Surah An-Nahl (16) — Ayah 1

(Ayah1) ➊ By { اَتٰۤى اَمْرُ اللّٰهِ:’’ اَمْرُ اللّٰهِ ‘‘} is meant the Day of Judgment, and also the descent of various kinds of punishment upon the polytheists, and by {’’اَتٰۤى ‘‘} (has come) is meant coming very near, because if it had already come, then the demand by the disbelievers to hasten it would be meaningless.

➋ {فَلَا تَسْتَعْجِلُوْهُ:} The polytheists, upon mention of the Day of Judgment or punishment, would mockingly demand that it be brought immediately. See Surah Al-Anfal (32) and Surah Al-Ankabut (53 to 55). The word in the past tense { ’’ اَتٰۤى ‘‘} (has come) means that its coming is so certain that it is as if it has already come, so do not be hasty; it is very near and will come at its appointed time. Some scholars have said that sometimes Muslims, out of distress, would also pray for the quick arrival of Allah’s help for the Muslims and of punishment for disbelief, which was being delayed; they too are comforted and told to consider Allah’s command as already come, as He said: «{ حَتّٰى يَقُوْلَ الرَّسُوْلُ وَ الَّذِيْنَ اٰمَنُوْا مَعَهٗ مَتٰى نَصْرُ اللّٰهِ اَلَاۤ اِنَّ نَصْرَ اللّٰهِ قَرِيْبٌ }» [ البقرۃ : ۲۱۴ ] “Until the Messenger and those who believed with him said, ‘When will the help of Allah come?’ Behold! Indeed, the help of Allah is near.”

➌ {سُبْحٰنَهٗ وَ تَعٰلٰى عَمَّا يُشْرِكُوْنَ:} Because the punishment did not come quickly, they would say that Allah cannot bring that punishment, otherwise why does He not bring it immediately? It is said that considering Allah incapable of enforcing His command or bringing punishment, or thinking Him to be one who breaks promises, is a result of disbelief and polytheism, from which Allah is completely pure and highly exalted. He is neither incapable nor does He break promises, but He is the owner of His will; He is not bound by their demands. See Surah Al-Hajj (47).

➍ At the beginning of the verse, addressing is made: «{ فَلَا تَسْتَعْجِلُوْهُ}» “Do not demand its quick arrival,” and at the end of the verse, the polytheists are mentioned in the third person: «{ سُبْحٰنَهٗ وَ تَعٰلٰى عَمَّا يُشْرِكُوْنَ}» “He is pure and very exalted above what they associate (with Him).” This is called iltifat (change of address). The purpose is that these people are not even worthy of being addressed.

1. Allah’s command has come, so do not hasten it. All purity is for Him; He is exalted above all those whom they associate as partners with Allah.

1. (O disbelievers) The command of Allah has come, so do not seek to hasten it [1]. He is Glorified and Exalted above [2] what they associate with Him.

[1]
The Form of Allah’s Punishment Upon the Quraysh and Its Beginning With the Prophetic Migration:

The polytheists of Makkah would often taunt the Messenger of Allah ﷺ by saying that if you are truthful, then why has the punishment you speak of not yet come upon us? They observed that it had been ten or twelve years since the Prophet ﷺ had warned them of punishment, yet no punishment had come, so these words had become their habitual saying. From this, they would infer two things: first, the truth of their polytheistic religion, and second, the denial of the Prophethood of the Prophet of Islam. The beginning of this surah responds to these very points. The answer to the first point is that the coming of the punishment is certain; there is no need to hasten it, for soon you will be faced with it—consider it as if it has already arrived. Now, as for the question of what that punishment was and when it came, it is established that as long as the Prophet is present among a people, punishment does not descend upon them. After that, there are two possibilities: one is that the Prophet and his companions are commanded to migrate and are taken out from among them, or they are saved by any other means, and then the divine wrath descends upon the remaining criminals. The second form of punishment is that Allah causes the criminal people to be struck at the hands of the emigrants, until disbelief and polytheism are crushed. Both forms of punishment are mentioned in Surah Tawbah, verse number 52, therefore, in our view, the starting point of this punishment was the Prophetic Migration itself, the command for which was given shortly after the revelation of this surah. This very migration became the cause for the end of the oppression and tyranny of the polytheists of Makkah, and the Muslims were able to breathe freely, and this migration proved to be the prelude to the Battle of Badr, in which disbelief was thoroughly beaten. Only eight or ten years after this migration, the disbelievers and polytheists were gradually eradicated in such a way that disbelief and polytheism were so thoroughly uprooted that not even a trace remained in all of Arabia.

[2] This is the answer to their second inference: that if our polytheistic religion were not true, punishment would have already come upon us. With the coming of the punishment, this inference was refuted by itself, and everyone came to know that their deities could not avail them in any way, therefore they are false.