• The Greatness Of The Guilt Of Being Polytheists

• The Polytheists Shall Themselves Deny Polytheism Which They Had Themselves Held As Their Conviction

• They Shall Desire To Be Returned To This Life

Al-An’am Verses 21 – 30

وَمَنْ أَظْلَمُ مِمَّنِ افْتَرَىٰ عَلَى اللَّهِ كَذِبًا أَوْ كَذَّبَ بِآيَاتِهِ إِنَّهُ لَا يُفْلِحُ الظَّالِمُونَ

“And who is more unjust than he who forgeth a lie against God or (he who) giveth the lie to His signs; verily the unjust will not succeed1.” (6:21)

وَيَوْمَ نَحْشُرُهُمْ جَمِيعًا ثُمَّ نَقُولُ لِلَّذِينَ أَشْرَكُوا أَيْنَ شُرَكَاؤُكُمُ الَّذِينَ كُنْتُمْ تَزْعُمُونَ

“And on the day (of Judgment) We shall gather them all together, then We shall say to those who associated others2“Where are your associate-gods whom ye used to conject?” (6:22)

ثُمَّ لَمْ تَكُنْ فِتْنَتُهُمْ إِلَّا أَنْ قَالُوا وَاللَّهِ رَبِّنَا مَا كُنَّا مُشْرِكِينَ

“Then their excuse3would be nothing but that they would say: “By God, Our Lord! we were not polytheists.” (6:23)

انْظُرْ كَيْفَ كَذَبُوا عَلَىٰ أَنْفُسِهِمْ وَضَلَّ عَنْهُمْ مَا كَانُوا يَفْتَرُونَ

“Behold4! how they lie against their own selves, and that which they forged has passed away from them.” (6:24)

وَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ يَسْتَمِعُ إِلَيْكَ وَجَعَلْنَا عَلَىٰ قُلُوبِهِمْ أَكِنَّةً أَنْ يَفْقَهُوهُ وَفِي آذَانِهِمْ وَقْرًا وَإِنْ يَرَوْا كُلَّ آيَةٍ لَا يُؤْمِنُوا بِهَا حَتَّىٰ إِذَا جَاءُوكَ يُجَادِلُونَكَ يَقُولُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا إِنْ هَٰذَا إِلَّا أَسَاطِيرُ الْأَوَّلِينَ

“And of them are those who hearken unto thee, and We have cast veils over their hearts lest they understand it, and a heaviness into their ears; and together (even) if they see every5sign they will not believe in it; to the extent that when they come6to thee they only dispute with thee, those who disbelieve say: “This is naught but the legends7of the ancients.” (6:25)

وَهُمْ يَنْهَوْنَ عَنْهُ وَيَنْأَوْنَ عَنْهُ وَإِنْ يُهْلِكُونَ إِلَّا أَنْفُسَهُمْ وَمَا يَشْعُرُونَ

“They prohibit (others) from it, and (themselves) keep far away from it; they only destroy their own selves, and (yet) they perceive (it) not.” (6:26)

وَلَوْ تَرَىٰ إِذْ وُقِفُوا عَلَى النَّارِ فَقَالُوا يَا لَيْتَنَا نُرَدُّ وَلَا نُكَذِّبَ بِآيَاتِ رَبِّنَا وَنَكُونَ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ

“And couldst thou see when they are made confronting8the (Hell) fire, then they shall say, “Would that we were sent back and we would not belie the signs of our Lord, and we would be of the believers.’’ (6:27)

بَلْ بَدَا لَهُمْ مَا كَانُوا يُخْفُونَ مِنْ قَبْلُ وَلَوْ رُدُّوا لَعَادُوا لِمَا نُهُوا عَنْهُ وَإِنَّهُمْ لَكَاذِبُونَ

“Nay, it has been manifested to them what they did conceal before; and if they were sent back they would certainly return to what they were forbidden and most certainly they are liars9.” (6:28)

وَقَالُوا إِنْ هِيَ إِلَّا حَيَاتُنَا الدُّنْيَا وَمَا نَحْنُ بِمَبْعُوثِينَ

“And they say: “there is nothing (beyond’) this our life in this world, and we are not to be raised again10.” (6:29)

وَلَوْ تَرَىٰ إِذْ وُقِفُوا عَلَىٰ رَبِّهِمْ قَالَ أَلَيْسَ هَٰذَا بِالْحَقِّ قَالُوا بَلَىٰ وَرَبِّنَا قَالَ فَذُوقُوا الْعَذَابَ بِمَا كُنْتُمْ تَكْفُرُونَ

“And couldst thou see when they are made to stand before their Lord11, He will say: “Is this not the truth?” They will say: “Yes! by Our Lord!” He will say: “Taste ye then the chastisement for what ye did12disbelieve.” (6:30)

Commentary

Verse 21

Forging lies against God means saying or believing in things falsely relating them to God, viz. God having a son or sons and daughters or God having delegated His authority to anyone else to act on His behalf - and the similar other heathenic belief.

The tone of the set of Verses 6:21-25 is that of a conversation between two persons before whom the whole scene of the ultimate days was present, as going on before them. With regard to God it is obvious and with regard to the Holy Prophet will be obvious if one grasps the meaning of the actual significance of what the Holy Prophet said showing his two fingers together: ‘Bo’esto ana was Sa’aa kahatain’, i.e., I and the ultimate Hour have been sent together with the closest association towards the end of which everything is moving; which means that he is viewing every part and particle of the universe in its final position in the order of the universe as a whole (A.P.).

Verse 23

‘Fitna’, i.e., the lie they uttered or their disbelief would not remain any longer, but they would say ‘By our Lord, ire are not polytheists.’

Verse 25

This and the succeeding two Verses indicate that veils were cast over their hearts because they were determined not to believe even if all the signs, i.e., miracles were shown to them. They used to visit the Holy Prophet not to listen to what he said but to dispute with him and to create doubts in the hearts of the others to obstruct the people from accepting the truth.

Abu-Sofyan, Atbah and Shaibah heard the Holy Prophet reciting the Holy Qur’an in the mosque. Nasr Ibn Khalid said ‘as Muhammad recites the legends of the old, I also can relate to you the stories of the Persians.” At this, this Verse was revealed (F.A.).

In view of the significance of this passage one would restrict the significance of the clause in Verse 6:19 to those persons that Qur’an reaches their heart. This restriction is true so far, the benefit of the guidance is concerned but as a ‘Hujjat’ or the argument of excuse which includes even those who hear, though it may not reach their heart and be of avail to them as explained in Verse 6:26. (A.P.).

• 1. Refer to Verses 6:94; 6:144; 6:158; 39:32.
• 2. With God.
• 3. In Arabic ‘Fitna’, the mischief of their disbelief will not be there.
• 4. In Arabic ‘Unzur’ Lit. See - This indicates that the whole scene of the day was visualised before the Holy Prophet or he could himself visualise it. Otherwise to Command with something impossible to be implemented will be meaningless.
• 5. All the signs i.e. all miracles together.
• 6. Refer to Verse 47:16.
• 7. Refer to Verses 68:15; 83:13.
• 8. Stop at.
• 9. Refers to the possibility of any improvement or expiation through transmigration because of the inherent nature, every soul will always reveal itself in whatever form it may assume.
• 10. This doctrine applies to those who totally deny the life hereafter or believe that they will only be sent back to another earthly form.
• 11. ‘Ba’eb’ i.e. resurrection is an evolutionary stage from the Terrestrial life into a heavenly and a non-physical or non-material realm in which one feels his pretence before God (A.P.).
• 12. Used to.