Tafseer of The Heights · Al-A'raaf · 7:63
Then do you wonder that there has come to you a reminder from your Lord through a man from among you, that he may warn you and that you may fear Allah so you might receive mercy."
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: أَوَعَجِبْتُمْ أَنْ جَاءَكُمْ ذِكْرٌ مِنْ رَبِّكُمْ عَلَى رَجُلٍ مِنْكُمْ لِيُنْذِرَكُمْ وَلِتَتَّقُوا وَلَعَلَّكُمْ تُرْحَمُونَ (63) ("Do you marvel that there has come to you a reminder from your Lord through a man from among you, to warn you and that you may be God-fearing and that you may be shown mercy?") (7:63)
Abū Jaʿfar said: This too is a report from Allah, whose mention is mighty, concerning what Nūḥ said to his people, which he spoke to them when they rejected his sincere counsel concerning Allah, and denied that Allah had sent him as a prophet, and said to him: مَا نَرَاكَ إِلا بَشَرًا مِثْلَنَا وَمَا نَرَاكَ اتَّبَعَكَ إِلا الَّذِينَ هُمْ أَرَاذِلُنَا بَادِيَ الرَّأْيِ وَمَا نَرَى لَكُمْ عَلَيْنَا مِنْ فَضْلٍ بَلْ نَظُنُّكُمْ كَاذِبِينَ [Sūrat Hūd: 27] ("We see you only as a man like ourselves, and we see that only the lowest among us follow you, without reflection; and we see in you no superiority over us; rather, we think you are liars") — = "Do you marvel that there has come to you a reminder from your Lord," that is to say: do you marvel that there has come to you a remembrance and an admonition from Allah, reminding you of what your Lord has sent down = "through a man from among you." It has been said: the meaning of His word "through a man from among you" is: with a man from among you = "to warn you," that is to say: to warn you of the might of Allah and to make you fear His punishment for your disbelief in Him = "and that you may be God-fearing," that is to say: and that you may fear the punishment of Allah and His might, by affirming His Oneness, keeping your faith in Him pure, and acting in obedience to Him = "and that you may be shown mercy," that is to say: and that your Lord may show you mercy, if you fear Allah, hold Him in awe, and are on your guard against His might.
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The "wāw" in His word "afa-ʿajibtum" (do you marvel) is vocalized with a fatḥa, because it is a wāw of coordination (ʿaṭf), to which the alif of interrogation has been prefixed.
