Al-An'am 6:66
The Cattle · Juz 7 · Page 135
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]."
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Ibn Kathir (abridged)
Medium · The classic, abridged: ayahs explained by ayahs and hadith.
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Commentary on 6:66–69
The Invitation to the Truth is Guidance Without Coercion
Allah said,
وَكَذَّبَ بِهِ
(But have denied it) denied the Qur'an, guidance and clear explanation that you (O Muhammad ) have brought them,
قَوْمُكَ
(your people) meaning, Quraysh,
وَهُوَ الْحَقُّ
(though it is the truth.) beyond which there is no other truth.
قُل لَّسْتُ عَلَيْكُمْ بِوَكِيلٍ
(Say: "I am not responsible for your affairs.") meaning, I have not been appointed a guardian or watcher over you. Allah also said;
وَقُلِ الْحَقُّ مِن رَّبِّكُمْ فَمَن شَآءَ فَلْيُؤْمِن وَمَن شَآءَ فَلْيَكْفُرْ
(And say: "The truth is from your Lord." Then whosoever wills, let him believe, and whosoever wills, let him disbelieve.) 18:29, This means, my duty is to convey the Message and your duty is to hear and obey. Those who follow me, will acquire happiness in this life and the Hereafter. Those who defy me will become miserable in this life and the Hereafter. So Allah said;
لِّكُلِّ نَبَإٍ مُّسْتَقَرٌّ
(For every news there is a reality...) meaning, for every news, there is a reality, in that, this news will occur, perhaps after a while, according to Ibn `Abbas and others. Allah said in other Ayat,
وَلَتَعْلَمُنَّ نَبَأَهُ بَعْدَ حِينِ
(And you shall certainly know the truth of it after a while.) 38:88 and,
لِكُلِّ أَجَلٍ كِتَابٌ
((For) each and every matter there is a decree (from Allah).) 13:38. This, indeed, is a warning and a promise that will surely occur,
وَسَوْفَ تَعْلَمُونَ
(and you will come to know.) Allah's statement,
وَإِذَا رَأَيْتَ الَّذِينَ يَخُوضُونَ فِى ءَايَتِنَا
(And when you see those who engage in false conversation about Our verses (of the Qur'an)), by denying and mocking them.
The Prohibition of Sitting with Those Who Deny and Mock Allah's Ayat
فَأَعْرِضْ عَنْهُمْ حَتَّى يَخُوضُواْ فِى حَدِيثٍ غَيْرِهِ
(stay away from them till they turn to another topic.) until they talk about a subject other than the denial they were engaged in.
وَإِمَّا يُنسِيَنَّكَ الشَّيْطَنُ
(And if Shaytan causes you to forget...) This command includes every member of this Ummah. No one is to sit with those who deny and distort Allah's Ayat and explain them incorrectly. If one forgets and sits with such people,
فَلاَ تَقْعُدْ بَعْدَ الذِّكْرَى
(then after the remembrance sit not you) after you remember,
مَعَ الْقَوْمِ الظَّلِمِينَ
(in the company of those people who are the wrongdoers.). A Hadith states,
«رُفِعَ عَنْ أُمَّتِي الْخَطَأُ وَالنِّسْيَانُ وَمَا اسْتُكْرِهُوا عَلَيْه»
(My Ummah was forgiven unintentional errors, forgetfulness and what they are coerced to do.) The Ayah above 6:68 is the Ayah mentioned in Allah's statement,
وَقَدْ نَزَّلَ عَلَيْكُمْ فِى الْكِتَبِ أَنْ إِذَا سَمِعْتُمْ ءَايَتِ اللَّهِ يُكَفَرُ بِهَا وَيُسْتَهْزَأُ بِهَا فَلاَ تَقْعُدُواْ مَعَهُمْ حَتَّى يَخُوضُواْ فِى حَدِيثٍ غَيْرِهِ إِنَّكُمْ إِذاً مِّثْلُهُمْ
(And it has already been revealed to you in the Book that when you hear the Verses of Allah being denied and mocked at, then sit not with them, until they engage in a talk other than that; (but if you stayed with them) certainly in that case you would be like them.) 4:140, for, if you still sit with them, agreeing to what they say, you will be just like them. Allah's statement,
وَمَا عَلَى الَّذِينَ يَتَّقُونَ مِنْ حِسَابِهِم مِّن شَىْءٍ
(There is no responsibility for them upon those who have Taqwa,) means, when the believers avoid sitting with wrongdoers in this case, they will be innocent of them and they will have saved themselves from their sin. Allah's statement,
وَلَكِن ذِكْرَى لَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَّقُونَ
(but (their duty) is to remind them, that they may avoid that.), means, We commanded you to ignore and avoid them, so that they become aware of the error they are indulging in, that they may avoid this behavior and never repeat it again.
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. ↩
Translation: Saheeh International · Text and layout: Quran Foundation · Mushaf fonts: King Fahd Complex, provided by Quran Foundation · Privacy