Tafsir of Surah Al-A'raf - Verse 44

People of Hellfire will feel Anguish upon Anguish

Allah mentioned how the people of the Fire will be addressed, chastised and admonished when they take their places in the Fire,

قَدْ وَجَدْنَا مَا وَعَدَنَا رَبُّنَا حَقًّا فَهَلْ وَجَدتُّم مَّا وَعَدَ رَبُّكُمْ حَقًّا قَالُواْ نَعَمْ

("We (dwellers of Paradise) have indeed found true what our Lord had promised us; have you (dwellers of Hell) also found true what your Lord promised (warned)" They shall say: "Yes.") In Surat As-Saffat, Allah mentioned the one who had a disbelieving companion,

فَاطَّلَعَ فَرَءَاهُ فِى سَوَآءِ الْجَحِيمِ - قَالَ تَاللَّهِ إِن كِدتَّ لَتُرْدِينِ - وَلَوْلاَ نِعْمَةُ رَبِّى لَكُنتُ مِنَ الْمُحْضَرِينَ - أَفَمَا نَحْنُ بِمَيِّتِينَ - إِلاَّ مَوْتَتَنَا الاٍّولَى وَمَا نَحْنُ بِمُعَذَّبِينَ

(So he looked down and saw him in the midst of the Fire. He said: "By Allah! You have nearly ruined me. Had it not been for the grace of my Lord, I would certainly have been among those brought forth (to Hell)." (The dwellers of Paradise will say!) "Are we then not to die (any more) Except our first death, and we shall not be punished") 37:55-59. Allah will punish the disbeliever for the claims he used to utter in this life. The angels will also admonish the disbelievers, saying,

هَـذِهِ النَّارُ الَّتِى كُنتُم بِهَا تُكَذِّبُونَ - أَفَسِحْرٌ هَـذَا أَمْ أَنتُمْ لاَ تُبْصِرُونَ - اصْلَوْهَا فَاصْبِرُواْ أَوْ لاَ تَصْبِرُواْ سَوَآءٌ عَلَيْكُمْ إِنَّمَا تُجْزَوْنَ مَا كُنتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ

(This is the Fire which you used to belie. Is this magic or do you not see Taste you therein its heat and whether you are patient of it or impatient of it, it is all the same. You are only being requited for what you used to do) 52:14-16. The Messenger of Allah admonished the inhabitants of the well at Badr:

«يَا أَبَا جَهْلِ بْنَ هِشَامٍ وَيَا عُتْبَةَ بْنَ رَبِيعَةَ وَيَا شَيْبَةَ بْنَ رَبِيعَةَ وَسَمَّى رُؤُوسَهُمْ هَلْ وَجَدْتُمْ مَا وَعَدَ رَبُّكُمْ حَقًّا فَإِنِّي وَجَدْتُ مَا وَعَدَنِي رَبِّي حَقًّا»

(O Abu Jahl bin Hisham! O `Utbah bin Rabi`ah! O Shaybah bin Rabi`ah (and he called their leaders by name)! Have you found what your Lord promised to be true (the Fire) I certainly found what my Lord has promised me to be true (victory).) `Umar said, "O Allah's Messenger! Do you address a people who have become rotten carrion" He said,

«وَالَّذِي نَفْسِي بِيَدِهِ مَا أَنْتُمْ بِأَسْمَعَ لِمَا أَقُولُ مِنْهُمْ وَلَكِنْ لَا يَسْتَطِيعُونَ أَنْ يُجِيبُوا»

(By He in Whose Hand is my soul! You do not hear what I am saying better than they do, but they cannot reply.) Allah's statement,

فَأَذَّنَ مُؤَذِّنٌ بَيْنَهُمْ

(Then a crier will proclaim between them) will herald and announce,

أَن لَّعْنَةُ اللَّهِ عَلَى الظَّـلِمِينَ

(The curse of Allah is on the wrongdoers) meaning, the curse will reside with the wrongdoers. Allah then described them by saying,

الَّذِينَ يَصُدُّونَ عَن سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ وَيَبْغُونَهَا عِوَجًا

(Those who hindered (men) from the path of Allah, and would seek to make it crooked) meaning, they hindered the people from following Allah's path, His Law, and what the Prophets brought. They sought to make Allah's path appear crooked and winding, so that no one would follow it. Allah said,

وَهُم بِالاٌّخِرَةِ كَـفِرُونَ

(and they were disbelievers in the Hereafter) They disbelieved in the Meeting with Allah in the Hereafter, They used to deny this will ever occur, not accepting it nor believing in it. This is why they used to discount the seriousness of the evil deeds and statements that they committed, because they did not fear any reckoning or punishment. Therefore, they were and are indeed the worst people in statement and action.

The third verse (42) mentions those who dutifully follow Divine injunctions as they are the people of Paradise and there they shall live forever.

Injunctions of the Shari'ah : Consideration of Convenience

But, along with the condition set forth for such people; that they believe and do good deeds - said there, in all mercy, was: لَا نُكَلِّفُ نَفْسًا إِلَّا وُسْعَهَا (Allah does not obligate anyone beyond his capacity). The purpose is to emphasize that good deeds - which is a condition for entry into Paradise - is really not something so difficult as would be beyond the ability of a man or woman. In fact, Allah Ta` ala has made the injunctions of the Shari'ah flexible and easy in every department of life. Leaves and concessions have been granted in every injunction keeping sickness, weakness, travel and other human needs under consideration.

According to Tafsir Al-Bahr Al-Muhit, when human beings were commanded to do good deeds, the likelihood existed that they might find this a little heavy on them since doing what is good and required, everywhere and under all conditions, was beyond one's capacity. Therefore, this doubt of theirs was removed through these words which ensure that the injunctions of Allah are given keeping in view the various stages of human lives and that they are appropriate to prevailing conditions in all circumstances, for all time and all places. With such comprehensive consideration working behind these injunctions acting according to them should not be difficult at all.

For its People, a Paradise minus Malice

In the fourth verse (43), two particular states of the people of Jannah have been identified. The first one finds mention in: وَنَزَعْنَا مَا فِي صُدُورِ‌هِم مِّنْ غِلٍّ تَجْرِ‌ي مِن تَحْتِهِمُ الْأَنْهَارُ‌; (And We remove whatever of malice they had in their hearts. Rivers will flow beneath them).

According to Sahih al-Bukhari, when believers would have crossed the Bridge of Sirat صِرَاط and their deliverance from Jahannam would have become certain, they would be stopped over a bridge between Jannah and Jahannam - to remove their malice first. If someone had some grudge against someone, or ill-will or a heart-burn on the loss of a right, all that will be mutually settled and washed off for good right there. So, when they go to Jannah, they will be free of malice, hatred, animosity and other personality disorders of the kind.

It appears in Tafsir Mazhari that this bridge will obviously be the last part of the Bridge of Sirat صِرَاط which is close to Jannah. ` Allama Al-Suyuti has also opted for this approach.

Then comes the issue of settling rights. It goes without saying that any loss of rights cannot be compensated by money for nobody would have it there. Instead of that, in accordance with a Hadith in al-Bukhari and Muslim, this payment will be made in the currency of deeds. Lost rights will be compensated by giving the deeds of the usurper to the owner of the right. And should it be that no more deeds are left with this person and there remain other rights which still have to be settled, then, the sins of the owner of the unsettled right will be transferred to the account of the usurper of the right.

In a Hadith, the Holy Prophet ﷺ has called the person, who did good deeds in his worldly life but remained negligent of the rights of people, the greatest pauper - for as a result of this neglect he lost all good deeds and stood there empty-handed.

In this Hadith narration, what has been described is but a general rule governing the fulfillment of rights and avenging an injustice in flitted. But, it is not necessary that everyone has to face this situation. In fact, according to the report of Ibn Kathir and Tafsir Mazhari, possible there would be the situation that no one settles scores and takes revenge, yet mutual malices get to be removed without anything like that.

This is what appears in some narrations. When people would have crossed the Bridge of Sirat, they would reach a stream of water and drink from it. The property of this water will be such as would remove all mutual malice from the hearts of all of them. While commenting on the noble verse: وَسَقَاهُمْ رَ‌بُّهُمْ شَرَ‌ابًا طَهُورً‌ا (And their Lord will give to them to drink a pure drink - 76:21 - AYA), the Tafsir of this verse given by Imam al-Qurtubi is not any different when he says that washed away from this water of Jannah shall be all grudges in hearts.

After reciting this verse, Sayyidna Ali al-Murtada ؓ ، once said: I hope that we - ` Uthman and Talhah and Zubayr and me - shall be among those whose hearts will be cleansed of malice before the entry into Paradise. (Ibn Kathir) These noble souls named here had their mutual disagreements during their life time in the world which had reached the limits of war.

The second state of the people of Jannah described in this verse is that on their arrival in Jannah, they will express their gratitude to Allah Ta` ala that He guided them towards Jannah and made it easy for them to reach there. They will say that, had the grace of Allah not been with them, they would have never dared reach there.

This tells us that no one can go to Jannah by personal effort alone - unless the grace of Allah Ta` ala makes it possible for the aspirant. The reason is that even this ` effort' itself is not within one's control. That too comes through the grace and mercy of Allah Ta` ala alone.

Guidance has Degrees, the Last being the Entry into Paradise

Imam Raghib al-Isfahani (رح) ، who has explained Hidayah or guidance in a comprehensive manner as it appears in the Holy Qur'an, has said that guidance is a popular term but it has different degrees. The truth of the matter is that guidance is another name of finding the way to reach Allah Ta` ala. Therefore, the degrees of achieving nearness to Allah are many and different and unending. Similarly, the degrees of guidance too are extremely varied and different from each other. The lowest degree of guidance is deliverance from Kufr and Shirk, and having 'Iman. One on this degree of guidance has his or her orientation changed, away from the path of error - towards Allah. Then, there is the distance between Allah Ta` ala and His servants. This distance takes a journey to cover - and every stage so covered has degrees, which is called Hidayah or guidance. Therefore, guidance is a need. At no time, can anyone claim not to need it, not even prophets and messengers of Allah. For this reason, the Holy Prophet ﷺ ، not only taught his people the lesson of: اهْدِنَا الصِّرَ‌اطَ الْمُسْتَقِيمَ ﴿6﴾ (Guide us in the straight path), but he himself kept making this prayer - because there is no end to the stages and ranks of nearness to Allah, so much so, that entry into the Paradise mentioned in this verse has been identified as Hidayah or guidance, for this is the last station of Hidayah.( Those interested in reading more about the implications, meaning and degrees of guidance may see Ma'ariful-Qur'an, English Translation, Vol.I, pages 72-77)

The question was asked in early times how with Heaven and Hell being far away from each other—heaven above the skies and Hell at the lowest possible level—it would be possible for the voices of the people in heaven to reach the people in hell. But, in this age of mass communication, this question has become a relative matter. Now, man has come to know that it is possible to see far-away things and to hear voices from far away. What was not clear in ancient times has now become fully understandable in the light of modern experience and observation. This indicates that if any statement of the Quran defies analysis in the light of today’s knowledge, no conclusion should be drawn about it. It is quite possible that, with the increase in knowledge, it may become an accepted fact tomorrow, though today it seems to be strange and unknowable. However, this does not mean that, in the Hereafter, a connection will be established between the respective inmates of heaven and hell by means of modern radio or television. It only means that modern discoveries have shown that, in this universe of God, certain arrangements make it possible for two men situated far away from each other to see and talk to each other without any difficulty. A man can feel the weight of an argument only if he is serious and sincere about it. Those who do not attach significance to the Hereafter, are unable to see the point of arguments about the after-life. The reality of the Hereafter is supported by extremely strong arguments, but with their non-serious minds they can only ferret out defects in it. They produce different types of objections to it and, as a result, not only do they themselves entertain different suspicions and doubts about it, but they incline others towards incredulity. Such people are, in the eyes of God, guilty in the extreme. In the Hereafter, they will suffer the scourge of God, though in this world they may consider themselves entitled to His grace. Howsoever strong and convincing an argument may be, doubt can always be cast upon its veracity by clever utterances. People in general are unable to differentiate between a real argument and sophistry. So, they move away from Truth on hearing such talk. But those who, in spite of being capable of understanding the Truth, alienate people from it by indulging in such clever utterances, will be far removed from God’s grace on the Day of Reckoning.