Surah al-An`am (The Cattle) 6 : 122
Translations
Pickthall
Yusuf Ali
Qur'an Dictionary
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(6:122:1) |
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(6:122:2) kāna was |
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(6:122:3) maytan dead |
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(6:122:4) fa-aḥyaynāhu and We gave him life |
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(6:122:5) wajaʿalnā and We made |
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(6:122:6) |
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(6:122:7) nūran light |
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(6:122:8) yamshī he walks |
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(6:122:9) |
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(6:122:10) |
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(6:122:11) l-nāsi the people |
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(6:122:12) |
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(6:122:13) mathaluhu [similar to him] |
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(6:122:14) |
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(6:122:15) l-ẓulumāti the darknesses |
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(6:122:16) laysa not |
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(6:122:17) bikhārijin he comes out |
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(6:122:18) |
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(6:122:19) |
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(6:122:20) zuyyina is made fair-seeming |
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(6:122:21) lil'kāfirīna to the disbelievers |
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(6:122:22) |
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(6:122:23) kānū they were |
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(6:122:24) yaʿmalūna doing |
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Explanatory Note
This verse describes the situation of Muslims before they came to believe in this religion, and before faith breathed life into their souls to release within them their great store of ability, action and forward- looking qualities. Their hearts were dead, and their spirits were in darkness, but when faith touched their hearts they quickened and light brightened their souls. Thus they were able to bring guidance, reassurance and freedom to mankind, showing them the way and making an all- important declaration that man has been reborn. With faith, man is liberated, enlightened, submitting to no authority other than that of God’s.
It is true that faith revives people’s hearts after they have been dead and gives them light to bring them out of darkness. Their new life enables them to appreciate and evaluate all things in a new light and according to a new measure they did not previously know. The light they are given makes everything appear new. It is as if it has never been seen by those hearts that now bask in the light of faith. This experience cannot be described in words, because it is known only to those who have actually gone through it. The Qur’anic statement is the strongest that can express for us the nature of this experience, because it depicts it in its true colours.
This light also gives man complete clarity in all matters and events. He is clear about the thoughts and intentions he entertains and the actions he plans. He sees with absolute clarity the events that take place around him, whether they are the result of the laws of nature or of people’s actions and plans. To him, the whole history of mankind and the universe becomes an open book that he reads with absolute transparency. His thoughts and feelings become bright; he has no worry about his existence or his future; events and happenings take place and he is relaxed, reassured.
This is the secret then. Disbelief, darkness and even death have been made to seem good to the unbelievers. This is part of God’s will which has made men, by nature, susceptible to the dual lure of light and darkness. Thus, man is put to a test to find out whether he chooses darkness or light. When he chooses darkness, it is made to look good to him so that he goes deeper and deeper into it. Additionally, the evil ones among both human beings and jinn continue to inspire each other with fabricated falsehoods and continue to make their actions seem goodly to the unbelievers. A heart that has been cut off from life, faith and light listens to evil whispers in the dark, because it cannot see or feel or distinguish guidance from error.
3. Surah Overview
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]
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.
10. Wiki Forum
11. Tafsir Zone
Overview (Verse 122) Next we have a full treatment of the nature of both faith and disbelief. The following verses speak of God’s will that manifests itself in every community, even where the most hardened of criminals scheme and give themselves airs. Their arrogance prevents them from accepting the faith. This concludes with a splendid image portraying the faith that opens people’s hearts and minds, contrasting it with the oppressive situation of disbelief, which weighs heavily on people’s minds. The whole passage relates to the question of prohibition and permissibility concerning slaughtered animals, in the same way as a basic rule is related to a detailed application. |
Ibn Kathir (English)
Sayyid Qutb
Sha'rawi
Al Jalalain
Mawdudi
الطبري - جامع البيان
ابن كثير - تفسير القرآن العظيم
القرطبي - الجامع لأحكام
البغوي - معالم التنزيل
ابن أبي حاتم الرازي - تفسير القرآن
ابن عاشور - التحرير والتنوير
ابن القيم - تفسير ابن قيّم
السيوطي - الدر المنثور
الشنقيطي - أضواء البيان
ابن الجوزي - زاد المسير
الآلوسي - روح المعاني
ابن عطية - المحرر الوجيز
الرازي - مفاتيح الغيب
أبو السعود - إرشاد العقل السليم
الزمخشري - الكشاف
البقاعي - نظم الدرر
الهداية إلى بلوغ النهاية — مكي ابن أبي طالب
القاسمي - محاسن التأويل
الماوردي - النكت والعيون
السعدي - تيسير الكريم الرحمن
عبد الرحمن الثعالبي - الجواهر الحسان
السمرقندي - بحر العلوم
أبو إسحاق الثعلبي - الكشف والبيان
الشوكاني - فتح القدير
النيسابوري - التفسير البسيط
أبو حيان - البحر المحيط
البيضاوي - أنوار التنزيل
النسفي - مدارك التنزيل
ابن جُزَيّ - التسهيل لعلوم التنزيل
علي الواحدي النيسابوري - الوجيز
السيوطي - تفسير الجلالين
المختصر في التفسير — مركز تفسير
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Overview (Verse 122) Next we have a full treatment of the nature of both faith and disbelief. The following verses speak of God’s will that manifests itself in every community, even where the most hardened of criminals scheme and give themselves airs. Their arrogance prevents them from accepting the faith. This concludes with a splendid image portraying the faith that opens people’s hearts and minds, contrasting it with the oppressive situation of disbelief, which weighs heavily on people’s minds. The whole passage relates to the question of prohibition and permissibility concerning slaughtered animals, in the same way as a basic rule is related to a detailed application. |