Surah Al-A’raf >> Currently viewing Surah Al-A’raf Ayat 17 (7:17)

Surah Al-A’raf Ayat 17 in Arabic Text

ثُمَّ لَأٓتِيَنَّهُم مِّنۢ بَيۡنِ أَيۡدِيهِمۡ وَمِنۡ خَلۡفِهِمۡ وَعَنۡ أَيۡمَٰنِهِمۡ وَعَن شَمَآئِلِهِمۡۖ وَلَا تَجِدُ أَكۡثَرَهُمۡ شَٰكِرِينَ
Summa la aatiyannahum mim baini aideehim wa min khalfihim wa ‘an aimaanihim wa ‘an shamaaa’ilihim wa laa tajidu aksarahum shaakireen

English Translation

Here you can read various translations of verse 17

Sahih International
Then I will come to them from before them and from behind them and on their right and on their left, and You will not find most of them grateful [to You].”

Yusuf Ali
“Then will I assault them from before them and behind them, from their right and their left: Nor wilt thou find, in most of them, gratitude (for thy mercies).”

Abul Ala Maududi
Then I will come upon them from the front and from the rear, and from their right and from their left. And You will not find most of them thankful.’

Muhsin Khan
Then I will come to them from before them and behind them, from their right and from their left, and You will not find most of them as thankful ones (i.e. they will not be dutiful to You).”

Pickthall
Then I shall come upon them from before them and from behind them and from their right hands and from their left hands, and Thou wilt not find most of them beholden (unto Thee).

Dr. Ghali
Thereafter indeed I will definitely come up to them from before them (Literally: between their hands) and from behind them, and from their right (hands), and from their left (hands); and You will not find most of them thankful.”

Abdel Haleem
I will come at them- from their front and their back, from their right and their left- and You will find that most of them are ungrateful.’

Muhammad Junagarhi
پھر ان پر حملہ کروں گا ان کے آگے سے بھی اور ان کے پیچھے سے بھی اور ان کی داہنی جانب سے بھی اور ان کی بائیں جانب سے بھی اور آپ ان میں سے اکثر کو شکر گزار نہ پائیے گا

Quran 7 Verse 17 Explanation

For those looking for commentary to help with the understanding of Surah Al-A’raf ayat 17, we’ve provided two Tafseer works below. The first is the tafseer of Abul Ala Maududi, the second is of Ibn Kathir.

Ala-Maududi

(7:17) Then I will come upon them from the front and from the rear, and from their right and from their left. And You will not find most of them thankful.’[12]


12. This was the challenge thrown down by Satan to God. What it meant is that Satan would make use of the respite granted to him until the Last Day, and he would do so in order to prove that nian did not deserve a position superior to his and this had after all been bestowed upon him by God. So doing, he would expose how ungrateful, thankless and disloyal a creature man is.

The respite asked for by Satan and granted to him by God includes not only the time but also the opportunity to mislead Man and to prove his point by appealing to man’s weaknesses. The Qur’an makes a pointed statement about this in (Surah Bani Israil, ayat 61-65). These verses make it clear that God had granted Satan the opportunity to try to mislead Adam and his offspring At the same time it has also been made quite clear that Satan was not granted the power to lead men into error against their will. ‘As for my servants’, says the Qur’an, ‘you shall have no power over them’ (Banu Isra’il 17: 65). Thus all that Satan can do is to cause misunderstanding, to make people cherish false illusions, to make evil and error seem atractive, and to invite people to evil ways by holding out to them the promise of immense pleasure and material benefits. He would have no power, however, to forcibly pull them to the Satanic way and to prevent them from following the Right Way. Accordingly, the Qur’an makes it quite plain elsewhere that on the Day of Judgement, Satan would address the men who had followed him in the following words: ‘I had no power over you except to call you; but you listened to me: then reproach me not, but reproach your own selves’ (Surah Ibrahim, ayat 22).

As for Satan’s allegation that God Himself caused him to fall into error see (Surah Al-Aaraf, ayat 16) it is an attempt on the part of Satan to transfer the blame which fails squarely on him to God. Satan’s grivance seems to be that God was responsible for his deviation insofar as He hurt Satan’s pride by asking him to prostrate before Adam, and that it was this which led him to disobey God. It is thus clear that Satan wanted to continue enjoying his vain arrogance and that he was incensed that his weakness – arrogance – was seen through and brought to full light. The underlying stupidity of the statement is too patently obvious to call for any refutation, and hence God took no notice of it.

Ibn-Kathir

The tafsir of Surah Al-A’raf verse 17 by Ibn Kathir is unavailable here.
Please refer to Surah A’raf ayat 16 which provides the complete commentary from verse 16 through 17.

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surah al-a'raf ayat 17
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surah al-a'raf ayat 19
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surah al-a'raf ayat 21

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