Verses 88–95
7. Al-A'raaf · The Heights
Makkan206 verses
۞ قَالَ ٱلْمَلَأُ ٱلَّذِينَ ٱسْتَكْبَرُوا۟ مِن قَوْمِهِۦ لَنُخْرِجَنَّكَ يَٰشُعَيْبُ وَٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ مَعَكَ مِن قَرْيَتِنَآ أَوْ لَتَعُودُنَّ فِى مِلَّتِنَا ۚ قَالَ أَوَلَوْ كُنَّا كَٰرِهِينَ
7:88The elite of his people who were arrogant said, ‘O Shu'ayb, we will surely expel you and the faithful who are with you from our town, or else you shall revert to our creed.’ He said, ‘What! Even if we should be unwilling?!
قَدِ ٱفْتَرَيْنَا عَلَى ٱللَّهِ كَذِبًا إِنْ عُدْنَا فِى مِلَّتِكُم بَعْدَ إِذْ نَجَّىٰنَا ٱللَّهُ مِنْهَا ۚ وَمَا يَكُونُ لَنَآ أَن نَّعُودَ فِيهَآ إِلَّآ أَن يَشَآءَ ٱللَّهُ رَبُّنَا ۚ وَسِعَ رَبُّنَا كُلَّ شَىْءٍ عِلْمًا ۚ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ تَوَكَّلْنَا ۚ رَبَّنَا ٱفْتَحْ بَيْنَنَا وَبَيْنَ قَوْمِنَا بِٱلْحَقِّ وَأَنتَ خَيْرُ ٱلْفَٰتِحِينَ
7:89We would be fabricating a lie against Allah should we revert to your creed after Allah had delivered us from it. It does not behoove us to return to it, unless Allah, our Lord, should wish so. Our Lord embraces all things in [His] knowledge. In Allah we have put our trust.’ ‘Our Lord! Judge justly between us and our people, and You are the best of judges!’1
وَقَالَ ٱلْمَلَأُ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ مِن قَوْمِهِۦ لَئِنِ ٱتَّبَعْتُمْ شُعَيْبًا إِنَّكُمْ إِذًۭا لَّخَٰسِرُونَ
7:90The elite of his people who were faithless said, ‘If you follow Shu'ayb, you will indeed be losers.’
فَأَخَذَتْهُمُ ٱلرَّجْفَةُ فَأَصْبَحُوا۟ فِى دَارِهِمْ جَٰثِمِينَ
7:91So the earthquake seized them, and they lay lifeless prostrate in their homes.
ٱلَّذِينَ كَذَّبُوا۟ شُعَيْبًۭا كَأَن لَّمْ يَغْنَوْا۟ فِيهَا ۚ ٱلَّذِينَ كَذَّبُوا۟ شُعَيْبًۭا كَانُوا۟ هُمُ ٱلْخَٰسِرِينَ
7:92Those who impugned Shu'ayb became as if they had never lived there. Those who impugned Shu‘ayb were themselves the losers.2
فَتَوَلَّىٰ عَنْهُمْ وَقَالَ يَٰقَوْمِ لَقَدْ أَبْلَغْتُكُمْ رِسَٰلَٰتِ رَبِّى وَنَصَحْتُ لَكُمْ ۖ فَكَيْفَ ءَاسَىٰ عَلَىٰ قَوْمٍۢ كَٰفِرِينَ
7:93So he abandoned them [to their fate] and said, ‘O my people! Certainly, I communicated to you the messages of my Lord, and I was your well-wisher. So how should I grieve for a faithless lot?’3
وَمَآ أَرْسَلْنَا فِى قَرْيَةٍۢ مِّن نَّبِىٍّ إِلَّآ أَخَذْنَآ أَهْلَهَا بِٱلْبَأْسَآءِ وَٱلضَّرَّآءِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَضَّرَّعُونَ
7:94We did not send a prophet to any town without visiting its people with stress and distress so that they might entreat [for Allah’s forgiveness].
ثُمَّ بَدَّلْنَا مَكَانَ ٱلسَّيِّئَةِ ٱلْحَسَنَةَ حَتَّىٰ عَفَوا۟ وَّقَالُوا۟ قَدْ مَسَّ ءَابَآءَنَا ٱلضَّرَّآءُ وَٱلسَّرَّآءُ فَأَخَذْنَٰهُم بَغْتَةًۭ وَهُمْ لَا يَشْعُرُونَ
7:95Then We changed the ill [conditions] to good until they multiplied [in numbers] and said, ‘Adversity and ease befell our fathers [too].’ Then We seized them suddenly while they were unaware.4
Tafsir
Commentary on this passage
Verse 88
1.Before the announcement of Apostleship people thought that Shu’ayb (a.s.) was following their religion and there was no difference between him and them. That is why when Shu’ayb (a.s.) started preaching the chiefs of the community said: We can’t tolerate this preaching, you go away from here or return to the old custom and you must neither obey nor refute our gods. But Shu’ayb (a.s.) gave priority to Allah’s commands and continued preaching; and people falsified incessantly until! Allah’s wrath descended and all were ruined.
Verse 94
2.After the mention of wrath upon people of Nuh (a.s.) people of Hud (a.s.) and people of Saleh (a.s.) Allah clarified the philosophy of chastisement that chastisement doesn’t mean to take revenge or ruin but it only intends that people would come to the right path but if they do not take a lesson only then are they ruined and destroyed so that other communities can take lesson. The wrath descends all of a sudden and no information is given before so that the other communities should not wait for a time or sign and try to follow the right way immediately.
Footnotes
Explanations of words and phrases in these verses
Benefit
The 92nd ayat is the reply to the threats of the people to Shuaib (a.s.) who wanted to expel him from their midst. They were warning him of loss while the Almighty announced that after the punishmenl they shall be themselves destroyed, then how can they expel anyone else? And this destruction and annihilation is the greatest loss. What can be worse than this?
- 1
This is a tone of scolding the people. Aloofuess from their religion is a sort of salutation and entering that religion is an allegation on Allah. Whereas Shuaib (a.s.) was never on their religion that question should arise of his salutation.
- 2
Since a judgement is the untying of knots of difficulties, a judgement is compared to a victory.
- 3
This shows that those who do not follow the truth do not deserve that even sympathy should be expressed at their destruction.
- 4
It means that the change in realities is a natural affair. There is no role in it of the truthfulness of prophet.
Benefit
The word ‘Afw’ is sometimes used to denote excess and sometimes for ignoring or overlooking. Sometimes it is used to denote the erasing of some effects. Here all three meanings are applicable if we view it from different sides.