16. Sūrat al-Naḥl

١٦۔ سُورَةُ النَّحْل

16.1 God has sent down His revelations to warn that there is no god but Him. He has created cattle for the benefit of human beings.

١٦۔١ مقطع في سُورَةُ النَّحْل

quran:16:1In the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful.

The command of Allah is coming, so be not impatient for it. Exalted is He and high above what they associate with Him.  

When the idolaters found chastisement slow in coming, the following was revealed: God’s commandment has come, that is, the Hour ˹has come˺ (˹this verb˺ atā is in the past tense because it means that ˹the event therein described˺ will come to pass) in other words, it ˹God’s commandment˺ is close at hand, so do not seek to hasten it, do not demand it before its ˹due˺ time, for it will come to pass without doubt. Glory be to Him — an affirmation of His transcendence — and exalted be He above what they associate, with Him, in the way of others.
القرآن:١٦:١بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ

أَتَىٰ أَمْرُ اللَّهِ فَلَا تَسْتَعْجِلُوهُ ۚ سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَىٰ عَمَّا يُشْرِكُونَ  

لما استبطأ المشركون العذاب نزل: {أتى أمر الله} أي الساعة، وأتى بصيغة الماضي لتحقق وقوعه أي قرب {فلا تستعجلوه} تطلبوه قبل حينه فإنه واقع لا محالة {سبحانه} تنزيهاً له {وتعالى عما يشكرون} به غيره.
quran:16:2

He sends down the angels, with the inspiration of His command, upon whom He wills of His servants, ˹telling them˺, "Warn that there is no deity except Me; so fear Me."  

He sends down the angels, namely, Gabriel, with the Spirit, with the Revelation, of His command, by His will, to whomever He will of His servants, and these are the prophets, ˹saying˺ that (an is explicative): Warn, threaten the disbelievers with chastisement and make them aware, that there is no God save Me: so fear Me, fear Me.
القرآن:١٦:٢

يُنَزِّلُ الْمَلَائِكَةَ بِالرُّوحِ مِنْ أَمْرِهِ عَلَىٰ مَنْ يَشَاءُ مِنْ عِبَادِهِ أَنْ أَنْذِرُوا أَنَّهُ لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا أَنَا فَاتَّقُونِ  

{ينزل الملائكة} أي جبريل {بالروح} بالوحي {من أمره} بإرادته {على من يشاء من عباده} وهم الأنبياء {أن} مفسرة {أنذروا} خوفوا الكافرين بالعذاب وأعلموهم {أنه لا إله إلا أنا فاتقون} خافون.
quran:16:3

He created the heavens and earth in truth. High is He above what they associate with Him.  

He created the heavens and the earth with the Truth, that is, with the purpose of ˹manifesting˺ truth. Exalted be He above what they associate, with Him in the way of idols.
القرآن:١٦:٣

خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ بِالْحَقِّ ۚ تَعَالَىٰ عَمَّا يُشْرِكُونَ  

(خلق السماوات والأرض بالحق) أي محقا (تعالى عما يشركون) به من الأصنام.
quran:16:4

He created man from a sperm-drop; then at once, he is a clear adversary.  

He created man from a drop of fluid, of sperm, until He makes him strong and tough, yet behold! he is disputatious, extremely quarrelsome, openly, making this ˹disputatiousness˺ clear in his rejection of resurrection, contending: Who shall revive the bones when they are decayed? ˹Q. 36:78˺.
القرآن:١٦:٤

خَلَقَ الْإِنْسَانَ مِنْ نُطْفَةٍ فَإِذَا هُوَ خَصِيمٌ مُبِينٌ  

(خلق الإنسان من نطفة) مَنِيّ إلى أن صيره قويا شديداً (فإذا هو خصيم) شديد الخصومة (مبين) بينها في نفي البعث قائلاً "" من يحيي العظام وهي رميم "".
quran:16:5

And the grazing livestock He has created for you; in them is warmth and ˹numerous˺ benefits, and from them you eat.  

And the cattle, camels, cows and sheep (al-an‘āma, ‘cattle’, is in the accusative because of the implied verb ˹governing it˺, as explained by ˹the following words, khalaqahā lakum˺), He created them for you, ˹you being˺ included among the number of mankind. In them there is warmth, that by which you keep warm in the way of clothes and garments, ˹taken˺ from their hairs and wools, as well as ˹other˺ uses, such as ˹their˺ offspring, milk and for you to ride, and of them you eat (the adverbial clause ˹wa-minhā, ‘of them’˺ precedes ˹the verb˺ for the purpose of ˹establishing harmony with˺ the end-rhyme ˹of the Qur’ānic verse˺);
القرآن:١٦:٥

وَالْأَنْعَامَ خَلَقَهَا ۗ لَكُمْ فِيهَا دِفْءٌ وَمَنَافِعُ وَمِنْهَا تَأْكُلُونَ  

{والأنعام} الإبل والبقر والغنم، ونصبه بفعل مقدر يفسره {خلقها لكم} من جملة الناس {فيها دفءٌ} ما تستدفئون به من الأكسية والأردية من أشعارها وأصوافها {ومنافع} من النسل والدرّ والركوب {ومنها تأكلون} قدم الظرف للفاصلة.
quran:16:6

And for you in them is ˹the enjoyment of˺ beauty when you bring them in ˹for the evening˺ and when you send them out ˹to pasture˺.  

and for you there is in them beauty, adornment, when you bring them ˹home˺ to rest, ˹when you˺ return them to their resting places in the evening, and when you drive them forth to pasture, when you bring them out to the grazing pastures in the morning.
القرآن:١٦:٦

وَلَكُمْ فِيهَا جَمَالٌ حِينَ تُرِيحُونَ وَحِينَ تَسْرَحُونَ  

{ولكم فيها جمال} زينة {حين تريحون} تردونها إلى مراحها بالعشي {وحين تسرحون} تخرجونها إلى المرعى بالغداة.
quran:16:7

And they carry your loads to a land you could not have reached except with difficulty to yourselves. Indeed, your Lord is Kind and Merciful.  

And they bear your burdens, your baggage, to a land which you could not reach, without being on camelback, save with great trouble to yourselves, ˹save by˺ straining them. Indeed your Lord is Gentle, Merciful, to you, in having created these for you.
القرآن:١٦:٧

وَتَحْمِلُ أَثْقَالَكُمْ إِلَىٰ بَلَدٍ لَمْ تَكُونُوا بَالِغِيهِ إِلَّا بِشِقِّ الْأَنْفُسِ ۚ إِنَّ رَبَّكُمْ لَرَءُوفٌ رَحِيمٌ  

{وتحمل أثقالكم} أحمالكم {إلى بلدٍ لم تكونوا بالغيه} واصلين على غير الإبل {إلا بشق الأنفس} بجهدها {إن ربكم لرءُوف رحيم} حيث خلقها لكم.
quran:16:8

And ˹He created˺ the horses, mules and donkeys for you to ride and ˹as˺ adornment. And He creates that which you do not know.  

And, He created, horses and mules and asses, that you may ride them, and for adornment (wa-zīnatan is an object denoting reason; the use of both of these reasons ˹‘to ride’ and ‘for adornment’˺ as illustrations of ˹God’s˺ graces does not preclude that they may have been created for other purposes, such as for consumption in the case of horses — which is established ˹as lawful˺ by a hadīth in both Sahīhs ˹of Bukhārī and Muslim˺); and He creates what you do not know, of marvelous and strange things.
القرآن:١٦:٨

وَالْخَيْلَ وَالْبِغَالَ وَالْحَمِيرَ لِتَرْكَبُوهَا وَزِينَةً ۚ وَيَخْلُقُ مَا لَا تَعْلَمُونَ  

{و} خلق {الخيل والبغال والحمير لتركبوها وزينة} مفعول له، والتعليل بهما بتعريف النعم لا ينافي خلقها لغير ذلك كالأكل في الخيل، الثابت بحديث الصحيحين {ويخلق ما لا تعلمون} من الأشياء العجيبة الغريبة.
quran:16:9

And upon Allah is the direction of the ˹right˺ way, and among the various paths are those deviating. And if He willed, He could have guided you all.  

And God’s is the direction of the way, that is, to point out the straight path, and some of them, that is, the paths, are deviant, swerving away from straightness. And had He willed, to guide you, He would have guided you, to seek the way, all, so that you would be ˹rightly˺ guided of your own choice.
القرآن:١٦:٩

وَعَلَى اللَّهِ قَصْدُ السَّبِيلِ وَمِنْهَا جَائِرٌ ۚ وَلَوْ شَاءَ لَهَدَاكُمْ أَجْمَعِينَ  

{وعلى الله قصد السبيل} أي بيان الطريق المستقيم {ومنها} أي السبيل {جائر} حائد عن الاستقامة {ولو شاء} هدايتكم {لهداكم} إلى قصد السبيل {أجمعين} فتهتدون إليه باختيار منكم.