Surah Al-An'aam (6): Read Online and Download - English Translation

Recognizing Allah Through Some of His Ayat

Allah states that He causes the seed grain and the fruit stone to split and sprout in the ground, producing various types, colors, shapes, and tastes of grains and produce. The Ayah,

(Who causes the seed grain and the fruit stone to split and sprout.) is explained by the next statement,

(He brings forth the living from the dead, and it is He Who brings forth the deed from the living.) meaning, He brings the living plant from the seed grain and the fruit stone, which is a lifless and inanimate object. Allah said,

(And a sign for them is the dead land. We gave it life, and We brought forth from it grains, so that they eat thereof.) 36:33 until,

(as well as of their own (human) kind (male and female), and of that which they know not.) 36:36 Allah's statement,

(and it is He Who brings forth the dead from the living. ) There are similar expressions in meaning such as, He brings the egg from the chicken, and the opposite. Others said that it means, He brings the wicked offspring from the righteous parent and the opposite, and there are other possible meanings for the Ayah. Allah said,

(Such is Allah,) meaning, He Who does all this, is Allah, the One and Only without partners,

(then how are you deluded away from the truth) meaning, look how you are deluded from Truth to the falsehood of worshipping others besides Allah. Allah's statement,

((He is the) Cleaver of the daybreak. He has appointed the night for resting,) means, He is the Creator of light and darkness. Allah said in the beginning of the Surah,

(And originated the darkness and the light.) Indeed, Allah causes the darkness of the night to disappear and brings forth the day, thus bringing brighteness to the world and light to the horizon, while dissipating darkness and ending the night with its depth of darkness and starting the day with its brightness and light. Allah said,

(He brings the night as a cover over the day, seeking it rapidly.) 7:54 In this Ayah, Allah reminds of His ability to create diversified things in opposites, testifying to His perfect greatness and supreme power. Allah states that He is the Cleaver of the daybreak and mentioned its opposite, when He said,

(He has appointed the night for resting,) meaning, created darkness, in order for the creation to become halt and rest during it. Allah said in other Ayat,

(By the forenoon. And by the night when it is still.) 93:1-2,

(By the night as it envelops. And by the day as it appears in brightness.) 92:1,2 and,

(And by the day as it shows up (the sun's) brightness. And by the night as it conceals it.) 91:3-4 Allah's statement,

(...And the sun and the moon for reckoning.) means, the sun and the moon have specific orbits, according to a term appointed with magnificent precision that never changes or alters. Both the sun and the moon have distinct positions that they assume in summer and winter, effecting changes in the length of night and day. Allah said in other Ayat,

(It is He Who made the sun a shining thing and the Moon as a light and measured out stages for it.) 10:5,

(It is not for the sun to overtake the moon, nor does the night outstrip the day. They all float, each in an orbit.) 36:40, And,

(The sun and the moon; and the stars are subjected by His command.) 16:12 Allah's statement,

(Such is the measuring of the Almighty, the All-Knowing.) means, all of this occurs according to the decree and due measurement of the Almighty Who is never resisted or contradicted. He is the Knower of all things and nothing ever escapes His knowledge, not even the weight of an atom on earth or in heavens. Allah often mentions the creation of the night, the day, the sun and the moon and then ends His Speech by mentioning His attributes of power and knowledge, as in this Ayah above 6:96, and in His statement,

(And a sign for them is the night, We withdraw therefrom the day, and behold, they are in darkness. And the sun runs on its fixed course for a term. That is the decree of the Almighty, the All-Knowing.) 36:37-38 In the beginning of Surat Ha-Mim As-Sajdah, after mentioning the creation of the heavens and earth and all that is in them, Allah said:

(And We adorned the nearest (lowest) heaven with lamps (stars) to be an adornment as well as to guard. Such is the decree of Him, the Almighty, the All-Knower.) 41:12 Allah said next,

(It is He Who has set the stars for you, so that you may guide your course with their help through the darkness of the land and the sea.) Some of the Salaf said; Whoever believes in other than three things about these stars, then he has made a mistake, and lied against Allah. Indeed Allah made them as decorations for the heavens, and to shoot at the Shayatin, and for directions in the dark recesses of the land and sea. Then, Allah said,

(We have explained in detail Our Ayat.) meaning, We made them clear and plain,

(for people who know. ) who have sound minds and are able to recognize the truth and avoid falsehood.

(It is He Who has created you from a single person,) 6:98 in reference to Adam, peace be upon him. In another Ayah, Allah said;

(O mankind! Have Taqwa of your Lord, Who created you from a single person, and from him He created his mate, and from them both He created many men and women.)4:1 Allah said,

(Mustaqar and Mustawda`) Ibn Mas`ud, Ibn `Abbas, Abu `Abdur-Rahman As-Sulami, Qays bin Abu Hazim, Mujahid, `Ata', Ibrahim An-Nakha`i, Ad-Dahhak, Qatadah, As-Suddi and `Ata' Al-Khurasani and others said that,

(Mustaqar), `in the wombs'. They, or most of them, also said that,

(And Mustawda`,) means, `in your father's loins'. Ibn Mas`ud and several others said that, Mustaqar, means residence in this life, while, Mustawda`, means the place of storage after death (the grave). Allah's statement,

(Indeed, We have explained in detail Our revelations for people who understand.) refers to those who comprehend and understand Allah's Words and its meanings. Allah said next,

(It is He Who sends down water (rain) from the sky) in due measure, as a blessing and provision for the servants, relief and means of survival for the creatures and mercy from Allah for His creation. Allah's statement,

(And with it We bring forth vegetation of all kinds,) is similar to,

(And We have made from water every living thing.) 21:30

(and out of it We bring forth green stalks,) green produce and trees, on which We grow seeds and fruits.

(from which We bring forth thick clustered grain.) lined on top of each other in clusters, like an ear or spike of grain.

(And out of the date-palm and its sprouts come forth clusters) of dates

(hanging low) Within reach and easy to pick. `Ali bin Abi Talhah Al-Walibi said that Ibn `Abbas said that,

(clusters hanging low) refers to short date trees whose branches hang low, close to the ground. This was recorded by Ibn Jarir. Allah's statement

(and gardens of grapes,) means, We bring forth gardens of grapes. Grapes and dates are the most precious fruits to the people of Al-Hijaz (Western Arabia), and perhaps both are the best fruits in this world. Allah has reminded His servants of His favor in making these two fruits for them, when He said,

(And from the fruits of date-palms and grapes, you derive strong drink and a goodly provision.) 16:67 before intoxicating drinks were prohibited, and;

(And We have made therein gardens of date-palms and grapes.) 36:34. Allah said,

(olives and pomegranates, each similar yet different.) The leaves are similar in shape and appearence, yet different in the shape, and taste. And the kind of fruit each plant produces is different, according to the explanation of Qatadah and several others. Allah's statement,

(Look at their fruits when they begin to bear, and Yan`ih.) means, when the fruits become ripe, according to Al-Bara' bin `Azib, Ibn `Abbas, Ad-Dahhak, `Ata' Al-Khurasani, As-Suddi, Qatadah and others. This Ayah means, contemplate the ability of the Creator of these fruits, Who brought them into existence after they were dry wood, and they later became grapes and dates; and similar is the case with the various colors, shapes, tastes and fragrance of whatever Allah created. Allah said,

(And in the earth are neighbouring tracts, and gardens of vines, and green crops, and date-palms, growing out, two or three from a single stem root, or otherwise, watered with the same water, yet some of them We make better than others to eat.) 13:4 This is why Allah said here,

(In these things there are...) O people,

(signs...) and proofs that testify to the perfect ability, wisdom and mercy of He Who created these things,

(for people who believe. ) in Allah and obey His Messengers.

Rebuking the Idolators

This Ayah refutes the idolators who worshipped others besides Allah and associated the Jinns with Him in worship. Glory be to Allah above this Shirk and Kufr. If someone asks, how did the idolators worship the Jinns, although they only were idol worshippers The answer is that in fact, they worshipped the idols by obeying the Jinns who commanded them to do so. Allah said in other Ayat,

(They invoke nothing but female deities besides Him, and they invoke nothing but Shaytan, a persistent rebel! Allah cursed him. And he Shaytan said: "I will take an appointed portion of your servants. Verily, I will mislead them, and surely, I will arouse in them false desires; and certainly, I will order them to slit the ears of cattle, and indeed I will order them to change the nature created by Allah." And whoever takes Shaytan as a protector instead of Allah, has surely suffered a manifest loss. He Shaytan makes promises to them, and arouses in them false desires; and Shaytan's promises are nothing but deceptions. ) 4:117-120 and,

(Will you then take him (Iblis) and his offspring as protectors and helpers rather than Me) 18:50 Ibrahim said to his father,

("O my father! Worship not Shaytan. Verily! Shaytan has been a rebel against the Most Beneficent (Allah).") 19:44 Allah said,

(Did I not ordain for you, O Children of Adam, that you should not worship Shaytan. Verily, he is a plain enemy to you. And that you should worship Me. That is a straight path.) 36:60-61 On the Day of Resurrection, the angels will proclaim,

(Glorified be You! You are our Protector instead of them. Nay, but they used to worship the Jinn; most of them were believers in them.) 34:41 This is why Allah said here,

(Yet, they join the Jinns as partners in worship with Allah, though He has created them.) 6:100, Alone without partners. Consequently, how is it that another deity is being worshipped along with Him As Ibrahim said,

("Worship you that which you (yourselves) carve While Allah has created you and what you make!") 37:95-96 Allah alone is the Creator without partners. Therefore, He Alone deserves to be worshipped without partners. Allah said next,

(And they Kharaqu (attribute falsely) without knowledge, sons and daughters to Him.) Allah mentions the misguidance of those who were led astray and claimed a son or offspring for Him, as the Jews did with `Uzayr, the Christians with `Isa and the Arab pagans with the angels whom they claimed were Allah's daughters. Allah is far holier than what the unjust, polytheist people associate with Him. The word, Kharaqu, means `falsely attributed, invented, claimed and lied', according to the scholars of the Salaf. Allah's statement next,

(Be He Glorified and Exalted above (all) that they attribute to Him.) means, He is holier than, hallowed, and Exalted above the sons, rivals, equals and partners that these ignorant, misled people attribute to Him.

Meaning of Badi`

(He is the Badi` of the heavens and the earth) Meaning He originated, created, invented and brought them into existence without precedence, as Mujahid and As-Suddi said. This is why the word for innovation - Bid`ah - comes from it, because it is something that did not have a precedence.

(How can He have children when He has no wife) for the child is the offspring of two compatible spouses. Allah does not have an equal, none of His creatures are similar to Him, for He alone created the entire creation. Allah said;

(And they say: "The Most Beneficent (Allah) has begotten a son." Indeed you have brought forth (said) a terrible evil thing.) 19:88-89, until,

(And everyone of them will come to Him alone on the Day of Resurrection.)19:95.

(He created all things and He is the All-Knower of everything.) He has created everything and He is All-Knower of all things. How can He have a wife from His creation who is suitable for His majesty, when there is none like Him How can He have a child then Verily, Allah is Glorified above having a son.