Verse No. 8

“Among people, there is always a man from the Companions of A‘raf, and they are men whom Allah has made obedience to them obligatory for people.”

قَالَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى:

﴿وَعَلَى الْأَعْرَافِ رِجَالٌ يَعْرِفُونَ كُلًّا بِسِيمَاهُمْ ۚ وَنَادَوْا أَصْحَابَ الْجَنَّةِ أَنْ سَلَامٌ عَلَيْكُمْ ۚ لَمْ يَدْخُلُوهَا وَهُمْ يَطْمَعُونَ ۝ وَإِذَا صُرِفَتْ أَبْصَارُهُمْ تِلْقَاءَ أَصْحَابِ النَّارِ قَالُوا رَبَّنَا لَا تَجْعَلْنَا مَعَ الْقَوْمِ الظَّالِمِينَ ۝ وَنَادَى أَصْحَابُ الْأَعْرَافِ رِجَالًا يَعْرِفُونَهُمْ بِسِيمَاهُمْ قَالُوا مَا أَغْنَى عَنْكُمْ جَمْعُكُمْ وَمَا كُنْتُمْ تَسْتَكْبِرُونَ ۝ أَهَؤُلَاءِ الَّذِينَ أَقْسَمْتُمْ لَا يَنَالُهُمُ اللَّهُ بِرَحْمَةٍ ۚ ادْخُلُوا الْجَنَّةَ لَا خَوْفٌ عَلَيْكُمْ وَلَا أَنْتُمْ تَحْزَنُونَ﴾[1]

Translation:

God Almighty has said:

“And on the heights, there are men who recognize all by their faces, and they call out to people of Heaven, ‘Peace be upon you!’ They have not yet entered it but hope to (do so), and when their eyes turn toward people of Hell, they say: ‘O Lord! Do not place us with the wrongdoing people,’ and those on the heights call out to some men whom they recognize by their faces, they say: ‘Your numbers and arrogance (that you had) are of no use! Are these the ones you swore would never be shown God’s mercy?! Enter Heaven, there will be no fear for you, nor will you grieve.’”

Considerations

1 . أَخْبَرَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ الْهَرَوِيُّ، قَالَ: سَأَلْتُ الْمَنْصُورَ عَنْ أَصْحَابِ الْأَعْرَافِ، فَقَالَ: مَا يَقُولُ هَؤُلَاءِ؟ قُلْتُ: يَقُولُونَ إِنَّهُمْ قَوْمٌ اسْتَوَتْ حَسَنَاتُهُمْ وَسَيِّئَاتُهُمْ، قَالَ: لَيْسَ كَمَا يَقُولُونَ، إِنَّهُمْ خُلَفَاءُ اللَّهِ فِي الْأَرْضِ، إِنَّهُمُ الْمُقَرَّبُونَ، يَقِفُونَ بِالْمَحَلِّ الْأَعْلَى بَيْنَ أَصْحَابِ الْيَمِينِ وَأَصْحَابِ الشِّمَالِ، فَيَعْرِفُونَ كُلًّا بِسِيمَاهُمْ وَيُنَادُونَهُمْ.

Translation:

Muhammad ibn Abd al-Rahman al-Harawi informed us, he said: I asked Mansoor about the companions of the heights. So he said: “What do these say?” I said: “They say: ‘They are those whose good deeds and bad deeds are equal.’” He said: “It is not as they say, they are God’s Caliphs on the earth, they are the nearest ones (to God) who stand in a higher position between the companions of the right and the companions of the left, and they recognize each by their faces and call out to them.”

2 . أَخْبَرَنَا ذَاكِرُ بْنُ مَعْرُوفٍ الْخُرَاسَانِيُّ، قَالَ: سَأَلْتُ الْعَالِمَ عَنْ آيَاتِ الْأَعْرَافِ، فَقُلْتُ: ﴿وَعَلَى الْأَعْرَافِ رِجَالٌ يَعْرِفُونَ كُلًّا بِسِيمَاهُمْ﴾، فَقَالَ: هُمُ الْأَنْبِيَاءُ وَالصِّدِّيقُونَ، قُلْتُ: ﴿وَنَادَوْا أَصْحَابَ الْجَنَّةِ أَنْ سَلَامٌ عَلَيْكُمْ ۚ لَمْ يَدْخُلُوهَا وَهُمْ يَطْمَعُونَ﴾، فَقَالَ: إِنَّ الْأَنْبِيَاءَ وَالصِّدِّيقِينَ يُنَادُونَ أَصْحَابَ الْجَنَّةِ الَّذِينَ لَمْ يَدْخُلُوهَا وَهُمْ يَطْمَعُونَ أَنْ سَلَامٌ عَلَيْكُمْ، قُلْتُ: ﴿وَإِذَا صُرِفَتْ أَبْصَارُهُمْ تِلْقَاءَ أَصْحَابِ النَّارِ قَالُوا رَبَّنَا لَا تَجْعَلْنَا مَعَ الْقَوْمِ الظَّالِمِينَ﴾، قَالَ: هَذَا مِنْ قَوْلِ أَصْحَابِ الْجَنَّةِ الَّذِينَ لَمْ يَدْخُلُوهَا وَهُمْ يَطْمَعُونَ، وَلَيْسَ مِنْ قَوْلِ أَصْحَابِ الْأَعْرَافِ، قُلْتُ: هَاهُنَا زَلَّ الْقَوْمُ! ثُمَّ قُلْتُ: ﴿وَنَادَى أَصْحَابُ الْأَعْرَافِ رِجَالًا يَعْرِفُونَهُمْ بِسِيمَاهُمْ قَالُوا مَا أَغْنَى عَنْكُمْ جَمْعُكُمْ وَمَا كُنْتُمْ تَسْتَكْبِرُونَ﴾، قَالَ: إِنَّ الْأَنْبِيَاءَ وَالصِّدِّيقِينَ يُنَادُونَ رِجَالًا يَعْرِفُونَهُمْ بِسِيمَاهُمْ أَنَّهُمْ مِنْ أَصْحَابِ النَّارِ، فَيُوَبِّخُونَهُمْ، قُلْتُ: ﴿أَهَؤُلَاءِ الَّذِينَ أَقْسَمْتُمْ لَا يَنَالُهُمُ اللَّهُ بِرَحْمَةٍ﴾، قَالَ: هَذَا خِطَابٌ مِنَ الْأَنْبِيَاءِ وَالصِّدِّيقِينَ لِرِجَالٍ يَعْرِفُونَهُمْ بِسِيمَاهُمْ أَنَّهُمْ مِنْ أَصْحَابِ النَّارِ، فَيُشِيرُونَ فِيهِ إِلَى أَصْحَابِ الْجَنَّةِ الَّذِينَ لَمْ يَدْخُلُوهَا وَهُمْ يَطْمَعُونَ، فَيَقُولُونَ: ﴿أَهَؤُلَاءِ الَّذِينَ أَقْسَمْتُمْ لَا يَنَالُهُمُ اللَّهُ بِرَحْمَةٍ﴾، قُلْتُ: ﴿ادْخُلُوا الْجَنَّةَ لَا خَوْفٌ عَلَيْكُمْ وَلَا أَنْتُمْ تَحْزَنُونَ﴾، قَالَ: هَذَا خِطَابٌ مِنَ الْأَنْبِيَاءِ وَالصِّدِّيقِينَ لِأَصْحَابِ الْجَنَّةِ الَّذِينَ لَمْ يَدْخُلُوهَا وَهُمْ يَطْمَعُونَ، قُلْتُ: جَزَاكَ اللَّهُ خَيْرًا، فَقَدْ عَلَّمْتَ الْقُرْآنَ وَهَدَيْتَ إِلَى صِرَاطٍ مُسْتَقِيمٍ.

Translation:

Zakir ibn Ma‘roof al-Khorasani informed us, he said: I asked the scholar about the verses of the heights, so I said: “And on the heights, there are men who recognize all by their faces.” So he said: “They are the Prophets and the truthful.” I said: “And they call out to people of Heaven, ‘Peace be upon you!’ They have not yet entered it but hope to (do so).” He said: “The Prophets and the truthful call out to people of Heaven who have not yet entered it but hope to (do so), ‘Peace be upon you.’” I said: “When their eyes turn toward people of Hell, they say: ‘O Lord! Do not place us with the wrongdoing people.’” He said: “This is the word of people of Heaven who have not yet entered it but hope to (do so), and it is not the word of the companions of the heights.” I said: “This is where people slipped (i.e., they went wrong in understanding the verse)!” Then I said: “And those on the heights call out to some men whom they recognize by their faces, they say: ‘Your numbers and arrogance (that you had) are of no use!’” He said: “The Prophets and the truthful call out and rebuke the men whom they recognize by their faces and who are people of Hell.” I said: “Are these the ones you swore would never be shown God’s mercy?!” He said: “This is the word of the Prophets and the truthful to the men whom they recognize by their faces and who are people of Hell, so in it, they refer to people of Heaven who have not yet entered it but hope to (do so), and say: ‘Are these the ones you swore would never be shown God’s mercy?!’” I said: “Enter Heaven, there will be no fear for you, nor will you grieve.” He said: “This is the word of the Prophets and the truthful to people of Heaven who have not yet entered it but hope to (do so).” I said: “May God reward you well; because you taught the Quran and led to the right path.”

3 . أَخْبَرَنَا عِيسَى بْنُ عَبْدِ الْحَمِيدِ الْجُوزَجَانِيُّ، قَالَ: سَمِعْتُ الْمَنْصُورَ يَقُولُ: لَا يَكُونُ النَّاسُ إِلَّا وَفِيهِمْ رَجُلٌ مِنْ أَصْحَابِ الْأَعْرَافِ، قُلْتُ: وَمَنْ أَصْحَابُ الْأَعْرَافِ؟ قَالَ: رِجَالٌ فَرَضَ اللَّهُ طَاعَتَهُمْ عَلَى النَّاسِ، وَهُمْ يَقْسِمُونَ الْجَنَّةَ وَالنَّارَ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ.

Translation:

Isa ibn Abd al-Hamid al-Jowzjani informed us, he said: I heard Mansoor say: “There is always a man from the companions of the heights among people.” I said: Who are the companions of the heights?” He said: “They are men whose obedience God has made obligatory for people, and they distribute Heaven and Hell on the Day of Judgment.”