Tafsir Ibn Kathir (abridged)
Hafiz Ibn Kathir
النحل
An-Nahl
128 versets
وَلَوۡ يُؤَاخِذُ ٱللَّهُ ٱلنَّاسَ بِظُلۡمِهِم مَّا تَرَكَ عَلَيۡهَا مِن دَآبَّةٖ وَلَٰكِن يُؤَخِّرُهُمۡ إِلَىٰٓ أَجَلٖ مُّسَمّٗىۖ فَإِذَا جَآءَ أَجَلُهُمۡ لَا يَسۡتَـٔۡخِرُونَ سَاعَةٗ وَلَا يَسۡتَقۡدِمُونَ
Si Allah s'en prenait aux gens pour leurs méfaits, Il ne laisserait sur cette terre aucun être vivant. Mais Il les renvoie jusqu'à un terme fixé. Puis, quand leur terme vient, ils ne peuvent ni le retarder d'une heure ni l'avancer
Tafsir Ibn Kathir (abridged) — Hafiz Ibn Kathir
Allah does not immediately punish for Disobedience Allah tells us about His patience with His creatures, even though they do wrong. If He were to punish them for what they have done, there would be no living creature left on the face of the earth, i.e., He would have destroyed every animal on earth after destroying the sons of Adam. But the Lord - magnificent is His glory - is forbearing and He covers people's faults. He waits until the appointed time, i.e., He does not rush to punish them. If He did, then there would be no one left. Ibn Jarir reported that Abu Salamah said: "Abu Hurayrah heard a man saying, `The wrongdoer harms no one but himself.' He turned to him and said, `That is not true, by Allah! Even the buzzard dies in its nest because of the sins of the wrongdoer."' They attribute to Allah what They Themselves dislike وَيَجْعَلُونَ لِلَّهِ مَا يَكْرَهُونَ (They assign to Allah that which they dislike (for themselves),) meaning, daughters, and partners, who are merely His servants, yet none of them would like to have someone sharing in his wealth. وَتَصِفُ أَلْسِنَتُهُمُ الْكَذِبَ أَنَّ لَهُمُ الْحُسْنَى (and their tongues assert the lie that the better things will be theirs.) This is a denunciation of their claims that better things will be theirs in this world, and in the Hereafter. Allah tells us about what some of them said, as in the Ayat: وَلَئِنْ أَذَقْنَا الإِنْسَـنَ مِنَّا رَحْمَةً ثُمَّ نَزَعْنَاهَا مِنْهُ إِنَّهُ لَيَئُوسٌ كَفُورٌ - وَلَئِنْ أَذَقْنَاهُ نَعْمَآءَ بَعْدَ ضَرَّآءَ مَسَّتْهُ لَيَقُولَنَّ ذَهَبَ السَّيِّئَاتُ عَنِّي إِنَّهُ لَفَرِحٌ فَخُورٌ (And if We give man a taste of mercy from Us, and then take it from him, verily! He is hopelessly, ungrateful. But if We let him taste of goodness after harm has touched him, he is sure to say: "Ills have departed from me." Surely, he is cheerful, and boastful (ungrateful to Allah).) (11:9-10) وَلَئِنْ أَذَقْنَـهُ رَحْمَةً مِّنَّا مِن بَعْدِ ضَرَّآءَ مَسَّتْهُ لَيَقُولَنَّ هَـذَا لِى وَمَآ أَظُنُّ السَّاعَةَ قَآئِمَةً وَلَئِن رُّجِّعْتُ إِلَى رَبِّى إِنَّ لِى عِندَهُ لَلْحُسْنَى فَلَنُنَبِّئَنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ بِمَا عَمِلُواْ وَلَنُذِيقَنَّهُمْ مِّنْ عَذَابٍ غَلِيظٍ (And if We give him a taste of mercy from Us, after some adversity has touched him, he is sure to say: "This is due to me; I do not think that the Hour will occur. But if I am brought back to my Lord, then , with Him, there will surely be the best for me." Then, We will certainly show the disbelievers what they have done, and We shall make them taste severe torment.) (41:50) أَفَرَأَيْتَ الَّذِى كَفَرَ بِـَايَـتِنَا وَقَالَ لأوتَيَنَّ مَالاً وَوَلَداً (Have you seen the one who disbelieved in Our Ayat and said: "I shall certainly be given wealth and children (if I came back to life).") (19:77) Allah tells us about one of the two men: دَخَلَجَنَّتَهُ وَهُوَ ظَالِمٌ لِّنَفْسِهِ قَالَ مَآ أَظُنُّ أَن تَبِيدَ هَـذِهِ أَبَداًوَمَآ أَظُنُّ السَّاعَةَ قَائِمَةً وَلَئِن رُّدِدتُّ إِلَى رَبِّى لأَجِدَنَّ خَيْراً مِّنْهَا مُنْقَلَباً (He went into his garden while wronging himself. He said: "I do not think that this will ever perish. And I do not think that the Hour will ever come, and if indeed I am brought back to my Lord, (on the Day of Resurrection), then surely, I shall find better than this when I return to Him.") (18:35-36) These people combined bad deeds with the false hopes of being rewarded with good for those bad deeds, which is impossible. Thus Allah refuted their false hopes, when He said: لاَ جَرَمَ (No doubt), meaning, truly it is inevitable that أَنَّ لَهُمُ الْنَّارَ (for them is the Fire), meaning, on the Day of Resurrection. وَأَنَّهُمْ مُّفْرَطُونَ (and they will be forsaken). Mujahid, Sa`id bin Jubayr, Qatadah and others said: "This means they will be forgotten and neglected there." This is like the Ayah: فَالْيَوْمَ نَنسَـهُمْ كَمَا نَسُواْ لِقَآءَ يَوْمِهِمْ هَـذَا (So today We forget them just as they forgot meeting on this day of theirs.) (7:51). It was also reported from Qatadah that, مُّفْرَطُونَ (they will be forsaken) means `they are hastened into the Fire.' There is no contradiction between the two, because they will be hastened into the Fire on the Day of Resurrection, then they will be forgotten there, i.e., left to dwell there for eternity.
وَيَجۡعَلُونَ لِلَّهِ مَا يَكۡرَهُونَۚ وَتَصِفُ أَلۡسِنَتُهُمُ ٱلۡكَذِبَ أَنَّ لَهُمُ ٱلۡحُسۡنَىٰۚ لَا جَرَمَ أَنَّ لَهُمُ ٱلنَّارَ وَأَنَّهُم مُّفۡرَطُونَ
Et ils assignent à Allah ce qu'ils détestent [pour eux-mêmes]. Et leurs langues profèrent un mensonge quand ils disent que la plus belle récompense leur sera réservée. C'est le Feu, sans nul doute, qui leur sera réservé et ils y seront envoyés, les premiers
Tafsir Ibn Kathir (abridged) — Hafiz Ibn Kathir
Allah does not immediately punish for Disobedience Allah tells us about His patience with His creatures, even though they do wrong. If He were to punish them for what they have done, there would be no living creature left on the face of the earth, i.e., He would have destroyed every animal on earth after destroying the sons of Adam. But the Lord - magnificent is His glory - is forbearing and He covers people's faults. He waits until the appointed time, i.e., He does not rush to punish them. If He did, then there would be no one left. Ibn Jarir reported that Abu Salamah said: "Abu Hurayrah heard a man saying, `The wrongdoer harms no one but himself.' He turned to him and said, `That is not true, by Allah! Even the buzzard dies in its nest because of the sins of the wrongdoer."' They attribute to Allah what They Themselves dislike وَيَجْعَلُونَ لِلَّهِ مَا يَكْرَهُونَ (They assign to Allah that which they dislike (for themselves),) meaning, daughters, and partners, who are merely His servants, yet none of them would like to have someone sharing in his wealth. وَتَصِفُ أَلْسِنَتُهُمُ الْكَذِبَ أَنَّ لَهُمُ الْحُسْنَى (and their tongues assert the lie that the better things will be theirs.) This is a denunciation of their claims that better things will be theirs in this world, and in the Hereafter. Allah tells us about what some of them said, as in the Ayat: وَلَئِنْ أَذَقْنَا الإِنْسَـنَ مِنَّا رَحْمَةً ثُمَّ نَزَعْنَاهَا مِنْهُ إِنَّهُ لَيَئُوسٌ كَفُورٌ - وَلَئِنْ أَذَقْنَاهُ نَعْمَآءَ بَعْدَ ضَرَّآءَ مَسَّتْهُ لَيَقُولَنَّ ذَهَبَ السَّيِّئَاتُ عَنِّي إِنَّهُ لَفَرِحٌ فَخُورٌ (And if We give man a taste of mercy from Us, and then take it from him, verily! He is hopelessly, ungrateful. But if We let him taste of goodness after harm has touched him, he is sure to say: "Ills have departed from me." Surely, he is cheerful, and boastful (ungrateful to Allah).) (11:9-10) وَلَئِنْ أَذَقْنَـهُ رَحْمَةً مِّنَّا مِن بَعْدِ ضَرَّآءَ مَسَّتْهُ لَيَقُولَنَّ هَـذَا لِى وَمَآ أَظُنُّ السَّاعَةَ قَآئِمَةً وَلَئِن رُّجِّعْتُ إِلَى رَبِّى إِنَّ لِى عِندَهُ لَلْحُسْنَى فَلَنُنَبِّئَنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ بِمَا عَمِلُواْ وَلَنُذِيقَنَّهُمْ مِّنْ عَذَابٍ غَلِيظٍ (And if We give him a taste of mercy from Us, after some adversity has touched him, he is sure to say: "This is due to me; I do not think that the Hour will occur. But if I am brought back to my Lord, then , with Him, there will surely be the best for me." Then, We will certainly show the disbelievers what they have done, and We shall make them taste severe torment.) (41:50) أَفَرَأَيْتَ الَّذِى كَفَرَ بِـَايَـتِنَا وَقَالَ لأوتَيَنَّ مَالاً وَوَلَداً (Have you seen the one who disbelieved in Our Ayat and said: "I shall certainly be given wealth and children (if I came back to life).") (19:77) Allah tells us about one of the two men: دَخَلَجَنَّتَهُ وَهُوَ ظَالِمٌ لِّنَفْسِهِ قَالَ مَآ أَظُنُّ أَن تَبِيدَ هَـذِهِ أَبَداًوَمَآ أَظُنُّ السَّاعَةَ قَائِمَةً وَلَئِن رُّدِدتُّ إِلَى رَبِّى لأَجِدَنَّ خَيْراً مِّنْهَا مُنْقَلَباً (He went into his garden while wronging himself. He said: "I do not think that this will ever perish. And I do not think that the Hour will ever come, and if indeed I am brought back to my Lord, (on the Day of Resurrection), then surely, I shall find better than this when I return to Him.") (18:35-36) These people combined bad deeds with the false hopes of being rewarded with good for those bad deeds, which is impossible. Thus Allah refuted their false hopes, when He said: لاَ جَرَمَ (No doubt), meaning, truly it is inevitable that أَنَّ لَهُمُ الْنَّارَ (for them is the Fire), meaning, on the Day of Resurrection. وَأَنَّهُمْ مُّفْرَطُونَ (and they will be forsaken). Mujahid, Sa`id bin Jubayr, Qatadah and others said: "This means they will be forgotten and neglected there." This is like the Ayah: فَالْيَوْمَ نَنسَـهُمْ كَمَا نَسُواْ لِقَآءَ يَوْمِهِمْ هَـذَا (So today We forget them just as they forgot meeting on this day of theirs.) (7:51). It was also reported from Qatadah that, مُّفْرَطُونَ (they will be forsaken) means `they are hastened into the Fire.' There is no contradiction between the two, because they will be hastened into the Fire on the Day of Resurrection, then they will be forgotten there, i.e., left to dwell there for eternity.
تَٱللَّهِ لَقَدۡ أَرۡسَلۡنَآ إِلَىٰٓ أُمَمٖ مِّن قَبۡلِكَ فَزَيَّنَ لَهُمُ ٱلشَّيۡطَٰنُ أَعۡمَٰلَهُمۡ فَهُوَ وَلِيُّهُمُ ٱلۡيَوۡمَ وَلَهُمۡ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٞ
Par Allah! Nous avons effectivement envoyé (des messagers) à des communautés avant toi. Mais le Diable leur enjoliva ce qu'ils faisaient. C'est lui qui est, leur allié, aujourd'hui [dans ce monde]. Et ils auront un châtiment douloureux [dans l'au-delà]
Tafsir Ibn Kathir (abridged) — Hafiz Ibn Kathir
Finding Consolation in the Reminder of Those Who came before Allah says, `He sent Messengers to the nations of the past, and they were rejected. You, O Muhammad, have an example in your brothers among the Messengers, so do not be distressed by your people's rejection. As for the idolators' rejection of the Messengers, the reason for this is that the Shaytan made their deeds attractive to them.' فَهُوَ وَلِيُّهُمُ الْيَوْمَ (So today he (Shaytan) is their helper,) meaning they will be suffering punishment while Shaytan is their only helper, and he cannot save them, so they have no one to answer their calls for help, and theirs is a painful punishment. The Reason why the Qur'an was revealed Then Allah says to His Messenger that He has revealed the Book to him to explain the truth to mankind in matters which they dispute over. So the Qur'an is a decisive arbitrator for every issue that they argue about. وَهَدَى (and (as) a guidance) meaning, for their hearts. وَرَحْمَةً (and a mercy) meaning, for the one who adheres to it. لِّقَوْمٍ يُؤْمِنُونَ (for a people who believe.) Just as Allah causes the Qur'an to bring life to hearts that were dead from disbelief, so He brings the earth to life after it has died, by sending down water from the sky. إِنَّ فِى ذلِكَ لآيَةً لِقَوْمٍ يَسْمَعُونَ (Surely that is a sign for people who listen.) meaning those who understand the words and their meanings.
وَمَآ أَنزَلۡنَا عَلَيۡكَ ٱلۡكِتَٰبَ إِلَّا لِتُبَيِّنَ لَهُمُ ٱلَّذِي ٱخۡتَلَفُواْ فِيهِ وَهُدٗى وَرَحۡمَةٗ لِّقَوۡمٖ يُؤۡمِنُونَ
Et Nous n'avons fait descendre sur toi le Livre qu'afin que tu leur montres clairement le motif de leur dissension, de même qu'un guide et une miséricorde pour des gens croyants
Tafsir Ibn Kathir (abridged) — Hafiz Ibn Kathir
Finding Consolation in the Reminder of Those Who came before Allah says, `He sent Messengers to the nations of the past, and they were rejected. You, O Muhammad, have an example in your brothers among the Messengers, so do not be distressed by your people's rejection. As for the idolators' rejection of the Messengers, the reason for this is that the Shaytan made their deeds attractive to them.' فَهُوَ وَلِيُّهُمُ الْيَوْمَ (So today he (Shaytan) is their helper,) meaning they will be suffering punishment while Shaytan is their only helper, and he cannot save them, so they have no one to answer their calls for help, and theirs is a painful punishment. The Reason why the Qur'an was revealed Then Allah says to His Messenger that He has revealed the Book to him to explain the truth to mankind in matters which they dispute over. So the Qur'an is a decisive arbitrator for every issue that they argue about. وَهَدَى (and (as) a guidance) meaning, for their hearts. وَرَحْمَةً (and a mercy) meaning, for the one who adheres to it. لِّقَوْمٍ يُؤْمِنُونَ (for a people who believe.) Just as Allah causes the Qur'an to bring life to hearts that were dead from disbelief, so He brings the earth to life after it has died, by sending down water from the sky. إِنَّ فِى ذلِكَ لآيَةً لِقَوْمٍ يَسْمَعُونَ (Surely that is a sign for people who listen.) meaning those who understand the words and their meanings.
وَٱللَّهُ أَنزَلَ مِنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ مَآءٗ فَأَحۡيَا بِهِ ٱلۡأَرۡضَ بَعۡدَ مَوۡتِهَآۚ إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لَأٓيَةٗ لِّقَوۡمٖ يَسۡمَعُونَ
Allah a fait descendre du ciel une eau avec laquelle Il revivifie la terre après sa mort. Il y a vraiment là une preuve pour des gens qui entendent
Tafsir Ibn Kathir (abridged) — Hafiz Ibn Kathir
Finding Consolation in the Reminder of Those Who came before Allah says, `He sent Messengers to the nations of the past, and they were rejected. You, O Muhammad, have an example in your brothers among the Messengers, so do not be distressed by your people's rejection. As for the idolators' rejection of the Messengers, the reason for this is that the Shaytan made their deeds attractive to them.' فَهُوَ وَلِيُّهُمُ الْيَوْمَ (So today he (Shaytan) is their helper,) meaning they will be suffering punishment while Shaytan is their only helper, and he cannot save them, so they have no one to answer their calls for help, and theirs is a painful punishment. The Reason why the Qur'an was revealed Then Allah says to His Messenger that He has revealed the Book to him to explain the truth to mankind in matters which they dispute over. So the Qur'an is a decisive arbitrator for every issue that they argue about. وَهَدَى (and (as) a guidance) meaning, for their hearts. وَرَحْمَةً (and a mercy) meaning, for the one who adheres to it. لِّقَوْمٍ يُؤْمِنُونَ (for a people who believe.) Just as Allah causes the Qur'an to bring life to hearts that were dead from disbelief, so He brings the earth to life after it has died, by sending down water from the sky. إِنَّ فِى ذلِكَ لآيَةً لِقَوْمٍ يَسْمَعُونَ (Surely that is a sign for people who listen.) meaning those who understand the words and their meanings.