The following 170th verse from Surah 7. Al A'raf brings good tidings to those mentioned above;
The Verse
وَالَّذِيۡنَ يُمَسِّكُوۡنَ بِالۡـكِتٰبِ وَاَقَامُوا الصَّلٰوةَ ؕ اِنَّا لَا نُضِيۡعُ اَجۡرَ الۡمُصۡلِحِيۡنَ
(7:170) Those who hold fast to the Book and establish Prayer - We shall not allow the reward of such righteous men to go to waste.
Let us see the context from the previous verses from the Surah and expand its meaning with refference to similar verses from Al Qur'an and Hadiths of Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم:
Context in Surah Al-A‘rāf
- The previous verses (7:168–169) talk about the Children of Israel — how some followed Allah’s commands, while others became negligent.
- Clear criticism of those who have given their pledges through the Scriptures and who have studied them thoroughly is implied. That is because they do not hold fast to the Scriptures they studied, and do not implement their teachings, or refer to them in formulating their concepts and deciding their behaviour. However, this verse remains general in its import, addressing all generations and all situations.
- Verse 170 shifts to praising those who cling firmly to Allah’s revealed Book and maintain regular prayer.
- It’s a universal principle — not limited to Israel — that applies to all who uphold Allah’s guidance.
Key Phrases
- "Hold fast to the Book":
- The very expression, “hold fast to the Scriptures”, gives a vivid image that we can almost see and feel. It is the image of holding the book with strength and seriousness. This is how God likes His book to be approached, without rigidity or narrow- mindedness. Strength and seriousness are totally different from rigidity and narrow- mindedness. They are not opposed to ease, broad vision and compatibility with day- to-day life, but they are opposed to looseness, carelessness, and giving human practices precedence over God’s law. Indeed, what people do must always be subject to God’s law.
- Holding fast with strength and seriousness to what God has revealed and attending regularly to prayers, which is here a reference to all aspects of worship, are the twin essential factors of the divine method that aims at setting human life on the right footing. The way this Qur’ānic verse clearly links holding fast to the Scriptures with attending to worship is significant. It shows that implementing divine revelations in human life gives it the right basis, and that proper worship reforms human rights. Thus, the two operate in everyday life as well as in human hearts and set them both aright.
- "Establish prayer"
- We should protect our prayer (ṣalāh) and establish it at the appropriate timings of the day and night because the Qur’an and Sunnah make it clear that it is the pillar of our faith, the first deed to be accounted for, and the lifeline between us and Allah.
- Allah does not just tell us to pray — He tells us to protect it: “Guard strictly the prayers, especially the middle prayer, and stand before Allah with devotion.” (2:238)
- “And those who carefully maintain their prayer — they will be in gardens, honored.” (70:34–35)
- It should be ensured that Praying is with khushū‘ (focus and humility), and following the correct form as taught by the Prophet ﷺ.
- Establishment of prayer is also the Barrier Against Sin: Allah says: “Indeed, prayer restrains from shameful and unjust deeds…” (29:45)
- Establishment of prayer is a constant connection with Allah. Five daily prayers keep the believer constantly connected to Allah, refocusing the heart multiple times a day. Protecting prayer is protecting that spiritual lifeline.
- "We will not waste the reward" → Allah guarantees that the efforts of sincere reformers will always bear fruit, even if unseen in this life.
Related Qur’anic Verses
- a) Holding Fast to the Book
- “And hold firmly to the rope of Allah all together and do not become divided.” (3:103)
- "Rope of Allah" is explained by scholars as the Qur’an and Islam.
- “And this is a Book We have revealed, blessed, so follow it and fear Allah that you may receive mercy.” (6:155)
- b) Establishing Prayer
- “…and establish prayer and give zakah, and whatever good you put forward for yourselves – you will find it with Allah.” (2:110)
- “…and establish prayer; indeed, prayer prohibits immorality and wrongdoing, and the remembrance of Allah is greater.” (29:45)
- c) Reward Not Wasted
- “Indeed, We do not allow to be lost the reward of the doers of good.” (18:30)
- “Whoever does righteousness, whether male or female, while he is a believer – We will surely cause him to live a good life…” (16:97)
Supporting Hadiths
- a) On Holding to Qur’an and Sunnah
- The Prophet ﷺ said: “I am leaving among you two things, you will never go astray as long as you hold fast to them: the Book of Allah and my Sunnah.”
- This is the moot point of the farewell address of Prophet ﷺ at the occasion of Hajj in the year 10 AH, which corresponds to 632 CE. This historic pilgrimage is known as the Farewell Pilgrimage (Hajjat al-Wida) and included his final sermon, establishing the foundational rites of Hajj.
- b) On the Reward of Good Deeds
- The Prophet ﷺ said: “Allah does not wrong the believer with regard to his good deeds. He will be granted provision in this world and rewarded in the Hereafter…” (Muslim 2588)
Lessons & Relevance Today
- Foundation of Righteous Reform → True societal reform starts with commitment to divine guidance (Qur’an) and regular prayer.
- No Effort is Lost → Even if reforms are not recognized by people, Allah preserves the reward.
- Balance of Belief and Action → Faith must be coupled with action — holding the Book in one hand and prayer in the other.
- Protection from Deviation → Consistency in these two deeds shields from corruption in faith and morals.
Today, most of us have distanced ourselves from understanding the Divine guidance given in Al Qur'an and are too engrossed in earning our bread and butter due to which we miss prayers or even if we do offer prayers, we want to hurry it off or useless thoughts keep floating in our mind. Unless we seek guidance from Qur'an in all matters of our lives and keep getting connected to Allah through prayers five times a day, our life remains useless.
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.
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 Allah forgive me if my posts ever imply a piety far greater than I possess. I am most in need of guidance.
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.
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 exclusive reference page: Selected verses from Surah 7 Al A'raf for verses from this Surah.
You may also refer to our exclusive reference page: Selected verses from selected Surahs of Al-Qurʾān for compiled verses from other surahs.
For more Selected Subjects, please refer to our reference page: Selected Verses from Al Qur'an about a Specific Subject (Reference Page) to know more about what Qur'an says about specific subjects and our reference page: Selected Verses from the Qur'an. .
An effort has been made to gather explanation / exegesis of the surahs and selected verses of Al-Qurʾān from authentic sources and then present a least possible condensed explanation of the surah. In that the exegesis of the chapters of the Quran is mainly based on the "Tafhim al-Qur'an - The Meaning of the Qur'an" by one of the most enlightened scholars of the Muslim World Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi.
In addition, other sources which have been explored and views of other scholars have been incorporated while explaining meaning of a verse. Those desirous of detailed explanations and tafsir (exegesis), may refer to these sites. For expansion of meaning and themes / contextual background help from ChatGPT is also taken.
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