Surah Al-A'raf 7:68
ﱁ ﱂ ﱃ ﱄ ﱅ ﱆ ﱇ
I convey to you the messages of my Lord, and I am to you a trustworthy adviser.
Tafsir of Al-A'raf 7:65-69
Tafsir
Al-Kashshaf
Verse range: 7:65-69
{أخاهم} One of them, as in your saying: "O brother of the Arabs" to one of them. He was made one of them because they understand a man from among themselves better and are more aware of his state regarding his truthfulness and trustworthiness. He is Hūd ibn Shālikh ibn Arfakhshad ibn Sām ibn Nūḥ. "Their brother" is a conjunction to "Nūḥ," and "Hūd" is an explanatory apposition (*bayān*) for it.
If you ask: Why was the conjunction omitted in his saying {He said, "O my people..."} without saying "And he said" (fa-qāla), as in the story of Nūḥ? I say: It is based on the assumption of a questioner who asked: "What did Hūd say to them?" It was answered: "He said, 'O my people, worship Allah.'" The same applies to {The eminent ones said...}.
If you ask: Why did he describe the eminent ones (al-mala') as {who disbelieved} here, but not in the story of Nūḥ? I say: Among the nobles of Hūd’s people, there were those who believed in him, such as Marthad ibn Sa‘d, who had accepted Islam and kept it hidden. Thus, the distinction was intended by the description, whereas there were no believers among the nobles of Nūḥ’s people. Similar to this is His saying: {And the eminent among his people who disbelieved and denied the meeting of the Hereafter...} (Hūd: 12). It is also possible that the description is intended solely for condemnation.
{في سفاهة} In lightness of forbearance and foolishness of mind, in that you abandon the religion of your people for another religion. "Foolishness" is made a vessel (*ẓarf*) metaphorically; they meant that he is established within it and inseparable from it.
The response of the Prophets (peace be upon them) to those who attributed misguidance and foolishness to them—by answering with words stemming from forbearance, overlooking, and refraining from reciprocating what was said to them, despite knowing their opponents were the most misguided and foolish of people—is a sign of excellent manners and great character. Allah’s narration of this is a lesson to His servants on how to address the foolish, how to overlook them, and how to let their insults pass.
{ناصح أمين} Meaning: I have been known among you for sincerity and trustworthiness, so I have no right to be accused. Or: I am a sincere advisor to you regarding what I call you to, and trustworthy regarding what I tell you, not lying therein.
{خلفاء من بعد قوم نوح} Meaning: You succeeded them on the earth, or He made you kings on the earth, having made you successors in it after them.
{في الخلق بسطة} In what He created of your physical bodies, in terms of height and bulk. It is said: the shortest of them was sixty cubits, and the tallest was one hundred cubits.
{فاذكروا آلاء الله} In your succession and the vastness of your physical bodies, and other than these of His gifts. The singular of *al-ālā'* is *ilā'*, like *in* and *inā'*, *ḍil‘* and *aḍlā‘*, *‘inab* and *a‘nāb*.
If you ask: What is the grammatical basis for the accusative case of (idh) in His saying {when He made you successors}? I say: It is a direct object (maf‘ūl bihi), not an adverb of time (ẓarf); meaning: "Remember the time of your succession."
{They said, "Have you come to us that we should worship Allah alone and leave what our fathers used to worship? Then bring us what you promise us, if you should be of the truthful." * He said, "Already have defilement and anger fallen upon you from your Lord. Do you dispute with me concerning names you have named—you and your fathers—for which Allah has not sent down any authority? Then wait; indeed, I am with you among those who wait." * So We saved him and those with him by mercy from Us, and We eliminated those who denied Our signs and were not believers.}