The Bee — Verse 18

Signs in the Oceans, Mountains, Rivers, Roads and Stars Allah tells us how He has subjected the seas, with their waves lapping the shores, and how He blesses His servants by subjecting the seas for them so that they may travel on them, and by putting fish and whales in them, by making their flesh permissible to eat - whether they are caught alive or dead - at all times, including when people are in a state of Ihram. He has created pearls and precious jewels in the oceans, and made it easy for His servants to recover ornaments that they can wear from the ocean floor. He made the sea such that it carries the ships which plow through it. He is the One Who taught mankind to make ships, which is the inheritance of their forefather Nuh. He was the first one to travel by ship, he was taught how to make them, then people took this knowledge from him and passed it down from generation to generation through the centuries, so that they could travel from country to country and from place to place, bringing goods from here to there and from there to here. Thus Allah says: وَلِتَبْتَغُواْ مِن فَضْلِهِ وَلَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ (that you may seek from His bounty and that you may perhaps be grateful.) - for His bounty and blessings. Then Allah mentions the earth and how He placed in it mountains standing firm, which make it stable and keep it from shaking in such a manner that the creatures dwelling on it would not be able to live. Hence Allah says, وَالْجِبَالَ أَرْسَـهَا (And the mountains He has fixed firmly.) (79: 32). وَأَنْهَـراً وَسُبُلاً (and rivers and roads) meaning He has made rivers which flow from one place to another, bringing provision for His servants. The rivers arise in one place, and bring provision to people living in another place. They flow through lands and fields and wildernesses, through mountains and hills, until they reach the land whose people they are meant to benefit. They meander across the land, left and right, north and south, east and west - rivers great and small - flowing sometimes and ceasing sometimes, flowing from their sources to the places where the water gathers, flowing rapidly or moving slowly, as decreed by Allah. There is no god besides Him and no Lord except Him. He also made roads or routes along which people travel from one land or city to another, and He even made gaps in the mountains so that there would be routes between them, as He says: وَجَعَلْنَا فِيهَا فِجَاجاً سُبُلاً (And We placed broad highways for them to pass through.) 21:31 وَعَلامَـتٍ (And landmarks) meaning, signs like great mountains and small hills, and so on, things that land and sea travelers use to find their way if they get lost. وَبِالنَّجْمِ هُمْ يَهْتَدُونَ (and by the stars (during the night), they (mankind) guide themselves.) meaning, in the darkness of the night. This was the opinion of Ibn `Abbas. Worship is Allah's Right Then Allah tells us of His greatness, and that worship should be directed to Him alone, not to any of the idols which do not create but are rather themselves created. Thus He says أَفَمَن يَخْلُقُ كَمَن لاَّ يَخْلُقُ أَفَلا تَذَكَّرُونَ (Is then He, Who creates, the same as one who does not create Will you not then reflect)(16:17). Then He shows His servants some of the many blessings He granted for them, and the many kinds of things that He has done for them. He says; وَإِن تَعُدُّواْ نِعْمَةَ اللَّهِ لاَ تُحْصُوهَآ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَغَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ (And if you would try to count the favors of Allah, you would never be able to count them. Truly, Allah is Forgiving, Most Merciful.) (16:18) meaning that He pardons and forgives them. If He were to ask you to thank Him for all of His blessings, you would not be able to do so, and if He were to command you to do so, you would be incapable of it. If He punishes you, He is never unjust in His punishment, but He is Forgiving and Most Merciful, He forgives much and rewards for little. Ibn Jarir said: "It means that Allah is Forgiving when you fail to thank Him properly, if you repent and turn to Him in obedience, and strive to do that which pleases Him. He is Merciful to you and does not punish you if you turn to Him and repent."

And if you were to count God’s grace you could never reckon it number it precisely let alone be able to give thanks for it. Indeed God is Forgiving Merciful since He bestows graces upon you despite your shortcomings and your acts of disobedience.

وإن تحاولوا حَصْرَ نِعَم الله عليكم لا تَفُوا بحَصْرها؛ لكثرتها وتنوعها. إن الله لَغفور لكم رحيم بكم؛ إذ يتجاوز عن تقصيركم في أداء شكر النعم، ولا يقطعها عنكم لتفريطكم، ولا يعاجلكم بالعقوبة.

ثم نبههم على كثرة نعمه عليهم وإحسانه إليهم فقال "وإن تعدوا نعمة الله لا تحصوها إن الله لغفور رحيم" أي يتجاوز عنكم ولو طالبكم بشكر نعمه لعجزتم عن القيام بذلك ولو أمركم به لضعفتم وتركتم ولو عذبكم لعذبكم وهو غير ظالم لكم ولكنه غفور رحيم يغفر الكثير ويجازي على اليسير; وقال ابن جرير: يقول إن الله لغفور لما كان منكم من تقصير في شكر بعض ذلك إذا تبتم وأنبتم إلى طاعته واتباع مرضاته رحيم بكم لا يعذبكم بعد الإنابة والتوبة.

ثم ذكرهم - سبحانه - بنعمه على سبيل الإِجمال ، بعد أن فصل جانباً منها فى الآيات السابقة فقال - تعالى - ( وَإِن تَعُدُّواْ نِعْمَةَ الله لاَ تُحْصُوهَآ ) .والمراد بالنعمة هنا جنسها ، الذى يشمل كل نعمه ، لأن لفظ العدد والإِحصاء قرينة على ذلك ، وعلماء البيان يعدون استعمال المفرد فى معنى الجمع اعتمادا على القرينة - من أبلغ الأساليب الكلامية .أى : وإن تعدوا نعمة الله - تعالى - التى أنعمها عليكم ، فى أنفسكم ، وفيما سخره لكم لا تستطيعون حصر هذه النعم لكثرتها ولتنوعها .وما دام الأمر كذلك فاشكروه عليها ما استطعتم ، وأخلصوا له العبادة والطاعة .وقوله : ( إِنَّ الله لَغَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ ) استئناف قصد به فتح باب الأمل أمامهم لكى يتداركوا ما فرط منهم من جحود وتقصير فى حقه - سبحانه - .أى : إن الله - تعالى - لغفور لعباده على ما فرط منهم متى تابوا إليه توبة نصوحا ، رحيم بهم ، حيث لم يؤاخذهم بذنوبهم . بل منحهم نعمه مع تقصيرهم فى شكره - تعالى .قال ابن كثير - رحمه الله - قوله : " ( إِنَّ الله لَغَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ ) أى يتجاوز عنكم ، ولو طالبكم بشكر جميع نعمه لعجزتم عن القيام بذلك ، ولو أمركم به لضعفتم وتركتم ، ولو عذبكم لعذبكم وهو غير ظالم لكم ، ولكنه غفور رحيم ، يغفر الكثير ، ويجازى على اليسير " .

( وَإِنْ تَعُدُّوا نِعْمَةَ اللَّهِ لا تُحْصُوهَا ) لا تطيقوا أداء شكرها ، ( إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَغَفُورٌ رَحِيمٌ ) يقول جلّ ثناؤه: إن الله لغفور لما كان منكم من تقصير في شكر بعض ذلك إذا تبتم وأنبتم إلى طاعته واتباع مرضاته، رحيم بكم أن يعذبكم عليه بعد الإنابة إليه والتوبة.

( وإن تعدوا نعمة الله لا تحصوها إن الله لغفور ) لتقصيركم في شكر نعمه ، ( رحيم ) بكم حيث وسع عليكم النعم ، ولم يقطعها عنكم بالتقصير والمعاصي .

جملة { وإن تعدوا نعمة الله لا تحصوها } عطف على جملة { أفمن يخلق كمن لا يخلق أفلا تذكرون }. وهي كالتكملة لها لأنها نتيجة لما تضمنّته تلك الأدلّة من الامتنان كما تقدم . وهي بمنزلة التذييل للامتنان لأن فيها عموماً يشمل النعم المذكورة وغيرها .وهذا كلام جامع للتنبيه على وفرة نعم الله تعالى على الناس بحيث لا يستطيع عدّها العادّون ، وإذا كانت كذلك فقد حصل التّنبيه إلى كثرتها بمعرفة أصولها وما يحويها من العوالم .وفي هذا إيماء إلى الاستكثار من الشكر على مجمل النعم ، وتعريض بفظاعة كفر من كفروا بهذا المنعم ، وتغليظ التهديد لهم . وتقدم نظيرها في سورة إبراهيم .وجملة { إن الله لغفور رحيم } استئناف عُقب به تغليظ الكفر والتّهديد عليه تنبيهاً على تمكّنهم من تدارك أمرهم بأن يقلعوا عن الشرك ، ويتأهبوا للشكر بما يطيقون ، على عادة القرآن من تعقيب الزواجر بالرغائب كيلا يقنط المسرفون .وقد خولف بين ختام هذه الآية وختام آية سورة إبراهيم ، إذ وقع هنالك { وإن تعدوا نعمة الله لا تحصوها إن الإنسان لظلوم كفار } [ سورة إبراهيم : 34 ] لأن تلك جاءت في سياق وعيد وتهديدٍ عقب قوله تعالى : { ألم تر إلى الذين بدّلوا نعمة الله كفرا } [ سورة إبراهيم : 28 ] فكان المناسب لها تسجيل ظلمهم وكفرهم بنعمة الله .وأما هذه الآية فقد جاءت خطاباً للفريقين كما كانت النّعم المعدودة عليهم منتفعاً بها كلاهما .ثم كان من اللطائف أن قوبل الوصفان اللذان في آية سورة إبراهيم { لظلوم كفار } بوصفين هنا { لغفور رحيم } إشارة إلى أن تلك النّعم كانت سبباً لظلم الإنسان وكفره وهي سبب لغفران الله ورحمته . والأمر في ذلك منوط بعمل الإنسان .

وكما أنه ليس له مشارك إذ أنشأكم وأنشأ غيركم، فلا تجعلوا له أندادا في عبادته بل أخلصوا له الدين، { وَإِنْ تَعُدُّوا نِعْمَةَ اللَّهِ } عددا مجردا عن الشكر { لَا تُحْصُوهَا } فضلا عن كونكم تشكرونها، فإن نعمه الظاهرة والباطنة على العباد بعدد الأنفاس واللحظات، من جميع أصناف النعم مما يعرف العباد، ومما لا يعرفون وما يدفع عنهم من النقم فأكثر من أن تحصى، { إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَغَفُورٌ رَحِيمٌ } يرضى منكم باليسير من الشكر مع إنعامه الكثير.

قوله تعالى : وإن تعدوا نعمة الله لا تحصوها إن الله لغفور رحيمقوله تعالى : وإن تعدوا نعمة الله لا تحصوها تقدم في إبراهيم .

Whatever things there are in the world, none of them has the power of creating (i.e. bringing non-existent things into existence). It stands proved therefore that this world is not its own creator. Only that being can be its creator who has the inherent power in Him to bring a thing into existence which does not already exist. Therefore the belief in one God is absolutely natural. There can be no rational explanation of the universe without accepting the existence of God who possesses the perfect capability to create. Whatever partner-gods the polytheists have concocted or whatever things the atheists have tried to establish as substitutes for God—none of them has its own inherent capability to create anything. This, in itself, is enough to prove that all gods concocted by people are absolutely imaginary, because it is absolutely baseless to claim that one who has no power of creativity in him/it, is the god of a universe which has been created. How can one who has no substantial existence, give existence to other things? The best that God can expect from His subjects is their gratefulness for His bounties. Though God’s bounties far outweigh human gratitude, being above all that, He accepts a very little gratitude for His very great blessings. However, this gratitude should be genuine and not simply a kind of formal recitation of praises.

Commentary Verses appearing immediately earlier described the many blessings of Allah Ta` ala in details, proved that He alone is their Creator and established that He is unique in this matter. Now, in the present verses, there comes an admonition against the failure of people to recognize that there is a fact behind the statement describing all these blessings - and that is Tauhid, the Oneness of Allah Ta’ ala, except whom there is none worthy of worship. Therefore, it was said: When it stands proved that Allah alone made the heavens and the earth, made the mountains and rivers, vegetation and animals, trees and plants with their fruits and flowers, how can that most sacred Being that is the Creator of all these things become, for no reason, like idols and icons which cannot create anything? Why would you not understand something so elementary?

(And if ye would count the favour of Allah ye cannot reckon it) it is also said that this means: you will not be able to give thanks to it. (Lo! Allah is indeed Forgiving) He pardons, (Merciful) towards whoever repents.