The Verses:
وَبَيۡنَهُمَا حِجَابٌۚ وَعَلَى الۡاَعۡرَافِ رِجَالٌ يَّعۡرِفُوۡنَ كُلًّاۢ بِسِيۡمٰٮهُمۡ ۚ وَنَادَوۡا اَصۡحٰبَ الۡجَـنَّةِ اَنۡ سَلٰمٌ عَلَيۡكُمۡ لَمۡ يَدۡخُلُوۡهَا وَهُمۡ يَطۡمَعُوۡنَ
(7:46) And between the two there will be a barrier, and on the Heights will be men who will recognize each person by his mark and will cry, out to the people of Paradise: 'Peace be to you.'These will be the ones who had not yet joined them in Paradise, though they long to do so.
وَاِذَا صُرِفَتۡ اَبۡصَارُهُمۡ تِلۡقَآءَ اَصۡحٰبِ النَّارِۙ قَالُوۡا رَبَّنَا لَا تَجۡعَلۡنَا مَعَ الۡقَوۡمِ الظّٰلِمِيۡنَ
(7:47) And when the eyes of the people of the Heights will be turned towards the people of Hell they will say: 'Our Lord! Do not cast us among the wrongdoing people.'
وَنَادٰٓى اَصۡحٰبُ الۡاَعۡرَافِ رِجَالًا يَّعۡرِفُوۡنَهُمۡ بِسِيۡمٰٮهُمۡ قَالُوۡا مَاۤ اَغۡنٰى عَنۡكُمۡ جَمۡعُكُمۡ وَمَا كُنۡتُمۡ تَسۡتَكۡبِرُوۡنَ
(7:48) And the people of the Heights will cry out to the men whom they would recognize by their marks. saving: 'Neither your numbers nor the riches of which you were proud availed you.
They then see some leading figures among the wrongdoing people and they recognize them by their features. They rebuke them for what they have been doing. You see now that you are in Hell, where your armies and great multitude are of no use to you, nor indeed are your arrogance and vain pride.
اَهٰٓؤُلَۤاءِ الَّذِيۡنَ اَقۡسَمۡتُمۡ لَا يَنَالُهُمُ اللّٰهُ بِرَحۡمَةٍ ؕ اُدۡخُلُوا الۡجَـنَّةَ لَا خَوۡفٌ عَلَيۡكُمۡ وَلَاۤ اَنۡتُمۡ تَحۡزَنُوۡنَ
(7:49) Are these not the ones of whom you swore that Allah shall grant them nothing of His mercy?' To such it will be said: 'Enter Paradise. You have no cause to fear, nor shall you grieve.'
They remind them of what they used to say about the believers in this life, accusing them of being in error and that they would never be granted God’s mercy.
Who Are the "People of the Heights"?
The "Heights" (Al-A'raf) refers to an elevated place or wall - a separator realm or borderland between Jannah (heaven) and Jahannam (hell) over which stand some people who recognize the dwellers of heaven and the inmates of the fire by their looks and features. It is important to find out who these people are and what have they got to do with the two groups destined either for heaven or hell.
Ibn Kathir described A'raf as a wall that contains a gate. In this high wall lived people who witness the terror of hell and the beauty of paradise. They yearn to enter paradise, but their sins and virtues are evenly balanced. Yet with the mercy of God, they will be among the last people to enter the paradise.
The people stationed atop the wall are a group of men whose good and bad deeds are balanced — who are neither righteous enough to enter Paradise nor wicked enough to he cast into Hell. They will, therefore, dwell at a place situated between the two.
Scholars have offered a few key interpretations:
- The Barrier Wall: The actual word is: حِجَابٌ. It refers to the wall that will be erected between Paradise and Hell. Verse 13 of Sūrah al-Ḥadīd mentions it.
- People with equal good and bad deeds:
- Their fate is undecided until Allah judges between them.
- They are stationed on the "A'raf" (a high wall or elevation between Paradise and Hell) temporarily.
- Honorable figures with special knowledge or insight: Some commentators say they are martyrs, prophets, or righteous servants who are placed on the A'raf by Allah to witness the fate of others.
- Recognizers by signs:
- They recognize both the dwellers of Paradise and the people of Hell by their signs or marks — perhaps spiritual or symbolic indicators.
- Ie., from the sign which will become evident from their faces because of their deeds. It is mentioned in various Aḥādīth (eg. Muslim, 503) that Muḥammad (sws) will recognize the people of his ummah through the signs of wuḍū – with which their foreheads and faces will glisten. There are some indications to this in the Qur’ān as well.
- Or else they recognize the people of paradise by their looks, probably by the fact that their faces are white and bright, or by the light which accompanies them. They also recognize the people destined to the fire by their features, probably by their dark faces or the marks printed on their noses which they used to raise as a gesture of arrogance.
Key Themes in the Passage
- Hope and Fear: The people of the A'raf express hope for Paradise but fear being cast into Hell.
- Justice of Allah:
- They witness Allah's judgment firsthand, highlighting the absolute justice and mercy of God.
- “Peace be upon you,” – they will not yet have entered Paradise but would be contenders [to enter it]" These words are used with reference to their mental situation: in spite of witnessing this honour and respect for them, out of humility and modesty they think that until the final verdict from the Almighty is delivered, they can only be hopeful of His mercy.
- Recognition: They call out to both groups, acknowledging the mercy shown to some and the arrogance or rejection shown by others.
These verses call out to us to hurry and add good deeds to our dossiers for we never know when the angel of death ebgets us and our dossiers closed forever. Blessed will be those who straightaway got the Jannah (Paradise), while many would stand atop the barrier wall with balanced dossiers of good and bad deeds, fearful of whichcamp their fate leads them too. Certainly, none would like to be thrown in the burning fire of hell and will be still hopeful that the Divine justice turns into Divine blessings and allows them to descend to Jannah.
You may like to watch the following video giving a deep explanation on the people of the A'raf:
May Allahhelp us to add more good deeds to our dossiers and blesses us an abode in Jannah. May we be saved from the torment of hell on that fateful day. Ameen
وَمَا عَلَيۡنَاۤ اِلَّا الۡبَلٰغُ الۡمُبِيۡنُ
(36:17) and our duty is no more than to clearly convey the Message.”
That is Our duty is only to convey to you the message that Allah has entrusted us with. Then it is for you to accept it or reject it. We have not been made responsible for making you accept it forcibly, and if you do not accept it, we shall not be seized in consequence of your disbelief, you will yourselves be answerable for your actions on Day of Resurrection.
May Allāh (سبحانه و تعالى) help us understand Qur'ān and follow the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, which is embodiment of commandments of Allah contained in the Qur'ān. May Allah help us to be like the ones He loves and let our lives be lived helping others and not making others' lives miserable or unlivable. May all our wrong doings, whether intentional or unintentional, be forgiven before the angel of death knocks on our door.
Reading the Qur'ān should be a daily obligation of a Muslim - Reading it with translation will make it meaningful. But reading its Exegesis / Tafsir will make you understand it fully. It will also help the Muslims to have grasp over social issues and their answers discussed in the Qur'an and other matter related to inter faith so that they are able to discuss issues with non-Muslims with authority based on refences from Qur'an.
May Allah forgive me if my posts ever imply a piety far greater than I possess. I am most in need of guidance.
Note: When we mention God in our posts, we mean One True God, we call Allah in Islam, with no associates. Allah is the Sole Creator of all things, and that Allah is all-powerful and all-knowing. Allah has no offspring, no race, no gender, no body, and is unaffected by the characteristics of human life.
Please refer to our reference page: Al-Qurʾān: Selected verses from Surah .7 Al-A'raf (The Heights) for more selected verses from Surah Al A'raf
Fore more selected verses from Al-Qurʾān Please refer to our Selected verses from Sūrahs of Qur'an to highlight important topics with detailed explanation and Reference Page on Understanding Al Qur'an for knowing more about Islam and Qur'an. You may also refer to our Reference Pages for knowing more about Islam and Quran.
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