Surah 17. Al-Isra

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Verses [Section]: 1-10[1], 11-22 [2], 23-30 [3], 31-40 [4], 41-52 [5], 53-60 [6], 61-70 [7], 71-77 [8], 78-84 [9], 85-93 [10], 94-100 [11], 101-111 [12]

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Quran Text of Verse 94-100وَ مَاAnd whatمَنَعَpreventedالنَّاسَthe peopleاَنْthatیُّؤْمِنُوْۤاthey believeاِذْwhenجَآءَهُمُcame to themالْهُدٰۤیthe guidanceاِلَّاۤexceptاَنْthatقَالُوْۤاthey saidاَبَعَثَHas Allah sentاللّٰهُHas Allah sentبَشَرًاa humanرَّسُوْلًا Messenger قُلْSayلَّوْIfكَانَ(there) wereفِیinالْاَرْضِthe earthمَلٰٓىِٕكَةٌAngelsیَّمْشُوْنَwalkingمُطْمَىِٕنِّیْنَsecurelyلَنَزَّلْنَاsurely We (would) have sent downعَلَیْهِمْto themمِّنَfromالسَّمَآءِthe heavenمَلَكًاan Angelرَّسُوْلًا (as) a Messenger قُلْSayكَفٰیSufficient isبِاللّٰهِAllahشَهِیْدًۢا(as) a witnessبَیْنِیْbetween meوَ بَیْنَكُمْ ؕand between youاِنَّهٗIndeed Heكَانَisبِعِبَادِهٖof His slavesخَبِیْرًۢاAll-Awareبَصِیْرًا All-Seer 17. Al-Isra Page 292وَ مَنْAnd whoeverیَّهْدِAllah guidesاللّٰهُAllah guidesفَهُوَthen he (is)الْمُهْتَدِ ۚthe guided oneوَ مَنْand whoeverیُّضْلِلْHe lets go astrayفَلَنْthen neverتَجِدَyou will findلَهُمْfor themاَوْلِیَآءَprotectorsمِنْbesides Himدُوْنِهٖ ؕbesides Himوَ نَحْشُرُهُمْAnd We will gather themیَوْمَ(on) the Dayالْقِیٰمَةِ(of) the Resurrectionعَلٰیonوُجُوْهِهِمْtheir facesعُمْیًاblindوَّ بُكْمًاand dumbوَّ صُمًّا ؕand deafمَاْوٰىهُمْTheir abodeجَهَنَّمُ ؕ(is) Hellكُلَّمَاevery timeخَبَتْit subsidesزِدْنٰهُمْWe (will) increase (for) themسَعِیْرًا the blazing fire ذٰلِكَThatجَزَآؤُهُمْ(is) their recompenseبِاَنَّهُمْbecause theyكَفَرُوْاdisbelievedبِاٰیٰتِنَاin Our Versesوَ قَالُوْۤاand saidءَاِذَاWhenكُنَّاwe areعِظَامًاbonesوَّ رُفَاتًاand crumbled particlesءَاِنَّاwill weلَمَبْعُوْثُوْنَsurely (be) resurrectedخَلْقًا(as) a creationجَدِیْدًا new اَوَ لَمْDo notیَرَوْاthey seeاَنَّthatاللّٰهَAllahالَّذِیْthe One Whoخَلَقَcreatedالسَّمٰوٰتِthe heavensوَ الْاَرْضَand the earthقَادِرٌ(is) Ableعَلٰۤی[on]اَنْtoیَّخْلُقَcreateمِثْلَهُمْthe like of themوَ جَعَلَAnd He has madeلَهُمْfor themاَجَلًاa termلَّاnoرَیْبَdoubtفِیْهِ ؕin itفَاَبَیBut refusedالظّٰلِمُوْنَthe wrongdoersاِلَّاexceptكُفُوْرًا disbelief قُلْSayلَّوْIfاَنْتُمْyouتَمْلِكُوْنَpossessخَزَآىِٕنَthe treasuresرَحْمَةِ(of) the Mercyرَبِّیْۤ(of) my Lordاِذًاthenلَّاَمْسَكْتُمْsurely you would withholdخَشْیَةَ(out of) fearالْاِنْفَاقِ ؕ(of) spendingوَ كَانَAnd isالْاِنْسَانُmanقَتُوْرًا۠stingy

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Translation of Verse 94-100

(17:94) And nothing prevented the people from believing when guidance came to them, but that they said, ‘Has Allah sent forth a human as Messenger?’

(17:95) Say, ‘If there were on the earth angels walking about peacefully, We would have surely sent down upon them an angel as a messenger.’¹⁴⁶

(17:96) Say, ‘Allah suffices as a Witness between me and you. He is, indeed, ever Aware of His slaves, ever Observant.’

(17:97) Whomsoever Allah guides, is the rightly guided; and whomsoever He sent to error, you will never find for them protectors apart from Him.¹⁴⁷ And We shall gather them on the Judgment Day on their faces,¹⁴⁸ blind, dumb and deaf.¹⁴⁹ Hell is their abode. Whenever it subsides, We shall increase for them the Blaze.

(17:98) That is their recompense because they disbelieved in Our signs and said, ‘Shall we, when we are bones and broken bits, be raised up again in a new creation?’

(17:99) Do they not see that Allah, who created the heavens and the earth, has the power to create the likes of them?¹⁵⁰ He has appointed a term for them, there is no doubt about it; but the transgressors refuse except that they should reject.

(17:100) Say, ‘If you possessed the treasures of my Lord’s mercy,¹⁵¹ you would hold back in fear of poverty.¹⁵² Surely, man is ever so niggardly.¹⁵³

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Commentary

146. This does not contradict the fact that the Prophet was sent to the Jinn as well as the humans, since his capabilities were of such class that he was a model for both Jinn and humans. In fact, the Qur’an has expressed only the undesirability of sending an angel to humans as a Messenger, and not the impossibility. Although some scholars, such as, Bayhaqi of the Shafe`iyyah, Mahmood b. Hamza Kirmani of the Hanafiyyah, Zainuddin Iraqi, Razi and a few others, have thought otherwise, yet, scholars like Taqiuddin Subki of the Shafe`iyyah, Jalaluddin Mahalli, Ibn Taymiyyah of the Hanabilah, and Abdul Haq of the Malikiyyah were of the opinion that our Prophet was sent both to humankind as well as the Jinn. This view is supported by the Prophetic statement in Muslim, “I have been raised for the entire creation” (Alusi).

147. Mawdudi comments: “If the door to guidance has been shut against someone by God on account of his love for error and adamant opposition to the truth, and if God has allowed him to proceed along the path of error and evil which he himself wanted to pursue in the first place, then it will be impossible for anyone else to bring him back to the right path. When someone turns away from the truth and feels satisfied with falsehood, God creates the circumstances which make it possible for his hatred for truth and his satisfaction with falsehood to mount. For God does not compel those who intentionally seek error to embrace the truth. Furthermore, it is beyond the power of anyone else to change their hearts.”

148. Since their hearts and spirits were totally inclined towards the earth, it was right that they should be resurrected on their faces (Razi).

How will people move on their faces? A report (in the Sahihayn: Ibn Kathir) says that somebody asked the Prophet himself. He answered, “The One who is able to move them on their feet is also able to move them on their faces.” Another hadith in Tirmidhi and Abu Da’ud narrates Abu Hurayrah as reporting the Prophet, “People will be resurrected as three kinds: walking, riding and on their faces (shortened).” Although this is a kind of weak report, it is strengthened by another coming from Abu Dharr of similar meaning and one declared Sahih by Hakim (Zamakhshari, Qurtubi, Ibn Kathir, Alusi).

Those who still wonder about how humans will move on their faces, may consider the snakes (Au.).

149. In view of other Qur’anic verses, (18: 53),

وَرَأَى الْمُجْرِمُونَ النَّارَ فَظَنُّوا أَنَّهُمْ مُوَاقِعُوهَا [الكهف : 53]

“And the criminals will see the Fire and will know that they will fall into it”, or (25: 12),

إِذَا رَأَتْهُمْ مِنْ مَكَانٍ بَعِيدٍ سَمِعُوا لَهَا تَغَيُّظًا وَزَفِيرًا -الفرقان : 12

“When it (the Fire) will see them from a distance, they will hear its fury and roaring,” or (25: 13),

دَعَوْا هُنَالِكَ ثُبُورًا [الفرقان : 13]

“There they will call for death,” ‘Ibn `Abbas has said that what is meant by the verse in question is that the condemned ones will not see or hear anything pleasant, nor would they be allowed to make any excuses (and not that these powers will be taken away altogether). In a second report he said that they will suffer these disabilities at some stage or the other on the Day of Resurrection - Ibn Jarir, Razi.

150. Seeing that the universe was created out of nothing, should it not be easier to resurrect man when he is reduced to dust? After all, whatever the form, the raw material is there in comparison to the heavens and earth for which there was no raw material? (Au.)

A report of the Sahihayn says,

كُلُّ ابْنِ آدَمَ يَبْلَى، إِلا عَجْبُ الذَّنَبِ، وَفِيهِ يُرَكَّبُ الْخَلْقُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ

“There is nothing of men that does not become dust except the tail-piece of their back bone. It is from this that men will be resurrected on Judgment Day” (Ibn Kathir, Alusi).

Other reports add, “from an atom of the tail-piece” (Au.).

151. The allusion by the term “rahmah” is to blessings (Alusi).

152. The translation of “infaq” as poverty reflects the understanding of Ibn `Abbas as in Ibn Jarir. Otherwise, literally the meaning is “expending.”

153. The implied meaning seems to be that the economic discomforts and hardships that the Makkan claimed as the reason for asking what they asked the Prophet, do not have their reason in the constriction of the land, or lack of rivers, but rather, man’s refusal to expend. His holding back wealth gives rise to poverty. He is in fact so niggardly that had he the treasures of the heavens and earth in his possession, he would hold them back from fear of expending them off, and thus poverty would remain. A second implication is hidden in the words “treasures of your Lord’s mercy”, viz., “it is truly His mercy that must be coveted and not physical, material treasures” (Au.).