Verses 179–187
7. Al-A'raaf · The Heights
Makkan206 verses
وَلَقَدْ ذَرَأْنَا لِجَهَنَّمَ كَثِيرًۭا مِّنَ ٱلْجِنِّ وَٱلْإِنسِ ۖ لَهُمْ قُلُوبٌۭ لَّا يَفْقَهُونَ بِهَا وَلَهُمْ أَعْيُنٌۭ لَّا يُبْصِرُونَ بِهَا وَلَهُمْ ءَاذَانٌۭ لَّا يَسْمَعُونَ بِهَآ ۚ أُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ كَٱلْأَنْعَٰمِ بَلْ هُمْ أَضَلُّ ۚ أُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلْغَٰفِلُونَ
7:179Certainly We have winnowed out for hell many of the jinn and humans: they have hearts with which they do not understand, they have eyes with which they do not see, they have ears with which they do not hear. They are like cattle; indeed, they are more astray. It is they who are the heedless.1
وَلِلَّهِ ٱلْأَسْمَآءُ ٱلْحُسْنَىٰ فَٱدْعُوهُ بِهَا ۖ وَذَرُوا۟ ٱلَّذِينَ يُلْحِدُونَ فِىٓ أَسْمَٰٓئِهِۦ ۚ سَيُجْزَوْنَ مَا كَانُوا۟ يَعْمَلُونَ
7:180To Allah belong the Best Names, so supplicate Him by them, and abandon those who commit sacrilege in His names. Soon they shall be requited for what they used to do.2
وَمِمَّنْ خَلَقْنَآ أُمَّةٌۭ يَهْدُونَ بِٱلْحَقِّ وَبِهِۦ يَعْدِلُونَ
7:181Among those We have created are a nation who guide by the truth and do justice thereby.
وَٱلَّذِينَ كَذَّبُوا۟ بِـَٔايَٰتِنَا سَنَسْتَدْرِجُهُم مِّنْ حَيْثُ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ
7:182As for those who deny Our signs, We will draw them imperceptibly [into ruin], whence they do not know.3
وَأُمْلِى لَهُمْ ۚ إِنَّ كَيْدِى مَتِينٌ
7:183And I will grant them respite, for My devising is indeed sure.
أَوَلَمْ يَتَفَكَّرُوا۟ ۗ مَا بِصَاحِبِهِم مِّن جِنَّةٍ ۚ إِنْ هُوَ إِلَّا نَذِيرٌۭ مُّبِينٌ
7:184Have they not reflected that there is no madness in their companion, [and that] he is just a manifest warner?
أَوَلَمْ يَنظُرُوا۟ فِى مَلَكُوتِ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ وَمَا خَلَقَ ٱللَّهُ مِن شَىْءٍۢ وَأَنْ عَسَىٰٓ أَن يَكُونَ قَدِ ٱقْتَرَبَ أَجَلُهُمْ ۖ فَبِأَىِّ حَدِيثٍۭ بَعْدَهُۥ يُؤْمِنُونَ
7:185Have they not contemplated the dominions of the heavens and the earth, and whatever things Allah has created, and that maybe their time has already drawn near? So what discourse will they believe after this?!4
مَن يُضْلِلِ ٱللَّهُ فَلَا هَادِىَ لَهُۥ ۚ وَيَذَرُهُمْ فِى طُغْيَٰنِهِمْ يَعْمَهُونَ
7:186Whomever Allah leads astray has no guide, and He leaves them bewildered in their rebellion.
يَسْـَٔلُونَكَ عَنِ ٱلسَّاعَةِ أَيَّانَ مُرْسَىٰهَا ۖ قُلْ إِنَّمَا عِلْمُهَا عِندَ رَبِّى ۖ لَا يُجَلِّيهَا لِوَقْتِهَآ إِلَّا هُوَ ۚ ثَقُلَتْ فِى ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ ۚ لَا تَأْتِيكُمْ إِلَّا بَغْتَةًۭ ۗ يَسْـَٔلُونَكَ كَأَنَّكَ حَفِىٌّ عَنْهَا ۖ قُلْ إِنَّمَا عِلْمُهَا عِندَ ٱللَّهِ وَلَٰكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ ٱلنَّاسِ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ
7:187They question you concerning the Hour, when will it set in? Say, ‘Its knowledge is only with my Lord: none except Him shall manifest it at its time. It will weigh heavy on the heavens and the earth. It will not overtake you but suddenly.’ They ask you as if you were in the know of it. Say, ‘Its knowledge is only with Allah, but most people do not know.’
Tafsir
Commentary on this passage
Verse 179
1.Those who reject the signs of Allah, their final destination is hell and their sign is that they do not use the God-given capability to obtain Allah’s recognition. The Lord of the worlds has given the reference of eyes, ears and hearts to I complete the argument and the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) also raised Ali (a.s.) on the hands and announced: Ali is the master of those, of whom I am the master. So that eyes can see, ears can hear and the heart can understand that Ali (a.s.) has become the successor. The laws of Islam have certified three things. Sayings, actions and the speech of Masoom (a.s.). Saying is related to hearing, actions are related to seeing and speech is related to understanding. If man does not take the support of these three, his end is hell - as if he were created for it.
Verse 180
2.All names of Allah are great and most glorious. The grandeur of names is connected with personality and understanding and there is no possibility of doubt in Allah’s grandeur and His qualities. We should call Him only by His names and there should not be any kind of irreligiousness in it. But it does not mean that a man should he restricted to the ninety-nine names or the thousand names of Dua laushan-e-Kabir; because scholars have applied to different names in all languages while not a single name is found in Shariat.
Footnotes
Explanations of words and phrases in these verses
Benefit
Please note that Nafs-e-Wahida does not denotes Adam (a.s.) as the other details cannot be applied to him and Hawwa. It actually denotes a single species that could be applied,to any person and Ibis is also the method of expression because after this all the terms are in plural and not dual.
- 1
This is Laam-e-Aaqebat (Laam of ending). It means that the final end of their creation is Hell. That is, they are only created for Hell.
- 2
Irreligiousness regarding the names of Allah is in the form of deriving the names of idols from the Divine names. For example Laat is derived from Ilah (God), Uzza from Aziz, Manat from Mannan etc. Another type is calling God with unsuitable names.
- 3
Istedraj is the worst form of divine punishment when the person apparently feel at ease and comfort and feels pleased and all of a sudden he is enveloped in divine chastisement.
- 4
Malakoot is a great Angel where the waw and Tey is used for exaggeration.
Benefit
The purpose of retaining the knowledge of Qiyamat with Himself is that every person remains busy in self development and he does not forgo his reformation even for a moment because Qiyamat can arrive any minute.