of Nokounam, (Session 1264)
Surah Al-A'raf, one of the Meccan chapters of the Holy Qur'an, calls upon humankind to contemplate their deeds and intentions through a profound perspective on the divine system of assessment, human responsibility towards the signs of God, and ingratitude for His boundless blessings. This treatise, relying on the discourses of religious scholars, elucidates the key verses of this Surah and presents their concepts in a clear and dignified language to seekers of knowledge. Like a tree whose roots lie deep in the soil of truth and whose branches reach towards the sky of knowledge, this text endeavours to connect the meanings of the verses with deep analyses to serve as a guide for travellers on the path of truth.
The Noble Qur'an in Surah Al-A'raf, with eloquent and clear expression, portrays the divine system of assessment. This system, which on the Day of Resurrection will be accompanied by absolute truth, weighs human deeds on the scale of divine justice. The verses under discussion delicately articulate the difference between heavy and light deeds and seek the path of salvation through sincerity and the quality of virtuous deeds.
وَالْوَزْنُ يَوْمَئِذٍ الْحَقُّ ۚ فَمَنْ ثَقُلَتْ مَوَازِينُهُ فَأُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الْمُفْلِحُونَ * وَمَنْ خَفَّتْ مَوَازِينُهُ فَأُولَٰئِكَ الَّذِينَ خَسِرُوا أَنْفُسَهُمْ بِمَا كَانُوا بِآيَاتِنَا يَظْلِمُونَ
And the weighing on that Day will be the truth. So those whose scales are heavy it is they who will be the successful. But those whose scales are light those are the ones who have lost their souls because they wronged Our verses.
These verses, like a radiant lamp, distinguish the path from the wayward. ثَقُلَتْ مَوَازِينُهُ refers to deeds performed with pure intention and sincerity in worship, such as prayer offered with full presence of heart or fasting observed with the intention of drawing near to God. These deeds, like precious gems, weigh heavily on a person's scale and guide them towards an shah Riyah (a satisfying and pleasing life). However, خَفَّتْ مَوَازِينُهُ indicates deeds that appear superficially attractive but are devoid of the spirit of sincerity. These deeds, like hollow shells, possess no spiritual value and lead a person to loss.
The concept of injustice to the divine verses in these verses signifies belittling the divine commands and acts of worship. When a person, through superficial and empty acts of worshipsuch as robotic prayer or insincere fastingdisrespects the divine ordinances, they in fact harm themselves. This injustice not only distorts the divine verses but also detaches the spirit of religion from its body. Like a gardener who, instead of watering the roots of a tree, paints its leaves artificially, such deeds yield no fruit and ultimately destroy human spirituality.
Key Point: Injustice to the divine verses manifests in belittling divine commands and performing worship without sincerity. This injustice is a loss one inflicts upon oneself, barring them from salvation.
One of the pivotal concepts in this interpretation is the distinction between thawab and ajr. Thawab is a divine reward bestowed upon deeds performed with pure intention and sincerity, whereas ajr is compensation granted for outward exertion, even without sincerity. For instance, a person who prays without presence of heart may receive some recompense for the physical acts of bowing and standing, but this action lacks spiritual reward. This distinction, like the difference between a gem hidden within a mountain and a stone that merely shines superficially, demonstrates the importance of intention in valuing deeds.
This concept aligns with the Prophetic tradition: "Indeed, deeds are judged by intentions." It is also confirmed by a Qur'anic verse:
إِنَّمَا يَتَقَبَّلُ اللَّهُ مِنَ الْمُتَّقِينَ
Indeed, Allah only accepts from the righteous.
This verse sets sincerity as a prerequisite for acceptance of deeds, indicating that without piety and pure intention, virtuous acts do not culminate in divine reward.
The first section, focusing on the divine system of assessment, demonstrated that the scale of deeds is weighed only by sincerity and pure intention. Injustice to divine verses through superficial and empty acts of worship leads to loss. The distinction between reward and recompense emphasises the importance of intention in deeds and shows that only sincere acts hold value on the divine scale.
A notable point in this interpretation is the critique of erroneous exegesis that equates خَفَّتْ مَوَازِينُهُ with major sins (such as murder or theft). This verse, instead of focusing on grievous sins, addresses the quality of believers' good deeds. خَفَّتْ signifies deficiency in qualitative good deeds, not the presence of grave sins. For example, those who have committed severe crimes like murderers or great oppressors are not encompassed within this verse, as their evil deeds are heavy, and minor good deeds (such as superficial affection for a child) are insignificant in comparison.
This interpretation, akin to separating the wheat from the chaff, shows that major sins are discussed in other verses, such as:
إِنَّ الْقَتْلَةَ فِي النَّارِ
Indeed, the murderers are in the Fire.
This verse clarifies the punishment for major sins and indicates that Surah Al-A'raf addresses the quality of the believers good deeds while major sins are handled elsewhere.
Key Point: The notion of خَفَّتْ مَوَازِينُهُ refers to insincere and contentless good deeds, not to major sins that are dealt with in other verses.
The text humorously critiques examples such as a criminals superficial affection for his child, deeming it insignificant compared to major sins. This analogy, like attempting to weigh a straw against a mountain of stones, highlights the disproportion between trivial good deeds and grave sins. Such deeds cannot fill the light scale because they bear no weight against great sins.
This critique is consistent with the Qur'anic verse:
لَا يَنْفَعُ نَفْسًا إِيمَانُهَا لَمْ تَكُنْ آمَنَتْ مِنْ قَبْلُ
Faith will not benefit a soul that did not believe before.
This verse demonstrates that superficial good deeds without true faith and repentance are ineffective against great sins.
The second section, through critiquing incorrect interpretations, clarified that خَفَّتْ مَوَازِينُهُ relates to insincere good deeds, not major sins. These verses stress the quality of good deeds and delegate major sins to other scriptures. The critique of inappropriate examples underlines the insignificance of trivial good deeds in contrast to serious sins.
The Holy Qur'an, in Surah Al-Qriah, magnificently explains the outcome of the assessment of deeds:
فَأَمَّا مَنْ ثَقُلَتْ مَوَازِينُهُ * فَهُوَ فِي عِيشَةٍ رَاضِيَةٍ * وَأَمَّا مَنْ خَفَّتْ مَوَازِينُهُ * فَأُمُّهُ هَاوِيَةٌ
As for those whose scales are heavy, they will be in a pleasing life. But as for those whose scales are light, their refuge is Hawiyah.
shah Riyah, like a verdant and flourishing garden, is the abode of those whose deeds are accompanied by sincerity and faith and whose scales are heavy. Conversely, Hwiyah, like a dark and endless abyss, is the place for those who have wronged divine verses through superficial and insincere deeds. These two destinations represent the contrasting fates of humans who choose sincerity or hypocrisy.
Key Point: The pleasing life (shah Riyah) is the reward for pure deeds, while Hwiyah is the fate of those who have wronged the divine verses through superficial worship.
This section, by explaining the concepts of shah Riyah and Hwiyah, demonstrated that sincerity in deeds guides a person toward a pleasing life, whereas superficial and contentless worship leads to spiritual downfall. These two outcomes manifest the divine system of assessment and the quality of human deeds.
The Noble Qur'an, in another verse from Surah Al-A'raf, points to the countless divine blessings and human ingratitude:
وَلَقَدْ مَكَّنَّاكُمْ فِي الْأَرْضِ وَجَعَلْنَا لَكُمْ فِيهَا مَعَايِشَ ۗ قَلِيلًا مَا تَشْكُرُونَ
And indeed We have established you upon the earth and made for you therein livelihoods. Little is it that you give thanks.
This verse, like a mirror reflecting reality, reveals human ingratitude towards divine blessingsfrom water and air to the sun and the moon. The phrase Little is it that you give thanks softly but profoundly admonishes humans to contemplate their negligence. Only true believers, who express gratitude with faith and righteous deeds, are exempt from this reproach.
This concept aligns with another Qur'anic verse:
وَإِنْ تَعُدُّوا نِعْمَةَ اللَّهِ لَا تُحْصُوهَا
And if you should count the favour of Allah, you could not enumerate them.
This verse reminds us of the innumerability of divine blessings and regards gratitude as a sign of faith and piety.
Key Point: Ingratitude towards divine blessings signifies human negligence. Gratitude, which springs from true faith, guides humans toward spiritual perfection.
The fourth section, by explaining divine blessings and human ingratitude, emphasised the importance of gratitude as a manifestation of faith. It demonstrated that only true believers who express gratitude for Gods blessings escape negligence and ingratitude.
This treatise, relying on the verses of Surah Al-A'raf and the profound analyses of religious scholars, depicted the divine system of assessment. The scale of deeds, weighed on the Day of Resurrection by absolute truth, is heavy only through sincerity and pure intention. Injustice to the divine verses, through superficial and empty worship, leads a person towards loss. The distinction between reward and recompense underscores the significance of intention in deeds, and ingratitude towards divine blessings is a sign of human negligence of reality. This interpretation, like a clear spring, presents Quranic teachings to seekers of knowledge and invites them to reflect upon their deeds and intentions.
Under the supervision of Sadegh Khademi
