Summary of Quran Chapter 7 Surah Al-A’raf The Heights
or The Wall of Elevations
1: Surah Al-A'raf is the seventh surah of the Quran. It has 206 verses. This is Surah Makki. According to some Qur'anic commentators, some verses of this surah are also Madani. That is, it was also revealed in the city of Madinah. The time of the revelation of this Surah is related to the revelation before the migration to Mecca. The revelation of Surah Al-A'raf has been done all at once. It is narrated from Hazrat Ayesha that the Prophet of Islam used to complete this Surah by reciting it in two rak'ats of Maghrib prayers. (Al-Sunan al-Sughra, also known as Sunan an-Nasa'i, is one of the Kutub al-Sittah and was collected by Al-Nasa'i. Volume 1 Page 126).
Surah Al-An'am is the last surah of the Meccan period. We do not have any written evidence regarding the Meccan Surahs to suggest the time and place of its revelation. Therefore, to say Makki for Surah Makki means to take the evidence, subject, subject matter, and style of expression within these Surahs.
Al-A'raf (heights) is the plural of araf, which means high place. Such as the high mounds of the desert or the high and low hills. Qur'anic commentators state that some high hills and small hills are located between heaven and hell. From this place, viewers will see heaven on one side and hell on the other. Those whose good deeds and sins are equal in weight will be accommodated there. From there they will see people going to heaven and hell. After that, these people will be judged. Then Allah, by His mercy, will admit them to Paradise.
The main theme of this surah is Prophethood and the Hereafter. The style of this surah is clear from the narration.
The subject of this surah is Prophethood. Evidence of prophethood, invitation of prophethood is included. If Surah Al-An'am teaches Tawheed, its subject is La ilaha illa Allah, (that there is no god but Allah) then the subject of Surah A'raf is Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah. The subjects of the entire Surah revolve around the Prophethood like butterflies.
It is also a time of turmoil and a time of great hardship and trouble. Hazrat Muhammad used to visit Taif (the city in Saudi Arabia) due to extreme hardships and troubles in Makkah. Even there, Muhammad does not find refuge. Hazrat Muhammad also invites a tribe to Islam on the occasion of Hajj, but no benefit. The people of Makkah repeatedly advise to kill Hazrat Muhammad or imprison him or expel him from their settlement. At the very beginning of this surah, The seriousness of this situation has been pointed out.
This Surah begins with an invitation to read the Qur'an, to read and understand and explain it, and the fun part is that the concluding text of this Surah is almost the same that when this Qur'an is recited, listen to it silently. Take care of it, so that Allah may have mercy on you. The time of the revelation of this Surah is almost the same as that of Surah Al-An'am. In the end, it is addressed to the People of the Book and to all humanity, which shows that the time of migration is coming and this invitation will now spread from Mecca to the whole world. (Dr. Late Ghulam Murtaza Malik-Renowned Islamic Scholar).
2: This Surah is also Makki (revealed in Makkah). Its main theme is to prove the Prophet's (peace be upon him) message and the Hereafter. Along with this, the arguments of Tawheed (tawḥīd, meaning "unification or oneness of God as per Islam (Arabic: الله Allāh)"; is the indivisible oneness concept of monotheism in Islam.) have also been stated. And the incidents of many prophets are also narrated in detail. In particular, the incident of Prophet Moses (peace be upon him) being visited as a mountain is mentioned in the most detailed way in this Surah. "Aaraf" literally means heights. And the term refers to the place between heaven and hell. And those whose good and bad deeds are equal will be kept here for a while, then because of their faith and by the special mercy of Allah, they too will enter Paradise. Since in this surah the description of Aaraf and those who are included in it has been given in detail. That is why it is called Surah A'raf. (Mufti Taqi Usmani-Former Judge of Supreme court of Pakistan-An Islamic Scholar).
3: Surah Al-A'raf is also the longest surah of the Qur'an. Since this surah is related to Surat al-An'am as a couple, its subjects have been introduced at the beginning of Surat al-An'am. There has also been a detailed discussion on the philosophy of (Al-Tazkir-e-Bala-Allah and Al-Tazkir-e-Bayam-e-Allah). In (Tazkir Bayam Allah). The themes of Surah Al-A'raf are arranged in such a way that the beginning of human creation is mentioned first by telling the story of Adam and Iblis (Satan). Then the end of the worldly life is mentioned.
Three types of people are described in this concluding round. The first is the mention of the people of Hell. After that, the people of Paradise and then the people of Aaraf (the Heights), but those who have not yet decided about entering Paradise or Hell. Thus, after the mention of the beginning of human life and its end, the mention of the intervening period of human life has come in the form of Tazkir Bayam Allah (the condition of the Prophets (May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon them all.) and their nations), which is the subject matter (main theme) of this Surah. (Dr. Israr Ahmed-Founder of tanzeem-i-Islami and renowned Islamic Scholar).
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