Anwar Al-Quran

Verses 30–40

17. Al-Israa · The Night Journey

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إِنَّ رَبَّكَ يَبْسُطُ ٱلرِّزْقَ لِمَن يَشَآءُ وَيَقْدِرُ ۚ إِنَّهُۥ كَانَ بِعِبَادِهِۦ خَبِيرًۢا بَصِيرًۭا

17:30Indeed your Lord expands the provision for whomever He wishes, and tightens it. Indeed, He is well aware of His servants and a keen observer.

وَلَا تَقْتُلُوٓا۟ أَوْلَٰدَكُمْ خَشْيَةَ إِمْلَٰقٍۢ ۖ نَّحْنُ نَرْزُقُهُمْ وَإِيَّاكُمْ ۚ إِنَّ قَتْلَهُمْ كَانَ خِطْـًۭٔا كَبِيرًۭا

17:31Do not kill your children for the fear of penury: We will provide for them and for you. Killing them is indeed a great iniquity.1

وَلَا تَقْرَبُوا۟ ٱلزِّنَىٰٓ ۖ إِنَّهُۥ كَانَ فَٰحِشَةًۭ وَسَآءَ سَبِيلًۭا

17:32Do not approach fornication. It is indeed an indecency and an evil way.

وَلَا تَقْتُلُوا۟ ٱلنَّفْسَ ٱلَّتِى حَرَّمَ ٱللَّهُ إِلَّا بِٱلْحَقِّ ۗ وَمَن قُتِلَ مَظْلُومًۭا فَقَدْ جَعَلْنَا لِوَلِيِّهِۦ سُلْطَٰنًۭا فَلَا يُسْرِف فِّى ٱلْقَتْلِ ۖ إِنَّهُۥ كَانَ مَنصُورًۭا

17:33Do not kill a soul [whose life] Allah has made inviolable, except with due cause, and whoever is killed wrongfully, We have certainly given his heir an authority. But let him not commit any excess in killing [the murderer], for he has been assisted [by law].2

وَلَا تَقْرَبُوا۟ مَالَ ٱلْيَتِيمِ إِلَّا بِٱلَّتِى هِىَ أَحْسَنُ حَتَّىٰ يَبْلُغَ أَشُدَّهُۥ ۚ وَأَوْفُوا۟ بِٱلْعَهْدِ ۖ إِنَّ ٱلْعَهْدَ كَانَ مَسْـُٔولًۭا

17:34Do not approach the orphan’s property except in the best manner, until he comes of age. Fulfill the covenants; indeed all covenants are accountable.

وَأَوْفُوا۟ ٱلْكَيْلَ إِذَا كِلْتُمْ وَزِنُوا۟ بِٱلْقِسْطَاسِ ٱلْمُسْتَقِيمِ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ خَيْرٌۭ وَأَحْسَنُ تَأْوِيلًۭا

17:35When you measure, observe fully the measure, [and] weigh with an even balance. That is better and more favourable with respect to the outcome [in the Hereafter].3

وَلَا تَقْفُ مَا لَيْسَ لَكَ بِهِۦ عِلْمٌ ۚ إِنَّ ٱلسَّمْعَ وَٱلْبَصَرَ وَٱلْفُؤَادَ كُلُّ أُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ كَانَ عَنْهُ مَسْـُٔولًۭا

17:36Do not pursue that of which you have no knowledge. Indeed hearing, eyesight, and the heart—all of these are accountable.

وَلَا تَمْشِ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ مَرَحًا ۖ إِنَّكَ لَن تَخْرِقَ ٱلْأَرْضَ وَلَن تَبْلُغَ ٱلْجِبَالَ طُولًۭا

17:37Do not walk exultantly on the earth. Indeed, you will neither pierce the earth, nor reach the mountains in height.4

كُلُّ ذَٰلِكَ كَانَ سَيِّئُهُۥ عِندَ رَبِّكَ مَكْرُوهًۭا

17:38The evil of all these is detestable to your Lord.

ذَٰلِكَ مِمَّآ أَوْحَىٰٓ إِلَيْكَ رَبُّكَ مِنَ ٱلْحِكْمَةِ ۗ وَلَا تَجْعَلْ مَعَ ٱللَّهِ إِلَٰهًا ءَاخَرَ فَتُلْقَىٰ فِى جَهَنَّمَ مَلُومًۭا مَّدْحُورًا

17:39These are among [precepts] that your Lord has revealed to you of wisdom. Do not set up another god besides Allah, or you will be cast into hell, being blameworthy and banished [from His mercy].5

أَفَأَصْفَىٰكُمْ رَبُّكُم بِٱلْبَنِينَ وَٱتَّخَذَ مِنَ ٱلْمَلَٰٓئِكَةِ إِنَٰثًا ۚ إِنَّكُمْ لَتَقُولُونَ قَوْلًا عَظِيمًۭا

17:40Did your Lord prefer you for sons, and [Himself] adopt females from among the angels? Indeed, you say a monstrous word!6

Tafsir

Commentary on this passage

Allamah Tabari has quoted from a famous commentator who says relationship means the relatives of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) and Abu Bakr Maleki has written in his book Ahkam-ul-Quran that other relatives are also included. Later the Quran has given a special guidance that whether a man helps his relatives, beggars and orphans and travellers or not, he should talk to them kindly so that they should not feel they are helpless and heirless. While spending he should not spend so much that he should become helpless and he should not become such a miser that his life and Hereafter become worst and people look upon him with disdain and then Allah would call him to a severe accounting.

We should know that extravagance is not considered absolutely bad. A person could spend all his property in Allah’s way, yet remain blameless but remember that his virtuous deeds should not be changed from obligatory to supererogatory that he would leave out such obligatory deeds like maintenance of children or Khums or Zakat and starts performing good deeds. Such deeds have no importance.

Verse 36

2.Those who deny the greatness of Ali (a.s.); what would they do when their own ears and eyes will testify they had heard the announcement of Ghadeer by the Prophet (s.a.) and saw Ali (a.s.) on the hands of Prophet (s.a.)?

Footnotes

Explanations of words and phrases in these verses

  1. Benefit

    It should be clear that the 29th ayat is not against self-sacrifice. But this generosity is prohibited when the future of a person is in danger or in future his children would become prey to hunger. Otherwise selfsacrifice is the best quality and highly praised in Islam.

  2. 1

    Since parents feared hunger for their children, the Almighty has first mentioned the sustenance of the children.

  3. 2

    The successor of a slain person has the right to either demand retaliation or blood money. The religious Judge is duly bound to help him in this matter. Rather it is the duly of all the believers.

  4. 3

    Taweel means return or the end result.

  5. 4

    Marah is pride or vanity and it is a beautiful comparison of Quran. When an arrogant person kicks the ground and moves forward he is not able to split it. He walks with his head raised but he cannot reach as high as the mountain. That is he is not capable to confront the non-living things. So what can be said of other creatures.

  6. 5

    Madhoor - To be distant from divine mercy.

  7. 6

    The people of Jahiliyya preferred sons for themselves and attributed daughters to the Almighty. The secret of this was probably that they thought it was easy for Allah to rear daughters and it was also not a cause of insult for Him.

  8. Benefit

    The prohibition of not going near fornication is based on the causes that are reflected in lack of modest dress (Hijab), being alone in company of strangers, pornography, unjustified restrictions for legal marriage. All of these are wrong according to Islam.