7:167 Al-A'raaf (The Heights)

وَإِذْ تَأَذَّنَ رَبُّكَ أي: أعلم إعلاما صريحا: لَيَبْعَثَنَّ عَلَيْهِمْ إِلَى يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ مَنْ يَسُومُهُمْ سُوءَ الْعَذَابِ أي: يهينهم، ويذلهم. إِنَّ رَبَّكَ لَسَرِيعُ الْعِقَابِ لمن عصاه، حتى إنه يعجل له العقوبة في الدنيا. وَإِنَّهُ لَغَفُورٌ رَحِيمٌ لمن تاب إليه وأناب، يغفر له الذنوب، ويستر عليه العيوب، ويرحمه بأن يتقبل منه الطاعات، ويثيبه عليها بأنواع المثوبات، وقد فعل اللّه بهم ما أوعدهم به، فلا يزالون في ذل وإهانة، تحت حكم غيرهم، لا تقوم لهم راية، ولا ينصر لهم عَلَمٌ.

"تأذن" تفعل من الأذان أي أعلم قاله مجاهد وقال غيره أمر وفي قوة الكلام ما يفيد معنى القسم من هذه اللفظة ولهذا أتبعت باللام في قوله "ليبعثن عليهم" أي على اليهود "إلى يوم القيامة من يسومهم سوء العذاب" أي بسبب عصيانهم ومخالفتهم أوامر الله وشرعه واحتيالهم على المحارم ويقال إن موسى عليه السلام ضرب عليهم الخراج سبع سنين وقيل ثلاث عشرة سنة وكان أول من ضرب الخراج ثم كانوا في قهر الملوك من اليونانيين والكشدانيين والكلدانيين ثم صاروا إلى قهر النصارى وإذلالهم إياهم وأخذهم منهم الجزية والخراج ثم جاء الإسلام ومحمد صلى الله عليه وسلم فكانوا تحت قهره وذمته يؤدون الخراج والجزية. قال العوفي عن ابن عباس في تفسير هذه الآية قال هي المسكنة وأخذ الجزية منهم وقال علي بن أبي طلحة عنه هي الجزية والذي يسومهم سوء العذاب محمد رسول الله صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم وأمته إلى يوم القيامة وكذا قال سعيد بن جبير وابن جريج والسدي وقتادة وقال عبدالرزاق عن معمر عن عبدالكريم الجزري عن سعيد بن المسيب قال يستحب أن تبعث الأنباط في الجزية قلت: ثم آخر أمرهم أنهم يخرجون أنصارا للدجال فيقتلهم المسلمون مع عيسى ابن مريم عليه السلام وذلك آخر الزمان وقوله "إن ربك لسريع العقاب" أي لمن عصاه وخالف شرعه "وإنه لغفور رحيم" أي لمن تاب إليه وأناب وهذا من باب قرن الرحمة مع العقوبة لئلا يحصل اليأس فيقرن تعالى بين الترغيب والترهيب كثيرا لتبقى النفوس بين الرجاء والخوف.

Eternal Humiliation placed on the Jews

تَأَذَّنَ

(Ta'dhdhana) means `declared', according to Mujahid, or `ordained', according to others. This part of the Ayah indicates a vow,

لَيَبْعَثَنَّ عَلَيْهِمْ

(that He will keep on sending against them) against the Jews,

إِلَى يَوْمِ الْقِيَـمَةِ مَن يَسُومُهُمْ سُوءَ الْعَذَابِ

(till the Day of Resurrection, those who would afflict them with a humiliating torment.) on account of their disobedience, defying Allah's orders and Law and using tricks to transgress the prohibitions. It was reported that Musa required the Jews to pay the production tax for seven or thirteen years, and he was the first to do so. Also, the Jews fell under the humiliating rule of the Greek Kushdanin, Chaldeans and later on the Christians, who subjugated and disgraced them, and required them to pay the Jizyah (tribute tax). When Islam came and Muhammad was sent, they became under his power and had to pay the Jizyah, as well. Therefore, the humiliating torment mentioned here includes disgrace and paying the Jizyah, as Al-`Awfi narrated from Ibn `Abbas. In the future, the Jews will support the Dajjal (False Messiah); and the Muslims, along with `Isa, son of Mary, will kill the Jews. This will occur just before the end of this world. Allah said next,

إِنَّ رَبَّكَ لَسَرِيعُ الْعِقَابِ

(Verily, your Lord is quick in retribution), with those who disobey Him and defy His Law,

وَإِنَّهُ لَغَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ

(and certainly He is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.) for those who repent and go back to Him. This Ayah mentions both the mercy, as well as, the punishment, so that no despair is felt. Allah often mentions encouragement and warning together, so that hearts always have a sense of hope and fear.

And when your Lord proclaimed made it known that He would send against them that is the Jews to the Day of Resurrection those who would inflict on them grievous torment through humiliation and the exacting of the jizya-tax from them. Thus God sent Solomon against them and after him Nebuchadnezzar who slaughtered some of them and took others among them captive and imposed the jizya-tax on them. They continued to pay this tax to the Magians up until the time of the sending of our Prophet s who also imposed it on them. Lo! verily your Lord is swift in requital of those who disobey Him. And lo! verily He is Forgiving to those who obey Him Merciful in dealing with them.

The first two verses (167 and 168) have referred to the two punishments given to the Israelites. Firstly, Allah will keep sending up to the Day of Doom, some individuals or groups of people who will punish and bring disgrace to them. In fact, this is what has been happening to them up to this day. They had been dominated and disdainfully treated by others as has been recorded by history. We may not be in doubt about their present government in a part of Palestine, as it is a common knowledge that the state of Israel is, in fact, a part of the world powers, created by them for their political objectives against the Muslim Ummah. They are still ruled over and dominated by the colonial powers. It is, in fact, a military base of America. The day these powers stop providing them with their aid they shall not be able to maintain their existence for long.