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 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.
