Surah al-An`am (The Cattle) 6 : 66
Translations
Pickthall
Yusuf Ali
Explanatory Note
This verse is an address to God’s Messenger (peace be upon him) which gives him and all believers who follow him complete confidence and reassurance that his message is the very truth. His people may persist in rejecting it and describing it as lies. This should not, however, affect him in any way. His people are not to arbitrate on this. The final word belongs to God. He states that this message is the truth. Hence, its rejection by any group of people is of no consequence.
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
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Overview (Verses 66 - 69) Consistent Attitude Your people have rejected this [i.e. the Qur’ān], although it is the very truth. Say: I am not responsible for you. (Verse 66) The passage starts with an address to God’s Messenger (peace be upon him) which gives him and all believers who follow him complete confidence and reassurance that his message is the very truth. His people may persist in rejecting it and describing it as lies. This should not, however, affect him in any way. His people are not to arbitrate on this. The final word belongs to God. He states that this message is the truth. Hence, its rejection by any group of people is of no consequence. God then instructs His Messenger to dissociate himself from his people, making his attitude clear to them. He is also to inform them that he has no say over their fate. Neither is he responsible for their behaviour, nor can he guide their hearts. That is not up to him. Once he has conveyed to them his message, he has discharged his duty and he has to leave them to their inevitable destiny. Everything comes to its appointed end, and they will come to know the result of their efforts: “Every piece of news has a time set for its fulfilment, as you will come to know.” (Verse 67) Although this is a very general statement, providing no details, it is nonetheless intimidating. The believers have that reassurance imparted to them by their knowledge that what they follow is the very truth and that evil is doomed to failure, even though it may appear very powerful. They are confident that God will destroy those who deny His message, at the time He has appointed for them. They realise that what God has said will undoubtedly come true, and that every living thing is certain to meet its destiny. The advocates of Islam who face a similar rejection from their own people and who are made to feel as though they are strangers among their own families and who, as a consequence, endure much hardship and endless affliction need such confidence and reassurance and this the Qur’ān gives them in plenty. The Prophet is further commanded not to sit with the unbelievers, even for the sake of explaining his message or reminding them of God and their need to believe in Him, especially if he finds them engaged in idle talk about divine revelations. If they talk about religion in any way other than with respect and seriousness, or make it, by word or deed, an object of fun, he must remove himself from their company. If he were to do otherwise, his action could be construed as an implicit acceptance of what they do. Alternatively, it may be taken as a carelessness with the faith, when a Muslim should place his religion at the top of what he cherishes. Should he forget all this and sit with them, he must immediately upon remembering the correct approach rise up and leave their company: “Whenever you see those who indulge in vain discourse about Our revelations, turn away from them until they talk of other things. Should Satan ever cause you to forget, do not, once you remember, stay with such wrongdoing folk.” (Verse 68) This order to the Prophet, which could be interpreted as applying to all Muslims, was issued in Makkah where the Prophet’s task was limited to the advocacy of his faith. At that time, the Prophet was not ordered to fight anyone. Indeed, the approach was to avoid all physical conflict with the unbelievers wherever that was possible. Nevertheless, the Prophet was ordered not to sit with them if they spoke disrespectfully of God’s revelations. Should he forget and sit with them, then, he should leave them immediately upon remembrance. All Muslims, according to some reports, were ordered likewise. The term, `wrongdoing folk’, used here refers to the unbelievers, as it is frequently used in the Qur’ān. When Islam established its state in Madinah, the Prophet’s attitude towards the unbelievers was totally different. The Prophet could resort to every type of struggle, even war, in order to ensure that submission to God prevailed. No one was to be allowed to engage in idle talk or vain discourse concerning God’s revelations. The sūrah then asserts the complete separation between believers and unbelievers, in the same way as this was established between the Prophet (peace be upon him) and those who associate partners with God. Responsibilities are different and so are destinies: “Those who are God-fearing are in no way accountable for them. It is their duty, however, to admonish them, so that they may become God-fearing” (verse 69). This means that there is simply no common responsibility between the God-fearing and the unbelievers. They are two separate communities or nations, although they may belong to the same race and the same nationality. These considerations are of little consequence in God’s view. The God- fearing are a nation on their own, and the unbelievers are a totally different nation. Those who fear God share nothing of the burden of the wrongdoers and they are accountable for none of their deeds. They only try to remind them of their duty towards God in the hope that they follow suit and join their camp. If they continue to reject the faith based on God’s oneness, then there is nothing to share between the two camps. This is indeed, the attitude of Islam as stated clearly by God. Anyone may choose a different stance, but he must know first that by so doing he abandons the divine faith altogether. |
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 (Verses 66 - 69) Consistent Attitude Your people have rejected this [i.e. the Qur’ān], although it is the very truth. Say: I am not responsible for you. (Verse 66) The passage starts with an address to God’s Messenger (peace be upon him) which gives him and all believers who follow him complete confidence and reassurance that his message is the very truth. His people may persist in rejecting it and describing it as lies. This should not, however, affect him in any way. His people are not to arbitrate on this. The final word belongs to God. He states that this message is the truth. Hence, its rejection by any group of people is of no consequence. God then instructs His Messenger to dissociate himself from his people, making his attitude clear to them. He is also to inform them that he has no say over their fate. Neither is he responsible for their behaviour, nor can he guide their hearts. That is not up to him. Once he has conveyed to them his message, he has discharged his duty and he has to leave them to their inevitable destiny. Everything comes to its appointed end, and they will come to know the result of their efforts: “Every piece of news has a time set for its fulfilment, as you will come to know.” (Verse 67) Although this is a very general statement, providing no details, it is nonetheless intimidating. The believers have that reassurance imparted to them by their knowledge that what they follow is the very truth and that evil is doomed to failure, even though it may appear very powerful. They are confident that God will destroy those who deny His message, at the time He has appointed for them. They realise that what God has said will undoubtedly come true, and that every living thing is certain to meet its destiny. The advocates of Islam who face a similar rejection from their own people and who are made to feel as though they are strangers among their own families and who, as a consequence, endure much hardship and endless affliction need such confidence and reassurance and this the Qur’ān gives them in plenty. The Prophet is further commanded not to sit with the unbelievers, even for the sake of explaining his message or reminding them of God and their need to believe in Him, especially if he finds them engaged in idle talk about divine revelations. If they talk about religion in any way other than with respect and seriousness, or make it, by word or deed, an object of fun, he must remove himself from their company. If he were to do otherwise, his action could be construed as an implicit acceptance of what they do. Alternatively, it may be taken as a carelessness with the faith, when a Muslim should place his religion at the top of what he cherishes. Should he forget all this and sit with them, he must immediately upon remembering the correct approach rise up and leave their company: “Whenever you see those who indulge in vain discourse about Our revelations, turn away from them until they talk of other things. Should Satan ever cause you to forget, do not, once you remember, stay with such wrongdoing folk.” (Verse 68) This order to the Prophet, which could be interpreted as applying to all Muslims, was issued in Makkah where the Prophet’s task was limited to the advocacy of his faith. At that time, the Prophet was not ordered to fight anyone. Indeed, the approach was to avoid all physical conflict with the unbelievers wherever that was possible. Nevertheless, the Prophet was ordered not to sit with them if they spoke disrespectfully of God’s revelations. Should he forget and sit with them, then, he should leave them immediately upon remembrance. All Muslims, according to some reports, were ordered likewise. The term, `wrongdoing folk’, used here refers to the unbelievers, as it is frequently used in the Qur’ān. When Islam established its state in Madinah, the Prophet’s attitude towards the unbelievers was totally different. The Prophet could resort to every type of struggle, even war, in order to ensure that submission to God prevailed. No one was to be allowed to engage in idle talk or vain discourse concerning God’s revelations. The sūrah then asserts the complete separation between believers and unbelievers, in the same way as this was established between the Prophet (peace be upon him) and those who associate partners with God. Responsibilities are different and so are destinies: “Those who are God-fearing are in no way accountable for them. It is their duty, however, to admonish them, so that they may become God-fearing” (verse 69). This means that there is simply no common responsibility between the God-fearing and the unbelievers. They are two separate communities or nations, although they may belong to the same race and the same nationality. These considerations are of little consequence in God’s view. The God- fearing are a nation on their own, and the unbelievers are a totally different nation. Those who fear God share nothing of the burden of the wrongdoers and they are accountable for none of their deeds. They only try to remind them of their duty towards God in the hope that they follow suit and join their camp. If they continue to reject the faith based on God’s oneness, then there is nothing to share between the two camps. This is indeed, the attitude of Islam as stated clearly by God. Anyone may choose a different stance, but he must know first that by so doing he abandons the divine faith altogether. |
