Tafsir Surah Al-An'am ayah 67 | Learn Quran Tafsir

The Invitation to the Truth is Guidance Without Coercion

Allah said,

وَكَذَّبَ بِهِ

But have denied it,

denied the Qur'an, guidance and clear explanation that you (O Muhammad) have brought them,

قَوۡمُكَ

your people,

meaning, Quraysh,

وَهُوَ الۡحَقُّ

though it is the truth.

beyond which there is no other truth.

قُل لَّسۡتُ عَلَيۡكُم بِوَكِيلٍ

Say:I am not responsible for your affairs.

meaning, I have not been appointed a guardian or watcher over you.

Allah also said;

وَقُلِ الۡحَقُّ مِن رَّبِّكُمۡ فَمَن شَأءَ فَلۡيُوۡمِن وَمَن شَأءَ فَلۡيَكۡفُرۡ

And say:The truth is from your Lord. Then whosoever wills, let him believe, and whosoever wills, let him disbelieve. (18:29)

This means, my duty is to convey the Message and your duty is to hear and obey. Those who follow me, will acquire happiness in this life and the Hereafter. Those who defy me will become miserable in this life and the Hereafter.

So Allah said

لِّكُلِّ نَبَإٍ مُّسۡتَقَرٌّ

For every news there is a reality...,

According to Ibn Abbas and others,

meaning, for every news, there is a reality, in that, this news will occur, perhaps after a while.

Allah said in other Ayat,

وَلَتَعۡلَمُنَّ نَبَأَهُ بَعۡدَ حِينِ

And you shall certainly know the truth of it after a while. (38:88)

and,

لِكُلِّ أَجَلٍ كِتَابٌ

(For) each and every matter there is a decree (from Allah). (13:38)

This, indeed, is a warning and a promise that will surely occur,

وَسَوۡفَ تَعۡلَمُونَ

and you will come to know.

Allah's statement

وَإِذَا رَأَيۡتَ الَّذِينَ يَخُوضُونَ فِي ايَاتِنَا

And when you see those who engage in false conversation about Our verses (of the Qur'an),

by denying and mocking them.

The Prohibition of Sitting with Those Who Deny and Mock Allah's Ayat

Allah said,

فَأَعۡرِضۡ عَنۡهُمۡ حَتَّى يَخُوضُواۡ فِي حَدِيثٍ غَيۡرِهِ

stay away from them till they turn to another topic.

until they talk about a subject other than the denial they were engaged in.

وَإِمَّا يُنسِيَنَّكَ الشَّيۡطَانُ

And if Shaytan causes you to forget...,

This command includes every member of this Ummah. No one is to sit with those who deny and distort Allah's Ayat and explain them incorrectly.

If one forgets and sits with such people,

فَلَ تَقۡعُدۡ بَعۡدَ الذِّكۡرَى

then after the remembrance sit not you,

after you remember,

مَعَ الۡقَوۡمِ الظَّالِمِينَ

in the company of those people who are the wrongdoers.

A Hadith states,

رُفِعَ عَنۡ أُمَّتِي الۡخَطَأُ وَالنِّسۡيَانُ وَمَا اسۡتُكۡرِهُوا عَلَيۡه

My Ummah was forgiven unintentional errors, forgetfulness and what they are coerced to do.

The Ayah above (6:68) is the Ayah mentioned in Allah's statement,

وَقَدۡ نَزَّلَ عَلَيۡكُمۡ فِى الۡكِتَـبِ أَنۡ إِذَا سَمِعۡتُمۡ ءَايَـتِ اللَّهِ يُكَفَرُ بِهَا وَيُسۡتَهۡزَأُ بِهَا فَلَ تَقۡعُدُواۡ مَعَهُمۡ حَتَّى يَخُوضُواۡ فِى حَدِيثٍ غَيۡرِهِ إِنَّكُمۡ إِذاً مِّثۡلُهُمۡ

And it has already been revealed to you in the Book that when you hear the Verses of Allah being denied and mocked at, then sit not with them, until they engage in a talk other than that; (but if you stayed with them) certainly in that case you would be like them. (4:140),

for, if you still sit with them, agreeing to what they say, you will be just like them.

Allah's statement

وَمَا عَلَى الَّذِينَ يَتَّقُونَ مِنۡ حِسَابِهِم مِّن شَيۡءٍ

There is no responsibility for them upon those who have Taqwa,

means, when the believers avoid sitting with wrongdoers in this case, they will be innocent of them and they will have saved themselves from their sin.

Allah's statement,

وَلَـكِن ذِكۡرَى لَعَلَّهُمۡ يَتَّقُونَ

but (their duty) is to remind them, that they may avoid that.

means, We commanded you to ignore and avoid them, so that they become aware of the error they are indulging in, that they may avoid this behavior and never repeat it again

Allah said,

وَذَرِ الَّذِينَ اتَّخَذُواۡ دِينَهُمۡ لَعِبًا وَلَهۡوًا وَغَرَّتۡهُمُ الۡحَيَاةُ الدُّنۡيَا

And leave alone those who take their religion as play and amusement, and are deceived by the life of this world.

The Ayah commands to leave such people, ignore them and give them respite, for soon, they will taste a tremendous torment.

This is why Allah said,

وَذَكِّرۡ بِهِ

But remind with it,

meaning, remind the people with this Qur'an and warn them against Allah's revenge and painful torment on the Day of Resurrection.

Allah said;

أَن تُبۡسَلَ نَفۡسٌ بِمَا كَسَبَتۡ

lest a soul Tubsal for that which one has earned,

meaning, so that it is not Tubsal.

Ad-Dahhak from Ibn Abbas, Mujahid, Ikrimah, Al-Hasan and As-Suddi said that;

Tubsal means, be submissive.

Al-Walibi said that Ibn Abbas said that;

Tubsal means, `be exposed'.

Qatadah said that;

Tubsal means, `be prevented'.

Murrah and Ibn Zayd said that;

it means, `be recompensed'.

Al-Kalbi said,

`be reckoned'.

All these statements and expressions are similar, for they all mean exposure to destruction, being kept away from all that is good, and being restrained from attaining what is desired.

Allah also said;

كُلُّ نَفۡسٍ بِمَا كَسَبَتۡ رَهِينَةٌ

إِلاَّ أَصۡحَـبَ الۡيَمِينِ

Every person is restrained by what he has earned. Except those on the Right. (74:38-39)

and,

لَيۡسَ لَهَا مِن دُونِ اللّهِ وَلِيٌّ وَلَا شَفِيعٌ

when he will find for himself no protector or intercessor besides Allah.

and,

وَإِن تَعۡدِلۡ كُلَّ عَدۡلٍ لاَّ يُوۡخَذۡ مِنۡهَا

and even if he offers every ransom, it will not be accepted from him.

meaning, whatever the ransom such people offer, it will not be accepted from them.

Allah said in a similar statement,

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواۡ وَمَاتُواۡ وَهُمۡ كُفَّارٌ فَلَن يُقۡبَلَ مِنۡ أَحَدِهِم مِّلۡءُ الاٌّرۡضِ ذَهَبًا

Verily, those who disbelieved, and died while they were disbelievers, the (whole) earth full of gold will not be accepted from anyone of them. (3:91)

Allah said here,

أُوۡلَـيِكَ الَّذِينَ أُبۡسِلُواۡ بِمَا كَسَبُواۡ لَهُمۡ شَرَابٌ مِّنۡ حَمِيمٍ وَعَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ بِمَا كَانُواۡ يَكۡفُرُونَ

Such are they who are given up to destruction because of that which they have earned. For them will be a drink of boiling water and a painful torment because they used to disbelieve.

Al-An'am: 67

Ayah

Translation

Tafsir

Al-An'am: 67