Surah Al-A'raaf (7) — Ayah 95

(Ayah 95) ➊ {ثُمَّ بَدَّلْنَا مَكَانَ السَّيِّئَةِ الْحَسَنَةَ … : ’’ عَفَوْا ‘‘ } This is the past tense, third person masculine plural from {’’عَفَا يَعْفُوْ‘‘}, meaning "they increased." The meaning of the form "af‘ala" is "to increase," as He said: [ أَعْفُوا اللِّحَی ] [ بخاری، اللباس، باب إعفاء اللحی : ۵۸۹۳] "Let the beards grow." But when they did not do so, We replaced their adversity with prosperity and gave them a chance to turn back, granting them abundance instead of famine and health instead of illness. Their population increased greatly and wealth flowed abundantly, but instead of being grateful for these blessings and believing in the Messenger of their Lord, they forgot the previous hardship and did not value these blessings either. They said, "If we were afflicted by famine and other calamities, it was merely due to the turns of time, not because of our own misdeeds. This is how the world works; circumstances change with the seasons—sometimes illness, sometimes health, sometimes prosperity, sometimes adversity, etc. These situations did not only happen to us but also to our forefathers, but they soon passed as well. Human actions have nothing to do with such occurrences." Nowadays, some Muslims also make such explanations.

➋ {فَاَخَذْنٰهُمْ بَغْتَةً وَّ هُمْ لَا يَشْعُرُوْنَ:} That is, when they forgot Allah in this way, suddenly Allah's wrath descended and such a punishment came that in an instant all were annihilated. After these nations, the mention of Pharaoh and Musa (peace be upon him) is coming; Pharaoh's people were seized by hardship and distress multiple times, such as the flood, locusts, and lice, etc., but when they did not change their attitude, a sudden punishment came like the previous nations and they were drowned in the sea. In contrast, believers are grateful in prosperity and patient in adversity, as the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The affair of the believer is amazing, for all his affairs are good, and this is for no one except the believer. If happiness comes to him, he is grateful and that is better for him, and if hardship befalls him, he is patient and that is better for him." [ مسلم، الزھد، باب المؤمن أمرہ کلہ خیر: ۲۹۹۹ ] In the explanation of this verse, Shah Abdul Qadir (may Allah have mercy on him) writes: "When a servant is punished for sin in this world, there is hope that he will repent, but when the sin is met with favor (in accordance), this is a delusion from Allah, then there is fear of destruction, like if someone eats poison and vomits it out, there is hope, but if it is digested, then the end is near." (Mawduh)

95. 1. That is, poverty and illness were replaced with health and well-being, even though there was no inclination within them to turn towards Allah. So We changed their hardship to prosperity and their sickness to health and well-being so that they might give thanks to Allah for it. But even this change in their condition brought no transformation within them, and they said, "This has always been happening." Then We suddenly seized them with Our punishment. For this reason, the hadith describes the situation of the believers as the opposite: when they receive comfort and ease, they give thanks to Allah, and when they are afflicted with hardship, they show patience. Thus, both conditions become a source of goodness and reward for them.

The tafsir of this ayah is included with the following verse(s).