Surah Al-A'raaf (7) — Ayah 145

(Ayah 145) ➊ {وَ كَتَبْنَا لَهٗ فِي الْاَلْوَاحِ مِنْ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ … :} means all the beliefs, rulings, and advice which the Children of Israel might need to know regarding what is lawful and unlawful and other matters of religion. The word { ’’ كُلّ ‘‘ } is determined by the context, for example, regarding the Queen of Sheba it is mentioned: «{ وَ اُوْتِيَتْ مِنْ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ }» [ النمل : ۲۳ ] "And she has been given a share of everything." And regarding the wind that came upon the people of ‘Ad, it is said: «{ تُدَمِّرُ كُلَّ شَيْءٍۭ بِاَمْرِ رَبِّهَا }» [ الأحقاف : ۲۵ ] "Which will destroy everything by the command of its Lord." Whereas it is clear that neither was the Queen of Sheba given everything in the universe, nor did that wind destroy everything in the universe.

➋ {فَخُذْهَا بِقُوَّةٍ:} means hold it with strength. Mujahid said: Act upon whatever is in it. [ بخاری، التفسیر، قبل ح : ۴۴۷۷ ]

➌ Musa (peace be upon him) received the Book after forty days of seclusion, whereas before that, Pharaoh and his people had already been destroyed due to their denial of the messengership of Musa (peace be upon him) and his commands, and until that time Musa (peace be upon him) had not received any Book. For about forty years, the revelation that came down was the hadith of Musa (peace be upon him), and it was due to the denial of this that Pharaoh was drowned. Similarly, two types of revelation were sent down to our Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): one is the Book of Allah and the other is the Hadith. Just as one who denies the Book of Allah is not a Muslim, likewise, one who does not accept the Hadith of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) is also a disbeliever, because both types of revelation were sent down to him (peace and blessings be upon him) just as to the previous prophets. See Surah An-Nisa (163 to 165) from the benefits of Maulana Muhammad Ismail Salafi (may Allah have mercy on him).

➍ {وَ اْمُرْ قَوْمَكَ يَاْخُذُوْا بِاَحْسَنِهَا:} "Its best teachings" means those which are commanded to be done, and the bad things are those which are forbidden. (Muwaddih) Or, instead of taking the concession, choose the strictest option, which is the best and whose reward is greater, or if out of two actions one is good and the other is even better, then strive to act upon the best, for example, taking retribution or forgiving, taking revenge or being patient and forgiving, giving respite in collecting a debt or waiving it, etc. Although both are good, strive to act upon the best.

➎ {سَاُورِيْكُمْ دَارَ الْفٰسِقِيْنَ:} means I will show you the home of the defiantly disobedient, that is, I will take you back to the homes of Pharaoh and his people in Egypt, even if after some time, as later the Children of Israel were made owners of Pharaoh’s gardens and treasures. See the footnotes of Surah Al-A’raf (137). Ustadh Muhammad Abduh (may Allah have mercy on him) wrote: That is, if you do not act upon these things, you will soon know what the outcome is for those who disobey Me and what kind of destruction and ruin they face (as if {’’ دَارَ الْفٰسِقِيْنَ ‘‘} refers to Hell). (Ibn Jarir) Some have written that {’’ دَارَ الْفٰسِقِيْنَ ‘‘} refers to the people of Sham, as if there is a promise that the land of Sham will come under your control. (Kabir) Or that if you disobey, We will humiliate you just as the land of Sham was taken from them and given to you. (Muwaddih)

145. 1. It is as if the Torah was given in the form of tablets, in which there was a complete detail of religious rulings, commands and prohibitions, encouragement and warning for them.

145. 2. That is, do not always be in search of concessions, as is the case with those who seek ease.

145. 3. By "place (abode)" is meant the ultimate end, which is destruction, or it means that I will grant you rulership over the land of the transgressors, and by this is meant the land of Shaam, over which at that time the Amalekites ruled, who were disobedient to Allah. (Ibn Kathir)

145. And We wrote for him on the tablets [140] advice of every kind and detailed explanation of all things, and (commanded): "Hold fast to them with firmness, and command your people to hold fast to what is best in them." [141] Soon I will show you the home of the rebellious [142].

[140]
The Tablets of the Torah:

Some scholars say that the Torah was written on these very tablets, while others say that only a few comprehensive and fundamental commandments were written on these tablets, and the Torah was revealed to him later. Allah Almighty has attributed the book on these tablets to Himself. It could not be determined how many tablets there were. The same commandments are mentioned in these tablets as are mentioned in verses 151 and 152 of Surah Al-An'am, and including the command of honoring the Sabbath, these become ten commandments.

[141]
Meanings of "Ahsan":

The word "bi-ahsaniha" in the Quran can have two meanings. One is the same as mentioned in the translation, that is, do not act upon them half-heartedly or considering them useless, but rather act upon these commandments with utmost willingness, enthusiasm, and seeking Allah's pleasure in the best manner. The second meaning is that the meaning of the phrase written on these tablets that immediately comes to the mind of a person of sound nature, act upon that; do not subject the wording of these commandments to philosophical hair-splitting, nor become engaged in convoluted interpretations.

[142] This sentence also has two meanings. One is that you people are now going towards Syria; on the way, you will pass by the ancient ruins of many destroyed nations, from which you will come to know what the fate of the nations who disobeyed Allah was. The second meaning is that "the abode of the transgressors" refers to the homes of the Amalekites in the land of Syria, against whom the Children of Israel were being told to wage jihad. According to this meaning, this sentence serves as a glad tiding of victory for them.