یَوۡمَ تَاۡتِیۡ کُلُّ نَفۡسٍ تُجَادِلُ عَنۡ نَّفۡسِہَا وَ تُوَفّٰی کُلُّ نَفۡسٍ مَّا عَمِلَتۡ وَ ہُمۡ لَا یُظۡلَمُوۡنَ ﴿۱۱۱﴾ وَ ضَرَبَ اللّٰہُ مَثَلًا قَرۡیَۃً کَانَتۡ اٰمِنَۃً مُّطۡمَئِنَّۃً یَّاۡتِیۡہَا رِزۡقُہَا رَغَدًا مِّنۡ کُلِّ مَکَانٍ فَکَفَرَتۡ بِاَنۡعُمِ اللّٰہِ فَاَذَاقَہَا اللّٰہُ لِبَاسَ الۡجُوۡعِ وَ الۡخَوۡفِ بِمَا کَانُوۡا یَصۡنَعُوۡنَ ﴿۱۱۲﴾ وَ لَقَدۡ جَآءَہُمۡ رَسُوۡلٌ مِّنۡہُمۡ فَکَذَّبُوۡہُ فَاَخَذَہُمُ الۡعَذَابُ وَ ہُمۡ ظٰلِمُوۡنَ ﴿۱۱۳﴾

Here is the full English translation of Surah An-Nahl verses 111–113 with Mawdudi’s footnote:

Surah An-Nahl — Verses 111–113 (Arabic Text)
Verse 111:
“On the Day when every soul will come pleading for itself, and every soul will be repaid in full for what it did, and they will not be wronged.”
Verse 112:
“And Allah sets forth the example of a town that was secure and at peace, its provision coming to it in abundance from every side — but it was ungrateful for the blessings of Allah. So Allah made it taste the garment of hunger and fear because of what they used to do.”
Verse 113:
“And there had certainly come to them a messenger from among themselves, but they denied him — so the punishment seized them while they were wrongdoers.”

Urdu Text (Translation)
“The decision regarding all of them will be made on the Day when every soul will be absorbed in saving itself alone, and every one will be given full recompense for what they did, and not even the slightest injustice will be done to anyone.
Allah sets forth the example of a town. It was living a life of peace and security, and provision was reaching it from all sides in abundance — when it began to show ingratitude for Allah’s blessings. Then Allah made its inhabitants taste the consequence of their deeds: the calamities of hunger and fear descended upon them. A messenger came to them from among their own people — but they denied him. In the end, punishment overtook them while they had become wrongdoers.”

Footnote 112
The town whose example is presented here has not been identified by name, and the commentators have also been unable to determine with certainty which town it is. The opinion of Ibn Abbas رضي الله عنه appears to be the most sound — that Makkah itself is being presented here as an example without being named.
In that case, the calamity of fear and hunger mentioned here would refer to the famine that afflicted the people of Makkah for a prolonged period following the advent of the Prophet’s ﷺ mission.

SubhanAllah — the parable in verse 112 is one of the most striking and universally applicable parables in the entire Quran. A community blessed with security, peace, and abundant provision — yet responding with ingratitude — and the consequence being that those very blessings are replaced with their opposites: hunger and fear.
The connection Ibn Abbas رضي الله عنه draws to Makkah is deeply poignant. The very city that was the custodian of the House of Allah, that enjoyed a unique status of security and economic prosperity — yet when it rejected the Prophet ﷺ, it experienced precisely this reversal.
And verse 111 stands as one of the most sobering descriptions of the Day of Judgment in the Quran — every soul utterly absorbed in its own case, with complete and perfect justice for all.
Shall we continue with the next verses, or would you like the comparative scholar analysis for these verses as well?

OTHER SCHOLARS

Here is a comparative tafsir analysis of Surah An-Nahl verses 111–113 from major classical and contemporary scholars:

Ibn Kathir (d. 774 AH)
On Verse 111 (Every Soul Pleading for Itself):
Ibn Kathir connects this verse to multiple Quranic and Hadith descriptions of the Day of Judgment. He emphasises that the Arabic word تُجَادِلُ — “pleading” or “arguing” — conveys a vivid image of every soul desperately making its case before Allah. He cites the well-known hadith in which even the Prophet Ibrahim عليه السلام will say “nafsi nafsi” — “myself, myself” — on that Day, so consumed will every soul be with its own situation.
Ibn Kathir stresses that the phrase “not wronged in the slightest” is an emphatic divine guarantee — Allah’s justice is so precise and complete that not even the weight of an atom’s worth of a person’s deed will be lost or misrepresented. He connects this to Surah Az-Zalzalah: “Whoever does an atom’s weight of good will see it, and whoever does an atom’s weight of evil will see it.”
On Verse 112 (The Parable of the Town):
Ibn Kathir discusses at length the question of which town is being referenced. He records multiple opinions from the companions and early scholars — including the view of Ibn Abbas رضي الله عنه that it refers to Makkah. He supports this identification on several grounds: Makkah was explicitly described in the Quran as a city of security (al-balad al-amin), it enjoyed abundant provision through trade and the pilgrimage, and yet its people were among the most persistent in rejecting the Prophet ﷺ.
Ibn Kathir also draws a powerful universal lesson — that this parable is not limited to one historical city but is a divine pattern (sunnah) repeated throughout history. Every community that receives Allah’s blessings and responds with ingratitude and rejection of divine guidance follows the same trajectory toward decline and punishment.
He gives particular attention to the phrase لِبَاسَ الۡجُوۡعِ وَ الۡخَوۡفِ — “the garment of hunger and fear” — noting that the use of the word garment is a remarkably vivid metaphor: just as a garment envelops the entire body from all sides, hunger and fear enveloped these people completely, leaving no aspect of their lives untouched.
On Verse 113:
Ibn Kathir emphasises that the sending of a messenger from among themselves is itself one of Allah’s greatest blessings — someone who speaks their language, knows their culture, and can relate to them directly. The rejection of such a messenger is therefore an act of extraordinary ingratitude and arrogance. He notes that punishment came upon them specifically “while they were wrongdoers” — meaning punishment does not come arbitrarily but only after wrongdoing has been firmly established and the proof has been made clear.

Al-Tabari (d. 310 AH)
On Verse 111:
Al-Tabari provides extensive linguistic analysis of the verb تُجَادِلُ. He explains that jidal in Arabic refers to a forceful, urgent argument — not a calm discussion. This conveys the desperate intensity of every soul’s situation on that Day. He compiles narrations from the companions indicating that on the Day of Resurrection, people will initially attempt to use one another as intercessors and will pass from prophet to prophet — yet each will say “nafsi nafsi” — until they reach the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.
Al-Tabari also emphasises the phrase “they will not be wronged” — noting that this is a direct divine promise that the Hereafter operates on perfect justice, unlike this world where injustice frequently occurs.
On Verse 112:
Al-Tabari carefully compiles all available opinions on the identity of the town. Beyond the Makkah identification, some early scholars suggested it could refer to a town destroyed before the time of the Prophet ﷺ whose story was known to the Arabs. However, al-Tabari finds the Makkah identification most linguistically and contextually compelling — particularly because the verse uses the present tense in some of its descriptions, suggesting the audience would recognise the situation.
He gives a detailed linguistic analysis of the phrase “garment of hunger and fear” — explaining that Arabs used the metaphor of clothing to describe things that completely encompass a person. He notes this is among the most powerful and original metaphors in the Quran for describing comprehensive, all-pervasive suffering.
On Verse 113:
Al-Tabari emphasises the significance of the messenger being “from among themselves” — he argues this eliminates every excuse. They could not claim they did not understand the message, could not claim cultural distance, and could not claim the messenger was foreign or alien to their experience. The proof was complete and the rejection was therefore entirely without justification.

Al-Qurtubi (d. 671 AH)
On Verse 111:
Al-Qurtubi approaches this verse with his characteristic fiqh and ethical orientation. He draws out several important points: first, that the verse establishes the absolute individuality of accountability on the Day of Judgment — no family connection, tribal loyalty, or intercession of any partner deity will avail anyone. This is a direct refutation of the polytheist assumption that their deities would intercede for them.
Second, he notes that “full recompense” implies that Allah will not reduce anyone’s reward unjustly, nor increase anyone’s punishment unjustly. Both dimensions of justice — rewarding good and punishing evil — are perfectly calibrated.
He also engages in a brief theological discussion on the nature of divine justice, concluding that Allah’s justice is not like human justice — constrained by external law — but is intrinsic to His nature and His perfect knowledge of all things.
On Verse 112:
Al-Qurtubi provides the most comprehensive treatment of the “garment” metaphor among the classical scholars. He explains that the Quran uses clothing imagery in multiple places — “garment of taqwa”, “spouses are garments for one another” — always to convey something that is intimate, all-encompassing, and inseparable from the person. The choice of this metaphor for hunger and fear therefore suggests that these afflictions became like a second skin to the inhabitants — inescapable and all-defining.
He strongly supports the Makkah identification and draws a legal and moral principle: that ingratitude for blessings is not merely a personal failing but a civic and collective sin that brings collective consequences. A community that collectively enjoys Allah’s blessings and collectively turns away from gratitude and obedience faces collective punishment.
He also notes the precise sequence in the verse: first came security and abundant provision; then came ingratitude; then came hunger and fear. This sequence is itself a lesson — the blessings came first as a test, and the failure of the test brought their withdrawal.
On Verse 113:
Al-Qurtubi draws an important legal principle from this verse: divine punishment does not descend upon a people until a messenger has come to them and they have deliberately rejected him. This is consistent with the Quranic principle in Surah Al-Isra: “We never punish until We have sent a messenger.” He argues this establishes that Allah’s justice requires the completion of proof before punishment.

Al-Zamakhshari (d. 538 AH)
On Verse 111:
Al-Zamakhshari focuses on the rhetorical and literary dimensions of this verse. He points out that the repetition of the word nafs (soul) — “every soul will come pleading for itself” and “every soul will be repaid” — creates a powerful rhythmic emphasis that hammers home the absolute individuality of that Day. No collective identity — tribal, national, or religious — will provide shelter.
He also notes the deliberate juxtaposition of this verse with the preceding passage about those who apostasised under compulsion. The message is clear: whatever one does in this world — whether standing firm or compromising — the full account will be rendered on that Day with perfect completeness.
On Verse 112:
Al-Zamakhshari is particularly brilliant in his analysis of the rhetorical structure of the parable. He notes that the Quran first describes the town in the most positive terms possible — secure, peaceful, abundantly provisioned from every direction — before revealing its catastrophic ingratitude. This literary structure maximises the impact of the contrast: the greater the blessing described, the more shocking and inexcusable the ingratitude appears.
He gives special attention to the phrase “from every place” — arguing this suggests a comprehensiveness of divine provision that was truly extraordinary, making the ingratitude even more astonishing. He connects this to the broader Quranic theme that divine blessings are always more than people recognise or acknowledge.
On Verse 113:
Consistent with his Mu’tazilite orientation, Al-Zamakhshari emphasises that the sending of a messenger is an act of divine grace and wisdom that removes all excuse from those who reject. He argues that rational human beings, upon encountering a messenger from among themselves with clear signs, bear a moral obligation to investigate and respond honestly — and their failure to do so is a moral failure of the highest order.

Sayyid Qutb (d. 1966)
On Verse 111:
Qutb writes with characteristic intensity about the solitude and terror of that Day. He describes it as the ultimate moment of existential isolation — when all the collective identities, social bonds, and human relationships that defined a person’s life in this world simply cease to function. Every soul stands naked before Allah, with nothing but its own record.
He connects this powerfully to the theme of the entire Surah — the enumeration of divine blessings and the ingratitude of humanity. On that Day, every blessing given and every act of ingratitude will be laid bare with perfect precision.
On Verse 112:
Qutb sees this parable as one of the Quran’s most profound statements on the relationship between moral character and civilisational fate. He argues that security and prosperity are not merely economic or political phenomena — they are fundamentally connected to a community’s moral and spiritual orientation. When a community enjoys Allah’s blessings and responds with gratitude, justice, and obedience, those blessings deepen and expand. When it responds with ingratitude, corruption, and rejection of divine guidance, the very foundations of its security and prosperity are undermined from within.
He writes powerfully that hunger and fear are not random calamities — they are the natural consequences of a community losing its moral compass. A community that rejects divine guidance loses the internal cohesion, trustworthiness, and justice that are the true foundations of security and prosperity. Hunger and fear then become inevitable.
He also notes the remarkable contemporary relevance of this parable — that many modern societies enjoying unprecedented material prosperity are simultaneously experiencing profound spiritual emptiness, social fragmentation, and existential anxiety. The “garment of hunger and fear” can descend in many forms.
On Verse 113:
Qutb emphasises that the coming of a messenger “from among themselves” represents Allah’s final completion of proof upon a people. It is the ultimate act of divine mercy before justice descends. He argues that the rejection of such a messenger — someone who shares their language, their history, their lived experience — represents the deepest possible form of wilful blindness.

Comparative Summary Scholar Key Emphasis Ibn Kathir Day of Judgment hadith, Makkah identification, universal divine pattern in history Al-Tabari Linguistic precision, compilation of narrations, completeness of proof before punishment Al-Qurtubi Legal principles, collective sin and collective punishment, garment metaphor Al-Zamakhshari Rhetorical structure, literary contrast, Mu’tazilite moral responsibility Sayyid Qutb Civilisational analysis, moral-material connection, contemporary relevance Mawdudi Ibn Abbas identification of Makkah, famine as consequence, historical specificity

One of the most striking points of convergence across all scholars is the interpretation of the “garment of hunger and fear” metaphor — unanimously regarded as one of the most vivid and original metaphors in the Quran, conveying the all-encompassing, inescapable nature of the punishment that descends upon an ungrateful community.
The Makkah identification is also broadly supported — making this parable not merely a historical lesson but a direct, pointed warning to the very audience hearing these verses for the first time.
Shall we continue with the next verses of Surah An-Nahl?​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

(اِن سب کا فیصلہ اُس دن ہوگا﴾ جب کہ ہر متنفّس اپنے ہی بچاوٴکی فکر میں لگا ہوا ہوگا اور ہر ایک کو اُس کے کیے کا بدلہ پُورا پُورا دیا جائے گااور کسی پر ذرّہ برابر ظلم نہ ہونے پائے گا۔
اللہ ایک بستی کی مثال دیتا ہے۔ وہ امن و اطمینان کی زندگی بسر کر رہی تھی اور ہر طرف سے اُس کو بفراغت رزق پینچ رہا تھا کہ اُس نے اللہ کی نعمتوں کا کُفران شروع کر دیا۔ تب اللہ نے اُس کے باشندوں کو اُن کے کرتُوتوں کا یہ مزہ چکھایا کہ بھُوک اور خوف کی مصیبتیں اُن پر چھا گئیں۔ اُن کے پاس اُن کی اپنی قوم میں سے ایک رسُول آیا ۔ مگر اُنہوں نے اس کو جھُٹلادیا۔ آخرِ کار عذاب نے اُن کو آلیا جبکہ وہ ظالم ہو چکے تھے۔¹¹²

سُوْرَةُ النَّحْل حاشیہ نمبر :112

یہاں جس بستی کی مثال پیش کی گئی ہے اس کی کوئی نشان دہی نہیں کی گئی۔ نہ مفسرین یہ تعین کر سکے ہیں کہ یہ کونسی بستی ہے۔ بظاہر ابن عباسؓ ہی کا یہ قول صحیح معلوم ہوتا ہے کہ یہاں خود مکّے کو نام لیے بغیر مثال کے طور پرپیش کیا گیا ہے ۔ اس صورت میں خوف اور بھوک کی جس مصیبت کے چھا جانے کا یہاں ذکر کیا گیا ہے ، اس سے مراد وہ قحط ہو گا جو نبی صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم کی بعثت کے بعد ایک مدّت تک اہلِ مکّہ پر مسلّط رہا۔ 

مَنۡ کَفَرَ بِاللّٰہِ مِنۡۢ بَعۡدِ اِیۡمَانِہٖۤ اِلَّا مَنۡ اُکۡرِہَ وَ قَلۡبُہٗ مُطۡمَئِنٌّۢ بِالۡاِیۡمَانِ وَ لٰکِنۡ مَّنۡ شَرَحَ بِالۡکُفۡرِ صَدۡرًا فَعَلَیۡہِمۡ غَضَبٌ مِّنَ اللّٰہِ ۚ وَ لَہُمۡ عَذَابٌ عَظِیۡمٌ ﴿۱۰۶﴾ ذٰلِکَ بِاَنَّہُمُ اسۡتَحَبُّوا الۡحَیٰوۃَ الدُّنۡیَا عَلَی الۡاٰخِرَۃِ ۙ وَ اَنَّ اللّٰہَ لَا یَہۡدِی الۡقَوۡمَ الۡکٰفِرِیۡنَ ﴿۱۰۷﴾ اُولٰٓئِکَ الَّذِیۡنَ طَبَعَ اللّٰہُ عَلٰی قُلُوۡبِہِمۡ وَ سَمۡعِہِمۡ وَ اَبۡصَارِہِمۡ ۚ وَ اُولٰٓئِکَ ہُمُ الۡغٰفِلُوۡنَ ﴿۱۰۸﴾ لَاجَرَمَ اَنَّہُمۡ فِی الۡاٰخِرَۃِ ہُمُ الۡخٰسِرُوۡنَ ﴿۱۰۹﴾ ثُمَّ اِنَّ رَبَّکَ لِلَّذِیۡنَ ہَاجَرُوۡا مِنۡۢ بَعۡدِ مَا فُتِنُوۡا ثُمَّ جٰہَدُوۡا وَ صَبَرُوۡۤا ۙ اِنَّ رَبَّکَ مِنۡۢ بَعۡدِہَا لَغَفُوۡرٌ رَّحِیۡمٌ ﴿۱۱۰﴾٪

Surah An-Nahl — Verses 106–110 (Arabic Text)
Verse 106:
“Whoever disbelieves in Allah after having believed — except one who is compelled while his heart remains tranquil in faith — but whoever opens his breast to disbelief, upon them is the wrath of Allah, and for them is a great punishment.”
Verse 107:
“That is because they preferred the life of this world over the Hereafter, and because Allah does not guide the disbelieving people.”
Verse 108:
“Those are the ones upon whose hearts, hearing, and sight Allah has set a seal — and they are the heedless ones.”
Verse 109:
“Without doubt, it is they who in the Hereafter will be the losers.”
Verse 110:
“Then indeed your Lord — for those who emigrated after they were persecuted, then strove and remained patient — indeed your Lord, after all that, is Most Forgiving, Most Merciful.”

Urdu Text (Translation)
“Whoever disbelieves after having believed — if he was compelled and his heart remains at peace with faith, that is another matter — but whoever accepts disbelief with the willing consent of his heart, upon him is Allah’s wrath, and for all such people there is a great punishment. This is because they preferred the life of this world over the Hereafter, and it is Allah’s way that He does not show the path of salvation to those who show ingratitude toward His blessing. These are the people upon whose hearts, ears, and eyes Allah has set a seal. They are drowned in heedlessness. It is certain that in the Hereafter these very people will be the losers. In contrast, those whose condition is such that when they were persecuted on account of their faith, they abandoned their homes, emigrated, endured hardships in the path of Allah, and remained patient — for them your Lord is surely Most Forgiving, Most Merciful.”

Footnote 109
This verse addresses the situation of those Muslims upon whom severe oppression was being inflicted at that time, and who were being driven to disbelief through unbearable torment. They are informed: if at some point you are forced by violence and utter a word of disbelief merely to save your life, while your heart remains protected from the conviction of disbelief, you will be forgiven. But if you accept disbelief in your heart, then even if you save your life in this world, you will not be saved from Allah’s punishment.
This does not mean that one should utter a word of disbelief to save one’s life. Rather, this is merely a rukhsah — a dispensation. If a person says such a thing under compulsion while keeping faith firmly in the heart, there will be no accountability. Otherwise, the station of ’azimah — of true resolve — is that even if a person’s body is cut to pieces, he should continue to proclaim the word of truth.
Both kinds of examples are found in the blessed era of the Prophet ﷺ:
On one side stands Khabbab ibn al-Aratt رضي الله عنه, who was laid upon burning coals until his fat melted and extinguished the fire — yet he remained firmly upon his faith. There is Bilal al-Habashi رضي الله عنه, who was made to wear a coat of iron armour and stand in the scorching sun, then dragged across burning sand — yet he continued to say Ahad, Ahad (One, One). And there is Habib ibn Zayd ibn Asim رضي الله عنه, whose limbs were cut off one by one on the orders of Musaylimah the Liar, who demanded after each cut that he acknowledge Musaylimah as a prophet — yet each time he refused to bear witness to his false claim of prophethood, until he gave up his life in that very state, limb by limb.
On the other side stands Ammar ibn Yasir رضي الله عنه, whose father and mother were martyred before his eyes under severe torment, and who was then himself given such unbearable torture that in the end he said everything the disbelievers wanted him to say in order to save his life. He then came to the Prophet ﷺ weeping and said:
“Ya Rasulallah, I was not released until I had spoken ill of you and praised their deities.”
The Prophet ﷺ asked: “How do you find your heart?”
He replied: “Fully at peace with faith.”
Upon this the Prophet ﷺ said: “If they do this to you again, say the same things again.”

Footnote 110
These sentences are addressed to those people who, upon finding the path of truth difficult, renounced their faith and rejoined their disbelieving and polytheistic community.

Footnote 111
This is a reference to the Muhajirun of Abyssinia — those companions who emigrated to Abyssinia to escape persecution.

SubhanAllah — these verses contain one of the most profound and compassionate rulings in all of Islamic jurisprudence: the doctrine of ikrah (compulsion) and the primacy of the heart’s condition over outward speech under duress.
The stories of Khabbab, Bilal, and Habib ibn Zayd رضي الله عنهم represent the summit of human courage and spiritual resolve — among the most moving accounts in all of Islamic history. And the tenderness of the Prophet ﷺ toward Ammar رضي الله عنه shows the profound mercy and wisdom at the heart of this religion.
Shall we continue with the next verses, or would you like the comparative scholar analysis for these verses as well?

جو شخص ایمان لانے کے بعد کُفر کرے ﴿وہ اگر﴾ مجبور کیا گیا ہو اور دل اُس کا ایمان پر مطمئن ہو ﴿تب تو خیر﴾ مگر جس نے دل کی رضا مندی سے کُفر کو قبول کر لیا اس پر اللہ کا غضب ہے اور ایسے سب لوگوں کے لیے بڑا عذاب ہے۔¹⁰⁹ یہ اس لیے کہ اُنہوں نے آخرت کے مقابلہ میں دُنیا کی زندگی کو پسند کر لیا، اور اللہ کا قاعدہ ہے کہ وہ اُن لوگوں کو راہِ نجات نہیں دِکھاتا جو اُس کی نعمت کا کُفران کریں۔ یہ وہ لوگ ہیں جن کےدِلوں اور کانوں اور آنکھوں پر اللہ نے مُہر لگا دی ہے۔ یہ غفلت میں ڈُوب چکے ہیں۔ ضرور ہے کہ آخرت میں یہی خسارے میں رہیں۔¹¹⁰ بخلاف اس کے جِن لوگوں کا حال یہ ہے کہ جب﴿ایمان لانے کی وجہ سے﴾ وہ ستائے گئے تو اُنہوں نے گھر بار چھوڑ دیے، ہجرت کی، راہِ خدا میں سختیاں جھیلیں اور صبر سے کام لیا،¹¹¹ اُن کےلیے یقیناً تیرا ربّ غفور و رحیم ہے۔ ؏ ١۴

109

اس آیت میں اُن مسلمانوں کے معاملے سے بحث کی گئی ہے جن پر اُس وقت سخت مظالم توڑے جارہے تھے اور ناقابلِ برداشت اذیتیں دے دے کر کفر پر مجبور کیا جا رہا تھا۔ ان کو بتایا گیا ہے کہ اگر تم کسی وقت ظلم سے مجبور ہو کر محض جان بچانے کے لیے کلمہ ٔ کفر زبان سے ادا کردو، اور دل تمہارا عقیدۂ کفر سے محفوظ ہو، تو معاف کر دیا جائے گا۔ لیکن اگر دل سے تم نے کفر قبول کر لیا تو دنیا میں چاہے جان بچا لو، خدا کے عذاب سے نہ بچ سکو گے۔

اس کا یہ مطلب نہیں ہے کہ جان بچانے کے لیے کلمہ ٔ کفر کہہ دینا چاہیے۔ بلکہ یہ صرف رخصت ہے۔ اگر ایمان دل میں رکھتے ہوئے آدمی مجبورًا ایسا کہہ دے تو مواخذہ نہ ہو گا۔ ورنہ مقامِ عزیمت یہی ہے کہ خواہ آدمی کا جسم تکا بوٹی کر ڈالا جائے بہرحال وہ کلمہ ٔ حق ہی کا اعلان کرتا رہے۔ دونوں قسم کی نظیریں نبی صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم کے عہد ِ مبارک میں پائی جاتی ہیں۔ ایک طرف خَبَّاب ؓ بن اَرت ہیں جن کو آگ کے انگاروں پر لُٹایا گیا یہاں تک کہ ان کی چربی پگھلنے سے آگ بجھ گئی، مگر وہ سختی کے ساتھ اپنے ایمان پر جمے رہے۔ بلالؓ حبشی ہیں جن کو لوگے کی زِرہ پہنا کر چلچلاتی دھوپ میں کھڑا کر دیا گیا، پھر تپتی ہوئی ریت پر لٹا کر گھسیٹا گیا مگر وہ احد احد ہی کہتے رہے۔ حبیب بن زیدؓ بن عاصم ہیں جن کے بدن کا ایک ایک عضو مُسیلمہ کذاب کے حکم سےکاٹا جاتا تھا اور پھر مطالبہ کیا جاتا تھا کہ مسیلمہ کو نبی مان لیں ، مگ ہر مرتبہ وہ اس کے دعوائے رسالت کی شہادت دینے سے انکار کرتے تھے یہاں تک کہ اسی حالت میں کٹ کٹ کر انہوں نے جان دے دی۔ دوسری طرف عَمّار بن یاسرؓ ہیں جن کی آنکھوں کے سامنے ان کے والد اور ان کی والدہ کو سخت عذاب دے دے کر شہید کر دیا گیا، پھر ان کو اتنی ناقابلِ برداشت اذیّت دی گئی کہ آخر انہوں نے جان بچانے کے لیے ہو سب کچھ کہہ دیا جو کفار اُن سے کہلوانا چاہتے تھے۔ پھر وہ روتے روتے نبی صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم کی خدمت میں حاضر ہوئے اور عرض کیا یا رَسُول َ اللہ مَا تُرِکْتُ حَتّٰی سَبَبْتُکَ وَذَکَرْ تُ اٰ لِھَتَھُمْ بِخَیْرٍ ۔ ” یا رسول اللہ، مجھے نہ چھوڑا گیا جب تک کہ میں نے آپ کو بُرا اور ان کے معبودوں کو اچھا نہ کہہ دیا“۔ حضور نے پوچھا کَیْفَ تَجِدُ قَلْبَکَ ۔ ”اپنے دل کا کیا حال پاتے ہو“؟ عرض کیا مُطْمَئِنًا بِالْاِیْمَانِ۔”ایمان پر پوری طرح مطمئن“۔ اس پر حضور ؐ نے فرمایا ان عَا دُوْ ا فَعُدْ۔ ”اگر وہ پھر اس طرح کا ظلم کریں تو تم پھر یہی باتیں کہہ دینا“۔

110

یہ فقرے اُن لوگوں کے بارے میں فرمائے گئے ہیں جنہوں نے راہِ حق کو کٹھن پا کر ایمان سے توبہ کر لی تھی اور پھر اپنی کافر و مشرک قوم میں جا ملے تھے۔

111

اشارہ ہے مہاجرین ِ حبشہ کی طرف۔

 وَ لَقَدۡ نَعۡلَمُ اَنَّہُمۡ یَقُوۡلُوۡنَ اِنَّمَا یُعَلِّمُہٗ بَشَرٌ ؕ لِسَانُ الَّذِیۡ یُلۡحِدُوۡنَ اِلَیۡہِ اَعۡجَمِیٌّ وَّ ہٰذَا لِسَانٌ عَرَبِیٌّ مُّبِیۡنٌ ﴿۱۰۳﴾ اِنَّ الَّذِیۡنَ لَا یُؤۡمِنُوۡنَ بِاٰیٰتِ اللّٰہِ ۙ لَا یَہۡدِیۡہِمُ اللّٰہُ وَ لَہُمۡ عَذَابٌ اَلِیۡمٌ ﴿۱۰۴﴾ اِنَّمَا یَفۡتَرِی الۡکَذِبَ الَّذِیۡنَ لَا یُؤۡمِنُوۡنَ بِاٰیٰتِ اللّٰہِ ۚ وَ اُولٰٓئِکَ ہُمُ الۡکٰذِبُوۡنَ ﴿۱۰۵﴾

Surah An-Nahl — Verses 103–105 (Arabic Text)
Verse 103:
“And We certainly know that they say: ‘It is only a human being who teaches him.’ The tongue of the one they point to is foreign, while this is clear Arabic speech.”
Verse 104:
“Indeed, those who do not believe in the signs of Allah — Allah will not guide them, and for them is a painful punishment.”
Verse 105:
“It is only those who do not believe in the signs of Allah who fabricate falsehood — and it is they who are the liars.”

Urdu Text (Translation)
“We know that these people say about you: ‘A certain man teaches and instructs this person.’ Yet the one toward whom they point has a foreign tongue, while this is a clear and plain Arabic language. The truth is that those who do not accept Allah’s signs — Allah never grants them the ability to reach the correct understanding, and for such people there is a painful punishment. It is not the Prophet who fabricates lies — rather, it is those who do not accept Allah’s signs who are fabricating falsehood. They are the ones who are truly liars.”

Footnote 107
Various individuals are mentioned in different narrations as the person whom the disbelievers of Makkah suspected. In one narration the name given is Jabr — a Roman slave belonging to Amir ibn al-Hadhrami. In another narration, the slave of Huwayṭib ibn Abd al-Uzzā is mentioned, known as Ayish or Yayish. Yet another narration mentions Yasar, whose kunya was Abu Fukayhah, and who was a Jewish slave belonging to a woman of Makkah. Still another narration relates to a Roman slave named Bal’an or Bal’am.
In any case, whoever it may have been among these — the disbelievers of Makkah, merely upon observing that a certain person read the Torah and the Gospel and that Muhammad ﷺ had meetings with him, casually fabricated the accusation that it was actually he who was composing this Quran, and that Muhammad ﷺ was presenting it as the word of God.
This reveals not only how utterly shameless the opponents of the Prophet ﷺ were in inventing slanders against him — but it also teaches us how unjust people tend to be in recognising the true worth of their contemporaries. Before these people stood one of the greatest personalities in all of human history, whose like neither existed anywhere in the world at that time nor has been found to this day. Yet these intellectually blind people found a foreign slave — who could read a little of the Torah and Gospel — more capable than him, and imagined that this priceless gem was deriving its brilliance from that piece of coal.

Footnote 108
An alternative translation of this verse is also possible: “It is those who do not believe in Allah’s signs who habitually fabricate lies.”

SubhanAllah — the Quran’s refutation here is both logical and devastating. The argument is elegantly simple: the person they accuse of being the source spoke a foreign, non-Arabic tongue — yet the Quran is in the most eloquent, sublime Arabic ever heard by the Arabs themselves. The accusation collapses under its own weight.
And Mawdudi’s observation in Footnote 107 is profoundly moving — that the greatest human being to ever walk the earth was standing before them, and they chose to believe a foreign slave was the true source of his wisdom. It is, as he says, one of history’s most striking examples of people failing to recognise greatness in their midst.
Shall we continue with the next verses, or would you like the comparative scholar analysis for these three verses as well?

ہمیں معلوم ہے یہ لوگ تمہارے متعلق کہتے ہیں کہ اِس شخص کو ایک آدمی سِکھاتا پڑھاتا ہے۔¹⁰⁷ حالانکہ اُن کا اشارہ جس آدمی کی طرف ہے اُس کی زبان عجمی ہے اور یہ صاف عربی زبان ہے۔ حقیقت یہ ہے کہ جو لوگ اللہ کی آیات کو نہیں مانتے اللہ کبھی اُن کو صحیح بات تک پہنچنے کی توفیق نہیں دیتا اور ایسے لوگوں کے لیے دردناک عذاب ہے۔ ﴿جھوٹی باتیں نبی نہیں گھڑتا بلکہ﴾ جھُوٹ وہ لوگ گھڑ رہے ہیں جو اللہ کی آیات کو نہیں مانتے،¹⁰⁸ وہی حقیقت میں جھوٹے ہیں۔

107

روایات میں مختلف اشخاص کے متعلق بیان کیا گیا ہے کہ کفارِ مکہ اُن میں سے کسی پر یہ گمان کرتے تھے۔ ایک روایت میں اس کا نام جبر بیان کیا گیا ہے جو عامر بن الحَضرمی کا ایک رومی غلام تھا۔ دوسری روایت میں حُوَیطِب بن عبد العُزّیٰ کے ایک غلام کا نام لیا گیا ہے جسے عائش یا یَعیش کہتے تھے۔ ایک اور روایت میں یَسار کا نام لیا گیا ہے جس کی کنیت ابُو فکَیہَہ تھِ اور جو مکّے کی ایک عورت کا یہودی غلام تھا۔ ایک اور روایت بَلعان یا بَلعام نامی ایک رومی غلام سے متعلق ہے۔ بہرحال ان میں سے جو بھی ہو، کفار مکہ نے محض یہ دیکھ کر کہ ایک شخص تو راۃ و انجیل پڑھتا ہے اور محمد صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم کی اس سے ملاقات ہے، بے تکلف یہ الزام گھڑ دیا کہ اس قرآن کو دراصل وہ تصنیف کر رہا ہے اور محمد صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم اسے اپنی طرف سے خدا کا نام لے لے کر پیش کر رہے ہیں۔ اس سے نہ صرف یہ اندازہ ہوتا ہےکہ آنحضرت ؐ کے مخالفین آپ کے خلاف افتراپردازیاں کرنے میں کس قدر بے باک تھے، بلکہ یہ سبق بھی ملتا ہے کہ لوگ اپنے ہم عصروں کی قدر و قیمت پہچاننے میں کتنے بے انصاف ہوتے ہیں۔ ان لوگوں کے سامنے تاریخ انسانی کی ایک ایسی عظیم شخصیت تھی جس کی نظیر نہ اُس وقت دنیا بھر میں کہیں موجود تھی اور نہ آج تک پائی گئی ہے۔ مگر ان عقل کے اندھوں کو اُس کے مقابلہ میں ایک عجمی غلام، جو کچھ توراۃ و انجیل پڑھ لیتا تھا، قابل تر نظر آرہا تھا اور وہ گمان کر رہےتھے کہ یہ گوہرِ نایاب اس کوئلے سے چمک حاصل کر رہا ہے

108

دوسرا ترجمہ اس آیت کا یہ بھی ہو سکتا ہے کہ ”جھوٹ تو وہ لوگ گھڑا کرتے ہیں جو اللہ کی آیات پر ایمان نہیں لاتے“۔

اِذَا بَدَّلۡنَاۤ اٰیَۃً مَّکَانَ اٰیَۃٍ ۙ وَّ اللّٰہُ اَعۡلَمُ بِمَا یُنَزِّلُ قَالُوۡۤا اِنَّمَاۤ اَنۡتَ مُفۡتَرٍ ؕ بَلۡ اَکۡثَرُہُمۡ لَا یَعۡلَمُوۡنَ ﴿۱۰۱﴾ قُلۡ نَزَّلَہٗ رُوۡحُ الۡقُدُسِ مِنۡ رَّبِّکَ بِالۡحَقِّ لِیُـثَبِّتَ الَّذِیۡنَ اٰمَنُوۡا وَ ہُدًی وَّ بُشۡرٰی لِلۡمُسۡلِمِیۡنَ ﴿۱۰۲﴾

Here is the full English translation of Surah An-Nahl verses 101–102 with Mawdudi’s footnotes:

Surah An-Nahl — Verses 101–102 (Arabic Text)
Verse 101:
“And when We substitute one verse in place of another verse — and Allah knows best what He reveals — they say: ‘You are but a fabricator.’ Rather, most of them do not know.”
Verse 102:
“Say: The Pure Spirit has brought it down from your Lord in truth, to strengthen the believers, and as guidance and glad tidings for those who have submitted.”

Urdu Text (Translation)
“When We reveal one verse in place of another — and Allah knows best what He reveals — these people say: ‘You are fabricating this Quran yourself.’ The reality is that most of them are ignorant of the truth. Tell them: the Pure Spirit has brought it down gradually, exactly from my Lord, so that it may strengthen the faith of the believers, and so that it may show those who have submitted the straight path in the matters of life, and give them the glad tidings of success and felicity.”

Footnote 102
By “revealing one verse in place of another” could be meant the sending of one commandment after another — because the injunctions of the Quran were revealed gradually, and on many occasions two or three successive rulings were sent regarding the same matter with intervals of several years between them; for example, the matter of alcohol, or the matter of the punishment for adultery.
However, we are hesitant to adopt this meaning on the grounds that this verse of Surah An-Nahl was revealed during the Makkan period, and as far as we know, no example of gradual progression in legal commandments had occurred during that period.
Therefore, we understand “revealing one verse in place of another” here to mean that at various places in the Quran, sometimes one subject is explained through one example and sometimes another example is used to explain the same subject; the same story appears repeatedly, each time narrated in different words; sometimes one aspect of a matter is presented and sometimes another aspect of the same matter is brought forward; sometimes one argument is offered for a point and sometimes another; sometimes a matter is stated in brief at one time and in detail at another.
It was precisely this that the disbelievers of Makkah took as evidence that Muhammad ﷺ — God forbid — was himself composing this Quran. Their argument was: if the source of this speech were divine knowledge, everything would have been said all at once. Allah is not deficient in knowledge like a human being — thinking things through gradually, acquiring information piece by piece, and if one approach does not seem to fit, trying another way. These are the weaknesses of human knowledge that are apparently visible in your speech.

Footnote 103
The literal translation of Ruh al-Quds is “the Pure Spirit” or “the Spirit of Purity.” As a title, it has been given to Jibreel (Gabriel) عليه السلام. Here, instead of naming the angel who brings revelation, his title is used — and the purpose is to alert the listeners to the reality that this speech is being brought by a spirit who is free from all human weaknesses and deficiencies.
He is not treacherous — such that Allah sends something and he reduces or adds to it and makes it something else. He is not a liar or fabricator — such that he himself invents something and attributes it to Allah. He is not of corrupt intent — such that he employs deception and fraud for some personal, carnal purpose. He is entirely a sacred and purified spirit who delivers Allah’s word with complete faithfulness and trustworthiness.

Footnote 104
That is: the reason for his bringing this speech gradually and not bringing it all at once is not that there is any deficiency in Allah’s knowledge and wisdom — as you have ignorantly assumed. Rather, the reason is that there is a deficiency in the human capacity for understanding and absorption — due to which a person can neither comprehend everything at one time, nor can he become firmly grounded in what he has understood at a single sitting.
Therefore, the wisdom of Allah required that the Pure Spirit bring this speech in portions — sometimes dealing with a matter briefly, and sometimes elaborating upon the same matter in detail; sometimes explaining something in one way and sometimes in another; sometimes adopting one style of expression and sometimes another; and repeatedly impressing the same point upon the mind through various approaches — so that truth-seekers of varying abilities and capacities may come to faith, and after coming to faith, may become firmly grounded in knowledge, certainty, understanding, and comprehension.

105. The second practical wisdom of sending down the Quran piecemeal was that those believers who obediently followed it, should get necessary instructions for the propagation of Islam and the solution of other problems of life at the time when they were actually needed. It is obvious that if those instructions had been sent down before time and at one and the same time they would not have been useful. 

106. The third practical wisdom of not sending down the Quran as a whole at one and the same time was to give good tidings and encouragement to the obedient servants who were suffering from persecution and encountering great obstacles because they needed it over and over again. That is why they were assured of ultimate success time and again to fill them with hope to carry on their mission.

SubhanAllah — this passage is a masterful Quranic response to one of the oldest objections raised against divine revelation. The argument that gradual revelation proves human authorship is turned completely on its head — Mawdudi beautifully shows that it is precisely the gradual, multi-faceted, pedagogically sensitive nature of the Quran that proves its divine wisdom, since it is calibrated not to the limitations of Allah’s knowledge, but to the limitations of human understanding.
Shall we continue with the next verses, or would you like comparative scholar perspectives on these two verses as well?

جب ہم ایک آیت کی جگہ دُوسری آیت نازل کرتے ہیں۔۔۔۔ اور اللہ بہتر جانتا ہے کہ وہ کیا نازل کرے۔۔۔۔ تو یہ لوگ کہتے ہیں کہ تم یہ قرآن خود گھڑتے ہو۔¹⁰² اصل بات یہ ہے کہ اِن میں سے اکثر لوگ حقیقت سے ناواقف ہیں۔ اِن سے کہو کہ اسے تو روُح القُدس نے ٹھیک ٹھیک میرے ربّ کی طرف سے بتدریج نازل کیا¹⁰³ ہے تاکہ ایمان لانے والوں کے ایمان کو پختہ کرے¹⁰⁴اور فرماں برداروں کو زندگی کے معاملات میں سیدھی راہ بتائےاور¹⁰⁵انہیں فلاح و سعادت کی خوشخبری دے۔¹⁰⁶

102

ایک آیت کی جگہ دوسری آیت نازل کرنے سے مراد ایک حکم کے بعد دوسرا حکم بھیجنا بھی ہو سکتا ہے۔ کیونکہ قرآن مجید کے احکام بتدریج نازل ہو ئے ہیں اور بارہا ایک ہی معاملہ میں چند سال کے وقفوں سے یکے بعد دیگرے دو دو ، تین تین حکم بھیجے گئَ ہیں۔ مثلًا شراب کا معاملہ ، یا زنا کی سزا کا معاملہ۔ لیکن ہم کو یہ معنی لینے میں اس بنا پر تامل ہے کہ سورۂ نحل کی یہ آیت مکی دور میں نازل ہوئی ہے، اورجہاں تک ہمیں معلوم ہے اس دَور میں تدریج فی الاحکام کی کوئی مثال پیش نہ آئی تھی۔ اس لیے ہم یہاں ”ایک آیت کی جگہ دوسری آیت نازل کرنے“ کا مطلب یہ سمجھتے ہیں کہ قرآن مجید کے مختلف مقامات پر کبھی ایک مضمون کو ایک مثال سے سمجھایا گیا ہے اور کبھی وہی مضمون سمجھانے کے لیے دوسری مثال سے کام لیا گیا ہے۔ ایک ہی قصہ بار بار آیا ہے اور ہر مرتبہ اسے دوسرے الفاظ میں بیان کیا گیا ہے۔ ایک معاملہ کا کبھی ایک پہلو پیش کیا گیا ہے اور کبھی اُسی معاملے کا دوسرا پہلو سامنے لایا گیا ہے۔ ایک بات کے لیے کبھی ایک دلیل پیش کی گئی ہے اور کبھی دوسری دلیل۔ ایک بات ایک وقت میں مجمل طور پر کہی گئی ہے اور دوسرے وقت میں مفصل۔ یہی چیز تھی جسے کفارِ مکّہ اس بات کی دلیل ٹھیراتے تھے کہ محمد صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم ، معاذ اللہ ، یہ قرآن خود تصنیف کرتے ہیں۔ ان کا استدلال یہ تھا کہ اگر اس کلام کا منبع علمِ الہٰی ہوتا تو پوری بات بیک وقت کہہ دی جاتی۔ اللہ کوئی انسا ن کی طرح ناقص العلم تھوڑا ہی ہے کہ سوچ سوچ کر بات کرے، رفتہ رفتہ معلومات حاصل کرتا رہے، اور ایک بات ٹھیک بیٹھتی نظر نہ آئے تو دوسرے طریقہ سے بات کرے یہ تو انسانی علم کی کمزوریاں ہیں جو تمہارے اس کلام میں نظر آرہی ہیں۔

103

”روح القدس“ کا لفظی ترجمہ ہے”پاک رُوح“ یا ”پاکیزگی“ ۔ اور اصطلاحًا یہ لقب حضرت جبریلؑ کو دیا گیا ہے۔ یہاں وحی لانے والے فرشتے کا نام لینے کے بجائے اس کا لقب استعمال کرنے سے مقصود سامعین کو اس حقیقت پر متنبہ کرنا ہے کہ اِس کلام کو ایک ایسی روح لے کر آرہی ہے جو بشری کمزوریوں اور نقائص سے پاک ہے۔ وہ نہ خائن ہے کہ اللہ کچھ بھیجے اور وہ اپنی طرف سے کمی بیشی کر کے کچھ اور بنادے۔ نہ کذّاب و مفتری ہے کہ خود کوئی بات گھڑ کے اللہ کے نام سے بیان کر دے۔ نہ بدنیت ہے کہ اپنی کسی نفسانی غرض کی بنا پر دھوکے اور فریب سے کام لے۔ وہ سراسر ایک مقدس و مطہر روح ہے جو اللہ کا کلام پوری امانت کے ساتھ لا کر پہنچاتی ہے۔

104

یعنی اُس کے بتدریج اِس کلام کو لے کر آنے اور بیک وقت سب کچھ نہ لے آنے کی وجہ یہ نہیں ہے کہ اللہ کے علم و دانش میں کوئی نقص ہے ، جیسا کہ تم نے اپنی نادانی سے سمجھا، بلکہ اس کی وجہ یہ ہے کہ انسان کی قوتِ فہم اور قوتِ اخذ میں نقص ہے جس کے سبب سے وہ بیک وقت ساری بات کو نہ سمجھ سکتا ہے اور نہ ایک وقت کی سمجھی ہوئی بات میں پختہ ہو سکتا ہے۔ اس لیے اللہ تعالیٰ کی حکمت اِس بات کی مقتضی ہوئی کہ روح القدس اِس کلام کو تھوڑا تھوڑا کر کے لائے، کبھی اجمال سے کام لے اور کبھی اسی بات کی تفصیل بتائے، کبھی ایک طریقہ سے بات سمجھائے اور کبھی دوسرے طریقے سے، کبھی ایک پیرایۂ بیان اختیار کرے اور کبھی دوسرا، اور ایک ہی بات کو بار بار طریقے طریقے سےذہن نشینن کر نے کی کوشش کرے ، تاکہ مختلف قابلیتوں اور استعدادوں کے طالبینِ حق ایمان لا سکیں اور ایمان لانے کے بعد علم و یقین اور فہم و ادراک میں پختہ ہو سکیں