The Heights (Al-A‘raf)

Commentary

(a) Punishment was inflicted on the communities addressed by the Prophet because of their denial of the signs (ayat) of God. The believers in the Prophet on the other hand, were entitled to special succour from God, thanks to their patience in the face of all kinds of provocations from their contemporaries (the addressees of the Prophet) and their remaining steadfast on the path of God. By ‘signs’ is meant those arguments which establish Truth as Truth. But man, due to his egotism or pride is unable to accept them. Instead of paying full attention to the arguments presented to him, he diverts his attention to the preacher, the presenter of arguments. He fails to counter the arguments, but the person who is presenting them is not a historically established figure, neither is he covered in worldly glory, so the addressee finds it easier to ridicule the presenter instead of his arguments. He (the addressee) thinks that if he listens to the arguments, it will amount to making his status inferior to that of the preacher. Therefore, in order to maintain his pride and superiority vis à vis the dai, he refuses to acknowledge the superiority of the Truth. This is the real point on which man is being tested. In the present world, God reveals Himself indirectly in the form of signs and reason. In the Hereafter, He will reveal His Being directly, then no one will dare to deny Him. But only that faith is of value when it stems from man’s discovery of the truth when God is as yet unseen. (b) Man concocts a great deal of hocus-pocus when he feels himself in a safe position. But when his defences are down and he is put in a position of real helplessness, he suddenly becomes realistic. Now he himself understands those things which he had earlier failed to grasp, even after having had them explained to him. But acknowledgement, while still having the power of denial, is real acknowledgement. Acknowledgement after being deprived of words, is no acknowledgement at all Believing in God only when He reveals Himself proves man’s sinfulness instead of making him eligible for reward. Such belief proves that if man did not accept the truth, it was entirely due to his heedlessness. Had he been serious about it, he would have found no difficulty in doing so. Moreover, the most prominent quality of God’s faithful servant is patience. In fact, the life of faith is entirely one of patience. Accepting truth on receiving it from someone like himself; establishing one’s life on truth and principles instead of on personal desires and ambitions; ignoring suffering for the sake of God; not losing courage on being provoked by the opponents of the truth—all these are stages of faith and one can never successfully pass through these stages without exercising patience. Pharaoh was proud of his power, his wealth, his orchards and his palatial buildings. But after the emigration of Moses, Pharaoh and his army were drowned in the sea. Locusts devastated the lush green orchards and earthquakes ravaged the palatial buildings. By contrast, a few generations after their emigration, the Israelites came to possess Syria and Palestine during the times of David and Solomon. Those who deny God’s signs invariably invite the wrath of God and those who exercise patience are bound to receive God’s succour.