Appearance
Verses 94–102
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ
وَ ما أَرْسَلْنا فِي قَرْيَةٍ مِنْ نَبِيٍّ إِلاَّ أَخَذْنا أَهْلَها بِالْبَأْساءِ وَ الضَّرَّاءِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَضَّرَّعُونَ ٩٤ ثُمَّ بَدَّلْنا مَكانَ السَّيِّئَةِ الْحَسَنَةَ حَتَّى عَفَوْا وَ قالُوا قَدْ مَسَّ آباءَنَا الضَّرَّاءُ وَ السَّرَّاءُ فَأَخَذْناهُمْ بَغْتَةً وَ هُمْ لا يَشْعُرُونَ ٩٥ وَ لَوْ أَنَّ أَهْلَ الْقُرى آمَنُوا وَ اتَّقَوْا لَفَتَحْنا عَلَيْهِمْ بَرَكاتٍ مِنَ السَّماءِ وَ الْأَرْضِ وَ لكِنْ كَذَّبُوا فَأَخَذْناهُمْ بِما كانُوا يَكْسِبُونَ ٩٦ أَ فَأَمِنَ أَهْلُ الْقُرى أَنْ يَأْتِيَهُمْ بَأْسُنا بَياتاً وَ هُمْ نائِمُونَ ٩٧ أَ وَ أَمِنَ أَهْلُ الْقُرى أَنْ يَأْتِيَهُمْ بَأْسُنا ضُحًى وَ هُمْ يَلْعَبُونَ ٩٨ أَ فَأَمِنُوا مَكْرَ اللَّهِ فَلا يَأْمَنُ مَكْرَ اللَّهِ إِلاَّ الْقَوْمُ الْخاسِرُونَ ٩٩ أَ وَ لَمْ يَهْدِ لِلَّذِينَ يَرِثُونَ الْأَرْضَ مِنْ بَعْدِ أَهْلِها أَنْ لَوْ نَشاءُ أَصَبْناهُمْ بِذُنُوبِهِمْ وَ نَطْبَعُ عَلى قُلُوبِهِمْ فَهُمْ لا يَسْمَعُونَ ١٠٠ تِلْكَ الْقُرى نَقُصُّ عَلَيْكَ مِنْ أَنْبائِها وَ لَقَدْ جاءَتْهُمْ رُسُلُهُمْ بِالْبَيِّناتِ فَما كانُوا لِيُؤْمِنُوا بِما كَذَّبُوا مِنْ قَبْلُ كَذلِكَ يَطْبَعُ اللَّهُ عَلى قُلُوبِ الْكافِرِينَ ١٠١ وَ ما وَجَدْنا لِأَكْثَرِهِمْ مِنْ عَهْدٍ وَ إِنْ وَجَدْنا أَكْثَرَهُمْ لَفاسِقِينَ ١٠٢
- We did not send a prophet to any town without visiting its people with misery and hardship so that they might entreat [Allah’s forgiveness].
- Then We changed the evil for good until they multiplied [in numbers] and said, “Hardship and ease befell our fathers [too].” Then We seized them suddenly while they were unaware.
- If the people of the towns had been faithful and Godwary, We would have opened to them blessings from the heaven and the earth. But they denied; so We seized them because of what they used to earn.
- So do the people of the towns feel secure from Our punishment overtaking them at night while they are asleep?
- Do the people of the towns feel secure from Our punishment overtaking them at midday while they are playing around?
- Do they feel secure from Allah’s devising? No one feels secure from Allah’s devising except the people who are losers.
- Has guidance not come for those who inherited the earth after its [former] inhabitants that if We will We would punish them for their sins, and set a seal on their hearts so they would not hear?
- These are the towns some of whose accounts We recount to you. Certainly their messengers brought them manifest proofs, but they were not to believe in what they had disbelieved earlier. Thus does Allah put a seal on the hearts of the faithless.
- And We did not find in most of them [loyalty to] any covenant. Indeed We found most of them to be transgressors.
Introduction
These verses are connected to the previous verses as they summarize the stories of the previous nations. Most of them were evil-doers who trespassed the limits of servitude and did not observe the covenant that God had made with them from day one. That was the reason why they were meted out with a particular sequence of divine customs as a punishment.
The first divine custom is that whenever God sends a prophet to a people, He tests and tries them with hardship and distress so that they may return to their Lord with humble entreaty. This has been one of God’s customs throughout history. The people’s custom, in response, has been to turn away from these signs of God, and not be awakened by His alerts.
Once the first stage proves ineffective [in guiding and awakening the people], God replaces it with another custom, where He hardens the hearts, seals them, diverts them from the truth, and binds them to carnal pleasures and material luxuries. This is called the divine custom of makr (plot, scheme, contrivance, ruse).
The third stage is the divine custom of istidrāj (gradual ruin through blessings). That is when God changes hardship to ease, punishment to bounty, and adversity to prosperity. By doing so, He leads them gradually toward His punishment, day by day, and hour by hour, until it seizes them suddenly whence they least expect it. They are caught off guard because they were enjoying themselves in peace and security, were complacent about their share of knowledge, and were confident that their instruments and technologies could deflect anything that might threaten their existence.
In these verses, God mentions a clear criterion about when a bounty or a punishment is sent upon the human world: If the people of the towns had been faithful and Godwary, We would have opened to them blessings from the heaven… (). To better understand this, we must realize that the world of existence is a single whole, with all its parts interconnected and interrelated. They can be compared to the different organs of a single body, where the wellness and strength of one part affects the work and functionality of the other parts. There is a general law of mutual interaction between the effects and properties of the different parts of the universe.
According to the Qur’an, every part of this whole [that is, every member of the body of existence] is pursuing its course toward God, and is journeying toward a goal of perfection that has been assigned to it. Now, if a part of this whole—especially one of the central parts—stops functioning properly, becomes weak and deviates from its right path, it will affect the other members of existence negatively. Given the law of reciprocation between all parts of the universe, that negative impact will in turn come back to the dysfunctional unit. That will be in the form of some unpleasant condition and affliction, because of the initial unit’s incongruity with the rest of existence. If that unit is aligned once again—either by itself or by external pressure—then it will reclaim the initial peaceful condition that it had. But if persists with its deviation, distortion and corruption, its affliction will continue. As it reaches a threshold and transgresses its limits, it starts jeopardizing its surrounding beings with corruption. At that point, the other members and units of existence will stand against it with a force that God has placed in them in order to maintain themselves. Thus they will crush, destroy and obliterate the noncomplying unit at once, whence it does not realize.
This is a universal law that God has placed in the world of existence. All beings and species are subject to this law, including humans. There are no exemptions. Consider any human society or nation that deviates from the path of its pristine nature and original makeup, in a way that stops it from pursuing the human perfection that has been set as a goal of its life. Such deviation will disrupt the state of other causes and forces in the world of existence which are directly connected to it. That will in turn reflect back to the deviant society in the form of a negative effect. The cause of all this is their deviation from the right path, and having a negative impact on their surroundings. That will give rise to a variety of large-scale problems in their interactions and across their society, such as moral decadence, hard-heartedness, loss of compassion, epidemics, and natural disasters. For instance, the sky will withhold its rain, the earth will withhold its crops, and there will be a high frequency of floods, hurricanes, thunderbolts, earthquakes, and so on. All these are divine signs that are meant to awaken humankind and induce the people to repent to their Lord and return to the straight path of their fiṭrah (primal nature, innate disposition, initial makeup). These are times of hardship which follow times of ease: both are tests and trials for the nations.
Consider the verse: Corruption has appeared in land and sea because of the doings of the people’s hands, that He may make them taste something of what they have done, so that they may come back (). This verse bears unequivocal evidence to what we said. It explains that the injustice and sins that are committed by the hands of the people result in corruption in the land and the sea. Corruption here is meant in a general sense, including: (1) disruptions that directly afflict humankind, such as war, hijacking, and lack of security; (2) disruptions that do not directly affect humankind, such as disturbances in the atmosphere or on the earth, which nevertheless harm human life.
There are other verses that convey the same meaning. One verse which is somewhat similar, and which we shall discuss later, is: Whatever affliction that may visit you is because of what your hands have earned, and He excuses many [an offense] (). Another verse is: Indeed Allah does not change a people’s condition unless they change what is in themselves ().
If these afflictions cause the deviant nation to return to the right path, then they are set. But that has been very rare in human history. Otherwise, if they persist in their error and deviation, God will seal their hearts. That is when they feel accustomed to their condition. They will come to accept that this is what makes up human life: a wretched unpeaceful life which is in constant friction with the other elements of the world, which is always crushed by natural disasters, and which has to undergo all sorts of calamities and afflictions. Thus, in their view, the job of humankind is to advance in science and technology in order to equip themselves with sufficient means and instruments to deflect the forces of nature and undo its workings. This is what we see today, where humanity has employed various techniques and sophisticated ways to safeguard itself against natural disasters and afflictions which threaten its existence, such as floods, hurricanes and thunderbolts, famine, drought, plague, pestilence and other contagious diseases.
Perish humankind! How ungrateful are they (). They think that their advancements, which they call science and civilization, will dominate nature and cancel the laws of existence. They imagine that they can make the world succumb to their will, and follow their desires. But humans are themselves a member of this system, are subject to its laws, and are only an insignificant part of the whole. Had the Truth followed their desires, the heavens and the earth would have surely fallen apart (). And if the world of existence were to fall apart, the weak human being would be among the first parts of it to decay, and would quickly wane toward destruction.
They [the unbelievers throughout the history] have misunderstood the message of religions. According to their impression, religions deny the link between natural events and their natural causes, and instead attribute these events to their “Creator.” This dichotomous view implies that the Creator operates on the same plane as the other causes which have been discovered by science as governing forces in the universe. This makes God a “backup cause” that is responsible for other events for which there is no scientific explanation. Historically speaking, God was accorded meteorological processes and cosmic phenomena such as rain, thunderbolt, famine and plague. But as we humans have discovered the natural causes of these events, we have gradually come to imagine ourselves needless of the Lord of all worlds, and exempt from His direction of affairs.
What we, as humanity, have missed is that God is not a cause that is parallel to the other causes, and a force on the same plane as physical forces in nature. Rather, He is a reality which encompasses all things. He is the Creator of every cause, Who leads every cause from before and behind to its effect. He has given everything its creation and then guided it (). The creation, function, and effect of every cause is under God’s control, and no one else. Therefore, He can make any event occur through other causes that are unknown to us, as He wills.
There are many verses that refer to this point, such as: Allah carries through His command. Certainly Allah has set a measure for everything (); Allah prevails in His purpose, but most people do not know (); You cannot thwart [Allah] on the earth, and you do not have besides Allah any guardian or helper ().
Can humankind possibly oppose God in His kingdom? Can they devise intelligent mechanisms to counter God’s decree and will? How could that be possible when God is not positioned along the other forces horizontally, but He encompasses them vertically? That is, He is the Creator of not only humankind, but also their volition, their thoughts, and the mechanisms that they devise. He has placed everything where it belongs, and has positioned the series of causes and effects in a connected chain, all the way from the beginning to the end. His making extends to the final stage of the scientific and technological goals that humans seek, with which they wish to fight their Lord’s decree and oppose His rule. People are themselves one of the hands with which God operates to implement His will and rule. They are part of the causal system which carry out the divine decree and destiny.
After talking about His custom of seizing the people with misery and hardship [], God says: Then We changed the evil for good until they multiplied [in numbers] and said, “Hardship and ease befell our fathers [too].” Then We seized them suddenly while they were unaware (). This verse refers exactly to the unfortunate state of humankind which we explained above. We shall clarify this more as we discuss the verse below, by God’s will.
These verses describe a logical truth: just like the other species in the world, humankind is connected to the other parts of existence which surround them. In every stage of their life and journey toward eternal happiness, whatever they do is connected to other beings. If they act and live in harmony with the world of existence, then the world will also be harmonious to them, and the heavens will shower their blessings upon them. But if they decay and act corruptly, the world will also decay and will reciprocate in like manner. In that case, if the people cease their corruption and get back on track, things will go back to normal. But if they continue until they drown in their corruption, the world of existence will rebel against them, will destroy their foundations, will obliterate their signs, and will clear the earth from their defilement.
It is rather impossible for humankind to ever oppose the world of existence through any acts, because humans are not an independent entity from it, but are themselves a part of the world. Any intellectual plan or mechanism that they devise is itself based on general scientific laws that have been extracted from the universe. So how could humankind contrive against the universe? The reader should reflect on this.
This is a logical truth which the Qur’an confirms and states explicitly. According to the Qur’an, God is the One Who has created everything and has determined it in a precise measure []. He has guided everything to its means of perfection [, ]. He has not created the world in futility [], nor any part of it—including humankind—for play [, ]. Rather, He has created whatever He has created so that it may eventually return to His proximity. He has prepared a state of bliss for everything, toward which it is guided through its fiṭrah (primal nature, innate disposition, initial makeup) with God’s will. He has made a path for every being toward its happiness and perfection. If that being pursues its divinely intuitive path, then that is the goal. But if it deviates from it—in a way that cannot be retracted to the straight path—then its intended goal is wasted, and the divine decree of punishment applies to it.
Commentary
وَ ما أَرْسَلْنا فِي قَرْيَةٍ مِنْ نَبِيٍّ إِلاَّ أَخَذْنا أَهْلَها بِالْبَأْساءِ وَ الضَّرَّاءِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَضَّرَّعُونَ٩٤
(7:94) We did not send a prophet to any town without visiting its people with misery (bil-baʾsāʾ) and hardship (al-ḍarrāʾ) so that they might entreat [Allah’s forgiveness].
Some have said that baʾsāʾ means financial misfortune like poverty, while ḍarrāʾ means physical misfortune like illness. Others have said the opposite: baʾsāʾ means a hardship that afflicts themselves, while ḍarrāʾ means a hardship that afflicts their property. There are also other interpretations for the two terms. Some have said that baʾs and baʾsāʾ are often used for misfortunes that serve as a punishment and retribution, since God says: for Allah is greatest in might (baʾsan) and severest in punishment ().
However, we can arguably infer the meaning of the two terms from the next verse, which mentions ḍarrāʾ (hardship) and sarrāʾ (ease), referring to things that make one unhappy, and things that make one happy, respectively. These are meant in an absolute sense, based on the context. Therefore, ḍarrāʾ means “any unfortunate event.” In the current verse, it is mentioned after baʾsāʾ (misery) as a case of stating a general concept after a specific application of it.
This verse describes a divine custom. The purpose of sending a prophet to a nation is to guide them to their path of growth. Whenever God has sent any prophet to any town, He afflicted them with some misfortune in their bodies and properties, hoping that their hardship would elicit them to entreat God and take recourse to Him. That would complement their prophet’s call to belief and righteous deeds.
Hardships and misfortunes are a great help to the prophetic calls. As long as humans are endowed with a blessing, their enjoyment of that blessing distracts them from paying attention to the One Who has bestowed it upon them. They feel themselves needless because of that blessing. But once they lose that blessing, they feel the need. That is when misery and indigence descend on them, they grow impatient, and death threatens them. Thus their divine intuition (fiṭrah) awakens them to entreat and resort to the One Who can remove their need and deflect their disgrace. That is God. Some may not realize this [due to a lack of religious education], but it is hoped that they will be guided to the truth if they are informed about this [by the prophets]. God says: When We bless man, he is disregardful and turns aside; but when an ill befalls him, he makes protracted supplications ().
ثُمَّ بَدَّلْنَا مَكَانَ السَّيِّئَةِ الْحَسَنَةَ حَتَّىٰ عَفَوْا وَقَالُوا قَدْ مَسَّ آبَاءَنَا الضَّرَّاءُ وَالسَّرَّاءُ فَأَخَذْنَاهُمْ بَغْتَةً وَهُمْ لَا يَشْعُرُونَ ٩٥
(7:95) Then We changed (baddalnā, from tabdīl) the evil for good until they multiplied [in numbers] and said, “Hardship and ease befell our fathers [too].” Then We seized them suddenly while they were unaware.
Tabdīl (to replace, to substitute) is a ditransitive verb, where the second object replaces the first. In the context of this verse, evil (sayyiʾah) and good (ḥasanah) respectively refer to distress and comfort, or fear and hope—or hardship and ease, as it can be inferred from the subsequent part of the verse: Hardship and ease befell our fathers [too].
… until they multiplied (ʿafaw, from ʿafw)…: The word ʿafw has been interpreted as abundance. The meaning would be: “They increased in persons and wealth after God had reduced them [in number and wealth] through afflictions and misfortunes.” It is also likely, although other exegetes have not suggested it, that ʿafw here means “effacement of signs” (imḥāʾ al-athar). As we read in a poem:
رَبْعٌ عَفَاهُ الدَّهْرُ طُولاً فَانْمَحَى قَدْ كَادَ مِنْ طُولِ الْبِلَى أَنْ يَمْصَحَا
A house that the world has rubbed off (ʿafāhu) and effaced (fa-inmaḥá);
Due to long erosion to the ground it’s debased;
Just about its level, they seem to have embraced.
The meaning would be: “They effaced the traces of the previous evil with the new good which they were given.”
… and said, “Hardship and ease befell our fathers [too]”…: This statement implies that since we live in this world of nature which is in a constant change and flux, we shall certainly face hardship and ease. This is an inevitable consequence of the world in which we live, where favorable and unfavorable events come our way one after another. This, however, has nothing to do with divine tests and tribulations.
Based on our suggested meaning for ʿafw [as effacement], we can say that the conjunction “and” in this part of the verse is interpretative. That is, the statement quoted from them here interprets how they effaced and ignored the divine custom of trial and tribulation. They did so by saying that hardship and ease are common events that occur in the world, one after another. These alternating periods are occurring to us just as they occurred to our fathers. This notion is similar to the verse: And if We let him have a taste of Our mercy after hardship has befallen him, he will surely say, “This is my due! I do not think the Hour will ever set in” ().
… until (ḥattá) they multiplied [in numbers] and said…: The preposition “until” (ḥattá) indicates the end and consequence of the previous phrase. The meaning is: Then We replaced their suffering with blessings and inundated them with good, to the point that they forgot their previous state of misery, and said: “The good times and bad times are only different episodes of nature.” The sequence of ease after misery led them to this end. However, it was more befitting for them to become mindful and realize that they must be more grateful during the good times, after their entreaty during the hard times. They altered the end that their Lord had wanted and planned for them, and pursued another end instead of it. As a result, God sealed their hearts, so they could no longer hear the word of truth.
Apparently the words “hardship” and “ease” are ordered in this way in accordance with the order of “evil” and “good” at the beginning of the verse: Then We changed the evil for good.
… Then We seized them suddenly while they were unaware: This sentence involves an indirect reference to humankind’s ignorance about how God conducts the affairs of the world. That is why they are caught off guard by surprise. They think that they know how everything occurs, and what are the causes at work in the universe. They imagine they can protect themselves against destructive forces through defensive mechanisms that they have devised with their knowledge. God says: When their messengers brought them manifest proofs, they exulted in the knowledge they possessed ().
وَلَوْ أَنَّ أَهْلَ الْقُرَىٰ آمَنُوا وَاتَّقَوْا لَفَتَحْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ بَرَكَاتٍ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَلَٰكِنْ كَذَّبُوا فَأَخَذْنَاهُمْ بِمَا كَانُوا يَكْسِبُونَ ٩٦
(7:96) If the people of the towns had been faithful and Godwary, We would have opened to them blessings (barakāt) from the heaven and the earth. But they denied; so We seized them because of what they used to earn.
The word barakāt means “abundant good” in all its variety, such as security, comfort, health, wealth and children. These are things where one is sometimes tested with a loss of them.
… We would have opened to them blessings from the heaven and the earth…: Here we see a metaphorical semblance. Blessings are compared to channels that can be opened or closed. If a people are faithful and Godwary, then God will open these channels, through which various means of enjoyment will flow and shower upon them. These include: (1) blessings from the heaven, such as rain, snow, heat and cold, each in its place and in a beneficial amount; (2) blessings from the earth, such as grains, fruits and security.
If the people of the towns had been faithful and Godwary…: This phrase indicates that the opening of blessings upon a people is a result of all of them being faithful and Godwary. In other words, all humans, as a species, must have īmān (belief, faith) and taqwá (Godwariness, self-restraint). It is not sufficient for only some of them to have these qualities, because that entails disbelief and sin for others, in which case decay and corruption will ensue. This should be clear.
… But they denied; so We seized (akhadhnāhum, from akhdh) them because of what they used to earn: The context shows that akhdh (taking, seizing) means taking one for retribution and punishment. The reality of God’s seizing and punishment is giving one’s own actions back to the person. We just explained how this custom of God works.
أَفَأَمِنَ أَهْلُ الْقُرَىٰ أَنْ يَأْتِيَهُمْ بَأْسُنَا بَيَاتًا وَهُمْ نَائِمُونَ ٩٧
(7:97) So do the people of the towns feel secure from Our punishment overtaking them at night (bayātan) while they are asleep?
Bayāt and tabyīt mean “attacking the enemy at night.” That is a form of makr (plot, scheme, contrivance, ruse) because the night is a time of rest and peace for humankind. People are naturally cut off from the outside as they rest and sleep.
The letter fāʾ (so, therefore, then) at the beginning of the verse shows that the verse is stated as a logical consequence and conclusion to the last verse. This connection between the last verse and this verse can be elaborated as follows: As We said, sensual pleasures and tangible phenomena often deceive the people of the towns and veil them from supernatural realities beyond them. Thus they are suddenly overtaken with the punishment while they are unaware. Given this, are they now immune from God’s punishment seizing them at night while sleep has covered them with unawareness?
أَوَأَمِنَ أَهْلُ الْقُرَىٰ أَنْ يَأْتِيَهُمْ بَأْسُنَا ضُحًى وَهُمْ يَلْعَبُونَ ٩٨
(7:98) Do the people of the towns feel secure from Our punishment overtaking them at midday (ḍuḥá) while they are playing around?
Ḍuḥá means “forenoon,” when the sun is fully up and sunlight covers everything. What is meant by “playing” is any activity that they engage in for achieving worldly purposes and enjoying material pleasures. If these activities are not pursued in the way of seeking the truth and eternal happiness, they are only sport and play. Therefore, while they are playing around is an indirect way of referring to worldly occupations. Similarly, one could arguably say that while they are asleep () in the last verse is an indirect way of referring to heedlessness [in general]. Some exegetes have suggested that “playing” in this verse is a metaphorical expression: they are engaged with things that are not beneficial as though they are playing games. The rest of the meaning should be clear.
أَفَأَمِنُوا مَكْرَ اللَّهِ ۚ فَلَا يَأْمَنُ مَكْرَ اللَّهِ إِلَّا الْقَوْمُ الْخَاسِرُونَ ٩٩
(7:99) Do they feel secure from Allah’s devising (makr)? No one feels secure from Allah’s devising except the people who are losers.
Makr means “directing some harm—or something that leads to harm—to someone while they are not aware.” As a divine act, this will always be a form of retribution. For instance, as a consequence of one’s disobedience, God may seize the person with punishment whence they are not aware, or may treat them in a way that leads them toward punishment without them realizing. However, it is impossible that God would exercise makr (plot, scheme, contrivance, ruse) against a servant without any previous disobedience or violation on their part. We have addressed this repeatedly before.
There is a subtle point in how these three verses are addressed: So do the people of the towns feel secure? (); Do the people of the towns feel secure? (); Do they feel secure from Allah’s devising? (). All three verses are expressed as rhetorical questions that imply negation and rebuke. In the second verse [], God could have used a pronoun instead of a noun, just as in the third verse: “Do they feel secure…?” But He has used a noun instead: Do the people of the towns… (). This implies that the two punishments [of night and day] are independent of one another, and either of them may afflict a people. Then, the plural pronoun in the third verse [“they” at the beginning of verse ] refers to both groups in the last two verses. This makes the third verse a summary and conclusion of both verses.
… No one feels secure from Allah’s devising except the people who are losers: Based on the last two verses, feeling secure from God’s devising (makr) is itself part of God’s devising, for it results in divine punishment. Therefore, those who feel secure from God’s devising are losers, because they are caught in a plot exactly through their feeling of immunity.
أَوَلَمْ يَهْدِ لِلَّذِينَ يَرِثُونَ الْأَرْضَ مِنْ بَعْدِ أَهْلِهَا أَنْ لَوْ نَشَاءُ أَصَبْنَاهُمْ بِذُنُوبِهِمْ ۚ وَنَطْبَعُ عَلَىٰ قُلُوبِهِمْ فَهُمْ لَا يَسْمَعُونَ ١٠٠
(7:100) Has guidance not come for those who (yahdi lil-ladhīna) inherited the earth after its [former] inhabitants that if We will We would punish them for their sins, and set a seal on their hearts so they would not hear?
Those who inherited the earth after its [former] inhabitants are the subsequent generations who inherit the earth from their fathers. The subject of this sentence is the pronoun “it,” which refers to the overall story of the previous people of the towns. The verb “guided” (yahdi) is ditransitive. Its first object is those who inherited the earth. Given the usage of the letter lām (for) before this object, “guidance” here means “clarification” (tabyīn). The meaning is: “Have the stories of the towns that We recited not clarified for these people, in a guiding way, that if…?” The second object of the verb is: that if We will We would punish them…
The effective meaning is: We described for you a group of people whom We seized because of their sins. We first tested them, and then sealed their hearts, so they could not open to the admonitions of their prophets. Now, has it not dawned upon their descendants that We can, if We will, punish them for their sins? Do they not realize that nothing can block Us from them, nor can they protect themselves from Our might with anything?
Some have suggested that what is meant by “guidance” here is its necessary implication and result [which is knowledge]. Then the meaning would be: “Has [Our] guidance not made them realize that if We will We would punish them for their sins?” Another similar usage of the same verb can be found in the verse: Has guidance not come for them how many generations We have destroyed before them, amid [the ruins of] whose dwellings they walk? ().
… and set a seal on their hearts so they would not hear?: The conjunction “and” connects this sentence to the one before it: We would punish them. This conjunction is acceptable because a present tense meaning is understood from the use of past tense in this case. The meaning is: “Has guidance not come for them that if We will, We would set a seal…” Some have suggested that this sentence of the verse is a parenthetical remark that serves as a follow-up. There are also other views and aspects of the verse that the exegetes have addressed, but they are not worth discussing.
تِلْكَ الْقُرَىٰ نَقُصُّ عَلَيْكَ مِنْ أَنْبَائِهَا ۚ وَلَقَدْ جَاءَتْهُمْ رُسُلُهُمْ بِالْبَيِّنَاتِ فَمَا كَانُوا لِيُؤْمِنُوا بِمَا كَذَّبُوا مِنْ قَبْلُ ۚ كَذَٰلِكَ يَطْبَعُ اللَّهُ عَلَىٰ قُلُوبِ الْكَافِرِينَ ١٠١
(7:101) These are the towns some of whose accounts We recount to you. Certainly their messengers brought them manifest proofs, but they were not to believe in what they had disbelieved earlier. Thus does Allah put a seal on the hearts of the faithless.
This verse offers a second summary to the stories of the previous nations and prophets in the chapter. We read the first summary in verse (We did not send a prophet to any town…), up to verse or .
These two summaries differ in terms of perspective. The first summary looks at God’s treatment of these people: He visited them with misery and hardship, then changed evil for good, and then seized them suddenly while they were unaware. The second summary looks at their treatment of the religious call: Even though their messengers brought them manifest proofs, they did not believe because they had denied the message before. They were not in a condition [intellectually, spiritually and psychologically] to accept what they had rejected before. This [inability to believe] was a result of God’s seal on their heart.
… but they were not to believe in what (bi-mā) they had disbelieved earlier…: Apparently the preposition “in what” (bi-mā) is an object of the verb “to believe.” This means that the particle mā should be classified as mawṣūlah (meaning “what”). This can be confirmed by the verse: but they were not to believe in what they had disbelieved in (bihi) earlier (). Verse explicitly says bihi (in it, to it), which clearly shows that the particle mā means “what,” indicating the object of belief and disbelief. The effective meaning is: They rejected the first time they were offered the message; thus they also did not accept it when they were offered it a second time.
… they were not (mā kānū) to believe…: This expression confirms our interpretation above, because it indicates a lack of prior readiness [to accept and absorb the message]. When one says, “I were not to visit so-and-so” (mā kuntu li-ātī) or “I were not to respect so-and-so given what he did” (mā kuntu li-akrima) it means: “I am not in a position to do so. I was not prepared for this.” Similarly, the Qur’an says: Allah were not (mā kāna) to leave the faithful in your present state, until He has separated the bad ones from the good (). It means: “He had willed from before to separate you from one another.” Another similar verse is: Allah is not to ever (lam yakun) forgive them, nor shall He guide them to any way ().
This idea is confirmed by the next verse: And We did not find in most of them [loyalty to] any covenant. Indeed We found most of them to be transgressors (). The verse is a continuation of what we read in the current verse: but they were not to believe in what they had disbelieved earlier (). The conjunction “and” at the beginning of verse shows this connection and continuity, as per the theme and context of the verses. Hence, the verses are saying: God initially made a covenant with these people, but they transgressed and rejected it right at the beginning. Later, when God’s messengers came to them, they rejected the messengers and did not believe in them. They were not to believe in what they had disbelieved earlier.
The First Interpretation of the Verse
… Thus does Allah put a seal on the hearts of the faithless: This ending is related to the previous part of the verse: Certainly their messengers brought them manifest proofs, but they were not to believe in what they had disbelieved earlier. The connection is that their disbelief in their messengers—despite having brought manifest proofs—was an example of God sealing their hearts. The reality of this seal is that God established disbelief in their hearts and anchored denial in their souls, such that they had no room to accept the call of the messengers when they brought them manifest proofs, for their hearts were occupied by the opposite of belief.
Here we can see that in terms of purport, these two verses [] can be matched with the first two verses in this set: We did not send a prophet to any town without visiting its people… (). As we saw above, verses describe a divine custom: First God sends signs and communications which prove the foundations of the religious message, such as the divine oneness. Then He visits the people with misery and hardship. Then He exchanges the evil for good. Finally, He seals their hearts as a punishment for their wrongdoing. In the same light, we can elaborate the current verse [] as follows.
The verse is saying: Certainly their messengers brought them manifest proofs, but they did not believe in the signs that were sent to them. These signs had prompted them to plead to God [at times of hardship] and be grateful to Him [at times of ease]. Instead, they doubted and hesitated with respect to these signs. Not only that, but they interpreted these events as the habits of nature and the fluctuations of time which alternate people’s conditions. Thus they denied God’s signs, and that denial became rooted in their hearts. Subsequently, when God’s prophets invited them to the true religion, they did not believe in the truth and reminder that they were propagating, because they had rejected the very same truth and signs before. They were not to believe in what they had disbelieved earlier. That was why God sealed their hearts, such that they would not hear [the message of truth].
They did not believe the second time as a result of God’s seal, and God’s seal was a result of their first denial. The first message they denied was implicit in being afflicted with misery and hardship, and then having evil replaced with good. The same idea is found in the verse: Certainly We destroyed [several] generations before you when they perpetrated wrongs: their messengers brought them manifest proofs, but they were not to believe. Thus do We requite the guilty lot (). Similarly, after narrating Noah’s story, God says: Then after him We sent [other] messengers to their people. They brought them manifest proofs, but they were not to believe in what they had disbelieved in before. Thus do We seal the hearts of the transgressors ().
… Certainly their messengers brought them manifest proofs…: What is meant by manifest proofs here is all āyāt (signs and communications) which the prophets brought to them as a reminder. That includes the signs of God in the world, His signs within themselves [the subjective world], and the miracles of the prophets.
The Second Interpretation of the Verse
… but they were not (fa-mā kānū) to believe in what they had disbelieved earlier…: The letter fāʾ (“but”) at the beginning of this sentence shows that it builds on the last statement. Their “earlier denial” was rejecting the guidance of their intellects. We observe through our reason that we are directed by God, our lives are subject to His authority, and He is our Lord alone. Their “subsequent denial” was not accepting the same truth when they were reminded of by the prophets.
The verse is saying: God sent them signs so that they might awaken, plead to Him [to remove His tribulations], and thank Him [for His blessings]. This is what their intellects had required them to do, but they refused to abide by its reminder. For this reason, they were not a community which would believe in the same signs and reminders which were brought to them by God’s prophets.
Given this interpretation, “covenant” in the next verse [] means God’s intuitive covenant with the people through their intellects and with the tongue of His signs, stipulating that they should be servants of Him alone. Similarly, “transgression” in the next verse means breaking this covenant and not living up to it.
The Third Interpretation of the Verse
In addition, this intuitive covenant of God with the people existed prior to its existence in our current realm. He made the exact same covenant with them when He created and fashioned them, through His creation and fashioning of their father Adam. God made Adam a representative of all humankind. He made the angels prostrate to him, and placed him in the Garden. Then, when He ordered Adam’s fall to the earth, God made a covenant with him that he and his descendants shall only serve God, and shall not associate any partners with Him.
In that prior realm [of pre-eternity], God had a certain taqdīr (measurement, ordainment, predestination) whereby He guided a group of people, and did not guide others. When these people appeared in our current realm subsequently, the first group pursued the path of guidance in their life, while the second group deviated from their primordial covenant. As a result, God sealed their hearts and error became fixed upon them after their evil deeds in this world. We explained this previously, in our exposition of verse: Even as He brought you forth in the beginning, so will you return. A part [of humankind] He has guided, while error is fixed upon a part ().
The verse is saying: They were not a group who would accept the call of the prophets because they rejected and denied it when they were first charged with God’s covenant [prior to this realm]. We did not find most of them committed in this life to the covenant which they made in the previous realm. Rather, We found most of them to be transgressors who fell outside the boundaries of Our [primordial] covenant.
Our third interpretation of the verse does not contradict the first two. These meanings are not on the same level to negate one another. Rather, they describe different planes of existence, where one is in continuation of the other. There is no contradiction between saying that one can potentially achieve either felicity or wretchedness through one’s choice and free will in this life, and saying that one’s path and end—whether felicitous or wretched—is determined through divine destiny.
Views of Other Exegetes
Here are some other views suggested by the exegetes:
(1) Their “earlier disbelief” refers to their disbelief from when the messengers came to them, until they started to insist on their animosity. Their subsequent disbelief—they were not to believe—refers to their disbelief at the time of their insistence and animosity. The meaning is: They were not a group who would believe when their hostility set in, because they had not believed from the beginning of the prophets’ call up to that point.
Comment: This is an implausible view that is not supported by any evidence from the text of the verses.
(2) Their “earlier disbelief” refers to denying the fundamental beliefs which are the roots of religious laws, such as God’s oneness, the hereafter, the praiseworthiness of justice, and the blameworthiness of injustice. These are things that the human intellect can independently arrive at. Their subsequent disbelief pertains to the elaborate system of religious law. The meaning is: They were not a group who would believe in the details of religious legal codes given that they had rejected them in a nutshell prior to the elaborate call of the prophets.
Comment: This is against the apparent meaning of the verse, because the word takdhīb (disbelief, denial) is not used for the basic principles that we discern intuitively through our intellects, such as the very existence of God. Moreover, the connections and contextual evidence that we discussed above would refute this interpretation.
(3) This verse is equivalent to the verse: But were they to be sent back they would revert to what they were forbidden (). The meaning is: If We were to destroy them and then bring them back to life, they would not believe in what they had disbelieved in before their destruction.
Comment: This is the least plausible interpretation offered for the verse.
(4) The pronoun “they” in they had disbelieved refers to their forefathers, while the pronoun “they” in they were not to believe refers to themselves. The meaning is: The subsequent generations were not a group who would believe in what their previous generations had disbelieved in.
Comment: There is no evidence for this distinction. What springs to the mind from the context and flow of the verse is that these pronouns here—but they were not to believe in what they had disbelieved—all refer to the same noun. One could also merge this view with the next one.
(5) The verse is based on treating the previous generations and their descendants as a single unit which received the call of God’s messengers. Therefore, the disbelief of the forefathers is attributed to their progeny, and the disbelief of the progeny is attributed to their forefathers. This is how the Qur’an often talks about the People of the Book, especially the Jews. In many verses, the Qur’an rebukes children for the acts of their fathers, and ascribes the wrongdoing of the past generations to their descendants. The meaning is: This is the state of humankind in response to the messengers that have come to them from the day they were created up to this day. The later generations do not believe in what the earlier generations disbelieved in.
Comment: This view is correct in and of itself, but it is not congruous with the verses. The context here is a narrative of the previous nations, as we can see in the verse: These are the towns some of whose accounts We recount to you (). The above interpretation assumes that all these nations and generations over the centuries are a single continuum that extends from the beginning to the end, such that the disbelief of the later ones could be traced to and ascribed to the disbelief of the earlier ones. However, if that were the intended meaning, the verse should have talked about the messengers as an ongoing and recurrent event for that single continuum. For instance, the verse should have said, “Their messengers used to bring them manifest proofs” or “Their messengers constantly brought them manifest proofs.” But the verse says instead: Certainly their messengers brought them manifest proofs, which apparently indicates a one-time occurrence at a single point in time [and thus pertaining to only one generation, not to an extended chain of generations throughout the history]. The reader should reflect on this.
The same can be said about verse [with almost identical wording]. God says, after narrating Noah’s story: Then after him We sent [other] messengers to their people. They brought them manifest proofs, but they were not to believe in what they had disbelieved in before (). What is meant by We sent [other] messengers to their people is that We sent each messenger to one community. Nevertheless, there are other verses in the Qur’an with expressions that show a continuous series of messengers, such as: Whenever a messenger brought them that which was not to their liking, they would deny a part of them, and a part they would slay (). It is very likely that those who denied and those who slew the messengers were not the same people. Yet, the verse ascribes these acts to all of them as a single whole. Another verse is: That was because their messengers used to bring them manifest proofs, but they said, “Shall humans be our guides?!” So they disbelieved and turned away, and Allah was in no need [of their faith] ().
(6) Their “earlier” disbelief refers to growing accustomed to reject God’s messengers, or to deny any truth that they encountered. The letter bāʾ here—in what (bi-mā) they had disbelieved—indicates causality (called sababiyyah), and the particle mā serves to turn the verb that follows it into a verbal noun (called maṣdariyyah). The meaning is: They would never believe in their Lord because of their previous disbelief in the messengers—or in any truth.
Comment: This interpretation is defeated by another similar verse in the Qur’an: but they were not to believe in what they had disbelieved in (bihi) earlier (). The word bihi (in it, to it) shows that the particle mā means “what” (called mawṣūlah, indicating the object of belief and disbelief). Moreover, the letter bāʾ is apparently used to indicate the object of the transitive verb “believe” (li-yuʾminū). Finally, this view can be reduced to the first view.
(7) Their “earlier” disbelief refers to what they hid inside on the day of the divine covenant [in the world of pre-existence]. The meaning is: When they received the call of the prophets, they were not to believe in what they had previously disbelieved on the primordial day of divine covenant.
Comment: This idea is correct in and of itself, but it pertains to an inner and hidden layer of the meaning. Qur’anic commentary should rely on the apparent meaning of the text. The apparent meaning is not the world of pre-existence because the verse says: Thus does Allah put a seal on the hearts of the faithless. This sentence explicitly shows that their disbelief was a consequence of the seal on their hearts. God seals the hearts due to one’s previous denial, which then leads to the person denying the future calls of truth. God never takes the initiative to seal the hearts in this life. Rather, His sealing of the hearts is always preceded by some wrongdoing on the part of the person. This is the best evidence that their disbelief—which resulted in the seal on their hearts—occurred in this life [and does not refer to their denial in the world of pre-existence]. Then, once their hearts were sealed, they would not believe in what they had disbelieved earlier.
There are other verses in the Qur’an which confirm that God’s sealing and closing of the hearts is always subsequent to some misdeed by the people in this world. It is not merely a result of the people’s denial of their primordial covenant with God. It is certainly not befitting of God to seal their hearts initially in this world. The Qur’an says: Thereby He leads many astray, and thereby He guides many; and He leads no one astray thereby except the transgressors ().
وَمَا وَجَدْنَا لِأَكْثَرِهِمْ مِنْ عَهْدٍ ۖ وَإِنْ وَجَدْنَا أَكْثَرَهُمْ لَفَاسِقِينَ ١٠٢
(7:102) And We did not find in most of them [loyalty to] any covenant. Indeed We found most of them to be transgressors.
Majmaʿ al-bayān says:
“Covenant” in this verse means “loyalty to covenant.” When they say, “So-and-so has no covenant” (lā ʿahda lahu), what is meant is that the person has no respect for a covenant, and does not observe it.
There are two possible meanings for “covenant” here: (1) God’s covenant with the people through His signs [that is, their pleasant and unpleasant tribulations]. (2) Their covenant with God as they realize their need through their intellects, where they intuitively take on themselves to serve God and not associate any partners with Him. The verse’s meaning should be clear based on our discussions on the last verse.
Examining Narrations
- Al-Ḥusayn b. al-Ḥakam says: I wrote a letter to the righteous servant [Imam al-Kāẓim], saying: “I am a skeptic, just as Abraham said: My Lord! Show me how You revive the dead (). So I would like you to show me something like that.” The Imam wrote back to him: “Indeed Abraham was a believer, but he wanted his belief to grow. You, however, are a skeptic, and there is no good in a skeptic.” The Imam further wrote: “Doubt may exist as long as certainty is not realized. But once certainty comes, doubt is not permissible.” He also wrote: “Indeed the Almighty God says: And We did not find in most of them [loyalty to] any covenant. Indeed We found most of them to be transgressors (). This was revealed concerning the skeptics.”
Author’s comment: This narration’s application of the verse [to skeptics] should be clear based on our exposition above. The second half of the hadith is also narrated by al-ʿAyyāshī, except that it says: “This was revealed concerning an extreme skeptic.”
The word “universe” is etymologically significant here. It means “combined into one, made whole, having a single direction.” (Trans.) ↩︎
“From before and behind” means that God is present with every being, and active with every action, as opposed to the rudimentary deistic view of God as a retired architect or watchmaker. He is not merely positioned at the beginning of the chain. Every causation is an extension, expression and manifestation of His absolute causality. (Trans.) ↩︎
In Islamic metaphysics, the key concept behind horizontality and verticality is “causality.” A cause and its effect have a vertical (ṭūlī) relationship with one another. A metaphysical cause is what gives existence to the effect. The effect would not exist without the cause, nor would it fail to exist with it. Causes on the same level of existence have a horizontal (ʿarḍī) relationship with one another. The author’s point here is that the entire system of causes and effects—including the natural and the supernatural—is an effect of God, and has a vertical relationship with Him. While two causes may rival one another horizontally, they cannot stand God’s absolute causality. This is a subtle monotheistic worldview, which implies that there is only one ultimate cause, and that is God. All other causes and causations are only relative. If analyzed sufficiently, it becomes clear that they—in their entirety, including all their power, volition, planning and intelligence—are the workings of God. This is the correct interpretation of the Ashʿarite negation of causality, which is often misunderstood. They do not claim that there is no causality in the world whatsoever. They claim that there is no real causality in the world except for God’s. All other causes are only apparent causes. Within the realm of nature and phenomena, they can certainly be called causes, and can be relied upon to have inseparable effects. But the whole message of religion is to expand our horizons and raise our eyes to see the wider picture. Compared to their Creator, all causes and effects are only facets of His doing, with different roles and positions assigned to them. There is no necessary link between any two events in the world, because no event is really a cause for another. This is the true and monotheistic sense of the Ashʿarite theory of divine ʿādah (custom, habit, practice): what seems to us as inviolable necessity is rather God’s wont to create a certain phenomenon in a certain way. This is how mystically oriented Ashʿarites, like Rūmī, understood and interpreted the world. For more on vertical and horizontal relationships, see my footnote on volume 15 (1st ed.), pp. 56-57. (Trans.) ↩︎
This means that divine punishment is nothing but one’s failure to reach the state of perfection that is intended for them. It is a privative state, where one is veiled from the Truth, and cannot penetrate the apparent multiplicities in order to realize their underlying oneness. (Trans.) ↩︎
Therefore, baʾsāʾ is a specific form of misfortune, which is compatible with its interpretation as either the physical or the financial. (Trans.) ↩︎
See the author’s “Introduction” to the current set of verses. (Trans.) ↩︎
See volume 1 (1st ed.), p. 165 of the English translation, under verses ; and volume 14, pp. 113-114, under verse . (Trans.) ↩︎
One of the author’s unrelenting commitments in al-Mīzān is to explain why the Qur’an uses the letter fāʾ (so, therefore, then) whenever it uses it. There is a letter fāʾ at the beginning of this sentence, which means that it is a conclusion to what was mentioned before. In this paragraph the author explains how the sentence follows from the last two verses as their consequence. (Trans.) ↩︎
From here until the next subheading (“The First Interpretation of the Verse”), the text involves substantial linguistic discussions which may be less meaningful to a reader not concerned with the Arabic details of the verse. (Trans.) ↩︎
In the original Arabic text of the verse, aṣabnāhum (would punish) is in the past tense, while naṭbaʿu (set a seal) is in the present tense. The author’s point about the past tense implying a present tense meaning can be matched with the use of the verb would in the English translation of the verse. (Trans.) ↩︎
The letter fāʾ in this case can be translated as “because.” The meaning would be: “They did not believe later because they did not believe earlier.” (Trans.) ↩︎
See volume 15 (1st ed.), pp. 105ff of the English translation. (Trans.) ↩︎
For more on this, see verses below. (Trans.) ↩︎
In short, according to the first interpretation, their earlier disbelief was not heeding God’s trials and tribulations. According to the second interpretation, their earlier disbelief was not heeding the guidance of their intellects. According to the third interpretation, their earlier disbelief was not committing themselves to God’s Lordship in the world of pre-existence. Their subsequent disbelief, according to all interpretations, was rejecting the call of God’s messengers. As the author explains below, their earlier disbelief must have occurred in this world. Hence, he accepts the third interpretation as pertaining to a secondary and inner layer of meaning. (Trans.) ↩︎
As the author has repeatedly explained in his discussions on compulsion, delegation, and free will, it could be that the pre-determined end is to be achieved through the choice and free will of the individuals in this world. All are part of the same system. (Trans.) ↩︎
The verse’s translation would be: “They were not to believe because of their disbelief earlier.” (Trans.) ↩︎
Al-Kāfī, via its chain of narration. ↩︎
Tafsīr al-ʿAyyāshī, on the authority of al-Ḥusayn b. al-Ḥakam al-Wāsiṭī. ↩︎
The first narration says shākk, and the second says shakkāk, where the latter is an exaggerated form of the former. The terms can also be translated as “agnostic” or “doubter.” (Trans.) ↩︎