Surah 17. Al-Isra

---

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]

---

Quran Text of Verse 101-111وَ لَقَدْAnd certainlyاٰتَیْنَاWe had givenمُوْسٰیMusaتِسْعَnineاٰیٰتٍۭSignsبَیِّنٰتٍclearفَسْـَٔلْso askبَنِیْۤ(the) Children of Israelاِسْرَآءِیْلَ(the) Children of Israelاِذْwhenجَآءَهُمْhe came to themفَقَالَthen saidلَهٗto himفِرْعَوْنُFiraunاِنِّیْIndeed, Iلَاَظُنُّكَ[I] think youیٰمُوْسٰیO Musaمَسْحُوْرًا (you are) bewitched قَالَHe saidلَقَدْVerilyعَلِمْتَyou knowمَاۤnoneاَنْزَلَhas sent downهٰۤؤُلَآءِtheseاِلَّاexceptرَبُّ(the) Lordالسَّمٰوٰتِ(of) the heavensوَ الْاَرْضِand the earthبَصَآىِٕرَ ۚ(as) evidenceوَ اِنِّیْand indeed Iلَاَظُنُّكَ[I] surely think youیٰفِرْعَوْنُO Firaun!مَثْبُوْرًا (you are) destroyed فَاَرَادَSo he intendedاَنْtoیَّسْتَفِزَّهُمْdrive them outمِّنَfromالْاَرْضِthe landفَاَغْرَقْنٰهُbut We drowned himوَ مَنْand whoمَّعَهٗ(were) with himجَمِیْعًاۙall وَّ قُلْنَاAnd We saidمِنْۢafter himبَعْدِهٖafter himلِبَنِیْۤto the Children of Israelاِسْرَآءِیْلَto the Children of IsraelاسْكُنُواDwellالْاَرْضَ(in) the landفَاِذَاthen whenجَآءَcomesوَعْدُ(the) promiseالْاٰخِرَةِ(of) the HereafterجِئْنَاWe will bringبِكُمْyouلَفِیْفًاؕ(as) a mixed crowd 17. Al-Isra Page 293وَ بِالْحَقِّAnd with the truthاَنْزَلْنٰهُWe sent it downوَ بِالْحَقِّand with the truthنَزَلَ ؕit descendedوَ مَاۤAnd notاَرْسَلْنٰكَWe sent youاِلَّاexceptمُبَشِّرًا(as) a bearer of glad tidingsوَّ نَذِیْرًاۘand a warner وَ قُرْاٰنًاAnd the QuranفَرَقْنٰهُWe have dividedلِتَقْرَاَهٗthat you might recite itعَلَیtoالنَّاسِthe peopleعَلٰیatمُكْثٍintervalsوَّ نَزَّلْنٰهُAnd We have revealed itتَنْزِیْلًا (in) stages قُلْSayاٰمِنُوْاBelieveبِهٖۤin itاَوْorلَا(do) notتُؤْمِنُوْا ؕbelieveاِنَّIndeedالَّذِیْنَthose whoاُوْتُواwere givenالْعِلْمَthe knowledgeمِنْbefore itقَبْلِهٖۤbefore itاِذَاwhenیُتْلٰیit is recitedعَلَیْهِمْto themیَخِرُّوْنَthey fallلِلْاَذْقَانِon their facesسُجَّدًاۙ(in) prostration وَّ یَقُوْلُوْنَAnd they sayسُبْحٰنَGlory be toرَبِّنَاۤour Lord!اِنْIndeedكَانَisوَعْدُ(the) promiseرَبِّنَا(of) our Lordلَمَفْعُوْلًا surely fulfilled وَ یَخِرُّوْنَAnd they fallلِلْاَذْقَانِon their facesیَبْكُوْنَweepingوَ یَزِیْدُهُمْand it increases themخُشُوْعًا۩(in) humility قُلِSayادْعُواInvokeاللّٰهَAllahاَوِorادْعُواinvokeالرَّحْمٰنَ ؕthe Most GraciousاَیًّاBy whatever (name)مَّاBy whatever (name)تَدْعُوْاyou invokeفَلَهُto Him (belongs)الْاَسْمَآءُthe Most Beautiful Namesالْحُسْنٰی ۚthe Most Beautiful Namesوَ لَاAnd (do) notتَجْهَرْbe loudبِصَلَاتِكَin your prayersوَ لَاand notتُخَافِتْbe silentبِهَاthereinوَ ابْتَغِbut seekبَیْنَbetweenذٰلِكَthatسَبِیْلًا a way وَ قُلِAnd sayالْحَمْدُAll Praiseلِلّٰهِ(is) for Allahالَّذِیْthe One Whoلَمْhas not takenیَتَّخِذْhas not takenوَلَدًاa sonوَّ لَمْand notیَكُنْisلَّهٗfor Himشَرِیْكٌa partnerفِیinالْمُلْكِthe dominionوَ لَمْand notیَكُنْisلَّهٗfor Himوَلِیٌّany protectorمِّنَout ofالذُّلِّweaknessوَ كَبِّرْهُAnd magnify Himتَكْبِیْرًا۠(with all) magnificence

---

Translation of Verse 101-111

(17:101) We granted Moses nine clear signs.¹¹³ Ask the Children of Israel about that: when these signs came forth, Pharaoh said to him: "Moses, I think that you are bewitched."¹¹⁴

(17:102) Moses replied: "You know well that no one but the Lord of the heavens and the earth has sent these as eye-opening proofs.¹¹⁶ I truly think, O Pharaoh, that you are indeed doomed."¹¹⁶

(17:103) At last Pharaoh decided to uproot Moses and the Children of Israel from the land, but We drowned him together with all who were with him;

(17:104) and thereafter We said to the Children of Israel: "Now dwell in the land,¹¹⁷ but when the promised time of the Hereafter comes, We shall bring you all together."

(17:105) We have sent down the Qur'an with the Truth, and it is with the Truth that it has descended. And We have not sent you but to proclaim good news and to warn.¹¹⁸

(17:106) We have revealed the Qur'an in parts that you may recite it to people slowly and with deliberation; and (for that reason) We have revealed it gradually¹¹⁹ (to suit particular occasions).

(17:107) Tell them, (O Prophet): "Whether you believe in it, or do not believe," but when it is recited to those who were given the knowledge before its revelation,¹²⁰ they fall down upon their faces in prostration

(17:108) and say: "Glory be to our Lord. Surely the promise of our Lord was bound to be fulfilled."

(17:109) And they fall down upon their faces, weeping, and their humility¹²¹ increases when (the Qur'an) is recited to them.¹²²

(17:110) Say to them (O Prophet!): "Call upon Him as Allah or call upon Him as al-Rahman; call Him by whichever name you will, all His names are beautiful.¹²³ Neither offer your Prayer in too loud a voice, nor in a voice too low; but follow a middle course."¹²⁴

(17:111) And say: "All praise be to Allah Who has neither taken to Himself a son, nor has He any partner in His kingdom, nor does He need anyone, out of weakness, to protect Him."¹²⁵ So glorify Him in a manner worthy of His glory.

---

Commentary

113. This, again, is in response to the unbelievers’ demands to perform miracles and constitutes the third rejoinder on the subject. It will be recalled that the unbelievers contended that their believing in the Prophet (peace be on him) was contingent upon the latter’s performance of certain miracles. In response, they are told that in the past Pharaoh witnessed. no less than nine miracles in succession. But since he was bent upon not believing, he was unable to change his views even after witnessing all those miracles. One should in any case recall Pharaoh’s tragic end, the result of his persistent disbelief.

The nine clear signs of God to which this verse alludes are specifically mentioned in al-A ‘raf (see verses 107-33). They are as follows: (i) the rod of Moses which turned into a serpent; (ii) Moses’ bright hand which shone like the sun; (iii) the defeat, in public, of the magicians’ sorcery; (iv) the countrywide famine; (v) the flood; (vi) the locusts; (vii) the frogs; (viii) the lice; (ix) the rain of blood. All these calamities smote Pharaoh’s people in succession.

114. The Makkan polytheists would often brand the Prophet Muhammad - (peace be on him) as one afflicted by sorcery. This allegation has already been mentioned in verse 47 of the present surah: ‘You are only following one who is _ bewitched.’ Here it is being emphasized how very similar were the people of Pharaoh who had hurled exactly the same charge at Moses (peace be on him).

It is also pertinent to discuss another related issue at this stage. Some of those who reject the Hadith have expressed the view that this Qur’anic verse proves _ that the entire corpus of Hadith is unreliable. They mention the tradition which reports that the Prophet Muhammad (peace be on him) was once afflicted with sorcery. (See al-Bukhari, K. al-Tibb, ‘Bab al-Sihr. —Ed.) Yet the Qur’an, they claim, refutes this contention.

Let us consider the matter more carefully. Here, the Qur’an states clearly that Pharaoh’s allegation that Moses (peace be on him) was affected by sorcery is false. Nevertheless, in Ta Ha, the Qur’an says: “Then suddenly it appeared to Moses, owing to their magic, as if their ropes and staffs were running. So Moses’ heart was filled with fear’ (Ta Ha 20: 66-7). The words of the verses suggest quite categorically that at that particular moment Moses was affected by sorcery. Now, were the rejecters of Hadith to follow the logical implication of their contention, would they not be led to contending that here the Qur’an contradicts itself and corroborates Pharaoh’s allegation? Those who raise such objections are presumably not aware of the sense in which the Makkan unbelievers and Pharaoh branded the Prophet Muhammad and the Prophet Moses (peace be on them) respectively with sorcery. What they imagined was that some enemy had worked magic upon them, causing them to become mad, and it was under the spell of this magic that each of them claimed to be God’s Messenger, and each of them came forth with a strange message. It is this which the Qur’an refutes.

As for the possibility of a Prophet being temporarily affected by sorcery — whether that sorcery affected the whole or just a part of his body — this is not denied by the Qur’an. Such a temporary effect of sorcery is no different from someone being hurt by a piece of rock which has been hurled at him. Now, the opponents of Moses and Muhammad (peace be on them) did not claim that they had fallen victims to sorcery for just a few moments. And since they did not express such an opinion there was no occasion for the Qur’an to deny their contention. For, if a Prophet is temporarily affected by magic, this is not — inconsistent with the station of a Prophet. If a Prophet, like anyone else, can be affected by poison, or can suffer other bodily injuries, so too can he be affected by magic. There is no reason why this should be considered inconsistent with his office of prophethood. What is inconsistent with prophethood is that the mental faculties of a Prophet are so overpowered by magic that he begins both to say strange things and act differently under its spell. The unbelievers claimed that this is precisely what happened to Moses and Muhammad (peace be on them). And again, it is precisely this contention which the Qur’an - emphatically refutes.

115. The Prophet Moses (peace be on him) made this statement to emphasize the fact that the calamities which befell people could only be from God. There was widespread famine across the land. Frogs in large numbers infested a vast area, covering hundreds of thousands of square miles. Food stocks in the barns throughout the land were eaten up by weevils. Calamities such as these could not be the result of some magician’s sorcery, or the _ manifestation of some human being’s extraordinary power.

It is also significant that each calamity which befell the people did so after Moses had warned Pharaoh that such things would happen if he did not give up his obduracy. In such a case, only a lunatic or an incorrigibly obdurate person can entertain the belief that such calamities could have been brought about by anyone other than the Lord of the Universe.

116. The Prophet Moses (peace be on him) had stated quite clearly and | while he was not afflicted with sorcery, that Pharaoh was doubtlessly doomed. This was evident from the latter’s total obduracy, and his firm refusal to accept the truth.

117. This brings out the true moral of the narrative. The Makkan polytheists were intent on uprooting the Prophet Muhammad (peace be on him) and the Muslims from Arabia. They are told that Pharaoh intended to do the same with the Prophet Moses (peace be on him) and the Israelites. However, what really happened was that while Pharaoh and his people were annihilated, Moses (peace be on him) and his followers became firmly established in the land which was earlier under Pharaoh’s sway. Now if the Makkan unbelievers chose to follow in the footsteps of Pharaoh and his people their end would be no different from theirs.

118. It is not part of a Prophet’s job to somehow persuade those who are not prepared to make up their minds about what is true and what is false after they have been able to examine the teachings of the Qur’an. It is not a Prophet’s role to work wonders — to make streams of water gush forth and gardens suddenly sprout. All that he is required to do is to present the truth before people and to impress upon them that he who accepts it will benefit and he who rejects it will suffer.

119. This is in response to the detractors’ charge as to why God’s Message was not revealed in one piece, why it was delivered, instead, at intervals. Is God, they inquire, also in need of time to think, just like human beings, before saying something? This question has been discussed earlier at some length (see Towards Understanding the Qur’ an, vol. IV, al-Nahl 16: 101—2 and the notes thereon, pp. 364-5), and so we need not concern ourselves further with it here.

120. This refers to those People of the Book who are familiar with the ' teachings of the Scriptures and who are conversant with its characteristic style.

121. On listening to the Qur’an, they instantly realized that the Messenger alluded to in the Scriptures had come.

122. The Qur’an notes this attitude of the righteous ones from among the People of the Book. (See, for instance, Al ‘Imran 3: 113-15 and 199 and Al Ma’ida 5: 82-5)

123, This is in response to the polytheists’ objection to calling God by the name al-Rahman. They claimed that while they were familiar with the appellation Allah, there seemed no justification for using the appellation al-Rahman. Their objection was based on their unfamiliarity with this word as a personal name of God.

124. According to Ibn ‘Abbas, when the Prophet Muhammad (peace be on him) or his Companions offered Prayers in Makka or recited the Qur’an, the unbelievers often made noises and even hurled abuse at them. (Muslim, K. al-Salah, ‘Bab al-Tawassut fi al-Qira’ ah fi al-Salah ....’ -Ed.) The believers were, therefore, counselled neither to recite in such a loud voice that would attract the attention of the unbelievers who might interrupt their Prayers, nor to recite in a voice inaudible even to people close by. During the Madinan period of the Prophet’s life when the situation altogether changed, there was no need to follow this injunction. However, whenever Muslims are faced with the kind of circumstances which they encountered during the Makkan period of the Prophet's life, they should follow the directive laid down here.

125. This statement is tinged with irony. The polytheists believed that God had assigned various departments or parts of His kingdom to different gods and saints. That God should have to fall back on the support of others implied that God lacked the power needed to control His dominion. It is for this reason that the Qur’an points out here that God does not lack power so that He would be compelled to appoint deputies and assistants to help Him.