Al-An'am 6:60
The Cattle · Juz 7 · Page 135
وَهُوَ ٱلَّذِي يَتَوَفَّىٰكُم بِٱلَّيۡلِ وَيَعۡلَمُ مَا جَرَحۡتُم بِٱلنَّهَارِ ثُمَّ يَبۡعَثُكُمۡ فِيهِ لِيُقۡضَىٰٓ أَجَلٞ مُّسَمّٗىۖ ثُمَّ إِلَيۡهِ مَرۡجِعُكُمۡ ثُمَّ يُنَبِّئُكُم بِمَا كُنتُمۡ تَعۡمَلُونَ ٦٠
And it is He who takes your souls by night1 and knows what you have committed by day. Then He revives you therein [i.e., by day] that a specified term2 may be fulfilled. Then to Him will be your return; then He will inform you about what you used to do.
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Ma'arif al-Qur'an
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Commentary on 6:60
No doubt, Allah Ta’ ala had blessed His Messengers (علیہم السلام) specially the Last among them ﷺ with the knowledge of many things from the Unseen, more than the knowledge of all angels and prophets, but it is obvious that the knowledge of anyone cannot be equal to that of Allah, nor it can ever be. Otherwise, this will become the kind of excess the Christians committed in their reverence for the prophet when they started equating the prophet with God. This is Shirk. May Allah keep all of us protected from it.
Covered this far was the subject of the first verse as explained above. The second verse (60) describes Allah's attribute of power which is also exclusive to Him. It is said:
وَهُوَ الَّذِي يَتَوَفَّاكُم بِاللَّيْلِ وَيَعْلَمُ مَا جَرَحْتُم بِالنَّهَارِ ثُمَّ يَبْعَثُكُمْ فِيهِ لِيُقْضَىٰ أَجَلٌ مُّسَمًّى
And He is the One who takes you away by night and knows what you do by day, then He makes you rise therein, so that a fixed term may be fulfilled.
Hence, at work here is nothing but the most perfect power of Allah Ta` ala which has opened a window to what happens to human beings in life, in death and in rising again. Everyone sees it every day. According to Hadith, sleep is similar to death in that it does suspend the human body as it would be in death.
By giving an example of sleeping then waking up in this verse, Allah Ta` ala has alerted human beings that the way everyone, every night and every morning, witnesses the spectacle of personally rising up from simulated death (sleep), so it should not be difficult to visualise the certainty of collective death, and then, collective rising after it, which is called Qiyamah or the Last Day. The argument is: The Supreme Being who can make this happen, could make that happen too. With His most perfect Power, this is as it shall be. Therefore, towards the end of the verse it was said:
ثُمَّ إِلَيْهِ مَرْجِعُكُمْ ثُمَّ يُنَبِّئُكُم بِمَا كُنتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ
(Thereafter, to Him you are to return; then He will tell you what you have been doing) meaning thereby that there will be the reckoning of deeds, then, will come their rewards and punishments.
Page 135
6:60
وَهُوَ ٱلَّذِي يَتَوَفَّىٰكُم بِٱلَّيۡلِ وَيَعۡلَمُ مَا جَرَحۡتُم بِٱلنَّهَارِ ثُمَّ يَبۡعَثُكُمۡ فِيهِ لِيُقۡضَىٰٓ أَجَلٞ مُّسَمّٗىۖ ثُمَّ إِلَيۡهِ مَرۡجِعُكُمۡ ثُمَّ يُنَبِّئُكُم بِمَا كُنتُمۡ تَعۡمَلُونَ ٦٠
And it is He who takes your souls by night1 and knows what you have committed by day. Then He revives you therein [i.e., by day] that a specified term2 may be fulfilled. Then to Him will be your return; then He will inform you about what you used to do.
6:61
وَهُوَ ٱلۡقَاهِرُ فَوۡقَ عِبَادِهِۦۖ وَيُرۡسِلُ عَلَيۡكُمۡ حَفَظَةً حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَا جَآءَ أَحَدَكُمُ ٱلۡمَوۡتُ تَوَفَّتۡهُ رُسُلُنَا وَهُمۡ لَا يُفَرِّطُونَ ٦١
And He is the subjugator over His servants, and He sends over you guardian-angels until, when death comes to one of you, Our messengers [i.e., angels of death] take him, and they do not fail [in their duties].
6:62
ثُمَّ رُدُّوٓاْ إِلَى ٱللَّهِ مَوۡلَىٰهُمُ ٱلۡحَقِّۚ أَلَا لَهُ ٱلۡحُكۡمُ وَهُوَ أَسۡرَعُ ٱلۡحَٰسِبِينَ ٦٢
Then they [i.e., His servants] are returned to Allāh, their true Lord. Unquestionably, His is the judgement, and He is the swiftest of accountants.
6:63
قُلۡ مَن يُنَجِّيكُم مِّن ظُلُمَٰتِ ٱلۡبَرِّ وَٱلۡبَحۡرِ تَدۡعُونَهُۥ تَضَرُّعٗا وَخُفۡيَةٗ لَّئِنۡ أَنجَىٰنَا مِنۡ هَٰذِهِۦ لَنَكُونَنَّ مِنَ ٱلشَّٰكِرِينَ ٦٣
Say, "Who rescues you from the darknesses of the land and sea [when] you call upon Him imploring [aloud] and privately, 'If He should save us from this [crisis], we will surely be among the thankful.'"
6:64
قُلِ ٱللَّهُ يُنَجِّيكُم مِّنۡهَا وَمِن كُلِّ كَرۡبٖ ثُمَّ أَنتُمۡ تُشۡرِكُونَ ٦٤
Say, "It is Allāh who saves you from it and from every distress; then you [still] associate others with Him."
6:65
قُلۡ هُوَ ٱلۡقَادِرُ عَلَىٰٓ أَن يَبۡعَثَ عَلَيۡكُمۡ عَذَابٗا مِّن فَوۡقِكُمۡ أَوۡ مِن تَحۡتِ أَرۡجُلِكُمۡ أَوۡ يَلۡبِسَكُمۡ شِيَعٗا وَيُذِيقَ بَعۡضَكُم بَأۡسَ بَعۡضٍۗ ٱنظُرۡ كَيۡفَ نُصَرِّفُ ٱلۡأٓيَٰتِ لَعَلَّهُمۡ يَفۡقَهُونَ ٦٥
Say, "He is the [one] Able to send upon you affliction from above you or from beneath your feet or to confuse you [so you become] sects1 and make you taste the violence of one another." Look how We diversify the signs that they might understand.
1 translator’s note
- Following your own inclinations rather than the truth, biased and hostile toward each other. ↩
6:66
وَكَذَّبَ بِهِۦ قَوۡمُكَ وَهُوَ ٱلۡحَقُّۚ قُل لَّسۡتُ عَلَيۡكُم بِوَكِيلٖ ٦٦
But your people have denied it while it is the truth. Say, "I am not over you a manager [i.e., authority]."
6:67
لِّكُلِّ نَبَإٖ مُّسۡتَقَرّٞۚ وَسَوۡفَ تَعۡلَمُونَ ٦٧
For every news [i.e., happening] is a finality;1 and you are going to know.
1 translator’s note
- Other shades of meaning include "a permanence," "a realization" and "a time of stability." ↩
6:68
وَإِذَا رَأَيۡتَ ٱلَّذِينَ يَخُوضُونَ فِيٓ ءَايَٰتِنَا فَأَعۡرِضۡ عَنۡهُمۡ حَتَّىٰ يَخُوضُواْ فِي حَدِيثٍ غَيۡرِهِۦۚ وَإِمَّا يُنسِيَنَّكَ ٱلشَّيۡطَٰنُ فَلَا تَقۡعُدۡ بَعۡدَ ٱلذِّكۡرَىٰ مَعَ ٱلۡقَوۡمِ ٱلظَّٰلِمِينَ ٦٨
And when you see those who engage in [offensive] discourse1 concerning Our verses, then turn away from them until they enter into another conversation. And if Satan should cause you to forget, then do not remain after the reminder with the wrongdoing people.
1 translator’s note
- i.e., denials or mockery. ↩