Tafsir of An-Nahl 16:33-34

An-Nahl (The Bee): Verses 33-34

Verse 33:

{ هل ينظرون إلا أن تأتيهم الملائكة أو يأتي أمر ربك أو تأتيهم الساعة بغتة وهم لا يشعرون }

Know that this is the second objection raised by those who deny prophethood. They demanded that the Prophet (peace be upon him) have an angel descend from the heavens to testify to his truthfulness in claiming prophethood.

The Almighty said: {Do they await} confirmation of your prophethood {except that the angels come to them as witnesses} to that truth?

Alternatively, it can be said that when the people attacked the Qur'an by calling it "tales of the ancients," and God mentioned various threats and warnings to them, He then followed this by mentioning the reward for those who describe the Qur'an as good, true, and correct. He then returned to explain that those disbelievers would not be deterred from disbelief by the proofs we have mentioned. Rather, they would not cease their false claims except if the angels came to them with threats, or if the command of your Lord came to them, which is the punishment of complete annihilation.

Verse 34:

{ كذلك فعل الذين من قبلهم وما ظلمهم الله ولكن كانوا أنفسهم يظلمون }

Know that, under both interpretations, the Almighty said: {Thus did those before them do}. Meaning, the speech and actions of these people resemble the speech and actions of the preceding disbelievers.

Then He said: {And God did not wrong them, but they used to wrong themselves}. The meaning is: Just as those before them acted, they were afflicted with hastened destruction, and God did not wrong them by doing so. He brought down upon them what they deserved due to their disbelief. Rather, they wronged themselves by disbelieving and rejecting the Messenger, thus deserving what afflicted them.

Verse 35:

{ فأصابهم سيئات ما عملوا وحاق بهم ما كانوا به يستهزءون }

Then He said: {So the evil consequences of what they did afflicted them}. This means the punishment for the evil of what they did afflicted them. {And what they used to mock at encompassed them}. Meaning, the punishment for their mockery descended upon them in a manner that surrounded them from all sides.

Verse 36:

{ وقال الذين أشركوا لو شاء الله ما عبدنا من دونه من شيء نحن ولا آباؤنا ولا حرمنا من دونه من شيء }

And those who associated partners with God said: "If God had willed, we would not have worshipped anything besides Him, neither we nor our fathers, nor would we have forbidden anything apart from Him."

Continuation of Verse 36 and Verse 37:

{ كذلك فعل الذين من قبلهم فهل على الرسل إلا البلاغ المبين * ولقد بعثنا في كل أمة رسولا أن اعبدوا الله واجتنبوا الطاغوت فمنهم من هدى الله ومنهم من حقت عليه الضلالة }

{Thus did those before them do.} So, is there anything incumbent upon the Messengers except clear conveyance [of the message]? {And indeed, We have sent into every nation a messenger, [saying]: "Worship God and avoid Taghut (false deities)." Among them were those whom God guided, and among them were those upon whom the misguidance was destined.}

Verse 38:

{ فسيروا في الأرض فانظروا كيف كان عاقبة المكذبين }

{So travel throughout the earth and observe how the end of those who denied [the truth] was.}

Verse 39:

{ إن تحرص على هداهم فإن الله لا يهدي من يضل وما لهم من ناصرين }

{If you are eager for their guidance, then know that God does not guide those whom He leaves astray, and they will have no helpers.}