Al-A'raf (The Heights): Verse 145

Translation and Exegesis

{And We wrote for him on the tablets...}

It is known that after Allah the Exalted mentioned that He singled out Moses (peace be upon him) for prophethood, He detailed that message in this verse.

It is narrated by the author of Al-Kashshaf that some said Moses fell down in a swoon on the Day of 'Arafah, and Allah the Exalted gave him the Torah on the Day of Sacrifice (Yawm al-Nahr).

Regarding the tablets:

• They mentioned they were ten tablets.
• Others said seven.
• It is said they were made of emerald, brought by Gabriel (peace be upon him).
• Others said they were of green chrysolite and red ruby.
• Al-Hasan said they were made of wood sent down from heaven.
• Wahb said they were made of solid rock, which Allah softened for Moses (peace be upon him).

As for the manner of writing: Ibn Jurayj said Gabriel wrote them with the pen that wrote the Reminder (the Divine Word), drawing light from the River of Light.

Note on Detail: The wording of the verse does not indicate the nature of those tablets or the manner of the writing. If such details are established by strong, separate evidence, they must be accepted; otherwise, silence on the matter is required.

{...of everything...}

There is no doubt that this is not meant to be absolute generality. Rather, it means everything Moses and his people needed in their religion, including what is lawful and unlawful, and what is praiseworthy and blameworthy.

{...an admonition and a detailed explanation of everything.}

This serves as an explanation for the general statement made earlier with {of everything}. Allah the Exalted divided it into two categories:

1. {an admonition} (maw'iẓah).
2. {a detailed explanation of everything} (tafṣīl), concerning the rulings that must be known.

The admonition includes everything Allah mentioned that incites desire for obedience and aversion from sin, through mentioning promises (reward) and threats (punishment). After establishing this foundation, He followed it up by explaining the categories of rulings and detailing the lawful and unlawful, saying: {and a detailed explanation of everything}.

After explaining this, He commanded Moses: {So take it with strength}, meaning with firm resolve and sincere intention. Then Allah commanded him to instruct his people to take hold of its best aspects.

The apparent meaning suggests a difference between the two commands, implying a benefit in this detailed instruction. Therefore, some commentators said the obligation upon Moses (peace be upon him) was more severe, as Allah did not grant him the concessions granted to others. Others said he was singled out because he was tasked with conveying and delivering the message, even though he shared in everything else with his people.

Regarding the phrase: {And command your people to take hold of its best aspects}:

Question: Since Allah commanded adherence to everything in the Torah, everything must be obligatory. The apparent meaning of {take hold of its best aspects} suggests there are aspects that are merely "good" (ḥusn) and not "best" (aḥsan), and that taking the "good" is not permissible for them. This seems contradictory.

Scholars offered several ways to answer this:

First Way: Among those rulings, some are "good" (ḥusn) and some are "better" (aḥsan), such as retribution (qiṣāṣ) versus forgiveness (ʿafw), or victory versus patience. Thus, he was commanded to urge them to adopt what is more deeply rooted in goodness and yields greater reward, similar to His saying: {And follow the best of what was sent down to you} (Az-Zumar: 55) and {those who listen to the saying and follow the best of it} (Az-Zumar: 18).

If one argues: If Allah commanded taking the "best," did He prohibit taking the "good"? This would undermine the goodness of the latter. We reply: The command to take the "best" should be interpreted as recommendation (nadb) until this contradiction is resolved.

Second Way: Qutrub said: {take hold of its best aspects} means "take hold of its goodness," and all of it is good, citing Allah's saying: {And the remembrance of Allah is greater} (Al-'Ankabut: 45), and the poetry of Al-Farazdaq:

Whose pillars are more honored and loftier.

Third Way: Some said: "Good" (ḥusn) encompasses the obligatory (wājib), the recommended (mandūb), and the permissible (mubāḥ). The "best" (aḥsan) of these three categories are the obligatory and the recommended.

{I will turn away from My signs those who act arrogantly upon the earth without right. And if they see every sign, they will not believe in it; and if they see the way of righteousness, they will not take it as a way; and if they see the way of error, they will take it as a way. That is because they denied Our signs and were heedless of them.}

Regarding the phrase: {I will turn away from My signs those who act arrogantly upon the earth without right}, there are two interpretations:

First Interpretation: It is a threat and a warning against disobeying Allah's command. Under this interpretation, there are two sub-views:

1. Ibn Abbas, Al-Hasan, and Mujahid said: The dwelling place of the transgressors (dār al-fāsiqīn) is Hellfire. Meaning, let the mention of Hell remain present in your minds so you may beware of becoming among them.
2. Qatadah said: I will bring you into Ash-Sham (the Levant) and show you the dwellings of the disbelievers—the tyrants and giants who used to reside there—so you may take heed of what became of them through punishment.
3. Al-Kalbi said: The dwelling place of the transgressors refers to the habitations they passed by during their travels, such as the homes of 'Ad, Thamud, and the previous generations whom Allah destroyed.

Second Interpretation: It is a promise and good tidings that Allah will make them inherit the land and dwellings of their enemies. And Allah knows best.