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Draft:Verse 205 of Sura al-A'raf

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Verse 205 of Sura al-A'raf
Verse's Information
Suraal-A'raf (Qur'an 7)
Verse205
Juz'9
AboutDhikr and remembrance of God
Related VersesQur'an 7:55


'Qur'an 7:205 ordains the remembrance of the Lord within oneself, an act to be characterized by humility (tadarru) and fear. According to the verse, God must be remembered quietly and serenely during the mornings and evenings. A broader inference drawn from this passage is that an individual should maintain the dhikr (remembrance) of God at all times.

The verse commands the remembrance of God within the heart and soul. Scholars interpret this to mean that one should articulate the dhikr with a profound understanding of its meanings, remaining fully conscious of being in the presence of the Divine Attributes. Furthermore, this internal form of remembrance is considered closer to true sincerity and protects the practitioner from showing off. In exegesis, the phrase "without raising your voice" is understood to mean that the recitation should strike a balance between loudness (jahr) and quietness (ikhfat), as overly loud recitation contradicts the proper etiquette of servitude to God.

Remembering God at All Times

Qur'an 7:205 commands believers to remember their Lord internally, accompanied by supplication, humility, and fear.[1] It further instructs them to invoke His name softly and calmly, maintaining this practice consistently throughout the mornings and evenings.[2] Exegetes infer from this verse that the ideal form of dhikr involves a continuous remembrance of God; if momentary negligence occurs, the individual must strive to prevent it from becoming a permanent state.[3] Although the verse directly addresses the Prophet of Islam, its application is widely regarded as universal,[4] encompassing all Muslims.[5]

Modarresi, a prominent Shi'a scholar and exegete, asserts that this verse establishes several specific conditions for the proper remembrance of God:

  • Dhikr should be internalized to avoid the spiritual pitfalls of showing off or hypocrisy.
  • It must be accompanied by supplication, reminding the individual of their insignificance before the Divine.
  • The servant should harbor a reverential fear of their Lord and the punishment that stems from disobedience.
  • The remembrance should not involve loudness or shouting.[6]

The concluding phrase, "wa la takun min al-ghafilin" (and do not be among the heedless), is widely interpreted as an injunction against neglecting the internal remembrance of God.[7] The esteemed Shi'a exegete 'Allama Tabataba'i notes that this portion of the verse does not merely forbid sporadic negligence; rather, it prohibits becoming entrenched among the categorically heedless—those in whom the trait of negligence has become a permanent disposition.[8]

"Remember Your Lord in Your Heart with Supplication and Fear"

The concept of remembering the Lord in one's heart implies articulating the words while fully comprehending their profound meanings, thereby recognizing oneself to be in the immediate presence of the Divine Attributes.[9] Scholars maintain that this internalized practice cultivates a state closer to genuine sincerity[10] and acts as a safeguard against showing off.[11] The phrase "tadarru'an wa khifatan" is typically interpreted as engaging in dhikr while immersed in a state of humility, maintaining a reverential fear of God[12] and His punishment.[13][14] Such earnest supplication is generally considered to have a significantly higher likelihood of being answered.[15]

The invocation of dhikr in Qur'an 7:205 is understood broadly to encompass all forms of remembrance, including reciting the Qur'an, making supplication, and uttering phrases of Tasbih and Tahlil.[16] Some exegetes propose that the verse effectively delineates two distinct categories of remembrance: first, an internal, spiritual remembrance of God characterized by humility and fear; and second, a verbal invocation of the Lord performed specifically during the mornings and evenings.[17]

Saying Dhikr Without Raising the Voice

In interpreting the segment of Qur'an 7:205 that advises "without raising your voice," scholars suggest that the recitation should fall somewhere between loudness (jahr) and quietness (ikhfat).[18] 'Allama Tabataba'i posits that the injunction against overly loud dhikr is rooted in the fact that shouting contradicts the essential etiquette of servitude—a view that is further corroborated by several narrations.[19]

The verse also introduces two specific temporal references: the term "bi-l-ghuduww," denoting the period from sunrise to sunup, and the term "al-asal," referring to the late afternoon nearing sunset and early evening.[20] This phrasing has yielded multiple exegetical interpretations:

  • Certain scholars interpret these timeframes as a reference to specific Obligatory prayers,[21] an assertion supported by numerous narrations.[22]
  • Alternatively, the invocation of mornings and evenings is often viewed metaphorically as an injunction for the continuous, uninterrupted remembrance of God.[23]
  • A more literal interpretation suggests that a believer should actively engage in the dhikr of God both at the commencement of their daily activities and upon their conclusion at the end of the day.[24]

Notes

  1. ↑ Najafī Khumaynī, Tafsīr-i āsān, 1398 AH, vol. 6, p. 50.
  2. ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i namūna, 1374 Sh, vol. 7, p. 73.
  3. ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, al-Mīzān, 1417 AH, vol. 8, p. 383.
  4. ↑ Mughniyya, Tafsīr al-kāshif, 1424 AH, vol. 3, p. 442.
  5. ↑ Najafī Khumaynī, Tafsīr-i āsān, 1398 AH, vol. 6, p. 49.
  6. ↑ Mudarrisī, Min hudā l-Qurʾān, 1419 AH, vol. 3, p. 528.
  7. ↑ Mughniyya, Tafsīr al-kāshif, 1424 AH, vol. 3, p. 443.
  8. ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, al-Mīzān, 1417 AH, vol. 8, p. 383.
  9. ↑ Fakhr Rāzī, Mafātīḥ al-ghayb, 1420 AH, vol. 15, p. 442.
  10. ↑ Fayḍ Kāshānī, Tafsīr al-Ṣāfī, 1415 AH, vol. 2, p. 264.
  11. ↑ Ṭabrsī, Majmaʿ al-bayān, 1372 Sh, vol. 4, p. 792.
  12. ↑ Mughniyya, Tafsīr al-kāshif, 1424 AH, vol. 3, p. 442.
  13. ↑ Fayḍ Kāshānī, Tafsīr al-Ṣāfī, 1415 AH, vol. 2, p. 264.
  14. ↑ Mīrzā Khusrawānī, Tafsīr-i Khusrawī, 1390 AH, vol. 3, p. 384.
  15. ↑ Ṭabrsī, Majmaʿ al-bayān, 1372 Sh, vol. 4, p. 792.
  16. ↑ Zamakhsharī, al-Kashshāf, 1407 AH, vol. 2, p. 192.
  17. ↑ Qurashī, Tafsīr-i aḥsan al-ḥadīth, 1377 Sh, vol. 4, p. 80.
  18. ↑ Mughniyya, Tafsīr al-kāshif, 1424 AH, vol. 3, p. 442.
  19. ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, al-Mīzān, 1417 AH, vol. 8, p. 382.
  20. ↑ Qarāʾatī, Tafsīr-i nūr, 1383 Sh, vol. 4, p. 262.
  21. ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, al-Mīzān, 1417 AH, vol. 8, p. 383.
  22. ↑ Baḥrānī, al-Burhān, 1416 AH, vol. 2, p. 630.
  23. ↑ Mughniyya, Tafsīr al-kāshif, 1424 AH, vol. 3, p. 442.
  24. ↑ Faḍlallāh, Tafsīr min waḥy al-Qurʾān, 1419 AH, vol. 10, p. 316.

References

  • Baḥrānī, Sayyid Hāshim, al-Burhān fī tafsīr al-Qurʾān, Tehran, Bunyād-i Biʿthat, 1st edition, 1416/1995-96.
  • Zamakhsharī, Maḥmūd, al-Kashshāf ʿan ḥaqāʾiq ghawāmiḍ al-tanzīl, Beirut, Dār al-Kitāb al-ʿArabī, 3rd edition, 1407/1987.
  • Ṭabāṭabāʾī, Sayyid Muḥammad Ḥusayn, al-Mīzān fī tafsīr al-Qurʾān, Qom, Daftar-i Intishārāt-i Islāmī, 5th edition, 1417/1996-97.
  • Ṭabrsī, Faḍl b. Ḥasan, Majmaʿ al-bayān fī tafsīr al-Qurʾān, intro. Muḥammad Jawād Balāghī, Tehran, Nāṣir Khusraw, 3rd edition, 1372/1993-94.
  • Fakhr Rāzī, Muḥammad b. ʿUmar, Mafātīḥ al-ghayb, Beirut, Dār Iḥyāʾ al-Turāth al-ʿArabī, 3rd edition, 1420/1999-2000.
  • Faḍlallāh, Sayyid Muḥammad Ḥusayn, Tafsīr min waḥy al-Qurʾān, Beirut, Dār al-Malāk lil-Ṭibāʿa wa l-Nashr, 2nd edition, 1419/1998-99.
  • Fayḍ Kāshānī, Mullā Muḥsin, Tafsīr al-Ṣāfī, ed. Ḥusayn Aʿlamī, Tehran, Intishārāt-i al-Ṣadr, 2nd edition, 1415/1994-95.
  • Qarāʾatī, Muḥsin, Tafsīr-i nūr, Tehran, Markaz-i Farhangī-yi Darshāyī az Qurʾān, 11th edition, 1383/2004-05.
  • Qurashī, Sayyid ʿAlī Akbar, Tafsīr-i aḥsan al-ḥadīth, Tehran, Bunyād-i Biʿthat, 3rd edition, 1377/1998-99.
  • Mudarrisī, Sayyid Muḥammad Taqī, Min hudā l-Qurʾān, Tehran, Dār Muḥibbī al-Ḥusayn, 1st edition, 1419/1998-99.
  • Mughniyya, Muḥammad Jawād, Tafsīr al-kāshif, Tehran, Dār al-Kutub al-Islāmiyya, 1st edition, 1424/2003-04.
  • Makārim Shīrāzī, Nāṣir, Tafsīr-i namūna, Tehran, Dār al-Kutub al-Islāmiyya, 1st edition, 1374/1995-96.
  • Mīrzā Khusrawānī, ʿAlī Riḍā, Tafsīr-i Khusrawī, ed. Muḥammad Bāqir Bahbūdī, Tehran, Intishārāt-i Islāmiyya, 1st edition, 1390/1970-71.
  • Najafī Khumaynī, Muḥammad Jawād, Tafsīr-i āsān, Tehran, Intishārāt-i Islāmiyya, 1st edition, 1398/1977-78.
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