النص المفهرس

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Surah Al-A'raf : 7 : 158 - 159
distinction was, above all, the most promising and helpful. He
explained, "Every prophet was asked by Allah to make one particular
supplication which was to be essentially acceded to, and every prophet
made that invocation for their particular aim. Allah asked me too to
make such invocation. I preferred to reserve my invocation until the
Day of Judgement which will be of great use to you and to those who
follow and bear witness that there is no god but Allah."
Another Tradition reported by Imam Ahmad on the authority of the
Companion Abu Musa al-Ash'ari as JI yo, has contained that the Holy
Prophet ; said, "Any one hearing the news of my appearance, be he a
Muslim, Christian or Jew must believe in me, otherwise he will be
placed in Hell."
Şahih al-Bukhari has reported the following incident with regard to
this verse: Sayyidna Abu Bakr and Sayyidna 'Umar Las dze, once
had severe disagreement on a matter. Sayyidna 'Umar left the place to
express his dissent. Sayyidna Abu Bakr as Ul », followed him in order
to bring him round. Sayyidna 'Umar being angry with him entered his
house and locked the door upon him. Sayyidna Abu Bakr, having no
choice went to the Holy Prophet y and related the whole story to him.
Later, Sayyidna 'Umar at Ulu», had a feeling of regret for misbehaving
Sayyidna Abu Bakr, he too went to the Holy Prophet & and informed
him of the incident. The Companion Abu al-Darda' UI_», has
reported that the Holy Prophet _ was annoyed at it. Seeing that
Sayyidna 'Umar & dl », was going to be admonished for it, Sayyidna
Abu Bakr as Al , said to the Holy Prophet , "My fault was greater".
At this point the Holy Prophet & said, "Can you people not leave one
of my companions alone and save him from the annoyance on your
part? Do you people not know when I declared by the will of Allah Qu
O people, I am a messenger of Allah sent to you" النَّاسُ إِنِّيُ رَسُولُ اللهِ إِلَيْكُمْ جَمِيعًا
all," you all belied me? It was Abu Bakr alone who testified to my
Prophethood."
In short, this verse is a clear evidence proving that the Holy
Prophet , has been sent to the whole mankind. His message is for all
generations and for all times to come and for all places. No one can

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Surah Al-A'raf : 7 : 158 - 159
achieve salvation without believing in him, even if he is faithfully and
devotedly practicing some other faith or book.
The next sentence of the verse reminds people that he has been
sent from the One to Whom the Kingdom of the heavens and the earth
belongs and who gives life to every living creature and brings death to
it. That is, He alone is the Lord of the Universe. The last sentence of
the verse said:
فَأْمِنُوْا بِاللهِ وَرَسُولِهِ التَّبِّ الْأُمِّيِّ الَّذِى ◌ُؤمِنُ بِاللهِ وَكَلِمْتِهِ وَاتَّبِعُهُ لَعَلَّكُمُ
تَهُتَدُوْنَ
"So, believe in Allah and His Messenger, the Ummi
(unlettered) prophet who believes in Allah and in his words,
and follow him so that you may get the right path."
After establishing the fact that the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم was
sent for all the people of the world and for all times to come, and that
there is no other choice for any one but to follow his law - the Islam,
the verse enjoins the belief in Allah and in His Messenger, who is
Ummi, the unlettered. He, himself believes in Allah and in His words.
The people should, therefore, follow him to keep themselves on the
right path.
The 'words' ows refer to the word of Allah revealed to his prophets
like the Torah, Evangile (the book revealed to the Prophet 'Isa (Jesus))
and the Qur'an. It may be noted that the command of believing in him
is followed by another command of following him. This has indicated
that sheer belief or making the verbal utterances of belief, is not
enough for guidance or salvation. Practicing Islamic Shari'ah is essen-
tially required for one's salvation in the Hereafter.
The great saint and spiritual leader Sheikh Junaid of Baghdad has
remarked that all the paths leading to Allah are closed except the path
. صلى الله عليه وسلم specifically defined by the Holy Prophet
The Truthful among the Israelites
The verse 159 said :َوَمِنْ قَوْمِ مُؤْسَى أُمَّةٌ يَهُدُونَ بِالْحَقِّ وَيٍِ يَعْدِلُون " Among the commu-
nity of Musa there are people who guide to the truth, and do justice
thereby." That is, there is a group among the Israelites who follows the

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Surah Al-A'raf : 7 : 158 - 159
truth and decides their controversies according to the dictates of the
Truth - Islam. Which are the people referred to in this verse as
following the truth among the Israelites? This refers to the people who
faithfully followed the commandments of the Torah and the Injil at the
time they were revealed, and those who readily accepted the faith of
Islam after the appearance of the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم according
to the predictions contained in the Torah and the Injil. The Holy
Qur'an has referred to this group in a number of verses in commend-
مِنْ أَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ أُمَّةٌ قَائِمَةٌ تَخْلُونَ ايْتِ اللَّهِانا» :able terms. There is a verse which said
33&Ra2 23; Jf "Among the people of the Book there are those who are
steadfast, they recite the verses of Allah in the night hours, and they
prostrate." (2:113)
الَّذِيْنَ اتَيْنُهُمُ الْكِتْبَ مِنْ قَبْلِهِ هُمْ بِهِ يُؤْمِنُوْنَ
"Those to whom We gave the book before this, they do believe
in this (Qur'an)". (28:52)
Under the comments on this verse we find a narrative in the
commentaries of Ibn Jarir and Ibn Kathir. A group of Israelites who
greatly despised the corrupt practices of the Israelites had prayed
Allah for having a separate land away from the other tribes so that
they might practice according to the original faith preached by the
Prophet Musa WJI 4. Allah carried them to a land somewhere in the
far East where they faithfully practised their faith.
Another favour of Allah bestowed upon them was that in the time
of the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم they were granted an opportunity to
.صلى الله عليه وسلم embrace Islam directly on the hands of the Holy Prophet
In the night of Ascension ( a) the Archangel Jibra'il (Gabriel) took
the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم to these people on the way to heavens.
They accepted the faith and the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم taught
them some Surahs (chapters) of the Holy Qur'an.
The Prophet of Allah asked them if they had some means of
weighing and measuring and what other means of subsistence did
they have? They answered that their usual practice was that they
cultivated the land and collected the whole produce together in a heap.
The people came and took from it according to their need. They said,
"We do not, therefore, need any weights and measures." The Holy

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Surah Al-A'raf : 7 : 160 - 162
Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم asked them if any one of them ever told lies. They
said that no one among them ever told lies because it was a usual
practice that any person speaking a lie was burnt up by a heavenly
fire. He asked them as to why all their houses were of the same type?
They answered, that it was to avoid the possibility of showing off one's
affluence as compared to others. He asked them why they had built up
their graves in front of their houses? They said that this made them
remember their death all the times.
After the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم returned from heavens to
Makkah, this verse was revealed to him. Al-Qurtubi, under the
comments of this verse has narrated this event along with other
suggestions and has remarked that this narrative was not authentic.
Ibn Kathir, however, has termed it as an unusual event but did not
reject it.
In short, this verse makes us understand that there has always
been a group among the Israelites who followed the Truth. Be they the
people described above or the ones who embraced Islam after the
. صلى الله عليه وسلم appearance of the Holy Prophet
Verses 160 - 162
وَقَطَّعُنْهُمُ اثْتَتَ عَشْرَةَ أَسْبَاطًا أُتَمَاً ، وَأَوْحَيْتًا إِلى مُؤْسَى إِذِ
اسْتَسْقُهُ قَوْمَةً أَنِ اضْرِبُ بِعَصَاكَ الْحَجَرَةَ فَانْبَجَسَتْ مِنْهُ
اثْنَتَا عَشْرَةَ عَيْنَاء قَدُ عَلِمَ كُلُّ أُنَاسٍ فَشَْرَبَهُمْ ، وَظَلَّلُنَا
عَلَيْهِمُ الْغَمَامَ وَاَنْزَلْنَا عَلَيْهِمُ الْمُنَّ وَالسَّلُّوَىُ كُلُوا مِنْ طَبِّئْتِ
مَارَ زَقْنُكُمْ ، وَمَا ظَلَمُوْنَا وَلكِنْ كَانُوا أَنْفُسَهُمْ يَظْلِمُونَ
﴿ ١٦٠﴾ وَإِذْ قِيْلَ لَهُمُ اسْكُنُوْا هَذِهِ الْقَرْيَةَ وَكُلُوْا مِنْهَا حَيْثُ
شِئْتُمْ وَقُوْلُوْا حِظَةٌ وَادْخُلُوا الْبَابَ سُجَّدًا تَغْفِرْلَكُمْ
خَطِيْثُتِكُمْ + سَنَزِيدُ الْمُحْسِنِيْنَ ﴿١٦١﴾ فَبَّدَّلَ الَّذِيْنَ ظَلَمُوْا مِنْهُمْ
قَوْلَا غَيْرَ الَّذِيُ قِيْلَ لَهُمْ فَأَرْسَلْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ رِجُزَّا مِّنَ السَّمَآءِ
بِمَا كَانُوا يَظْلِمُوْنَ ﴿١٦٢)
And We divided them into twelve tribes, as separate

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communities. And we revealed to Musa when his people
asked him for water, "Strike the rock with your staff."
Then twelve springs gushed forth from it. Each tribe
came to know their drinking place. And We shaded
them with the shadow of the clouds. And we sent down
to them the 'Mann' and the 'Salwa'' (saying), "Eat of the
good things we have provided you." And they did us no
harm, rather they have been harming their own selves.
[160]
And when it was said to them, "Live in this town and
eat therefrom any where you like, and say, 'Hittah' (we
seek forgiveness) and enter the gate prostrating, so
that We forgive your errors. We shall give much more
to those good-in-deeds." [161]
But those of them who were unjust substituted another
word for the one that was said to them. So, We sent
down upon them a scourge from the heavens, because
they have been transgressing. [162]
The above verses have enumerated various favours that Allah
bestowed upon the Israelites, and spoke of their deviation from the
commands of Allah resulting in a heavenly punishment for their trans-
gression. The translation of the verses given above is self explanatory
and the relevant details have already been given in Surah Al-Baqarah
(First volume of this book, translation and commentary under verses 57-59, pages 217-
221).
Verses 163 - 166
وَسْئَلُهُمْ عَنِ الْقَرْيَةِ الَّتِىُ كَانَتُ حَاضِرَةَ الْبَحْرِ، إِذْ يَعُدُونَ فِى
السَبْتِ إِذْ تَأْتِيُهِمْ حِيْتَانُهُمُ يَوْمَ سَبْتِهِمْ شُرَّعًا وَيَوْمَ لَ
1. Manna which is "Man-hu' in Hebrew has been described in Exodus (14:14)
in these words, "a small round thing, as small as a hoar frost on the
ground". According to 'Abdullah Yusuf 'All, it usually rotted if left over till
next day; it melted in the hot sun. The amount necessary for each man was
about an omer, a Hebrew measure of capacity equal to 2 1/2 quarts. This is
the Hebrew account probably distorted by traditional exaggeration. The
actual Manna found to this day in the region of Sinai is gummy saccharine
found on a species of Tamarisk. As to 'Salwa' it is a quail, large flights of
them are driven by winds in the Eastern Mediterranean in certain seasons
of the year, as was witnessed during the Great War 1914-1918 by many
Indian officers who campainged between Egypt and Palestine. (The Holy
Qur'an by Yusuf Ali vol. 1 page 31) -- Translator.

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Surah Al-A'raf : 7 : 163 - 166
يَسْبِتُوُنَ ا لَا تَأْتِيْهِمْ؛ كَذَلِكَةُ نَبُلُؤُهُمْ بِمَا كَانُوا يَفْ سُقُونَ ﴿١٦٣﴾
وَإِذْ قَالَتُ أُمَّةٌ مِّنْهُمْ لِمَ تَعِظُوْنَ قَوْمًا" ◌ِاللَّهُ مُهْلِكُهُمْ آَوْ مُعَذِّبُهُمُ
عَذَابًا شَدِيدًا قَالُوا مَعْذِرَةً إِلَى رَبِكُمْ وَلَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَّقُونَ ﴿١٦٤)
فَلَمَّا نَسُوا مَاذُكِرُوا بِهَ اَنْجَيْنَا الَّذِيْنَ يَنْهَوُنَ عَنِ الشُُّّ؛ وَآَخَذُنَا
الَّذِيْنَ ظَلَهُوْا بِعَذَابٍ بَنِيْسٍ بِمَا كَانُوا يَفْسُقُونَ ﴿١٦٥﴾ فَلَمَّا
عَتَوْا عَنُ مَّانُهُوْا عَنُّهُ قُلْنَا لَهُمْ كُوُنُوا قِرَدَةً خَاسِبِيْنَ ﴿١٦٦﴾
And ask them about the town which was situated by
the sea, when they used to transgress in the matter of
Sabbath, when their fish came to them openly on the
Sabbath, and did not come when they did not have
Sabbath. In this way, We put them to a test, because
they used to act sinfully. [163]
And when a group of them said, "Why do you preach to
a people whom Allah is going to destroy or punish with
a severe punishment? They said, "To absolve ourselves
before your Lord, and in order that they may fear
Allah." [164]
So when they forgot the advice they were given, We
saved those who used to forbid evil and seized those
who transgressed, with a bitter punishment, because
they had been disobeying. [165]
So, when they persisted in doing what they were
forbidden from, We said to them, "become apes, humili-
ated." [166]
The detailed discussion of the events contained in the above verses
have been produced in the first volume of this work in Surah Al-
Baqarah (under verses 58-60, pages 211-223). Those interested may refer to
those verses for details.
The Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم has been asked to warn the Israe-
lites present in his time by reminding them the events related in these
verses. The events referred to in these verses are clear and require no
explanation.

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Surah Al-A'raf : 7 : 167 - 169
Verses 167 - 169
وَإِذْ تَأَذَّنَ رَبُّكَ لَيَبْعَثَنَّ عَلَيْهِمْ إِلى يَوْمِ الْقِيمَةِ مَنْ تَّسُوْمُهُمْ
◌ُّءَ الْعَذَابِ* إِنَّ رَبَّكَ لَسَرِيْعُ الْعِقَابِ ◌ٌ وَإِنَّهُ لَغَفُورٌ رَّحِيُم
﴿١٦٧﴾ وَقَطَّعْتُهُمْ فِى الْأَرْضِ أُمَمَا، مِنْهُمُ الصَّلِحُوْنَ وَمِنْهُمْ
دُوْنَ ذُلِكَ وَبَلَؤُّنْهُمْ بِالْحَسَنْتِ وَ السَِّّاتِ لَعَلَّهُمْ بَرْجِعُونَ
﴿١٦٨﴾ فَخَلَفَ مِنْ بَعْدِهِمْ خَلْفٌ وَرِثُوا الْكِتْبَ يَأْخُلُوْنَ
عَرَضَ هُذَا الْآَدُنِى وَيَقُوُلُوْنَ سَيُغُفَوْلَنَا، وَإِنْ يَّاتِهِمْ عَرَضٌ
رِئُلُهُ يَأْخُذُؤْهُ الَمْ يُؤَخَذْ عَلَيْهِمْ مِنْثَاقُ الْكِتْبِ آَنْ لَّا يَقُلُؤْا
عَلَى اللَّهِ إِلَّ الْحَقَّ وَ دَرَسُوا مَافِيْهٍ ﴿ وَالدَّارُ الْآخِرَةُ خَيْرٍ
لِلَّذِيْنَ يَتَّقُونَ﴿ أَفَلَا تَعْقِلُونَ ﴿١٦٩»
And When your Lord declared that He would surely
keep sending, till the Day of Doom, those who inflict on
them evil punishment. Certainly, your Lord is swift in
punishing, and certainly He is the Most-forgiving, Very
Merciful. [167]
And we divided them on the earth as separate commu-
nities. Some of them are righteous, while some others
are otherwise. And we tested them with good
(happenings) and with bad happenings, so that they
might return. [168]
Then after them, came a generation who inherited the
Book, taking to the mundane stuff of this world and
saying, "We shall be forgiven." And if there comes to
them similar stuff they would take to it (again). Were
they not made to enter the covenant contained in the
Book that they should not say, about Allah, anything
but the truth? And they learnt what it contained. And
the abode is better for those who fear Allah. Have you
then, no sense? [169]
The first two verses (167 and 168) have referred to the two punish-
ments given to the Israelites. Firstly, Allah will keep sending up to the
Day of Doom, some individuals or groups of people who will punish

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Surah Al-A'raf : 7 : 167 - 169
and bring disgrace to them. In fact, this is what has been happening to
them up to this day. They had been dominated and disdainfully
treated by others as has been recorded by history. We may not be in
doubt about their present government in a part of Palestine, as it is a
common knowledge that the state of Israel is, in fact, a part of the
world powers, created by them for their political objectives against the
Muslim Ummah. They are still ruled over and dominated by the colo-
nial powers. It is, in fact, a military base of America. The day these
powers stop providing them with their aid they shall not be able to
maintain their existence for long.
The second punishment has been mentioned in verse 168. That is,
Jewish populace has been cut into fragments scattered in all the parts
of the world they could not integrate themselves into a solid nation.
The phrase Ugyan, "And we divided them on the earth as
separate communities". has refered to this fact. The Arabic word @Lr
signifies breaking into pieces. While the word - is plural of Ummah,
which means 'a group', 'a party'. The verse means that Allah has
divided them into fragments making them scattered on the earth.
This indicates that being integrated in a whole, or having an entity
as a nation is a blessing of Allah while getting disorganized into parts
separated from each other is a punishment from Him. The Muslims
have always enjoyed the blessing of having their own entity, and being
recognized as an organized people in the world. Starting right from
Madinah in the time of the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم up to this day
they have their own independent rule in various parts of the earth.
The presence of Islamic countries from the far East to the West is an
obvious proof of this fact.
Their present state in Palestine should not cause any doubt as they
have to come together in a place in the last age according to the proph-
ecies made by the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم . He informed us in
authentic Traditions that Prophet 'Isa ,WILL shall come down to the
earth from heavens before the end of the world, and all the Christians
shall embrace Islam. He shall fight a war against the Jews and put
them to death. The culprits of Allah are not summoned through police,
or other agencies; they are driven to their place of death by the causes
created by the will of Allah.

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Surah Al-A'raf : 7 : 167 - 169
The Prophet 'Isa (Jesus) WILL is to descend from heavens in the
land of Syria. He shall fight war with the Jews. The Prophet Isa Je
>JI has been saved the trouble of seeking the Jews in different parts
of the world by causing them to gather in Palestine. As to their
present political power and sovereignty in the State of Israel, it is a
delusion which beguiles only those who are not conversant with the
world politics. The so called 'State of Israel' is, in fact, a common camp
ground of the big powers like America, Russia, and England. It
depends upon the aid of its masters for its existence. It has to serve
the aims and objectives of its Masters. They are still living in real
servitude, and are deprived of their free rule in true sense of the word.
The Holy Qur'an has informed us of their disgrace and distress up
to the end of time in these words:
وَإِذْ تَذَّنَ رَبُّكَ لَيَبْعَثَنَّ عَلَيْهِمْ إِلَى يَوْمِ الْقِيْمَةِ مَنْ تَّسُؤْمُهُمْ سُوِّءَ الْعَذَابِ
"And when your Lord declared that he would surely keep
sending till the Day of Doom, those who inflict upon them an
evil punishment."
History has recorded that they have been continually persecuted
by one people or another right from the time of the Prophet Sulayman
LJILde to the present age. Their imprisonment by Nebuchadnassar
and persecution at the hands of subsequent kings, then their defeat
صلى الله عليه وسلم and ignominious fate at the hands of the Holy Prophet
and his Caliph 'Umar al-Faruq as Ul , 1 are obvious example of this
fact.
The second phrase of this verse is this:
مِنُهُمْ الصَّلِحُنَ وَمِنْهُمْ دُوُنَ ذَلِكَ
"Some of them are righteous, and some of them are other-
wise".
The righteous people among them are those who followed the
commandments of the Torah faithfully and did not try to distort them
as others did. The people termed as 'otherwise' include infidels and
those who obstinately disobeyed their prophets and even killed them.
The terms 'righteous' and 'otherwise' may also refer to the people who
1. The recent persecution of the Jews at the hands of Hitler in the second
world war is a fresh example of this Qur'anic declaration. (Translator)

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Surah Al-A'raf : 7 : 167 - 169
believed in the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم and followed the Qur'anic
guidance after it's revelation. Opposed to them are those believing in
the Torah as the word of Allah, disobeyed it or distorted its command-
ment and thus sold out their eternal salvation for petty gains of this
world. The last phrase of this verse has said:
وَبَلَوْنُهُمْ بِالْحَسَنَتِ وَالَّتَِّاتِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْجِعُوْنَ
"And we tested them with good happenings and bad happen-
ings so that they might return."
The "goood happenings" refer to their state of prosperity, comfort
and ease while 'bad happenings' has reference either to their various
persecutions and calamities faced by them throughout their history, or
it may have referred to some period of famine coming upon them as
punishment. Both the methods of testing their obedience were used in
their case. Prosperity and wealth were given to them to see if they
show their gratefulness to their Lord. When they were a failure in this
test, they were made to undergo many punishments already discussed
in the foregoing verses.
Their perversion of thought and practice had gone to such extent
that in the time of prosperity they said:
إِنَّ اللّهَ فَقِيْرٌ وَّ نَحُنُ اَغْنِيَاءُ
"Allah is poor and we are rich." (3:181)
while in times of their destitution they said: a,. www "Allah's hand is
shackled." (5:64) Another implication of the verse is that prosperity or
poverty, happiness or suffering are sent as a test to mankind in order
to judge the faith and love of the created for the Creator. Both, pros-
perity and suffering should be of no real concern to the men of under-
standing, as they are temporary and have to end.
It is, therefore, not wise to show arrogance for one's prosperity or
being dejected for one's impoverishment. A persian poet said:
نه شادى داد سامان نه غم آورد نقصان
به پيش همت ماهرچه آمد بود مهمان
"Neither happiness awarded us with real benefit nor did
sorrow make us weep. Both came as guests to our resolute
spirit."

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Surah Al-A'raf : 7 : 167 - 169
The verse 169 has said:
فَخَلَفَ مِنْ بَعْدِهِمْ خَلْفٌ وَرِثُوا الْكِتُبَ يَأْخُذُونَ عَرَضَ هُذَا الْآَدُنِى وَيَقُوْلُونَ
سَبْغُفَوْلَنَا وَإِنْ يَّأْتِهِمْ عَرَضٌّ ◌ِثُلُهُ يَأْخُذُوُهُ
"Then, after them came a generation, who inherited the Book,
taking to the mundane stuff of this world and saying: 'We
shall be forgiven.' And if there comes to them similar stuff,
they would take to it (again).
The Arabic word JE is a past tense of a signifying a deputy or a
person trusted with one's work in one's absence.
The second word used here is Us with the merged sound of the
second letter Lam, generally denoting a deputy who is marked with
wickedness, as opposed to the good practices of his elders. The word
guys is a derivative of us, that is, inheritance. The next word is 2
meaning something bought with money. Sometimes, it is used just for
something possessed. The use of this word for money indicates that
any thing owned in this world is temporary, because this word, as an
antonym of 'Jauhar' (substance), is used for an object which requires
something else to show its existence like colour which requires another
thing to show itself. The word Of has been derived from & which
denotes nearness or lack of distance. The word Q's is a faminine gender
of this word. The word Mi may also be taken to be a derivative of & Us
which signifies disgrace. In this case the word shall refer to something
disgraced.
The verse implies that there were two groups of people among the
early Jews, the righteous and the wrong-doers. The people coming in
later generations who inherited the Torah, however, acted opposite to
their elders and made the Book an object of trading or a means of their
earning. They used to manipulate and distort the text of the Torah for
some money offered to them for this purpose. Moreover, "they said:
dessus "We shall be forgiven". In spite of committing as great a sin
as distorting the text of the Book of Allah, they claimed their forgive-
ness by Allah. They are warned of this error in the very next sentence.
saying: "they "}, "If there comes to them similar stuff they
would take to it (again)." That is to say, they are in such a state of
perversion that in case they are offered money for changing another

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text, they shall readily accept it. The verse has implied that forgive-
ness of Allah is always there to those who are mindful of their error
and turn to their Lord in repentence showing their remorse over what
they have done, and making firm promise of not repeating the same
mistake again. Being persistent in their sinful acts and claiming their
forgiveness is sheer self deception. The next part of the verse puts a
question to them, whether they were not made to enter a covenant
with Allah that they shall never say anything but truth about Allah.
Yes, they read this pledge in their Book. This is nothing but their
impudence and obstinacy that stops them from realizing the truth of
the Hereafter which is exclusively the fate of those who fear Allah.
Verses 170 - 171
وَالَّذِيْنَ يُمَسِّكُوْنَ بِالْكِتْبِ وَأَقَامُوا الصَّلوَةَ إِنَّا لَا نُضِيعُ آجُرَ
الْمُصْلِحِيْنَ ﴿ ١٧) وَإِذْ نَتَقُّنَا الْجَبَلِ فَوْقَهُمْ كَانَّهُ ظُلَّةٌ وَظَنُؤْاَ
أَنَّهُ وَاقِعُ بِهِمْ خُذُوا مَا آتَيْتُكُمْ بِقُوَّةٍ وَاذْكُوْا مَافِيْهِ لَعَلَّكُمْ
تَتَّقُونَ ﴿١٧١﴾
And those who hold fast the book and establish the
Salah (are righteous) - Surely, Allah does not waste the
reward of the righteous. [170]
And when We raised the mountain over them as
though it were a canopy, and they thought it was
falling upon them. (We said,) "Hold firmly what We
have given to you and remember what is therein, so
that you may become God-fearing." [171]
The preceding verse (169) contained a mention of a covenant made
with the religious leaders of the Israelites in particular, that they shall
not make any changes in the Torah and shall not ascribe to Allah
anything but the truth. It has already been mentioned that they
violated this pledge and distorted the contents of the Torah for petty
amounts of money. This verse is an extension of the same theme. It
says that there are some among their religious leaders who are truth-
fully following the commands of the Torah and are firmly adhering to
its guidance. They established the Salah as was required. The verse
has provided with an assurance to such people that they shall not be

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deprived of their reward. That is, those who have been true to their
faith and fulfilled its demands are righteous people among them.
There are some points of discussion related to this verse. The term
'Book' most probably refers to the Torah. Another possibility is that it
refers to all the heavenly books of Allah like Torah, Injil and the
Qur'an. Another point to be noted is that merely keeping the book of
Allah and showing respect to it without following its' commandments
does not fulfil the very object of its revelation. It is why the verse has
used the word 3: "Hold fast", in place of 3;il or 3 ;? & "those who take
it or read it. Holding fast the Book requires to follow all it's injunctions
and commands.
The next thing we note in this verse is that out of a large number
of doctrines of the Torah the verse has made mention of "establishing
'Salah' only. This is because the Salah is the most significant and
purposeful act among the precepts enjoined by Allah. This is, in fact,
the most basic and quintessential way of expressing one's faith in, and
obedience to, Allah. Offering the Salah regularly makes one capable of
being regular in other worships more willingly and with more ease.
The Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم has termed the Salah as being the pillar
of Islam. The whole edifice of Islam rests on it. Whoever has erected it
properly has built the whole structure of his faith on a stronghold. Any
one not regular in Salah, is of no worth to Allah, even if he is seen
reciting His name all the times and has unusual visions and does
extraordinary acts.
The next verse (171) described another incident of the Israelites
when they were forced to promise their obedience to the law of the
Torah. It has also been mentioned in the Surah al-Baqarah. The
Arabic word 'Ga signifies drawing or lifting up. In the Surah al-
Baqarah the word w has been used which denotes the act of raising
up. Sayyidna 'Abdullah ibn 'Abbas ars Jl », has therefore, taken the
word &s to signify raising high. The Arabic word 'Zullah' Je means a
sunshade or a canopy.
The verse refers to the time when the Prophet Musa Wlade came
back from the mount of Sinai with the book of Torah. They found
therein many injunctions which they thought were difficult for them,
to follow. They started showing their unwillingness for obeying those

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commandments. Allah commanded the Archangel Jibra'il JI de to
raise the mount of Sinai upon their town. The area of this town is
reported to have been three square miles. When the amount of Sinai
was hanged over their heads they fell down prostrating themselves out
of fear and promised their obedience to the Law of Moses (the Torah).
The future events, however, witnessed their deviation from the Law
every now and again.
No compulsion in Faith
The above incident gives rise to a question. Why the Israelites were
forced to make a promise of their obedience while the Holy Qur'an has
declared ◌ِلا إِكْرَاهَ فِى الدِّين "There is no compulsion in Faith?" (2:256) The
answer is quite simple. None of the disbelievers has ever been forced
to accept faith, nor any one is allowed to use force for this purpose.
However, those who have already entered the covenant of faith out of
their free will and, later, deviate from the commandments of Allah just
for avoiding their commitments, shall essentially be forced to abide by
the rules and regulations of the Law. In case of deviation from their
duty they must be held liable to punishments prescribed by the Law.
This is what exactly happened in this incident. They had already
believed in Allah and in His Prophet and had entered the covenant of
Faith. What they did was to deny from obeying the Law of the Torah
and rightly were forced to fulfil their commitment.
Verses 172 - 174
وَإِذْ آَخَذَ رَبُّكَ مِنْ بَنِيَ ادَمَ مِنْ ظُهُوْرِهِمْ ذُرِّيَّتَهُمْ وَاشْهَدَهُمْ عَلَى
أَنْفُسِهِمْ، الَسْتُ بِرَبِّكُمْ ، قَالُؤْا بَلَىْ شَهِدُنَاءُ أَنْ تَقُؤْلُوُ يَوْمَ الْقِيْمَةِ
إِنَّا كُنَّا عَنُ هَذَا غُفِلِيْنَ ﴿١٧٢) أَوْ تَقُوْلُاْ إِنَّا أَشْرَكَ ابَّأُنَا مِنْ
قَبْلُ وَكُنَّا ذُرِّيَّةٌ مِنُ بَعْدِهِمْ آَفَتُهُلِكُنَا بِمَا فَعَلَ الْمُطِلُونَ ﴿١٧٣)
وَكَذَلِكَ نُفَصِّلُ الْأَيْتِ وَلَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْجِعُونَ ﴿١٧٤)
And when your Lord brought forth from the children of
Adam, that is, from their backs, their progeny, and made
them testify about themselves, "Am I not your Lord?" They
said, "Of course You are, we affirm" - lest you should say
on the Day of Doom, "We were ignorant of this," [172] or
you should say, "It was our forefathers who associated

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partners with Allah, and we were (only) a progeny after
them. Then, would you destroy us on account of what the
false ones did?" [173] And this is how we elaborate the
verses, so that they may return. [174]
عهد الست :The covenant of Alust
These two verses describe the event of the great heavenly covenant
which the Creator, Allah, made with all His created being even before
they took the form of their existence. This covenant is known as the
covenant of Alust (2251).
Allah is the creator of all the worlds, the heavens, the earth and
whatever exists between them. His infinite wisdom and all-
encompassing knowledge has designed and manufactured this
universe with as much perfection as leaves no room for any doubt or
question. He has created everything with a wise set of rules and regu-
lations. Following these laws ensures people of eternal success and
ever-lasting peace and comfort while deviation from these principles
makes one liable to punishments prescribed by Allah.
We may also note that His all-encompassing knowledge and infi-
nite wisdom was enough to decide the fate of all the created beings
without assigning His angels to watch over and keep the record of the
deeds of His servants, and without weighing their deeds in the
Balance on the day of Judgement. It is because He is All-Aware of the
deeds, even of the hidden thoughts and intentions of His servants
without the remotest possibility of making wrong judgement.
His Grace and perfect Justice, however, chose that none should he
punished without providing him with documentary evidences of his
sinful acts, in a way, that sinner himself finds no choice but to readily
acknowledge his sinful deeds.
He appointed some of His angels to record each and every act done
by an individual. The Holy Qur'an said:
مَا يَلْفِظُ مِنْ قَوْلٍ إِلَّ لَدَيْهِ رَقِيُهُ عَتِيٌُّ
"He utters not a word but there is by him a vigilant watcher."
1 (50:18)
1. According to Sayyidna Ibn 'Abbas ar Algo, everything good or bad about a
mortal is recorded by his guardian angels" (A study of al-Qur'an al-Karim
vol. 4 p. 969, by La'l Muhammad Chawla) {Translator}

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In another verse the Holy Qur'an said: "hin 25 fais js "And every-
thing small and great is written down." (54:53) Then, on the Day of
Judgement the Balance shall be set to weigh the good and bad deeds of
all people. Those whose good deeds weigh heavy shall be rewarded
with salvation while those whose bad deeds weigh heavier shall be
punished.
Moreover, when Allah, the Best of All Judges shall hold His court
on the Day of Judgement, He shall call for witnesses on the deeds of
every individual. Certain wrongful people shall falsify certain
witnesses. Allah shall ask his physical organs to bear witness to his
deeds. They shall be given power to speak and bear witness against
them. The places where the deeds were done shall also come to witness
against them until they shall find no way to belie the witnesses and
finally will make confession of their evil deeds. The Holy Qur'an
referred to it in these words:
فَاعْتَرَفُوا بِذَنْبِّهِمْ فَسُحُقًّا لَِّصُحُبِ السَّعِيْرِ
"So, they will confess their sins, but far removed (from Allah's
Mercy) are the companions of the blazing fire." (67:11)
We also note that Allah, who is the most kind and loving did not
leave His servants at the mercy of law and regulations only. He, out of
His kindness, provided His servants with complete guidance through
His prophets and the Books, in order to save them from eternal
punishment.
Like the kind parents who make it essential for their children to go
to school every morning also make sure that their children get all
their requirements ready before time to facilitate their following the
law of school-going with all possible ease. Allah, who is free from all
similarities is more loving and kind to His servants than are the
parents to their children. He did not only formulate the laws but made
them a source of real guidance. Along with the commandments He also
taught how people can carry out His commandments with ease and
readiness.
Apart from sending His messengers and divine books to His
servants He appointed a large number of His angels to help and guide
people to the right path. Besides, He created clear signs of His Power
and wisdom all around so that people may use their own observation

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and understanding to distinguish right from wrong, and to remember
their Creator. He repeatedly invited people to make use of their obser-
vation and understanding when seeing His signs scattered all around
them. He said, in the Holy Qur'an :
وَفِى الْأَرْضِ أَيْتُّ لِّلْمُوْقِيْنَ وَفِىٌ أَنْفُسِكُمُ آَفَلَا تُبْصِرُوُنَ
"And on the earth are signs for those who have firm faith, and
also in your own selves. Do you not see then?" (15:20) 1
Another arrangement made by Allah to make people act right-
eously was to make them enter into covenants with Him through His
prophets. The Holy Qur'an has references to a number of such cove-
nants made with various people in varied circumstances. The Prophets
were made to promise that they shall essentially convey Allah's
message to their people without any regard to difficulties and reproach
from them. This pious group of prophets did convey Allah's message as
faithfully as was possible and sarificed all that they had in this way.
Similarly the people of every prophet were made to promise to obey
their prophet, and in some special cases, to spend all their energy in
carrying out particular commands. Some people fulfilled their promise
while some others did not.
Among such covenants the most significant one is the covenant
which all the prophets were made to enter regarding the Holy Prophet
that all the prophets shall follow the last of all prophets صلى الله عليه وسلم
and assist him when they find some opportunity to do so. The Holy
Qur'an has mentioned this covenant in the following verse:
وَإِذُ أَخَذَ اللَّهُ مِيْثَانَ التَّيِّنَ لَ اتَيُبُكُمُ مِنُ كِتَابٍ ◌َّ حِكْمَةٍ، ثم جَاءَكُمْ رَسُوْلٌ
مُصَدِّقُّ ◌ِاَ مَعَكُمْ لَتُؤْمِنُنَّ بِهِ وَلَتَنْصُنَّه.
"And when Allah made the prophets take pledge: (saying) If I
give you a book and wisdom, then comes to you a messenger
1. This verse has referred to two kinds of signs; external and internal. The
external signs are profusely available all around us; the heavens the earth,
the oceans, mountains, plants and trees, fruits of different colour and
taste; they provide us with unmistakable guidance to our Lord. The
internal signs include the process of our reproduction, our physique, our
thoughts, intentions emotions and sentiments of happiness and sorrow. A
little reflection on these signs positively leads us to the Creator and makes
us to express our gratefulness to Him. (Translator)

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Surah Al-A'raf : 7 : 172 - 174
verifying what is with you, you shall have to believe in him
and you shall have to support him." (3:81) 1
The Significance of Bay'ah (32 .: Swearing Allegiance)
The traditional way of taking pledge (bay'ah: discipleship) from the
devoted followers, is infact, in pursuance of this practice of Allah. The
Prophets, their companions and spiritual leaders have been taking the
pledge of allegiance from their followers. The incident of 'Bay'ah al-
Rizwan' has been mentioned in the Holy Qur'an. It said:
لَقَدُ رَضِىَ اللهُ عَنِ الْمُمِنِيْنَ إِذْ يُبَابِعُوْنَكَ تَحُتَ الشَّجَرَةِ
"Allah was certainly well pleased with the believers when
they swore fidelity to you (O Prophet) under the tree." (48:18)
The Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم took such pledge of allegiance from
his companions on many occasions. 'Bay'ah al-'Aqabah' is a famous
pre-migration covenant made with the Ansars of Madinah. The custo-
mary way of Sufis to take pledge from their followers, is a covenant
taken for practising the commandments of Allah regularly and
strengthening their belief in Allah by frequent remembrance of their
Lord. The way of swearing fealty to some one has many advantages
and draws 'Barakah' from Allah.
After swearing fealty to some Sheikh (Spiritual Master), a follower
feels himself more willing and inclined to practise the religious obliga-
tions, and is more conscious in seeking the pleasure of Allah.
The above description of Bay'ah also clears away a misconception
common among the men of little knowledge that by putting one's hand
in the hands of some Sheikh or spiritual leader is enough for one's
salvation in the Hereafter. This is absolutely an erroneous notion as
swearing allegiance is a pledge taken for following practical guidance
according to the instructions given by the Sheikh. Therefore, only
placing one's hands into the hands of a Sheikh is simply of no use.
Rather, it is a deviation from the pledge and may incur the wrath of
Allah.
1. By implication this pledge taken by all the prophets makes it.binding on
the followers of all the prophets to believe in the Holy Prophet , and to
follow him and support him in achieving his objectives. It makes binding
upon them to follow the law given by the last of all prophets. (Translator)

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The verse (172) speaking of the covenant of Eternity cuffie in the
preceding pages has used the word as for the children of Adam.
According to Imam Raghib al-Isfahani the word & has been derived
from the Arabic root .,s which signifies to create. The Holy Qur'an has
used this word to signify the same meanings in a number of verses.
The word 'Dhurriyyah' (;3) therefore signifies all those created. This
implies that the covenant of Eternity included all the human beings as
. عليه السلام they are the progeny of Adam
We find some more information about this covenant in the litera-
ture of Hadith. Imam Malik, Abu Dawud, Tirmidhi and Imam Ahmad
have reported on the authority of Muslim bin Yasar that some people
asked the Caliph 'Sayyidna 'Umar al-Faruq at All +, of the connotation
of this verse. He said that the same question was put to the Holy
صلى الله عليه وسلم and the answer of the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم Prophet
as he heard it was as follows:
"Allah Almighty first created Adam JIde, then He placed His
hand upon his back, and drew forth all the righteous descendants of
Adam who were to come into being and said, "I have created them for
the Paradise, and they shall act righteously as to deserve Paradise.
Then He placed His hand on the back of Adam and all the wicked
descendants that were to come into being appeared. He said, "I have
created them for the Hell, and they shall act wickedly as to lead them
to Hell."
Someone from among the companions of the Holy Prophet & asked
him, "When Allah has already decided the fate of the mankind why the
people are asked to do good deeds, while they are of no effect. The Holy
Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said, "Whoever is crated for Paradise, he starts
doing good deeds making him worthy of paradise and he dies in this
state, while the one created for the Hell involves himself in wicked
acts making him liable of the fires of Hell until he dies doing such
deeds as leads him to the Hell."
That is to say, when one is not aware of the category he belongs to,
he must invest all his effort and energy in doing such deeds as are the
characteristic of the people of Paradise and should be hopeful of his
being one among them.

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The Tradition reported by Imam Ahmad on the authority of the
Companion Abu al-Darda's Uly, has added that the people who
appeared the first time were of fair colour while those appearing the
second time were black.
The same description reported by Tirmidhi on the authority of the
Companion Abu Hurairahar Ul >, has additionally reported that all
the children of Adam who were to come in the world upto the end of
time had a kind of brilliance on their foreheads.
Here we are faced with two descriptions apparently differing from
one another. The descriptions given by the above traditions have
described the children of Adam coming out of the back of the Prophet
Adam WJILe while the Qur'anic verse under discussion has related
them as coming forth from the backs of the progeny of Adam Wide .
In fact, there is no conflict between the two descriptions as the direct
descendants of Adam are described as coming forth from the back of
Adam WI ude while the people coming after them have been described
as coming forth from the backs of his descendants.
The aim of this pledge taken from the whole mankind was to make
them acknowledge that Allah Almighty is the Nourisher, The
Sustainer or the Lord of all the created beings. This implies that the
children of Adam WI Le coming forth from the back of the Prophet
Adam WJIu were not in the form of spirit alone but also had a
certain kind of physique made of some fine elements. It is because the
function of nourishing is directly related to body which is made to
progress from one state to another. The spirits do not require this kind
of nourishment as they remain in one state from the moment of their
creation. This is also supported from the above traditions speaking of
the fair and black colour or the brilliance on their forehead because
both, the colour and brilliance, require some material form to show
their existence. The spirits obviously have no colour.
One may wonder how all the human beings to be created up to the
Last Day could have gathered in one place. This also has been
explained by the Tradition narrated by the Companion Abu al-Darda'
Le JIyo, which said that they did not appear with their usual size
rather they appeared in the size of a small ant. In this age of scientific
knowledge it should be of no surprise how a man of human size can be