Tafsir of Al-A'raf 7:137

"And We caused the people who were oppressed to inherit the eastern regions of the land and the western ones..."

The combination of the past and future forms signifies the continuity and recurrence of this oppression. By "the people" are meant the Children of Israel. They are mentioned by this title to manifest the perfection of God’s kindness toward them and the magnitude of His benevolence, as they were elevated from the abyss of humiliation to the zenith of honor. Perhaps there is an indication in this that God, the Almighty, is near to broken hearts. The word "the people" (al-qawm) is in the accusative case as the first object of "We caused to inherit" (awrathna), and the second object is His saying: "the eastern regions of the land and the western ones," meaning all its directions and areas.

According to what is narrated from al-Hasan, Qatadah, and Zayd ibn Aslam, this refers to the land of Ash-Sham (Greater Syria). The scholar of the Sunnah, al-Baghawi, stated it is the land of Ash-Sham and Egypt. In another report, it is the land of Egypt which was under the control of the oppressed; al-Jubba'i held this view, and Abu al-Shaykh narrated it from al-Layth ibn Sa'd. This means: "We caused the oppressed to inherit the land of their oppressors and granted them dominion over it."

The meaning of their inheriting it—according to the view that they did not enter it after leaving with Moses (peace be upon him)—is bringing it under their dominion, such that no one could prevent them from disposing of it, or establishing their descendants therein. This took place in the time of David and Solomon (peace be upon them). It is not hidden that this is contrary to the obvious meaning, as previously indicated. Moreover, the land of Egypt, after being conquered in the time of David (peace be upon him), was not a place where the Children of Israel had established power and stability; rather, they held dominion and control, whereas their establishment was in the Holy Land. The context, as some have said, requires mentioning what they were established in, not merely what they possessed.

I say: It may be said that the "land" here, and in the previous saying of the Almighty ("Perhaps your Lord will destroy your enemy and make you successors in the land"), refers to the Holy Land, which Moses (peace be upon him) requested from Pharaoh for the Children of Israel so he might lead them to it, for it was the homeland of their ancestors. Thus, Moses (peace be upon him) had promised them the destruction of their enemy who was preventing them from going there, and God, the Exalted, made them successors in it after their fathers and predecessors—or after those who held it at that time, namely the Amalekites. Then, the Almighty reported here that the promise had been fulfilled: We destroyed the enemies of those who were promised, caused them to inherit the land from which they were barred, and established them therein. And how exquisite is the inheriting of the ancestors' dwellings by the descendants!

"...which We have blessed..." [Blessed] with fertility and abundance of provisions, or by that and the fact that it was the dwelling place of the prophets (peace be upon them) and the righteous. This is manifest if by "the eastern and western regions of the land" one intends Ash-Sham and its surroundings. Ibn Abi Shaybah narrated from Abu Ayyub al-Ansari that he said: "Thunder, lightning, and blessings shall migrate to Ash-Sham."

Ibn 'Asakir narrated from Damrah ibn Rabi'ah that he said: "I heard that no prophet was sent except from Ash-Sham; and if he was not from it, he was taken on a night journey (isra) to it." Ahmad narrated from 'Abdullah ibn Hawalah al-Azdi that he said: "O Messenger of God, choose a land for me to reside in." He replied: "You must go to Ash-Sham, for it is God's chosen land from His earth, to which He gathers the best of His servants." Ibn 'Asakir narrated from Wathilah ibn al-Asqa' that he said: "I heard the Messenger of God (may God bless him and grant him peace) say: 'You must go to Ash-Sham, for it is the choicest of God's lands, inhabited by the best of His servants.'" Al-Hakim narrated, and authenticated, from 'Abdullah ibn 'Umar (may God be pleased with both of them) that he said: "A time will come upon the people when no believer will remain except that he will join Ash-Sham." It also came in the hadith of Ahmad, al-Tirmidhi, al-Tabarani, Ibn Hibban, and al-Hakim—who also authenticated it—from Zayd ibn Thabit that he (may God bless him and grant him peace) said: "Blessed be Ash-Sham." It was said to him: "Why?" He replied: "The angels of the Most Merciful spread their wings over it."

The hadiths regarding the merit of Ash-Sham are numerous, and many have collected them, though there is debate regarding many of them. The reason for their [the scholars'] interest is that it is the name of one of the known regions. In al-Qamus, it states that it is the lands to the left of the qiblah, and it was named so because a group from the Banu Kan'an turned toward it (i.e., turned left), or it was named after Sam ibn Nuh (Shem), as it is spelled with a shin in Syriac, or because its lands are white, red, and black shamat (marks). On this last account, it is not hamzated (written with a hamza).

Ibn Abi Hatim narrated from Abu al-Aghbash—who had met the companions of the Prophet (may God bless him and grant him peace)—that he was asked about the extent of the blessed land of Ash-Sham. He said: "Its first boundary is the 'Arish of Egypt, the other boundary is the tip of the mountain pass, the other boundary is the Euphrates, and the other boundary includes the grave of the Prophet Hud (peace be upon him)." It is not intended by this what is commonly known to people today—namely, Damascus. Yes, Damascus is included within it. We have discussed its boundaries more extensively than this in our annotations on Sharh Mukhtasar al-Samarqandiyyah by Ibn 'Isam.

People have been passionate about Damascus, both in praise and blame. Some said: "Avoid Damascus and do not approach it; for if the mosque tempts you, the mosque of the mosque (meaning the place) is filled with immorality, and the corruption of the corrupt within it is rampant." Another said: "Damascus has become a paradise for humanity; life in its shade is beautiful and clear, and it contains all that the soul desires; there is no fault in it except its people." Yet another said regarding Ash-Sham (perhaps intending what is commonly known by people): "I was told, 'What does the scholar of Ash-Sham say about it?' I said, 'From the lightning of favor, what is there to say? I said, what can I say in description of a land that is a beauty spot (shamah) upon the cheek of virtues?'"

As for me, I say: If the hadith is authentic, then it is my path, and we seek refuge in God, the Almighty, from following one's whims.

The relative pronoun [in "the eastern regions..."] is an adjective for "the eastern and western regions." It is also said: it is an adjective for "the land," though Abu al-Baqa' weakened this by noting that it would involve conjunction to a descriptor before the noun [in an awkward way], similar to saying: "The brother of Hind and her father, the sensible [one], stood." It is permitted that the second object of "We caused to inherit" is "the land," and on this basis, "the eastern [regions]" and its conjunctions are in the accusative case due to "those who were oppressed" (yustad'afun), meaning "they were oppressed therein." Alternatively, "the eastern [regions]" could be in the accusative case as the object of "they were oppressed therein," and the relative pronoun [in "which We have blessed"] is an adjective as in the first view, while the second object of "We caused to inherit" is elided—meaning "the land" or "the kingdom." Its remoteness is not hidden, and the obvious meaning is the first.

"And the good word of your Lord was fulfilled upon the Children of Israel..." Meaning, it proceeded upon them and continued. From the saying: "It passed upon the matter," if it continued. The "word" refers to His, the Almighty’s, promise to them of victory and establishment through the tongue of their prophet (peace be upon him), which is His previous saying: "Perhaps your Lord will destroy your enemy..." etc. Many have held that it is the promise signaled by His saying: "And We desired to confer favor upon those who were oppressed in the land and make them leaders and make them the inheritors." It is also said: it refers to His, the Almighty’s, eternal knowledge, meaning that what was destined for them—the destruction of their enemy and their inheriting the land—proceeded and continued for them.

"The good" (al-husna) is the feminine form of "the best" (al-ahsan), acting as an adjective for "the word." It was described as such because it contained the promise of what they love and deem good. From al-Hasan, it is narrated that the "word" refers to His, the Almighty’s, promise to them of Paradise, but the preceding and following context denies this.

He shifted from the first person to the second person in His saying: "your Lord," according to what al-Tibi stated, because what preceded [of the stories] was unknown to him (may God bless him and grant him peace). As for His, the Glorious, being the one who fulfills what He promised and executes what He decreed and ordained, this was known to him (upon him be peace and blessings). It is mentioned in al-Kashf that this shift implied that the word of your Lord will be fulfilled in your affair as well.

'Asim, in one report, read "words" in the plural, because they are promises, and the description with "the good" is because it is interpreted as a collective. They have mentioned that it is permissible to describe any plural with a singular feminine adjective, although the common practice in such cases is the feminine with the ta (ta marbuta), and sometimes it is feminized with the alif (as in His saying: "other needs").

"...for what they patiently endured." Meaning, due to their patience in the face of the hardships they suffered from Pharaoh and his people. This is sufficient to urge patience and to demonstrate that whoever meets affliction with panic, God, the Almighty, entrusts him to it [the panic], and whoever meets it with patience, God, the Almighty, guarantees him relief.

Ibn al-Mundhir and others narrated from al-Hasan that he said: "If people, when afflicted by their ruler with something, were patient and supplicated to God, the Almighty, they would not wait long before God, the Almighty, lifted that from them. But they rush to the sword, so they are entrusted to it." Then he recited this verse. In another report from him, he said: "The Children of Israel were not given what they were given except for their patience, and this nation has never rushed to the sword but that it resulted in something worse."

I say: We have witnessed people in the year one thousand two hundred and forty-eight [Hijri] rush to the sword, and it did not avail them in the slightest, nor did they achieve their objective, nor was their affair praised. Rather, they fell into the burning sand and the valley of misery, and they were cast—by my life—into the depths of disaster, and their wings of honor—both the primary and the secondary feathers—were clipped. They did not know that the sweetness of worldly life is tied to its bitterness, and that relief is only hunted with the nets of patience. How excellent is the saying of al-Hasan!

[The rest of the text pertains to linguistic variations and esoteric allusions which are not part of the primary tafsir.]