6:104 Al-An'aam (The Cattle)

{ قَدْ جَاءَكُمْ بَصَائِرُ مِنْ رَبِّكُمْ فَمَنْ أَبْصَرَ فَلِنَفْسِهِ وَمَنْ عَمِيَ فَعَلَيْهَا وَمَا أَنَا عَلَيْكُمْ بِحَفِيظٍ } لما بين تعالى من الآيات البينات، والأدلة الواضحات، الدالة على الحق في جميع المطالب والمقاصد، نبه العباد عليها، وأخبر أن هدايتهم وضدها لأنفسهم، فقال: { قَدْ جَاءَكُمْ بَصَائِرُ مِنْ رَبِّكُمْ } أي: آيات تبين الحق، وتجعله للقلب بمنزلة الشمس للأبصار، لما اشتملت عليه من فصاحة اللفظ، وبيانه، ووضوحه، ومطابقته للمعاني الجليلة، والحقائق الجميلة، لأنها صادرة من الرب، الذي ربى خلقه، بصنوف نعمه الظاهرة والباطنة، التي من أفضلها وأجلها، تبيين الآيات، وتوضيح المشكلات. { فَمَنْ أَبْصَرَ } بتلك الآيات، مواقع العبرة، وعمل بمقتضاها { فَلِنَفْسِهِ } فإن الله هو الغني الحميد. { وَمَنْ عَمِيَ } بأن بُصِّر فلم يتبصر، وزُجِر فلم ينزجر، وبين له الحق، فما انقاد له ولا تواضع، فإنما عماه مضرته عليه. { وَمَا أَنَا } أي الرسول { عَلَيْكُمْ بِحَفِيظٍ } أحفظ أعمالكم وأرقبها على الدوام إنما عليَّ البلاغ المبين وقد أديته، وبلغت ما أنزل الله إليَّ، فهذه وظيفتي، وما عدا ذلك فلست موظفا فيه

البصائر هي البينات والحجج التي اشتمل عليها القرآن وما جاء به الرسول صلى الله عليه وسلم "فمن أبصر فلنفسه" كقوله "فمن اهتدى فإنما يهتدي لنفسه ومن ضل فإنما يضل عليها" ولهذا قال "ومن عمي فعليها" لما ذكر البصائر قال "ومن عمي فعليها" أي إنما يعود وباله عليه كقوله "فإنها لا تعمى الأبصار ولكن تعمى القلوب التي في الصدور" "وما أنا عليكم بحفيظ" أي بحافظ ولا رقيب بل إنما أنا مبلغ والله يهدي من يشاء ويضل من يشاء.

The Meaning of Basa'ir

Basa'ir are the proofs and evidences in the Qur'an and the Message of Allah's Messenger ﷺ . The Ayah,

فَمَنْ أَبْصَرَ فَلِنَفْسِهِ

(so whosoever sees, will do so for (the good of) himself.) is similar to,

فَمَنُ اهْتَدَى فَإِنَّمَا يَهْتَدِى لِنَفْسِهِ وَمَن ضَلَّ فَإِنَّمَا يَضِلُّ عَلَيْهَا

(So whosoever receives guidance, he does so for the good of himself, and whosoever goes astray, he does so at his own loss.) 10:108 After Allah mentioned the Basa'ir, He said,

وَمَنْ عَمِىَ فَعَلَيْهَا

(And whosoever blinds himself, will do so against himself,) meaning, he will only harm himself. Allah said,

فَإِنَّهَا لاَ تَعْمَى الاٌّبْصَـرُ وَلَـكِن تَعْمَى الْقُلُوبُ الَّتِى فِى الصُّدُورِ

(Verily, it is not the eyes that grow blind, but it is the hearts which are in the breasts that grow blind.) 22:46

وَمَآ أَنَاْ عَلَيْكُمْ بِحَفِيظٍ

(And I (Muhammad) am not a Hafiz over you. ) neither responsible, nor a watcher over you. Rather, I only convey, Allah guides whom He wills and misguides whom He wills. Allah said,

وَكَذلِكَ نُصَرِّفُ الاٌّيَـتِ

(Thus We explain variously the verses...)6:105, meaning, just as We explained the Ayat in this Surah, such as explaining Tawhid and that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah. This is how We explain the Ayat and make them plain and clear in all circumstances, to suffice the ignorance of the ignorant; and so that the idolators and disbelievers who deny you say, `O Muhammad! You have Darasta with those who were before you from among the People of the Book and learned with them'. Ibn `Abbas, Mujahid, Sa`id bin Jubayr and Ad-Dahhak said similarly. At-Tabarani narrated that `Amr bin Kaysan said that he heard Ibn `Abbas saying, "Darasta, means, `recited, argued and debated."' This is similar to Allah's statement about the denial and rebellion of the disbelievers, e

وَقَالَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ إِنْ هَـذَا إِلاَّ إِفْكٌ افْتَرَاهُ وَأَعَانَهُ عَلَيْهِ قَوْمٌ ءَاخَرُونَ فَقَدْ جَآءُوا ظُلْماً وَزُوراً - وَقَالُواْ أَسَـطِيرُ الاٌّوَّلِينَ اكْتَتَبَهَا فَهِىَ تُمْلَى عَلَيْهِ بُكْرَةً وَأَصِيلاً

(Those who disbelieve say, "This (the Qur'an) is nothing but a lie that he has invented, and others have helped him at it, so that they have produced an unjust wrong (thing) and a lie." And they say, "Tales of the ancients, which he has written down, and they are dictated to him morning and afternoon.") 25:4-5 Allah described the chief liar of the disbelievers Al-Walid bin Al-Mughirah Al-Makhzumi,

إِنَّهُ فَكَّرَ وَقَدَّرَ - فَقُتِلَ كَيْفَ قَدَّرَ - ثُمَّ قُتِلَ كَيْفَ قَدَّرَ - ثُمَّ نَظَرَ - ثُمَّ عَبَسَ وَبَسَرَ - ثُمَّ أَدْبَرَ وَاسْتَكْبَرَ - فَقَالَ إِنْ هَـذَآ إِلاَّ سِحْرٌ يُؤْثَرُ - إِنْ هَـذَآ إِلاَّ قَوْلُ الْبَشَرِ

(Verily, he thought and plotted. So let him be cursed! How he plotted! And once more let him be cursed, how he plotted! Then he thought. Then he frowned and he looked in a bad tempered way. Then he turned back and was proud. Then he said, "This is nothing but magic from that of old. This is nothing but the word of a human being!") 74:18-25 Allah said next,

وَلِنُبَيِّنَهُ لِقَوْمٍ يَعْلَمُونَ

(And that We may make the matter clear for the people who have knowledge.) The Ayah means, so that We explain the matter to a people who know truth, and thus follow it, and know falsehood, and thus avoid it. Allah's wisdom is perfect, He allows the disbelievers to stray, and He guides the people who have knowledge. Allah said in other Ayat,

يُضِلُّ بِهِ كَثِيرًا وَيَهْدِي بِهِ كَثِيرًا

(By it He misleads many, and many He guides thereby.) 2:26, and;

لِّيَجْعَلَ مَا يُلْقِى الشَّيْطَـنُ فِتْنَةً لِّلَّذِينَ فِى قُلُوبِهِم مَّرَضٌ وَالْقَاسِيَةِ قُلُوبُهُمْ

(That He (Allah) may make what is thrown in by Shaytan a trial for those in whose hearts is a disease and whose hearts are hardened. ) 22:53 and,

وَإِنَّ اللَّهَ لَهَادِ الَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ إِلَى صِرَطٍ مُّسْتَقِيمٍ

(And verily, Allah is the Guide of those who believe, to the straight path.) 22:54,

وَمَا جَعَلْنَآ أَصْحَـبَ النَّارِ إِلاَّ مَلَـئِكَةً وَمَا جَعَلْنَا عِدَّتَهُمْ إِلاَّ فِتْنَةً لِّلَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ لِيَسْتَيْقِنَ الَّذِينَ أُوتُواْ الْكِتَـبَ وَيَزْدَادَ الَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ إِيمَـناً وَلاَ يَرْتَابَ الَّذِينَ أُوتُواْ الْكِتَـبَ وَالْمُؤْمِنُونَ وَلِيَقُولَ الَّذِينَ فِى قُلُوبِهِم مَّرَضٌ وَالْكَـفِرُونَ مَاذَآ أَرَادَ اللَّهُ بِهَـذَا مَثَلاً كَذَلِكَ يُضِلُّ اللَّهُ مَن يَشَآءُ وَيَهْدِى مَن يَشَآءُ وَمَا يَعْلَمُ جُنُودَ رَبِّكَ إِلاَّ هُوَ

(And We have set none but angels as guardians of the Fire, and We have fixed their number only as a trial for the disbelievers, in order that the People of the Scripture may arrive at a certainty and the believers may increase in faith, and that no doubts may be left for the People of the Scripture and the believers, and that those in whose hearts is a disease (of hypocrisy) and the disbelievers may say, "What does Allah intend by this example" Thus Allah leads astray whom He wills and guides whom He wills. And none can know the hosts of your Lord but He.) 74:31, and;

وَنُنَزِّلُ مِنَ الْقُرْءَانِ مَا هُوَ شِفَآءٌ وَرَحْمَةٌ لِّلْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَلاَ يَزِيدُ الظَّـلِمِينَ إَلاَّ خَسَارًا

(And We send down in the Qur'an that which is a healing and a mercy to the believers, and it increases the wrongdoers in nothing but loss.) 17:82, and,

قُلْ هُوَ لِلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ هُدًى وَشِفَآءٌ وَالَّذِينَ لاَ يُؤْمِنُونَ فِى ءَاذَانِهِمْ وَقْرٌ وَهُوَ عَلَيْهِمْ عَمًى أُوْلَـئِكَ يُنَادَوْنَ مِن مَّكَانٍ بَعِيدٍ

(Say, "It is for those who believe, a guide and a healing. And as for those who disbelieve, there is heaviness in their ears, and it is blindness for them. They are those who are called from a place far away.") 41:44 There are similar Ayat that testify that Allah sent down the Qur'an as guidance to those who fear Him and that He guides or misguides whom He wills by the Qur'an.

Say O Muhammad (s) to them Clear proofs have come to you from your Lord; whoever perceives them and believes then it is for his own good that he has perceived them since the reward resulting from his perception will be his; and whoever is blind to them and goes astray then it the evil consequence of his being astray will be to his own hurt. And I am not a keeper a watcher over you of your deeds I am but a warner.

Commentary

Out of these five verses of Surah Al-An'am, the word: أَبْصَارُ‌` al absar' appearing in the first verse (103), is the plural of بَصَر‌ (basar) which means vision, sight or ability to see, while the word: اِدرَک (idrak) means to reach, grasp, perceive, comprehend or encompass. Sayyidna Ibn ` Abbas ؓ has explained the meaning of ` idrak' at this place as to comprehend or encompass. (Al-Bahr Al-Muhit)

Thus, the sense of the verse comes to be that even the combined ability of seeing given to the entire creation, to Jinns and humans and angels, and to the rest of the life forms, can never see Allah Jalla Sha'nuhu in a way that their vision would encompass His Being. But, as for Him, He watches the vision of His entire creation fully, and His ` seeing' encompasses all of them. Mentioned in this brief verse are two particular attributes of Allah Ta` ala.

1. Allah is Imperceivable: No eye in the whole universe, not even the combined eyesights of everyone, can encompass His Being.

Sayyidna Abu Said al-Khudri رضی اللہ تعالیٰ عنہ reports that the Holy Prophet ﷺ said: If all human beings, Jinn, angels and Shaytan, from the first to the last, were to stand in a row, even their combined sights cannot comprehend His Being. (Mazhari with reference to Ibn Abi Hatim)

Thus, so unique an attribute can belong to none but to the most-exalted Being of Allah. Otherwise, the sight bestowed by Allah on even the most insignificant life form of His creation can see with its mini-eyes much larger bodies and comprehend what they are. The sun and the moon are spheres of great magnitude, our earth being no match to them, yet the human eye, even the eyes of the smallest of animals, would see them in a way that would encompass their presence.

The truth of the matter is that the human eye is one sense organ out of the many given to human beings which enable them to see and react to what is perceptible. But, the Sacred Being of Allah Ta` ala is beyond the all-surrounding, all-comprehending overview of even reason and conjecture. There is no way this knowledge could be acquired by one single sense of sight. The Being and the Attributes of Allah Ta` ala are limitless while human senses, reason and imagination are all limited. It is obvious that the limitless cannot fit into the limited. This is why the philosophers and metaphysicians of the world who spent their lives in intellectual research and the respected Sufis who traversed through this difficult spiritual field through the medium of Illumination (Kashf) and Experiencing of the Presence (Shuhud) all agree upon the proposition that neither has anyone arrived at the total comprehension of the reality of His Being and Attributes, nor is that possible.

The Possibility of Seeing the Creator

The question is: Is it possible for human beings to see Allah Ta` ala, or is it not? On this religious question or مَسٔلَہ mas'alah, the belief of all ` Ulama of Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jama` ah (the majority of Muslims who adhere to the Sunnah of the Holy Prophet ﷺ and his Sahabah ؓ is that it is not possible to see the Being of Allah Ta` ala in the state of life we have in this mortal world. This is the reason why, when Sayyidna Musa (علیہ السلام) prayed: رَبِّ اَرِنِی (My Lord, show (Yourself) to me - 7:143), the answer given was: لَن ترَانِی ( ‘lan tarani" : ` you shall never see Me' - 7:143). It is obvious when this is the answer given to a prophet no less than Sayyidna Musa the Kalimullah (علیہ السلام) ، no Jinn or human being can even dare think about it. However, that believing Muslims will have the honour of seeing Allah Ta` ala in the 'Akhirah stands proved on the authority of sound (Sahib) and strong 'Al.hadith which have been reported in uninterrupted succession (mutawatir). And this is what appears in the Qur'an itself:

وُجُوهٌ يَوْمَئِذٍ نَّاضِرَ‌ةٌ ﴿22﴾ إِلَىٰ رَ‌بِّهَا نَاظِرَ‌ةٌ ﴿23﴾

Faces on that Day shall be glowing, towards their Lord gazing! - 75:22-23

However, the disbelievers and the deniers will not have the honour of seeing Allah Ta` ala even on that Day, as punishment, as in a verse of the Qur'an:

كَلَّا إِنَّهُمْ عَن رَّ‌بِّهِمْ يَوْمَئِذٍ لَّمَحْجُوبُونَ ﴿15﴾

No indeed; surely from (the sighting of) their Lord on that Day, they shall be deprived - 83:15.

The Ziarah (the honour of seeing or visiting) of Allah Ta` ala shall take place in 'Akhirah at several places - and on the Day of Resurrection (Al-Mahshar) as well as after reaching Jannah (Paradise). For the people of Jannah, the Ziarah of Allah Ta` ala shall be the greatest of all blessings.

The Holy Prophet ﷺ said: When the people of Jannah have entered Jannah, Allah Ta` ala will ask them if they need any more blessings besides what they have already received in Jannah; if so, let them ask and they shall be granted those too. They will say: 0 Allah, You granted us deliverance from Jahannam (Hell), and admitted us into the Jannah (Paradise). What else could we ask for? That would be the time when the Veil shall stand removed, everyone shall have the honour to see Allah Ta` ala, and of all the blessings of Jannah, this will be the greatest. This Hadith appears in the Sahih of Muslim as reported by Sayyidna Suhayb ؓ .

As reported in a Hadith from the Sahih of al-Bukhari, the Holy Prophet ﷺ was sitting under moonlight. His noble Sahabah were with him. He looked at the moon, then said: You shall see your Rabb with your own eyes (in the 'Akhirah) in a way you are seeing this moon.

In a Hadith of Tirmidhi and the Musnad of Ahmad, it has been reported from Sayyidna Ibn ` Umar ؓ that people blessed with special ranks of Jannah by Allah Ta` ala will have the good fortune of seeing Him every morning and evening.

In short, no one can see Allah Ta` ala in the mortal world while, in the 'Akhirah, all those in Jannah will see Him. As for the Ziyarah made by the Holy Prophet ﷺ on the night of Mi'raj (the Ascent to the Heavens), that too was, in reality, the Ziarah of Allah Ta` ala as it would be in the Akhirah. According to Shaykh Muhiyuddin ibn al-` Arabi, the world is what lies circumscribed by the skies. Beyond that is the domain of 'Akhirah. A Ziyarah there cannot be called a Ziyarah here in the world.

Now, still unanswered remains the question: When we know from the verse of the Qur'an: لَّا تُدْرِ‌كُهُ الْأَبْصَارُ‌ (no vision can comprehend Him), that is, human beings just cannot see Allah Ta` ala, how would that become possible in the 'Akhirah? The obvious answer is that the verse of the Qur'an does not mean that the Ru'yah, Ziyarah or Seeing of Allah Ta` ala is impossible for human beings. Instead of that, the meaning of the verse is that human vision cannot comprehend or encompass His Being because His Being is unlimited while human vision is limited.

Even the Ziyarah made in the 'Akhirah will be in a manner that vision would still fail to comprehend Him fully; while in the mortal world, human beings and their vision do not have the strength and capacity to bear by ` seeing' even in this manner. Therefore, this ru'yah or seeing is absolutely impossible in the mortal world. But, in the 'Akhirah, given the strength and capability, this ru'yah, ziyarah, or seeing would become possible - but, a full, all-encompassing comprehending of the Most-True Being of Allah Subhanuhu wa Ta` ala would still remain impossible even then.

2. Allah is All-Perceiving: The second attribute of Allah Ta` ala mentioned in this verse is that His vision encompasses the whole universe. Nothing, anywhere, not even the minutest particle, is hidden from Him. This Absolute Knowledge with all-pervading, all-comprehending reach, is also a unique attribute of Allah Ta` ala. Other than Him, no created being has ever achieved such all-inclusive knowledge of everything, nor shall it ever be possible - because this is the domain of Allah, the most-exalted in His majesty.

After that it was said: (and He is All-Fine, All-Aware). Lexically, the word: اللَّطِيفُ (al-Latif) has two meanings: (a) kind, (b) fine or subtle in contrast with thick or course, that is, what cannot be perceived through the senses.

As for the word: الْخَبِيرُ‌ (al-Khabir), it means All-Aware. Thus, the sentence comes to mean that Allah Ta` ala is All-Fine (Al-Latif), there-fore, He cannot be comprehended through the senses - and He is All-Aware (Al-Khabir), therefore, nothing in the entire universe is beyond His knowledge and awareness. If Al-Latif is taken to mean kind at this place, it will be suggesting that though Allah Ta` ala is All-Aware of everything we say or do, even what we intend, think or feel - which would have required that we should have been caught for every sin - but, He is kind and gracious too, therefore, He does not call us to account for every sin.

The word: بَصَائِرُ‌ (basa'ir (appearing in the second verse (104) is the plural of بَصیرہ basirah which means reason, intelligence or insight, that is, the power through which one can acquire the knowledge of things which do not fall within the range of perception through the senses. ` Basa'ir', in this verse, means the evidences and sources through which one can get to know truth and reality. The meaning of the verse is: The sources and means of seeing the truth have reached you from Allah, that is, the Qur'an has come, the Holy Prophet ﷺ has come, manifest have been his miracles, and observed openly were his morals and dealings and teachings. All these are means of seeing the truth.

So, whoever has used these means has become the one blessed with true insight with his benefits secured, while the one who elected to remain blind to the truth by ignoring these means ends up losing what was good.

Towards the end of the verse, it was said: ` I do not stand guard over you.' It means that the Holy Prophet ﷺ has not been given the responsibility of forcing people to stop doing what was improper, as usually done by one appointed to oversee and guard (or self-appointed as vigilantes in our day). Instead, the functional responsibility of a messenger of Allah is only to convey commands, and explain. After that, following or not following the message conveyed becomes a matter of personal discretion and responsibility of the addressees.