The Heights (Al-A‘raf) الأعراف 179–183
179
وَلَقَدْ ذَرَأْنَا لِجَهَنَّمَ كَثِيرًا مِّنَ الْجِنِّ وَالإِنسِ لَهُمْ قُلُوبٌ لاَّ يَفْقَهُونَ بِهَا وَلَهُمْ أَعْيُنٌ لاَّ يُبْصِرُونَ بِهَا وَلَهُمْ آذَانٌ لاَّ يَسْمَعُونَ بِهَا أُوْلَـئِكَ كَالأَنْعَامِ بَلْ هُمْ أَضَلُّ أُوْلَـئِكَ هُمُ الْغَافِلُونَ
We created many of the jinn and mankind for hell. They have hearts they do not understand with; they have eyes they do not see with; and they have ears they do not hear with. Such people are like cattle—no, they are even more misguided. Such are the heedless.
180
وَلِلّهِ الأَسْمَاء الْحُسْنَى فَادْعُوهُ بِهَا وَذَرُواْ الَّذِينَ يُلْحِدُونَ فِي أَسْمَآئِهِ سَيُجْزَوْنَ مَا كَانُواْ يَعْمَلُونَ
God has the Most Excellent Names. Call on Him by His Names and keep away from those who distort them. They shall be requited for what they do.
181
وَمِمَّنْ خَلَقْنَا أُمَّةٌ يَهْدُونَ بِالْحَقِّ وَبِهِ يَعْدِلُونَ
Of those We have created there are some who give true guidance and act justly.
182
وَالَّذِينَ كَذَّبُواْ بِآيَاتِنَا سَنَسْتَدْرِجُهُم مِّنْ حَيْثُ لاَ يَعْلَمُونَ
We shall gradually seize those who reject Our signs from a place they do not recognize.
183
وَأُمْلِي لَهُمْ إِنَّ كَيْدِي مَتِينٌ
For though I give them rein for a while, My strategy is sure.
No class discussions published for this verse group yet.
(a) The Truth is a thing which a man has to discover by himself. God has given everyone a heart (mind), eyes and ears. Man arrives at the Truth by utilizing these faculties. The man who does not do so will be unable to discover the Truth, howsoever close it may be to him. Discovery of the Truth is the conscious and deliberate act of every man. Only one who has kept the doors of his heart (mind) open for the purpose, will be able to understand the Truth. Only one who has not covered his eyes with artificial veils will be able to see it. Only one who has not plugged his ears will hear its voice. Such people will recognise the voice of Truth and will surrender themselves before it. And one whose case is opposite to this will remain mindless like the animals. It will not be possible for him to be moved by even the weightiest of arguments. Flashes of God’s brilliant light will appear before him, but he will not be able to see them. The melody of Divine song will come to his ears, but he will be prevented from hearing it. Truth is available to those who are awake; for neglectful people,no truth is Truth. (a) The reason for man’s being misguided in respect of God is that, although he accepts His existence, he often frames a wrong image of God in his mind. He attributes some things to God which do not befit His glory. For example, imagining things as in the case of a human being, he formulates the idea of God’s close ones. Looking at Kings, he assumes the existence of deputies and assistants of God, just as there are regents and advisers of Kings. In the matter of God’s decisions, he assumes such things as fulfil his desires, but which are not in accordance with God’s justice. Attributing to God such matters as are not consistent with His Majesty and Glory amounts to distortion of the names of God. God does not seize a person immediately for his wrongdoing. In this way, he is given the opportunity either to take a lesson from God’s warnings and reform himself, or to become still more fearless so that his guilt becomes well-established.