Surah Al A'raf Tafseer

وَلَوْ شِيْنَا لَرَفَعْنَاهُ بِهَا وَلَـكِنَّهُ أَخْلَدَ إِلَى الَارْضِ وَاتَّبَعَ هَوَاهُ

And had We willed, We would surely have elevated him therewith but he clung to the earth and followed his own vain desires.

Allah said,

وَلَوْ شِيْنَا لَرَفَعْنَاهُ بِهَا

(And had We willed, We would surely have elevated him therewith), from the filth of this earthly life through the Ayat that We gave him knowledge of,

وَلَـكِنَّهُ أَخْلَدَ إِلَى الَارْضِ

(but he clung to the earth), he became interested in the adornment of this life and its delights. He indulged in the lusts of life and its joys and was deceived by it, just as life deceived others like him, without sound comprehension or a good mind.

Muhammad bin Ishaq bin Yasar narrated from Salim, from Abu An-Nadr that;

when Musa entered the land of Bani Canaan in the area of Ash-Sham (Greater Syria), the people of Bal`am came to him, saying, "This is Musa, son of Imran with the Children of Israel. He wants to drive us out from our land, kill us and replace us with the Children of Israel. We are your people and have no other dwelling area. You are a person whose supplication is acceptable (to Allah), so go out and supplicate to Allah against them."

He said, "Woe to you! Here is Allah's Prophet (Musa) with whom the angels and believers are! How can I supplicate against them when I know from Allah what I know!"

They said, "We have no other dwelling area."

So they kept luring and begging him until he was tempted by the trial and went on his donkey towards Mount Husban, which was behind the Israelite military barracks. When he proceeded on the Mount for a while, the donkey sat down and refused to proceed. He got off the donkey and struck it until it stood up again and he rode it. The donkey did the same after a little while, and he struck it again until it stood up... So he proceeded and tried to supplicate against Musa and his people. However, Allah made his tongue mention his people with evil and the Children of Israel with good instead of his people, who protested, "O Bal`am! What are you doing You are supplicating for them and against us!"

He said, "It is against my will. This is a matter that Allah has decided."

He then said to them, as his tongue was made to loll out of his mouth, "Now I have lost this life and the Hereafter."

This Ayah was revealed about the story of Bal`am son of Ba`ura,

وَاتْلُ عَلَيْهِمْ نَبَأَ الَّذِيَ اتَيْنَاهُ ايَاتِنَا

فَانسَلَخَ مِنْهَا

(And recite to them the story of him to whom We gave Our Ayat, but he threw them away.), until,

لَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ

(perhaps they may reflect).

Allah said next,

فَمَثَلُهُ كَمَثَلِ الْكَلْبِ إِن تَحْمِلْ عَلَيْهِ يَلْهَثْ أَوْ تَتْرُكْهُ يَلْهَث

So his parable is the parable of a dog:if you drive him away, he pants, or if you leave him alone, he (still) pants.

Scholars of Tafsir have conflicting opinions regarding the meaning of this Ayah.

Some scholars said that it refers to the end of Bal`am's tongue which flickered out of his mouth, as in the story narrated from Ibn Ishaq, from Salim, from Abu An-Nadr. Therefore, his example is the example of the dog, its tongue pants regardless of whether it is driven away or not.

It was also said that,

the meaning here is a parable of this man -- and his like -- concerning their misguidance, persisting the wrong path and not being able to benefit from faith or comprehend what they are being called to. So his example is that of a dog which pants whether it was driven away or left alone. The person described here does not benefit from the advice or the call to faith, just as if the advice and call never occurred.

Allah said in other Ayat,

سَوَاءٌ عَلَيْهِمْ ءَأَنذَرْتَهُمْ أَمْ لَمْ تُنذِرْهُمْ لَا يُوْمِنُونَ

It is the same to them (disbelievers) whether you warn them or do not warn them, they will not believe. (2:6)

and,

اسْتَغْفِرْ لَهُمْ أَوْ لَا تَسْتَغْفِرْ لَهُمْ إِن تَسْتَغْفِرْ لَهُمْ سَبْعِينَ مَرَّةً فَلَن يَغْفِرَ اللَّهُ لَهُمْ

Whether you ask forgiveness for them (hypocrites) or ask not forgiveness for them -- (and even) if you ask seventy times for their forgiveness -- Allah will not forgive them. (9:80)

and similar Ayat.

It was also said that;

the meaning here, is that the heart of the disbeliever, the hypocrite and the wicked is weak and devoid of guidance. Therefore, it keeps faltering.

Similar was narrated from Al-Hasan Al-Basri.

ذَّلِكَ مَثَلُ الْقَوْمِ الَّذِينَ كَذَّبُواْ بِأيَاتِنَا

Such is the parable of the people who reject Our Ayat.

فَاقْصُصِ الْقَصَصَ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ

So relate the stories, perhaps they may reflect.

Allah said next to His Prophet Muhammad,

فَاقْصُصِ الْقَصَصَ لَعَلَّهُمْ

(So relate the stories, perhaps they may) the Children of Israel, who have knowledge of the story of Bal`am and what happened to him when Allah allowed him to stray and expelled him from His mercy. Allah favored him by teaching him His Greatest Name, by which, if He is asked, He will grant, and if He is called upon, He answers. But Bal`am used it in disobedience to Allah and invoked Him against His own party of the people of faith, followers of His servant and Messenger during that time, Musa, the son of Imran, peace be upon him, whom Allah spoke to directly,

لَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ

(perhaps they may reflect), and avoid Bal`am's behavior, for Allah has given the Jews knowledge and made them superior to the Bedouins surrounding them. He gave them the description of Muhammad which would allow them to recognize him, as they recognize their own children. They, among people, have the most right to follow, aid and support Muhammad , in obedience to their Prophets who informed them of him and commanded them to follow him. Therefore, whoever among them defies the knowledge in their Books or hides it from the servants, Allah will place disgrace on him in this life, followed by humiliation in the Hereafter.

Allah said