Verses 93–100
17. Al-Israa · The Night Journey
Makkan111 verses
أَوْ يَكُونَ لَكَ بَيْتٌۭ مِّن زُخْرُفٍ أَوْ تَرْقَىٰ فِى ٱلسَّمَآءِ وَلَن نُّؤْمِنَ لِرُقِيِّكَ حَتَّىٰ تُنَزِّلَ عَلَيْنَا كِتَٰبًۭا نَّقْرَؤُهُۥ ۗ قُلْ سُبْحَانَ رَبِّى هَلْ كُنتُ إِلَّا بَشَرًۭا رَّسُولًۭا
17:93Or until you have a house of gold, or you ascend into the sky. And we will not believe your ascension until you bring down for us a book that we may read.’ Say, ‘Immaculate is my Lord! Am I anything but a human apostle?!’1
وَمَا مَنَعَ ٱلنَّاسَ أَن يُؤْمِنُوٓا۟ إِذْ جَآءَهُمُ ٱلْهُدَىٰٓ إِلَّآ أَن قَالُوٓا۟ أَبَعَثَ ٱللَّهُ بَشَرًۭا رَّسُولًۭا
17:94Nothing has kept these people from believing when guidance came to them, but their saying, ‘Has Allah sent a human as an apostle?!’2
قُل لَّوْ كَانَ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ مَلَٰٓئِكَةٌۭ يَمْشُونَ مُطْمَئِنِّينَ لَنَزَّلْنَا عَلَيْهِم مِّنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ مَلَكًۭا رَّسُولًۭا
17:95Say, ‘Had there been angels in the earth, walking around and residing [in it like humans do], We would have sent down to them an angel from the heaven as apostle.’*
قُلْ كَفَىٰ بِٱللَّهِ شَهِيدًۢا بَيْنِى وَبَيْنَكُمْ ۚ إِنَّهُۥ كَانَ بِعِبَادِهِۦ خَبِيرًۢا بَصِيرًۭا
17:96Say, ‘Allah suffices as witness between me and you. Indeed He is well aware His servants and a keen observer.’
وَمَن يَهْدِ ٱللَّهُ فَهُوَ ٱلْمُهْتَدِ ۖ وَمَن يُضْلِلْ فَلَن تَجِدَ لَهُمْ أَوْلِيَآءَ مِن دُونِهِۦ ۖ وَنَحْشُرُهُمْ يَوْمَ ٱلْقِيَٰمَةِ عَلَىٰ وُجُوهِهِمْ عُمْيًۭا وَبُكْمًۭا وَصُمًّۭا ۖ مَّأْوَىٰهُمْ جَهَنَّمُ ۖ كُلَّمَا خَبَتْ زِدْنَٰهُمْ سَعِيرًۭا
17:97Whomever Allah guides is rightly guided, and whomever He leads astray—you will never for find them any guardians besides Him. On the Day of Resurrection, We shall muster them [scrambling] on their faces, blind, dumb, and deaf. Their refuge shall be hell. Whenever it subsides, We shall intensify the blaze for them.3
ذَٰلِكَ جَزَآؤُهُم بِأَنَّهُمْ كَفَرُوا۟ بِـَٔايَٰتِنَا وَقَالُوٓا۟ أَءِذَا كُنَّا عِظَٰمًۭا وَرُفَٰتًا أَءِنَّا لَمَبْعُوثُونَ خَلْقًۭا جَدِيدًا
17:98That is their requital because they defied Our signs and said, ‘What, when we have become bones and dust, shall we really be raised in a new creation?’
۞ أَوَلَمْ يَرَوْا۟ أَنَّ ٱللَّهَ ٱلَّذِى خَلَقَ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضَ قَادِرٌ عَلَىٰٓ أَن يَخْلُقَ مِثْلَهُمْ وَجَعَلَ لَهُمْ أَجَلًۭا لَّا رَيْبَ فِيهِ فَأَبَى ٱلظَّٰلِمُونَ إِلَّا كُفُورًۭا
17:99Do they not see that Allah, who created the heavens and the earth, is able to create the like of them? He has appointed for them a term, in which there is no doubt; yet the wrongdoers are only intent on ingratitude.
قُل لَّوْ أَنتُمْ تَمْلِكُونَ خَزَآئِنَ رَحْمَةِ رَبِّىٓ إِذًۭا لَّأَمْسَكْتُمْ خَشْيَةَ ٱلْإِنفَاقِ ۚ وَكَانَ ٱلْإِنسَٰنُ قَتُورًۭا
17:100Say, ‘Even if you possessed the treasuries of my Lord’s mercy, you would withhold them for the fear of being spent, and man is very niggardly.’4
Tafsir
Commentary on this passage
Verse 94
1.The trait of character of materialistic persons of every era is that they do not value moral values and they give importance only to materialism and property. The infidels also demanded that prophethood should be given to rich and wealthy people and apparently poor people have no right over it.
The Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) replied in brief that it was not his duty to show miracles. It is in Allah’s hands, and to argue with me about it, is your folly.
Being frustrated the infidels found a way and started telling people that even if he becomes capable for everything, do not bring faith in him. Allah cannot make a human being a prophet. Though in the beginning they all were convinced about Prophethood of all prophets and they all were human being till the end.
Verse 97
2.The severity of Allah’s chastisement is so painful that people lose their sense and have no perception of anything. This punishment is given to infidels who have not utilized the sense of hearing and sense of sight in the way of Allah.
Footnotes
Explanations of words and phrases in these verses
- 1
According to some commentators these demands were due to their simplicity and naivety. Though it is not true. There was a particular way to thinking behind it whose basis was material wealth and economic factors. Otherwise simple minded people cannot have such ideas.
- 2
It is the most beautiful comparison to announce the fact that there is no contradiction between being a human being and a prophet. Rather messengership is the Me’raj (ascension) of man.
Benefit
The satisfaction of the angels in 95th ayat indicates that the prophet is needed not for satisfaction alone. He is needed for evolution and perfection. Which is needed even after peace and satisfaction. Some commentators have said that ‘Fil Arz’ denotes the gravitational force of the earth, without which it is impossible to walk peacefully.
- 3
Khaboo - To become silent and static.
- 4
Qatara - To be short handed. This is not the characteristic of all the people, rather it is a sketch of the behaviour of people.
Benefit
It should be clear that the people of hereafter would be sometimes blind, deaf and dumb and sometimes make use of all the senses. This is the height of chastisement that they would be able to sense everything but would be helpless to do anything. Or that they would not be able to see, hear or say anything that would benefit them.