The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 3) — Page 462
CH. 16 AN-NAHL PT. 14 وَلَقَدْ بَعَثْنَا فِي كُلِّ أُمَّةٍ رَّسُولًا أَنِ اعْبُدُوا And We did raise among. 37 every people a Messenger, shun the Evil One. ' Then الله وَاجْتَنِبُوا الطَّاغُوتَ ۚ فَمِنْهُمْ مِّنْ preaching: Worship Allah and هَدَى اللهُ وَمِنْهُمْ مَّنْ حَقَّتْ عَلَيْهِ among them were some whom الصَّللَةُ فَسِيرُوا فِي الْأَرْضِ فَانْظُرُوا became كَيْفَ كَانَ عَاقِبَةُ الْمُكَذِّبِينَ Allah guided and among them were some who deserving of ruin. "So travel through the earth, and see what was the end of those who treated the Prophets as liars! 1838 "10:48; 13:8; 35:25. b7:31. 3:138; 6:12. Prophets would have forced disbelievers to give up their idolatrous beliefs and evil practices. But not a single instance is on record of a Prophet having employed force for the propagation of his religion and for compelling people to believe in him. 1838. Commentary: This verse supplies several answers to the objection of disbelievers mentioned in the previous verse. The first answer is that God had raised Prophets among different peoples at different times and every one of these Prophets had taught the Unity of God. If the contention of disbelievers that polytheism was permitted and countenanced by God had any basis in fact then one or other of these Prophets should have subscribed to this doctrine. But all the Prophets most vehemently denounced polytheism in every shape and form. The second answer is implied in the words, We did raise among every people a Messenger, which mean that if God had chosen to employ force in the matter of faith, then there was no need for so many Prophets to come to convey to man the will of God. One Prophet would have sufficed through whom God would have guided to the right path those whom He desired. The long succession of Prophets who appeared among different peoples at different times to exhort them to live righteous lives constitutes a strong proof that man is created a free agent. 1670 The third answer is contained in the injunction "shun the Evil One". If it were true that good and evil had been predetermined by God and man is only the victim of determinism, there is no sense in such an injunction, and in sending so many Prophets, for in that case every man's course would have been predetermined. The fourth answer consists in the fact that at the appearance of every Prophet a certain number of people who before his advent are polytheists renounce their wrong doctrines and become believers in the Unity of God. In the