سُوْرَةُ النَّحْلِ
Surah An-Nahl (16) — Ayah 21
أَمْوَٰتٌ غَيْرُ أَحْيَآءٍ ۖ وَمَا يَشْعُرُونَ أَيَّانَ يُبْعَثُونَ ﴿21﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
(They are) dead, not alive; and they know not when they will be raised up.
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
أَمْوَٰتٌ
amwātun
(They are) dead
غَيْرُ
ghayru
not alive
أَحْيَآءٍۢ ۖ
aḥyāin
not alive
وَمَا
wamā
And not
يَشْعُرُونَ
yashʿurūna
they perceive
أَيَّانَ
ayyāna
when
يُبْعَثُونَ
yub'ʿathūna
they will be resurrected
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran — Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran (Facilitation of the Quran) is a comprehensive Quran commentary by Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar from Pakistan. Known for his eloquent and accessible writing style, Kilani authored this tafsir with a focus on clarity — making Quranic meanings understandable to the common reader. The tafsir provides detailed historical context for verses related to battles and expeditions, and firmly refutes modernist ideologies using strong scriptural evidence. It is widely regarded as an invaluable resource for understanding the Quran and countering deviant interpretations. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
21. They are dead, not alive. And they do not even know when [22] they will be resurrected.
[22]
By ﴿من دون الله﴾ is Not Meant Only Idols:
From these two verses, it is clearly evident that here, those deities are not being mentioned who are lifeless, such as the sun, moon, stars, trees and stones, or idols made of wood, stone, or clay, etc. Because for them, the question of resurrection after death does not even arise. And among the living or those possessing intellect, angels, deceased prophets, saints, and righteous people have been associated with divine attributes. Among them, the term ﴿اَمْوَاتٌ غَيْرُاَحْيَاءٍ﴾ cannot be applied to the angels, because they are alive and do not die. Only the inhabitants of the graves remain, upon whom ﴿اَمْوَاتٌ غَیْرُاَحْیَاءٍ﴾ can also be applied, and for whom resurrection after death is also necessary. Thus, by ﴿اَلَّذِيْنَ يَدْعُوْنَ مِنْ دُوْنِ اللّٰهِ﴾ are meant those prophets, saints, martyrs, and righteous people who, after their death, have been given titles such as helper in distress, provider, granter of treasures, etc., and have been made partners with Allah in divine attributes. This type of shirk was also common in Arabia. Thus, it is narrated from Sayyidah Aishaؓ that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said that Allah curses the Jews who made the graves of their prophets places of prostration, and if I had not feared that people would make your grave a place of prostration, it would have been made a place of visitation for all. [بخاري، كتاب المغازي۔ باب مرض النبيﷺ]
And in the hadith narrated by Sayyiduna Jundubؓ in Muslim, Kitab al-Salat, there is no specification of the Jews. Also, along with the graves of the prophets, the making of the graves of the righteous as places of prostration is mentioned. The translation of this hadith is: "Listen attentively! Those before you made the graves of their prophets and righteous predecessors places of prostration. I forbid you from such things." Also, the following hadith narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Abbasؓ is found in Bukhari, Ahmad, Muslim, Nasa'i, and all books of hadith. He said that all these people (Wadd, Suwa', Yaghuth, Ya'uq, Nasr) were the saints of the people of Nuh. When they died, people began to perform i'tikaf at their graves. Then their statues were made and people began to worship them. Then these idols spread among the Arab tribes. From these ahadith, it is clearly known that in the Prophetic era, not only the divinity of idols was acknowledged, but deceased righteous predecessors were also associated with divine attributes. And in these verses, the calling upon such deities for the fulfillment of needs or removal of difficulties is mentioned, and it is also stated that they were created beings, and whoever is created can neither be a deity nor be made a partner in divine attributes; that is, such people who do not even know when they themselves will be resurrected, they can neither hear your call nor can they help you in distress.
[22]
By ﴿من دون الله﴾ is Not Meant Only Idols:
From these two verses, it is clearly evident that here, those deities are not being mentioned who are lifeless, such as the sun, moon, stars, trees and stones, or idols made of wood, stone, or clay, etc. Because for them, the question of resurrection after death does not even arise. And among the living or those possessing intellect, angels, deceased prophets, saints, and righteous people have been associated with divine attributes. Among them, the term ﴿اَمْوَاتٌ غَيْرُاَحْيَاءٍ﴾ cannot be applied to the angels, because they are alive and do not die. Only the inhabitants of the graves remain, upon whom ﴿اَمْوَاتٌ غَیْرُاَحْیَاءٍ﴾ can also be applied, and for whom resurrection after death is also necessary. Thus, by ﴿اَلَّذِيْنَ يَدْعُوْنَ مِنْ دُوْنِ اللّٰهِ﴾ are meant those prophets, saints, martyrs, and righteous people who, after their death, have been given titles such as helper in distress, provider, granter of treasures, etc., and have been made partners with Allah in divine attributes. This type of shirk was also common in Arabia. Thus, it is narrated from Sayyidah Aishaؓ that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said that Allah curses the Jews who made the graves of their prophets places of prostration, and if I had not feared that people would make your grave a place of prostration, it would have been made a place of visitation for all. [بخاري، كتاب المغازي۔ باب مرض النبيﷺ]
And in the hadith narrated by Sayyiduna Jundubؓ in Muslim, Kitab al-Salat, there is no specification of the Jews. Also, along with the graves of the prophets, the making of the graves of the righteous as places of prostration is mentioned. The translation of this hadith is: "Listen attentively! Those before you made the graves of their prophets and righteous predecessors places of prostration. I forbid you from such things." Also, the following hadith narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Abbasؓ is found in Bukhari, Ahmad, Muslim, Nasa'i, and all books of hadith. He said that all these people (Wadd, Suwa', Yaghuth, Ya'uq, Nasr) were the saints of the people of Nuh. When they died, people began to perform i'tikaf at their graves. Then their statues were made and people began to worship them. Then these idols spread among the Arab tribes. From these ahadith, it is clearly known that in the Prophetic era, not only the divinity of idols was acknowledged, but deceased righteous predecessors were also associated with divine attributes. And in these verses, the calling upon such deities for the fulfillment of needs or removal of difficulties is mentioned, and it is also stated that they were created beings, and whoever is created can neither be a deity nor be made a partner in divine attributes; that is, such people who do not even know when they themselves will be resurrected, they can neither hear your call nor can they help you in distress.
