16.Surah an_Nahl

The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:

وَقَالَ الَّذِينَ أَشْرَكُواْ لَوْ شَاء اللّهُ مَا عَبَدْنَا مِن دُونِهِ مِن شَيْءٍ ...

16:35.  The worshippers of false gods say:

"If Allah had so willed, we should not have worshipped aught but Him --

... نَّحْنُ وَلا آبَاؤُنَا ...

neither we nor our fathers --

C2057. The old-old argument: if Allah is All-Powerful, why did He not force all persons to His Will?

This ignores the limited Free-will granted to man, which is the whole basis of Ethics. Allah gives man every opportunity of knowing and understanding things, but He does not force him, for that would be against the whole Plan on which our present Life is constituted.

... وَلاَ حَرَّمْنَا مِن دُونِهِ مِن شَيْءٍ... 

nor should we have prescribed prohibitions other than His."

C2058. The Pagan Arabs prescribed various arbitrary prohibitions in the matter of meat; see 6:143-145.

These, of course, are not recognised by Islam, which also removed some of the restrictions of the Jewish Law;6:146. The general meaning, however, is far wider.

Men erect their own taboos and prohibitions, barriers and restrictions, and ascribe them to Religion. This is wrong, and more consonant with Pagan practice than with Islam.

... كَذَلِكَ فَعَلَ الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ... 

So did those who went before them.

... فَهَلْ عَلَى الرُّسُلِ إِلاَّ الْبَلاغُ الْمُبِينُ ﴿٣٥﴾ 

But what is the mission of Messengers but to preach the Clear Message?

C2059. Clear Message: Mubin: in three senses;

-        a Message clear and unambiguous;

-        one that makes all things clear to those who try to understand, because it accords with their own nature as created by Allah;

-        one preached openly and to everyone.

وَلَقَدْ بَعَثْنَا فِي كُلِّ أُمَّةٍ رَّسُولاً أَنِ اعْبُدُواْ اللّهَ وَاجْتَنِبُواْ الطَّاغُوتَ...   

16:36.  For We assuredly sent amongst every People a Messenger, (with the Command),

"Serve Allah and eschew Evil":

C2060. Even though Allah's Signs are everywhere in Nature and in men's own conscience, yet in addition Allah has sent human Messengers to every People to call their attention to the Good and turn them from Evil.

So they cannot pretend that Allah has abandoned them or that He does not care what they do. His divine Grace always invites their will to choose the right.

... فَمِنْهُم مَّنْ هَدَى اللّهُ وَمِنْهُم مَّنْ حَقَّتْ عَلَيْهِ الضَّلالَةُ... 

of the people were some whom Allah guided, and some on whom Error became inevitably (established).

C2061. While some people accept the guidance of the divine Grace, others so surrender themselves to Evil that it must necessarily follow that Evil obtains a grip over them. They have only to travel through Time or Space to see the end of those who abandoned their lights and surrendered to Evil and Error.

For haqqat and the meaning of haqq in this connection cf. 15:64.

... فَسِيرُواْ فِي الأَرْضِ فَانظُرُواْ كَيْفَ كَانَ عَاقِبَةُ الْمُكَذِّبِينَ ﴿٣٦﴾ 

So travel through the earth, and see what was the end of those who denied (the Truth).