• Qur’an supersedes all previous scriptures

• Doubts of the disbelievers about the Qur’an

• Qur’an was brought down by the Holy Spirit

• Hiding the faith under unavoidable pressure but maintaining it at heart

• Those who migrate and endeavour in the way of God, will be entitled to pardon of their past sins

An-Nahl (The Bee) Verses 101 – 110

وَإِذَا بَدَّلْنَا آيَةً مَكَانَ آيَةٍ وَاللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ بِمَا يُنَزِّلُ قَالُوا إِنَّمَا أَنْتَ مُفْتَرٍ بَلْ أَكْثَرُهُمْ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ

And when change We one sign for another sign, and God knoweth best what He sendeth down, say they; “Thou (O’ Our Apostle Muhammad!) art only a forger.” Nay! most of them know not. (16:101)1

قُلْ نَزَّلَهُ رُوحُ الْقُدُسِ مِنْ رَبِّكَ بِالْحَقِّ لِيُثَبِّتَ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَهُدًى وَبُشْرَىٰ لِلْمُسْلِمِينَ

Say thou (unto the disbelievers O’ Our Apostle Muhammad!) “The Holy Spirit (Angel Gabriel) hath brought it down (unto thee) from thy Lord with the truth, that it may establish those who believe and as a guidance and glad tidings unto those who submit (themselves to God).” (16:102)

وَلَقَدْ نَعْلَمُ أَنَّهُمْ يَقُولُونَ إِنَّمَا يُعَلِّمُهُ بَشَرٌ لِسَانُ الَّذِي يُلْحِدُونَ إِلَيْهِ أَعْجَمِيٌّ وَهَٰذَا لِسَانٌ عَرَبِيٌّ مُبِينٌ

And indeed know We that they say: “It is only a man (that) teacheth him.” The tongue of him whom they (falsely) hint at is outlandish2while this language is Arabic (pure and) plain. (16:103)3

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ بِآيَاتِ اللَّهِ لَا يَهْدِيهِمُ اللَّهُ وَلَهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ

Verily those who believe not in the signs of God, God guideth them not, and for them shall be a painful torment. (16:104)4

إِنَّمَا يَفْتَرِي الْكَذِبَ الَّذِينَ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ بِآيَاتِ اللَّهِ وَأُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الْكَاذِبُونَ

Verily forge the lie only they who believe not in the signs of God, and these, they are the liars. (16:105)

مَنْ كَفَرَ بِاللَّهِ مِنْ بَعْدِ إِيمَانِهِ إِلَّا مَنْ أُكْرِهَ وَقَلْبُهُ مُطْمَئِنٌّ بِالْإِيمَانِ وَلَٰكِنْ مَنْ شَرَحَ بِالْكُفْرِ صَدْرًا فَعَلَيْهِمْ غَضَبٌ مِنَ اللَّهِ وَلَهُمْ عَذَابٌ عَظِيمٌ

He who disbelieveth in God after his belief in Him, save he who is compelled while his heart remaineth steadfast with the faith, but he who openeth (his) breast for infidelity5, on these is the wrath of God; for them shall be a great torment. (16:106)6

ذَٰلِكَ بِأَنَّهُمُ اسْتَحَبُّوا الْحَيَاةَ الدُّنْيَا عَلَى الْآخِرَةِ وَأَنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يَهْدِي الْقَوْمَ الْكَافِرِينَ

This because they love the life of this world preferring it over the hereafter, and that God guideth not the infidel people. (16:107)7

أُولَٰئِكَ الَّذِينَ طَبَعَ اللَّهُ عَلَىٰ قُلُوبِهِمْ وَسَمْعِهِمْ وَأَبْصَارِهِمْ وَأُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الْغَافِلُونَ

These are those who, God hath set a seal on their hearts, and (on) their hearing (ears) and (on) their sights (eyes), and these, they are the heedless (ones) (16:108)

لَا جَرَمَ أَنَّهُمْ فِي الْآخِرَةِ هُمُ الْخَاسِرُونَ

Doubtless (it is) that they in the hereafter, they will be the losers. (16:109)

ثُمَّ إِنَّ رَبَّكَ لِلَّذِينَ هَاجَرُوا مِنْ بَعْدِ مَا فُتِنُوا ثُمَّ جَاهَدُوا وَصَبَرُوا إِنَّ رَبَّكَ مِنْ بَعْدِهَا لَغَفُورٌ رَحِيمٌ

Then verily thy Lord unto those who migrate after they are persecuted, then they struggle hard (fight) (for God’s cause) and exercised patience; verily, thy Lord, after that is Oft- Forgiving, the Most Merciful. (16:110)

Commentary

Verse 101

Regarding the exact significance of this Verse, different views have been given by the commentators that it refers to the abrogation of the contents of a Verse by another Verse.

• Total removal of a Verse and the replacement by another.

• Abrogation of the teachings of the previous scriptures by Qur’an.

The question of abrogation of one Verse of Qur’an by the other if at all it has taken place is with regard to the position of the verses of the Qur’an which were revealed at Madina, where due to the change in circumstances, an order would be justified to be replaced by another one. Even then the number of such Verses are very limited and the justification for it is also obvious. Thus there was no room for the infidels to accuse the Holy Prophet of forgery. This chapter belongs to the Meccan period wherein there was no question of any change or abrogation. Therefore, the passage refers to the change of the teachings of the previous scriptures by the Holy Qur’an which the infidels considered to be forged.

The subsequent verses, 16:102-105, support this view that the infidels accused Qur’an to be a forgery because it abrogated the previous teachings and customs, and in refutation Qur’an asserts that the same Holy Spirit which brought revelation to the previous prophets had brought it to the Holy Prophet.

However, the idea of the abrogation of the recitation of the Holy Qur’an though its teachings remained valid, is a view held by some commentators, and is absolutely unfounded. Refer to note on ‘Tahrif’ in the introduction. (A.P.).

Verse 106

This is a clear sanction to hide the true faith to escape any big calamity by uttering something otherwise keeping at heart the conviction about the Faith, Islam, intact.

As it happened with Ammar Ibn Yasir in the well-known story when he was put to torture to force him to disassociate himself from the Holy Prophet and utter blasphemy about him, this and verse 3:28 and 40:28 are instructions for ‘Taqiyyah’ and no one has claimed its abrogation - ‘Taqiyya’ which means to hide firm faith in God and express disbelief - as opposed to hypocrisy - which means to hide disbelief in God and express faith in Him. (A.P.).

• 1. Refer to verses 10:15 & 2:106.
• 2. Not eloquent - Slang.
• 3. They accused the Holy Prophet that he learnt the matter or the Contents of the Qur’an from the others. This is refuted by verse 16:104.
• 4. Refer to verses 16:105 & 2:106.
• 5. Note the clearest wording of this Verse - on ‘Taqiyyah’ which is wrongly interpreted as hypocrisy - which is hiding infidelity at heart with a deceptive show of faith.
• 6. Refer to verses 3:27-28 & 40:28.
• 7. Refer to verses 2:7, 7:100-102, 10:74, 17:46, 45:23 & 63:3.