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Chapter 7, The Heights (Al-A‘raf) · verses 1–9The Book of God is, in essence, a book of guidance.Chapter 7, The Heights (Al-A‘raf) · verses 10–18Whatever God has bestowed upon man in this world has been given for the purpose of eliciting his gratitude.Chapter 7, The Heights (Al-A‘raf) · verses 19–21Paradise with all its vast expanses was open to Adam and his spouse.Chapter 7, The Heights (Al-A‘raf) · verses 22–25Both Adam and Satan have been sent to the earth as each other’s enemies.Chapter 7, The Heights (Al-A‘raf) · verses 26–27God has created the system of the world in such a way that its externals are the signs of an inner reality.Chapter 7, The Heights (Al-A‘raf) · verses 28–30The way that Satan leads a man astray is by misinforming him.Chapter 7, The Heights (Al-A‘raf) · verses 31–33Some Arab tribes used to perform their circumambulation of the Ka‘bah completely bare-bodied, thinking that it brought them nearer to God.Chapter 7, The Heights (Al-A‘raf) · verses 34–37According to the creation plan one has the opportunity to perform well or badly in the present world till the period of one’s trial is over.Chapter 7, The Heights (Al-A‘raf) · verses 38–39In this verse ‘community’(ummah) means those leaders who misguide and ‘fellow community’ (ukht) means the misguided general public.Chapter 7, The Heights (Al-A‘raf) · verses 40–43Why is it that when God’s missionaries give the call to Truth, the egotism of their addressees prevents them from accepting their call?Chapter 7, The Heights (Al-A‘raf) · verses 44–45The 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.Chapter 7, The Heights (Al-A‘raf) · verses 46–49It happens in the world that believers and those who deny the truth alike are recipients of both the bounties and the afflictions sent down by God.Chapter 7, The Heights (Al-A‘raf) · verses 50–51The world offers a spread of two types of food—one worldly and the other other- worldly.Chapter 7, The Heights (Al-A‘raf) · verses 52–53The Quran warns mankind of the life after death.Chapter 7, The Heights (Al-A‘raf) · verses 54–56God is the Creator of the earth, the sky and all things.Chapter 7, The Heights (Al-A‘raf) · verses 57–58God has made the world in such a way that its material occurrences symbolize its spiritual aspects.Chapter 7, The Heights (Al-A‘raf) · verses 59–64After Adam, for about one thousand years his descendants adhered to the monotheistic faith (faith in the oneness of God).Chapter 7, The Heights (Al-A‘raf) · verses 65–69Iram, Noah’s grandson was one of the believers who were saved in Noah’s Ark.Chapter 7, The Heights (Al-A‘raf) · verses 70–72The basis of the missionary call of the prophets has always been to remind man of the bounties conferred on him, and to warn him that if he did not remain grateful to God, he would have to suffer the scourge of God.Chapter 7, The Heights (Al-A‘raf) · verses 73–74After the destruction of the ‘Ad community, certain righteous people redeemed by God settled in the Hajr, the area in the north west of Arabia.Chapter 7, The Heights (Al-A‘raf) · verses 75–79The people of Thamud perfected the art of construction.Chapter 7, The Heights (Al-A‘raf) · verses 80–84Lot was Abraham’s nephew.Chapter 7, The Heights (Al-A‘raf) · verses 85–87One of the sons of Abraham was Madyan who was born of his third wife, Quatura.Chapter 7, The Heights (Al-A‘raf) · verses 88–93When the people of Midian went to extremes in their wrongful ways, God sent Shu‘ayb to them with His message.Chapter 7, The Heights (Al-A‘raf) · verses 94–99According to the tradition (of the Prophet), a believer goes on getting into difficulties until he becomes clear of sins, and a hypocrite is like a donkey who does not know why his owner has tied him and why he has let him loose. (Tafsir ibn Kathir).Chapter 7, The Heights (Al-A‘raf) · verses 100–102It happens again and again that a community reaches a high level of honour and prosperity and thereafter faces decline.Chapter 7, The Heights (Al-A‘raf) · verses 103–112A prophet’s discourse is initially addressed to the leaders of the day; to those who enjoy leadership of thought in their environment.Chapter 7, The Heights (Al-A‘raf) · verses 113–122Prophet’s are given miracles according to the mindset of their contemporaries.Chapter 7, The Heights (Al-A‘raf) · verses 123–126To sacrifice one’s life for the sake of Truth amounts to bearing the final testimony to the Truth as the Truth.Chapter 7, The Heights (Al-A‘raf) · verses 127–129For the Children of Israel Pharaoh’s rule created a problem, and they asked their prophet to solve it for them.Chapter 7, The Heights (Al-A‘raf) · verses 130–132Words have necessarily to be used to pronounce a thing right or wrong or to label a man innocent or guilty.Chapter 7, The Heights (Al-A‘raf) · verses 133–135Moses performed his prophetic mission in Egypt for about forty years.Chapter 7, The Heights (Al-A‘raf) · verses 136–137Punishment was inflicted on the communities addressed by the Prophet because of their denial of the signs (ayat) of God.Chapter 7, The Heights (Al-A‘raf) · verses 138–141The Israelites crossed the northern end of the Red Sea and reached the Sinai Peninsula.Chapter 7, The Heights (Al-A‘raf) · verses 142–143Moses was given dawah commands in Egypt, while laws were communicated to him after he reached the Sinai desert.Chapter 7, The Heights (Al-A‘raf) · verses 144–145Moses wanted to see God, but when he learnt that it was not possible to do so, he turned to God in repentance and reposed his faith in God, the unseen.Chapter 7, The Heights (Al-A‘raf) · verses 146–147There are two ways of leading one’s life in this world.Chapter 7, The Heights (Al-A‘raf) · verses 148–151There was a clever man named Samiri among the Israelites.Chapter 7, The Heights (Al-A‘raf) · verses 152–153This action of the Israelites has been called false representation (iftira).Chapter 7, The Heights (Al-A‘raf) · verses 154–156The Book of God is one of guidance and grace.Chapter 7, The Heights (Al-A‘raf) · verse 157To the knowledge of the Israelites, whatever prophets had come, had all without exception been from their own community.Chapter 7, The Heights (Al-A‘raf) · verses 158–159‘Say, “People, I am God’s Messenger to you all,”’ does not mean that all other prophets were sent to their own community while the Prophet Muhammad was sent to all the nations.Chapter 7, The Heights (Al-A‘raf) · verses 160–162God took the Israelites from the polytheistic atmosphere of Egypt and settled them in the desert of Sinai.Chapter 7, The Heights (Al-A‘raf) · verses 163–164It is a sin to do anything which God has prohibited.Chapter 7, The Heights (Al-A‘raf) · verses 165–166This was the fate of those who contravened the rule of the Sabbath.Chapter 7, The Heights (Al-A‘raf) · verses 167–168When a great reward is given for the performance of a task, it follows that the punishment for non-performance of that task will be equally great.Chapter 7, The Heights (Al-A‘raf) · verses 169–171During the time of Moses, Jews were given the commandments of God, the event having taken place at the foot of a hill.Chapter 7, The Heights (Al-A‘raf) · verses 172–174This happens in the case of every prophet’s community.Chapter 7, The Heights (Al-A‘raf) · verses 175–178During the period of the Prophet Muhammad there was a man of great moral and intellectual distinction called Umayyah ibn Abi as-Salt.Chapter 7, The Heights (Al-A‘raf) · verses 179–183The Truth is a thing which a man has to discover by himself.Chapter 7, The Heights (Al-A‘raf) · verses 184–188A man with a mission is a man of principle.Chapter 7, The Heights (Al-A‘raf) · verses 189–194This vast universe itself introduces its Creator.Chapter 7, The Heights (Al-A‘raf) · verses 195–198But how surprising it is that in this world, where there are so many arguments in favour of one God, man makes polytheism his religion.Chapter 7, The Heights (Al-A‘raf) · verses 199–202Calling people to monotheism, the Hereafter, a virtuous life and justice is to call people to good (‘urf).Chapter 7, The Heights (Al-A‘raf) · verses 203–206The Makkans used to ask the Prophet that if he was a Prophet of God why he did not bring miracles from God.