Surah Al-A'raf 7:32-39 - Quran Translation Commentary

(7:32) Say, ‘Who has forbidden the ornaments of Allah's creation that He brought out for His slaves, and the good things of provision?'⁵⁰ Say, ‘They are for the believers during the tenure of this world, (but) exclusively for them on the Day of Judgment.'⁵¹ Thus We expound Our revelations for a people who know.

(7:33) Say, ‘Verily, my Lord has only forbidden indecencies be they open or concealed sin, high handedness⁵² without justice, that you should associate with Allah that for which He has not sent down an authority, and that you should fasten upon Allah what you have no knowledge of.⁵³

(7:34) And for every nation is an appointed term.⁵⁴ Then, when its term arrives, they cannot remain behind for a moment nor can they hasten (it).⁵⁵

(7:35) Children of Adam!⁵⁶ If there should come to you Messengers from among yourselves, narrating to you Our verses, then, whosoever feared and reformed himself, then, such, they shall have nothing to fear nor shall they grieve.

(7:36) As for those who rejected Our revelations, and waxed proud against them, they are the companions of the Fire, abiding therein forever.

(7:37) Who then can do greater wrong than he who fastened a lie upon Allah or gave the lie to His messages? They: a portion of the Book (of Decree) shall reach them,⁵⁷ till, when Our messengers (of death) arrive withdrawing their souls, they ask, ‘Where are those you were calling upon besides Allah?' They reply, ‘They are lost from us.' They testified against themselves that they were unbelievers.

(7:38) He will say, ‘Enter then, along with other nations that passed before you of the Jinn and men: into the Fire.' Whenever a nation enters therein, it curses its sister nation; till, when they have all successively arrived therein, the last of them will say about the first of them,⁵⁸ ‘Our Lord. These are the ones who misled us. Therefore, assign to them double the punishment of Fire.' He will say, ‘For everyone is the double (punishment), but you realize not.'⁵⁹

(7:39) The last of them will say to the first ones, ‘Then you do not enjoy any advantage over us.'⁶⁰ ‘Taste then the punishment because of what you were earning.'⁶¹

Commentary

50. Ibn `Abbas and Qatadah have said that the verse has to be understood in the background of the Arabs declaring Bahirah, Saa'ibah, Haammah etc., as unlawful unto themselves. Allah revealed: "Say, ‘Who has declared unlawful .." (Ibn Jarir, Qurtubi, Ibn Kathir).

Qurtubi writes: Muslim has preserved a report according to which when the Prophet said:

« لاَ يَدْخُلُ الْجَنَّةَ مَنْ كَانَ فِى قَلْبِهِ مِثْقَالُ ذَرَّةٍ مِنْ كِبْرٍ ». قَالَ رَجُلٌ إِنَّ الرَّجُلَ يُحِبُّ أَنْ يَكُونَ ثَوْبُهُ حَسَنًا وَنَعْلُهُ حَسَنَةً. قَالَ « إِنَّ اللَّهَ جَمِيلٌ يُحِبُّ الْجَمَالَ الْكِبْرُ بَطَرُ الْحَقِّ وَغَمْطُ النَّاسِ

"Whoever had an atom of pride in his heart will not enter Paradise," someone asked, "A man wishes that his clothes and shoes be of good quality?!" The Prophet replied, "Verily, Allah is beautiful. He approves of the beautiful. Pride is to take a stand against the truth and look down upon the people."

The Prophet (saws) himself used to travel with a comb, mirror, hair oil, miswak and kohl (antimony) in his outfit. However, Qurtubi adds, partaking of the good things in life is surely not of the "qurubat" those things that take one nearer to Allah. `Umar ibn al Khattab has been reported as saying, "We could have gone for the good gourmet, but the verse (46: 20): "You have already had your good things in the life of this world," restrained us. `Umar also wrote to his governors to avoid adopting the ways of the people of the conquered territories, rather, maintain a frugal life. Some scholars have said though that if they come one's way, without great effort on his part, then there is nothing wrong in partaking of the good things of life. The Prophet is not reported to have refused any food. He ate honey, sweets, water melon, and the sort, but did not go after them, did not get them prepared, and wasted no time on them. He said,

مَنْ أَنْعَمَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ عَلَيْهِ نِعْمَةً فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ يُحِبُّ أَنْ يُرَى أَثَرُ نِعْمَتِهِ

"When Allah bestows a favor upon His slave, He wishes to see its happy effects on him."

Thus, that indulgence is frowned upon which takes time off preparations for the Hereafter.

Ibn Jarir quotes Hasan (al Busri): "When Allah sent His chosen Messenger, he did not lock his door (to discourage anyone from seeing him), he did not appoint a guard for himself, who was not oppressive in the least, who sat on the ground, and ate food from that position, he licked his fingers, wore coarse cloth, rode a donkey, and accepted his slave as his pillion rider. He used to say, ‘Whoever spurned my Sunnah is not of me.' And now we have," continues Hasan, "people, most of whom have given up his Sunnah. They are the perverts who devour usury and other forbidden things, fools, befooled and hated by their Lord. They believe there is no harm in eating the best of food they can lay their hands on, beautifying their homes with expensive decorations and then claim that all that is in line with this verse: ‘Say, "Who has forbidden the ornaments of Allah's creation that He brought out for His slaves? And the good things of provision?"' "They do not realize," continues Hasan, that these things are for the friends of Satan" (slightly shortened).

It should be obvious that Hasan’s criticism is directed at those who go after the good things of life in sin, disobedience and excesses (Au.).

51. Ibn `Abbas, Dahhak, Hasan, Qatadah, Suddi and others have said that the ornaments of the world have been created for the believers in Allah which the unbelievers share with them in this world, but which will be denied to them in the Hereafter (Ibn Jarir).

52. The word "baghyu" of the original has the connotations of overdoing things, seizing upon what is not one's own, or crossing the bounds in corruption (Rashid Rida).

Mufti Shafi` adds: The difference between ithm and baghyu is that the former involves the sinner alone and affects none but himself. In contrast, the effects and repercussions of the latter touch upon others' lives.

53. Rashid Rida quotes Ibn al-Qayyim from Madarij al Salikin: It is one of the most serious crimes to fasten something upon Allah. In this verse Allah first said that He has forbidden all that is indecent be they open or concealed. Then He mentioned what happens to be more serious than that: sin and rebellion without cause. Then, in the third ascending order, He spoke of what is more serious than that: association with Allah that for which He has not sent down an authority. Finally, in the fourth step, Allah declared the most serious of all: that one should fasten upon Allah what one has no knowledge of. This fastening upon Allah then is the most serious of crimes committed by man, and the root of all innovations in religion. Indeed, the root of association and disbelief is in the attribution to Allah what He did not command.

54. This interjection is to answer the doubt that if people commit such serious crimes as those in the previous verse, why are they not destroyed? Why does one see them flourishing? (Shafi`)

55. Asad writes: "In Arabic usage, the term sa`ah (lit. "hour") signifies not merely the astronomical hour i.e., the twenty fourth part of a mean solar day but also "time" in an absolute sense, or any fraction of it, whether large or small. In the above context, it has been used in the sense of "a least fraction of time" or "a single moment."

Rashid Rida discusses in detail how and when the term appointed for nations ends, and adds that he had asked his mentor, Sheikh Muhammad `Abduh asked the question: "How come the rule of the British, who commit all kinds of wrongs, excesses and injustice upon their colonies, manages not merely to survive, but also shows all signs of growth and development?" He answered that no established rule or system is changed without an alternative being available. No sooner will the Muslims offer a better system of rule, than the older will be discarded.

56. Abu Yasar Sulami has said that Allah brought out the progeny of Adam in the Spiritual World and addressed them in words as in the verse in question: "Children of Adam. Whenever there come to you Messengers (raised) from among yourselves, narrating to you Our verses, then, whosoever feared, reformed himself, such, they shall have nothing to fear nor will they grieve." Then He addressed the (would be) Messengers and said (23: 51, 52):

يَا أَيُّهَا الرُّسُلُ كُلُوا مِنَ الطَّيِّبَاتِ وَاعْمَلُوا صَالِحًا إِنِّي بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ عَلِيمٌ (51) وَإِنَّ هَذِهِ أُمَّتُكُمْ أُمَّةً وَاحِدَةً وَأَنَا رَبُّكُمْ فَاتَّقُونِ [المؤمنون : 51 ، 52]

"O Messengers! Eat of the good things and do righteous deeds. Verily, I am aware of what you do. And, this, your religion (of monotheism) is one religion. And I am your Lord, so fear Me (alone)" (Ibn Jarir).

57. Ibn `Abbas, Mujahid, Abu Salih, Suddi, Hasan and others have said that the textual words "nasibun min al kitab" (a portion of the Book) allude either to what has been pre destined for the unbelievers by way of good or evil deeds, sustenance, the term of life, etc., or, alternatively, to what they have been promised (as punishment for evil deeds) Ibn Jarir.

Ibn Kathir however quotes Ibn `Abbas as of opinion that the allusion by "a portion of the Book" is to the writing (in the Lawh al Mahfuz) that whoever did good would be rewarded therewith, and whoever did evil will be recompensed therewith. (In other words, he understood the word ‘kitab’ as the command written in the Preserved Tablet (Au.).

58. The later ones would be late in arriving at Hell as against the earlier ones who would have arrived earlier because they would have been criminals of a more serious order to be condemned to the Fire earlier (Ibn Kathir).

59. Yusuf Ali comments: "The earlier generations committed a double crime: (1) their own sin, (2) the bad example they set for those who followed. We are responsible not only for our own misdeeds, but for those also which our example and our teaching to our juniors may induce them to commit. But it does not lie in the mouth of the juniors to ask for a double punishment for seniors: the motive is not justice, but pure spite, which is itself a sin. Further, later generations have to answer for two things: (1) their own sins and (2) their failure to learn from the past, from the experiences of those who preceded them."

60. That is, ‘today we both share the same punishment, none enjoying an advantage over the other.' Nonetheless, another implication is that although ‘you acted superior to us in the previous life, though in truth you were not superior to us at all. Today, the equal treatment meted out to each of us is a proof of that' (Au.).

61. The verse here presents the same scene as elsewhere in the Qur'an, with somewhat greater clarity (34: 31 33):

وَلَوْ تَرَى إِذِ الظَّالِمُونَ مَوْقُوفُونَ عِنْدَ رَبِّهِمْ يَرْجِعُ بَعْضُهُمْ إِلَى بَعْضٍ الْقَوْلَ يَقُولُ الَّذِينَ اسْتُضْعِفُوا لِلَّذِينَ اسْتَكْبَرُوا لَوْلَا أَنْتُمْ لَكُنَّا مُؤْمِنِينَ (31) قَالَ الَّذِينَ اسْتَكْبَرُوا لِلَّذِينَ اسْتُضْعِفُوا أَنَحْنُ صَدَدْنَاكُمْ عَنِ الْهُدَى بَعْدَ إِذْ جَاءَكُمْ بَلْ كُنْتُمْ مُجْرِمِينَ (32) وَقَالَ الَّذِينَ اسْتُضْعِفُوا لِلَّذِينَ اسْتَكْبَرُوا بَلْ مَكْرُ اللَّيْلِ وَالنَّهَارِ إِذْ تَأْمُرُونَنَا أَنْ نَكْفُرَ بِاللَّهِ وَنَجْعَلَ لَهُ أَنْدَادًا [سبأ : 31 ، 33]

"If you were to see the transgressors held before their Lord, some of them exchanging words (of abuse) with the others; the weak ones saying to the arrogant ones, ‘If not for you we would have been believers;' and those who had waxed proud replying to the weaker ones, ‘Did we prevent you from guidance when it reached you? Rather you were criminals yourselves;' the weak ones replying to the arrogant ones, ‘Rather, it was your machinations by day and night by which you ordered us that we disbelieve in Allah and that we suggest partners.'" (Ibn Kathir).