Greed n Hoarding
7. Surah al-Araf
The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:
وَبَيْنَهُمَا
حِجَابٌ...
7: 46. Between them shall be a veil,
...وَعَلَى الأَعْرَافِ رِجَالٌ يَعْرِفُونَ كُلاًّ بِسِيمَاهُمْ...
and on the heights will be men who would know everyone by his marks:
C1025. This is a difficult passage, and Commentators have interpreted it in different ways. Three distinct schools of thought may be discerned in the interpretation.
1. One school thinks that the men on the Heights are angels, or such men of exalted spiritual dignity (e.g., the great prophets), as will be able to know the souls at sight as regards their real worth:
the Heights will be their exalted stations, from which they will welcome the righteous with a salutation of peace, even before the righteous have entered heaven; the salutation of peace being itself an assurance of salvation to those whom they salute.
2. Another school of thought thinks that the men on the Heights are such souls as are not decidedly on the side of merit or decidedly on the side of sin, but evenly balanced on a partition between heaven and hell.
Their case is yet to be decided, but their salutation to the righteous is a wistful salutation, because they hope for Allah's Mercy.
3. The third line of interpretation, with which I agree, is close to the first, with this exception, that the partition and the Heights are figurative. The higher souls will rejoice at the approaching salvation of the righteous.
...وَنَادَوْاْ أَصْحَابَ الْجَنَّةِ أَن سَلاَمٌ عَلَيْكُمْ...
they will call out to the companions of the garden, "Peace on you"
...لَمْ يَدْخُلُوهَا وَهُمْ يَطْمَعُونَ ﴿٤٦﴾
they will not have entered, but they will have an assurance (thereof).
وَإِذَا
صُرِفَتْ
أَبْصَارُهُمْ
تِلْقَاء
أَصْحَابِ
النَّارِ...
7: 47. When their eyes shall be turned towards the companions of the fire,
C1026. Their eyes: according to interpretation 2 of the last note, "their" would refer to the people whose fate has not yet been decided, and the speech would be theirs;
according to interpretations 1 and 3 in that note, "their" would refer to the Companions of the Garden, who would realise the terrible nature of hell, and express their horror of it. I prefer the latter.
Then the mention of the "men on the Heights" and their speech in verse 48 comes in naturally as a different kind of speech from a different kind of men.
...قَالُواْ رَبَّنَا لاَ تَجْعَلْنَا مَعَ الْقَوْمِ الظَّالِمِينَ ﴿٤٧﴾
they will say: "Our Lord! send us not to the company of the wrongdoers."
وَنَادَى
أَصْحَابُ
الأَعْرَافِ
رِجَالاً
يَعْرِفُونَهُمْ
بِسِيمَاهُمْ...
7: 48. The men on the heights will call to certain men whom they will know from their marks,
...قَالُواْ مَا أَغْنَى عَنكُمْ جَمْعُكُمْ وَمَا كُنتُمْ تَسْتَكْبِرُونَ ﴿٤٨﴾
saying: "Of what profit to you were you hoards and your arrogant ways?
C1027. This speech is in three parts:
1. the last lines of this verse are addressed to the Companions of the Fire, reminding them (as a bench of judges might speak to a prisoner) of the futility of their wealth and riches and arrogance in their earthly life:
2. the second part, in the first half of verse 49, recalls to their minds how false was their contempt of the good but lowly men who are now to be the inheritors of heaven: and
3. the latter part of verse 49, "enter ye the Garden" is addressed to the Blessed, to give them a welcome to their state of felicity.
أَهَـؤُلاء
الَّذِينَ
أَقْسَمْتُمْ
لاَ
يَنَالُهُمُ
اللّهُ
بِرَحْمَةٍ...
49. "Behold! are these not the men whom you swore that Allah with His mercy would never bless?
...ادْخُلُواْ الْجَنَّةَ لاَ خَوْفٌ عَلَيْكُمْ وَلاَ أَنتُمْ تَحْزَنُونَ ﴿٤٩﴾
Enter ye the garden:
no fear shall be on you, nor shall ye grieve."
وَنَادَى
أَصْحَابُ
النَّارِ
أَصْحَابَ
الْجَنَّةِ
أَنْ
أَفِيضُواْ
عَلَيْنَا
مِنَ
الْمَاء
أَوْ
مِمَّا
رَزَقَكُمُ
اللّهُ...
7: 50. The companions of the fire will call to the companions of the garden;
"Pour down to us water or anything that Allah doth provide for your sustenance."
...قَالُواْ إِنَّ اللّهَ حَرَّمَهُمَا عَلَى الْكَافِرِينَ ﴿٥٠﴾
They will say:
"Both these things hath Allah forbidden to those who rejected Him.
C1028. The Companions of the Fire will thirst for water and not get it, and for sustenance which will not be theirs, while the Companions of the Garden will have the crystal waters of the springs and rivers and they will enjoy the bliss of Allah's Countenance, which will be their supreme nourishment and the fruit of their life of probation and seeking. These things will not be transferable.
Cf. also 37:41-47, 62-67. (R).
Asad’s Version:
7:48 And they who .....faculty of discernment :What has your amassing [of wealth] availed you, and all the false pride of your past?
7: 50 And the inmates of the fire will call out unto the inmates of paradise: “Pour some water upon us,......will reply: “Verily, God has denied both to those who have denied the truth-“ Ali
7: 46-47 Between them shall be a veil, and on the Heights will be men who would know each by his marks...........Ali
7: 48 The men on the Heights ..........”Of what profit to you were your hoards and your arrogant ways?” Ali