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 158-162قُلْSayیٰۤاَیُّهَاOالنَّاسُmankindاِنِّیْIndeed I amرَسُوْلُ(the) Messengerاللّٰهِ(of) Allahاِلَیْكُمْto youجَمِیْعَاallلَّذِیْthe Oneلَهٗfor Whomمُلْكُ(is the) dominionالسَّمٰوٰتِ(of) the heavensوَ الْاَرْضِ ۚand the earthلَاۤ(There is) noاِلٰهَgodاِلَّاexceptهُوَHimیُحْیٖHe gives lifeوَ یُمِیْتُ ۪and causes deathفَاٰمِنُوْاSo believeبِاللّٰهِin Allahوَ رَسُوْلِهِand His Messengerالنَّبِیِّthe Prophetالْاُمِّیِّthe unletteredالَّذِیْthe one whoیُؤْمِنُbelievesبِاللّٰهِin Allahوَ كَلِمٰتِهٖand His Wordsوَ اتَّبِعُوْهُand follow himلَعَلَّكُمْso that you mayتَهْتَدُوْنَ (be) guided وَ مِنْAnd amongقَوْمِ(the) peopleمُوْسٰۤی(of) Musaاُمَّةٌ(is) a communityیَّهْدُوْنَ(which) guidesبِالْحَقِّwith truthوَ بِهٖand by itیَعْدِلُوْنَ establishes justice 7. Al-A'raf Page 171وَ قَطَّعْنٰهُمُAnd We divided themاثْنَتَیْ(into) twoعَشْرَةَ(and) ten [i.e. twelve]اَسْبَاطًاtribesاُمَمًا ؕ(as) communitiesوَ اَوْحَیْنَاۤAnd We inspiredاِلٰیtoمُوْسٰۤیMusaاِذِwhenاسْتَسْقٰىهُasked him for waterقَوْمُهٗۤhis peopleاَنِ[that]اضْرِبْStrikeبِّعَصَاكَwith your staffالْحَجَرَ ۚthe stoneفَانْۢبَجَسَتْThen gushed forthمِنْهُfrom itاثْنَتَاtwoعَشْرَةَ(and) ten [i.e. twelve]عَیْنًا ؕspringsقَدْCertainlyعَلِمَknewكُلُّeachاُنَاسٍpeopleمَّشْرَبَهُمْ ؕtheir drinking placeوَ ظَلَّلْنَاAnd We shadedعَلَیْهِمُ[on] themالْغَمَامَ(with) the cloudsوَ اَنْزَلْنَاand We sent downعَلَیْهِمُupon themالْمَنَّthe mannaوَالسَّلْوٰی ؕand the quailsكُلُوْاEatمِنْfromطَیِّبٰتِ(the) good thingsمَاwhichرَزَقْنٰكُمْ ؕWe have provided youوَ مَاAnd notظَلَمُوْنَاthey wronged Usوَ لٰكِنْbutكَانُوْۤاthey wereاَنْفُسَهُمْ(to) themselvesیَظْلِمُوْنَ doing wrong وَ اِذْAnd whenقِیْلَit was saidلَهُمُto themاسْكُنُوْاLiveهٰذِهِ(in) thisالْقَرْیَةَcityوَ كُلُوْاand eatمِنْهَاfrom itحَیْثُwhereverشِئْتُمْyou wishوَ قُوْلُوْاand sayحِطَّةٌRepentanceوَّ ادْخُلُواand enterالْبَابَthe gateسُجَّدًاprostratingنَّغْفِرْWe will forgiveلَكُمْfor youخَطِیْٓـٰٔتِكُمْ ؕyour sinsسَنَزِیْدُWe will increase (reward)الْمُحْسِنِیْنَ (of) the good-doers فَبَدَّلَBut changedالَّذِیْنَthose whoظَلَمُوْاwrongedمِنْهُمْamong themقَوْلًاwordغَیْرَother thanالَّذِیْ(that) whichقِیْلَwas saidلَهُمْto themفَاَرْسَلْنَاSo We sentعَلَیْهِمْupon themرِجْزًاtormentمِّنَfromالسَّمَآءِthe skyبِمَاbecauseكَانُوْاthey wereیَظْلِمُوْنَ۠doing wrong

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Translation of Verse 158-162

(7:158) Say, (O Prophet), ‘O people. Verily, I am Allah's Messenger unto you all,²⁴³ He to whom belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth. There is no god but He. He gives life and deals death. Therefore believe in Allah and His unlettered²⁴⁴ Messenger Prophet who himself believes in Allah and His words. And obey him, haply you will be (rightly) guided.'

(7:159) And, of the people of Musa, there are some who guide to the truth and by it they judge.²⁴⁵

(7:160) And We cut them up into twelve²⁴⁶ nation tribes. And We revealed to Musa when his people sought water from him that, ‘you strike the rock with your staff.' And lo, gushed forth therefrom twelve springs. Every people knew their watering place. And We hung upon them the clouds, and sent down upon them Mann and the quails? ‘Eat of the good things that We have provided you. And they wronged Us not, but rather, they were wronging themselves.

(7:161) And when they were told, ‘Dwell in this town and eat from wheresoever you will, and say, "Hittatun," and enter at the gate prostrating. We shall forgive you your sins, (and) increase (the rewards of) those who excel.'

(7:162) But those of them who transgressed, substituted the word with other than that they were told. So We sent upon them a scourge from the heaven for their (repeated) transgressions.²⁴⁷

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Commentary

243. With regard to the universality of the Prophet the following hadith can be quoted:

أُعْطِيتُ خَمْسًا لَمْ يُعْطَهُنَّ أَحَدٌ قَبْلِى : نُصِرْتُ بِالرُّعْبِ مَسِيرَةَ شَهْرٍ ، وَجُعِلَتْ لِىَ الأَرْضُ مَسْجِدًا وَطَهُورًا ، فَأَيُّمَا رَجُلٍ مِنْ أُمَّتِى أَدْرَكَتْهُ الصَّلاَةُ فَلْيُصَلِّ ، وَأُحِلَّتْ لِىَ الْغَنَائِمُ وَلَمْ تَحِلَّ لأَحَدٍ قَبْلِى ، وَأُعْطِيتُ الشَّفَاعَةَ ، وَكَانَ النَّبِىُّ يُبْعَثُ إِلَى قَوْمِهِ خَاصَّةً وَبُعِثْتُ إِلَى النَّاسِ عَامَّةً

"I have been bestowed with five things that no Prophet was bestowed before me. (i) I have been helped with awe from the distance of a month. (ii) The whole of the earth has been declared clean for me. Therefore, wherever a man might be, he can pray right there when the time arrives. (iii) War spoils have been made lawful unto me. They were unlawful before me unto everyone. (iv) I have been gifted with the (general) ‘Intercession.' Finally, (v) Prophets before me used to be sent to their own people. I have been sent to the entire humankind" (Razi).

Ibn Kathir adds: The above report is in the Sahihayn narrated by Jabir b. `Abdullah. Another hadith of Muslim says:

وَالَّذِى نَفْسُ مُحَمَّدٍ بِيَدِهِ لاَ يَسْمَعُ بِى أَحَدٌ مِنْ هَذِهِ الأُمَّةِ يَهُودِىٌّ وَلاَ نَصْرَانِىٌّ ثُمَّ يَمُوتُ وَلَمْ يُؤْمِنْ بِالَّذِى أُرْسِلْتُ بِهِ إِلاَّ كَانَ مِنْ أَصْحَابِ النَّارِ

By Him in whose hand is my soul, no Jew nor Christian of this Ummah will hear of me and die off, without believing in what I have brought, but he will be a companion of the Fire."

Sayyid Qutb writes, in effect: This verse in which the Prophet (saws) has been ordered to confront the whole of the mankind with his message, belongs to a chapter that is wholly Makkan. It thus confronts those dilettantes of the Western world who allege that the Prophet initially intended no more than to seize power from the Makkans. It was only when he had subdued the Makkans that he thought of extending his power to the rest of the Arabian Peninsula. Eventually, it was only after his successes in the previous ventures that he began to dream of extending his domain over the rest of the world. This allegation is one of the several slanders that they hurled against the Prophet and the universal message that he brought.

244. The repetition of the epithet "the unlettered" seems to be to emphasize that he remained unlettered to the end (Au.).

245. The allusion by these words could be to those Jews who believed in `Isa (asws) when he appeared as well as those who believed in Prophet Muhammad at his advent (Razi).

246. The break has been placed at this point following the explanation of Ibn Jarir of the word "asbat" being in plural and the figure "ithnatay `ashara" feminine.

247. For an explanation of this passage, see surah al Baqarah of this work, notes 137 144 (verses 160 162).