Tafseer of The Heights · Al-A'raaf · 7:74
And remember when He made you successors after the 'Aad and settled you in the land, [and] you take for yourselves palaces from its plains and carve from the mountains, homes. Then remember the favors of Allah and do not commit abuse on the earth, spreading corruption."
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: And remember when He made you successors after ʿĀd, and gave you a dwelling-place in the land — you take palaces from its plains, and you carve houses out of the mountains. So remember the favors of Allah and do not work corruption in the land as those who sow corruption (7:74).
Abū Jaʿfar said: The Exalted, whose praise be mentioned, says, informing about what Ṣāliḥ said to his people, admonishing them: And remember, O people, the favor of Allah toward you — when He made you successors, that is to say: you succeed ʿĀd in the land after their destruction.
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And "khulafāʾ" is the plural of "khalīfa." "Khalīfa" has been formed in the plural as "khulafāʾ," whereas the pattern "fuʿalāʾ" is in fact the plural of "faʿīl" — just as "al-shurakāʾ" is the plural of "sharīk," and "al-ʿulamāʾ" the plural of "ʿalīm," and "al-ḥulamāʾ" the plural of "ḥalīm" — because with "khalīfa" the man was intended, as if their singular were "khalīf," and then it was pluralized into "khulafāʾ." But if one were to pluralize "al-khalīfa" with the thought that it is the counterpart of "karīma," "ḥalīla," and "raghība," then one would say "khalāʾif," just as one says "karāʾim," "ḥalāʾil," and "raghāʾib," when it concerns characteristics of feminine form. "Al-khalīfa" has thus been pluralized in the two ways with which the Qurʾān came, because it has been pluralized one time according to its form and the other time according to its meaning.
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As for His word and gave you a dwelling-place in the land, that means: and He settled you on the land and made for you therein dwellings and spouses — you take palaces from its plains, and you carve houses out of the mountains. It is mentioned that they hewed the rocks into dwellings, as:
14823 - Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥusayn related to me, saying: Aḥmad ibn Mufaḍḍal related to us, saying: Asbāṭ related to us, on the authority of al-Suddī: and you carve houses out of the mountains — they hewed the houses out of the mountains.
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And His word So remember the favors of Allah means: So remember the favor of Allah with which He has graced you — and do not work corruption in the land as those who sow corruption.
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And Qatāda used to say concerning that the following:
14824 - Bishr ibn Muʿādh related to us, saying: Yazīd related to us, saying: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda, concerning His word: and do not work corruption in the land as those who sow corruption, he says: do not travel across the land as those who sow corruption.
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And I have already set forth the meaning of that, with its testimonies and the disagreement of those who differ concerning it, earlier, in a manner that makes repetition in this place unnecessary.
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Footnotes:
(1) See the explanation of "khalīfa" earlier 1:449-453 / 12:288, 505; here he has fully treated what he had not mentioned there.
(2) See the explanation of "bawwaʾa" earlier, p. 4:164.
(3) See the explanation of "al-ālāʾ" earlier, p. 506.
In the printed edition it read: "allatī anʿamahā," but I have adopted what is in the manuscript, and I do not know why the editor took such liberties in a matter like this!
(4) See the explanation of "ʿathā" earlier 2:123, 124 / 5:499.
= And the explanation of "corruption in the land" earlier: 487, note 1, and the references mentioned there.
