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wa-la-qad baʿathnā fī kulli ʾummatin rasūlan ʾani ʿbudū llāha wa-jtanibū ṭ-ṭāghūta fa-minhum man hadā llāhu wa-minhum man ḥaqqat ʿalayhi ḍ-ḍalālatu fa-sīrū fī l-ʾarḍi fa-nẓurū kayfa kāna ʿāqibatu l-mukadhdhibīna
Certainly We raised an apostle in every nation [to preach:] ‘Worship Allah, and shun fake deities.’ Among them were some whom Allah guided, and among them were some who deserved to be in error. So travel over the land and observe how was the fate of the deniers.
— Ali Quli Qarai
Surah An-Nahl – Verse 36
36. “And verily We have appointed a messenger in every nation (to say): ‘Serve Allah and shun false gods.’ Then, of them were some whom Allah guided, and there were others against whom error was due. Hence, travel in the earth, then see what was the end of the rejecters.”
The Arabic term /’ummah/ is a derivative of the word /’umm/ which signifies something which takes up something else on itself. Every group of people who has got something in common and are unified in a sense is called, /’ummah/. The Arabic term /taqūt/ (dictator or despot) is employed when someone wants to exaggerate or overstress the act of ‘unruliness’. In the Holy Qur’an, the Satan, the oppressors, the tyrants and the idols, who are unruly and disobedient in face of Allah’s commandments, are called /taqūt/. This word has got no plural form; it is used both as singular, like:
“…whoever rejects false deity (taghūt)…”, 1
which is used as singular, and like:
“…their guardians are false deities (taghūt)…” 2
which is used in plural meaning. Allah has provided means of guidance for all the people. The above verse says:
“And verily We have appointed a messenger in every nation (to say): ‘Serve Allah and shun false gods.’…”
Nevertheless, some groups accept the fact of the matter and will be guided aright, while others deny or reject it and, therefore, are misled. Thus, it is He Who guides us though it is us who are misled. The verse continues saying:
“…Then, of them were some whom Allah guided, and there were others against whom error was due…”
An interesting example of this case might be the example of the earth which rotates around the sun during the rotation of which part of it faces the sun and is being enlightened while the other part of it, which is in behind, is darkened. Hence, one can say that every light beam which the earth possesses comes from the sun while every dark spot it has is of its own position. Anyway, Allah does not ascribe misguidance to Himself, unless man personally paves the grounds for it.
In conclusion, at the end of the holy verse, He issues this general command for awakening of those who are misled and for the reinforcement of those who are already guided, where He implies that you may travel through the earth and examine the remains and relics of your predecessors which are on the surface of the earth or are buried under the earth and note for yourselves the ultimate destiny of those who have rejected Allah and their eventual fate.
The verse says:
“…Hence, travel in the earth, then see what was the end of the rejecters.”
This meaning serves as a clear evidence for man’s free will, for in case that the guidance and being misled were compulsory matters, there would certainly be no reasons for His commendation of traveling through the earth and the examination of the circumstances of the predecessors which would all be in vain.
Footnotes