16-77 And Allah’s is the unseen of the heavens and the earth. And the matter of the Hour is but as a twinkling of the eye or it is nigher still. Surely Allah is Possessor of power over all things.a
وَلِلَّهِ غَيْبُ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ ۚ وَمَآ أَمْرُ ٱلسَّاعَةِ إِلَّا كَلَمْحِ ٱلْبَصَرِ أَوْ هُوَ أَقْرَبُ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَىْءٍۢ قَدِيرٌۭ (۷۷)
16-77a: لَمْحِ – لَمَحَ and الَمْح means a covert glance, and لَمۡحَة عُجلت is a speedy glance. لَمَحَ البَرۡقُ can also be a flash of lightning (LA) because it happens momentarily. کلمح البصر means to come in a twinkling of the eye.
أَوْ هُوَ أَقْرَبُ – The أَوْ is in the sense of بَلۡ . It means that although the twinkling of the eye happens very rapidly but when the Hour comes, it will happen even quicker than the twinkling of the eye. This concept was inconceivable to the disbelievers, hence it is stated that the Hour will come quicker than they can conceive it.
The worldly punishment and the Hour: The continuity of topics in the Quran is shown by the mention of the Hour again, it being the real objective of this surah, and to which attention is drawn in the first verse of the surah in the following words: أَتَىٰٓ أَمْرُ ٱللَّهِ فَلَا تَسْتَعْجِلُوهُ ۚ :Allah’s commandment will come to pass, so seek not to hasten it (16:1). Then in the fourth section, it is stated after mentioning the nefarious plans of the disbelievers:
أَتَىٰهُمُ ٱلْعَذَابُ مِنْ حَيْثُ لَا يَشْعُرُونَ :the chastisement came to them from whence they perceived not (16:26). Then in the end of the same section, it is stated:
هَلْ يَنظُرُونَ إِلَّآ أَن تَأْتِيَهُمُ ٱلْمَلَـٰٓئِكَةُ أَوْ يَأْتِىَ أَمْرُ رَبِّكَ :Await they aught but that the angels should come to them or that thy Lord’s command should come to pass (16:33). The various kinds of punishment that would come to them are described in verses 45-47 of the sixth section. Once again in this section ٱلسَّاعَةِ or the Hour is mentioned which is to be a sample of the ٱلسَّاعَةِ الکبریٰ or Judgement Day. This is the reason why in the last verse of this section there is mention of the denial of the Holy Prophet by the disbelievers, and their turning away from the favor of Allah.
16-78 And Allah brought you forth from the wombs of your mothers — you knew nothing — and He gave you hearing and sight and hearts that you might give thanks.a
وَٱللَّهُ أَخْرَجَكُم مِّنۢ بُطُونِ أُمَّهَـٰتِكُمْ لَا تَعْلَمُونَ شَيْـًۭٔا وَجَعَلَ لَكُمُ ٱلسَّمْعَ وَٱلْأَبْصَـٰرَ وَٱلْأَفْـِٔدَةَ ۙ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ (۷۸)
16-78a: In this verse Allah mentions His great favor to mankind in that He has given them the ability to hear, to see, and to think so they are able to accomplish great tasks. The blessings mentioned in verses 16:80 and 81, namely that He made abodes and apparel for them are actually obtained by humans through their own knowledge and striving, but they are attributed to Allah because had He not placed these abilities in humans, they would not have been able to obtain other things. The phrase لَا تَعْلَمُونَ شَيْـًۭٔا you knew nothing is used because revelation imparts knowledge to a person and if gaining worldly knowledge requires God given powers, then similar powers are also necessary for acquiring spiritual knowledge.
16-79 See they not the birds, constrained in the middle of the sky? None withholds them but Allah. Surely in this are signs for a people who believe.a
أَلَمْ يَرَوْا۟ إِلَى ٱلطَّيْرِ مُسَخَّرَٰتٍۢ فِى جَوِّ ٱلسَّمَآءِ مَا يُمْسِكُهُنَّ إِلَّا ٱللَّهُ ۗ إِنَّ فِى ذَٰلِكَ لَـَٔايَـٰتٍۢ لِّقَوْمٍۢ يُؤْمِنُونَ (۷۹)
16-79a: جَوِّ – It means air (R) or whatever is between the earth and the sky.
The connection of birds with chastisement: There are two places in the Quran where there is a mention of birds being constrained in the middle of the sky – one here and the other in Surah Al Mulk where it is stated: أَوَلَمْ يَرَوْا۟ إِلَى ٱلطَّيْرِ فَوْقَهُمْ صَـٰٓفَّـٰتٍۢ وَيَقْبِضْنَ ۚ مَا يُمْسِكُهُنَّ إِلَّا ٱلرَّحْمَـٰنُ ۚ :Do they not see the birds above them spreading and contracting (their wings)? Naught upholds them save the Beneficent (67:19). The mention of birds here alludes to the chastisement of the enemies, and this is stated even more openly in the other citation where it is stated: وَلَقَدْ كَذَّبَ ٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ فَكَيْفَ كَانَ نَكِيرِ :And certainly those before them denied, then how (terrible) was My warning! (67:18) and the verse of birds is followed by
أَمَّنْ هَـٰذَا ٱلَّذِى هُوَ جُندٌۭ لَّكُمْ يَنصُرُكُم مِّن دُونِ ٱلرَّحْمَـٰنِ : Or who is it that will be a host for you to help you against the Beneficent? (67:20).
What is the connection of this verse with chastisement? The Quran has solved this difficulty by mentioning the sending of chastisement through birds: وَأَرْسَلَ عَلَيْهِمْ طَيْرًا أَبَابِيلَ تَرْمِيهِم بِحِجَارَةٍۢ مِّن سِجِّيلٍۢ :And send against them birds in flocks? Casting at them decreed stones (105:3,4). In the Quran شر , or evil, has also been referred to as a bird: أَلَآ إِنَّمَا طَـٰٓئِرُهُمْ عِندَ ٱللَّهِ : Surely their evil fortune is only from Allah (7:131). An examination of Arabic proverbs reveals the strange finding that birds are mentioned as metaphors for chastisement, disgrace, and defeat. Accordingly, Madani has given the following example in Majma al Imsaal: تَبَدَّرَ بِلَحۡمِك الطیر which is a malediction meaning may you die and die in a manner that you do not even get to be buried, and the birds eat your flesh and tear you to pieces and scatter your remains. There is a couplet of the poet Nabagha:
اذا ماغدا بالجیش حَلَّق فَوۡقَهٗ – عَصَائِبُ طیرٍ تَھۡتدی بعصائب When he marches out with his army a flock of birds gather above him and wherever the army goes, the flock follows them. The meaning is that there is a flock of birds with a victorious army as if they are in the know that the enemy will be killed at their hands. There is also a similar verse by Abul Tayyab:
اذا الَقَوۡا جیشاً تَیَقَّنَ انه – لمن بطن طیر تَنُوفة مَحۡشور when they face an army in conflict, he is convinced that on the Day of Resurrection he will be resurrected from the stomach of birds of Tanofa.
The Bible uses similar words while prophesying the destruction of Gog: Thou shalt fall upon the mountains of Israel, thou, and all thy bands, and the people that is with thee: I will give thee unto the ravenous birds of every sort, and the beasts of the field to be devoured (Ezekiel 39:4). So, in the presence of all this testimony, constraining the birds in the middle of the sky refers to holding back the chastisement and evil that is about to come to the enemies. There is no doubt, however, that the sight of birds suspended in the sky is one of the wondrous signs of the power of Allah.
16-80 And Allah has given you an abode in your houses, and He has given you houses of the skins of cattle, which you find light to carry on the day of your march and on the day of your halting, and of their wool and their fur and their hair, household stuff and a provision for a time.a
وَٱللَّهُ جَعَلَ لَكُم مِّنۢ بُيُوتِكُمْ سَكَنًۭا وَجَعَلَ لَكُم مِّن جُلُودِ ٱلْأَنْعَـٰمِ بُيُوتًۭا تَسْتَخِفُّونَهَا يَوْمَ ظَعْنِكُمْ وَيَوْمَ إِقَامَتِكُمْ ۙ وَمِنْ أَصْوَافِهَا وَأَوْبَارِهَا وَأَشْعَارِهَآ أَثَـٰثًۭا وَمَتَـٰعًا إِلَىٰ حِينٍۢ (۸۰)
16-80a: تَسْتَخِفُّونَ – خَفِیف light is the opposite of ثقیل and sometimes it is used with reference to weight and sometimes خَفِیف is used to indicate that a thing is easy, and if it is difficult, it is called ثقیل . It is in the same sense that the word is used elsewhere in the Quran: ٱلْـَٔـٰنَ خَفَّفَ ٱللَّهُ عَنكُمْ : Now Allah has lightened your burden (8:66); يُرِيدُ ٱللَّهُ أَن يُخَفِّفَ عَنكُمْ : Allah desires to make light your burden (4:28); فَلَا يُخَفَّفُ عَنْهُمُ ٱلْعَذَابُ : so their chastisement shall not be lightened (2:86). Sometimes ثقیل is used to indicate dignity and honor and خَفِیف the opposite of that, and in this situation خَفِیف becomes an opportunity to blame, censure or scorn. It is with respect to this that the meaning of اِسۡتَخۡفاف is that there will be discord and dissension. Accordingly, in the Quranic verses: فَٱسْتَخَفَّ قَوْمَهُۥ فَأَطَاعُوهُ : So he incited his people to levity (43:54) and وَلَا يَسْتَخِفَّنَّكَ : and let not those disquiet thee (30:60), there is an occasion for censure. The meaning of خَفُّوا عن مَنَازِلِہَمۡ is they started very lightly from their homes, and in this verse اِسۡتَخۡفاف is used in this sense. خُفّ means shoe or sock (R).
أَصْوَافِ – It is the plural of صُوف and is the wool of a lamb or sheep.
أَوْبَارِ – It is the plural of وَبۡر and is the hair of camels.
أَشْعَارِ – It is the plural of شَعَر and means the hair of goats.
أَثَـٰثًۭ – اَثَّ means to grow profusely, luxuriant, abundant. When there is an abundance of household items, it is called أَثَـٰثًۭ and great wealth is also called أَثَـٰثًۭ. اَثَّ does not have a singular (R).
In this and the next verse, Allah has mentioned the physical blessings that He has bestowed on mankind with the purpose of proving how it is simply not possible for the Creator to deprive us of spiritual blessings.
16-81 And Allah has made for you, of what He has created, shelters, and He has given you in the mountains, places of retreat, and He has given you garments to save you from the heat, and coats of mail to save you in your fighting. Thus does He complete His favour to you that you may submit.a
وَٱللَّهُ جَعَلَ لَكُم مِّمَّا خَلَقَ ظِلَـٰلًۭا وَجَعَلَ لَكُم مِّنَ ٱلْجِبَالِ أَكْنَـٰنًۭا وَجَعَلَ لَكُمْ سَرَٰبِيلَ تَقِيكُمُ ٱلْحَرَّ وَسَرَٰبِيلَ تَقِيكُم بَأْسَكُمْ ۚ كَذَٰلِكَ يُتِمُّ نِعْمَتَهُۥ عَلَيْكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُسْلِمُونَ (۸۱)
16-81a: سَرَٰبِيلَ – It is the plural of سِرۡبال and means any type of shirt.
Physical blessings provide proof for the need for Divine revelation: In this and the previous verse, there is mention of Allah’s favors that provide a person comfort from distress and difficulties. Accordingly, in the previous verse mention is made of houses, and tents and in this verse of shade, caves and garments for protection against تَقِيكُمُ ٱلْحَرَّ that is حر and بَرۡد or heat and cold. At the end of this verse, attention is clearly drawn to spiritual blessings in the statement regarding completion of Allah’s favors. Favors cannot be completed without spiritual blessings, since there would be nothing to protect against spiritual distress and pain that arise even in the presence of so many things for physical ease. Befittingly, the verse is ended with تُسْلِمُونَ meaning to enter into peace or a state of submission indicating spiritual tranquility, which is further supported by using the term فَإِن تَوَلَّوْا۟ : If they turn away (16:82).
16-82 Then if they turn away, thy duty is only clear deliverance (of the message).
فَإِن تَوَلَّوْا۟ فَإِنَّمَا عَلَيْكَ ٱلْبَلَـٰغُ ٱلْمُبِينُ (۸۲)
16-83 They recognize the favour of Allah, yet they deny it, and most of them are ungrateful.a
يَعْرِفُونَ نِعْمَتَ ٱللَّهِ ثُمَّ يُنكِرُونَهَا وَأَكْثَرُهُمُ ٱلْكَـٰفِرُونَ (۸۳)
16-83a: نِعْمَتَ ٱللَّهِ : favor of Allah is Divine revelation, which is mentioned in the last verse as well, referring to the Holy Prophet, according to Sidi (IJ).
Bayan-ul-Quran 