Tafsir of Al-A'raf 7:47

{And when their eyes are turned toward the companions of the Fire} When they look toward the companions of the Fire and see the torment they are in, they seek refuge in Allah and flee to His mercy, praying that He does not place them among them.

{And they will call to men} They will call to the leaders of the disbelievers, saying to them: {Are these the ones whom you swore that Allah would not reach with mercy?} This is a gesture toward the people of Paradise, whom those leaders used to belittle and despise due to their poverty and lack of worldly fortune, and concerning whom they swore that Allah would not admit them into Paradise.

{Enter Paradise} It is said to the companions of the Aʿrāf (the Heights): "Enter Paradise." This occurs after they have been detained on the Heights, have looked upon both groups, recognized them by their marks, and said what they said.

The Purpose of This:

1. To demonstrate that recompense is according to deeds, and that precedence or delay is determined by them.
2. No one precedes another before Allah except by preceding them in action, and no one lags behind except by lagging behind in action.
3. To make the listeners desire the state of those who preceded and strive to attain their status.
4. To make them realize that everyone on that Day is known by the mark they earned—whether of good or evil—so that the evildoer may be deterred from his evil, and the doer of good may increase in his goodness.
5. To let it be known that the disobedient are rebuked by everyone, even by those who performed the least amount of deeds.

Linguistic Notes:

• {And when their eyes are turned}: This implies that there is a "turner" who turns their eyes so that they may look, seek refuge, and rebuke.
• Al-Aʿmash recited: Wa-idhā qullibat abṣāruhum (And when their eyes are flipped/turned).
• It is recited: Udkhulū al-jannah (Enter Paradise) in the passive voice (udkhilū).
• ʿIkrimah recited: Dakhalū al-jannah (They entered Paradise).

If you ask: How do these two recitations align with the verse: {No fear will there be upon you, nor will you grieve}? I say: The interpretation is: "Enter," or "They entered," Paradise, with it being said to them: "No fear will there be upon you, nor will you grieve."

If you ask: What is the grammatical position of the statement: {They have not entered it, yet they hope}? I say: It has no grammatical position because it is an istiʾnāf (a new, independent sentence). It is as if a questioner asked about the state of the companions of the Heights, and it was said: "They have not entered it, yet they hope." Meaning: their state is that their entry into Paradise was delayed compared to the entry of the people of Paradise; they have not entered it because they are detained, yet they hope and have not despaired.

It is also possible that it has a position, acting as an adjective for the "men" [mentioned earlier].

{What did your gathering avail you} Meaning: your wealth or your multitude and assembly.

{And what you used to be arrogant about} Meaning: your arrogance regarding the truth and toward the people. It is also recited: tastakthirūn (from kathrah—abundance).