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 48-53وَ نَادٰۤیAnd (will) call outاَصْحٰبُ(the) companionsالْاَعْرَافِ(of) the heightsرِجَالًا(to) menیَّعْرِفُوْنَهُمْwhom they recognizeبِسِیْمٰىهُمْby their marksقَالُوْاsayingمَاۤNotاَغْنٰی(has) availedعَنْكُمْ[to] youجَمْعُكُمْyour gatheringوَ مَاand whatكُنْتُمْyou wereتَسْتَكْبِرُوْنَ arrogant (about) اَهٰۤؤُلَآءِAre theseالَّذِیْنَthe ones whomاَقْسَمْتُمْyou had swornلَا(that) notیَنَالُهُمُ(will) grant themاللّٰهُAllahبِرَحْمَةٍ ؕMercyاُدْخُلُواEnterالْجَنَّةَParadiseلَا(There will be) noخَوْفٌfearعَلَیْكُمْupon youوَ لَاۤand notاَنْتُمْyouتَحْزَنُوْنَ will grieve وَ نَادٰۤیAnd (will) call outاَصْحٰبُ(the) companionsالنَّارِ(of) the Fireاَصْحٰبَ(to the) companionsالْجَنَّةِ(of) Paradiseاَنْ[that]اَفِیْضُوْاPourعَلَیْنَاupon usمِنَ[of]الْمَآءِ(some) waterاَوْorمِمَّاof whatرَزَقَكُمُ(has been) provided (to) youاللّٰهُ ؕ(by) AllahقَالُوْۤاThey (will) sayاِنَّIndeedاللّٰهَAllahحَرَّمَهُمَاhas forbidden bothعَلَیtoالْكٰفِرِیْنَۙthe disbelievers الَّذِیْنَThose whoاتَّخَذُوْاtookدِیْنَهُمْtheir religionلَهْوًا(as) an amusementوَّ لَعِبًاand playوَّ غَرَّتْهُمُand deluded themالْحَیٰوةُthe lifeالدُّنْیَا ۚ(of) the worldفَالْیَوْمَSo todayنَنْسٰىهُمْWe forget themكَمَاasنَسُوْاthey forgotلِقَآءَ(the) meetingیَوْمِهِمْ(of) their dayهٰذَا ۙthisوَ مَاand [what]كَانُوْا(as) they used toبِاٰیٰتِنَاwith Our Versesیَجْحَدُوْنَ they reject 7. Al-A'raf Page 157وَ لَقَدْAnd certainlyجِئْنٰهُمْWe had brought (to) themبِكِتٰبٍa Bookفَصَّلْنٰهُwhich We have explainedعَلٰیwithعِلْمٍknowledgeهُدًیa guidanceوَّ رَحْمَةًand mercyلِّقَوْمٍfor a peopleیُّؤْمِنُوْنَ who believe هَلْDoیَنْظُرُوْنَthey waitاِلَّاexceptتَاْوِیْلَهٗ ؕ(for) its fulfillmentیَوْمَ(The) Dayیَاْتِیْ(will) comeتَاْوِیْلُهٗits fulfillmentیَقُوْلُwill sayالَّذِیْنَthose whoنَسُوْهُhad forgotten itمِنْfromقَبْلُbeforeقَدْVerilyجَآءَتْhad comeرُسُلُ(the) Messengersرَبِّنَا(of) our Lordبِالْحَقِّ ۚwith the truthفَهَلْso are (there)لَّنَاfor usمِنْanyشُفَعَآءَintercessorsفَیَشْفَعُوْاso (that) they intercedeلَنَاۤfor usاَوْorنُرَدُّwe are sent backفَنَعْمَلَso (that) we do (deeds)غَیْرَother thanالَّذِیْthat whichكُنَّاwe used toنَعْمَلُ ؕdoقَدْVerilyخَسِرُوْۤاthey lostاَنْفُسَهُمْthemselvesوَ ضَلَّand strayedعَنْهُمْfrom themمَّاwhatكَانُوْاthey used toیَفْتَرُوْنَ۠invent

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Translation of Verse 48-53

(7:48) And the people of the Heights will cry out to the men whom they would recognize by their marks. saving: 'Neither your numbers nor the riches of which you were proud availed you.

(7:49) Are these not the ones of whom you swore that Allah shall grant them nothing of His mercy?' To such it will be said: 'Enter Paradise. You have no cause to fear, nor shall you grieve.'

(7:50) And the people of the Fire will cry out to the people of Paradise: 'Pour out some water on us or throw at us something of what Allah has bestowed upon you.' They will reply: 'Allah has forbidden them to the deniers of the truth,

(7:51) who have made their religion a sport and play. and whom the life of the world has beguiled. So on that Day We shall forget them in the manner they forget their meeting of this Day with Us and persist in denying Our revelations.'³⁵

(7:52) Surely We have brought them a Book which We expounded with knowledge;³⁶ a guidance and a mercy to those who believe ' ³⁷

(7:53) Are they waiting for the fulfilment of its warning?³⁸ On the Day that warning is fulfilled, those that have neglected it before will say: 'The Messengers of Our Lord did indeed bring forth the truth. Are there any intercessors who will now plead on our behalf? Or, can we be restored to life that we might perform differently from that which we did? '³⁹ They surely ended in utter loss, and the lies they had fabricated failed them.

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Commentary

35. The trialogue between the People of Paradise, the People of the Fire. and the People of the Heights gives some indication of the tremendous range of human faculties in the Next World. These faculties would increase to such an extent that the People of Paradise, the People of the Fire and the People of the Heights will be able to see, hear and talk to one another. Other Qur'anic statements about the Hereafter enable us to realize that the laws operating in the Next World will be altogether different from those in the present. Notwithstanding this, men's personalities will not undergo any such change.

Those who cannot perceive any thing beyond the present limited world and who are incapable of imagining scales bigger than the ones relating to the present world, make fun of the statements in the Qur'an and Hadith about life in the Hereafter. This only betrays their poverty of understanding and imagination. The fact, however, is that the possibilities for life are not as narrow and limited as their minds.

36. The Qur'an has spelled out in some detail what constitutes the fundamental reality, explained the attitude that man ought to adopt, and laid down the fundarnentals of the way of life that he ought to follow. The tails laid down in the Book in this regard are based on sound knowledge rather than on conjecture and fancy.

37. The contents and teachings of the Book are perspicuous enough to show one the right way. Moreover, the life-style of those who believe in this Book also bears out, by the beneficial effects it produces on human life, how well it guides man. The blessings of the Qur'an become evident if man first notes the healthy changes that it brings about in his outlook, character and morals.

The above verse in fact alludes to the wonderful effect belief in the Qur'an had on the lives of the Companions of the Prophet (peace be on him).

38. The position of the people in question is as follows. The difference between good and evil was first explained to them, and yet they turned a deaf ear to it. Then some people established a good example by following the right path notwithstanding the dominant trend towards error. The wholesome effect of righteous conduct became evident from the lives of such people, but it made no impression on the people concerned. Their persistence in error could only mean one thing: that they would only learn the lesson the hard way when they saw the painful effects of their error. Such people are like stupid patients who neither follow the directions of the physician, nor learn any lesson from their own observations of the many patients who have been cured of their diseases by following the directions of physicians. Thesc people will realize - if they realize at all - on their death-bed that their ways were foolish and fatal.

39. Such people will long to return to the world, pleading that they will believe in the truth which they had rejected since they have now witnessed it. They will also ensure that their attitude will be different from that which had been before. For a fuller discussion of this plea and the rejoinder to it see (al-An'am 6: 27-8); (Ibrahim 14: 44 and 45); (al-Sajdah 32: 12-13); (al-Fatir 35: 37); (al-Zumar 39: 56-9); and (al-Mu'min 40: 11-12).