Study the Quran

Tafsir

Scholarly commentary explaining a verse — its context, its meaning and how the scholars have understood it.

An-Nahl 16:40

Word by word

إِنَّمَا قَوْلُنَا لِشَىْءٍ إِذَآ أَرَدْنَـٰهُ أَن نَّقُولَ لَهُۥ كُن فَيَكُونُ

Indeed, Our word to a thing when We intend it is but that We say to it, "Be," and it is.

Ibn Kathir (Abridged) English Ma'arif al-Qur'an English Tafsir Muyassar Arabic Tafsir Ibn Kathir Arabic All sources

Ibn Kathir (Abridged)

Hafiz Ibn Kathir

The Resurrection after Death is true, there is Wisdom behind it, and it is easy for Allah

Allah tells us that the idolators swore by Allah their strongest oaths, meaning that they made oaths swore fervently that Allah would not resurrect the one who died. They considered that to be improbable, and did not believe the Messengers when they told them about that, swearing that it could not happen. Allah said, refuting them: بَلَى(Yes), meaning it will indeed happen, وَعْدًا عَلَيْهِ حَقًّا(a promise (binding) upon Him in truth,) - meaning it is inevitable, وَلَـكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ النَّاسِ لاَ يَعْلَمُونَ(but most of mankind know not.) means, because of their ignorance they oppose the Messengers and fall into disbelief. Then Allah mentions His wisdom and the reason why He will resurrect mankind physically on the Day of Calling (between the people of Fire and of Paradise). He says, لِيُبَيِّنَ لَهُمُ(In order that He may make clear to them) means, to mankind, الَّذِى يَخْتَلِفُونَ فِيهِ(what they differed over,) means, every dispute.

لِيَجْزِىَ الَّذِينَ أَسَاءُواْ بِمَا عَمِلُواْ وَيِجْزِى الَّذِينَ أَحْسَنُواْ بِالْحُسْنَى(that He may requite those who do evil with that which they have done (i. e. punish them in Hell), and reward those who do good, with what is best (i.e. Paradise).) (53:31) وَلِيَعْلَمَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ أَنَّهُمْ كَانُواْ كَـذِبِينَ(and so that those who disbelieved may know that they were liars.) meaning that they lied in their oaths and their swearing that Allah would not resurrect those who die. Thus they will be pushed down by force to the Fire with horrible force on the Day of Resurrection, and the guards of Hell will say to them: هَـذِهِ النَّارُ الَّتِى كُنتُم بِهَا تُكَذِّبُونَ - أَفَسِحْرٌ هَـذَا أَمْ أَنتُمْ لاَ تُبْصِرُونَ - اصْلَوْهَا فَاصْبِرُواْ أَوْ لاَ تَصْبِرُواْ سَوَآءٌ عَلَيْكُمْ إِنَّمَا تُجْزَوْنَ مَا كُنتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ (This is the Fire which you used to belie. Is this magic or do you not see Taste its heat, and whether you are tolerant of it or intolerant of it - it is all the same. You are only being requited for what you have done.) (52:14-16).

Then Allah tells us about His ability to do whatever He wills, and that nothing is impossible for Him on earth or in heaven. When He wants a thing, all He has to do is say to it "Be!" and it is. The Resurrection is one such thing, when He wants it to happen, all He will have to do is issue the command once, and it will happen as He wills, as He says: وَمَآ أَمْرُنَآ إِلاَّ وَحِدَةٌ كَلَمْحٍ بِالْبَصَرِ (And Our commandment is but one as the twinkling of an eye) (54:50) and, مَّا خَلْقُكُمْ وَلاَ بَعْثُكُمْ إِلاَّ كَنَفْسٍ وَحِدَةٍ(The creation of you all and the resurrection of you all are only as (the creation and resurrection of) a single person. ) 31:28 And in this Ayah, Allah says: إِنَّمَا قَوْلُنَا لِشَىْءٍ إِذَآ أَرَدْنَاهُ أَن نَّقُولَ لَهُ كُنْ فَيَكُونُ (Verily, Our Word to a thing when We intend it, is only that We say to it: "Be!" - and it is.) meaning, We issue the command once, and then it happens. Allah does not need to repeat or confirm whatever He commands, because there is nothing that can stop Him or oppose Him.

He is the One, the Compelling, the Almighty, whose power, might and dominion have subjected all things. None has the right to be worshipped except Him, and there is no Lord other than Him.

Ma'arif al-Qur'an

Mufti Muhammad Shafi

Has a Rasul of Allah appeared in India and Pakistan too?

From verse 36 in the present Surah: وَلَقَدْ بَعَثْنَا فِي كُلِّ أُمَّةٍ رَّ‌سُولًا (And We did raise a messenger among every people), as well as from verse 24 of Surah Fatir: وَإِن مِّنْ أُمَّةٍ إِلَّا خَلَا فِيهَا نَذِيرٌ‌ (And there is no group of people among whom there has not been a warner - 35:24), it outwardly appears that messen-gers may have also been sent to areas now known as India and Pakistan - whether residents of the area, or located in another country whose deputies or emissaries had reached there. Then, there is the verse of Surah Al-Qasas: لِتُنذِرَ‌ قَوْمًا مَّا أَتَاهُم مِّن نَّذِيرٍ‌ (so that you may warn a people unto whom came no warner - 28:46). The sense released by the verse is that no warner had come before him to the people unto whom the Holy Prophet ﷺ was sent. This can be answered by saying that this obviously refers to the people of Arabia who became the first addressees of the prophetic mission of Sayyidna Muhammad al-Mustafa ﷺ - the fact being that no prophet since Sayyidna Ismail (علیہ السلام) had appeared among them.

Therefore, the title given to these people in the Holy Qur'an was "Ummiyyin" (the unlettered ones). This does not necessarily imply that no prophet came before him in the rest of the world as well. Allah knows best.

Tafsir Muyassar

Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Saudi Arabia

إنَّ أمر البعث يسير علينا، فإنَّا إذا أردنا شيئًا فإنما نقول له: «كن» ، فإذا هو كائن موجود.

Tafsir Ibn Kathir

Hafiz Ibn Kathir

ثم أخبر تعالى عن قدرته على ما يشاء ، وأنه لا يعجزه شيء في الأرض ولا في السماء ، وإنما أمره إذا أراد شيئا أن يقول له : " كن " فيكون ، والمعاد من ذلك إذا أراد كونه فإنما يأمر به مرة واحدة ، فيكون كما يشاء ، كما قال ( وما أمرنا إلا واحدة كلمح بالبصر ) [ القمر : 50 ] وقال : ( ما خلقكم ولا بعثكم إلا كنفس واحدة ) [ لقمان : 28 ]وقال في هذه الآية الكريمة : ( إنما قولنا لشيء إذا أردناه أن نقول له كن فيكون ) [ النحل : 40 ] أي : أن يأمر به دفعة واحدة فإذا هو كائن ، كما قال الشاعر :إذا ما أراد الله أمرا فإنما يقول له : " كن " قولة فيكونأي : أنه تعالى لا يحتاج إلى تأكيد فيما يأمر به ، فإنه تعالى لا يمانع ولا يخالف ؛ لأنه [ هو ] الواحد القهار العظيم ، الذي قهر سلطانه وجبروته وعزته كل شيء ، فلا إله إلا هو ولا رب سواه .وقال ابن أبي حاتم : ذكر الحسن بن محمد بن الصباح ، حدثنا حجاج ، عن ابن جريج ، أخبرني عطاء : أنه سمع أبا هريرة يقول : قال الله تعالى : سبني ابن آدم ولم يكن ينبغي له أن يسبني ، وكذبني ولم يكن ينبغي له أن يكذبني ، فأما تكذيبه إياي فقال : ( وأقسموا بالله جهد أيمانهم لا يبعث الله من يموت ) قال : وقلت : ( بلى وعدا عليه حقا ولكن أكثر الناس لا يعلمون ) وأما سبه إياي فقال : ( إن الله ثالث ثلاثة ) [ المائدة : 73 ] وقلت : ( قل هو الله أحد الله الصمد لم يلد ولم يولد ولم يكن له كفوا أحد ) [ سورة الإخلاص ] .هكذا ذكره موقوفا ، وهو في الصحيحين مرفوعا ، بلفظ آخر .

Tafsir is provided for educational reference. Paragraph breaks are added for readability — the wording of each commentary is unchanged. For religious guidance, consult a qualified scholar.