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ
Qul innanī hadānī rabbī ilā ṣirāṭin mustaqīmin dīnan qiyyaman millata Ibrāhīma ḥanīfan wa-mā kāna min al-mushrikīn.
"Say, 'Indeed, my Lord has guided me to a straight path — a correct religion — the way of Abraham, inclining toward truth, and he was not among those who associated others with Allāh.'" (al-Anʿām 6:161)
Translation: Say: "Indeed my Lord has guided me to a straight path — an upright, correct religion — the milla (way) of Ibrāhīm (upon him be peace), who was a sincere monotheist (ḥanīf), and who was certainly not among the polytheists."
Commentary: Qul innanī hadānī rabbī ilā ṣirāṭin mustaqīm — say: my Lord has guided me to the straight path. Dīnan qiyyaman — an upright, correct religion — qiyyam or qayyim meaning straight, correct, undeviating. Millata Ibrāhīma ḥanīfan — the way (milla) of Ibrāhīm, the pure monotheist. Ḥanīf — one who turns away from all false religion and turns exclusively toward the True God. Wa-mā kāna min al-mushrikīn — and he was not of the polytheists. Those who claim today to follow the tradition of Ibrāhīm (upon him be peace) while associating partners with Allāh are themselves in contradiction with the milla they claim to follow.
قُلْ إِنَّ صَلَاتِي وَنُسُكِي وَمَحْيَايَ وَمَمَاتِي لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ
Qul inna ṣalātī wa-nusukī wa-maḥyāya wa-mamātī li-llāhi rabbi al-ʿālamīn.
"Say, 'Indeed, my prayer, my rites of sacrifice, my living, and my dying are for Allāh, Lord of the worlds.'" (al-Anʿām 6:162)
Translation: Say: "Indeed my prayer, my sacrifice (nusuk), my life and my death — all are for Allāh, the Lord of all the worlds."
Commentary: Qul inna ṣalātī — say, O Messenger of Allāhﷺ: my ṣalāt (prayer) — my complete devotion and worship. Wa-nusukī — my nusuk, meaning my sacrificial acts, my rites of worship, all my religious observances. Wa-maḥyāya — my living, my life in this world. Wa-mamātī — and my death, my passing from this world. Li-llāhi rabbi al-ʿālamīn — all of this belongs entirely and exclusively to Allāh, the Lord of all the worlds. Both my life and my death are within His decree and for His sake, as expressed in the beautiful verse of poetry: Jīnā tarī khayr marnā tarī khayr — "Living, Yours is the good; dying, Yours is the good; in the station of truth." Every breath, every moment, every act of worship — offered purely to Allāh alone. This is the declaration of ikhlāṣ (sincerity) at its highest degree.
لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ وَبِذَٰلِكَ أُمِرْتُ وَأَنَا أَوَّلُ الْمُسْلِمِينَ
Lā sharīka lahu wa-bi-dhālika umirtu wa-anā awwalu al-muslimīn.
"He has no partner. And thus I have been commanded, and I am the first [of those who are] Muslims.'" (al-Anʿām 6:163)
Translation: He has no partner. And this is what I have been commanded, and I am the first and foremost of the Muslims (the first of this community in submission and obedience to Allāh).
Commentary: Lā sharīka lahu — He has no partner, no associate, no equal. Wa-bi-dhālika umirtu — and with this — with pure tawḥīd and exclusive devotion — I have been commanded, I have been directed. Wa-anā awwalu al-muslimīn — and I am the first of the Muslims, the first in submission, the foremost in obedience, the leader of those who surrender themselves to Allāh Most High. This is the declaration of the Prophetﷺ: complete tawḥīd, complete surrender, the highest embodiment of Islām. All of life — every act of worship, every sacrifice, every breath, every death — dedicated solely to Allāh, with none as His partner.
قُلْ أَغَيْرَ اللَّهِ أَبْغِي رَبًّا وَهُوَ رَبُّ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ وَلَا تَكْسِبُ كُلُّ نَفْسٍ إِلَّا عَلَيْهَا وَلَا تَزِرُ وَازِرَةٌ وِزْرَ أُخْرَىٰ ثُمَّ إِلَىٰ رَبِّكُم مَّرْجِعُكُمْ فَيُنَبِّئُكُم بِمَا كُنتُمْ فِيهِ تَخْتَلِفُونَ
Qul a-ghayra Allāhi abghī rabban wa-huwa rabbu kulli shayʾin wa-lā taksibu kullu nafsin illā ʿalayhā wa-lā taziru wāziratun wizra ukhrā thumma ilā rabbikum marjiʿukum fa-yunabbi'ukum bi-mā kuntum fīhi takhtalifūn.
"Say, 'Is it other than Allāh I should desire as a Lord while He is the Lord of all things? And every soul earns not [blame] except against itself, and no bearer of burdens will bear the burden of another. Then to your Lord is your return, and He will inform you concerning that over which you used to differ.'" (al-Anʿām 6:164)
Translation: Say: "Should I seek any lord other than Allāh — when He is the Lord of all things? Every soul earns (good or evil) only for itself — no soul bears the burden of another's sin. Then your return is to your Lord, and He will inform you of all that over which you used to differ."
Commentary: Qul a-ghayra Allāhi abghī rabban — say: should I seek, desire, or pursue any lord other than Allāh? The question is rhetorical and emphatic: it is impossible and inconceivable. Wa-huwa rabbu kulli shayʾin — for He is the Lord, Master, and Sustainer of all things. Every creature is subservient to Him; all return to Him. Wa-lā taksibu kullu nafsin illā ʿalayhā — and every soul earns only for itself; the reward for good and the burden of sin fall upon the one who acts, not upon another. Wa-lā taziru wāziratun wizra ukhrā — and no bearer of burdens shall bear the burden of another. On the Day of Judgment, a father cannot carry the sin of his son, nor a son that of his father; no friend can carry another's load. Each soul stands entirely alone before its Lord. Thumma ilā rabbikum marjiʿukum — then to your Lord is your return, your ultimate destination. Fa-yunabbi'ukum bi-mā kuntum fīhi takhtalifūn — and He will inform you of all the matters over which you disputed and differed in this world; He will make the truth plain and render complete and final judgment.
وَهُوَ الَّذِي جَعَلَكُمْ خَلَائِفَ الْأَرْضِ وَرَفَعَ بَعْضَكُمْ فَوْقَ بَعْضٍ دَرَجَاتٍ لِّيَبْلُوَكُمْ فِي مَا آتَاكُمْ إِنَّ رَبَّكَ سَرِيعُ الْعِقَابِ وَإِنَّهُ لَغَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ
Wa-huwa alladhī jaʿalakum khalāʾifa al-arḍi wa-rafaʿa baʿḍakum fawqa baʿḍin darajātin li-yabluwakum fī mā ātākum inna rabbaka sarīʿu al-ʿiqābi wa-innahu la-ghafūrun raḥīm.
"And it is He who has made you successors (khalāʾif) upon the earth and has raised some of you above others in degrees [of rank] — that He may test you through what He has given you. Indeed, your Lord is swift in penalty; but indeed, He is also Forgiving and Merciful." (al-Anʿām 6:165)
Translation: And He it is who has made you vicegerents (khalāʾif) upon the earth and has raised some of you above others in rank and degree — so that He may test you through what He has given you. Indeed your Lord is swift in punishment — and indeed He is Forgiving and Merciful.
Commentary: Wa-huwa alladhī jaʿalakum khalāʾifa al-arḍ — it is Allāh who has made you khalāʾif — successors, vicegerents — upon the earth. You stand upon the earth as Allāh's trustees, and you move upon it sustained by His power. You are khalīfat Allāh — the representative of Allāh on earth — charged with populating, cultivating, and preserving it according to His commands. Wa-rafaʿa baʿḍakum fawqa baʿḍin darajātin — and He has elevated some of you above others in degrees of rank, station, wealth, knowledge, and strength. This differentiation is not arbitrary: it is a deliberate arrangement of divine wisdom. Li-yabluwakum fī mā ātākum — so that He may test you through what He has given you: will the wealthy give zakāt? Will the learned guide others? Will those in authority exercise justice? Every favour is a test. Inna rabbaka sarīʿu al-ʿiqāb — indeed your Lord is swift in punishing those who transgress the trust He has placed in them. Wa-innahu la-ghafūrun raḥīm — but He is also immeasurably Forgiving and Merciful toward those who repent, return to Him, and fulfil their trust. The sūrah closes on this great balance: the majesty of divine justice and the boundless ocean of divine mercy.
This is the conclusion of the author's commentary on Sūrat al-Anʿām (6) within the pages assigned to this section. Wa-l-ḥamdu li-llāhi rabbi al-ʿālamīn.