Verses 44–51
7. Al-A'raaf · The Heights
Makkan206 verses
وَنَادَىٰٓ أَصْحَٰبُ ٱلْجَنَّةِ أَصْحَٰبَ ٱلنَّارِ أَن قَدْ وَجَدْنَا مَا وَعَدَنَا رَبُّنَا حَقًّۭا فَهَلْ وَجَدتُّم مَّا وَعَدَ رَبُّكُمْ حَقًّۭا ۖ قَالُوا۟ نَعَمْ ۚ فَأَذَّنَ مُؤَذِّنٌۢ بَيْنَهُمْ أَن لَّعْنَةُ ٱللَّهِ عَلَى ٱلظَّٰلِمِينَ
7:44The inhabitants of paradise will call out to the inmates of the Fire, ‘We found what our Lord promised us to be true; did you find what your Lord promised you to be true?’ ‘Yes,’ they will say. Then a caller will announce in their midst, ‘May Allah’s curse be on the wrongdoers!’
ٱلَّذِينَ يَصُدُّونَ عَن سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ وَيَبْغُونَهَا عِوَجًۭا وَهُم بِٱلْءَاخِرَةِ كَٰفِرُونَ
7:45—Those who bar [others] from the way of Allah, and seek to make it crooked, and disbelieve in the Hereafter.1
وَبَيْنَهُمَا حِجَابٌۭ ۚ وَعَلَى ٱلْأَعْرَافِ رِجَالٌۭ يَعْرِفُونَ كُلًّۢا بِسِيمَىٰهُمْ ۚ وَنَادَوْا۟ أَصْحَٰبَ ٱلْجَنَّةِ أَن سَلَٰمٌ عَلَيْكُمْ ۚ لَمْ يَدْخُلُوهَا وَهُمْ يَطْمَعُونَ
7:46There will be a veil between them. And on the Elevations will be certain men who recognize each of them by their mark. They will call out to the inhabitants of paradise, ‘Peace be to you!’ (They will not have entered it, though they would be eager to do so.2
۞ وَإِذَا صُرِفَتْ أَبْصَٰرُهُمْ تِلْقَآءَ أَصْحَٰبِ ٱلنَّارِ قَالُوا۟ رَبَّنَا لَا تَجْعَلْنَا مَعَ ٱلْقَوْمِ ٱلظَّٰلِمِينَ
7:47And when their look is turned toward the inmates of the Fire, they will say, ‘Our Lord, do not put us among the wrongdoing lot!’)
وَنَادَىٰٓ أَصْحَٰبُ ٱلْأَعْرَافِ رِجَالًۭا يَعْرِفُونَهُم بِسِيمَىٰهُمْ قَالُوا۟ مَآ أَغْنَىٰ عَنكُمْ جَمْعُكُمْ وَمَا كُنتُمْ تَسْتَكْبِرُونَ
7:48The occupants of the Elevations will call out to certain men whom they recognize by their marks, ‘Your rallying did not avail you, nor what you used to disdain.3
أَهَٰٓؤُلَآءِ ٱلَّذِينَ أَقْسَمْتُمْ لَا يَنَالُهُمُ ٱللَّهُ بِرَحْمَةٍ ۚ ٱدْخُلُوا۟ ٱلْجَنَّةَ لَا خَوْفٌ عَلَيْكُمْ وَلَآ أَنتُمْ تَحْزَنُونَ
7:49Are these the ones concerning whom you swore that Allah will not extend them any mercy?’ ‘Enter paradise! You shall have no fear, nor shall you grieve.’
وَنَادَىٰٓ أَصْحَٰبُ ٱلنَّارِ أَصْحَٰبَ ٱلْجَنَّةِ أَنْ أَفِيضُوا۟ عَلَيْنَا مِنَ ٱلْمَآءِ أَوْ مِمَّا رَزَقَكُمُ ٱللَّهُ ۚ قَالُوٓا۟ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ حَرَّمَهُمَا عَلَى ٱلْكَٰفِرِينَ
7:50The inmates of the Fire will call out to the inhabitants of paradise, ‘Pour on us some water, or something of what Allah has provided you.’ They will say, ‘Allah has indeed forbidden these two to the faithless!’
ٱلَّذِينَ ٱتَّخَذُوا۟ دِينَهُمْ لَهْوًۭا وَلَعِبًۭا وَغَرَّتْهُمُ ٱلْحَيَوٰةُ ٱلدُّنْيَا ۚ فَٱلْيَوْمَ نَنسَىٰهُمْ كَمَا نَسُوا۟ لِقَآءَ يَوْمِهِمْ هَٰذَا وَمَا كَانُوا۟ بِـَٔايَٰتِنَا يَجْحَدُونَ
7:51Those who took their religion for diversion and play and whom the life of the world had deceived. So today, We will forget them as they forgot the encounter of this day of theirs, and as they used to impugn Our signs.4
Tafsir
Commentary on this passage
Verse 46
1.It is a confirmed belief that there is a section between heaven and hell called Araaf; and those who are not deserving of heaven or hell would be kept there. Whether their good and bad deeds are equal or if they are not fit to enter heaven or hell for any reason as there are many people who would not have good virtues that create the rights to enter heaven and they would not have such bad deeds that can cause them to he thrown into hell. For instance, from the intellectual aspect, they may he insane or according to the social aspect they might have lived in areas where the message of Islam had not reached. Though regarding these also there is a tradition that they would be commanded to enter hell, and if they agree they shall be sent to heaven because obedience is found in them. And if they argue as to why they are being ordered into fire without any fault of theirs, they would surely be condemned to hell. The feeling of revolt is also found in the field of Doomsday that even after watching the scene of punishment, if they were not ready to obey; then surely they would have disobeyed in this world also.
Verse 50
2.The stomach is so cruel that even after going to hell the worries of eating and drinking do not end; rather they continue in the hell fire. It is another thing that these good bounties are for people who were careful about lawful and unlawful. Otherwise, the people who considered the world a sport and fun, the bounties of Allah will be prohibited for them and they would have to suffer by force.
Footnotes
Explanations of words and phrases in these verses
- 1
Three types of people arc eligible for cursing :
(i) Those who prevent people from the path of Allah.
(ii) Those who create miserliness instead of sincerity.
(iii) Those who deny the Hereafter.
- 2
A’raaf is the plural of A’raf - It means a high place.
- 3
These shall be special signs otherwise even the common man can recognise from general traits.
- 4
The Nisyan of Allah does not mean that He had forgotten. When He has created such people who do not forget or err, He is certainly more exalted. His forgetfulness is that He just ignores, and does not even consider them worthy of His attention.
Benefit
According to traditions the caller refers to Ali (a.s.) who will announce the curse in Qiyamat in the same way as he had announced the verses of Surah Barat on the day of the great Hajj.
Regarding the people of A’raaf some traditions mention the characteristics of believers while some state that it refers to the prophets and the purified Imams (a.s.). It is probably that people with weak deeds will be stopped and the Imams (a.s.) will wait to intercede for them. So that the whole caravan passes by before the chief of the caravan moves towards Paradise