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 31-40وَ لَاAnd (do) notتَقْتُلُوْۤاkillاَوْلَادَكُمْyour childrenخَشْیَةَ(for) fearاِمْلَاقٍ ؕ(of) povertyنَحْنُWeنَرْزُقُهُمْ(We) provide for themوَ اِیَّاكُمْ ؕand for youاِنَّIndeedقَتْلَهُمْtheir killingكَانَisخِطْاًa sinكَبِیْرًا great وَ لَاAnd (do) notتَقْرَبُواgo nearالزِّنٰۤیadulteryاِنَّهٗIndeed itكَانَisفَاحِشَةً ؕan immoralityوَ سَآءَand (an) evilسَبِیْلًا way وَ لَاAnd (do) notتَقْتُلُواkillالنَّفْسَthe soulالَّتِیْwhichحَرَّمَAllah has forbiddenاللّٰهُAllah has forbiddenاِلَّاexceptبِالْحَقِّ ؕby rightوَ مَنْAnd whoeverقُتِلَ(is) killedمَظْلُوْمًاwrongfullyفَقَدْverilyجَعَلْنَاWe have madeلِوَلِیِّهٖfor his heirسُلْطٰنًاan authorityفَلَاbut notیُسْرِفْhe should exceedفِّیinالْقَتْلِ ؕthe killingاِنَّهٗIndeed, heكَانَisمَنْصُوْرًا helped وَ لَاAnd (do) notتَقْرَبُوْاcome nearمَالَ(the) wealthالْیَتِیْمِ(of) the orphanاِلَّاexceptبِالَّتِیْwith whatهِیَ[it] isاَحْسَنُbestحَتّٰیuntilیَبْلُغَhe reachesاَشُدَّهٗ ۪his maturityوَ اَوْفُوْاAnd fulfilبِالْعَهْدِ ۚthe covenantاِنَّIndeedالْعَهْدَthe covenantكَانَwill beمَسْـُٔوْلًا questioned وَ اَوْفُواAnd give fullالْكَیْلَ[the] measureاِذَاwhenكِلْتُمْyou measureوَ زِنُوْاand weighبِالْقِسْطَاسِwith the balanceالْمُسْتَقِیْمِ ؕthe straightذٰلِكَThatخَیْرٌ(is) goodوَّ اَحْسَنُand bestتَاْوِیْلًا (in) result وَ لَاAnd (do) notتَقْفُpursueمَاwhatلَیْسَnotلَكَyou haveبِهٖof itعِلْمٌ ؕany knowledgeاِنَّIndeedالسَّمْعَthe hearingوَ الْبَصَرَand the sightوَ الْفُؤَادَand the heartكُلُّallاُولٰٓىِٕكَthoseكَانَwill beعَنْهُ[about it]مَسْـُٔوْلًا questioned وَ لَاAnd (do) notتَمْشِwalkفِیinالْاَرْضِthe earthمَرَحًا ۚ(with) insolenceاِنَّكَIndeed youلَنْwill neverتَخْرِقَtearالْاَرْضَthe earthوَ لَنْand will neverتَبْلُغَreachالْجِبَالَthe mountainsطُوْلًا (in) height كُلُّAllذٰلِكَthatكَانَisسَیِّئُهٗ[its] evilعِنْدَnearرَبِّكَyour Lordمَكْرُوْهًا hateful 17. Al-Isra Page 286ذٰلِكَThatمِمَّاۤ(is) from whatاَوْحٰۤی(was) revealedاِلَیْكَto youرَبُّكَ(from) your Lordمِنَofالْحِكْمَةِ ؕthe wisdomوَ لَاAnd (do) notتَجْعَلْmakeمَعَwithاللّٰهِAllahاِلٰهًاgodاٰخَرَotherفَتُلْقٰیlest you should be thrownفِیْinجَهَنَّمَHellمَلُوْمًاblameworthyمَّدْحُوْرًا abandoned اَفَاَصْفٰىكُمْThen has chosen (for) youرَبُّكُمْyour Lordبِالْبَنِیْنَsonsوَ اتَّخَذَand He has takenمِنَfromالْمَلٰٓىِٕكَةِthe Angelsاِنَاثًا ؕdaughtersاِنَّكُمْIndeed, youلَتَقُوْلُوْنَsurely sayقَوْلًاa wordعَظِیْمًا۠grave

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Translation of Verse 31-40

(17:31) (vii) Do not kill your children for fear of want. We will provide for them and for you. Surely killing them is a great sin.³¹

(17:32) (viii) Do not even approach fornication for it is an outrageous act, and an evil way.³²

(17:33) (ix) Do not kill any person whom Allah has forbidden to kill,³³ except with right.³⁴ We have granted the heir of him who has been wrongfully killed the authority to³⁵ (claim retribution);so let him not exceed in slaying.³⁶ He shall be helped.³⁷

(17:34) (x) And do not even go near the property of the orphan - except that it be in the best manner - till he attains his maturity.³⁸ (xi) And fulfil the covenant, for you will be called to account regarding the covenant.³⁹

(17:35) (xii) Give full measure when you measure, and weigh with even scales.⁴⁰ That is fair and better in consequence.⁴¹

(17:36) (xiii) Do not follow that of which you have no knowledge. Surely the hearing, the sight, the heart - each of these shall be called to account.⁴²

(17:37) (xiv) Do not strut about in the land arrogantly. Surely you cannot cleave the earth, nor reach the heights of the mountains in stature.⁴³

(17:38) The wickedness of each of that is hateful to your Lord.⁴⁴

(17:39) That is part of the wisdom your Lord has revealed to you. So do not set up any deity beside Allah lest you are cast into Hell, rebuked and deprived of every good.⁴⁵

(17:40) What, has your Lord favoured you with sons and has taken for Himself daughters from among the angels?⁴⁶ You are indeed uttering a monstrous lie.

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Commentary

31. This verse totally demolishes the economic basis on which birth control movements have arisen in different periods of human history, starting from ancient times until the present. In the past, fear of poverty drove people to infanticide and abortion. Today it drives people towards a third alternative — prevention of conception. However, according to this provision of the Islamic manifesto, man is required not to waste his energies on the destructive task of reducing the number of mouths that have to be fed. Instead, man should devote his energies to constructive tasks which, under God’s Law, leads to increases in the production of wealth.

It is evident from the above verse that one of man’s major blunders is that he _ - often decides to put a brake on procreation for fear of paucity in economic resources. The verse warns man that in no way does he control the process of providing sustenance for God’s creatures. That control rests with God Alone Who has created and placed mankind on earth. Now, in the same manner that God has provided men with their sustenance in the past, He will also de so in the future. Human history also bears witness to the fact that economic resources in different parts of the world have increased in proportion to the growth of human population; and at times, these resources have increased at an even higher pace than growth in population. Hence, man’s amateurish interference in the providential arrangements of God amounts to nothing short of folly.

This explains the fact that since the time the Qur’an was revealed and until the present Muslims have, on the whole, never cherished ideas that might indeed be considered genocidal.

32. The command: ‘Do not even approach fornication’ is directed both at individuals and at society. Individuals are required not only to shun fornication, but also to strictly stay away from all that leads to it. As for human society, it is incumbent upon it to root out fornication as well as the causes and factors which lead to it. To this end, all possible measures — legislation, education, reform of public life, and a healthy restructuring of society — all should be effectively employed.

The present provision ultimately served as the basis of a substantial part of the Islamic way of life. In accordance with the above verse, both fornication and false allegations of fornication were declared cognizable offences; rules designed to prevent promiscuity and to ensure the observance of grace and modesty in the public appearance of women, and to minimize the chances for inducing sexual excitement were laid down; intoxicants, music, and the spread of every kind of lewdness and obscenity were forbidden; dances and pictures — which are closely linked with, and impel people towards illicit sex — were prohibited, and a set of rules for conjugal relationships encouraging people towards formal marriage and eradicating the causes of illicit sex were promulgated.

33. The command: ‘Do not kill any person’ does not merely signify killing someone else, but also includes oneself. God has declared human life to be sacrosanct, and thus not only slaying others, but killing oneself is also a heinous crime. One of man’s major follies is that he considers himself his own master, and hence believes that he is entitled to destroy himself if he so wishes. - The fact, however, is that our lives belong to God. In fact, we are not even entitled to misuse, let alone destroy human life. God has placed us in this world in order to test us. He has. the right to test us as He wishes. As for us, we are duty-bound to face the test and persist in it until the very end regardless of the conditions imposed. To flee from the test is bad enough, but to do so by recourse to suicide is not only monstrous but has been categorically forbidden.

Such a flight simply: means that the man concerned runs from the trivial discomforts, slights and affronts which he encounters in the present world, only to end up facing the greater and unending torment and humiliation which E awaits those who commit suicide.

34, Later on, Islamic law declared taking life as legitimate in only five specific cases: retribution against one guilty of deliberate murder; fighting and killing those who wage [militant] resistance against the true faith; capital punishment for those engaged in any uprising against the Islamic system of government; capital punishment for those men or women convicted of unlawful sexual intercourse; capital punishment for those who committed apostasy. It is only in these five cases that human life forfeits its sanctity, and the taking of human life becomes lawful.

35. That ‘We have granted the heir of him who has been wrongfully killed the authority to demand qisas (retribution)’ means that the heir of someone -who has been murdered is entitled to claim retribution for that crime, i.e. the murderer’s life be taken in retribution. This verse accounts for the principle of Islamic law which stipulates that in the case of homicide it is the heirs of the person slain rather than the state who are the plaintiffs. As a consequence, the heirs have the right both to full retribution or gratuitously forgive the culprit or altogether forego the right of retribution in lieu of blood-money.

36. There are many ways in which one can overstep the legitimate bounds ‘slaying’; all of which are prohibited. For instance, swayed by vengefulness, wronged person may kill others than the actual culprit, or subject the culprit torture, mutilate his corpse, or even kill him after he has taken blood-money from him.

37. As the Islamic state had not been established when this verse was revealed, who will ‘help’ the heir is not specified. However, after the Islamic state was established, it was made clear that ‘helping’ the legal heir was neither the responsibility of the slain person’s tribe nor of that tribe’s allies. Instead, the responsibility fell upon the Islamic state and its judicial system. Individuals or groups were not entitled to seek retribution for murder on their own; rather, they were required to approach the Islamic state for the redress of such grievances.

38. This was not merely a moral precept. After the establishment of the Islamic state, it ensured protection for the rights of orphans by a variety of administrative and legal measures embodied in the works of Hadith and Fiqh.

Another broad principle derived from this verse is that the Islamic state is required to protect the interests of all its citizens who are unable to protect their own rights. (See Ibn Majah, al-Sunan, K. al-Sadaqat, ‘Bab li Sahib al-Haqq Sultan’ — Ed.) The Prophet’s saying: ‘Lam the guardian of he who has no guardian’ (Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Musnad, vol. 4, p. 133 — Ed.) points to the same premise and constitutes a basic principle underlying several provisions of Islamic law.

39. Once again, this was not merely a moral directive to embellish the conduct of individuals; it also served as the basis of both the internal and external policies of the Islamic state.

40. This directive too was not meant to be of relevance only to inter-personal affairs. After the establishment of the Islamic state, it became the basis for supervising the use of correct weights and measures in market places, and prevented all forms of cheating and wrong-doing to others on this count. This verse also accounts for the general principle that the state is obligated to prevent all forms of malpractice and wrong-doing in business and financial dealings.

41. That is, such conduct will lead to felicitous results in both worlds — the present and the Next. In so far as the present life is concerned, such conduct will be advantageous since it is likely to promote mutual confidence and helps -to' build genuine trust between buyers and sellers which, in turn, leads to success in business and to prosperity as such. As for a felicitous end in the Next Life, it is quite obvious that this depends entirely on faith and pious conduct in this world.

42. The purpose of this Qur’anic verse is that people should be guided by knowledge rather than conjecture both in their individual and collective lives.

In an Islamic society, this directive found its reflection in ethics and law, in politics and administration, and in arts, sciences and education; in short, in all spheres. of human life. This perspective ensured that human thought and action were made safe from the many evil consequences which ensue from relying on guesswork and conjecture instead of knowledge. In matters of conduct and behavior, people are asked to abstain from entertaining misgivings about’ others and to avoid levelling unfounded charges against both individuals and groups. Similarly, Islamic law prohibited both the consigning of people to prison or their manhandling merely on the grounds of suspicion. Additionally, in their relations with other nations, Muslims were prevented, by law, from taking steps against them merely on the grounds of unsubstantiated misgivings. Rumor-mongering based on unsubstantiated suspicions were also proscribed. In the field of education, disciplines based on sheer speculation and conjecture were discouraged. Above all, a blow was struck against all superstitions in matters of religious belief since believers were asked to accept only that which had any basis in the knowledge vouchsafed by- God or His Messenger (peace be on him).

43. This verse teaches men to eschew the ways of the arrogant and the vainglorious. As we have noted in earlier instances, this directive embraces both individual and collective behavior. Guided by this, the rulers, governors and military commanders of the Islamic state of Madina bore no trace of pride and arrogance. Even on the battlefield they scarcely uttered anything that smacked of vanity. Their demeanor, their dress, their homes, their means of transport, and their general mode of conduct with others were all distinguished by humility, self-negation and a detached attitude towards this worldly life.

When as victors they entered their conquered territories, they did not strike terror into the hearts of the conquered by ostentatious display of pomp and power.

44. After enumerating upon evil traits of conduct, it is emphasized how each of these traits are hateful in the sight of God. To put it differently, infraction of any of the commands mentioned above is disapproved of by God.

45. Although here the discourse is ostensibly addressed to the Prophet (peace be on him), the purpose of the discourse on such occasions is to provide directives to all human beings.

46. For further elucidation see Towards Understanding the Qur'an, vol. IV, al-Nahl 16: 57-9, nn. 50-2, pp. 336-8.