Surah Araf ayat 139 Tafsir Quran 7:139

﴿إِنَّ هَٰؤُلَاءِ مُتَبَّرٌ مَّا هُمْ فِيهِ وَبَاطِلٌ مَّا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ﴾
[ الأعراف: 139]

7:139 Indeed, those [worshippers] - destroyed is that in which they are [engaged], and worthless is whatever they were doing."

Truly as for these their way will be destroyed and what they have been doing is in vain’.

These people, he said, worship dumb idols made of stone subject to min. And vain is he who puts his hope in an object of worship besides Allah

The Children of Israel safely cross the Sea, but still held on to the Idea of Idol Worshipping Allah mentions the words that the ignorant ones among the Children of Israel uttered to Musa after they crossed the sea and witnessed Allah's Ayat and great power. فَأَتَوْاْ عَلَى قَوْمٍ يَعْكُفُونَ عَلَى أَصْنَامٍ لَّهُمْ ( And they came upon a people devoted to some of their idols (in worship ).) Some scholars of Tafsir said that the people mentioned here were from Canaan, or from the tribe of Lakhm.
Ibn Jarir commented, "They were worshipping idols that they made in the shape of cows, and this influenced the Children of Israel later when they worshipped the calf.
They said here, يَمُوسَى اجْعَلْ لَّنَآ إِلَـهًا كَمَا لَهُمْ ءَالِهَةٌ قَالَ إِنَّكُمْ قَوْمٌ تَجْهَلُونَ ( "O Musa! Make for us a god as they have gods." He said: "Verily, you are an ignorant people." ) Musa replied, you are ignorant of Allah's greatness and majesty and His purity from any partners or anything resembling Him. إِنَّ هَـؤُلاءِ مُتَبَّرٌ مَّا هُمْ فِيهِ ( "Verily, these people will be destroyed for that which they are engaged in ) they will perish, وَبَطَلَ مَا كَانُواْ يَعْمَلُونَ ( "and all that they are doing is in vain." ) Commenting on this Ayah, Imam Abu Ja`far bin Jarir reported from Abu Waqid Al-Laythi that they ( the Companions ) went out from Makkah with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ for ( the battle of ) Hunayn.
Abu Waqid said, "Some of the disbelievers had a lote tree whose vicinity they used to remain in, and upon which they would hang their weapons on.
That tree was called `Dhat Al-Anwat'.
So when we passed by a huge, green lote tree, we said, `O Messenger of Allah! Appoint for us a Dhat Al-Anwat as they have.' He said, «قُلْتُمْ وَالَّذِي نَفْسِي بِيَدِهِ كَمَا قَالَ قَوْمُ مُوسَى لِمُوسَى: (by He in Whose Hand is my soul! You said just as what the people of Musa said to him: اجْعَلْ لَّنَآ إِلَـهًا كَمَا لَهُمْ ءَالِهَةٌ قَالَ إِنَّكُمْ قَوْمٌ تَجْهَلُونَ إِنَّ هَـؤُلآء مُتَبَّرٌ مَّا هُمْ فِيهِ وَبَـطِلٌ مَّا كَانُواْ يَعْمَلُونَ- ( ("Make for us a god as they have gods." He said: "Verily, you are an ignorant people.
Verily, these people will be destroyed for that which they are engaged in, and all that they are doing is in vain." ))"

The Children of Israel safely cross the Sea, but still held on to the Idea of Idol Worshipping Allah mentions the words that the ignorant ones among the Children of Israel uttered to Musa after they crossed the sea and witnessed Allah's Ayat and great power. فَأَتَوْاْ عَلَى قَوْمٍ يَعْكُفُونَ عَلَى أَصْنَامٍ لَّهُمْ ( And they came upon a people devoted to some of their idols (in worship ).) Some scholars of Tafsir said that the people mentioned here were from Canaan, or from the tribe of Lakhm.
Ibn Jarir commented, "They were worshipping idols that they made in the shape of cows, and this influenced the Children of Israel later when they worshipped the calf.
They said here, يَمُوسَى اجْعَلْ لَّنَآ إِلَـهًا كَمَا لَهُمْ ءَالِهَةٌ قَالَ إِنَّكُمْ قَوْمٌ تَجْهَلُونَ ( "O Musa! Make for us a god as they have gods." He said: "Verily, you are an ignorant people." ) Musa replied, you are ignorant of Allah's greatness and majesty and His purity from any partners or anything resembling Him. إِنَّ هَـؤُلاءِ مُتَبَّرٌ مَّا هُمْ فِيهِ ( "Verily, these people will be destroyed for that which they are engaged in ) they will perish, وَبَطَلَ مَا كَانُواْ يَعْمَلُونَ ( "and all that they are doing is in vain." ) Commenting on this Ayah, Imam Abu Ja`far bin Jarir reported from Abu Waqid Al-Laythi that they ( the Companions ) went out from Makkah with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ for ( the battle of ) Hunayn.
Abu Waqid said, "Some of the disbelievers had a lote tree whose vicinity they used to remain in, and upon which they would hang their weapons on.
That tree was called `Dhat Al-Anwat'.
So when we passed by a huge, green lote tree, we said, `O Messenger of Allah! Appoint for us a Dhat Al-Anwat as they have.' He said, «قُلْتُمْ وَالَّذِي نَفْسِي بِيَدِهِ كَمَا قَالَ قَوْمُ مُوسَى لِمُوسَى: (by He in Whose Hand is my soul! You said just as what the people of Musa said to him: اجْعَلْ لَّنَآ إِلَـهًا كَمَا لَهُمْ ءَالِهَةٌ قَالَ إِنَّكُمْ قَوْمٌ تَجْهَلُونَ إِنَّ هَـؤُلآء مُتَبَّرٌ مَّا هُمْ فِيهِ وَبَـطِلٌ مَّا كَانُواْ يَعْمَلُونَ- ( ("Make for us a god as they have gods." He said: "Verily, you are an ignorant people.
Verily, these people will be destroyed for that which they are engaged in, and all that they are doing is in vain." ))"

( Lo! as for these, their way ) their idolatry ( will be destroyed and all that they are doing ) of idolatry ( is in vain ) is error.

[Musa (Moses) added:] "Verily, these people will be destroyed for that which they are engaged in (idols-worship). And all that they are doing is in vain."

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