Al-A'raf

Which was revealed in Makkah

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

((This is the) Book (the Qur'an) sent down unto you (O Muhammad)), from your Lord,

(so let not your breast be narrow therefrom,) meaning, having doubt about it according to Mujahid, Qatadah and As-Suddi. It was also said that the meaning here is: `do not hesitate to convey the Qur'an and warn with it,'

(Therefore be patient as did the Messengers of strong will) 46:35. Allah said here,

(that you warn thereby) meaning, `We sent down the Qur'an so that you may warn the disbelievers with it,'

(and a reminder unto the believers). Allah then said to the world,

(Follow what has been sent down unto you from your Lord) meaning, follow and imitate the unlettered Prophet , who brought you a Book that was revealed for you, from the Lord and master of everything.

(and follow not any Awliya', besides Him (Allah)) meaning, do not disregard what the Messenger brought you and follow something else, for in this case, you will be deviating from Allah's judgment to the decision of someone else. Allah's statement,

(Little do you remember!) is similar to,

(And most of mankind will not believe even if you desire it eagerly)12:103, and;

(And if you obey most of those on the earth, they will mislead you far away from Allah's path)6:116, and,

(And most of them believe not in Allah except that they attribute partners unto Him)12:106.

Nations that were destroyed

Allah said,

(And a great number of towns We destroyed.) for defying Our Messengers and rejecting them. This behavior led them to earn disgrace in this life, which led them to disgrace in the Hereafter. Allah said in other Ayat,

(And indeed (many) Messengers before you were mocked at, but their scoffers were surrounded by the very thing that they used to mock at) 6:10, and

(And many a township did We destroy while they were given to wrongdoing, so that it lie in ruins (up to this day), and (many) a deserted well and lofty castle!) 22:45, and,

(And how many a town have We destroyed, which was thankless for its means of livelihood And those are their dwellings, which have not been inhabited after them except a little. And verily, We have been the heirs)28:58. Allah's saying,

(Our torment came upon them by night or while they were taking their midday nap. ) means, Allah's command, torment and vengeance came over them at night or while taking a nap in the middle of the day. Both of these times are periods of rest and leisure or heedlessness and amusement. Allah also said

(Did the people of the towns then feel secure against the coming of Our punishment by night while they were asleep Or, did the people of the towns then feel secure against the coming of Our punishment in the forenoon while they were playing)7:97-98 and,

(Do then those who devise evil plots feel secure that Allah will not sink them into the earth, or that the torment will not seize them from directions they perceive not Or that He may catch them in the midst of their going to and from, so that there be no escape for them Or that He may catch them with gradual wastage. Truly, Your Lord is indeed full of kindness, Most Merciful) 16:45-47. Allah's saying;

(No cry did they utter when Our torment came upon them but this: "Verily, we were wrongdoers.") This means, when the torment came to them, their cry was that they admitted their sins and that they deserved to be punished. Allah said in a similar Ayah,

(How many a town given to wrongdoing, have We destroyed)21:11, until,

(Extinct)21:15. Allah's saying.

(Then surely, We shall question those (people) to whom it (the Book) was sent) is similar to the Ayat,

(And (remember) the Day (Allah) will call them, and say: "What answer gave you to the Messengers") 28:65, and,

(On the Day when Allah will gather the Messengers together and say to them: "What was the response you received" They will say: "We have no knowledge, verily, only You are the Knower of all that is unseen.") 5:109. Allah will question the nations, on the Day of Resurrection, how they responded to His Messengers and the Messages He sent them with. He will also question the Messengers if they conveyed His Messages. So, `Ali bin Abi Talhah reported from Ibn `Abbas, who said commenting on the Ayah:

(Then surely, We shall question those (people) to whom it (the Book) was sent and verily, We shall question the Messengers.) He said; "About what they conveyed." Ibn `Abbas commented on Allah's statement,

(Then surely, We shall narrate unto them (their whole story) with knowledge, and indeed We have not been absent.) "The Book will be brought forth on the Day of Resurrection and it will speak, disclosing what they used to do."

(and indeed We have not been absent) meaning, On the Day of Resurrection, Allah will inform His servants about what they said and did, whether substantial or minor. Certainly, He witnesses to everything, nothing escapes His observation, and He is never unaware of anything. Rather, He has perfect knowledge of what the eyes are deluded by and what the hearts conceal,

(Not a leaf falls, but He knows it. There is not a grain in the darkness of the earth nor anything fresh or dry, but is written in a Clear Record.)6:59

The Meaning of weighing the Deeds

Allah said,

وَالْوَزْنُ

(And the weighing), of deeds on the Day of Resurrection,

الْحَقِّ

(will be the true (weighing)), for Allah will not wrong anyone. Allah said in other Ayat,

وَنَضَعُ الْمَوَزِينَ الْقِسْطَ لِيَوْمِ الْقِيَمَةِ فَلاَ تُظْلَمُ نَفْسٌ شَيْئاً وَإِن كَانَ مِثْقَالَ حَبَّةٍ مِّنْ خَرْدَلٍ أَتَيْنَا بِهَا وَكَفَى بِنَا حَسِبِينَ

(And We shall set up the Balances of justice on the Day of Resurrection, then none will be dealt with unjustly in anything. And if there be the weight of a mustard seed, We will bring it. And Sufficient are We to take account.)21:47,

إِنَّ اللَّهَ لاَ يَظْلِمُ مِثْقَالَ ذَرَّةٍ وَإِن تَكُ حَسَنَةً يُضَعِفْهَا وَيُؤْتِ مِن لَّدُنْهُ أَجْراً عَظِيماً

(Surely, Allah wrongs not even the weight of a speck of dust, but if there is any good (done), He doubles it, and gives from Him a great reward.) 4:40,

فَأَمَّا مَن ثَقُلَتْ مَوَزِينُهُ فَهُوَ فِى عِيشَةٍ رَّاضِيَةٍ وَأَمَّا مَنْ خَفَّتْ مَوَزِينُهُ فَأُمُّهُ هَاوِيَةٌ وَمَآ أَدْرَاكَ مَا هِيَهْ نَارٌ حَامِيَةٌ

(Then as for him whose scale (of good deeds) will be heavy. He will live a pleasant life (in Paradise). But as for him whose scale (of good deeds) will be light. He will have his home in Hawiyah (pit, Hell). And what will make you know what it is (It is) a fiercely blazing Fire!) 101:6-11 and,

فَإِذَا نُفِخَ فِى الصُّورِ فَلاَ أَنسَبَ بَيْنَهُمْ يَوْمَئِذٍ وَلاَ يَتَسَآءَلُونَ - فَمَن ثَقُلَتْ مَوَزِينُهُ فَأُوْلَئِكَ هُمُ الْمُفْلِحُونَ - وَمَنْ خَفَّتْ مَوَزِينُهُ فأُوْلَئِكَ الَّذِينَ خَسِرُواْ أَنفُسَهُمْ فِى جَهَنَّمَ خَلِدُونَ

(Then, when the Trumpet is blown, there will be no kinship among them that Day, nor will they ask of one another. Then, those whose scales (of good deeds) are heavy, they are the successful. And those whose scales (of good deeds) are light, they are those who lose themselves, in Hell will they abide)23:101-103. As for what will be placed on the Balance on the Day of Resurrection, it has been said that the deeds will be placed on it, even though they are not material objects. Allah will give these deeds physical weight on the Day of Resurrection. Al-Baghawi said that this was reported from Ibn `Abbas. It is recorded in the Sahih that Al-Baqarah (chapter 2) and Al `Imran (chapter 3) will come on the Day of Resurrection in the shape of two clouds, or two objects that provide shade, or two lined groups of birds. It is also recorded in the Sahih that the Qur'an will come to its companion (who used to recite and preserve it) in the shape of a pale-faced young man. He will ask (the young man), "Who are you" He will reply, "I am the Qur'an, who made you stay up sleeplessly at night and caused you thirst in the day. " The Hadith that Al-Bara' narrated about the questioning in the grave states,

«فَيَأْتِي الْمُؤْمِنَ شَابٌّ حَسَنُ اللَّوْنِ طَيِّبُ الرِّيحِ فَيَقُولُ: مَنْ أَنْتَ؟ فَيَقُولُ: أَنَا عَمَلُكَ الصَّالِح»

(A young man with fair color and good scent will come to the believer, who will ask, `Who are you' He will reply, `I am your good deeds'). The Prophet mentioned the opposite in the case of the disbeliever and the hypocrite. It was also said that the Book of Records that contains the deeds will be weighed. A Hadith states that a man will be brought forth and ninety-nine scrolls containing errors and sins will be placed on one side of the balance each as long as the sight can reach. He will then be brought a card on which `La ilaha illallah' will be written. He will say, "O Lord! What would this card weigh against these scrolls" Allah will say, "You will not be wronged." So the card will be placed on the other side of the Balance, and as the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said,

«فَطَاشَتِ السِّجِلَّاتُ وَثَقُلَتِ الْبِطَاقَة»

(Behold! The (ninety-nine) scrolls will go up, as the card becomes heavier.) At-Tirmidhi recorded similar wording for this Hadith and said that it is authentic. It was also said that the person who performed the deed will be weighed. A Hadith states,

«يُؤْتَى يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ بِالرَّجُلِ السَّمِينِ فَلَا يَزِنُ عِنْدَ اللهِ جَنَاحَ بَعُوضَة»

(On the Day of Resurrection, a fat man will be brought forth, but he will not weigh with Allah equal to the wing of a mosquito). He then recited the Ayah,

فَلاَ نُقِيمُ لَهُمْ يَوْمَ الْقِيَمَةِ وَزْناً

(And on the Day of Resurrection, We shall assign no weight for them) 18:105. Also, the Prophet said about `Abdullah bin Mas`ud,

«أَتَعْجَبُونَ مِنْ دِقَّةِ سَاقَيْهِ وَالَّذِي نَفْسِي بِيَدِهِ لَهُمَا فِي الْمِيزَانِ أَثْقَلُ مِنْ أُحُد»

(Do you wonder at the thinness of his legs By He in Whose Hand is my soul! They are heavier on the Balance than (Mount) Uhud.) It is also possible to combine the meanings of these Ayat and Hadiths by stating that all this will truly occur, for sometimes the deeds will be weighed, sometimes the scrolls where they are recorded will be weighed, and sometimes those who performed the deeds will be weighed. Allah knows best.

All Bounties in the Heavens and Earth are for the Benefit of Mankind

Allah reminds of His favor on His servants in that He made the earth a fixed place for dwelling, placed firm mountains and rivers on it and made homes and allowed them to utilize its benefits. Allah made the clouds work for them (bringing rain) so that they may produce their sustenance from them. He also created the ways and means of earnings, commercial activities and other professions. Yet, most of them give liltle thanks for this. Allah said in another Ayah,

(And if you count the blessings of Allah,never will you be able to count them. Verily, man is indeed a wrongdoer, an ingrate.) 14:34

Prostration of the Angels to Adam and Shaytan's Arrogance

Allah informs the Children of Adam about the honor of their father and the enmity of Shaytan, who still has envy for them and for their father Adam. So they should beware of him and not follow in his footsteps. Allah said,

(And surely, We created you and then gave you shape; then We told the angels, "Prostrate yourselves to Adam," and they prostrated,) This is like His saying,

(And (remember) when your Lord said to the angels: "I am going to create a man from dried (sounding) clay of altered mud. So, when I have fashioned him completely and breathed into him the soul (which I created for him), then fall (you) down prostrating yourselves unto him.") 15:28-29. After Allah created Adam with His Hands from dried clay of altered mud and made him in the shape of a human being, He blew life into him and ordered the angels to prostrate before him, honoring Allah's glory and magnificence. The angels all heard, obeyed and prostrated, but Iblis did not prostrate. We explained this subject in the beginning of Surat Al-Baqarah. Therefore, the Ayah (7:11) refers to Adam, although Allah used the plural in this case, because Adam is the father of all mankind. Similarly, Allah said to the Children of Israel who lived during the time of the Prophet ,

(And We shaded you with clouds and sent down on you manna and the quail,)2:57 This refers to their forefathers who lived during the time of Moses. But, since that was a favor given to the forefathers, and they are their very source, then the offspring have also been favored by it. This is not the case in:

(And indeed We created man out of an extract of clay (water and earth.))23:12 For this merely means that Adam was created from clay. His children were created from Nutfah (mixed male and female sexual discharge). This last Ayah is thus talking about the origin of mankind, not that they were all created from clay, and Allah knows best.

مَا مَنَعَكَ أَلاَّ تَسْجُدَ

(What prevented you (O Iblis) that you did not prostrate) 7: 12 meaning, what stopped and hindered you from prostrating after I ordered you to do so, according to Ibn Jarir. This meaning is sound, and Allah knows best. Iblis, may Allah curse him, said,

أَنَاْ خَيْرٌ مِّنْهُ

(I am better than him (Adam)), and this excuse is worse than the crime itself! Shaytan said that he did not obey Allah because he who is better cannot prostrate to he who is less. Shaytan, may Allah curse him, meant that he is better than Adam, "So how can You order me to prostrate before him" Shaytan said that he is better than Adam because he was created from fire while, "You created him from clay, and fire is better." The cursed one looked at the origin of creation not at the honor bestowed, that is, Allah creating Adam with His Hand and blowing life into him. Shaytan made a false comparison when confronted by Allah's command,

فَقَعُواْ لَهُ سَجِدِينَ

("Then you fall down prostrate to him")38:72. Therefore, Shaytan alone contradicted the angels, because he refused to prostrate. He, thus, became `Ablasa' from the mercy, meaning, lost hope in acquiring Allah's mercy. He committed this error, may Allah curse him, due to his false comparison. His claim that the fire is more honored than mud was also false, because mud has the qualities of wisdom, for - bearance, patience and assurance, mud is where plants grow, flourish, increase, and provide good. To the contrary, fire has the qualities of burning, recklessness and hastiness. Therefore, the origin of creation directed Shaytan to failure, while the origin of Adam led him to return to Allah with repentance, humbleness, obedience and submission to His command, admitting his error and seeking Allah's forgiveness and pardon for it. Muslim recorded that `Aishah said that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said,

«خُلِقَتِ الْمَلَائِكَةُ مِنْ نُورٍ وَخُلِقَ إِبْلِيسُ مِنْ مَارِجٍ مِنْ نَارٍ وَخُلِقَ آدَمُ مِمَّا وُصِفَ لَكُم»

(The angels were created from light, Shaytan from a smokeless flame of fire, while Adam was created from what was described to you).

Iblis was the First to use Qiyas (Analogical Comparison)

Ibn Jarir recorded that Al-Hasan commented on Shaytan's statement,

خَلَقْتَنِى مِن نَّارٍ وَخَلَقْتَهُ مِن طِينٍ

("You created me from fire, and him You created from clay.") "Iblis used Qiyas analogy, and he was the first one to do so." This statement has an authentic chain of narration. Ibn Jarir recorded that Ibn Sirin said, "The first to use Qiyas was Iblis, and would the sun and moon be worshipped if it was not for Qiyas" This statement also has an authentic chain of narration.