Surah Al-A’raf – Ayah No. 54 – 58

Surah Al-A’raf – Ayah # 54 – 58 (7:54 – 7:58)

A.   TRANSLATION

 

٥٤  إِنَّ رَبَّكُمُ اللَّهُ الَّذِي خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ فِي سِتَّةِ أَيَّامٍ ثُمَّ اسْتَوَىٰ عَلَى الْعَرْشِ يُغْشِي اللَّيْلَ النَّهَارَ يَطْلُبُهُ حَثِيثًا وَالشَّمْسَ وَالْقَمَرَ وَالنُّجُومَ مُسَخَّرَاتٍ بِأَمْرِهِ ۗ أَلَا لَهُ الْخَلْقُ وَالْأَمْرُ ۗ تَبَارَكَ اللَّهُ رَبُّ الْعَالَمِينَ

[Quran 7:54] Indeed, Rabbakum (رَبَّكُمُ) Allah- the one who Khalaqa (خَلَقَ) the Samawaat (السَّمَاوَاتِ) and the Arze (وَالْأَرْضَ) in Sittahi (سِتَّةِ) Ayyamin (أَيَّامٍ)- then Astawa (اسْتَوَىٰ) A’ala (عَلَى) the A’rshe (الْعَرْشِ). Yughshey (يُغْشِي) the Layla (اللَّيْلَ) the Nahaara (النَّهَارَ) Yat’lubuhu (يَطْلُبُهُ) it Has’ees’an (حَثِيثًا). And the Shamsa (وَالشَّمْسَ) and the Qamara (وَالْقَمَرَ) and the Nujuma (وَالنُّجُومَ)- Musakharatin (مُسَخَّرَاتٍ) with Allah’s Amar (بِأَمْرِهِ) except towards Allah the Khalaqu (الْخَلْقُ) and the Amaru (وَالْأَمْرُ ۗ), Tabaraka (تَبَارَكَ) Allah- Rabbu (رَبُّ) of the A’alimeen (الْعَالَمِينَ).

 

٥٥  ادْعُوا رَبَّكُمْ تَضَرُّعًا وَخُفْيَةً ۚ إِنَّهُ لَا يُحِبُّ الْمُعْتَدِينَ

[Quran 7:55] Ada’u (ادْعُوا) Rabbakum (رَبَّكُمْ) Tazarrua’ (تَضَرُّعًا) and Khafeyatan (وَخُفْيَةً). Indeed, Allah does not Yuhib (يُحِبُّ) the Mu’tadeen (الْمُعْتَدِينَ).

 

٥٦  وَلَا تُفْسِدُوا فِي الْأَرْضِ بَعْدَ إِصْلَاحِهَا وَادْعُوهُ خَوْفًا وَطَمَعًا ۚ إِنَّ رَحْمَتَ اللَّهِ قَرِيبٌ مِنَ الْمُحْسِنِينَ

[Quran 7:56] And do not you Tufsedu (تُفْسِدُوا) in the Arze (الْأَرْضِ) after its Is’lah (إِصْلَاحِهَا) and Ada’u (وَادْعُوهُ) it Khufan (خَوْفًا) and T’ama’an (وَطَمَعًا). Indeed, Rahmat (رَحْمَتَ) of Allah is Qareebun (قَرِيبٌ) of the Muhsaneen (الْمُحْسِنِينَ).

 

٥٧  وَهُوَ الَّذِي يُرْسِلُ الرِّيَاحَ بُشْرًا بَيْنَ يَدَيْ رَحْمَتِهِ ۖ حَتَّىٰ إِذَا أَقَلَّتْ سَحَابًا ثِقَالًا سُقْنَاهُ لِبَلَدٍ مَيِّتٍ فَأَنْزَلْنَا بِهِ الْمَاءَ فَأَخْرَجْنَا بِهِ مِنْ كُلِّ الثَّمَرَاتِ ۚ كَذَٰلِكَ نُخْرِجُ الْمَوْتَىٰ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَذَكَّرُونَ

[Quran 7:57] And Allah is the one who Yurselu (يُرْسِلُ) the Reeaha (الرِّيَاحَ) Busharan (بُشْرًا) between Yadey (يَدَيْ) it’s Rahmat (رَحْمَتِهِ) until when Auqallat (أَقَلَّتْ) Sahaban (سَحَابًا) S’eqalan (ثِقَالًا) S’uqnahu (سُقْنَاهُ) it to baladin (لِبَلَدٍ) Mayyatin (مَيِّتٍ). So, Anzalna (فَأَنْزَلْنَا) with it the Ma’aa (الْمَاءَ), then Akhrajna (فَأَخْرَجْنَا) with it of every the S’amaraat (الثَّمَرَاتِ). Thus, Nukhrij (نُخْرِجُ) the Moutiy (الْمَوْتَىٰ) so that you do Tazkarun (تَذَكَّرُونَ).

 

 

٥٨  وَالْبَلَدُ الطَّيِّبُ يَخْرُجُ نَبَاتُهُ بِإِذْنِ رَبِّهِ ۖ وَالَّذِي خَبُثَ لَا يَخْرُجُ إِلَّا نَكِدًا ۚ كَذَٰلِكَ نُصَرِّفُ الْآيَاتِ لِقَوْمٍ يَشْكُرُونَ

[Quran 7:58] And to Baladu (وَالْبَلَدُ) the T’ayyabu (الطَّيِّبُ) Yukhruju (يَخْرُجُ) Nabatuhu (نَبَاتُهُ) with Izne (بِإِذْنِ) their Rabb (رَبِّهِ). And that which Khubus’a (خَبُثَ) does not Yakhriju (يَخْرُجُ) except Nakedan (نَكِدًا). Thus, Nus’refu (نُصَرِّفُ) the Ayaate (الْآيَاتِ) so that to Quomin (لِقَوْمٍ) Yashkarun (يَشْكُرُونَ).

 

B.   THE CONCEPT:

 

THE CONTEXT

Through the earlier Ayahs of Surah Al-A’raf, we have learned about Those who are As’habe Naar as to why they are in that state- The reasons why these people are in the state of hell fire is because they have taken their Deen as an amusement, enjoying activities and entertainments that are of no benefit to anyone. This is basically a form of distraction that takes them away from the Sabeel of Allah and causes them to forget the concept of perfect accountability and recompense. By engaging in such activities and entertaining these deceptions, wishful thinking, delusions, and falsehoods, they are inadvertently leading themselves away from the path of Allah.

 

We have also learned about the basic commandments of Allah and the Reasons thereof. The implementation of Allah’s Deen was sent to humanity as a written obligation. If they had implemented it, they would have been greatly rewarded with Allah’s Rahmat, knowledge, guidance, and blessings. Allah’s Deen would have been a source of life and protection for them, providing them with a shield against any harm and providing them with miraculous growth and development. The primary purpose of Allah’s Deen is to strengthen humanity, and to help them use their intellect and faculties to seek knowledge and to have utter and deep conviction with Allah.

 

How Religious leaders and preachers use Humanity’s focus on the Afterlife, instead of focusing on this one. Through a very thought-provoking question ‘Do they even perceive and observe anything else except the Taweel- the end result of the Deen?’, the earlier Ayahs highlight how many people focus too much on the end result of the Deen and ignore its implementation in this life. It is a well-established and confirmed fact that everyone will eventually face the consequences of their actions and be held accountable for them. However, those who were the first to abandon the Deen and disregard its teachings, despite claiming to do so in the name of Allah and presenting their own views as if they were divinely inspired, are even more culpable. They misled and misguided people, and led them away from the truth of Allah’s message by using this humanity’s focus on the afterlife by encouraging and supporting their own practices of Kufar and Shirk.

 

Instead of Implementing Allah’s Deen, what the As’haab-e- Naar ended up doing and the reasons thereof. In the earlier Ayahs, through another thought-provoking question, “Did they really do things to strengthen, support, and contribute to Allah’s Deen and to themselves, or did they reject Allah’s Deen, repel it, negate it, make it futile, and render it useless?”, it’s basically highlighted that what they did was in direct opposition and contradiction to what they were supposed to do, which was to implement and establish Allah’s Deen.  The reality of what they did was that they destroyed their own Nafs-e Mut’mainna by committing acts of kufr and shirk and by committing extreme acts of injustice against those whom they were supposed to care for as their Ahle. This resulted in them destroying both their temporary life here on earth and their eternal life after the perfect recompense. As a result of their own choices, decisions, and actions, they strayed far away from the path of Allah, becoming engulfed in utter and complete darkness and confusion. All of this was the result of them expressing their own opinions as if those were from Allah’s words and as if those opinions were part of the Deen, resulting in this destination of hellfire, darkness, and confusion.

 

CONCEPT OF THESE AYAHS

In Ayah 7:54, “Indeed, Rabbakum (رَبَّكُمُ) Allah- the one who Khalaqa (خَلَقَ) the Samawaat (السَّمَاوَاتِ) and the Arze (وَالْأَرْضَ) in Sittahi (سِتَّةِ) Ayyamin (أَيَّامٍ)- then Astawa (اسْتَوَىٰ) A’ala (عَلَى) the A’rshe (الْعَرْشِ). Yughshey (يُغْشِي) the Layla (اللَّيْلَ) – the Nahaara (النَّهَارَ) Yat’lubuhu (يَطْلُبُهُ) it Has’ees’an (حَثِيثًا). And the Shamsa (وَالشَّمْسَ) and the Qamara (وَالْقَمَرَ) and the Nujuma (وَالنُّجُومَ)- Musakharatin (مُسَخَّرَاتٍ) with Allah’s Amar (بِأَمْرِهِ) except towards Allah the Khalaqu (الْخَلْقُ) and the Amaru (وَالْأَمْرُ ۗ), Tabaraka (تَبَارَكَ) Allah- Rabbu (رَبُّ) of the A’alimeen (الْعَالَمِينَ).”

 

Indeed, the being who is carrying out the process of Rabobiat (رَبَّكُمُ) is Allah- the one who has created (خَلَقَ) the skies as well as the particular environment, situations and surroundings as is most applicable for you (السَّمَاوَاتِ) and the earth, the land which you call home and residence, planet earth and all its surroundings (وَالْأَرْضَ) from such transformation of utter and complete darkness (سِتَّةِ) that is confirmed and well-known (أَيَّامٍ)- then resorted on similar fashion (اسْتَوَىٰ) at its epitome for (عَلَى) the specific protection and shield as is applicable for your sumawaat and the Ardhe (الْعَرْشِ). Allah covers, wraps and surrounds it from all sides, in terms of covering or shield rendering it impossible for anything to pass through it (يُغْشِي) the night, darkness and hardship (اللَّيْلَ)- all those things that we crave for, desire for in order to lead a happy, contend and self-actualized life, such as wealth, children, peace and tranquility, Zawj-partners, prestige, popularity, standing, etc. – basically all those things that fulfill our needs and requirements for a psychologically and mentally fulfilled life, happy, content and self-actualized beings (النَّهَارَ) seeking, pursuing, striving for, working towards, or being in quest of (يَطْلُبُهُ) its corrosion, deterioration, decline, descent, or decomposition (حَثِيثًا). And the all such things, beings and entities, who/which are the source of their own energies, resources and powers (وَالشَّمْسَ) and the to all things, beings and entities, who/which are not the source of their own energies and powers but are simply reflecting of and deriving from something or someone else (وَالْقَمَرَ) and the anything that rises, originates, or illuminates; anything that is luminary, stellar; and therefore refers to the brightest object in every galaxy; remote celestial body appearing in the sky which is shining light etc. With the basic meanings as the origin; the source of light and energy, the word therefore also refers to any person, being, entity, agency or group which is a source of intellectual light, success, riches, treasures, wisdom or moral inspiration (وَالنُّجُومَ)- following in complete obedience the laws of Allah against which one is either not given, not able to, or chose not to exercise their free will and intellect (مُسَخَّرَاتٍ) with Allah’s matter, case, situation, affair, commandments, order, enjoin, etc. Also as a Command, stage, step, or the whole process during the creation of the universe & everything in it by Allah (بِأَمْرِهِ) except towards Allah the creation (الْخَلْقُ) and the commandment, process, stages, orders and affairs (وَالْأَمْرُ ۗ), Increase, abundance, prosperity, blessing; good fortune, auspiciousness; inherent prosperity which produces success or abundance (تَبَارَكَ) Allah- who is the Rabbu (رَبُّ) of the Allah is the Rabb who is carrying out the process of Rabobiat for each and everything in the entire universe, in all jurisdictions, dominions, worlds, empires, and kingdoms, as well as the source of all knowledge and learning and hence the Rabb of all those who have the knowledge, who are considered experts, knowers; masters; scientists; authorities; specialists- people with special knowledge and expertise in any field, whose opinions are greatly respected because of their knowledge (الْعَالَمِينَ).

 

Keeping in considerations the context of these Ayahs, the earlier Ayahs discussed that instead of implementing the Deen as is made mandatory by Allah, the Ashaab-e-Naar ended up being misled by their religious scholars, who distracted and diverted them away from the path of Allah through fears about their end result in the Akhira instead of letting them implement Allah’s Deen by focusing on this temporary life here on earth. These ayahs from 7:54 and onwards, basically tell us, how Allah has created everything as per the different stages, all of these can be construed both with reference to creation of everything in the universe, as well as with specific indication to every one of us.

 

Creation of the Arze u Samawaat & it’s A’arsh: Allah is the one who has created the whole universe, as well as whatever is in it, including the planet earth (the Arze) as well as all that is beyond the planet earth, including all the other planets, skies, stars, galaxies etc. (Samawaat). The same expression of this Ayah is also applicable as Allah being the one who has created and is the one who is carrying out the process of Rabobiat, with specific reference to every one of us, in terms of the land, the country, city, village, or anything which we call home and residence (Arze) and all its surroundings, our particular environment, situations and surroundings (the Samawaat) as is most applicable for each one of us. Allah has created all of this, from scratch, and from a place of utter and complete darkness, transforming it, evolving, and developing it to the stage where it is today- all of these are facts, confirmed and there cannot be any doubt on these creations of Allah. After these Al-Arze and Al-Samawaat, Allah has then also created from scratch, in similar fashion, through utter and complete darkness, transforming and evolving such protection and shield for these Arze u Samawaat, that are at their epitome and peak of safeguard.

 

The Behavior of Layl and Nahaar- Allah has covered the Layl- the night, the darkness, and the hardships- shielded it and covered it from all sides, making it impossible for anything to pass through it. Whereas, the basic intention, seeking and pursuing of the Nahaar- all those things that we crave for, desire for in order to lead a happy, content, and self-actualized life, is the constant corrosion, deterioration, decline, descent, weakening and worsening of the Layl, the Nahaar always remain in quest of such decline and deterioration.  What this means is that in order to get all that we desire for, crave for in order to lead a happy, content, and self-actualized life, we need to remain in quest for, striving with our whole beings to destroy, corrode, weaken and damage layl- the darkness, suppressions, injustices and hardships in any shape or form, because that’s how Allah has created the concept of Layl and Nahaar.

 

The Musakharaat through Shams, Qamar and the Nujum: The next phrase is to be understood keeping in mind the meanings and applications of the terms Shams, Qamar and Nujum as sun, moon, and stars; or as per the following definitions

 

Shams: The sun for the planet earth as well as all such things, beings, and entities, who are the source of their own energies, resources, and powers, who are taken up as deities, is the Shams, i.e., the particular deity for each and every person who follows the laws from other than Allah, for example Nabiy Mohammad for Muslims, Nabiy Easa for Christians and so on and so forth;

 

Qamar:  The moon for the planet earth as well as all such things, beings, and entities, who are not the source of their own energies and powers but are simply reflecting of and deriving from something or someone else, for instance religious scholars and leaders express their own opinions in the name of Allah, or the so-called Hadeeth, fabricated sayings of the Nabiy are referred by the religious scholars to ensure blind following of themselves.

 

Nujuum: The multiple stars and planets as are obvious on the sky at night as well as referring to all such things, beings and entities that rises, originates, or illuminates; that is a source of intellectual light, success, riches, treasures, wisdom or moral inspiration, for example, all the sources and the tools that are used by these deities, such as the books of Hadeeth, the tools that they use, etc. in order to ensure blind followings is referred as the Nujuum.

 

What Allah is telling us in this Ayah is that the sun, the moon, as well as all that is visible at night in the sky, such as multiple stars and planets, all follow in complete obedience Laws and commandments of Allah against which they are not able to, since not given the ability to exercise their own free will and they simply are subservient to the laws of Allah in complete obedience.  The same Ayah can also be used to refer to the fact that people blindly follow their deities in complete submission, against which, although they are given the free will and intellect, they chose not to use it. Thus, the ayah is basically referring to such beings, entities, tools and acts of Musakharaat, subjecting people to blind following by all such people, entities, beings, and things, which are either Shams, generating their own light and taken as a deity, or Qamar- reflective of other’s light and taken as deities, or Nujuum- all the tools, books and sources of their knowledge that they use to Musakharaat people, making them blind followers, so as to disable them to exercise their own free will and not use their intellect- all of which are basically done with the use of Allah’s Amar, the laws, the processes of nature and the system of Allah as created by Allah. This concept strongly connects to the context of the earlier ayahs which discuss the reasons and the background of people who are As’haab-e-Naar, the major reason is their blind following of their religious scholars and how that is done is then explained in this Ayah. Thus, such deities which are taken up in blind following by people, do this with the help of Allah’s Ammar and affairs, but they cannot Musakhar- make subject to their following and obedience, the creation of Allah, specifically the creation of Arze-u-Samawaat as well as the Amar- the commandments, laws, the process of creations of everything as is done and set in motion by Allah.

 

Tabarak Allah- Rabb of the A’alimeen: After telling us the limitations of their Musakharaat, Allah then goes on to tell us that all the increase, abundance, prosperity, blessing; good fortune, auspiciousness; inherent prosperity that produce success and abundance are from Allah- who is the Rabb of the A’alimeen. Means that Allah is the one who is carrying out the process of Rabobiat for each and everything in the entire universe, in all jurisdictions, dominions, worlds, empires, and kingdoms, as well as the source of all knowledge and learning and hence the Rabb of all those who have the knowledge, who are considered experts, knowers; masters; scientists; authorities; specialists- people with special knowledge and expertise in any field, whose opinions are greatly respected because of their knowledge- they are all at this stage, because Allah is the Rabb for them, who is carrying out the process of Rabobiat for them to ensure they reach the stage they are in.

 

Ayah 7:55, “Ada’u (ادْعُوا) Rabbakum (رَبَّكُمْ) Tazarrua’ (تَضَرُّعًا) and Khafeyatan (وَخُفْيَةً). Indeed, Allah does not Yuhib (يُحِبُّ) the Mu’tadeen (الْمُعْتَدِينَ).”

 

Call, rely upon, and seek help in order to fulfill one’s desires or wish from the system of Allah (ادْعُوا) the one who is carrying out the process of Rabobiat for you (رَبَّكُمْ) to process of self-reflection and self-analysis to identify and correct one’s own mistakes (تَضَرُّعًا) and refers to the process being done in isolation and private rather than publicly (وَخُفْيَةً). Indeed, Allah does not connect, support or strengthen such people meanings that the whole system of Allah, and all its laws are working against such people (يُحِبُّ) who are those who do not Ta’awun- i.e. who weaken, go against, and become a hindrance to the system of Allah, i.e. the Kalam of Allah, Allah’s message and direct divine instructions –  (الْمُعْتَدِينَ).

 

After telling us that Allah and Allah’s system are the basic source of abundance, success and prosperity since Allah is Rabb of the A’limeen- who is carrying out the process of Rabobiat for each and everything in the entire universe, in all jurisdictions, dominions, worlds, empires, and kingdoms, as well as the source of all knowledge and learning and hence the Rabb of all those who have the knowledge, this Ayahs then gives explicit instructions to the addressee of the Quran. That you should call, rely upon, and seek help from the system of Allah in order to fulfill your desires, wishes and aspirations because Allah is the one who is carrying out the process of Rabobiat, for each one of you. And this process of seeking help from the system of Allah can only be initiated once you undertake a detailed and thorough process of self-reflection and self-analysis to identify and correct your mistakes, which should not be done publicly but should be done in isolation and privately; because this is an established fact that Allah, including the laws of nature and laws of Deen, the processes and system of Allah, do not connect, support or strengthen such people, in fact they work against and in direct opposition to such people, who do not Ta’awun- i.e. who weaken, go against, and become a hindrance to the system of Allah, i.e. the Kalam of Allah, Allah’s message and direct divine instructions in any shape or form.

 

Ayah 7:56, “And do not you Tufsedu (تُفْسِدُوا) in the Arze (الْأَرْضِ) after its Is’lah (إِصْلَاحِهَا) and Ada’u (وَادْعُوهُ) it Khufan (خَوْفًا) and T’ama’an (وَطَمَعًا). Indeed, Rahmat (رَحْمَتَ) of Allah is Qareebun (قَرِيبٌ) of the Muhsaneen (الْمُحْسِنِينَ).”

 

And do not you create disorder or imbalance, go against Haqq create an imbalance the in economy and society, not to give people’s due rights or give them less than what they deserve, destroy law order and peace, reverse the right order for anything or any system, etc. basically anything that create unevenness in a society. It’s also used in Quran as an opposite to the word Ahsan and thus would refer to create imbalance, to disrupt law and order, to create lawlessness and destruction (تُفْسِدُوا) in the and the earth, the land which you call home and residence, planet earth and all its surroundings (الْأَرْضِ) after its reform or to rectify, to improve or to make amends, or to correct mistakes, to rectify lack of something or to correct the errors done earlier in terms of creating the balance, restoring or creating peace, law & order, resuming the situation back to where it belongs, making sure individuals and societies are healthy not just physically but right and balanced in all aspects by removing all lacks, deficiencies & mistakes and working within the parameters of Deen-e-Islam (إِصْلَاحِهَا) and Call, rely upon, and seek help in order to fulfill one’s desires or wish from the system of Allah (وَادْعُوهُ) it in worries and concerns (خَوْفًا) and extreme desire to the extent of being greedy, eagerly desire something in terms of being enthusiastic or passionate about it (وَطَمَعًا). Indeed, the lifeline and source of survival, the source of protection and shield, the long-term source of nourishment, growth, and progress in an unprecedented miracle-like manner, and the source of self-less love and sacrifice (رَحْمَتَ) of Allah is near in terms of distance, time, space, status, importance, significance and relation (قَرِيبٌ) of those who do acts of Ahsaan- who create balance, fill the void or lack for others, give something or do something for someone as Ina’am, i.e., not in expectation of any return as well as best and excellent conducts, speech and behaviors as a step up of Ad’al – means that they give others more than their Haqq but take from them less than their own (الْمُحْسِنِينَ).

 

After telling us that Allah’s system does not connect, support, or strengthen, but work against in direct opposition to such people, who try to weaken, go against, and become a hindrance to the system of Allah, i.e., the Kalam of Allah, natural assets and laws, Allah’s message, and Allah’s Deen; this Ayah then proceed to give direct divine instructions to the addressee of the Quran that once Allah has created everything from scratch, evolving and transforming it from utter and complete darkness, creating balance, restoring everything where it should belong, you should not create disorder or imbalance in any shape or form; should not go against Haqq, the absolute truth & justice, due rights and your responsibilities; should not create an imbalance in your economy, society, country, residence, community, where you live or work; should not suppress people’s due rights or give them less than what they deserve; should not destroy law and order situation in any manner whatsoever, or destroy peace; In a nutshell you should not create or be the reason of creating any imbalance, discord, deterioration, lawlessness, destruction, or unevenness in the planet earth, the land which you call home and residence i.e., your community, society, country. Instead of creating Fasaad on Arze and then being of those who are not supported by Allah’s system, in order to get aligned with the system of Allah, you should call, rely upon, and seek help from the system of Allah, including the laws of nature, the assets and processes of nature as well as the laws of Deen, by abiding and following these laws in complete obedience in order to fulfill your desires, aspirations and requirements, be it in the form of any of your worries, apprehensions and concerns or any of your extreme desires which you are enthusiastic and passionate about.  Indeed, Allah’s system is near in terms of its significance and importance by becoming Rahmat as the lifeline and source of survival, the source of protection and shield, the long-term source of nourishment, growth, and progress in an unprecedented miracle-like manner, and the source of self-less love and sacrifice for those who do acts of Ahsaan- who create balance, fill the void or lack for others, give something or do something for someone as Ina’am, i.e., not in expectation of any return as well as those whose behaviors and conducts with others are best and excellent reflective of such conducts, speech and behaviors as a step up of Ad’al – means that they give others more than their Haqq but take from them less than their own.

 

Ayah 7:57, “And Allah is the one who Yurselu (يُرْسِلُ) the Reeaha (الرِّيَاحَ) Busharan (بُشْرًا) between Yadey (يَدَيْ) it’s Rahmat (رَحْمَتِهِ) until when Auqallat (أَقَلَّتْ) Sahaban (سَحَابًا) S’eqalan (ثِقَالًا) S’uqnahu (سُقْنَاهُ) it to baladin (لِبَلَدٍ) Mayyatin (مَيِّتٍ). So, Anzalna (فَأَنْزَلْنَا) with it the Ma’aa (الْمَاءَ), then Akhrajna (فَأَخْرَجْنَا) with it of every the S’amaraat (الثَّمَرَاتِ). Thus, Nukhrij (نُخْرِجُ) the Moutiy (الْمَوْتَىٰ) so that you do Tazkarun (تَذَكَّرُونَ).”

 

Allah is the one who sends (يُرْسِلُ) the life, strength and courage (الرِّيَاحَ) with that which destroys human potential and actions (بُشْرًا) in between their resources and efforts (يَدَيْ) is Allah’s source of life, sustenance, progress, growth, care, selfless consideration, protection from harm and ability to reach heights as inspirations and benchmarks (رَحْمَتِهِ), until when is reflected (أَقَلَّتْ) the interlocking fastener, blockade (سَحَابًا) attracted and joined to each other strongly and with great force (ثِقَالًا) at its roots, foundations and core (سُقْنَاهُ) so that to create with the uses of Allah’s blessings- Maa’ as basis of life by humanity (لِبَلَدٍ) death and destruction (مَيِّتٍ). Then receive the source of all blessings from Allah (فَأَنْزَلْنَا) with it the basis of life, sustenance and growth (الْمَاءَ), then remain exited, and exit out (فَأَخْرَجْنَا) with it of all fruits of your hard work and labor (الثَّمَرَاتِ). Thus, exit out and made to leave (نُخْرِجُ) the death and destruction (الْمَوْتَىٰ) so that you do remember the blessings of Allah and in utter gratitude obey the laws of Allah, understand, and implement the Ayaat of Allah and take lessons from previous nations’ stories as narrated in the Kitaab (تَذَكَّرُونَ).

 

FEW KEYWORDS & CONCEPTS: In order to under this Ayah, there are few concepts that we need to keep in considerations.

 

REYAHA (رِّيَاحَ) & REHA (رِّيَحَ)–  The word is normally mistranslated as winds in almost all the uses of Quran, whereas the basic meanings of the word is in terms of means and sources of strength, life, nourishment or power for anyone or anything

 

SAHAAB (سَحَاب) The word is normally mistranslated as clouds, whereas in Quran the word is used more to refer a fastening device of two flexible strips with interlocking projections that can be closed or opened by a slid, like a zip fastener- thus the word refers to any barrier, or blockade in between two things, aspects that can be fastened or opened.

 

S’AQULAT (ثَقُلَتْ) The word is used in Quran in the meanings of heavy, weighty, substantial, as well as in the meanings of to increase, growth, intensification, expansion, multiplication or buildup in value, number, quantity, or importance since it’s used in Quran as opposite to the word Khafat meaning light, weightless, reduction, decrease, diminution, lessening, declining, shrinking or dropping in value, number, quantity, or importance.  The word is also used in Quran in the meanings of gravity or gravitational force.

 

SUQNAHU (سُقْنَاهُ) The word is normally mistranslated as drive but is basically used in Quran in the meanings of stem, foundation or joining entity at its core.

 

BALAD (بَلَدٍ) The word is normally mistranslated as land or city but it refers to anything that we, as humanity creates on the earth based on our efforts, innovation, and ingenuity, by using the resources and Ma’aa- the basis of life as bestowed by Allah through Allah’s system.

 

Thus, after telling us in the earlier Ayah that Allah’s Rahmat is near and closer in significance, distance, time and importance to the Mohsineen- those who do acts of Ahsaan, this Ayah is basically telling us that Allah is the one who sends the Reyaha- courage, life, strength, nourishment and power along with Shar- all those aspects and things that cause destruction to human faculties and abilities, or waste our time, resources or efforts with the basic purpose to cause destruction or Fasaad on earth. Thus, the forces, assets, and aspects of nature have elements of both the life, strength, and courage (Reeha) along with that which destroys human potential and actions (Sharan) joined together and connected with force and strength. Allah has sent the Shar with Life and between them, and with the help of your efforts, struggles and endeavors, is Allah’s Rahmat. You must keep them confined and intact through controlled mechanisms and processes, otherwise, they will overrun your human efforts, innovations and advancements towards death and destruction. Thus, all of you should strive together to make sure that you extract the fruits of your labor while ensuring that the death and destruction aspects remained confined and restricted. This is how, by exiting and saving from the death and destruction will you be able to be Shaakir and do zikar of Allah- so that you remember the blessings of Allah and in utter gratitude obey the laws of Allah, understand, and implement the Ayaat of Allah and take lessons from previous nations’ stories as narrated in the Kitaab.

 

Ayah 7:58, “And to Baladu (وَالْبَلَدُ) the T’ayyabu (الطَّيِّبُ) Yukhruju (يَخْرُجُ) Nabatuhu (نَبَاتُهُ) with Izne (بِإِذْنِ) their Rabb (رَبِّهِ). And that which Khubus’a (خَبُثَ) does not Yakhriju (يَخْرُجُ) except Nakedan (نَكِدًا). Thus, Nus’refu (نُصَرِّفُ) the Ayaate (الْآيَاتِ) so that to Quomin (لِقَوْمٍ) Yashkarun (يَشْكُرُونَ).”

 

And to the human creativity, advancements, and innovations with the use of Allah’s system (وَالْبَلَدُ) gives that which is pleasant and desirable, acceptable as per the system of Allah (الطَّيِّبُ). They all extract from it (يَخْرُجُ) growing anything from scratch, making sure its safety, nourishment, nurturing, and growth (نَبَاتُهُ) with the proclamation and announcement of (بِإِذْنِ) their Rabb (رَبِّهِ). Whereas on the other hand, that which is opposite of Tayyib- i.e., unpleasant, unacceptable, undesirable, (خَبُثَ) does not exit out (يَخْرُجُ), unless and until, except it’s misused, exploited and abused (نَكِدًا). Thus, through diversification, and through wide distribution, are explained in detail (نُصَرِّفُ) the kalam- the words of Allah’s message and the creations of Allah (الْآيَاتِ) so that to establish, and strengthen and support (لِقَوْمٍ) the act of Shukar as well as those who do acts of Shukar- i.e., those who in utter and deep gratitude for Allah’s blessings, are obedient and follower of Allah’s laws in through their explicit actions and they express the gratitude through striving with full force, in terms of full submission by utilizing their faculties with their whole being, in gratitude and through explicit actions (يَشْكُرُونَ).

 

FEW IMPORTANT KEY CONCEPTS: Following are important keyword vocabulary that we need to keep in considerations to understand this Ayah:

 

T’AYYABAN (طَيِّبًا) T’AYYABAAT (طَيِّبَاتِ) the word is normally translated as good as in good things, but the word is used in Quran in much broader meanings in three broad categories of definitions (1) things/aspects that are pleasant and desirable to us- pleasant to all our senses as well as our soul or our most favorite things (2) things/aspects that people give value to in terms of things that are valuable and (3) things/aspects that are lawful, as per the laws of the land and laws of Deen as well as lawful in terms of being legally acquired.

 

KHABEETH (الْخَبِيثَ) & KHUBAS’A (خَبُثَ) is normally translated as evil, but it is used in Quran as an opposite to the word Tayyabaat as above. Therefore, as an opposite to the word Tayyib, the word Khabeeth means something or someone that is unpleasant to our senses, or something or someone who is most disliked one to us, or least favorite, or something which has been acquired by going against the law.

 

NAKEDAN (نَكِدًا) The word is normally mistranslated as difficulty, whereas the word is basically used in the meanings of torment, torture, abuse, exploitation, or misuse of anything.

 

YASHKARUN (يَشْكُرُونَ) SHUKAR (شْكُرُ) The word Shukar is normally translated as thankful or grateful, but it is not simple utterance of words from our mouth- this word is actually used in Quran to refer to actual deeds and actions that show ultimate gratitude and are done as a result of and towards acts of kindness, favors and blessings. It’s also used as opposite to Kufr. Therefore, as opposite to Kufr, the word Shukar would mean to express the gratitude through striving with full force, in terms of full submission by utilizing our faculties with our whole being, in gratitude through explicit actions.

 

After telling us in the earlier Ayah to extract, exit out and rescue from death and destruction by striving with your whole beings through doing Zikar- i.e., by remembering the blessings of Allah and in that utter and deep gratitude by obeying the laws of Allah, understanding, and implementing the Ayaat of Allah and Allah’s message, this Ayah explains this divine instruction a bit more by saying that the human creativity, advancements and innovations with the use of Allah’s system always gives the Tayyib- that which is pleasant and desirable, acceptable as per the system of Allah. Whereas on the other hand, that which is opposite of Tayyib- Khabas’a- unpleasant, unacceptable, undesirable, is not exited out, unless and until it’s Nakadan- misused, exploited and abused. For instance, nuclear power can be used by humanity to generate power and electricity. But the same tool, once exploited and misused can be used as a weapon. Similarly, animals’ meet can be consumed for health and nutrition, but the over commercialization of animal farming is a misuse of natural resources and assets. Thus, all of these misuse and exploitation of natural resources is leading to global warming and all that is undesirable by the planet such as floods, earthquakes, etc.

 

C.    LESSONS AS PER THESE AYAHS:

These Ayahs of Surah Al-A’raf i.e., 7:54 to 7:58 give us the following divine guidance:

 

1. ALLAH – THE CREATOR: Allah is the one who has created the planet earth, the land, residence, city etc. which is specific to each of us, the skies, the environment, and situations as relevant to each of us, as well as their protection and shield from utter and complete darkness through a process of evolution and transformation. Allah is also the one who has sealed, shielded the Layl- darkness, hardships etc. whereas the Nahaar (all that we desire) always remain in quest of the destruction of Layl.

 

2. CONCEPT OF SHAMS, QAMAR & NUJUUM – MUSAKHARAAT WITH ALLAH’S AMAR: All that is in the universe, such as sun, moon, planets, and star, are all subjected to Allah’s Amar since they were not given the free will. On the other hand, human beings, who are given free will and intellect chose not to exercise their rights, by becoming blind followers and this is done by taking up deities other than Allah, whose laws they follow instead of Allah’s Laws. Such deities, whether they are the source of their own knowledge, or reflect those of others, or use tools, sources and books of knowledge the basic aim for all of this remains the same, i.e. to subject people to blind following, which is done with and through the use of Allah’s Amar and Allah’s system. But they cannot subject to their blind following the creations of Allah, or any of Allah’s Amar.

 

3. SEEK HELP FROM ALLAH- THE SOURCE OF ALL ABUNDANCE- Allah and Allah’s system are the basic sources of abundance, success, and prosperity since Allah is Rabb of the A’limeen- who is carrying out the process of Rabobiat for each and everything in the entire universe, in all jurisdictions, dominions, worlds, empires, and kingdoms, as well as the source of all knowledge and learning and hence the Rabb of all those who have the knowledge. Thus, we should call, rely upon, and seek help from the system of Allah in order to fulfill our desires, wishes, and aspirations because Allah is the one who is carrying out the process of Rabobiat, for everyone. And we can only do this once we have undertaken a detailed and thorough process of self-reflection and self-analysis to identify and correct our mistakes, which should not be done publicly but should be done in isolation and privately. This is how, by carrying out this process of Is’lah and self- correction, would we be able to connect with and get support from Allah’s system, because Allah’s system works in direct opposition to such people, who try to weaken, go against, and become a hindrance to the system of Allah, i.e., the Kalam of Allah, natural assets and laws, Allah’s message, and Allah’s Deen.

 

4. DO NOT CREATE FASAAD AFTER IT’S I’SLAH: Once Allah has created everything from scratch, evolving and transforming it from utter and complete darkness, creating balance, restoring everything where it should belong, we should not create disorder or imbalance in any shape or form; should not go against Haqq, the absolute truth & justice, due rights and your responsibilities; should not create an imbalance in your economy, society, country, residence, community, where we live or work; should not suppress people’s due rights or give them less than what they deserve; should not destroy peace, law and order situation in any manner whatsoever; thus we should not create or be the reason of creating any imbalance, discord, deterioration, lawlessness, destruction, or unevenness in the planet earth, our land, community, society, or country.

 

5. HOW TO SEEK HELP & REPLY UPON ALLAH: In order to get aligned with the system of Allah, we should call and rely upon the system of Allah by abiding and following these laws in complete obedience in order to fulfill our desires, aspirations, and requirements, be it in the form of our worries, apprehensions, and concerns or any of our extreme desires that we intensely enthusiastic and passionate about. This is so, because Allah’s Rahmat, as the source of success, prosperity, growth, lifeline, protection, and blessings is near and closer in significance to those who do acts of Ahsaan- who create balance, fill the void or lack for others, give something or do something for someone as Ina’am, i.e., not in expectation of any return as well as those whose behaviors and conducts with others are best and excellent reflective of such conducts, speech, and behaviors as a step up of Ad’al – means that they give others more than their Haqq but take from them less than their own.

 

6. INTERCONNECTION OF LIFE & STRENGHT WITH SHAR: Allah has sent the Shar with Life and between them, and with the help of your efforts, struggles, and endeavors, is Allah’s Rahmat. We must keep them confined and intact through controlled mechanisms and processes, otherwise, they will overrun our human efforts, innovations, and advancements toward death and destruction. Thus, we should strive together to make sure that we extract the fruits of our labor while ensuring that the death and destruction aspects remained confined and restricted. This is how, by exiting and saving from the death and destruction will we be able to be Shaakir and do zikar of Allah- so that we remember the blessings of Allah and in utter gratitude obey the laws of Allah, understand, and implement the Ayaat of Allah and take lessons from previous nations’ stories as narrated in the Kitaab.

 

7. T’AYYAB VERSUS KHABEETH: Human creativity, advancements, and innovations with the use of Allah’s system always gives that which is Tayyab- that which is pleasant, desirable, acceptable, and lawful as per the system of Allah. Whereas, that which is opposite of Tayyab, i.e., Khabeeth, unpleasant, unacceptable, undesirable, and unlawful is not exited out, unless and until the earth, the natural resources, and the resources of one’s environment, system, country, are misused, mistreated, mishandled, harmed, exploited, and

 

Footnotes:

D.  THE KEY-WORD VOCABULARY:

For the updated Keyword Vocabulary, kindly visit our website at the link

https://quranthinkers.com/keyword-vocabulary-by-wqt/