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 59-64لَقَدْCertainlyاَرْسَلْنَاWe sentنُوْحًاNuhاِلٰیtoقَوْمِهٖhis peopleفَقَالَand he saidیٰقَوْمِO my people!اعْبُدُواWorshipاللّٰهَAllahمَاnotلَكُمْfor youمِّنْanyاِلٰهٍgodغَیْرُهٗ ؕother than HimاِنِّیْۤIndeed Iاَخَافُ[I] fearعَلَیْكُمْfor youعَذَابَpunishmentیَوْمٍ(of the) Dayعَظِیْمٍ Great قَالَSaidالْمَلَاُthe chiefsمِنْofقَوْمِهٖۤhis peopleاِنَّاIndeed, weلَنَرٰىكَsurely see youفِیْinضَلٰلٍerrorمُّبِیْنٍ clear قَالَHe saidیٰقَوْمِO my peopleلَیْسَ(There is) noبِیْin meضَلٰلَةٌerrorوَّ لٰكِنِّیْbut I amرَسُوْلٌa Messengerمِّنْfromرَّبِّ(the) Lordالْعٰلَمِیْنَ (of) the worlds اُبَلِّغُكُمْI convey to youرِسٰلٰتِthe Messagesرَبِّیْ(of) my Lordوَ اَنْصَحُand [I] adviseلَكُمْ[to] youوَ اَعْلَمُand I knowمِنَfromاللّٰهِAllahمَاwhatلَاnotتَعْلَمُوْنَ you know اَوَ عَجِبْتُمْDo you wonderاَنْthatجَآءَكُمْhas come to youذِكْرٌa reminderمِّنْfromرَّبِّكُمْyour Lordعَلٰیonرَجُلٍa manمِّنْكُمْamong youلِیُنْذِرَكُمْthat he may warn youوَ لِتَتَّقُوْاand that you may fearوَ لَعَلَّكُمْand so that you mayتُرْحَمُوْنَ receive mercy فَكَذَّبُوْهُBut they denied himفَاَنْجَیْنٰهُso We saved himوَ الَّذِیْنَand those whoمَعَهٗ(were) with himفِیinالْفُلْكِthe shipوَ اَغْرَقْنَاAnd We drownedالَّذِیْنَthose whoكَذَّبُوْاdeniedبِاٰیٰتِنَا ؕOur VersesاِنَّهُمْIndeed theyكَانُوْاwereقَوْمًاa peopleعَمِیْنَ۠blind

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Translation of Verse 59-64

(7:59) Indeed, We sent Nuh to his people.⁹⁵ He said, ‘My people. Worship Allah. You have no god other than He. I fear for you the punishment of a Great Day.'⁹⁶

(7:60) Said the elites⁹⁷ of his people, ‘Surely, we see you in a manifest error.'⁹⁸

(7:61) He answered, ‘My people. There is no error in me. Rather, I am a Messenger from the Lord of the worlds.

(7:62) I convey to you the messages of my Lord and I advise you sincerely;⁹⁹ for I know from Allah what you know not.

(7:63) Do you think it strange that a reminder should come to you from your Lord by (the mouth) of one of your own men?¹⁰⁰ So that he might warn you, that you may learn to be Godfearing, and that haply you might be shown mercy!?'¹⁰¹

(7:64) But they gave him the lie, so We delivered him and those with him in the ship, and drowned those who gave the lie to Our signs. Surely, they were a blind people.¹⁰²

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Commentary

95. According to a hadith in Hakim (Sahih: S. Ibrahim) Nuh (asws) was the first Prophet ever to be raised. Ibn `Abbas has said that he was raised ten centuries after Adam (Shawkani). Some scholars have thought that Idris was the first Prophet. If that is correct, then perhaps he was sent to a single nation, while Nuh was a universal Prophet (Ibn Kathir).

Mawdudi writes: "Traditions similar to the story of Noah are also found in classical Greek, Egyptian, Indian, and Chinese literature. Moreover, stories of identical import have been popular since time immemorial in Burma, Malaya, the East Indies, Australia, New Guinea and various parts of Europe and America. This shows clearly that the event took place at some point in the dim past when men lived together in one region and it was after Noah's Flood that they dispersed to different parts of the world. This is why traditions of all nations mention the Flood of the early time. This is notwithstanding the fact that the actual event has increasingly been shrouded in mystery, and the authentic elements of the event overlaid with myth and legend."

96. "This refers either to the Day of Judgment or to the approaching deluge" (Asad).

97. The textual word "mala'" is for an assembly of men without a woman among them (Ibn Jarir). It has its root in "mala'a" meaning "to fill," and the connotation is the picture of a group of people (the nobles, chiefs, princes, principal persons, persons whose opinion is respected: Majid), who, by their upkeep, smart and impressive appearance, fill the eyes of the beholder (Alusi).

98. This then is the way of the world that has not changed since the Prophets of old. The religious people of today will hear the same thing from their adversaries. Patience and forbearing should alone be their resort (Thanwi).

99. The textual word for "advice" has its root in nasihah which could also be rendered as "admonition." In addition, it has the connotation of “sincerity” (Au.).

100. That is to say, someone who was born and raised before your eyes who is not a stranger to you (Alusi).

Imam Razi points out that what the unbelievers meant by this statement is that since in the final analysis, it was their own reason that helped in making decisions, they were in no need of a Messenger who was one of them. If there was a need for an external agency to guide, it should have been an angel.

101. Allah's mercy depended upon the unbelievers' fear of Allah; and that in turn depended on they accepting the warning of punishment. And, delivery of the warning required the sending down of a Messenger (Alusi).

Referring to the words, “haply you might be shown mercy,” Imam Razi reports Jiba'i, Ka`bi and Qadi `Ayad as of opinion that in view of the verse saying, "So that he might warn you and you may learn to be godfearing and you may be shown mercy," it can be concluded that Allah intended belief, godfearing and mercy for those who were addressed through Prophets, as against the belief held by many that He desired of the unbeliever unbelief and that He created them for no other purpose but to fill the Hell fire. After quoting the above statement, Imam Razi replies that, if deeds are not dependent upon the causes, then it is necessary that we incline to the "possible" rather than to the "preferable." But if the deeds depend on causes, then it means one is forced to do them, which would mean that Allah wished unbelief of the unbelievers, which goes against the opinion they hold.

102. The brevity of the account may lead some people to guess that the episode was a short one: a Prophet arose, presented his message, some arguments took place, his nation remained firm on rejection, and were consequently destroyed. Mawdudi clears the doubt: "The fact of the matter, however, is that the Qur'an has narrated in just a few lines a story that was worked out over a long period of time. The brevity of the Qur'anic description owes itself to the fact that the Qur'an is not interested per se in story telling; that its narration and purpose are didactic. Hence, while recounting an historical event, the Qur'an mentions only those fragments of the event which are relevant, ignoring those details which are irrelevant to Qur'anic purposes (at that point: Au.). Again, at different places in the Qur'an the same event is mentioned for a variety of reasons. On every occasion only those fragments of the story which are relevant to a specific purpose are mentioned and the rest left out."