Surah Nahl ayat 18 Tafsir Quran 16:18

﴿وَإِن تَعُدُّوا نِعْمَةَ اللَّهِ لَا تُحْصُوهَا ۗ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَغَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ﴾
[ النحل: 18]

16:18 And if you should count the favors of Allah, you could not enumerate them. Indeed, Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.

And if you were to count God’s grace you could never reckon it number it precisely let alone be able to give thanks for it. Indeed God is Forgiving Merciful since He bestows graces upon you despite your shortcomings and your acts of disobedience.

And if you were to compute the divine favours you wear, you shall find them out of all count; Allah is indeed Ghafurun (Forgiving) and Rahimun

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."

(16:18) If you try to reckon up Allah's blessings, you cannot count them. Indeed, He is Forgiving and Compassionate, *17

And if you should count the favors meaning

*17) Here the connection of Allah's attributes, " Forgiving and Compassionate " , with the preceding verse is so obvious that it has been left unmentioned.
It is this: " Though Allah goes on showering countless blessings upon people, they behave in an ungrateful, faithless and rebellious manner towards Him.
He does not punish them immediately, but gives them respite, for He is Forgiving and Compassionate " .
This is true of both individuals and communities.
There are people, who deny even the existence of God, yet He goes on bestowing His favours on them for years on end.
There are others who set up partners with Him in his attributes, powers and rights, and show their gratitude to others than Him for His blessings, yet He dces not withhold His favours from them; there are still others who profess to acknowledge Him as their Creator and Benefactor, yet rebel against Him and are disobedient to Him and consider freedom from Him w be their birth right, but in spite of all this He continues to shower His countless blessings on them as long as they live.

 

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 if ye would count the favour of Allah ye cannot reckon it ) it is also said that this means: you will not be able to give thanks to it. ( Lo! Allah is indeed Forgiving ) He pardons, ( Merciful ) towards whoever repents.

And if you would count the graces of Allah, never could you be able to count them. Truly! Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.

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