Tafseer of The Heights · Al-A'raaf · 7:48
And the companions of the Elevations will call to men [within Hell] whom they recognize by their mark, saying, "Of no avail to you was your gathering and [the fact] that you were arrogant."
Important: The Arabic source text is always authoritative. This translation is a study aid and has not been verified by scholars — do not use it as a basis for religious proof or for deriving rulings (ahkam). When in doubt, always consult the Arabic text and a qualified scholar.
The explanation of His word: وَنَادَى أَصْحَابُ الأَعْرَافِ رِجَالا يَعْرِفُونَهُمْ بِسِيمَاهُمْ قَالُوا مَا أَغْنَى عَنْكُمْ جَمْعُكُمْ وَمَا كُنْتُمْ تَسْتَكْبِرُونَ (48) ("And the inhabitants of the Aʿrāf (the heights) will call out to men whom they recognize by their marks; they will say: 'What did your gathering avail you, and that over which you were arrogant?'") (7:48)
Abū Jaʿfar said: The Exalted, whose praise is exalted, says: (And the inhabitants of the Aʿrāf will call out to men) from among the people of the earth, (whom they recognize by their marks) — the marks of the people of the Fire (al-nār) — (they will say: 'What did your gathering avail you') — that which you gathered of wealth and numbers in the worldly life — (and that over which you were arrogant) — He says: and your arrogance with which you exalted yourselves in the worldly life — as in:
14738 — Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥusayn related to me, saying: Aḥmad ibn al-Mufaḍḍal related to us, saying: Asbāṭ related to us, on the authority of al-Suddī, who said: There passed by them — that is, by the inhabitants of the Aʿrāf — people of the tyrants (al-jabbārīn), whom they recognized by their marks. He said: He says: The inhabitants of the Aʿrāf said: (What did your gathering avail you, and that over which you were arrogant).
14739 — Muḥammad ibn Saʿd related to me, saying: My father related to me, saying: My uncle related to me, saying: My father related to me, on the authority of his father, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās: (And the inhabitants of the Aʿrāf will call out to men), he said: in the Fire, (whom they recognize by their marks; they will say: 'What did your gathering avail you, and that over which you were arrogant'), namely your arrogance.
14740 — Ibn Wakīʿ related to us, saying: Jarīr related to us, on the authority of Sulaymān al-Taymī, on the authority of Abū Mijlaz: (And the inhabitants of the Aʿrāf will call out to men whom they recognize by their marks; they will say: 'What did your gathering avail you, and that over which you were arrogant'), he said: This is when the people of the Paradise (al-janna) have entered the Paradise — أَهَؤُلاءِ الَّذِينَ أَقْسَمْتُمْ لا يَنَالُهُمُ اللَّهُ بِرَحْمَةٍ ("Are these the ones of whom you swore that Allah would not reach them with mercy?"), the verse. I said to Abū Mijlaz: On the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās? He said: No, but on the authority of another.
14741 — Yaʿqūb ibn Ibrāhīm related to me, saying: Ibn ʿUlayya related to us, on the authority of Sulaymān al-Taymī, on the authority of Abū Mijlaz: (And the inhabitants of the Aʿrāf will call out to men whom they recognize by their marks), he said: The angels called out to men who were in the Fire, whom they recognized by their marks — مَا أَغْنَى عَنْكُمْ جَمْعُكُمْ وَمَا كُنْتُمْ تَسْتَكْبِرُونَ ("What did your gathering avail you, and that over which you were arrogant") — أَهَؤُلاءِ الَّذِينَ أَقْسَمْتُمْ لا يَنَالُهُمُ اللَّهُ بِرَحْمَةٍ ("Are these the ones of whom you swore that Allah would not reach them with mercy?"), he said: This is when the people of the Paradise have entered the Paradise — ادْخُلُوا الْجَنَّةَ لا خَوْفٌ عَلَيْكُمْ وَلا أَنْتُمْ تَحْزَنُونَ ("Enter the Paradise, no fear shall come upon you, nor shall you grieve").
14742 — Yūnus related to me, saying: Ibn Wahb informed us, saying: Ibn Zayd said concerning His word: (And the inhabitants of the Aʿrāf will call out to men whom they recognize by their marks): the men are the notables of the people of the worldly life. He said: By this mark the inhabitants of the Aʿrāf recognized the people of the Paradise and the people of the Fire. And this is mentioned only for when the chief of the people of good and the chief of the people of evil depart on the Day of Resurrection. He said: And Ibn Zayd said concerning His word: (What did your gathering avail you, and that over which you were arrogant), he said: in opposition to the people who obey Allah.
