What will be the destiny of the people of Al-A‘raaf on the Day of Judgment?

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad, sallallaahu 'alyhi wa sallam, is His slave and Messenger.

Talking about the people of Al-A‘raaf, Ibn Katheer said, "Scholars of Tafseer (Quranic exegesis) held different views about the identity of the people of Al-A‘raaf, and their definitions are close to giving one meaning: They are the people whose good deeds are equal to their bad deeds. This definition was expressed by Huthayfah, Ibn ‘Abbaas, Ibn Mas‘ood and other scholars from the righteous predecessors and later generations ." Al-Qurtubi affirmed the same thing in his Tafseer.

As for their destiny, neither the Quran nor the Sunnah expressed a final say on that, but the books of Tafseer reported from Ibn ‘Abbaas and others that Allaah The Almighty will show them mercy and admit them to Paradise. Commenting on the Saying of Allaah The Almighty (which means): {They have not [yet] entered it, but they long intensely} [Quran 7:46] Ibn Katheer said, "Their intense longing will result in their admission to [Paradise] and this appropriately suits the great mercy of Allaah The Almighty. Since Allaah The Almighty will bring some people out of Hell after receiving punishment therein and admit them to Paradise by His mercy, therefore, the people of Al-A‘raaf are more entitled to this mercy."

Al-Haafith Al-Hakami said about the people of Al-A‘raaf, "They will be kept between Paradise and Hell for a period of time that Allaah wills, then they will be allowed to enter Paradise."

Allaah Knows best.