Overview - Surah 7: al-A`raf (The Elevated Places)
The basic theme of this Surah is Risalah, i.e. Allah's message as it was sent through many messengers. Several Prophets and parts of their stories are mentioned to emphasize Prophets’ mission and their struggle with their people. The Surah tells us that Allah's Prophets suffered for the cause of truth. Their enemies tried to harm them, but then Allah helped his prophets and defeated their enemies. The Surah emphasizes that the true message must be presented under all circumstances. After the Prophets it is the duty of the Believers to convey the message of Allah to all people.
Sections:
- The Qur’an is revealed to remind the believers and to warn humankind about the consequences of their actions. The judgment will indeed take place.
- The story of Man's creation and Satan's opposition to Man.
- Warning to the Children of Adam to be aware of Satan's plots.
- Allah's messengers came to guide people.
- The end of those who denied the message and those who accepted the message.
- Cries of the wicked in the hellfire.
- The righteous will prosper.
- Some lessons from the story of Prophet Noah - peace be upon him.
- Some lessons from the story of Prophet Hud- peace be upon him.
- Some lessons from the story of Prophets Salih and Lot - peace be upon them.
- Some lessons from the story of Prophet Shu'aib - peace be upon him.
- Warnings against those who deny the Prophets and Messengers of Allah.
- Prophet Moses -peace be upon him- and his encounter with Pharaoh of Egypt.
- Pharaoh and his magicians were defeated.
- Pharaoh continued in his persecution of the Israelites.
- Some more signs were shown to Pharaoh and his people.
- The Torah was given to Prophet Moses- peace be upon him.
- Some Israelites started Calf worship.
- The Torah and Injil speak about the coming of Prophet Muhammad (saw). Allah's promise for those who will follow the last Prophet.
- Prophet Muhammad is the Universal Prophet. Some among the people of Prophet Moses were guided by the truth and lived with justice.
- Some Israelites transgressed Allah's laws and they suffered the consequences.
- The eternal covenant of Allah was taken from all human beings.
- The coming of the Last Hour
- Shirk has no logic. Ignore the wrongdoers, but invite to Allah with kindness. Listen to the Qur'an and always remember Allah.
The Surah is named after the story of the men awaiting on the “Elevations” between Paradise and Hell.
It comprises of 206 Ayat.
Overview
| Total Ayat | 206 |
| Total Words * | 3320 |
| Root Words * | 489 |
| Unique Root Words * | 14 |
| Makki / Madani | Makki |
| Chronological Order* | 39th (according to Ibn Abbas) |
| Year of Revelation* | 13th year of Prophethood |
| Events during/before this Surah*
, 2nd Pledge of Aqabah, 1st Pledge of Aqabah, Death of Abu Talib - Death of Khadijah - Stoning at Ta'if - al-Isra wal Mi'raj - Night Journey, Boycott of Banu Hashim Yr 3, Boycott of Banu Hashim Yr 2, Boycott of Banu Hashim Yr 1, 2nd Migration to Abyssinia, Physical beating and torture of some Muslims - 1st Migration of Muslims to Abyssinia, Public Invitation to Islam - Persecution of Muslims; antagonism - ridicule - derision - accusation - abuse and false propaganda., Revelation begins - Private Invitation to Islam , Revelation begins - Private Invitation to Islam , Revelation begins - Private Invitation to Islam
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| Events during/after still to occur*
Migration from Makkah to Madinah - Building of Masjid Nabi in Madinah - Treaty with Jews of Madinah - Marriage of Prophet to Aishah,Change of Qiblah from Jerusalem to Makkah - Battle of Badr,Battle of Uhud,,Battle of Ahzab - Expedition of Banu Quraydhah,Treaty of Hudaiybiyah - Letters to Kings and Rulers,,Conquest of Makkah - Battle of Hunain,Hajj led by Abu Bakr - Expedition of Tabuk,Farewell Hajj by Prophet - Death of Prophet - End of Divine Revelation
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| Names of Prophets Mentioned
Adam, Nuh, Hud, Salih, Lut, Shuaib, Musa, Harun
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| Surah Index
‘Aad, Aaron, Adam, Adam (angels to prostrate before) , Adam (tree of knowledge) , Adam (banishment from Garden (no blame to Eve)) , Adversity (not burdened beyond capability to withstand) , Adversity (patience during) , God (made no laws regarding that of which He didn’t speak) , Apes (despicable) , Astronomy (celestial mechanics) , Children (of Israel) , Clothing, Commandments (general religious) , Disbelievers, Dogs, Earth, Earth (creation of) (in six days), Earth (rotation of) , Earthquake, Golden Calf, Gospel, Hell, Hud, Humankind (creation of) , Humankind (creation of) (from clay), Iblis, Jinn, Judgement (Day) , Knowledge (obligation upon man to obtain and impart) , Life (good things made lawful) , Lot, Madyan, Manna, Moses, Moses (bringing forth water from the rock) , Moses (duel by sorcery with Pharaoh’s magicians) , Moses (forty nights upon Mt. Sinai) , Moses (plagues) , Muhammad (not a madman) , Muhammad (only a prophet) , Muhammad (unlettered prophet) , Noah, Noah (ark) , Noah (flood) , Pharaoh, Prayer (beautify (adorn) yourselves for) , Prayer (prostration) , Pregnancy, Prophet (people who are false prophets are wicked) , Quail, Qur’an, Religion, Religion (is not play and transient delight) , Resurrection (Day) , Resurrection (of soul) , Revelation, Sabbath (breakers) , Salih, Sea, Shu’ayb, Sin, Ten Commandments, Thamud, Thamud (rock dwellings) , Thamud (she camel) , Thamud (she camel) (killing of), Thamud (she camel) (punishment for), Torah, Twelve tribes, Twelve tribes (scattering of) , Weather (clouds) , Weather (rain) , Weather (wind)
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The central theme of both Surah al-An’am and al-A’raf deal with the core issues of Faith but from different perspectives. Surah al-An’am presents the topic of Aqeedah and its realities by primarily focusing on the Jahilliyah [ignorance] of the Arabs whilst Surah al-A’raf deals with the Jahilliyah [ignorance] from a wider historical perspective, hence we find mention of Adam, Nuh People of Thamud, Lut, Madyan and Pharoah and his people.
Al-A'raf - The Elevations. Allah mentions Paradise and Hellfire and then speaks of the 'elevations' between them reserved for some amongst humanity. These people not knowing what will happen to them. The people of Hell-fire will be refused water as it will be prohibited for the disbelievers in the after-life.
Manuscripts / Inscriptions
14th Century
14th Century
8th century
8th century
7th century
7th century
14th Century
14th Century
18th Century
18th Century
1130 AH (1717 CE)
1130 AH (1717 CE)
1130 AH (1717 CE)
1130 AH (1717 CE)
1271 AH (1855 CE)
1271 AH (1855 CE)
1271 AH (1855 CE)
1271 AH (1855 CE)
1st Century Hijrah (7th Century CE)
1st Century Hijrah (7th Century CE)
Late 1st century / 2nd century of Hijrah
Late 1st century / 2nd century of Hijrah
1st century / 2nd century of Hijrah
1st century / 2nd century of Hijrah
1st century / 2nd century of Hijra.
1st century / 2nd century of Hijra.
The central theme of both Surah al-An’am and al-A’raf deal with the core issues of Faith but from different perspectives. Surah al-An’am presents the topic of Aqeedah and its realities by primarily focusing on the Jahilliyah [ignorance] of the Arabs whilst Surah al-A’raf deals with the Jahilliyah [ignorance] from a wider historical perspective, hence we find mention of Adam, Nuh People of Thamud, Lut, Madyan and Pharoah and his people.
Surah al-A’raf adopts a totally different approach as it discusses the same question of Faith. It provides for it with the panoramic setting of human history. It starts with mankind’s journey as it begins in heaven and where it aims to return. Along this great expanse, we see the procession of faith starting with the Prophet Adam to the last of all prophets and messengers, Muhammad (peace be upon him). The procession holds the banner of faith and advocates, throughout human history, that the only way to human happiness is for people to adopt the faith based on God’s oneness. The surah outlines what reception this call received in different periods of history; how the leaders of this procession put the message across to mankind, and the responses they received; how the people in power went about conducting their campaigns of opposition and how the procession of believers brushed them aside and went along its way. This surah also portrays the fate that befell opponents of faith in this life and the different destinies in the hereafter of both believers and unbelievers.
It is a very long journey, but the surah takes us along, stage by stage, making a stop at every landmark to indicate that the road is clearly demarcated with well known starting and finishing lines. All mankind travels along, aiming to return to the point where it started, in heaven, with the Supreme society. [REF: Qutb, Fi Dhilal al-Qur’an]
- The previous surahs contain the new Mithaq [covenant] between Allah and the Muslim Ummah. This surah chronicles just how the previous nation, Bani Israel behaved with this Mithaq and how a person from amongst them [7:175] detached himself from the Revelation and the consequences of such actions.
It has been reported that the Prophet reciting this surah during Salatul Maghrib. [Sunan an-Nisai al-Kubra no.1061, Tafsir al-Maudhui, Dr. Mustafah Muslim.]
- Interesting note in connection to the central theme: we find this surah has used the word قرية (Qaryah) [and its various grammitical forms – meaning city, town] 10 times – the most frequent compared to any other surah.
- We also find the word أمة (nation) used 8 times in its various forms – also more than any other surah. This is revealed in the last year of the Makkan period and on the eve of the creation of the Islamic state and birth of the Muslim Ummah – hence the most important lessons.
- This Surah has mentioned 'Adam' seven times - more than any other Surah.
- There are more mentions of Musa in this Surah than any other Surah of the Qur'an.
- Words derived from R-B-B- (Lord, owner, master) appear 65 times in this Surah. The highest frequency compared to any other Surah.
- The word M-L-A' - Cheifs/leaders appears 9 times in this Surah. The highest frequency compared to any other Surah.
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وَإِلَىٰ عَادٍ أَخَاهُمْ هُودًا ۗ قَالَ يَا قَوْمِ اعْبُدُوا اللَّـهَ مَا لَكُم مِّنْ إِلَـٰهٍ غَيْرُهُ ۚ أَفَلَا تَتَّقُونَ "And to the 'Aad [We sent] their brother Hud. He said, "O my people, worship Allah; you have no deity other than Him. Then will you not fear Him?" (7:65)
This is the first mention of the Prophet Hud in the Qur'an (the Prophet Hud is mentioned most in Surah Hud, a total of five times).
- Interesting note in connection to the central theme: we find this surah has used the word قرية (Qaryah) [and its various grammitical forms – meaning city, town] 10 times – the most frequent compared to any other surah.
- We also find the word أمة (nation) used 8 times in its various forms – also more than any other surah. This is revealed in the last year of the Makkan period and on the eve of the creation of the Islamic state and birth of the Muslim Ummah – hence the most important lessons.
- This Surah has mentioned 'Adam' seven times - more than any other Surah.
- There are more mentions of Musa in this Surah than any other Surah of the Qur'an.
- Words derived from R-B-B- (Lord, owner, master) appear 65 times in this Surah. The highest frequency compared to any other Surah.
- The word M-L-A'- (Cheifs/leaders) appears 9 times in this Surah. The highest frequency compared to any other Surah.
Total Word Count per Ayat (shows how many words per Ayat) = 14* | ||
| # | Root Word | Frequency in Surah | Frequency in Qur'an |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | ق و ل | 110 | 1722 |
| 2. | ك و ن | 74 | 1390 |
| 3. | أ ل ه | 70 | 2851 |
| 4. | ٱلَّذِى | 67 | 1464 |
| 5. | ر ب ب | 65 | 980 |
| 6. | ق و م | 55 | 660 |
| 7. | أ م ن | 36 | 879 |
| 8. | ر س ل | 30 | 513 |
| 9. | إِلَىٰ | 29 | 742 |
| 10. | أ ي ي | 29 | 382 |
| Root Word | Frequency in Surah |
Frequency in Qur'an |
|---|---|---|
| ق و ل | 110 | 1722 |
| ك و ن | 74 | 1390 |
| أ ل ه | 70 | 2851 |
| ٱلَّذِى | 67 | 1464 |
| ر ب ب | 65 | 980 |
| ق و م | 55 | 660 |
| أ م ن | 36 | 879 |
| ر س ل | 30 | 513 |
| إِلَىٰ | 29 | 742 |
| أ ي ي | 29 | 382 |
A study of its contents clearly shows that the period of its revelation is about the same as that of Surah 6: al-An’am (The Grazing Livestock), i.e. the last year of the Prophet's life at Makkah, but it cannot be asserted with certainty which of these two were sent down earlier. The manner of its admonition clearly indicates that it belongs to the same period. [Ref: Mawdudi]
It is considered the longest surah revealed during the Makkan period. Some consider this surah to have been revealed after Surah 38: Sad. [Ref: Tafsir al-Maudheei, Dr. Mustafah Muslim, vol. 3, p. 2]
- An invitation is given to the People of the Book (Jews and Christians) to become Muslims.
- A warning is given to the unbelievers about the consequences of their denial through citing the example of punishments which were inflicted upon former people for their wrong attitude towards their Rasools.
- The Jews are warned about the consequences of their hypocritical conduct towards the Prophets.
- Commandment to propagate the message of Islam with wisdom.
- The fact that the Rasools as well as the people to whom they are sent will be questioned on the Day of Judgement.
- Commandment to the Believers that they should wear decent and proper dress and eat pure and good food.
- Dialogue between the residents of paradise, the inmates of hell and the people of A'raf (a place between the Paradise and hell).
- The fact that affluence and adversity are the reminders from Allah.
- The fact that Muhammad (pbuh) is the Rasool for the all of mankind.
- The fact that the advent of Muhammad (pbuh) was described in Torah and the Gospel (Bible).
- The fact that the Jews have fabricated a wrong belief about Allah's forgiveness.
- Mankind's testimony about Allah at the time of Adam's creation.
- The fact that Allah created all of mankind from a single soul.
- Allah's commandment to show forgiveness, speak for justice and avoid the ignorant.
- Allah's commandment about listening to the recitation of The Qur'an with complete silence.
Tafsir Zone
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Overview (Verses 31 - 34) Forbidding What Is Lawful A new address is now made to mankind, serving as a pause to comment on the events related earlier before resuming the main theme in the sūrah: “Children of Adam, dress well when you attend any place of worship. Eat and drink but do not be wasteful. Surely He does not love the wasteful. Say, ‘Who is there to forbid the beauty which God has produced for His servants, and the wholesome means of sustenance?’ Say, ‘They are [lawful] in the life of this world, to all who believe — to be theirs alone on the Day of Resurrection.’ Thus do We make Our revelations clear to people of knowledge. Say, ‘My Lord has only forbidden shameful deeds, be they open or secret, and all types of sin, and wrongful oppression, and that you should associate with God anything for which He has given no authority, and that you attribute to God anything of which you have no knowledge.’” (Verses 31-33) In this address, we note the emphasis on the basic principle of faith in order to stress the falsehood of the practices of the pagan Arabs. One of the clearest examples is to link their arbitrary prohibition of good wholesome things God has provided for His servants with ascribing partners to God. This is indeed the proper description of anyone who falsely claims the authority to make such a prohibition, attributing to God things of which he has no knowledge. God tells mankind to don their best clothes, which He has given them and taught them how to make, whenever they attend to any act of worship, including ţawāf, which means walking round the Ka`bah glorifying God, acknowledging His Lordship and asking Him to grant our wishes. Those Arabs used to do ţawāf naked, forbidding themselves the wearing of any garments when God did not forbid them that. On the contrary, He made the provision of such clothes an aspect of His grace. The proper thing to be expected is that they should obey Him and make use of what He has given them, not taking off their clothing in a grossly indecent manner: “Children of Adam, dress well when you attend any place of worship.” (Verse 31) He also tells them to enjoy the wholesome provisions He has given them, without being extravagant: “Eat and drink but do not be wasteful. Surely He does not love the wasteful.” (Verse 31) It has been reported that the Arabs also used to forbid themselves certain types of food in a similar manner to their prohibition of certain types of clothing. All these were inventions perpetrated by the Quraysh, the ruling tribe in Makkah. In an authentic report related by Muslim on the authority of `Urwah who quotes his father, a companion of the Prophet, as saying: “The Arabs used to do ţawāf around the Ka`bah completely naked with the exception of the Hums, a title given to the Quraysh people and their descendants. They would go around the Sacred House in the nude unless they wore clothes given them by the Hums. Some of the men of Quraysh might give some of their clothes to other men and their women might give to other women. During pilgrimage, the Hums would stay at Muzdalifah, going no further, while the rest of the pilgrims would go as far as ‘Arafat. They justified this by saying: `We, the Quraysh, are the dwellers of the Ĥaram (i.e. the sacred area). No person from the rest of Arabia may do ţawāf wearing any clothes other than our clothes or eating any food other than ours.’ Thus, any Arab who did not have a friend in Makkah to lend him a garment, or did not have the money to hire such a garment, faced the choice of either doing ţawāf naked or wearing his own clothes which he must throw away after he completed his ţawāf. No one else was allowed to touch those clothes after they had been thrown away. Such clothes were considered as discarded clothes, or liqā.” In his commentary known as Aĥkām al-Qur’ān, al-Qurţubī, a famous scholar, says: “It has been reported that in pre-Islamic days, the Arabs used not to eat any rich food during their pilgrimage, limiting themselves only to eating very little, and they used to do ţawāf naked. They were told: ‘Dress well when you attend any place of worship. Eat and drink but do not be wasteful.” (Verse 31) This is a clear indication that they must not forbid themselves what is lawful. From the linguistic point of view, the term used for ‘being wasteful’ could mean extravagance and could also denote the prohibition of what is lawful. In each case, the practice involves going beyond the proper limits.” Thus, they assume for themselves the authority to pronounce certain types of dress and food as lawful or forbidden. It then warns them against these, reminding them of the painful lessons their first parents learned in heaven and their suffering as a result of Satan’s scheming against them. It also reminds them of God’s grace, as He has provided them with fine garments. It denounces their claims that what they practised was part of God’s law: “Say, ‘Who is there to forbid the beauty which God has produced for His servants, and the wholesome means of sustenance?’ Say, ‘They are [lawful] in the life of this world, to all who believe — to be theirs alone on the Day of Resurrection. Thus do We make Our revelations clear to people of knowledge.’” (Verse 32) This is coupled with a reference to the absolutely certain knowledge upon which concepts of faith, acts of worship and laws must be established. When all their claims have been refuted, the sūrah reiterates what God has actually forbidden: “Say, ‘My Lord has only forbidden shameful deeds, be they open or secret, and all types of sin, and wrongful oppression, and that you should associate with God anything for which He has given no authority, and that you attribute to God anything of which you have no knowledge.’” (Verse 33) Prior to that, the sūrah clarified divine instructions concerning dress and food: “Children of Adam, dress well when you attend any place of worship. Eat and drink but do not be wasteful.” (Verse 31) The sūrah does not stop at calling on people to dress well when they attend to any act of worship or to enjoy wholesome food and elegant dress. It censures the prohibitions of such adornment which God has provided for His servants as well as the prohibition of wholesome provisions. The authority to prohibit any thing belongs only to God who has given us the details of what He has forbidden and what He has made lawful in the legal code He has enacted for human life. “Say: ‘Who is there to forbid the beauty which God has produced for His servants, and the wholesome means of sustenance?’” (Verse 32) This clear disapproval is followed by a statement making clear that such adornment and means of sustenance are for the enjoyment of believers on account of their belief in God, their Lord, who has produced them for the believers. If such matters are also made available in this life to unbelievers, they will be reserved exclusively for believers on the Day of Resurrection. Unbelievers will have no share in them: “Say, ‘They are [lawful] in the life of this world, to all who believe — to be theirs alone on the Day of Resurrection.’” (Verse 32) This could not have been the case if such adornments and provisions were forbidden. God would not have given them something forbidden to be theirs alone in the life to come. “Thus do We make Our revelations clear to people of knowledge.” (Verse 32) Indeed, those who know the essence of this faith well are the ones to benefit by this explanation. God has certainly forbidden neither what is reasonable of adornment and clothing nor wholesome food and drink. What He has truly forbidden is what those unbelievers used to practise: “Say: ‘My Lord has only forbidden shameful deeds, be they open or secret, and all types of sin, and wrongful oppression, and that you should associate with God anything for which He has given no authority, and that you attribute to God anything of which you have no knowledge.’” (Verse 33) Because this question, which often appears to be only a side issue, has such great importance in the Islamic view — since it relates to the question of faith and to promoting sound human nature and proper human values — the sūrah concludes its discussion with a very strong and inspiring comment that is normally used with major issues of faith. The comment reminds human beings that their term on earth is limited, and that when it draws to a close, they cannot delay or hasten it at all: “For every community a term has been set. When [the end of] their term approaches, they can neither delay nor hasten it by a single moment.” (Verse 34) This is a basic concept of faith which serves here as a reminder so that dormant hearts wake up and realize that they must not let themselves be deluded by an apparently unending life. The term mentioned in this verse could apply to the end of every generation, which is determined by death, or the term that is allowed for every nation to be strong and prosperous. Whichever meaning we apply to the Qur’ānic verse, the term is pre-determined, and they cannot either delay their deadline or hasten it. Before we finish our commentary on this passage, we better remind ourselves of the great similarity in how the Qur’ān deals with jāhiliyyah concepts, whether they relate to slaughtered animals, what is lawful of them and what is forbidden, as explained in the previous sūrah, and the way it deals with ignorance and its arbitrary concepts concerning dress and food. This is in a nutshell the total sum of what God has forbidden. It includes every excess that goes beyond the limits God has laid down, whether committed openly or in secret. It also includes sin, which denotes every disobedience to God, and oppression, which denotes every type of injustice or violation of other people’s rights which God has made clear to all. It further includes ascribing the qualities of Godhead to any being other than God. This includes what used to be practised in ignorant Arabia and what happens in every ignorant society when people accept legislation from any source other than God. God has also forbidden that people should attribute to God something of which they have no knowledge. This includes, by way of example, what they used to assert of prohibition and attributing that to God Himself without any true or sound basis. Such is the effect of ignorance, or jāhiliyyah, on people. It distorts their nature, taste, concepts and values. If we look at the jāhiliyyah prevailing today in our world we find that it affects people in the same way as the pre-Islamic ignorance affected the pagan Arabs, Greeks, Romans, Persians and all other pagan nations. Modern jāhiliyyah also fools people so that they take off their clothes and shed their sense of shame. Moreover, it describes that as progress and civilization. Chaste Muslim women are described as reactionary and old fashioned, simply because they maintain their standard of propriety when they appear in public. It is the same twisted logic which distorts human nature and turns values and standards upside down. It is also coupled with the same type of arrogance that insists on adhering to what is false and what is unlawful. It is as the Qur’ān says: “Have they, perchance, handed down this [way of thinking] as a legacy to one another? Nay, they are filled with overweening arrogance.” (51: 53) |
Ibn Kathir (English)
Sayyid Qutb
Sha'rawi
Al Jalalain
الطبري - جامع البيان
ابن كثير - تفسير القرآن العظيم
القرطبي - الجامع لأحكام
البغوي - معالم التنزيل
ابن أبي حاتم الرازي - تفسير القرآن
ابن عاشور - التحرير والتنوير
ابن القيم - تفسير ابن قيّم
السيوطي - الدر المنثور
الشنقيطي - أضواء البيان
ابن الجوزي - زاد المسير
الآلوسي - روح المعاني
ابن عطية - المحرر الوجيز
الرازي - مفاتيح الغيب
أبو السعود - إرشاد العقل السليم
الزمخشري - الكشاف
البقاعي - نظم الدرر
الهداية إلى بلوغ النهاية — مكي ابن أبي طالب
القاسمي - محاسن التأويل
الماوردي - النكت والعيون
السعدي - تيسير الكريم الرحمن
عبد الرحمن الثعالبي - الجواهر الحسان
السمرقندي - بحر العلوم
أبو إسحاق الثعلبي - الكشف والبيان
الشوكاني - فتح القدير
النيسابوري - التفسير البسيط
أبو حيان - البحر المحيط
البيضاوي - أنوار التنزيل
النسفي - مدارك التنزيل
ابن جُزَيّ - التسهيل لعلوم التنزيل
علي الواحدي النيسابوري - الوجيز
السيوطي - تفسير الجلالين
المختصر في التفسير — مركز تفسير
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Overview (Verses 31 - 34) Forbidding What Is Lawful A new address is now made to mankind, serving as a pause to comment on the events related earlier before resuming the main theme in the sūrah: “Children of Adam, dress well when you attend any place of worship. Eat and drink but do not be wasteful. Surely He does not love the wasteful. Say, ‘Who is there to forbid the beauty which God has produced for His servants, and the wholesome means of sustenance?’ Say, ‘They are [lawful] in the life of this world, to all who believe — to be theirs alone on the Day of Resurrection.’ Thus do We make Our revelations clear to people of knowledge. Say, ‘My Lord has only forbidden shameful deeds, be they open or secret, and all types of sin, and wrongful oppression, and that you should associate with God anything for which He has given no authority, and that you attribute to God anything of which you have no knowledge.’” (Verses 31-33) In this address, we note the emphasis on the basic principle of faith in order to stress the falsehood of the practices of the pagan Arabs. One of the clearest examples is to link their arbitrary prohibition of good wholesome things God has provided for His servants with ascribing partners to God. This is indeed the proper description of anyone who falsely claims the authority to make such a prohibition, attributing to God things of which he has no knowledge. God tells mankind to don their best clothes, which He has given them and taught them how to make, whenever they attend to any act of worship, including ţawāf, which means walking round the Ka`bah glorifying God, acknowledging His Lordship and asking Him to grant our wishes. Those Arabs used to do ţawāf naked, forbidding themselves the wearing of any garments when God did not forbid them that. On the contrary, He made the provision of such clothes an aspect of His grace. The proper thing to be expected is that they should obey Him and make use of what He has given them, not taking off their clothing in a grossly indecent manner: “Children of Adam, dress well when you attend any place of worship.” (Verse 31) He also tells them to enjoy the wholesome provisions He has given them, without being extravagant: “Eat and drink but do not be wasteful. Surely He does not love the wasteful.” (Verse 31) It has been reported that the Arabs also used to forbid themselves certain types of food in a similar manner to their prohibition of certain types of clothing. All these were inventions perpetrated by the Quraysh, the ruling tribe in Makkah. In an authentic report related by Muslim on the authority of `Urwah who quotes his father, a companion of the Prophet, as saying: “The Arabs used to do ţawāf around the Ka`bah completely naked with the exception of the Hums, a title given to the Quraysh people and their descendants. They would go around the Sacred House in the nude unless they wore clothes given them by the Hums. Some of the men of Quraysh might give some of their clothes to other men and their women might give to other women. During pilgrimage, the Hums would stay at Muzdalifah, going no further, while the rest of the pilgrims would go as far as ‘Arafat. They justified this by saying: `We, the Quraysh, are the dwellers of the Ĥaram (i.e. the sacred area). No person from the rest of Arabia may do ţawāf wearing any clothes other than our clothes or eating any food other than ours.’ Thus, any Arab who did not have a friend in Makkah to lend him a garment, or did not have the money to hire such a garment, faced the choice of either doing ţawāf naked or wearing his own clothes which he must throw away after he completed his ţawāf. No one else was allowed to touch those clothes after they had been thrown away. Such clothes were considered as discarded clothes, or liqā.” In his commentary known as Aĥkām al-Qur’ān, al-Qurţubī, a famous scholar, says: “It has been reported that in pre-Islamic days, the Arabs used not to eat any rich food during their pilgrimage, limiting themselves only to eating very little, and they used to do ţawāf naked. They were told: ‘Dress well when you attend any place of worship. Eat and drink but do not be wasteful.” (Verse 31) This is a clear indication that they must not forbid themselves what is lawful. From the linguistic point of view, the term used for ‘being wasteful’ could mean extravagance and could also denote the prohibition of what is lawful. In each case, the practice involves going beyond the proper limits.” Thus, they assume for themselves the authority to pronounce certain types of dress and food as lawful or forbidden. It then warns them against these, reminding them of the painful lessons their first parents learned in heaven and their suffering as a result of Satan’s scheming against them. It also reminds them of God’s grace, as He has provided them with fine garments. It denounces their claims that what they practised was part of God’s law: “Say, ‘Who is there to forbid the beauty which God has produced for His servants, and the wholesome means of sustenance?’ Say, ‘They are [lawful] in the life of this world, to all who believe — to be theirs alone on the Day of Resurrection. Thus do We make Our revelations clear to people of knowledge.’” (Verse 32) This is coupled with a reference to the absolutely certain knowledge upon which concepts of faith, acts of worship and laws must be established. When all their claims have been refuted, the sūrah reiterates what God has actually forbidden: “Say, ‘My Lord has only forbidden shameful deeds, be they open or secret, and all types of sin, and wrongful oppression, and that you should associate with God anything for which He has given no authority, and that you attribute to God anything of which you have no knowledge.’” (Verse 33) Prior to that, the sūrah clarified divine instructions concerning dress and food: “Children of Adam, dress well when you attend any place of worship. Eat and drink but do not be wasteful.” (Verse 31) The sūrah does not stop at calling on people to dress well when they attend to any act of worship or to enjoy wholesome food and elegant dress. It censures the prohibitions of such adornment which God has provided for His servants as well as the prohibition of wholesome provisions. The authority to prohibit any thing belongs only to God who has given us the details of what He has forbidden and what He has made lawful in the legal code He has enacted for human life. “Say: ‘Who is there to forbid the beauty which God has produced for His servants, and the wholesome means of sustenance?’” (Verse 32) This clear disapproval is followed by a statement making clear that such adornment and means of sustenance are for the enjoyment of believers on account of their belief in God, their Lord, who has produced them for the believers. If such matters are also made available in this life to unbelievers, they will be reserved exclusively for believers on the Day of Resurrection. Unbelievers will have no share in them: “Say, ‘They are [lawful] in the life of this world, to all who believe — to be theirs alone on the Day of Resurrection.’” (Verse 32) This could not have been the case if such adornments and provisions were forbidden. God would not have given them something forbidden to be theirs alone in the life to come. “Thus do We make Our revelations clear to people of knowledge.” (Verse 32) Indeed, those who know the essence of this faith well are the ones to benefit by this explanation. God has certainly forbidden neither what is reasonable of adornment and clothing nor wholesome food and drink. What He has truly forbidden is what those unbelievers used to practise: “Say: ‘My Lord has only forbidden shameful deeds, be they open or secret, and all types of sin, and wrongful oppression, and that you should associate with God anything for which He has given no authority, and that you attribute to God anything of which you have no knowledge.’” (Verse 33) Because this question, which often appears to be only a side issue, has such great importance in the Islamic view — since it relates to the question of faith and to promoting sound human nature and proper human values — the sūrah concludes its discussion with a very strong and inspiring comment that is normally used with major issues of faith. The comment reminds human beings that their term on earth is limited, and that when it draws to a close, they cannot delay or hasten it at all: “For every community a term has been set. When [the end of] their term approaches, they can neither delay nor hasten it by a single moment.” (Verse 34) This is a basic concept of faith which serves here as a reminder so that dormant hearts wake up and realize that they must not let themselves be deluded by an apparently unending life. The term mentioned in this verse could apply to the end of every generation, which is determined by death, or the term that is allowed for every nation to be strong and prosperous. Whichever meaning we apply to the Qur’ānic verse, the term is pre-determined, and they cannot either delay their deadline or hasten it. Before we finish our commentary on this passage, we better remind ourselves of the great similarity in how the Qur’ān deals with jāhiliyyah concepts, whether they relate to slaughtered animals, what is lawful of them and what is forbidden, as explained in the previous sūrah, and the way it deals with ignorance and its arbitrary concepts concerning dress and food. This is in a nutshell the total sum of what God has forbidden. It includes every excess that goes beyond the limits God has laid down, whether committed openly or in secret. It also includes sin, which denotes every disobedience to God, and oppression, which denotes every type of injustice or violation of other people’s rights which God has made clear to all. It further includes ascribing the qualities of Godhead to any being other than God. This includes what used to be practised in ignorant Arabia and what happens in every ignorant society when people accept legislation from any source other than God. God has also forbidden that people should attribute to God something of which they have no knowledge. This includes, by way of example, what they used to assert of prohibition and attributing that to God Himself without any true or sound basis. Such is the effect of ignorance, or jāhiliyyah, on people. It distorts their nature, taste, concepts and values. If we look at the jāhiliyyah prevailing today in our world we find that it affects people in the same way as the pre-Islamic ignorance affected the pagan Arabs, Greeks, Romans, Persians and all other pagan nations. Modern jāhiliyyah also fools people so that they take off their clothes and shed their sense of shame. Moreover, it describes that as progress and civilization. Chaste Muslim women are described as reactionary and old fashioned, simply because they maintain their standard of propriety when they appear in public. It is the same twisted logic which distorts human nature and turns values and standards upside down. It is also coupled with the same type of arrogance that insists on adhering to what is false and what is unlawful. It is as the Qur’ān says: “Have they, perchance, handed down this [way of thinking] as a legacy to one another? Nay, they are filled with overweening arrogance.” (51: 53) |
- Surah Al-Araf (The Heights) Saad al Ghamidi https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvJmEeRYGag&index=7&list=PLFBCB5C33480F350C
- Surah Al-Araf Mahmoud Khalil Al Hussary https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IAIqY4YG5v4&index=7&list=PLxpAkjlGauHfMFWX22VZWOKpzjr-vH_BM
- Surah Al-Araf Muhammad Al Luhaydan https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8PH63X7q_Wk&list=PLxpAkjlGauHfKAYuQLRNAZomoezhfhRZe&index=7
- Surah Araf Idris Akba https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MP1DvywAaoI
- Surah Al-Araf muhammad Minshawi https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GdAOUom0mP4&list=PLxpAkjlGauHdUcO_uc-8F8J2NUQRDZjPG&index=7
- Dr Israr Ahmed Tafsir Surah Al-An'am (130) to Surah Al-A'raf (1-37)2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMuuDJXS-0A&index=38&list=PLB4B8D1654A8BD263
- Dr Israr Ahmed Tafsir Surah Al-A'raf (38-131)1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XT223pGb-4k&index=39&list=PLB4B8D1654A8BD263
- Dr Israr Ahmed Tafsir Surah Al-A'raf (38-131)2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qMsXRQtXN8w&index=40&list=PLB4B8D1654A8BD263
- Dr Israr Ahmed Tafsir Surah Al-A'raf (132-end)1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3s2AOg0EbWM&list=PLB4B8D1654A8BD263&index=41
- Dr Israr Ahmed Tafsir Surah Al-A'raf (132-end)2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5lcwRd9aqOw&index=42&list=PLB4B8D1654A8BD263
