Tafsir of Al-A'raf 7:156

(And ordain for us): That is, establish and decree for us (in this world)—in which what has afflicted us has afflicted us—(good): a good life and success in obedience. It is also said: A beautiful praise, though this is not as sound. From Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both), the meaning is: before our arrival and meeting [with Thee], with forgiveness and mercy. (And in the Hereafter): That is, and ordain for us also in the Hereafter good, which is the best reward and Paradise. It is said: This is like a confirmation of his words, "Forgive and have mercy."

(We have turned to Thee): That is, we have repented to You. It is derived from hada-yahudu, meaning to return and repent, as one says: "I am a person who has repented (ha'id) for what I have committed." Some have said: "O rider of sin, repent (hahid) and prostrate as if you were a hoopoe (hudhud)." It is also said: It means to incline. Zayd ibn Ali (may Allah be pleased with both) read it as hidna, with a kasra on the ha, from hada-yahidu, meaning to move. Ibn al-Mundhir and others recorded that Abu Wajra al-Sa'di denied the damma, saying: "By Allah, I do not know it in the speech of any of the Arabs; it is only hidna with a kasra, meaning we inclined." However, he is refuted by the tawatur (mass transmission). It is permissible, under this reading, for the verb to be active or passive, meaning either "we moved ourselves" or "we caused someone else to move." The same applies to the reading of the majority (the passive voice), following the dialect of those who say "the sick person was 'awida (visited)." There is no objection to this if huda means inclination, except that such a dialect is weak. Among those who permitted both options for the two readings is al-Zamakhshari, but al-Samin refuted him, arguing that when ambiguity arises, a vowel must be provided to remove it—one should say 'aqtu (I tied) if someone else 'aqa (tied) you, using only the kasra or ishmam (blending). However, Sibawayh permitted all three aspects in cases like qila (it was said) without such caution. The sentence is an explanation for the request for forgiveness and mercy, and it is introduced with the particle of confirmation (inna) to demonstrate complete vigor and desire for what is contained within it.

(He said): This is a statement of explanation, as if it were said: What did Allah Almighty say to him after his supplication? It is said: He said, "My punishment, I afflict with it whom I will." That is: It is My affair to afflict with My punishment whom I will to be punished, without anyone else having a say in it. Al-Hasan and 'Amr ibn al-Aswad read it as (man asa'a) with the unpointed sin, which is attributed to Zayd ibn Ali (may Allah be pleased with them), though some denied its authenticity.

(And My mercy encompasses all things): That is, its nature is to be vast, reaching everything. There is no Muslim nor disbeliever, no obedient one nor disobedient one, except that he is immersed in My grace in this world. The attribution of the "affliction" to punishment using the present tense, and the attribution of "encompassing" to mercy using the past tense, indicates that mercy is a necessity of the Essence, whereas punishment is a consequence of the sins of the servants. The "will" (mashi'ah) is also considered regarding mercy, but its lack of explicit mention—it is said—is to exalt the matter of mercy, and it is said, to signal the extreme of purification. Do you not see His saying: "So I will ordain it"? For that is derived from the consideration of the "will," as is not hidden. It is as if it were said: If the matter is as mentioned—regarding the affliction of My punishment and the vastness of My mercy for whomever I will—then I will ordain it (mercy) specifically (for those who fear [Allah]): that is, from disbelief and sins, either initially or after committing them, (and who give the Zakah)—which is made obligatory upon them from their wealth. It is said the meaning is: those who obey Allah and His Messenger (may Allah bless him and grant him peace). The outward meaning is contrary to this. The specific mention of giving Zakah, despite piety (taqwa) already encompassing it, is to imply criticism toward the people of Moses (peace be upon him), as that was burdensome for them due to their excessive love for the world. Perhaps Salah (prayer) was not mentioned, despite it being superior to all other acts of worship and the pillar of the religion, because it is sufficiently covered by taqwa, which is a term for performing all obligatory acts and abandoning all prohibited ones.

(And those who believe in Our verses): All of them, as indicated by the definite article (the collective noun), (continuously)—with a faith that is ongoing, without compromising any part of them. The repetition of the relative pronoun (al-ladhina), even though it refers to the same group intended by the first relative pronoun, rather than saying "and they believe in Our verses" as a conjunction to what preceded it—as was done in the previous case—is said to be for what was indicated by restriction through the fronting of the preposition and noun: that is, they believe in all of Our verses, not some without others. In this is a criticism of those who believed in some and disbelieved in others, like the people of Moses (peace be upon him).

There is disagreement regarding the orientation of this response. The Shaykh al-Islam said: Perhaps when Allah Almighty decreed the repentance of the calf-worshippers by their killing of one another, and the discourse that caused the seventy to hope for the vision occurred in that context, Moses (peace be upon him) included the request for mitigation and ease in his supplication, saying: "(And ordain for us in this world good)," meaning a good attribute free from hardship and severity, for there is in killing a severe punishment that is not hidden. So He, Glorified be He, answered him: "My punishment, I afflict with it whom I will," and your people are among those whom My will has reached; that is why I made their repentance tainted with worldly punishment. "And My mercy encompasses all things," and your people have received a share of it amidst the worldly punishment, and I will ordain mercy purely, unmixed with worldly punishment, as you have prayed for those whose descriptions are such and such—not for your people, for they are not as such; so what has been ordained for them of mercy, even if it is accompanied by punishment, is sufficient for them. Thus, Moses (peace be upon him) did not have his request granted regarding his own people, and Allah Almighty bestowed upon those who believe in Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) what he asked for.

In some traditions, it is mentioned that when he was answered with what was mentioned, he said: "O Lord, I have come to You with a delegation of the Children of Israel, and our arrival was for others." From Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them), Moses (peace be upon him) supplicated to his Lord, so He made his supplication for those who would believe in Muhammad (peace be upon him) and follow him. In another narration, reported by a group from him, Moses asked his Lord a question, and He gave it to Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), then he recited the verse. However, it is not hidden that what this Shaykh established is far-fetched. The author of al-Kashf said regarding this: It is as if when Moses (peace be upon him) asked for the good of both abodes for himself and his people, he was answered that "My punishment is for other than the repentant if I will, and My worldly mercy covers the repentant and the non-repentant." As for the gathering of both mercies, that is for those prepared; if those for whom you prayed repent and remain steadfast, the special, comprehensive mercy will reach them, and your supplication will affect them. If they persist in what they are upon, they will be far from acceptance. The purpose is to urge them to remain steadfast in repentance and righteous deeds, and to warn them against returning to what they have committed, while transitioning to the mention of the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) and urging to follow him—an excellent transition and exhortation that baffles the intellects and reveals wonders to the contemplator. Al-Zamakhshari's words point to some of this.

The scholar al-Tibi said in his orientation: This response comes in the style of the "wise." His saying, "My punishment," etc., is like a preface to the answer, and the answer is "So I will ordain it," etc. This is because Moses (peace be upon him) requested forgiveness, mercy, and good in both abodes for himself and his nation specifically with his words, "(And ordain for us)," and gave the reason: "(We have turned to Thee)." The Lord, Glorified be He, answered him that restricting the Absolute is not of wisdom, for My punishment is, by its nature, dependent on My will; if your nation exposes themselves to what wisdom requires to be punished, your supplication for them will not avail them. And My mercy, by its nature, encompasses in this world the creation, their righteous and their wicked, their believer and their disbeliever. So the worldly "good" is general and not specific to your nation, so to restrict it is to constrain the vast. As for the Hereafter "good," it is for those described as such and such. He made "(So I will ordain it)" like saying "I accept the premise," for he (Moses) asked for what he asked for, and made the reason what he made it, so Allah Almighty added what He added—meaning that which necessitates the specification of both "goods" together are these multiple qualities, not mere repentance. Then he mentioned that the arrangement of this upon what precedes it with the fa (so) is in the manner of His saying, answering Ibrahim (peace be upon him): "(And of my descendants? He said: My covenant does not include the wrongdoers)." He supported this explanation with what was narrated from al-Hasan and Qatada: "His mercy in this world encompasses the righteous and the wicked, and on the Day of Resurrection, it is for the pious specifically."

That which he mentioned regarding "constriction of the heart" is questionable, for it is apparent that what is in the supplication of Moses (peace be upon him) is not part of it. The constriction is in such as what Ahmad and Abu Dawud recorded from Jundub from Abdullah al-Bajali, who said: A Bedouin came, knelt his camel, tied it, and prayed behind the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), then called out: "O Allah, have mercy on me and on Muhammad, and do not include anyone else in our mercy." The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: "You have restricted a vast mercy. Indeed, Allah created a hundred mercies; He sent down one mercy by which the creation—men, jinn, and beasts—show compassion to one another, and with Him are ninety-nine."

I say: It may be said that Moses (peace be upon him) requested the forgiveness and the worldly and otherworldly mercy for himself and his people in the most eloquent manner, and justifying that with repentance is something whose correctness there is no doubt in. It is not understood from his words (peace be upon him) that he requested for the people however they were, in whatever state they were found, or by whatever method they proceeded, for that is not something that would occur to one who has the slightest knowledge of his Lord, let alone one like him (peace be upon him). This request for them is only in the sense that they are repentant, returning to Him, Glorified be He. It is not far-fetched to say that his prayer was answered—in fact, it is a matter that is certain regarding him (peace be upon him). How can one doubt that he was forgiven, shown mercy, and given the good of both abodes when he is who he is? As for his people, the apparent meaning is that the repentant among them were given the good of the Hereafter. If this repentance was the repentance by killing, it has come from al-Zuhri that Allah Almighty revealed to Moses after what happened: "What is it that saddens you? As for those who were killed among you, they are alive, receiving sustenance with Me, and as for those who remained, I have accepted their repentance." Moses and the Children of Israel rejoiced at that. If it was other than that, it is known that repentance is accepted according to the certain promise, and the good for those whose repentance is accepted in the Hereafter is great. As for the good of the world, the verses have spoken that the people were drowned in it, and it suffices for that the saying of Allah Almighty: "(O Children of Israel, remember My favor which I have bestowed upon you and that I preferred you over the worlds)."

Thus, it is possible to say in the orientation of the answer: When He, Glorified be He, saw in Moses (peace be upon him) extreme anxiety and agitation—and for this reason he was excessive in supplication, fearing the length of His anger (Glorified be He) toward those he felt compassion for—He, Glorified be He, calmed his terror and answered his request with an amazing style and a novel, strange method. He, Glorified be He, said to him: "(My punishment)," which you fear will hit with some of the arrows I shoot with the hand of My majesty from the bows of My will, "I afflict with it whom I will" of those you prayed for. So it is not fixed that your people, whom you fear for, are targets for it after they have repented from the sin and abandoned its act. "(And My mercy encompasses all things)," be it human or otherwise, obedient or otherwise. There is nothing but that it is inside it, swimming in its current or wandering in its vastness. Rather, there is no one being punished but that something of it sprinkles upon him—at the very least that I have not punished him with more than what he is in, despite My ability to do so. So, settle your soul and find comfort. The entry of your people into a mercy that encompasses everything and is not too narrow for anything is a matter in which there is no doubt and no suspicion. How not, when they have returned to Me and arrived at My presence? Do you think I would narrow the vast for them, direct the arrows of disappointment at them, and send them back empty-handed? I do not see that I would do so. Rather, I will show them mercy, remove from them what burdens them, and ordain the greatest portion of My mercy for their descendants who come at the end of time, who are described by what pleases Me and who undertake the burdens of what is required of them. To this is the reference in His saying: "(So I will ordain it for those who fear [Allah])," etc.

Perhaps the precedence of the description of punishment over the description of mercy is to empty his mind (peace be upon him) of what he fears, even though reversing this order would necessitate the scattering of the noble arrangement. Describing their qualities in the way they were described is to incite their determination to become characterized by what they can be characterized by, or to remain steadfast upon it. He did not explicitly state in the answer that the request was fulfilled—by saying, for example, "You have been given your request, O Moses"—choosing what is more eloquent. This which we have mentioned, even if it is not without some points, is better than much of what we have encountered from the words of the commentators, some of which has already been mentioned. I say after all this: The best of probabilities is that to which the traditions testify, and if the hadith is authentic, then it is my position. So reflect. The sin in "So I will ordain it" (sa'aktubuha) may be for confirmation, and it may be for the future, the aspect of which is not hidden from those of perfection.