The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 2) — Page 571
PT. 9 R. 12. AL-A'RĀF CH. 7 وَمَا أَرْسَلْنَا فِي قَرْيَةٍ مِّنْ نَّبِيِّ إِلَّا 95. And never did We send a Prophet to any town but "We اَخَذْنَا أَهْلَهَا بِالْبَأْسَاء وَالضَّرَّاءِ seized the people thereof with لَعَلَّهُمْ يَضْرَّعُونَ ) adversity and suffering, that they might become humble. 991 ثُمَّ بَدَّلْنَا مَكَانَ السَّيِّئَةِ الْحَسَنَةَ حَتَّى Then We changed their evil. 96 عَفَوْا وَ قَالُوا قَدْ مَسَّ أَبَاءَنَا الضَّرَّاءُ condition into good until they grew in affluence and number and said, 'Suffering happiness betided our fathers also. ' Then We seized them suddenly, while they perceived not. 992 وَالسَّرَّاءِ فَأَخَذْتُهُمْ بَغْتَةً وَهُمْ لَا and يَشْعُرُونَ "6:43. heart sorrows for them. Would that they had believed!" 991. Commentary: This verse refers to a general law of God which invariably comes into operation whenever a Prophet of God makes his appearance. The advent of every Prophet is attended in an extraordinary manner with calamities and miseries of diverse kinds that afflict mankind in order to serve as an eye-opener for the people. If the Messenger of God is raised for a particular people, then only that people are made to suffer, but if he is raised for the whole world, then the whole world is visited by afflictions and disasters. These afflictions are meant as warnings and are intended to awaken the people. Two things may be inferred from this verse: (1) that general disasters do not overtake a people unless a Prophet of God has first been raised; (2) that it never happens that the advent of a Prophet of God is not accompanied by calamities of a general nature. 992. Important Words: 1011 عفا they grew is derived from) عفوا which gives a number of meanings: (1) it was or became effaced or obliterated; (2) transitively, he or it effaced or obliterated something; (3) he forgave or pardoned; (4) it was or became much in quantity or many in number; or (5) transitively, he made it much in quantity or many in number, etc. (Lane). Commentary: The words (good condition) and aw (evil condition) are not used here in their moral sense, but in the sense of straitness and plenty. It is invariably the case that when