Surah Al Araf: The People in Between | Divine Reminders with Mufti Abdul Wahab Waheed

Surah Al-A'raf: The People in Between

Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh. Hope everyone is doing well. InshAllah enjoying their 8th fast or the 9th fast, and hopefully you guys are getting through the days of fasting with ease. May Allah protect us and allow us to be in the nights of the month of Ramadan.

Bismillah Al-Rahman Al-Raheem. Today we begin the recitation of Surah Al-A'raf and complete the recitation of Surah Al-An'am. Yesterday we spoke about Surah Al-An'am, a few verses from it, and a general theme. Today I will begin speaking about a passage that Allah highlights in Surah Al-A'raf.

The Story of the People of Al-A'raf

There are many verses and themes that we can connect to, but the highlight of this surah for me is the actual story of the people of Al-A'raf. The surah is called Al-A'raf and there is an entire passage where Allah gives us a sneak peek into a conversation of the akhira. I find that to be extremely intriguing — that Allah gives us a preview of a discussion that will take place in the future. We know what will happen because Allah has said it, and there is no one أَصْدَقُ مِنَ اللهِ حَدِيثًا — there is no one more truthful than Allah. So Allah tells us about a conversation that will happen in the future, in the akhira, and there is no doubt that it will take place.

Three Groups in the Akhira

This conversation takes place between three groups of people that Allah references in this story. When the people of Jannah enter Jannah, one of the greatest blessings they receive is that Allah will take any form of animosity, jealousy, and hatred out of their hearts:

Any form of hatred and animosity that they had in this world would be automatically and instantly extracted from their hearts. So now:

The only thing that they will be saying, the only thing they will be speaking about, will be Salaam — they will be sending peace and love to each other.

The People of Jannah Speak to the People of Jahannam

Allah continues and says:

This is a passage that has been extremely and meticulously explained in the books of Tafsir. We don't have too much time to go into each word and each detail, but just a general understanding: the people of Jannah will speak to the people of Jahannam and say, "We found what Allah promised us to be true. Allah promised us Jannah. Allah promised us palaces. Allah promised us bliss and happiness — haqqan, it was real. Did you find what your Lord promised you to be true as well?"

Imam Al-Alusi (rahimahullah) brings up an interesting point here — Allah says مَا وَعَدَ رَبُّكُمْ because by this point everyone has understood that Allah is the Lord. Even the people of shirk and the people of disbelief have now understood that obviously there was only one Allah. And they will respond by saying:

Yes — what Allah told us was going to happen to us is happening.

There are two discussions like this in the Quran — one is in Surah Al-A'raf and one takes place in Surah Al-Hadid. In Surah Al-Hadid, that discussion takes place between the Munafiqoon and the believers. In Surah Al-A'raf, this discussion takes place between the people of Jannah, the people of Jahannam, and the people of A'raf — which I will begin right now.

The Barrier and the Elevated Place

Allah continues:

Allah will separate the two — the people of righteousness, the people of Haqq, and the people of Jahannam. They will be separated. And there will be some people standing on A'raf. Now, what is A'raf? Ibn Abbas and other great Mufassirun, as well as his students, refer Al-A'raf to be a high mountain — الْمَكَانُ الْمُشْرِفُ — a very high, elevated place. The reason why it is an elevated place is so that these people of A'raf can look towards the people of Jannah and also peek towards the people of Jahannam — they can see both sides and what is happening on both platforms.

Who Are the People of A'raf?

Ibn Abbas says the people of A'raf are those that اسْتَوَتْ حَسَنَاتُهُمْ وَسَيِّئَاتُهُمْ — those individuals whose good deeds and evil deeds are equal. In Surah Al-A'raf, the general theme is the discussion of iman and good deeds. In the latter part of the surah, Allah speaks about those who did not fulfill any good deeds but rather were committing evil deeds.

So Ibn Abbas says that the people of A'raf are those whose righteous deeds and sins are equal — they don't have one dominant feature. Their good deeds are not predominant within them, and neither are their sins. So they're standing in between. And while they're standing in between, they turn towards the people of Jannah and say:

It's as if you're driving and you see people vacationing in a hotel or on a beach — you're just a passerby. You can't stop, you're not staying at that hotel, you're going to a different place, and you're thinking: man, I wish I could have been there.

So these people, even though they're not in Jahannam, look at the people of Jannah. Allah places them in a place where they can see both sides. Allah says:

They had not entered Jannah yet, even though they had the desire to be there. Then:

When they turn their eyes towards the opposite side, towards the left, they see the people of Jahannam and say: "O Allah, just please don't make us amongst the people of Jahannam — because that is something we cannot handle." So they look at the people of Jannah like we want to go there, and then look towards the people of Jahannam like yeah, Allah, just save us right here — we're perfectly fine over here — just don't take us there. That's a place we want to avoid."

These people will later, Allah explains, go to Jannah. But they are individuals in a waiting period. It's like they need that curve — you know, in exams, if the general mark is lower, a curve comes. So Allah curves their mark and, out of His mercy, allows them to enter Jannah.

Some people say the people of A'raf are not just individuals who have equal good deeds and evil deeds, but rather there are people who are children of non-Muslims who passed away at a young age — who did not reach the age of bulugh, of intellectual maturity. In Surah Al-Ma'idah, Allah explains:

That the warning reaches those who have intellect, who have reached the age of puberty. So perhaps, some say, these are those individuals who passed away at a younger age and did not reach the age of intellect, and their parents were not Muslim. Allah knows best — this is an opinion of many Mufassirun, including Imam Fakhr al-Din al-Razi (rahimahullah).

The People of A'raf Address the People of Jahannam

The people of A'raf first turn towards the people of Jannah and say: "Wow, you guys are really chilling — Salamun Alaikum, peace be upon you, you guys continue having a good time." Then they turn towards the people of Jahannam and say: "What benefit was your gathering, your parties, your arrogance? Because of your arrogance you were unable to accept Islam."

Allah, time and time again, continues to explain and direct us to the understanding that one of the main elements that becomes a barrier from an individual doing an act of goodness or pushing themselves towards an act of obedience is their arrogance. In the next five passages of Surah Al-A'raf, Allah explains five different nations who turned away from this opportunity to earn Jannah because of their arrogance:

These are people who were just arrogant and did not want to humble themselves in front of Allah. Humbling yourself in front of Allah is not really "humbling yourself" in an unusual sense — it's a natural obligation. To be humble in front of a parent is not something extremely difficult or challenging. It's extremely virtuous, but it's rather easy to do because it's natural. So the people of A'raf turn towards the people of Jahannam and say: "What benefit was your arrogance? What benefit were your groups — that you were strong and powerful and didn't want your party to seem like they had lowered their heads?"

This is what happens in this world — naturally we turn away from good because of the peer pressure of the people around us.

Allah's Mercy Intervenes

Then Allah intervenes in this conversation. He says:

Allah talks to the people of Jahannam and says: "Did you say that my mercy could not reach these individuals who are on the high mountain of A'raf — because they don't have enough good deeds to reach Jannah? Are you saying that these people who don't have enough good deeds to reach Jannah cannot benefit from my mercy?" Allah says no. Allah says: "Enter into Jannah. There is no fear. There is no sorrow for you today." And this is being told to the people of A'raf — the people that are in between.

Some individuals — and this is a lighter, weaker opinion — even say that A'raf are people who said the kalima. They are believers who avoided major sins in their lives. Perhaps, even though they have such limited good deeds, Allah will also tell them: "I had not created Jahannam for you — you also go to Jannah."

This is where everyone standing in A'raf — some say for 50,000 years, some say 30,000 years, and Allah knows what that number reflects in the akhira — will be sent to Jannah. And then, when all the people of Jannah are there and all the people of Jahannam have been sent to Jahannam and the hisab has been closed, the people of Jahannam will turn to the people of Jannah and say:

"Please send down some water for us." And Allah will say no:

You cannot send any water to them. They have to struggle and pay the price of the arrogance that they lived with in this earth. And now this is what their abode looks like, and that is what your abode looks like.

The Root Cause: Taking Deen as a Joke

The reason why they're struggling is not because they didn't have wealth, or education, or a strong family, or pure food. No, Allah says it is very simple — they took their deen as a joke. لَهْوًا وَلَعِبًا — it was just a mockery to them.

And for us Muslims, this is very interesting as well — deen should not be limited to culture or to specific times of the year. Yes, in specific times of the year we increase our ibadah — Ramadan, Sha'ban — but it shouldn't be limited to specific symbols or specific seasons. Rather, it should be a way of life for us.

When someone asked Hasan al-Basri (rahimahullah): "What is a true understanding of deen?" — he replied by saying: "To know what Allah wants from you in every situation." To know what Allah wants from you in every situation.

May Allah make us amongst those that are protected from this unbearable punishment of Jahannam and are able to reach the heights of Jannah. And may He make us amongst those that do not take their religion as a joke and as a mockery, and do not get deceived by the temporary life of this world.

JazakAllah khair. Wa akhiru da'wana wa alhamdulillahi rabbil alameen.

Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh. InshaAllah we'll see you all tomorrow. JazakAllah khair. Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh.