Juz 9 of the Qur\'an contains the last 118 verses of Surat al-A’raaf and the first 40 verses of Surat al-Anfal. One of the main themes of Surat al-A’raaf is discussions around resurrection and the descriptions of heaven and hell and somewhere in-between (the A’raaf). Beginning in verse 175, the story of a man from the Bani Isra’il named Balam bin Ba’ura is discussed. He had been bestowed with spiritual signs and stations in which the truth had been unveiled to him. He could have soared higher if it wasn’t for his materialistic desires for the worldly which he pursued and thus led himself away from God. It is important for us to take a lesson from this story: We may see God’s signs and recognise the Truth but choose to disregard them and follow our whims. Those who have the means to ascend to perfection yet do not utilise their intellect to find their purpose, resemble animals, particularly a cattle, as mentioned in this verse, as their goal is to only feed themselves. They thus lose focus and are those who are afflicted with heedlessness. Show Less >>