Session 5: Who Forbade the Good Things.

Part 1 of 7. About this session.

The previous passage ended with adornment at every masjid: eat and drink, and do not overdo it. This passage begins with the people on the other side of that limit. The commentators say they went around the House unclothed and kept good food from themselves, and they called it religion.

Ayah 32 answers them with a question: who has forbidden the adornment Allah brought out for His servants, and the good things of provision? They are for the believers in this life, and the commentators add that everyone else shares them here. On the Day of Resurrection they are the believers' alone.

Ayah 33 then says what Allah has actually forbidden. It is not food and not clothing. It is shameful deeds, open and hidden; sin; wronging people without right; joining partners with Allah; and saying about Allah what you do not know.

The passage ends with a fixed term for every nation, not an hour late and not an hour early, and the last “O children of Adam” in the surah. When messengers come with the ayat, whoever has taqwa and sets things right has nothing to fear. Those who deny them and are too proud to follow them are the companions of the Fire.

Part 2 of 7. The passage, in Saheeh International.

Ayah 32.

Say, "Who has forbidden the adornment of Allah which He has produced for His servants and the good [lawful] things of provision?" Say, "They are for those who believe during the worldly life [but] exclusively for them on the Day of Resurrection." Thus do We detail the verses for a people who know.

Ayah 33.

Say, "My Lord has only forbidden immoralities - what is apparent of them and what is concealed - and sin, and oppression without right, and that you associate with Allah that for which He has not sent down authority, and that you say about Allah that which you do not know."

Ayah 34.

And for every nation is a [specified] term. So when their time has come, they will not remain behind an hour, nor will they precede [it].

Ayah 35.

O children of Adam, if there come to you messengers from among you relating to you My verses, then whoever fears Allah and reforms - there will be no fear concerning them, nor will they grieve.

Ayah 36.

But the ones who deny Our verses and are arrogant toward them - those are the companions of the Fire; they will abide therein eternally.

Part 3 of 7. The explanation, from the classical tafsir.

What the classical commentators say about these five ayat. Take this one if you want to go deeper.

Ayah 32 asks a question: who has forbidden the adornment and the good things Allah brought out for His servants? Ayah 33 answers it by naming what Allah has actually forbidden. Then comes a fixed term for every nation, and the last “O children of Adam” in the surah. The three units below follow that shape. Ayat 34 to 36 share one unit because Ibn Kathir comments on them together.

Reading guide: source summaries below are paraphrases, not direct quotations. Reflections and facilitator notes are editorial teaching suggestions. The Verses and audio page uses Saheeh International; English wording quoted from tafsir editions follows those editions and may differ.

Ayah 32 — Who forbade the adornment and the good things?

First, the ayah again, in Saheeh International.

Ayah 32: Say, "Who has forbidden the adornment of Allah which He has produced for His servants and the good [lawful] things of provision?" Say, "They are for those who believe during the worldly life [but] exclusively for them on the Day of Resurrection." Thus do We detail the verses for a people who know.

Allah brought out adornment and good provision for His servants. In this world everyone shares them; on the Day of Resurrection they belong to the believers alone. Forbidding them in His name was the mistake.

Source summary: Ibn Kathir says Allah is refuting those who forbid any food, drink or clothing by their own understanding, without relying on what Allah legislated. The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam is told to say this to the idolaters who forbade things out of false opinion and invention. These good things, he says, were created for those who believe and worship Allah in this life, even though the disbelievers share in them here. In the Hereafter they belong to the believers alone, because Paradise is forbidden to the disbelievers.

Source summary: Al-Jalalayn reads “Say” as said in disavowal of them. It glosses zina as garments and tayyibat as delicious foods, and says that in this world these things belong to the believers by right, even if others share them. It notes that the word for “exclusively” is read two ways, khalisatun and khalisatan; the verses page prints the second, the reading of Hafs. “A people who know” are those who reflect, because they are the ones who benefit from the signs.

Optional source note — al-Tabari on who is being answered.

Paraphrase from the Arabic: Al-Tabari says the ayah answers the Arabs who went around the House unclothed and kept themselves from lawful provision. On zina he reports that the commentators agree it means adorning oneself with clothing. On “the good things of provision” he gives two views. One is the meat, fat and milk they kept from themselves on hajj and umrah, from al-Suddi and Ibn Zayd. The other is the animals the Jahiliyyah set loose and would not use, the bahira and the rest, from Qatadah; Ibn Abbas says they forbade clothing and other things Allah had made lawful, and he ties the ayah to Surah Yunus, ayah 59. On “exclusively for them on the Day of Resurrection” he reports from Ibn Abbas, al-Dahhak, Qatadah and others: in this world believers and disbelievers share the good things, and on the Day they are the believers’ alone. Said ibn Jubayr read it another way: the believers enjoy them in this world, and no sin from them follows them. Al-Tabari prefers the reading khalisatan, the one on the verses page, while allowing the other.

Paraphrase from the Arabic: He also records a warning from al-Hasan al-Basri, who set the simple life of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam against people who quoted this ayah to excuse feasts and fine houses paid for with wealth that was not rightly theirs.

Optional source note — al-Qurtubi on dressing well and eating well.

Paraphrase from the Arabic: Al-Qurtubi says the ayah shows that good clothing and dressing well are allowed — for Jumuah, the two Eids, meeting people and visiting one another — and that the early Muslims did this. He points to Umar suggesting that the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam buy a fine robe to wear on Fridays and when delegations came: the objection was that it was silk, not the wish to dress well. He answers people who wear coarse wool as a show of piety, quoting al-Hasan al-Basri that righteousness is not in the cloak but in what settles in the heart and is confirmed by deeds, and he gives Ibn al-Jawzi’s reasons for disliking patched clothes worn to look poor. On tayyibat he records three positions on giving up good food, and the one his teacher’s teacher al-Maqdisi calls correct: the only fault is takalluf, straining after it, since the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam did not refuse food for being good and loved sweets and honey. Umar’s sayings in favour of living rough, he explains, were aimed at people he feared would sink into luxury, not a ban on what is lawful. He cites Surah Al-Ma'idah, ayah 87 alongside the ayah.

Reflection: Some of us feel more religious when we give things up. Ayah 32 says the good things were brought out for Allah’s servants. Enjoying them with thanks, inside the limit of ayah 31, is not a smaller kind of faith.

Ayah 33 — What my Lord has actually forbidden.

First, the ayah again, in Saheeh International.

Ayah 33: Say, "My Lord has only forbidden immoralities - what is apparent of them and what is concealed - and sin, and oppression without right, and that you associate with Allah that for which He has not sent down authority, and that you say about Allah that which you do not know."

When ayah 33 says what Allah has forbidden, it names sins, not foods or clothes: shameful deeds open and hidden, sin, wronging people, shirk, and saying about Allah what you do not know.

Source summary: Ibn Kathir heads this ayah with its five prohibitions: shameful deeds, sin, transgression, shirk and lying about Allah. He opens with the narration of Abdullah ibn Masud that no one has more ghayrah than Allah, which is why He forbade shameful deeds, open and hidden; it is the second core narration on the hadith page. For “open and hidden” he refers back to his comment on Surah Al-An'am, ayah 151. He reports al-Suddi that ithm is disobedience and baghy is transgressing against people without right, and Mujahid that ithm covers every kind of disobedience. His own summary: ithm is the wrong a person does against himself, and baghy is the wrong done to others. Shirk is calling on others with Allah in worship. Saying about Allah what you do not know means lies and inventions, such as claiming that Allah has a son; he compares Surah Al-Hajj, ayah 30.

Source summary: Al-Jalalayn glosses fawahish as grave sins such as fornication, done openly or in secret; ithm as the act of disobedience; baghy as wrongful insolence against people, that is, oppression; and sultan as any definitive proof. Saying about Allah what you do not know includes, it says, forbidding what He has not forbidden.

Optional source note — al-Tabari on what they claimed in Allah’s name.

Paraphrase from the Arabic: Al-Tabari says this is said to the idolaters who went around the House unclothed and kept themselves from good food: Allah did not forbid what you forbid; He made it lawful and good for His believing servants. What He forbade are the ugly deeds. He reports from Mujahid that the open one was the unclothed tawaf and the hidden one was zina. Ithm is disobedience, and baghy is lording it over people. Shirk is worshipping another with Allah without any proof, and that proof is the sultan. In this context, saying about Allah what you do not know means claiming that Allah told them to strip for tawaf and forbade the animals they had set loose: putting their own prohibitions in His name. That, he says, is what Allah forbade, not what they claimed He forbade.

Optional source note — al-Qurtubi on why sin and oppression are named separately.

Paraphrase from the Arabic: Al-Qurtubi defines fawahish as deeds that go beyond all limits in ugliness. Because ithm and baghy are named on their own, he takes fawahish here in a narrower sense, most evidently zina. Some said ithm means wine; al-Farra, al-Nahhas and Ibn al-aynArabi rejected that, and al-Qurtubi settles it: ithm covers all sins, and the language also used it for wine, so the two do not conflict. Ithm and baghy belong to the shameful deeds, he says, but they are named separately because they are so serious, for emphasis and as a warning.

Optional note — a later scholar on the order of the list.

Paraphrase from the Arabic: Ibn al-Qayyim (d. 751 AH), a later scholar and not one of the four commentators on this page, reads the list in ayah 33 as four ranks rising in seriousness: shameful deeds; then sin and oppression; then shirk; then saying about Allah without knowledge. He explains that the last takes in every false claim about Allah, His names, attributes and acts, and His religion and law, and he cites Surah An-Nahl, ayah 116 beside it: do not say “this is lawful and this is unlawful” to invent a lie about Allah.

Reflection: When we want to know what Allah has forbidden, ayah 33 is a good first list to check ourselves against. Most of it is about how we treat Allah and other people, not about what is on our plate.

Ayat 34 to 36 — The fixed term, the messengers, and two ends.

First, the ayat again, in Saheeh International.

Ayah 34: And for every nation is a [specified] term. So when their time has come, they will not remain behind an hour, nor will they precede [it].

Ayah 35: O children of Adam, if there come to you messengers from among you relating to you My verses, then whoever fears Allah and reforms - there will be no fear concerning them, nor will they grieve.

Ayah 36: But the ones who deny Our verses and are arrogant toward them - those are the companions of the Fire; they will abide therein eternally.

Every nation’s time is fixed to the hour. Before it comes, messengers bring the ayat, and the children of Adam choose: taqwa and setting things right, or denial and pride.

Source summary: Ibn Kathir comments on ayat 34 to 36 as one passage. Every generation and nation has a term it was destined for, and it can neither delay that term nor bring it forward by an hour, or a moment. Allah then warns the children of Adam that He sends them messengers who convey His ayat, with good news and a warning. Whoever has taqwa and sets things right — leaving what is forbidden and doing what Allah commands — will have no fear and no grief. Those whose hearts denied the ayat, and who were too proud to follow them, are the people of the Fire, forever.

Source summary: Al-Jalalayn calls the term “a finite period of time”: when it comes, they cannot delay it a single hour or bring it forward. It explains imma as the word for “if” with an extra ma. The messengers are “from among you”; the one who has taqwa is the one who fears associating others with Allah, and aslaha means he makes amends in his actions. The “no fear, no grief” is in the Hereafter. On ayah 36 it says they deny the signs and scorn them, not believing in them.

Optional source note — al-Tabari on nations, and on setting things right.

Paraphrase from the Arabic: Al-Tabari reads ayah 34 as a warning to the idolaters of ayah 28, who did something shameful and said Allah had commanded it. Umma here is every people who together denied Allah’s messengers after His proofs had reached them, and their ajal is the time set for punishment to come down on them. When it comes, they get not one hour more of this world, and it is not brought forward. So he reads the ayah about nations, not about each person’s lifespan. On ayah 35, “from among you” means from your own people and tribes. The one who has taqwa believes what the messengers brought and does what Allah commands, and aslaha means he puts right the deeds he had spoiled with sins by turning away from them. They will have no fear of punishment on the Day, and no grief over the worldly things and desires they gave up in obedience, once they see how Allah honours them there.

Optional source note — al-Qurtubi on “an hour” and on the messengers.

Paraphrase from the Arabic: Al-Qurtubi says the hour is named because it is the smallest named unit of time: not an hour, and not less. A person’s ajal is the time Allah knows he will die, as a debt’s ajal is the day it falls due, and “nor will they precede [it]” shows that even someone who is killed dies at his appointed time. Allah sends messengers “from among you” so that answering them comes more easily. Aslaha means he puts right what is between him and Allah. “No fear, no grief” means the believers will not be touched by terror on that Day; in another view, its horrors may touch them, but their end is safety.

Reading note: This one is our observation, not the commentators’. Ayat 35 to 36 end with the same Arabic words as Surah Al-Baqarah, ayat 38 to 39, where Adam is sent down from the Garden: when guidance comes, “there will be no fear concerning them, nor will they grieve,” and those who deny are “companions of the Fire; they will abide therein eternally.” Both begin the same way too, with imma yatiyannakum, “if there comes to you.” The promise made to Adam is made again here to his children.

Reflection: Ayah 35 puts two verbs together: whoever has taqwa and sets things right. Fearing Allah includes going back to repair what we have spoiled, with Allah and with people, and ayah 34 is a reason not to leave it for later.

Part 4 of 7. Hadith connected to the passage.

Narrations that sit alongside this passage.

Reading guide: the English passages below are plain-language summaries of narrations reported from the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, written for this session. They are not direct quotations and not translations. The Arabic is quoted from the Sunnah.com page named beneath each one, and the full source entry with its chain is one click away. Connections to the verses are editorial.

Core reading: The devils made the lawful unlawful.

Summary: One day the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam gave a sermon. He said his Lord had told him to teach them something they did not know, which Allah had taught him that day. Allah says: all wealth I have given a servant is lawful for him. I created all My servants upright, inclined to the truth. Then the devils came to them and pulled them away from their religion. They made unlawful for them what I had made lawful for them, and they told them to join with Me that for which I sent down no authority. The full narration goes on to other matters; this summary covers its opening.

Narrated by Iyad ibn Himar al-Mujashii.

Sahih Muslim 2865a, Book 53, Hadith 76.

Connection to the verses, editorial reflection: Both halves of ayat 32 to 33 in one narration, in Allah’s own words: making the lawful unlawful, and joining with Allah “that for which He has not sent down authority,” the same phrase as ayah 33. It also gives an answer to the question in ayah 32, who has forbidden it?: the devils. The four commentators do not cite it at these ayat; the link is ours. See the tafsir units on ayah 32 and ayah 33.

Core reading: Why Allah forbade shameful deeds.

Summary: No one has more ghayrah than Allah, and that is why He forbade shameful deeds, the open ones and the hidden ones. And no one loves praise more than Allah, and that is why He praised Himself.

The word ghayrah: a protective sense of honour over what is sacred, as befits Allah.

Narrated by Abdullah ibn Masud.

Sahih al-Bukhari 4637, Book 65, Hadith 159.

Connection to the verses, editorial reflection: Al-Bukhari files this narration under ayah 33 itself, and Ibn Kathir opens his comment on the ayah with it. It gives a reason behind the list: the prohibitions protect what is precious; they are not arbitrary.

Optional reading: Three plans to be more religious.

Summary: Some of the Companions asked the wives of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam how he worshipped at home. Then one of them said: I will not marry. Another said: I will not eat meat. Another said: I will not sleep on a bed. The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam praised Allah and said: what is wrong with people who say such things? I pray and I sleep. I fast and I break my fast. And I marry. Whoever turns away from my Sunnah is not of me.

Narrated by Anas ibn Malik.

Sahih Muslim 1401, Book 16, Hadith 6, a version with different vows is Sahih al-Bukhari 5063.

Connection to the verses, editorial reflection: The same mistake ayah 32 corrects, made by people with good intentions. The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam did not let them turn the lawful into a burden and call it piety. “I will not eat meat” is the kind of thing the people in ayah 32 kept from themselves, as al-Tabari reports.

Optional reading: Terms already set.

Summary: Umm Habibah, the wife of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, prayed: O Allah, let me enjoy long life with my husband the Messenger of Allah, my father Abu Sufyan and my brother Muawiyah. The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said: you have asked Allah about terms already fixed, days already counted and provision already shared out. He will not bring anything before its time, or hold anything back after its time. If you had asked Allah to protect you from punishment in the Fire or in the grave, that would have been better for you. The narration then goes on to a different question.

Narrated by Abdullah ibn Masud.

Sahih Muslim 2663b, Book 46, Hadith 49.

Connection to the verses, editorial reflection: What ayah 34 says of nations, the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam says of each life: not earlier, not later. And he turns her du'a toward what lasts.

Optional reading: Everyone enters, except the one who refuses.

Summary: All of my ummah will enter Paradise, except the one who refuses. They asked: who would refuse, O Messenger of Allah? He said: whoever obeys me enters Paradise, and whoever disobeys me has refused.

Narrated by Abu Hurayrah.

Sahih al-Bukhari 7280, Book 96, Hadith 12.

Connection to the verses, editorial reflection: The same choice as ayat 35 to 36, in the words of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam about his own ummah. When a messenger comes, the door is open; the one left outside is the one who turns away, the denial and pride of ayah 36.

Part 5 of 7. Arabic words in the passage.

Four words carry this passage: the verb for forbidding, the good things, the fixed term, and the verb for setting things right. Each one has a cousin you already know in Indonesian: haram, thayyib, ajal and saleh.

Harrama, ayah 32 and ayah 33.

Saheeh International: “has forbidden” — Who has forbidden the adornment of Allah, My Lord has only forbidden immoralities.

Meaning in context: Both ayat use the same verb, in the same place: the third word. Ayah 32 asks who has forbidden the good things. Ayah 33 answers with what my Lord has actually forbidden. The question and the answer turn on this one word. Indonesian keeps it as haram, and the same root gives Masjidil Haram and ihram. In Indonesian the word mostly means “forbidden”. The root also carries the sense of something sacred, not to be touched.

Root: h-r-m. Lane gives both senses. Of a thing: it “was, or became, forbidden, prohibited, or unlawful”. Of a place or a person: it “was, or became, sacred, or inviolable, or entitled to reverence, respect, or honour”. He adds that the opening Allahu akbar of the prayer is called takbirat al-tahrim, because it forbids everything outside the prayer.

For reflection: The people in ayah 32 made something haram for themselves and felt more religious for it. Is there something good that Allah allows which you treat as if it were wrong?

In this surah: Four times as this verb. Twice here, at ayah 32 and ayah 33. At ayah 50 the people of the Fire ask for water and provision, and are told that Allah has forbidden both to the disbelievers. At ayah 157 the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam makes the good things lawful and forbids the bad.

Grammar: Verb — 3rd person masculine singular, form II, perfect. The third word of both ayah 32 and ayah 33.

Elsewhere in the Qur'an: The root occurs 83 times in six derived forms; this verb 39 times. Three of them:

Ayah 50 — “Indeed, Allah has forbidden them both to the disbelievers.”

Ayah 157 — “and prohibits for them the evil.”

Surah Al-Ma'idah, ayah 87 — “do not prohibit the good things which Allah has made lawful to you.”

From the tafsir: Al-Tabari reports that the people answered in ayah 32 kept meat, fat and milk from themselves on hajj and umrah. That the same root gives both haram and ihram is our observation, not his.

Wa-l-tayyibat, ayah 32.

Saheeh International: “and the good [lawful] things” — and the good [lawful] things of provision.

Meaning in context: Saheeh International adds “[lawful]” in brackets. The Arabic word itself says good: pleasant, wholesome, clean. Al-Jalalayn glosses it as delicious foods. Many of us know it from halalan thayyiban. Thayyib is the second half of that phrase: not only allowed, but good.

Root: t-y-b. Lane: it “was, or became, [good,] pleasant, delightful, delicious, sweet, or savoury”, “and it was, or became, pure, … or clean”. He marks one sense as figurative: “It was, or became, lawful, allowable, or free.” On this very phrase he says it “means And what are esteemed [good,] pleasant, delicious, sweet, or savoury, of foods and beverages.” Lane numbers the ayah vii. 30, after an older edition.

For reflection: Halal is the minimum. What would it mean for your food, your work or your spending to be tayyib as well?

In this surah: This plural noun three times: ayah 32, ayah 157 and ayah 160. The singular tayyib comes at ayah 58, the good land.

Grammar: Noun — accusative feminine plural, with the prefixed conjunction wa, “and”.

Elsewhere in the Qur'an: The root occurs 50 times in five derived forms; this plural noun 21 times. Two of them:

Ayah 157 — “and makes lawful for them the good things.”

Surah Al-Ma'idah, ayah 87 — “do not prohibit the good things which Allah has made lawful to you.”

From the tafsir: Al-Qurtubi records three positions on giving up good food, and the one al-Maqdisi calls correct: the only fault is takalluf, straining after it.

Ajalun, ayah 34.

Saheeh International: “a [specified] term” — And for every nation is a [specified] term.

Meaning in context: A time fixed in advance, like the day a debt falls due. That comparison is al-Qurtubi's own. Indonesian has the word, but narrower: ajal is the moment of death, as in ajal menjemput. The Qur'an uses it for any fixed term. In this ayah al-Tabari reads it of nations; al-Qurtubi also applies it to each person.

Root: hamza-j-l. Lane: “The primary signification seems to be, It had a term, or period, appointed for it, at which it should fall due, or come to pass.”

For reflection: Not an hour late, and not an hour early. If the time is already set, what is one thing you should stop putting off?

In this surah: Four times. Twice in ayah 34 itself, ajalun and then ajaluhum, “their term”; then ayah 135 and ayah 185.

Grammar: Noun — nominative masculine, indefinite. The sixth word, ajaluhum, is the same noun with the possessive pronoun “their”.

Elsewhere in the Qur'an: The root occurs 56 times in four derived forms; the noun ajal 52 times. Three of them:

Surah An-Nahl, ayah 61 — “He defers them for a specified term.” The same ayah ends with the words of ayah 34.

Surah Ar-Ra'd, ayah 38 — “For every term is a decree.”

Surah Al-Munafiqun, ayah 11 — “never will Allah delay a soul when its time has come.”

From the tafsir: Al-Qurtubi says the hour is named because it is the smallest named unit of time: not an hour, and not less.

Wa-aslaha, ayah 35.

Saheeh International: “and reforms” — then whoever fears Allah and reforms.

Meaning in context: To set something right, to repair it. The word just before it, ittaqa, comes from the root of taqwa, a key word of the previous passage. So in this ayah taqwa does not stand alone: it comes with a second verb. Al-Tabari explains it as putting right the deeds he had spoiled with sins. Indonesian has two words from this root already: saleh or soleh, righteous, and islah, making peace between people.

Root: s-l-h. Lane gives the basic sense as being “in a good, incorrupt, sound, right, or proper, state, or in a state of order; he, or it, throve”. The corpus glosses this form of the verb as “to correct, to reform, to improve, to make peace”.

For reflection: Fear of Allah, then repair. What is one thing you have spoiled, at home, at work or with someone, that you could begin to set right this week?

In this surah: The root runs all through Al-A'raf. It is the name of the prophet Salih (ayah 73, ayah 75, ayah 77). It is islah, the earth's being put right, at ayah 56 and ayah 85. It is Musa's word to Harun, aslih, set things right, at ayah 142. And it is the righteous and their good deeds at ayah 42, ayah 168, ayah 189, ayah 190 and ayah 196, and at ayah 170 al-muslihin, the reformers, whose reward is not lost.

Grammar: Verb — 3rd person masculine singular, form IV, perfect, with the prefixed conjunction wa, “and”.

Elsewhere in the Qur'an: The root occurs 180 times in eight derived forms; this verb 28 times. The verbal noun appears twice in this surah in the same phrase:

Ayah 56 — “And cause not corruption upon the earth after its reformation.”

Ayah 85 — Shuayb says the same words to Madyan.

From the tafsir: Al-Tabari: he puts right the deeds he had spoiled with sins. Al-Qurtubi: he puts right what is between him and Allah.

More words to notice.

Zinata, ayah 32: “The adornment.” The root z-y-n occurs 46 times; this noun 19 times, and in Al-A'raf only at ayah 31 and ayah 32, the last ayah of the previous passage and the first of this one. It is not the Indonesian zina, which is a different root.

Khalisatan, ayah 32: “Exclusively.” The root kh-l-s occurs 31 times. It is the root of the previous passage's mukhlisin (ayah 29), sincere. Here the good things belong to the believers alone on the Day. Al-Jalalayn notes a second reading, khalisatun.

Nufassilu, ayah 32: “We detail.” The root f-s-l occurs 43 times; this form of the verb 17 times. Indonesian pasal, a section, comes from the same root. The same phrase, “Thus do We detail the verses”, comes again at ayah 174.

Al-fawahisha, ayah 33: “Immoralities,” the plural of fahishah, which we met at ayah 28, in the previous passage. The root f-h-sh occurs 24 times; fahishah and its plural 17 times. In this surah also at ayah 80.

Wa-l-ithma, ayah 33: “And sin.” The root hamza-th-m occurs 48 times; this noun 35 times, and only here in Al-A'raf. Lane: “he did what was unlawful”. Ibn Kathir: the wrong a person does against himself. The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam described it as what troubles your heart and what you would not like people to know of (Sahih Muslim 2553a, our summary).

Wa-l-baghya, ayah 33: “And oppression.” The root b-gh-y occurs 96 times in eight forms; this noun 11 times. Lane's first sense is “He sought; sought for, or after”, and then “the exceeding the due bounds, or just limits”. He even uses it of a valley: “The valley flowed with water reaching to a place to which it had not reached before.” Ibn Kathir: the wrong done to others.

Sultanan, ayah 33: “Any authority.” The root s-l-t occurs 39 times; this noun 37 times, in this surah at ayah 33 and ayah 71. Indonesian sultan is a king. Lane gives both: “A proof; an evidence; an argument”, and “A ruler, or governor … a king; a sovereign”, the second being the usual later sense. In the ayah it is the proof; al-Jalalayn has “any definitive proof”. The same words, ma lam yunazzil bihi sultanan, are at Surah Ali 'Imran, ayah 151 and Surah Al-Hajj, ayah 71.

Ummatin, ayah 34: “Nation.” The root hamza-m-m occurs 119 times; this noun 64 times, eight of them in Al-A'raf. Indonesian umat.

Saatan, ayah 34: “An hour.” The root s-w-ayn occurs 49 times. Indonesian saat, a moment. Here it is a short stretch of time; at ayah 187 the same word is the Hour. Al-Qurtubi: named as the smallest unit of time.

Ya bani Adam, ayah 35: “O children of Adam.” The fourth time in ten ayat: ayah 26, ayah 27, ayah 31 and ayah 35, and the last in the surah. The Qur'an uses it once more, at Surah Ya-Sin, ayah 60. The previous passage began the thread; this one closes it.

Yaqussuna, ayah 35: “Relating.” The root q-s-s occurs 30 times; this verb 20 times. Indonesian kisah, a story, comes from the same root. In Al-A'raf also at ayah 7 (session 01), ayah 101 and ayah 176.

Wa-stakbaru, ayah 36: “And were arrogant.” The root k-b-r occurs 161 times — it is the root of akbar, as in Allahu akbar. This form of the verb occurs 40 times, eight of them in Al-A'raf (ayah 36, 40, 48, 75, 76, 88, 133, 206). Session 02's word was tatakabbara (ayah 13), what Iblis did. Pride is a thread through the surah.

Part 6 of 7. Questions for discussion, and personal reflection.

These are the questions the halaqa discusses. The first three are the core questions; the rest are optional. Pause after each one and think it through, or talk it over with someone.

Question 1, core, on ayah 32.

Ayah 32 asks: who has forbidden the adornment and the good things Allah brought out for His servants? The people in the ayah made the religion stricter than Allah made it, and they felt more religious for it. In ordinary life, when does being stricter than the religion feel like being more religious, and what helps us tell the difference?

Then, if the conversation goes there: is there a good thing you enjoy but still feel a little guilty about? Where does that feeling come from?

Question 2, core, on ayah 33.

When ayah 33 says what Allah has forbidden, it does not list foods or clothes. It lists shameful deeds, sin, and baghy, wronging other people without right. Why is it often easier to argue about what people eat or wear than about how we treat each other?

Then: which item on the list in ayah 33 do we talk about least? Why do you think that is?

Question 3, core, on ayah 35.

The promise in ayah 35 goes to whoever has taqwa and aslaha, sets things right. Taqwa comes with a second verb. Think of something you have left wrong, in your own habits or between you and someone else. What makes repair hard, and what helps?

Question 4, optional, on ayah 32.

Some of the Companions wanted to be more religious: one said he would not marry, another that he would not eat meat, another that he would not sleep on a bed. The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said: I pray and I sleep, I fast and I break my fast, and I marry. The narration is on the hadith page. What does his answer say about devotion in an ordinary week?

Question 5, optional, on ayah 33.

Shirk in ayah 33 is joining with Allah “that for which He has not sent down authority”. The word is sultan. In Indonesian a sultan is a king; in the ayah it is a proof, as the Arabic words page shows. What changes when authority has to come with proof?

Question 6, optional, on ayah 34.

Ayah 34 says that when their time comes, “they will not remain behind an hour, nor will they precede [it]”. The word for the fixed time is ajal. What does that ask of us about the things we keep putting off?

Question 7, optional, on ayah 35.

Ayah 35 is the fourth “O children of Adam” in ten ayat: 26, 27, 31 and 35. Read the four in a row; the first three are on the verses page for ayat 26 to 31. What do they tell us together?

Tadabbur — personal reflection.

These are personal applications, written for this session. They are separate from the verse translation and from the tafsir.

Reflection 1. Ayah 32 says the good things were brought out for Allah's servants. Think of one good thing you enjoyed today, and thank Him for it by name.

Reflection 2. Read the list in ayah 33 slowly, one item at a time. Which one do you most need to hear this week?

Reflection 3. Ayah 34 says the time is already set. Is there an apology, a visit or a phone call you have been leaving for later?

Reflection 4. Finish this silently: One good thing Allah allows that I have been treating as suspect is blank. One thing I will set right this week is blank.

Part 7 of 7. Lectures to watch later.

These are talks by other scholars, to watch later if you want to go further. The links are at the foot of the Tafsir page. The descriptions are editorial.

Nouman Ali Khan: Counsel and Healing from Surah 7 Aayah 31, 32.

Connection to the verses, editorial reflection: From the transcript, a talk on ayat 31 and 32. He explains the Makkan customs behind them, going around the Kabah unclothed and keeping food from pilgrims, and then asks how culture today can forbid what Allah has allowed. A good listen before you start, for the first unit.

Mufti Menk: Don't BLOCK what Allah has ALLOWED! Halal - Mufti Menk.

Connection to the verses, editorial reflection: A short reminder not to forbid what Allah has allowed. That is the question ayah 32 asks.

Omar Suleiman optional: Beyond Halal and Haram: Are You Numbing Your Heart?, Ramadan Khutbah by Dr. Omar Suleiman.

Connection to the verses, editorial reflection: From the transcript, a khutbah on the stages by which Shaytan works on a person. It stays with one of them: too much of what is permissible but brings no benefit, and how that hardens the heart. It is the other edge of ayat 31 to 32: what Allah allows is good, and it can still be overdone.

Yasir Qadhi optional background: The Importance of Family Ties in Islam - Shaykh Dr Yasir Qadhi.

Connection to the verses, editorial reflection: Not about this passage directly. From the transcript, a Jumuah khutbah on Surah An-Nisa, ayah 1 and the rights of family. The part from minute Surah An-Naml, ayah 19 is about difficult relatives, with five pieces of advice for repair. Ayah 35 promises safety to whoever has taqwa and sets things right; this is background for anyone who wants to think about setting things right at home.