Surah al-An`am (The Cattle) 6 : 95
Translations
Pickthall
Yusuf Ali
Qur'an Dictionary
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(6:95:1) |
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(6:95:2) l-laha Allah |
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(6:95:3) fāliqu (is the) Cleaver |
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(6:95:4) l-ḥabi (of) the grain |
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(6:95:5) wal-nawā and the date-seed |
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(6:95:6) yukh'riju He brings forth |
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(6:95:7) l-ḥaya the living |
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(6:95:8) |
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(6:95:9) l-mayiti the dead |
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(6:95:10) wamukh'riju and brings forth |
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(6:95:11) l-mayiti the dead |
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(6:95:12) |
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(6:95:13) l-ḥayi the living |
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(6:95:14) |
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(6:95:15) l-lahu (is) Allah |
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(6:95:16) fa-annā so how |
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(6:95:17) tu'fakūna are you deluded |
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Explanatory Note
Right at the beginning, God brought forth the living out of the dead. The universe, or at least our planet earth, existed, but there was no life on it. Then life began after God originated it from something that was dead. How did He do that? We certainly do not know. Ever since that moment, life has been created out of what is dead. Dead particles are transformed every moment, through living creatures, into organic living substances that form part of living bodies. Although they are originally dead particles, they are transformed into living cells. The reverse also takes place. At every moment, living cells become dead particles, until one day a complete living entity becomes a dead body. “He brings forth the living out of that which is dead and the dead out of that which is alive.”
No one can do this other than God. It is God alone who can originate life from something that is dead, and it is He alone who gives a living entity the ability to transfer dead particles into living cells. Again, He alone can complete the cycle and transform the living cells into dead particles. No one has ever acquired certain knowledge of this cycle: when did it start and how does it proceed? We only have assumptions, theories and probabilities.
There is a definite beauty in the way this Qur’anic verse relates the operation of the life and death cycle to God alone. It first makes a clear statement: “It is God who splits the grain and the fruit-stone. He brings forth the living out of that which is dead and the dead out of that which is alive.” It then attributes all to God: “Such is God.”
He is the originator of this ever-renewable miracle which remains covered with secrecy. He is the Creator and the Lord to whom everyone should submit themselves and obey without hesitation: “Such is God. How, then, are you deluded away from the truth?” This is the truth which is clearly apparent to eyes, hearts and minds. How can anyone pretend not to see it or refuse to admit it?
The Qur’an frequently mentions the miracle of bringing life out of that which is dead, as also the creation of the universe in order to turn our attentions to the nature of Godhead and the manifestations of the oneness of the Creator. The inevitable conclusion is that submission must be to God alone who is the only God and the only Lord. People must, then, address all their worship to Him alone and refer to Him in order to make their laws and formulate their code of living.
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 95) The Early Signs of Life |
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 95) The Early Signs of Life |