16:1 An-Nahl (The Bee)

تفسير الآيتين 1و 2:ـ يقول تعالى -مقربا لما وعد به محققا لوقوعه- { أَتَى أَمْرُ اللَّهِ فَلَا تَسْتَعْجِلُوهُ } فإنه آت، وما هو آت، فإنه قريب، { سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى عَمَّا يُشْرِكُونَ } من نسبة الشريك والولد والصاحبة والكفء وغير ذلك مما نسبه إليه المشركون مما لا يليق بجلاله، أو ينافي كماله، ولما نزه نفسه عما وصفه به أعداؤه ذكر الوحي الذي ينزله على أنبيائه، مما يجب اتباعه في ذكر ما ينسب لله، من صفات الكمال فقال: { يُنَزِّلُ الْمَلَائِكَةَ بِالرُّوحِ مِنْ أَمْرِهِ } أي: بالوحي الذي به حياة الأرواح { عَلَى مَنْ يَشَاءُ مِنْ عِبَادِهِ } ممن يعلمه صالحا، لتحمل رسالته.وزبدة دعوة الرسل كلهم ومدارها على قوله: { أَنْ أَنْذِرُوا أَنَّهُ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا أَنَا فاتقون } أي: على معرفة الله تعالى وتوحده في صفات العظمة التي هي صفات الألوهية وعبادته وحده لا شريك له فهي التي أنزل الله بها كتبه وأرسل رسله، وجعل الشرائع كلها تدعو إليها، وتحث وتجاهد من حاربها وقام بضدها

يخبر تعالى عن اقتراب الساعة ودنوها معبرا بصيغة الماضي الدال على التحقيق والوقوع لا محالة كقوله "اقترب للناس حسابهم وهم في غفلة معرضون" وقال "اقتربت الساعة وانشق القمر" وقوله "فلا تستعجلوه" أي قرب ما تباعد "فلا تستعجلوه" يحتمل أن يعود الضمير على الله ويحتمل أن يعود على العذاب وكلاهما متلازم كما قال تعالى "ويستعجلونك بالعذاب ولولا أجل مسمى لجاءهم العذاب وليأتينهم بغتة وهم لا يشعرون يستعجلونك بالعذاب وإن جهنم لمحيطة بالكافرين "وقد ذهب الضحاك في تفسير هذه الآية إلى قول عجيب فقال في قوله "أتى أمر الله" أي فرائضه وحدوده وقد رده ابن جرير فقال: لا نعلم أحدا استعجل بالفرائض وبالشرائع قبل وجودها بخلاف العذاب فإنهم استعجلوه قبل كونه استبعادا وتكذيبا قلت كما قال تعالى "يستعجل بها الذين لا يؤمنون بها والذين آمنوا مشفقون منها ويعلمون أنها الحق ألا إن الذين يمارون في الساعة لفي ضلال بعيد". وقال ابن أبي حاتم: ذكر عن يحيى بن آدم عن أبي بكر بن عياش عن محمد بن عبدالله مولى المغيرة بن شعبة عن كعب بن علقمة عن عبدالرحمن بن حجيرة عن عقبة بن عامر قال: قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم "تطلع عليكم عند الساعة سحابة سوداء من المغرب مثل الترس فما تزال ترتفع في السماء ثم ينادي مناد فيها: أيها الناس فيقبل الناس بعضهم على بعض هل سمعتم؟ فمنهم من يقول نعم ومنهم من يشك ثم ينادي الثانية يا أيها الناس فيقول الناس بعضهم لبعض: هل سمعتم؟ فيقولون نعم ثم ينادي الثالثة أيها الناس أتى أمر الله فلا تستعجلوه" قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم فوالذي نفسي بيده إن الرجلين لينشران الثوب فما يطويانه أبدا وإن الرجل ليمدن حوضه فما يسقي فيه شيئا أبدا وإن الرجل ليحلب ناقته فما يشربه أبدا - قال- ويشتغل الناس" ثم إنه تعالى نزه نفسه عن شركهم به غيره وعبادتهم معه ما سواه من الأوثان والأنداد تعالى وتقدس علوا كبيرا وهؤلاء هم المكذبون بالساعة فقال "سبحانه وتعالى عما يشركون".

Which was revealed in Makkah

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَـنِ الرَّحِيمِ

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

Warning about the approach of the Hour

Allah is informing about the approach of the Hour in the past tense in Arabic in order to confirm that it will undoubtedly come to pass. This is like the following Ayat, in which the verbs appear in the past tense in Arabic:

اقْتَرَبَ لِلنَّاسِ حِسَـبُهُمْ وَهُمْ فِى غَفْلَةٍ مُّعْرِضُونَ

(Mankind's reckoning has drawn near them, while they turn away in heedlessness.)21:1

اقْتَرَبَتِ السَّاعَةُ وَانشَقَّ الْقَمَرُ

(The Hour has drawn near, and the moon has been cleft.) 54:1

فَلاَ تَسْتَعْجِلُوهُ

(so do not seek to hasten it.) means, what was far is now near, so do not try to rush it. As Allah said,

وَيَسْتَعْجِلُونَكَ بِالْعَذَابِ وَلَوْلاَ أَجَلٌ مُّسَمًّى لَّجَآءَهُمُ الْعَذَابُ وَلَيَأْتِيَنَّهُمْ بَغْتَةً وَهُمْ لاَ يَشْعُرُونَ - يَسْتَعْجِلُونَكَ بِالْعَذَابِ وَإِنَّ جَهَنَّمَ لَمُحِيطَةٌ بِالْكَـفِرِينَ

(And they ask you to hasten the torment (for them), and had it not been for a term appointed, the torment would certainly have come to them. And surely, it will come upon them suddenly while they are unaware! They ask you to hasten on the torment. And verily! Hell, of a surety, will encompass the disbelievers) (29:53-54). Ibn Abi Hatim reported from `Uqbah bin `Amir that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

«تَطْلُعُ عَلَيْكُمْ عِنْدَ السَّاعَةِ سَحَابَةٌ سَوْدَاءُ مِنَ الْمَغْرِبِ مِثْلَ التُّرْسِ، فَمَا تَزَالُ تَرْتَفِعُ فِي السَّمَاءِ ثُمَّ يُنَادِي مُنَادٍ فِيهَا: يَا أَيُّهَاالنَّاسُ فَيُقْبِلُ النَّاسُ بَعْضُهُمْ عَلَى بَعْضٍ: هَلْ سَمِعْتُمْ، فَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ يَقُولُ: نَعَمْ، وَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ يَشُكُّ، ثُمَّ يُنَادِي الثَّانِيَةَ: يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ فَيَقُولُ النَّاسُ بَعْضُهُمْ لِبَعْضٍ: هَلْ سَمِعْتُمْ، فَيَقُولُونَ: نَعَمْ، ثُمَّ يُنَادِي الثَّالِثَةَ: يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ أَتَى أَمْرُ اللهِ فَلَا تَسْتَعْجِلُوه»

(When the Hour approaches, a black cloud resembling a shield will emerge upon from the west. It will continue rising in the sky, then a voice will call out, `O mankind!' The people will say to one another, `Did you hear that' Some will say, `yes', but others will doubt it. Then a second call will come, `O mankind!' The people will say to one another, `Did you hear that' And they will say, `Yes.' Then a third call will come, `O mankind!' The Event ordained by Allah has indeed come, so do not seek to hasten it.') The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

«فَوَ الَّذِي نَفْسِي بِيَدِهِ، إِنَّ الرَّجُلَيْنِ لَيَنْشُرَانِ الثَّوبَ فَمَا يَطْوِيَانِهِ أَبَدًا، وَإِنَّ الرَّجُلَ لَيَمُدَّنَّ حَوْضَهُ فَمَا يَسْقِي فِيهِ شَيْئًا أَبَدًا، وَإِنَّ الرَّجُلَ لَيَحْلُبُ نَاقَتَهُ فَمَا يَشْرِبُهُ أَبَدًا قَالَ وَيَشْتَغِلُ النَّاس»

(By the One in Whose Hand is my soul, two men will spread out a cloth, but will never refold it; a man will prepare his trough, but will never water his animals from it; and a man will milk his camel, but will never drink the milk." Then he said, "The people will be distracted.") Then Allah tells us that He is free from their allegations of partners to their worship of idols, and making equals for Him. Glorified and exalted be He far above that. These are the people who deny the Hour, so He says:

سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى عَمَّا يُشْرِكُونَ

(Glorified and Exalted be He above all that they associate as partners with Him. )

When the idolaters found chastisement slow in coming the following was revealed God’s commandment has come that is the Hour has come this verb atā is in the past tense because it means that the event therein described will come to pass in other words it God’s commandment is close at hand so do not seek to hasten it do not demand it before its due time for it will come to pass without doubt. Glory be to Him — an affirmation of His transcendence — and exalted be He above what they associate with Him in the way of others.

The Name of the Surah

This Surah has been called Al-Nahl, that is, the honey bee because it mentions it as a unique Divine marvel. Another name for this Surah is Surah Al-Ni` am. (Qurtubi) The word Ni'am is the plural of Ni'mah (blessing) because the great blessings of Allah Ta’ ala have been particularly mentioned in this Surah.

Commentary

The Surah begins without any particular introduction with a direct, stern and awesome note of warning. The reason behind it was the saying of the polytheists that Muhammad (al-Mustafa ﷺ) keeps warning them of the day of Qiyamah and the punishment of Allah and telling them that Allah Ta’ ala has promised victory for him and punishment for his opponents. All this, they challenged, they do not see coming upon them. In reply, it was said: أَتَىٰ أَمْرُ‌ اللَّـهِ فَلَا تَسْتَعْجِلُوهُ (The command of Allah is bound to come. So, do not ask for it to come sooner - 1).

Here, the expression: أَمْرُ‌ اللَّـهِ (amrullah : the command of Allah) means the promise Allah has made to His Rasul - that his enemies will be made to surrender, and that Muslims will be blessed with victory and honour. In this verse, it is in a distinctly awesome tone that Allah Ta’ ala has said: أَتَىٰ أَمْرُ‌ اللَّـهِ (ata amrullah: translated here as 'the command of Allah is bound to come' ). Literally (the nuance of the original expression remaining untranslatable), the sense is that issued is the command of Allah, that is, it is bound to come which you will soon see.

Some commentators say that 'the command of Allah' here means the day of Qiyamah. The sense of its being 'bound to come' is that it is going to come soon. And if we were to look at it in the frame of the life of the entire world itself, its being close, or its actual coming does not remain much distant. (Al-Bahr Al-Muhit)

As for the second sentence in the first verse where it is said that Allah Ta’ ala is free of Shirk (the ascribing of partners to Him), it means that the act of these people who are belying the promise of Allah Ta’ ala is itself an act of Kufr (infidelity) and Shirk. Allah Ta’ ala is absolutely free from it. (Al-Bahr Al-Muhit)

The essential message of the first verse is to call people to believe in the Oneness of Allah (Tauhid) through a stern warning. The second verse carries an affirmation of Tauhid through a reported proof, the substance of which is that every Rasul or messenger of Allah, from Sayyidna Adam (علیہ السلام) to the Last of the Prophets ﷺ ، who has come in different parts of the world at different times, has but preached this belief in the Oneness of Allah - though, none of them knew anything about the life and work of each other because of obvious causes. Just imagine if at least one hundred and twenty thousand blessed wise men who are born in different ages, countries and regions, and believe in and adhere to one single principle, then, one is naturally compelled to accept that their saying so cannot be false. In order to have faith, this single proof is sufficient.

The word: رُوح (ruh: spirit) as used in this verse, according to Sayyidna ibn ` Abbas ؓ ، means Wahy (revelation); and according to some commentators, it means Hidayah (guidance). (Al-Bahr Al-Muhit) After having presented the reported proof of Tauhid in the second verse, the same belief has been proved rationally by turning the focus on the blessings of Allah Ta` ala as it follows next in verses 3-8.

The command of God is coming, so do not seek to hurry it. God's command is many-colored, and obeying Him is many-hued. The servant's outwardness was commanded one thing, his inwardness something else. The outwardness was commanded to stay with tightened belt on the threshold of worship in the way station of service. The inwardness was commanded to stay quiet on the carpet of recognition with the quality of veneration. The heart was commanded to be constant in watchfulness. The secret core was commanded to seek limpidness in the station of recognition. And the spirit was commanded to cling to the Presence in contempla- tion itself. So do not seek to hurry it. Do not hurry to find what is desired and do not go beyond the measure of the command, for everyone truthful will one day reach what he desires, and everyone obedient to the Real has the promise of vision.