All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad.

Al-A'raf is a high barrier between Paradise and Hell, as Ibn Abbas and other commentators have said. The Arabs call any elevated land "Araf." The exact nature of these heights and how the people of Al-A'raf will reside there is known only to Allah, as this pertains to the matters of the Hereafter.

Ibn Kathir, may Allah have mercy upon him, said: "The interpretations of the scholars regarding the people of the A'raf have differed, but all of them are close in meaning and indicate that they are people whose good deeds and bad deeds are equal. This is explicitly stated by Hudhayfah, Ibn Abbas, Ibn Mas'ud, and others from among the Salaf and Khalaf, may Allah have mercy upon them. Then, he mentioned a group of hadiths attributed to the Prophet supporting this view. Then he said, 'And Allah knows best about the authenticity of these attributed narrations. In short, they could be considered as merely reported, and they indicate what has been mentioned  .' End quote. "

In addition, most of these interpreters, including the Companions and their followers, have concluded that the ultimate destination of the people of the A'raf is Paradise. This is the interpretation that is closer to the apparent meaning of the Quran. As al-Hasan al-Basri, may Allah have mercy upon him, said when reciting the verse: "They will not enter it, although they yearn for it," he commented, "By Allah, this yearning was not placed in their hearts except as a sign of His grace towards them." Similar interpretations were reported from Ibn Abbas, Mujahid, al-Dahhak, and other exegetes. And Allah The Almighty knows best.