Anwar Al-Quran

Verses 12–22

7. Al-A'raaf · The Heights

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قَالَ مَا مَنَعَكَ أَلَّا تَسْجُدَ إِذْ أَمَرْتُكَ ۖ قَالَ أَنَا۠ خَيْرٌۭ مِّنْهُ خَلَقْتَنِى مِن نَّارٍۢ وَخَلَقْتَهُۥ مِن طِينٍۢ

7:12Said He, ‘What prevented you from prostrating, when I commanded you? ’‘I am better than him,’ he said. ‘You created me from fire and You created him from clay.’12

قَالَ فَٱهْبِطْ مِنْهَا فَمَا يَكُونُ لَكَ أَن تَتَكَبَّرَ فِيهَا فَٱخْرُجْ إِنَّكَ مِنَ ٱلصَّٰغِرِينَ

7:13‘Get down from it!’ He said. ‘It is not for you to be arrogant therein. Begone! You are indeed among the degraded ones.’

قَالَ أَنظِرْنِىٓ إِلَىٰ يَوْمِ يُبْعَثُونَ

7:14He said, ‘Respite me till the day they will be resurrected.’

قَالَ إِنَّكَ مِنَ ٱلْمُنظَرِينَ

7:15Said He, ‘You are indeed among the reprieved.’

قَالَ فَبِمَآ أَغْوَيْتَنِى لَأَقْعُدَنَّ لَهُمْ صِرَٰطَكَ ٱلْمُسْتَقِيمَ

7:16‘As You have consigned me to perversity,’ he said, ‘I will surely lie in wait for them on Your straight path.3

ثُمَّ لَءَاتِيَنَّهُم مِّنۢ بَيْنِ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَمِنْ خَلْفِهِمْ وَعَنْ أَيْمَٰنِهِمْ وَعَن شَمَآئِلِهِمْ ۖ وَلَا تَجِدُ أَكْثَرَهُمْ شَٰكِرِينَ

7:17Then I will come at them from their front and from their rear, and from their right and their left, and You will not find most of them to be grateful.’

قَالَ ٱخْرُجْ مِنْهَا مَذْءُومًۭا مَّدْحُورًۭا ۖ لَّمَن تَبِعَكَ مِنْهُمْ لَأَمْلَأَنَّ جَهَنَّمَ مِنكُمْ أَجْمَعِينَ

7:18Said He, ‘Begone hence, blameful and banished! Whoever of them follows you, I will surely fill hell with you all.’

وَيَٰٓـَٔادَمُ ٱسْكُنْ أَنتَ وَزَوْجُكَ ٱلْجَنَّةَ فَكُلَا مِنْ حَيْثُ شِئْتُمَا وَلَا تَقْرَبَا هَٰذِهِ ٱلشَّجَرَةَ فَتَكُونَا مِنَ ٱلظَّٰلِمِينَ

7:19[Then He said to Adam,] ‘O Adam, dwell with your mate in paradise, and eat thereof whence you wish; but do not approach this tree, lest you should be among the wrongdoers.’

فَوَسْوَسَ لَهُمَا ٱلشَّيْطَٰنُ لِيُبْدِىَ لَهُمَا مَا وُۥرِىَ عَنْهُمَا مِن سَوْءَٰتِهِمَا وَقَالَ مَا نَهَىٰكُمَا رَبُّكُمَا عَنْ هَٰذِهِ ٱلشَّجَرَةِ إِلَّآ أَن تَكُونَا مَلَكَيْنِ أَوْ تَكُونَا مِنَ ٱلْخَٰلِدِينَ

7:20Then Satan tempted them, to expose to them what was hidden from them of their nakedness, and he said, ‘Your Lord has only forbidden you from this tree lest you should become angels, or lest you become immortal.’

وَقَاسَمَهُمَآ إِنِّى لَكُمَا لَمِنَ ٱلنَّٰصِحِينَ

7:21And he swore to them, ‘I am indeed your well-wisher.’4

فَدَلَّىٰهُمَا بِغُرُورٍۢ ۚ فَلَمَّا ذَاقَا ٱلشَّجَرَةَ بَدَتْ لَهُمَا سَوْءَٰتُهُمَا وَطَفِقَا يَخْصِفَانِ عَلَيْهِمَا مِن وَرَقِ ٱلْجَنَّةِ ۖ وَنَادَىٰهُمَا رَبُّهُمَآ أَلَمْ أَنْهَكُمَا عَن تِلْكُمَا ٱلشَّجَرَةِ وَأَقُل لَّكُمَآ إِنَّ ٱلشَّيْطَٰنَ لَكُمَا عَدُوٌّۭ مُّبِينٌۭ

7:22Thus he brought about their fall by deception. So when they tasted of the tree, their nakedness became exposed to them, and they began to stitch over themselves with the leaves of paradise. Their Lord called out to them, ‘Did I not forbid you from that tree, and tell you, ‘‘Satan is indeed your manifest enemy?’’ ’5

Tafsir

Commentary on this passage

Verse 12

1.Shaitan took the support of analogy against Allah’s commands and became liable for curse. This shows that there is no scope for analogy in commands of God and analogy makes man liable to curse. But Shaitan clarified that the superior cannot be made to bow down before an inferior and this is the point that people of early Islam could not understand and were ready to take allegiance from the self of the Prophet (Ali).

Verse 17

2.When Shaitan gained control over all four directions Allah opened two ways of above and below; that bounties will come down from the sky and springs will flow forth from the earth and human beings can remain safe from evils.

Verse 21

3.Shaitan has clarified by the mention of majority that he has no control over the minority and he can only mislead the majority.

Verse 22

4.Shaitan made a plan to drive them out of heaven. He swore, advised and tried very hard. Though Adam (a.s.) was the caliph of the earth and he had to come to the earth but Shaitan made a way for him and Adam (a.s.) came to the earth due to following the evil suggestion of Shaitan and Adam (a.s.) became guilty for Tark-e-Awla (leaving the preferable option) and the Holy Quran secured this example of perplexity and warned: Do not trust Shaitan whatever he says. He is not a friend of anybody. His work is to mislead people and he never becomes careless from the people. We should know that when Adam (a.s.) came out from the heaven his heavenly clothes could not come out with him. Now consider the dignity of those whose clothes came from heaven!

Footnotes

Explanations of words and phrases in these verses

  1. 1

    The ‘laa’ is the ‘laa’ of addition because Shaitan had refrained from prostrating and not from not prostrating. But this article of addition is really an eloquence as it must have become apparent from the translation.

  2. 2

    The proof is that there is life in fire also. And there is different accounting for every creation.

  3. 3

    This shows that Shaitan is found only near the Sirat-e-Mustaqeem (the right path). Otherwise where can he find prospective victims to mislead?

  4. 4

    The hypocrites had mastered the method of gaining the Prophet’s confidence by taking oaths to support their statements.

  5. 5

    Adam and Hawwa were mindful of covering their bodies in a place like Paradise, which indicates the perfection of character. On the other hand we see their progeny moving towards needlessness of clothes.

  6. Benefit

    The prohibition to Adam (a.s.) to approach the tree was in the sense of Tark-e-Awla (leaving the preferable option) but being the vicegerent of Allah it amounted to a serious lapse for which he had to face the consequences. The reason for such dire consequences was also that he should realise the seriousness of being misled by Shaitan, so that when he comes to the earth he should be absolutely careful of Shaitan and also warn his children regarding the great danger.