Surah An-Nahl (16): Read Online and Download - English Translation

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This page contains all verses of surah An-Nahl in addition to Interpretation of all verses by Maarif-ul-Quran (Mufti Muhammad Shafi). In the first part you can read surah النحل ordered in pages exactly as it is present in the Quran. To read an interpretation of a verse click on its number.

Information About Surah An-Nahl

Surah An-Nahl
سُورَةُ النَّحۡلِ
Page 273 (Verses from 55 to 64)

Page 272
Page 274
لِيَكْفُرُوا۟ بِمَآ ءَاتَيْنَٰهُمْ ۚ فَتَمَتَّعُوا۟ ۖ فَسَوْفَ تَعْلَمُونَ وَيَجْعَلُونَ لِمَا لَا يَعْلَمُونَ نَصِيبًا مِّمَّا رَزَقْنَٰهُمْ ۗ تَٱللَّهِ لَتُسْـَٔلُنَّ عَمَّا كُنتُمْ تَفْتَرُونَ وَيَجْعَلُونَ لِلَّهِ ٱلْبَنَٰتِ سُبْحَٰنَهُۥ ۙ وَلَهُم مَّا يَشْتَهُونَ وَإِذَا بُشِّرَ أَحَدُهُم بِٱلْأُنثَىٰ ظَلَّ وَجْهُهُۥ مُسْوَدًّا وَهُوَ كَظِيمٌ يَتَوَٰرَىٰ مِنَ ٱلْقَوْمِ مِن سُوٓءِ مَا بُشِّرَ بِهِۦٓ ۚ أَيُمْسِكُهُۥ عَلَىٰ هُونٍ أَمْ يَدُسُّهُۥ فِى ٱلتُّرَابِ ۗ أَلَا سَآءَ مَا يَحْكُمُونَ لِلَّذِينَ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ بِٱلْءَاخِرَةِ مَثَلُ ٱلسَّوْءِ ۖ وَلِلَّهِ ٱلْمَثَلُ ٱلْأَعْلَىٰ ۚ وَهُوَ ٱلْعَزِيزُ ٱلْحَكِيمُ وَلَوْ يُؤَاخِذُ ٱللَّهُ ٱلنَّاسَ بِظُلْمِهِم مَّا تَرَكَ عَلَيْهَا مِن دَآبَّةٍ وَلَٰكِن يُؤَخِّرُهُمْ إِلَىٰٓ أَجَلٍ مُّسَمًّى ۖ فَإِذَا جَآءَ أَجَلُهُمْ لَا يَسْتَـْٔخِرُونَ سَاعَةً ۖ وَلَا يَسْتَقْدِمُونَ وَيَجْعَلُونَ لِلَّهِ مَا يَكْرَهُونَ وَتَصِفُ أَلْسِنَتُهُمُ ٱلْكَذِبَ أَنَّ لَهُمُ ٱلْحُسْنَىٰ ۖ لَا جَرَمَ أَنَّ لَهُمُ ٱلنَّارَ وَأَنَّهُم مُّفْرَطُونَ تَٱللَّهِ لَقَدْ أَرْسَلْنَآ إِلَىٰٓ أُمَمٍ مِّن قَبْلِكَ فَزَيَّنَ لَهُمُ ٱلشَّيْطَٰنُ أَعْمَٰلَهُمْ فَهُوَ وَلِيُّهُمُ ٱلْيَوْمَ وَلَهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ وَمَآ أَنزَلْنَا عَلَيْكَ ٱلْكِتَٰبَ إِلَّا لِتُبَيِّنَ لَهُمُ ٱلَّذِى ٱخْتَلَفُوا۟ فِيهِ ۙ وَهُدًى وَرَحْمَةً لِّقَوْمٍ يُؤْمِنُونَ
273

Listen to Surah An-Nahl (Arabic and English translation)

Tafsir of Surah An-Nahl (Maarif-ul-Quran: Mufti Muhammad Shafi)

لِيَكْفُرُوا۟ بِمَآ ءَاتَيْنَٰهُمْ ۚ فَتَمَتَّعُوا۟ ۖ فَسَوْفَ تَعْلَمُونَ

English Translation

So they will deny what We have given them. Then enjoy yourselves, for you are going to know.

English Transliteration

Liyakfuroo bima ataynahum fatamattaAAoo fasawfa taAAlamoona
وَيَجْعَلُونَ لِمَا لَا يَعْلَمُونَ نَصِيبًا مِّمَّا رَزَقْنَٰهُمْ ۗ تَٱللَّهِ لَتُسْـَٔلُنَّ عَمَّا كُنتُمْ تَفْتَرُونَ

English Translation

And they assign to what they do not know a portion of that which We have provided them. By Allah, you will surely be questioned about what you used to invent.

English Transliteration

WayajAAaloona lima la yaAAlamoona naseeban mimma razaqnahum taAllahi latusalunna AAamma kuntum taftaroona
وَيَجْعَلُونَ لِلَّهِ ٱلْبَنَٰتِ سُبْحَٰنَهُۥ ۙ وَلَهُم مَّا يَشْتَهُونَ

English Translation

And they attribute to Allah daughters - exalted is He - and for them is what they desire.

English Transliteration

WayajAAaloona lillahi albanati subhanahu walahum ma yashtahoona
وَإِذَا بُشِّرَ أَحَدُهُم بِٱلْأُنثَىٰ ظَلَّ وَجْهُهُۥ مُسْوَدًّا وَهُوَ كَظِيمٌ

English Translation

And when one of them is informed of [the birth of] a female, his face becomes dark, and he suppresses grief.

English Transliteration

Waitha bushshira ahaduhum bialontha thalla wajhuhu muswaddan wahuwa katheemun

Commentary

In these verses, two peculiar traits of the disbelievers of Arabia have been censured. To begin with, they would take the birth of a baby girl to be so bad that they would go about hiding from people to avoid being disgraced before them. This predicament would then throw them into a fix as to what they should do about it. Should they swallow their pride, em-brace the disgrace of becoming the father of a baby girl and resign to the disaster with patience, or just ditch it alive into the dust and get rid of it? Then, on top of it, they had turned so irrational that the child they did not like to have as their own, that they would be audacious enough to attribute to Allah Almighty by declaring that the angels were His daughters!

يَتَوَٰرَىٰ مِنَ ٱلْقَوْمِ مِن سُوٓءِ مَا بُشِّرَ بِهِۦٓ ۚ أَيُمْسِكُهُۥ عَلَىٰ هُونٍ أَمْ يَدُسُّهُۥ فِى ٱلتُّرَابِ ۗ أَلَا سَآءَ مَا يَحْكُمُونَ

English Translation

He hides himself from the people because of the ill of which he has been informed. Should he keep it in humiliation or bury it in the ground? Unquestionably, evil is what they decide.

English Transliteration

Yatawara mina alqawmi min sooi ma bushshira bihi ayumsikuhu AAala hoonin am yadussuhu fee altturabi ala saa ma yahkumoona

The sense of the sentence: أَلَا سَاءَ مَا يَحْكُمُونَ (Beware evil is what they decide) appearing at the end of the second verse (59) actually incorporates these very two traits, as it has been pointed out in Tafsir Al-Bahr a1-Muhit with reference to Ibn ` Atiyyah. It means: (1) That their decision to take girls to be a punishment and a disgrace is by itself an evil decision; and (2) that the thing they would consider a matter of disgrace for their own selves, they would be too ready to attribute to Allah Ta’ ala.

لِلَّذِينَ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ بِٱلْءَاخِرَةِ مَثَلُ ٱلسَّوْءِ ۖ وَلِلَّهِ ٱلْمَثَلُ ٱلْأَعْلَىٰ ۚ وَهُوَ ٱلْعَزِيزُ ٱلْحَكِيمُ

English Translation

For those who do not believe in the Hereafter is the description of evil; and for Allah is the highest attribute. And He is Exalted in Might, the Wise.

English Transliteration

Lillatheena la yuminoona bialakhirati mathalu alssawi walillahi almathalu alaAAla wahuwa alAAazeezu alhakeemu

Also at the end of the third verse (60), in: وَهُوَ الْعَزِيزُ الْحَكِيمُ (And He is the Mighty, the Wise), there is a hint that taking the birth of a baby girl to be nuisance and disgrace, and hiding from people because of it, amount to challenging Divine wisdom - as the creation of male and female among the created is the very requisite of wisdom. (Ruh a1-Bayan)

Ruling:

Clear indications are visible in these verses that taking the birth of a girl in the family to be a disaster or disgrace is not permissible under Islam. This is done by disbelievers. Quoting Shr'ah (شرعہ ) Tafsir Ruh al-Bayan also says that a Muslim should be happier at the birth of a girl in the family so that it becomes a refutation of the act of the people of Ja-hiliyyah. Says a Hadith: Blessed is the woman who gives birth to a girl in her first pregnancy. That the Arabic word: اِنَاث (inath: females) has been made to precede the word for 'males' in the verse of the Qur’ an: وَيَهَبُ لِمَن يَشَاءُ الذُّكُورَ‌ (He bestows on whomsoever He wills females and bestows on whomsoever He wills males - 42:49) indicates that the birth of a girl from the first pregnancy is better.[

In another Hadith, it is said: Whoever finds any of such girls en-trusted to his care, and he treats them fairly and favourably, then, these girls will stand as a curtain between him and Hell. (Ruh al-Bayan)

To sum up, it can be said that taking the birth of a girl to be bad is a detestable custom of the pagan period. Muslims must abstain from it. In fact, they should be pleased and satisfied with the promise of Allah against it. Allah knows best.

وَلَوْ يُؤَاخِذُ ٱللَّهُ ٱلنَّاسَ بِظُلْمِهِم مَّا تَرَكَ عَلَيْهَا مِن دَآبَّةٍ وَلَٰكِن يُؤَخِّرُهُمْ إِلَىٰٓ أَجَلٍ مُّسَمًّى ۖ فَإِذَا جَآءَ أَجَلُهُمْ لَا يَسْتَـْٔخِرُونَ سَاعَةً ۖ وَلَا يَسْتَقْدِمُونَ

English Translation

And if Allah were to impose blame on the people for their wrongdoing, He would not have left upon the earth any creature, but He defers them for a specified term. And when their term has come, they will not remain behind an hour, nor will they precede [it].

English Transliteration

Walaw yuakhithu Allahu alnnasa bithulmihim ma taraka AAalayha min dabbatin walakin yuakhkhiruhum ila ajalin musamman faitha jaa ajaluhum la yastakhiroona saAAatan wala yastaqdimoona
وَيَجْعَلُونَ لِلَّهِ مَا يَكْرَهُونَ وَتَصِفُ أَلْسِنَتُهُمُ ٱلْكَذِبَ أَنَّ لَهُمُ ٱلْحُسْنَىٰ ۖ لَا جَرَمَ أَنَّ لَهُمُ ٱلنَّارَ وَأَنَّهُم مُّفْرَطُونَ

English Translation

And they attribute to Allah that which they dislike, and their tongues assert the lie that they will have the best [from Him]. Assuredly, they will have the Fire, and they will be [therein] neglected.

English Transliteration

WayajAAaloona lillahi ma yakrahoona watasifu alsinatuhumu alkathiba anna lahumu alhusna la jarama anna lahumu alnnara waannahum mufratoona
تَٱللَّهِ لَقَدْ أَرْسَلْنَآ إِلَىٰٓ أُمَمٍ مِّن قَبْلِكَ فَزَيَّنَ لَهُمُ ٱلشَّيْطَٰنُ أَعْمَٰلَهُمْ فَهُوَ وَلِيُّهُمُ ٱلْيَوْمَ وَلَهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ

English Translation

By Allah, We did certainly send [messengers] to nations before you, but Satan made their deeds attractive to them. And he is the disbelievers\' ally today [as well], and they will have a painful punishment.

English Transliteration

TaAllahi laqad arsalna ila omamin min qablika fazayyana lahumu alshshaytanu aAAmalahum fahuwa waliyyuhumu alyawma walahum AAathabun aleemun
وَمَآ أَنزَلْنَا عَلَيْكَ ٱلْكِتَٰبَ إِلَّا لِتُبَيِّنَ لَهُمُ ٱلَّذِى ٱخْتَلَفُوا۟ فِيهِ ۙ وَهُدًى وَرَحْمَةً لِّقَوْمٍ يُؤْمِنُونَ

English Translation

And We have not revealed to you the Book, [O Muhammad], except for you to make clear to them that wherein they have differed and as guidance and mercy for a people who believe.

English Transliteration

Wama anzalna AAalayka alkitaba illa litubayyina lahumu allathee ikhtalafoo feehi wahudan warahmatan liqawmin yuminoona
273
Abdul Basit Abdul Samad Abdul Basit Abdul Samad Abdullah Al Khalaf Abdullah Al Khalaf Abdullrahman Alsudais Abdullrahman Alsudais Abu Bakr Al Shatri Abu Bakr Al Shatri Ahmed Al-Hawashi Ahmed Al-Hawashi Ahmed Al-Trabelsi Ahmed Al-Trabelsi Ali bin Abdul Rahman Al-Hudhaifi Ali bin Abdul Rahman Al-Hudhaifi Alzain Mohammed Ahmed Alzain Mohammed Ahmed Fares Abbad Fares Abbad Khalid Al Qahtani Khalid Al Qahtani Ibrahim Al-Dossary Ibrahim Al-Dossary Jamal Shaker Abdullah Jamal Shaker Abdullah Mahmoud Ali Al-Banna Mahmoud Ali Al-Banna Muhammad Siddiq Al-Minshawi Muhammad Siddiq Al-Minshawi Mishari Al-afasi Mishari Al-afasi Mahmoud Khalil Al-Hosary Mahmoud Khalil Al-Hosary Ahmed bin Ali Al-Ajmi Ahmed bin Ali Al-Ajmi Muhammad Jibril Muhammad Jibril Naser Al Katamy Naser Al Katamy Saad Al-Ghamdi Saad Al-Ghamdi Salah Bu Khater Salah Bu Khater Saud Al-Shuraim Saud Al-Shuraim Sheikh Idris Abkar Sheikh Idris Abkar Yasser Al Qurashi Yasser Al Qurashi Yasser Al-Dosari Yasser Al-Dosari