Bismillahi, Wal Ahamdulillahi, Was-salatu was-salamu ‘ala Rasulillah, sal-lal-lahu ‘alyhi wa sallam
In the name of Allah, and exaltations be to Allah, and blessings and peace be upon the Messenger of Allah, (peace and blessings be upon him).
Structure:
- Verses 1-9 : Duty towards the Quran
- Verse 10-37 : Story of the Beginning
- 10-25 Adam and Satan
- 26-37 Four calls to the children of Adam
- Verse 38-53 : Story of the End
- 38-41 Dwellers of Hellfire
- 42-45 Dwellers of Paradise
- 46-53 Men on raised platforms
- Verse 54-58 : Allah’s Might
- Verse 59-137 : Prophets’ stories and united call to the Oneness of Allah
- 59-64 Story of Prophet Nuh
- 65-72 Story of Prophet Hud
- 73-79 Story of Prophet Salih
- 80-84 Story of Prophet Lut
- 85-93 Story of Prophet Shu’ayb
- 94-102 Commentary
- 103-137 Story of Prophet Musa
- Verse 138-171 : Children of Israel
- 138-141 A request and a reminder
- 142-147 The divine appointment with Musa and the relation of Torah
- 143-156 The story of the calf and Musa’s position on it
- 157-162 Allah’s instruction to the children of Israel
- 163-171 The matter of the Sabbath and Allah’s signs
- Verse 172-206 : Covenant and heedlessness
- 172-174 Covenant that Allah took from the Children of Adam
- 175-178 A parable for people who are given the signs of Allah but disbelieve in them
- 179-188 Heedlessness and its remedy
- 189-198 Nature of polytheists and invalidity of polytheism
- 199-206 Guidelines to the Prophet and the believers
Revelation:
- About the same as Al-An’am i.e., the last year of the Prophet’s stay in Makkah.
- 206 verses
- Title is derived from verse 46 – Referring to the Heights or a raise platform on which the righteous will gather before entering paradise
Key Themes and Messages:
- An invitation is given to the People of the Book to become Muslims
- A warning is given to the unbelievers about the consequences of their denial through citing the example of punishments which were inflicted upon former people for their wrong attitude towards their prophets
- The Jews are warned about the consequences of their hypocritical conduct towards the prophets
- Commandment to communicate the message of Islam with wisdom
- The prophets as well as the people to who they are sent will be questioned on the Day of Judgement
- Commandment to the believers that they should wear decent and proper dress and eat pure and good food
- Dialogue between the residents of Paradise, the inmates of hell and the people of A’raf (A place between Paradise and Hell)
- Affluence and adversity are reminders from Allah
- Muhammad (s) is the Messenger for all of mankind
- The advent of Muhammad (s) was described in the Torah and the Bible
- Mankind’s testimony about Allah at the time of Adam’s creation
- Allah created all of mankind from a single soul
- Commandment to show forgiveness, stand-up for justice and avoid the ignorant
- Instruction about listening to the Quran with complete silence
Selected Verses:
7:26 Finest clothing is the robe of piety
يَا بَنِي آدَمَ قَدْ أَنزَلْنَا عَلَيْكُمْ لِبَاسًا يُوَارِي سَوْآتِكُمْ وَرِيشًا وَلِبَاسُ التَّقْوَىٰ ذَٰلِكَ خَيْرٌ ذَٰلِكَ مِنْ آيَاتِ اللَّهِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَذَّكَّرُونَ
O children of Adam, We have bestowed upon you clothing to conceal your private parts and as adornment. But the clothing of righteousness – that is best. That is from the signs of Allah that perhaps they will remember.
7:31 Against excess and waste
وَكُلُوا وَاشْرَبُوا وَلَا تُسْرِفُوا إِنَّهُ لَا يُحِبُّ الْمُسْرِفِينَ …
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.
7:32 Good of this world
قُلْ مَنْ حَرَّمَ زِينَةَ اللَّهِ الَّتِي أَخْرَجَ لِعِبَادِهِ وَالطَّيِّبَاتِ مِنَ الرِّزْقِ قُلْ هِيَ لِلَّذِينَ آمَنُوا فِي الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا خَالِصَةً يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ كَذَٰلِكَ نُفَصِّلُ الْآيَاتِ لِقَوْمٍ 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.
7:53 Sinners would give anything to return to the world
هَلْ يَنظُرُونَ إِلَّا تَأْوِيلَهُ يَوْمَ يَأْتِي تَأْوِيلُهُ يَقُولُ الَّذِينَ نَسُوهُ مِن قَبْلُ قَدْ جَاءَتْ رُسُلُ رَبِّنَا بِالْحَقِّ فَهَل لَّنَا مِن شُفَعَاءَ فَيَشْفَعُوا لَنَا أَوْ نُرَدُّ فَنَعْمَلَ غَيْرَ الَّذِي كُنَّا نَعْمَلُ قَدْ خَسِرُوا أَنفُسَهُمْ وَضَلَّ عَنْهُم مَّا كَانُوا يَفْتَرُونَ
Do they await except its result? The Day its result comes those who had ignored it before will say, “The messengers of our Lord had come with the truth, so are there [now] any intercessors to intercede for us or could we be sent back to do other than we used to do?” They will have lost themselves, and lost from them is what they used to invent.
7:157 Muhammad (s) foretold in earlier scriptures
… الَّذِينَ يَتَّبِعُونَ الرَّسُولَ النَّبِيَّ الْأُمِّيَّ الَّذِي يَجِدُونَهُ مَكْتُوبًا عِندَهُمْ فِي التَّوْرَاةِ وَالْإِنجِيلِ
Those who follow the Messenger, the unlettered prophet, whom they find written in what they have of the Torah and the Gospel
7:158 Universality of the Prophet’s Message
… قُلْ يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ إِنِّي رَسُولُ اللَّهِ إِلَيْكُمْ جَمِيعًا
Say, [O Muhammad], “O mankind, indeed I am the Messenger of Allah to you all…..
7:168 Hardship cleanses the believer of sin
وَقَطَّعْنَاهُمْ فِي الْأَرْضِ أُمَمًا مِّنْهُمُ الصَّالِحُونَ وَمِنْهُمْ دُونَ ذَٰلِكَ وَبَلَوْنَاهُم بِالْحَسَنَاتِ وَالسَّيِّئَاتِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْجِعُونَ
And We divided them throughout the earth into nations. Of them some were righteous, and of them some were otherwise. And We tested them with good [times] and bad that perhaps they would return [to obedience].
7:180 Calling Allah by His Beautiful Names
وَلِلَّهِ الْأَسْمَاءُ الْحُسْنَىٰ فَادْعُوهُ بِهَا وَذَرُوا الَّذِينَ يُلْحِدُونَ فِي أَسْمَائِهِ سَيُجْزَوْنَ مَا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ
And to Allah belong the best names, so invoke Him by them. And leave [the company of] those who practice deviation concerning His names. They will be recompensed for what they have been doing.
7:188 Benefit and harm is from Allah
قُل لَّا أَمْلِكُ لِنَفْسِي نَفْعًا وَلَا ضَرًّا إِلَّا مَا شَاءَ اللَّهُ وَلَوْ كُنتُ أَعْلَمُ الْغَيْبَ لَاسْتَكْثَرْتُ مِنَ الْخَيْرِ وَمَا مَسَّنِيَ السُّوءُ إِنْ أَنَا إِلَّا نَذِيرٌ وَبَشِيرٌ لِّقَوْمٍ يُؤْمِنُونَ
Say, “I hold not for myself [the power of] benefit or harm, except what Allah has willed. And if I knew the unseen, I could have acquired much wealth, and no harm would have touched me. I am not except a warner and a bringer of good tidings to a people who believe.”
7:199 Show forgiveness and avoid the ignorant
خُذِ الْعَفْوَ وَأْمُرْ بِالْعُرْفِ وَأَعْرِضْ عَنِ الْجَاهِلِينَ
Take what is given freely, enjoin what is good, and turn away from the ignorant.
Virtues:
Zayd Ibn Thabit is reported to have said that the Messenger of Allah (s) used to recite Surah Al-A’raf in Maghrib prayer within the two first units of prayer.
[Hakim 1/323]
Supplications:
7:23
رَبَّنَا ظَلَمْنَا أَنفُسَنَا وَإِن لَّمْ تَغْفِرْ لَنَا وَتَرْحَمْنَا لَنَكُونَنَّ مِنَ الْخَاسِرِينَ
“Our Lord, we have wronged ourselves, and if You do not forgive us and have mercy upon us, we will surely be among the losers.”
7:89
رَبَّنَا افْتَحْ بَيْنَنَا وَبَيْنَ قَوْمِنَا بِالْحَقِّ وَأَنتَ خَيْرُ الْفَاتِحِينَ
Our Lord, decide between us and our people in truth, and You are the best of those who give decision
7:126
رَبَّنَا أَفْرِغْ عَلَيْنَا صَبْرًا وَتَوَفَّنَا مُسْلِمِينَ
Our Lord, pour upon us patience and let us die as Muslims [in submission to You].
7:155
أَنتَ وَلِيُّنَا فَاغْفِرْ لَنَا وَارْحَمْنَا وَأَنتَ خَيْرُ الْغَافِرِينَ
You are our Protector, so forgive us and have mercy upon us; and You are the best of forgivers.
Sources:
Online:
Altafsir.com (Tafsir)
Alim.org (Tafsir)
Sunnah.com (For Hadith references)
islamawakened.com (For Quranic text, transliteration, and translation)
Books:
Tafsir Al Jalalayn Jalalu’d-Din as-Suyuti (Author), Jalalu’d-Din Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Mahalli
Journey through the Qur’an – Sharif Hasan al-Banna
The Ramadan Movement Community 