7. Al-A'raaf

The Heights · Meccan · 206 ayahs

سُورَةُ الأَعۡرَافِ

Reading Al-Mukhtasar in Interpreting the Noble Qur'an by Tafsir Center for Quranic Studies

Ayahs 31–40 of 206

۞ يَٰبَنِىٓ ءَادَمَ خُذُوا۟ زِينَتَكُمْ عِندَ كُلِّ مَسْجِدٍۢ وَكُلُوا۟ وَٱشْرَبُوا۟ وَلَا تُسْرِفُوٓا۟ ۚ إِنَّهُۥ لَا يُحِبُّ ٱلْمُسْرِفِينَ

O children of Adam, take your adornment at every masjid, and eat and drink, but be not excessive. Indeed, He likes not those who commit excess.

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..

Al-A'raaf 7:31Listen in Qur'an →

قُلْ مَنْ حَرَّمَ زِينَةَ ٱللَّهِ ٱلَّتِىٓ أَخْرَجَ لِعِبَادِهِۦ وَٱلطَّيِّبَٰتِ مِنَ ٱلرِّزْقِ ۚ قُلْ هِىَ لِلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ فِى ٱلْحَيَوٰةِ ٱلدُّنْيَا خَالِصَةًۭ يَوْمَ ٱلْقِيَٰمَةِ ۗ كَذَٰلِكَ نُفَصِّلُ ٱلْءَايَٰتِ لِقَوْمٍۢ يَعْلَمُونَ

Say, "Who has forbidden the adornment of Allah which He has produced for His servants and the good [lawful] things of provision?" Say, "They are for those who believe during the worldly life [but] exclusively for them on the Day of Resurrection." Thus do We detail the verses for a people who know.

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.

Al-A'raaf 7:32Listen in Qur'an →

قُلْ إِنَّمَا حَرَّمَ رَبِّىَ ٱلْفَوَٰحِشَ مَا ظَهَرَ مِنْهَا وَمَا بَطَنَ وَٱلْإِثْمَ وَٱلْبَغْىَ بِغَيْرِ ٱلْحَقِّ وَأَن تُشْرِكُوا۟ بِٱللَّهِ مَا لَمْ يُنَزِّلْ بِهِۦ سُلْطَٰنًۭا وَأَن تَقُولُوا۟ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ مَا لَا تَعْلَمُونَ

Say, "My Lord has only forbidden immoralities - what is apparent of them and what is concealed - and sin, and oppression without right, and that you associate with Allah that for which He has not sent down authority, and that you say about Allah that which you do not know."

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.

Al-A'raaf 7:33Listen in Qur'an →

وَلِكُلِّ أُمَّةٍ أَجَلٌۭ ۖ فَإِذَا جَآءَ أَجَلُهُمْ لَا يَسْتَأْخِرُونَ سَاعَةًۭ ۖ وَلَا يَسْتَقْدِمُونَ

And for every nation is a [specified] term. So when their time has come, they will not remain behind an hour, nor will they precede [it].

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.

Al-A'raaf 7:34Listen in Qur'an →

يَٰبَنِىٓ ءَادَمَ إِمَّا يَأْتِيَنَّكُمْ رُسُلٌۭ مِّنكُمْ يَقُصُّونَ عَلَيْكُمْ ءَايَٰتِى ۙ فَمَنِ ٱتَّقَىٰ وَأَصْلَحَ فَلَا خَوْفٌ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا هُمْ يَحْزَنُونَ

O children of Adam, if there come to you messengers from among you relating to you My verses, then whoever fears Allah and reforms - there will be no fear concerning them, nor will they grieve.

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.

Al-A'raaf 7:35Listen in Qur'an →

وَٱلَّذِينَ كَذَّبُوا۟ بِـَٔايَٰتِنَا وَٱسْتَكْبَرُوا۟ عَنْهَآ أُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ أَصْحَٰبُ ٱلنَّارِ ۖ هُمْ فِيهَا خَٰلِدُونَ

But the ones who deny Our verses and are arrogant toward them - those are the companions of the Fire; they will abide therein eternally.

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.

Al-A'raaf 7:36Listen in Qur'an →

فَمَنْ أَظْلَمُ مِمَّنِ ٱفْتَرَىٰ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ كَذِبًا أَوْ كَذَّبَ بِـَٔايَٰتِهِۦٓ ۚ أُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ يَنَالُهُمْ نَصِيبُهُم مِّنَ ٱلْكِتَٰبِ ۖ حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَا جَآءَتْهُمْ رُسُلُنَا يَتَوَفَّوْنَهُمْ قَالُوٓا۟ أَيْنَ مَا كُنتُمْ تَدْعُونَ مِن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ ۖ قَالُوا۟ ضَلُّوا۟ عَنَّا وَشَهِدُوا۟ عَلَىٰٓ أَنفُسِهِمْ أَنَّهُمْ كَانُوا۟ كَٰفِرِينَ

And who is more unjust than one who invents about Allah a lie or denies His verses? Those will attain their portion of the decree until when Our messengers come to them to take them in death, they will say, "Where are those you used to invoke besides Allah?" They will say, "They have departed from us," and will bear witness against themselves that they were disbelievers.

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.

Al-A'raaf 7:37Listen in Qur'an →

قَالَ ٱدْخُلُوا۟ فِىٓ أُمَمٍۢ قَدْ خَلَتْ مِن قَبْلِكُم مِّنَ ٱلْجِنِّ وَٱلْإِنسِ فِى ٱلنَّارِ ۖ كُلَّمَا دَخَلَتْ أُمَّةٌۭ لَّعَنَتْ أُخْتَهَا ۖ حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَا ٱدَّارَكُوا۟ فِيهَا جَمِيعًۭا قَالَتْ أُخْرَىٰهُمْ لِأُولَىٰهُمْ رَبَّنَا هَٰٓؤُلَآءِ أَضَلُّونَا فَـَٔاتِهِمْ عَذَابًۭا ضِعْفًۭا مِّنَ ٱلنَّارِ ۖ قَالَ لِكُلٍّۢ ضِعْفٌۭ وَلَٰكِن لَّا تَعْلَمُونَ

[Allah] will say, "Enter among nations which had passed on before you of jinn and mankind into the Fire." Every time a nation enters, it will curse its sister until, when they have all overtaken one another therein, the last of them will say about the first of them "Our Lord, these had misled us, so give them a double punishment of the Fire. He will say, "For each is double, but you do not know."

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.'

Al-A'raaf 7:38Listen in Qur'an →

وَقَالَتْ أُولَىٰهُمْ لِأُخْرَىٰهُمْ فَمَا كَانَ لَكُمْ عَلَيْنَا مِن فَضْلٍۢ فَذُوقُوا۟ ٱلْعَذَابَ بِمَا كُنتُمْ تَكْسِبُونَ

And the first of them will say to the last of them, "Then you had not any favor over us, so taste the punishment for what you used to earn."

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.

Al-A'raaf 7:39Listen in Qur'an →

إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ كَذَّبُوا۟ بِـَٔايَٰتِنَا وَٱسْتَكْبَرُوا۟ عَنْهَا لَا تُفَتَّحُ لَهُمْ أَبْوَٰبُ ٱلسَّمَآءِ وَلَا يَدْخُلُونَ ٱلْجَنَّةَ حَتَّىٰ يَلِجَ ٱلْجَمَلُ فِى سَمِّ ٱلْخِيَاطِ ۚ وَكَذَٰلِكَ نَجْزِى ٱلْمُجْرِمِينَ

Indeed, those who deny Our verses and are arrogant toward them - the gates of Heaven will not be opened for them, nor will they enter Paradise until a camel enters into the eye of a needle. And thus do We recompense the criminals.

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.

Al-A'raaf 7:40Listen in Qur'an →

Commentary: Al-Mukhtasar in Interpreting the Noble Qur'an by Tafsir Center for Quranic Studies. Qur'an text and translation via AlQuran Cloud.