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Surah Al-A'raf, Ayah 24 (7:24)

ٱلْأَعْرَاف

قَالَ ٱهْبِطُوا۟ بَعْضُكُمْ لِبَعْضٍ عَدُوٌّ ۖ وَلَكُمْ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ مُسْتَقَرٌّ وَمَتَٰعٌ إِلَىٰ حِينٍ

Quran 7:24 is ayah 24 of Surah Al-A'raf (“The Heights”), a Meccan surah of 206 ayahs. It is in Juz 8, on page 153 of the Madani Mushaf.

7:24
قَالَٱهْبِطُوا۟بَعْضُكُمْلِبَعْضٍعَدُوٌّ ۖوَلَكُمْفِىٱلْأَرْضِمُسْتَقَرٌّوَمَتَٰعٌإِلَىٰحِينٍ٢٤
qāla ih'biṭū baʿḍukum libaʿḍin ʿaduwwun walakum fī l-arḍi mus'taqarrun wamatāʿun ilā ḥīnin

[Allāh] said, "Descend, being to one another enemies. And for you on the earth is a place of settlement and enjoyment [i.e., provision] for a time."(24)

Word by word

  1. قَالَqāla(Allah) said
  2. ٱهْبِطُوا۟ih'biṭūGet down
  3. بَعْضُكُمْbaʿḍukumsome of you
  4. لِبَعْضٍlibaʿḍinto some others
  5. عَدُوٌّ ۖʿaduwwun(as) enemy
  6. وَلَكُمْwalakumAnd for you
  7. فِىfīin
  8. ٱلْأَرْضِl-arḍithe earth
  9. مُسْتَقَرٌّmus'taqarrun(is) a dwelling place
  10. وَمَتَٰعٌwamatāʿunand livelihood
  11. إِلَىٰilāfor
  12. حِينٍḥīnina time

Tafsir (commentary) of 7:24

Available in English, Bengali, Urdu, Arabic, Russian.

English · EnglishTafsir Ibn Kathir (Abridged) — Hafiz Ibn Kathir

This commentary explains ayahs 7:24–25 together.

Sending Them All Down to Earth

It was said that,
اهْبِطُواْ

(Get down), was addressed to Adam, Hawwa', Iblis and the snake. Some scholars did not mention the snake, and Allah knows best. The enmity is primarily between Adam and Iblis, and Hawwa' follows Adam in this regard. Allah said in Surah Ta Ha,

اهْبِطَا مِنْهَا جَمِيعاً

("Get you down (from the Paradise to the earth), both of you, together...") 20:123. If the story about the snake is true, then it is a follower of Iblis. Some scholars mentioned the location on earth they were sent down, but these accounts are taken from the Israelite tales, and only Allah knows if they are true. If having known these areas was useful for the people in matters of religion or life, Allah would have mentioned them in His Book, and His Messenger would have mentioned them too. Allah's statement,

وَلَكُمْ فِى الأَرْضِ مُسْتَقَرٌّ وَمَتَـعٌ إِلَى حِينٍ

(On earth will be a dwelling place for you and an enjoyment for a time.) means, on earth you will have dwellings and known, designated, appointed terms that have been recorded by the Pen, counted by Predestination and written in the First Record.

قَالَ فِيهَا تَحْيَوْنَ وَفِيهَا تَمُوتُونَ وَمِنْهَا تُخْرَجُونَ

(He (Allah) said: "Therein you shall live, and therein you shall die, and from it you shall be brought out (resurrected).") This Ayah is similar to Allah's other statement,

مِنْهَا خَلَقْنَـكُمْ وَفِيهَا نُعِيدُكُمْ وَمِنْهَا نُخْرِجُكُمْ تَارَةً أُخْرَى

(Thereof (the earth) We created you, and into it We shall return you, and from it We shall bring you out once again.) 20:55. Allah states that He has made the earth a dwelling place for the Children of Adam, for the remainder of this earthly life. On it, they will live, die and be buried in their graves; and from it, they will be resurrected for the Day of Resurrection. On that Day, Allah will gather the first and last of creatures and reward or punish each according to his or her deeds.

Read the full Surah Al-A'raf