Surah 6. Al-An'am

And undeviating is this thy Sustainer's way.¹¹¹ Clearly, indeed, have We spelled out these messages unto people who [are willing to] take them to heart!

  - Mohammad Asad

Lit., "and this thy Sustainer's way is straight" - i.e., unchanging in its application of the law of cause and effect to man's inner life as well. - The term rijs occurring in the preceding sentence, and rendered by me as "horror", signifies anything that is intrinsically loathsome, horrible or abominable; in this case, it would seem to denote that awesome feeling of utter futility which, sooner or later, overcomes everyone who does not believe that life has meaning and purpose.

whereas in fact this way (Al-Islam) is the Right Way of your Rabb and We have spelled out Our revelations very clearly for the people who use their common sense.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

This is the path of thy Lord, a straight path. We have detailed Our revelations for a people who take heed.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Theirs shall be an abode of peace with their Sustainer; and He shall be near unto them in result of what they have been doing.

  - Mohammad Asad

For them there will be a home of peace with their Rabb. He will be their protector because of their good deeds.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

For them is the abode of peace with their Lord. He will be their Protecting Friend because of what they used to do.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

AND ON THE DAY when He shall gather them [all] together, [He will say:] "O you who have lived in close communion with [evil] invisible beings! A great many [other] human beings have you ensnared!"¹¹² And those of the humans who were close to them¹¹³ will say: "O our Sustainer! We did enjoy one another's fellowship [in life]; but [now that] we have reached the end of our term - the term which Thou hast laid down for us - [we see the error of our ways]!" [But] He will say: "The fire shall be your abode, therein to abide - unless God wills it otherwise."¹¹⁴ Verily, thy Sustainer is wise, all-knowing.

  - Mohammad Asad

According to most of the commentators, the invisible beings (al-jinn) referred to here are the "evil forces" (shayatin) among them, such as are spoken of in verse {112} of this surah. It is generally assumed that these very beings or forces are addressed here; but the primary meaning of the term ma'shar appearing in this context warrants, in my opinion, a different conclusion. It is true that this term is often used to denote a group or community or genus of sentient beings which have certain characteristics in common: a conventional - and undoubtedly justifiable - use based on the verb 'asharahu, "he consorted [or "was on intimate terms"] with him" or "lived in close communion with him". But it is precisely this verbal origin of the term ma'shar which gives us a clue as to what is really meant here. Since, in its primary significance, a person's ma'shar denotes those who are on intimate terms or in close communion with him (cf. Lisan al-'Arab: "A man's ma'shar is his family"), we may well assume that it has a similar significance in the above Qur'anic phrase. Thus, to my mind, the allocution ya ma'shar al-jinn does not denote, "O you community of [evil] invisible beings" but, rather, "O you who are [or "have lived"] in close communion with [evil] invisible beings": in other words, it is addressed to the misguided human beings who have been seduced by "glittering half-truths meant to delude the mind" {verse 112}. This interpretation is reinforced by the words, "Have there not come unto you apostles from among yourselves", occurring in verse {130} below: for the Qur'an speaks always only of apostles who belonged to the human race, and never of apostles from among the jinn. (As regards the wide significance of this latter term, see Appendix III.)

I.e., close to the evil invisible beings. It is to be remembered that the primary meaning of wali (of which awliya' is the plural) is "one who is close [to another]".

I.e., unless He graces them with His mercy (see verse {12} of this surah, and the corresponding note). Some of the great Muslim theologians conclude from the above and from the similar phrase occurring in 11:107 (as well as from several well-authenticated sayings of the Prophet) that - contrary to the bliss of paradise, which will be of unlimited duration - the suffering of the sinners in the life to come will be limited by God's mercy. (See in this connection the hadith quoted in note [10] on 40:12 .)

On the Day when He will assemble them all together, ( Allah will address the Jinns): "O assembly of Jinns! You seduced mankind in great number." And their votaries from among mankind will say: "Our Rabb, we have both enjoyed each other's fellowship but alas! Now we have reached the end of our term which You had decreed for us." Then Allah will say: "Now hellfire is your dwelling-place; you will live therein forever unless Allah ordains otherwise." Surely your Rabb is Wise, Knowledgeable.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

In the day when He will gather them together (He will say): O ye assembly of the jinn! Many of humankind did ye seduce. And their adherents among humankind will say: Our Lord! We enjoyed one another, but now we have arrived at the appointed term which Thou appointedst for us. He will say: Fire is your home. Abide therein for ever, save him whom Allah willeth (to deliver). Lo! thy Lord is Wise, Aware.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

And in this manner do We cause evildoers to seduce one another¹¹⁵ by means of their [evil] doings.

  - Mohammad Asad

Lit., "to be close to one another", or "get hold of one another". The expression "in this manner" (kadhalika), which introduces the above sentence, is an obvious allusion to the manner in which the evil ones "whisper unto one another glittering half-truths meant to delude the mind" verse {112} of this surah.

That is how, in the hereafter, We will make wrongdoers the comrades of one another on account of what they earned during their life on Earth with evil friendship.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Thus We let some of the wrong-doers have power over others because of what they are wont to earn.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

[And thus will God continue:] "O you who have lived in close communion with [evil] invisible beings and [like-minded] humans! Have there not come unto you apostles from among yourselves, who conveyed unto you My messages and warned you of the coming of this your Day [of Judgment]?" They will answer: "We do bear witness against ourselves!" - for the life of this world had beguiled them: and so they will bear witness against themselves that they had been denying the truth.

  - Mohammad Asad

At that time Allah will also ask: "O Assembly of Jinns and mankind! Did not there come to you the Rasools from amongst you who proclaimed to you My revelations and warned you about the meeting of this Day?" They will reply: "Yes they did, We bear witness against our own souls." Today this worldly life has deceived them but on that Day they will testify against themselves that they were indeed kuffar (unbelievers).

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

O ye assembly of the jinn and humankind! Came there not unto you messengers of your own who recounted unto you My tokens and warned you of the meeting of this your Day? They will say: We testify against ourselves. And the life of the world beguiled them. And they testify against themselves that they were disbelievers.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

And so it is that thy Sustainer would never destroy a community¹¹⁶ for its wrongdoing so long as its people are still unaware [of the meaning of right and wrong]:

  - Mohammad Asad

Lit., "communities". The term qaryah (lit., "town", "village" or "land") denotes also the people of a town or land - in short, a "community" - and it is in this sense that this term is mostly, though not always, used in the Qur'an.

This testimony will be taken in order to prove, that your Rabb would not destroy towns without just cause while their residents were ignorant of the Reality.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

This is because thy Lord destroyeth not the townships arbitrarily while their people are unconscious (of the wrong they do).

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

for all shall be judged according to their [conscious] deeds¹¹⁷ - and thy Sustainer is not unaware of what they do.

  - Mohammad Asad

Lit., "all shall have grades out of what they did", i.e., consciously - since God does not take people to task for any wrong they may have committed unless it was done in conscious contravention of a moral law already made clear to them by the prophets.

All will be awarded ranks according to their deeds, and your Rabb is not unaware of what they do.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

For all there will be ranks from what they did. Thy Lord is not unaware of what they do.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

And thy Sustainer alone is self-sufficient, limitless in His grace. If He so wills, He may put an end to you and thereafter cause whom He wills to succeed you - even as He has brought you into being out of other people's seed.

  - Mohammad Asad

Your Rabb is Self-Sufficient, Lord of Mercy. If He wants, He can destroy you all and replace you with others as He pleases, just as He raised you from the offspring of other people.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Thy Lord is the Absolute, the Lord of Mercy. If He will, He can remove you and can cause what He will to follow after you, even as He raised you from the seed of other folk.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Verily, that [reckoning] which you are promised is bound to come, and you cannot elude it!

  - Mohammad Asad

Surely what you are being threatened with, must come to pass and you can do nothing about it.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Lo! that which ye are promised will surely come to pass, and ye cannot escape.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Say: "O my [unbelieving] people! Do yet all that may be within your power, [while] I, behold, shall labour [in God's way]; and in time you will come to know to whom the future belongs.¹¹⁸ Verily, never will evildoers attain to a happy state!"

  - Mohammad Asad

Lit., "to whom the [happy] end of the abode shall belong". The term "abode" (dar) is used in the Qur'an with reference to both the life of this world (dar ad-dunya) and the life to come (dar al-akhirah). Most of the commentators are of the opinion that it refers here to the life to come; Zamakhshari, however, relates it to life on earth. Since either of these interpretations is agreeable with the text, I have chosen the above rendering which comprises both.

O Muhammad, tell them: "O my people! If you don't listen to me, do whatever you want and I'll do whatever I deem right; you will soon find out who is to gain the reward of the hereafter; rest assured that the wrongdoers will not get salvation."

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Say (O Muhammad) : O my people! Work according to your power. Lo! I too am working. Thus ye will come to know for which of us will be the happy sequel. Lo! the wrong- doers will not be successful.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

AND OUT OF whatever He has created of the fruits of the field and the cattle, they assign unto God a portion, saying, "This belongs to God" - or so they [falsely] claim¹¹⁹ - "and this is for those beings who, we are convinced, have a share in God's divinity."¹²⁰ But that which is assigned to the beings associated in their minds with God does not bring [them] closer to God - whereas that which is assigned to God brings [them but] closer to those beings to whom they ascribe a share in His divinity.¹²¹ Bad, indeed, is their judgment!

  - Mohammad Asad

Falsely - because everything that exists belongs, in the last resort, to God alone.

Lit., "for our [God-]partners" - i.e., "those whom we consider to be associated with God". For an explanation of the term sharik, see note [15] on verse {22} of this surah. The pre-Islamic Arabs used to dedicate a part of their agricultural produce and cattle to some of their deities, and a part to God, whom they regarded as one - albeit the greatest - of them. In consonance, however, with the method of the Qur'an, the above verse does not allude merely to this historical aspect of pre-Islamic Arabian life but has a wider, more general implication as well: that is, it refers not only to the apportioning of devotional "shares" between God and the imaginary deities, but also to the attribution of any share in His creative powers to anyone or anything beside Him.

I.e., the fact that they assign a "share" of their devotions to God does not strengthen their belief in Him but, rather, implies a negation of His transcendental uniqueness and, thus, makes them more and more dependent on imaginary divine or semi-divine "mediators".

They set aside a share of their produce and of their cattle for Allah, saying: "This is for Allah" - so they pretend - "and this for our shoraka' (their assigned partners of Allah)." Their shoraka's share does not reach Allah, but the share of Allah is wholly given to shoraka'. What an evil decision they make!

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

They assign unto Allah, of the crops and cattle which He created, a portion, and they say: "This is Allah's" in their make believe "and this is for (His) partners in regard to us." Thus that which (they assign) unto His partners in them reacheth not Allah and that which (they assign) unto Allah goeth to their (so-called) partners. Evil is their ordinance.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

And, likewise, their belief in beings or powers that are supposed to have a share in God's divinity makes¹²² [even] the slaying of their children seem goodly to many of those who ascribe divinity to aught beside God, thus bringing them to ruin and confusing them in their faith.¹²³ Yet, unless God had so willed, they would not be doing all this:¹²⁴ stand, therefore, aloof from them and all their false imagery!

  - Mohammad Asad

Lit., "their [God-]partners make". As pointed out by Razi, some early commentators were of the opinion that the expression shuraka'uhum (lit., "their associates") denotes here the "evil beings" or "forces" (shayatin) from among men and jinn referred to in verses {112}, {121}, {128} and {130} of this surah. It seems to me, however, that what is meant here - as in the preceding verse - is the belief in the existence of anything that could be "associated" with God; hence my rendering of the above phrase as "their belief in beings or powers that are supposed...", etc.

This is a reference to the custom prevalent among the pre-Islamic Arabs of burying alive some of their unwanted children, mainly girls, and also to the occasional offering of a boy-child in sacrifice to one or another of their idols (Zamakhshari). Apart from this historical reference, the above Qur'an-verse seems to point out, by implication, the psychological fact that an attribution of divinity to anyone or anything but God brings with it an ever-growing dependence on all kinds of imaginary powers which must be "propitiated" by formal and often absurd and cruel rites: and this, in turn, leads to the loss of all spiritual freedom and to moral self-destruction.

I.e., He allows them to behave as they do because He wants them to make use of their reason and of the free will with which He has endowed man.

Their shoraka' have induced many mushrikin to kill their own children in order to ruin them and confuse them in their religion. If Allah wanted, they would not have done so. Therefore, leave them alone with their false inventions.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Thus have their (so-called) partners (of Allah) made the killing of their children to seem fair unto many of the idolaters, that they may ruin them and make their faith obscure for them. Had Allah willed (it otherwise), they had not done so. So leave them alone with their devices.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

And they say, "Such-and-such cattle and fruits of the field are sacred; none may eat thereof save those whom we will [to do so]" - so they [falsely] claim;¹²⁵ and [they declare that] it is forbidden to burden the backs of certain kinds of cattle; and there are cattle over which they do not pronounce God's name¹²⁶ - falsely attributing [the origin of these customs] to Him. [But] He will requite them for all their false imagery.

  - Mohammad Asad

The pre-Islamic Arabs falsely claimed that these taboos were ordained by God, as is made clear in the last part of this verse. One of these supposed, arbitrary "ordinances" laid down that only the priests of the particular idol and some men belonging to the tribe could eat the flesh of such dedicated animals, while women were not allowed to do so (Zamakhshari).

I.e., while sacrificing them to their idols (see also 5:103 and the corresponding note). It would seem from this allusion that, as a rule, the pagan Arabs did pronounce the name of God - whom they regarded as the supreme deity - over the animals which they slaughtered; in the abovementioned exceptional cases, however, they refrained from doing so in the belief that God Himself had forbidden it.

These mushrikin say that such and such cattle and crops are reserved, in the name of such and such temple, and no one should eat except those whom we permit - in fact these restrictions they themselves have imposed. Then there are some animals which they have prohibited from riding or carrying loads, and there are still other animals over which they do not pronounce the name of Allah. They have falsely attributed all these things to Him. Soon He will requite them for their invented lies.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And they say: Such cattle and crops are forbidden. No one is to eat of them save whom We will--in their make believe--cattle whose backs are forbidden, cattle over which they mention not the name of Allah. (All that is) a lie against Him. He will repay them for that which they invent.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

And they say, "All that is in the wombs of such-and-such cattle is reserved for our males and forbidden to our women; but if it be stillborn, then both may have their share thereof." [God] will requite them for all that they [falsely] attribute [to Him]: behold, He is wise, all-knowing.

  - Mohammad Asad

They also say: "The offspring of these cattle is specially reserved for our males and forbidden to our females but if it is stillborn then all can share together." Soon He will punish them for their attribution of such superstitions to Allah. Surely He is Wise, Knowledgeable.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And they say: That which is in the bellies of such cattle is reserved for our males and is forbidden to our wives; but if it be born dead, then they (all) may be partakers thereof. He will reward them for their attribution (ordinances unto Him). Lo, He is Wise, Aware.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Lost, indeed, are they who, in their weak-minded ignorance, slay their children and declare as forbidden that which God has provided for them as sustenance, falsely ascribing [such prohibitions] to God: they have gone astray and have not found the right path.

  - Mohammad Asad

Actual losers are those who kill their own children foolishly without knowledge and forbid food which Allah has provided them, falsely ascribing prohibitions to Allah. Certainly they have gone astray and are not at all rightly guided.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

They are losers who besottedly have slain their children without knowledge, and have forbidden that which Allah bestowed upon them, inventing a lie against Allah. They indeed have gone astray and are not guided.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall