..
الٓمٓصٓ ١
Alif-Lâm-Mîm-Sâd. [These letters are one of the miracles of the Qur’ân and none but Allâh (Alone) knows their meanings.]
كِتَـٰبٌ أُنزِلَ إِلَيْكَ فَلَا يَكُن فِى صَدْرِكَ حَرَجٌۭ مِّنْهُ لِتُنذِرَ بِهِۦ وَذِكْرَىٰ لِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ ٢
(This is the) Book (the Qur’ân) sent down unto you (O Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم), so let not your breast be narrow therefrom, that you warn thereby; and a reminder unto the believers.
ٱتَّبِعُوا۟ مَآ أُنزِلَ إِلَيْكُم مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ وَلَا تَتَّبِعُوا۟ مِن دُونِهِۦٓ أَوْلِيَآءَ ۗ قَلِيلًۭا مَّا تَذَكَّرُونَ ٣
[Say (O Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم) to these idolaters (pagan Arabs) of your folk:] Follow what has been sent down unto you from your Lord (the Qur’ân and Prophet Muhammad’s Sunnah), and follow not any Auliyâ’ (protectors and helpers who order you to associate partners in worship with Allâh), besides Him (Allâh). Little do you remember!
[Al-Quran 7:1-3, Translation: Al-Hilali & Khan]
We need to remember:
- that everyone will be questioned
- that we are being watched constantly
- that on that Day, it is the Haqq which will have weight
- those whose scale is heavy will be successful
- those whose scale is light will lose their nafs because of the Zulm they were doing towards Our Signs
- that we have been provided with our livelihoods and the economic system
- that we show very little gratitude
- that Iblis has sworn to harm us all
- that Iblis lied and made false promises to our forefather Adam to mislead him
- that Iblis caused our forefather Adam immense harm and loss by posing as a sincere well-wisher
- that Adam confessed that they both had put their Nafs (soul) in darkness
- that Adam prayed that if Allah did not cover them and surround them both in His Mercy, they would certainly be among the losers
- that Allah sent them all to Earth as enemies to each other
- that Allah sent them all to Earth as settlement and enjoyment for a time
- that Allah blessed Bani Adam with clothes to cover and hide and adorn our naked bodies
- that our clothes are from the Signs of Allah
- that Iblis and his tribe watches us from where we cannot see them
- that clothing and deen (religious recompense) is linked
- that as Allah originally made us, so He will raise us again
- that we should adorn ourselves, and eat and drink at every masjid (time and place of prostration)
- that we should not indulge in israaf (misuse)
- that Allah has not forbidden adornment and good food
- that the adornments that have been produced, and the good things to eat, are especially for the believers in this world, and exclusively for them in the Hereafter
- Allah has forbidden
- immoralities, both open and hidden
- sinfulness
- rebellion / oppression without right
- joining partners with Allah for which Allah has sent down no authority
- saying things about Allah of which you have no knowledge
- every religious nation (ummah) has an appointed Hour (asSaata), and it cannot be advanced or delayed
- that we need to heed to Allah's Ayaat when Allah's Messengers recite them
- that we need to keep our duty to Allah, and reform ourselves accordingly
- that doing so will save us from grief (of what we lost) and fear (of what will happen to us)
- that those who belie and are arrogant towards them will be the Companions of the Fire, eternally living there
- that the greatest Zulm (darkness) is to invent about Allah and/or deny His Ayaat (signs)
- that for such people, the doors of the sky will not open, and they will not be allowed to ascend to The Garden until the Jml (camel) can pass through the eye of the needle, such will be the recompense of the criminals
- that Jahanam (fire of Hell) will be their bed and covering, such is the recompense of those (who put their nafs (souls) in) darkness
- that those who believe and do small acts of reform, no load is put on any nafs except that it can bear, they will be the Companions of the Garden, eternally living there
- all resentment will have been removed from within their breasts
- rivers will flow beneath them
- they will gratefully praise Allah (Alhamadolillah) for having guided them
- they will admit that they could never have been guided had Allah not guided them
- they will state that the Messengers had come with the truth
- it will be said to them: this is the Garden that you inherit because of what you used to do
- the Companions of the Garden will call out to the Companions of the Fire
- stating that they have found the promise of their Lord true
- and asking if they have found the promise of their Lord true
- the Companions of the Fire will respond: Yes
- then a caller will announce that the Zalimun (those in the darkness) have been removed from Allah's Mercy
- those who averted people from the way of Allah,
- sought to make it deviant
- and rejected the Hereafter
- there will be a partition between them, and on the Heights (A'raf) will be men
- who will recognise everyone by their marks
- they will call out to the Companions of the Garden: Salamun alaikum
- they will not yet have entered it, but are hopeful with certainty
- and when their vision turns towards the Companions of the Fire
- they will say, 'our Lord, do not place us with the Zalimun (those in the darkness)'
- and the Companions of the A'raf (Heights) will call out to the men they recognise by their marks: 'of what benefit was what you collected (people / wealth), and your arrogance?
- 'are these the people you assumed Allah would never show Mercy? Enter Paradise, no fear shall be upon you, nor shall ye grieve' (it is assumed that this statement is about the Companions of the al-A'raf, who were waiting for a decision regarding their fate).
- the Companions of the Fire will call out to the Companions of the Garden to pour upon us some water or what rizq Allah has provided you with
- they will be informed that Allah has forbidden both of those to the Kafireen (rejectors / ingrates)
- those who took their Deen (religion / recompense) as distraction and amusement
- and the worldly life deluded them
- We will forget them just as they forgot the Meeting of This Day
- and they used to reject Our Signs
- We had certainly bought to them a Book
- detailed with knowledge
- as a guidance and a Mercy to a people who believe
- do they await except its taweel (outcome)?
- the Day that it appears, those who had neglected it before, will say
- the Messengers of our Lord had come with al-Haqq
- now are there any intercessors for us who would intercede on our behalf
- or can we be sent back to do other than what we used to do
- they would have lost their Nafs (soul)
- and they were led astray by that which they used to invent
- Indeed, your Lord-Sustainer (Rabb) is Allah
- who created the Skies and Earth in six days
- and then established Himself over the Throne
- He covers the night with the day, chasing it rapidly
- He created the Sun, the Moon, and the Stars, subjected by His Command
- unquestionably, His is the Creation and Command
- Blessed is Allah, Flourishes Allah (tabaraka Allahu تَبٰرَكَ اللّٰهُ)
- Lord of all the worlds (رَبُّ الۡعٰلَمِيۡنَ)
- Call upon your Rabb in humility and privately
- He does not like the transgressors
- and do not corrupt the Earth after it has been reformed
- and call upon Him in fear and hope
- indeed, His Mercy is near the Muhsineen (those who do good deeds, excellently)
- it is He who sends winds as good tidings before His Mercy
- until when they carry heavy rain clouds
- We drive it to a land that is dead
- pour upon it and bring forth from all of its fruits
- thus will the dead be brought forth
- perhaps you will remember
- from the good land comes forth vegetation, with the permission of its Lord
- from the bad land emerges with difficulty and sparingly
- thus do We diversify the signs for a people who are grateful
- Messenger Noah (Q7:59-64)
- Messenger Hud (Q7:65-72)
- Messenger Saleh (Q7:73-79)
- Messenger Lot (Q7:80-84)
- Messenger Shoaib (Q7:85-93)
- not We sent to any city a prophet but
- We seized its people with extreme poverty (wealth-wise), and extreme hardship (health-wise), that they might humble themselves
- then We changed the bad to the good till a state of prosperity and affluence
- and they said: our fathers were also touched with hardship and ease
- then We seized them all of a sudden while they were unaware
- if only the people of the cities had believed and kept their duty (taqwa),
- We would have opened for them barakat (blessings to flourish) from the sky and earth
- but they belied, so We seized them for what they used to earn
- did the people of the cities feel secure from Our punishment coming to them in the night while they were asleep?
- did the people of the cities feel secure from Our punishment coming to them in the morning while they were playing?
- did they feel secure from the Plan of Allah?
- but who feels secure from the Plan of Allah except the people who are losers
- hasn't it been a reminder for the people who have inherited the earth after those who lived there before that if We willed, We could afflict them for their sins
- and We seal up the hearts of those who do not listen
- those are the cities, We relate to you some of their news
- and certainly their messengers came to them with clear proofs
- but they were not to believe in that which they had belied before
- thus We seal up the hearts of the rejectors
- and We did not find in most of them any (keeping of their) covenant
- and most of them We found to be defiantly disobedient
- Messenger Moses (Q7:103-onwards)
- ... <highlights> ...
- seventy men for the meeting (Q7:155)
- follow Nabi Ummi mentioned in Taurat and Injeel (Q7:157)
- and among the people of Moses are some who are guided by Haqq and do Adl (justice)
- Sabbath violation and punishment (Q7:163-166)
- The generational descendants, inheritors of the Book, and the violation of the Covenant; and they have studied what is therein; the home of the Hereafter is better for those who keep their duty; will they not use their intelligence (Q7:169)
- but those who hold fast to the Book and establish prayer, certainly We shall not let the reward of the reformers to be lost
- the raising of the mountain above them (ratifying the Covenant with Bani Israel): hold firmly what We have given you, and remember what is therein, that you may be able to keep your duty (to Allah) (Q7:171)
- Testimony of all the Descendants of the Children of Adam over their Nafs:
- that Allah is their Lord
- lest they say on the Day of Qiyamah
- that we were unaware of it
- or that our forefathers associated with Allah and we are their descendants, so will you destroy us for the deeds of those who practiced batil?
- thus do We explain in detail the ayaat, so that they would return
- the example of the person who was given knowledge of Our Signs, but he threw them away, so Shaitan (Satan) followed him up, so he became of those who made legal mistakes (Q7:175)
- if We willed, We could have elevated him thereby; but he adhered to the earth, and followed his desires
- his example is that of a dog: if you chase him, he pants, if you leave him, he pants
- such is the example of those who belie Our signs
- so relate their stories, so that they reflect Q7:176)
- evil is the example of the people who belie Our Signs and put their nafs in darkness (Q7:177)
- he whom Allah guides is guided; and he whom He sends astray, it is those who are the losers (Q7:178)
- and We have certainly produced for Hell many of jinns and humans
- they have hearts that do not have any legal understanding
- they have eyes but no vision
- they have ears but do not listen
- they are like livestock, or more astray
- they are the heedless (Q7:179)
- for Allah are the best names, so call upon Him through them
- and leave those who practice deviation with His names
- soon they will be requited for what they used to do (Q7:180)
- and among them We created a community which guides by Haqq (truth) and thereby establishes Adl (justice) (Q7:181)
- those who belie Our signs, soon shall We seize them in ways they won't even know (Q7:182)
- and I will give them time, indeed My Plan is Firm (Q7:183)
- do they not reflect that in their companion is no madness, but that he is a plain Warner (Q7:184)
- do they not look into the realms of the skies and earth, and everything that Allah has created, that perhaps their appointed time has come near
- then in what Hadith (narration) after this will they believe? (Q7:185)
- whoever Allah sends astray, their is no one to guide after Him, and He leaves them in their transgressions, wandering blindly (Q7:186)
- they ask you about the appointed Hour (as-Sa'ata), when will it be
- say the knowledge thereof is with my Lord alone
- none will reveal its time except Him
- it lays heavily upon the skies and earth
- it will not arrive except all of a sudden
- they ask you as if you are familiar with it
- say, its knowledge is only with Allah
- but most of the people do not know (Q7:187)
- say I hold for myself no benefit or harm except as Allah wills
- if I had knowledge of unseen, I would have accumulated for myself much Khair
- and no evil would have touched me
- I am but a Warner, and a bringer of glad tidings for a people who believe (Q7:188)
- it is He who created you from a single nafs,
- then from her, her mate,
- then when he covered her, and she carried a light burden,
- when the burden became heavy, they both prayed to Allah, their Lord, that if He gave them a reformed offspring, they will be grateful (Q7:189)
- when He gave them a reformed offspring, they both ascribed partners to Allah concerning that which He had given them
- Exalted is Allah above what they associate (Q7:190)
- do they associate with Him those who create nothing, and are themselves created? (Q7:191)
- and they are unable to help them, nor even help their own nafs (Q7:192)
- and if you invite them to guidance, they will not follow you
- it is the same whether you invite them or you remain silent, (Q7:193)
- indeed those you call upon other than Allah are slaves like you
- call upon them and let them respond if you are truthful (Q7:194)
- do they have feet by which they walk?
- or hands with which they strike /grip?
- or eyes they envision with?
- or ears they listen with?
- say, call upon those partners, plot against me, and give me no respite
- indeed my protector is Allah, who has sent down the Book, and He is the Ally of the reformers (Q7:196)
- those whom you call upon other than Him are unable to help you, and are unable to help their own nafs (Q7:197)
- and if you invite them to guidance, they do not listen, and you see them looking at you, but do not envision (Q7:198)
- take what is given freely / pardon, enjoin what is good, and turn away from those ignorant of the Law (Q7:199)
- and if an evil suggestion comes to you from Shaitan (Satan), seek the protection of Allah, He is Hearing, Knowing (Q7:200)
- those who keep their duty (taqwa), when an impulse by Shaitan (Satan) touches them, they remember, and envision (Q7:201)
- and their brothers, they increase them in error, and they do not stop short (Q7:202)
- and when you do not bring them a sign, they say why have you not contrived it
- say I only follow that which is revealed to me from my Lord
- insights from your Lord
- a guidance and a mercy for a people who believe (Q7:203)
Surah al-A'raf concludes on this note:
وَإِذَا قُرِئَ ٱلْقُرْءَانُ فَٱسْتَمِعُوا۟ لَهُۥ وَأَنصِتُوا۟ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُرْحَمُونَ ٢٠٤
So, when the Qur’ân is recited, listen to it, and be silent that you may receive mercy. [i.e. during the compulsory congregational prayers when the Imâm (of a mosque) is leading the prayer (except Sûrat Al-Fâtihah), and also when he is delivering the Friday-prayer Khutbah]. (Tafsir At-Tabari).
وَٱذْكُر رَّبَّكَ فِى نَفْسِكَ تَضَرُّعًۭا وَخِيفَةًۭ وَدُونَ ٱلْجَهْرِ مِنَ ٱلْقَوْلِ بِٱلْغُدُوِّ وَٱلْـَٔاصَالِ وَلَا تَكُن مِّنَ ٱلْغَـٰفِلِينَ ٢٠٥
And remember your Lord within yourself, humbly and with fear and without loudness in words in the mornings, and in the afternoons and be not of those who are neglectful.[1]
[1](V.205): See the footnote of (13:28).
إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ عِندَ رَبِّكَ لَا يَسْتَكْبِرُونَ عَنْ عِبَادَتِهِۦ وَيُسَبِّحُونَهُۥ وَلَهُۥ يَسْجُدُونَ ۩ ٢٠٦
Surely, those who are with your Lord (angels) are never too proud to perform acts of worship to Him, but they glorify His Praise and prostrate themselves before Him.
[Al-Quran 7:204-206, Translation: Al-Hilali & Khan]
....
