Tafsir Surah Al-Hajj ayah 68 | Learn Quran Tafsir

Every Nation has its Religious Ceremonies

Allah tells:

لِكُلِّ أُمَّةٍ جَعَلۡنَا مَنسَكًا هُمۡ نَاسِكُوهُ فَلَ يُنَازِعُنَّكَ فِي الاَۡمۡرِ

For every nation We have made Mansak which they must follow; so let them not dispute with you on the matter,

Allah tells us that He has made Mansak for every nation.

Ibn Jarir said,

This means that there are Mansak for every Prophet's nation.

He said,

The origin of the word Mansik in Arabic means the place to which a person returns repeatedly, for good or evil purposes. So the Manasik (rites) of Hajj are so called because the people return to them and adhere to them.

If the phrase For every nation We have ordained religious ceremonies means that every Prophet's nation has its religious ceremonies as ordained by Allah, then the phrase So let them (the pagans) not dispute with you on the matter refers to the idolators.

If the phrase For every nation We have ordained religious ceremonies means that it is the matter of Qadar (divine decree), as in the Ayah,

وَلِكُلٍّ وِجۡهَةٌ هُوَ مُوَلِّيهَا

(For each nation there is a direction to which they face). (2:148)

Allah says here:

هُمۡ نَاسِكُوهُ

(which they Nasikuh) meaning, which they must act upon. The pronoun here refers back to those who have these religious ceremonies and ways, i.e., they do this by the will and decree of Allah, so do not let their dispute with you over that divert you from following the truth.

Allah says:

وَادۡعُ إِلَى رَبِّكَ إِنَّكَ لَعَلَى هُدًى مُّسۡتَقِيمٍ

but invite them to your Lord. Verily, you indeed are on the straight guidance.

i.e., a clear and straight path which will lead you to the desired end.

This is like the Ayah:

وَلَا يَصُدُّنَّكَ عَنۡ ءَايَـتِ اللَّهِ بَعۡدَ إِذۡ أُنزِلَتۡ إِلَيۡكَ وَادۡعُ إِلَى رَبِّكَ

And let them not turn you away from the Ayat of Allah after they have been sent down to you:and invite to your Lord. (28:87)

وَإِن جَادَلُوكَ فَقُلِ اللَّهُ أَعۡلَمُ بِمَا تَعۡمَلُونَ

And if they argue with you, say:Allah knows best what you do.

This is like the Ayah:

وَإِن كَذَّبُوكَ فَقُل لِّى عَمَلِى وَلَكُمۡ عَمَلُكُمۡ أَنتُمۡ بَرِييُونَ مِمَّأ أَعۡمَلُ وَأَنَاۡ بَرِىءٌ مِّمَّا تَعۡمَلُونَ

And if they belie you, say:For me are my deeds and for you are your deeds! You are innocent of what I do, and I am innocent of what you do! (10:41)

اللَّهُ أَعۡلَمُ بِمَا تَعۡمَلُونَ

Allah knows best of what you do.

This is a stern warning and definite threat, as in the Ayah:

هُوَ أَعۡلَمُ بِمَا تُفِيضُونَ فِيهِ كَفَى بِهِ شَهِيداً بَيۡنِى وَبَيۡنَكُمۡ

He knows best of what you say among yourselves concerning it! Sufficient is He as a witness between me and you! (46:8)

Allah says here:

اللَّهُ يَحۡكُمُ بَيۡنَكُمۡ يَوۡمَ الۡقِيَامَةِ فِيمَا كُنتُمۡ فِيهِ تَخۡتَلِفُونَ

Allah will judge between you on the Day of Resurrection about that wherein you used to differ.

This is like the Ayah:

فَلِذَلِكَ فَادۡعُ وَاسۡتَقِمۡ كَمَأ أُمِرۡتَ وَلَا تَتَّبِعۡ أَهۡوَاءَهُمۡ وَقُلۡ ءَامَنتُ بِمَأ أَنزَلَ اللَّهُ مِن كِتَـبٍ

So unto this then invite, and stand firm as you are commanded, and follow not their desires but say:I believe in whatsoever Allah has sent down of the Book. (42:15)

Allah tells us how perfect is His knowledge of His creation, and that He encompasses all that is in the heavens and on earth

Allah says:

أَلَمۡ تَعۡلَمۡ أَنَّ اللَّهَ يَعۡلَمُ مَا فِي السَّمَاء وَالاَۡرۡضِ

Know you not that Allah knows all that is in the heaven and on the earth!

Not even the weight of a speck of dust, or less than that or greater escapes His knowledge in the heavens or in the earth. He knows all things even before they happen, and He has written that in His Book, Al-Lawh Al-Mahfuz, as was reported in Sahih Muslim from Abdullah bin `Amr, who said,

The Messenger of Allah said:

إِنَّ اللهَ قَدَّرَ مَقَادِيرَ الۡخَلَيِقِ قَبۡلَ خَلۡقِ السَّموَاتِ وَالاَۡرۡضِ بِخَمۡسِينَ أَلۡفَ سَنَةٍ وَكَانَ عَرۡشُهُ عَلَى الۡمَاء

Allah issued His decrees concerning the measurement and due proportion of the creatures fifty thousand years before He created the heavens and the earth, and His Throne was over the water.

In the Sunan, it was reported from a group of the Companions that the Messenger of Allah said:

أَوَّلُ مَا خَلَقَ اللهُ الۡقَلَمُ قَالَ لَهُ اكۡتُبۡ

قَالَ وَ مَا أَكۡتُبُ

قَالَ اكۡتُبۡ مَا هُوَ كَايِنٌ

فَجَرَى الۡقَلَمُ بِمَا هُوَ كَايِنٌ إِلَى يَوۡمِ الۡقِيَامَة

The first thing that Allah created was the Pen. He said to it, Write!

It said, What should I write?

He said, Write what will happen,

so the Pen wrote everything that will happen until the Day of Resurrection.

Allah says:

إِنَّ ذَلِكَ فِي كِتَابٍ إِنَّ ذَلِكَ عَلَى اللَّهِ يَسِيرٌ

Verily, it is (all) in the Book. Verily, that is easy for Allah.

The Idolators' worship of others besides Allah and Their vehement rejection of the Ayat of Allah

Allah says:

وَيَعۡبُدُونَ مِن دُونِ اللَّهِ مَا لَمۡ يُنَزِّلۡ بِهِ سُلۡطَانًا

And they worship besides Allah others for which He has sent down no authority,

Allah tells us that the idolators, in their ignorance and disbelief, worship besides Allah others which He has sent down no authority for, i.e., no proof or evidence for such behavior.

This is like the Ayah:

وَمَن يَدۡعُ مَعَ اللَّهِ إِلَـهَا ءَاخَرَ لَا بُرۡهَانَ لَهُ بِهِ فَإِنَّمَا حِسَابُهُ عِندَ رَبِّهِ إِنَّهُ لَا يُفۡلِحُ الۡكَـفِرُونَ

And whoever calls upon, besides Allah, any other god, of whom he has no proof; then his reckoning is only with his Lord. Surely, the disbelievers will not be successful. (23:117)

So Allah says here:

مَا لَمۡ يُنَزِّلۡ بِهِ سُلۡطَانًا وَمَا لَيۡسَ لَهُم بِهِ عِلۡمٌ

for which He has sent down no authority, and of which they have no knowledge;

meaning, they have no knowledge in the subject that they fabricate lies about; it is only something which was handed down to them from their fathers and ancestors, with no evidence or proof, and its origins lie in that which the Shaytan beautified for them and made attractive to them.

Allah warned them:

وَمَا لِلظَّالِمِينَ مِن نَّصِيرٍ

and for the wrongdoers there is no helper.

meaning, no one to help them against Allah when He sends His punishment and torment upon them.

Then Allah says

وَإِذَا تُتۡلَى عَلَيۡهِمۡ ايَاتُنَا بَيِّنَاتٍ

And when Our clear Ayat are recited to them,

means, when the Ayat of the Qur'an and clear evidence and proof for Tawhid of Allah are mentioned to them, and they are told that there is no god besides Allah and that the Messengers spoke the truth,

تَعۡرِفُ فِي وُجُوهِ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا الۡمُنكَرَ

you will notice a denial on the faces of the disbelievers!

يَكَادُونَ يَسۡطُونَ بِالَّذِينَ يَتۡلُونَ عَلَيۡهِمۡ ايَاتِنَا

They are nearly ready to attack with violence those who recite Our Ayat to them.

then they nearly attack and do harm to those who bring proof to them from the Qur'an, and cause them harm using their tongues and hands.

قُلۡ

Say, (O Muhammad to these people),

أَفَأُنَبِّيُكُم بِشَرٍّ مِّن ذَلِكُمُ النَّارُ وَعَدَهَا اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا

Shall I tell you of something worse than that! The Fire! which Allah has promised to those who disbelieved,

The fire and wrath and torment of Allah are far worse than that with which you are trying to scare the believing close friends of Allah in this world. The punishment in the Hereafter for these deeds of yours is worse than that what you claim you want to do to the believers.

وَبِيۡسَ الۡمَصِيرُ

and worst indeed is that destination!

how terrible is the Fire as a final destination and abode!

إِنَّهَا سَأءَتۡ مُسۡتَقَرّاً وَمُقَاماً

Evil indeed it is as an abode and as a place to rest in. (25:66)

Al-Hajj: 68

Ayah

Translation

Tafsir

Al-Hajj: 68