سُوْرَةُ الْاَعْرَافِ
Surah Al-A'raaf (7) — Ayah 46
وَبَيْنَهُمَا حِجَابٌ ۚ وَعَلَى ٱلْأَعْرَافِ رِجَالٌ يَعْرِفُونَ كُلًّۢا بِسِيمَىٰهُمْ ۚ وَنَادَوْا۟ أَصْحَـٰبَ ٱلْجَنَّةِ أَن سَلَـٰمٌ عَلَيْكُمْ ۚ لَمْ يَدْخُلُوهَا وَهُمْ يَطْمَعُونَ ﴿46﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
And between them will be a (barrier) screen and on Al-A‘râf (a wall with elevated places) will be men (whose good and evil deeds would be equal in scale), who would recognise all (of the Paradise and Hell people), by their marks (the dwellers of Paradise by their white faces and the dwellers of Hell by their black faces), they will call out to the dwellers of Paradise, "Salâmun ‘Alaikum" (Peace be on you), and at that time they (men on Al-A‘râf) will not yet have entered it (Paradise), but they will hope to enter (it) with certainty.
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
وَبَيْنَهُمَا
wabaynahumā
And between them
حِجَابٌۭ ۚ
ḥijābun
(will be) a partition
وَعَلَى
waʿalā
and on
ٱلْأَعْرَافِ
l-aʿrāfi
the heights
رِجَالٌۭ
rijālun
(will be) men
يَعْرِفُونَ
yaʿrifūna
recognizing
كُلًّۢا
kullan
all
بِسِيمَىٰهُمْ ۚ
bisīmāhum
by their marks
وَنَادَوْا۟
wanādaw
And they will call out
أَصْحَـٰبَ
aṣḥāba
(to the) companions
ٱلْجَنَّةِ
l-janati
(of) Paradise
أَن
an
that
سَلَـٰمٌ
salāmun
Peace
عَلَيْكُمْ ۚ
ʿalaykum
(be) upon you
لَمْ
lam
Not
يَدْخُلُوهَا
yadkhulūhā
they have entered it
وَهُمْ
wahum
but they
يَطْمَعُونَ
yaṭmaʿūna
hope
Tafsir al-Quran al-Karim — Hafiz Abdus Salam Bin Muhammad Bhutvi
Tafsir al-Quran al-Karim is a 4-volume Quran commentary by Hafiz Abdus Salam bin Muhammad Bhutvi, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar and Sheikh ul-Hadith from Pakistan. Based on over 45 years of teaching and research, this tafsir follows the methodology of Tafsir bil-Ma'thur — interpreting the Quran through authentic Hadith, statements of the Companions, and the understanding of the early generations (Salaf). It is distinguished by its complete avoidance of Israeliyyat (Judeo-Christian narratives) and unverified reports. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
(Ayah 46) ➊ {وَ بَيْنَهُمَا حِجَابٌ:} is the wall that will be between Paradise and Hell, as mentioned elsewhere: «فَضُرِبَ بَيْنَهُمْ بِسُوْرٍ » [ الحدید : ۱۳ ] meaning a wall will be placed between the people of Paradise and the people of Hell, with Allah’s mercy on the inside and punishment on the outside. Shah Waliullah (may Allah have mercy on him) says: “And it is called A’raf.” That is, this wall is called “A’raf.” (Fathur Rahman)
➋ { وَ عَلَى الْاَعْرَافِ رِجَالٌ : ’’ الْاَعْرَافِ ‘‘} is the plural of {’’ عُرْفٌ‘‘}, and in language, {’’عَرَفَ يَعْرِفُ مَعْرِفَةً‘‘} means to recognize, and {’’ عُرْفٌ‘‘} means a high place, because a high thing is easily recognized due to its prominence. From this comes the term for a rooster’s comb and the hair on the high part of a horse’s neck, called {’’ عُرْفٌ‘‘}, because their height makes them distinct. Therefore, {’’ الْاَعْرَافِ ‘‘} refers to the heights of the wall between the people of Paradise and the people of Hell, where those who stay can see the people of Paradise on one side and the people of Hell on the other. Most commentators say this.
➌ The meaning of {يَعْرِفُوْنَ كُلًّۢا بِسِيْمٰىهُمْ: ’’ سِيْمَا ‘‘} is a sign, for example, the faces of the people of Paradise will be white and radiant, and the faces of the people of Hell will be black and dark, or the limbs of the Ummah of Muhammad (peace be upon him) will be shining due to ablution. There are several opinions among the commentators about who will be in {’’ الْاَعْرَافِ ‘‘}. Qurtubi has mentioned ten opinions; the most famous, which the majority of commentators have preferred due to the abundance of narrations, is that these will be the people whose good and bad deeds are equal, so they will be on the wall in between. One indication of this is the sentence: «لَمْ يَدْخُلُوْهَا وَ هُمْ يَطْمَعُوْنَ » “They have not yet entered Paradise, but they hope for it.”
➍ { وَ هُمْ يَطْمَعُوْنَ:} means they will hope to enter Paradise. This can have two meanings: one, that the people of A’raf have not yet entered Paradise, but hope that they will be granted Paradise in the future; second, that the people of A’raf will call out to those whose being among the people of Paradise is known by their signs, even though they have not yet entered Paradise because they are still occupied with the reckoning. (Ibn Kathir)
➎ It is mentioned in Ibn Kathir that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) was asked about the people of A’raf, and he said: “They are those who went out in disobedience to their parents and were killed in the way of Allah. Now, their disobedience to their parents prevented them from entering Paradise, and being killed in the way of Allah prevented them from entering the Fire.” Hafiz Ibn Kathir (may Allah have mercy on him) indicated the unreliability of these narrations by saying that only Allah knows the authenticity of the marfu’ narrations, and in the takhrij of Ibn Kathir, “Hidayat al-Mustaneer,” the unreliability of all these narrations has been explained in detail.
➋ { وَ عَلَى الْاَعْرَافِ رِجَالٌ : ’’ الْاَعْرَافِ ‘‘} is the plural of {’’ عُرْفٌ‘‘}, and in language, {’’عَرَفَ يَعْرِفُ مَعْرِفَةً‘‘} means to recognize, and {’’ عُرْفٌ‘‘} means a high place, because a high thing is easily recognized due to its prominence. From this comes the term for a rooster’s comb and the hair on the high part of a horse’s neck, called {’’ عُرْفٌ‘‘}, because their height makes them distinct. Therefore, {’’ الْاَعْرَافِ ‘‘} refers to the heights of the wall between the people of Paradise and the people of Hell, where those who stay can see the people of Paradise on one side and the people of Hell on the other. Most commentators say this.
➌ The meaning of {يَعْرِفُوْنَ كُلًّۢا بِسِيْمٰىهُمْ: ’’ سِيْمَا ‘‘} is a sign, for example, the faces of the people of Paradise will be white and radiant, and the faces of the people of Hell will be black and dark, or the limbs of the Ummah of Muhammad (peace be upon him) will be shining due to ablution. There are several opinions among the commentators about who will be in {’’ الْاَعْرَافِ ‘‘}. Qurtubi has mentioned ten opinions; the most famous, which the majority of commentators have preferred due to the abundance of narrations, is that these will be the people whose good and bad deeds are equal, so they will be on the wall in between. One indication of this is the sentence: «لَمْ يَدْخُلُوْهَا وَ هُمْ يَطْمَعُوْنَ » “They have not yet entered Paradise, but they hope for it.”
➍ { وَ هُمْ يَطْمَعُوْنَ:} means they will hope to enter Paradise. This can have two meanings: one, that the people of A’raf have not yet entered Paradise, but hope that they will be granted Paradise in the future; second, that the people of A’raf will call out to those whose being among the people of Paradise is known by their signs, even though they have not yet entered Paradise because they are still occupied with the reckoning. (Ibn Kathir)
➎ It is mentioned in Ibn Kathir that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) was asked about the people of A’raf, and he said: “They are those who went out in disobedience to their parents and were killed in the way of Allah. Now, their disobedience to their parents prevented them from entering Paradise, and being killed in the way of Allah prevented them from entering the Fire.” Hafiz Ibn Kathir (may Allah have mercy on him) indicated the unreliability of these narrations by saying that only Allah knows the authenticity of the marfu’ narrations, and in the takhrij of Ibn Kathir, “Hidayat al-Mustaneer,” the unreliability of all these narrations has been explained in detail.
Tafsir Ahsan al-Bayan — Hafiz Salahuddin Yusuf
Tafsir Ahsan al-Bayan is a well-known Quran commentary by Hafiz Salahuddin Yusuf, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar from Pakistan. This tafsir explains the meanings of the Quran in accordance with the methodology of the Salaf (early righteous generations), relying on authentic sources and straightforward language. Due to its reliability and adherence to sound Islamic scholarship, the Saudi government publishes and distributes this tafsir among the Hujjaj (pilgrims) visiting the Haramain. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
46. 1. By "between the two," it means between Paradise and Hell or between the disbelievers and the believers. حِجَاب (barrier) refers to the wall (fence) mentioned in Surah Hadid: (فَضُرِبَ بَيْنَهُمْ بِسُوْرٍ لَّهٗ بَابٌ) 57. Al-Hadid:13) So a wall will be erected between them, in which there will be a door; this is the wall of A'raf.
46. 2. Who will these be? There is considerable difference among the commentators regarding their identification. According to most commentators, these will be the people whose good deeds and bad deeds are equal. Their good deeds will prevent them from entering Hell, and their bad deeds will prevent them from entering Paradise, and thus, until a decisive judgment from Allah is made, they will remain suspended in between.
46. 3. The meaning of "seema" is sign. The faces of the people of Paradise will be bright, and the faces of the people of Hell will be dark and their eyes blue. In this way, they will recognize both types of people.
46. 4. Here, some have interpreted the meaning of یَطْمَعُوْنَ as یَعْلَمُوْن, meaning they will know that soon they will be admitted into Paradise.
46. 2. Who will these be? There is considerable difference among the commentators regarding their identification. According to most commentators, these will be the people whose good deeds and bad deeds are equal. Their good deeds will prevent them from entering Hell, and their bad deeds will prevent them from entering Paradise, and thus, until a decisive judgment from Allah is made, they will remain suspended in between.
46. 3. The meaning of "seema" is sign. The faces of the people of Paradise will be bright, and the faces of the people of Hell will be dark and their eyes blue. In this way, they will recognize both types of people.
46. 4. Here, some have interpreted the meaning of یَطْمَعُوْنَ as یَعْلَمُوْن, meaning they will know that soon they will be admitted into Paradise.
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran — Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran (Facilitation of the Quran) is a comprehensive Quran commentary by Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar from Pakistan. Known for his eloquent and accessible writing style, Kilani authored this tafsir with a focus on clarity — making Quranic meanings understandable to the common reader. The tafsir provides detailed historical context for verses related to battles and expeditions, and firmly refutes modernist ideologies using strong scriptural evidence. It is widely regarded as an invaluable resource for understanding the Quran and countering deviant interpretations. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
46. And between the people of Paradise and the people of Hell there will be a barrier [45], and on the Heights [46] will be men who recognize everyone by their marks. They will call out to the people of Paradise, "Peace be upon you." They themselves will not have entered Paradise, but they will be hoping for it [47].
[45]
What is A'raaf?
A'raaf is a barrier between Paradise and Hell. In Surah Hadid, this barrier is described in detail as a wall in which there will be a door; on its outer side there will be punishment and on its inner side mercy [57: 13]. That is, this wall will prevent the delights and joys of Paradise from reaching Hell, and will also prevent the hardships, flames, heat, and smoke of Hell from reaching Paradise.
[46]
A'raaf and the People of A'raaf:
Who are the companions of A'raaf? There are many opinions regarding this, among which the most preferred is that these will be the people whose good and bad deeds are equal. They will reside at this place; on one side will be the people of Paradise, whom they will recognize by their radiant faces, and on the other side will be the people of Hell, whom they will also recognize due to their blackened and dark complexions.
[47] Two meanings of this verse have been stated: one is that when the people who have entered Paradise are seen, the companions of A'raaf will say to them, "Peace be upon you," and the state of these companions of A'raaf will be that they too will be hoping to enter Paradise. The second meaning is that some people of Paradise will not yet have finished their reckoning, but the companions of A'raaf, seeing their radiant faces, will recognize that they are destined for Paradise, so after saying "Peace be upon you," they will give them the glad tidings of Paradise. And the state of those people still engaged in reckoning will be that, although they have not yet entered Paradise, they will certainly be hopeful of it.
The Vision of Allah in Paradise:
The conversation between the people of Paradise and the people of Hell, the conversation of the companions of A'raaf with them, recognizing them from afar and responding to their voices, and the conditions of the Day of Resurrection—these cannot be judged by present faculties and intellect. This is also supported by the saying of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, in which he said to the noble companions, "On that day you will see your Lord without any difficulty, just as you see the moon, and you will feel no obstruction" [بخاري۔ كتاب التوحيد باب __QUR_0__ 75۔ القيامة: 22], although in this world it is impossible to see Allah with the present eyes.
[45]
What is A'raaf?
A'raaf is a barrier between Paradise and Hell. In Surah Hadid, this barrier is described in detail as a wall in which there will be a door; on its outer side there will be punishment and on its inner side mercy [57: 13]. That is, this wall will prevent the delights and joys of Paradise from reaching Hell, and will also prevent the hardships, flames, heat, and smoke of Hell from reaching Paradise.
[46]
A'raaf and the People of A'raaf:
Who are the companions of A'raaf? There are many opinions regarding this, among which the most preferred is that these will be the people whose good and bad deeds are equal. They will reside at this place; on one side will be the people of Paradise, whom they will recognize by their radiant faces, and on the other side will be the people of Hell, whom they will also recognize due to their blackened and dark complexions.
[47] Two meanings of this verse have been stated: one is that when the people who have entered Paradise are seen, the companions of A'raaf will say to them, "Peace be upon you," and the state of these companions of A'raaf will be that they too will be hoping to enter Paradise. The second meaning is that some people of Paradise will not yet have finished their reckoning, but the companions of A'raaf, seeing their radiant faces, will recognize that they are destined for Paradise, so after saying "Peace be upon you," they will give them the glad tidings of Paradise. And the state of those people still engaged in reckoning will be that, although they have not yet entered Paradise, they will certainly be hopeful of it.
The Vision of Allah in Paradise:
The conversation between the people of Paradise and the people of Hell, the conversation of the companions of A'raaf with them, recognizing them from afar and responding to their voices, and the conditions of the Day of Resurrection—these cannot be judged by present faculties and intellect. This is also supported by the saying of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, in which he said to the noble companions, "On that day you will see your Lord without any difficulty, just as you see the moon, and you will feel no obstruction" [بخاري۔ كتاب التوحيد باب __QUR_0__ 75۔ القيامة: 22], although in this world it is impossible to see Allah with the present eyes.
