Al-Naḥl
If we carefully examine this chapter, it seems highly likely that the beginning of the chapter consists of verses that were revealed during the final days of the Prophet’s stay in Mecca, on the eve of his emigration to Medina. This covers the first forty verses of the chapter, where God calls attention to a variety of celestial and terrestrial blessings that form the basis of human life and are beneficial to human beings in their worldly affairs. He has provided evidence of His unity in Lordship through the precise order and harmonious arrangement of these blessings.
In another section of these early verses, God argues against the falsehood of the beliefs of the idol worshipers and exposes the futility of their endeavours, stating that He will soon punish them just as He punished previous nations who were like them, and that He will soon settle their account on the Day of Resurrection through His justice.
God the Exalted begins these verses with the statement, Allah’s edict is coming! So do not seek to hasten it. Immaculate is He and exalted above having any partners that they ascribe to Him (), following this with verses containing arguments for His transcendence and glorification. From the arrangement of these arguments, we can understand that the primary aim of the verses at the beginning of the chapter is to warn the audience of the imminence of divine edict and tell them that it will befall them soon. Furthermore, they contain a threat to the idol worshipers who, in mockery, used to ask why the punishment the Prophet had warned about had not yet been sent down to them. This is akin to the verse, Yet excuse and forbear until Allah issues His edict (), in which He gives glad tidings to the believers that soon, the truth will soon prevail over falsehood, monotheism over polytheism, and faith over disbelief.
As for the remainder of the verses of the chapter, which consists of eighty-eight verses starting with, Those who migrate for the sake of Allah after they have been wronged (), and continuing to the end of the chapter, their connection and context suggest that they were revealed in the early years of the Prophet’s time in Medina, following the Emigration.
The beginning and the end of the surah appear to have been revealed at times that were very close to one another. This is due to the presence of verses whose contents only apply to certain incidents that occurred following the migration. For example, the verse that says, Those who migrate for the sake of Allah … () and the verse ‘ We certainly know that they say, ‘It is only a human that instructs him’ (), which was revealed regarding Salmān al-Fārsī, who embraced the faith in Medina, and the verse, Whoever renounces faith in Allah after affirming his faith—barring someone who is compelled …(), which was revealed concerning ʿAmmār, as will be discussed. Also, verses were revealed regarding the Jews and others concerning legal rulings—all of this suggests that these verses in question are Medinan.
However, there is an apparent difference in the time of revelation within some of them, such as Those who migrate for the sake of Allah … , and When We change a sign with another in its place—and Allah knows best what He sends down—they say, ‘You are just a fabricator’ (), which could extend to two or five verses, and Whoever renounces faith in Allah after affirming his faith… followed by several verses.
In all fairness, after considering all aspects, verses such as Those who migrate for the sake of Allah … and the verses that follow it, and Whoever renounces faith in Allah after affirming his faith …’, along with a few subsequent verses, and ‘ And if you retaliate, retaliate with the like of what you have been made to suffer () and the two verses that follow, are Medinan due to the contextual evidence that supports this. The rest seem more likely to be Meccan than Medinan. Although this may not conform to some of the traditional narrations, the context itself testifies to this, and it is more deserving to be followed. In the interpretation of verse 118 from Surah al-Anʿām, we discussed the possibility that it was revealed after Surah Al-Nahl, which is Meccan in origin. The main theme of the end of the chapter is to command patience and to promise a good reward for having patience in the way of God.
The purpose of this chapter is to announce the imminent decree of God, which refers to the triumph of the true religion over the disbelievers. God concludes that the sole deity worthy of worship is Him alone since the governance of the universe, like its creation, is solely contingent upon Him, and all blessings originate from Him—none of them are the product of any other than Him. Therefore, it is imperative to worship only the One True God.
The chapter also clarifies that since the true religion is from God, no other religion or law should be legislated or followed besides His. Further details regarding the divine religion are explained as well.
This is the objective pursued by most verses of this chapter, which they follow up with various statements. While expressing this purpose, there are verses that address the issue of migration and related matters.
This is the ʿAllāmah's introduction to the sūrah, from the opening of the commentary.