Translation of the Meanings of the Noble Qur'an - English Translation - Dr. Waleed Bleyhesh Omary * - Translations’ Index
Translation of the meanings Ayah: (16) Surah: Ar-Ra‘d
قُلۡ مَن رَّبُّ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلۡأَرۡضِ قُلِ ٱللَّهُۚ قُلۡ أَفَٱتَّخَذۡتُم مِّن دُونِهِۦٓ أَوۡلِيَآءَ لَا يَمۡلِكُونَ لِأَنفُسِهِمۡ نَفۡعٗا وَلَا ضَرّٗاۚ قُلۡ هَلۡ يَسۡتَوِي ٱلۡأَعۡمَىٰ وَٱلۡبَصِيرُ أَمۡ هَلۡ تَسۡتَوِي ٱلظُّلُمَٰتُ وَٱلنُّورُۗ أَمۡ جَعَلُواْ لِلَّهِ شُرَكَآءَ خَلَقُواْ كَخَلۡقِهِۦ فَتَشَٰبَهَ ٱلۡخَلۡقُ عَلَيۡهِمۡۚ قُلِ ٱللَّهُ خَٰلِقُ كُلِّ شَيۡءٖ وَهُوَ ٱلۡوَٰحِدُ ٱلۡقَهَّٰرُ
(16) Say ˹Muhammad˺: “Who is the Lord of the Heavens and Earth?” Say: “Allah!”[2895] Say: “Do you then take for yourselves, besides Him, allies who neither possess benefit for themselves nor are they able of ˹warding off˺ harm![2896]” Say: “Are the blind and the seeing ˹persons˺ alike[2897]; or darkness and light?[2898]” [2899]Or do they set up Associates for Allah who had created the like of His creation and then the creation confused them ˹which is whose˺! Say: “‘Allah’ is the Creator of everything; He is the One, the Overpowering!”
[2895] Amidst all these evidences against them, here is most clearly where the Qurayshite idolaters’ misconceptions about ‘Allah’ is set aright.
[2896] “They worship besides Allah that which neither harms nor benefits them and say: “These are our intercessors with Allah!” Say ˹Muhammad˺: “Are you informing Allah of that which He knows not neither in the Heavens nor in Earth? Glorified and exalted is He above all they Associate ˹with Him˺!” (10: 18).
[2897] Those who are being contrasted here are the Deniers who are ‘blind’ to the Truth and the Believers who can see it plainly for what it is (cf. al-Ṭabarī, Ibn Kathīr, al-Saʿdī).
[2898] The expression al-ẓulumāt wa al-nūr (lit. darknesses and light) is quite recurrent throughout the Qur’an. ‘Darkness’ is invariably always found in the plural form (ẓulumāt) whilst ‘light’ is conversely always in the singular (al-nūr). Here they could mean both tangible and abstract darkness and light; ignorance, Association and sin as opposed to knowledge, Belief and obedience (cf. al-Ṭabarī, Ibn Kathīr, al-Saʿdī).
[2899] There is no excuse for their Association to be found anywhere (cf. al-Ṭabarī, Ibn Kathīr). Their so-called ‘gods’ could not answer their prayers or do them good or harm, let alone perform such a great act as that of creation; utter darkness indeed is what they languish in: “O mankind! A parable is set forth, so hearken to it! Truly those upon whom you call apart from Allah will never create a fly, even if they gathered together to do so. And if the fly should rob them of aught, they could not rescue it from it; feeble are the seeker and the sought” (22: 73).
[2896] “They worship besides Allah that which neither harms nor benefits them and say: “These are our intercessors with Allah!” Say ˹Muhammad˺: “Are you informing Allah of that which He knows not neither in the Heavens nor in Earth? Glorified and exalted is He above all they Associate ˹with Him˺!” (10: 18).
[2897] Those who are being contrasted here are the Deniers who are ‘blind’ to the Truth and the Believers who can see it plainly for what it is (cf. al-Ṭabarī, Ibn Kathīr, al-Saʿdī).
[2898] The expression al-ẓulumāt wa al-nūr (lit. darknesses and light) is quite recurrent throughout the Qur’an. ‘Darkness’ is invariably always found in the plural form (ẓulumāt) whilst ‘light’ is conversely always in the singular (al-nūr). Here they could mean both tangible and abstract darkness and light; ignorance, Association and sin as opposed to knowledge, Belief and obedience (cf. al-Ṭabarī, Ibn Kathīr, al-Saʿdī).
[2899] There is no excuse for their Association to be found anywhere (cf. al-Ṭabarī, Ibn Kathīr). Their so-called ‘gods’ could not answer their prayers or do them good or harm, let alone perform such a great act as that of creation; utter darkness indeed is what they languish in: “O mankind! A parable is set forth, so hearken to it! Truly those upon whom you call apart from Allah will never create a fly, even if they gathered together to do so. And if the fly should rob them of aught, they could not rescue it from it; feeble are the seeker and the sought” (22: 73).
Arabic explanations of the Qur’an:
Translation of the meanings Ayah: (16) Surah: Ar-Ra‘d
Translation of the Meanings of the Noble Qur'an - English Translation - Dr. Waleed Bleyhesh Omary - Translations’ Index
Translation of the meanings of the Noble Qur’an into English - in progress - translated by Dr. Walid Bleihesh Al-Omari.