Verses 37–53

Chapter 7: Al-Aʿrāf (Elevations) · Printed edition: Volume 15, pp. 157–214

فَمَنْ أَظْلَمُ مِمَّنِ افْتَرى‏ عَلَى اللَّهِ كَذِباً أَوْ كَذَّبَ بِآياتِهِ أُولئِكَ يَنالُهُمْ نَصِيبُهُمْ مِنَ الْكِتابِ حَتَّى إِذا جاءَتْهُمْ رُسُلُنا يَتَوَفَّوْنَهُمْ قالُوا أَيْنَ ما كُنْتُمْ تَدْعُونَ مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ قالُوا ضَلُّوا عَنَّا وَ شَهِدُوا عَلى‏ أَنْفُسِهِمْ أَنَّهُمْ كانُوا كافِرِينَ ٣٧ قالَ ادْخُلُوا فِي أُمَمٍ قَدْ خَلَتْ مِنْ قَبْلِكُمْ مِنَ الْجِنِّ وَ الْإِنْسِ فِي النَّارِ كُلَّما دَخَلَتْ أُمَّةٌ لَعَنَتْ أُخْتَها حَتَّى إِذَا ادَّارَكُوا فِيها جَمِيعاً قالَتْ أُخْراهُمْ لِأُولاهُمْ رَبَّنا هؤُلاءِ أَضَلُّونا فَآتِهِمْ عَذاباً ضِعْفاً مِنَ النَّارِ قالَ لِكُلٍّ ضِعْفٌ وَ لكِنْ لا تَعْلَمُونَ ٣٨ وَ قالَتْ أُولاهُمْ لِأُخْراهُمْ فَما كانَ لَكُمْ عَلَيْنا مِنْ فَضْلٍ فَذُوقُوا الْعَذابَ بِما كُنْتُمْ تَكْسِبُونَ ٣٩ إِنَّ الَّذِينَ كَذَّبُوا بِآياتِنا وَ اسْتَكْبَرُوا عَنْها لا تُفَتَّحُ لَهُمْ أَبْوابُ السَّماءِ وَ لا يَدْخُلُونَ الْجَنَّةَ حَتَّى يَلِجَ الْجَمَلُ فِي سَمِّ الْخِياطِ وَ كَذلِكَ نَجْزِي الْمُجْرِمِينَ ٤٠ لَهُمْ مِنْ جَهَنَّمَ مِهادٌ وَ مِنْ فَوْقِهِمْ غَواشٍ وَ كَذلِكَ نَجْزِي الظَّالِمِينَ ٤١ وَ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَ عَمِلُوا الصَّالِحاتِ لا نُكَلِّفُ نَفْساً إِلاَّ وُسْعَها أُولئِكَ أَصْحابُ الْجَنَّةِ هُمْ فِيها خالِدُونَ ٤٢ وَ نَزَعْنا ما فِي صُدُورِهِمْ مِنْ غِلٍّ تَجْرِي مِنْ تَحْتِهِمُ الْأَنْهارُ وَ قالُوا الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذِي هَدانا لِهذا وَ ما كُنَّا لِنَهْتَدِيَ لَوْ لا أَنْ هَدانَا اللَّهُ لَقَدْ جاءَتْ رُسُلُ رَبِّنا بِالْحَقِّ وَ نُودُوا أَنْ تِلْكُمُ الْجَنَّةُ أُورِثْتُمُوها بِما كُنْتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ ٤٣ وَ نادى‏ أَصْحابُ الْجَنَّةِ أَصْحابَ النَّارِ أَنْ قَدْ وَجَدْنا ما وَعَدَنا رَبُّنا حَقًّا فَهَلْ وَجَدْتُمْ ما وَعَدَ رَبُّكُمْ حَقًّا قالُوا نَعَمْ فَأَذَّنَ مُؤَذِّنٌ بَيْنَهُمْ أَنْ لَعْنَةُ اللَّهِ عَلَى الظَّالِمِينَ ٤٤ الَّذِينَ يَصُدُّونَ عَنْ سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ وَ يَبْغُونَها عِوَجاً وَ هُمْ بِالْآخِرَةِ كافِرُونَ ٤٥ وَ بَيْنَهُما حِجابٌ وَ عَلَى الْأَعْرافِ رِجالٌ يَعْرِفُونَ كُلاًّ بِسِيماهُمْ وَ نادَوْا أَصْحابَ الْجَنَّةِ أَنْ سَلامٌ عَلَيْكُمْ لَمْ يَدْخُلُوها وَ هُمْ يَطْمَعُونَ ٤٦ وَ إِذا صُرِفَتْ أَبْصارُهُمْ تِلْقاءَ أَصْحابِ النَّارِ قالُوا رَبَّنا لا تَجْعَلْنا مَعَ الْقَوْمِ الظَّالِمِينَ ٤٧ وَ نادى‏ أَصْحابُ الْأَعْرافِ رِجالاً يَعْرِفُونَهُمْ بِسِيماهُمْ قالُوا ما أَغْنى‏ عَنْكُمْ جَمْعُكُمْ وَ ما كُنْتُمْ تَسْتَكْبِرُونَ ٤٨ أَ هؤُلاءِ الَّذِينَ أَقْسَمْتُمْ لا يَنالُهُمُ اللَّهُ بِرَحْمَةٍ ادْخُلُوا الْجَنَّةَ لا خَوْفٌ عَلَيْكُمْ وَ لا أَنْتُمْ تَحْزَنُونَ ٤٩ وَ نادى‏ أَصْحابُ النَّارِ أَصْحابَ الْجَنَّةِ أَنْ أَفِيضُوا عَلَيْنا مِنَ الْماءِ أَوْ مِمَّا رَزَقَكُمُ اللَّهُ قالُوا إِنَّ اللَّهَ حَرَّمَهُما عَلَى الْكافِرِينَ ٥٠ الَّذِينَ اتَّخَذُوا دِينَهُمْ لَهْواً وَ لَعِباً وَ غَرَّتْهُمُ الْحَياةُ الدُّنْيا فَالْيَوْمَ نَنْساهُمْ كَما نَسُوا لِقاءَ يَوْمِهِمْ هذا وَ ما كانُوا بِآياتِنا يَجْحَدُونَ ٥١ وَ لَقَدْ جِئْناهُمْ بِكِتابٍ فَصَّلْناهُ عَلى‏ عِلْمٍ هُدىً وَ رَحْمَةً لِقَوْمٍ يُؤْمِنُونَ ٥٢ هَلْ يَنْظُرُونَ إِلاَّ تَأْوِيلَهُ يَوْمَ يَأْتِي تَأْوِيلُهُ يَقُولُ الَّذِينَ نَسُوهُ مِنْ قَبْلُ قَدْ جاءَتْ رُسُلُ رَبِّنا بِالْحَقِّ فَهَلْ لَنا مِنْ شُفَعاءَ فَيَشْفَعُوا لَنا أَوْ نُرَدُّ فَنَعْمَلَ غَيْرَ الَّذِي كُنَّا نَعْمَلُ قَدْ خَسِرُوا أَنْفُسَهُمْ وَ ضَلَّ عَنْهُمْ ما كانُوا يَفْتَرُونَ ٥٣

37. So who is a greater wrongdoer than him who fabricates a lie against Allah, or denies His signs? For those, their share shall reach them as decreed in the Book. When Our messengers come to take them away, they will say, “Where is that which you used to invoke besides Allah?” They will say, “They have forsaken us,” and they will testify against themselves that they were faithless.
38. He will say, “Enter, along with the nations who passed before you of jinn and humans, into the Fire!” Every time that a nation enters [hell], it will curse its sister [nation]. When they all rejoin in it, the last of them will say to the first of them, “Our Lord, it was they who led us astray; so give them a double punishment of the Fire.” He will say, “It is double for each [of you], but you do not know.”
39. And the first of them will say to the last of them, “You have no advantage over us! So taste the punishment because of what you used to earn.”
40. Indeed, those who deny Our signs and are disdainful of them—the gates of the heaven will not be opened for them, nor shall they enter paradise until the camel passes through the needle’s eye, and thus do We requite the guilty.
41. They shall have hell for their resting place, and over them shall be sheets [of fire], and thus do We requite the wrongdoers.
42. As for those who have faith and do righteous deeds—We task no soul except according to its capacity—they shall be the inhabitants of paradise, and they shall remain in it [forever].
43. We will remove whatever rancor there is in their breasts, and streams will run under them. They will say, “All praise belongs to Allah, who guided us to this. We would have never been guided had not Allah guided us. Our Lord’s messengers certainly brought the truth.” And the call will be made to them: “This is your paradise, which you have been given to inherit because of what you used to do!”
44. The inhabitants of paradise will call out to the inmates of the Fire, “We found what our Lord promised us to be true; did you find what your Lord promised to be true?” “Yes,” they will say. Then a caller will announce in their midst, “May Allah’s curse be on the wrongdoers!”
45. Those who bar [others] from the way of Allah, and seek to make it crooked, and disbelieve in the hereafter.
46. And there will be a veil between them. And on the Elevations will be certain men who recognize each of them by their mark. They will call out to the inhabitants of paradise, “Peace be to you!” They will not have entered it, though they would be eager to do so.
47. And when their look is turned toward the inmates of the Fire, they will say, “Our Lord, do not put us among the wrongdoing lot!”
48. And the occupants of the Elevations will call out to certain men whom they recognize by their marks, “Your amassing did not avail you, nor what you used to disdain.
49. Are these the ones concerning whom you swore that Allah will not extend them any mercy?” “Enter paradise! You shall have no fear, nor shall you grieve.”
50. The inmates of the Fire will call out to the inhabitants of paradise, “Pour on us some water, or something of what Allah has provided you.” They will say, “Allah has indeed forbidden these two to the faithless!”
51. Those who took their religion for diversion and play and whom the life of the world had deceived. So today We will forget them as they forgot the encounter of this day of theirs, and as they used to impugn Our signs.
52. Certainly We have brought them a Book, which We have elaborated with knowledge, as a guidance and mercy for a people who have faith.
53. Do they await anything but its fulfillment? The day when its fulfillment comes, those who had forgotten it before will say, “Our Lord’s messengers certainly brought the truth. If only we had some intercessors to intercede for us, or we would be returned, so that we may do differently from what we did!” They have certainly ruined their souls, and what they used to fabricate has forsaken them.

Introduction

The first verse in this set builds on the last universal address in the previous set of verses, which began with: O Children of Adam (). In this sense it is similar to verses in the previous set which were addressed to all humanity. Then the following verses discuss the grave consequences of ascribing lies to God and denying His communications, as well as the eternal bliss awaiting those who believe in God and do righteous deeds. The last two verses talk about God’s revelation of a scripture in order to leave no excuse for His servants. Thus they refer back to the beginning of the chapter.

Commentary

فَمَنْ أَظْلَمُ مِمَّنِ افْتَرى‏ عَلَى اللَّهِ كَذِباً أَوْ كَذَّبَ بِآياتِهِ أُولئِكَ يَنالُهُمْ نَصِيبُهُمْ مِنَ الْكِتابِ حَتَّى إِذا جاءَتْهُمْ رُسُلُنا يَتَوَفَّوْنَهُمْ قالُوا أَيْنَ ما كُنْتُمْ تَدْعُونَ مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ قالُوا ضَلُّوا عَنَّا وَ شَهِدُوا عَلى‏ أَنْفُسِهِمْ أَنَّهُمْ كانُوا كافِرِينَ ٣٧

(7:37) So who (fa-man) is a greater wrongdoer than him who fabricates a lie against Allah, or denies His signs? For those, their share shall reach them as decreed in the Book. When Our messengers come to take them away, they will say, “Where is that which you used to invoke besides Allah?” They will say, “They have forsaken us,” and they will testify against themselves that they were faithless.

The letter fāʾ (so, therefore, then) shows that this verse is mentioned as a conclusion and consequence to the previous verses which were about God’s universal religion sent to all humankind through His messengers. God has identified His messengers as points of connection between Him and His creatures. The meaning is: “Now that God has conveyed His universal religion to all children of Adam, and has informed them of the reward that He has prepared for those who accept it and the punishment that He has prepared for those who reject it, who is a greater wrongdoer than one who refuses to submit?” This can occur in two ways: (1) either by forging a lie against God, which means falsely ascribing a path as God’s religion, and offering it as a substitute for the monotheistic religion brought by God’s messengers; (2) or by denying the signs (āyāt) which prove God’s oneness and His subsequent communications (āyāt) which convey His laws.

“Fabricating a lie against God” includes any innovation in religion, whether in beliefs or ritual practices. However, given the context of the verses before, what is meant here is specifically associating partners with God. We can also infer this from the end of the verse: they will say, “Where is that which you used to invoke besides Allah?” ().

… For those, their share shall reach them as decreed in the Book. When Our messengers come to take them away, they will say, “Where is that which you used to invoke besides Allah?” They will say, “They have forsaken us,” and they will testify against themselves that they were faithless: “The Book” here means the decree which God has prescribed and ordained. It includes all of what God has decreed and measured for one’s life in this world, such as one’s lifespan, sustenance, health, wealth and children. All aspects of worldly life are included here, as indicated by the next phrase: When Our messengers come to take them away. This refers to the time of death, which marks the end of one’s life in this world, with all of its aspects and properties.

… their share…as decreed in the Book…: This refers to the specific share of each person out of all that has been written in general terms for everyone. The verse says that one’s share reaches the person, while apparently the order is reverse: we seem to be the ones who attain our shares. This reverse order of expression shows that the share which God has written and ordained for each person will never miss them, while anything that has not been written for the person will certainly not reach them.

The meaning is: For those: meaning anyone who fabricates a lie against Allah—through polytheism—or denies His signs by rejecting part or all of His religion; their share shall reach them as decreed in the Book: where their share includes anything good or bad which has been decreed for them in this life. This continues until when Our messengers come to take them away: this refers to the end of their life, when the Angel of Death and his assistants descend upon them to take their lives and pull their souls out of their bodies. Then these angels will ask them, “Where is that which you used to invoke besides Allah?” That is, “Where are the partners which you claimed to be God’s associates in directing your affairs? Where are your supposed intercessors with Him?” They will say, “They have forsaken us,” meaning: “We do not find those traits and qualities [which we supposed they had].” And they will testify against themselves that they were faithless: They will witness the fact of the matter at that point—that no one other than God can effect any benefit or harm. They will realize that they mistakenly attributed benefit and harm to their masters.

There was another similar verse to this in Sūrāh al-Anʿām—and other chapters—where we discussed other relevant topics.

قالَ ادْخُلُوا فِي أُمَمٍ قَدْ خَلَتْ مِنْ قَبْلِكُمْ مِنَ الْجِنِّ وَ الْإِنْسِ فِي النَّارِ كُلَّما دَخَلَتْ أُمَّةٌ لَعَنَتْ أُخْتَها حَتَّى إِذَا ادَّارَكُوا فِيها جَمِيعاً قالَتْ أُخْراهُمْ لِأُولاهُمْ رَبَّنا هؤُلاءِ أَضَلُّونا فَآتِهِمْ عَذاباً ضِعْفاً مِنَ النَّارِ قالَ لِكُلٍّ ضِعْفٌ وَ لكِنْ لا تَعْلَمُونَ٣٨

(7:38) He will say, “Enter, along with the nations who passed before you of jinn and humans, into the Fire!” Every time that a nation enters [hell], it will curse its sister [nation]. When they all rejoin in it, the last of them will say to the first of them, “Our Lord, it was they who led us astray; so give them a double punishment of the Fire.” He will say, “It is double for each [of you], but you do not know.”

The speaker here is God, not the angels, although the angels are involved as intermediaries in taking people’s lives and other tasks. The verse’s text suggests that the audience must be a subgroup of disbelievers: a later generation before whom there were other jinn and humans who died. However, the verse’s address can be effectively extended to all disbelievers. The implied meaning is: “All of you—including the predecessors and the successors—should enter the Fire.” It is worded otherwise in order to prepare the grounds for the subsequent debate between the two groups. Elsewhere God says: That is indeed a true account: the contentions of the inmates of the Fire ().

This verse shows that while Iblīs lives until the day of the known time (, ), there are other members of jinn who die sooner than him, before the end of this world. Most members of the jinn have specific individual lifespans [like humans].

… Every time that a nation enters [hell], it will curse (laʿanat) its sister [nation] (ukhtahā)…: This is part of their contention in hell. Every group that enters hell will curse those who entered before them. The meaning of curse (laʿn) is “to distance someone from mercy”; and ukht is synonymous with mithl (similar, counterpart, like).

… When they all rejoin (iddārakū) in it…: The word iddārakū here means tadārakū, which means mutual idrāk (finding, realizing, perceiving) between the successors and the predecessors. The effective meaning is: “When they are all gathered in the Fire.”

… the last of them will say to the first of them…: “The last” and “the first” here may either refer to priority in terms of degree [of misguidance], or temporal order. In terms of degree, “the first” would be the leaders of misguidance and disbelief who were followed by others. They helped their followers in the way of error by misleading them. In terms of time, “the first” would be earlier generations of disbelievers who again facilitated the misguidance of the later generations by opening the gates of error to them and paving the road for them.

… “Our Lord, it was they who led us astray; so give them a double (ḍiʿfan) punishment of the Fire.” He will say, “It is double for each [of you], but you do not know.”: Ḍiʿf means “twice, double.” For instance, two is ḍiʿf of one, and four is ḍiʿf of two. It is used in two meanings: (1) the double of anything, like two being the double of one, and four being the double of two; (2) that which doubles something, which would be a completing pair. In the second sense, each of the two members of a pair is called ḍiʿf, and together they are called ḍiʿfān (in dual form). Therefore this term is like the term zawj, which is used both for the couple (who are called one zawj together) and for each of the two mates (who are called zawjān together). Both meanings are used in the Qur’an. The first meaning is used in the current verse (in singular form). The second meaning is used in the following verse (in dual form): Give them a double (ḍiʿfayn) punishment ().

… the last of them will say to the first of them, “Our Lord, it was they who led us astray…”: There is an elegant shift of address here. The verse describes their dispute by saying that some of them will tell others, but then it narrates a prayer that they make to God against their opponent for their wrongdoing. This is a delicate literary technique, which states one side of a correlation in order to indicate the implication between the two. The verse also demonstrates the art of concision by stating one of two conversations, and leaves it to the audience to infer the second one from that. Their conversation can be elaborated as follows: Their successors will tell their predecessors, “You are greater wrongdoers than us because you strayed yourselves and also led us astray. Hence God should punish you twice as our punishment.” Then they will turn to their Lord and pray against them: Our Lord, it was they who led us astray; so give them a double punishment of the Fire. But God will respond: It is double for each [of you], but you do not know. Then the first group will respond to their followers: You have no advantage over us! So taste the punishment because of what you used to earn ().

The meaning of the verse is: When they all rejoin in it: when they all gather in the Fire by the later generations joining the earlier ones, then they will start disputing with one another. The last of them are those who followed the leaders in terms of degree or time [of error], and the first of them are their forefathers, predecessors, leaders and chiefs in the previous societies, who paved the road of misguidance for the later generations. The last of them will say to the first of them, “You were the ones who led us astray by helping us in this way, so you should be punished twice as us.” They will request this from their Lord: “Our Lord, it was they who led us astray; so give them a double punishment of the Fire. They should be punished twice as us because they were themselves misguided, and also helped others go astray.” He will say, “It is double for each [of you]”: God will tell them that each of the first and last groups shall have twice the punishment. The leaders should be punished twice because: (1) they went astray; and (2) they helped their followers go astray. The followers should also be punished twice because: (1) they went astray; and (2) they supported their leaders in their misguidance by following their path, responding to their call, and multiplying their number by joining them. “But you do not know”: one cannot know whether someone is in pain or not by simply looking at their appearance, because pain is ultimately a mental state. It is of the nature of knowledge, perception and consciousness. You see others in the same punishment as yours, surrounded by the same Fire, and thus imagine that they are suffering the same punishment as yours. But this is not the case, for there is no way for you to know and realize the pain that they are suffering. Similarly, they have no access to know the punishment that you are going through. Both of you are suffering twice the punishment, but you are so absorbed in your punishment that you cannot know the condition of the other group.

God’s statement [that “It is double for each [of you], but you do not know”] carries a sense of wrath and humiliation which applies to both groups: the first and the last. That is why the first group will respond in a similarly mocking way to the last group, as God narrates in the next verse.

وَ قالَتْ أُولاهُمْ لِأُخْراهُمْ فَما كانَ لَكُمْ عَلَيْنا مِنْ فَضْلٍ فَذُوقُوا الْعَذابَ بِما كُنْتُمْ تَكْسِبُونَ ٣٩

(7:39) And the first of them will say to the last of them, “You have no advantage over us! So taste the punishment because of what you used to earn.”

That is: “You have no advantage over us to receive a milder punishment, so taste the punishment for the sins that you acquired in the world.”

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ كَذَّبُوا بِآياتِنا وَ اسْتَكْبَرُوا عَنْها لا تُفَتَّحُ لَهُمْ أَبْوابُ السَّماءِ وَ لا يَدْخُلُونَ الْجَنَّةَ حَتَّى يَلِجَ الْجَمَلُ فِي سَمِّ الْخِياطِ وَ كَذلِكَ نَجْزِي الْمُجْرِمِينَ ٤٠

(7:40) Indeed, those who deny Our signs and are disdainful of them—the gates of the heaven will not be opened for them, nor shall they enter paradise until the camel passes through the needle’s eye (samm al-khiyāṭ), and thus do We requite the guilty.

Samm means thaqb (hole, bore). Its plural is sumūm. Khiyāṭ and makhīṭ mean “needle.” This verse explains and justifies what was mentioned in the last two verses.

… the gates of the heaven will not be opened for them…: Since this sentence is not restricted by any qualification, it can have a wide range of applications when viewed by itself. It can refer to their deeds rising and being accepted, their supplications rising and being answered, and their souls ascending to the heaven. However, the next sentence—nor shall they enter paradise…—shows that what is meant here is specifically the opening of the gates of heaven in order for them to enter paradise. The Qur’an suggests that paradise is in the heaven, as we can infer from the verse: And in the sky is your provision and what you are promised ().

… until the camel passes through the needle’s eye…: This is equivalent to making an event conditional on something impossible. It shows that the event will never occur and is meant to disappoint the audience. It is like saying “I shall do it when crows become white and rats lay eggs.” Elsewhere God says this more directly: and they shall not leave the Fire (). The rest of the verse should be clear.

لَهُمْ مِنْ جَهَنَّمَ مِهادٌ وَ مِنْ فَوْقِهِمْ غَواشٍ وَ كَذلِكَ نَجْزِي الظَّالِمِينَ ٤١

(7:41) They shall have hell (jahannam) for their resting place (mihād), and over them shall be sheets (ghawāsh) [of fire], and thus do We requite the wrongdoers.

Jahannam is one of the names of the fire in the hereafter which hosts God’s punishment. Some have said that it is derived from biʾr jihinnām, which means “a very deep well.” Others have said that it is the Arabicized version of an originally Persian noun. Mihād means “a bed that is spread.” A baby’s cradle is called mahd. Ghawāshī is the plural of ghāshiyah, meaning “something that covers and conceals something.” The cover of a saddle is called ghāshiyat al-sarj.

They shall have hell for their resting place, and over them shall be sheets [of fire]…: What is meant here is that they are completely enveloped by punishment from under and above. The rest of the verse should be clear.

وَ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَ عَمِلُوا الصَّالِحاتِ لا نُكَلِّفُ نَفْساً إِلاَّ وُسْعَها أُولئِكَ أَصْحابُ الْجَنَّةِ هُمْ فِيها خالِدُونَ ٤٢

(7:42) As for those who have faith and do righteous deeds (al-ṣāliḥāt)—We task no soul except according to its capacity—they shall be the inhabitants of paradise, and they shall remain in it [forever].

This verse and the next one add to the previous verses by completing the description of the two groups: disbelievers and believers. The verses also set the stage for what comes next: The inhabitants of paradise will call out to the inmates of the Fire ().

The word al-ṣāliḥāt is in the plural form, and is preceded by the article al-, which shows istighrāgh (inclusion, comprehensiveness, coverage). This means that one must perform all righteous deeds without exception in order to qualify for this verse. However, such stringent condition is rarely, if ever, found among the believers. This could dismay the believers. That is why God clarifies that one is obligated only to the extent of one’s ability: We task no soul except according to its capacity. This qualification serves to lighten the burden on the believers and strengthen their hearts. Hence, one who does good deeds to the extent of one’s ability—without being overburdened and loaded beyond their capacity—will be among those who are described in this verse. hey shall be the inhabitants of paradise, and they shall remain in it [forever].

وَ نَزَعْنا ما فِي صُدُورِهِمْ مِنْ غِلٍّ تَجْرِي مِنْ تَحْتِهِمُ الْأَنْهارُ وَ قالُوا الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذِي هَدانا لِهذا وَ ما كُنَّا لِنَهْتَدِيَ لَوْ لا أَنْ هَدانَا اللَّهُ لَقَدْ جاءَتْ رُسُلُ رَبِّنا بِالْحَقِّ وَ نُودُوا أَنْ تِلْكُمُ الْجَنَّةُ أُورِثْتُمُوها بِما كُنْتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ ٤٣

(7:43) We will remove whatever rancor (ghill) there is in their breasts, and streams will run under them. They will say, “All praise belongs to Allah, who guided us to this. We would have never been guided had not Allah guided us. Our Lord’s messengers certainly brought the truth.” And the call will be made to them: “This is your paradise, which you have been given to inherit because of what you used to do!”

Ghill means “rancor, resentment, enmity.” Its root meaning involves a sense of subtle and furtive intermediation. Ghilālah means a middle garment that is worn between the undergarment (shiʿār) and the overgarment (dithār). Having rancor in the heart is among the greatest impediments of having an enjoyable life. In our interactions with anyone, we tend to get along and have an amiable relationship with them as long as what we observe from them is compatible with our views and values. But if we observe something unsatisfactory from the person, our hearts will be agitated with rancor, our relationship sours, and our friendship fades away. If God takes rancor away from our hearts, then nothing that we observe from others would disturb us whatsoever, and in that lies the greatest of pleasures.

… and streams will run under them…: This suggests that they will reside in elevated palaces.

… They will say, “All praise belongs to Allah, who guided us to this. We would have never been guided had not Allah guided us. Our Lord’s messengers certainly brought the truth.”…: Praising God is not so simple and trivial to be achieved by anyone. Only those who have been chosen by God can describe Him as He deserves. The Qur’an says: Clear is Allah of whatever they allege [about Him]—[all] except Allah’s exclusive servants (). Therefore, narrating their praise (ḥamd, taḥmīd) of God shows that God has chosen and purified them for Himself, such that they are free from any false belief or evil action. He says: They will not hear therein any vain talk or sinful speech, but only the watchword, “Peace! Peace!” (). We discussed the meaning of praise and its divine application in Surah al-Ḥamd.

… We would have never been guided had not Allah guided us…: This sentence shows that one’s guidance is entirely in the hands of God, and the person has no control over it.

… Our Lord’s messengers certainly brought the truth…: Here the inhabitants of paradise admit the truth of God’s promises conveyed to them through the tongue of His prophets. They ask the inhabitants of hell to acknowledge the same in the next verse. Such confessions that the Almighty God takes from the two groups on the Day of Resurrection are manifestations of His absolute grandeur, invincibility and lordship. The confession of the people of paradise is an expression of gratitude, and the confession of the inhabitants of hell will complete God’s argument against them. This idea—that people on the Day of Resurrection will acknowledge that God’s promises through His messengers were true—may seem rather trivial at first sight. However, it is among the very sublime Qur’anic teachings. I will try to analyze it further in my exposition of the verses below [].

… And the call will be made to them: “This (tilkum) is your paradise, which you have been given to inherit because of what you used to do!”: The demonstrative pronoun tilkum (lit. that) is used for objects at a distance. However, the context shows that this call will be made when they are already in paradise. Therefore, the demonstrative pronoun indicates the significance and elevation of paradise [not its physical distance from them].

The verse describes paradise as their “inheritance” (irth) in return for their deeds. Inheritance is used when someone has some property which he uses for a while, then he dies and the property remains for another person to use. Thus it is said, “So-and-so inherited from his father,” which means that his father died and left some wealth behind for his child. Similarly, [a hadith says,] “The scholars are the prophet’s heirs,” meaning that they are heirs to the knowledge left behind by the prophets. “God inherits the earth” [], which means that when people die, the property and benefits which were given to them will remain after them.

Given this sense of inheritance, the verse means that paradise has been created and made available to everyone, including both believers and disbelievers, which they may claim through their actions. However, disbelievers waive their claim, miss their chance, and pass away, leaving their potential property to be inherited by the believers. They inherit paradise by means of their deeds; were it not for their deeds, they would not inherit it. God says [about the believers]: they shall inherit paradise, and will remain in it [forever] (). He also narrates from the inhabitants of paradise: All praise belongs to Allah, Who has fulfilled His promise to us and made us heirs to the earth, that we may settle in paradise wherever we may wish ().

What we said above is a better explanation than the one offered by al-Rāghib. He says in al-Mufradāt:

Wirāthah and irth mean the transfer of some wealth to you not through a financial contract (called ʿaqd). The property which is transferred from the deceased is called mīrāth, irth, and turāth. Its root is wurāth, but the letter wāw is converted to alif [in irth] and to tāʾ [in turāth]. God says: and you eat the inheritance (al-turāth) rapaciously ().

Similarly the Prophet said: “Stay in your designated areas [in ʿArafāt], for indeed you are on a remainder (irth) from your father,” meaning that these are rooted in him. A poem says:

فَيَنْظَرُ فِي صُحُفٍ كَالرِّيَا طِ فِيهِنَّ إِرْثُ كِتَابٍ مَحِي

He looks at scrolls that are simple and plain;

The remainder (irth) of a book that is lost they contain.

… The verb waratha is also used more generally when one acquires something without any effort. When someone is given something pleasant, this verb is used in the passive form ūritha. Thus God says: That is the paradise you have been given to inherit (ūrithtumūhā) (); It is they who will be the inheritors (al-wārithūn), who shall inherit (yarithūna) paradise, and will remain in it [forever] ().

God says [narrating from Zechariah]: who may inherit from me and inherit (yarithunī wa yarithu) from the House of Jacob (). What he meant was inheriting prophethood, knowledge and virtue, not wealth, because wealth is not of any significance to the prophets to hanker after it. Rather, the prophets rarely ever possessed and accumulated any wealth. This can be seen in the Prophetic narration: “We community of prophets do not bequeath [anything]. Whatever we leave behind is charity,” which is mentioned as a special honor and quality for the prophets. This has been interpreted as follows: “What we leave behind is [religious] knowledge, and that is a charity for the entire Muslim nation (ummah) to partake in.”

Likewise, it is narrated from the Prophet that “The scholars [of religion] are the heirs (warathah) of the prophets,” which refers to their inheritance of [religious] knowledge. The word warathah (heirs, inheritors, successors) is used here because the knowledge that the scholars get from the prophets does not come at any cost or minnah (obligation, reproach).

The Prophet told ʿAlī, “You are my brother and heir (wārith).” ʿAlī inquired, “And what is your inheritance (irth)?” He explained, “The same as the inheritance of the prophets before me: the Book of God and my sunnah.”

God describes Himself as a heir [to the earth and all its resources] in the sense that all things return to God.

Our explanation is clearer than al-Rāghib’s because it is difficult to find a common denominator as a root meaning for the definitions that he has suggested.

وَ نادى‏ أَصْحابُ الْجَنَّةِ أَصْحابَ النَّارِ أَنْ قَدْ وَجَدْنا ما وَعَدَنا رَبُّنا حَقًّا فَهَلْ وَجَدْتُمْ ما وَعَدَ رَبُّكُمْ حَقًّا قالُوا نَعَمْ فَأَذَّنَ مُؤَذِّنٌ بَيْنَهُمْ أَنْ لَعْنَةُ اللَّهِ عَلَى الظَّالِمِينَ ٤٤

(7:44) The inhabitants of paradise will call out to the inmates of the Fire, “We found what our Lord promised us to be true; did you find what your Lord promised to be true?” “Yes,” they will say. Then a caller will announce in their midst, “May Allah’s curse be on the wrongdoers!”

Here God takes confession from the inmates of hell through the inhabitants of paradise. The dialogue here is a rebuke and humiliation of the inmates of hell by the inhabitants of paradise. Derision is an example of vain speech if there is no justification behind it, such as mocking the truth and its followers. However, sometimes there is a justifiable cause behind deriding someone, such as rightful retaliation, retribution or some other consideration. In such cases, derision is not a vain act, so it can ensue from the inhabitants of paradise. God says in the story of Prophet Noah: As he was building the ark, whenever the elders of his people passed by him, they would ridicule him. He said, “If you ridicule us [today], we shall ridicule you [tomorrow] just as you ridicule us [now]” (). He also says: Indeed the guilty used to laugh at the faithful, and when they passed them by they would wink at each other… So today the faithful will laugh at the faithless ().

There is a subtle difference of expression in the verse, where the inhabitants of paradise mention the recipients of God’s promise when the talk about themselves—what our Lord promised us—but they do not mention it when they talk about the inmates of the Fire: what your Lord promised. There are two possible explanations for this difference of expression:

(1) It shows an honor for the inhabitants of paradise [for being recipients of God’s promise]. Otherwise, “what God promised” in both cases includes all of God’s promises of reward and threats of punishment, addressed to everyone in the world.

(2) What the believers acknowledge and what the disbelievers deny are not the same thing. The believers believe in the truth of Resurrection along with all of its aspects and properties, as God has promised to them and described through the tongue of His prophets. The denial of the disbelievers, however, only applies to the truth of afterlife. They do not believe in there being any resurrection or retribution, which are among the general promises of God to everyone, not something specific to them. God’s argument against the disbelievers is about the actual occurrence of the Resurrection, not its specific qualities and details, as He says: Were you to see when they are stationed before their Lord. He will say, “Is this not a fact?” They will say, “Yes, by our Lord!” (); The day when the faithless are exposed to the Fire, [He will say,] “Is this not a fact?” They will say, “Yes, by our Lord!” (). In other words, what the disbelievers primarily confront in this world is God’s general promise of resurrection, which applies to everyone. The believers accept that and open up to God’s promises of rewards that specifically apply to them. That is why the believers say: We found what our Lord promised us to be true; did you find what your Lord promised to be true?

Some exegetes have raised concern about an apparent inconsistency in this verse: The question narrated here from the inhabitants of paradise shows that they expect God’s warning and threats of punishment to materialize in the hereafter. However, whereas it is incumbent on one to fulfill one’s promise [of reward], it is not incumbent on one to fulfill one’s threat [of punishment], as discussed in theology. So it is not necessary for God to fulfill His promise of punishing the disbelievers and sinners.

The theological principle stated here is based on the concept of “right.” In the case of reward, the doer of a good act is entitled to reward as a right, and he cannot be denied his due right. In the case of punishment, the possessor of the right is the other side [either God or one who has been wronged], who is entitled to waive his right to punish. In other words, one can waive one’s own right, but cannot overlook a right that belongs to another person.

Our explanation above should solve this problem. The above theological principle is true, but not applicable to this verse. The fact that one [that is, God] can waive the right to punish a wrongdoer is true in individual cases. However, we cannot generalize it to include the execution of punishment for sin altogether, because that would destroy the whole foundation of penalizing wrongdoers. That would make all religious injunctions pointless, which amounts to disorder in the entire system of creation.

Concerning the difference of expression in this verse, some exegetes have said that what our Lord promised us refers to the special treatment of the Godwary that God has particularly promised them, but what your Lord promised refers to God’s promises to everyone, including the reward promised to the believers and the punishment promised to the disbelievers. Hence, the second promise would include what is stated in these verses: Then, should any guidance come to you from Me, those who follow My guidance shall have no fear, nor shall they grieve. But those who are faithless and deny Our signs, they shall be the inmates of the Fire and they shall remain in it [forever] (). These promises are not specific to the disbelievers, so instead of saying “what your Lord promised to you” the verse says: what your Lord promised.

Comment: The problem with this explanation is that it does not fully answer the question, because the inquirer would then move on to ask, “Why is it that when the inhabitants of paradise speak about God’s promises to themselves, they only mention what specifically applies to them, but then they ask the inmates of hell about all of God’s promises? In other words, amongst God’s promises, some of them are specific promises which apply to only one of the two groups, and some of them are general promises which apply to everyone. How come the inhabitants of paradise acknowledge the promises especially given to them, but ask the inmates of hell to acknowledge the general promises?”

Other exegetes have said that the inmates of hell will see the reward given to the inhabitants of paradise. That is why they are asked about what your Lord promised.

Comment: This is such a weak explanation that is not worthy of discussion.

Key Debate: The Caller →

… Then a caller will announce in their midst, “May Allah’s curse be on the wrongdoers!”: The letter fāʾ (then, so, therefore) at the beginning of this part indicates temporal sequence. That is, once the inhabitants of paradise and hell acknowledge God’s promises to be true, this announcement will be made. The verse says: in their midst, which means that this announcement—May Allah’s curse be on the wrongdoers—is declared to both groups. The announcement indicates God’s decree that the wrongdoers shall be far and distanced from His mercy. The cursed wrongdoers are then described in the next verse.

الَّذِينَ يَصُدُّونَ عَنْ سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ وَ يَبْغُونَها عِوَجاً وَ هُمْ بِالْآخِرَةِ كافِرُونَ ٤٥

(7:45) Those who bar [others] from the way of Allah, and seek to make it crooked, and disbelieve in the hereafter.

These are those who deny the hereafter and prevent others from pursuing God’s way. They are themselves deviant from the straight path, and also present it as devious to others. In short, they are against the Truth [that is, God] and reject the hereafter.

The description in this verse is not limited to those who believe in some god and follow some religious tradition. Rather, it applies to all those who are against the Truth and deny retribution [in the hereafter], including atheists and those who do not believe in any religion whatsoever. This inclusion is because the way of Allah—meaning the path which leads to Him and ends in Him—is the path of humanity, meaning a path that is according to the innate nature of humankind, a path that they intuitively incline toward based on their makeup as a species (called fiṭrah). This is what the Qur’an advocates: to adopt this path as one’s religion; to have submission (islām) before one’s divine conscience and intuition (fiṭrah).

The path that is pursued by anyone in this life is God’s way and religion. The difference is in how one pursues this path. If one treads it path in an upright fashion, as called for by one’s fiṭrah, then the path will lead the person to happiness. This is what makes one’s way the straight path, which is free from deviation. This is the meaning of submission (islām), which is the only accepted religion by God []. However, there are those who go through the path of life in other manners: some admit and worship other gods, as in the case of false religions and traditions; others do not recognize any form of worship and deity whatsoever, as in the case of pure materialism. Either way, this amounts to an attempt to make God’s way crooked. That would be a distorted submission [directed to where it does not belong]. This is the meaning of converting God’s blessing to ingratitude []. The reader should reflect on this.

The verse says vaguely, Then a caller will announce in their midst (), without specifying who the caller is. Is it a human, a jinn, or an angel? Through reflection on the Qur’an, we can assert that the caller will be a human, not a jinn, nor an angel. It will not be of the jinn because the Qur’an never mentions the jinn among the intermediaries in the affairs of humans from when they enter the hereafter—which is the time of their death—until their final settlement in either paradise or hell. Hence, it is improbable that the caller may be of the jinn.

As with the angels, we must admit that God’s decrees are fulfilled through their intermediation. They are among the means and instruments of executing God’s will and commands. They are also involved with humans when they die. For instance, they address the wrongdoers upon their death: Give up your souls (). They also welcome and greet the inhabitants of paradise: Peace be to you! Enter paradise (). Similarly, the angel Mālik tells the inmates of hell: Indeed you will stay on (). There are other verses similar to these. However, they are not involved in the plain of resurrection (maḥshar), which is where the questioning, testimony, records, scales, and reckoning will take place. That is where the final judgment [of God concerning the people] will be made. The Qur’an does not explicitly talk about any role played by the angels or any other being at that stage.

The only thing that is explicitly mentioned at that level is the involvement of humans. One example is seen below, concerning the occupants of the Elevations: They will call out to the inhabitants of paradise, “Peace be to you!” (). They will also address a group of believers: Enter paradise! You shall have no fear, nor shall you grieve (), where they issue a command and give assurance to the believers by God’s leave. Similarly, God says concerning the Day of Resurrection: Those who were given knowledge will say, “Indeed today disgrace and distress pursue the faithless” (). Another similar verse is about those who will respond to the people’s question in the hereafter about how long they stayed in the earth: Those who were given knowledge and faith will say, “Certainly you remained in Allah’s Book until the Day of Resurrection. This is the Day of Resurrection, but you did not know” (). These are some of the tasks on the Day of Resurrection for which God has chosen humans instead of angels, in addition to their position of testimony and intercession. All of these verses strengthen the possibility that the caller mentioned here will be a human, not an angel. We shall come back to this in our examination of the narrations below.

وَ بَيْنَهُما حِجابٌ وَ عَلَى الْأَعْرافِ رِجالٌ يَعْرِفُونَ كُلاًّ بِسِيماهُمْ وَ نادَوْا أَصْحابَ الْجَنَّةِ أَنْ سَلامٌ عَلَيْكُمْ لَمْ يَدْخُلُوها وَ هُمْ يَطْمَعُونَ ٤٦

(7:46) And there will be a veil (ḥijāb) between them. And on the Elevations (al-aʿrāf) will be certain men who recognize each of them by their mark (sīmāhum). They will call out to the inhabitants of paradise, “Peace be to you!” They will not have entered it, though they would be eager to do so.

The meaning of ḥijāb is well known (veil, barrier, curtain). It means “a cover that interposes between two things and conceals one from the other.” Aʿrāf refers to the upper [visible] part of the ḥijāb and sandy hills. The highest part of anything is called ʿurf, such as the comb of a rooster and the crest of a horse. Overall there is an element of elevation and height in this root. Since the verse first talks about the ḥijāb and then the aʿrāf, we can deduce that aʿrāf refers to the higher parts of the barrier which divides paradise and hell. It is an elevated position where one can oversee both the inhabitants of paradise and the inmates of hell. This is confirmed by what is mentioned next, where those on the aʿrāf address both groups.

Sīmāʾ is synonymous with ʿalāmah (mark, sign, expression). Al-Rāghib says:

Sīmāʾ and sīmiyāʾ both mean ʿalāmah. A poet says: “He has a sīmiyāʾ which is not hard to see.” God says: Their mark (sīmāhum) is [visible] on their faces, from the effect of prostration (). When one marks someone or something, he says: sawwamtuhu. What is marked is called musawwam.

Key Debate: The Men on the Aʿrāf →

Upon contemplation on this verse and the following verses, it becomes clear that the dual pronoun “them”—in And there will be a veil between them—refers to the inhabitants of paradise and the inhabitants of hell. A similar idea to this is mentioned in the dialogue between the hypocrites and the believers on the Day of Resurrection: The day the hypocrites, men and women, will say to the faithful, “Please let up on us, that we may glean something from your light!” They will be told: “Go back and grope for light!” Then there will be set up between them a wall with a gate, with mercy on its interior and punishment toward its exterior ().

The word ḥijāb is used in a rather literal sense here: something that blocks and obstructs (yaḥjubu). It refers to a barrier that separates the two groups from one another, and prevents one from seeing the other. It does not mean a veil or curtain (ḥijāb) made of fabric, suspending between paradise and hell. God then says that on the heights of this barrier there will be some men who oversee both groups due to their elevated position. They will recognize everyone among the inhabitants of paradise and hell by their specific mark.

The context shows that these men on the Elevations neither belong to the inhabitants of paradise nor to the inmates of hell. Now what does that mean? There are three possibilities here:

(1) They are not humans, but are other beings like angels or jinn.

(2) They are humans, but they will not be among the masses who will be subject to questioning, reckoning, and the other stages on that day. This means that people will be divided into three groups on the Day of Judgment: (i) the inhabitants of paradise; (ii) the inmates of hell; (iii) the occupants of the Elevations. This would match the state of people in this world, where they divide into three categories: (i) believers; (ii) disbelievers; (iii) disadvantaged individuals (mustaḍʿafūn). The last group includes those who do not receive divine guidance in a conclusive way, as well as those who are exempt from religious obligations due to their weakness of intellect, such as insane or feeble-minded individuals, immature children, old people who have lost their senses, and fools.

3) They are humans, much like the last case, but what distinguishes the third group from the masses is their high status [not their disadvantage].

The People on the Aʿrāf

The word “men” in this verse is significant in two ways: (i) Syntactically, it is mentioned in an indefinite form (nakirah), which conveys aggrandizement and emphasis on their position. (ii) Semantically, “man” (rajul) is usually used to indicate a person who has a strong will power and a solid rational faculty. This is how the term is used elsewhere in the Qur’an, such as: by men whom neither trading nor bargaining distracts from the remembrance of Allah (); Therein are men who love to keep pure (); Among the faithful are men who fulfill what they have pledged to Allah (); We did not send [any messengers] before you except as men to whom We revealed (). Here we can even quote verses like: And they [the inmates of hell] will say, “How come we do not see [here] men whom we used to count among the bad ones?” (); Indeed some persons from the humans would seek the protection of some persons from the jinn (). What is meant by “men” in this verse is individuals who have achieved perfection in their humanity. The word “men” in verses like this can also include women based on generalization (taghlīb).

Therefore, the last of the three possibilities above is the correct view. Here is why the other two possibilities are not plausible:

They cannot be angels because the verse calls them “men” (rijāl). Angels are never described as male or female, unlike animals. One might say, “Perhaps they are angels who manifest in the form of men.” The answer is that such appearance is not sufficient for labelling and describing them as “men”—not to mention that there is no evidence to prove such appearance of angels on that day.

They cannot be the disadvantaged individuals (mustaḍʿafūn) because there is nothing special about them to be mentioned with particular attention to their position. The disadvantaged are not limited to men, but include a variety of individuals such as women, children, and even some jinn. None of them, including their men, has any advantage over others. Therefore, there is no justification for calling them “men” based on generalization (taghlīb). If what is meant here were the disadvantaged individuals, then the verse should have used another term like qawm (people), unās (lot) or ṭāʾifah (group), as used elsewhere in the Qur’an in such cases. Some examples are: Why do you advise a people (qawman) whom Allah will destroy or punish with a severe punishment? (); They are indeed a puritanical lot (unās) (); So a group (ṭāʾifah) of the Children of Israel believed, and a group (ṭāʾifah) disbelieved ().

The qualities and descriptions mentioned in the subsequent part of this verse and the next verses confirm our interpretation, because they only make sense about people who have a lofty station at divine proximity. They are not applicable to ordinary individuals, let alone the disadvantaged. Here is what is mentioned about the people of aʿrāf:

(1) They are positioned on the Elevations, where they oversee everyone on the Day of Resurrection, can view the inhabitants of paradise and the inmates of hell, and will recognize every person with the person’s unique mark. They fathom the actions of each person in detail and encompass the specific spiritual qualities of everyone. This indicates their exclusive position among the people, because not everyone will be able to see all people on the Day of Resurrection, particularly after they enter paradise and hell. This is not something that is universally available to everyone, as God narrates from the inmates of hell: How come we do not see [here] men whom we used to count among the bad ones? (); Our Lord! Show us those who led us astray from among jinn and humans so that we may trample them under our feet, so that they may be among the lowermost! (). He also says: That day each of them will have a task to keep him preoccupied ().

It should be noted that what is meant by who recognize each of them by their mark is not that they know overall who is a believer and who is a disbeliever according a general mark of each party which is visible in their members, such as brightness or darkness of the face. This possibility is refuted by two verses below: And the occupants of the Elevations will call out to certain men whom they recognize by their marks, “Your amassing did not avail you, nor what you used to disdain. Are these the ones concerning whom you swore that Allah will not extend them any mercy?” “Enter paradise! You shall have no fear, nor shall you grieve” (). These verses show that they can distinguish the people by their marks as being covetous and contemptuous, which are more specific classifications than the general classifications of belief and disbelief.

(2) They will speak with both groups. They will greet and welcome the inhabitants of paradise []; and they will censure the inmates of hell based on their actions and speeches []. They are completely free to make these conversations without any impediment. This shows their high rank, because only an elect few of God’s servants will be permitted to speak on the Day of Judgment: those who only speak the truth: None shall speak except whom the All-Merciful permits and who says what is right (). This is not something that the disadvantaged would qualify for.

(3) They are in such position to salute the people of paradise—which conveys security for them []—and issue an unconditional command to them to enter paradise []. This is apparently their speech [not the speech of God or the angels] given the context of the verses.

(4) The verses bear no indication of anxiety or agitation in the people of aʿrāf where they stand, when they converse with the inhabitants of paradise, and when they address the proud oppressors in hell. There is no sense of disturbance in their speech. Moreover, they are not described as appearing in the scene along with the rest of the people and experiencing the frightening events which will make the hearts vacant [] and turn the mountains into a mirage []. This means that they are among God’s most exclusive servants, as He says: So they will indeed be arraigned [before Him]—[all] except Allah’s exclusive servants (). They are exempt from all horror on the Day of Resurrection.

In the verses below, God narrates a prayer from the people of aʿrāf: And when their look is turned toward the inmates of the Fire, they will say, “Our Lord, do not put us among the wrongdoing lot!” (). He does not decline their request, which shows that: (1) they are permitted to speak; and (2) their supplications will be granted. Otherwise, God would have declined their request, as we see in the case of other requests on that day by the inmates of hell, and by the people upon the Resurrection [to be returned to the world].

The above qualities and their implications are deduced by reflecting on these verses. They should leave no doubt for anyone who contemplates on these verses that what is meant here—by on the Elevations will be certain men—is a group of chosen servants of God, not angels. They have a much higher rank and position than the rest of the people on the Day of Resurrection, and will recognize everyone among the two groups [in paradise and hell]. They will have certain rights on that day, including: (1) the right to speak the truth; (2) the right to testify [to the acts of others]; (3) the right to intercede [to save others]; (4) the right to command and decree [the fate of others].

Now, will they be humans, jinn, or a mix of both? We have no textual evidence to answer this question, but we can say that the Qur’an never mentions the jinn as intermediaries in anything that pertains to the judgment of humans on the Day of Resurrection. They are not involved in any human affair like testimony (shahādah), intercession (shafāʿah) and so on.

The above qualities that we listed about the people of aʿrāf do not contravene other verses like: It is a day when no soul will be of any avail to another soul and all command that day will belong to Allah (). We should understand this verse in light of other verses. The verse does not mean that God will be in command of the affairs only starting from that day. Rather, that is a day when His absolute command will appear to everyone. Otherwise, He is consistently in charge of all affairs at all times, and no soul controls any aspect of another soul ever, not just on the Day of Resurrection. The instruments and intermediaries—such as the angels, the witnesses, and the intercessors—will nevertheless have their role on that day. This is explicitly mentioned in the Qur’an: and the angels will receive them [saying]: “This is your day which you were promised” (); and on the day when the witnesses rise up (); Those whom they invoke besides Him have no power of intercession, except those who are witness to the truth and who know [for whom to intercede] ().

The kingdom and the rule on that day will exclusively belong to God, and others may have a role to the extent that He grants them, which is called the divine idhn (leave, permission). This is no different than this world, except that on the Day of Resurrection these realities will manifest starkly, without any ambiguity, and will be present to everyone without being missed due to ignorance, inadvertence, mistake or cancellation.

Views of other Exegetes

Exegetes have disagreed greatly on the interpretation of this verse, some of them offering unwarranted views. Here is a list of what they have said concerning aʿrāf (the Elevations):

1. It is something that overhangs both groups.
2. It is a wall with an edge like a rooster’s comb (ʿurf).
3. It is a hill between paradise and hell, where some sinners will sit.
4. It is the same as the wall which will be raised between the believers and the hypocrites, as the Qur’an says: Then there will be set up between them a wall with a gate ().
5. Aʿrāf here means taʿarruf (recognition, acquaintance). Therefore, “being on the aʿrāf” means being in a state of taʿarruf—that is, being aware of everyone’s condition.
6. It means the Bridge (ṣirāṭ).

Exegetes have also varied to a great degree concerning the men who will be on the aʿrāf (the Elevations). They have offered up to 12 interpretations:

1. They are the noblest of people who are selected by God.
2. They are those whose good deeds and evil deeds match. They neither have more good deeds so that they may enter paradise, nor more evil deeds so that they are sent to hell. Thus God makes them stand on these Elevations, representing an intermediate position between paradise and hell. Then God will let them enter paradise by His mercy.
3. They are those who lived in times when there was no divine message (fatrah).
4. They are believers from the jinn.
5. They are the children of unbelievers who died before reaching puberty.
6. They are illegitimate children.
7. They are those who were self-conceited.
8. They are a group of angels who will stand there [on the Elevations] and who will recognize everyone by their mark. In response to the objection that angels are never called “men” or “women,” these exegetes explain that the angels will embody and take the form of men.
9. They are the prophets who will be raised there in order to: (i) be distinguished from the rest of the people; and (ii) to testify against the people.
10. They are the just witnesses from every nation, who will rise there to testify against their people.
11. They are a group of pious and knowledgeable individuals.
12. They will be ʿAbbās, Ḥamzah, ʿAlī and Jaʿfar. They will have a special seat next to the Bridge, where they will recognize their lovers based on their bright faces, and their enemies based on their dark faces.

In addition to these twelve views concerning the people of aʿrāf, we can add another two here:

13. They are the disadvantaged individuals (mustaḍʿafūn), meaning those who did not receive the message of guidance decisively so that they may be accountable for religious obligations, including men and women who were weak in the earth, and children who did not reach the age of maturity. This view can be integrated with the second view, by saying that the people of aʿrāf are those who have neither good deeds which outweighs their evil deeds, nor vice versa, whether this is because of not being obligated by religious duties due to not receiving the message fully, or because of having equal weights of good and evil deeds. The two groups would be subject to the same rule. The first group would include children, fools, those living in times when there was no divine message (fatrah), and the like.
14. They are those who participated in holy war (jihad) without permission from their fathers, and were martyred in God’s way. On the one hand, they should burn in hell because of disobeying their fathers, and on the other hand they deserve paradise because of their martyrdom. There is a narration to this effect. This view can also be integrated with the second interpretation above.

Not all of the above views are mutually exclusive. For instance, the third view—that the people of aʿrāf are those who lived at times of fatrah—is based on idea that neither their good deeds dominate their evil deeds, nor vice versa. Hence, this interpretation boils down to the second view. Similarly, the sixth view—that they are illegitimate children—is based on the assumption that they are neither believers nor disbelievers. Finally, views 9-12 can be reduced to the first view.

Therefore, we can sum up the views on the people of aʿrāf under three main categories:

(i) They are a group of people with a high spiritual rank and position—notwithstanding the difference of opinion about who these noble souls are. Some suggested views that we quoted are: prophets, witnesses to deeds [of others], and religious scholars.

(ii) They are those who have neither good deeds which dominate their evil deeds, nor vice versa. Again, there is controversy in determining their instances and applications.

(iii) They are a group of angels.

Most exegetes have favored the second of these main views, predominantly because of the narrated interpretations. We shall present these narrations in our examination of the narrations below, by God’s will. Nevertheless, our explanations above should clarify that the text and context of the verses support the first view. In fact, although some exegetes have inclined toward the second view, they have nevertheless admitted that it does not quite comply with the theme of the verses, such as al-Ālūsī in Rūḥ al-maʿānī.

The twelfth view above is based on a narration reported by al-Ālūsī in Rūḥ al-maʿānī, on the authority of al-Ḍaḥḥāk, from Ibn ʿAbbās. Tafsīr al-manār says about it:

This is not found in any of the narrational books of exegesis. Apparently he [al-Ālūsī] has reported it from Shia commentaries. The problem with this interpretation is that [according to the verse,] the people of aʿrāf will know and distinguish every single one of the inhabitants of paradise and hell by their mark, and will testify about them. So what is the point of having these noble souls on the Bridge, making out those who were hostile toward them from the Umayyads, and especially toward ʿAlī from the hypocrites and the enemies of Ahl al-Bayt (nawāṣib)? Besides, the Elevations (aʿrāf) and the Bridge (ṣirāṭ) are completely distinct positions. This interpretation is very unlikely given the flow and context of the verse.

Assessing the View of Tafsīr al-manār

We have to clarify a few points regarding the above quote from Tafsīr al-manār:

(1) The narration is not found in any Shia commentary on the authority of al-Ḍaḥḥāk. However, it is found in Majmaʿ al-bayān [Shia commentary], quoting from Tafsīr al-Thaʿlabī [Sunni commentery], via his chain of narration, on the authority of al-Ḍaḥḥāk, from Ibn ʿAbbās. We shall discuss the Shia narrations concerning the people of aʿrāf in our examination of the narrations, by God’s will.

(2) Tafsīr al-manār has rejected the above narration correctly, but not with the right justification. The author’s reasoning shows his approach to all eschatological discussions, where he takes things quite literally. That is, he interprets the events mentioned in the Qur’an and hadith about the hereafter by comparing them to the worldly system of affairs. He assumes that the two realms are of the same nature and are governed by the same set of laws. Thus he admits anything that can have a clear justification based on the order of things in this world, and denies anything that does not match invariably. This is rather unwarranted. The reader should reflect on this.

(3) His argument is that the distinction made [between believers and disbelievers] by the people of aʿrāf suffices us of any distinction to be made by the people of ṣirāṭ (supervisors at the Bridge). However, this is a self-denying argument, because then the very existence of the Bridge would make us needless of the distinction made by the people of aʿrāf. Not only that, but it will also make many other aspects of judgment pointless, such as questioning, reckoning, opening the books, setting up the scales, summoning the deeds, bringing witnesses, and making one’s body parts speak. Some of these stages would suffice of others. Not to mention that the Lord of the worlds stands behind all this, and His knowledge suffices of everything, while He is not questioned concerning what He does ().

Apparently the author of al-Manār has assumed the aʿrāf and the ṣirāṭ in the hereafter to be like a wall and a bridge in this world: one cannot be standing on the wall and at the same time be right next to the bridge. The two are completely different things in this world. That is why he says, “The Elevations (aʿrāf) and the Bridge (ṣirāṭ) are completely distinct positions.” This suffers from a fallacy of comparing the hereafter with this world, as we explained above.

(4) Overall, the apparent meaning suggested by the narrations is that the ṣirāṭ will be a Bridge that passes over hell to heaven. Everyone will enter the Bridge, then God will save the believers [to paradise] while the wrongdoers will fall into the fire. Now, what is wrong with having the ḥijāb (veil, barrier) set up above the Bridge, and the aʿrāf being the highest part of that?! In fact, one of the interpretations of aʿrāf is ṣirāṭ. This is narrated from Ibn Masʿūd by al-Ṭabarī in his Tafsīr. It is also narrated from Ibn Jarīj [Jurayḥ]: “They [some exegetes] have supposed that it is the Bridge.”

(5) “This interpretation is very unlikely given the flow and context of the verse.” The problem with this statement should be clearer than his previous statements [about the Bridge]. The text and context of these verses inform us of unseen facts in general and unspecified terms. We can understand their overall meaning, but their reality is unknown to us, except inasmuch as what God has explained in the Qur’an, where some verses may clarify other verses. The general and unrestricted descriptions given in these verses can certainly be matched with some specific individuals who have the attributes mentioned in the verses. It is also possible that these general descriptions coincide with what is mentioned elsewhere in different terms, much like the case of justice and scale.

… They will call out to the inhabitants of paradise, “Peace be to you!” They will not have entered it, though they would be eager to do so: The callers here are the men who will be on the Elevations. The Arabic particle an (that) shows that “Peace be to you!” is interpretive of their call. The last two sentences—They will not have entered it and though they would be eager to do so—specify the condition of the inhabitants of paradise (that is, they function as a ḥāl). The meaning is: “The inhabitants of paradise will receive this greeting while they have not yet entered paradise, but they are hopeful to enter it.” Another possible meaning is: “The inhabitants of paradise did not enter it while they had any hopes of it.” According to this interpretation, they receive the greeting after entering the paradise, but the last phrase clarifies that they were not optimistic of entering paradise prior to that—because of the tremendous fears that they observed in the plain of resurrection and upon reckoning. This means that the last sentence is a ḥāl (circumstantial qualifier, participial phrase) for the sentence before it, while that is in turn a ḥāl for the inhabitants of paradise. However, there is some evidence in the subsequent verses—Are these the ones concerning whom… ()—that this greeting is made before the inhabitants of paradise actually enter paradise, which confirms the first meaning.

Exegetes have offered two other interpretations for the last two sentences in the verse, which are unlikely:

(1) The last two sentences qualify the condition of the callers in They will call out (that is, the last two sentences serve as a ḥāl for the pronoun implied by the verb nādaw).

Comment: The meaning would then be: “Those men who are on the heights of the barrier between paradise and hell will call out while they have not entered paradise yet.” This is rather meaningless and thus unacceptable.

(2) The last two sentences do not qualify “the callers” (implied in the previous part of the verse: They will call out) but they are a description (bayān) for the people of aʿrāf (mentioned at the beginning of the verse: And on the Elevations will be certain men). The meaning would be: “And on the Elevations will be men who have not yet entered paradise, but are eager to do so. They will call out to the inhabitants of paradise, ‘Peace be to you!’ And when their look is turned toward the inmates of the Fire, they will say, ‘Our Lord, do not put us among the wrongdoing lot.’” This is narrated from al-Zamakhsharī’s al-Kashshāf.

Comment: This means that the last two sentences are either complete statements that are independent from previous part of the verse [about the people of aʿrāf greeting the inhabitants of paradise], or adjectives for the people of aʿrāf. However, it is unlikely that they are independent statements because then the verse should not have used a pronoun in: They will not have entered it. Instead, it should have explicitly mentioned the subject to avoid confusion, just as we see below: And the occupants of the Elevations will call out to certain men… (). Similarly, it is unlikely that they are adjectives, because that would entail an unnecessary gap—that is, They will call out to the inhabitants of paradise, “Peace be to you!”—between the noun and its adjectives.

Based on the second suggested interpretation here, the verse is effectively saying: “On the Elevations there will be certain men who long for entering paradise and seek refuge [with God] from entering hell.” It is based on this interpretation that the exegetes have supposed that the people of aʿrāf are those whose good deeds are equal to their sins. They end up on the Elevations between paradise and hell because their deeds do not qualify them for either. However, as we explained above, the last two sentences in this verse describe the condition (ḥāl) of the people of paradise, not the condition of the people of aʿrāf. Similarly, the next verse—And when their look is turned… ()—is not about the people of aʿrāf either, as we shall explain below.

وَ إِذا صُرِفَتْ أَبْصارُهُمْ تِلْقاءَ أَصْحابِ النَّارِ قالُوا رَبَّنا لا تَجْعَلْنا مَعَ الْقَوْمِ الظَّالِمِينَ ٤٧

(7:47) And when their look is turned toward (tilqāʾ) the inmates of the Fire, they will say, “Our Lord, do not put us among the wrongdoing lot!”

Tilqāʾ is originally a verbal noun (meeting, encounter), derived from the root laqiya yalqá (to meet, to encounter, to visit), but later it was used as “the direction of meeting” (jihat al-liqāʾ). The verse does not say that they will voluntarily and willingly look at the inmates of the Fire, but says that their looks are turned in that direction. Perhaps the reason for this expression is that one does not like to look at a painful scene, especially the most excruciating punishment and misfortunate condition that the inmates of hell suffer. It is rather unbearable to look at such a scene. Nevertheless, sometimes one’s glance may cast upon the scene, particularly in a state of anxiety and worry. It is as if someone else has turned the person in that direction; otherwise one would have no interest in looking at that scene or even turning in that direction. That is why the verse says, And when their look is turned toward…, instead of saying “when they look at the inmates of the Fire” or another similar expression.

Here is how most exegetes have interpreted the verse: The plural pronouns in “their look” (abṣāruhum) and “they will say” (qālū) refer to the word “men” in the last verse. The meaning is: “When the people of aʿrāf look accidentally at the people of hell, they seek refuge with God from counting them among the inmates of the Fire and casting them into hell. Thus they will pray: Our Lord, do not put us among the wrongdoing lot!”

Assuming this interpretation, their supplication here does not reduce their lofty rank in any way. It does not mean that they are relegated to a lower position such that they are now fearful of their end and afraid of entering hell, because the same supplications is narrated from God’s resolute messengers [], His noble prophets, His righteous servants, and His most intimate angels. Therefore, there is no hint of diminution of their rank or confusion about their status in this supplication. Nevertheless, the statement at the end of the last verse—though they would be eager to do so ()—shows their hope and desire to enter paradise. All this is based on the assumption that the plural pronouns here refer to the people of aʿrāf, as favored by other exegetes.

However, the readers should know that the above interpretation is not concordant with the beginning of the next verse: And the occupants of the Elevations will call out (). The exegetes have assumed that all of these four verses [] are about the people of aʿrāf, where they are described as: men who recognize each of them… They will call out to the inhabitants of paradise… They will not have entered it… And when their look is turned (). If everything so far were about the occupants of the Elevations, then there was no need to mention them by name in the next verse. Instead, the verse should have referred to them using a plural pronoun, just like the previous verses: “And they will call out to certain men whom they recognize…” Using a pronoun would not involve any ambiguity, and there is no other point to favor the use of a noun instead of a pronoun. However, the verse explicitly names them: And the occupants of the Elevations will call out ().

This shows that the two pronouns in the current verse of discussion—that is, “their look” (abṣāruhum) and “they will say” (qālū)—refer to the inhabitants of paradise. This verse narrates their prayer to God when their looks fall upon the inmates of hell. Similarly, the ending of the last verse [] describes their hope and desire for entering paradise. All these pertain to their state before they actually enter paradise.

وَ نادى‏ أَصْحابُ الْأَعْرافِ رِجالاً يَعْرِفُونَهُمْ بِسِيماهُمْ قالُوا ما أَغْنى‏ عَنْكُمْ جَمْعُكُمْ وَ ما كُنْتُمْ تَسْتَكْبِرُونَ ٤٨

(7:48) And the occupants of the Elevations will call out to certain men whom they recognize by their marks, “Your amassing did not avail you, nor what you used to disdain.”

As we explained above [under verse ], the phrase whom they recognize by their marks means that they have marks that not only indicate their final destination as hell, but also indicate other more specific and personal traits of them.

… Your amassing did not avail you, nor what you used to disdain: This is a statement of rebuke and blame. It also shows that they are severed from their worldly connections and means of support. They used to disdain the truth, look down upon it, and be proud of their number [or their financial savings].

أَ هؤُلاءِ الَّذِينَ أَقْسَمْتُمْ لا يَنالُهُمُ اللَّهُ بِرَحْمَةٍ ادْخُلُوا الْجَنَّةَ لا خَوْفٌ عَلَيْكُمْ وَ لا أَنْتُمْ تَحْزَنُونَ ٤٩

(7:49) “Are these the ones concerning whom you swore that Allah will not extend them any mercy?” “Enter paradise! You shall have no fear, nor shall you grieve.”

This verse refers to the inhabitants of paradise. The word raḥmah (mercy) is used in a context of negation, where its indefinite form means “no mercy whatsoever.” It negates all mercy as a genus (jins). The wrongdoers used to claim that the believers have no share of mercy whatsoever. The question here is a rhetorical one, which reduces to a declarative statement: “These are the one whom you so confidently swore that they will not receive any good—meaning any mercy from God—in their way of servitude [to God].”

… “Enter paradise! You shall have no fear, nor shall you grieve”: This is a command made by the people of aʿrāf. They order the believers to enter paradise after describing their condition through a rhetorical question in the first part of the verse. This is what we can say based on the theme and context of the verses. Some exegetes have said:

There is an implied verb qīla (they are told) which is omitted here. The implied meaning is: “They are told on behalf of the All-Merciful: Enter paradise, where you shall have no fear of any future misfortune, nor shall you grieve anything that troubles you in the present.”

The verb qāla (to say, to tell) is often omitted in the Qur’an and in pure Arabic, as long as there is some sign in the speech to indicate it.

This is incompatible with the flow and context of the verse. There is no sign here to indicate such omission in any way, as we explained before. We can assume the verb qāla to be implied if that is what springs to the mind when reading a certain text, but this does not mean that we can assume it in any text that we want. Is there any textual or contextual evidence to support such omission in this verse?

The meaning of Aʿrāf (Elevations) in the Qur’an

The term aʿrāf is not mentioned anywhere in the Qur’an besides the four verses in this chapter: . Based on our elaborate discussion of the verses above, we can conclude that aʿrāf refers to one of the lofty spiritual ranks of humans which will manifest on the Day of Resurrection. God has illustrated it for us by painting the following picture: There shall be a barrier that separates the abode of reward from the abode of punishment on that day. A barrier, by definition, belongs to neither this side nor the other, although it is connected to both. This barrier will have a crest, upon which shall be certain men who oversee all people from the beginning to the end of history. They will see every individual in their unique positions, individual ranks and personal levels, all the way from the highest of the high, to the lowest of the low. They will recognize everyone according to their actions and their specific [spiritual] state. They have the right to speak to anyone that they wish, give security to anyone whom they will, and command anyone to enter paradise by God’s permission.

This suggests that their position transcends the level of ordinary people, who are subject to either salvation through good deeds, or to damnation through sins. They belong to a more elevated plane than both of these planes. That is why they can command and rule over both groups.

To understand this better, one can compare it to the court of the kings and rulers. There are some people who receive benefits and blessings from the kings and indulge in any pleasure that they want. There are also those who are chained in prisons, where they suffer the most excruciating punishments and are surrounded by misery from every side. These are the two sides of felicity and wretchedness, which are completely distinct from a third position, which belongs to a group of individuals who serve in the court, govern the two groups, and organize their affairs. They are involved with both groups, where they send boons to the felicitous, and administer punishment to the wretched. These individuals are themselves among the felicitous, but at a higher plane than the two groups. They belong to a different category. Then there is yet a higher level of directors above these servants, and they are the closest intermediaries to the king’s court, who are also among the felicitous. In other words, there are different degrees of felicity, extending from the absolute and unrestricted, to stages that are qualified by some conditions.

There is no rational impossibility if God—the King of the Day of Retribution []—classifies the people into three groups: (1) He may extend His mercy upon some people because of their good deeds, may bless them with His mercy, and may admit them to paradise, for He is the Possessor of extensive forgiveness and magnificent grace. (2) He may send some to His hell and abode of disgrace because of their sins, for He is the Possessor of severe vengeance, force and absolute might. (3) He may give permission to a third group to act as intermediaries between Him and the other two groups. They would carry out His commands and judgments with respect to the two groups, where they decree felicity for the felicitous, and wretchedness for the wretched. He is the One, the Dominant, Whose absolute oneness dominates everything; thus He can exercise His command with respect to anything through any intermediary that He wills. He can announce and implement His decrees of felicity and wretchedness as He wills. He says [on the Day of Resurrection]: “To whom does the sovereignty belong today?” “To Allah, the One, the All-Paramount!” (). The reader should reflect on this.

وَ نادى‏ أَصْحابُ النَّارِ أَصْحابَ الْجَنَّةِ أَنْ أَفِيضُوا عَلَيْنا مِنَ الْماءِ أَوْ مِمَّا رَزَقَكُمُ اللَّهُ قالُوا إِنَّ اللَّهَ حَرَّمَهُما عَلَى الْكافِرِينَ ٥٠

(7:50) The inmates of the Fire will call out to the inhabitants of paradise, “Pour (afīḍū, from ifāḍah) on us some water, or something of what Allah has provided you.” They will say, “Allah has indeed forbidden these two to the faithless!”

The word ifāḍah is derived from fayḍ, which means “over-pouring of water from above.” God says: you see their eyes over-pour (tafīḍu) with tears (), which means that “their tears pour down torrentially.” The conjunction “or”—in some water, or something of what Allah has provided you—shows that the verb “pour” is used for both water and what Allah has provided you. This means that “pouring” is used here metaphorically. It is meant in a general sense as pouring down blessings, whether liquid or not. One may also say that the real meaning of ifāḍah is not “pouring down a liquid,” but “conferring abundant blessings.” Therefore, its usage for non-liquids would be a real usage, not a figurative expression. Either way, the verse hints at the exalted position of the inhabitants of paradise compared to the inmates of the Fire.

Water is also among what Allah has provided you, but it is singled out and mentioned explicitly before the other provisions because that is the first thing that one would request when surrounded by intense heat. The meaning of the verse should be clear.

الَّذِينَ اتَّخَذُوا دِينَهُمْ لَهْواً وَ لَعِباً وَ غَرَّتْهُمُ الْحَياةُ الدُّنْيا فَالْيَوْمَ نَنْساهُمْ كَما نَسُوا لِقاءَ يَوْمِهِمْ هذا وَ ما كانُوا بِآياتِنا يَجْحَدُونَ ٥١

(7:51) Those who took their religion for diversion (lahwan) and play (laʿiban) and whom the life of the world had deceived (gharrat, from ghurūr). So today We will forget them (nansāhum, from nisyān) as they forgot the encounter of this day of theirs, and as they used to impugn (yajḥadūna, from jaḥd) Our signs.

Lahw is “anything that distracts one from what is more important.” Laʿib means “an act that is done out of fancy and imagination, not for a real purpose.” Ghurūr is “pretending to be helpful but intending to harm.” Nisyān (forgetting, forgetfulness) is the opposite of dhikr (remembrance, mindfulness), but it is sometimes used metaphorically when someone ignores and disregards something deliberately, as though it is forgotten. This is how the term is used in this verse. Jaḥd means “to negate, to deny, to reject.”

This verse explains what is meant by the faithless at the end of the last verse. We can infer three interpretations for kufr (disbelief, faithlessness, denial) from this verse: (1) It means taking one’s religion for diversion and play, and being deceived by the life of this world. (2) It means forgetting the day of encountering God. (3) It means denying the signs [and/or communications] of God. These are all pertinent interpretations for kufr, in one way or another.

Those who took their religion for diversion and play…: This sentence shows that everyone has a religion, even those who engage in diversion and play, and spend their entire life in that way. As we said in our exposition of the verse, Those who bar [others] from the way of Allah, and seek to make it crooked… (), religion is the path that one treads in this life, and there is no escape from it. God has set out this path according to our pristine nature and divine makeup (fiṭrah), and has called us to it [through His prophets]. This is the real religion of humankind which belongs to them [as the verse says their religion]. This is the path that people should pursue, for it leads them to their true purpose, which is a happy [eternal] life.

As long as people follow this path and adhere to it, their religion coincides with the religion that God has prescribed according to their innate human nature. However, if they divert from this path to other occupations which distract them and only lead to material pleasures—which are rather imaginary objectives—then they have taken their religion to be diversion and play, and the life of this world has deceived them with its illusive attractions.

… So today We will forget them as they forgot the encounter of this day of theirs, and as they used to impugn Our signs: This sentence is similar to the verse: He [God] will say: “So it is. Our signs came to you, but you forgot them, and thus you will be forgotten today” (). Forgetting God’s signs in this verse [] is equivalent to impugning His signs in the current verse; it is a cause for being forsaken by God on the Day of Resurrection. The meaning is: “Today We shall ignore them and not provide what they need to lead a happy life, just as they ignored this day of theirs and did not prepare for it by doing what was incumbent upon them, and because they used to reject Our signs [and/or communications].”

وَ لَقَدْ جِئْناهُمْ بِكِتابٍ فَصَّلْناهُ عَلى‏ عِلْمٍ هُدىً وَ رَحْمَةً لِقَوْمٍ يُؤْمِنُونَ ٥٢

(7:52) Certainly We have brought them a Book, which We have elaborated with knowledge, as a guidance and mercy for a people who have faith.

This verse ties back to the beginning of this set of verses: So who is a greater wrongdoer than him who fabricates a lie against Allah, or denies His signs? (). The meaning is: “So who is a greater wrongdoer than these people given that We have completed Our proof against them and have clarified Our message [of guidance] for them? We have done so by bringing them a Book which We have elaborated for them. We have revealed this Book to them while We have complete knowledge about its revelation.”

With knowledge qualifies the verb “bring” in We have brought them a Book. This effectively implies an argument for the truth of the Book: “We have brought them a scripture which consists of the truth because its revelation has been according to Our knowledge [which is a hundred percent accurate]. We are fully aware of the content of this Book.”

… as a guidance and mercy for a people who have faith: “Guidance” here means “showing the [right] way” (irāʾat al-ṭarīq) which is available in the Qur’an for everyone. “Mercy” refers to God’s special mercy, which is promised to the believers in particular. It could also be that “guidance” here means “taking one to the goal” (al-īṣāl ilá al-maṭlūb), which is an exclusive feature of the Qur’an for the believers. The first sense of guidance is more appropriate here given the verse’s theme and context of arguing against he disbelievers.

هَلْ يَنْظُرُونَ إِلاَّ تَأْوِيلَهُ يَوْمَ يَأْتِي تَأْوِيلُهُ يَقُولُ الَّذِينَ نَسُوهُ مِنْ قَبْلُ قَدْ جاءَتْ رُسُلُ رَبِّنا بِالْحَقِّ فَهَلْ لَنا مِنْ شُفَعاءَ فَيَشْفَعُوا لَنا أَوْ نُرَدُّ فَنَعْمَلَ غَيْرَ الَّذِي كُنَّا نَعْمَلُ قَدْ خَسِرُوا أَنْفُسَهُمْ وَ ضَلَّ عَنْهُمْ ما كانُوا يَفْتَرُونَ ٥٣

(7:53) Do they await anything but its fulfillment (taʾwīlihi)? The day when its fulfillment comes, those who had forgotten it before will say, “Our Lord’s messengers certainly brought the truth. If only we had some intercessors to intercede for us, or we would be returned, so that we may do differently from what we did!” They have certainly ruined their souls, and what they used to fabricate has forsaken them.

The pronoun “its” in its fulfillment refers to the “Book” in the last verse. As we explained under the verse, It is He who has sent down to you the Book. Parts of it are definitive verses, which are the mother of the Book… (), the word taʾwīl (fulfillment, underlying reality) in the Qur’an means the external reality which supports an imperative or declarative statement, or the underlying reality of anything at the surface. The relation between something and its taʾwīl is like the relation between the apparent and hidden aspects of something, or the relation between the two sides of a comparison.

Do they await anything but its fulfillment…: Given this Qur’anic definition of taʾwīl, what is meant by its fulfillment here is the underlying reality which instigated God to send the Qur’an in order to teach the people true facts, practical laws, warnings and glad tiding. The verse is asking [rhetorically]: “What are these people anticipating? They have fabricated lies against God and denied His signs [], even though God has completed His proof against them with the revelation of the Qur’an []. So are they waiting for the occurrence of that reality which backs the Qur’an? Were it not that they were anticipating that occurrence, they would not hesitate to grab onto this Book.”

… The day when its fulfillment comes, those who had forgotten it…: Here God describes their condition on the day when the Qur’an’s fulfillment shall occur. Then those who ignored the Qur’an will acknowledge the truth of the religions which God’s messengers brought to them and made incumbent upon them. They will admit that what the prophets said was right—that God will indeed bring them back to life and will requite them for their compliance with His religion.

In that day, when they realize that their hands are empty of all good and they are doomed because of their wicked deeds, they will ask for either of two things: (1) having intercessors who would save them from the damnation which overshadows them; or (2) being returned to the world so that they may save themselves by doing good deeds—unlike their previous wicked behavior. Thus God narrates from them: If only we had some intercessors to intercede for us, or we would be returned, so that we may do differently from what we did!

… They have certainly ruined their souls, and what they used to fabricate has forsaken them: This sentence serves as a justification for the previous part of the verse, where the disbelievers will request to be either interceded for, or returned to the world. It is as if one would naturally ask, “Why do they make this request?” So here the verse answers that question. The implied meaning is: “They have certainly ruined their souls by taking their religion for diversion and play, and by choosing denial over submission. What stopped them from submitting to the truth in this world was their fabrications and fantasies, but all that will depart them. Thus they will realize that they need someone to amend their deeds—either themselves [by going back to the world and acting otherwise] or someone else who would intercede for them.”

… If only we had some intercessors to intercede for us…: This sentence shows that there will be a number of intercessors on the Day of Resurrection, because the verse says, some intercessors (in the plural). If it were only one, it would have said, “If only we had some intercessor to intercede for us” (in the singular). We explained this in our discussion on intercession under verses .

Examining Narrations

1. Concerning And no one led us astray except the guilty () Imam al-Bāqir said: [The leaders led their followers astray] by inviting them to their path [of sinning]. This is the same as what God says about them when He shall assemble them all in the fire: the last of them will say to the first of them, “Our Lord, it was they who led us astray; so give them a double punishment of the Fire” (). He also says: Every time that a nation enters [hell], it will curse its sister [nation]. When they all rejoin in it (), then they dissociate themselves from one another and curse each other. They will start arguing against each other, in hopes of being relieved of the terrible punishment that has befallen them. However, the period of test and trial has expired, no excuse shall be accepted at that point, and it is no longer the time for [securing] salvation.

Author’s comment: The Imam has paraphrased the verse in this narration.

2. Concerning the gates of the heaven will not be opened (tufattaḥu) for them () it is narrated that the Messenger of God recited it with yufattaḥu [or yuftaḥu] with letter yāʾ instead of tāʾ.
3. Al-Barrāʾ b. ʿĀzib says: Once we went to the funeral of a man from the Anṣār (Medinan Supporters) in the company of God’s Messenger. When we reached the grave—where the niche (laḥd) had not been set up yet—the Messenger of God sat down and we sat down around him. We were [so still] as though there was a bird sitting on our head. He had a stick with which he was scratching the ground [in a state of contemplation]. Then he raised his head and said twice or thrice, “Ask [God] protection from the punishment of the grave.”

Then he added, “Indeed when a believer is about to depart this world and advance to the hereafter, some angels will descend upon him from the heaven, with bright faces that shine like the sun. They will come with pieces of shroud from the shrouds of paradise, and balm (ḥanūṭ) from the balms of paradise. They will sit before him within his view. Then the Angel of Death will come and sit by his head and tell him, ‘O pure soul! Depart toward forgiveness and satisfaction from God.’ Thus it [the believer’s soul] will leave [the body], flowing out as water flows out of a water-skin, even though you do not see this. He [the Angel of Death] will grab the soul, but the angels will not let it remain in his hands for even a blink of an eye. Rather, they will take it and wrap it in the shrouds and embalm it with the balm [which they brought from paradise]. An aroma will emit from it like the best scent of musk that can be found on the face of the earth.

They will take the soul up [to the heavens], and whenever they pass by a group of angels, they will ask, ‘Who is this pure soul?’ They will reply, ‘This is so-and-so, son of so-and-so,’ naming him with the best epithets with which he was known in the world. When they reach the lowest heaven, they will ask it to be opened for him, and it will be opened. The most intimate angels of each heaven will accompany him up to the next heaven, until they arrive at the seventh heaven. There God will declare, ‘Write the record of My servant in the ʿIlliyyūn (the Highest Heaven, the Elevated Record), then take him back to the earth, for indeed I create them from it, into it I shall return them, and from it shall I bring them forth another time [].’ Thus his soul is returned to his body.

Then the two angels [of inquisition] will go to him, sit next to him, and ask, ‘Who is your lord?’ He will reply, ‘My Lord is Allah.’

They will ask, ‘What is your religion?’ He will reply, ‘My religion is Islam.’

They will ask, ‘Who is this man who has been sent to you?’ He will reply, ‘He is God’s messenger.’

They will ask, ‘How do you know?’ He will reply, ‘I read God’s Book, so I believed in it and accepted it.’

At that point a caller will call out from the heaven: ‘My servant has indeed spoken the truth. Spread out his bed [or carpet] from paradise; dress him in garments from paradise; and open a door for him to paradise.’ Through that the fragrant breeze of paradise will reach him. His grave will be extended as far as the eye can see.

Then a man will come to him, having a fair look, fair clothes and fair smell, and will assure him, ‘Rejoice in what pleases you! This is your day, which you were promised [].’ The believer will ask the man, ‘Who are you? For indeed your face heralds good.’ The man will explain, ‘I am your good deeds.’ Then the believer will pray to God, ‘My Lord! Set up the Hour! Set up the Hour, so that I may return to my family and possessions [in triumph].’”

The Prophet continued: “Indeed when a disbeliever is about to depart this world and advance to the hereafter, some angels will descend upon him from the heaven, having dark faces and coming with some pieces of ragged cloth. They will sit before him within his view. Then the Angel of Death will come and sit by his head and tell him, ‘O wicked soul! Depart toward wrath and dissatisfaction from God.’ The Angel of Death will separate it [the disbeliever’s soul] from his body and pull it out—like a [hot] skewer that is drawn out of wet wool [which removes the nap].

He [the Angel of Death] will grab it, but the angels will not let the soul remain in his hands for even a blink of an eye. They will place it in the ragged shrouds, and an odor will emit from it like the foulest smell of a carrion that can be found on the face of the earth. They will take the soul up [to the heavens], and whenever they pass by a group of angels, they will ask, ‘Who is this wicked soul?’ They will reply, ‘This is so-and-so, son of so-and-so,’ naming him with the most ignoble epithets that he was called in the world. When they reach the lowest heaven, they will ask it to be opened for him, but it will not be opened for him.” Here the Messenger of God recited: the gates of the heaven will not be opened for them ().

He continued: “God will declare, ‘Write his record in the Sijjīn (the Lowest Hell, the Infernal Record), in the lowest earth.’ Thus his soul will be flung aside ungraciously.” The Messenger of God recited: Whoever ascribes partners to Allah is as though he had fallen from a height to be devoured by vultures, or to be blown away by the wind far and wide ().

He continued, “So his soul will be returned to his body. The two angels [of inquisition] will go to him, sit down, and ask him, ‘Who is your lord?’ He will say [being dumbfounded]: ‘Um, um…’

They will ask, ‘What is your religion?’ He will reply, ‘Um, um… I don’t know.’

They will ask, ‘Who is this man who has been sent to you?’ He will reply, ‘Um, um… I don’t know.’

At that point a caller will call out from the heaven: ‘My servant has lied [that is, he did not speak the truth]. Spread out his bed from hell, and open a door for him to hell.’ Through that the heat and miasma of hell will reach him. His grave will be tightened upon him such that his ribs will crush in from the two sides.

Then a man will come to him, having a foul look, foul clothes and foul smell, and will tell him, ‘Prepare for what shall grieve you! This is your day, which you were promised.’ The disbeliever will ask the man, ‘Who are you? For indeed your face heralds evil.’ The man will explain, ‘I am your wicked deeds.’ Then the disbeliever will pray to God, ‘My Lord! Do not set up the Hour!’”

Author’s comment: This is a famous hadith which has been reported by many scholars, as you can see [in the footnote]. There are also Shia narrations to this effect from the Imams of Ahl al-Bayt. We presented some of them in our topical discussion of narrations under the verse: And do not call those who were slain in Allah’s way “dead”… ().

4. There is a hadith from Imam al-Bāqir about the seizing of the spirit of a disbeliever. There he says: When his spirit is taken to the lowest heaven, the gates of heaven will be closed on him. This is what God says: the gates of the heaven will not be opened for them, nor shall they enter paradise until the camel passes through the needle’s eye, and thus do We requite the guilty (). Then God will command: “Take the spirit back to the body [in the earth], for indeed From it [earth] did We create you, into it shall We return you, and from it shall We bring you forth another time ().”
5. The Prophet recited the verse, They shall have hell for their resting place, and over them shall be sheets [of fire] (), and said: There will be layers [of fire] above them and layers below them; one would not know whether the layers above are more or the layers below. The layers below will push them up, and the layers above will push down upon them. They will be squeezed between them until they are tightly fit there like the metal that is embedded into the end of an arrow.
6. [Imam] ʿAlī b. Abī Ṭālib said: By God, it was concerning us soldiers of Badr that this verse was revealed: We will remove whatever rancor there is in their breasts ().

Author’s comment: This sentence appears in two places in the Qu’ran: (1) once among the current verses of discussion [in verse ], which are Meccan verses; and (2) once in another verse which is also about the inhabitants of paradise, and also Meccan: We will remove whatever rancor there is in their breasts; [intimate like] brothers, [they will be reclining] on couches, facing one another (). Hence, the sentence could not have been revealed on the day of Badr or concerning the soldiers of Badr.

7. The Prophet said: Once the people of paradise pass the Bridge (ṣirāṭ), they will be halted. Those of them who have wronged others will be made to compensate the victims for their wrong in this world. Thus they will enter paradise while there is no rancor in their hearts toward one another.
8. Concerning And the call will be made to them: “This is your paradise, which you have been given to inherit because of what you used to do!” () the Prophet said: The call will be made to them: “Be well, and you shall never fall ill! Indulge in blessings, and you shall never be let down! Remain young, and you shall never get old! Live forever, and you shall never die!”
9. The Messenger of God said: Everyone in hell will see his place in paradise and say, “Only if God had guided us,” and that will cause them remorse. Everyone in paradise will see his place in hell and say, “Had it not been that God guided us,” which is their gratitude.

Author’s comment: There are other narrations about the meaning of “inheriting paradise” which we shall present shortly, by God’s will.

10. The Messenger of God said: “On the Day of Resurrection the scale will be set up, where good deeds and evil deeds will be weighed against each other. If one’s good deeds overweigh his evil deeds even by the slightest weight, he will enter paradise. If one’s evil deeds overweigh his good deeds even by the slightest weight, he will enter hell.”

Then he was asked, “What if someone’s good deeds and evil deeds balance out, O Messenger of God?”

He explained: “They will be the occupants of the Elevations. They will not have entered it, though they would be eager to do so ().”

11. Once the Messenger of God was asked about the occupants of the Elevations. He said: They are the last of the people to be judged. Once God finishes the judgment of His servants, He will address them [the occupants of the Elevations], “You are a people whose good deeds could take them out of the Fire, but could not take them to paradise. Now you shall be freed by Me, so stroll in paradise as you wish.”

Author’s comment: The idea that the occupants of the Elevations (aṣḥāb al-aʿrāf) are those whose good deeds and evil deeds are equal is also narrated from other Companions, including Ibn Masʿūd, Ḥudhayfah and Ibn ʿAbbās [in al-Durr al-manthūr].

12. There is a hadith where Imam al-Ṣādiq classifies the people into six groups, one of which is the occupants of the Elevations. There he is asked, “Who are the occupants of the Elevations?” He replies, “They are those whose good deeds equal their evil deeds. If God sends them to hell, it will be because of their sins. If He sends them to paradise, it will be because of His mercy.”
13. Zurārah says: Once Imam al-Bāqir asked me: “What is your view concerning the occupants of the Elevations?”

I said, “They are either believers or unbelievers. If they enter paradise, then they are believers; if they enter hell, then they are unbelievers.”

The Imam said, “By God they are neither believers nor unbelievers. Had they been believers, they would have entered paradise like other believers; and had they been unbelievers, they would have entered hell like other unbelievers. Rather, they are a group whose good deeds and evil deeds are equal; their actions cannot get them through [all the way to paradise]. They are as God has said.”

I asked, “Are they among the people of paradise or among the people of hell?”

He said, “Leave them aside as God has left them.”

I asked, “Should I defer them [to God’s command]?”

“Yes,” he confirmed. “Defer them as God has deferred them [to the Day of Judgment]. If He wants, He will send them to paradise by His mercy; and if He wants He will drive them to hell because of their sins—without being unjust to them.”

I inquired, “Does anyone enter paradise except the believers?”

“No,” he replied.

“Does anyone enter hell except the unbelievers?”

“No, unless God wills. Zurārah, I say ‘whatsoever God wills [shall happen]’ (mā shāʾ Allāh). Now, if you wax proud you will become renegade and untie your knot.”

Author’s comment: The last part of the hadith means: “If you reject and refuse to yield to what I say, you will go out of the true path which you were following, and the bond of confirmation [of the truth] will be untied from your heart.”

As we can see, the above narrations [numbers 10-13] define the occupants of the Elevations as those whose good deeds and evil deeds balance on the scale. According to one of these narrations [number 10], the last part of verse —They will not have entered it, though they would be eager to do so—is about them. However, this interpretation is not compatible with the verses of aʿrāf [], as we explained above.

Besides, as we discussed in our exposition of the verse, The weight [of deeds] on that day is the truth (), the scale on the Day of Judgment will either be heavy with good deeds, or light because of evil deeds. Evil deeds do not have a weight to balance the weight of good deeds. If one’s scale does not determine which side dominates, it means that the person’s acts have no weight on that day, such as a disbeliever whose good deeds are cancelled. Another possibility would be disadvantaged individuals (mustaḍʿafūn) who do not receive the full message [of revelation] and are thus not held accountable for religious obligations.

We can infer from the last narration that those “whose good deeds and evil deeds are equal” are the same as mustaḍʿafūn, who will be waiting for God’s decree of either forgiveness or punishment. This means that what is meant by the “balancing” of the acts is that neither side overcomes the other [not that evil deeds have some weight]. This way we can explain away the problem of weight and scale, but there still remains the problem of disagreement with the apparent meaning of the verses. The lofty descriptions given in these verses for the people of aʿrāf can only be matched with the qualities of al-sābiqūn and al-muqarrabūn (those who are foremost in surpassing others toward good; those who are nearmost to God) []. They will be at the highest positions in the noble sanctuaries of felicity, while the mustaḍʿafūn would at most be saved and placed in the lowest levels of paradise.

14. Imam al-Ṣādiq said: Aʿrāf is a bridge between paradise and hell. There will stand all prophets with their successors, along with the sinners of their time, just as the commander of an army stands by his weak division. This is while the virtuous have proceeded to paradise. The successor will tell the sinners with him: “Look at your virtuous brothers who have hastened [to paradise before you].” The sinners will greet them, and this is what God says: They will call out to the inhabitants of paradise, “Peace be to you!” (). Then He adds: They will not have entered it, though they would be eager to do so (), meaning that the sinners have not yet entered paradise, but they hope that God will grant them permission through the intercession of their prophet and Imam. Then the sinners will look at the inmates of hell and say: “Our Lord, do not put us among the wrongdoing lot!” ().

The occupants of the Elevations (aṣḥāb al-aʿrāf)—meaning the prophets and their successors—will address some men in hell with rebuke: Your amassing did not avail you, nor what you used to disdain. Are these the ones concerning whom you swore ()—referring to the weak individuals [standing with the prophets and the successors on the Elevations]. “These are the mustaḍʿafūn (the disadvantaged, those whom you oppressed), whom you disparaged because of their poverty, and whom you subdued with your worldly possessions.” Then they will address the weak individuals—following God’s command about them: Enter paradise! You shall have no fear, nor shall you grieve ().

Author’s comment: As we see, this narration clearly mentions the mustaḍʿafūn instead of those whose good deeds equal their evil deeds. It says there are some mustaḍʿafūn who are eager to enter paradise and seek refuge with God from entering hell. Yet, the narration does not equate them with the men on the Elevations who recognize each of them by their mark (), and whom are called the occupants of the Elevations (). This makes the narration more commensurate with the verse. The only problem that remains is that the verses suggest that those who greet the inhabitants of paradise are “the certain men (rijāl) on the Elevations” who are also called “the occupants of the Elevations” (aṣḥāb al-aʿrāf) [not the mustaḍʿafūn].

These narrations show an apparent confusion, caused by transmitters who did not grasp the intended meaning of the hadith, who then proceeded to narrate their misunderstanding as hadith. Perhaps what was originally said by the Prophet or the Imams was that there are some mustaḍʿafūn whom God will grant permission to paradise through intercession [by His prophets and saints] or through His will (mashiyyah). Then this idea was modified to the form that we see in the above narrations due to missing the exact words and transmitting the perceived meaning. This is quite clear. We see the same phenomena in the other narrations which interpret the men on the Elevations as those whose good deeds and evil deeds balance, reported from Ibn ʿAbbās, Ibn Masʿūd, Ḥudhayfah and others, notwithstanding their different wordings. The same can be observed in al-Qummī’s narration from Imam al-Ṣādiq. Interested readers should refer to these narrations in order to verify our claim.

15. Jābir b. Yazīd says: Once I asked Imam al-Bāqir, “Who are the aʿrāf?” He said, “They are the noblest of the people to God.”

Author’s comment: The question shows that the inquirer assumed aʿrāf and the people on it to be the same, and the Imam answered him based on his assumption. Apparently he assumed aʿrāf to be the plural of ʿurf, meaning “one who knows” (ʿarīf and ʿārif). There are many narrations to this effect; we shall present some of them below.

16. Concerning And on the Elevations will be certain men who recognize each of them by their mark () Imam al-Ṣādiq said: We [Ahl al-Bayt] are the occupants of the Elevations. Whoever recognizes us [or whomever we recognize] (man ʿarafanā) will end up in paradise, and whoever does not recognize us [or whomever we do not recognize] (man ankaranā) will be destined for hell.

Author’s comment: Man ʿarafanā and man ankaranā can be interpreted in two ways: (1) “Those whom we recognize” and “those whom we do not recognize,” respectively. This would correspond to the apparent meaning of the verse. (2) “Those who recognize us” and “those who do not recognize us.” Given other similar narrations [such as the next two], what is meant is “those who recognize us and we recognize them” and “those who do not recognize us and we do not recognize them.”

17. Once someone recited the verse And on the Elevations will be certain men who recognize each of them by their mark () in the presence of Imam ʿAlī. The Imam told him: We [Ahl al-Bayt] are the aʿrāf: we recognize (naʿrifu) our supporters by their marks. We are the aʿrāf: God can only be known through the path of our knowledge (maʿrifah). We are the aʿrāf: we shall stand between paradise on hell on the Day of Resurrection, where no one shall enter paradise except for those who recognize us (ʿarafanā) and we recognize them (ʿarafnāhu), and no one shall enter hell except for those who do not recognize us (ankaranā) and we do not recognize them (ankarnāhu). Had God willed, He would have made Himself known to the people—so that they may know Him, acknowledge His oneness, and advance toward Him through His [direct] gate—but He made us His gates, His path, His way, and the door through which one advances toward Him.

Author’s comment: The one who asked about the verse was Ibn al-Kawwāʾ [the Khārijite leader]. “Recognition” (maʿrifah) in this hadith reduces to love and hate (ḥubb and bughḍ). It means: “No one shall enter paradise except for those who acknowledge our wilāyah (divine guardianship, spiritual authority) and whom we acknowledge their obedience [to us]; and no one shall enter hell except for those who do not acknowledge our wilāyah and whom we do not acknowledge their obedience.” This is different from the Ahl al-Bayt’s universal recognition of every individual. Otherwise, the narration would contravene the verses, which say: certain men who recognize each of them by their mark () and: And the occupants of the Elevations will call out to certain men whom they recognize by their marks… (). Perhaps this is because some transmitters have narrated only the meaning as opposed to the exact words of the Imam. The next hadith confirms our view.

18. Once Ibn al-Kawwāʾ went to [Imam] ʿAlī and asked him about this verse []. He replied: Where are you, Ibn al-Kawwāʾ!? We [Ahl al-Bayt] shall stand between paradise and hell on the Day of Resurrection. We will recognize anyone who supported us, and will admit him to paradise; and we will recognize anyone who hated us, and will send him to hell.
19. Hilqām says: Once I asked Imam al-Bāqir about the verse: And on the Elevations will be certain men who recognize each of them by their mark (). “What does God mean by the certain men on the Elevations?” He said, “Don’t you have some individuals in your tribes, known as ʿurafāʾ, who know everyone in the tribe, both the virtuous and the wicked?”

“Yes,” I confirmed.

“We [Ahl al-Bayt] are” he said, “those men who recognize each of them by their mark ().”

Author’s comment: This is based on interpreting aʿrāf as the plural of ʿurf, like aqṭāb which is the plural of quṭb (pole). ʿUrf means maʿrūf (that which is known). Apparently it is originally a verbal noun (maṣdar) which is used as an object (mafʿūl). Then the meaning of And on the aʿrāf will be certain men () would be: “There will be certain men who are placed in charge of the known (maʿrūf) affairs and conditions of the people.” This does not contradict what we said above [in exposition], that aʿrāf is the higher parts of the ḥijāb (barrier, veil); nor does it contradict the other narrations which we quoted above, saying that “aʿrāf is a ridge between paradise and hell” because the above hadith interprets aʿrāf according to its etymological significance, which is latent in all derivatives and applications of that root.

We should add that there are truly many narrations from the Imams concerning the meaning of aʿrāf and its occupants. What we presented above was only a sample, meant to sufficiently show the diverse range of interpretations narrated from the Ahl al-Bayt.

20. Ibn ʿAbbās said: Aʿrāf is an elevated position by the Bridge (ṣirāṭ), where there will be ʿAbbās, Ḥamzah, ʿAlī b. Abī Ṭālib, and Jaʿfar who will have two wings. They will recognize their followers (shīʿah) based on their bright faces, and their enemies based on their dark faces.
21. Once someone asked the Prophet, “O Messenger of God! Who are the occupants of the Elevations?” He replied, “They are those who participated in holy war (jihad) without permission from their fathers, and were martyred in God’s way. Their martyrdom prevents them from entering hell, and their disobedience toward their fathers prevents them from entering paradise. They will be the last group to enter paradise.”

Author’s comment: The same idea is narrated through other chains of transmission, from Abū Saʿīd al-Khudrī, Abū Hurayrah and Ibn ʿAbbās. As we mentioned above, it suffers from incompatibility with the apparent meaning of the verses [which offer a very high regard for the occupants of the Elevations]. Moreover, based on established and unanimous principles, in cases where leaving for jihad is wājib ʿaynī (individual duty, obligatory on every person), then parental consent is not applicable [as a required condition]; and in cases where leaving for jihad is not obligatory on the person because it remains only as a collective duty (wājib kifāʾī), then their act would be forbidden, and being martyred in battle would be of no avail to them. The only remaining possibility is if they are ignorant of the rule, in which case the above account is saying that the occupants of the Elevations are among the mustaḍʿafūn (the disadvantaged). We already discussed this possibility.

22. Concerning Then a caller will announce in their midst, “May Allah’s curse be on the wrongdoers!” () Imam al-Riḍā said: The caller will be the Commander of the Faithful [that is, Imam ʿAlī].
23. Concerning the same verse, Imam al-Bāqir said: The caller will be ʿAlī.
24. Imam al-Bāqir said: After the Battle of Nahrawān, when Imam ʿAlī was back in Kūfah, he was told that Muʿāwiyah curses him, accuses him, and kills his companions. There he stood up and delivered a sermon, where he said: “I am the caller in this world and the hereafter. God says: Then a caller will announce in their midst, “May Allah’s curse be on the wrongdoers!” (); I am that caller. And He says: [This is] an announcement from Allah and His Messenger (); I am that announcement.”

Author’s comment: Given the first part of the quote, what is meant by the last part is that “I am the announcer of that announcement,” referring to the story of conveying the verses of barāʾah (repudiation, dissociation, renunciation) [to the polytheists in Mecca during the hajj season].

25. [Imam] ʿAlī said: I am that caller.
26. Ibn ʿAbbās said: In God’s Book there are some names for ʿAlī which the people do not know. [One of them is where] God says: Then a caller will announce in their midst (); he [ʿAlī] is the caller among them, who will declare: “May God’s curse be on those who denied my wilāyah (divine guardianship, spiritual authority) and neglected my right.”

Imam ʿAlī as the Caller

Al-Ālūsī says in Rūḥ al-maʿānī:

Concerning the verse, Then a caller will announce… () it is narrated from Ibn ʿAbbās that the caller will be “the blower of the Trumpet” [that is, Isrāfīl, Seraphiel]. Others have said that it will be Mālik, “the guardian of hell.” Others have said that it will be some other angel besides these two, where God will command that angel to make this call. Shias have narrated from [Imam] al-Riḍā and Ibn ʿAbbās that it will be ʿAlī. However, this cannot be verified with the Sunni chains of narration. Moreover, it is unlikely for the Imam to be the caller because at that point he will be in ḥaẓāʾir al-quds (domains of holiness, sacred sanctuaries of heaven).

The author of al-Manār quotes this [from al-Ālūsī] and then adds:

Experts on the transmitters of narrations [that is, the scholars of of rijāl] have not based their appraisals on the denomination of the person. Among some of their leading transmitters [whom they have approved to be credible] are individuals that are classified as the followers (Shia) of ʿAlī and his progeny, such as ʿAbd al-Razzāq [b. Hammām al-Ṣanʿānī] and al-Ḥākim [al-Ḥaskānī]. All experts [of rijāl] have authenticated the transmission of many Shia transmitters. Therefore, if the transmission of above narration is authenticated, we will accept it, and the fact that he [the Imam] is in ḥaẓāʾir al-quds is not sufficient to disprove the narration. If we can interpret the ascription of the call to the Imam in a way that counts as a divine merit or reward for him, then we will accept the narration even if its chain of transmission is not authenticated (ṣaḥīḥ)—as long as it is not contradicted or rejected by another narration which is stronger in terms of either transmission or content.

This is a good answer by the author of al-Manār, but we should clarify that we do not consider a solitary report (khabar al-wāḥid) to be authoritative (ḥujjah) unless it is coupled with decisive evidence which result in definite knowledge for the individual [scholar]. This is applicable to all solitary reports, whether about historical accounts, merits of individuals, or other topics. The only exception is jurisprudence, where collective acceptance of a narration [by a number of scholars] is sufficient for its authority. Of course, all of this is conditional on the narration not contravening the Qur’an. Further details should be pursued in principles of jurisprudence (uṣūl al-fiqh).

Making this announcement is certainly a merit for the Imam, and this is nothing to be disputed. We can infer the significance of announcement in the hereafter by reflecting on its significance in this world. Announcement means making a declaration on behalf of a ruler to those who are subject to that rule. A muʾadhdhin (caller, announcer) is a link which connects the ruler to the ruled by stating the ruler’s judgment to the subjects. The merit or demerit of a link is according to what it connects to. Being a connecting link to God would certainly be an unsurpassed merit and excellence for that link. An example of this can be seen in the intermediation of Abraham in making God’s announcement: And proclaim the hajj to people (). Another example is the intermediation of Imam ʿAlī in conveying the verses of barāʾah: [This is] an announcement from Allah and His Messenger ().

This is the meaning of announcement in this world, which is a legislative declaration of a rule to those who are subject to it. However, announcement in the hereafter is not a legislative declaration, but it means causing an event and establishing the reality of a command. In this case [verse ], it means establishing the eternal damnation of wrongdoers and their absolute distance from divine mercy, following their acknowledgment to the truth of God’s promises, which they received through His prophets and messengers [as mentioned at the beginning of the verse]. This means that the caller on that day will materialize God’s promises and threats to the wrongdoers; he is the one who metes out the consequence of their deeds to them. The reader should reflect on this and should not underestimate the significance of real matters [as opposed to conventional and legislative matters]. This is worthy of further and more rigorous investigation by those who have the aptitude for it.

The above is what the Imam meant when he referred to himself as being “the caller in this world and the hereafter.” As we saw above, this is narrated in the Shia sources through various chains of narration from Imams ʿAlī, al-Bāqir and al-Riḍā [hadiths 22-24]. It is also narrated in the Sunni sources by al-Ḥākim, from Imam ʿAlī and Ibn ʿAbbās [hadiths 25-26]. Al-Ḥākim is a reliable reporter and transmitter of hadith. He is often quoted in commentaries that are based on hadith as well as other commentaries in general. However, none of the Sunni exegetes has quoted him on this narration; even someone like al-Suyūṭī—who has an exhaustive coverage of narrations in al-Durr al-manthūr—has left out this hadith. I wonder what the reason is behind this!

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1. That is verse . See volume 14, 58ff of the English translation. (Trans.) ↩︎

2. This is based on the letter lām in li-ūlāhum being translated as “to.” The letter lām is commonly used in Arabic with the verb qāla (say) to make the verb transitive. This interpretation is supported by numerous other Qur’anic examples, but especially with the next verse, as well as verses and . Another possibility is that letter lām in this case means “about.” Another Qur’anic example for this would be verse . The meaning would be: The last of them will say about the first of them, “Our Lord, it was they who led us astray…” (Trans.) ↩︎

3. In this case, what is mentioned is their imprecation of the other group, and what is implied is the antagonism between the two groups. (Trans.) ↩︎

4. In other words, “when pigs fly” or “when hell freezes over.” Interested readers are encouraged to compare this verse with Matthew 19:23-24, Mark 10:23-25 and Luke 18:24-25. (Trans.) ↩︎

5. Apparently this refers to the deep narrow valley outside the walls of Jerusalem, where refuse and executed criminals were burnt, called Hinnom (Hebrew) or Gehenna (Greek). (Trans.) ↩︎

6. The word used in the verse is ghawāshī, but the final letter yāʾ is dropped in writing. (Trans.) ↩︎

7. See volume 1, pp. 46ff of the English translation. (Trans.) ↩︎

8. In other words, you have inherited the designated areas and rituals of hajj from your father Abraham. (Trans.) ↩︎

9. The poem is by Abū Dhuʾayb Khuwaylid b. Khālid al-Hudhalī (d. c. 27 AH, 648 CE). (Trans.) ↩︎

10. In other words, the difference is that of elaboration and brevity. The believers consider the detailed rewards and punishments of God in the hereafter, and believe in them all. The disbelievers do not bother looking inside the box, but reject it outright by denying afterlife altogether. (Trans.) ↩︎

11. The reason for its weakness is that there is no evidence from the text or context to support it. It is purely a conjecture. (Trans.) ↩︎

12. There is a rule in Arabic grammar which states, “It is permissible to omit that which is understood.” The difference of expression in this verse can be a clear application of this rule, without requiring any of the above contrived explanations. In other words, the inclusion of the pronoun in the first part implies its equivalent inclusion in the second part. The meaning would be: “We found what our Lord promised us to be true; did you find what your Lord promised you to be true?” (Trans.) ↩︎

13. Taghlīb is when a mixed group is entirely described by the quality of some of them, even though that quality does not apply to all of them. (Trans.) ↩︎

14. This refers to the syntactic significance of the word rijāl in this verse, which is mentioned in the indefinite form (nakirah). (Trans.) ↩︎

15. This refers to the semantic significance of the word rijāl, which conveys certain positive qualities like physical strength, rational ability, and will power. The other terms are relatively more neutral. (Trans.) ↩︎

16. In other words, He does not need to set up any evidence to prove His judgment to be just, for He is not questioned concerning what He does. (Trans.) ↩︎

17. Al-Durr al-manthūr, on the authority of Ibn Abī Ḥātim. ↩︎

18. There are narrations which interpret scale (mīzān) as justice (ʿadl), such as hadith number 8 in “Examining Narrations” for verses 1-9 above. What the author means here is that it is possible to have a similar match between the Elevations (aʿrāf) and the bridge (ṣirāṭ). They could be different expressions that point to the same reality. (Trans.) ↩︎

19. This sentence is rather a technical point regarding the Arabic text of the verse. The Arabic particle an is not translated in the English translation of the verse. A more literal translation is: They will call out to the inhabitants of paradise that (an) “Peace be to you!” (Trans.) ↩︎

20. In short, the last part of the verse cannot refer to on the Elevations will be certain men, but refers to the inhabitants of paradise. This is according to a logical linguistic rule that a pronoun generally refers to the most immediate noun before it (as long as the two are commensurate in terms of number, gender and so on). (Trans.) ↩︎

21. For some Qur’anic examples see verses , , , , , , , , . The omission of qīla can be clearly deduced by comparing verses and . (Trans.) ↩︎

22. This is inferred from the use of the preposition ʿalá (on, upon) in Pour on us. (Trans.) ↩︎

23. This is similar to the idea that Allah suffices as a witness (, , , , , ). (Trans.) ↩︎

24. The two meanings differ based on whether the last part of the verse—for a people who have faith—pertains to mercy alone, or to both guidance and mercy. Linguistically, it certainly qualifies mercy, while it can also qualify guidance if there is contextual evidence for it. The author has favored the former. (Trans.) ↩︎

25. See volume 5, pp. 63ff of the English translation. (Trans.) ↩︎

26. See volume 1, pp. 268ff of the English translation. (Trans.) ↩︎

27. Al-Kāfī, via its chain of narration, on the authority of Muḥammad b. Muslim. ↩︎

28. This does not change the meaning. Both words mean “being opened,” where tufattaḥu is feminine while yufattaḥu and yuftaḥu are masculine. (Trans.) ↩︎

29. Al-Durr al-manthūr, on the authority of Ibn Mardawayh, on the authority of al-Barrāʾ b. ʿĀzib. ↩︎

30. Al-Durr al-manthūr, on the authority of al-Ṭayālisī, Ibn Shaybah, Aḥmad, Hannād b. al-Sarī, ʿAbd b. Ḥumayd, Abū Dāwūd’s al-Sunan, Ibn Jarīr, Ibn Abī Ḥātim, al-Ḥākim (who has authenticated it), Ibn Mardawayh, and al-Bayhaqī’s ʿAdhāb al-qabr. ↩︎

31. See volume 2, pp. 217ff of the English translation. (Trans.) ↩︎

32. Tafsīr al-ʿAyyāshī, on the authority of Saʿīd b. Janāḥ, on the authority of ʿAwf b. ʿAbd-Allāh al-Azdī, on the authority of Jābir b. Yazīd al-Juʿfī. The same idea is also narrated from the Imam in Majmaʿ al-bayān. ↩︎

33. Al-Durr al-manthūr, on the authority of Ibn Mardawayh, on the authority of ʿĀʾishah. ↩︎

34. Al-Durr al-manthūr, on the authority of ʿAbd al-Razzāq, Ibn Jarīr, Ibn al-Mundhir, Ibn Abī Ḥātim and Abū al-Shaykh. ↩︎

35. Al-Durr al-manthūr, on the authority of Ibn Abī Ḥātim, on the authority of al-Ḥasan [al-Baṣrī]. ↩︎

36. Al-Durr al-manthūr, on the authority of Ibn Abī Shaybah, Aḥmad, ʿAbd b. Ḥumayd, al-Dārimī, Muslim, al-Tirmidhī, al-Nasāʾī, Ibn Jarīr, Ibn Abī Ḥātim and Ibn Mardawayh, on the authority of Abū Hurayrah and Abū Saʿīd. ↩︎

37. Al-Durr al-manthūr, on the authority of al-Nasāʾī, Ibn Abī al-Dunyā’s Dhikr al-mawt, and Ibn Mardawayh, on the authority of Abū Hurayrah. ↩︎

38. Al-Durr al-manthūr, on the authority of Abū al-Shaykh, Ibn Mardawayh and Ibn ʿAsākir, on the authority of Jābir b. ʿAbd-Allāh. ↩︎

39. Al-Durr al-manthūr, on the authority of Ibn Jarīr and Ibn al-Mundhir, on the authority of Abū Zurʿat b. ʿAmr b. Jarīr. ↩︎

40. That is, it is not unjust of God to punish them since they are sinners. The next sentence means that they do not deserve to go to paradise by virtue of their good deeds alone. (Trans.) ↩︎

41. Al-Kāfī, via its chain of narration, on the authority of Ḥamzah al-Ṭayyār. ↩︎

42. In other words, they may belong to either group, and their destiny will reveal which one. (Trans.) ↩︎

43. The last sentence is a way of leaving further details about them to God’s knowledge. In other words: We have no knowledge except what You have taught us. Indeed You are the All-Knowing, the All-Wise (); Their Lord knows them best (). ↩︎

44. That is, we should suspend judgment about them as God has not determined their end for us. (Trans.) ↩︎

45. That is: “Should I leave their case open, waiting to be decided by God’s command?” This is called irjāʾ, and those with an indeterminate end are called al-murjawn (the deffered), as used in verse . (Trans.) ↩︎

46. Al-Kāfī, via its chain of narration. ↩︎

47. This refers to verse . (Trans.) ↩︎

48. Majmaʿ al-bayān. Al-Qummī has reported a similar narration from the Imam in his Tafsīr, on the authority of his father, on the authority of al-Ḥasan b. Maḥbūb, on the authority of Abū Ayyūb, on the authority of Marthad. ↩︎

49. See the previous footnote, and also the author’s comment under hadith 11 above. (Trans.) ↩︎

50. Baṣāʾir al-darajāt, via its chain of narration. ↩︎

51. Baṣāʾir al-darajāt, via its chain of narration, on the authority of Abū Baṣīr. ↩︎

52. The second meaning is a more apparent interpretation of man ʿarafanā and man ankaranā; the meaning that springs to mind first. That is why the first interpretation is offered in [square brackets] as an alternative. Given the more apparent meaning, the narration suggests a possible alternative translation of the verse: And on the Elevations will be certain men, each of whom (everyone) knows by their mark or each of whom is known (to everyone) by their mark. (Trans.) ↩︎

53. The part between the dashes is not found in most versions of this narration, and the meaning is clearer without it. (Trans.) ↩︎

54. Baṣāʾir al-darajāt, via its chain of narration, on the authority of al-Aṣbagh b. Nubātah. It is also narrated via its chain of narration, on the authority of Muqarrin, from Imam al-Ṣādiq. Al-Kulaynī has also reported the account in al-Kāfī, on the authority of Muqarrin, from Imam al-Ṣādiq. ↩︎

55. Majmaʿ al-bayān, on the authority of al-Ḥākim Abū al-Qāsim al-Ḥaskānī, via his unconnected chain of transmission (marfūʿ), on the authority of al-Aṣbagh b. Nubātah. ↩︎

56. Tafsīr al-ʿAyyāshī. ↩︎

57. In other words, the preposition ʿalá (on, over) indicates supervision and superintendence. They are on top of such knowledge; they know the characteristics of all people. (Trans.) ↩︎

58. See hadith 14 above. (Trans.) ↩︎

59. Tafsīr al-burhān, on the authority of Tafsīr al-Thaʿlabī. As we said above [under “Assessing the View of Tafsīr al-manār”] this is also reported in Majmaʿ al-bayān, on the authority of Tafsīr al-Thaʿlabī, on the authority of al-Ḍaḥḥāk, from Ibn ʿAbbās. ↩︎

60. Al-Durr al-manthūr, on the authority of al-Ḥārith b. Abī Usāmah’s Musnad, Ibn Jarīr and Ibn Mardawayh, on the authority of ʿAbd-Allāh b. Mālik al-Hilālī, on the authority of his father. ↩︎

61. See the last interpretation under the section entitled “Views of Other Exegetes.” (Trans.) ↩︎

62. See the author’s comment under hadith 14. (Trans.) ↩︎

63. Al-Kāfī and Tafsīr al-Qummī, via their chain of narration, on the authority of Muḥammad b. al-Fuḍayl. The same hadith is also narrated by al-ʿAyyāshī. ↩︎

64. Rawḍat al-wāʿiẓīn. ↩︎

65. Maʿānī al-akhbār, via its chain of narration, on the authority of Jābir al-Juʿfī. ↩︎

66. Majmaʿ al-bayān, on the authority of al-Ḥākim Abū al-Qāsim al-Ḥaskānī, via its chain of narration, on the authority of Muḥammad b. al-Ḥanafiyyah. ↩︎

67. Majmaʿ al-bayān, on the authority of al-Ḥākim Abū al-Qāsim al-Ḥaskānī, via its chain of narration, on the authority of Abū Ṣāliḥ. ↩︎

68. The hereafter is not a realm of religious injunctions. Therefore, any command or prohibition on that day should be interpreted as a takwīnī (creational, causal, existential) order. This means that the caller to an event is part of the causal chain (which brings that event to existence) for the occurrence of that event. This can be compared to the working of our nervous system: when the brain orders a muscle to move, the brain’s command is tantamount to the movement of the muscle, and the muscle has no choice in this. The motor neurons which convey (or “announce”) the brain’s command to the muscle play a causal role in this process. The broadcaster of a rule is an extension of the judge and part of the decision-making process. If the rule is legislative, conventional or verbal, the broadcaster’s role will be as such; and if the rule is creational or causal, so will the broadcaster’s role. And the loftiest description belongs to Allah, and He is the All-Mighty, the All-Wise (). (Trans.) ↩︎