Surah Nahl ayat 35 Tafsir Quran 16:35

﴿وَقَالَ الَّذِينَ أَشْرَكُوا لَوْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ مَا عَبَدْنَا مِن دُونِهِ مِن شَيْءٍ نَّحْنُ وَلَا آبَاؤُنَا وَلَا حَرَّمْنَا مِن دُونِهِ مِن شَيْءٍ ۚ كَذَٰلِكَ فَعَلَ الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ ۚ فَهَلْ عَلَى الرُّسُلِ إِلَّا الْبَلَاغُ الْمُبِينُ﴾
[ النحل: 35]

16:35 And those who associate others with Allah say, "If Allah had willed, we would not have worshipped anything other than Him, neither we nor our fathers, nor would we have forbidden anything through other than Him." Thus did those do before them. So is there upon the messengers except [the duty of] clear notification?

And the idolaters from among the Meccans say ‘Had God willed we would not have worshipped anything besides Him — neither we nor our fathers — nor would we have deemed anything sacred besides Him’ in the way of those camels called bahīras and sā’iba. In other words our idolatry and our deeming these animals sacred are effected by His will; therefore He must be satisfied with this. God exalted He be says So did those before them that is they denied their messengers regarding that which they the messengers brought them. Yet are messengers charged with anything save plain conveyance of the Message? It is not their duty to guide.

And to excuse their infidelity which it is not possible to justify, the idolaters insolently say: Had Allah willed, neither we nor our fathers would have worshipped besides Him other gods, nor would we have enforced taboos other than those decreed by Him Thus much acted their predecessors. But is the Messenger really responsible for any act or a duty other than relating the divine message and the elucidation of its text

The Idolators Argument that their Shirk was Divinely decreed, and the Refutation of this Claim Allah tells us about the idolators delusion over their Shirk, and the excuse they claimed for it based on the idea that it is ordained by divine decree.
He says: لَوْ شَآءَ اللَّهُ مَا عَبَدْنَا مِن دُونِهِ مِن شَىْءٍ نَّحْنُ وَلا ءَابَاؤُنَا وَلاَ حَرَّمْنَا مِن دُونِهِ مِن شَىْءٍ ( (They say: ) "If Allah had so willed, neither we nor our fathers would have worshipped any but Him, nor would we have forbidden anything without ( a command from ) Him.") They had superstitious customs dealing with certain animals, e.g.
the Bahirah the Sa'ibah and the Wasilah and other things that they had invented and innovated by themselves, with no revealed authority.
The essence of what they said was: "If Allah hated what we did, He would have stopped by punishing us, and He would not have enabled us to do it." Rejecting their confusing ideas, Allah says: فَهَلْ عَلَى الرُّسُلِ إِلاَّ الْبَلَـغُ الْمُبِينُ ( Are the Messengers charged with anything but to clearly convey the Message ) meaning, the matter is not as you claim.
It is not the case that Allah did not rebuke your behavior; rather, He did rebuke you, and in the strongest possible terms, and He emphatically forbade you from such behavior.
To every nation - that is, to every generation, to every community of people - He sent a Messenger.
All of the Messengers called their people to worship Allah ( Alone ) as well as forbidding them from worshipping anything or anybody except for Him. أَنِ اعْبُدُواْ اللَّهَ وَاجْتَنِبُواْ الْطَّـغُوتَ ( Worship Allah (Alone ), and shun the Taghut ( all false deities ).) Allah continued sending Messengers to mankind with this Message, from the first incidence of Shirk that appeared among the Children of Adam, in the people to whom Nuh was sent - the first Messenger sent by Allah to the people of this earth - until He sent the final Messenger, Muhammad ﷺ, whose call was addressed to both men and Jinn, in the east and in the west.
All of the Messengers brought the same Message, as Allah says: وَمَآ أَرْسَلْنَا مِن قَبْلِكَ مِن رَّسُولٍ إِلاَّ نُوحِى إِلَيْهِ أَنَّهُ لا إِلَـهَ إِلاَّ أَنَاْ فَاعْبُدُونِ ( And We did not send any Messenger before you (O Muhammad ) but We revealed to him ( saying ): None has the right to be worshipped but I ( Allah ), so worship Me ( alone and none else ).") ( 21:25 ) وَاسْئلْ مَنْ أَرْسَلْنَا مِن قَبْلِكَ مِن رُّسُلِنَآ أَجَعَلْنَا مِن دُونِ الرَّحْمَـنِ ءَالِهَةً يُعْبَدُونَ ( And ask (O Muhammad ) those Messengers of Ours whom We sent before you: "Did We ever appointed to be worshipped besides the Most Gracious ( Allah )") ( 43:45 ) And in this Ayah, Allah says: وَلَقَدْ بَعَثْنَا فِى كُلِّ أُمَّةٍ رَّسُولاً أَنِ اعْبُدُواْ اللَّهَ وَاجْتَنِبُواْ الْطَّـغُوتَ ( And We have indeed sent a Messenger to every Ummah (community, nation ) ( saying ): "Worship Allah ( alone ), and shun the Taghut ( all false deities ).") So how could any of the idolators say, لَوْ شَآءَ اللَّهُ مَا عَبَدْنَا مِن دُونِهِ مِن شَىْءٍ ( If Allah had so willed, we would not have worshipped any but Him, ) The legislative will of Allah is clear and cannot be taken as an excuse by them, because He had forbidden them to do that upon the tongue of His Messengers, but by His universal will i.e., by which He allows things to occur even though they do not please Him He allowed them to do that as it was decreed for them.
So there is no argument in that for them.
Allah created Hell and its people both the Shayatin ( devils ) and disbelievers, but He does not like His servants to disbelieve.
And this point constitutes the strongest proof and the most unquestionable wisdom.
Then Allah informs us that He rebuked them with punishment in this world, after the Messengers issued their warning, thus He says: فَمِنْهُم مَّنْ هَدَى اللَّهُ وَمِنْهُمْ مَّنْ حَقَّتْ عَلَيْهِ الضَّلَـلَةُ فَسِيرُواْ فِى الاٌّرْضِ فَانظُرُواْ كَيْفَ كَانَ عَـقِبَةُ الْمُكَذِّبِينَ ( Then among them were some whom Allah guided, and among them were some who deserved to be left to stray.
So travel through the land and see the end of those who denied (the truth ).) This means: ask about what happened to those who went against the Messengers and rejected the truth, see how: دَمَّرَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلِلْكَـفِرِينَ أَمْثَـلُهَا ( Allah destroyed them completely, and a similar (end awaits ) the disbelievers.) ( 47:10 ) and, وَلَقَدْ كَذَّبَ الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ فَكَيْفَ كَانَ نكِيرِ ( And indeed those before them belied (the Messengers of Allah ), so then how terrible was My denial ( punishment )) ( 67:18 ) Then Allah told His Messenger that His eagerness to guide them will be of no benefit to them if Allah wills that they should be misguided, as He says: وَمَن يُرِدِ اللَّهُ فِتْنَتَهُ فَلَن تَمْلِكَ لَهُ مِنَ اللَّهِ شَيْئاً ( And for whoever Allah wills to try with error, you can do nothing for him against Allah ) ( 5:41 ).
Nuh said to his people: وَلاَ يَنفَعُكُمْ نُصْحِى إِنْ أَرَدْتُّ أَنْ أَنصَحَ لَكُمْ إِن كَانَ اللَّهُ يُرِيدُ أَن يُغْوِيَكُمْ ( "And my advice will not profit you, even if I wish to give you good counsel, if Allah's will is to keep you astray." )( 11:34 ).
In this Ayah, Allah says: إِن تَحْرِصْ عَلَى هُدَاهُمْ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ لاَ يَهْدِى مَن يُضِلُّ ( (Even ) if you desire that they be guided, then verily, Allah does not guide those whom He allowed to stray,) As Allah says: مَن يُضْلِلِ اللَّهُ فَلاَ هَادِيَ لَهُ وَيَذَرُهُمْ فِى طُغْيَـنِهِمْ يَعْمَهُونَ ( Whomsoever Allah allows to stray, then there is no guide for him; and He lets them wander blindly in their transgressions. ) ( 7:186 ) إِنَّ الَّذِينَ حَقَّتْ عَلَيْهِمْ كَلِمَةُ رَبِّكَ لاَ يُؤْمِنُونَ - وَلَوْ جَآءَتْهُمْ كُلُّ ءايَةٍ حَتَّى يَرَوُاْ الْعَذَابَ الاٌّلِيمَ ( Truly! Those deserving the Word (wrath ) of your Lord will not believe, even if every sign should come to them - until they see the painful torment) ( 10:96-97 ). فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ ( then verily, Allah ) meaning, this is the way in which Allah does things.
If He wills a thing, then it happens, and if He does not will a thing, then it does not happen.
For this reason Allah says: لاَ يَهْدِى مَن يُضِلُّ ( Allah does not guide those whom He allowed to stray, ) meaning the one whom He has caused to go astray, so who can guide him apart from Allah No one. وَمَا لَهُم مِّن نَّـصِرِينَ ( And they will have no helpers. ) means, they will have no one to save them from the punishment of Allah, أَلاَ لَهُ الْخَلْقُ وَالاٌّمْرُ تَبَارَكَ اللَّهُ رَبُّ الْعَـلَمِينَ ( Surely, His is the creation and commandment.
Blessed is Allah, the Lord of all that exists! ) ( 7:54 ).

(16:35) The mushriks say, "Had Allah willed, neither we nor our forefathers would have worshipped any other than Allah nor made anything unlawful without His will . " *30 Such excuses were put forward also by those who went before them. *31 Have the Messengers any more responsibility than to convey the Message clearly?

And those who associate others with Allah meaning

*30) In order to understand the significance of this argument the reader should keep in view vv.
148-150 and E.N.'s 124-126 of Chapter VI, for this has been cited and answered there.

*31) That is, " Your argument " is not a new one but the same old one which had always been offered by erroneous people who went before you.
Today you arc, like them, excusing yourselves for your deviation and evil conduct, saying that it is the will of God.
You know that this is a lame excuse that has been invented to delude yourselves, and to escape from admonition."
This answer also contains a subtle retort to the objection of the disbelievers that the Qur'an consisted merely of old stories of the ancients ( v.
24 ).
They meant to imply that the Prophet had nothing new to offer.
So he was repeating the same old stories that had been repeated over and over again since the time of Prophet Noah.
The retort is this: "If the Holy Prophet was not presenting anything new but was reciting the old stories of the ancients, you yourselves are not putting forward any new excuse in defence of your evil deeds, but the same old excuse that was put forward by the people who went before you.
"
 

The Idolators Argument that their Shirk was Divinely decreed, and the Refutation of this Claim Allah tells us about the idolators delusion over their Shirk, and the excuse they claimed for it based on the idea that it is ordained by divine decree.
He says: لَوْ شَآءَ اللَّهُ مَا عَبَدْنَا مِن دُونِهِ مِن شَىْءٍ نَّحْنُ وَلا ءَابَاؤُنَا وَلاَ حَرَّمْنَا مِن دُونِهِ مِن شَىْءٍ ( (They say: ) "If Allah had so willed, neither we nor our fathers would have worshipped any but Him, nor would we have forbidden anything without ( a command from ) Him.") They had superstitious customs dealing with certain animals, e.g.
the Bahirah the Sa'ibah and the Wasilah and other things that they had invented and innovated by themselves, with no revealed authority.
The essence of what they said was: "If Allah hated what we did, He would have stopped by punishing us, and He would not have enabled us to do it." Rejecting their confusing ideas, Allah says: فَهَلْ عَلَى الرُّسُلِ إِلاَّ الْبَلَـغُ الْمُبِينُ ( Are the Messengers charged with anything but to clearly convey the Message ) meaning, the matter is not as you claim.
It is not the case that Allah did not rebuke your behavior; rather, He did rebuke you, and in the strongest possible terms, and He emphatically forbade you from such behavior.
To every nation - that is, to every generation, to every community of people - He sent a Messenger.
All of the Messengers called their people to worship Allah ( Alone ) as well as forbidding them from worshipping anything or anybody except for Him. أَنِ اعْبُدُواْ اللَّهَ وَاجْتَنِبُواْ الْطَّـغُوتَ ( Worship Allah (Alone ), and shun the Taghut ( all false deities ).) Allah continued sending Messengers to mankind with this Message, from the first incidence of Shirk that appeared among the Children of Adam, in the people to whom Nuh was sent - the first Messenger sent by Allah to the people of this earth - until He sent the final Messenger, Muhammad ﷺ, whose call was addressed to both men and Jinn, in the east and in the west.
All of the Messengers brought the same Message, as Allah says: وَمَآ أَرْسَلْنَا مِن قَبْلِكَ مِن رَّسُولٍ إِلاَّ نُوحِى إِلَيْهِ أَنَّهُ لا إِلَـهَ إِلاَّ أَنَاْ فَاعْبُدُونِ ( And We did not send any Messenger before you (O Muhammad ) but We revealed to him ( saying ): None has the right to be worshipped but I ( Allah ), so worship Me ( alone and none else ).") ( 21:25 ) وَاسْئلْ مَنْ أَرْسَلْنَا مِن قَبْلِكَ مِن رُّسُلِنَآ أَجَعَلْنَا مِن دُونِ الرَّحْمَـنِ ءَالِهَةً يُعْبَدُونَ ( And ask (O Muhammad ) those Messengers of Ours whom We sent before you: "Did We ever appointed to be worshipped besides the Most Gracious ( Allah )") ( 43:45 ) And in this Ayah, Allah says: وَلَقَدْ بَعَثْنَا فِى كُلِّ أُمَّةٍ رَّسُولاً أَنِ اعْبُدُواْ اللَّهَ وَاجْتَنِبُواْ الْطَّـغُوتَ ( And We have indeed sent a Messenger to every Ummah (community, nation ) ( saying ): "Worship Allah ( alone ), and shun the Taghut ( all false deities ).") So how could any of the idolators say, لَوْ شَآءَ اللَّهُ مَا عَبَدْنَا مِن دُونِهِ مِن شَىْءٍ ( If Allah had so willed, we would not have worshipped any but Him, ) The legislative will of Allah is clear and cannot be taken as an excuse by them, because He had forbidden them to do that upon the tongue of His Messengers, but by His universal will i.e., by which He allows things to occur even though they do not please Him He allowed them to do that as it was decreed for them.
So there is no argument in that for them.
Allah created Hell and its people both the Shayatin ( devils ) and disbelievers, but He does not like His servants to disbelieve.
And this point constitutes the strongest proof and the most unquestionable wisdom.
Then Allah informs us that He rebuked them with punishment in this world, after the Messengers issued their warning, thus He says: فَمِنْهُم مَّنْ هَدَى اللَّهُ وَمِنْهُمْ مَّنْ حَقَّتْ عَلَيْهِ الضَّلَـلَةُ فَسِيرُواْ فِى الاٌّرْضِ فَانظُرُواْ كَيْفَ كَانَ عَـقِبَةُ الْمُكَذِّبِينَ ( Then among them were some whom Allah guided, and among them were some who deserved to be left to stray.
So travel through the land and see the end of those who denied (the truth ).) This means: ask about what happened to those who went against the Messengers and rejected the truth, see how: دَمَّرَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلِلْكَـفِرِينَ أَمْثَـلُهَا ( Allah destroyed them completely, and a similar (end awaits ) the disbelievers.) ( 47:10 ) and, وَلَقَدْ كَذَّبَ الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ فَكَيْفَ كَانَ نكِيرِ ( And indeed those before them belied (the Messengers of Allah ), so then how terrible was My denial ( punishment )) ( 67:18 ) Then Allah told His Messenger that His eagerness to guide them will be of no benefit to them if Allah wills that they should be misguided, as He says: وَمَن يُرِدِ اللَّهُ فِتْنَتَهُ فَلَن تَمْلِكَ لَهُ مِنَ اللَّهِ شَيْئاً ( And for whoever Allah wills to try with error, you can do nothing for him against Allah ) ( 5:41 ).
Nuh said to his people: وَلاَ يَنفَعُكُمْ نُصْحِى إِنْ أَرَدْتُّ أَنْ أَنصَحَ لَكُمْ إِن كَانَ اللَّهُ يُرِيدُ أَن يُغْوِيَكُمْ ( "And my advice will not profit you, even if I wish to give you good counsel, if Allah's will is to keep you astray." )( 11:34 ).
In this Ayah, Allah says: إِن تَحْرِصْ عَلَى هُدَاهُمْ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ لاَ يَهْدِى مَن يُضِلُّ ( (Even ) if you desire that they be guided, then verily, Allah does not guide those whom He allowed to stray,) As Allah says: مَن يُضْلِلِ اللَّهُ فَلاَ هَادِيَ لَهُ وَيَذَرُهُمْ فِى طُغْيَـنِهِمْ يَعْمَهُونَ ( Whomsoever Allah allows to stray, then there is no guide for him; and He lets them wander blindly in their transgressions. ) ( 7:186 ) إِنَّ الَّذِينَ حَقَّتْ عَلَيْهِمْ كَلِمَةُ رَبِّكَ لاَ يُؤْمِنُونَ - وَلَوْ جَآءَتْهُمْ كُلُّ ءايَةٍ حَتَّى يَرَوُاْ الْعَذَابَ الاٌّلِيمَ ( Truly! Those deserving the Word (wrath ) of your Lord will not believe, even if every sign should come to them - until they see the painful torment) ( 10:96-97 ). فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ ( then verily, Allah ) meaning, this is the way in which Allah does things.
If He wills a thing, then it happens, and if He does not will a thing, then it does not happen.
For this reason Allah says: لاَ يَهْدِى مَن يُضِلُّ ( Allah does not guide those whom He allowed to stray, ) meaning the one whom He has caused to go astray, so who can guide him apart from Allah No one. وَمَا لَهُم مِّن نَّـصِرِينَ ( And they will have no helpers. ) means, they will have no one to save them from the punishment of Allah, أَلاَ لَهُ الْخَلْقُ وَالاٌّمْرُ تَبَارَكَ اللَّهُ رَبُّ الْعَـلَمِينَ ( Surely, His is the creation and commandment.
Blessed is Allah, the Lord of all that exists! ) ( 7:54 ).

( And the idolaters ) the people of Mecca ( say: Had Allah willed, we had not worshipped aught beside Him ) of idols, ( we and our fathers ) before us, ( nor had we forbidden aught ) of al-Bahirah, al-Sa’ibah, al-Wasilah and al-Ham ( without (command from ) Him) for it is indeed Allah who commanded us to do so. ( Even so ) just as did your people lie about Allah by forbidding some crops and cattle, so ( did those before them ) lie about Allah. ( Are the messengers charged ) the messengers are entrusted ( with aught save plain ) in a plain language ( conveyance (of the message )) from Allah?

And those who join others in worship with Allah say: "If Allah had so willed, neither we nor our fathers would have worshipped aught but Him, nor would we have forbidden anything without (Command from) Him." So did those before them. Then! Are the Messengers charged with anything but to convey clearly the Message?

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