'In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful' His saying - glorified and exalted is He -: "Say, 'Should I seek a lord other than Allah while He is the Lord of all things?' And no soul earns except against itself, and no bearer of burdens will bear the burden of another. Then to your Lord is your return, and He will inform you of that in which you used to differ." "And He it is who made you successors upon the earth and raised some of you above others in degrees that He may try you in what He has given you. Indeed, your Lord is swift in penalty, and indeed, He is Forgiving and Merciful." Al-Naqqash narrated that it was reported that the disbelievers said to the Prophet - blessings and peace be upon him -: 'Return, O Muhammad, to our religion; worship our deities; and leave what you are upon; and we will take care of you for all the following you expect in your worldly life and your Hereafter.' So this verse was revealed; it is an interrogative that necessitates confirmation, stopping, and reprimanding. And 'I seek' means: I request; as if He said: 'Is it good for you that I request a god other than Allah, the Exalted, who is the Lord of all things? And what you mentioned of your guarantee will not be fulfilled; because the matter is not as you think; rather, the earning of each soul from evil and sin is solely upon it; 'And no bearer of burdens' means: does not carry; 'a bearer' means: one who carries; the burden of another; and its weight; and the origin of 'wazr' is weight; then it was used in the context of sin; because it breaks the back; metaphorically and by borrowing; it is said of him: 'The man bore (wazara); he bears (yaziru); so he is a bearer (wazir).' And 'he bore (wazira); he will bear (yawzir); so he is one who is burdened (mawzur).' And His saying - exalted and blessed is He -: "Then to your Lord is your return"; it is a threat and a warning; "and He will inform you" means: He will inform you that the punishment for deviation is a clarification of the truth; and His saying - blessed and exalted is He -: "of that in which you used to differ"; He means - according to what some of the interpreters have narrated -: 'about My matter; in the saying of some of you: 'He is a magician'; and some of you: 'He is a poet'; and some of you: 'He fabricated it'; and some of you: 'He wrote it down'; and so on. Al-Qadi Abu Muhammad - may Allah have mercy on him - said: And this interpretation is good in this context; even if the wording encompasses all types of differences; from religions; sects; and doctrines; and others. And 'successors' is the plural of 'successor'; meaning: some of you succeed one another. Al-Qadi Abu Muhammad - may Allah have mercy on him - said: And this can be imagined in all nations; and among all types of people; because whoever comes is a successor to whoever has passed; but it is good in the nation of Muhammad - blessings and peace be upon him - that its people - as a whole - are called successors to the nations; and they have no one to succeed them; as they are the last of the nations; and upon them is the standing of the Hour. And Al-Hasan ibn Abi Al-Hasan narrated that the Prophet - blessings and peace be upon him - said: 'You will be given the reward of seventy nations; you are the best of them and the most honored before Allah'; and it is narrated: 'You are the last of them and the most honored before Allah.' And His saying - exalted is He -: "And He raised some of you above others in degrees"; it is a general term regarding wealth; strength; status; and the quality of souls; minds; and others; and all of this is only so that Allah, the Exalted, may test the creation and see the good-doer from the wrongdoer.

And when He, the Exalted and Majestic, informed of this; He opened for the people the field of action; and urged them to hasten towards good; He warned; and He promised; as a means of fear from Him, the Exalted, and hope; so He said: "Indeed, your Lord is swift in punishment"; and His swift punishment is either by His seizing in this world; or by the punishment of the Hereafter; and it is appropriate to describe the punishment of the Hereafter as "swift"; since it is certain; guaranteed to come; and to occur; for every coming event is judged by its proximity; and is described by it; and "And indeed, He is Forgiving and Merciful"; is hope for whoever has sinned and intends to repent; and this in the Book of Allah, blessed and exalted, is abundant; the conjunction of warning with promise; is a kindness from Allah, the Exalted, to His servants. The interpretation of Surah Al-An'am is complete; and Allah is the One whose help is sought; and He is sufficient for me; and excellent is the Trustee.