Anwar Al-Quran

Verses 188–195

7. Al-A'raaf · The Heights

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قُل لَّآ أَمْلِكُ لِنَفْسِى نَفْعًۭا وَلَا ضَرًّا إِلَّا مَا شَآءَ ٱللَّهُ ۚ وَلَوْ كُنتُ أَعْلَمُ ٱلْغَيْبَ لَٱسْتَكْثَرْتُ مِنَ ٱلْخَيْرِ وَمَا مَسَّنِىَ ٱلسُّوٓءُ ۚ إِنْ أَنَا۠ إِلَّا نَذِيرٌۭ وَبَشِيرٌۭ لِّقَوْمٍۢ يُؤْمِنُونَ

7:188Say, ‘I have no control over any benefit for myself, nor [over] any harm except what Allah may wish. Had I known the Unseen, I would have acquired much good, and no ill would have befallen me. I am only a warner and bearer of good news to a people who have faith.’

۞ هُوَ ٱلَّذِى خَلَقَكُم مِّن نَّفْسٍۢ وَٰحِدَةٍۢ وَجَعَلَ مِنْهَا زَوْجَهَا لِيَسْكُنَ إِلَيْهَا ۖ فَلَمَّا تَغَشَّىٰهَا حَمَلَتْ حَمْلًا خَفِيفًۭا فَمَرَّتْ بِهِۦ ۖ فَلَمَّآ أَثْقَلَت دَّعَوَا ٱللَّهَ رَبَّهُمَا لَئِنْ ءَاتَيْتَنَا صَٰلِحًۭا لَّنَكُونَنَّ مِنَ ٱلشَّٰكِرِينَ

7:189It is He who created you from a single soul, and made from it its mate, that he might find comfort with her. So when he had covered her, she bore a light burden and passed [some time] with it. When she had grown heavy, they both invoked Allah, their Lord: ‘If You give us a healthy [child], we will be surely grateful.’1

فَلَمَّآ ءَاتَىٰهُمَا صَٰلِحًۭا جَعَلَا لَهُۥ شُرَكَآءَ فِيمَآ ءَاتَىٰهُمَا ۚ فَتَعَٰلَى ٱللَّهُ عَمَّا يُشْرِكُونَ

7:190Then when He gave them a healthy [child], they ascribed partners to Him in what He had given them. Exalted is Allah above [having] any partners that they ascribe [to Him]!

أَيُشْرِكُونَ مَا لَا يَخْلُقُ شَيْـًۭٔا وَهُمْ يُخْلَقُونَ

7:191Do they ascribe [to Him] partners that create nothing and have been created themselves,2

وَلَا يَسْتَطِيعُونَ لَهُمْ نَصْرًۭا وَلَآ أَنفُسَهُمْ يَنصُرُونَ

7:192and can neither help them, nor help themselves?

وَإِن تَدْعُوهُمْ إِلَى ٱلْهُدَىٰ لَا يَتَّبِعُوكُمْ ۚ سَوَآءٌ عَلَيْكُمْ أَدَعَوْتُمُوهُمْ أَمْ أَنتُمْ صَٰمِتُونَ

7:193If you call them to guidance, they will not follow you: it is the same to you whether you call them or whether you are silent.

إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ تَدْعُونَ مِن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ عِبَادٌ أَمْثَالُكُمْ ۖ فَٱدْعُوهُمْ فَلْيَسْتَجِيبُوا۟ لَكُمْ إِن كُنتُمْ صَٰدِقِينَ

7:194Indeed those whom you invoke besides Allah are creatures like you. So invoke them: they should answer you, if you are truthful.3

أَلَهُمْ أَرْجُلٌۭ يَمْشُونَ بِهَآ ۖ أَمْ لَهُمْ أَيْدٍۢ يَبْطِشُونَ بِهَآ ۖ أَمْ لَهُمْ أَعْيُنٌۭ يُبْصِرُونَ بِهَآ ۖ أَمْ لَهُمْ ءَاذَانٌۭ يَسْمَعُونَ بِهَا ۗ قُلِ ٱدْعُوا۟ شُرَكَآءَكُمْ ثُمَّ كِيدُونِ فَلَا تُنظِرُونِ

7:195Do they have any feet to walk with? Do they have any hands to grasp with? Do they have any eyes to see with? Do they have any ears to hear with? Say, ‘Invoke your partners [that you ascribe to Allah] and try out your stratagems against me without granting me any respite.

Tafsir

Commentary on this passage

Some commentators have argued about this verse of Holy Quran and said that the Messenger is absolutely helpless and akin to a common man and he has no knowledge of divine nor controls loss and profit. This is correct to the extent that the Prophet is a human being and helpless in front of Allah but after that if he remains disappointed from Allah’s favour like other people it is not acceptable. The God Who has bestowed him prophetbood and messengership has also given him knowledge and authority and in this way made him superior to all the creatures. From the personal aspect he neither possesses knowledge of the unseen nor has any authority or power but from the aspect of Allah’s favour, he is the owner of all perfections.

Verse 190

1.Some commentators have applied this to Adam and Hawwa (a.s.) that they prayed to Allah and when Allah gave them a son they named him son Abdul Harith due to Satanic delusion. Allah criticized this course of action and said this was ungratefulness and it did not befit Adam (a.s.). But actually such thinking about a prophet is baseless and useless. It is an example that fits every human being and each one prays to Allah at the time of birth and makes promises and vows and afterwards when the work is complete, he attributes this gift to someone other than Allah and mostly becomes careless of Allah’s favours and obligations.

Footnotes

Explanations of words and phrases in these verses

  1. Benefit

    All the names of Allah are beautiful and there is no scope of ugliness and their number is also not limited because the owner of these names has unlimited qualities and word is needed to describe each quality. Although supplicating through these names does not mean asking through their rights. What is necessary is to absorb their meaning after which the acceptance of Dua (supplication) is almost certain.

  2. 1

    ‘Taghashsha’ means to cover and it is the best allusion to sexual intercourse. Going about with pregnancy indicates the nearing of the time of delivery.

  3. 2

    All the words used in connection with the idols are related to logic and reason, that the infidels used to regard them as gods. It was also needed to point out that if they are. And is it possible for such helpless objects to be gods?

  4. 3

    The challenge of a servant of Allah to all the deities shows that in spite of becoming a deity, falsehood remains helpless. And the servant of Allah in spite of being a slave is capable to confront false gods. If the Muslims could only note this point!