Indexed OCR Text

468
Surah Al-An'am : 6 : 129 - 132
pliable people to listen to them because of which they succeeded in
making human beings follow their dictates, so much so that they for-
got all about death and the Hereafter. That was when they confessed
that they had forsaken the thought of death and the Hereafter because
of the instigation of satans, and now they see it in front of them.
النَّارُ مَثُوْكُمُ خُلِدِيْنَ فِيْهَا إِلَّ مَاشَاءَ اللَّهُ ﴿ إِنَّ رَبَّكَ حَكِيمٌ:Thereupon, Allah Ta'ala will say
JE ("The Fire is your abode where you shall remain for ever, except
what Allah wills [that is, wills to take someone out of it]. Surely, your
Lord is All-Wise, All-Knowing"). But, as in the definitive statements of
the Qur'an (Nusus), it stands proved that even Allah Ta'ala would not
so will, therefore, it is for ever that they shall have to be in it.
Verses 129 - 132
وَكَذَلِكَ نُوَّلِِّ بَعْضَ الْظُلِمِيْنَ بَعْضًأَ بِمَا كَانُوا يَكْسِبُونَ
﴿١٢٩) يُمَعُشَرَ الْجِنِّ وَالْإِنْسِ آَلَمْ يَأْتِكُمُ رُسُلٌّ ◌ِنْكُمْ يَقُضُونَ
عَلَيْكُمْ أَيْنِى وَيُنُذِرُوْنَكُمْ لِقَآءَ يَوْمِكُمُ هَذَا﴾ قَالُوا شَهِدُنَا
عَلَّى أَنْفُسِنَا وَغَرَّتُهُمُ الْحَيُوَةُ الدُّنْيَا وَشَهِدُوْا عَلَّى أَنْفُسِهِمُ
أَنَّهُمْ كَانُوا كُفِرِينَ ﴿ ١٣﴾ ذُلِكَ أَنُ لَّمْ يَكُنْ تَبُّكَ مُهْلِكَ الْقُرَى
بِظُلْمٍ وَآَهُلُهَا غُفِلُونَ ﴿١٣١) وَلِكُلِّ دَرَجْتٌّ مِمَّا عَمِلُوْا* وَمَا
رَبُّكَ بِغَافِلٍ عَمَّا يَعُمَلُنَ ﴿١٣٢﴾
And thus We set some wrongdoers on some others be-
cause of what they used to commit. [129]
"O Jinnkind and mankind, have there not come to you
the messengers from among you who used to narrate
My verses to you, and used to warn you of your meet-
ing this day?" They will say, "We testify against our-
selves." And the worldly life had deceived them, and
they testified against themselves that they were disbe-
lievers. [130]
And this is because your Lord is not to destroy any
towns for any injustice while their people are unaware.
[131]

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Surah Al-An'am : 6 : 129 - 132
And for all there are ranks according to what they did,
and your Lord is not unaware of what they do. [132]
Commentary
Lexically, the word: 2% (nuwalli) appearing in the first (129) of the
three verses cited above can be translated either in the sense of joining
up and bringing closer, or in the sense of setting on or imposing on.
Narrations reported from leading authorities in Tafsir among the Sa-
habah and Tabi'in also carry the explanation of this word as based on
these two meanings.
The Basis of Human Groupings after Resurrection
Early authorities Said ibn Jubayr and Qatadah and others have
taken the first sense and, according to them, the verse means that, on
the day of Qiyamah before Allah Ta'ala, the collective formations - that
is, groupings and party alignments of people - will not be on racial or
national or colour and language basis, instead of which, these group-
ings shall be on the basis of deeds and morals. A Muslim obedient to
Allah Ta'ala, wherever he may be, shall be together with Muslims; and
the disobedient disbeliever, wherever he may be, shall be together
with disbelievers - whether their race, heredity, country, language, col-
our and social living may be way different.
Then, even among Muslims, those good in deeds shall be with the
righteous while the evil doers will be grouped up with evil doers and
sinners. This is the sense of what has been said in Surah At-Takwir: út;
asij go that is, when people shall be grouped (like with like) the
sense of which is that the people gathered before Allah Ta'ala on the
plains of Resurrection shall split in different groupings in terms of
their deeds and morals.
In his Tafsir of this verse, Sayyidna Faruq al-A'zam has said: 'The
doers of one kind of deeds, good or bad, shall be grouped together. The
good will go with the good to Jannah and the evil will be led with the
evil to Jahannam.' To authenticate his explanation, Sayyidna Faruq al-
A'zam cited proof from the verse: ◌ْأُخْتُرُوا الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوْا وَأَزْوَاجَهُم of the Holy Qur'an
(37:22) which deals with the same subject by saying that, on the day of
Qiyamah, the command will go forth: 'Gather those who have been un-
just, and their cohorts, (and take them to Jahannam).

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Surah Al-An'am : 6 : 129 - 132
The gist of the explanation of this verse is that Allah Ta'ala will, by
merging some of the unjust with some others, will make them one
group, irrespective of how far apart they may be from each other in
terms of their race and homeland.
In addition to what has been stated above, it has also been clarified
in another verse that, on the fateful day of Resurrection, the temporal
grouping based on race, country, colour, language and other unifiers
will break up root and branch : ◌َوَيَوْمَ تَقُّوُمُ السَّاعَةُ يَوْمَئِذٍ يَتَفَرَّقُون .It means: When
the Hour (of Qiyamah) is established, those united shall stand separat-
ed - 30:14).
Deeds and Morals affect Collective Matters even in this World
As for the severence of existing relations and affiliations, that is
something which will come before everyone fully and clearly after all,
but a minor sampling of this can be found everywhere in this mortal
world as well. It goes without saying that a good person is tempera-
mentally tuned to virtues and virtuous people. He is attached to them
individually or collectively. This becomes his passport to ever-new ave-
nues of good deeds which go on to make his determination firm. The
same holds for doers of evil deeds. They too relate to their kind; to
them they are attached and with them they keep company. And this
negative company keeps contributing to their evil deeds and evil mo-
rals, as a result of which, avenues of good and prospects of better con-
duct keep closing on him before his own eyes. This is his cash punish-
ment for his evil deeds which he gets right here in this world.
So, in a nutshell, we can say that there is a reward or punishment
of good or bad deeds which will come in the 'Akhirah and there is a re-
ward or punishment which comes within the life of this world in a way
that a good person is blessed with colleagues who are equally good and
honest and whose contribution to whatever is undertaken makes them
rise and prosper together. In contrast, there is the person with evil
deeds and evil intention who gets what he deserves. The colleagues he
gets and the help and assistance he employs are no different than him.
What is left of his misfortune, the evil group around him takes care of
that when it pushes him into a far deeper abyss.
As mentioned earlier, the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said: When
Allah Ta'ala is pleased with a ruler, He gives him good ministers and

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Surah Al-An'am : 6 : 129 - 132
good staff who make his government well-managed and progress-
prone - and when Allah Ta'ala is displeased with someone, he gets col-
leagues who are bad and so are the officials he must deal with. As a re-
sult, even if he wishes to do something good, he cannot get it done.
An oppressor is punished at the hands of another oppressor
The sense of the verse given above is in terms of its translation ac-
cording to the first meaning mentioned earlier. As for the second
meaning mentioned alongside, reported from Sayyidna 'Abdullah ibn
'Abbas رضى الله عنه ) Sayyidna 'Abdullah ibn Zubayr رضى الله عنه, Sayyidna ibn
Zayd as All _»), Malik ibn Dinar and others is a Tafsir according to
which, 'Allah Ta'ala sets some unjust people (Zalim) over other unjust
people and thus has one Zalim (oppressor) punished at the hands of
another Zalim.'
This approach to meaning is also correct and sound in its place,
and is in accord with other statements of the Qur'an and Hadith. The
كَمَا تَكُونُونَ :is reported to have said in a Hadith صلى الله عليه وسلم Holy Prophet
Lak offauks that is, as you shall be, so shall be the rulers set on you. If
you are unjust and evil, your rulers will also be unjust and evil. And if
you are good in your deeds and characters, Allah Ta'ala will make
good, kind and just people your rulers.
Sayyidna 'Abdullah ibn 'Abbas ar Ul ya, says: When Allah Ta'ala
wishes well for a people, He appoints the best rulers and officials for
them - and when He wishes otherwise for a people, He sets the worst
rulers and officials over them. (Tafsir Al-Bahr Al-Muhit)
According to Ruh al-Ma'ani, it is on the authority of this verse that
Muslim jurists prove that: When people of a country, turn away from
Allah Ta'ala and become involved in deeds of injustice and oppression,
Allah Ta'ala sets oppressive rulers and officials over them and lets
them be punished at their hands.
Based on a narration by Sayyidna 'Abdullah ibn Mas'ud Le Ul ),
Ibn Kathir has reported a decisive statement of the Holy Prophet : 36
¿Unit uu sui that is, whoever helps a Zalim (oppressor) in his Zulm,
(injustice) then Allah Ta'ala sets that very Zalim on him to torment
him, and it is at his hands that he gets his punishment.
Mentioned in the second verse (130), is a question which will be
asked of the Jinn and human beings on the plains of Resurrection.

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Surah Al-An'am : 6 : 129 - 132
They will be asked to show the reason why they chose to disbelieve
and disobey Allah Ta'ala. They were told that they could not deny that
Divinely ordained messengers from among them did reach them, mes-
sengers who recited to them the verses of Allah and warned them of
that day of reckoning. In the reply to this question, mentioned there is
their confession that the messengers did come, they did tell them the
truth, and that they were involved with disbelief and disobedience.
But, no reason for this wrongdoing was given from their side. Instead,
Allah Ta'ala has Himself given its reason by saying: Gangd &g; (And
the worldly life had deceived them). It means that the charms of their
transitory life had put them on the wrong track. They thought that it
was everything, which was really nothing, and that made them heed-
less to their end.
There is something noteworthy here. There are other verses in the
Qur'an which say that the disbelievers will deny their Kufr and Shirk
when asked to explain it on the day of Resurrection and before their
Lord, they would lie by saying: ◌َوَاللَّهِ رَبِّنَا مَا كُنَّا مُشْرِكِين that is, 'we swear by
Allah, our Lord, we were no mushriks (of those who ascribe partners to
Him).' Now, this verse tells us that they would be ashamed of their
Kufr and Shirk and will confess their error. On the outside, this seems
to be contradictory. But, there are further explanations in other verses
of the Qur'an that they would initially deny when asked, but, when Al-
lah Ta'ala - in His perfect power - would make them speechless, wit-
nesses will come from different parts of their own body. Then, Allah
will give them their speech back and they will tell everything about
their misdeed openly and clearly. Then, the Jinn and human beings
will find out that all parts of their body were really the private eyes of
the created system which finally produced the true evidence on every-
thing about them. Then, left with no choice to deny, they will confess.
Are there messengers of Allah among the Jinn too?
Something else to be considered here is that, in this verse, Allah
Ta'ala has addressed both Jinnkind and mankind and asked them
about messengers (rasul) coming to them, messengers of Allah who
were from among them. This shows that messengers have been sent to
the Jinnkind from among their own kind - as is the case with human-
kind among whom the messengers were sent from among them, that

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Surah Al-An'am : 6 : 129 - 132
is, they were human beings.
On this question, the 'Ulama' of Tafsir and Hadith differ. Some say
that Rasul (messenger) and Nabiyy (prophet) have always been hu-
man. There has been no Rasul appointed directly from among the Jinn-
kind. Instead, what has happened is that there have been Jinns
charged with the mission of getting reports of the message of truth
conveyed by human prophets and messengers and take it to their kind.
They were really, in that way, couriers and message-bearers of a Ra-
sul. Therefore, they too are called rasul or carrier of a message, within
the literal sense of the word in Arabic. The proof of the position taken
by these respected scholars comes from the verses of the Qur'an where
sayings of the Jinn that they conveyed the Qur'an or the saying of the
وَلَّوْا إِلى قَوْمِهِمْ مُنْذِرِينَ :prophet to their kind have been mentioned, for example
( ... and they returned to their people to warn them - 46:29), and in the
verse of Surah Al-Jinn: فَقَالُؤَا إِنَّا سَمِعُنَا قُرْأنًا عَجَبًا. يَّهْدِىَ إِلَى الُرُّشُدِ قَامَنَّا بِه ( ... they said:
Indeed, we have heard a wonderful Qur'an that leads to rectitude, so
in it we believe - 72:1).
But, there is a group of 'Ulama' who, given the outward meaning of
this verse, also believe that, before the appearance of the Last among
Prophets صلى الله عليه وسلم, each of the two species had their messengers
from among them. To human beings came messengers who were hu-
man beings, and to the different classes of the Jinn, messengers were
sent from among their kind only. It is the distinction of the Last
among Prophets صلى الله عليه وسلم that he was sent as the only Rasul for all
human beings and the Jinn of the whole world - and that too was not
limited for one given time - in fact, all human beings and the Jinn born
right up to the Last Day of Qiyamah shall be his community and he
alone shall be the Rasul and Nabiyy for them.
Related Notes on Hindu Autars
Leading scholars of Tafsir, Kalabi and Mujahid hold that the Au-
tars of Hindus are generally from the Jinns. Qadi Thana'ullah of Pani-
pat, in his Tafsir Mazhari, has followed this view. According to him, it
proves that, before Sayyidna Adam WJI ale, the messengers of the Jinn
used to be from their kind only. Then, it is proved that the Jinn inhab-
ited the earth thousands of years before human beings - and since they
too are obligated to observe the percepts of the injunctions of the Sha-

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Surah Al-An'am : 6 : 129 - 132
rī'ah like human beings, it is necessary on the basis of reason and reve-
lation that they too should have prophets and messengers among them
in order to convey the commandments of Allah Ta'ala.
Qadi Thana'ullah Panipatī has said that the Hindus of India claim
the history of their Vedas as thousands of years old. According to them
their religious deities they called Autar date back to the same early
time. It is not far out to say that they may be these very prophets and
messengers of the Jinnkind, and may be the instructions brought by
them were put together in the form of some book. The images and idols
of Autars of Hindus placed in temples have particular patterns. Some
are represented with several faces, others with many hands and feet,
while still others would have other features such as a trunk like that
of an elephant. They are very different from common human shapes.
That the Jinn could transform themselves into such shapes is not be-
yond the range of probability. Therefore, saying that their Autar might
be the prophets, messengers or their deputies who came to serve the
Jinnkind - and their book itself be the collection of their instructions -
is not so far out either. Then, gradually, as there were alterations in
other books, alterations were made here too and what was left of it
was idolatory and Shirk.
However, even if that original book and the authentic instructions
left by those messengers were present, they would have stood abrogat-
ed after the appearance of the Holy Prophet وصلى الله عليه وسلم and the uni-
versal application of his prophethood. And that it would have become
impossible to act in accordance with it after its having been deformed
and altered is something evident by itself.
The third verse (131) tells us that sending prophets and messengers
among human beings and the Jinn is based on the dictate of justice
and mercy of Allah Ta'ala for He does not send punishment over a peo-
ple unless they have been awakened through His blessed messengers
and provided with the light of guidance.
The sense of the fourth verse (132) is fairly clear. It says that with
Allah there are ranks for classes of people among human beings and
the Jinn. These ranks have been assigned in terms of their deeds.
When rewarded or punished, the measure used shall be that of their
deeds.

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Surah Al-An'am : 6 : 133 - 136
Verses 133 - 136
وَرُّكَ الْغَنِىُّ ذُوالْرَّحْمَةِ إِنْ يَشَأُ ◌ُذْهِبُكُمْ وَيَسْتَخْلِفْ مِنْ
بَعْدِكُمْ تَّايَشَآءُ كَمَّا أَنْشَاكُمُ ◌ِنْ ذُرَِّّةٍ قَوْحٍ آخَرِيْنَ ﴿١٣٢﴾ إِنَّ
مَا تُؤْعَدُوُنَ لَاتٍْ ◌َمَا أَنْهُمْ بِمُعْجِزِيْنَ ﴿١٣٤) قُلْ يُقَوُّمِ اعْمَلُوا
عَلى مَكَانَتِكُمُ إِنِّيُ عَامِلٌ، فَسَوْفَ تَعْلَمُوْنَّ مَنْ تَكُوُّنُ لَهُ
عَاقِبَهُ الَّارِ* إِنَّهُ لَا يُفْلِحُ الْظُلِمُونَ ﴿١٣٥﴾ وَجَعَلُوا لِلْهِمَا ذَرَاً
مِنَ الْحُرُثِ وَالْأَنْعَاِمِ نَصِئْبًا فَقَالُؤُ هُذَا لِلَّهِ بِزَعُمِهِمْ وَهْذَا
لِشُرَ كَائِنَاء فَمَا كَانَ لِشُرَكَانِهِمْ فَلاَ يَصِلُ إِلَى اللَّهِ وَمَا كَانَ
لِلّهِ فَهُوَ يَصِلُ إِلَى شُرَكَانِهِمُْ سَآءَ مَا يَحُكُمُونَ ﴿١٢٦)
And your Lord is the All-Independent, the Master of
Mercy. If He wills, He shall take you away and shall
bring after you whom He wills just as He has raised
you from the progeny of other people. [133]
Surely what you are promised is bound to come, and
you cannot frustrate (it). [134]
Say, "O my people, do at your place (whatever you do) I
am to do (in my way). So, you will know for whom is
the ultimate abode. Surely, the unjust shall not be suc-
cessful. [135]
And they have assigned a portion for Allah from what
He has created from the tillage and the cattle, and they
said, "This is for Allah" so they claimed - "and this is
for our associate-gods." Then, what was for their asso-
ciate-gods never reaches Allah, and what was for Allah
does reach their associate-gods. Evil is what they
judge. [136]
Commentary
Stated in previous verses was that Allah Ta'ala has always been
sending His messengers and the rules of conduct required by Him to
every set of people among the Jinn and the human beings and, unless
they were fully warned through their messengers, punishment was
never given to them for their disbelief and disobedience.

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Surah Al-An'am : 6 : 133 - 136
In the first (133) of the four verses cited above, it has been pointed
out that the practice of sending messengers and scriptures was not
there because the Lord of the universe needed our obedience and wor-
ship, or some task of His depended on our obedience. No, this was nev-
er so. He is absolutely All-Independent, and need-free. But, alongwith
His perfect freedom from dependence and need, there is that attribute
of mercy in Him. See how He brings the entire universe into existence,
then He maintains it and keeps fulfilling all outward and inward,
present and future needs of everyone and everything. The cause is this
very attribute of mercy. Otherwise, human beings, being what they
are, would have hardly been able to produce what they needed, not to
say much about their lack of etiquette in how to ask for what they
need. This is particularly true about the very blessing of existence.
That it has been bestowed without asking is all too clear. No human
being anywhere has prayed to be born - nor can praying before coming
into existence be imagined. Similarly, there are the limbs of the hu-
man body which go in the creation of a living body - the eyes, ears,
hands, feet, the heart and the brain. Were they asked for by any hu-
man being? Or, did one of them had the consciousness and etiquette to
ask for them? Nothing of the sort is true. The truth is: we were not
there, we did not ask - it was His mercy hearing the unsaid!
Allah is All-Independent and His Creation is only a Mirror of
His Mercy
In this verse, the words: ¿ Ala, describe how absolutely free from
and independent of need the Lord of all lords is. But, by adding the
words: 1391,s soon after, it was pointed out that, though He needs none,
depends on none, is independent of everyone and everything in the
universe, and the universe itself, yet, alongwith all that, He is also the
one who has mercy and dispenses it at will.
Allah, in His Wisdom, Made no Human Being Need-Free - If So,
Man Turns To Tyranny
It is certainly a great blessing of Allah, otherwise human beings
have their own ways of neglect. When they become free from needs
and independent of circumstancial compulsions, they stop caring for
the benefit or loss and the sorrow or comfort of others. In fact, what
usually happens under such situations is that one becomes all the

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Surah Al-An'am : 6 : 133 - 136
more adamant on inflicting injustice and oppression against others.
Says a verse of the Holy Qur'an:96:6) إِنَّ الإِنْسَانَ لَيَطْفَى أَن ◌َّرَأْهُ اسْتَغُنى), that is,
when human beings find themselves need-free and independent, they
are ready to rebel and transgress. Therefore, Allah Almighty has made
man so tied up with needs which cannot be fulfilled without the help of
others. A king needs his retinue of liveries, the wealthy man needs his
help, the industrialist depends on his labour. The driver of a passenger
vehicle comes out on the streets to earn his living of the day while one
who can afford to pay for the ride has to hail for one. Nature has
chained them together. Each needs the other and no one is doing any
favour. Without this arrangement, no rich man will pay a dime to any-
one and no handyman or porter would care to carry someone else's
burden. So, all this is a manifestation of the most perfect attribute of
Allah Ta'ala who is All-Independent, yet the Master of Mercy. The text
could have used a single word form such as Ar-Rahman (All-Merciful)
or Ar-Rahim (Very-Merciful) and that would have served the purpose
of describing the mercy of Allah. But, the choice of a compound form:
14351,3 (Dhur-Rahmah: The Master of Mercy) has been preferred because
it shows the correlation between the two attributes of Allah Ta'ala de-
scribed in the verse. He is All-Independent, yet He is the master-
dispenser of mercy - an attribute which is the real cause of sending
messengers and books for the good of human beings.
After that, it was also made clear that the way His mercy is uni-
versal and perfect, in the same way His power holds control over
everything. If He wills, He could undo everyone in a moment - and
even this undoing of the entire creation would not cause the slightest
difference to the working of His power. Then, if He wills to undo the
present system of the entire universe and replace it with another set of
creation in the same manner and at the same time - He can certainly
do that. An evidence of this possible happening always remains before
human beings of all ages. Think of the millions of human beings who
inhabit the near and far corners of the earth and run the business of
their lives, then think of the time a hundred years earlier. You shall
realize that the earth was inhabited as it is now, and things were go-
ing on as usual, but none of the present inhabitants of the earth, the
movers and shakers of things, were there. What was there was a dif-
ferent set of people - and that different set of people lies buried under

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Surah Al-An'am : 6 : 133 - 136
the earth with no traces to be found today. The people on the earth to-
day are the descendants of the earlier generation of people. Says the
Qur'an : ◌َإِنْ يَشَأُ يُذُهِبُكُمْ وَيَسْتَخْلِفُ مِنْ بَعْدِكُمُ مَّا يَشَاءُ كَمَا أَنْشَاَ كُمُ مِّنُ ذُرِّيَّةٍ قَوْمٍ أَخِرِين (If He wills,
He shall take you away and shall bring after you whom He wills just
as He has raised you from the progeny of other people -133). The sense
of " K"" : yudhhibkum, translated as 'take you away,' is to undo or
make absent with no traces left behind. This is why there is no refer-
ence to destroying, killing or exterminating. The statement in the text
restricts itself to 'taking' which denotes a state of unmaking, unbeing,
loss of name, identity and trace.
After having established in the first verse that Allah is All-
Independent (Ghaniyy), Master of Mercy (Dhur-Rahmah) and All-
Powerful too, the text carries a warning given to disobedient people: 31
-Surely what you are promised [that is, the Di': مَا تُؤْعَدُوُنَ لأتٍ وَّمَا أَنْتُمُ بِمُعُجِزِيْنَ
vine punishment] is bound to come, and you cannot frustrate [it].'
Another method to awaken them from their heedlessness was
قُلُ نِقَوْمِ اعْمَلُوا عَلَى مَكَانَتِكُمُ إِنّى : adopted in the third verse (135) where it was said
Say, "O my people, do at your) عَامِلٌ فَسَوْفَ تَعْلَمُوْنَ مَنْ تَكُونُ لَهْ عَاقِبَةُ الدَّارِ ﴿ إِنَّهُ لَا يُفْلِحُ الْظُلِعُونَ
place (whatever you do) I am to do (in my way). So, you will know for
whom is the ultimate abode. Surely, the unjust shall not be success-
ful). This is addressed to the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم. He is being
asked to tell those people of his in Makkah that the choice of not ac-
cepting what he is saying is theirs. Let them not accept it, stay as they
are and keep on doing what their belief and hostility tell them to do -
and he too will keep on doing what his belief tells him to do. In that,
there was no loss for him. But, very soon, they will be the ones to find
out who will be blessed with the ultimate salvation and success of the
Hereafter. And, in this, let them not forget that the Zalim, the unjust,
the usurpers of rights, never succeed.
Commenting on this verse, Tafsir authority, Ibn Kathir pointed out
that the exact words of the text here are: ◌ِمَنْ تَكُونُ لَهُ عَاقِبَةُ الدَّار (for whom is
the ultimate abode) and not: assimfou (the ultimate abode of Akhi-
rah), that is, the suffix of 'Akhirah or Hereafter is not there. This tells
us that, much earlier than the abode of Akhirah, the ultimate success
falls to the lot of the righteous servants of Allah alone even within the
present abode of the world. This stands proved from the life and times

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of the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم and his blessed Companions. Not
much time passed when all wielders of power and authority found
themselves disgraced before them. Their countries were conquered at
their hands. Within the period of prophethood, the whole Arabia came
under his authority which soon extended to Yaman, Bahrain and the
borders of Syria. Then, it was at the hands of his Khulafa' and the Sa-
habah that a major part of the known world of the time came under
their aegis. Fullfilled stood the promise of Allah Ta'ala: uffa?Y'atess
243; (Allah has written: I shall overcome, I, and My Messengers - 58:21).
إِنَّا لَنَنْهُمْ وُ سُلَنَا وَالَّذِيْنَ امَنُوا فِى الْحَيوةِ الدُّنُيَا: And again, it was said in another verse
Lasiggarage; that is, 'We shall help Our Messengers, and those who
have believed, in the present world, and on the Day of Qiyamah, when
witnesses will stand to record their testimony on the reckoning of
deeds - 40:51.'
In the fourth verse (136), the disbelievers of Arabia have been ad-
monished for a particular error in their behaviour. The custom was
that they would take out from the produce of their lands and from the
income of their businesses a portion for Allah and a portion for their
idols. The portion taken out for Allah they would spend on the poor
and the needy while the portion taken out in the name of their idols
they would spend on the priests and keepers of the temple of idols.
To begin with, enough was their injustice in that everything was
created by Allah Ta'ala, and the produce which came from them was
bestowed by Him, yet they went ahead and made idols to share in
what was given by Him. On top of this, they would add insult to injury
when, should there be a drop in produce, they would apply this
shortfall against the portion they meant for Allah saying that Allah
was Independent and did not need their things. Thus, they would
exact the portion of their idols in full, as well as that of their own. On
some occasion, if it so happened that something from the portion taken
out for the idols, or from that of their own, went into the portion
reserved for Allah, they would pick it up and take it out of there to
keep their accounting straight! And if came the occasion when things
were the reverse of it, that is, if anything belonging to the portion of
Allah was thrown in their own portion, or in the portion of their idols,
it was left where it was saying that Allah is need-free, therefore, any

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shortage in His share will not make any difference! The Holy Qur'an,
taking notice of this crooked conduct of theirs, has said: 3 (Evil
is what they judge -136). It means that their judgement is evil and
crude because they are not realizing that it is Allah who created them
and created everything that appears to belong to them, yet they go
about equating others with Him, and to top it all, they find excuses to
shift elsewhere what, according to their own intention, was supposed
to belong to Allah.
The Admonition for Disbelievers - A Lesson for Muslims
This is an admonition directed against the waywardness of the dis-
believers of Arabia. However, by implication, it holds a sharp lesson
for Muslims as well - Muslims who devote their full potential, their life
given by Allah, their body and mind, into different sections. They
would reserve part of their years and time in life for Allah and His
worship - though the right of Allah demanded that all time frames of
their living years should have been reserved to obey and worship Him
alone. May be, they could have taken out some time for themselves too
to take care of human compulsions - and even then, the truth is that
the right of Allah that we be grateful to Him would have still re-
mained unfullfilled! But, here we are, in our time and in our places,
doing unbelievable things. If, in the twenty four hours of a day and
night of our lives, we do get around to fix some time to be devoted to
remember Allah and engage ourselves in what we know as His essen-
tial 'Ibadah, then strange things start happening. There comes an ur-
gent need, a call or an appointment or something like that, and we be-
come pragmatic all of a sudden. The function, the business, the need
comes first. No postponement is made in what is pragmatic or person-
al. The urgency of work stays. The inevitability of rest time stays. The
axe falls on nothing but the time which had been fixed for devotion to
Allah through prayers and recitation of the Qur'an. This happens most
of the time - emergency, urgency, sickness or any other call - what is
the first casualty in this rush is nothing but the time that we had ear-
marked for our Dhikr and 'Ibadah. We just cannot say how wrong, how
ungrateful and how right-compromising this attitude is. May Allah
Ta'ala keep us and all Muslims protected from it.

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Verses 137 - 140
وَكَذْلِكَ زَّنَ لِكَثِيْرٍ مِنَ الْمُشْرِكِيْنَ قَتْلَ أَوْلَادِهِمْ شُرَكَاؤُهُمْ
◌ِيْرُدُوْهُمْ وَلِيَلْبِسُوا عَلَيْهِمْ دِيْنَهُمْ ◌ُ وَلَوُ شَآءَ اللّهُ مَا فَعَلُؤُهُ
فَذَرُهُمْ وَمَا يَفْتَرُونَ ﴿١٢٧) وَقَالُوا هُذِهَ أَنْعَامٌ وَّحَرْتٌ حِجُه
﴿وَأَنْعَامٌ حُرّمَتْ ظُهُوُرُهَا
لاَ يَطْعَمُهَا إِلَّ مَنُ نَّشَاءُ بِزَعْمِهِمْ
وَأَنْعَامٌ لََّ يَذْكُرُوْنَ اسْمَ اللَّهِ عَلَيْهَا اخْتِرَاْءٍ عَلَيْهِ سَيَجْزِيْهِمْ فِا
كَانُوا يَفْتَرُوْنَ ﴿١٣٨) وَقَالُوا مَافِىُ بُطُونِ هَذِهِ اُلْآَنْعَامِ
خَالِصَةٌ لِّذُكُوُرِنَا وَمُحَّمٌّ ◌َى أَزْ وَاِجِنَاٌ وَإِنُ تَكُنُ مَّيْنَةٌ فَهُمْ
فِيْهِ شُرَكَاءُ سَيَجْزِيُّهِمْ وَصُفَهُمُْ إِنَّهُ حَكِيُمْ عَلِيمٌ ﴿١٣٩﴾ قَدُ
خَسِرَ الَّذِيْنَ قَتَلُؤّا أَوْلَادَهُمْ سَفَهَا بِغَيْرٍ عِلُم وَحَرَّمُوا مَارَزَقَّهُمُ
اللّهُ اقْتِرَاْءٌ عَلَى اللهِّ قَدْ ضَلَّوْا وَمَا كَانُوا مُهْتَدِيْنَ ﴿١٤٠)
And thus their associate-gods have made the killing of
their children alluring to many associators (idolators),
so that they may lead them to disaster and may confuse
their faith for them. And had Allah willed, they would
not have done it. So, leave them with what they fabri-
cate. [137]
And they say, "These are prohibited cattle and pro-
duce; none can eat them except those whom we wish" -
so they claimed - "and there are cattle whose backs are
prohibited (for riding or loading)." And there are cattle
over which they do not pronounce the name of Allah, a
fabrication against Him. He shall recompense them for
what they have been fabricating. [138]
And they say, "Whatever is in the wombs of these cattle
is purely for our males, and forbidden to our wives.".
And if it be dead, then in it they all are sharers. Soon,
He shall recompense them for what they attribute.
Surely, He is All-Wise, All-Knowing. [139]
Losers are those who kill their children foolishly, with-
out knowledge, and have taken as prohibited what Al-

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lah has provided them - a fabrication against Allah.
They have gone astray, and they are not on the right
path. [140]
Linkage of Verses
Described in the previous verses were false beliefs of the mushriks
of Arabia while the present verses recount their practical errors and
ignorant customs. The customs of Jahiliyyah mentioned in these vers-
es are: (1) They took out a portion in the name of Allah from grains
and fruits, and some in the name of idols and Jinns. Then, if by
chance, some part of what belonged to the portion of Allah got mixed
up with the portion reserved for idols, they would let it stay mixed as
it was. When the position was the reverse of it, they would take it out
and make the portion set for idols even. The excuse was that Allah is
need-free. A cut in His share does not harm Him while the partners
need it - so, their share should not be decreased. This evil custom was
mentioned earlier in verse 136.
(2) The second custom was that they would release animals they
called Bahirah and Sa'ibah in the name of idols and said that they
were doing it for the pleasure of Allah. Here too, the portion alloted to
idols was that the act of worship was intended for them - and the por-
tion alloted to Allah was that they aimed to please Allah.
(3) The third custom was that of killing their female children.
(4) The fourth custom was that they would endow some tillage in
the name of idols saying that only men could use its produce. Giving or
not giving a share from it to women depended on their will. Women
had no right to demand.
(5) They would do the same thing with cattle when they would re-
strict their use for men only.
(6) They considered the quadruped animals they released in the
name of idols as unlawful for purposes of riding or carrying loads.
(7) There were quadruped animals they would specify. Using them
at any time, they would not pronounce the name of Allah, neither
when milking, nor when riding and nor when slaughtering.
(8) The eighth custom was that they would release animals in the
name of idols, naming them as Bahirah or Sa'ibah. When, at the time

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of slaughter, the calf came out alive, they would slaughter it as well -
but, would take it as lawful for men only; for women, they took it to be
unlawful - and if the calf was born still, it was supposed to be lawful
for everyone.
(9) Even milk from some animals was considered lawful for men
and unlawful for women.
(10) They took reverence for four kinds of animals: Bahirah,
Saibah, Wasilah and Hami, as an act of worship.
[All these narrations appear in Ad-Durr Al-Manthur and Ruh al-Ma'ani from
Sayyidna Ibn 'Abbas, Mujahid, Ibn Zayd and As-Suddiy with exegetic
deductions of Ibn al-Mundhir, Ibn Abi Hatim, Ibn Abi Ash-Shaybah and Ibn
Humayd) [As in Bayan al-Qur'an of Maulana Thanavī]
Verses 141 - 142
وَهُوَ الَّذِىٌّ أَنْشَاَ جَتْتٍ مَّهُوُشْتٍ وَّغَيْرَ مَعْرُوْشُتٍ وَالنَّخُلَ
وَالزَّرْعَ مُخْتَلِفًا أُكُلُهُ وَالَّيْتُوْنَ وَالَُّّانَ مُتَشَابِهًا وَغَيْرَ
مُتَشَابِهٍ*ُ كُلُوا مِنْ ثَمَرَةٍ إِذَا آَثُمَرَ وَأْتُوْا ◌َقَّهُ يَوْمَ حَصَادِهِ وَلَا
◌ُشْرِفُوا إِنَّهُ لَا يُحِبُّ المُشِرِفِيْنَ ﴿١٤١) وَمِنَ الْأَنْعَاِ حَمْوُلَةٌ
وَّفَرْشَاء كُلُوْا ◌ِمَّا رَزَقَكُمُ اللّهُ وَلَا تَتَّبِعُوا خُطُوَتِ الشَّيْطِنِ*
إِنَّهُ لَكُمُ عَدٌُّ مُّبِيْنٌ ﴿١٤٢)
And He is the One who has created gardens trellised
and untrellised, and date-palms and crops with a varie-
ty of edibles, and the olive and the pomegranate, simi-
lar and not similar to each other. Eat of its fruit when
it bears fruit, and pay its due on the day of harvest, and
do not be extravagant. Surely, Allah does not like the
extravagant. [141]
And among cattle (He has created) those fit for loading
and those fit for laying. Eat of what Allah has provided
you, and do not follow the footsteps of Satan. Surely, he
is an open enemy to you. [142]
Commentary
Mentioned in the previous verses was how astray the disbelievers

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of Makkah had gone when they had taken their self-carved, lifeless,
insensate idols as partners in the Divinity of Allah as they made them
share in animals created by Him and in many other blessings which
were bestowed on them. Their transgression went to the limits when
they would take out charities from these blessings as an act of wor-
ship, setting aside a portion for Allah and another for their idols.
Then, they would employ different excuses to take out what belonged
to the portion set aside for Allah and put it in the portion reserved for
the idols. Similarly, there were many other ignorance-based arbitrary
customs which they had given legal status.
In the first (141) of the two verses quoted above, Allah Ta'ala men-
tions the wonders wrought by His perfect power in the form of what
grows on the earth bringing forth the fruits of His creation. Similarly,
in the second verse (142), pointed to was the creation of the different
kinds of animals and cattle. Then, with this in view, comes the admo-
nition - how could a people become so sightless as to undermine their
Powerful, Knowing and Aware Creator in favour of things that weak,
inert and unaware, and start taking the later as His associates and
partners.
After that, they were guided towards the straight path, the most
sound approach to life. They were told to understand that there was no
partner or associate with Allah when He created and bestowed on
them things which benefit them - how then, can they take them as
sharers in the worship of Allah, something which has to be exclusively
for Him? This was rank ingratitude for His blessings, and certainly an
injustice. They should realize that it was Allah who bestowed these
things on them. It was He who made them work for them so that they
could use them as they wished and then, He made these things lawful
for them. So, keeping these factors in view, it was their duty to re-
member the right of Allah, and be grateful to Him whenever they ben-
efit from His blessings, and to stop making satanic thoughts and ig-
norance-based customs a part of their faith.
Some Words and Their Meanings
The word: Laif (ansha'a) in the first verse means 'created.' The sec-
ond word: @;%: (ma'rushat) is from: + ('arsh) which means to raise, to
make go high. 'Ma'rushat' refers to vines of plants which are mounted

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Surah Al-Anam : 6 : 141 - 142
on supports called trellis, such as, the grape, and some vegetables. In
contrast, is: cpu 2 (ghayra ma'rushat: untrellised) which includes all
plants the vines of which are not raised high - whether trees with
trunk and without vines, or they may be with vines which spread on
the ground and are not raised, such as, the melon.
The word: Jesi (an-nakhl) means the date tree; ji (az-zar) is crops
of all kinds. The word: Jeff (az-zaytun) is the name of the olive tree,
and of its fruit as well; and: sugi (ar-rumman) is pomegranate.
In these verses, two kinds of farm or garden plants have been men-
tioned: (1) Those the vines of which are raised high, and (2) those the
vines of which are not raised. The hint given is that Allah's creation is
full of wisdom and mystery. Here is the same soil, the same water, air,
atmosphere, yet the plants that grow are different. Then, a variety
was introduced through the processing, colouring and ripening of
fruits, and by the employment of countless and complex properties em-
bedded in them, some plants were designed to bear fruit only when
their vines were raised up - and even if it does show up, it would not
grow and survive, such as, the grape. Then, some plants were taught a
grammar of growth so that their vines would not go up even if anyone
tried to do that - and should it, by chance, climb up, the fruit will grow
weak and wither away, as is the case with melons of all kinds. Cer-
tainly unusual is the phenomena when some trees were made to stand
on strong trunks and taken as high as it would not be possible for hu-
man ingenuity to accomplish in common practice. This talisman of
trees is not simply accidental. It has wisdom, intention and mastery of
execution behind it. Trees have properties and fruits have tempers.
Some fruits grow and ripen in the soil and on the ground. A touch of
soil would spoil others. Some of them find it necessary to hang by high
branches, encounter fresh air, soak sunrays and starlights and get
their colour. To each, nature has given a suitable system to perform
by.
فَتَبْرَكَ اللَّهُ أَحُسَنُ الْخُلِقِيْنَ
So blessed be Allah, the best of creators -23:14
After that, dates and crops were mentioned specially. The date
fruit is usually eaten for pleasure. If one is hungry, it will serve as

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regular food. Crops from farms provide food grains for human beings
and fodder for animals. After having mentioned these two, it was
said: luisy (with a variety of edibles). Here, the pronoun in: "Si
(ukuluhu) may be taken as referring back to: 3 (zar': crops), or to: je5
(nakhl : date-palms) as well. However, the sense includes both. Thus,
the meaning is that there are different kinds of dates, and each kind
has a different taste. As for crops, the kinds go to hundreds - and each
kind has its own distinct taste, property and use. Their climate and
land are the same yet there is a great difference in fruits produced.
Then, each kind has a different set of properties and benefits, yet they
are so unique in diversity. This is a phenomenon which compels even a
man of ordinary insight to realize and accept that the Power and
Being that created them is a Being beyond the parameters of
comprehension, the measure of whose knowledge and wisdom cannot
even be imagined by human beings.
After that, two more things were mentioned: olive and
pomegranate. Olive is fruit and vegetable both. The oil from olive is
clean, transparent and delicate. It is better than most oils. Its
properties, uses and benefits are numerous. In fact, it cures many
ailments. Similarly, there are many properties and benefits of
pomegranate which most people know. After mentioning these two
fruits, it was said: متشابه وَغَر مُشاه (similar and not similar). It means
that some trees from among them bear fruits which, in terms of colour
and taste, are similar to each other. Then, there are some others which
have different colour and taste. That some pomegranate fruits are
similar in colour, taste and size and some others are different holds
true for olives too.
Having mentioned kinds of trees and fruits, given there in this
verse are two injunctions to be followed. The first one is a natural sat-
isfier of human desires. It was said: 311:43, [] (eat of its fruit when
it bears fruit). The hint given is that the purpose of the Creator in
creating this diverse array of fruits is not to fulfill any of His need.
These have been created for their benefit. Therefore, they were wel-
come to eat and enjoy them. By adding: "if (idha athmara : when it
bears fruit), it was pointed out that making the fruits come out of the
branches of the tree was a job beyond them. However, when those

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fruits form and grow full with the permission of Allah, they become en-
titled to eat them at that time, whether not ripe yet.
The 'Ushr of Land
The second injunction given in this verse is: „udziel; (and pay
its due on the day of its harvest). The word: Ist (atu) means 'bring' or
'pay'; and: ( (hasad) refers to the 'harvesting of crops' or 'picking of
fruits.' And the pronoun in:'us (haqqahu : its due) applies to everything
edible mentioned above. The sense of the verse is : Eat, drink and use
these things, but remember to pay its due at the time of harvesting the
crops or picking the fruit. 'Haqq' or 'due' denotes giving it as sadaqah
or charity to the poor and needy - as it appears in another verse in the
form of a general rule:
وَالَّذِيْنَ فِىَ أَمْوَالِهِمْ حَقٌّ ◌َعْلُوْمٌ لِلَّائِلِ وَالْمَعُرُمِ
And in the properties of righteous people, there is a due right
of the poor and needy - the asking and the non-asking - 70:24.
Is this sadaqah referred to here means common charities known as
Sadaqah and Khayrat, or the particular sadaqah known as 'the Zakah
of the land' or 'Ushr? There are two sayings of authorities among Şaha-
bah and Tabi'in in this matter. Some among them have favoured the
first possibility. The reason given by them is that this verse is Makki
and the obligation of Zakah came into force two years after the Hijrah
to Madina al-Tayyibah. Therefore, 'haqq' at this place cannot apply to
the 'haqq'of the Zakah of land. Some others among them have counted
this verse as one of the Madani verses and, according to them,
'haqqahu' refers to the Zakah of the land which is 'Ushr.
Tafsir authority, Ibn Kathir, in his Tafsir and Ibn al-'Arabi in Ah-
kam al-Qur'an have resolved this by saying that, whether the verse is
Makki or Madani, in both events, the verse could mean the Zakah of
land, that is, 'Ushr - because, according to them, the initial injunction
making Zakah obligatory had already been revealed in Makkah. The
verse of Surah Al-Muzzammil which contains the injunction of Zakah
is Makki by consensus. However, the rate and threshold (nisab) of Za-
kah was determined after the Hijrah. The present verse only tells us
that Allah has made a due payable on the produce of the land. Its
quantity has not been determined here. Therefore, as far as the