Quran Universe
7:63

أَوَعَجِبۡتُمۡ أَن جَآءَكُمۡ ذِكۡرٞ مِّن رَّبِّكُمۡ عَلَىٰ رَجُلٖ مِّنكُمۡ لِيُنذِرَكُمۡ وَلِتَتَّقُواْ وَلَعَلَّكُمۡ تُرۡحَمُونَ

AwaAAajibtum an jaakum thikrun min rabbikum AAala rajulin minkum liyunthirakum walitattaqoo walaAAallakum turhamoona

Then do you wonder that there has come to you a reminder from your Lord through a man from among you, that he may warn you and that you may fear Allah so you might receive mercy."

Word by word
  1. أَوَعَجِبۡتُمۡDo you wonder
  2. أَنthat
  3. جَآءَكُمۡhas come to you
  4. ذِكۡرٞa reminder
  5. مِّنfrom
  6. رَّبِّكُمۡyour Lord
  7. عَلَىٰon
  8. رَجُلٖa man
  9. مِّنكُمۡamong you
  10. لِيُنذِرَكُمۡthat he may warn you
  11. وَلِتَتَّقُواْand that you may fear
  12. وَلَعَلَّكُمۡand so that you may
  13. تُرۡحَمُونَreceive mercy
Al-A'raf · 7:63Makkah

Are you surprised the reminder came through one of you?

Mercy delivered by a familiar face

The reminder
from your Lorda reminder
through
a man among yousomeone you know
so
mercytaqwa, then mercy
Who it can come through
only someone impressivenot him, I know him
one of youa kindness, not a strange thing

The tafsir says it is not strange that Allah sends revelation to a man among you, as mercy, kindness and compassion. He was sent so they would avoid punishment and receive mercy. They were surprised it came from someone so ordinary.

Your little brother reminds you it is time for Asr. Your coworker mentions charity. You roll your eyes: who are they to tell me? A reminder from a familiar face is still from your Lord.

I only take reminders from people more impressive than me.

A reminder can come from anyone, and it is still a mercy.

Try this

Thank the next person who reminds you of something good, even if they are younger than you.

Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir

"Do you wonder that there has come to you a Reminder from your Lord through a man from among you, that he may warn you, so that you may fear Allah and that you may receive (His) mercy? (63)But they belied him, so We saved him and those along with him in the Fulk, and We drowned those who belied Our Ayat. They were indeed a blind people (64)

Allah said that Nuh proclaimed to his people,

أَوَعَجِبْتُمْ

("Do you wonder..."), do not wonder because of this. Surely, it is not strange that Allah sends down revelation to a man among you as mercy, kindness and compassion for you, so that he warns you that you may avoid Allah's torment by associating none with Him,

وَلَعَلَّكُمْ تُرْحَمُونَ

("and that you may receive (His) mercy.") Allah said,

فَكَذَّبُوهُ 

(But they belied him) but they insisted on rejecting and opposing him, and only a few of them believed in him, as Allah stated in another Ayah. Allah said next,

فَأَنجَيْنَاهُ وَالَّذِينَ مَعَهُ فِي الْفُلْكِ

(So We saved him and those along with him in the Fulk) the ark,

وَأَغْرَقْنَا الَّذِينَ كَذَّبُوا بِآيَاتِنَا

(And We drowned those who belied Our Ayat.) Allah said in another Ayah,

مِّمَّا خَطِيئَاتِهِمْ أُغْرِقُوا فَأُدْخِلُوا نَارًا فَلَمْ يَجِدُوا لَهُم مِّن دُونِ اللَّهِ أَنصَارًا

(Because of their sins they were drowned, then they were admitted into the Fire. And they found none to help them instead of Allah.)[71:25] Allah said,

إِنَّهُمْ كَانُوا قَوْمًا عَمِينَ

(They were indeed a blind people.) meaning, blind from the Truth, unable to recognize it or find their way to it. Here, Allah said that He has taken revenge from His enemies and saved His Messenger ﷺ and those who believed in him, while destroying their disbelieving enemies. Allah said in a another Ayah,

إِنَّا لَنَنصُرُ رُسُلَنَا

(Verily, We will indeed make victorious Our Messengers)[40:51].

This is Allah's Sunnah (way) with His servants, in this life and the Hereafter, that the good end, victory and triumph is for those who fear Him. For example, Allah destroyed the people of Nuh, and saved Nuh and his believing followers. Ibn Wahb said that he was told that Ibn 'Abbas said that eighty men were saved with Nuh in the ship, one of them was Jurhum, who spoke Arabic. Ibn Abi Hatim collected this statement, which was also narrated with a continuous chain of narration from Ibn 'Abbas.