Tafsir Surah An-Nahl ayah 16 | Learn Quran Tafsir

"Signs in the Oceans, Mountains, Rivers, Roads and Stars

Allah tells;

وَهُوَ الَّذِي سَخَّرَ الۡبَحۡرَ لِتَأۡكُلُواۡ مِنۡهُ لَحۡمًا طَرِيًّا وَتَسۡتَخۡرِجُواۡ مِنۡهُ حِلۡيَةً تَلۡبَسُونَهَا وَتَرَى الۡفُلۡكَ مَوَاخِرَ فِيه

And He it is Who subjected the sea (to you), that you may eat from the fresh tender meat, and that you bring forth out of it ornaments to wear.

And you see the ships plowing through it,

Allah tells us how He has subjected the seas, with their waves lapping the shores, and how He blesses His servants by subjecting the seas for them so that they may travel on them, and by putting fish and whales in them, by making their flesh permissible to eat - whether they are caught alive or dead - at all times, including when people are in a state of Ihram.

He has created pearls and precious jewels in the oceans, and made it easy for His servants to recover ornaments that they can wear from the ocean floor.

He made the sea such that it carries the ships which plow through it. He is the One Who taught mankind to make ships, which is the inheritance of their forefather Nuh. He was the first one to travel by ship, he was taught how to make them, then people took this knowledge from him and passed it down from generation to generation through the centuries, so that they could travel from country to country and from place to place, bringing goods from here to there and from there to here.

Thus Allah says:

وَلِتَبۡتَغُواۡ مِن فَضۡلِهِ وَلَعَلَّكُمۡ تَشۡكُرُونَ

that you may seek from His bounty and that you may perhaps be grateful.

for His bounty and blessings.

Allah says

وَأَلۡقَى فِي الَارۡضِ رَوَاسِيَ أَن تَمِيدَ بِكُمۡ

And He has driven firm standing mountains into the earth, lest it should shake with you;

Allah mentions the earth and how He placed in it mountains standing firm, which make it stable and keep it from shaking in such a manner that the creatures dwelling on it would not be able to live. Hence Allah says,

وَالۡجِبَالَ أَرۡسَـهَا

And the mountains He has fixed firmly. (79:32)

وَأَنۡهَارًا وَسُبُلً

and rivers and roads,

meaning He has made rivers which flow from one place to another, bringing provision for His servants.

The rivers arise in one place, and bring provision to people living in another place. They flow through lands and fields and wildernesses, through mountains and hills, until they reach the land whose people they are meant to benefit. They meander across the land, left and right, north and south, east and west - rivers great and small - flowing sometimes and ceasing sometimes, flowing from their sources to the places where the water gathers, flowing rapidly or moving slowly, as decreed by Allah. There is no god besides Him and no Lord except Him.

He also made roads or routes along which people travel from one land or city to another, and He even made gaps in the mountains so that there would be routes between them, as He says:

وَجَعَلۡنَا فِيهَا فِجَاجاً سُبُلً

And We placed broad highways for them to pass through. (21:31)

لَّعَلَّكُمۡ تَهۡتَدُونَ

that you may guide yourselves

وَعَلمَاتٍ

And landmarks,

meaning, signs like great mountains and small hills, and so on, things that land and sea travelers use to find their way if they get lost.

وَبِالنَّجۡمِ هُمۡ يَهۡتَدُونَ

and by the stars (during the night), they (mankind) guide themselves.

meaning, in the darkness of the night.

This was the opinion of Ibn Abbas.

Worship is Allah's Right

Then Allah tells us of His greatness, and that worship should be directed to Him alone, not to any of the idols which do not create but are rather themselves created.

Thus He says,

أَفَمَن يَخۡلُقُ كَمَن لاَّ يَخۡلُقُ أَفَل تَذَكَّرُونَ

Is then He, Who creates, the same as one who does not create! Will you not then reflect!

Then He shows His servants some of the many blessings He granted for them, and the many kinds of things that He has done for them.

He says;

وَإِن تَعُدُّواۡ نِعۡمَةَ اللّهِ لَا تُحۡصُوهَا إِنَّ اللّهَ لَغَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ

And if you would try to count the favors of Allah, you would never be able to count them. Truly, Allah is Forgiving, Most Merciful.

meaning that He pardons and forgives them. If He were to ask you to thank Him for all of His blessings, you would not be able to do so, and if He were to command you to do so, you would be incapable of it. If He punishes you, He is never unjust in His punishment, but He is Forgiving and Most Merciful, He forgives much and rewards for little.

Ibn Jarir said:

""It means that Allah is Forgiving when you fail to thank Him properly, if you repent and turn to Him in obedience, and strive to do that which pleases Him. He is Merciful to you and does not punish you if you turn to Him and repent.

Allah tells:

وَاللّهُ يَعۡلَمُ مَا تُسِرُّونَ وَمَا تُعۡلِنُونَ

And Allah knows what you conceal and what you reveal.

Allah tells us that He knows what is hidden in people's hearts as well as what is apparent. He will reward or punish everyone for their deeds on the Day of Resurrection. If their deeds are good then they will be rewarded, and if their deeds are evil, then they will be punished.

The gods of the Idolators are Created, they do not create

Then Allah tells:

وَالَّذِينَ يَدۡعُونَ مِن دُونِ اللّهِ لَا يَخۡلُقُونَ شَيۡيًا وَهُمۡ يُخۡلَقُونَ

Those whom they invoke besides Allah have not created anything, but are themselves created.

Allah tells that the idols which people call on instead of Him cannot create anything, they are themselves created, as Al-Khalil (Ibrahim) said:

قَالَ أَتَعۡبُدُونَ مَا تَنۡحِتُونَ

وَاللَّهُ خَلَقَكُمۡ وَمَا تَعۡمَلُونَ

""Do you worship that which you (yourselves) carve, while Allah has created you and what you make!"" (37:95-96)

أَمۡواتٌ غَيۡرُ أَحۡيَاء

(They are) dead, not alive,

means, they are inanimate and lifeless, they do not hear, see, or think.

وَمَا يَشۡعُرُونَ أَيَّانَ يُبۡعَثُونَ

and they know not when they will be resurrected.

meaning, they do not know when the Hour will come, so how can anyone hope for any benefit or reward from these idols! They should hope for it from the One Who knows all things and is the Creator of all things."

An-Nahl: 16

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An-Nahl: 16