اُدۡعُ اِلٰی سَبِیۡلِ رَبِّکَ بِالۡحِکۡمَۃِ وَ الۡمَوۡعِظَۃِ الۡحَسَنَۃِ وَ جَادِلۡہُمۡ بِالَّتِیۡ ہِیَ اَحۡسَنُ ؕ اِنَّ رَبَّکَ ہُوَ اَعۡلَمُ بِمَنۡ ضَلَّ عَنۡ سَبِیۡلِہٖ وَ ہُوَ اَعۡلَمُ بِالۡمُہۡتَدِیۡنَ ﴿۱۲۵﴾ وَ اِنۡ عَاقَبۡتُمۡ فَعَاقِبُوۡا بِمِثۡلِ مَا عُوۡقِبۡتُمۡ بِہٖ ؕ وَ لَئِنۡ صَبَرۡتُمۡ لَہُوَ خَیۡرٌ لِّلصّٰبِرِیۡنَ ﴿۱۲۶﴾ وَ اصۡبِرۡ وَ مَا صَبۡرُکَ اِلَّا بِاللّٰہِ وَ لَا تَحۡزَنۡ عَلَیۡہِمۡ وَ لَا تَکُ فِیۡ ضَیۡقٍ مِّمَّا یَمۡکُرُوۡنَ ﴿۱۲۷﴾ اِنَّ اللّٰہَ مَعَ الَّذِیۡنَ اتَّقَوۡا وَّ الَّذِیۡنَ ہُمۡ مُّحۡسِنُوۡنَ ﴿۱۲۸﴾٪

Here is the English translation of Surah An-Nahl, verses 125–128 with Mawdudi’s footnotes:

Surah An-Nahl (16:125–128) — Translation & Commentary

Verses

125. O Prophet, invite to the way of your Lord with wisdom and excellent counsel,¹²² and debate with them in the finest manner.¹²³ Your Lord knows best who has strayed from His path, and He knows best who are rightly guided.
126. And if you retaliate, retaliate only to the extent of the harm done to you. But if you endure patiently, that is indeed better for those who are patient.
127. And be patient, O Muhammad — your patience is only possible through Allah’s grace. Do not grieve over them, and do not be distressed by their scheming.
128. Indeed, Allah is with those who are mindful of Him and those who do good.¹²⁴

Footnotes
Footnote 122
That is, two things must always be kept in mind in the work of calling people to Islam: hikmah (wisdom) and maw’izah hasanah (excellent counsel).
Wisdom means that one should not preach blindly and recklessly like a fool. Rather, one should speak with understanding — gauging the mindset, capacity, and circumstances of the person being addressed, and choosing the right moment and occasion. Not everyone should be driven with the same stick. When dealing with any individual or group, one must first diagnose their particular ailment, and then treat it with arguments capable of uprooting the disease from the depths of their heart and mind.
Excellent counsel carries two meanings. The first is that one should not be content merely with satisfying the intellect through rational arguments, but should also appeal to the emotions. The falsehood and misguidance of wrong beliefs should not only be refuted on rational grounds — the natural aversion that human nature already holds toward them should also be stirred, and people should be made conscious of the harmful consequences. Similarly, the soundness and beauty of right guidance and righteous action should not merely be established intellectually, but a genuine love and longing for them should be cultivated in the hearts.
The second meaning is that the counsel should be delivered in a manner that radiates sincere concern and well-wishing. The person being addressed should not feel that the one advising him looks down upon him or is enjoying a sense of superiority. Rather, he should sense that the adviser’s heart is filled with a deep yearning for his reform and that he genuinely desires his good.
Footnote 123
That is, the debate should not be mere polemical sparring — a contest of wits and verbal combat. It should be free of crooked argumentation, false accusations, taunts, and jibes. Its aim should not be to silence the opponent and trumpet one’s own rhetorical prowess. Instead, it should be characterized by gentle speech, the highest moral conduct, and sound, persuasive reasoning. The listener should not be provoked into stubbornness, obstinacy, or a spirit of contrariness. The effort should be to make the truth clear in a straightforward manner. And when it becomes evident that the other person has descended into mere wrangling, he should be left to himself — lest he drift even further into misguidance.
Footnote 124
That is, those who, out of fear of Allah, guard themselves against every form of wrongdoing and remain steadfast upon righteous conduct. No matter how badly others may treat them, they respond not with evil but with good.

Subhan Allah — with these closing verses, Surah An-Nahl reaches its majestic conclusion. The three principles laid out in verse 125 — hikmah, maw’izah hasanah, and mujadalah bil-ahsan — form the timeless charter of Islamic da’wah. Shall we do a comparative tafsir of these final verses from Ibn Kathir or Sayyid Qutb,

Here is a comparative tafsir of Surah An-Nahl 16:125–128 across the major classical and modern scholars:

Comparative Tafsir — Surah An-Nahl (16:125–128)

Verse 125 — The Three Methods of Da’wah

🔹 Ibn Kathir (d. 774 AH)
Ibn Kathir explains that Allah is commanding His Messenger ﷺ to call humanity to Allah through three distinct methods, each suited to a different category of people:
∙ Hikmah is directed at the intellectuals and people of understanding — those whose minds are receptive and who respond to sound reasoning and clear proof.
∙ Maw’izah Hasanah (excellent counsel) is for the general public — the common people who need encouragement, gentle persuasion, and reminders about rewards and punishments.
∙ Mujadalah bil-Ahsan (debating in the finest manner) is reserved for those who are stubborn or contentious — and even with them, the debate must remain dignified, without harshness or aggression.
Ibn Kathir further notes that the concluding phrase — “Your Lord knows best who has strayed and who is rightly guided” — is a consolation to the Prophet ﷺ, signifying that his duty is only to convey; the matter of guidance belongs entirely to Allah. He draws a parallel with verse 56 of Surah Al-Qasas: “You do not guide whom you love, but Allah guides whom He wills.”

🔹 Al-Tabari (d. 310 AH)
Al-Tabari, the earliest of the great classical commentators, focuses on the linguistic and contextual dimensions. He identifies hikmah as the Quran itself — that is, calling people through the clear proofs, evidences, and divine speech contained in the Book of Allah. He interprets maw’izah hasanah as the admonitions, parables, and narratives of the Quran that soften hearts and warn people of consequences. On mujadalah bil-ahsan, al-Tabari emphasizes that the believer must never use falsehood, distortion, or cheap rhetoric even when engaging opponents — the debate must remain anchored in truth and conducted with noble manners.
Al-Tabari also notes the important contextual dimension: this verse was revealed at a time when the Muslims were still in Makkah and were not permitted to use force. The three methods of da’wah were therefore the only legitimate tools available, and they remain the primary tools of calling people to Islam in all circumstances.

🔹 Al-Qurtubi (d. 671 AH)
Al-Qurtubi provides perhaps the most legally detailed analysis. He notes that the three methods correspond not only to different types of audiences but also to the stages of da’wah:
1. First comes hikmah — the clear, rational argument that establishes the truth.
2. If that does not suffice, one moves to maw’izah hasanah — the emotional and spiritual appeal that moves the heart.
3. If the person still resists and begins to argue, one engages in mujadalah bil-ahsan — but only in the finest possible manner.
Al-Qurtubi draws an important jurisprudential point: this verse establishes that the default posture of the caller to Islam is gentleness and wisdom, not coercion or confrontation. He also notes that hikmah here includes not only rational argument but also placing things in their proper context — knowing what to say, to whom, when, and how.
On the phrase “your Lord knows best who has strayed”, al-Qurtubi comments that this is both a comfort to the Prophet ﷺ and a reminder that the caller bears no ultimate responsibility for the outcome — his accountability is for the effort, not the result.

🔹 Sayyid Qutb (d. 1966)
Qutb, writing in Fi Zilal al-Quran from within an Egyptian prison, brings a deeply experiential and movement-oriented reading. He sees this verse as a comprehensive manhaj (methodology) for Islamic work in any age and under any condition.
He emphasises that hikmah is not merely intelligence — it is the wisdom of knowing that hearts differ, circumstances differ, and that the same truth must be presented differently to different people. The da’i (caller) must read both the truth he carries and the human being before him, and find the point of connection between them.
On maw’izah hasanah, Qutb powerfully observes that the word hasanah (excellent/beautiful) is crucial — it rules out any form of harshness, condescension, or emotional manipulation. The counsel must be beautiful in its spirit, not just its content.
On mujadalah bil-ahsan, Qutb notes that the purpose of debate in Islam is never to humiliate or defeat — it is to open a door in the heart of the listener. The moment one senses that a debate is becoming an ego contest, the wise caller steps back.
Qutb then makes a distinctive point absent in the classical scholars: he connects this verse to the broader Quranic vision of human dignity (karamah). The three methods all share a common foundation — they treat the human being as a rational, feeling, morally responsible agent worthy of respect. This is itself a form of da’wah — demonstrating by one’s very conduct that Islam honours human dignity.

Verse 126 — Proportional Retaliation and the Superiority of Patience

🔹 Ibn Kathir
Ibn Kathir records an important historical context for this verse. It was revealed after the Battle of Uhud, when the Quraysh had mutilated the body of Hamza ibn Abd al-Muttalib (رضي الله عنه). The Prophet ﷺ, overcome with grief, said: “I will mutilate seventy of them in return.” This verse was then revealed, permitting proportional retaliation but strongly encouraging patience and forgiveness. Ibn Kathir notes that the Prophet ﷺ immediately chose patience and forgiveness, and expiation (kaffarah) was prescribed for his oath.
This provides a profound lesson: the verse does not forbid retaliation — it permits it within strict limits of proportionality — but it then immediately elevates the status of those who choose patience above retaliation.

🔹 Al-Qurtubi
Al-Qurtubi develops the jurisprudential implications extensively. He notes that the principle of mithl (equivalence) in retaliation is foundational to Islamic law — one may not exceed the harm done to oneself. He also engages with the question of whether this verse was abrogated by the later verses of jihad — and concludes that it was not abrogated, but rather that both retaliation and patience remain valid options, with patience being the morally superior choice.

🔹 Sayyid Qutb
Qutb reads this verse with particular emotional intensity, given that he wrote his tafsir while himself being subjected to imprisonment and persecution. He observes that the verse acknowledges the human right to retaliation — Islam does not demand impossible sainthood. But it then opens a higher door: “if you are patient, that is better for the patient.” Qutb notes the beautiful Quranic construction — it does not say patience is better in the abstract, but that it is better for the patient ones — meaning those who actually practise it discover its superiority through lived experience.

Verses 127–128 — Divine Companionship and the Promise to the Righteous

🔹 Ibn Kathir
Ibn Kathir comments that these closing verses are among the most comforting in the entire Quran for those engaged in the work of calling to Allah. The command “be patient” is followed immediately by the acknowledgement that “your patience is only through Allah” — meaning that even the capacity for patience is a divine gift, not a purely human achievement. This removes any sense of pride or self-sufficiency from the one who manages to remain patient.
On “Allah is with those who have taqwa and those who do ihsan”, Ibn Kathir explains that this ma’iyyah (divine companionship) is a special, active presence — it means Allah’s support, protection, and assistance — distinct from the general divine knowledge that encompasses all creation.

🔹 Al-Tabari
Al-Tabari emphasises the closing pairing of taqwa and ihsan as the two pillars that attract divine support. Taqwa is the inward shield — the fear and consciousness of Allah that prevents one from wrongdoing. Ihsan is the outward expression — the active doing of good, even toward those who do harm. Together they represent the complete Islamic character: protected from evil within, overflowing with good without.

🔹 Sayyid Qutb
Qutb closes his commentary on Surah An-Nahl with a sweeping reflection. He notes that the Surah began with the grandeur of divine creation — the heavens, the earth, the animals, the blessings poured upon humanity — and ends with the intimate promise: “Allah is with those who have taqwa.” The circle is complete: the God who sustains the universe with His power is the same God who walks with the righteous servant through every trial. This, Qutb writes, is the ultimate source of the believer’s tranquility — not the removal of difficulty, but the certainty of divine companionship within it.

Summary Comparison Table Scholar Distinctive Emphasis Al-Tabari Linguistic precision; hikmah = the Quran itself; historical context of Makkan period Ibn Kathir Hadith-grounded; historical context of Uhud; three methods suited to three audiences Al-Qurtubi Jurisprudential detail; staged methodology; non-abrogation of patience Mawdudi Practical da’wah methodology; psychological insight into the caller’s conduct Sayyid Qutb Movement-oriented; human dignity; divine companionship as source of tranquility

Alhamdulillah — this concludes the comparative tafsir of the final passage of Surah An-Nahl. These closing verses are a remarkable gift to every caller to truth in every age. Shall we now begin Surah Al-Isra (17), or would you like a summary overview of the major themes of Surah An-Nahl as a whole?​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

اے نبی ؐ ، اپنے ربّ کے راستے کی طرف دعوت دو حکمت اور عمدہ نصیحت کے ساتھ،¹²² اور لوگوں سےمباحثہ کرو ایسے طریقہ پر جو بہترین ہو۔¹²³ تمہارا ربّ ہی زیادہ بہتر جانتا ہے کہ کون اُس کی راہ سے بھٹکا ہوا ہے اور کون راہِ راست پر ہے۔ اور اگر تم لوگ بدلہ لو تو بس اسی قدر لے لو جس قدر تم پر زیادتی کی گئی ہو۔ لیکن اگر تم صبر کرو تو یقیناً یہ صبر کرنے والوں ہی کے حق میں بہتر ہے۔ اے محمد ؐ ، صبر سے کام کیے جاوٴ۔۔۔۔اورتمہارا یہ صبر اللہ ہی کی توفیق سے ہے ۔۔۔۔اِن لوگوں کی حرکات پر رنج نہ کرو اور نہ ان کی چال بازیوں پر دل تنگ ہو۔ اللہ اُن لوگوں کے ساتھ ہے جو تقوٰی سے کام لیتے ہیں اور احسان پر عمل کرتے ہیں۔¹²⁴ ؏ ١٦

122

یعنی دعوت میں دو چیزیں ملحوظ رہنی چاہیں۔ ایک حکمت ۔ دوسرے عمدہ نصیحت۔

حکمت کا مطلب یہ ہے کہ بے وقوفوں کی طرح اندھا دھند تبلیغ نہ کی جائے، بلکہ دانائی کے ساتھ مخاطب کی ذہنیت استعداد اور حالات کو سمجھ کر ، نیز موقع و محل کو دیکھ کر بات کی جائے۔ ہر طرح کے لوگوں کو ایک ہی لکڑی سے ہانکا جائے، جس شخص یا گروہ سے سابقہ پیش آئے ، پہلے اس کے مرض کی تشخیص کی جائے، پھر ایسے دلائل سے اس کا علاج کیا جائے جو اس کے دل و دماغ کی گہرائیوں سے اس کے مرض کی جڑ نکال سکتے ہوں۔

عمدہ نصیحت کے دو مطلب ہیں ۔ ایک یہ کہ مخاطب کو صرف دلائل ہی سے مطمئن کرنے پر اکتفا کیا جائے بلکہ اس کے جذبات کو بھی اپیل کی اجائے۔ برائیوں اور گمراہیوں کا محض عقلی حیثیت ہی سے ابطال نہ کیا جائے بلکہ انسان کی فطرت میں اُن ے لیے جو پیدائشی نفرت پائی جاتی ہے اسے بھی اُبھار ا جائے اور ان کے بُرے نتائج کا خوف دلایا جائے۔ ہدایت او ر عمل صالح کی محض صحت اور خوبی ہی عقلًا ثابت نہ کی جائے بلکہ ان کی طرف رغبت اور شوق بھی پیدا کیا جائے۔ دوسرا مطلب یہ ہے کہ نصیحت ایسے طریقہ سے کی جائے جس سے دل سوزی اور خیر خواہی ٹپکتی ہو۔ مخاطب یہ نہ سمجھے کہ ناصح اسے حقیر سمجھ رہا ہے اور اپنی بلندی کے احساس سے لذت لے رہا ہے۔ بلکہ اسے یہ محسوس ہو کہ ناصح کے دل میں اس کی اصلاح کے لیے ایک تڑپ موجود ہے اور وہ حقیقت میں اس کی بھلائی چاہتا ہے۔

123

یعنی اس کی نوعیت محض مناظرہ بازی اور عقلی کُشتی اور ذہنی دنگل کی نہ ہو۔ اس میں کج بحثیاں اور الزام تراشیاں اور چوٹیں اورپھبتیاں نہ ہوں۔ اس کا مقصود حریفِ مقابل کو چپ کر دینا اور اپنی زبان آوری کے ڈنکے بجا دینا نہ ہو۔ بلکہ اس میں شیریں کلامی ہو۔ اعلیٰ درجہ کا شریفانہ اخلاق ہو۔ معقول اور دل لگتے دلائل ہوں ۔ مخاطب کے اندر ضد اور بات کی پچ اور ہٹ دھرمی پیدا نہ ہونے دی جائے۔ سیدھے سیدھے طریقے سے اس کو بات سمجھانے کی کوشش کی جائے اور جب محسوس ہو کہ وہ کج بحثی پر اتر آیا ہے تو اسے اس کے حال پر چھوڑ دیا جائے تاکہ وہ گمراہی میں اور زیادہ دُور نہ نکل جائے۔

124

یعنی جو خدا سے ڈر کر ہر قسم کے بُرے طریقوں سے پرہیز کرتے ہیں اور ہمیشہ نیک رویہ پر قائم رہتے ہیں ۔ دوسرے ان کے ساتھ خواہ کتنی ہی بُرائی کریں، وہ ان کا جواب برائی سے نہیں بلکہ بھلائی ہی سے دیے جاتے ہیں۔

اِنَّ اِبۡرٰہِیۡمَ کَانَ اُمَّۃً قَانِتًا لِّلّٰہِ حَنِیۡفًا ؕ وَ لَمۡ یَکُ مِنَ الۡمُشۡرِکِیۡنَ ﴿۱۲۰﴾ۙ شَاکِرًا لِّاَنۡعُمِہٖ ؕ اِجۡتَبٰہُ وَ ہَدٰىہُ اِلٰی صِرَاطٍ مُّسۡتَقِیۡمٍ ﴿۱۲۱﴾ وَ اٰتَیۡنٰہُ فِی الدُّنۡیَا حَسَنَۃً ؕ وَ اِنَّہٗ فِی الۡاٰخِرَۃِ لَمِنَ الصّٰلِحِیۡنَ ﴿۱۲۲﴾ؕ ثُمَّ اَوۡحَیۡنَاۤ اِلَیۡکَ اَنِ اتَّبِعۡ مِلَّۃَ اِبۡرٰہِیۡمَ حَنِیۡفًا ؕ وَ مَا کَانَ مِنَ الۡمُشۡرِکِیۡنَ ﴿۱۲۳﴾ اِنَّمَا جُعِلَ السَّبۡتُ عَلَی الَّذِیۡنَ اخۡتَلَفُوۡا فِیۡہِ ؕ وَ اِنَّ رَبَّکَ لَیَحۡکُمُ بَیۡنَہُمۡ یَوۡمَ الۡقِیٰمَۃِ فِیۡمَا کَانُوۡا فِیۡہِ یَخۡتَلِفُوۡنَ ﴿۱۲۴﴾

Here is the English translation of Surah An-Nahl, verses 120–124 with Mawdudi’s footnotes:

Surah An-Nahl (16:120–124) — Translation & Commentary

Verses

120. Indeed, Ibrahim was in himself an entire nation — devoutly obedient to Allah, wholly devoted to Him alone, and he was never among the polytheists.¹¹⁹
121. He was grateful for His favours. Allah chose him and guided him to a straight path.
122. And We granted him good in this world, and in the Hereafter he shall surely be among the righteous.
123. Then We revealed to you: “Follow the way of Ibrahim, who was wholly devoted, and he was not among the polytheists.“¹²⁰
124. As for the Sabbath, it was imposed only upon those who disputed concerning it.¹²¹ And surely your Lord will judge between them on the Day of Resurrection regarding all that they used to dispute.

Footnotes
Footnote 119
That is, this one man was in himself an entire nation. At a time when there was not a single Muslim left in the world, he alone stood as the standard-bearer of Islam on one side, while the whole of humanity bore the banner of disbelief on the other. This solitary servant of God accomplished what an entire nation was meant to accomplish. He was not merely one individual — he was a complete institution unto himself.
Footnote 120
This is the complete answer to the first objection raised by the opponents. The answer has two parts.
The first is that there is no contradiction in the divine law, as the critics had assumed upon observing the apparent differences between Jewish religious law and the Shari’ah of Muhammad ﷺ. In reality, the Jews were specifically deprived of certain blessings as a consequence of their own disobedience — there was no reason to impose those same deprivations upon others.
The second part is that the way Muhammad ﷺ has been commanded to follow is the way of Ibrahim ﷺ, and it is well known that in the Abrahamic tradition those things were not forbidden which are forbidden in Jewish law. For instance, the Jews do not eat camel meat, yet it was lawful in the Abrahamic tradition. Ostrich, duck, rabbit, and similar animals are prohibited among the Jews, yet all of these were lawful in the Abrahamic tradition.
Alongside this answer, the Makkan disbelievers were also put on notice that neither they nor the Jews have any genuine connection to Ibrahim, because both groups are engaged in polytheism. If there is any true follower of the Abrahamic tradition, it is this Prophet and his Companions, in whose beliefs and conduct there is not the slightest trace of shirk.
Footnote 121
This is the answer to the second objection of the Makkan disbelievers. There was no need here to explicitly state that the Sabbath too was specific to the Jews and that the observance of the Sabbath had no existence in the Abrahamic tradition — for this was already known even to the Makkan disbelievers themselves. Therefore, it sufficed to indicate only this much: that the stringencies they observed in Jewish Sabbath law were not part of the original commandment. Rather, they were imposed upon the Jews later, as a consequence of their mischief and repeated violations of the divine commands.
This Quranic allusion cannot be fully appreciated unless one examines, on one hand, the Biblical passages where the Sabbath commandments are laid out — such as Exodus 20:8–11; 23:12–13; 31:12–17; 35:2–3; Numbers 15:32–36 — and, on the other hand, becomes acquainted with the audacity with which the Jews persisted in violating the sanctity of the Sabbath, as recorded for instance in Jeremiah 17:21–27 and Ezekiel 20:12–24.

Alhamdulillah — the portrait of Ibrahim ﷺ in verse 120 as an ummah unto himself is one of the most powerful characterisations in the Quran. Shall we continue with verses 125 onward, or would you like a comparative tafsir from Ibn Kathir or Sayyid Qutb on these verses?

واقعہ یہ ہے کہ ابراہیم ؑ اپنی ذات سے ایک پوری اُمّت تھا،¹¹⁹ اللہ کا مطیعِ فرمان اور یکسُو۔ وہ کبھی مشرک نہ تھا۔ اللہ کی نعمتوں کا شکر ادا کرنے والا تھا۔ اللہ نے اُس کو منتخب کر لیا اور سیدھا راستہ دکھایا۔ دنیا میں اس کو بھلائی دی اور آخرت میں وہ یقیناً صالحین میں سے ہوگا۔ پھر ہم نے تمہاری طرف یہ وحی بھیجی کہ یکسُو ہو کر ابراہیم ؑ کے طریقے پر چلو اور وہ مشرکوں میں سے نہ تھا۔¹²⁰ رہا سَبت، تو وہ ہم نے اُن لوگوں پر مسلّط کیا تھا جنہوں نے اس کے احکام میں اختلاف ک¹²¹یا، اور یقیناً تیرا ربّ قیامت کے روز ان سب باتوں کا فیصلہ کر دے گا جن میں وہ اختلاف کرتے رہے ہیں۔

119

یعنی وہ اکیلا انسان بجائے خو د ایک اُمت تھا۔ جب دنیا میں کوئی مسلمان نہ تھا تو ایک طرف وہ اکیلااسلام کا علمبردار تھا اور دوسری طرف ساری دنیا کفر کی علمبردار تھی۔ اُس اکیلے بندۂ خدا نے وہ کام کیا جو ایک امّت کے کرنے کا تھا۔ وہ ایک شخص نہ تھا بلکہ ایک پورا ادارہ تھا

120

یہ معترضین کے پہلے اعتراض کا مکمل جواب ہے۔ اس جواب کے دو اجزا ہیں ۔ ایک یہ کہ خدا کی شریعت میں تضاد نہیں ہے، جیسا کہ تم نے یہودیوں کے مذہبی قانون اور شریعت محمدیؐ کے ظاہری فرق کو دیکھ کر گمان کیا ہے ، بلکہ دراصل یہودیوں کو خاص طور پر ان کی نافرمانیوں کی پاداش میں چند نعمتوں سے محروم کیا گیا تھا جن سے دوسروں کو محروم کرنے کی کوئی وجہ نہیں۔ دوسرا جزء یہ ہے کہ محمد صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم کو جس طریقے کی پیروی کا حکم دیا گیا ہے وہ ابراہیم علیہ السلام کا طریقہ ہے اور تمہیں معلوم ہے کہ ملتِ ابراہیمی میں وہ چیزیں حرام نہ تھیں جو یہودیوں کے ہاں حرام ہیں۔ مثلًا یہودی اونٹ نہیں کھاتے، مگر مِلّتِ ابراہیمی میں وہ حلال تھا۔ یہودیوں کے ہاں شتر مرغ ، بط، خرگوش وغیرہ حرام ہیں، مگر ملّتِ ابراہیمی میں یہ سب چیزیں حلال تھیں۔ اس جواب کے ساتھ ساتھ کفارِ مکّہ کو اس بات پر بھی متنبہ کر دیا گیا کہ نہ تم کو ابراہیمؑ سے کوئی واسطہ ہے نہ یہودیوں کو ، کیونکہ تم دونوں ہی شرک کر رہے ہو۔ ملّتِ ابراہیمی کا اگر کوئی صحیح پیرو ہے تو وہ یہ نبی اور اس کے ساتھی ہیں جن کے عقائد اور اعمال میں شرک کا شائبہ تک نہیں پایا جاتا

121

یہ کفارِ مکّہ کے دوسرے اعتراض کا جواب ہے۔ اس میں یہ بیان کرنے کی حاجت نہ تھی کہ سَبت بھی یہودیوں کے لیے مخصوص تھا اور مِلّتِ ابراہیمی میں حرمتِ سبت کا کوئی وجود نہ تھا ، کیونکہ اس بات کو خود کفار مکہ بھی جانتے تھے ۔ اس لیے صرف اتنا ہی اشارہ کر نے پر اکتفا کیا گیا کہ یہودیوں کے ہاں سبت کے قانون میں جو سختیاں تم پاتے ہو یہ ابتدائی حکم میں نہ تھیں بلکہ یہ بعد میں یہودیوں کی شرارتوں اور احکام کی خلاف ورزیوں کی وجہ سے ان پر عائد کی گئی تھیں ۔ قرآن مجید کے اس اشارے کو آدمی اچھی طرح نہیں سمجھ سکتا جب تک کہ وہ ایک طرف بائیبل کے اُن مقامات کو نہ دیکھے جہاں سبت کے احکام بیان ہوئے ہیں (مثلاً ملاحظہ ہو خروج باب ۲۰، آیت ۸ تا ۱۱۔ باب ۲۳، آیت ۱۲ و ۱۳۔ باب ۳۱، آیت ۱۲ تا ۱۷۔ باب ۳۵، آیت ۲ و ۳۔ گنتی باب ۱۵، آیت ۳۲ تا ۳۶)، اور دوسری طرف اُن جسارتوں سے واقف نہ ہو جو یہودی سبت کی حرمت کو توڑنے میں ظاہر کرتے رہے(مثلًا ملاحظہ ہو یر میاہ باب ۱۷، آیت ۲۱ تا ۲۷۔ حِزقِی ایل ، باب ۲۰، آیت ۱۲ تا ۲۴)۔

Legislation Belongs to Allah Alone — A Quranic & Hadith Perspective

وَ لَا تَقُوۡلُوۡا لِمَا تَصِفُ اَلۡسِنَتُکُمُ الۡکَذِبَ ہٰذَا حَلٰلٌ وَّ ہٰذَا حَرَامٌ لِّتَفۡتَرُوۡا عَلَی اللّٰہِ الۡکَذِبَ ؕ اِنَّ الَّذِیۡنَ یَفۡتَرُوۡنَ عَلَی اللّٰہِ الۡکَذِبَ لَا یُفۡلِحُوۡنَ ﴿۱۱۶﴾ؕ مَتَاعٌ قَلِیۡلٌ ۪ وَّ لَہُمۡ عَذَابٌ اَلِیۡمٌ ﴿۱۱۷﴾

Quranic Verses (Surah An-Nahl, 16:116–117):
“And do not say, on account of what your tongues falsely assert, ‘This is lawful and that is forbidden,’ so that you fabricate lies against Allah. Indeed, those who fabricate lies against Allah will never prosper. (116) It is a brief enjoyment, and for them is a painful punishment.” (117)

And these tongues of yours that issue false rulings — declaring this thing lawful and that forbidden — do not fabricate lies against Allah by issuing such rulings. (116) Those who fabricate false lies against Allah shall never attain success. The pleasures of this world are but for a few days. In the end, a painful punishment awaits them.

Footnote No. 116 — Surah An-Nahl:
This verse explicitly states that no one other than Allah has the right to declare something permissible or forbidden — in other words, Allah alone is the Legislator. Any person who dares to decide what is lawful and what is unlawful will be transgressing his bounds, unless he accepts divine law as his authority and, deriving guidance from its injunctions, says that such-and-such thing or action is permissible or impermissible.
The reason this independent declaration of lawfulness and prohibition has been called a lie and fabrication against Allah is that the act of such a person cannot be free from one of two conditions: either he claims that what he is declaring lawful or forbidden — without any sanction from the Book of Allah — has been so designated by Allah; or he claims that Allah has relinquished His authority over legislation and left man free to formulate the law of his own life independently. Whichever of these two claims he makes, it is inevitably a lie and a fabrication against Allah.

More discussion on this important matter

Q: Need help in compression of this. It appears that Allah doesn’t like people taking in their hands the authority of making things prohibited or permissible. In some other verses it is also mentioned to accept authority of Allah subhanautala and HIS messenger in these matters, as these are very important in the best interest of humankind for eternity and human beings at large may not have that wisdom of what is good in their own interest. It also becomes a sin of committing sin of disobedience in addition to the bad physical and moral implications . Please comprehend this with references to Quranic verses and ahadees

A: Here is a comprehensive but concise treatment of this important theme:

Legislation Belongs to Allah Alone — A Quranic & Hadith Perspective

1. The Core Principle: Allah is the Sole Legislator
   The verse you shared (16:116–117) establishes the foundational rule: no human being has the right to independently declare something halal or haram. This is not merely a legal boundary — it is a matter of Tawhid itself. To arrogate legislative authority is to claim a Divine attribute.
   Allah says directly:
   “The decision rests with Allah alone.” — (Yusuf 12:40)
   “Or do they have partners who have ordained for them in religion what Allah has not permitted?” — (Ash-Shura 42:21)
   This second verse is particularly powerful — it frames man-made legislation in religious matters as a form of shirk, associating partners with Allah.
2. Obedience to Allah and His Messenger is Mandatory
   Allah did not leave us without guidance. He paired His own authority with that of His Messenger ﷺ:
   “O you who believe! Obey Allah and obey the Messenger and those in authority among you. And if you differ in anything, refer it to Allah and the Messenger.” — (An-Nisa 4:59)
   “It is not for a believing man or woman, when Allah and His Messenger have decided a matter, to have any choice in their affair.” — (Al-Ahzab 33:36)
   These verses make clear that in matters of halal and haram, personal opinion, cultural norm, or majority consensus carries no independent weight against divine ruling.
3. Human Beings Lack the Wisdom to Legislate for Themselves
   This is perhaps the deepest insight in the Quran on this subject — humans simply do not possess the comprehensive knowledge required:
   “And it may be that you dislike a thing which is good for you, and it may be that you love a thing which is evil for you. Allah knows and you do not know.” — (Al-Baqarah 2:216)
   “Does He who created not know, while He is the Subtle, the All-Aware?” — (Al-Mulk 67:14)
   The Prophet ﷺ also warned:
   “The halal is clear and the haram is clear, and between them are doubtful matters that many people do not know. Whoever avoids doubtful matters has protected his religion and his honor.” — (Bukhari & Muslim)
   This hadith shows that even in grey areas, the guidance is to defer — not to independently rule.
4. Independent Legislation is Both Sin and Spiritual Ruin
   Mawdudi’s footnote identifies two forms this transgression takes:
   ∙ Claiming Allah sanctioned something He did not
   ∙ Claiming Allah left humans free to legislate independently
   Both are lies against Allah — and the Quran warns of their consequence:
   “Those who fabricate lies against Allah will never prosper.” — (An-Nahl 16:116)
   “And whoever does not judge by what Allah has revealed — it is those who are the wrongdoers… the fasiqun… the kafirun.” — (Al-Ma’idah 5:44–47)
   The Prophet ﷺ specifically warned against inventing rulings without knowledge:
   “Whoever is asked about knowledge and conceals it will be bridled with reins of fire on the Day of Resurrection.” — (Abu Dawud, Tirmidhi)
   And more directly:
   “The most audacious of people in issuing fatwas is the most audacious of them toward the Fire.” — (Ibn Majah)
5. The Permitted Exception: Scholarly Derivation (Ijtihad)
   As Mawdudi notes, the one legitimate exception is the scholar who derives rulings from divine sources — Quran and authentic Sunnah — transparently and humbly. This is ijtihad, not independent legislation. The difference is crucial:
   ∙ The mujtahid says: “Based on what Allah revealed, this appears to be permitted/forbidden.”
   ∙ The transgressor says: “I declare this permitted/forbidden” — without divine sanction.
   The Prophet ﷺ validated this carefully bounded process:
   “When a judge exercises ijtihad and reaches the correct ruling, he has two rewards. If he errs, he has one reward.” — (Bukhari & Muslim)

Summary Dimension Teaching Theological Legislation is an attribute of Allah — usurping it is a form of shirk Legal Quran and Sunnah are the only valid sources of halal/haram Epistemological Humans lack the wisdom to know what is truly in their interest Moral Independent rulings are lies against Allah and lead to ruin Practical Scholarly ijtihad is permitted only when rooted in divine sources

The underlying mercy in all of this is that Allah’s legislation is not arbitrary restriction — it is the guidance of the All-Knowing, All-Wise for our eternal welfare, from the One who knows us better than we know ourselves.

Q: Can you comprehend more about harmful effects of not following the instructions like prohibition of Zina, alcohol, interest based transaction etc on social, community , financial matters . How divine rulings are helpful in preventing harm to humanity as Almighty Allah has the utmost interest in protecting their own interest and Allah has nothing to gain from these rulings.

A: Here is a comprehensive treatment of this vital theme:

Divine Prohibitions: Mercy, Not Restriction — A Comprehensive Study
Preface: Allah Gains Nothing — We Gain Everything
Before examining specific prohibitions, this foundational point must be established:
“Whoever does righteousness — it is for his own soul. And whoever does evil — it is against it. And your Lord is not unjust to His servants.” — (Fussilat 41:46)
“If you are grateful, I will surely increase you in favor. But if you deny — indeed My punishment is severe.” — (Ibrahim 14:7)
Allah is Al-Ghani — utterly self-sufficient. His prohibitions carry zero personal benefit for Him. They are entirely and exclusively for the protection and flourishing of human beings — individually, socially, and civilizationally.
The Prophet ﷺ said in a Hadith Qudsi:
“O My servants, you cannot harm Me nor can you benefit Me.” — (Muslim)

I. Prohibition of Zina (Fornication & Adultery)
The Quranic Command
“And do not approach unlawful sexual intercourse. Indeed, it is ever an immorality and is evil as a way.” — (Al-Isra 17:32)
Note: Allah says “do not even approach” — not merely “do not commit.” This acknowledges that harm begins long before the act itself.
Social & Moral Harms — Confirmed by Modern Evidence

1. Destruction of the Family Unit
   The family is civilization’s foundational building block. Zina systematically dismantles it:
   ∙ Illegitimate children are deprived of paternal identity, inheritance, and stable upbringing
   ∙ Spousal betrayal destroys trust — the glue of family life
   ∙ Broken homes produce generational cycles of emotional trauma and social dysfunction
2. Epidemic of Fatherlessness
   Modern sociology confirms what divine wisdom ordained centuries ago. Fatherless children statistically show dramatically higher rates of:
   ∙ Poverty and welfare dependency
   ∙ Criminal behavior and incarceration
   ∙ Substance abuse and mental illness
   ∙ Educational failure
3. Disease and Public Health
   The explosion of sexually transmitted diseases — HIV, syphilis, HPV-related cancers, chlamydia — is directly linked to sexual permissiveness. These place enormous burdens on healthcare systems and cause immeasurable personal suffering.
4. Commodification of Women
   When sexual relations are severed from commitment, women are reduced to objects of pleasure. The pornography industry — a direct fruit of sexual liberalism — generates billions while destroying self-worth, marriages, and healthy intimacy.
5. Psychological Devastation
   Research consistently links casual sexual relationships with depression, anxiety, low self-esteem — particularly among women and young people.
   “And of His signs is that He created for you from yourselves mates that you may find tranquility in them, and He placed between you affection and mercy.” — (Ar-Rum 30:21)
   Allah’s design — committed, loving marriage — is the only context where true tranquility (sakinah) is found.

II. Prohibition of Alcohol
The Quranic Command
“O you who believe! Indeed, intoxicants, gambling, stone altars and divining arrows are but defilement from the work of Satan — so avoid it, that you may be successful. Satan only wants to cause between you animosity and hatred through intoxicants and gambling and to avert you from the remembrance of Allah and from prayer.” — (Al-Ma’idah 5:90–91)
This verse remarkably identifies the precise social mechanisms of harm — animosity, hatred, and spiritual disconnection — 1400 years before modern sociology.
Social & Community Harms

1. Family Violence and Breakdown
   Alcohol is the single largest contributing factor in:
   ∙ Domestic violence worldwide
   ∙ Child abuse and neglect
   ∙ Divorce and family dissolution
2. Crime and Social Disorder
   Studies consistently show alcohol is involved in the majority of violent crimes — assault, murder, rape, and road fatalities. Entire police and judicial systems are overwhelmed managing alcohol-related disorder.
3. Economic Devastation
   The global cost of alcohol abuse runs into trillions annually — through lost productivity, healthcare costs, accidents, and criminal justice expenses. Families are financially ruined by alcoholic members.
4. Health Catastrophe
   Alcohol causes liver disease, heart disease, neurological damage, several cancers, and fetal alcohol syndrome — condemning unborn children to a lifetime of disability through no fault of their own.
5. Spiritual and Moral Numbing
   The Quran identifies the deepest harm: it averts you from the remembrance of Allah. A society that numbs its conscience chemically loses its moral compass entirely.
   The Prophet ﷺ declared:
   “Every intoxicant is khamr, and every khamr is haram.” — (Muslim)
   “Alcohol is the mother of all evils.” — (Ibn Majah)

III. Prohibition of Riba (Interest-Based Transactions)
The Quranic Command
“Allah has permitted trade and forbidden riba.” — (Al-Baqarah 2:275)
“O you who believe! Fear Allah and give up what remains of riba, if you should be believers. And if you do not — then be informed of a war from Allah and His Messenger.” — (Al-Baqarah 2:278–279)
No other sin in the Quran invites a declaration of war from Allah and His Messenger — indicating the catastrophic scale of its harm.
Financial & Social Harms

1. Wealth Concentration and Inequality
   Interest-based systems mathematically guarantee that wealth flows from the poor to the rich. The lender profits regardless of whether the borrower succeeds or fails — creating a permanent class of indebted poor and an ever-enriching creditor class.
   “So that wealth does not circulate only among the rich among you.” — (Al-Hashr 59:7)
   This Quranic principle of wealth circulation is directly violated by interest-based economies.
2. Debt Slavery of Nations
   Entire developing nations are trapped in perpetual debt to international financial institutions. Interest payments consume government budgets that should fund healthcare, education, and infrastructure. Generations are born into national debt they did not create.
3. Financial Crises
   The 2008 global financial crisis — rooted in interest-based mortgage lending, leveraged debt, and financial speculation — wiped out trillions in savings, cost millions their homes, and devastated the poorest most severely. Islamic finance scholars noted this was a predictable consequence of riba-based systems.
4. Incentivizing Failure
   In Islamic finance, risk is shared between lender and borrower — creating genuine partnership and mutual interest in success. In riba-based systems, the lender profits even from the borrower’s ruin, incentivizing predatory lending.
5. Psychological Burden of Debt
   Personal debt — student loans, credit cards, mortgages at compound interest — is today one of the leading causes of depression, anxiety, and suicide globally. Allah’s prohibition protects human dignity and mental wellbeing.
   The Prophet ﷺ said:
   “There will come a time when no one will be left who does not consume riba, and whoever does not consume it directly will be affected by its dust.” — (Abu Dawud, Ibn Majah)
   This prophecy has been fulfilled with remarkable precision in our global economy.

IV. The Unified Wisdom Behind All Prohibitions
Islamic jurisprudence identifies five universal objectives (Maqasid al-Shariah) that all divine rulings protect: Maqsad (Objective) Protected by Protection of Life (Hifz al-Nafs) Prohibitions on murder, intoxicants, self-harm Protection of Intellect (Hifz al-Aql) Prohibition of alcohol and drugs Protection of Lineage (Hifz al-Nasl) Prohibition of Zina Protection of Wealth (Hifz al-Mal) Prohibition of Riba, theft, fraud Protection of Religion (Hifz al-Din) Prohibition of shirk, blasphemy, apostasy

Every divine prohibition maps directly onto protecting one or more of these five essential human interests.

V. The Human Incapacity to See Long-Term Harm
Allah addresses this directly:
“And it may be that you dislike a thing which is good for you, and it may be that you love a thing which is evil for you. Allah knows and you do not know.” — (Al-Baqarah 2:216)
Human beings are hardwired for short-term gratification. Neuroscience confirms we systematically underestimate future harm for present pleasure. Divine law compensates for exactly this cognitive limitation — setting firm boundaries where human willpower and foresight consistently fail.
The Prophet ﷺ illustrated this with a powerful metaphor:
“The example of a person who observes Allah’s limits and one who violates them is like people on a boat — some on the upper deck and some below. Those below, when they need water, say: ‘Why should we trouble those above? Let us make a hole in our share.’ If those above allow them, they will all drown together.” — (Bukhari)
This hadith captures the collective nature of moral harm — individual violations of divine limits sink entire communities.

Conclusion: The Most Merciful Legislator
“And We have not sent you except as a mercy to the worlds.” — (Al-Anbiya 21:107)
The prohibitions of Islam are not the arbitrary edicts of a distant God. They are the prescriptions of Ar-Rahman, Ar-Rahim — the Most Merciful — who created human beings, knows their nature completely, and desires for them flourishing in this world and salvation in the next.
Every prohibition is simultaneously:
∙ A protection from harm we may not foresee
∙ A elevation of human dignity above animal impulse
∙ A mercy from the One who gains nothing from our obedience and loses nothing from our disobedience
As Mawdudi wrote in his commentary: “Allah’s law is not a cage — it is the blueprint given by the Architect to the building He Himself designed.”

اور یہ و تمہاری زبانیں جھُو ٹے احکام لگایا کرتی ہیں کہ یہ چیز حلال ہے اور وہ حرام، تو اس طرح کے حکم لگا کر اللہ پر جھُوٹ نہ باندھا کرو۔¹¹⁶جو لوگ اللہ پر جھُوٹے افترا باندھتے ہیں وہ ہر گز فلاح نہیں پایا کرتے۔ دنیا کا عیش چند روزہ ہے۔ آخرِ کار اُن کے لیے دردناک سزا ہے۔

سُوْرَةُ النَّحْل حاشیہ نمبر :116

یہ آیت صاف تصریح کرتی ہے کہ خدا کے سوا تحلیل و تحریم کا حق کسی کو بھی نہیں، یا بالفاظِ دیگر قانون ساز صرف اللہ ہے۔ دوسرا جو شخص بھی جائز اور ناجائز کا فیصلہ کرنے کی جرأت کرے گا وہ اپنے حد سے تجاوز کرے گا ، اِلّا یہ کہ وہ قانون الہٰی کو سند مان کر اُس کے فرامین سے استنباط کرتےہوئے یہ کہے کہ فلاں چیز یا فلاں فعل جائز ہے اور فلاں ناجائز۔

اِس خود مختارانہ تحلیل و تحریم کو اللہ پر جھوٹ اور افترا اس لیے فرمایا گیا کہ جو شخص اِس طرح کے احکام لگاتا ہے اس کا یہ فعل دو حال سے خالی نہیں ہو سکتا۔ یا وہ اس بات کا دعویٰ کرتا ہے کہ جسے وہ کتابِ الہٰی کی سند سے بے نیاز ہو کر جائز یا ناجائز کہہ رہا ہے اسے خدا نے جائز یا ناجائز ٹھیرایا ہے۔ یا اس کا دعویٰ یہ ہے کہ اللہ نے تحلیل و تحریم کے اختیارات سے دست بردار ہو کر انسان کوخود اپنی زندگی کی شریعت بنانے کے لیے آزاد چھوڑ دیا ہے۔ ان میں سے جو دعویٰ بھی وہ کرے وہ لامحالہ جھوٹ اور اللہ پر افترا ہے۔