Transliteration:( Wa law shi'naa larafa'naahu bihaa wa laakin nahooo akhlada ilal ardi wattaba'a hawaah; famasaluhoo kamasalil kalbi in tahmil 'alaihi yalhas aw tatruk hu yalhas; zaalika masalul qawmil lazeena kazzaboo bi Aayaatinaa; faqsusil qasasa la'allahum yatafakkaroon )
405. This tells us that one does not achieve greatness by merely reciting and knowing the QUR'AAN. This is obtained through the Grace and Bounty of Allah Almighty. The hypocrites, too, were reciting the QUR'AAN. Observe, Allah Almighty said, if we wanted we could have granted them greatness by reading the verses of the Tauraat.
406. The learned scholars should not become slaves to their sensual desires. Allah Almighty has chosen divine scholars, not satanic and sensual scholars who could go about reciting the QUR'AAN to the people by harbouringÂ
407. From this we learn that a scholar who is
enmity against the Holy Prophet ?
the insulter of the Holy Prophetis like a dog in the court of Allah Almighty. They will never gain respect in this world nor in the Hereafter. An example of this is Bal'am bin Bawoora, a scholar who was disgraced not because he ha d rejected Allah Almighty but because he was the opponent of Hazrat Musa (On whom be peace) and Hazrat Yusha (On whom be peace) and destroyed in this disgraced condition. Only that knowledge is beneficial which is the means of obtaining faith.
408. By this is meant until the Day of Judgement the condition of the enemies of the Prophet and those who reject the verses of the revealed Books will be like these dogs. Do not think that there was one Bal'am bin Bawoora only who died, until the Day of Judgement such Bal'ams will continue to appear.
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The tafsir of Surah Al-A’raf verse 176 by Ibn Kathir is unavailable here.
Please refer to Surah A’raf ayat 175 which provides the complete commentary from verse 175 through 177.
(7:176) Now had We so willed We could indeed have exalted him through those signs, but he clung to earthly life and followed his carnal desires. Thus his parable is that of the dog who lolls out his tongue whether you attack him or leave him alone.[139] Such is the parable of those who reject Our signs as false. Narrate to them these parables that they may reflect.
139. Since the statement here embodies a very significant point, it needs to be carefully examined. The person mentioned in the verse as the representative of the evil type possessed knowledge of God’s signs, and hence of the truth. This should have helped him to give up an attitude which he knew to be wrong, and to act in a manner which he knew to be right. Had he followed the truth and acted righteously God would have enabled him to rise to higher levels of humanity. He, however, overly occupied himself with the advantages, pleasures, and embellishments of the worldly life. Instead of resisting worldly temptations, he totally, succumbed to them so much so that he abandoned altogether his lofty spiritual ambitions and became indifferent to the possibilities of intellectual and moral growth. He even brazenly, violated all those limits which, according to his knowledge. should have been observed. Hence when he deliberately turned away from the truth merely because of his moral weakness, he was misled by Satan who is ever ready to beguile and mislead man. Satan continually led him from one act of depravity to another until he landed him in the company of those who are totally under Satan’s control and who have lost all capacity for rational judgement.
This is followed by a statement in which God likens the person in question to a dog. A dog’s protruding tongue and the unceasing flow of saliva from his mouth symbolize unquenchable greed and avarice. The reason for likening the human character described above to a dog is because of his excessive worldliness. It is known that in several languages of the world it is common to call people overly devoted to worldliness as ‘dogs of the world’. For what, after all, is the characteristic of a dog? It is nothing else but greed and avarice. Just look at the dog! As he moves around, he continuously sniffs the earth. Even if a rock is hurled at him he runs at it in the hope that it might be a piece of bone or bread. Before he discovers it to be a rock, he hastens to seize it in his mouth. Even a person’s indifference does not deter a dog from waiting expectantly for food – panting for breath, his tongue spread out and drooping, and a whole world from one perspective alone – that of his belly! Even if he discovers a large carcass, he would not be content with his portion of it, but would try to make it exclusively his and would not let any other dog even come close. It seems that if any urge other than appetite tickles him, it is the sexual urge. This metaphor of the dog, highlights the fate of the worldly man who breaks loose from his faith and knowledge, who entrusts his reins to blind lust and who ends up as one wholly devoted to gratifying his own appetite.
[420]- i.e., through the revelations, signs or evidences of which he had been given knowledge. [421]- i.e., its worldly pleasures. [422]- Whether or not they have been exposed to Allāh's signs or warnings, it is all the same: they will not believe.
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