سُورَةُ الأَنۡعَامِ
Reading Al-Mukhtasar in Interpreting the Noble Qur'an by Tafsir Center for Quranic Studies
Ayahs 131–140 of 165
ذَٰلِكَ أَن لَّمْ يَكُن رَّبُّكَ مُهْلِكَ ٱلْقُرَىٰ بِظُلْمٍۢ وَأَهْلُهَا غَٰفِلُونَ
That is because your Lord would not destroy the cities for wrongdoing while their people were unaware.
The reason for sending messengers to mankind and jinn is so that no one is punished for the crimes they committed without a messenger having been sent to warn them and the invitation reaching them. I only punished a nation after sending messengers to them.
وَلِكُلٍّۢ دَرَجَٰتٌۭ مِّمَّا عَمِلُوا۟ ۚ وَمَا رَبُّكَ بِغَٰفِلٍ عَمَّا يَعْمَلُونَ
And for all are degrees from what they have done. And your Lord is not unaware of what they do.
Each one of them will have ranks in accordance to their actions. The person who did a great deal of evil will not be equal to the one who did less. The followers will not be equal to those who were followed. Similarly, the reward for those who do good will not be the same. Your Lord is not unaware of what they used to do. Instead, He is well aware of that. Nothing of it is hidden from Him and He will repay them for their actions.
وَرَبُّكَ ٱلْغَنِىُّ ذُو ٱلرَّحْمَةِ ۚ إِن يَشَأْ يُذْهِبْكُمْ وَيَسْتَخْلِفْ مِنۢ بَعْدِكُم مَّا يَشَآءُ كَمَآ أَنشَأَكُم مِّن ذُرِّيَّةِ قَوْمٍ ءَاخَرِينَ
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.
Your Lord, O Messenger, is Self-sufficient of His servants. He is not in need of them or their worship of Him. Their disbelief in Him does not harm Him. Despite His not being in need of them, He is Merciful towards them.If He wished to destroy you, O disobedient servants, He would destroy you with His punishment, and then after this He would bring others who would have faith in Him and obey Him, just as He created you from the progeny of other people who had come before you.
إِنَّ مَا تُوعَدُونَ لَءَاتٍۢ ۖ وَمَآ أَنتُم بِمُعْجِزِينَ
Indeed, what you are promised is coming, and you will not cause failure [to Allah].
The resurrection, rising, reckoning and punishment that you are promised, O disbelievers, will most certainly happen. You will not be able to escape from your Lord by running away: He will seize and punish you.
قُلْ يَٰقَوْمِ ٱعْمَلُوا۟ عَلَىٰ مَكَانَتِكُمْ إِنِّى عَامِلٌۭ ۖ فَسَوْفَ تَعْلَمُونَ مَن تَكُونُ لَهُۥ عَٰقِبَةُ ٱلدَّارِ ۗ إِنَّهُۥ لَا يُفْلِحُ ٱلظَّٰلِمُونَ
Say, "O my people, work according to your position; [for] indeed, I am working. And you are going to know who will have succession in the home. Indeed, the wrongdoers will not succeed.
Say, O Messenger: O my people, remain on your path of disbelief and misguidance if you choose, as I have fulfilled my obligation having established the evidence against you by communicating the message to you. I am therefore not concerned about your disbelief and misguidance. Instead, I will remain firm on the path of truth that I follow. Soon you will come to know who will be victorious in the world and inherit the earth, and who will receive the home of the Afterlife. The idolaters will not succeed, neither in this world nor the Afterlife. Their end result will be loss even though they may have some enjoyment in the world.
وَجَعَلُوا۟ لِلَّهِ مِمَّا ذَرَأَ مِنَ ٱلْحَرْثِ وَٱلْأَنْعَٰمِ نَصِيبًۭا فَقَالُوا۟ هَٰذَا لِلَّهِ بِزَعْمِهِمْ وَهَٰذَا لِشُرَكَآئِنَا ۖ فَمَا كَانَ لِشُرَكَآئِهِمْ فَلَا يَصِلُ إِلَى ٱللَّهِ ۖ وَمَا كَانَ لِلَّهِ فَهُوَ يَصِلُ إِلَىٰ شُرَكَآئِهِمْ ۗ سَآءَ مَا يَحْكُمُونَ
And the polytheists assign to Allah from that which He created of crops and livestock a share and say, "This is for Allah," by their claim, "and this is for our partners [associated with Him]." But what is for their "partners" does not reach Allah, while what is for Allah - this reaches their "partners." Evil is that which they rule.
The idolaters made innovations and false claims in their religion concerning Allah by assigning to Him a share of the crops and livestock that He created, and giving a share of what He created to their idols. Yet the share they gave to their partners does not reach the avenues that Allah requires them to be spent in, such as on the poor and destitute. But what they gave to Allah reaches the idols and is spent on them. How evil is their judgement and distribution!
وَكَذَٰلِكَ زَيَّنَ لِكَثِيرٍۢ مِّنَ ٱلْمُشْرِكِينَ قَتْلَ أَوْلَٰدِهِمْ شُرَكَآؤُهُمْ لِيُرْدُوهُمْ وَلِيَلْبِسُوا۟ عَلَيْهِمْ دِينَهُمْ ۖ وَلَوْ شَآءَ ٱللَّهُ مَا فَعَلُوهُ ۖ فَذَرْهُمْ وَمَا يَفْتَرُونَ
And likewise, to many of the polytheists their partners have made [to seem] pleasing the killing of their children in order to bring about their destruction and to cover them with confusion in their religion. And if Allah had willed, they would not have done so. So leave them and that which they invent.
Just as Satan made this unfair judgement fair seeming to the idolaters, the devils –who were their partners and associates – made it seem good to them that they should kill their children out of the fear of poverty. The devils inspired them with this in order to destroy them by their committing the act of murder, which Allah had made unlawful, and to make their religion confusing for them such that they did not know anymore what Allah had commanded or prohibited for them. If Allah had willed for them not to do this, they would not have done so. However, He willed it out of His wisdom. So leave, O Messenger, these idolaters and their fabrications about Allah, because that will not harm you, and entrust their matter to Allah.
وَقَالُوا۟ هَٰذِهِۦٓ أَنْعَٰمٌۭ وَحَرْثٌ حِجْرٌۭ لَّا يَطْعَمُهَآ إِلَّا مَن نَّشَآءُ بِزَعْمِهِمْ وَأَنْعَٰمٌ حُرِّمَتْ ظُهُورُهَا وَأَنْعَٰمٌۭ لَّا يَذْكُرُونَ ٱسْمَ ٱللَّهِ عَلَيْهَا ٱفْتِرَآءً عَلَيْهِ ۚ سَيَجْزِيهِم بِمَا كَانُوا۟ يَفْتَرُونَ
And they say, "These animals and crops are forbidden; no one may eat from them except whom we will," by their claim. And there are those [camels] whose backs are forbidden [by them] and those upon which the name of Allah is not mentioned - [all of this] an invention of untruth about Him. He will punish them for what they were inventing.
The idolaters said that certain animals and crops were banned, and only those whom they wish may eat of them, such as those who worship the idols and others, according to their claim and fabrication. They also said that the backs of certain animals were forbidden and that no one could ride or carry a load on those animals. Then they claimed that the name of Allah must not be mentioned over certain animals at the time of slaughter and the names of idols must be taken instead. They falsely attributed all of this to Allah. Allah will repay them with His punishment because of what they made up about Him.
وَقَالُوا۟ مَا فِى بُطُونِ هَٰذِهِ ٱلْأَنْعَٰمِ خَالِصَةٌۭ لِّذُكُورِنَا وَمُحَرَّمٌ عَلَىٰٓ أَزْوَٰجِنَا ۖ وَإِن يَكُن مَّيْتَةًۭ فَهُمْ فِيهِ شُرَكَآءُ ۚ سَيَجْزِيهِمْ وَصْفَهُمْ ۚ إِنَّهُۥ حَكِيمٌ عَلِيمٌۭ
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 [born] dead, then all of them have shares therein." He will punish them for their description. Indeed, He is Wise and Knowing.
They said: The foetus in the wombs of these reserved animals, if born alive, is permitted for our males and forbidden to our women. If it is stillborn, then the males and females will share in it. Allah will justly repay them for this statement. He is Wise in His sacred laws and in handling the affairs of His creation, and He knows full well about them.
قَدْ خَسِرَ ٱلَّذِينَ قَتَلُوٓا۟ أَوْلَٰدَهُمْ سَفَهًۢا بِغَيْرِ عِلْمٍۢ وَحَرَّمُوا۟ مَا رَزَقَهُمُ ٱللَّهُ ٱفْتِرَآءً عَلَى ٱللَّهِ ۚ قَدْ ضَلُّوا۟ وَمَا كَانُوا۟ مُهْتَدِينَ
Those will have lost who killed their children in foolishness without knowledge and prohibited what Allah had provided for them, inventing untruth about Allah. They have gone astray and were not [rightly] guided.
Those who killed their children due to their foolishness and ignorance, and made unlawful the animals that Allah provided for them, falsely attributing this to Allah, are ruined. They have strayed from the straight path and are not guided to it.
Commentary: Al-Mukhtasar in Interpreting the Noble Qur'an by Tafsir Center for Quranic Studies. Qur'an text and translation via AlQuran Cloud.
