Draft:Verse 96 of Sura al-A'raf
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| Verse's Information | |
|---|---|
| Sura | al-A'raf (Qur'an 7) |
| Verse | 96 |
| Juz' | 9 |
| Content Information | |
| Place of Revelation | Mecca |
| Topic | Faith and Taqwa are causes for the descent of blessings |
| Related Verses | Qur'an 5:66, Qur'an 72:16, Qur'an 71:10-12 |
Qur'an 7:96 articulates the divine tradition concerning the social impacts and blessings of faith and Taqwa. Quranic exegetes suggest that the complete realization of these blessings will occur during the era following the Reappearance of Imam al-Mahdi (a). In addition to outlining the worldly consequences of human actions, the verse underscores the principle that the collective behavior of a society's majority—whether virtuous or wicked—ultimately affects all its members.
Exegetes have extensively debated the precise meaning of blessing and the specific nature of the heavenly and earthly blessings mentioned in this verse. Heavenly blessings are generally interpreted as the descent of rain, the answering of prayers, and the bestowal of spiritual grace. Conversely, earthly blessings encompass the growth of vegetation, the fulfillment of material needs, and general worldly prosperity.
Quranic commentaries frequently address a common theological question: why do non-Muslim nations often enjoy prosperous lives when the verse implies that such prosperity is reserved for pious, believing societies? Scholars resolve this by distinguishing between mere wealth and true divine blessing, noting that material abundance can sometimes serve as a precursor to divine punishment. Furthermore, they observe that secular societies often benefit from universal principles of progress, such as discipline and responsibility.
Position of the Verse
According to the Shi'a exegete and jurist Nasir Makarim Shirazi, Qur'an 7:96 directly follows passages recounting the histories of past nations, including the people of Hud, Salih, Shu'ayb, Noah, and Lot. The verse thereby serves to emphasize the moral outcomes of these cautionary tales.[1]
Certain exegetes contend that the verse's promise of abundant blessings resulting from faith and Taqwa will only be fully realized in the era following the Reappearance of Imam al-Mahdi (a).[2] Additionally, some contemporary researchers categorize this passage among verses pertaining to environmental ethics, given its explicit correlation between righteous human conduct and the flourishing of the natural world.[3]
In a mystical approach to Qur'an 7:96, Sultan Muhammad Gunabadi (d. 1327/1909) interprets Taqwa in his Bayan al-sa'ada as spiritual wayfaring under the specific guidance of the divine guardian (Wali al-Ilahi).[4] Gunabadi suggests that "Ahl al-Qura" (people of the towns) metaphorically represents the internal faculties, organs, and talents of the human being. If these internal elements submit to the governance of reason (Aql)—an intellect perfectly obedient to the friend of God (Wali Allah)—then both physical and spiritual bounties will flow abundantly.[5]
| “ | وَلَوْ أَنَّ أَهْلَ الْقُرَىٰ آمَنُوا وَاتَّقَوْا لَفَتَحْنَا عَلَيْهِم بَرَكَاتٍ مِّنَ السَّمَاءِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَلَٰكِن كَذَّبُوا فَأَخَذْنَاهُم بِمَا كَانُوا يَكْسِبُونَ
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| “ | If the people of the towns had been faithful and Godwary, We would have opened to them blessings from the sky and the earth. But they denied; so We seized them because of what they used to earn.
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| — Qur'an 7:96 | ||
Expression of Divine Traditions in the Verse
According to Quranic exegetes, Qur'an 7:96 articulates at least two fundamental divine traditions:
- First, human actions bear natural, worldly consequences alongside their otherworldly impacts, directly contributing to either the improvement or the corruption of the temporal world.[6]
- Second, when a particular behavior is adopted by the majority of a society, its corresponding positive or negative effects permeate the entire community. Thus, if a society's majority embraces faith and piety, the collective will receive abundant material and spiritual blessings. Conversely, widespread wickedness subjects the entire society to Divine punishment, regardless of a righteous minority within.[7]
Nature of Blessings
Exegetes define the term blessing (Baraka) as any abundant provision whose absence leads to hardship or deficiency for humankind. Examples include security, comfort, health, wealth, and offspring.[8]
Nasir Makarim Shirazi posits that the descent of blessings stemming from faith and Taqwa not only yields an abundance of bounties but also ensures that these resources are utilized in constructive and necessary ways, preventing the squandering of human and economic capital typical of vain pursuits like arms races.[9]
Nature of Blessings of Sky and Earth
Exegetes offer various interpretations regarding the phrase "blessings of the sky and the earth" in Qur'an 7:96:
- The descent of rain (heavenly blessings) and the growth of vegetation (earthly blessings).[10]
- The answering of prayers (heavenly blessings) and the fulfillment of worldly needs (earthly blessings).[11]
- The bestowal of spiritual grace (heavenly blessings) and material prosperity (earthly blessings).[12]
Alternatively, some exegetes do not assign specific, independent characteristics to the "sky" and "earth." Instead, they argue that the juxtaposition of these terms signifies the pervasive, all-encompassing nature of divine blessings.[13] The author of Tafsir-i ithna 'ashari metaphorically casts the sky as a "father" and the earth as a "mother," asserting that all worldly benefits and goods are generated through their interaction via divine creation and management.[14]
Why Do Faithless Nations Have a Prosperous Life?
To address why certain faithless societies appear to lead prosperous lives, Quranic exegetes have offered several explanations:[15]
- Material progress in secular societies often masks underlying psychological and spiritual distress, whereas faithful societies are generally anchored by genuine psychological peace.
- Purely material prosperity does not inherently equate to divine blessing; it is frequently unstable or characterized by the wasteful consumption of resources.
- In some instances, God grants abundance to disbelievers to allow them to fully succumb to their arrogance, thereby preparing the ground for ultimate divine retribution.
- Certain faithless societies diligently apply universal principles of progress—such as discipline and responsibility—and reap the corresponding worldly rewards. Conversely, some religious societies neglect these practical principles and are consequently deprived of true prosperity.[16]
Notes
- ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i namūna, 1374 Sh, vol. 6, p. 265.
- ↑ Ṣādiqī Tihrānī, Tarjumān-i furqān, 1388 Sh, vol. 2, p. 214; Riḍāyī Iṣfahānī, Tafsīr-i Qurʾān-i Mihr, 1387 Sh, vol. 7, p. 175; Qarāʾatī, Tafsīr-i nūr, 1375 Sh, vol. 3, p. 122.
- ↑ Najjārzādagān, "Naqsh-i niẓām-i hastī-shinākhtī-yi Qurʾān dar artiqā-yi akhlāq-i zīst-muḥīṭī", p. 85.
- ↑ Gunābādī, Bayān al-saʿāda, 1408 AH, vol. 2, p. 196.
- ↑ Gunābādī, Bayān al-saʿāda, 1408 AH, vol. 2, p. 196.
- ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i namūna, 1374 Sh, vol. 6, p. 265.
- ↑ See Ṭabāṭabāʾī, al-Mīzān, 1417 AH, vol. 8, p. 201; Āqāyī, "Iʿjāz-i ijtimāʿī-yi Qurʾān bā taʾkīd bar qawānīn-i jāmiʿa-shināsī".
- ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, al-Mīzān, 1417 AH, vol. 8, p. 201.
- ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i namūna, 1374 Sh, vol. 6, p. 265.
- ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i namūna, 1374 Sh, vol. 6, p. 265; Riḍāyī Iṣfahānī, Tafsīr-i Qurʾān-i Mihr, 1387 Sh, vol. 7, p. 175.
- ↑ Ṭabrsī, Majmaʿ al-bayān, vol. 4, p. 698.
- ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i namūna, 1374 Sh, vol. 6, p. 266.
- ↑ Bayḍāwī, Anwār al-tanzīl, 1418 AH, vol. 3, p. 25.
- ↑ Shāh ʿAbd al-ʿAẓīmī, Tafsīr-i ithnā ʿasharī, 1363 Sh, vol. 4, p. 145.
- ↑ For this purpose, see Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i namūna, 1374 Sh, vol. 6, pp. 268–270; Qarāʾatī, Tafsīr-i nūr, 1375 Sh, vol. 3, p. 122; Riḍāyī Iṣfahānī, Tafsīr-i Qurʾān-i Mihr, 1387 Sh, vol. 7, p. 175.
- ↑ See Riḍāyī Iṣfahānī, Tafsīr-i Qurʾān-i Mihr, 1387 Sh, vol. 7, p. 176.
References
- Āqāyī, Muḥammad Riḍā, "Iʿjāz-i ijtimāʿī-yi Qurʾān bā taʾkīd bar qawānīn-i jāmiʿa-shināsī", Qurʾān wa ʿIlm, no. 8, Spring and Summer 1390 Sh.
- Bayḍāwī, ʿAbd Allāh b. ʿUmar, Anwār al-tanzīl wa asrār al-taʾwīl, Beirut, Dār Iḥyāʾ al-Turāth al-ʿArabī, 1st edition, 1418 AH.
- Riḍāyī Iṣfahānī, Muḥammad ʿAlī, Tafsīr-i Qurʾān-i Mihr, Qom, Pazhūhishhā-yi Tafsīr wa ʿUlūm-i Qurʾān, 1st edition, 1387 Sh.
- Shāh ʿAbd al-ʿAẓīmī, Sayyid Ḥusayn, Tafsīr-i ithnā ʿasharī, Tehran, Mīqāt, 1st edition, 1363 Sh.
- Ṣādiqī Tihrānī, Muḥammad, Tarjumān-i furqān, Qom, Shukrāna, 1st edition, 1388 Sh.
- Ṭabrsī, Faḍl b. Ḥasan, Majmaʿ al-bayān fī tafsīr al-Qurʾān, Tehran, Maktabat al-ʿIlmiyya al-Islāmiyya, n.d.
- Ṭabāṭabāʾī, Sayyid Muḥammad Ḥusayn, al-Mīzān fī tafsīr al-Qurʾān, Qom, Maktabat al-Nashr al-Islāmī, 5th edition, 1417 AH.
- Qarāʾatī, Muḥsin, Tafsīr-i nūr, Qom, Muʾassasa-yi Dar Rāh-i Ḥaqq, 1375 Sh.
- Gunābādī, Sulṭān Muḥammad b. Ḥaydar, Bayān al-saʿāda fī maqāmāt al-ʿibāda, Beirut, Muʾassasat al-Aʿlamī lil-Maṭbūʿāt, 1408 AH.
- Makārim Shīrāzī, Nāṣir, Tafsīr-i namūna, Tehran, Dār al-Kutub al-Islāmiyya, 1st edition, 1374 Sh.
- Najjārzādagān, Fatḥ Allāh, "Naqsh-i niẓām-i hastī-shinākhtī-yi Qurʾān dar artiqā-yi akhlāq-i zīst-muḥīṭī", Pazhūhishnāma-yi Akhlāq, no. 12, 1390 Sh.