• The Progeny of Adam shall bear witness against each other

• Similitude of the disbelievers

• All beautiful names are God’s

Al-A’raaf Verses 172 – 181

وَإِذْ أَخَذَ رَبُّكَ مِنۢ بَنِىٓ ءَادَمَ مِن ظُهُورِهِمْ ذُرِّيَّتَهُمْ وَأَشْهَدَهُمْ عَلَىٰٓ أَنفُسِهِمْ أَلَسْتُ بِرَبِّكُمْ قَالُوا۟ بَلَىٰ ۛ شَهِدْنَآ ۛ أَن تَقُولُوا۟ يَوْمَ ٱلْقِيَـٰمَةِ إِنَّا كُنَّا عَنْ هَـٰذَا غَـٰفِلِينَ

When brought forth thy Lord from the children of Adam, from their backs, their descendants and (when) made them bear witness upon their own selves (saying): “Am I not your Lord?” replied they “Yea! We do bear witness.” (This We did) lest ye should say on the Day of Judgment “Verily we were of this (fact) unaware.” (7:172)1

أَوْ تَقُولُوٓا۟ إِنَّمَآ أَشْرَكَ ءَابَآؤُنَا مِن قَبْلُ وَكُنَّا ذُرِّيَّةً مِّنۢ بَعْدِهِمْ أَفَتُهْلِكُنَا بِمَا فَعَلَ ٱلْمُبْطِلُونَ

Or lest ye should say: “Verily associated2(with God) only our fathers3from before (us) and we are their descendants after them (following them): wilt Thou then destroy us for what the vain doers did?” (7:173)

وَكَذَٰلِكَ نُفَصِّلُ ٱلْـَٔايَـٰتِ وَلَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْجِعُونَ

And thus do We explain the signs in details and that ye might return (from the error).” (7:174)

وَٱتْلُ عَلَيْهِمْ نَبَأَ ٱلَّذِىٓ ءَاتَيْنَـٰهُ ءَايَـٰتِنَا فَٱنسَلَخَ مِنْهَا فَأَتْبَعَهُ ٱلشَّيْطَـٰنُ فَكَانَ مِنَ ٱلْغَاوِينَ

Relate unto them the news of him whom We gave Our signs, but he4withdrew (himself) from them, so Satan followed5him; so he was one of those who went astray. (7:175)6

وَلَوْ شِئْنَا لَرَفَعْنَـٰهُ بِهَا وَلَـٰكِنَّهُۥٓ أَخْلَدَ إِلَى ٱلْأَرْضِ وَٱتَّبَعَ هَوَىٰهُ فَمَثَلُهُۥ كَمَثَلِ ٱلْكَلْبِ إِن تَحْمِلْ عَلَيْهِ يَلْهَثْ أَوْ تَتْرُكْهُ يَلْهَث ذَّٰلِكَ مَثَلُ ٱلْقَوْمِ ٱلَّذِينَ كَذَّبُوا۟ بِـَٔايَـٰتِنَا فَٱقْصُصِ ٱلْقَصَصَ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ

And had We willed, We would certainly have exalted him thereby7, but he inclined8towards the earth and followed his vain inclinations, so his similitude is like the parable of a dog, if thou attacketh him he lolleth out his tongue, or leaveth him alone he lolleth out his tongue; such is the similitude of the people who belie Our signs, so relate (unto them) the stories,9that they may reflect. (7:176)

سَآءَ مَثَلًا ٱلْقَوْمُ ٱلَّذِينَ كَذَّبُوا۟ بِـَٔايَـٰتِنَا وَأَنفُسَهُمْ كَانُوا۟ يَظْلِمُونَ

How evil is the similitude of the people who belie Our signs and unto their own selves they are unjust.10(7:177)

مَن يَهْدِ ٱللَّهُ فَهُوَ ٱلْمُهْتَدِى وَمَن يُضْلِلْ فَأُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلْخَـٰسِرُونَ

Whomsoever God doth guide He is the one who is guided aright, and whomsoever He suffereth to stray, these are they the losers. (7:178)

وَلَقَدْ ذَرَأْنَا لِجَهَنَّمَ كَثِيرًا مِّنَ ٱلْجِنِّ وَٱلْإِنسِ لَهُمْ قُلُوبٌ لَّا يَفْقَهُونَ بِهَا وَلَهُمْ أَعْيُنٌ لَّا يُبْصِرُونَ بِهَا وَلَهُمْ ءَاذَانٌ لَّا يَسْمَعُونَ بِهَآ أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ كَٱلْأَنْعَـٰمِ بَلْ هُمْ أَضَلُّ أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلْغَـٰفِلُونَ

Indeed We have created11for hell many of the jinn and the men; They have hearts (but) they understand not with it; and they have eyes (but) they see not with it; and they have ears (but) they hear not with it; they are like cattle, nay, more astray; These are they the heedless ones. (7:179)12

وَلِلَّهِ ٱلْأَسْمَآءُ ٱلْحُسْنَىٰ فَٱدْعُوهُ بِهَا وَذَرُوا۟ ٱلَّذِينَ يُلْحِدُونَ فِىٓ أَسْمَـٰٓئِهِۦ سَيُجْزَوْنَ مَا كَانُوا۟ يَعْمَلُونَ

And to God (alone) belong (all) the most beautiful names, so call on Him thereby, and leave alone those who use profanity13in His names; soon shall they be recompensed for what they were doing. (7:180)

وَمِمَّنْ خَلَقْنَآ أُمَّةٌ يَهْدُونَ بِٱلْحَقِّ وَبِهِۦ يَعْدِلُونَ

And of those whom We did create are a people14who guide (others) with truth and themselves justly adhere to it. (7:181)15

Commentary

Verse 172

It is reported that God the Lord Creator, and the Omnipotent, Master of the Universe, creating Adam in the earthly form, questioned the soul of Adam and of every one of Adam’s progeny, who, in the infinite knowledge of the Almighty, had to visit this earth, saying, ‘Am I not your Lord?’ then every one of them replied: ‘Yea! We do testify!’ The verse says that this was done lest men may not know who, in fact, their Lord was. This argument continues in the next verse also.

The Holy Prophet said that if men had only known when ‘Ali was designated ‘Amir al-Mu’minin’, i.e., the Commander of the Faithful, they would not deny him his superiority. ‘Ali was designated ‘Amir al-Mu’minin’, The Commander of the Faithful when Adam was yet between the day and his soul. Then it was that God took the declaration from Adam and every soul of his progeny that He was their Lord and Muhammad their Prophet and ‘Ali, their Commander. See Dailami’s Firdaws al-Akbar, Chapter 14. (M.F.R.).

Verses 172 & 173

Some scholars say that the passage refers to what is generally known as ‘Mithaq al-Alast’ and to this effect there are some traditions which give the description that after the creation of Adam on the earth or in some state before that, God brought forth from the loins of Adam all his descendants in the form of small entities, self-conscious and took from them the covenant about His ‘Rububiyat’ and according to the Shia commentators, the covenant included also the finality of the apostleship of the Holy Prophet and the Imamat of ‘Ali Ibn Abi Talib. According to these traditions some of Adam’s issues accepted and some rejected the covenant, and that acceptance and the rejection of the covenant is responsible for the divergence in the faith in this life. Those who accepted there also accept it here and those who rejected it there also reject it here. But profound scholars of both schools deny the reasonability of this passage referring to any pre-existent covenant on the following grounds:

1. The wording of the passage does not tally with any such interpretation at all for the wording of this verse says that the issue in question ‘Dhurriyat’ were brought forth not from the back of Adam but from the backs of the children of Adam.

2. The addressees did not differ from each other in the answer to the question - ‘Am I not your Lord?’ They were unanimous in saying ‘Yes’.

3. God made each one witness over Himself with the purpose that on the Day of Judgment he may not say that they were not conscious of it and that they may not say that they had not the choice of their own but blindly followed their predecessors. Therefore, if this refers to the pre-existent state nobody remembers it and the prophets’ reminder does not help anyone to remember as to what happened in the past and none can be questioned on the resurrection day as to the fulfilment or the non-fulfilment of the covenant for the answer will be ‘I did not remember that.’

4. It suggests compulsion and not free choice in belief and disbelief.

The meaning of the passage is clear that when God brought forth from every human being his issue and when made each one aware of himself that is, it reached maturity when everybody is made the witness of his own self and naturally confesses that he was not and was brought to exist by some power. This brief confession is inherent in every human being who has ever reflected on himself and that reflection makes everyone responsible for belief or disbelief or his actions, right or wrong. This is the first stage of every individual’s becoming independent of the others.

This passage has nothing to do with any state of human development before the state of being a Self-Witness.

Assumption of the possibility of the existence of the human cognitive self to which everyone refers as ‘I’ prior to the present life, means possibility of the transmigration of the soul from one body to another body, which doctrine has been rejected by the philosophers on pure philosophic grounds and by the Muslim theologian on both rational and traditional basis. The scholars do not deny the possibility of the stages through which the human self passes till it reaches its conscious stage, but they deny the possibility of the existence of any conscious stage prior to the present consciousness which cannot at all be remembered by anyone.

All that has been said in this connection about the present existence of the cognitive self, is mere fabrications of the old schools of ancient paganic cults who believed in the doctrine of transmigration.

Regarding the traditions advanced in this connection:

1. There is no unanimity among them.

2. They are not clear in deliberations.

3. Their authenticity is questionable.

The prominent ones who reject this doctrine are: (1) Syed Murtaza. (2) Shaikh Mufid. (3) Abu ‘Ali Tabarsi. (A.P.).

Verse 175

The news referred to in this verse, is about the man of the time of Pharaoh who knew the ‘Ism al-Adham’ or the Greatest Name of God, through which anything and everything sought for is immediately granted by God and it is a very closed secret. A man of the time Pharaoh called Balam Ba’ur knew it and Pharaoh desired the man to pray that Moses might fall into his clutches. The man agreed and got over a donkey, but the animal would not move. However much the man beat the poor donkey, the animal did not at all stir from its place. At last, the animal raised its head towards heaven and cried in clear cut words ‘Why doth thou beat me, Balaam! woe unto thee O’ Man Doth thou want me to take you to curse an Apostle of God and the faithful ones with him? Yet the man did not stay his hand and beat the faithful animal to death, and consequently he was caused to forget that Holy Name of God and he turned an infidel.

Some commentators held that the reference to the story of Balam Baa’oor as given with above note. And some say that it refers to Umayyah Ibn Sult who believed in the Unity of God and the resurrection but his vanity did not allow him accept the apostleship of the Holy Prophet and some take it Amir Ibn Nu’man Ibn Saifi an ascetic who believed in the purity of the creed of Abraham but he mixed it with some practices of the Christian Monks for which the Hoy Prophet criticised him and he turned against the Holy Prophet. But taking all these instances in view the Fifth Holy Imam Muhammad Ibn ‘Ali al-Baqir says that originally it refers to Balam Ba’ur but God made it a parable for everyone who received the guidance from God and yet gives preference to his own inclinations towards the worldly things and follows it. (A.P.).

Verse 176

This conflicting mental attitude between one’s inclinations and the divine guidance is felt by everyone, and it requires a constant cautiousness not to be dragged by the former.

The first Holy Imam ‘Ali Ibn Abu Talib in his Sermon ‘Shaqshaqiya’ gives a similar parable comparing such souls to a restive she camel, if the master draws the reins shrugs its head in refusal and goes out of the way and if he loosens the reins it stumbles.

Verse 179

The reference is particularly to describe those who do not use the faculties given to them through which they could profit themselves a lot in knowing the truth.

Verse 180

Excellent Names of God are these which indicate the various aspects of God’s Excellence. People are commanded to have such names of God’s Excellence in view and call Him, i.e., whenever addressing Him, use only such names of His Excellence and not use the improvised names to attribute Him with anything not allowed by Him viz., calling God as the Father of Jesus, etc.

Violating the sanctity of the holy names of God is also polytheism viz., giving Him improper attributes which do not befit His divinity or wrongly interpreting His attributes or giving His holy names to anyone else.

The names which present the excellence and the attributes the Holy Prophet said about Him with regard to His Essence, His Unity, Knowledge, Might, and Will, and the excellence and the attributes about Him with regard to His actions which negate all defects from Him, in short all the attributes which assert His absolute unity such names have been introduced to us by His apostles and they warned the people not to name God in accordance to their own wishful thinking which would result in what is asserted in the last portion of the passage, i.e., naming God with attributes not appropriate to Him or giving the appropriate names of God to beings other than Him like the pagans and Christians.

On this basis the Holy Imams of Ahl Al-Bayt said that the people should restrict themselves in naming God to the names given in the Holy Qur’an or the authentic traditions. (A.P.).

Verse 181

‘Ayashi’ on the authority of the fifth Holy Imam Baqir Ibn Muhammad reports that the Holy Imam said that by the Ummat (People) mentioned in this verse are meant the Holy Ahl Al-Bayt. This statement fully suits the holy personalities for the godly quality of perfect justice could be found only in the Holy Prophet and his divinely purified Ahl Al-Bayt whose purity has been vouchsafed by the ‘Ayat at-Tathir’ in the Holy Qur’an.16

This clearly indicates that after the creation of man there had been and should always be at least one person distinguished with these qualities which are the qualities of an Imam. On this basis the Holy Prophet said that whosoever dies and did not recognise the Imam of his age his death is the death of an ignorant pagan and this according to authentic traditions shall continue till the resurrection, i.e., till the reappearance of the Last Imam of the House of the Holy Prophet and the return of Christ. As the number of such persons was restricted to Twelve, neither more nor less, after the Holy Prophet, it necessarily implies the existence of a Twelfth one. (A.P.).

• 1. Refer to verse 3:80.
• 2. Practiced polytheism.
• 3. Fathers & fore-fathers.
• 4. See note to verse 7:175.
• 5. Joined.
• 6. This supports the note to verse 7:173.
• 7. With the Signs.
• 8. Clung to the material world - unmindful of refining the self-neglecting God and godliness -having no regard for religion or religiousness in life.
• 9. This indicates that all Qur’anic stories have their application to human life.
• 10. Doing wrong.
• 11. The justification for the allotment of Hell is the misuse or the neglect of the faculties and the consequent deterioration to the animal state.
• 12. Refer to verses 10:42 & 10:43.
• 13. Vain use of or playing with.
• 14. Refer to verse 7:159. A distinguished group - these can be no others save those whom God Himself purified.
• 15. Refer to verse 33:33.
• 16. See verse 33:33.