Surah An-Nahl • Ayah 24

The Destruction of the Disbelievers and Intensification of their Punishment for rejecting the RevelationAllah informs us that when it is said to those liars, مَّاذَآ أَنزَلَ رَبُّكُمْ قَالُواْ("What is it that your Lord has revealed" They say,) not wanting to answer, أَسَـطِيرُ الاٌّوَّلِينَ("Tales of the men of old!") meaning nothing is revealed to him, what he is reciting to us is just tales of the men of old, taken from the previous Books. As Allah says, وَقَالُواْ أَسَـطِيرُ الاٌّوَّلِينَ اكْتَتَبَهَا فَهِىَ تُمْلَى عَلَيْهِ بُكْرَةً وَأَصِيلاً (And they say: "Tales of the ancients, which he has written down, and they are dictated to him morning and afternoon.") (25:5) i.e., they tell lies against the Messenger and say things contradicting one another, but all of it is false, as Allah says, انْظُرْ كَيْفَ ضَرَبُواْ لَكَ الاٌّمْثَالَ فَضَلُّواْ فَلاَ يَسْتَطِيعْونَ سَبِيلاً (Look at the parables they make of you, so they have gone astray, and they are not able to find the right way.)(17:48) Once they have gone beyond the bounds of the truth, whatever they say will be in error. They used to say that he (the Prophet ) was a sorcerer, a poet, a soothsayer, or a madman, then they settled on an idea proposed by their leader, an individual known as Al-Walid bin Al-Mughirah Al-Makhzumi, when: إِنَّهُ فَكَّرَ وَقَدَّرَ - فَقُتِلَ كَيْفَ قَدَّرَ - ثُمَّ قُتِلَ كَيْفَ قَدَّرَ - ثُمَّ نَظَرَ - ثُمَّ عَبَسَ وَبَسَرَ - ثُمَّ أَدْبَرَ وَاسْتَكْبَرَ - فَقَالَ إِنْ هَـذَآ إِلاَّ سِحْرٌ يُؤْثَرُ (He thought, and plotted. So let him be cursed, how he plotted! And once more let him be cursed, how he plotted! Then he thought. Then he frowned and he looked in a bad tempered way; then he turned back, and was proud. Then he said: "This is nothing but the magic of old.") (74:18-24) meaning something that had been transmitted and passed down. So they dispersed having agreed on this opinion, may Allah punish them. لِيَحْمِلُواْ أَوْزَارَهُمْ كَامِلَةً يَوْمَ الْقِيَـمَةِ وَمِنْ أَوْزَارِ الَّذِينَ يُضِلُّونَهُمْ بِغَيْرِ عِلْمٍ(They will bear their own burdens in full on the Day of Resurrection, and also of the burdens of those whom they misled without knowledge.) meaning, `We decreed that they would say that, so they will carry the burden of their own sins and some of the burden of those who followed them and agreed with them,' i.e., they will be held guilty not only for going astray themselves, but also for tempting others and having them follow them. As it says in a Hadith: «مَنْ دَعَا إِلَى هُدًى كَانَ لَهُ مِنَ الْأَجْرِ مِثْلُ أُجُورِ مَنِ اتَّبَعَهُ، لَا يَنْقُصُ ذَلِكَ مِنْ أُجُورِهِمْ شَيْئًا، وَمَنْ دَعَا إِلَى ضَلَالَةٍ كَانَ عَلَيْهِ مِنَ الْإِثْمِ مِثْلُ آثَامِ مَنِ اتَّبَعَهُ، لَا يَنْقُصُ ذَلِكَ مِنْ آثَامِهِمْ شَيْئًا»(Whoever invites people to guidance, he will receive a reward like that of those who follow him, without diminishing their reward in the least. And whoever invites people to misguidance, he will bear a burden of sin like that of those who follow him, without diminishing their burden in the least.) Allah says; وَلَيَحْمِلُنَّ أَثْقَالَهُمْ وَأَثْقَالاً مَّعَ أَثْقَالِهِمْ وَلَيُسْـَلُنَّ يَوْمَ الْقِيَـمَةِ عَمَّا كَانُواْ يَفْتَرُونَ (They shall bear their own loads, and other loads besides their own; and they shall be questioned about their false allegations on the Day of Resurrection.) (29:13) Al-`Awfi reported from Ibn `Abbas that it is like the Ayah: لِيَحْمِلُواْ أَوْزَارَهُمْ كَامِلَةً يَوْمَ الْقِيَـمَةِ وَمِنْ أَوْزَارِ الَّذِينَ يُضِلُّونَهُمْ بِغَيْرِ عِلْمٍ(That they may bear their own burdens in full on the Day of Resurrection, and also of the burdens of those whom they misled without knowledge.) (16:25) Allah says, وَلَيَحْمِلُنَّ أَثْقَالَهُمْ وَأَثْقَالاً مَّعَ أَثْقَالِهِمْ(They shall bear their own loads, and other loads besides their own) (29:13). Mujahid said: "They will bear the burden of their own sins, and they will bear the sins of those who obeyed them, but that will not lessen the punishment of those who obeyed them at all."

قرآن حکیم کے ارشادات کو دیرینہ کہنا کفر کی علامت ہے ٭٭ان منکرین قرآن سے جب سوال کیا جائے کہ کلام اللہ میں کیا نازل ہوا تو اصل جواب سے ہٹ کر بک دیتے ہیں کہ «وَقَالُوا أَسَاطِيرُ الْأَوَّلِينَ اكْتَتَبَهَا فَهِيَ تُمْلَىٰ عَلَيْهِ بُكْرَةً وَأَصِيلًا» [25-الفرقان:5] ‏ ” سوائے گزرے ہوئے افسانوں کے کیا رکھا ہے؟ وہی لکھ لیے ہیں اور صبح شام دوہرا رہے ہیں “۔ پس رسول صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم پر افترا باندھتے ہیں کبھی کچھ کہتے ہیں کبھی اس کے خلاف اور کچھ کہنے لگتے ہیں -دراصل کسی بات پر جم ہی نہیں سکتے اور یہ بہت بری دلیل ہے ان کے تمام اقوال کے باطل ہونے کی۔ ہر ایک جو حق سے ہٹ جائے وہ یونہی مارا مارا بہکا بہکا پھرتا ہے کبھی حضور رسول صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم کو جادوگر کہتے، کبھی شاعر، کبھی کاھن، کبھی مجنون۔ پھر ان کے بڈھے گرو ولید بن مغیرہ مخزومی نے انہیں بڑے غور و خوض کے بعد کہا کہ سب مل کر اس کلام کو مؤثر جادو کہا کرو۔ ان کے اس قول کا نتیجہ بد ہوگا اور ہم نے انہیں اس راہ پر اس لیے لگا دیا ہے کہ یہ اپنے پورے گناہوں کے ساتھ ان کے بھی کچھ گناہ اپنے اوپر لادیں جو ان کے مقلد ہیں اور ان کے پیچھے پیچھے چل رہے ہیں۔ حدیث شریف میں ہے ہدایت کی دعوت دینے والے کو اپنے اجر کے ساتھ اپنے متبع لوگوں کا اجر بھی ملتا ہے لیکن ان کے اجر کم نہیں ہوتے اور برائی کی طرف بلانے والوں کو ان کی ماننے والوں کے گناہ بھی ملتے ہیں لیکن ماننے والوں کے گناہ کم ہو کر نہیں ۔ [صحیح مسلم:2676] ‏ قرآن کریم کی اور آیت میں ہے «وَلَيَحْمِلُنَّ اَثْــقَالَهُمْ وَاَثْــقَالًا مَّعَ اَثْقَالِهِمْ ۡ وَلَيُسْـَٔــلُنَّ يَوْمَ الْقِيٰمَةِ عَمَّا كَانُوْا يَفْتَرُوْنَ» [29-العنکبوت:13] ‏ ” یہ اپنے گناہوں کے بوجھ کے ساتھ ہی ساتھ اور بوجھ بھی اٹھائیں گے اور ان کے افترا کا سوال ان سے قیامت کے دن ہونا ضروری ہے “۔ پس ماننے والوں کے بوجھ گو ان کی گردنوں پر ہیں لیکن وہ بھی ہلکے نہیں ہوں گے۔صفحہ نمبر4429

آیت 24 وَاِذَا قِيْلَ لَهُمْ مَّاذَآ اَنْزَلَ رَبُّكُمْ نبی اکرم کی دعوت کا چرچا جب مکہ کے اطراف و اکناف میں ہونے لگا تو لوگ اہل مکہ سے پوچھتے کہ محمد جو کہہ رہے ہیں کہ مجھ پر اللہ کا کلام نازل ہوتا ہے تم لوگوں نے تو یہ کلام سنا ہے چناچہ تمہاری اس کے بارے میں کیا رائے ہے ؟ اس کے مضامین کیا ہیں ؟قَالُوْٓا اَسَاطِيْرُ الْاَوَّلِيْنَ کہ یہ کلام تو بس پرانے قصے کہانیوں پر مشتمل ہے۔ یہ سب گزشتہ قوموں کے واقعات ہیں جو ادھر ادھر سے سن کر ہمیں سنا دیتے ہیں اور پھر ہم پر دھونس جماتے ہیں کہ یہ اللہ کا کلام ہے۔

CommentaryIt will be recalled that, after describing the blessings of Allah and proving that He was unique in the creation of the universe, the text made a pointed reference to how the polytheists chose to stick to their own ways of error. In the present verses, the text describes how they, not content with their own straying, tried that others should also go astray like them. The punishment they would get for doing that has also been stated here. Earlier to that (24), there is a question about the Qur’ an, and the addressees of the question, at this place, are the polytheists. It is their haughty and ignorant answer which has been mentioned here along with a warning of consequences for this attitude. Then, after five verses (30), the same question has been addressed to believers who fear Allah which is followed by their answer, and where a promise of reward for it has been mentioned.The Holy Qur'an does not explicitly say as to who asked the question. Therefore, commentators have expressed different views in this matter. Some say that the question was asked by disbelievers. Others say that it was asked by Muslims. Still others take one question to have been asked by the polytheists while the other by Muslims. But, the Holy Qur’ an has kept it ambiguous. This is to indicate that there is no need to are as to where the question came from. What has to be seen is the answer and, more importantly, its ultimate consequence - which, the Qur’ an has it-self chosen to describe.The essence of the answer given by the polytheists is that they simply refused to acknowledge that there was any word of Allah really revealed from Him. In fact, they dismissed the Qur'an as nothing but tales of people from early ages. Thereupon, the Qur’ an admonished those unjust people for disinforming people about the Qur'an by telling them that it was nothing but the tales of the ancient whereby they make others too go astray like them. As for the consequences, these they shall have to face. It means that the total curse of their sins has to fall on them anyway on the Day of Judgment, but part of the curse of the evil consequences of their role in misguiding others will also fall on them. Then it was said that the burden of sins which these people are piling up on their shoulders is a terribly evil burden.