Al-An'am 6:103
The Cattle · Juz 7 · Page 141
لَّا تُدۡرِكُهُ ٱلۡأَبۡصَٰرُ وَهُوَ يُدۡرِكُ ٱلۡأَبۡصَٰرَۖ وَهُوَ ٱللَّطِيفُ ٱلۡخَبِيرُ ١٠٣
Vision perceives Him not,1 but He perceives [all] vision; and He is the Subtle,2 the Aware.3
3 translator’s notes
Tafsir · in English
Tazkirul Quran
Brief · Short modern reflections on each passage.
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Commentary on 6:103–104
Man wants to see God in a tangible shape and when God does not manifest Himself in this way, he presumes other tangible things to be gods and thus satisfies his appearance-loving instinct. But this shows a very poor appreciation of God’s Being. After all, how can God, who is so great as to have created this gigantic universe with its highly regulated systems, be so ordinary as to present Himself to a weak human creature in a form that will be visible to his eyes and touchable with his hands? Man must rather discover God through his heart and see Him with the eye of his faith. Only one who is satisfied with observation through insight will discover God. One who insists on His being visible to the naked eye will never truly find God, just like the person who fails to recognise a flower by its fragrance and insists on referring to chemical standards.
Page 141
6:102
ذَٰلِكُمُ ٱللَّهُ رَبُّكُمۡۖ لَآ إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَۖ خَٰلِقُ كُلِّ شَيۡءٖ فَٱعۡبُدُوهُۚ وَهُوَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيۡءٖ وَكِيلٞ ١٠٢
That is Allāh, your Lord; there is no deity except Him, the Creator of all things, so worship Him. And He is Disposer of all things.
6:103
لَّا تُدۡرِكُهُ ٱلۡأَبۡصَٰرُ وَهُوَ يُدۡرِكُ ٱلۡأَبۡصَٰرَۖ وَهُوَ ٱللَّطِيفُ ٱلۡخَبِيرُ ١٠٣
Vision perceives Him not,1 but He perceives [all] vision; and He is the Subtle,2 the Aware.3
3 translator’s notes
6:104
قَدۡ جَآءَكُم بَصَآئِرُ مِن رَّبِّكُمۡۖ فَمَنۡ أَبۡصَرَ فَلِنَفۡسِهِۦۖ وَمَنۡ عَمِيَ فَعَلَيۡهَاۚ وَمَآ أَنَا۠ عَلَيۡكُم بِحَفِيظٖ ١٠٤
There has come to you enlightenment from your Lord. So whoever will see does so for [the benefit of] his soul, and whoever is blind [does harm] against it. And [say], "I am not a guardian over you."1
1 translator’s note
- The Prophet (ﷺ) is directed to disassociate himself from all erroneous belief and practice. ↩
6:105
وَكَذَٰلِكَ نُصَرِّفُ ٱلۡأٓيَٰتِ وَلِيَقُولُواْ دَرَسۡتَ وَلِنُبَيِّنَهُۥ لِقَوۡمٖ يَعۡلَمُونَ ١٠٥
And thus do We diversify the verses so they [i.e., the disbelievers] will say, "You have studied,"1 and so We may make it [i.e., the Qur’ān] clear for a people who know.
1 translator’s note
- Accusing the Prophet (ﷺ) of having learned from the Jews and Christians. ↩
6:106
ٱتَّبِعۡ مَآ أُوحِيَ إِلَيۡكَ مِن رَّبِّكَۖ لَآ إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَۖ وَأَعۡرِضۡ عَنِ ٱلۡمُشۡرِكِينَ ١٠٦
Follow, [O Muḥammad], what has been revealed to you from your Lord - there is no deity except Him - and turn away from those who associate others with Allāh.
6:107
وَلَوۡ شَآءَ ٱللَّهُ مَآ أَشۡرَكُواْۗ وَمَا جَعَلۡنَٰكَ عَلَيۡهِمۡ حَفِيظٗاۖ وَمَآ أَنتَ عَلَيۡهِم بِوَكِيلٖ ١٠٧
But if Allāh had willed, they would not have associated. And We have not appointed you over them as a guardian, nor are you a manager over them.1
1 translator’s note
- The Prophet's duty did not go beyond delivery of the message. ↩
6:108
وَلَا تَسُبُّواْ ٱلَّذِينَ يَدۡعُونَ مِن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ فَيَسُبُّواْ ٱللَّهَ عَدۡوَۢا بِغَيۡرِ عِلۡمٖۗ كَذَٰلِكَ زَيَّنَّا لِكُلِّ أُمَّةٍ عَمَلَهُمۡ ثُمَّ إِلَىٰ رَبِّهِم مَّرۡجِعُهُمۡ فَيُنَبِّئُهُم بِمَا كَانُواْ يَعۡمَلُونَ ١٠٨
And do not insult those they invoke other than Allāh, lest they insult Allāh in enmity without knowledge. Thus We have made pleasing to every community their deeds. Then to their Lord is their return, and He will inform them about what they used to do.
6:109
وَأَقۡسَمُواْ بِٱللَّهِ جَهۡدَ أَيۡمَٰنِهِمۡ لَئِن جَآءَتۡهُمۡ ءَايَةٞ لَّيُؤۡمِنُنَّ بِهَاۚ قُلۡ إِنَّمَا ٱلۡأٓيَٰتُ عِندَ ٱللَّهِۖ وَمَا يُشۡعِرُكُمۡ أَنَّهَآ إِذَا جَآءَتۡ لَا يُؤۡمِنُونَ ١٠٩
And they swear by Allāh their strongest oaths that if a sign came to them, they would surely believe in it. Say, "The signs are only with [i.e., from] Allāh." And what will make you perceive that even if it [i.e., a sign] came, they would not believe.
6:110
وَنُقَلِّبُ أَفۡـِٔدَتَهُمۡ وَأَبۡصَٰرَهُمۡ كَمَا لَمۡ يُؤۡمِنُواْ بِهِۦٓ أَوَّلَ مَرَّةٖ وَنَذَرُهُمۡ فِي طُغۡيَٰنِهِمۡ يَعۡمَهُونَ ١١٠
And We will turn away their hearts and their eyes just as they refused to believe in it [i.e., the revelation] the first time. And We will leave them in their transgression, wandering blindly.