Sūrat al-Aʿrāf
Section 20 of 25 · Surah Studies · Mufti Abdul Rahman Mangera
The Unlettered Prophet, Written in the Torah and the Injīl
Allah (swt) says in verse 157:
ٱلَّذِينَ يَتَّبِعُونَ ٱلرَّسُولَ ٱلنَّبِىَّ ٱلْأُمِّىَّ ٱلَّذِى يَجِدُونَهُۥ مَكْتُوبًا عِندَهُمْ فِى ٱلتَّوْرَىٰةِ وَٱلْإِنجِيلِ يَأْمُرُهُم بِٱلْمَعْرُوفِ وَيَنْهَىٰهُمْ عَنِ ٱلْمُنكَرِ وَيُحِلُّ لَهُمُ ٱلطَّيِّبَـٰتِ وَيُحَرِّمُ عَلَيْهِمُ ٱلْخَبَـٰٓئِثَ وَيَضَعُ عَنْهُمْ إِصْرَهُمْ وَٱلْأَغْلَـٰلَ ٱلَّتِى كَانَتْ عَلَيْهِمْ ۚ فَٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ بِهِۦ وَعَزَّرُوهُ وَنَصَرُوهُ وَٱتَّبَعُوا۟ ٱلنُّورَ ٱلَّذِىٓ أُنزِلَ مَعَهُۥٓ ۙ أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلْمُفْلِحُونَ
“those who follow the Messenger, the Ummiyy (unlettered) prophet whom they find written with them in the Torah and the Injīl , and who bids them what is fair and forbids what is unfair, and makes lawful for them good things, and makes unlawful for them impure things, and relieves them of their burden, and of the shackles that were upon them. So, those who believe in him and support him, and help him and follow the light sent down with him, - those are the ones who are successful.”” (7:157)
Alladhīna yattabiʿūna al-rasūla al-nabiyya al-ummiyya alladhī yajidūnahu maktūban ʿindahum fī al-Tawrāti wa-l-Injīl: those who follow the Messenger, the Prophet, the Unlettered One, whom they find written among them, in what they have, in the Torah and the Injīl. And again: yaʾmuruhum bi-l-maʿrūfi wa-yanhāhum ʿani al-munkar. He enjoins the right and forbids the wrong; he makes lawful to them all good and pure things and forbids them what is vile; and he removes the burdens that lay upon them before. Those who follow him will be successful. So Allah (swt), in the next verse, 158, commands the Prophet (peace be upon him) to declare:
قُلْ يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلنَّاسُ إِنِّى رَسُولُ ٱللَّهِ إِلَيْكُمْ جَمِيعًا ٱلَّذِى لَهُۥ مُلْكُ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ ۖ لَآ إِلَـٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ يُحْىِۦ وَيُمِيتُ ۖ فَـَٔامِنُوا۟ بِٱللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ ٱلنَّبِىِّ ٱلْأُمِّىِّ ٱلَّذِى يُؤْمِنُ بِٱللَّهِ وَكَلِمَـٰتِهِۦ وَٱتَّبِعُوهُ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَهْتَدُونَ
“(O Prophet Muhammad) Say, “O people, I am a messenger of Allah (sent) to you from the One to whom belongs the kingdom of the heavens and the earth. There is no god but He. He gives life and brings death. So, believe in Allah and His Messenger, the Ummiyy (unlettered) prophet, who believes in Allah and in His words, and follow him, so that you may find the right path.”” (7:158)
Yā ayyuhā al-nāsu innī rasūlu Allāhi ilaykum jamīʿā: O people, a messenger to you all — alladhī lahu mulku al-samāwāti wa-l-arḍ — from Allah: the messenger of Allah, to whom belongs all that is in the heavens and the earth. There is no god but He. Fa-āminū bi-llāhi wa-rasūlihi al-nabiyyi al-ummiyyi alladhī yuʾminu bi-llāhi wa-kalimātih. Allah then praises those few of the ummah of Mūsā (peace be upon him) who were just:
وَمِن قَوْمِ مُوسَىٰٓ أُمَّةٌ يَهْدُونَ بِٱلْحَقِّ وَبِهِۦ يَعْدِلُونَ
“Among the community of Mūsā there are people who guide with truth and do justice thereby.” (7:159)
Wa-min qawmi Mūsā ummatun yahdūna bi-l-ḥaqqi wa-bihi yaʿdilūn — verse 159. Allah then mentions the other bounties He gave them while they went about that valley for forty years on their way to the holy lands. They needed water, and Allah (swt) tells them:
وَقَطَّعْنَـٰهُمُ ٱثْنَتَىْ عَشْرَةَ أَسْبَاطًا أُمَمًا ۚ وَأَوْحَيْنَآ إِلَىٰ مُوسَىٰٓ إِذِ ٱسْتَسْقَىٰهُ قَوْمُهُۥٓ أَنِ ٱضْرِب بِّعَصَاكَ ٱلْحَجَرَ ۖ فَٱنۢبَجَسَتْ مِنْهُ ٱثْنَتَا عَشْرَةَ عَيْنًا ۖ قَدْ عَلِمَ كُلُّ أُنَاسٍ مَّشْرَبَهُمْ ۚ وَظَلَّلْنَا عَلَيْهِمُ ٱلْغَمَـٰمَ وَأَنزَلْنَا عَلَيْهِمُ ٱلْمَنَّ وَٱلسَّلْوَىٰ ۖ كُلُوا۟ مِن طَيِّبَـٰتِ مَا رَزَقْنَـٰكُمْ ۚ وَمَا ظَلَمُونَا وَلَـٰكِن كَانُوٓا۟ أَنفُسَهُمْ يَظْلِمُونَ
“And We divided them into twelve tribes, as separate communities, and We revealed to Mūsā when his people asked him for water, “Strike the rock with your staff.” Then twelve springs gushed forth from it. Each tribe came to know their drinking place. We shaded them with the shadow of the clouds. And We sent down to them Mann and Salwā (saying), “Eat of the good things we have provided you.” And they did us no harm, rather they have been harming their own selves.” (7:160)
Wa-awḥaynā ilā Mūsā idhi stasqāhu qawmuhu ani ḍrib bi-ʿaṣāka al-ḥajar: strike the stone with your staff. And from it twelve streams flowed, one for each tribe. No disputes: this is for your tribe, and this for yours, and this for yours. And then, wa-ẓallalnā ʿalayhimu al-ghamām: it was hot and scorching, so Allah gave them clouds, sending clouds to shelter them. It is a punishment, and yet He protects them. Then they needed food, and they were given mann and salwā. And when they had a difficulty with the mann and salwā — growing weary of it — they said: no, we want the daal, the lentils, and the onions, and the rest. We are sick of this divine food. As has been seen, it was a constant matter. Then they were told to enter a certain place and to dwell there, and were told: go in, but say ḥiṭṭah:
وَإِذْ قِيلَ لَهُمُ ٱسْكُنُوا۟ هَـٰذِهِ ٱلْقَرْيَةَ وَكُلُوا۟ مِنْهَا حَيْثُ شِئْتُمْ وَقُولُوا۟ حِطَّةٌ وَٱدْخُلُوا۟ ٱلْبَابَ سُجَّدًا نَّغْفِرْ لَكُمْ خَطِيٓـَٔـٰتِكُمْ ۚ سَنَزِيدُ ٱلْمُحْسِنِينَ
“(Recall) when it was said to them, “Live in this town and eat therefrom anywhere you like, and say, HiTTah (we seek forgiveness) and enter the gate prostrating yourselves, so that We forgive your errors. We shall give much more to those who are good in their deeds.”” (7:161)
Wa-qūlū ḥiṭṭah: say ḥiṭṭah, which means forgiveness of sins. Enter, then, seeking forgiveness of sins, and enter prostrate and humble. And what they did is mentioned in verse 162:
فَبَدَّلَ ٱلَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا۟ مِنْهُمْ قَوْلًا غَيْرَ ٱلَّذِى قِيلَ لَهُمْ فَأَرْسَلْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ رِجْزًا مِّنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ بِمَا كَانُوا۟ يَظْلِمُونَ
“But those of them who were unjust substituted another word for the one that was said to them. So, We sent down upon them a scourge from the heavens, because they had been transgressing.” (7:162)
Fa-baddala alladhīna ẓalamū minhum qawlan ghayra alladhī qīla lahum. Instead of doing so, they did not enter humbly, and said ḥinṭah instead — they said, in effect, "wheat". They altered the word, and entered the other way about. And after that We punish them. Thereafter Allah (swt) speaks — it is a long discussion of Mūsā (peace be upon him) and his people, from which we are to benefit.