النص المفهرس

27
Surah Al-A'raf : 7 : 133 - 136
famine' and 'loss of fruits.' The respected Companion 'Abdullah ibn
'Abbas and the commentator Qatadah have said that the punishment
of drought was for the people of the rural areas, while people living in
cities and towns were punished by the loss of fruits. When a people are
stamped with the wrath of Allah they lose their faculty of distin-
guishing right from wrong. Pharaoh and his people too, had lost their
understanding. They did not take lesson from this warning. On the
contrary, they ascribed the calamity to be a bad presage from the
prophet Musa WJI Le and his people. The verse said, 'So when some-
thing good came to them they said, 'This is our right.' And if they
suffered from something evil, they ascribed it as an ill omen to Musa
WIule and those with him. Listen, their omen lies with Allah only,
but most of them do not know."
The Arabic word: Ú 'Ta'ir' used for omen signifies a bird. The
Arabs had a superstition that a bird coming down to their right or left
meant a good or bad fate. The verse implies that good or bad fate
comes from Allah. Everything in this world happens under the will of
Allah. No one is there to bring good or bad fate to any one. It is sheer
ignorance to believe in such things and base their activities on such
baseless assumptions. The last verse describes their rejection of the
truth in these words:
And they said, ◌َمَهُمَا تَأْتِنَا بِهِ مِنْ ايَتٍ لِتَسْحَرَنَا بِهَا فَمَا نَحْرٌ لَكَ بُوُمِنِين 'Whatever sign
you bring to us in order to enchant us therewith, we are not going to
believe in you."
Verses 133 - 136
فَاَرْسَلْنَا عَلَيْهِمُ الْظُرُفَانَ وَالْجَرَادَ وَالْقُمَّلَ وَالخَّفَادِعَ وَالدَّمَ
"أَيْتٍ مُفَضَّلْتٍ فَاسْتَكْبَرُوْا وَكَانُوا قَوْمًا تُجُرِمِينَ ﴿١٣٣﴾ وَلَّ
وَقَعَ عَلَيْهِمُ الرِّجُزُ قَالُوا لِمُؤْسَى ادْعُ لَنَا رَبَّكَ بِمَا عَهِدَ
عِنْدَكَ لَبِنْ كَشَفْتَ عَنَّا الُّزَ لَنُؤْمِنَنَّ لَكَ وَلَنُؤْسِلَنَّ مَعَكَ
بَنِىّ ◌ِسْرَاْ ءِيْلَ ﴿١٢٤﴾ فَلَّا كَشَفْنَا عَنْهُمُ الرَّجُزَّ إِلَى آَجَلٍ هُمْ
بَالِقُؤُهُ إِذَاهُمْ يَنْكُفُوْنَ ﴿١٣٥﴾ فَانْتَقَمْنَا مِنْهُمْ فَاغْرَقُتُهُمْ فِى

28
Surah Al-A'raf : 7 : 133 - 136
,
كَذَّبُوا بَايَتِنَا وَكَانُوا عَنْهَا غِفِلِيْنَ ﴿١٣٦﴾
بَمّ بأنّ
So We sent upon them the storm and locusts, and pests,
frogs and blood, signs distinct from each other. Yet
they showed arrogance and they were a guilty people.
[133] And when the punishment fell upon them, they
said, "O Musa, pray for us to your Lord by the covenant
He has made with you. If you remove the punishment
from us, we shall surely believe in you and shall send
the children of Isra'il with you." [134]
So when We removed the punishment from them, for a
period of time that they had to reach, they suddenly
started to break the promise. [135] Then we took
vengeance from them, and drowned them in the sea,
for they belied Our signs and were neglectful of them.
[136]
The above verses relate the next part of the story of the prophet
Musa WILL and the people of Pharaoh. According to historical
reports, the prophet Musa WILL stayed in Egypt for 20 years. He
kept preaching consistently and conveyed the message of Allah to
them. He was given nine miracles during his stay in Egypt which
served as warnings to the people of Pharaoh. The Holy Qur'an has
referred to the nine miracles in these words. ◌ِوَلَقَدُ أَتَيْنَا مُؤُسى تِسْعَ أيْت "Surely ,
We gave him nine miracles."
Out of the nine miracles, two were performed before Pharaoh and
his people. The third miracle was of famine reported in verse 130. The
above verses speak of the remaining six miracles. The verse 133 has
mentioned five punishments coming to the people of Pharaoh. All
these punishments have been termed as 'signs distinct from each
other.' According to the comments of the respected Companion
'Abdullah ibn 'Abbas each of these punishments lasted for a fixed
period of time followed by a period of relief followed by the next
punishment.
Ibn-al-Mundhir has cited from the Companion 'Abdullah ibn 'Abbas
that each punishment lasted for seven days starting from Saturday,
then they were given three weeks of relief. Imam al-Baghawi, citing
the Companion 'Abdullah ibn 'Abbas said that the first time when they
were relieved of famine by asking the prophet Musa WI ule to pray

29
Surah Al-A'raf : 7 : 133 - 136
Allah for their relief, they did not keep the promise of believing in
Allah. The prophet Musa WJILL prayed Allah that they may be
inflicted with some painful punishment so that it serves as a lesson to
his people and to their descendants. Allah first sent a storm upon
them. According to great commentators, this was a flood. All the lands
and houses of the people of Pharaoh were filled and surrounded by the
water leaving for them no place for farming and living in their homes.
The strange thing about it was that the lands and houses of the Israe-
lites were not affected by the water of the flood.
In a state of great distress they came to the prophet Musa Jl Lle
and requested him to pray Allah for their relief from this calamity.
They promised that if they are relieved from the flood they would
embrace faith in Allah and let the Israelites go with him from Egypt.
The prayer of the prophet was acceded to and the storm subsided. It is
reported that their fields were more fertile and productive than before.
Again they did not keep their promise and said that the storm was not
a punishment from Allah. Rather it came to their benefit and the
increase in the produce was the result of the flood and that Musa que
›› JI had nothing to do with it.
A period of respite was given to them to reflect and realize their
error. After a period of one month another punishment was sent to
them in the form of locusts which ate up all the crops and fruits. Some
reports say that the locusts devoured even their doors and roofs made
of wood and other things of their houses. Again they were surprised to
notice that the locusts did not do any harm to the houses and fields of
the Israelites which were quite close to them. Once again they cried for
help and implored to the prophet Musa WJILL to pray his Lord for
taking away this punishment from them and that they make firm
promise to believe in him and free the Israelites after their relief. The
prophet Musa WI u. prayed Allah for their relief again and they got
rid of this chastisement.
Seeing that they were left with enough grain to suffice them for
one year, they turned against their promise and showed arrogance as
before. Once again, a period of peace and relief followed. The third
punishment came to them of 'Qummal' rendered here as pest. Qummal
in Arabic is used for 'louse' as well as for an insect which eats up

30
Surah Al-A'raf : 7 : 133 - 136
grain. It is possible that both kinds of insects were sent to them, that
is, small pests started to eat up their grain while equally large number
of lice ate up even their hair and eyelashes. Exasperated as they were,
they came again to prophet Musa WUJI Ale and asked him to pray Allah
for their riddance, promising again their acceptance of the true faith
and release of the Israelites. He prayed Allah for their relief and Allah
relieved them of this punishment too.
The fourth punishment was of the frogs. The frogs were created in
such a large number in their houses that they covered them up to their
necks. The frogs covered them in their beds when they came to sleep.
All of their cooking pans and utensils and their household were full of
frogs. Being highly disgusted with this situation they came again to
prophet Musa JILJe, with all their old promises, and asked him to
pray for their deliverance. This time also they were relieved of this
punishment. They were given enough time to correct themselves but
those who incur Allah's wrath are deprived of positive thinking. This
time when they were in peace they said that they were sure that Musa
lule was a sorcerer and not a messenger of Allah. Those mishaps to
them were the effect of his sorcery.
After a month of relief the next punishment visiting them was that
of blood. Everything of their use turned into blood. Their drinks, their
food and their water became all blood before they could use them. As
they took out water from the wells or tanks it turned into blood.
History has reported it was strange that whenever the Egyptians and
the Israelites sat together for meal the morsel of food taken by the
Egyptian became all blood, while the one taken by an Israelite did not
change. This punishment too lasted for seven days. They were relieved
of this punishment through the prayer of the Prophet Musa XJle
after their usual false promises.
The people of Pharaoh were subjected to the above five punish-
ments one after another but they persisted in their arrogance and
showed no sign of taking lesson from these warnings. The sixth
punishment has been mentioned in the Qur'an by the Arabic word: ,
'Rijz' which signifies plague or pestilence. The number of Egyptians
killed in this plague is reported to have been more than seventy thou-
sand. They were relieved of this punishment by the prayer of the

31
Surah Al-A'raf : 7 : 137 - 141
prophet Musa عليه السلام . Again they broke their promise as before. Now,
when they showed no sign of understanding they were finally caught
by the last punishment - the death. Leaving behind all their lands,
houses and possessions they chased the prophet Musa عليه السلام and his
people and were drowned in the sea.
Verse 137 - 141
وَأَوْرَتْنَا الْقَوْمَ الَّذِيْنَ كَانُوا يُسْتَضْعَفُوْنَ مَشَارِقَ الْأَرْضِ
وَمَغَارِبَهَا الَّنِىْ بَرَكْنَا فِيْهَاء وَثَتْ كَلِمَتُ رَبِّكَ الْحُسْنَى عَلَى
بَنِىٌّ اِسْرَآءِيْلَهُبِمَا صَبَرُوْا، وَ دَقَّرْنَا مَا كَانَ يَصْنَعُ فِرْعَوْنُ
وَقَوْمُهُ وَمَا كَانُوا يَعْرِشُونَ ﴿١٣٧) وَجَاوَزُنَا بِبَنِي إِسْرَاءِبْلَ
الْبَحْرَ فَآتَوْا عَلَى قَوْمٍ يَتَّعْكُفُونَ عَلَى أَصْنَامٍ لَّهُمْ قَالُوْا
يُمُؤْسَى اجْعَلُ لَّنَا إِلهَا كَمَا لَهُمْ آلِهَةٌّ، قَالَ إِنَّكُمُ قَوْمٌ تَجُهَلُونَ
﴿١٣٨﴾ إِنَّ هَؤُلاءِ مْتَرْ ◌َا هُمْ فِيْهِ وَيُطِلٌ مَّا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُوْنَ
﴿١٣٩﴾ قَالَ اغيُرَ اللَّهِ أَبْغِيُكُمْ إِلَهَا وَهُوَ فَضَّلَكُمُ عَلَى
الْعُلَمِيْنَ ﴿١٤٠) وَإِذْ أَنْجَيْنُكُمْ مِنُ الٍ فِرْعَوْنَ يَسْؤُمُوْنَكُمْ
سُوْءَ الْعَذَابِ) يُقَتِّلُونَ آَبْنَاءَكُمْ وَيَسْتَحْيُونَ نِسَآءَكُمْ، وَفِى
ذُلِكُمْ بَلَاءٌ مِنُ رَّبِّكُمْ عَظِيْمٌ ﴿١٤١﴾
And We made those people who were taken as weak,
the inheritors of the easts of the land and of it's wests
which We had blessed. And the sublime word of your
Lord was fulfilled for the children of Isra'il, because
they stood patient. And We destroyed what Pharaoh
and his people used to build and what they used to
raise high. [137]
And We made the children of Isra'il cross the sea, then,
they came across a people sitting in devotion before
their idols. They (the Israelites) said, "O Musa, make
a god for us like they have gods." He said, "You are
really an ignorant people. [138] What these people are
in, is sure to be destroyed; and false is what they

32
Surah Al-A'raf : 7 : 137 - 141
are doing." [139] He said, "Shall I seek any one other
than Allah as God for you, while He has given you
excellence over the (people of all the) worlds." [140] And
(remember) when We delivered you from the people of
Pharaoh, who inflicted you with grievous torment,
slaughtered your sons and left your women alive and in
all that there was great trial from your Lord. [141]
The previous verses contained an account of the warnings from
Allah to the people of Pharaoh. The present verses speak of their igno-
minious end, and of the success of the Israelites. The verse 137 said,
"And We made the people, who were taken to be weak, the inheritors
of the land, of easts and wests which We had blessed." The verse did
not say, the people who were weak, rather it said, those who were
taken as weak. It implies that those having Allah as their support can
never be weak in the real sense of the word, though they may seem so
from their apparent condition. People finally come to realise that they
are not weak. It is because dignity and honour all belong to Allah. The
verse has used the term inheritance for their domination in the land to
indicate that like a son who deserves to be a real inheritor of his
father's land and possessions, the Israelites were the real inheritors of
the land and wealth of Pharaoh's people.
The words 'east' and 'west' have been used in plural perhaps to
denote the different points of sunset and sunrise in winter and
summer time. The word 'land', according to all experts in exegesis,
refers to the land of Egypt and Syria which was brought under the
domination of the Israelites after the people of Pharaoh and the
Amaleks were destroyed. The phrase 'Which We had blessed' refers to
the lands of Syria and Egypt. The Holy Qur'an has referred to Syria as
the land of Barakah (blessing). Similarly the land of Egypt has been
referred to as the land of blessing in a number of Traditions. The
Caliph 'Umar ibn al-Khattab has referred to river Nile as the prince of
all rivers. The Companion 'Abdullah Ibn 'Umar said that Egypt has
nine parts of blessing out of ten. The tenth part has been divided
throughout the earth. (Al-Bahr-a-Muhit)
In short, the verse has to say that the people who were considered
weak and abject were made the rulers of the land possessed by those
who showed arrogance. It shows how the promise made by Allah and

33
Surah Al-A'raf : 7 : 137 - 141
His Messenger came out true as it always does. The verse said, 'The
sublime word of your Lord was fulfilled.' The promise in this verse
either refers to the promise made by the prophet Musa >JI -le with
his people mentioned in verse 129 which said, 'It is very likely that our
Lord will destroy your enemy and make you successor in the earth.' Or
it refers to the promise made by Allah to the Israelites in a verse of
Surah Al-Qaşaş (the Stories) It said, "
وَيُرِيدُ أَنْ تََُّ عَلَى الَّذِيْنَ اسْتُضُعِفُوْا فِى الْأَرْضِ وَنَجْعَلَهُمْ آنِتَّةً وَّنَجُعَلَهُمُ
الُْرِثِيْنَةُ وَنُمكِّنَ لَهُمْ فِى الْأَرْضِ وَنُرِىَ فِرْعَوْنَ وَهَامَنَ وَجُنُوْدَهُمَا مِنْهُمْ مَّا
كَانُوا يَحْذَرُوْنَه
"And it was Our will that We favour those considered weak in
the earth and make them leaders, and make them the inheri-
tors, and give them power in the land, and show Pharaoh,
Haman and their armies, the very thing they dreaded." (28:5)
In fact, both the above promises are one and the same. The
promise made by the prophet Musa WIale obviously was derived by
the promise of Allah. This favour of Allah upon the people of Israel
was the reward of their patience, as the verse has specified saying
'Because they stood patient.' That is, they were favoured by Allah for
their being patient in their distress. This has an understated indica-
tion that any people or individual following the same example, at any
time and in any place, shall get the same reward. The prophet Musa
JI ale when making the promise of gaining the rule over the land had
emphatically said that perseverance, patience and seeking help from
Allah was the only key to success.
Sheikh Hasan al-Basri said that the verse suggested that in case
one is not as powerful as to defend himself against an enemy, the best
way to success is to remain patient. He said when a person who has
been wronged, tries to take revenge on his own by doing wrong to his
opponent Allah leaves him alone and lets him manage his own affairs,
ending in success or facing a failure. On the contrary, when one seeks
help from Allah against the affliction from others and remains patient,
Allah opens the door of success upon him. As the above promise for the
rule over the land was fulfilled by Allah, the same kind of promise

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Surah Al-A'raf : 7 : 137 - 141
Allah made with the people of the prophet Muhammad in a verse of
Surah Al-Nur:
وَعَدَ اللَّهُ الَّذِيْنَ امَنُّوْا مِنْكُمْ وَعَمِلُوا الصَّلِحْتِ لَيَسْتَخْلِفَتَّهُمْ فِى الْأَرْضِ كَمَا
اسْتَخْلَفَ الَّذِيْنَ مِنْ قَبْلِهِمْ
"Allah has promised those of you who believe and do good
deeds that he will make them inherit the land, as He had
inherited those who were before them." (24:55)
As the Israelites witnessed the fulfillment of Allah's promise by
having their rule over the land, similarly the Muslim Ummah
witnessed the fulfillment of Allah's promise in the form of their sove-
reignty over the major part of the earth (Ruh al-Bayan). It is not justified
to say that the Israelites did not observe patience, because when
Prophet Musa WJILL asked them to be patient they said that they
were persecuted before and after he came to them. Firstly, because
their patience against the constant persecution at the hands of
Pharaoh and his people is a proven fact. Secondly, the above state-
ment might not be a complaint but a simple expression of their grief.
Thereafter, the verse said, ◌َوَدَقَّرْنَا مَا كَانَ يَصْنَعُ فِرْعَوُنُ وَقَؤُمُهُ وَمَا كَانُؤًا يَعْرِشُون "And We
destroyed whatever Pharaoh and his people used to build and what
they used to raise high." This refers to the buildings they raised high
and their trees etc. 'What they used to build' may also refer to their ill
designs against the prophet Musa WI4. 'What they used to raise
high' is a reference to their mansions and to their trees.
The events discussed up to this point were related to the destruc-
tion of Pharaoh and his people. The next verses describe the victory
and success of the Israelites followed by their insolence in spite of all
the blessings they received from Allah. These verses provide a kind of
solace to the Holy Prophet & against his grief at the obstinacy of the
unbelievers, by showing the annoyance of the early prophets at the
hands of their people.
After the miraculous victory of the Israelites over Pharaoh and his
people, and having a life of ease and comfort, they started to show the
signs of ignorance as people of wealth show when given a life of luxury
and opulence. The first impertinent request they made was to the
prophet Musa WILL to make for them a god like the gods of the

35
Surah Al-A'raf : 7 : 142
people they saw being worshipped on their way. They (the Israelites)
said, ◌ُّيَا مُؤُسَى اجْعَلُ لَنَّ إِلَهَا كَمَا لَهُمْ الِهَد "O Musa make a god for us like their gods."
He said, قال انكم قوم تجهلون "You are really an ignorant people." The prophet
Musa was greatly annoyed by their ignorance and said that the labour
of worship of those people was to go waste. How could he think of
making for them a god other than Allah while he had given to them
excellence over the people of all the worlds. That is, the people who
believed in the prophet Musa WJI u were superior to all the people of
that age.
The next verses remind them of their pitiable condition and their
persecutions at the hands of Pharaoh when their sons were killed and
their daughters were saved to serve them as their maid-servants.
Allah relieved them of this disgraceful chastisement through His
prophet. Shall they be as ungrateful to their Lord as to take the abject
stones as gods and make them partners with Allah? They must repent
to Allah for their transgression.
Verse142
وَ وْعَدْنَا مُؤْسِى ثَلَثِيْنَ لَيْلَةً وَأَمُمَّنُهَا بِعَشْرٍ فَتَمَّ مِثْقَاتٌ رَيِّةَ
ارْبَعِيْنَ لَيْلَةً وَقَالَ مُوسَى لِآَخِيْهِ هُرُوْنَ اخْلُفُنِىْ فِىْ قَوْمِىُ
وَأَصْلِحُ وَلَا تَتَبَعْ سَبِيْلَ الْمُفُسِدِيْنَ ﴿١٤٢﴾
And We made a promise with Musa for thirty nights,
then We supplemented them with ten. So, the total
period fixed by his Lord was forty nights. And Musa
said to his brother Harun, "Take my place among my
people and keep things right, and do not follow the way
of mischief makers." [142]
This verse speaks of the period followed by the destruction of the
Pharaoh and his people. Having a peaceful time after their deliverance
from the Pharaoh and his people the Israelites requested the Prophet
Musa WJI u. to have some religious system of law so that they may
act upon it. The Prophet Musa WI u prayed Allah for a code of guid-
ance for them. The Arabic word: tuel, "wa'adana' is a derivative of
w,'wa'dah' which signifies a worded expression of offering something
good to someone - a promise.

36
Surah Al-A'raf : 7 : 142
Allah made a promise to Musa WI ude to send His word to him. It
was stipulated that Musa WJILL should go to the mount of Sinai and
pass thirty nights there sitting in devotion for Allah. These thirty
nights were later supplemented with ten more nights to make them
forty.
There are some points in this verse which demand our attention:
Firstly, the number of nights to be passed by the Prophet Musa WIbe
was fixed to be forty nights in the will of Allah. Why was he first asked
to pass thirty nights, and then add ten more nights? No one, in fact,
can have access to all the wisdom and insight contained in divine acts.
The scholars, however, have provided with some explanations: The
famous commentary 'Ruh al-Bayan' states that one of the wisdom behind
the above commandment is of enjoining the laws gradually or by
degrees to make it easier for people to practice. The commentary
Tafsir al-Qurtubi' has said that this was for educating those in
authority to give respite to their subordinates if they fail to complete
their assignments in the prescribed time. This is what happened with
Prophet Musa WUJIA . When the spiritual excellence that was
required could not be achieved by him in thirty nights, ten more nights
were added to give him more time to acquire required perfection.
The commentators have reported that the Prophet Musa Multe
kept fasting constantly for thirty days and nights without breaking his
fast in between. After completing thirty days he took the break fast
and presented himself at the fixed point on the mount Sinai, Allah
said to him that the peculiar odor generated by fasting in one's mouth
is liked by Allah. Musa WI ue had lost the odor by brushing his teeth,
he was therefore, required to observe fasting for ten more days in
order to create the odor again.
The above reports of the loss of odor, however, cannot be taken to
mean that brushing the teeth after fasting is prohibited or is some-
thing disliked, firstly, because the above report has been cited without
the chain of narrators and secondly because it could be a command-
ment meant specifically for the Prophet Musa WI ue and not for other
people, or peculiar to the followrs of the Torah. The permissibility of
brushing one's teeth during fasting is a practice proved by the Holy
Tradition. Al-Baihaqi has reported the following Tradition on the

37
Surah Al-A'raf : 7 : 142
authority of Sayyidah 'A'ishah that the Holy Prophet @ said: 1525
The best act of the one who is fasting is brushing one's teeth الصَّائِمِ السِّوَاكُ
(with miswak). Al-Jami' al-Saghir has said that the status of this
Hadith is that of Hasan (a kind of authentic Tradition).
One may wonder here how the Prophet Musa WILL could be
fasting continuously for thirty days without making a breakfast even
at nights, while during his travel for visiting Sayyidna Khizr (Al-
Khadir JIul.) he could not wait for even half of the day and said Gr
Give us our food, because this journey has" غَدَآءَنَّا لَقَدُ لَقِيْنَا مِنْ سَفَرِنَا لهذَا نَصَبًّا
made us tired." Tafsir Ruh al-Bayan has explained that this difference
was due to the different nature of journeys. This journey was of a
created being for another created being while the journey on the
mount of Sinai was for the Creator of a devoted created being who had
separated himself from the Creation in quest of his Lord. This spiri-
tual journey weakened the vigour of physical demands of hunger and
thirst, making him capable of observing fast for continuous thirty days
and nights.
Lunar or Solar Calendars
Another point inferred from this verse is that the laws of the
Prophets counted the change of their dates at night. The above verse
also has made a mention of thirty nights instead of thirty days. It is
because the lunar calendar was the standard calendar in the laws of
the Prophets. The beginning of the lunar month is based on sighting of
the moon which is possible only at night. It is why the dates in lunar
calendar are changed at sunset. Al-Qurtubi has reported this state-
حِسَابُ الشَّمْسِ لِلْمَنَافِعِ وَحِسَابُ الْقَمْرِ لِلْمَنَاسِكِ ment on the authority of Ibn al-Arabi
"The solar Calendar is for the benefits in worldly matters while the
lunar Calendar is for religious observances."
According to the commentary of the Companion 'Abdullah Ibn
'Abbas Le Al », the thirty nights were the nights of Zul Qa'dah, the
eleventh month of the lunar Calendar. The ten nights added to them
were the first ten nights of Zul-Hijjah. This makes us understand that
the Torah was given to the Prophet Musa WI ule on the day of Eid-al-
Adha. (Qurțubī)
The significance of number forty
This verse also implies that the number forty has some special

38
Surah Al-A'raf : 7 : 142
effect in spiritual rectification of one's heart. It is reported in a Tradi-
tion of the Holy Prophet & that any one who worships Allah for forty
days with sincerity of his heart, his heart is made a source of wisdom.
(Rüh al-Bayan)
Practising Gradualism
This verse also educates people to fix a period of time for the fulfill-
ment of their objective and to approach their aims gradually, as it is
the practice of Allah to do things gradually. Haste and hurry in doing
things is not approved by Allah. By creating the universe in six days
while Allah had all the powers to create it instantly without requiring
a single moment, He has provided people with a wise principle that
they should approach their ends by stages in a period of time so that
they may give due attention to their objectives. The Torah was also not
given to the Prophet Musa WIale in a moment but a period was fixed
for it to emphasize the same practice. (Qurțubi)
It was by ignoring this principle that the Israelites had lost their
faith in Allah. The Prophet Musa WJILL while leaving for the mount
of Sinai had said that he would be away for thirty days. When he did
not return in this period due to being retained for the next ten days,
the Israelites, being unduly hasty people said that the Prophet Musa
>JI ale was lost somewhere, so they should choose another leader for
their guidance. Consequently, they fell prey to the sorcerer Samiri and
started worshipping the golden calf. Had they been a people of
patience and practised gradualism, they would have not committed
the fatal error of infidelity. The next sentence of the verse said, 2;2 36;
said to his brother عليه السلام Musa " لِأَخِيٍُ هُرُوْنَ اخْلُفْنِىُ فِى قَوْمِىٌ وَأَصُلِحْ وَلَا تَتَّبِعُ سَبِعْلَ الْمُسِدِيْنَ
Harun, "Take my place among my people and keep things right, and do
not follow the way of mischief makers." This sentence also contains
some observations of religious importance.
Making one's deputy when needed.
The Prophet Musa WILL made it a point to appoint Sayyidna
Harun as his deputy when he intended to leave for the mount of Sinai
and said that he should take the responsibility of his people in his
absence. This makes it imperative for those who hold some responsible
office that they appoint someone to look after the work in their
absence.

39
Surah Al-A'raf : 7 : 143 - 145
The Holy Prophet & used to appoint someone as his deputy when-
ever he used to leave Madinah. The Companions 'Ali and 'Abdullah ibn
Umm Maktum were appointed as his deputies on different occasions.
(Qurțubī)
The Prophet Musa WI Jule gave certain instructions to the Prophet
Harun WJILL before his departure to the mount of Sinai, indicating
that leaving instructions or guidelines for the deputy is also a religious
requirement. The first instruction given by the Prophet Musa WILL
was just a word ¿el " that is, 'set right'. The object of this imperative
has not been mentioned. Possibly, he made it a general command to be
observed by the Israelites and the Prophet Harun as well.
The second instruction was in these words: ◌َوَلَا تَتَبِعُ سَبِيْلَ الْمُفُصِدِين "And do
not follow the way of mischief-makers." It is obvious that Prophet
Harun JIule, being a Prophet of Allah could not be supposed to
indulge in mischief. This instruction, therefore, meant that he should
not do any such thing as could help or encourage the mischief makers.
This is exactly what the Prophet Harun did when he saw his people
following the magician Samiri, so much so that they started worship-
ping the golden calf. The Prophet Harun >JI le prevented them from
this act as well as admonished Samiri against his mischief. Later, the
Prophet Musa WJI , called him to account for this act of theirs,
thinking that it was the result of inefficiency on the part of the
Prophet Harun WILL. This also serves as a lesson for those who do
not care for orderly disposition of matters and take it as a sign of
piousness.
Verses 143 - 145
وَلَّ جَاءَ مُؤْسى ◌ِثْقَاتِنَا وَكَلَّمَةُ تٌَّ قَالَ رَتٍ آَرِنِىٌّ انْظُرُ إِلَيْكَ
، قَالَ لَنْ تَرْنِىْ وَلكِنِ انْظُرُ إِلَى الْجَبَلِ فَإِنِ اسْتَقَرَّ مَكّانَهُ
فَسَوْفَ تَرِيِنِى فَلَمَّا تَجَلَّى رَبُّهُ لِلْجَبَلِ جَعَلَهْ دَكَا ◌َ خَّ مُؤْسى
صَعِقًّاٌ فَلَمَّا أَفَاقَ قَالَ سُبُخْتَكَ تُبْتُ إِلَيْكَ وَأَنَا أَوَّلُ الْمُؤْمِنِيْنَ
﴿١٤٣﴾ قَالَ يُمُؤْسَى إِنّى اصْطَفَيْتُكَ عَلَى النَّاسِ بِرِسلَتِى
وَبِكَلَامِىْ فَخُذُ مَّا أَتَيْئُكَ وَكُنُ مِنَ الشّكِرِيْنَ ﴿١٤٤) وَكَتَبْنَا

40
Surah Al-A'raf : 7 : 143 - 145
لَهُ فِى الْالْوَاحِ مِنْ كُلِّ شَىْءٍ قَوْعِظَةً وَتَفْصِيلًاً لِّكُلِّ شَىْءٌٍ
فَخُذُهَا بِقُوَّةٍ وَأُمُرْ قَوْمَكَ بَأْخُذُوا بِأَحْسَنِهَاه، سَأُوْرِبُكُمْ
دَارَ الْفُسِقِيْنَ ﴿١٤٥﴾
And when Musa came at Our appointed time and his
Lord spoke to him, he said, "My Lord, show (Yourself)
to me that I may look at You." He said: "You shall never
see Me. But look at the mount. If it stays at its place
you will see Me." So when his Lord appeared to the
Mount, He made it smashed, and Musa fell down uncon-
scious. Then, when he recovered, he said: "Pure are
You. I repent to You, and I am the first to believe." [143]
He said, "O, Musa, I have chosen you above all men for
my messages and for My speaking. So, take what I have
given to you, and be among the grateful." [144]
And We wrote for him on the Tablets every thing of
advice, and explanation of all things. So hold it firm
and ask your people to hold on to the best things in it. I
shall show you the house of the sinners. [145]
The verse 143 carries the phrase is y "you shall never see me" The
phrase has an indication that sighting of Allah is not impossible, but
that he (Musa WJI e ) cannot endure it with his present physical
disposition. Had it been impossible, the phrase would have been (,! : ) :
"I cannot be seen" (Mazhari) This allows that sighting of Allah is a
logical possibility even in this world but at the same time this verse
has precluded the possibility of its occurrence in this world. This is
also the unanimous view of the majority of scholars. The following
hadith has been included in Şahin Muslim:
لن یری احد منكم ربه حتى يموت
"None among you can see his Lord unless he dies."
The second phrase, ◌ِوَلكِنِ انْظُرُ إِلَى الْجَبَل "But look at the mount" is a phys-
ical demonstration of the fact that in his present state the addressee is
not capable of enduring the impact of such experience.
Thereafter, Allah actually demonstrated this fact by a flash of His
appearance on the Mount of Sinai which could not stand it and was
smashed into pieces.

41
Surah Al-A'raf : 7 : 143 - 145
The next phrase is فَلَمَّا تَجَلَّى رَبُّهُ لُلُجَبَل "So when his Lord appeared to the
Mount." The Arabic word 12 "Tajalli" signifies exposure or disclosure.
According to the Spiritual masters (Sufis) the word signifies seeing
something indirectly through some other means, like seeing certain
thing reflected in the mirror. The word, therefore, cannot signify
'seeing'. It is also inferred by this very verse because this verse has
negated the possibility of seeing while it has mentioned the occurrence
of "Tajalli' or appearance on the mount of Sinai.
Imam Ahmad, Tirmidhi and Hakim have reported on the authority
of the Companion Anas رضى الله عنه that the Holy Prophet age recited this
verse and placing his thumb on the tip of his little finger said that only
this much of Allah's light was exposed to the mount of Sinai which
made it burst into pieces. This does not necessarily mean that the
whole of the mount was not shattered, but the part of the mountain
directly exposed to light might have been affected.
The Speech of Allah:
The fact that Allah spoke directly to the Prophet Musa ulate is
confirmed by the Qur'an in clear terms. The first time Allah spoke
with the Prophet Musa WIu was when he was entrusted with
Prophethood. This is the second time at the occasion of giving him the
Torah that He spoke to him. The wording of the present verse indi-
cates that this later discourse of Allah had some additional character-
stics as compared to the first speech of Allah.
As to the question what was the nature and character of this
discourse, cannot be ascertained by anyone but Allah. Only those
logical suppositions, in this regard, can be allowed which do not go
against any rule of the Shari'ah. None of such views can be accepted as
being definite unelss supported by some valid argument. The best
practice, in this regard, is the one followed by the Companions, their
disciples, and the elders who followed them. They left such matters to
Allah and never tried to make ungrounded supposition to resolve
them. (Bayan al-Qur'an).
The last sentence is ◌َساُورِيُكُمُ دَارَ الْفُسِقِين "I will show you the abode of the
sinners". This is a kind of promise by Allah that the Israelites shall
soon take over Egypt or perhaps Syria, referred to as the abode of the

42
Surah Al-A'raf : 7 : 146 - 151
sinners in this verse. There are two views about the reference to the
abode of the sinners. The first holds that the reference has been made
to Egypt while the second takes it to refer to Syria. The difference of
opinion is, in fact, based on a question whether the Israelites had
returned to Egypt after the destruction of Pharaoh and his people or
not. If they went back to Egypt at that time and ruled the land, as has
been indicated by the verse 137 saying that Allah made the Israelites
inherit the land, then, this verse definitely has referred to Syria, as
the abode of the sinners. It is because, in this case, the Israelites had
taken over the land of Egypt before this event of Allah's light
appearing to the Mount of Sinai. In case, they did not go to Egypt after
the destruction of Pharaoh, the reference may be to Egypt and Syria,
both.
The phrase وَكَتَبْنَا لَهُ فِى أُلاَ لَوَاح "And we wrote for him everything on the
Tablets" makes us understand that the Torah was given to the
Prophet Musa عليه السلام inscribed or written on the Tablets. 1
Verses 146 - 151
سَأَصُرِفُ عَنْ الْتِىَ الَّذِيْنَ يَتَكَبَُّونَ فِى الْأَرْضِ بِغَيْرِ الْحَقِّءِ
وَإِنْ يَّرَوْا كُلَّ ايَةٍ لَ يُؤْمِنُوا بِهَا وَإِنْ يَّرَوْا سَبِيْلَ الُّشْدِ
لَا يَتَّخِذُؤُهُ سَبِبْلَا وَإِنُّ ◌َرَوْ سَبِيْلَ الْغَنِّ يَتَّخِذُوُهُ سَبِيُلَاءِ ذَلِكَ
بِأَنَّهُمْ كَذَّبُوا بِايُتِنَا وَ كَانُوا عَنُّهَا غُفِلِيْنَ ﴿١٤٦﴾ وَالَّذِينَ
كَذَّبُوْا بِالْتِنَا وَلِقَاءِ الْآخِرَةِ حَبِطَتْ أَعْمَالُهُمْ، هَلُ يُجْزَوْنَ إِلَّ
مَا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ ﴿١٤٧﴾ وَاتَّخَذَ قَوْمُ مُؤْسِى مِنُ أَبَعْدِهِ مِنْ
مُلِّهِمْ عِجُلًا جَسَدًّا لَّهُ خُوَارُّهَ الَمْ يَرَوْا أَنَّهُ لَا يُكَلِّمُهُمْ وَلَ
يَهْدِيْهِمْ سَبِيلاً إِنَّخَذُؤُهُ وَكَانُوا ظُلِمِيْنَ ﴿١٤٨) وَلََّ سُقِطَ فِىٌ
اَيْدِيُهِمْ وَرَآَوْاَنَّهُمْ قَدْ ضَلُّوْا قَالُوا لَئِنُ لَّمْ يَرْحَمُنَا رَبُّنَا
1. Another view with regard to these tablets is that these tablets were given
to him prior to the revelation of the Torah and were not the part of the
Torah. This has been cited by Allama Shabbir Ahmad Usmani under his
comments on this verse. He has cited it from Ibn Kathir. (Translator)

43
Surah Al-A'raf : 7 : 146 - 151
وَيَغْفِرُلَنَا لَنَكُؤُنَنَّ مِنَ الْخُسِرِيْنَ ﴿١٤٩) وَأَ رَجَعَ مُؤْسَّى إِلى
قَوْمِهٍ غَضُبَانَ اسِفًّا قَالَ بِثُسَمَا خَلَفْتُمُوْنِىٌ مِنْ أَبَعْدِىٌ.
أَعَجِلْتُمْ آَمَرَ رَبِّكُمْ وَالْفَى الْآَلُوَاعَ وَآَخَذَ بِرَأْسِ آَخِيْهِ يَجُّةً
إِلَيْهِ ، قَالَ ابْنَ أُمّ إِنَّ الْقَوْمَ اسْتَضْعَفُونِىٌ وَكَادُوا يَقْتُلُونَنِ صَد
فَلاَ تُشْمِتْ بِى الْأَعْدَاءَ وَلَا تَجُعَلُنِىُ مَعَ الْقَوْمِ الظُّلِمِيْنَ
﴿١٥٠﴾ قَالَ رَبِّ اغْفِرْلِى وَلاَخِى وَآَدْخِلْنَا فِىٌ رَحْمَتِكَ وَأَنْتَ
ارْحَمُ الرُّحِمِيْنَ ﴿١٥١)
I shall keep away from My verses those who show arro-
gance on the earth unduly without truth. And even if
they see every sign they do not believe in it. And if they
see the Path of guidance, they do not take it as their
way, and if they see the path of misguidance they do
take it as their way. That is because they have belied
Our signs, and have been neglectful of them. [146] And
those who have belied Our signs and the meeting of the
Hereafter, their deeds have gone waste. They will not
be rewarded but for what they have been doing. [147]
And after him the people of Musa made a calf from their
ornaments; just a body with a moaing sound. Did they
not see that it neither talked to them nor did it guide
them to the path? They took to it, and were so unjust.
[148] And when they became remorseful and saw that
they had gone astray, they said, 'If Allah shows no
mercy upon us, and forgives us not, we shall certainly
be among the losers.' [149] And when Musa returned to
his people, angry and sad, he said, "How bad is the
thing you have done in my absence? How did you act in
haste against the command of your Lord?" And he
dropped down the Tablets and grabbed the head of his
brother pulling him towards himself. He (Harun) said,
'O, born of my mother, the people have taken me as
weak and were about to kill me, so do not let the
enemies laugh at me, and do not count me with the
wrong-doers.' [150] He said, 'My Lord forgive me and my
brother, and admit us into Your mercy. And You are
the most Merciful of all those who show mercy." [151]

44
Surah Al-A'raf : 7 : 146 - 151
Commentary
The verse 146 spoke of the arrogant people as showing arrogance
injustly. The word without truth or injustly indicates that assuming
arrogance in response to the arrogant people is a justified act, since it
is the act of arrogance in appearance, and not in reality. It is a known
dictum : ◌ٌالتَّكَبُّرُ مَعَ الْتُكَبِّرِينَ تَوَاضُح "Showing arrogance to the arrogant is an act
of humbleness". (Masail as-Suluk).
The effects of Arrogance
By saying, "I shall keep away from My verses those who show arro-
gance," the verse implies that the people who have an offensive sense
of superiority over others are deprived of knowledge and under-
standing. They are rendered incapable of benefitting themselves from
the signs of Allah. The term 'Signs of Allah', may have a reference to
the revealed verses of the Torah, Evangel and the Qur'an, as well as to
the signs inherent in all the things of the heavens and the earth. The
false sense of superiority is, therefore, the worst habit which keeps
man away from deliberations in the signs of Allah and getting aware-
ness of the truth.
We find it stated in Ruh-al-Bayan that arrogance is such a wicked
habitude as raises a wall between man and the knowledge from Allah.
Since divine knowledge comes only through the mercy of Allah, and
the mercy of Allah visits those who are humble. The spiritual leader
Sheikh Rumi has said:
هر كجا مشكل جواب آنجارود
هر كجا پستى آب آنجا رود
"Water flows down towards the slope, and solution goes where
difficulty appears."
The next verses continue to narrate the remaining part of the
story. When the prophet Musa WJIu did not turn up after thirty
days from the mount of Sinai where he was to be ordained by Allah
after passing ten more nights on the mount, the Israelites who were a
hasty and impatient people began to make fuss about it.
Among them there was a person named Samiri who was a promi-
nent man, but at the same time, had beliefs in superstitions. He said
to the people that the jewels and ornaments of the Egyptians
possessed by them were not permissible for them. It may be noted that

45
Surah Al-A'raf : 7 : 146 - 151
the plunder or booty taken from the enemy after their defeat was also
not permissible for the Israelites. The Israelites gathered all their
jewels and handed these over to him. He melted the ornaments and
forged a golden calf from it. A peculiar thing reported about him is
that he had collected some dust from under the hoofs of the horse of
the Archangel Jibra'il (Gabriel) at some occasion. Allah had made this
dust to have the effect of some kind of life. Samiri mixed this dust with
the molten metal while preparing the calf. This made the calf to emit a
sound like the mooing of a cow.
Having designed this satanic invention he invited the people to
worship the calf and said that it was god. He said that the Prophet
Musa WI ule had gone to speak with God to the mount of Sinai while
god had come to them in the form of this calf. Samiri already enjoyed a
place of respect among them, this unusual demonstration increased
their trust in him and they started worshipping the calf, and took it as
their god. The verse 148 has given a short description of this event
while another verse of the Holy Qur'an has described it in detail.
The verse 149 speaks of their remorse on this guilt and their repen-
tance, while the verse 150 describes the events followed by the arrival
of the Prophet Musa WI ol from the mount of Sinai. It described that
the Prophet Musa WJIute was extremely angry when he saw his
people in this state of ignorance. It is reported that Allah had
informed him of their perversion on the mount of Sinai. Now seeing
them in this state with his own eyes filled him with indignation. First,
he turned to his people and said: بِنُسَمَا خَلَفْتُهُوُنِىٌ مِن بَعْدِى "How bad is the
thing you have done in my absence". "sie "How did you act in
haste against the command of your Lord?" That is, you must have
waited until the book of Allah came to you. Some of the commentators
have said that it meant that they hastily decided that the Prophet
عليه السلام was dead. Then he turned to the Prophet Harun عليه السلام Musa
whom he has left among them as his deputy. He wanted to free his
hand in order to grab him. He quickly put down the tablets of the
Torah and grabbed the head of his brother. This has been termed as
having dropped. The Arabic word used here is: . w| Ilqa' which signifies
dropping or throwing. This gives rise to a doubt that the Prophet Musa
Wiele showed disrespect to the tablets of the Torah by throwing or

46
Surah Al-A'raf : 7 : 152 - 156
dropping them down. It is obvious that throwing the tablets of the
Torah was great sin, and equally obvious is the fact that all the
Prophets are innocent and free of all sins. The implication of the verse,
therefore, is that he put away the Tablets as quickly in order to free
his hands, as seemed like having been dropped. The Holy Qur'an has
described it by using this word as a gesture of warning. (Bayan al-Qur'an)
Thereafter he turned to the Prophet Harun >>JI ul and grasped the
hair of his head. The Prophet Harun then gave him the true account of
the events and said that it was not his fault, for he stopped them from
this wicked act but they did not listen to him. They were so obstinate
about it that they were about to kill him. He said that he should not
count him among the ignorant people and should not let his enemies
laugh at him by treating him in that way. This made the Prophet
Musa Wul ale cool down. At this occasion, he prayed to Allah, saying,
My Lord, forgive me and my" رَبِّ اغْفِرُلِىٌ وَلاَخِىٌ وَأَدْخِلْنَا فِىْ رَحْمَتِكَ وَأَنْتَ أَرُحَمُ الرَّاحِمِيْنَ
brother, and admit us to Your mercy, and You are the most merciful of
all those who show mercy." He asked forgiveness for his brother for
any of his shortcoming with regard to his duties. He asked forgiveness
for himself either for his putting away the tablets of the Torah in a
hurry which the Holy Qur'an had described as having been 'dropped'
to make a gesture of warning, or perhaps, for educating people that
they should include themselves while asking forgiveness for others to
preclude the sense of complacency on their part.
Verses 152 - 156
إِنَّ الَّذِيْنَ اتَّخَذُوا الْعِجْلَ سَيَنَالُهُمْ غَضَبُ ◌ِنْ رَّيِّهِمْ وَذِلَّهُ فِى
الْحَيُوةِ الدُّنْيَاء وَكَذَلِكَ تَجُزِى الْمُفْتَرِيْنَ ﴿١٥٢) وَ الَّذِيْنَ عَمِلُوا
السَّاتِ ثُمَّ تَابُوا مِن ◌ْبَعْدِهَا وَأُمَنُؤْاإِنَّ رَبَّكَ مِنْ أَبَعُدِهَا
لَغَفُورٌ رَحِيمٌ ﴿١٥٣﴾ وَلَّأَ سَكَتَ عَنْ قُوْسَى الْغَضَبُ آَخَذَ
الْأَلُوَاَّ وَفِىُ نُسْخَتِهَا هُدًى وَّ رَحْمَةٌ لِلَّذِيْنَ هُمْ لِرَيِّهِمْ يَرْهَبُونَ
﴿ ١٥٤﴾ وَاخْتَارَ مُؤْسِى قَوْمَةً سَبْعِيْنَ رَجُلًا لِيْقَاتِنَاءُ فَلَمَّاً
اَخَذَتُهُمُ الرَّجْنَةُ قَالَ رَبٍّ لَؤُشِئْتَ أَهْلَكُتَهُمْ مِنْ قَبْلُ وَ إَِّاتَ ط