Surah Nahl ayat 16 Tafsir Quran 16:16

﴿وَعَلَامَاتٍ ۚ وَبِالنَّجْمِ هُمْ يَهْتَدُونَ﴾
[ النحل: 16]

16:16 And landmarks. And by the stars they are [also] guided.

— and landmarks as well by which you might find the roads landmarks such as mountains during the day and by the star meaning by the stars they are guided to the roads and to the direction of prayer qibla by night.

And other visible signs together with signs in the heavens -the stars- serving as guide-posts to guide people on land and at sea

Signs in the Oceans, Mountains, Rivers, Roads and Stars Allah tells us how He has subjected the seas, with their waves lapping the shores, and how He blesses His servants by subjecting the seas for them so that they may travel on them, and by putting fish and whales in them, by making their flesh permissible to eat - whether they are caught alive or dead - at all times, including when people are in a state of Ihram.
He has created pearls and precious jewels in the oceans, and made it easy for His servants to recover ornaments that they can wear from the ocean floor.
He made the sea such that it carries the ships which plow through it.
He is the One Who taught mankind to make ships, which is the inheritance of their forefather Nuh.
He was the first one to travel by ship, he was taught how to make them, then people took this knowledge from him and passed it down from generation to generation through the centuries, so that they could travel from country to country and from place to place, bringing goods from here to there and from there to here.
Thus Allah says: وَلِتَبْتَغُواْ مِن فَضْلِهِ وَلَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ ( that you may seek from His bounty and that you may perhaps be grateful. ) - for His bounty and blessings.
Then Allah mentions the earth and how He placed in it mountains standing firm, which make it stable and keep it from shaking in such a manner that the creatures dwelling on it would not be able to live.
Hence Allah says, وَالْجِبَالَ أَرْسَـهَا ( And the mountains He has fixed firmly. ) ( 79: 32 ). وَأَنْهَـراً وَسُبُلاً ( and rivers and roads ) meaning He has made rivers which flow from one place to another, bringing provision for His servants.
The rivers arise in one place, and bring provision to people living in another place.
They flow through lands and fields and wildernesses, through mountains and hills, until they reach the land whose people they are meant to benefit.
They meander across the land, left and right, north and south, east and west - rivers great and small - flowing sometimes and ceasing sometimes, flowing from their sources to the places where the water gathers, flowing rapidly or moving slowly, as decreed by Allah.
There is no god besides Him and no Lord except Him.
He also made roads or routes along which people travel from one land or city to another, and He even made gaps in the mountains so that there would be routes between them, as He says: وَجَعَلْنَا فِيهَا فِجَاجاً سُبُلاً ( And We placed broad highways for them to pass through. ) 21:31 وَعَلامَـتٍ ( And landmarks ) meaning, signs like great mountains and small hills, and so on, things that land and sea travelers use to find their way if they get lost. وَبِالنَّجْمِ هُمْ يَهْتَدُونَ ( and by the stars (during the night ), they ( mankind ) guide themselves.) meaning, in the darkness of the night.
This was the opinion of Ibn `Abbas. Worship is Allah's Right Then Allah tells us of His greatness, and that worship should be directed to Him alone, not to any of the idols which do not create but are rather themselves created.
Thus He says أَفَمَن يَخْلُقُ كَمَن لاَّ يَخْلُقُ أَفَلا تَذَكَّرُونَ ( Is then He, Who creates, the same as one who does not create Will you not then reflect )( 16:17 ).
Then He shows His servants some of the many blessings He granted for them, and the many kinds of things that He has done for them.
He says; وَإِن تَعُدُّواْ نِعْمَةَ اللَّهِ لاَ تُحْصُوهَآ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَغَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ ( And if you would try to count the favors of Allah, you would never be able to count them.
Truly, Allah is Forgiving, Most Merciful. ) ( 16:18 ) meaning that He pardons and forgives them.
If He were to ask you to thank Him for all of His blessings, you would not be able to do so, and if He were to command you to do so, you would be incapable of it.
If He punishes you, He is never unjust in His punishment, but He is Forgiving and Most Merciful, He forgives much and rewards for little.
Ibn Jarir said: "It means that Allah is Forgiving when you fail to thank Him properly, if you repent and turn to Him in obedience, and strive to do that which pleases Him.
He is Merciful to you and does not punish you if you turn to Him and repent."

(16:16) He has placed landmarks *14 to direct people, and by stars, too, they are directed aright. *15

And landmarks. And by the stars they meaning

*14) This is a Sign of Allah that He has broken the monotony of land by placing conspicuous landmarks on it to distinguish different regions from one another.
These have many benefits and one of these is to help guide travellers and navigators to their destinations.
One also realizes the importance and value of these landmarks, when one is travelling through a sandy desert where there are hardly any objects to guide on the way, and one is liable to lose the way any time.
One feels the lack of landmarks much more in the sea voyage.
It is in the deserts and the seas that people realize the true significance of " ......by stars, too, they arc directed aright to their destinations. "
This verse contains arguments for Tauhid.
Providence, and Compassion of Allah, and also a proof of Prophethood.
For the mind is instinctively turned towards this question: Can it be possible that Allah who has made so elaborate arrangements for man's guidance to fulfil his physical needs has neglected to provide for his moral and spiritual needs?" It cannot be so, for it is obvious that even the greatest loss of some physical necessity due to the adoption of a wrong way is nothing as compared with the loss of spiritual and moral values due to deviation froth the Right Way.
It would be nothing less than having doubt in Allah's Compassion and Providence to think that He, Who had made so elaborate provision for man's guidance on land and sea by creating mountains, rivers, stars and other objects, would have neglected to make provision for his moral and spiritual guidance; any, it stands to reason, that He must have provided prominent beacons of light to guide Man to that Right Way of life which is indispensable to his true success.

*15) In vv.
4-16, some Signs have been mentioned in succession in order to focus people's attention on the Creation of man himself and of the Earth and the.
heavens.
They will thus find that everything supports the truth of the doctrines taught by the Holy Prophet.
A critical study of all these Signs shows that these must have been designed and created by an All-Wise Being, and One Being alone, and there could not have been any partner or associate to help Him.
Let us consider this theme from the point of view of Man, the central figure in the Creation.
This wonderful being who is able to speak with his tongue and is capable of arguing his case with it, has been created from an insignificant sperm - drop.
Then many animals have been created to satisfy the necessities of his life.
They provide food, clothing and conveyance for him and help satisfy his aesthetic taste as well.
Then there is a remarkable system of rain water from the sky to produce corn crops, fruits and verdure, etc., on the earth to fulfil man's needs.
Then there is the creation of regular days and nights and seasons, which are closely connected with aII kinds of production of the earth, and also with Man's general well being.
Then there are oceans, which help fulfil many of his physical and aesthetic demands and provide water ways for traffic.
Likewise mountains have been created to provide man with many benefits.
Then there are landmarks on the earth and stars in the heavens to guide travellers and navigators to the destinations.
In short, there are inumerable Signs in the Earth and the heavens which are closely interconnected and are also indispensable to man's welfare, nay, to his very existence.
All these arc clear proofs that only One Being has designed the whole universe and created it in accordance with that design.
It is He Who is all the time creating new things to fit in that scheme, and working this wonderful universe that spreads from the Earth to boundless heavens.
Who can then claim, except a foolish or obdurate person, that all this has come into existence by a mere accident? Or, who can say that these different aspects, which are working under a perfect system and are intimately connected with one another and are wellbalanced, have been created by different gods and are under the control of different guardians?
 

Signs in the Oceans, Mountains, Rivers, Roads and Stars Allah tells us how He has subjected the seas, with their waves lapping the shores, and how He blesses His servants by subjecting the seas for them so that they may travel on them, and by putting fish and whales in them, by making their flesh permissible to eat - whether they are caught alive or dead - at all times, including when people are in a state of Ihram.
He has created pearls and precious jewels in the oceans, and made it easy for His servants to recover ornaments that they can wear from the ocean floor.
He made the sea such that it carries the ships which plow through it.
He is the One Who taught mankind to make ships, which is the inheritance of their forefather Nuh.
He was the first one to travel by ship, he was taught how to make them, then people took this knowledge from him and passed it down from generation to generation through the centuries, so that they could travel from country to country and from place to place, bringing goods from here to there and from there to here.
Thus Allah says: وَلِتَبْتَغُواْ مِن فَضْلِهِ وَلَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ ( that you may seek from His bounty and that you may perhaps be grateful. ) - for His bounty and blessings.
Then Allah mentions the earth and how He placed in it mountains standing firm, which make it stable and keep it from shaking in such a manner that the creatures dwelling on it would not be able to live.
Hence Allah says, وَالْجِبَالَ أَرْسَـهَا ( And the mountains He has fixed firmly. ) ( 79: 32 ). وَأَنْهَـراً وَسُبُلاً ( and rivers and roads ) meaning He has made rivers which flow from one place to another, bringing provision for His servants.
The rivers arise in one place, and bring provision to people living in another place.
They flow through lands and fields and wildernesses, through mountains and hills, until they reach the land whose people they are meant to benefit.
They meander across the land, left and right, north and south, east and west - rivers great and small - flowing sometimes and ceasing sometimes, flowing from their sources to the places where the water gathers, flowing rapidly or moving slowly, as decreed by Allah.
There is no god besides Him and no Lord except Him.
He also made roads or routes along which people travel from one land or city to another, and He even made gaps in the mountains so that there would be routes between them, as He says: وَجَعَلْنَا فِيهَا فِجَاجاً سُبُلاً ( And We placed broad highways for them to pass through. ) 21:31 وَعَلامَـتٍ ( And landmarks ) meaning, signs like great mountains and small hills, and so on, things that land and sea travelers use to find their way if they get lost. وَبِالنَّجْمِ هُمْ يَهْتَدُونَ ( and by the stars (during the night ), they ( mankind ) guide themselves.) meaning, in the darkness of the night.
This was the opinion of Ibn `Abbas. Worship is Allah's Right Then Allah tells us of His greatness, and that worship should be directed to Him alone, not to any of the idols which do not create but are rather themselves created.
Thus He says أَفَمَن يَخْلُقُ كَمَن لاَّ يَخْلُقُ أَفَلا تَذَكَّرُونَ ( Is then He, Who creates, the same as one who does not create Will you not then reflect )( 16:17 ).
Then He shows His servants some of the many blessings He granted for them, and the many kinds of things that He has done for them.
He says; وَإِن تَعُدُّواْ نِعْمَةَ اللَّهِ لاَ تُحْصُوهَآ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَغَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ ( And if you would try to count the favors of Allah, you would never be able to count them.
Truly, Allah is Forgiving, Most Merciful. ) ( 16:18 ) meaning that He pardons and forgives them.
If He were to ask you to thank Him for all of His blessings, you would not be able to do so, and if He were to command you to do so, you would be incapable of it.
If He punishes you, He is never unjust in His punishment, but He is Forgiving and Most Merciful, He forgives much and rewards for little.
Ibn Jarir said: "It means that Allah is Forgiving when you fail to thank Him properly, if you repent and turn to Him in obedience, and strive to do that which pleases Him.
He is Merciful to you and does not punish you if you turn to Him and repent."

( And landmarks (too )) mountains and other things for travellers, ( and by the star ) and by the sun, the moon and the North Star ( they ) the travellers ( find a way ) by means of them when travelling on land and in the sea.

And landmarks (signposts, etc. during the day) and by the stars (during the night), they (mankind) guide themselves.

Page 269 English transliteration