7-172 And when thy Lord brought forth from the children of Adam, from their loins, their descendants, and made them bear witness about themselves: Am I not your Lord? They said: Yes; we bear witness. Lest you should say on the day of Resurrection: We were unaware of this,
وَإِذ أَخَذَ رَبُّكَ مِن بَني آدَمَ مِن ظُهورِهِم ذُرِّيَّتَهُم وَأَشهَدَهُم عَلىٰ أَنفُسِهِم أَلَستُ بِرَبِّكُم ۖ قالوا بَلىٰ ۛ شَهِدنا ۛ أَن تَقولوا يَومَ القِيامَةِ إِنّا كُنّا عَن هٰذا غافِلينَ (۱۷۲)
7-172: The covenant of nature: While mentioning the disobedience of the Jews to their covenants, mention is made of this covenant which is not specific to any nation but by virtue of being about human nature encompasses all humanity. There is a light in human nature that guides a person to the truth or gives testimony to the lordship of Allah. Divine revelation partners with this light to complete the package of guidance. So, the Jews are addressed in two ways by first reminding them of the specific covenant that was made with them and then reminding them with the generic covenant that is made with all humans. Further, the topic of Divine revelation, which is a major theme of this surah, would have been left incomplete if attention had not been drawn to the intrinsic light in human nature which is made to shine even more brightly when revelation acts on it.
Was this covenant taken by creating the children of Adam all at once as is the opinion of Caliph Umar given in a hadith? As I understand, this hadith is misinterpreted. The actual words of this hadith are: ان اللّٰه تعالیٰ خلق اٰدم ثم مسح ظہر بیمینه فاستخرج منه ذریة فقال خلقت ھولاء للجنة (Allah created Adam then He touched his back with the right hand and brought forth his descendants and said that I have created them for the Garden). A literal interpretation of these words which would imply that God has a right hand with which He literally touched Adam’s back is not correct. There is also no testimony from the Quran or Hadith that Allah had created all the human spirits beforehand. What is meant is the birth of human spirits that will take place but is in the knowledge of Allah. Alternatively, it can be said that this is just mentioned as an example because in actual fact, the birth of a spirit takes place with a body as is clearly stated in: ثُمَّ أَنشَأناهُ خَلقًا آخَرَ (then We cause it to grow into another creation) (23:14). Everything that is going to happen is in the knowledge of Allah beforehand. Hence the mention in the hadith is only given as an example. The same reality can also be gauged from the actual words of the verse because here the mention is not of bringing forth the descendants from the back of Adam but from the children of Adam. Further it is first said that “brought forth from the children of Adam,” and then as a substitute it is stated: مِن ظُهورِهِم (from their loins). So, its meaning is the birth of each generation from the loins of their fathers. The words مِن ظُهورِهِم show clearly that it is the birth of one generation from its previous generation.
أَشهَدَهُم عَلىٰ أَنفُسِهِم – The meaning of bear witness about themselves is that the arguments for the lordship of Allah have been ingrained in their nature and implanted in human intelligence. There is an indication of this in a hadith which states: کل مولود یولد علی الفطرۃ (Every child is born with the right nature) and the Quran states: فِطرَتَ اللَّهِ الَّتي فَطَرَ النّاسَ عَلَيها (the nature made by Allah in which He has created men) (30:30). The meaning of hadith and both these verses is the same. There is a narration in Ibn Jarir that on hearing the following hadith of the Holy Prophet: الا انھا لیست نسمة تولد الا ولدت علی الفطرۃ Hassan stated that Allah has stated the same in His Book وَإِذ أَخَذَ رَبُّكَ مِن بَني آدَمَ مِن ظُهورِهِم ذُرِّيَّتَهُم which goes to show that he interpreted the verse in the same way. So, what is explained in أَشهَدَهُم عَلىٰ أَنفُسِهِم is that human nature admits that a human is not his own nurturer, that there is a perfect Being Who is the repository of all perfect attributes and from Whom humans receive some share.
شَهِدنا – With بلیٰ this can be the words of humans, that is their nature admits to this truth, or it can be the Words of Allah, that is Allah gives testimony that human nature acknowledges its Creator.
7-173 Or (lest) you should say: Only our fathers ascribed partners (to Allah) before (us), and we were (their) descendants after them. Wilt Thou destroy us for what liars did?a
أَو تَقولوا إِنَّما أَشرَكَ آباؤُنا مِن قَبلُ وَكُنّا ذُرِّيَّةً مِن بَعدِهِم ۖ أَفَتُهلِكُنا بِما فَعَلَ المُبطِلونَ (۱۷۳)
7-173a: مُبطِلونَ – باطل is that for which there is no constancy, and the meaning of ابطال is to impair a thing and to destroy it. مُبۡطل is one who impairs the truth and tries to destroy it (R).
Response to the objection that those who do evil following in the footsteps of others are not guilty: The argument is that the real culprits are those who first distorted the truth and laid the foundation of polytheism and that those who came afterwards merely copied them because following in the footsteps of forefathers is part of human nature. The followers, therefore, argue that they are not liable. The response to this is in this verse about the covenant with human nature, that is the nature and intelligence in which the lordship of Allah is implanted has been given to all men in equal measure. Hence the argument of being the follower of a wrong belief is not an acceptable argument.
7-174 And thus do We make the messages clear, and that haply they may return.
وَكَذٰلِكَ نُفَصِّلُ الآياتِ وَلَعَلَّهُم يَرجِعونَ (۱۷۴)
7-175 And recite to them the news of him to whom We give Our messages, but he withdraws himself from them, so the devil follows him up, and he is of those who perish.
وَاتلُ عَلَيهِم نَبَأَ الَّذي آتَيناهُ آياتِنا فَانسَلَخَ مِنها فَأَتبَعَهُ الشَّيطانُ فَكانَ مِنَ الغاوينَ (۱۷۵)
7-175a: انسَلَخَ – سَلَخ is skinning an animal and by derivation is used merely to pull something or to take something out, as in: نَسلَخُ مِنهُ النَّهارَ (We draw forth from it the day) (36:37), and اِنۡسلخ means emerged as in فَإِذَا انسَلَخَ الأَشهُرُ الحُرُمُ (So when the sacred months have passed) (9:5) (R).
أَتبَعَهُ – The meaning of تَبِع is followed, and أَتبَعَهُ means لَحِقَه (to catch up with, to reach), as in فَأَتبَعوهُم مُشرِقينَ (Then they pursued them at sunrise) (26:60) and وَأَتبَعناهُم في هٰذِهِ الدُّنيا لَعنَةً (And We made a curse to follow them in this world) (28:42) (R).
The purport here is not any specific person although some candidates have been suggested, namely Balam, Umayya and a monk. The generic nature of the verse is clear from the next verse where it is clearly stated: ذٰلِكَ مَثَلُ القَومِ الَّذينَ كَذَّبوا بِآياتِنا (Such is the parable of the people who reject Our messages) (7:176). Thus, a person to whom the commandment of Allah reaches and he ignores them, or does not accept them, or accepts and then discards them, for such a person his natural guiding light gets extinguished and the result is that the devil who is always after him, catches him and he follows wherever the devil leads him.
7-176 And if We had pleased, We would have exalted him thereby; but he clings to the earth and follows his low desire.a His parable is as the parable of the dog — if thou drive him away, he lolls out his tongue, and if thou leave him alone, he lolls out his tongue. Such is the parable of the people who reject Our messages. So relate the narrative that they may reflect.b
وَلَو شِئنا لَرَفَعناهُ بِها وَلٰكِنَّهُ أَخلَدَ إِلَى الأَرضِ وَاتَّبَعَ هَواهُ ۚ فَمَثَلُهُ كَمَثَلِ الكَلبِ إِن تَحمِل عَلَيهِ يَلهَث أَو تَترُكهُ يَلهَث ۚ ذٰلِكَ مَثَلُ القَومِ الَّذينَ كَذَّبوا بِآياتِنا ۚ فَاقصُصِ القَصَصَ لَعَلَّهُم يَتَفَكَّرونَ (۱۷۶)
7-176a: أَخلَدَ – اِخۡلاد – Derived from خُلۡد , its meaning is to make something last or to command something to remain perpetually. So, the meaning of أَخلَدَ إِلَى الأَرضِ is that he inclined to it thinking that he would remain in it (R).
The word رفع was previously discussed in 3-55b. This verse renders further clarity to what is meant by رفع . Two situations with opposite meanings are mentioned in this verse. One is رفع literally meaning raised or elevated and the other is أَخلَدَ إِلَى الأَرضِ (joined to the earth) but neither by رفع is meant raised to heaven nor by أَخلَدَ إِلَى الأَرضِ is meant literally clinging to the earth. In both places the purport is spiritual ascendancy and spiritually clinging to the earth. Here commentators have translated رَفَعناهُ as الی منازل الابرار that is رفع (or elevation) to a high rank. None of the commentators consider the meaning here to be رفع الی السماء (elevated to heaven) even though there is no mention here about the place to which the رفع occurred. However, where the term الی اللّٰه رفع occurs, Allah is taken to be sitting in heaven and رفع is said to be raised to heaven. Some commentators made this mistake under the influence of the prevailing Christian doctrine and others just followed them even though wherever the word رفع is used in the Quran for humans, it is never used in the sense of a bodily ascension.
7-176b: يَلهَث – لَھَث is lolling out of a dog’s tongue with heavy breathing. It could be because of thirst or tiredness.
Parable of dog: People who falsify the commands of Allah are likened to a dog who pants in every condition whether it is attacked or not. The falsifiers are always anxious and restless and find no peace and serenity at any time. The purpose of the Divine commands and revelation is to provide peace and tranquility of the heart. To reject it inevitably leads to anxiety and restlessness because peace of heart comes only from the remembrance of Allah as stated in أَلا بِذِكرِ اللَّهِ تَطمَئِنُّ القُلوبُ (Now surely in Allah’s remembrance do hearts find rest) (13:28).
7-177 Evil is the likeness of the people who reject Our messages and wrong their own souls.
ساءَ مَثَلًا القَومُ الَّذينَ كَذَّبوا بِآياتِنا وَأَنفُسَهُم كانوا يَظلِمونَ (۱۷۷)
7-177a: مَثَلًا – مَثَلًا appears for distinction and the real structure is: ساءَ مَثَلًا مثل القَومُ الَّذينَ
7-178 He whom Allah guides is on the right way; and he whom He leaves in error — they are the losers.
مَن يَهدِ اللَّهُ فَهُوَ المُهتَدي ۖ وَمَن يُضلِل فَأُولٰئِكَ هُمُ الخاسِرونَ (۱۷۸)
7-179 And certainly We have created for hell many of the jinn and the men — they have hearts wherewith they understand not, and they have eyes wherewith they see not, and they have ears wherewith they hear not. They are as cattle; nay, they are more astray. These are the heedless ones.a
وَلَقَد ذَرَأنا لِجَهَنَّمَ كَثيرًا مِنَ الجِنِّ وَالإِنسِ ۖ لَهُم قُلوبٌ لا يَفقَهونَ بِها وَلَهُم أَعيُنٌ لا يُبصِرونَ بِها وَلَهُم آذانٌ لا يَسمَعونَ بِها ۚ أُولٰئِكَ كَالأَنعامِ بَل هُم أَضَلُّ ۚ أُولٰئِكَ هُمُ الغافِلونَ (۱۷۹)
7-179a: Born for hell: The best interpreter of the Quran is the Quran itself. Thus, it is stated elsewhere: وَما خَلَقتُ الجِنَّ وَالإِنسَ إِلّا لِيَعبُدونِ (And I have not created the jinn and the men except that they should serve Me) (51:56). Hence creating them for hell cannot be the purpose of their creation. As stated in Ruh al Maani, most commentators consider the لام to be لام عاقبت , that is لام showing the end result, as in فَالتَقَطَهُ آلُ فِرعَونَ لِيَكونَ لَهُم عَدُوًّا وَحَزَنًا (So Pharaoh’s people took him up that he might be an enemy and a grief for them) (28:8). So, the upshot of their actions was that Moses grew up to cause grief to them. The following verse of a poet is written in the same style: لد واللموت وابنوا للخراب (Give birth to children to die and make buildings to be ruined). The meaning is not that this is the purpose of giving birth or making a building but that in the end everyone that is born will die and every building that is built will one day be in ruins. In a similar vein, Allah states here that He created them (and the purpose of creation is stated elsewhere to be to worship Allah) but because of their life work, it is as if they were born to be inmates of hell. Why is that? Because they do not use their hearts, ears, and eyes, they commit deeds that will land them in hell. The important question is whether they do evil deeds because Allah has from the beginning created them for hell or are they created for hell because they do evil deeds. Every word of the Quran bears testimony that no person commits evil deeds because Allah has created him with some different kind of powers. The same thing is stated here. They have been given the same heart that is given to others, but others use it wisely while they do not. It is not stated that they are given hearts empty of judicial acumen because then that would be an objection against Allah. What is stated is that they have hearts and the power to decide judicially, but they themselves do not make use of this power to make rational decisions. Similarly, they are given ears and eyes, just like others, but they themselves do not use them to hear and see. It is not that they do not have the power to hear and to see. By virtue of being human, they should have used their ears and sight to gain knowledge and then reach a conclusion. Since they did not use the power of rational thinking that sets humans apart from animals, they became like quadrupeds. In the end of the verse, they are called heedless because the fault is theirs that they are heedless of the real purpose of humanity or the superior status of humans. If they had wanted, they could have taken heed.
7-180 And Allah’s are the best names, so call on Him thereby and leave alone those who violate the sanctity of His names. They will be recompensed for what they do.a
وَلِلَّهِ الأَسماءُ الحُسنىٰ فَادعوهُ بِها ۖ وَذَرُوا الَّذينَ يُلحِدونَ في أَسمائِهِ ۚ سَيُجزَونَ ما كانوا يَعمَلونَ (۱۸۰)
7-180a: الأَسماءُ – الأَسماءُ are words that express different meanings. It can also be interpreted as attributes. Even with the first given meaning, the purport is that the meaning of the names is most beautiful.
يُلحِدونَ – The meaning of اَلۡحد is to incline from truth to falsehood. The purport of الحاد فی الاسماء is attributing such attributes to God which are not correct or that are not befitting His glory (R).
Achieving perfection from God’s names: The names of God are mentioned here because it is from these names that one can achieve perfection. Thus, a petitioner who petitions by calling Him with a certain name desires the same kind of attribute as the name of Allah by which he calls Him. Every wrong doctrine in religion is born out of misinterpreting the attribute of Allah in a manner that detracts from His glory. An incorrect doctrine leads to incorrect actions.
7-181 And of those whom We have created is a community who guide with the truth and therewith do justice.a
وَمِمَّن خَلَقنا أُمَّةٌ يَهدونَ بِالحَقِّ وَبِهِ يَعدِلونَ (۱۸۱)
7-181a: أُمَّةٌ يَهدونَ – The Holy Prophet himself explained this term to mean ھذہ اُمّتی (My followers). Comparing this with verse 7:159 where it is stated مِن قَومِ موسىٰ أُمَّةٌ يَهدونَ (of Moses’ people is a party who guide with truth), he said, this corroborates the conclusion, that is the mention there is of Moses’ people and here of the Holy Prophet’s followers.
Bayan-ul-Quran 