Join Learn Quran Tafsir
Join Learn Quran Tafsir to get tafsir interpretation and information from Learn Quran Tafsir.
If you already have account
Join Learn Quran Tafsir
Join Learn Quran Tafsir to get tafsir interpretation and information from Learn Quran Tafsir.
You have to login to access this feature
Ayah
Word by Word
وَقَالَ
And said
ٱلَّذِينَ
those who
أَشۡرَكُواْ
associate partners (with Allah)
لَوۡ
If
شَآءَ
Allah (had) willed
ٱللَّهُ
Allah (had) willed
مَا
not
عَبَدۡنَا
we (would) have worshipped
مِن
other than Him
دُونِهِۦ
other than Him
مِن
any
شَيۡءٖ
thing
نَّحۡنُ
we
وَلَآ
and not
ءَابَآؤُنَا
our forefathers
وَلَا
and not
حَرَّمۡنَا
we (would) have forbidden
مِن
other than Him
دُونِهِۦ
other than Him
مِن
anything
شَيۡءٖۚ
anything
كَذَٰلِكَ
Thus
فَعَلَ
did
ٱلَّذِينَ
those who
مِن
(were) before them
قَبۡلِهِمۡۚ
(were) before them
فَهَلۡ
Then is (there)
عَلَى
on
ٱلرُّسُلِ
the messengers
إِلَّا
except
ٱلۡبَلَٰغُ
the conveyance
ٱلۡمُبِينُ
clear
وَقَالَ
And said
ٱلَّذِينَ
those who
أَشۡرَكُواْ
associate partners (with Allah)
لَوۡ
If
شَآءَ
Allah (had) willed
ٱللَّهُ
Allah (had) willed
مَا
not
عَبَدۡنَا
we (would) have worshipped
مِن
other than Him
دُونِهِۦ
other than Him
مِن
any
شَيۡءٖ
thing
نَّحۡنُ
we
وَلَآ
and not
ءَابَآؤُنَا
our forefathers
وَلَا
and not
حَرَّمۡنَا
we (would) have forbidden
مِن
other than Him
دُونِهِۦ
other than Him
مِن
anything
شَيۡءٖۚ
anything
كَذَٰلِكَ
Thus
فَعَلَ
did
ٱلَّذِينَ
those who
مِن
(were) before them
قَبۡلِهِمۡۚ
(were) before them
فَهَلۡ
Then is (there)
عَلَى
on
ٱلرُّسُلِ
the messengers
إِلَّا
except
ٱلۡبَلَٰغُ
the conveyance
ٱلۡمُبِينُ
clear
Translation
The worshippers of false gods say: "If Allah had so willed, we should not have worshipped aught but Him - neither we nor our fathers,- nor should we have prescribed prohibitions other than His." So did those who went before them. But what is the mission of messengers but to preach the Clear Message?
Tafsir
And the idolaters, from among the Meccans, say, 'Had God willed we would not have worshipped anything besides Him - neither we, nor our fathers - nor would we have deemed anything sacred besides Him', in the way of those [camels] called baheeras and saa'iba. In other words, our idolatry and our deeming [these animals] sacred are [effected] by His will; therefore He must be satisfied with this. God, exalted He be, says: So did those before them, that is, they denied their messengers regarding that which they [the messengers] brought them. Yet are messengers charged with anything save plain conveyance [of the Message]? It is not their duty to guide.
"The Idolators Argument that their Shirk was Divinely decreed, and the Refutation of this Claim
Allah tells:
وَقَالَ الَّذِينَ أَشۡرَكُواۡ
And those who worshipped others with Allah said:
Allah tells us about the idolators delusion over their Shirk, and the excuse they claimed for it based on the idea that it is ordained by divine decree.
He says:
لَوۡ شَاء اللّهُ مَا عَبَدۡنَا مِن دُونِهِ مِن شَيۡءٍ نَّحۡنُ وَلا ابَاوُنَا وَلَا حَرَّمۡنَا مِن دُونِهِ مِن شَيۡءٍ
(They say:) ""If Allah had so willed, neither we nor our fathers would have worshipped any but Him, nor would we have forbidden anything without (a command from) Him.""
They had superstitious customs dealing with certain animals, e.g. the Bahirah the Sa'ibah and the Wasilah and other things that they had invented and innovated by themselves, with no revealed authority. The essence of what they said was:
""If Allah hated what we did, He would have stopped by punishing us, and He would not have enabled us to do it.""
كَذَلِكَ فَعَلَ الَّذِينَ مِن قَبۡلِهِمۡ
Those before them did the same.
Rejecting their confusing ideas, Allah says:
فَهَلۡ عَلَى الرُّسُلِ إِلاَّ الۡبَلغُ الۡمُبِينُ
Are the Messengers charged with anything but to clearly convey the Message!
meaning, the matter is not as you claim. It is not the case that Allah did not rebuke your behavior; rather, He did rebuke you, and in the strongest possible terms, and He emphatically forbade you from such behavior. To every nation - that is, to every generation, to every community of people - He sent a Messenger. All of the Messengers called their people to worship Allah (Alone) as well as forbidding them from worshipping anything or anybody except for Him
وَلَقَدۡ بَعَثۡنَا فِي كُلِّ أُمَّةٍ رَّسُولاً أَنِ اعۡبُدُواۡ اللّهَ وَاجۡتَنِبُواۡ الطَّاغُوتَ
And We have indeed sent a Messenger to every Ummah (community, nation) (saying):""Worship Allah (alone), and shun the Taghut (all false deities).""
Allah continued sending Messengers to mankind with this Message, from the first incidence of Shirk that appeared among the Children of Adam, in the people to whom Nuh was sent - the first Messenger sent by Allah to the people of this earth - until He sent the final Messenger, Muhammad, whose call was addressed to both men and Jinn, in the east and in the west. All of the Messengers brought the same Message, as Allah says:
وَمَأ أَرۡسَلۡنَا مِن قَبۡلِكَ مِن رَّسُولٍ إِلاَّ نُوحِى إِلَيۡهِ أَنَّهُ لا إِلَـهَ إِلاَّ أَنَاۡ فَاعۡبُدُونِ
And We did not send any Messenger before you (O Muhammad) but We revealed to him (saying):None has the right to be worshipped but I (Allah), so worship Me (alone and none else)."" (21:25)
وَاسۡيلۡ مَنۡ أَرۡسَلۡنَا مِن قَبۡلِكَ مِن رُّسُلِنَأ أَجَعَلۡنَا مِن دُونِ الرَّحۡمَـنِ ءَالِهَةً يُعۡبَدُونَ
And ask (O Muhammad) those Messengers of Ours whom We sent before you:""Did We ever appointed to be worshipped besides the Most Gracious (Allah)"" (43:45)
And in this Ayah, Allah says:
وَلَقَدۡ بَعَثۡنَا فِي كُلِّ أُمَّةٍ رَّسُولاً أَنِ اعۡبُدُواۡ اللّهَ وَاجۡتَنِبُواۡ الطَّاغُوتَ
And We have indeed sent a Messenger to every Ummah (community, nation) (saying):""Worship Allah (alone), and shun the Taghut (all false deities).""
So how could any of the idolators say,
لَوۡ شَاء اللّهُ مَا عَبَدۡنَا مِن دُونِهِ مِن شَيۡءٍ
(If Allah had so willed, we would not have worshipped any but Him),
The legislative will of Allah is clear and cannot be taken as an excuse by them, because He had forbidden them to do that upon the tongue of His Messengers, but by His universal will (i.e., by which He allows things to occur even though they do not please Him). He allowed them to do that as it was decreed for them. So there is no argument in that for them. Allah created Hell and its people both the Shayatin (devils) and disbelievers, but He does not like His servants to disbelieve. And this point constitutes the strongest proof and the most unquestionable wisdom.
Then Allah informs us that He rebuked them with punishment in this world, after the Messengers issued their warning, thus He says:
فَمِنۡهُم مَّنۡ هَدَى اللّهُ وَمِنۡهُم مَّنۡ حَقَّتۡ عَلَيۡهِ الضَّللَةُ فَسِيرُواۡ فِي الَارۡضِ فَانظُرُواۡ كَيۡفَ كَانَ عَاقِبَةُ الۡمُكَذِّبِينَ
Then among them were some whom Allah guided, and among them were some who deserved to be left to stray. So travel through the land and see the end of those who denied (the truth).
This means:ask about what happened to those who went against the Messengers and rejected the truth, see how:
دَمَّرَ اللَّهُ عَلَيۡهِمۡ وَلِلۡكَـفِرِينَ أَمۡثَـلُهَا
Allah destroyed them completely, and a similar (end awaits) the disbelievers. (47:10)
and,
وَلَقَدۡ كَذَّبَ الَّذِينَ مِن قَبۡلِهِمۡ فَكَيۡفَ كَانَ نكِيرِ
And indeed those before them belied (the Messengers of Allah), so then how terrible was My denial (punishment). (67:18)
Then Allah told His Messenger
إِن تَحۡرِصۡ عَلَى هُدَاهُمۡ فَإِنَّ اللّهَ لَا يَهۡدِي مَن يُضِلُّ وَمَا لَهُم مِّن نَّاصِرِينَ
(Even) if you desire that they be guided, then verily, Allah does not guide those whom He allowed to stray, and they will have no helpers.
Allah told His Messenger that His eagerness to guide them will be of no benefit to them if Allah wills that they should be misguided, as He says:
وَمَن يُرِدِ اللَّهُ فِتۡنَتَهُ فَلَن تَمۡلِكَ لَهُ مِنَ اللَّهِ شَيۡيا
And for whoever Allah wills to try with error, you can do nothing for him against Allah. (5:41)
Nuh said to his people:
وَلَا يَنفَعُكُمۡ نُصۡحِى إِنۡ أَرَدۡتُّ أَنۡ أَنصَحَ لَكُمۡ إِن كَانَ اللَّهُ يُرِيدُ أَن يُغۡوِيَكُمۡ
""And my advice will not profit you, even if I wish to give you good counsel, if Allah's will is to keep you astray."" (11:34)
In this Ayah, Allah says:
إِن تَحۡرِصۡ عَلَى هُدَاهُمۡ فَإِنَّ اللّهَ لَا يَهۡدِي مَن يُضِلُّ
(Even) if you desire that they be guided, then verily, Allah does not guide those whom He allowed to stray,
As Allah says:
مَن يُضۡلِلِ اللَّهُ فَلَ هَادِيَ لَهُ وَيَذَرُهُمۡ فِى طُغۡيَـنِهِمۡ يَعۡمَهُونَ
Whomsoever Allah allows to stray, then there is no guide for him; and He lets them wander blindly in their transgressions. (7:186)
إِنَّ الَّذِينَ حَقَّتۡ عَلَيۡهِمۡ كَلِمَةُ رَبِّكَ لَا يُوۡمِنُونَ
وَلَوۡ جَأءَتۡهُمۡ كُلُّ ءايَةٍ حَتَّى يَرَوُاۡ الۡعَذَابَ الاٌّلِيمَ
Truly! Those deserving the Word (wrath) of your Lord will not believe, even if every sign should come to them - until they see the painful torment. (10:96-97)
فَإِنَّ اللّهَ
(then verily, Allah),
meaning, this is the way in which Allah does things. If He wills a thing, then it happens, and if He does not will a thing, then it does not happen.
For this reason Allah says:
لَا يَهۡدِي مَن يُضِلُّ
(Allah does not guide those whom He allowed to stray),
meaning the one whom He has caused to go astray, so who can guide him apart from Allah No one.
وَمَا لَهُم مِّن نَّاصِرِينَ
And they will have no helpers.
means, they will have no one to save them from the punishment of Allah,
أَلَا لَهُ الۡخَلۡقُ وَالاٌّمۡرُ تَبَارَكَ اللَّهُ رَبُّ الۡعَـلَمِينَ
Surely, His is the creation and commandment. Blessed is Allah, the Lord of all that exists! (7:54)"
Not yet available. It requires resources to add this interpretation.
Not yet available. It requires resources to add this interpretation.
Not yet available. It requires resources to add this interpretation.
Not yet available. It requires resources to add this interpretation.
Not yet available. It requires resources to add this interpretation.
Not yet available. It requires resources to add this interpretation.
Not yet available. It requires resources to add this interpretation.
Not yet available. It requires resources to add this interpretation.
