Tafsir of Surah An-Nahl - Verse 76

Another Example

Mujahid said, "This also refers to idols and the True God, may He be exalted." Meaning that the idol is dumb and cannot speak or say anything, good or otherwise. It cannot do anything at all, no words, no action, it is dependent and is a burden on its master.

أَيْنَمَا يُوَجِّههُّ

(whichever way he directs him,) meaning, wherever he sends him

لاَ يَأْتِ بِخَيْرٍ

(he brings no good.) meaning, he does not succeed in what he wants.

هَلْ يَسْتَوِى

(Is such a man equal) meaning, a man who has these attributes

وَمَن يَأْمُرُ بِالْعَدْلِ

(to one who commands justice) meaning fairness, one whose words are true and whose deeds are righteous.

وَهُوَ عَلَى صِرَطٍ مُّسْتَقِيمٍ

(and is himself on the straight path) Al-`Awfi reported that Ibn `Abbas said: "This is also an example of the disbeliever and the believer", as in the previous Ayah.

In the second example, there is a man who bids justice and teaches what is good. This is a model of his intellectual perfection. Then he him-self takes the path of moderation and right guidance. This is the model of his practical perfection. Set against the power of this intellectually and practically perfect man, there is the other man who cannot do anything for himself nor can he do anything right for others. These two men of two different kinds, despite being from one genus, one species and one brotherhood, cannot be equal to each other. So, how can some created being or thing become equal to the Creator and Master of the universe who is Absolute in Wisdom, Absolute in Power, and All-Knowing and All-Aware?

In the foregoing verse, No. 75 , it was shown that the concept of partners in relation to God was baseless. Now in this verse No. 76 , it is clarified that also in relation to the Prophet, those beings on the strength of whom a man ignores the guidance of the Prophet, are also without any basis in reality. God, by giving His special attention to a prophet, guides him towards a path which is the highway of Truth and which directly leads towards Himself. The Prophet and his companions not only tread this highway themselves but also guide others towards it. Unlike them, there are others who beckon people towards ways other than the ways of the Prophet. They are like blind and deaf people. They do not have ears to hear the voice of God. They do not have eyes to catch glimpses of God’s glories. They do not have the heart and mind to discover the signs of God spread throughout the universe. Man was granted the ability to hear, observe and realize by means of the heart and mind, so that he should see the Glory of God, the Creator, through the medium of created things. But man has utilized these capacities in such a way that he has become obsessed with the creatures themselves.