In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
A summary of the Tafsir of al-Tabari.
Abridged by Dr. Aqil ibn Salim al-Shammari.
Surah al-A'raf.
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
"And when We raised the mountain above them as if it were a canopy."
“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).” (7:171)
"Take what We have given you with determination."
"And remember what is in it, that you might become righteous."
Remember, O Muhammad, when We uprooted the mountain from its foundation.
And We raised it above the heads of the Children of Israel.
It appeared like a dark cloud.
And they thought that the mountain would fall upon them.
And We said to them:
"Take what We have given you of Our commandments and accept it."
And strive diligently to fulfill it.
And remember the covenants and pledges contained in Our Book.
Which We took from you to act upon what is within it.
So that you may fear your Lord and dread His punishment.
“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;” (7:172)
And He made them bear witness against themselves.
"Am I not your Lord?"
“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;” (7:172)
“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;” (7:172)
And remember, O Muhammad, your Lord.
When Allah brought forth the descendants of Adam from the loins of their fathers.
And He made them affirm His Oneness.
And He made them bear witness to one another regarding that.
"Am I not your Lord?"
They said, "Yes, we bear witness."
Then those who bore witness against the others among the children of Adam said:
"We bear witness against you regarding what you have affirmed for yourselves."
So that you do not say on the Day of Resurrection:
"We were unaware of this."
"And we were heedless of it."
“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?” (7:173)
"And we were descendants after them."
“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?” (7:173)
“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?” (7:173)
"And we were descendants after them."
"Shall we follow those who followed falsehood?"
"Will You destroy us for the polytheism of those who associated partners with You from among our fathers?"
Those who falsely claimed there was a god other than Allah.
“Thus we detail the revelations, that haply they may return.” (7:174)
And just as We have detailed, O Muhammad, for your people the verses of this Surah.
And explained within it what We did to the nations of the past.
So do We detail other verses and clarify them for your people.
So that they may be deterred and return to My obedience.
And repent from their polytheism.
“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.” (7:175)
“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.” (7:175)
And recite, O Muhammad, to your people.
The story of the one to whom We gave Our signs and proofs.
But he turned away from the signs that Allah had granted him.
And he disassociated himself from them.
So Satan followed him.
And made him a follower of his own desires.
Submitting to his command in disobedience to Allah.
Thus, he became one of the lost.
“And had We willed We could have raised him by their means, but he clung to the earth and followed his own lust. Therefor 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.” (7:176)
“And had We willed We could have raised him by their means, but he clung to the earth and followed his own lust. Therefor 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.” (7:176)
“And had We willed We could have raised him by their means, but he clung to the earth and followed his own lust. Therefor 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.” (7:176)
“And had We willed We could have raised him by their means, but he clung to the earth and followed his own lust. Therefor 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.” (7:176)
So relate the stories, that they might reflect.
And had We willed, We could have elevated him by means of the signs We gave him.
But he clung to the worldly life on earth and inclined toward it.
And he preferred its pleasures and desires over the Hereafter.
He rejected the obedience of Allah and followed his own whims.
The example of the one to whom We gave Our signs, yet he stripped himself of them.
Is like the dog that pants whether you chase it or leave it alone.
His likeness is in his constant panting, due to his abandonment of acting upon the Book of Allah.
And his turning away from the admonitions of Allah.
It is the same whether he is warned with the signs of Allah or not.
He will not abandon his disbelief.
His likeness is that of a dog, whose state remains the same whether it is chased or not.
This is the parable I have struck for the one to whom We gave Our signs, yet he stripped himself of them.
It is the likeness of the people who denied Our proofs and signs.
And followed in the path of this one who stripped himself of the truth.
So relate, O Muhammad, this story that I have narrated to you.
Concerning the one to whom We gave Our signs and the news of the nations I have told you about.
So that they may reflect upon it, take heed, and return to Our obedience.
“Evil as an example are the folk who denied Our revelations, and were wont to wrong themselves.” (7:177)
How evil is the example of the people who denied the proofs and signs of Allah and rejected them.
And they were only wronging their own souls and depriving them of their benefits.
By their denial of them, and nothing else.
Whoever Allah guides is the truly guided, and whoever He leaves to stray, they are the losers.
Whoever Allah grants success to obey Him is the one guided upon the path of truth.
And whoever He leaves to stray, not granting him success to obey Him, is the one who is lost.
“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.” (7:179)
“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.” (7:179)
“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.” (7:179)
“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.” (7:179)
And We have created for Hell many of the jinn and mankind.
They have hearts with which they do not reflect upon the signs of Allah.
And they do not contemplate His proofs of His Oneness.
And they have eyes with which they do not look at the signs and proofs of Allah.
So as to know through them the truth of what the messengers call them to.
And they have ears with which they do not hear the verses of the Book of Allah.
So as to take heed and reflect upon them.
They are like cattle that do not understand what is said to them.
Nor do they discern with their hearts between good and evil.
Rather, these disbelievers are further astray from the truth than cattle.
Because cattle have no choice or discernment.
Yet, they still flee from harm.
And seek for themselves the most suitable sustenance.
These are the people who were heedless of My signs and proofs.
And abandoned the guidance to which they pointed regarding the Oneness of Allah.
“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.” (7:180)
“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.” (7:180)
“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.” (7:180)
“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.” (7:180)
“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.” (7:180)
So they deviated from the truth they were upon.
And they named their idols after them, adding to and subtracting from them.
They named some of them al-Lat, derived from the name of Allah.
And they named some of them al-'Uzza, derived from the name of Allah, the Almighty (al-'Aziz).
They will soon be recompensed for the deeds they used to do.
Of disbelief in Allah and deviation regarding His names.
And denial of His Messenger.
And among the creation We have created is a group that is guided by the truth.
And by the truth, they judge and deal justly with people.
“And those who deny Our revelations - step by step We lead them on from whence they know not.” (7:182)
And those who denied Our proofs and signs.
We will lead them on by degrees, while they are unaware.
And We will beautify their deeds for them.
Until he thinks that in his state of denying the signs of Allah.
He is doing good.
Until he reaches the term that has been decreed for him of respite.
Then He will seize him for his evil deeds.
And punish him for them.
That is the gradual leading of Allah for him.
And I grant respite to those who denied Our signs.
So that they may reach, through their disobedience to their Lord.
The measure of punishment and torment that has been decreed for them.
Then He will take them to Himself.
Indeed, My plan is firm and severe.
Have these people who denied Our signs not reflected?
And known that our Messenger is neither possessed nor insane?
He is only a warner, warning you of the punishment of Allah for your disbelief in Him.
If you do not return to faith in Him.
And perhaps their term has drawn near.
Then in what statement after this will they believe?
And let them beware that their terms may have drawn near.
So that they perish in their disbelief.
So after the warning and admonition of Muhammad, peace be upon him, what will they believe in?
“Those whom Allah sendeth astray, there is no guide for them. He leaveth them to wander blindly on in their contumacy.” (7:186)
“Those whom Allah sendeth astray, there is no guide for them. He leaveth them to wander blindly on in their contumacy.” (7:186)
Whoever Allah leaves to stray from guidance, there is no guide for him.
But Allah leaves them in their persistence in their disbelief.
And they wander blindly in their rebellion and polytheism.
To deserve the end that Allah has decreed for them of His punishment and painful retribution.
They ask you about the Hour, when will be its arrival?
“They ask thee of the (destined) Hour, when will it come to port. Say: Knowledge thereof is with my Lord only. He alone will manifest it at its proper time. It is heavy in the heavens and the earth. It cometh not to you save unawares. They question thee as if thou couldst be well informed thereof. Say: Knowledge thereof is with Allah only, but most of mankind know not.” (7:187)
“They ask thee of the (destined) Hour, when will it come to port. Say: Knowledge thereof is with my Lord only. He alone will manifest it at its proper time. It is heavy in the heavens and the earth. It cometh not to you save unawares. They question thee as if thou couldst be well informed thereof. Say: Knowledge thereof is with Allah only, but most of mankind know not.” (7:187)
And I said, "It is in the heavens and the earth."
“They ask thee of the (destined) Hour, when will it come to port. Say: Knowledge thereof is with my Lord only. He alone will manifest it at its proper time. It is heavy in the heavens and the earth. It cometh not to you save unawares. They question thee as if thou couldst be well informed thereof. Say: Knowledge thereof is with Allah only, but most of mankind know not.” (7:187)
“They ask thee of the (destined) Hour, when will it come to port. Say: Knowledge thereof is with my Lord only. He alone will manifest it at its proper time. It is heavy in the heavens and the earth. It cometh not to you save unawares. They question thee as if thou couldst be well informed thereof. Say: Knowledge thereof is with Allah only, but most of mankind know not.” (7:187)
Say, "Its knowledge is only with Allah."
But most people do not know.
They ask you about the Hour, when will it be established?
Say, O Muhammad, "Its knowledge is only with my Lord."
No one knows the time of its establishment except Allah.
And no one will reveal its time except Him.
The Hour is hidden from the inhabitants of the heavens and the earth, so they cannot know its time.
The Hour will not come except suddenly.
These people ask you about the Hour.
As if you were well-informed about it, so you could tell them.
Say, O Muhammad, "I have no knowledge of that."
And no one knows it except Allah.
But most people do not know that no one knows this except Allah.
Rather, they think that knowledge of it exists with some of His creation.
“Say: For myself I have no power to benefit, nor power to hurt, save that which Allah willeth. Had I knowledge of the Unseen, I should have abundance of wealth, and adversity would not touch me. I am but a warner, and a bearer of good tidings unto folk who believe.” (7:188)
“Say: For myself I have no power to benefit, nor power to hurt, save that which Allah willeth. Had I knowledge of the Unseen, I should have abundance of wealth, and adversity would not touch me. I am but a warner, and a bearer of good tidings unto folk who believe.” (7:188)
“Say: For myself I have no power to benefit, nor power to hurt, save that which Allah willeth. Had I knowledge of the Unseen, I should have abundance of wealth, and adversity would not touch me. I am but a warner, and a bearer of good tidings unto folk who believe.” (7:188)
Say, O Muhammad, to those who ask you about the Hour:
"I have no power to bring benefit to myself."
"Nor to avert any harm that may befall me."
"Except what Allah wills that I possess of that."
By strengthening me and helping me with it.
And if I knew what was to come:
I would have increased my good deeds.
And it would be said, "I would have prepared for the year of drought by using the year of plenty."
And I would have known the times of high prices from low prices.
And no harm would have touched me.
I am only a messenger of Allah, who sent me to you.
To warn of His punishment and give glad tidings of His reward to a people who believe that I am a messenger of Allah.