Transliteration:( Sa asrifu 'an Aayaatiyal lazeena yatakabbaroona fil ardi bighairil haqq; wa iny-yaraw kulla Aayatil laa yu'minoo bihaa wa iny-yaraw sabeelar rushdi laa yattakhizoohu sabeelanw wa iny-yaraw sabeelal ghaiyi yattakhizoohu sabeelaa; zaalika bi annahum kazzaboo bi Aayaatinaa wa kaanoo 'anhaa ghaafileen )
And I shall soon take away My Signs from those who become arrogant on the earth, unjustly (317). And even if they see all the signs, they will not believe therein, and if they see the path of guidance, they will not like to walk in it (318). And if they see the path of error, they will be ready to adopt it. This is so because they believed Our Signs and posed themselves as those who were unaware (319).
Allah warns that He will remove the ability to benefit from divine signs from those who act with unjust arrogance on earth. While righteous pride in defense of Islam is praiseworthy, showing arrogance against fellow Muslims, and especially against Prophets and Saints, is sinful—and even kufr (disbelief) in the worst cases. This verse specifically refers to the third category—arrogance against the pious and chosen of Allah—a trait of Satan himself.
The verse shows that arrogance blinds a person to all inner potential. Even if such people witness all the divine signs and miracles, they remain in denial and refusal. They turn away from the path of guidance, and instead eagerly follow the path of misguidance, because their egos cannot accept submission. Arrogance is a spiritual fire, just as it led Iblis to ruin, despite his worship—it can consume faith when directed against the truth and its bearers.
The “Signs” here refer to both miracles and Prophets themselves. Those who outwardly see the truth but pretend ignorance are the ones truly condemned. They belied the Holy Prophet ﷺ and thus cut themselves off from the light of the Qur'an. This is why faith begins with accepting the Prophet ﷺ, the personified Qur'an. Only after embracing his Prophethood can a heart truly grasp the guidance of the written Qur'an. Denial of the Messenger nullifies access to all divine benefit, no matter how many signs they see.
146. I shall turn away from My Ayat those who behave arrogantly on the earth, without a right, and (even) if they see all the Ayat, they will not believe in them. And if they see the way of righteousness, they will not adopt it as the way, but if they see the way of error, they will adopt that way, that is because they have rejected Our Ayat and were heedless of them. 147. Those who deny Our Ayat and the meeting in the Hereafter, vain are their deeds. Are they requited with anything except what they used to do
Allah said,
(I shall turn away from My Ayat those who behave arrogantly on the earth, without a right). Allah says, “I shall deprive the hearts of those who are too proud to obey Me, and arrogant with people without right, from understanding the signs and proofs that testify to My Might, Law and Commandments.” And just as they acted arrogantly without justification, Allah has disgraced them with ignorance. Allah said in another Ayah,
(And We shall turn their hearts and their eyes away (from guidance), as they refused to believe therein for the first time) ﴿6:110﴾, and,
(So when they turned away (from the path of Allah), Allah turned their hearts away (from the right path).) ﴿61:5﴾ Sufyan bin `Uyaynah commented on this Ayah,
(I shall turn away from My Ayat those who behave arrogantly on the earth, without a right), “(Allah says) I shall snatch away comprehension of the Qur’an from them and turn them away from My Ayat. ” Ibn Jarir commented on Sufyan’s statement that, “This indicates that this part of the Ayah is addressed to this Ummah.” This is not necessarily true, for Ibn `Uyaynah actually meant that this occurs in every Ummah and that there is no difference between one Ummah and another Ummah in this regard. Allah knows best. Allah said next,
(and (even) if they see all the Ayat, they will not believe in them). Allah said in a similar Ayah,
(Truly, those, against whom the Word (wrath) of your Lord has been justified, will not believe. Even if every sign should come to them, until they see the painful torment.) ﴿10:96-97﴾ Allah’s statement,
(And if they see the way of righteousness, they will not adopt it as the way,) means, even if the way of guidance and safety appears before them, they will not take it, but if the way that leads to destruction and misguidance appears to them, they adopt that way. Allah explains why they do this,
(that is because they have rejected Our Ayat), in their hearts,
(and were heedless of them.), gaining no lessons from the Ayat. Allah’s statement,
(Those who deny Our Ayat and the meeting in the Hereafter, vain are their deeds.) indicates that whoever among them does this, remaining on this path until death, then all his deeds will be in vain. Allah said next,
(Are they requited with anything except what they used to do) meaning, `We only recompense them according to the deeds that they performed, good for good and evil for evil. Surely, as you bring forth, you reap the harvest thereof.’
(7:146) I shall turn away from My signs those who, without any right, behaved haughtily in the earth,[104] even if they may, witness each and every, sign, they shall not believe therein. And even if they see the right path, they shall still not follow it; but if they see the path of error. they shall choose it for their path. This is because they rejected Our signs as false and were heedless to them.
104. It is God’s law that evil-doers do not and cannot take any lesson from the otherwise instructive events which they observe. The arrogance mentioned here refers to man’s delusion that he is on a higher plane than God’s creatures and servants. It is this which prompts him to disregard God’s command and to adopt an attitude which suggests that he neither considers himself God’s servant, nor God his Lord. Such egotism has no basis in fact; it is sheer vanity. For as long as man live on God’s earth, what can justify his living as a servant of anyone other than the Lord of the universe? It is for this reason that the Qur’an declares this arrogance to be ‘without any right’.
[405]- i.e., reason and integrity.
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