Al-Anaam | 165 verses | 20 Rukus | The cattle
سورة الأنعام
Sura #6 | Makkah
107
وَلَوْ شَاءَ اللّهُ مَا أَشْرَكُواْ وَمَا جَعَلْنَاكَ عَلَيْهِمْ حَفِيظًا وَمَا
أَنتَ عَلَيْهِم بِوَكِيلٍ
Name
This Surah takes its name from vv. 136, 138 and 139 in which some superstitious
beliefs of the idolatrous Arabs concerning the lawfulness of some cattle (anam)
and the unlawfulness of some others have been refuted.
Period of Revelation
According to a tradition of Ibn Abbas, the whole of the Surah was revealed at
one sitting at Makkah. Asma, a daughter of Yazid and a first cousin of Hadrat
Mu'az-bin Jahl, says, "During the revelation of this Surah, the Holy Prophet
was riding on a she-camel and I was holding her nose-string. The she-camel
began to feel the weight so heavily that it seemed as if her bones would break
under it." We also learn from other traditions that the Holy Prophet dictated
the whole of the Surah the same night that it was revealed.
Its subject-matter clearly shows that it must have been revealed during the
last year of the Holy Prophet's life at Makkah. The tradition of Asma, daughter
of Yazid, also confirms this. As she belonged to the Ansar and embraced Islam
after the migration of the Holy Prophet to Yathrab, her visit to the Holy
Prophet at Makkah must have taken place during the last year of his life there.
For before this, his relations with those people were not so intimate that a
woman from there might have come to visit him at Makkah.
Background
As this is the first long Makki Surah in the order of the compilation of the
Quran, it will be useful to explain the historical background of Makki Surahs
in general, so that the reader may easily understand the Makki Surahs and our
references to its different stages in connection with our commentary on them.
First of all, it should be noted that comparatively very little material is
available in regard to the background of the revelation of Makki Surahs whereas
the period of the revelation of all the Madani Surahs is known or can be
determined with a little effort. There are authentic traditions even in regard
to the occasions of the revelation of the majority of the verses. On the other
hand, we do not have such detailed information regarding the Makki Surahs.
There are only a few Surahs and verses which have authentic traditions
concerning the time and occasion of their revelation. This is because the
history of the Makki period had not been compiled in such detail as that of the
Madani period. Therefore we have to depend on the internal evidence of these
Surahs for determining the period of their revelation: for example, the topics
they discuss, their subject. matter, their style and the direct or indirect
references to the events and the occasions of their revelation. Thus it is
obvious that with the help of such evidence as this, we cannot say with
precision that such and such Surah or verse was revealed on such and such an
occasion. The most we can do is to compare the internal evidence of a Surah
with the events of the life of the Holy Prophet at Makkah, and then come to a
more or less correct conclusion as to what particular stage a certain Surah
belongs. If we keep the above things in view, the history of the mission of the
Holy Prophet at Makkah can be divided into four stages.
1. The first stage began with his appointment as a Messenger and ended
with the proclamation of Prophethood three years later. During this period the
Message was given secretly to some selected persons only, but the common people
of Makkah were not aware of it.
2. The second stage lasted for two years after the proclamation of his
Prophethood. It began with opposition by individuals: then by and by, it took
the shape of antagonism, ridicule, derision,, accusation, abuse, and false
propaganda then gangs were formed to persecute those Muslims who were
comparatively poor, weak and helpless.
3. The third stage lasted for about six years from the beginning of the
persecution to the death of Abu Talib and Hadrat Khadijah in the tenth year of
Prophethood. During this period, the persecution of the Muslims became so
savage and brutal that many of them were forced to migrate to Habash. Social
and economic boycott was applied against the Holy Prophet and the members of
his family, and those Muslims who continued to stay in Makkah were forced to
take refuge in Shi'b-i-A'bi Talib which was besieged.
4. The fourth stage lasted for about three years from the tenth to the
thirteenth year of Prophethood. This was a period of hard trials and grievous
sufferings for the Holy Prophet and his followers. Life had become unendurable
at Makkah and there appeared to be no place of refuge even outside it. So much
so that when the Holy Prophet went to Ta'if, it offered no shelter or
protection. Besides this, on the occasion of Hajj, he would appeal to each and
every Arab clan to accept his invitation to Islam but met with blank refusal
from every quarter. At the same time, the people of Makkah were holding
counsels to get rid of him by killing or imprisoning or banishing him from
their city. It was at that most critical time that Allah opened for Islam the
hearts of the Ansar of Yathrab where he migrated at their invitation. Now that
we have divided the life of the Holy Prophet at Makkah into four stages, it has
become easier for us to tell, as far as possible, the particular stage in which
a certain Makki Surah was revealed. This is because the Surahs belonging to a
particular stage can be distinguished from those of the other stages with the
help of their subject matter and style. Besides this, they also contain such
references as throw light on the circumstances and events that form the
background of their revelation. In the succeeding Makki Surahs, we will
determine on the basis of the distinctive features of each stage, and point out
in the Preface, the particular stage in which a certain Makki Surah was
revealed.
Theme and Topics
These were the conditions, when this discourse was revealed. The main topics
dealt with in this discourse may be divided under seven headings:
1. Refutation of shirk and invitation to the creed of Tawhid.
2. Enunciation of the doctrine of the "Life-after-death" and refutation of
the wrong notion that there was nothing beyond this worldly life.
3. Refutation of the prevalent superstitions.
4. Enunciation of the fundamental moral principles for the building up of
the Islamic Society. 5. Answers to the objections raised against the person of
the Holy Prophet and his mission. 6. Comfort and encouragement to the Holy
Prophet and his followers who were at that time in a state of anxiety and
despondency because of the apparent failure of the mission.
7. Admonition, warning and threats to the disbelievers and opponents to
give up their apathy and haughtiness. It must, however, be noted that the above
topics have not been dealt with one by one under separate headings, but the
discourse goes on as a continuous whole and these topics come under discussion
over and over again in new and different ways.
Transliteration 107:
Wa lau sya_'alla_hu ma_ asyraku_, wa ma_ ja'alna_ka'alaihim hafiza_(n), wa ma_
anta 'alaihim bi wakil(in).
Hindi 107:
Aur agar khuda chahata to ye log shirk hi na karte aur hamne tumko un logon ka
nigehbaan to banaya nahi hai aur na tum unke jimmedar ho.
English 107:
Had Allah willed, they would not have taken others besides Him in worship. And
We have not made you a watcher over them nor are you set over them to dispose
of their affairs.
French 107:
Si Allah voulait, ils ne seraient point associateurs! Mais Nous ne t'avons pas
désigné comme gardien sur eux; et tu n'es pas leur garant.
Spanish 107:
Si Alá hubiera querido, no habrían sido asociadores. No te hemos nombrado
custodio de ellos, ni eres su protector.
Indonesian 107:
Dan kalau Allah menghendaki, niscaya mereka tidak mempersekutukan (Nya). Dan
Kami tidak menjadikan kamu pemelihara bagi mereka; dan kamu sekali-kali
bukanlah pemelihara bagi mereka.
Melayu 107:
Dan kalau Allah menghendaki, nescaya mereka tidak mempersekutukanNya dan Kami
tidak menjadikan engkau (wahai Muhammad) penjaga dan pengawal mereka dan engkau
pula bukanlah wakil yang menguruskan hal-hal mereka (kerana semuanya itu
terserah kepada Allah semata-mata).
German 107:
Und hätte Allah es gewollt, hätten sie (Ihm) keine Götter zur Seite gesetzt.
Wir haben dich weder zu ihrem Hüter gemacht, noch bist du ihr Wächter.
Russian 107:
Если бы Аллах пожелал, то они не приобщали бы сотоварищей. Мы не назначили тебя
их хранителем, и ты не являешься их попечителем.
Urdu 107:
اور اگر الله چاہتا تو وہ شرک نہ کرتے اور ہم نے تجھے ا ن پر نگہبان نہیں بنایا
اور تو ان کا ذمہ دار نہیں ہے
_____
108
وَلاَ تَسُبُّواْ الَّذِينَ يَدْعُونَ مِن دُونِ اللّهِ فَيَسُبُّواْ اللّهَ
عَدْوًا بِغَيْرِ عِلْمٍ كَذَلِكَ زَيَّنَّا لِكُلِّ أُمَّةٍ عَمَلَهُمْ ثُمَّ
إِلَى رَبِّهِم مَّرْجِعُهُمْ فَيُنَبِّئُهُم بِمَا كَانُواْ يَعْمَلُونَ
Transliteration 108:
Wa la_ tasubbul lazina yad'u_na min du_nilla_hi fa yasubbulla_ha 'adwam bi
gairi 'ilm(in), kaza_lika zayyanna_ likulli ummatin'amalahum, summa ila_
rabbihim marji'uhum fa yunabbi'uhum bima_ ka_nu_ ya'malu_n(a).
Hindi 108:
Aur ye (Musherkin) jin ki Allah ke siwa (Khuda samajh kar) ibadat karte hain
unhe tum bura na kaho varna ye log bhi Khuda ko bina samjhe adavat se bura
(bhala) kah baithen (aur log unki khawahish nafsani ke) is tarah paband huye ki
goya hamne khud har giroh ke aamal unko sanwakar achche kar dikhaye phir unhe
to (aakhirkaar) apne parvardigar ki taraf laut kar jana hai tab jo kuch duniya
mein kar rahe the khuda unhe bata dega.
English 108:
And insult not those whom they (disbelievers) worship besides Allah, lest they
insult Allah wrongfully without knowledge. Thus We have made fairseeming to
each people its own doings; then to their Lord is their return and He shall
then inform them of all that they used to do.
French 108:
N'injuriez pas ceux qu'ils invoquent, en dehors d'Allah, car par agressivité,
ils injurieraient Allah, dans leur ignorance. De même, Nous avons enjolivé (aux
yeux) de chaque communauté sa propre action. Ensuite, c'est vers leur Seigneur
que sera leur retour; et Il les informera de ce qu'ils oeuvraient.
Spanish 108:
No insultéis a los que ellos invocan en lugar de invocar a Alá, no sea que, por
hostilidad, insulten a Alá sin conocimiento. Así, hemos engalanado las obras de
cada comunidad. Luego, volverán a su Señor y ya les informará Él de lo que
hacían.
Indonesian 108:
Dan janganlah kamu memaki sembahan-sembahan yang mereka sembah selain Allah,
karena mereka nanti akan memaki Allah dengan melampaui batas tanpa pengetahuan.
Demikianlah Kami jadikan setiap umat menganggap baik pekerjaan mereka. Kemudian
kepada Tuhan merekalah kembali mereka, lalu Dia memberitakan kepada mereka apa
yang dahulu mereka kerjakan.
Melayu 108:
Dan janganlah kamu cerca benda-benda yang mereka sembah yang lain dari Allah,
kerana mereka kelak, akan mencerca Allah secara melampaui batas dengan
ketiadaan pengetahuan. Demikianlah Kami memperelokkan pada pandangan tiap-tiap
umat akan amal perbuatan mereka, kemudian kepada Tuhan merekalah tempat kembali
mereka, lalu Dia menerangkan kepada mereka apa yang mereka telah lakukan.
German 108:
Und schmäht die nicht, welche sie statt Allah anrufen, sonst würden sie aus
Groll ohne Wissen Allah schmähen. Also lassen Wir jedem Volke sein Tun als
wohlgefällig erscheinen. Dann aber werden sie zu ihrem Herrn heimkehren; und Er
wird ihnen verkünden, was sie getan haben.
Russian 108:
Не оскорбляйте тех, к кому они взывают помимо Аллаха, а не то они станут
оскорблять Аллаха из вражды и по невежеству. Таким образом Мы приукрасили для
каждого народа их деяния. Потом им предстоит вернуться к своему Господу, и Он
поведает им о том, что они совершали.
Urdu 108:
اور جن کی یہ الله کے سوا پرستش کر تےہیں انہیں برا نہ کہوورنہ وہ بے سمجھی سے
زیادتی کرکے الله کو برا کہیں گے اس طرح ہر ایک جماعت کی نظر میں ان کے اعمال کوہم
نے آراستہ کر دیا ہے پھر ان سب کو اپنے رب کی طرف لوٹ کر آنا ہے تب وہ انہیں
بتلائے گا جو کچھ کیا کرتے تھے
2
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
