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When hearing these verses in Suratul al-‘Araaf/Chapter 7 verses 175-176 then listen carefully and reflect upon what Allah Ta’alaa is saying. You say how can we call them dogs. Allah Ta’alaa instructs that this incident from His Kalaam relating to a scholar whose example is that of a dog be recited to you:
وَ اتْلُ عَلَیْهِمْ نَبَاَ الَّذِیْۤ اٰتَیْنٰهُ اٰیٰتِنَا
And recite to them the story of the one whom We gave Our verses,
Surah al-‘Araaf, verse 175
Note: Bal’um b. Baurah was no ordinary scholar. He was divinely taught. Allah Ta’alaa describes him as “one whom We gave Our verses”.
The then Grand Mufti of Pakistan and of India, Mufti Muhammed Shafee Uthmaani Rahmatullahi alaihi writes under this verse in Ma’ariful Quraan:
The Holy Prophet ﷺ has been asked to relate this story to his people to show how a devoted scholar and great spiritual leader was deprived of all the knowledge, wisdom, popularity and fame only by following the mundane desires.
Lesson: A devoted scholar is different from the Ambiyaa Alaihimus Salaam. A devoted scholar can lose his knowledge, wisdom, popularity and fame by following mundane desires.
When he does, it is important that he does not sink the Imaan of others therefore it becomes important to warn others of his deviation.
Note: Wherever there is blue text, then know this is Mufti Shafee Uthmaani Rahmatullahi alaihi’s Tafseer: Maariful Quraan.
“We do not find any personal identification or name of this person mentioned in the Holy Qur’an. There are, however, many Traditions reported by the exegetes of the Holy Qur’an and the Companions and their disciples, giving a variety of information about him. The most authentic and trusted by the majority of scholars is the Tradition reported by Ibn Marduwaih on the authority of the Sahaabi ` Abdullah ibn ` Abbas ؓ Radhiyallahu anhu which is as follows:
The name of this man was Bal’am bin Ba’ura. He belonged to Syria living in Canaan near Jerusalem. He had knowledge of certain books revealed by Allah. The Qur’anic phrase اَلَذِی آتَینٰہُ آیٰتنا .“The one whom We gave Our verses” refers to the same knowledge.”
Background Events:
Bal’am – A Scholar of Note
- This event belongs to the period after the death of pharaoh and his people and the victory of the Israelites over Egypt.
- Allah commanded The Prophet Musa (علیہ السلام) and his people to fight war against a people called جَبَّارِین Jabbarin.
- The Jabbarin who had seen the fate of Pharaoh and his people were greatly frightened when they saw the army of the Prophet Musa علیہ السلام approaching them.
- They came to Bal’am and said that the Prophet Musa (علیہ السلام) was a strong man and that he had come with great army in order to expel them from their land.
- He should therefore pray Allah that He may turn them back without fighting war against them. Bal’am bin Ba`ura was known to be having the knowledge of ” اِسمِ اَعظَم ‘ (the most gracious name of Allah). He used to pray with the help of this name and his prayers were generally granted.
- Bal’am said to them that Musa, being the prophet of Allah, had the support of Allah’s angels and he could not pray against him. He said that he knew the rank that Musa (علیہ السلام) held with Allah, and that by praying against him he will ruin himself both in this world and in the world to come.
Bal’am Makes Istikhaarah but Keen not Break the Command
- Being insisted by the people Bal’am promised that he will first seek the consent of Allah for such a prayer, and in case Allah permitted him to pray against Musa he shall do so accordingly.
- He performed some act to seek Allah’s consent and in a dream was prohibited by Allah from making such prayer.
- He came to the people and informed them of this prohibition.
Gifts and Wife’s Influence Transforms Bal’am into a Dog Like Character
- The Jabbarin presented him a gift of considerable value which he accepted. Subsequent to this gift their insistence increased.
- Some reports said that his wife advised him to accept the gift, and pray for them.Bal’am Starts Wriggling
Being blinded by the love of wealth and wife, he started praying against the Prophet Musa (علیہ السلام) and his people.
The Quraan Shareef refers:
فَانْسَلَخَ مِنْهَا
then he wriggled out himself from them
(from the verses and sciences, Allah Ta’alaa had taught him)
Mufti Shafee Rahmatullahi alaihi explains the expression of ‘wriggling out’:
The Holy Qur’an used the expression of ‘wriggling out’ for Bal’am’s disregard to the knowledge and wisdom Allah had given to him through His verses. The Arabic expression فَانسَلَخَ مِنْهَا “He wriggled out from the verses of Allah” signifies coming out of an animal from its skin like a snake which leaves its old skin behind having no concern with it. This indicates that Bal’am had totally disregarded the knowledge and wisdom he was granted by Allah.
فَاَتْبَعَهُ الشَّیْطٰنُ
so the Satan overtook him
The text phrase: فَأَتْبَعَهُ الشَّيْطَانُ “So, Satan overtook him” implies that as long as he possessed the knowledge of the verses of Allah, Satan was unable to possess him. As soon as Bal’am was deprived of this great gift of Allah, he overtook him and led him astray.
فَكَانَ مِنَ الْغٰوِیْنَ
he became one of the misled
Consequently he became one of the misguided people فَكَانَ مِنَ الْغَاوِينَ “And he became one of the misled.
Bal’am and His People Turn Total Losers
An unusual thing happened at this occasion.
- By the will of Allah the words he wanted to utter against the Prophet Musa علیہ السلام in his invocation, were uttered against the people of Jabbarin themselves. They cried out and admonished him that he was invoking against themselves. Bal’am said that he was unable to utter a word against Musa (علیہ السلام) and that he had no control over his utterances.
Bal’am could have had it all
وَ لَوْ شِئْنَا لَرَفَعْنٰهُ بِهَا
And if We so willed, We would have elevated him thereby
وَ لٰكِنَّهٗۤ اَخْلَدَ اِلَى الْاَرْضِ
but he clung to the earth
The word’ أَخْلَدَ (Akhlada) is a derivative of اِخلَاد which means to incline or to cling to something. The word أَرْض (ard) meaning the earth includes the globe itself and all the things present. Furniture, machines; clothes and food are in fact, the gift of this earth. By implication all the worldly possessions have been taken to include in a single word – the earth. The quintessence of this verse is that the knowledge of the verses of Allah are the real source of gaining prominence and advancement. For those who show disregard to them and give preference to worldly desires and possessions, this very knowledge becomes a source of disgrace and disaster for them.
وَ اتَّبَعَ هَوٰىهُ
and followed his desire
Dog Like Culture
فَمَثَلُهٗ كَمَثَلِ الْكَلْبِ
So, his example is like the example of a dog,
اِنْ تَحْمِلْ عَلَیْهِ یَلْهَثْ اَوْ تَتْرُكْهُ یَلْهَثْ
if you attack him, he pants, and if you leave him alone he pants.
- The word
لْهَثْ
(Lahath) signifies to breath hard by ejecting one’s tongue out. - The process of inhaling fresh air and exhaling unclean air is vital for every living being.
- Allah has made this process as automatic and easy as requires no effort on the part of living creatures – dog is excepted.
- It is only dog that has to labour hard for the process of breathing, while other animals have to make such effort only when they are attacked or undergo some strenuous task.
- Bal’am b. Baura has been mentioned in this verse as being similar to dog.
- He had his tongue protruded and panted like a dog who pants when attacked and pants when alone.
Punishment Consequently the Jabbarin met the fate of disaster from the heavenly punishment, and the punishment of Bal’am was that his tongue protruded from under his mouth so much so that it dangled on his chest.Selling yourself to the Devil Means Giving Society Ways to get Closer to Shaytaan Bal’am having ruined his life both in this world and in the world to come and being deprived of all spiritual powers he had, made a suggestion to the people of Jabbarin saying,“There is only one way you can overcome the Israelites. Decorate your beautiful girls and send them to the Israelites giving them instructions that they should not put on any resistance against whatever is done by the Israelites. Being away from their homes they are likely to involve themselves in adultery.”
Using Women to Deter the Help of Allah Ta’alaa. - Bal’um further said
“Being the most detestable act to Allah, adultery has to incur the wrath of Allah. An adulterous people can never win over their enemy.” This satanic suggestion was accepted by the people and they acted accordingly. “A prominent person of the Israelites fell prey to this trap. The Prophet Musa (علیہ السلام) made all his effort to stop him from this act but he involved himself in this wicked act. Consequently a plague overtook them as a punishment, with a death toll of seventy thousand people in one day. The person who had committed the sin was murdered along with the girl and was hung by the them at a public place. Then they turned to Allah in repentance and asked His forgiveness, which relieved them of this disgraceful punishment.”
Allah Ta’alaa then says:
ذٰلِكَ مَثَلُ الْقَوْمِ الَّذِیْنَ كَذَّبُوْا بِاٰیٰتِنَا
That is the example of those who belied our signs
According to the Sahaabi ` Abdullah ibn ` Abbas ؓRadhiyallahu anhu “this has a reference to the people of Makkah who were always longing for someone sent to them as their leader inviting them to Allah and teaching them the ways of following the right path. When this long-awaited prophet came to them with as transparent signs of Truth as left no room -for the resistance in his way, they too, ‘wriggled out’ from the commandments of Torah exactly as Bal’am Ba’ura had done.
The last sentence of this series said: فَاقْصُصِ الْقَصَصَ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ “So relate the chronicles (to them) so that they may ponder.” The Holy Prophet ﷺ has been asked to relate the story of Bal’am Ba’ura to them in order that they may take lesson from it and use their understanding.
Now look at how they use scholars, women and gifts in the form of all sorts to engage in adultery and Haraam thereby wriggling us out of Imaan.
