SURAH AL-AN-AAM (AYA 1 to 10)

Sura (6) ‘An-‘Aam (The Cattle) Aya 1 to 165 in 20 Sections

Revealed at Makka

SECTION 1

The Ultimate triumph of the Truth

The Divine Unity---The curse fallen upon the previous disbeliever nations---The previous apostles also were mocked.

الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذِي خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ وَجَعَلَ الظُّلُمَاتِ وَالنُّورَ ۖ ثُمَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا بِرَبِّهِمْ يَعْدِلُونَ {6:1}

[Q6:1] Alhamdu lillaahil lazee khalaqas samaawaati wal arda wa ja'alaz zulumaati wannoor; summal lazeena kafaroo bi Rabbihim ya'diloon. 

[Q6:1] All praise is due to ALLAH (SWT), Who created the heavens and the earth and made the darkness and the light; yet those who disbelieve set up equals with their Lord.
[Q6:1] Segala puji tertentu bagi ALLAH (SwT) yang menciptakan langit dan bumi dan menjadikan gelap dan terang; dalam pada itu, orang-orang kafir menyamakan (sesuatu yang lain) dengan tuhan mereka. 

Alhamdu lillah - refer to the commentary of al Fatihah 1:2. See commentary of al Baqarah 2:164 for the "creation of the heavens and the earth."

ä  This verse repudiates the theory of duality of old Persian theology, preached by the Magians, that light and darkness are eternal. THEY ARE BOTH CREATURES OF THE LORD OF THE WORLDS. 

Adala, here, means to hold something as equal to something else.

v  As the ultimate cause of every created thing, in the universe, is ALLAH (SWT), no reasonable person, except a disbeliever, can set up any of His creatures as equal, particularly when He cherishes and loves His creatures.

v  To confound the eternal being of the true ALLAH (SWT) with false ideas and superstitions is shirk (polytheism), which must be punished.

HE HAS CREATED LIGHT AND DARKNESS TO HELP MAN TO DISTINGUISH THE TRUE FROM THE FALSE. HE ALONE SHOULD BE PRAISED AND GLORIFIED.

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(6:1) All praise is for Allah alone, Who created the heavens and the earth, and brought into being light and darkness, and yet those who have rejected the call of the Truth ascribe others to be equals to their Lord. *1

*1. Remember that, although polytheists, the Arabs to whom these verses are addressed did acknowledge God as the Creator of the heavens and the earth, Who causes day to alternate with night, and Who has brought into existence the sun and the moon. None of them attributed any of these acts to either al-LAt, al-Hubal, al-'UzzA or any other deities. Why, then,'should they prostrate themselves before others beside the Creator? Why should they offer their prayers and supplicatiom to any but God? (See Towards Understanding the Qur'an, vol. I, Surah 1, n.2, and Surah 2, n.163) The actual word that has been used in the original text for 'darkness' is in the plural. The contrast with the singular 'light' is significant: whereas light is one, there can be innumerable degrees of darkness, which is the absence of light. 

هُوَ الَّذِي خَلَقَكُمْ مِنْ طِينٍ ثُمَّ قَضَىٰ أَجَلًا ۖ وَأَجَلٌ مُسَمًّى عِنْدَهُ ۖ ثُمَّ أَنْتُمْ تَمْتَرُونَ {6:2}

[Q6:2] Huwal lazee khalaqakum min teenin summa qadaaa ajalanw wa ajalum musamman 'indahoo summa antum tamtaroon. 

[Q6:2] He it is Who created you from clay, then He decreed a term; and there is a term named with Him; still you doubt.
[Q6:2] Dialah yang menciptakan kamu dari tanah, kemudian Dia tentukan ajal (kematian kamu) dan satu ajal lagi yang tertentu di sisiNya (iaitu masa yang telah ditetapkan untuk dibangkitkan kamu semula pada hari kiamat); dalam pada itu, kamu masih ragu-ragu (tentang hari pembalasan). 

ALLAH (SWT) CREATED ADAM FROM CLAY, AND through him he brought into being the whole mankind.

ä  The first term, life in this world till death, is a period of probation; AND

ä  The second term leads upto the time of resurrection, known to Him alone (Nazi-at 79:42 to 44),

YET THE DISBELIEVERS HAVE DOUBT CONCERNING RESURRECTION.

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(6:2) He it is Who has created you out of clay, *2 and then decreed a term (of life), and has also appointed another term, a term determined with Him. *3 Yet you are in doubt!

*2. The elements composing the human organism are all, without exception, derived from the earth. Hence it is said that man has been created out of clay.
*3. This alludes to the Hour of Judgement when human beings, regardless of the age in which they lived, will be broought back to life and summoned to render an account before their Lord. 

وَهُوَ اللَّهُ فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَفِي الْأَرْضِ ۖ يَعْلَمُ سِرَّكُمْ وَجَهْرَكُمْ وَيَعْلَمُ مَا تَكْسِبُونَ {6:3}

[Q6:3] Wa Huwal laahu fissamaawaati wa fil ardi ya'lamu sirrakum wa jahrakum wa ya'lamu maa taksiboon. 
[Q6:3] And He is ALLAH (SWT) in the heavens and in the earth; He knows your secret (thoughts) and your open (words), and He knows what you earn.

[Q6:3] Dan Dialah ALLAH (SwT) (yang disembah dan diakui kekuasaanNya) di langit dan di bumi; Dia Mengetahui apa yang kamu rahsiakan dan apa yang kamu lahirkan dan Dia juga Mengetahui apa yang kamu usahakan. 

IT IS FOLLY TO SUPPOSE THAT ALLAH (SWT) ONLY REIGNS IN THE HEAVENS.  HE ALSO REIGNS ON THE EARTH. He knows all our secret thoughts and motives, and the real worth of all that is behind what we care to show.

IT IS BY OUR DEEDS THAT HE JUDGES US; FOR OUR DEEDS, WHETHER GOOD OR EVIL, WE SHALL GET DUE RECOMPENSE IN DUE TIME.

ALLAH (SWT) IS ONE, THE (ONLY) CREATOR, THE LORD-CHERISHER OF THE WORLDS. Hidden and disclosed are the terms related to man. ALLAH (SWT) knows everything. His knowledge encompasses the whole universe (see commentary of al Baqarah 2:255).

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(6:3) And He it is Who is One True God in the heavens and in the earth. He knows your deeds - both secret and open - and knows fully whatever you earn.

وَمَا تَأْتِيهِمْ مِنْ آيَةٍ مِنْ آيَاتِ رَبِّهِمْ إِلَّا كَانُوا عَنْهَا مُعْرِضِينَ {6:4}

[Q6:4] Wa maa taateehim min Aayatim min Aayaati Rabbihim illaa kaanoo 'anhaa mu'rideen. 

[Q6:4] And there does not come to them any communication of the communications of their Lord but they turn aside from it
[Q6:4] Dan tidak ada sesuatu keterangan yang sampai kepada mereka (yang kafir) dari keterangan-keterangan Tuhan mereka, melainkan mereka selalu berpaling daripadanya (enggan menerimanya). 

Ayat (signs) means *[1]revelations, *[2]communications and *[3]the messengers of ALLAH (SWT) and *[4]the divinely appointed successors of the Holy Prophet (ALLAHuma sali ala Muhammad wa ala ali Muhammad) (the holy Imams among his Ahlul Bayt), who put forward conclusive arguments to establish the truth of ALLAH (SWT)'s message, BUT the rejectors of faith turned away from it, and, at last, they learned the reality of what they used to mock at.

THE SHORTSIGHTED AND ARROGANT PAGANS (who supposed that they were firmly established on this earth, secure in their privileges) were reminded of much greater nations in the past, who failed in their duty and were wiped out.

Ø  If a book, written on paper, was sent to the Holy Prophet (ALLAHuma sali ala Muhammad wa ala ali Muhammad) the pagans would have said (in sheer pugnacity) that it was obvious magic, and they were not helped at all in attaining faith, because their hearts were diseased. A similar demand was made by the Jews (see Nisa 4:153).

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(6:4) Yet every time a sign of their Lord comes to them, they turn away from it,

فَقَدْ كَذَّبُوا بِالْحَقِّ لَمَّا جَاءَهُمْ ۖ فَسَوْفَ يَأْتِيهِمْ أَنْبَاءُ مَا كَانُوا بِهِ يَسْتَهْزِئُونَ {6:5}

[Q6:5] Faqad kazzaboo bilhaqqi lammaa jaaa'ahum fasawfa yaateehim ambaaa'u maa kaanoo bihee yastahzi'oon. 

[Q6:5] So they have indeed rejected the truth when it came to them; therefore the truth of what they mocked at will shine upon them.
[Q6:5] Sesungguhnya mereka telah mendustakan kebenaran (Al-Quran) ketika ia sampai kepada mereka. Oleh itu, akan datanglah kepada mereka berita (yang membuktikan kebenaran) apa yang mereka selalu ejek-ejek itu (iaitu mereka akan ditimpa bala bencana).  

(see commentary for verse 4)

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(6:5) and thus they gave the lie to the Truth that has now come to them. Soon they will come upon some news concerning what they had mocked at. *4

*4. The allusion is to the Migration (Hijrah) and the numerous victories destined to follow it in quick succession. When this allusion was made, the unbelievers could not have guessed what kind of news they would receive, and even the Muslims could not have imagined those developments. Infact, the Prophet himself (peace be on him) was not fully aware of the posibilities which lay in store. 

أَلَمْ يَرَوْا كَمْ أَهْلَكْنَا مِنْ قَبْلِهِمْ مِنْ قَرْنٍ مَكَّنَّاهُمْ فِي الْأَرْضِ مَا لَمْ نُمَكِّنْ لَكُمْ وَأَرْسَلْنَا السَّمَاءَ عَلَيْهِمْ مِدْرَارًا وَجَعَلْنَا الْأَنْهَارَ تَجْرِي مِنْ تَحْتِهِمْ فَأَهْلَكْنَاهُمْ بِذُنُوبِهِمْ وَأَنْشَأْنَا مِنْ بَعْدِهِمْ قَرْنًا آخَرِينَ {6:6}

[Q6:6] Alam yaraw kam ahlaknaa min qablihim min qarnim makkannaahum fil ardi maa lam numakkil lakum wa arsalnas samaaa'a 'alaihim midraaranw wa ja'alnal anhaara tajree min tahtihim fa ahlak naahum bizunoobihim wa anshaanaa mim ba'dihim qarnan aakhareen. 
[Q6:6] Do they not consider how many a generation We have destroyed before them, whom We had established in the earth as We have not established you, and We sent the clouds pouring rain on them in abundance, and We made the rivers to flow beneath them, then We destroyed them on account of their faults and raised up after them another generation. 

[Q6:6] Tidakkah mereka memerhati dan memikirkan berapa banyak umat-umat yang telah Kami binasakan sebelum mereka, padahal (umat-umat itu) telah Kami teguhkan kedudukan mereka di muka bumi (dengan kekuasaan dan kemewahan) yang tidak Kami berikan kepada kamu dan Kami turunkan hujan atas mereka dengan lebatnya dan Kami jadikan sungai-sungai mengalir di bawah mereka, kemudian Kami binasakan mereka dengan sebab dosa mereka dan Kami ciptakan sesudah mereka, umat yang lain? 

(see commentary for verse 4)

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(6:6) Have they not seen how many a people We have destroyed before them? People whom We had made more powerful in the earth than you are and upon them We showered from the heavens abundant rains, and at whose feet We caused the rivers to flow? And then (when they behaved ungratefully) We destroyed them for their sins, and raised other peoples in their place.

وَلَوْ نَزَّلْنَا عَلَيْكَ كِتَابًا فِي قِرْطَاسٍ فَلَمَسُوهُ بِأَيْدِيهِمْ لَقَالَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا إِنْ هَٰذَا إِلَّا سِحْرٌ مُبِينٌ {6:7}

[Q6:7] Wa law nazzalnaa 'alaika Kitaaban fee qirtaasin falamasoohu bi aideehim laqaalal lazeena kafarooo in haazaaa illaa sihrum mubeen.
[Q6:7] And if We had sent to you a writing on a paper, then they had touched it with their hands, certainly those who disbelieve would have said: This is nothing but clear enchantment. 

[Q6:7] Dan kalau Kami turunkan kepadamu (wahai Muhammad) sebuah kitab (yang bertulis) pada kertas, lalu mereka memegangnya dengan tangan mereka, nescaya orang-orang yang kafir itu berkata: Ini tidak lain, hanyalah sihir yang terang nyata. 

(see commentary for verse 4)

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(6:7) (O Messenger!) Had We sent down to you a book incribed on parchment, and had they even touched it with their own hands, the unbelievers would still have said: 'This is nothing but plain magic.'

وَقَالُوا لَوْلَا أُنْزِلَ عَلَيْهِ مَلَكٌ ۖ وَلَوْ أَنْزَلْنَا مَلَكًا لَقُضِيَ الْأَمْرُ ثُمَّ لَا يُنْظَرُونَ {6:8}

[Q6:8] Wa qaaloo law laaa unzila alaihi malakunw wa law anzalna malakal laqudiyal amru summa laa yunzaroon. 
[Q6:8] And they say: Why has not an angel been sent down to him? And had We sent down an angel, the matter would have certainly been decided and then they would not have been respited.

[Q6:8] Dan mereka berkata: Mengapa tidak diturunkan malaikat kepadanya? Padahal kalau Kami turunkan malaikat nescaya selesailah perkara itu (kerana mereka tetap berdegil dan tidak akan beriman), kemudian mereka tidak diberi tempoh (lalu dibinasakan dengan bala bencana secara mengejut). 

As demanded by the infidels, if ALLAH (SWT) did send down an angel (who is by nature invisible to human eye) he would have certainly appeared as a human being, and the paganish nature would also have rejected him. In any event severe punishment is the ultimate fate of the disbelievers. See commentary of al Baqarah 2:210.

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(6:8) They also say: 'Why has no angel been sent down to this Prophet?' *5 Had We sent down an angel, the matter would surely have long been decided and no respite would have been granted them. *6

*5. The unbelievers were saying that if Muhammed (peace be on him) had indeed been endowed with prophethood, an angel should have been sent down from heaven to announce that he was the Messenger of God, and that that people would be punished if they did not follow his directives. It was atonishing to these ignorant objectors that the Creator of the heavens and the earth should appoint someone as His Messenger and then leave him without protection against the physical hurts and insults that were flung at him. They would have expected the envoy of a Sovereign as great as the Creator of the universe to be accomplied by at least some heavenly constable, if not a large retinue, to protect him! 
*6. The unbelievers' objection is refuted by this remark. it warns them that the time available for accepting the true faith and bringing about the required reform in their lives will last only as long as Ultimate Reality remains concealed from human perception by the wheel of the Unseen. Once that wheel is removed, there will be no more respite: the summons to God's rekoning will have come. This earthly life is a test of whether a man is able to recognize the Ultimate Reality - even though it lies hidden from his sence perception - by the correct excecise of his reason and intelect and of whether, having once recognized it, he is able to behave in conformity with that Reality by exercising control over his animal self and its lusts. This test necessarily requires that the Reality should remain concealed. Thereafter man will be confronted with the result of the test rather than by any further test. Until God has decided to bring the term of their test to a close, it is not possible to respond to such requests by sending angels to them in their true form. (See also Towards Understanding the Qur'an, vol. I, Surah 2, n.228.) 

وَلَوْ جَعَلْنَاهُ مَلَكًا لَجَعَلْنَاهُ رَجُلًا وَلَلَبَسْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ مَا يَلْبِسُونَ {6:9}

[Q6:9] Wa law ja'alnaahu malakal laja'alnaahu rajulanw wa lalabasnaa 'alaihim maa yalbisoon. 

[Q6:9] And if We had made him angel, We would certainly have made him a man, and We would certainly have made confused to them what they make confused.
[Q6:9] Dan kalau (Rasul) itu Kami jadikan malaikat, tentulah Kami jadikan dia berupa seorang lelaki (supaya mereka dapat melihatnya) dan tentulah Kami (dengan yang demikian) menyebabkan mereka kesamaran sebagaimana mereka sengaja membuat-buat kesamaran (tentang kebenaran Nabi Muhammad s.a.w). 

Even if an angel was sent to act as a prophet, he would also appear to them, in form and appearance, like a man; in which case their already confused notions about spiritual life would be still more confounded.

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(6:9) Had We appointed an angel, We would have sent him down in the form of a man - and thus We would have caused them the same doubt which they now entertain. *7

*7. This is the second point in response to the unbelievers' objection. One possible form in which the angel could have appeared is in its true, non-terrestrial form. It has already been pointed out that the time for this has not arrived. Alternatively, angels could have come down in human form. But this would have left the unbelievers facing the same difficulty as they faced with regard to whether the Prophet Muhammad (peace be on him) had been designated by God or not. 

SECTION 2

ALLAH has ordained Mercy on Himself

The Greatness of the Divine Mercy---None can help when the warth of ALLAH afflicts anyone.

وَلَقَدِ اسْتُهْزِئَ بِرُسُلٍ مِنْ قَبْلِكَ فَحَاقَ بِالَّذِينَ سَخِرُوا مِنْهُمْ مَا كَانُوا بِهِ يَسْتَهْزِئُونَ {6:10}

[Q6:10] Wa laqadis tuhzi'a bi-Rusulim min qablika fahaaqa billazeena sakhiroo minhum maa kaanoo bihee yastahzi'oon. 

[Q6:10] And certainly messengers before you were mocked at, but that which they mocked at encompassed the scoffers among them.
[Q6:10] Dan demi sesungguhnya! Telah diperolok-olok beberapa Rasul sebelummu, lalu orang-orang yang mengejek-ejek di antara mereka ditimpakan (balasan azab) bagi apa yang mereka telah perolok-olokkan itu. 

MANY PROPHETS (NUH, LUT AND THAMUD), BEFORE THE HOLY PROPHET (ALLAHUMA SALI ALA MUHAMMAD WA ALA ALI MUHAMMAD), WERE ALSO MOCKED AT, BUT the scoffers were subdued and destroyed by the thing that they mocked at.

o    The mockers of Isa were destroyed by Titus in Jerusalem.

o    The mockers, who drove out the Holy Prophet (ALLAHuma sali ala Muhammad wa ala ali Muhammad) from Makka, were overpowered; and they begged for mercy and the "mercy unto the worlds" granted it to them.

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(6:10) And indeed before your time (O Muhammad!) many a Messenger has been scoffed at; but those who mocked at them were encompassed by the Truth they had scoffed at.