Cattle, Livestock — Verse 107
6:107 · al-An`am
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وَلَوۡ شَاۤءَ ٱللَّهُ مَاۤ أَشۡرَكُوا۟ۗ وَمَا جَعَلۡنَـٰكَ عَلَیۡهِمۡ حَفِیظࣰاۖ وَمَاۤ أَنتَ عَلَیۡهِم بِوَكِیلࣲ ١٠٧
walaw shāa l-lahu mā ashrakū wamā jaʿalnāka ʿalayhim ḥafīẓan wamā anta ʿalayhim biwakīli
Cattle, Livestock / al-An`am (6:107)
Connections 4 single-source 2 commentators
Multi-source connections
No verses on this ayah are cited by 2 or more commentators using numeric S:A notation. All extracted references come from a single source's commentary.
Single-source mentions (4) cited by only one commentator
By commentator who cites how many verses on this ayah
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Tafsir Ibn Kathir (abridged) 3 verses
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Kashani Tafsir 1 verse 2 mentions total
Note: these connections are extracted from numeric S:A references inside the commentary text and are therefore biased toward mufassirun who use that notation. Prose-style references (e.g. "Surat al-Baqarah verse 30") will be added later, which should surface additional multi-source consensus.
If it had been God’s will, they would not have done so, but We have not made you their guardian, nor are you their keeper
walaw shāa l-lahu mā ashrakū wamā jaʿalnāka ʿalayhim ḥafīẓan wamā anta ʿalayhim biwakīli
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Tafsir Commentary
The Command to Follow the Revelation
Allah commands His Messenger and those who followed his path,
اتَّبِعْ مَآ أُوحِىَ إِلَيْكَ مِن رَّبِّكَ
(Follow what has been inspired to you from your Lord,) meaning, follow it, obey it and act according to it. What has been revealed to you from your Lord is the Truth, no doubt, and there is no deity worthy of worship except Him,
وَأَعْرِضْ عَنِ الْمُشْرِكِينَ
(and turn aside from the idolators) meaning, forgive them, be forbearing and endure their harm until Allah brings relief to you, supports you and makes you triumphant over them. Know -- O Muhammad -- that there is a wisdom behind misleading the idolators, and that had Allah willed, He would have directed all people to guidance,
وَلَوْ شَآءَ اللَّهُ مَآ أَشْرَكُواْ
(Had Allah willed, they would not have taken others besides Him in worship.) Allah's is the perfect will and wisdom in all decrees and decisions, and He is never questioned about what He does, while they all will be questioned. Allah's statement,
وَمَا جَعَلْنَـكَ عَلَيْهِمْ حَفِيظاً
(And We have not made you Hafiz over them.) means, a watcher who observes their statements and deeds,
وَمَآ أَنتَ عَلَيْهِم بِوَكِيلٍ
(Nor are you set over them to dispose of their affairs. ) or to control their provision. Rather, your only job is to convey, just as Allah said,
فَذَكِّرْ إِنَّمَآ أَنتَ مُذَكِّرٌ - لَّسْتَ عَلَيْهِم بِمُسَيْطِرٍ
(So remind them, you are only one who reminds. You are not a dictator over them.) 88:21-22 and,
فَإِنَّمَا عَلَيْكَ الْبَلَـغُ وَعَلَيْنَا الْحِسَابُ
(Your duty is only to convey and on Us is the reckoning.) 13:40
Had God willed they would not have been idolaters; and We have not set you as a keeper over them a watcher so that you might then requite them for their deeds; nor are you a guardian over them so that you might be able to coerce them to faith — this was revealed before the command to fight them.
Had God willed, they would not have been idolaters: in other words, everything that takes place only occurs by the will of God and there is no doubt that the preparednesses by which they fell into idolatry and the causes of such [error] in the way of the teachings of their parents, habits and otherwise take place also by the will of God, for otherwise these things would not take place. If they believe in that, then it will have been by the guidance of God; if not, then be easy on yourself; and We have not set you as a keeper over them, to preserve them from misguidance, nor are you, appointed as a guardian to make them believe. This does not contradict what He says to them in censure later on, where He says, The idolaters will say, 'Had God willed, we would not have been idolaters [Q. 6:148], because they said that out of obstinacy and as a way of pushing away [the need for] faith by that pretext and not out of conviction. Thus with this statement of theirs, even if it might be true in the same case, they were lying and denying the Messenger. For had they been sincere, then they would have known that the affirmation of Oneness on the part of the believers was also by God's will; such is the case with any set of beliefs (dīn) but without obduracy or enmity towards anyone. Had they known that everything occurs only by the will of God, they would not have remained idolaters. Rather they would have become affirmers of [God's] Oneness. Nay, they said that with the purpose of imputing lies, to be obstinate and to prove that they were incapable of desisting from their idolatry. That is why God censures them with that [statement of theirs] and not because it is not so. For they have not been apprised of God's will and just as He willed that they be idolaters at a previous point in time, so now He does not will that they have faith. It is not that the heart of each one of them has been imprinted [with disbelief]: the proof of this is the faith of some of them. Why can it not be that some of them were prepared for faith and affirmation of the Oneness, yet were veiled by habit and by what they received from their fathers and thus fell into idolatry, but that then when they heard the warning and witnessed the signs of the Oneness, they yearned for the Truth and their veil was lifted and they affirmed [His] Onenessḍ That is why He rebukes them with their own statement and demands of them proof that God had always willed that for them, and warns them with the threat of punishment given to those before them, so that perhaps the one in whom there is a modicum of preparedness, when he has been severed from his [false] argument and has heard the threat of punishment given to deniers before him, his veil might be lifted and his heart might soften and he might believe, all of which would be a facilitation for him [from God] and a graciousness in his case; for the world of wisdom is built upon [such] causality.
Had God willed, they would not have been idolaters: in other words, everything that takes place only occurs by the will of God and there is no doubt that the preparednesses by which they fell into idolatry and the causes of such [error] in the way of the teachings of their parents, habits and otherwise take place also by the will of God, for otherwise these things would not take place. If they believe in that, then it will have been by the guidance of God; if not, then be easy on yourself; and We have not set you as a keeper over them, to preserve them from misguidance, nor are you, appointed as a guardian to make them believe. This does not contradict what He says to them in censure later on, where He says, The idolaters will say, 'Had God willed, we would not have been idolaters [Q. 6:148], because they said that out of obstinacy and as a way of pushing away [the need for] faith by that pretext and not out of conviction. Thus with this statement of theirs, even if it might be true in the same case, they were lying and denying the Messenger. For had they been sincere, then they would have known that the affirmation of Oneness on the part of the believers was also by God's will; such is the case with any set of beliefs (dīn) but without obduracy or enmity towards anyone. Had they known that everything occurs only by the will of God, they would not have remained idolaters. Rather they would have become affirmers of [God's] Oneness. Nay, they said that with the purpose of imputing lies, to be obstinate and to prove that they were incapable of desisting from their idolatry. That is why God censures them with that [statement of theirs] and not because it is not so. For they have not been apprised of God's will and just as He willed that they be idolaters at a previous point in time, so now He does not will that they have faith. It is not that the heart of each one of them has been imprinted [with disbelief]: the proof of this is the faith of some of them. Why can it not be that some of them were prepared for faith and affirmation of the Oneness, yet were veiled by habit and by what they received from their fathers and thus fell into idolatry, but that then when they heard the warning and witnessed the signs of the Oneness, they yearned for the Truth and their veil was lifted and they affirmed [His] Onenessḍ That is why He rebukes them with their own statement and demands of them proof that God had always willed that for them, and warns them with the threat of punishment given to those before them, so that perhaps the one in whom there is a modicum of preparedness, when he has been severed from his [false] argument and has heard the threat of punishment given to deniers before him, his veil might be lifted and his heart might soften and he might believe, all of which would be a facilitation for him [from God] and a graciousness in his case; for the world of wisdom is built upon [such] causality.
ولو شاء الله تعالى أن لا يشرك هؤلاء المشركون لما أشركوا، لكنه تعالى عليم بما سيكون من سوء اختيارهم واتباعهم أهواءهم المنحرفة. وما جعلناك -أيها الرسول- عليهم رقيبًا تحفظ عليهم أعمالهم، وما أنت بقَيِّمٍ عليهم تدبر مصالحهم.
واعلم أن لله حكمة في إضلالهم فإنه لو شاء لهدى الناس جميعا ولو شاء لجمعهم على الهدى "ولو شاء الله ما أشركوا" أي بل له المشيئة والحكمة فيما يشاؤه ويختاره لا يسأل عما يفعل وهم يسألون وقوله تعالى "وما جعلناك عليهم حفيظا" أي حافظا تحفظ أقوالهم وأعمالهم "وما أنت عليهم بوكيل" أي موكل على أرزاقهم وأمورهم إن عليك إلا البلاغ كما قال تعالى "فذكر إنما أنت مذكر لست عليهم بمصيطر" وقال "إنما عليك البلاغ وعلينا الحساب".
ثم هون عليه أمر إعراضهم فقال - تعالى - { وَلَوْ شَآءَ الله مَآ أَشْرَكُواْ } . أى : ولو شاء الله عدم إشراكهم لما أشركوا ، ولكنه - سبحانه - لم يشأ ذلك لأنه جرت سنته برعاية الاستعدادات .قال الآلوسى : وهذا دليل أهل السنة على أنه تعالى - لا يريد إيمان الكافر لكن لا بمعنى أنه يمنعه عنه مع توجهه إليه ، ولكن بمعنى أنه - تعالى - لا يريده منه لسوء اختياره الناشىء من سوء استعداده " .وقوله { وَمَا جَعَلْنَاكَ عَلَيْهِمْ حَفِيظاً وَمَآ أَنتَ عَلَيْهِم بِوَكِيلٍ } أى : وما جعلناك عليهم حفيظا يحفظ عليهم أعمالهم لتحاسبهم وتجازيهم عليها وما أنت عليهم بوكيل تدبر عليهم أمورهم وتتصرف فيها ، وإنما أنت وظيفتك التبليغ قال - تعالى - { وَّإِن تَوَلَّوْاْ فَإِنَّمَا عَلَيْكَ البلاغ } { وَعَلَيْنَا الحساب } وقال - تعالى - { فَذَكِّرْ إِنَّمَآ أَنتَ مُذَكِّرٌ لَّسْتَ عَلَيْهِم بِمُصَيْطِرٍ }
القول في تأويل قوله تعالى : وَلَوْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ مَا أَشْرَكُوا وَمَا جَعَلْنَاكَ عَلَيْهِمْ حَفِيظًا وَمَا أَنْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ بِوَكِيلٍ (107)قال أبو جعفر: يقول جل ثناؤه لنبيه محمد صلى الله عليه وسلم: أعرض عن هؤلاء المشركين بالله, ودع عنك جدالهم وخصومتهم ومسابَّتهم =(ولو شاء الله ما أشركوا)، يقول: لو أراد ربُّك هدايتهم واستنقاذهم من ضلالتهم، للطف لهم بتوفيقه إياهم فلم يشركوا به شيئًا، ولآمنوا بك فاتبعوك وصدَّقوا ما جئتهم به من الحق من عند ربك =(وما جعلناك عليهم حفيظًا)، يقولُ جل ثناؤه: وإنما بعثتك إليهم رسولا مبلِّغًا, ولم نبعثك حافظًا عليهم ما هم عاملوه، تحصي ذلك عليهم, فإن ذلك إلينا دونك (39) =(وما أنت عليهم بوكيل)، يقول: ولست عليهم بقيِّم تقوم بأرزاقهم وأقواتهم ولا بحفظهم، فما لم يُجْعل إليك حفظه من أمرهم . (40)* * *وبنحو الذي قلنا في ذلك قال أهل التأويل .* ذكر من قال ذلك:13737- حدثني المثنى قال، حدثنا عبد الله بن صالح قال، حدثني معاوية بن صالح, عن علي بن أبي طلحة, عن ابن عباس قوله: (ولو شاء الله ما أشركوا)، يقول سبحانه: لو شئتُ لجمعتهم على الهدى أجمعين .------------------الهوامش :(39) انظر تفسير (( حفيظ )) فيما سلف ص : 25 ، تعليق : 1 ، والمراجع هناك .(40) انظر تفسير (( وكيل )) فيما سلف ص : 13 ، تعليق : 2 ، والمراجع هناك .
( ولو شاء الله ما أشركوا ) أي : لو شاء لجعلهم مؤمنين ، ( وما جعلناك عليهم حفيظا ) رقيبا قال عطاء : وما جعلناك عليهم حفيظا تمنعهم مني ، أي : لم تبعث لتحفظ المشركين عن العذاب إنما بعثت مبلغا . ( وما أنت عليهم بوكيل )
وقوله : { ولو شاء الله ما أشركوا } عطف على جملة { وأعرض عن المشركين }.وهذا تلطّف مع الرّسول صلى الله عليه وسلم وإزالة لما يلقاه من الكَدَر من استمرارهم على الشّرك وقلّة إغناء آيات القرآن ونُذُره في قلوبهم ، فذكّره الله بأنّ الله قادر على أن يحوّل قلوبهم فتقبَل الإسلام بتكوين آخر ولكنّ الله أراد أن يحصل الإيمانُ ممّن يؤمن بالأسباب المعتادة في الإرشاد والاهتداء ليَميز الله الخبيثَ من الطيّب وتَظهرَ مراتب النّفوس في ميادين التلقّي ، فأراد الله أن تختلف النّفوس في الخير والشّر اختلافاً ناشئاً عن اختلاف كيفيّات الخِلقة والخُلُق والنّشأة والقبوللِ ، وعن مراتب اتّصال العباد بخالقهم ورجائهم منه . فالمشركون بلغوا إلى حَضِيض الشّرك بأسباب ووسائلَ متسلسلة مترتّبة خَلْقية ، وخُلُقيّة ، واجتماعيّة ، تهيأت في أزمنة وأحوال هيّأتْها لهم ، فلمّا بَعَث الله إليهم المرشد كان إصغاؤهم إلى إرشاده متفاوتاً على تفاوت صلابة عقولهم في الضّلال وعراقتهم فيه ، وعلى تفاوت إعداد نفوسهم للخير وجموحهم عنه ، ولم يجعل الله إيمان النّاس حاصلاً بخوارق العادات ولا بتبديل خَلْق العقول ، وهذا هو القانون في معنى مثل هذه الآية ، فهذا معنى انتفاء مشيئة الله في هذا المقام المراد به تطمين قلب الرّسول عليه الصّلاة والسّلام وتذكيره بحقائق الأحوال وليس في مثل هذا عذر لهم ولا لأمثالهم من العصاة ، ولذلك ردّ الله عليهم الاعتذار بمثل هذا في قوله في الآية الآتية { سيقول الّذين أشركوا لو شاءَ الله ما أشْرَكْنا ولا آباؤنا ولا حَرّمنَا من شيء كذلك كذّب الّذين من قبلهم حتّى ذاقوا بأسنا قل هل عندكم من علم فتخرجوه لنا } [ الأنعام : 148 ] الآية . وفي قوله : { وقالوا لو شاء الرّحمان ما عَبدْناهم ما لهم بذلك من علم إنْ هم إلاّ يخرصون } [ الزخرف : 20 ] في سورة الزخرف ، لأنّ هذه حقيقة كاشفة عن الواقع لا تصلح عذراً لمن طلب منهم أن لا يكونوا في عِداد الّذين لم يشأ الله أن يرشدهم ، قال تعالى : { أولئك الّذين لم يرد الله أن يطهّر قلوبهم } [ المائدة : 41 ].ومفعول المشيئة محذوف دلّ عليه جواب ( لو ) على الطّريقة المعروفة . والتّقدير : ولو شاء الله عدمَ إشراكهم ما أشركوا . وتقدّم عند قوله تعالى : { ولو شاء الله لجمعهم على الهدى } في هذه السّورة [ 35 ].وقوله : { وما جعلناك عليهم حفيظاً } تذكير وتسلية ليزيح عنه كرب إعراضهم عن الإسلام لأنّ ما يحصل له من الكدر لإعراض قومه عن الإسلام يجعل في نفسه انكساراً كأنّه انكسار من عُهد إليه بعمل فلم يتسَنَّ له ما يريده من حسن القيام ، فذكّره الله تعالى بأنّه قد أدّى الأمانة وبلّغ الرّسالة وأنّه لم يبعثه مُكرهاً لهم ليأتي بهم مسلمين ، وإنّما بعثه مبلّغاً لرسالته فمن آمن فلنفسه ومن كفر فعليها .والحفيظ : القيّم الرّقيب ، أي لم نجعلك رقيباً على تحصيل إيمانهم فلا يهمّنك إعراضهم عنك وعدم تحصيل ما دعوتَهم إليه إذ لا تَبِعة عليك في ذلك ، فالخبر مسوق مساق التّذكير والتسلية ، لا مساقَ الإفادة لأنّ الرّسول عليه الصّلاة والسّلام يعلم أنّ الله ما جعله حفيظاً على تحصيل إسلامهم إذ لا يجهل الرّسولُ ما كلّف به .وكذلك قوله : { وما أنت عليهم بوكيل } تهوين على نفس الرّسول عليه الصّلاة والسّلام بطريقة التّذكير لينتفي عنه الغمّ الحاصل له من عدم إيمانهم . فإن أريد ما أنت بوكيل مِنَّا عليهم كان تتميماً لقوله : { وما جعلناك عليهم حفيظاً } ؛ وإنْ أريد ما أنتَ بوكيل منهم على تحصيل نفعهم كان استيعاباً لنفي أسباب التّبعة عنه في عدم إيمانهم ، يقول : ما أنت بوكيل عليهم وكّلوك لتحصيل منافعهم كإيفاء الوكيل بما وكّله عليه موكّله ، أي فلا تَبِعة عليك منهم ولا تقصير لانتفاء سببي التّقصير إذ ليس مقامك مقام حفيظ ولا وكيل . فالخبر أيضاً مستعمل في التّذكير بلازمه لا في حقيقته من إفادة المخبر به ، وعلى كلا المعنيين لا بدّ من تقدير مضاف في قوله : { عليهم } ، أي على نفعهم .والجمع بين الحفيظ والوكيل هنا في خبرين يؤيّد ما قلناه آنفاً في قوله تعالى : { وما أنا عليكم بحفيظ } [ الأنعام : 104 ]. من الفرق بين الوكيل والحفيظ فاذْكُره .
{ قَدْ جَاءَكُمْ بَصَائِرُ مِنْ رَبِّكُمْ فَمَنْ أَبْصَرَ فَلِنَفْسِهِ وَمَنْ عَمِيَ فَعَلَيْهَا وَمَا أَنَا عَلَيْكُمْ بِحَفِيظٍ } لما بين تعالى من الآيات البينات، والأدلة الواضحات، الدالة على الحق في جميع المطالب والمقاصد، نبه العباد عليها، وأخبر أن هدايتهم وضدها لأنفسهم، فقال: { قَدْ جَاءَكُمْ بَصَائِرُ مِنْ رَبِّكُمْ } أي: آيات تبين الحق، وتجعله للقلب بمنزلة الشمس للأبصار، لما اشتملت عليه من فصاحة اللفظ، وبيانه، ووضوحه، ومطابقته للمعاني الجليلة، والحقائق الجميلة، لأنها صادرة من الرب، الذي ربى خلقه، بصنوف نعمه الظاهرة والباطنة، التي من أفضلها وأجلها، تبيين الآيات، وتوضيح المشكلات. { فَمَنْ أَبْصَرَ } بتلك الآيات، مواقع العبرة، وعمل بمقتضاها { فَلِنَفْسِهِ } فإن الله هو الغني الحميد. { وَمَنْ عَمِيَ } بأن بُصِّر فلم يتبصر، وزُجِر فلم ينزجر، وبين له الحق، فما انقاد له ولا تواضع، فإنما عماه مضرته عليه. { وَمَا أَنَا } أي الرسول { عَلَيْكُمْ بِحَفِيظٍ } أحفظ أعمالكم وأرقبها على الدوام إنما عليَّ البلاغ المبين وقد أديته، وبلغت ما أنزل الله إليَّ، فهذه وظيفتي، وما عدا ذلك فلست موظفا فيه
قوله تعالى : ولو شاء الله ما أشركوا وما جعلناك عليهم حفيظا وما أنت عليهم بوكيل قوله تعالى : ولو شاء الله ما أشركوا نص على أن الشرك بمشيئته ، وهو إبطال لمذهب القدرية كما تقدم .وما جعلناك عليهم حفيظا أي لا يمكنك حفظهم من عذاب الله .وما أنت عليهم بوكيل أي قيم بأمورهم في مصالحهم لدينهم أو دنياهم ، حتى تتلطف لهم في تناول ما يجب لهم ; فلست بحفيظ في ذلك ولا وكيل في هذا ، إنما أنت مبلغ . وهذا قبل أن يؤمر بالقتال .
Those who reject the divine message invent different excuses to justify their doing so. In these circumstances, it may occur to the preacher that he should change the way he conveys his message, so that it becomes acceptable to the addressees. But this would not be proper. He should adhere to the style which has been directly taught to him by God, because the real purpose of his activity is to link man with God and not to win people over and draw them into his sphere by hook or by crook. On the other hand, neither is it proper to respond to the addressee’s obduracy with abusive outbursts. The individual develops a bias in favour of the particular traditions to which he is born, or the kind of thinking with which he has become familiar. According to this, he develops a particular frame of mind which affects all his thinking process. This frame of mind presents the greatest impediment to the acceptance of Truth. Unless it can be altered, that door of his mind, through which the voice of Truth might enter, will never open.
The reason for this has been given in the fifth verse (107). There it has been said: If Allah Ta` ala had willed - in consideration of His own creational imperative - that the whole human race should become Muslim in faith, then, it would have become impossible for them to associate partners in the Divinity of Allah (Shirk). But, it was because of their misdeeds that Allah willed that they be punished. So, He created the necessary conditions for that end. Now, how could he make them Muslims under these circumstances? In fact, why should he worry about what they choose to do with their lives? Allah has not made him to stand guard over what they do, nor has he been authorized by Allah to bring punishment on them for their misdeeds. Therefore, he should not have any anxiety on account of what they do to themselves or for themselves.
(Had Allah willed) that they did not ascribe partners to Allah, (they had not been idolatrous). We have not set you as a keeper over them) to protect them, (nor art thou responsible for them) nor are you their custodian.