• Rejection Of Truth Is A Sure Loss

• Life Of This World Is Nothing But An Idle Sport

• The Abode Of The Hereafter Is The Best For The Pious

Al-An’am Verses 31 – 41

قَدْ خَسِرَ الَّذِينَ كَذَّبُوا بِلِقَاءِ اللَّهِ حَتَّىٰ إِذَا جَاءَتْهُمُ السَّاعَةُ بَغْتَةً قَالُوا يَا حَسْرَتَنَا عَلَىٰ مَا فَرَّطْنَا فِيهَا وَهُمْ يَحْمِلُونَ أَوْزَارَهُمْ عَلَىٰ ظُهُورِهِمْ أَلَا سَاءَ مَا يَزِرُونَ

“Indeed, are losers, they who disbelieved the meeting1of God, until cometh suddenly upon them the hour2(of Resurrection)’, They will say: “O’ Our grief for our neglecting it!” And they shall bear their burdens on their backs; Is it not evil indeed what they shall bear.” (6:31)

وَمَا الْحَيَاةُ الدُّنْيَا إِلَّا لَعِبٌ وَلَهْوٌ وَلَلدَّارُ الْآخِرَةُ خَيْرٌ لِلَّذِينَ يَتَّقُونَ أَفَلَا تَعْقِلُونَ

“And the life of this world is naught but play and vain sport; and certainly the abode of the hereafter, is the best for those who guard (themselves against evil); Do ye not then understand3?” (6:32)

قَدْ نَعْلَمُ إِنَّهُ لَيَحْزُنُكَ الَّذِي يَقُولُونَ فَإِنَّهُمْ لَا يُكَذِّبُونَكَ وَلَٰكِنَّ الظَّالِمِينَ بِآيَاتِ اللَّهِ يَجْحَدُونَ

“Indeed, We know, it certainly grieveth thee that which they say, but verily it is not thee4(that) they belie, but (it is) the signs of God, the wrong doers deny.” (6:33)

وَلَقَدْ كُذِّبَتْ رُسُلٌ مِنْ قَبْلِكَ فَصَبَرُوا عَلَىٰ مَا كُذِّبُوا وَأُوذُوا حَتَّىٰ أَتَاهُمْ نَصْرُنَا وَلَا مُبَدِّلَ لِكَلِمَاتِ اللَّهِ وَلَقَدْ جَاءَكَ مِنْ نَبَإِ الْمُرْسَلِينَ

“And most certainly were belied (Our) apostles before thee, but they were patient on their being belied and were persecuted until came to them Our help; and none can alter the words5of God; And most certainly hath come to thee the tidings about the apostles (from Us)6.” (6:34)

وَإِنْ كَانَ كَبُرَ عَلَيْكَ إِعْرَاضُهُمْ فَإِنِ اسْتَطَعْتَ أَنْ تَبْتَغِيَ نَفَقًا فِي الْأَرْضِ أَوْ سُلَّمًا فِي السَّمَاءِ فَتَأْتِيَهُمْ بِآيَةٍ وَلَوْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ لَجَمَعَهُمْ عَلَى الْهُدَىٰ فَلَا تَكُونَنَّ مِنَ الْجَاهِلِينَ

“And if their turning away be hard upon thee7, then if thou canst seek an opening (to go down) into the earth or a ladder (to ascend up) to heaven so that thou bringeth them a sign (a miracle) (it will be in vain) But if only God desireth, certainly would He have gathered them all on the (right) guidance, so be not thou of the ignorants8.” (6:35)

إِنَّمَا يَسْتَجِيبُ الَّذِينَ يَسْمَعُونَ ۘ وَالْمَوْتَىٰ يَبْعَثُهُمُ اللَّهُ ثُمَّ إِلَيْهِ يُرْجَعُونَ

“Verily, only those will accept thee, who listen (to the Word of God); and (as to) the dead, God will raise them, then unto Him will they return9.” (6:36)

وَقَالُوا لَوْلَا نُزِّلَ عَلَيْهِ آيَةٌ مِنْ رَبِّهِ قُلْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ قَادِرٌ عَلَىٰ أَنْ يُنَزِّلَ آيَةً وَلَٰكِنَّ أَكْثَرَهُمْ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ

“And they say: “Why is not a sign sent down unto him from his Lord?” Say! “Verily God is able to send down a sign but most10of them know not11.” (6:37)

وَمَا مِنْ دَابَّةٍ فِي الْأَرْضِ وَلَا طَائِرٍ يَطِيرُ بِجَنَاحَيْهِ إِلَّا أُمَمٌ أَمْثَالُكُمْ مَا فَرَّطْنَا فِي الْكِتَابِ مِنْ شَيْءٍ ثُمَّ إِلَىٰ رَبِّهِمْ يُحْشَرُونَ

“There is not an animal that walketh upon the earth, not a bird that flieth with its two wings, but they are communities the like of you; We have not neglected12in the Book (The Qur’an), anything, then unto their Lord shall they (all) be gathered (in the end).” (6:38)

وَالَّذِينَ كَذَّبُوا بِآيَاتِنَا صُمٌّ وَبُكْمٌ فِي الظُّلُمَاتِ مَنْ يَشَإِ اللَّهُ يُضْلِلْهُ وَمَنْ يَشَأْ يَجْعَلْهُ عَلَىٰ صِرَاطٍ مُسْتَقِيمٍ

“And they who belied Our signs are deaf13and dumb, in utter darkness; whom God pleaseth He alloweth them to go astray; and whom He pleaseth14, He doth put them on the straight15path.” (6:39)

قُلْ أَرَأَيْتَكُمْ إِنْ أَتَاكُمْ عَذَابُ اللَّهِ أَوْ أَتَتْكُمُ السَّاعَةُ أَغَيْرَ اللَّهِ تَدْعُونَ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ صَادِقِينَ

“Say: (O’ Our Apostle Muhammad!) “Think ye that if cometh to you the chastisement16of God, or cometh to you the Hour17(of resurrection), will ye call (for help) other than God, (say ye it out) if ye are truthful.” (6:40)

بَلْ إِيَّاهُ تَدْعُونَ فَيَكْشِفُ مَا تَدْعُونَ إِلَيْهِ إِنْ شَاءَ وَتَنْسَوْنَ مَا تُشْرِكُونَ

“Nay, Him18will ye call19upon, and He cleareth20away which ye pray for unto Him if He pleaseth, and ye would forget (the false gods’) ye set up (with Him).” (6:41)

Commentary

Verse 31

Feeling of sorrow or pleasure for the past actions, is one of the main features of the life here after, which is absent in the doctrine of transmigration (A.P.).

Verse 33

The Holy Prophet had already impressed even upon the worst of his enemies, his truthfulness, and everyone, be he his foe or a friend, had acknowledged him as ‘Sadiq’, i.e., the Truthful and ‘Al-Ameen’ - the Trustworthy. He had already earned from the people as a whole these titles even from the very beginning of his life, before his declaring his apostleship.

Hence the people’s now rejecting his message, is not that they mean him a liar, but it was a denial of the bonafide of the Divine Revelation. The world around him had unanimously vouched that he had never even once been guilty of having uttered any lie or falsehood.

Verse 34

‘There is none to change the Words of God.’ The word of God means God’s promises of sending the necessary help to His Apostles. It is a prophecy to say that as the apostles before the Holy Prophet were helped, he would also be surely helped.

Verse 35

This Verse is in reply to the extraordinary anxiety of the Holy Prophet to take all the people from the depths of ignorance, guiding them towards the truth. It is said here “that even if you do things impossible and they get a sign; they will never be guided.”

The concluding words though addressed to the Holy Prophet not to aspire for the guidance for the ignorant ones or covet for things impossible for the arrogant ones among the people who were bent upon never to believe, are applicable to the people also.

Verse 36

Only those who listen, sincerely interested in knowing the truth, will believe. As for those who do not listen, they are like the dead and God will surely raise the dead on the Day of Resurrection. Then they will believe but it will be of no avail to them.

Refers to the actual purpose of the apostolic preaching in spite of its being universal but the object is the guidance of those who have aptitude for development and progress. The sixth Holy Imam Ja’far Ibn Muhammad as-Sadiq said to his disciples ‘Increase not your number by calling all sorts of people into your fold irrespective of their mental aptitude. Certainly, God has addressed those who are endowed with intellect and the power of reasoning,’ and then quoted the Verses 39:17 and 39:18 (A.P.).

Verse 38

Even the animals that walk on earth as well as those who fly, i.e., the birds, will be brought to account for the duties entrusted to them according to the native endowments, they are provided with.

‘Kitab’ here means the Book called ‘Lawh al-Mahfooz, i.e., the Divinely Secured Tablet.

Most of the commentators are of opinion that the word ‘Book’ stands for the Holy Qur’an, for what the people need are the details about the religion, Islam, and in Qur’an, has been mentioned everything about the religion and the knowledge of everything has been given to the Holy Prophet and the people have been commanded to receive what he gives and to abstain from what he forbids21; and the Qur’an has been declared to contain everything in it22. So that the Holy Prophet may dispense with the details according to the personal capacity of each individual seeker after the Truth. The Holy Prophet had declared ‘I am the City of Knowledge and ‘Ali is its Gate.’ Thus, after the Holy Prophet only ‘Ali will be the authentic guide towards the details of the truth warranted by this declaration of the Holy Prophet who spoke nothing but the revelation from God23.

Verse 41

This Verse gives out an inherent characteristic in every human being, be he a believer in God or an unbeliever, a Unitarian or a polytheist, that in the state of a total helplessness while in distress, when one finds none to help him, the inner self in him, is liberated from the restrictions of the individual’s personal views, and commands him to call upon the ever-present Omnipotent One and the liberated mind automatically calls Him for the rescue.

Once a man asked the Sixth Holy Imam Ja’far Ibn Muhammad as-Sadiq, to show God to him. The Holy Imam heard him and smiled and said: ‘Meet me later.’ Once the man found the Holy Imam standing alone with his companions by the side of a river. The man approached the Holy Imam with the same request. The Holy Imam commanded his companions to bind both the hands as well as the legs of the man and throw him in the river. The command of the Holy Imam was immediately carried out. While struggling for his life in the water, the man cried to everyone on the bank to help him, but the Holy Imam prevented anyone from responding to his shoutings.

When the man lost all hope of anyone helping him and he was getting drowned then the man began to cry out to God. No sooner God was cried out, by the man than the Holy Imam got the man out of the water and asked him ‘Didst thou see God?’ He said: ‘Yes, my Lord, when I got myself totally disconnected from everyone and hopeless of one and all around.’ The Holy Imam said, ‘God, thou canst not see Him with thine physical eyes, thou canst see Him only with the eyes of thine heart by realizing His essential existence.’

• 1. Not seeing, but Communion in some way appropriate to his absoluteness and our finiteness.
• 2. ‘Sa’a’ i.e. the Hour i.e. of the Doom.
• 3. Refer to Verses 29:64; 47:36; 57:20.
• 4. The Holy Prophet
• 5. ‘Words’ stands here for God’s will Creative or Legislative. Here refers to the decision about His Prophets. Refer to Verses 58:21; 37:171; 37:172.
• 6. Refer to Verses 6:116; 37:171; 37:172; 38:21.
• 7. The address though apparently is to the Holy Prophet, but it is obvious that it cannot be a man of realisation like the Holy Prophet will never feel straitened. The address in fact is to the followers of the Holy Prophet who felt straitened for the people’s turning away.
• 8. Refer to Verse 52:38.
• 9. Refer to Verses 39:17; 39:18.
• 10. Majority Condemned.
• 11. The Sign referred to in this Verse is the same adverted to in Verse 6:35.
• 12. ‘Tafreet’ Overstepping by total negligence or by misplacing it. Everything has been in its proper place in the Book of Creation of which Qur’an is the microform (A.P.). Refer to Verses 7:57; 7:58.
• 13. The preaching will not avail them.
• 14. Refer to Verse. 3:1. God’s pleasure is conditioned with the aptitude of every individual. (A.P.).
• 15. Right.
• 16. Any unexpected hardship even in this life.
• 17. hour of hardship even in this life.
• 18. God.
• 19. At the time of distress.
• 20. Deliver - give an opening relief.
• 21. Refer to Verse 59:7.
• 22. Refer to Verse 6:59.
• 23. Refer to Verses 53:3; 53:4.