The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 3) — Page 461
PT. 14 AN-NAHL CH. 16 فَأَصَابَهُمْ سَيَّاتُ مَا عَمِلُوْا وَحَاقَ بِهِمُ So the evil result of what. 35 مَّا كَانُوا بِهِ يَسْتَهْزِهُ وَنَ وَقَالَ الَّذِينَ أَشْرَكُوا لَوْ شَاءَ اللهُ مَا they did befell them, and "that which they used to mock at encompassed them. 1836 R. 5. 36. "Those who set up equals to God say: 'If Allah had so & عَبَدْنَا مِنْ دُونِهِ مِنْ شَيْءٍ نَحْنُ وَلَا willed, we should not have worshipped anything beside ابَاؤُنَا وَلَا حَرَّمْنَا مِنْ دُونِهِ مِنْ شَيْءٍ Him, neither we nor our fathers كَذَلِكَ فَعَلَ الَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِهِمْ command nor should we have forbidden anything without from Him. ' So did those who 色 فَهَلْ عَلَى الرُّسُلِ إِلَّا الْبَاغُ الْمُبِينُ were before them. But are the Messengers responsible for anything except the plain delivery of the Message?1837 "6:11; 21:42; 39:49; 45:34. 6:149; 43:21. 5:93,100; 24:55; 29:19; 36:18. to angels" and "the coming of God", when used with reference disbelievers, always denote the coming of Divine punishment. By "the coming of angels" is meant the destruction of individual disbelievers, and by "the coming of God" their national ruin. The expression, the decree of thy Lord should come to pass, refers to the latter kind of punishment. See also 2:211. 1836. Commentary: The words, So the evil result of what they did befell them, point to the great truth that the punishment of an evil deed is no extraneous thing, but is the natural consequence of the deed itself and is also proportionate to it. The expression, and that which they used to mock at encompassed them, means that disbelievers themselves become the object of the charges of which they accuse the Prophets and their followers. 1837. Commentary: In this verse a very common but very foolish objection of disbelievers has been mentioned, viz. if God had disapproved of their beliefs and actions, He should have weaned them by force from their idolatrous doctrines and deeds. Since He has not done so, it shows that He does not disapprove of them. Before proceeding to give a detailed answer in the next verse to this manifestly absurd contention, the Quran gives a general answer in this verse. The verse purports to say that if it had been the will of God to use force, His 1669