Surah al-An`am (The Cattle) 6 : 103

لَّا تُدْرِكُهُ ٱلْأَبْصَٰرُ وَهُوَ يُدْرِكُ ٱلْأَبْصَٰرَ ۖ وَهُوَ ٱللَّطِيفُ ٱلْخَبِيرُ

Translations

 
 Muhsin Khan
 Pickthall
 Yusuf Ali
Quran Project
Vision perceives Him not, but He perceives [all] vision; and He is the Subtle, the Acquainted.

1. Lessons/Guidance/Reflections/Gems

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Explanatory Note

The surah follows this with a description of God which is so powerful that it impresses man’s whole being with connotations which I believe to be indescribable by any human language. Let us then allow these impressions to formulate as we behold the scene which allows God’s reassuring attributes to be more prominent than His fear-inspiring attributes.

Those who demonstrate their naivety by demanding to see God are the same as those who demonstrate their arrogance by demanding tangible evidence of His existence. Neither group understand what they say. The senses and mental faculties of human beings have been created so that they can interact with the world around them, fulfil their task of building human life on earth, and observe and understand what the world and the universe contain of pointers to God’s existence and His work. As for the nature of God Himself, they have not been given the power to conceive of it, because a created mortal cannot comprehend what is ever present and immortal. Besides, such comprehension is not an essential requirement for them to fulfil their task on earth. They have, indeed, been given what they need for its fulfilment and are fully equipped for the same.

The surah comments on what it has already listed of signs and evidence available everywhere in the universe, and within the human soul itself. What follows serves also as a comment on the statement that concerns God’s nature: “No power of vision can encompass Him, whereas He encompasses all vision; He is above all comprehension, yet is all-aware.” We have already said that no human language can explain or commentate on such a description. It imparts its own clear sense to our minds. 

2. Linguistic Analysis

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Frequency of Root words in this Ayat used in this Surah *


3. Surah Overview

4. Miscellaneous Information

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5. Connected/Related Ayat

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6. Frequency of the word

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7. Period of Revelation

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According to Ibn Abbas, the whole of the Surah was revealed at one sitting at Makkah [during the night]. Asma bint Yazid says, ‘During the revelation of this Surah the 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 narrations that it was revealed during the last year before the migration (Hijrah) and that the Prophet dictated the whole of the Surah the same night that it was revealed. [Mawdudi]

8. Reasons for Revelation

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After determining the period of its revelation it is easier to visualize the background of the Surah. Twelve years had passed since the Prophet had been inviting the people to Islam. The antagonism and persecution by the Quraysh had become most savage and brutal and the majority of the Muslims had to migrate to Abyssinia. Additionally, the two great supporters of the Prophet, Abu Talib and his wife Khadijah were no longer there to help him, so he was deprived of all worldly support. In spite of this he carried on his mission. As a result of this all the good people of Makkah and the surrounding clans gradually began to accept Islam but there the community as a whole was still bent on obstinacy and rejection. Therefore if anyone showed an inclination towards Islam they were subjected to taunts and derision, physical violence and social boycott.

It was in these dark circumstances that a ray of hope gleamed from Yathrib, where Islam began to spread freely by the efforts of some influential people of the tribes of Aws and Khazraj, who had embraced Islam at Makkah. At that time, none but God knew the great hidden potential in this.

To a casual observer it appeared as if Islam was a weak movement, with no material backing, except for some limited support from the Prophet's own family and a few poor followers. Obviously the latter could not give much help because they themselves were being persecuted.

9. Relevant Hadith

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10. Wiki Forum

Comments in this section are statements made by general users – these are not necessarily explanations of the Ayah – rather a place to share personal thoughts and stories…

11. Tafsir Zone

 

Overview (Verses 103 - 105)

The Choice to Remain Blind
 
The sūrah follows this with a description of God which is so powerful that it impresses man’s whole being with connotations which I believe to be indescribable by any human language. Let us then allow these impressions to formulate as we behold the scene which allows God’s reassuring attributes to be more prominent than His fear-inspiring attributes: “No power of vision can encompass Him, whereas He encompasses all vision; He is above all comprehension, yet is all-aware.” (Verse 103)
 
Those who demonstrate their naivety by demanding to see God are the same as those who demonstrate their arrogance by demanding tangible evidence of His existence. Neither group understand what they say. The senses and mental faculties of human beings have been created so that they can interact with the world around them, fulfil their task of building human life on earth, and observe and understand what the world and the universe contain of pointers to God’s existence and His work. As for the nature of God Himself, they have not been given the power to conceive of it, because a created mortal cannot comprehend what is ever present and immortal. Besides, such comprehension is not an essential requirement for them to fulfil their task on earth. They have, indeed, been given what they need for its fulfilment and are fully equipped for the same.
 
It may be possible to understand that ancient people were naive, but the arrogance of later groups is totally unacceptable. They talk about the atom, electrons, protons and neutrons when none of them has ever seen any of these. It has not been possible yet to make a microscope powerful enough to allow scientists to see such infinitely small particles. Nevertheless, those people accept their theoretic existence and determine the practical effect of their presence. When they see these effects, they declare with absolute certainty that such particles are present. They do so in spite of the fact that the ultimate conclusion to which their experiment leads is `the possibility’ of the presence of those particles. But when they are told of God’s existence and are directed to the evidence of His presence, they dispute that fact, giving arguments that have no basis in scientific knowledge, proper guidance or revelation. They demand tangible evidence which they can see with their own eyes, as if this whole universe and all the wonders of life are not sufficient evidence.
 
The sūrah then comments on what it has already listed of signs and evidence available everywhere in the universe, and within the human soul itself. What follows serves also as a comment on the statement that concerns God’s nature: “No power of vision can encompass Him, whereas He encompasses all vision; He is above all comprehension, yet is all-aware.” (Verse 103) We have already said that no human language can explain or commentate on such a description. It imparts its own clear sense to our minds. However, it is followed by a significant comment: “Means of insight have come to you from your Lord. Therefore, whoever chooses to see does so for his own good, and whoever chooses to remain blind only himself does he hurt. I am not your keeper.” (Verse 104) What God has given us is indeed the means of insight which provides guidance and points to the right way. The choice is then left to every individual. He who chooses to see will find himself in the light, equipped with guidance. Inevitably, the alternative is total blindness. No one deliberately persists in error after having seen these signs and received these insights except one who shuts out his senses, suppresses his feelings, stifles his conscience and remains blind. The Prophet is instructed to declare that he dissociates himself from them: “I am not your keeper.” (Verse 104)
 
Perhaps it is important to draw the readers’ attention to the fact that in the Arabic text these verses use, in addition to their powerful rhythm, a few unmistakeable and beautiful stylistic elements, such as alliteration and the juxtaposition of opposites. Thus, their effect, as we read them in Arabic, is immeasurably enhanced.
 
The sūrah then addresses the Prophet, pointing out how revelations and signs of God’s existence have been spelled out and explained in a way that could not fit with the Prophet’s social environment or the fact that he could not read and write. For any open-minded person, this, in itself, is sufficient evidence to prove that these revelations were from God. But the idolaters did not wish to have such convincing evidence. Hence, they used to say that Muĥammad had studied these questions of faith and those aspects of the universe with a Christian or a Jewish scholar. They did not realize that no Christian or Jew could have attained the standard of knowledge which remotely approached what the Prophet said to them. Indeed, no one on earth today can hope to reach anywhere near this level, superior as it is to all human knowledge. Hence, the Prophet is instructed to follow what has been revealed to him and to turn away from the unbelievers: “Thus do We spell out Our revelations in diverse ways, that they may say, ‘You have studied this’, and that We may make it clear to people of knowledge. Follow what has been revealed to you by your Lord, other than whom there is no deity, and turn your back on those who associate partners with God. Had God so willed, they would not have associated partners with Him. We have not made you their keeper, nor are you responsible for them.” (Verses 105-107)
 
God spells out His revelations at a level that was totally unknown to the Arabs, because it did not originate from their social environment or indeed from any human environment. His explanation leads to two opposing results: those who accept and those who reject God’s guidance. The latter who do not wish to learn or strive to know the truth will try to find some sort of argument to explain the superior excellence which characterizes the Prophet’s address to them. They allege what they know to be false. They were aware of every detail in Muĥammad’s life before he began to receive his message and after that. Nevertheless, they said to him: “Muĥammad, you have studied all this with Christian and Jewish scholars and learned it from them.” No Christian or Jew had ever known anything like the Qur’ān. Their books are still available to us now. The gulf between what they have and the Qur’ān is very wide indeed. Now, all they have is merely a few inconsistent accounts of the histories of Prophets and Kings, mixed with legends and superstitions invented by unknown authors. This is the essence of what we find in the Old Testament.
 
As for the New Testament, it also contains some reports related by the disciples of Jesus Christ (peace be upon him), several decades after he was raised to heaven. Synods then introduced amendments and distortions of these. Even moral and spiritual teachings were subjected to distortions, amendments and omission. How does all this compare with the Glorious Qur’ān? In their ignorance, the Arab idolaters used to make such statements. What is most singular is that some ignorant people of our present day, including some Orientalists and some who claim to be Muslims, repeat such impudent claims. What is even more singular is that their claims are alleged to be the result of `scientific study’ or `scholarly research’, which only Orientalists are equipped to pursue!
 
As for those who have true knowledge, the spelling out of revelations in the Qur’ānic way allows them to realize the truth: “That We may make it clear to people of knowledge.” (Verse 105) As a result, the separation occurs between people endowed with knowledge and insight who know the truth, and people who are blind and ignorant.


12. External Links

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Muhammad Al-Luhaidan (Recitation)   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uNV_J589pvs