Verse 16:72 in Context

Translator Abdel Haleem

68 وَأَوۡحَىٰ رَبُّكَ إِلَى ٱلنَّحۡلِ أَنِ ٱتَّخِذِی مِنَ ٱلۡجِبَالِ بُیُوتࣰا وَمِنَ ٱلشَّجَرِ وَمِمَّا یَعۡرِشُونَ ۝٦٨ wa-awḥā rabbuka ilā l-naḥli ani ittakhidhī mina l-jibāli buyūtan wamina l-shajari wamimmā yaʿrishūn And your Lord inspired the bee, saying, ‘Build yourselves houses in the mountains and trees and what people construct 69 ثُمَّ كُلِی مِن كُلِّ ٱلثَّمَرَ ٰتِ فَٱسۡلُكِی سُبُلَ رَبِّكِ ذُلُلࣰاۚ یَخۡرُجُ مِنۢ بُطُونِهَا شَرَابࣱ مُّخۡتَلِفٌ أَلۡوَ ٰنُهُۥ فِیهِ شِفَاۤءࣱ لِّلنَّاسِۚ إِنَّ فِی ذَ ٰلِكَ لَءَایَةࣰ لِّقَوۡمࣲ یَتَفَكَّرُونَ ۝٦٩ thumma kulī min kulli l-thamarāti fa-us'lukī subula rabbiki dhululan yakhruju min buṭūnihā sharābun mukh'talifun alwānuhu fīhi shifāon lilnnāsi inna fī dhālika laāyatan liqawmin yatafakkarūn Then feed on all kinds of fruit and follow the ways made easy for you by your Lord.’ From their bellies comes a drink of different colours in which there is healing for people. There truly is a sign in this for those who think 70 وَٱللَّهُ خَلَقَكُمۡ ثُمَّ یَتَوَفَّىٰكُمۡۚ وَمِنكُم مَّن یُرَدُّ إِلَىٰۤ أَرۡذَلِ ٱلۡعُمُرِ لِكَیۡ لَا یَعۡلَمَ بَعۡدَ عِلۡمࣲ شَیۡءًاۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ عَلِیمࣱ قَدِیرࣱ ۝٧٠ wal-lahu khalaqakum thumma yatawaffākum waminkum man yuraddu ilā ardhali l-ʿumuri likay lā yaʿlama baʿda ʿil'min shayan inna l-laha ʿalīmun qadīru It is God who has created you and in time will cause you to die. Some of you will be reduced, in old age, to a most abject state, so that, after having knowledge, they will know nothing at all: God is truly all knowing and all powerful 71 وَٱللَّهُ فَضَّلَ بَعۡضَكُمۡ عَلَىٰ بَعۡضࣲ فِی ٱلرِّزۡقِۚ فَمَا ٱلَّذِینَ فُضِّلُوا۟ بِرَاۤدِّی رِزۡقِهِمۡ عَلَىٰ مَا مَلَكَتۡ أَیۡمَـٰنُهُمۡ فَهُمۡ فِیهِ سَوَاۤءٌۚ أَفَبِنِعۡمَةِ ٱللَّهِ یَجۡحَدُونَ ۝٧١ wal-lahu faḍḍala baʿḍakum ʿalā baʿḍin fī l-riz'qi famā alladhīna fuḍḍilū birāddī riz'qihim ʿalā mā malakat aymānuhum fahum fīhi sawāon afabiniʿ'mati l-lahi yajḥadūn God has given some of you more provision than others. Those who have been given more are unwilling to pass their provision on to the slaves they possess so that they become their equals. How can they refuse to acknowledge God’s blessings

72 وَٱللَّهُ جَعَلَ لَكُم مِّنۡ أَنفُسِكُمۡ أَزۡوَ ٰجࣰا وَجَعَلَ لَكُم مِّنۡ أَزۡوَ ٰجِكُم بَنِینَ وَحَفَدَةࣰ وَرَزَقَكُم مِّنَ ٱلطَّیِّبَـٰتِۚ أَفَبِٱلۡبَـٰطِلِ یُؤۡمِنُونَ وَبِنِعۡمَتِ ٱللَّهِ هُمۡ یَكۡفُرُونَ ۝٧٢ wal-lahu jaʿala lakum min anfusikum azwājan wajaʿala lakum min azwājikum banīna waḥafadatan warazaqakum mina l-ṭayibāti afabil-bāṭili yu'minūna wabiniʿ'mati l-lahi hum yakfurūn And it is God who has given you spouses from amongst yourselves and through them He has given you children and grandchildren and provided you with good things. How can they believe in falsehood and deny God’s blessings

73 وَیَعۡبُدُونَ مِن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ مَا لَا یَمۡلِكُ لَهُمۡ رِزۡقࣰا مِّنَ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَ ٰتِ وَٱلۡأَرۡضِ شَیۡءࣰا وَلَا یَسۡتَطِیعُونَ ۝٧٣ wayaʿbudūna min dūni l-lahi mā lā yamliku lahum riz'qan mina l-samāwāti wal-arḍi shayan walā yastaṭīʿūn Those they worship beside God have no power to provide anything for them from the heavens or the earth: they can do nothing 74 فَلَا تَضۡرِبُوا۟ لِلَّهِ ٱلۡأَمۡثَالَۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ یَعۡلَمُ وَأَنتُمۡ لَا تَعۡلَمُونَ ۝٧٤ falā taḍribū lillahi l-amthāla inna l-laha yaʿlamu wa-antum lā taʿlamūn So do not make up images about God: God knows and you do not 75 ۞ ضَرَبَ ٱللَّهُ مَثَلًا عَبۡدࣰا مَّمۡلُوكࣰا لَّا یَقۡدِرُ عَلَىٰ شَیۡءࣲ وَمَن رَّزَقۡنَـٰهُ مِنَّا رِزۡقًا حَسَنࣰا فَهُوَ یُنفِقُ مِنۡهُ سِرࣰّا وَجَهۡرًاۖ هَلۡ یَسۡتَوُۥنَۚ ٱلۡحَمۡدُ لِلَّهِۚ بَلۡ أَكۡثَرُهُمۡ لَا یَعۡلَمُونَ ۝٧٥ ḍaraba l-lahu mathalan ʿabdan mamlūkan lā yaqdiru ʿalā shayin waman razaqnāhu minnā riz'qan ḥasanan fahuwa yunfiqu min'hu sirran wajahran hal yastawūna l-ḥamdu lillahi bal aktharuhum lā yaʿlamūn God presents this illustration: a slave controlled by his master, with no power over anything, and another man We have supplied with good provision, from which he gives alms privately and openly. Can they be considered equal? All praise belongs to God, but most of them do not recognize this 76 وَضَرَبَ ٱللَّهُ مَثَلࣰا رَّجُلَیۡنِ أَحَدُهُمَاۤ أَبۡكَمُ لَا یَقۡدِرُ عَلَىٰ شَیۡءࣲ وَهُوَ كَلٌّ عَلَىٰ مَوۡلَىٰهُ أَیۡنَمَا یُوَجِّههُّ لَا یَأۡتِ بِخَیۡرٍ هَلۡ یَسۡتَوِی هُوَ وَمَن یَأۡمُرُ بِٱلۡعَدۡلِ وَهُوَ عَلَىٰ صِرَ ٰطࣲ مُّسۡتَقِیمࣲ ۝٧٦ waḍaraba l-lahu mathalan rajulayni aḥaduhumā abkamu lā yaqdiru ʿalā shayin wahuwa kallun ʿalā mawlāhu aynamā yuwajjihhu lā yati bikhayrin hal yastawī huwa waman yamuru bil-ʿadli wahuwa ʿalā ṣirāṭin mus'taqīmi God presents another illustration: two men, one of them dumb, unable to do anything, a burden to his carer- whatever task he directs him to, he achieves nothing good- can he be considered equal to one who commands justice and is on the straight path