The Qur’an chapter 8
The eighth chapter of the Qur’an is called Al-A’raf, or The Elevated Places. It consists of 75 verses. Here is our commentary.
Disclaimer
We are not Muslims. We have no expertise with the Qur’an.
We are reading the Qur’an as a good-faith effort to to become better-equipped for the ministry of of Interfaith Dialogue with Muslims.
We are Christians who are reading the Qur’an for the first time. Our mindset is to approach the Qur’an with respect and as learners. Our comments are simply whatever stood out to us.
In the name of God, the Almighty, the Merciful.
VERSE 1. They ask you regarding the spoils, say: “The spoils are for God and the messenger.” So be aware of God, and be upright in matters between you; and obey God and His messenger if you are believers.
and the messenger. Perhaps this refers to the prophet Mohammed.
obey God and His messenger. The prophet is a figure who is to be obeyed.
VERSE 2. The believers are those whom, when God is mentioned, their hearts reverence; and when His revelations are recited to them, it increases their faith; and they put their trust in their Lord.
VERSE 3. They hold the Connection, and from Our provisions to them they spend.
VERSE 4. These are the true believers; they will have grades with their Lord and a forgiveness and a generous provision.
true believers. This term implies that there are believers who are false.
VERSE 5. As your Lord made you go out from your home with the truth, but a party from among the believers disliked this.
your Lord made you go out from your home. The person was sent on a mission.
with the truth. The mission revived around the truth.
a party from among the believers disliked this. The worldview of many believers is rooted in the status quo. If someone changes the status quo, they feel alarmed.
VERSE 6. They argue with you about the truth when it has been made clear to them; as if they were being herded towards death while they are watching!
VERSE 7. And God promises you that one of the two parties will be defeated by you; and you wish that the one least armed be the one. But God wishes that the truth be manifest with His words, and that He eliminates the remnant of the rejecters.
God wishes that the truth be manifest. This is a lovely statement.
VERSE 8. So that the truth will be manifest, and the falsehood will be finished; even if the criminals hate it.
VERSE 9. You called on help from your Lord and He answered you: “I will provide you with one thousand angels in succession.”
VERSE 10. And God did not do this except to give you good news, and that your hearts may be assured by it. And victory is only from God; for God is Noble, Wise.
to give you good news. This reminds us of the mission of the Lord Jesus. He came to bring good news.
VERSE 11. Sleep overcame you to give you tranquility from Him; and He sent down to you water from the sky to purify you with it and cause the affliction of the devil to leave you; and so that He may strengthen your hearts and set firm your feet.
VERSE 12. Your Lord inspired to the angels: “I am with you so keep firm those who believe. I will cast terror into the hearts of those who have rejected; so strike above the necks, and strike from them every one standing.”
keep firm those who believe. In this verse, the mission of the angels is to strengthen believers.
VERSE 13. That is because they have transgressed against God and His messenger. And whoever transgresses against God and His messenger, then God is severe in retribution.
VERSE 14. This is for you to sample, and for the rejecters will be a retribution of Fire.
VERSE 15. O you who believe; when you encounter those who have rejected on the battlefield, do not flee from them.
VERSE 16. And whoever on that day flees from them; unless it is part of the battle strategy or if he is retreating back to his group; then he has drawn the wrath of God upon him, and his abode will be Hell. What a miserable destiny.
whoever on that day flees. The Qur’an does not have sympathy for people who flee from battle.
VERSE 17. It was not you who killed them, but it was God who killed them. And it was not you who launched when you did, but it was God who launched. And so that the believers would be tested well by Him. God is Hearer, Knowledgeable.
VERSE 18. That, and God weakens the plans of the rejecters.
God weakens the plans of the rejecters. This is a lovely statement. However, it doesn’t seem to be fulfilled quickly.
Consider the Hebrew people. They were enslaved for 400 years before the plans of the Egyptians were weakened.
VERSE 19. If you sought conquest, then conquest has come to you, but if you cease, then it is better for you. And if you return again, then We will also return, and your group will avail you nothing even if it is many. God is with the believers.
VERSE 20. O you who believe, obey God and His messenger, and do not turn away from him while you have heard.
obey God. The Qur’an calls us to obey the LORD God.
and His messenger. The Qur’an also calls us obey Mohammed.
VERSE 21. And do not be like those who said: “We hear,” but they do not hear.
VERSE 22. The worst creatures with God are the deaf and dumb who do not comprehend.
the deaf. This verse is not referring to Deaf people.
and dumb. This verse is not referring to people who cannot speak.
VERSE 23. And if God had found any good in them, then He would have made them listen. And if He had made them listen, they would have turned away while they are in aversion.
VERSE 24. O you who believe, answer the call of God and His messenger when he calls you to what will grant you life. And know that God comes between a person and his heart, and that to Him you will be gathered.
God comes between a person and his heart. This is curious.
VERSE 25. And be aware of a test that will not only afflict those of you who were wicked; and know that God is severe in retribution.
VERSE 26. And remember when you were but a few who were weak in the land, you were fearful that the people might capture you. But He sheltered you, and He supported you with His victory, and He provided you with good provisions, so that you may be thankful.
VERSE 27. O you who believe, do not betray God and the messenger, nor betray your trust, while you know.
VERSE 28. And know that your money and your children are a test, and that God has the greatest reward.
your money … are a test. Many believers assume money is a gift. They imagine they can serve both God and Money. However, none of us can.
VERSE 29. O you who believe, if you are aware of God, He will make a criterion for you, and He will cancel your sins and forgive you. God is possessor of great grace.
cancel your sins and forgive you. The forgiveness of sins is not an exclusively Christian phenomenon. It is also available in Islam.
VERSE 30. And the rejecters plot against you to arrest you, or to kill you, or to expel you. And they plot, and God plots, and God is the best of plotters.
VERSE 31. And if Our revelations are recited to them, they say: “We have listened, and if we wish, we could have said the same thing. This is nothing except tales of old!”
VERSE 32. And they said: “Our god, if this is the truth from You, then send down upon us a rain of rocks from the heaven or bring upon us a painful retribution.”
a rain of rocks. This reminds us of the instances in the four Gospels where people call to the mountains to fall upon them.
VERSE 33. And God will not punish them while you are with them, nor will God punish them while they continue to seek forgiveness.
VERSE 34. And why should God not punish them when they are turning others away from the Restricted Temple, and they were never its protectors! Its protectors are the righteous; but most of them do not know.
the Restricted Temple. We wonder if this refers to the Great Mosque in Mecca. Or perhaps to the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.
VERSE 35. And their connecting at the Sanctuary was nothing but noise and aversion. Taste the retribution for what you have rejected.
Taste the retribution. This phrase comes up quite often in the Qur’an.
VERSE 36. Those who have rejected, they spend their money to turn others away from the path of God. They will spend it, then it will become an anguish for them, then they will be defeated. Those who have rejected will be gathered to Hell.
VERSE 37. This is so that God will distinguish the rotten from the good, and so that the rotten will be gathered together into one heap then He will cast it all into Hell. These are the losers.
VERSE 38. Say to the rejecters, if they cease, then what has passed before will be forgiven to them, and if they return to it, then the example of the previous generations has already been given.
if they cease. The best remedy for sin is to stop sinning.
VERSE 39. And fight them all until there is no more oppression, and the entire system is for God. But if they cease, then God is Seer over what they do.
fight them all. Believers are to fight the rejecters.
until there is no more oppression. The battle is to continue until believers are no longer oppressed.
the entire system is for God. This seems to imply a religious oligarchy.
The above seems to say that Muslims are to battle non-Muslims until the whole world is under Muslim leadership.
VERSE 40. And if they turn away, then know that God is your Patron. What an excellent Patron, and what an excellent Victor.
God is your Patron. Your patron is the one who supports, protects, or champions you.
COMMENTARY TO BE CONTINUED
VERSE 41. And know that anything you profit, one-fifth shall go to God and the messenger, and the relatives, and the orphans, and the poor, and the wayfarer. You will do this if you believe in God and in what We revealed to Our servant on the Day of the Criterion, the day the two armies clashed; and God is capable of all things.
one-fifth shall go to God. This seems to say Muslims must give away 20% of their income.
VERSE 42. When you were on the near side, and they were on the far side, then the supply line became directly beneath you. And if you had planned for this meeting, you would have disagreed on its timing, but God was to enforce a command that was already done. So that He would destroy those to be destroyed with proof, and to let those who will live be alive with proof; and God is Hearer, Knowledgeable.
VERSE 43. God showed them to you as being few in your dream, and if He had shown them to you to be many, then you would have failed and you would have disputed in the matter, but God saved you. He is the Knower of what is in the chests.
God showed them to you. In Islam, people can receive revelations.
in your dream. In this case, the revelation was delivered by means of a dream.
VERSE 44. And He showed them to you when you met as being few to your eyes, and He made you appear as being fewer to their eyes. That was so the decree of God would come to be; and to God all matters are returned.
VERSE 45. O you who believe, when you encounter a force, stand firm and mention God excessively, that you may succeed.
mention God excessively. This is intriguing. It reminds us of a famous book on continual prayer:
The Way of a Pilgrim. The Bible calls us to pray continually. But how do we do it? A homeless Russian man found the way. His book is a celebrated masterpiece on continual prayer.
VERSE 46. And obey God and His messenger, and do not dispute else you will fail and your momentum will depart, and be patient. God is with the patient.
VERSE 47. And do not be like those who came out from their homes to boast and to be seen by the people, and they repel others from the path of God; and God is aware of what they do.
to boast and to be seen. People such as this repel others from the way of God.
And yet Christian culture is overrun with them. Christians see such people as their heroes.
VERSE 48. And the devil adorned their work for them, and he said: “No people can defeat you today, and I am by your side.” But when the two forces came together, he turned back on his heels and he said: “I am innocent from you! I see what you do not see. I fear God, and God is severe in punishment.”
VERSE 49. The hypocrites and those who have a disease in their hearts said: “These people have been deceived by their system.” But whoever puts his trust in God, then God is Noble, Wise.
those who have a disease in their hearts. What disease is this?
VERSE 50. And if you could see as the angels terminate the lives of those who have rejected, striking their faces and their backs: “And taste the punishment of the blazing Fire!”
the angels terminate the lives. The angels are given lethal authority.
VERSE 51. “This is for what your hands have delivered, and God does not wrong the servants.”
VERSE 52. Like the behavior of the people of Pharaoh, and those before them; they rejected the signs of God, so God took them by their sins. God is Strong, severe in punishment.
God took them. How did God overtake them?
by their sins. God overtook them by their own sins.
There is a law of “sowing and reaping” throughout the Bible. How shall we reconcile it with grace and mercy? Here are the verses we’ve found »
VERSE 53. That is because God was not to change any blessing He bestowed upon a people, unless they change what is in themselves. God is Hearer, Knowledgeable.
VERSE 54. Like the behavior of the people of Pharaoh, and those before them; they denied the signs of their Lord, so We destroyed them by their sins, and We drowned the people of Pharaoh; all of them were wicked.
VERSE 55. The worst creatures to God are those who reject, for they do not believe.
The worst creatures to God are those who reject. To reject is the worst. It seems tantamount to an unforgivable sin. It reminds us of the unforgivable sin in the teachings of the Lord Jesus:
The Lord Jesus says whoever commits blasphemy against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven. What is this Unforgivable Sin, and how can we avoid doing it? Read more »
VERSE 56. Those of them with whom you made a pledge, then they break their pledge every time, and they do not take heed.
VERSE 57. So, when you engage them in battle, set them as an example for those who will come after them; perhaps they may remember.
VERSE 58. And if you are being betrayed by a people, then you shall likewise move against them. God does not like the betrayers.
VERSE 59. And let not those who have rejected think that they have escaped; they will never avail themselves.
VERSE 60. And prepare for them all that you can of might, and from the steeds of war, that you may instill terror with it towards the enemy of God and your enemy, and others besides them whom you do not know but God knows them. And whatever you spend in the cause of God will be returned to you, and you will not be wronged.
that you may instill terror. In battle, Muslims are to be intimidating.
VERSE 61. And if they seek peace, then you also seek it, and put your trust in God. He is the Hearer, the Knowledgeable.
VERSE 62. And if they wish to deceive you, then God is sufficient for you. He is the One who supported you with His victory and with the believers.
VERSE 63. And He made unity between their hearts. And if you had spent all that is on the earth, you would not have united between their hearts, but God united between them. He is Noble, Wise.
He made unity. Unity is a gift.
VERSE 64. O prophet, God is sufficient for you, and whoever followed you from the believers.
VERSE 65. O prophet, urge the believers to fight. If there are twenty of you who are patient, they will defeat two hundred. And if there are one hundred of you, they will defeat one thousand from among those who reject; that is because they are a people who do not understand.
VERSE 66. Now, God has alleviated for you, for He knows that there is weakness in you. If there are one hundred of you who are patient, they will defeat two hundred. And if there are one thousand of you, they will defeat two thousand with the permission of God. God is with the patient.
He knows that there is weakness in you. None of us are robustly strong. All of us have weaknesses.
VERSE 67. It was not for any prophet to take prisoners unless it was in a battle engagement. You desire the materials of this world, while God wants the Hereafter for you. God is Noble, Wise.
You desire the materials of this world. The recipients of this message are materialistic.
God wants the Hereafter for you. God is not materialistic.
VERSE 68. Had it not been previously ordained from God, then a severe punishment would have afflicted you for what you took.
VERSE 69. So consume what you have gained, permissible and good, and be aware of God. God is Forgiving, Merciful.
VERSE 70. O prophet, say to those prisoners whom you hold: “If God finds in your hearts any good, He will grant you better than what He took from you, and He will forgive you. God is Forgiving, Merciful.”
VERSE 71. And if they want to betray you, then they had already betrayed God before, but He has overpowered them; and God is Knowledgeable, Wise.
VERSE 72. Those who have believed and emigrated and strived with their money and lives in the cause of God, and those who have sheltered and supported; these are the allies of one another. And those who believed but did not emigrate, you do not owe them any obligation until they emigrate. But if they seek your help in the system, then you must support them, except if it is against a people with whom there is a covenant between you and them. And God is Seer over what you do.
Those who have believed and emigrated. This seems to be speaking of Muslims who left their home country to be a foreign missionary.
VERSE 73. As for those who reject, they are allies to one another. If you do not do this, then there will be oppression on the earth and great corruption.
VERSE 74. And those who have believed and emigrated and strived in the cause of God, and those who have sheltered and supported, these are truly the believers. They will have a forgiveness and a generous provision.
VERSE 75. And those who believed afterwards and emigrated and strived with you, then they are from you. And the relatives by birth are also supportive of one another in the Book of God. God is aware of all things.
THE QUR’AN
CHAPTERS: 01, 02, 03, 04, 05, 06, 07, 08, 09, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, 100, 101, 102, 103, 104, 105, 106, 107, 108, 109, 110, 111, 112, 113, 114
RESOURCES: Summary, Outline, Memorize, Phrases, Adventures
Here at the Explore the Faith website, we are using the Modern Literal Translation of the Qur’an by Free Minds. According to their About Us page, all their work at that site, unless specified, may be copied and/or distributed on condition that reference is given back to www.free-minds.org. According to Wikisource, the Modern Literal Translation “is in the public domain worldwide because it has been so released by the copyright holder.”
To help our understanding, we are consulting The Sublime Quran, Revised Edition, translated by Laleh Bakhtiar, Ph.D., distributed by Kazi Publications.
Unless otherwise noted, all Bible quotations on this page are from the World English Bible and the World Messianic Edition. These translations have no copyright restrictions. They are in the Public Domain.