Tafseer of The Cattle · Al-An'aam · 6:51
And warn by the Qur'an those who fear that they will be gathered before their Lord - for them besides Him will be no protector and no intercessor - that they might become righteous.
Important: The Arabic source text is always authoritative. This translation is a study aid and has not been verified by scholars — do not use it as a basis for religious proof or for deriving rulings (ahkam). When in doubt, always consult the Arabic text and a qualified scholar.
The explanation of His word: وَأَنْذِرْ بِهِ الَّذِينَ يَخَافُونَ أَنْ يُحْشَرُوا إِلَى رَبِّهِمْ لَيْسَ لَهُمْ مِنْ دُونِهِ وَلِيٌّ وَلا شَفِيعٌ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَّقُونَ (51) ("And warn thereby those who fear that they will be gathered unto their Lord — they have, besides Him, no protector (walī) nor intercessor (shafīʿ) — that they may become God-fearing" (6:51)).
Abū Jaʿfar said: The Exalted — exalted be His mention — says to His Prophet Muḥammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace (the Prophet ﷺ): And warn, O Muḥammad, with the Qurʾān which We have sent down to you, the people who fear being gathered unto their Lord, out of knowledge with them that this will surely come to pass; for they believe in Allah's promise and His threat, they act in accordance with what pleases Allah, and they persevere tirelessly in striving after that which will save them, in their return (to Allah), from Allah's punishment (ʿadhāb).
"They have, besides Him, no protector (walī)" — that is to say: they have, against Allah's punishment, should He punish them, no "protector (walī)" who helps them and delivers them from that punishment, "nor an intercessor (shafīʿ)" who would intercede for them with Allah — exalted be His mention — and thereby save them from His punishment. "That they may become God-fearing" — He says: warn them that they may fear Allah concerning themselves, so that they obey their Lord, act for their return (to Allah), and guard themselves against His wrath by shunning acts of disobedience to Him.
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It has been said: "And warn thereby those who fear being gathered" — its meaning is: they know that they will be gathered. Thus "fear" is placed in the position of "knowledge," because their fear arose from their knowledge that this would take place and occur, without any doubt about it on their part.
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This is a command from Allah — exalted be His mention — to His Prophet Muḥammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace (the Prophet ﷺ), to teach his Companions what Allah has sent down to him of His revelation, and to admonish them and turn toward them with the warning — while the polytheists (mushrikīn) turned away from it — after a justification has been given to them and after the proof has been established against them, so that it is Allah who judges concerning their affair with whatever judgment He wills over them.
