سُوْرَةُ الْاَعْرَافِ

Surah Al-A'raaf (7) — Ayah 146

The Heights · Meccan · Juz 9 · Page 168

سَأَصْرِفُ عَنْ ءَايَـٰتِىَ ٱلَّذِينَ يَتَكَبَّرُونَ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ بِغَيْرِ ٱلْحَقِّ وَإِن يَرَوْا۟ كُلَّ ءَايَةٍ لَّا يُؤْمِنُوا۟ بِهَا وَإِن يَرَوْا۟ سَبِيلَ ٱلرُّشْدِ لَا يَتَّخِذُوهُ سَبِيلًا وَإِن يَرَوْا۟ سَبِيلَ ٱلْغَىِّ يَتَّخِذُوهُ سَبِيلًا ۚ ذَٰلِكَ بِأَنَّهُمْ كَذَّبُوا۟ بِـَٔايَـٰتِنَا وَكَانُوا۟ عَنْهَا غَـٰفِلِينَ ﴿146﴾
I shall turn away from My Ayât (verses of the Qur’ân) those who behave arrogantly on the earth, without a right, and (even) if they see all the Ayât (proofs, evidence, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.), they will not believe in them. And if they see the way of righteousness (monotheism, piety, and good deeds), they will not adopt it as the Way, but if they see the way of error (polytheism, crimes and evil deeds), they will adopt that way, that is because they have rejected Our Ayât (proofs, evidence, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.) and were heedless (to learn a lesson) from them.
سَأَصْرِفُ sa-aṣrifu I will turn away
عَنْ ʿan from
ءَايَـٰتِىَ āyātiya My Signs
ٱلَّذِينَ alladhīna those who
يَتَكَبَّرُونَ yatakabbarūna are arrogant
فِى in
ٱلْأَرْضِ l-arḍi the earth
بِغَيْرِ bighayri without
ٱلْحَقِّ l-ḥaqi [the] right
وَإِن wa-in and if
يَرَوْا۟ yaraw they see
كُلَّ kulla every
ءَايَةٍۢ āyatin sign
لَّا not
يُؤْمِنُوا۟ yu'minū (will) they believe
بِهَا bihā in it
وَإِن wa-in And if
يَرَوْا۟ yaraw they see
سَبِيلَ sabīla (the) way
ٱلرُّشْدِ l-rush'di (of) the righteousness
لَا not
يَتَّخِذُوهُ yattakhidhūhu (will) they take it
سَبِيلًۭا sabīlan (as) a way
وَإِن wa-in but if
يَرَوْا۟ yaraw they see
سَبِيلَ sabīla (the) way
ٱلْغَىِّ l-ghayi (of) [the] error
يَتَّخِذُوهُ yattakhidhūhu they will take it
سَبِيلًۭا ۚ sabīlan (as) a way
ذَٰلِكَ dhālika That
بِأَنَّهُمْ bi-annahum (is) because they
كَذَّبُوا۟ kadhabū denied
بِـَٔايَـٰتِنَا biāyātinā Our Signs
وَكَانُوا۟ wakānū and they were
عَنْهَا ʿanhā of them
غَـٰفِلِينَ ghāfilīna heedless

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 146) ➊ { سَاَصْرِفُ عَنْ اٰيٰتِيَ …:} The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "That person will not enter Paradise who has even a mustard seed's weight of arrogance in his heart." A man said: "A person likes that his clothes are good and his shoes are good (is this also arrogance)?" He (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "Indeed, Allah is beautiful and loves beauty. Arrogance is to reject the truth out of pride and to consider people insignificant and worthless." [ مسلم، الإیمان، باب تحریم الکبر و بیانہ : ۹۱، عن ابن مسعود رضی اللہ عنہ ] From this it is understood that those who, after hearing the verses of Allah, do not accept the truth due to their pride and sense of superiority, Allah also turns them away from accepting His verses. Here it is said: "I will turn away from My verses those..." meaning, I will punish them in such a way that they will not be able to understand My greatness, Shariah, and commands, and then, due to remaining ignorant, they will be humiliated in both this world and the Hereafter. (Also see Al-An'am: 110) Therefore, some of the Salaf have said: "An arrogant person cannot acquire knowledge, and whoever cannot bear the humiliation of seeking knowledge for even an hour, he remains ignorant and takes on everlasting humiliation." (Ibn Kathir) From the words of {’’ بِغَيْرِ الْحَقِّ ‘‘} it is understood that where it is appropriate, showing greatness is permissible, for example, in the battlefield against the disbelievers, Allah loves even a proud gait, which in ordinary circumstances He greatly dislikes.

{ وَ كَانُوْا عَنْهَا غٰفِلِيْنَ: } That is, all this will be a punishment for what they themselves have done, as it is said in another verse: «{ فَلَمَّا زَاغُوْۤا اَزَاغَ اللّٰهُ قُلُوْبَهُمْ [ الصف : ۵ ] "When they deviated, Allah caused their hearts to deviate." Shah Abdul Qadir (may Allah have mercy on him) writes: "After giving the tablets, it was also said that the nation should be bound to act, and it was also said that those who are unjust and not seekers of truth, I will turn their hearts away, they will not act upon it, that is, they will not be granted the ability to act upon these commands, and whatever they do with their own intellect will not be accepted." (Muwadhih)