Tafsir of Al-A'raf 7:181

It is said that this is a comprehensive explanation of the state of those previously mentioned from among the two weights (Jinn and Mankind) who were described with the aforementioned deviation in the most perfect manner. According to a group of verifiers, as appeared to Al-Allama Al-Tayyibi, it is a conjunction to the sentence {And We have certainly created for Hell many of the jinn and mankind}. His saying—Exalted and Almighty is He—{they guide...} etc., when taken in its totality and essence, is like a counterpart to His saying: {They have hearts...} to {it is they who are the heedless}. Both verses are like an elaboration of His saying—Mighty and Majestic is He—{Whoever Allah guides - he is the [rightly] guided; and whoever He leaves astray - it is those who are the losers}.

This is like a coda to the narrative of the one who was given the signs of Allah Almighty and the Great Names, yet stripped himself of them. His saying—Exalted is He—{And to Allah belong the best names} is an intercalation due to the relevance of the discourse regarding the "Names"—referring to the Great Names of Allah which that "stripped one" was given, as mentioned in some narrations. It relates to His saying—Mighty and Majestic is He—{it is they who are the heedless} in the sense that it serves as a warning that what necessitates entering Hell is heedlessness regarding the remembrance of Allah Almighty and His Most Beautiful Names.

Those of spiritual taste (dhawq) and witnessing (mushahada) find this within their own souls; for when the heart is heedless of the remembrance of Allah—Blessed and Exalted is He—and turns toward the world and its desires, it falls into the fire of greed. It continues to descend from one darkness to another until it ends in the depths of deprivation. Conversely, if the door of remembrance is opened for the heart, it enters the paradise of contentment and continues to ascend from one light to another until it reaches the highest degrees of excellence (ihsan).

{And among} is either an indefinite noun described by what follows, or it has the meaning of "those who." The intended meaning is a portion of those We created, or a grand, numerous group among those We created, who guide people while being characterized by the truth, or who guide them with the word of truth, directing them toward rectitude. By the truth, they judge in the matters current among them, and they do not transgress in it.

Ibn Jarir and others narrated from Ibn Jurayj that he said: It was mentioned to us that the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—said: "This is my nation." He also narrated from Qatada that he said: It reached us that the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—used to say when reciting this verse: "This is for you; and the people before you were given the like of it: 'And among the people of Moses is a community that guides by the truth and by it they act justly.'"

Ibn Abi Hatim narrated from Al-Rabi' that he said: The Messenger of Allah—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—said: "Indeed, there will be among my nation a people upon the truth until Jesus, son of Mary—peace be upon him—descends." The two Sheikhs (Al-Bukhari and Muslim) narrated from Mu'awiya and Al-Mughira ibn Shu'bah that they said: The Messenger of Allah—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—said: "A group of my nation will continue to be established upon the command of Allah; those who abandon them will not harm them until the command of Allah arrives, and they are upon that."

Al-Jubba'i used the verse as evidence for the validity of consensus (ijma') in every era, including the era of the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—and the Companions—may Allah be pleased with them—and others. For if it were restricted (to one era), mentioning it would have had no benefit, as it is already known. This also implies that no era shall be void of a jurist (mujtahid) until the Hour arrives, since the jurists are the masters of consensus. It is said: This contradicts what has been narrated, that the Hour shall only rise upon the most evil of creation, and that the Hour shall not rise until "Allah, Allah" is no longer said on the earth. It is answered that such a time is attached to the Day of Judgment due to its proximity to it, and the intent is the non-emptiness of an era from a mujtahid in the times preceding that. Another view is that the two reports refer to the dominance of evil, which does not negate the existence of a small number of people under that category; and one of them is sufficient, at which point he is the "community." Limiting their description to the guidance of people is to signal that their own internal guidance is a confirmed matter, independent of any explicit statement.