Surah 7. Al-A'raf

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Verses [Section]: 1-10[1], 11-25 [2], 26-31 [3], 32-39 [4], 40-47 [5], 48-53 [6], 54-58 [7], 59-64 [8], 65-72 [9], 73-84 [10], 85-93 [11], 94-99 [12], 100-108 [13], 109-126 [14], 127-129 [15], 130-141 [16], 142-147 [17], 148-151 [18], 152-157 [19], 158-162 [20], 163-171 [21], 172-181 [22], 182-188 [23], 189-206 [24]

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Quran Text of Verse 1-107. Al-A'raf Page 1517. Al-A'rafبِسْمِ اللّٰهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِیْمِالٓمّٓصٓۚAlif Laam Meem Saad كِتٰبٌA Bookاُنْزِلَrevealedاِلَیْكَto youفَلَاso (let) notیَكُنْbeفِیْinصَدْرِكَyour breastحَرَجٌany uneasinessمِّنْهُfrom itلِتُنْذِرَthat you warnبِهٖwith itوَ ذِكْرٰیand a reminderلِلْمُؤْمِنِیْنَ for the believers اِتَّبِعُوْاFollowمَاۤwhatاُنْزِلَhas been revealedاِلَیْكُمْto youمِّنْfromرَّبِّكُمْyour Lordوَ لَاand (do) notتَتَّبِعُوْاfollowمِنْfromدُوْنِهٖۤbeside Himاَوْلِیَآءَ ؕany alliesقَلِیْلًاLittleمَّا(is) whatتَذَكَّرُوْنَ you remember وَ كَمْAnd how manyمِّنْofقَرْیَةٍa cityاَهْلَكْنٰهَاWe destroyed itفَجَآءَهَاand came to itبَاْسُنَاOur punishmentبَیَاتًا(at) nightاَوْorهُمْ(while) theyقَآىِٕلُوْنَ were sleeping at noon فَمَاThen notكَانَwasدَعْوٰىهُمْtheir pleaاِذْwhenجَآءَهُمْcame to themبَاْسُنَاۤOur punishmentاِلَّاۤexceptاَنْthatقَالُوْۤاthey saidاِنَّاIndeed weكُنَّاwereظٰلِمِیْنَ wrongdoers فَلَنَسْـَٔلَنَّThen surely We will questionالَّذِیْنَthose (to) whomاُرْسِلَwere sentاِلَیْهِمْto them (Messengers)وَ لَنَسْـَٔلَنَّand surely We will questionالْمُرْسَلِیْنَۙthe Messengers فَلَنَقُصَّنَّThen surely We will narrateعَلَیْهِمْto themبِعِلْمٍwith knowledgeوَّ مَاand notكُنَّاWe wereغَآىِٕبِیْنَ absent وَ الْوَزْنُAnd the weighingیَوْمَىِٕذِthat dayلْحَقُّ ۚ(will be) the truthفَمَنْSo whoseثَقُلَتْ(will be) heavyمَوَازِیْنُهٗhis scalesفَاُولٰٓىِٕكَthen thoseهُمُ[they]الْمُفْلِحُوْنَ (will be) the successful ones وَ مَنْAnd (for) thoseخَفَّتْ(will be) lightمَوَازِیْنُهٗhis scalesفَاُولٰٓىِٕكَso thoseالَّذِیْنَ(will be) the ones whoخَسِرُوْۤاlostاَنْفُسَهُمْthemselvesبِمَاbecauseكَانُوْاthey wereبِاٰیٰتِنَاto Our Versesیَظْلِمُوْنَ (doing) injustice وَ لَقَدْAnd certainlyمَكَّنّٰكُمْWe established youفِیinالْاَرْضِthe earthوَ جَعَلْنَاand We madeلَكُمْfor youفِیْهَاin itمَعَایِشَ ؕlivelihoodقَلِیْلًاLittleمَّا(is) whatتَشْكُرُوْنَ۠you (are) grateful

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Translation of Verse 1-10In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

1. Alif, Lam, Meem, Saad¹.

2. This is a Book sent down² to you; so let there be no heaviness in your heart, therefrom³, it is revealed to you that you may thereby warn⁴ the people and that it may be a reminder for the believers.⁵

3. (O People!) Follow what is sent down to you from your Lord and follow not other guardians⁶ besides Him. Little it is that you take as admonition.

4. And how many towns have we destroyed! Our punishment fell upon them by night or during their siesta at mid-day.⁷

5. And when Our punishment fell upon them, their cry was nothing but this: “We were indeed wrong doers. ’’⁸

6. Then Surely, We will question those to whom Our messengers were sent, and We will question the messengers as well.⁹

7. Then with full knowledge we will recount to them (their stories), and we were never absent.

8. And the weight on that day will be the truth. So those whose scales (of good deeds) will be heavy, shall succeed.¹⁰

9. And those whose scales will be light¹¹ shall be the very people who harmed their souls, for they were unjust to revelations.

10. And we have given you power¹² on earth and provided you with a livelihood, yet you are seldom grateful.

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Commentary

1. The explanation for the separate letters appearing in Quran has been given in Note No.1 Surah Baqarah and Note No.1, Surah Aal-i- Imran.

These letters or abbreviations refer to certain important topics in the Surah. Contemplating over the subjects in the Surah, we feel that Alif points to Allah, that is to the Unity of Allah, and Lam points to La-ilaha-illa-Hu (Verse No.158) that is to the subjects negating polytheism. Similarly Meem is a pointer to the word Mursaleen, (Verse No.6) that is to the subject of series of prophets. As for the letter Saad, it points to the word Qasas’ (stories) which are recounted in the Surah. Accordingly after relating the events of the destruction of townships resulting from the denial of the dawah of the prophets, it is stated:

“These are the townships whose stories we are relating to you.” (Verse No. 101). In this verse the last letter of the word ‘Naqussu’ (We recount) is Saad.

In other words these separate words introduce the Surah in the outlines – that it contains four important topics, invitation to the Unity of Allah, rejection of polytheism, to believe in prophethood and the events about the destruction of the townships resulting from adopting the line of rejection; and it is Allah only who knows the secrets of His own words.

2. The addressee is the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him).

3. That is: The fact of the matter is that this Book has been sent down by Allah Himself, but the opponents are not prepared to accept it as a Divine Book. They consider it as your product, your book. This situation need not distress you. You should be at ease and satisfied that reality is reality, whether one accepts it or not.

4. This is the first objective of the revelation of the holy Quran: to awaken the humanity lying in slumber of negligence that it may realize the gravity of the Day of Judgement and to warn the rejectors of faith of divine punishment.

5. This is the second objective of the revelation of the holy’ Quran: to remind and admonish those who may accept the Dawah of the Quran as a result of the warning given, or in other words, the real beneficiaries from the Quran will be only those people who would believe in it.

6. That is: In all matters of life the Book of Allah (Quran) must be followed. To ignore it, ‘and to follow the beliefs, ideas, theories or thoughts of any religious head,or political leader or any thinker and to emulate them leaving aside God is to make them their guardians and this, in reality, is following the Devil.

7. That is: The severe punishment overtook them suddenly, and at a time when they were at rest; the suffering that is inflicted at the time of rest is felt severely.

8. That is: Immediately on seeing the signs of the punishment they admitted their being wrong doers and guilty, but what is the use of admitting guilt after the expiry of the time of respite?

9. Those to whom the prophets were sent by Allah will be asked on the Day of Judgement whether His Messengers had not come to them and whether they had not warned them of the Day of Judgement, and as to how did they treat them? The prophets will be asked whether they had conveyed His message without any alteration to their communities and what was their response?

10. For explanation, please see Note No.6, Surah Qariah.

11. For explanation, please see Note No. 7 , Surah Qariah.

12. That is: Compared to other creatures, man has this distinction that he is a creature who has power and authority on this earth. It is clear that this is a great blessing from his Lord, the Creator of this world. The demand of being blessed with this favour is that man should live as a grateful slave to his Lord.