Al-A'raf

This surah begins with the disconnected letters, the explanation for which has already preceded in Surah Baqarah.

The noble Qur’ān is a scripture revealed by Allah to you, O Prophet, so do not let there be any distress or doubt in your heart about it. He revealed it to you to warn people by it and to be a proof, and to remind those who have faith through it, because it is they who benefit from being reminded.

Follow, O people, the Scripture which your Lord revealed to you, and the traditions of your Prophet. Do not follow the desires of those you imagine to be friends and protectors amongst the devils or evil scholars, turning to them and leaving what was revealed to you because of your desires. How little you remember! If you had remembered, you would not have preferred falsehood over the truth, and you would have followed what your Messenger came with, acting in obedience to it and leaving anything besides it.

How many cities Allah has destroyed through His punishment because they persisted in their disbelief and error! Allah sent His punishment down on them in their obliviousness at night or during the day: they could not do anything to avoid the punishment, and their false gods could do nothing to protect them from it.

All they could do when the punishment came down on them was to admit that they had done wrong through their disbelief in Allah.

Allah will certainly question the communities He sent messengers to on the Day of Judgement: about how they received the messengers. Also, He will certainly question the messengers about whether they delivered what they were instructed to deliver, and how their communities responded to it.

Allah will inform everyone about what they did in the world, through His knowledge, because He was always aware of whatever they did. Nothing is hidden from Him, and He was never, at any point, absent from them.

The weighing of what they did on the Day of Judgement will be with justice, with no one being wronged in the least. Those whose good actions weigh more than their bad actions have succeeded in reaching the goal and being saved from what they feared.

Those whose bad actions weigh more than their good actions are the people who have lost themselves, gaining their destruction on the Day of Judgement and being excluded from eternal bliss because of their rejection of Allah’s signs and verses.

Allah certainly established you, O children of Adam, on the earth, and gave you the means of making a living. You should be thankful to Allah for that, but you give little thanks.

O people, Allah created your father Adam, making him in the best of forms and the best of designs. Then He commanded the angels to bow down to him, honouring him, so they did so, all bowing down, except for Iblīs, the Satan, who refused to bow down out of pride and stubbornness.

Allah asked Satan rebuking him: 'What stopped you from following My command to bow down to Adam?' Satan said: 'What prevented me is that I am better than Adam: You created me from fire and Adam from mud, and fire is greater then mud.'

Allah told Satan: 'Go down from Paradise, because it is not appropriate for you to be proud in it; as it is a place for those who are good and pure-hearted. You are O Satan disgraced and humiliated, even though you consider yourself to be superior to Adam.

Satan asked Allah: 'O my Lord, give me relief until the Day of Rising, so that I could tempt and misguide whomever of the children of Adam I am able to tempt.'

Allah told Satan: 'You are O Satan given respite till the first blast of the trumpet when all created beings die, and the Creator alone remains.'.

Satan said: 'Because You have made me fall into error through not following Your command to bow down to Adam, I will surely sit in wait for the children of Adam upon Your straight path, to turn them away and mislead them from it, just as I was misled through not bowing down to Adam.'

'I will surely come to them from every direction, causing them to neglect the Afterlife, and desire the life of this world, giving them doubts, and making their low desires seem beautiful to them. And You will not find O my Lord most of them thankful to You, because of the denial and ingratitude I will lead them to.

Allah said: 'Go down from Paradise O Satan, humiliated and removed from My mercy. I will certainly fill Hell with you and all those who follow and obey you and go against My command.

Then Allah told Adam: 'O Adam go and dwell you and your wife Eve in the Paradise, and eat from the good things in it, but do not approach and eat from that tree, for if you both eat from that tree after My prohibiting it you would be of those who transgress My limits.'

Satan told them: 'Allah has only forbidden you from eating from that tree because He does not want you to become angels or to live eternally in Paradise.'

Satan swore to the two of them saying: 'By Allah I am to you both, O Adam and Eve, a sincere advisor in what I direct you to.'

So Satan brought them down from their high position through trickery and deception. When they ate from the tree which they had been forbidden to eat from, their private parts became exposed and visible to them. So they started to fix leaves from Paradise onto themselves in order to cover up. Their Lord called to them: 'Did I not forbid you both from eating from this tree, and did I not warn you that Satan is your clear enemy?'

Adam and Eve said: 'O our Lord! We have wronged ourselves by doing what You forbade us from, and surely If You do not forgive us and have mercy on us we will be amongst the losers, losing our share of the worldly life and Hereafter.'

Allah told Adam, Eve and Satan: 'Go down from Paradise to the earth, where some of you will be enemies of others, and where you would have a place to settle with enjoyment of what is in the earth until an appointed time.'

Allah addressed Adam and Eve and their descendants: 'On this Earth you will live for the length of time I decree for you, and on this Earth you will die. After being buried, you will be taken out from your graves and brought back to life.'

O children of Adam, Allah made for you clothing, necessary for covering your nakedness, and clothing for you to adorn yourselves with, and the clothing of Mindfulness, which is through following what Allah instructs and staying away from what He has not allowed, which is better than the physical types of clothing. What is mentioned here about clothing is from among the signs of Allah, showing His power over everything, so that perhaps people will remember His blessings to them and be thankful for them.

O children of Adam, do not let Satan deceive you by making disobedience look beautiful to you, making you leave covering your nakedness with clothing, or leave the clothing of Mindfulness. Do not be deceived as he tricked your parents, making eating from the tree seem good to them, and the result of that was that he got them expelled from Paradise, and their nakedness became clear to them. Satan and his tribe watch and see you, and you cannot see or watch them, so always be on your guard against him and his tribe. Allah made the satans friends and helpers of those who do not have faith in Allah. As for those who have faith and do good, the satans have no way against them.

If the idolaters commit an indecent act, they defend it, saying they found their fathers doing it and that Allah had commanded them to do it. Tell them O Muhammad: 'Indeed Allah does not command the wrong, rather, He forbids it, so how can you claim such a thing about Him? Or are you O Idolators inventing things about Allah, saying what you do not know about Him?'

Say O Muhammad: 'Indeed Allah commands justice, not indecency or sin. And He commands loyalty to Him in worship generally, and particularly in places of worship, that you call on Him alone, sincere in your dedication to Him.' As He created you from nothing the first time, He will bring you back to life a second time. He Who is able to create you in the first place is able to return you and bring you back to life.

Allah made people into two groups: one group of them He guided, making it easy for them to find guidance and removing the barriers to it; and another He made go astray from the path of truth, because they made the satans their friends and helpers instead of Allah, ignorantly becoming bound to them, considering themselves to be correctly guided to a straight path.

O children of Adam, dress beautifully in every place of worship, and eat and drink, but do not be extravagant. Truly, He does not love those who are extravagant. O children of Adam, wear clean, pure, beautiful, clothes that cover your nakedness when you pray and when you make circumambulation of the Kaaba. Eat and drink whatever you like from the good things that Allah has allowed. But do not be extravagant in this, nor go beyond what is allowed. Allah does not love those who go beyond the limits..

Say O Messenger to the idolaters who forbid what Allah has allowed of clothing and food; 'Who has forbidden you from wearing clothes as adornment, and who has forbidden you from eating the good things I have provided you to eat and drink?' Say to them O Messenger: 'These good things to eat and drink and wear are in this world, for the believers; while others may share in them in this world, they are exclusively for the believers on the Day of Judgement when the disbelievers will not have a share in them, because the disbelievers have been forbidden Paradise.' Likewise Allah makes clear His signs and ayahs in this way for people who reflect, because it is they who benefit from them.

Say O Messenger (peace be upon him) to inform the idolaters who have forbidden what Allah has allowed: 'Indeed Allah has only forbidden lewd indecent acts done openly or secretly, all forms of disobedience, and transgressing unjustly against people in terms of their selves, wealth, or honour. And He has forbidden worshipping others next to Him – for which there is no proof to do so. And He has forbidden that you say things about Him wihout knowledge, in terms of His Names, Attributes, Actions and sacred law.

Every generation and people are given a fixed time. If their decreed time arrives, they cannot delay it, even by a small amount, and they cannot advance it.

O children of Adam, if messengers of your own come to you from Allah, reciting what Allah has revealed to them from His scripture, then follow them and what they bring. Those who are Mindful, following His instructions and staying away from what He has not allowed, making right what they do, there will be no fear upon them on the Day of Judgement, and they will not grieve about the pleasures that passed them by in this world.

As for the disbelievers, who reject Allah’s signs, and do not have faith in them, too proud to act in accordance with what their messengers bring to them, they are the companions of Hell, where they will live eternally.

The greatest wrongdoer is the person who: invents a lie about Allah, considering Him to have a partner; or says He is deficient in some way; or says something about Him that He has not said; or rejects His clear signs and verses which guide to the correct way of life. Those who do such things will receive the portion of worldly pleasure that is destined for them in the Preserved Tablet, until the angel of death and his helpers come to them to take their souls, and they are asked: 'Where are the gods you used to worship besides Allah, claiming they would help you? Call on those idols if they can benefit you! The idolaters will say to the angels: 'The gods we used to worship have gone, and that we do not know where they are!' Then they will admit that they were disbelievers, but their admission at that time will be a proof against them and will not benefit them.

The angels will say: 'Enter you O idolaters the fire of Hell with the crowds of nations of jinn and people who passed away before you in disbelief and error!'. Whenever a nation enters Hell it condemns its sister nation which entered the fire of Hell before it, until they all reach one another and are gathered together. The last of them to enter, who are the lowly people and followers will ask concerning the previous nations who were their leaders and masters: 'O our Lord! These are the ones who led us astray from right guidance, so give them a double punishment, for that they beautified for us the path of misguidance.' Allah will reply to them: 'Each group of you will receive a doubled share of the punishment; but you will not perceive this.'

The leaders and chiefs will exclaim: 'You do not have, O followers, over us any preference, therefore deserving any lightening of the punishment, as it is the result of your own actions. You do not have any excuse for having followed what was false. So taste then, O followers, the punishment just as we taste it, because of what you earned through your own disbelief and disobedience.

Those who reject Allah’s clear signs and verses, and are too proud to follow them, have lost everything, because the gates of heaven will not open to their actions because of their disbelief; nor will they open for their souls when they die. Such people will never enter Paradise until the camel – one of the largest animals – goes into the eye of a needle – one of the smallest things. The aforementioned is impossible, and so is the idea that they will ever enter Paradise. In such a way does Allah reward those who stubbornly do wrong.

For these people who rejected the truth, because they were too proud, is a bed of Hell to lie on, and above them is a covering of torment. This is the way in which Allah rewards those who overstep His limits through their disbelief in Him, and through their turning away from Him.

Yet those who have faith in their Lord and who do good actions to the best of their ability – and Allah does not burden a soul with more than it can bear – they are the companions of Paradise, entering into it and living there eternally.

Their bliss in Paradise is made complete by Allah removing whatever hatred and resentment is in their hearts, with rivers running beneath them. When they come to live there and settle in their homes, they will exclaim whilst recognizing Allah’s blessings on them, praising Him: 'All praise and thanks belongs to Allah Who allowed us to do the good actions which brought us to this place, and we would not have been able to do that if Allah had not enabled us to do so. The messengers of our Lord came with the truth about which there was no doubt, true in its promises of good for the righteous and true in its threats for the wrongdoers. It will then be announced to them: 'This, truly this, is the Paradise which Allah has made you inherit out of His Mercy, for the good actions you used to do seeking the countenance of Allah.'

The companions of Paradise will call the companions of Hell when they have all entered their places, saying: 'Indeed we have found what our Lord promised us about Paradise to be true, as we have entered into it. Have you found what Allah had promised you about Hell to be true?' The disbelievers will reply: 'We have found what was promised about Hell to be true.' Then a caller will proclaim that the wrongdoers be removed from Allah’s mercy, because the doors of His mercy were open to them and they turned away from them in their worldly life.

These wrongdoers used to themselves turn away from Allah’s religion, and used to turn others away from it, wanting to make the path of truth seem crooked so that people would not follow it. They also rejected the Afterlife, not believing in it, nor preparing for it.

Between these two groups – the companions of Paradise and the companions of Hell – is a partition called ‘al-A‘rāf’, meaning ‘the Heights’. On this partition are people whose good and bad actions are equal. They know the companions of Paradise by their signs, such as the light on their faces, and the companions of Hell by their signs, such as the darkness on their faces. These people of the partition call the companions of Paradise, honouring them, saying, ‘Peace be upon you’. They do not enter Paradise yet, but they hope to enter it through Allah’s mercy.

When their eyes turn to the people who are the companions of Hell, and they see the severe punishment they are afflicted with, they pray: 'O our Lord! Do not put us with the wrongdoers, who disbelieved and worshipped others besides you!

The companions of the Heights will call to people in Hell who had disbelieved, whom they recognize by their marks: ;It did not benefit you in the slightest when they used to gather together to prevent people from Allah’s path and arrogantly turn away from the truth.'

Those who disbelieve will say concerning the believers: 'Are these faithful people those you swore Allah would not show mercy to?' Then these people who have faith will be told to enter Paradise, not fearing what awaits them, and not grieving over the pleasures of the world which passed them by, because of the eternal bliss they find themselves in.

The companions of Hell will call the companions of Paradise, begging them to pour some water or provide some of the food they have been given onto them. The companions of Paradise will tell them that Allah has forbidden both of these to the disbelievers, because of their disbelief, and that they will not help them in what Allah has forbidden for them.

These disbelievers are the ones who used to mock and make fun of faith and were deluded by the life of the world, being engrossed in its pleasures and luxuries. On the Day of Judgement, Allah will forget them, and they will be left to suffer the punishment because they forgot the meeting of the Day of Judgement which they neglected despite them having full knowledge of it. They rejected Allah’s signs and proofs in condemnation, despite knowing and recognizing the truth of His message.

And Allah has indeed sent them this Qur’ān, the Scripture revealed to Muhammad (peace be upon him), explaining it and clarifying all things with His Knowledge. It guides the believers to the right path and to the truth, and is a mercy for them because of what it guides them to, of goodness in this world and in the Afterlife.

Those who disbelieve in reality only wait for what they have been warned: a painful punishment in the Afterlife as a result of their actions. The believers were also foretold about the reward of that day. Those who ignored the Qur’ān in the life of this world, not acting according to what is in it, will then say: 'Indeed the messengers of our Lord came with the truth, in which there was no doubt. If only there was a mediator who could now plead on our behalf so we could be excused from the punishment. Or if only we could return to the life of the world to do good actions that would save us instead of the bad we committed!' The disbelievers have lost themselves, gaining their own ruin because of their disbelief. Those who they used to worship beside Allah have abandoned them, and can be of no help to them.

O people, your Lord is Allah, who created the heavens and the earth in six days, with no precedent. He established Himself on the Throne in a way befitting His Majesty. He made the darkness of the night disappear into the light of the day and the light of the day into the darkness of night, both chasing each other quickly so that neither is delayed. He also created the sun, the moon and the stars all subservient under His dominion. Is the whole of creation not His? Who besides Him is creator? His alone is the command. He is High above any flaw. He is described with the attributes of splendour and perfection- the Lord of the Worlds.

O believers, call on your Lord with complete humility, silently and in private, sincere in your prayer, not showing off, and not worshipping others along with Allah in your prayers. He does not love those who overstep the limits in their prayers; and one of the worst ways someone can do this is by invoking others besides Him, as the idolaters do.

Do not ruin things on earth by committing sins after Allah has put it right by sending the messengers (peace be upon them) and establishing things in accordance with His laws. Call on Allah alone, fearing His punishment and hoping for His reward. The mercy of Allah is truly close to those who do good, so be from among them.

It is Allah who sends the winds as good news of coming rain, until when they carry a cloud heavy with water He drives the cloud to a barren land and sends down rain on it, bringing out all kinds of fruits and crops. The way that this vegetation is brought out is similar to the way the dead will be brought out of the graves and back to life. This is, O people, so that perhaps you will then reflect on the power of Allah and the wonder of His creation, and that He is able to bring the dead to life.

Good land produces vegetation in abundance, by Allah’s permission. Likewise, the believer understands the teachings they are given and they benefit from them, acting accordingly with righteousness. On the other hand, the rotten, salty land only produces vegetation in small amounts, and there is little goodness in what it produces. Likewise, the disbeliever will not benefit from the true teachings they receive, and will not perform good actions that benefit him. Through such variation Allah reveals His signs and proofs in different ways, to confirm the truth to a people who are thankful for Allah’s blessings, who do not disbelieve them, and who follow their Lord.

Indeed I sent Noah as a messenger to his people calling them to the Oneness of Allah and to leave off worshipping anything besides Him. Noah said to them: 'O people! Worship Allah alone, you have no true God except Him. I fear for you O people, the punishment of a great day if you persist in your disbelief.'

The leaders and notables among his people said: 'O Noah! Indeed we think you are in clear error.

Noah told the leaders of his people: 'I am not in error, as you claim, but rather I am on guidance from my Lord, and I am a messenger from Him who is my Lord, your Lord, and the Lord of all creations.'

'I only convey to you the revelation Allah has sent me with. I only want what is good for you when I encourage you to follow what Allah instructed and to receive the reward for doing so, and warn you from what Allah has prohibited and the punishment you would receive for disobeying Him. And I know from Allah may He be Exalted what you do not know, because of the knowledge Allah has given to me through revelation. '

' Do you find it strange O people, that revelation and good teaching has come to you from your Lord on the tongue of a man from amongt yourselves whom you know well?! I have grown up amongst you and I have never been a liar or misguided, nor have I come to you from another people. I have come to warn you about the punishment of Allah so that you might follow His instructions and stay away from what He has prohibited hoping that then you would receive Mercy through having faith in Him.'

However, Noah’s people rejected him, and did not have faith in Allah, but continued in their disbelief. Noah at last asked Allah to destroy the disbelievers. Allah saved Noah and those who were with him and who had faith from drowning, by enabling them to retreat in the Ark. He destroyed those who rejected His signs, and who continued rejecting them, drowning them in a great flood as their punishment. Indeed they were a people whose hearts were blind to the truth.

And I sent to the people of ‘Ād a messenger whose name was Hūd (peace be upon him). Hūd said to them: 'O people! Worship Allah alone, for you have no true God except Him, will you not then be mindful of Him by following His instructions and staying away from what He has prohibited, so that you would be saved from His punishment?'

The leaders and notables among his people who disbelieved in Allah and rejected His messenger said: Indeed we only think you O Hūd as someone foolish and backward, calling us to worship Allah alone, and to leave the worship of our idols. In fact we are certain that you are a liar in claiming that you have been sent by Allah!'

Hūd replied: “O my people I am not foolish or backward, but I am a messenger from the Lord of the Worlds.”

' I am only conveying what Allah had instructed me to deliver to you, that you belief in Allah’s Oneness and His sacred law. I am to you all a trustworthy adviser, delivering what I am instructed, no less or more.'

'Is it strange and amazing that a reminder should come to you from your Lord from a man amongst you and from your likeness, not through an angel or a jinn. Thank Allah and praise Him for having established you on the earth making you successors to the people of Noah who were destroyed because of their disbelief. Thank Allah for having favoured you by making you strong in stature, and remember Allah’s great blessings on you so that you may be succesful, attaining what you desire and avoiding what is feared.'

Hūd’s people said: 'Have you come to tell us to worship Allah alone and to leave what our parents and ancestors worshipped! Bring us the punishment you promise if you are telling the truth in what you claim.'

Hūd said: 'Already the punishment of Allah and His Anger is on its way! Do you argue with me about idols you and your fathers have called gods, when they have no basis, since Allah has sent down no proof of their divinity. Wait then for the punishment you ask for, for I am also waiting, for indeed it is on its way.'

So Allah saved Hūd (peace be upon him), and those of the believers who were with him, through a mercy from Him, and He removed and destroyed those who rejected His signs, who did not have faith and deserved their punishment because of their denial.