Verses 8–17
17. Al-Israa · The Night Journey
Makkan111 verses
عَسَىٰ رَبُّكُمْ أَن يَرْحَمَكُمْ ۚ وَإِنْ عُدتُّمْ عُدْنَا ۘ وَجَعَلْنَا جَهَنَّمَ لِلْكَٰفِرِينَ حَصِيرًا
17:8Maybe your Lord will have mercy on you, but if you revert, We [too] will revert, and We have made hell a prison for the faithless.1
إِنَّ هَٰذَا ٱلْقُرْءَانَ يَهْدِى لِلَّتِى هِىَ أَقْوَمُ وَيُبَشِّرُ ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ ٱلَّذِينَ يَعْمَلُونَ ٱلصَّٰلِحَٰتِ أَنَّ لَهُمْ أَجْرًۭا كَبِيرًۭا
17:9Indeed this Quran guides to what is most upright, and gives the good news to the faithful who do righteous deeds that there is a great reward for them.
وَأَنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ بِٱلْءَاخِرَةِ أَعْتَدْنَا لَهُمْ عَذَابًا أَلِيمًۭا
17:10As for those who do not believe in the Hereafter, We have prepared a painful punishment for them.
وَيَدْعُ ٱلْإِنسَٰنُ بِٱلشَّرِّ دُعَآءَهُۥ بِٱلْخَيْرِ ۖ وَكَانَ ٱلْإِنسَٰنُ عَجُولًۭا
17:11Man prays for ill as [avidly as] he prays for good, and man is overhasty.2
وَجَعَلْنَا ٱلَّيْلَ وَٱلنَّهَارَ ءَايَتَيْنِ ۖ فَمَحَوْنَآ ءَايَةَ ٱلَّيْلِ وَجَعَلْنَآ ءَايَةَ ٱلنَّهَارِ مُبْصِرَةًۭ لِّتَبْتَغُوا۟ فَضْلًۭا مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ وَلِتَعْلَمُوا۟ عَدَدَ ٱلسِّنِينَ وَٱلْحِسَابَ ۚ وَكُلَّ شَىْءٍۢ فَصَّلْنَٰهُ تَفْصِيلًۭا
17:12We made the night and the day two signs. Then We faded out the sign of the night, and made the sign of the day lightsome, so that you may seek from your Lord’s bounty and that you may know the number of years and calculation [of time], and We have elaborated everything in detail.34
وَكُلَّ إِنسَٰنٍ أَلْزَمْنَٰهُ طَٰٓئِرَهُۥ فِى عُنُقِهِۦ ۖ وَنُخْرِجُ لَهُۥ يَوْمَ ٱلْقِيَٰمَةِ كِتَٰبًۭا يَلْقَىٰهُ مَنشُورًا
17:13We have attached every person’s omen to his neck, and We shall bring it out for him on the Day of Resurrection as a book that he will find wide open.5
ٱقْرَأْ كِتَٰبَكَ كَفَىٰ بِنَفْسِكَ ٱلْيَوْمَ عَلَيْكَ حَسِيبًۭا
17:14‘Read your book! Today your soul suffices as your own reckoner.’
مَّنِ ٱهْتَدَىٰ فَإِنَّمَا يَهْتَدِى لِنَفْسِهِۦ ۖ وَمَن ضَلَّ فَإِنَّمَا يَضِلُّ عَلَيْهَا ۚ وَلَا تَزِرُ وَازِرَةٌۭ وِزْرَ أُخْرَىٰ ۗ وَمَا كُنَّا مُعَذِّبِينَ حَتَّىٰ نَبْعَثَ رَسُولًۭا
17:15Whoever is guided is guided only for [the good of] his own soul, and whoever goes astray, goes astray only to its detriment. No bearer shall bear another’s burden. We do not punish [any community] until We have sent [it] an apostle.
وَإِذَآ أَرَدْنَآ أَن نُّهْلِكَ قَرْيَةً أَمَرْنَا مُتْرَفِيهَا فَفَسَقُوا۟ فِيهَا فَحَقَّ عَلَيْهَا ٱلْقَوْلُ فَدَمَّرْنَٰهَا تَدْمِيرًۭا
17:16And when We desire to destroy a town We command its affluent ones [to obey Allah]. But they commit transgression in it, and so the word becomes due against it, and We destroy it utterly.
وَكَمْ أَهْلَكْنَا مِنَ ٱلْقُرُونِ مِنۢ بَعْدِ نُوحٍۢ ۗ وَكَفَىٰ بِرَبِّكَ بِذُنُوبِ عِبَادِهِۦ خَبِيرًۢا بَصِيرًۭا
17:17How many generations We have destroyed since Noah! Your Lord is sufficient as [a witness who is] well aware and percipient of His servants’ sins.
Tafsir
Commentary on this passage
The Quran guides to the right path and its arguments are as follows: (i) Islam is based on nature and its law is according to man’s inherent nature (ii) Islam believes in knowledge and opposes ignorance and blind faith. (iii.) Islam gives importance to human intellect and does not invite to accept the faith blindly. (iv) Islam is the bearer of liberal thoughts and allows everyone to express their ideas. (v) Islam is not peculiar with any individual or community. Islam is universal and systematic. (vi) Islam invites towards holy war and says dying with honour is better than living in disgrace. (vii) Islam first settles all the property for Allah and then distributes it. (vii.) Islam is present in every sphere of life and it has flexibility depending upon the conditions of every era.
Verse 16
1.Riches is not the name of rich people only but also it is the name of the people who are leading enjoyable life. For instance the Muslim kings of present era. Riches is mentioned with derogatory remarks about eight times in the Holy Quran. Because of riches the secret of misery of the whole town is perhaps that people tolerate this and do not raise their voice against the rich and give respect and elect him and in this way they all join with it and then they become entitled to chastisement. It is stated in the tradition that one who keeps quiet is like a dumb Shaitan and one who becomes happy on their tyranny is himself unjust.
Footnotes
Explanations of words and phrases in these verses
Benefit
Man is the best of make and also hasty. And this haste causes his destruction. Inspite of being the best of form he does not derive benefit from the Quran and does not act according to its programme. Asking for instant results in supplications is the result of this haste.
- 1
Haseer is a floor and also a prison. Hell is both these things for the infidels.
- 2
One foolishness of man is that sometimes he becomes helpless of the circumstances and begins to pray for death or divine chastisement. And this is the result of nothing but haste. Otherwise the promise of Allah is true. “Indeed with difficulty is ease.”
- 3
Mahv does not imply annihilation. Rather it denotes the disappearance of its effects. That is why there is no mention of Mahv of the night. Rather there is mention of the Mahv of its sign.
- 4
The almighty Allah has appointed the day for obtaining sustenance so that people enter into clear and open transaction and they must be able to act without Khayanat and adulteration.
- 5
The Arabs used birds for divination and the Holy Quran has also called the scroll of deeds as a bird which can predict good and bad results.
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Islam has prohibited inauspiciousness but included evil deeds as part of ill omen. Just as the woman with more Maher is a sign of her inauspiciousness.