Tafheem ul Quran

Surah 17 Al-Isra, Ayat 94-100

وَمَا مَنَعَ النَّاسَ اَنۡ يُّؤۡمِنُوۡۤا اِذۡ جَآءَهُمُ الۡهُدٰٓى اِلَّاۤ اَنۡ قَالُـوۡۤا اَبَعَثَ اللّٰهُ بَشَرًا رَّسُوۡلًا‏ ﴿17:94﴾ قُلْ لَّوۡ كَانَ فِى الۡاَرۡضِ مَلٰۤـئِكَةٌ يَّمۡشُوۡنَ مُطۡمَـئِنِّيۡنَ لَـنَزَّلۡنَا عَلَيۡهِمۡ مِّنَ السَّمَآءِ مَلَـكًا رَّسُوۡلًا‏ ﴿17:95﴾ قُلۡ كَفٰى بِاللّٰهِ شَهِيۡدًۢا بَيۡنِىۡ وَبَيۡنَكُمۡ​ؕ اِنَّهٗ كَانَ بِعِبَادِهٖ خَبِيۡرًۢا بَصِيۡرًا‏ ﴿17:96﴾ وَمَنۡ يَّهۡدِ اللّٰهُ فَهُوَ الۡمُهۡتَدِ​ ۚ وَمَنۡ يُّضۡلِلۡ فَلَنۡ تَجِدَ لَهُمۡ اَوۡلِيَآءَ مِنۡ دُوۡنِهٖ​ ؕ وَنَحۡشُرُهُمۡ يَوۡمَ الۡقِيٰمَةِ عَلٰى وُجُوۡهِهِمۡ عُمۡيًا وَّبُكۡمًا وَّصُمًّا​ ؕ مَاۡوٰٮهُمۡ جَهَـنَّمُ​ ؕ كُلَّمَا خَبَتۡ زِدۡنٰهُمۡ سَعِيۡرًا‏ ﴿17:97﴾ ذٰلِكَ جَزَآؤُهُمۡ بِاَنَّهُمۡ كَفَرُوۡا بِاٰيٰتِنَا وَقَالُوۡۤا ءَاِذَا كُنَّا عِظَامًا وَّرُفَاتًا ءَاِنَّا لَمَبۡعُوۡثُوۡنَ خَلۡقًا جَدِيۡدًا‏ ﴿17:98﴾ اَوَلَمۡ يَرَوۡا اَنَّ اللّٰهَ الَّذِىۡ خَلَقَ السَّمٰوٰتِ وَالۡاَرۡضَ قَادِرٌ عَلٰٓى اَنۡ يَّخۡلُقَ مِثۡلَهُمۡ وَجَعَلَ لَهُمۡ اَجَلًا لَّا رَيۡبَ فِيۡهِ ؕ فَاَبَى الظّٰلِمُوۡنَ اِلَّا كُفُوۡرًا‏ ﴿17:99﴾ قُلْ لَّوۡ اَنۡـتُمۡ تَمۡلِكُوۡنَ خَزَآئِنَ رَحۡمَةِ رَبِّىۡۤ اِذًا لَّاَمۡسَكۡتُمۡ خَشۡيَةَ الۡاِنۡفَاقِ​ ؕ وَكَانَ الۡاِنۡسَانُ قَتُوۡرًا‏ ﴿17:100﴾

(17:94) Whenever Guidance came to people, nothing prevented them from believing except that they said: "Has Allah sent a human being as a Messenger?"107 (17:95) Say: "Had angels been walking about in peace on the earth, We would surely have sent to them an angel from the heavens as Messenger."108 (17:96) Tell them, (O Prophet): "Allah suffices as a witness between me and you. Allah is well aware and fully observes everything pertaining to His servants."109 (17:97) Whomsoever Allah guides is rightly guided; and whomsoever Allah lets go astray, you shall find none - apart from Him110 - who could protect him. We shall muster them all on the Day of Resurrection, on their faces - blind and dumb and deaf.111 Hell shall be their refuge. Every time its Fire subsides, We will intensify for them its flame. (17:98) That will be their recompense because they disbelieved in Our Signs and said: "What, when we shall be reduced to bones and particles (of dust), shall we be raised again as a new creation?" (17:99) Have they not perceived that Allah, Who has created the heavens and the earth, has the power to create the like of them? He has fixed a term for them about which there is no doubt. And yet the wrong-doers obstinately persist in unbelief. (17:100) Tell them, (O Prophet): "Even if you owned the treasures of my Lord's Mercy you would have held them back for fear of spending them." Man is indeed ever niggardly.112


Notes

107. It implies that this misunderstanding has always been common among the ignorant people of every age that a human being could not be a Messenger of Allah: They rejected a Messenger just because he was a human being and took his meals and had wife and children like themselves. In contrast to this, after the passage of the time the credulous followers of a Messenger began to claim that he was not a human being at all because he was a Messenger. That is why some people made their Messenger their God, others the son of God and still others the incarnation of God. In short, the ignorant people had never been able to understand that a human being could be a Messenger of Allah.

108. This is to say that Messenger does not merely convey the message but is sent to reform human life in accordance with it. He has to apply the principles of the message to the circumstances of human beings and has himself to demonstrate practically those principles. Moreover, he has to remove the misunderstandings of those people who try to listen to and understand his message. Besides this, he has to organize and train the believers to create a society based on the teachings of his message. He has to struggle against those who reject and oppose his message in order to subdue those powers that are bent upon corruption, and bring about that reformation for which Allah has sent His Messenger. As all these things have to be done in a society of human beings only a human Messenger can perform the mission. If an angel had been sent as a Messenger, the most he could have done was to convey the message, for he could not live among human beings and share their life and problems in order to reform them. It is thus clear that a human Messenger only could be suitable for this purpose.

109. That is, Allah is fully aware of all my efforts which I am sending in order to reform you, and He is fully aware of the efforts you are making against my mission. His witness is sufficient because He will pass the final judgment.

110. In this verse, the Quran has enunciated a divine principle. Allah guides to the right way only that person who intends to follow His guidance, and lets go astray that person who intends to go astray. Thereafter none is able to bring back to the right way the one against whom Allah has closed the door of guidance because of his own persistent deviation and obduracy. It is obvious that if a man turns his back against the truth and rests content with falsehoods, there is no power in the world to make him turn away from falsehood and come to the truth.

This is because after this depravity Allah provides for that wicked person such means as increase his aversion to truth and his love for falsehood.

111. On the Day of Resurrection, they will be raised up blind, dumb and deaf because they behaved like such people in this world and would not see the truth nor listen to the truth nor speak the truth.

112. This verse also suggests the same thing that has already been mentioned in Ayat 55. This hints at the real psychological reason why the disbelievers of Makkah were not inclined to accept Muhammad (peace be upon him), their contemporary, as a Prophet. For thus they would have to acknowledge his superiority and one does not easily acknowledge the superiority of his contemporary. This verse may be expanded like this: Those people who are so narrow minded that they are unwilling even to acknowledge the real superiority of another, cannot be expected to be generous in spending on others, if they possessed the keys of the treasures of Allah’s blessings.