Surah 7
(The Heights)
(Makkan Period)
Title
As verses 46-8 of this surah mention 'the Heights' and the 'People of the Heights' (al-A'rāf), the sūrah is called al-A'raf. Giving this title to the surah simply signifies that it is the surah in which the 'Heights' have been mentioned.
Period of Revelation
This surah was revealed, as is borne out by a close study of its contents, in the same period as Surah al-An'ām. It is not definitely known, however, which of the two surahs was revealed earlier. For a better appreciation of the historical context surrounding the revelation of this surah it is sufficient to take a look at the background information provided by us in the introductory statement about al-An'am. (See Towards Understanding the Qur'an, vol. II, pp. 209-13 - Ed.)
Main Themes
The central theme of the surah consists in urging people to follow the Prophets. The dominant tenor of this urging, however, is that of a warning. For the people of Makka to whom the Qur'ānic message was addressed had paid no heed to it even after a long period of time. The Makkans had rather shown such inveterate hostility that not long after the revelation of this surah, the Prophet (peace be on him) was directed to turn his attention to people other than the Makkans. Hence, this admonishment to the Makkans to accept the Guidance of the Prophet (peace be on him), was accompanied by a stern warning reminding them that other nations had earlier met their doom by following much the same attitude towards their Prophets.
As the Message had been repeatedly conveyed to the Makkans and that they would now have no excuse left before God for not embracing Islam, the last part of the surah would seem to be mainly addressed to the People of the Book, and on one occasion, to all mankind, rather than to the Makkans. This marks the proximity of the Migration (Hijrah); of the fact that the phase in which a Prophet addresses only those close to him was about to finish.
In the course of delivering the basic Message, the Qur'an also addresses the Jews. At the same time as they are invited to the basic Message of the Prophets, they are reminded of the dire consequences attendant upon their indulgence in hypocrisy, their frequent breach of the covenant, and their consciously clinging to falsehood in preference to the truth.
Towards the end of the surah, the Prophet (peace be on him) and his Companions are favoured with a few vital directives as to how they should disseminate their message with wisdom, and especially how they should bear the persecution and provocation of their opponents and so refrain from acting under emotional stress which could harm their cause.