7-40 Those who reject Our messages and turn away from them haughtily, the doors of heaven will not be opened for them, nor will they enter the Garden until the camel pass through the eye of the needle. And thus do We reward the guilty.a
إِنَّ الَّذينَ كَذَّبوا بِآياتِنا وَاستَكبَروا عَنها لا تُفَتَّحُ لَهُم أَبوابُ السَّماءِ وَلا يَدخُلونَ الجَنَّةَ حَتّىٰ يَلِجَ الجَمَلُ في سَمِّ الخِياطِ ۚ وَكَذٰلِكَ نَجزِي المُجرِمينَ (۴۰)
7-40a: لا تُفَتَّحُ لَهُم أَبوابُ السَّماءِ – The purport is that their deeds do not ascend to heaven or that their souls are not exalted. Allah exalts pious deeds وَالعَمَلُ الصّالِحُ يَرفَعُهُ (He exalts goodly deeds) (35:10). Similarly, Allah exalts the believers, and accordingly one of His attributive names is الرافع (The Exalter). In this verse, whether the purport is taken to be the deeds of the disbelievers or their souls, the meaning is the same that is, they are not exalted. It is in this context that it is stated that the doors of heaven are not opened for them.
جَمَل – جمال means beauty and جَمَل means a camel because the Arabs considered camels as a source of beauty for them. Its plural جِمَالة occurs in the Quran: كَأَنَّهُ جِمالَتٌ صُفرٌ (As if they were tawny camels) (77:33) and جمال also occurs in the Quran.
سَمِّ – سَمِّ is a narrow hole like the eye of a needle or the hole that is made by piercing the nose or ear. Poison is called سَمّ because it penetrates and enters the body. سموم is very hot wind that has the effect of poison, as in: في سَمومٍ وَحَميمٍ (In hot wind and boiling water) (56:42) and وَالجانَّ خَلَقناهُ مِن قَبلُ مِن نارِ السَّمومِ (And the jinn, We created before of intensely hot fire) (15:27).
يَلِجَ الجَمَلُ في سَمِّ الخِياطِ – The Arabs used the example of camel to denote something big and the eye of a needle for narrowness. It is stated here that their deeds have made it as difficult for them to enter paradise as it is for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle. It is a different matter that Allah may take them there out of His mercy or after punishing them.
The real purpose is to contrast those who reject revelation with those who accept it. To manifest this comparison, the first two verses of this section continue the topic of the last section.
7-41 They shall have a bed of hell and over them coverings (of it). And thus do We requite the wrongdoers.a
لَهُم مِن جَهَنَّمَ مِهادٌ وَمِن فَوقِهِم غَواشٍ ۚ وَكَذٰلِكَ نَجزِي الظّالِمينَ (۴۱)
7-41a: غَواش – It is the plural of غاشیة which means a thing that covers. غاشیة is also spoken of an affliction or calamity that completely envelops a person, as in: تَأتِيَهُم غاشِيَةٌ (an all encompassing chastisement) (12:107) and the Day of Requital is also called غاشیة as in: هَل أَتاكَ حَديثُ الغاشِيَةِ (Hast there come to thee the news of the Overwhelming Event) (88:1).
The purport of a bed of hell and over them coverings is that chastisement will encompass them from all sides.
7-42 And as for those who believe and do good — We impose not on any soul a duty beyond its scope — they are the owners of the Garden; therein they abide.
وَالَّذينَ آمَنوا وَعَمِلُوا الصّالِحاتِ لا نُكَلِّفُ نَفسًا إِلّا وُسعَها أُولٰئِكَ أَصحابُ الجَنَّةِ ۖ هُم فيها خالِدونَ (۴۲)
7-43 And We shall remove whatever of ill-feeling is in their heartsa — rivers flow beneath them. And they say: All praise is due to Allah, Who guided us to this! And we would not have found the way if Allah had not guided us. Certainly the messengers of our Lord brought the truth. And it will be cried out to them: This is the Garden which you are made to inherit for what you did.b
وَنَزَعنا ما في صُدورِهِم مِن غِلٍّ تَجري مِن تَحتِهِمُ الأَنهارُ ۖ وَقالُوا الحَمدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذي هَدانا لِهٰذا وَما كُنّا لِنَهتَدِيَ لَولا أَن هَدانَا اللَّهُ ۖ لَقَد جاءَت رُسُلُ رَبِّنا بِالحَقِّ ۖ وَنودوا أَن تِلكُمُ الجَنَّةُ أورِثتُموها بِما كُنتُم تَعمَلونَ (۴۳)
7-43a: غِلٍّ – Its meaning is rancor (R), malice, sorrow, or jealousy.
The blessings of this world do not preclude evil suggestions, sorrow, and afflictions effecting a person. People often feel jealous and show malice towards others, but these negative feelings will not be present with heavenly blessings. Although people in heaven may differ from each other in degrees, there will be no malice or jealousy in their hearts so that those blessings will be free from such adulterations. Another interpretation is that misunderstandings even among believers sometimes strain relationships, but this will not happen in paradise.
7-43b: أورِثتُموها – The literal meaning of وراثة is receiving assets without any promise or contract or receiving assets without something that is a proxy for a contract. Other uses of this term are for inheritance, receiving a bounty without working for it, and receiving a blessing that pleases a person (R). Paradise is called an inheritance to emphasize that paradise is granted only as a favor from Allah. Although requital for deeds is also mentioned but the truth is that one is only discharging one’s duty in doing good deeds. Granting blessings for something that is just one’s duty is a favor from Allah.
7-44 And the owners of the Garden call out to the companions of the Fire: We have found that which our Lord promised us to be true; have you, too, found that which your Lord promised to be true? They will say: Yes. Then a crier will cry out among them: The curse of Allah is on the wrongdoers,
وَنادىٰ أَصحابُ الجَنَّةِ أَصحابَ النّارِ أَن قَد وَجَدنا ما وَعَدَنا رَبُّنا حَقًّا فَهَل وَجَدتُم ما وَعَدَ رَبُّكُم حَقًّا ۖ قالوا نَعَم ۚ فَأَذَّنَ مُؤَذِّنٌ بَينَهُم أَن لَعنَةُ اللَّهِ عَلَى الظّالِمينَ (۴۴)
7-45 Who hinder (men) from Allah’s way and seek to make it crooked, and they are disbelievers in the Hereafter.
الَّذينَ يَصُدّونَ عَن سَبيلِ اللَّهِ وَيَبغونَها عِوَجًا وَهُم بِالآخِرَةِ كافِرونَ (۴۵)
7-45a: عِوَج – عَوَج is crookedness that is visible to the physical eye and عِوَج is crookedness that is determined by insight. The purport of يَبغونَها عِوَجًا is that the disbelievers direct their efforts to destabilize the religion from the permanency Allah has granted it.
7-46 And between them is a veil.a And on the Elevated Places are men who know all by their marks.b And they call out to the owners of the Garden: Peace be to you! They have not yet entered it, though they hope.c
وَبَينَهُما حِجابٌ ۚ وَعَلَى الأَعرافِ رِجالٌ يَعرِفونَ كُلًّا بِسيماهُم ۚ وَنادَوا أَصحابَ الجَنَّةِ أَن سَلامٌ عَلَيكُم ۚ لَم يَدخُلوها وَهُم يَطمَعونَ (۴۶)
7-46a: Thus, there will be a veil between the people of paradise and the people of the fire. The senses granted in the next world will be different from the senses of this world, and the physical laws will be different as well. Although there is a veil between the two groups, they are still able to talk and see each other. The concept of space there would be different from the concept here. For more details see 17:45a.
7-46b: الأَعرافِ – It is the plural of عُرۡف which means any elevated place. According to Zajjaj أَعرافِ are those elevated houses which are above the wall, and elevated ground is also called عُرۡف. أَعرافِ of winds and clouds are winds and clouds that come first and are high (LA).
سيما – It is derived from سام and it means a mark or sign.
Who are these people who are referred to as اصحاب أَعرافِ (men on Elevated Places)? Most commentators consider these to be men whose good and evil deeds are equal and they consider أَعراف to be the veil between paradise and hell. However, given the literal meaning of the word, this explanation does not appear to be correct because أَعراف is the name for elevated places. The elevated status of the men referred here is manifested by their ability to recognize the inmates of hell and the inmates of paradise by their marks. This is the result of their elevated status. Third, they have been called as رِجالٌ (men) but if the purport is a group whose good and evil deeds are equal then there is no reason that men should have been specified because there would be women as well whose good and evil deeds are at par. It appears from the specific mention of this group as being comprised of men that this group consists of messengers and prophets because messengership is specific to men. In Lisan al Arab, a saying is narrated about اصحاب أَعرافِ that they are messengers. There is another section of commentators who have opined that they are angels but the specification of this group as men precludes this explanation. The reality is that this is the group of prophets who recognize those who will go to paradise and those who will go to hell from their nation. This explanation is further supported by other parts of the Quran. Thus, the prophets have been given a specific attribute that they will be witnesses for their nations: فَكَيفَ إِذا جِئنا مِن كُلِّ أُمَّةٍ بِشَهيدٍ (But how will it be when We bring from every people a witness) (4:41), and they have been classed as a separate group. The followers of the Holy Prophet have been given a special distinction that those of them who have a perfect belief will be let into this group, as stated in: لِتَكونوا شُهَداءَ عَلَى النّاسِ (you may be the bearers of witness to the people) (2:143). This is further corroborated elsewhere in the Quran where three groups are distinguished, the foremost or the ones drawn nigh, those on the right hand or people of paradise, and those on the left hand or the people of hellfire (56:7-10). In this verse, two groups are mentioned specifically, that is the people of paradise and people of hell fire and the third group, the foremost group, is mentioned here as the men of Elevated Places . It is stated in Lisan al Arab that Ibn Abbas was asked what is the meaning of the saying: اھل القراٰن عُرُفاء اھل الجنة (People of the Quran are more elevated than the people of paradise). He replied: رؤساء اھل الجنة , that is by عرفا is meant the chiefs of paradise.
7-46c: That is, the people of paradise have not yet entered paradise but are hopeful of doing so, but this group of foremost can recognize them because of their elevated station.
7-47 And when their eyes are turned towards the companions of the Fire, they say: Our Lord, place us not with the unjust people.a
وَإِذا صُرِفَت أَبصارُهُم تِلقاءَ أَصحابِ النّارِ قالوا رَبَّنا لا تَجعَلنا مَعَ القَومِ الظّالِمينَ (۴۷)
7-47a: This is because they have not entered paradise yet. The people referred to in صُرِفَت أَبصارُهُم are these people of paradise.
Bayan-ul-Quran 