Surah 7. Al-A'raf

And [did We not say,] when We caused Mount Sinai to quake above the children of Israel¹³⁷ as though it were a [mere] shadow, and they thought that it would fall upon them, "Hold fast with [all your] strength unto what We have vouchsafed you, and bear in mind all that is therein, so that you might remain conscious of God"?¹³⁸

  - Mohammad Asad

Lit., "when We shook the mountain over them": possibly a reference to an earthquake which took place at the time of the revelation of the Law (the "tablets") to Moses.

This is the end, so far as this surah is concerned, of the story of the children of Israel. In accordance with the method of the Qur'an, their story is made an object-lesson for all believers in God, of whatever community or time: and, therefore, the next passage speaks of the "children of Adam", that is, of the whole human race.

Remember when We suspended the mountain over them as though it was an umbrella and they feared it was going to fall on them and We said: "Hold firmly to the Book that We have given you and be mindful of what is in it, so that you may guard yourselves against evil."

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And when We shook the Mount above them as it were a covering, and they supposed that it was going to fall upon them (and We said): Hold fast that which We have given you, and remember that which is therein, that ye may ward off (evil).

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

AND WHENEVER thy Sustainer brings forth their offspring from the loins of the children of Adam, He [thus] calls upon them to bear witness about themselves: "Am I not your Sustainer?" - to which they answer: "Yea, indeed, we do bear witness thereto!"¹³⁹ [Of this We remind you,] lest you say on the Day of Resurrection, "Verily, we were unaware of this";

  - Mohammad Asad

In the original, this passage is in the past tense ("He brought forth", "He asked them", etc.) thus stressing the continuous recurrence of the above metaphorical "question" and "answer": a continuity which is more clearly brought out in translation by the use of the present tense. According to the Qur'an, the ability to perceive the existence of the Supreme Power is inborn in human nature (fitrah); and it is this instinctive cognition - which may or may not be subsequently blurred by self-indulgence or adverse environmental influences - that makes every sane human being "bear witness about himself" before God. As so often in the Qur'an, God's "speaking" and man's "answering" is a metonym for the creative act of God and of man's existential response to it.

O Prophet, remind mankind about incident when your Rabb brought into existence the offspring from the loins of Adam and his descendants (virtually each single individual of mankind) and made them testify about themselves. Allah asked them: "Am I not your Rabb?" They all replied: "Yes! We bear witness that You are." This We did, lest you mankind should say on the Day of Resurrection: "We were not aware of this fact that You are our Rabb and that there will be a Day of Judgement.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And (remember) when thy Lord brought forth from the Children of Adam, from their reins, their seed, and made them testify of themselves, (saying): Am I not your Lord? They said: Yea, verily. We testify. (That was) lest ye should say at the Day of Resurrection: Lo! of this we were unaware;

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

or lest you say, "Verily, it was but our forefathers who, in times gone by, began to ascribe divinity to other beings beside God; and we were but their late offspring: wilt Thou, then, destroy us for the doings of those inventors of falsehoods?"

  - Mohammad Asad

or lest you should say: "Our forefathers started the practice of shirk and we just followed, being their descendants. Will you then destroy us on account of following the sin committed by those wrongdoers?"

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Or lest ye should say: (It is) only (that) our fathers ascribed partners to Allah of old and we were (their) seed after them. Wilt Thou destroy us on account of that which those who follow falsehood did?

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

And thus clearly do We spell out these messages; and [We do it] so that they [who have sinned] might return [unto Us].

  - Mohammad Asad

Thus do We spell out Our revelations so that you might return to the Right Way.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Thus We detail Our revelations, that haply they may return.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

And tell them what happens to him¹⁴⁰ to whom We vouchsafe Our messages and who then discards them: Satan catches up with him, and he strays, like so many others, into grievous error.¹⁴¹

  - Mohammad Asad

Lit., "convey to them the tiding of him".

Lit., "he became one of those who have strayed into grievous error". In the original, this whole verse is in the past tense; but since its obvious purport is the statement of a general truth (cf. Razi, on the authority of Qatadah,'Ikrimah and Abu Muslim) and not, as some commentators assume, a reference to a particular person, it is best rendered in the present tense. The kind of man spoken of here is one who has understood the divine message but, nevertheless, refuses to admit its truth because - as is pointed out in the next verse - he "clings to the earth", i.e., is dominated by a materialistic, "earthly" outlook on life. (Cf. the allegory of "a creature out of the earth" in 27:82 ).

Tell them the story of that person to whom We sent our revelations but he turned away from them, as a result Shaitan persuaded him until he become one of the misguided.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Recite unto them the tale of him to whom We gave Our revelations, but he sloughed them off, so Satan overtook him and he became of those who lead astray.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Now had We so willed, We could indeed have exalted him by means of those [messages]: but he always clung to the earth and followed but his own desires. Thus, his parable is that of an [excited] dog: if thou approach him threateningly, he will pant with his tongue lolling; and if thou leave him alone, he will pant with his tongue lolling.¹⁴² Such is the parable of those who are bent on giving the lie to Our messages. Tell [them], then, this story, so that they might take thought.

  - Mohammad Asad

Because his attitudes are influenced only by what his earth-bound desires represent to him as his immediate "advantages" or "disadvantages", the type of man alluded to in this passage is always - whatever the outward circumstances - a prey to a conflict between his reason and his base urges and, thus, to inner disquiet and imaginary fears, and cannot attain to that peace of mind which a believer achieves through his faith.

Had it been Our will, We would have exalted him through those revelations; but he clung to this earthly life and followed his own desires. His similitude is that of a dog: if you chase him he lolls out his tongue and if you leave him alone he still lolls out his tongue. Such are those who deny Our revelations, tell them these parables, so that they might think over their behavior to Our revelations.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And had We willed We could have raised him by their means, but he clung to the earth and followed his own lust. Therefore his likeness is as the likeness of a dog; if thou attackest him he panteth with his tongue out, and if thou leavest him he panteth with his tongue out. Such is the likeness of the people who deny Our revelations. Narrate unto them the history (of the men of old), that haply they may take thought.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Evil is the example of people who are bent on giving the lie to Our messages: for it is against their own selves that they are sinning!

  - Mohammad Asad

Very bad is the example of those people who deny Our revelations and wrong their own souls.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Evil as an example are the folk who denied Our revelations, and were wont to wrong themselves.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

He whom God guides, he alone is truly guided; whereas those whom He lets go astray - it is they, they who are the losers!

  - Mohammad Asad

Only he whom Allah guides is rightly guided; and whom He confounds will become the losers.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

He who Allah leadeth, he indeed is led aright, while he whom Allah sendeth astray they indeed are losers.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

And most certainly have We destined for hell many of the invisible beings¹⁴³ and men who have hearts with which they fail to grasp the truth, and eyes with which they fail to see, and ears with which they fail to hear. They are like cattle - nay, they are even less conscious of the right way:¹⁴⁴ it is they, they who are the [truly] heedless!

  - Mohammad Asad

See Appendix III.

Lit., "they are farther astray" - inasmuch as animals follow only their instincts and natural needs and are not conscious of the possibility or necessity of a moral choice.

Certainly, We have destined many Jinns and human beings for hell; those are the ones who have hearts with which they do not understand, they have eyes with which they do not see, they have ears with which they do not hear. They are like animals - or even worse than them , because they are those who are heedless.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Already have We urged unto hell many of the jinn and humankind, having hearts wherewith they understand not, and having eyes wherewith they see not, and having ears wherewith they hear not. These are as the cattle nay, but they are worse! These are the neglectful.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

AND GOD'S [alone] are the attributes of perfection;¹⁴⁵ invoke Him, then, by these, and stand aloof from all who distort the meaning of His attributes:¹⁴⁶ they shall be requited for all that they were wont to do!

  - Mohammad Asad

This passage connects with the mention, at the end of the preceding verse, of "the heedless ones" who do not use their faculty of discernment in the way intended for it by God, and remain heedless of Him who comprises within Himself all the attributes of perfection and represents, therefore, the Ultimate Reality. As regards the expression al-asma' al-husna (lit., "the most perfect [or "most goodly"] names"), which occurs in the Qur'an four times - i.e., in the above verse as well as in 17:110 , 20:8 and 59:24 - it is to be borne in mind that the term ism is, primarily, a word applied to denote the substance or the intrinsic attributes of an object under consideration, while the term al-husna is the plural form of al-ahsan ("that which is best" or "most goodly"). Thus, the combination al-asma' al-husna may be appropriately rendered as "the attributes of perfection" - a term reserved in the Qur'an for God alone.

I.e., by applying them to other beings or objects or, alternatively, by trying to "define" God in anthropomorphic terms and relationships, like "father" or "son" (Razi).

Allah has the most excellent names (over ninety-nine attributes); call on Him by them ; and shun those people who use profanity in His Names, such people shall be requited for their misdeeds.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Allah's are the fairest names. Invoke Him by them. And leave the company of those who blaspheme His names. They will be requited what they do.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Now, among those whom We have created there are people who guide [others] in the way of the truth and act justly in its light.¹⁴⁷

  - Mohammad Asad

Sc., "and they will be rewarded accordingly". See verse {159} above, where the righteous "among the folk of Moses" are thus described. In this verse, the reference is broadened to include the righteous of all times and communities - that is, all those who are receptive to God's messages and live up to them by virtue of their conviction that God is the Ultimate Reality.

Among those whom We have created, there are some people who guide others with the truth and establish justice therewith.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And of those whom We created there is a nation who guide with the Truth and establish justice therewith.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

But as for those who are bent on giving the lie to Our messages - We shall bring them low, step by step, without their perceiving how it came about:¹⁴⁸

  - Mohammad Asad

Lit., "without their knowing whence [it comes]". For an explanation of the term kayd ("subtle scheme") occurring in the next verse, see note [25] on 68:45 , where this term appears for the first time in Qur'anic revelation.

Those who deny Our revelations, We draw them step by step closes to destruction in ways that they do not realize,

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And those who deny Our revelations--step by step We lead them on from whence they know not.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

for, behold, though I may give them rein for a while, My subtle scheme is exceedingly firm!

  - Mohammad Asad

and even though I grant them respite; My plan is surely effective.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

I give them rein (for) lo! My scheme is strong.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Has it, then, never occurred to them¹⁴⁹ that there is no madness whatever in [this] their fellow-man? He is only a plain warner.¹⁵⁰

  - Mohammad Asad

Lit., "Have they, then, not reflected".

Because he enunciated a message that differed radically from anything to which the Meccans had been accustomed, the Prophet was considered mad by many of his unbelieving contemporaries. The stress on his being "their fellow-man" (sahibuhum - lit., "their companion") is meant to emphasize the fact that he is human, and thus to counteract any possible tendency on the part of his followers to invest him with superhuman qualities: an argument which is more fully developed in verse {188}.

Has it never occurred to them that their companion is not a madman; he is merely a plain Warner.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Have they not bethought them (that) there is no madness in their comrade? He is but a plain warner.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Have they, then, never considered [God's] mighty dominion over the heavens and the earth, and all the things that God has created, and [asked themselves] whether, perchance, the end of their own term might already have drawn nigh? In what other tiding, then, will they, after this, believe?¹⁵¹

  - Mohammad Asad

Apart from a reminder of man's utter dependence on God, the implication of the above passage is this: Since everything in the observable or intellectually conceivable universe is obviously caused, it must have had a beginning and, therefore, must also have an end. Furthermore, since the universe is not eternal in the sense of having had no beginning, and since it cannot possibly have evolved "by itself" out of nothing, and since "nothingness" is a concept devoid of all reality, we are forced to predicate the existence of a Primary Cause which is beyond the limits of our experience and, hence, beyond the categories of our thought - that is, the existence of God: and this is the meaning of the "tiding" to which this verse refers.

Have they not pondered the kingdom of the heavens and the earth and whatever Allah has created, and that maybe their hour of death has come closer? In what message after this would they then believe?

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Have they not considered the dominion of the heavens and the earth, and what things Allah hath created, and that it may be that their own term draweth nigh? In what fact after this will they believe?

  - Marmaduke Pickthall