Surah al-An`am (The Cattle) 6 : 158
Translations
Pickthall
Yusuf Ali
Qur'an Dictionary
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(6:158:1) |
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(6:158:2) yanẓurūna they waiting |
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(6:158:3) illā except |
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(6:158:4) |
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(6:158:5) tatiyahumu comes to them |
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(6:158:6) l-malāikatu the Angels |
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(6:158:7) |
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(6:158:8) yatiya comes |
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(6:158:9) rabbuka your Lord |
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(6:158:10) |
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(6:158:11) yatiya comes |
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(6:158:12) baʿḍu some (of) |
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(6:158:13) āyāti (the) Signs |
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(6:158:14) rabbika (of) your Lord |
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(6:158:15) yawma (The) Day |
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(6:158:16) yatī (when) comes |
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(6:158:17) baʿḍu some (of) |
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(6:158:18) āyāti (the) Signs |
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(6:158:19) rabbika (of) your Lord |
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(6:158:20) |
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(6:158:21) yanfaʿu will benefit |
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(6:158:22) nafsan a soul |
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(6:158:23) īmānuhā its faith |
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(6:158:24) |
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(6:158:25) takun (if) it had |
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(6:158:26) āmanat believed |
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(6:158:27) |
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(6:158:28) qablu before |
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(6:158:29) |
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(6:158:30) kasabat earned |
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(6:158:31) |
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(6:158:32) īmānihā its faith |
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(6:158:33) khayran any good |
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(6:158:34) quli Say |
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(6:158:35) intaẓirū Wait |
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(6:158:36) |
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(6:158:37) muntaẓirūna (are) those who wait |
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Explanatory Note
More warnings are added to answer their demands for physical miracles in order to believe in God’s revelations. Similar warnings were given earlier in the surah where it addressed their denial of the faith altogether. Here the warnings are in relation to their denial of God’s law and the need to implement it in life. Earlier in the surah we read: “They say: ‘Why has not an angel been sent down to him?’ If We had sent down an angel, all would have been decided, and they would have been allowed no further respite.” (Verse 8) Here, at the end of the surah, the matter is clearly explained.
This is a very clear and decisive warning. It has always been God’s law that should a miracle been given and the unbelievers continue to reject the truth, they will inevitably be destroyed. Here, God tells them in plain terms that if only some of the signs they ask for were shown to them, they would be destroyed thereafter should they continue to disbelieve. They are further told that when some of God’s signs are shown, they spell the end that renders all subsequent actions futile. Accepting the faith should come before this, and should be translated into practical action. Good action is always associated with true faith, as it is, in the Islamic view, the practical translation of faith.
A number of reports suggest that what is meant by the phrase, ‘when certain of your Lord’s signs do appear’, is certain signs of the Day of Judgement, the appearance of which renders the acceptance of the faith and doing good works of no avail. Some scholars even mention some particular signs of the Day of Judgement.
It should be noted that the surah repeats what it has said within the context of faith and belief when it speaks about God’s sovereignty and law. This is clearly seen and intentionally used to emphasize a particular fact. Hence, it is better to interpret the statements that occur here at the end of the surah in the same light as those which occur at its beginning, reading them as referring to the laws of nature God has set in operation. This is sufficient to understand the Qur’anic statements without having to resort to something that we cannot fathom because it is beyond the reach of our perception.
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 158) Further Warnings |
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 158) Further Warnings |