Reminding of the Bounties of Allah & His Ability
Life is a test. Man lives his life, utilizing time for seeking his livelihood throughout day and night. This necessitates that every human being is responsible for the results of his deeds, good or evil, in the worldly life and the hereafter. Whoever follows the right path will reap positive results. On the other hand, whoever follows the path of misguidance will suffer from the evil results of his deeds. However, there is no reward nor punishment except after plainly clarifying the good results of obeying Allah, and warning of the evil results of disobeying Him.
(We have made the night and day two signs. We have made the sign of night dark, and We have made the sign of day bright so that you may seek sustenance from your Lord, and that you may know thereby the number of years and reckoning. We have made everything clear in detail.
We have made the deed of every man inseparably accompany him. We will bring out for him on the Day of Judgment a record that he will find wide open.
Read your record. Your own self is sufficient this day as a reckoner against you.
Whoever follows the right path does so for the benefit of his own self. And whoever goes astray does so to the detriment of his own self. No soul shall bear the sins of another soul. We never punish until We send a Messenger.
When We intend to destroy a town, We command its affluent people to be obedient, but they extremely become disobedient. Thus, the warning is proved to be true against them; hence, We completely destroy it.
How many generations We have destroyed after Noah! It is sufficient that your Lord is All-Aware, All-Seeing of the sins of His slaves.)
[Q 17:12-17]
Relationship with the Previous Part
After affirming Exaltation and Highness of Allah, and lowness of human nature, Allah mentions some of His actions, denoting His perfect creation. Some of which are signs indicating His Oneness, and prophet-hood. Then Allah mentions some actions of human beings that are wicked, agreeing with their nature, or good that are bounties from Allah.
Tafsir
(We have made the night and day two signs. We have made the sign of night dark, and We have made the sign of day bright so that you may seek sustenance from your Lord, and that you may know thereby the number of years and reckoning. We have made everything clear in detail.) [12]
O People! Some of the bounties of Allah are differentiation between night and day. We make the nigh dark so that you rest during it, and We make the day bright so that you may seek sustenance during it. You will also know by their difference the number of years, and their beginning and end as well as you will know the calculation of the hours of day and night. We make everything completely clear – O people – so that you may thank Allah for His bounties, and worship Him alone with no partners.
(…so that you may seek sustenance from your Lord…)
This refers to the fact that substance of man is a bounty from Allah, a matter that indicates that man’s responsibility is only to seek sustenance, but attaining it is bounty from Allah, out of His generosity.
(We have made everything clear in detail.)
Allah makes everything that man needs related to worldly life, and religious, and hereafter affairs completely clear, as He has created this universe, managing it perfectly, without any disorder.
Then Allah mentions a type of the detailed elaboration mentioned stated in the previous ayah.
(We have made the deed of every man inseparably accompany him. We will bring out for him on the Day of Judgment a record that he will find wide open.) [13]
We have made the deeds of man, which he did in the worldly life inseparably accompany him. He is responsible for their consequences whether good or evil. On the Day of Judgment, We shall present before every man a record wherein all his deeds are recorded.
In the Arabic version, the word ‘bird’ is used to refer to the deeds of man, and the word ‘neck’ is used to express how inseparably the deeds are attached to man.
Literal translation of the ayah will be as follows:
(We have tied up every human’s fortune to his neck…),
Another translation:
(We have tied every human being’s action around his neck…)
We have made whatever is decreed that man would do, attach to him upon his neck and it would never leave him.
The word ‘bird’ is used because the Arab used to be optimistic or pessimistic according to the direction the birds go. Allah, Exalted is He, informed them that He has made the action of every human being attach to him, be it good or evil.
Someone may say, ‘Why does Allah specify the neck and He does not say, e.g., ‘We have made the action of man attach to his hands, feet, or other organs?’
The answer is that because the neck of man is the position where ornaments such as necklaces are worn. Therefore, the Arab used to relate, or make connection between inseparable things to men and other beings.
Then the ayat mention how human beings will be addressed after the records of their deeds are being open before them.
(Read your record. Your own self is sufficient this day as a reckoner against you.) [14]
It will be said to every human being, ‘Read the record of your deeds, which you did in the worldly life. [There were two angel scribes, who used to write down one’s deeds.] Whatever deeds you did are precisely written in this record. Your soul is a sufficient calculator and reckoner that will count your deeds. We do not want any witness other than it for testimony.’
Indeed, Allah, Exalted is He, is just, as He makes the person’s own self a witness, counting his deeds, and giving testimony about them.
Then the ayat mention a universal rule about the deeds of man. The rule states that every man is responsible for the consequences of his deeds. No man will bear the consequences of another man’s deeds.
(Whoever follows the right path does so for the benefit of his own self. And whoever goes astray does so to the detriment of his own self. No soul shall bear the sins of another soul. We never punish until We send a Messenger.)[15]
Whoever follows the right path, that is to say, the religion of Islam that Allah revealed to His Prophet Muhammadﷺ, does so for the benefit of his own self. No one will benefit from his following the path of salvation.
Similarly, whoever deviates from the right path, follows the path of misguidance, and disbelieves in Allah, and Muhammadﷺ and the message he brought, does so to the detriment of his own self and he will not harm another person. That is because by following the path of misguidance, he leads his own self to loss, as he will deserve the anger of Allah, and His painful torment.
(No soul shall bear the sins of another soul…)
The ayah confirms that no soul will bear the sins of another soul. Rather, each soul will bear the consequences of its sins. This fact refutes the claim of those who incite other people to commit sins, claiming that they will bear the responsibility of their sins.
Similarly, it refutes the claim of the ignorant people, who say that they will not be punished for their disbelief in Allah, and that their fathers are the ones who will be punished as the former claim that they only imitate the latter in their disbelief.
(…We never punish until We send a Messenger.)
This ayah shows the limitless mercy of Allah on His slaves, and His generosity.
The justice and wisdom of Allah necessitate that He will not torment anyone in the worldly life or the hereafter except after warning and sending messengers to establish proof against him/her.
Qatãda said, ‘Indeed, Allah, Exalted is He, will not torment anyone until He sends him warning, or a proof. Allah will not torment anyone except because of a sin he committed.”
The following ayah states how the torment of the disobedient people will be after sending messengers warning them of the punishment of Allah.
(When We intend to destroy a town, We command its affluent people to be obedient, but they extremely become disobedient. Thus, the warning is proved to be true against them; hence, We completely destroy it.)[16]
When the time for destroying the disobedient inhabitants of a certain town becomes close, Allah will command its affluent people to obey Him. If they disobey the command of Allah and become rebellious, the torment of Allah will be justified and Allah will annihilate them.
(We command its affluent people to be obedient…)
Ibn Abbas said, ‘Allah gives its evil people free hand, and they disobey Him. Thus, He will torment and annihilate them.’
The ayah specifically mentions the affluent people though all the inhabitants of the town are commanded to obey Allah because they are the leaders. If they obey the command of Allah, the rest will usually follow them. Moreover, they are usually the most corrupt people in society.
Then Allah, Exalted is He, warned the disbelievers of Quraysh, the tribe of Prophet Muhammadﷺ, and whoever follows their way in disbelieving in and disobeying Allah.
(How many generations We have destroyed after Noah! It is sufficient that your Lord is All-Aware, All-Seeing of the sins of His slaves.)[17]
This is warning from Allah, Exalted is He, to the disbelievers of Quraysh, who refused to believe in Messenger Muhammadﷺ, and whoever follows their footsteps.
It says that if they do not refrain from disbelieving in the Messenger of Allah, Allah’s wrath and punishment will befall them, just as His punishment befell the former nations, who disbelieved in Allah, and refused to follow their messengers.
Allah, Exalted is He, says, O people! Indeed, We destroyed many generations after Prophet Noah that disbelieved in Allah and their messengers. You do not have greater rank with Allah than they did. Verily, there is no special relationship between Allah and anyone of His slaves so that He torments some and does not torment others. Therefore, repent to Allah, and obey Him as He sent you a messenger, clarifying to you His proofs.
We do not punish people except after sending a messenger, informing them of Our proofs. Verily, it is sufficient that your Lord – O Muhammad – has full knowledge of the sins of His slaves, and nothing of their deeds is hidden from Him, Exalted is He. Verily, it is sufficient that your Lord – O Muhammad -sees every action of His slaves, and nothing of their actions is hidden from Him. Indeed, He, Exalted is He, knows everything, small, or big, in the heaven and the earth.
This ayah is admonition to those who are endowed with sound understanding, to do righteous deeds as this leads to happiness and salvation in the worldly life and the hereafter.
Indeed, the relationship between Allah and His slaves is strange. They worship other gods besides Him though He is the only One who gives them sustenance and health. These blessings necessitate thanking the One Who grants them, Allah. However, man is ungrateful. He meets the bounties of Allah with ingratitude. Nevertheless, Allah is forbearing, and does not punish quickly. Rather, He gives His slaves opportunities to repent and amend their way.
Learned Lessons
• Differentiating between the length of day and night, by increase and decrease, and brightness of the day and darkness of the night are signs, denoting the perfect ability of Allah.
• Alternation between day and night helps us to know the number of years, months, and days.
• The daytime is suitable for work, and seeking sustenance.
• Every man is responsible for the results of his deeds, evil or good.
• Man will find everything he did in the worldly life recorded in the book of his deeds. He will read it by himself. Al-Hassan al-Basry, may Allah have mercy on him, said, ‘Every man will read the record of his deeds, whether he is literate or illiterate.’
• Whoever follows the right path, he does so for the benefit of his own soul. And whoever deviates from the right path and follows the path of misguidance, he does so to the detriment of his own soul.
• Allah, Exalted is He, is just, and merciful. He does not make anyone responsible for the sins of another person.
• Allah, Exalted is He, does not leave men un-informed. Rather, He sent them messengers to guide them to the right path, and warn them of severe punishment if they do not follow it.
• Annihilation of disbelieving nations happens after widespread of sins. When Allah, Exalted is He, wants to annihilate them, He will command the affluent people to obey Him. If they insist on disobeying Him, destruction will prove to be true against them. Thus, Allah will destroy them.
• Allah knows and sees everything in the heaven and earth. Nothing is hidden from Him, Exalted is He.
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