17:1. Glory be to Him Who took His slave for a journey by night from the Sacred Mosque to the Distant Mosque, the environs of which We have blessed, so that We might show him some of Our signs. Verily He is All-Hearing, All-Seeing.

Here Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) declares Himself to be exalted and almighty, for all great actions belong to Him and all great favours come from Him, among which was the fact that He ﴾took His slave﴿ namely His Messenger Muhammad (ﷺ) ﴾for a journey by night from the Sacred Mosque﴿ which is the noblest of all mosques ﴾to the Distant Mosque﴿ which is one of the most virtuous of mosques, for it is the place of the Prophets.

He took him on this journey in a single night, covering a huge distance, and He brought him back the same night, and He showed him some of His signs which increased him in guidance, deep insight, steadfastness and understanding. This was due to Allah’s care for him and kindness to him, as He guided him to that which was easy in all his affairs, and He bestowed upon him blessings because of which he surpassed the earlier and later generations.

The apparent meaning of the verse indicates that the Night Journey (Isra') occurred at the beginning of the night, and that the journey began from the Sacred Mosque itself, but it is proven in as-Saheeh that the Prophet (ﷺ) was taken on the night journey from the house of Umm Hani’ (radiya Allahu ‘anha - may Allah be pleased with her). Based on that, the virtue that belongs to the Sacred Mosque is applicable to the entire Haram zone; the multiple reward for worship applies to acts of worship anywhere within the Haram zone. This also indicates that the Night Journey involved both body and soul together, otherwise it would not have been a major sign and great virtue.

There are many proven hadiths from the Prophet (ﷺ) about the Night Journey which mention the details of what he saw and state that he was taken on a journey by night to Jerusalem (Bayt al-Maqdis), and then taken up from there to the heavens, until he reached what is above the highest heavens. He also saw paradise and hell, and the Prophets in their various stations in the heavens. Allah enjoined fifty prayers upon him, then he kept going back and asking his Lord to reduce it, based on the advice of Moosa, the one to whom Allah had spoken directly, until they became five prayers in deed and fifty in reward. He and his Ummah attained great honour on that night, the extent of which no one knows except Allah (سبحانه وتعالى).

Allah refers to the Prophet (ﷺ) here as a slave, because he attained all that he attained of honour by virtue of being a perfect slave of his Lord.

﴾the environs of which We have blessed)J with a lot of trees and rivers, and land that is always fertile.

Another aspect of that blessing is that it is favoured above other mosques, except the Sacred Mosque and the mosque of Madinah; it is encouraged to travel to it for the purpose of worshipping and praying therein. Allah also chose this place as a place for His Prophet (ﷺ) and chosen ones to live.

17:2. We gave Moosa the Book, and made it a guide for the Children of Israel, [saying]: Do not take any other than Me as a disposer of affairs.

17:3. O descendants of those whom We carried with Nooh [in the ark], verily he was a grateful slave.

17:4. We declared to the Children of Israel in the Book: You will surely spread mischief in the land twice, and you will surely show great arrogance and tyranny.

17:5. When the first of the two came to pass, We sent against you slaves of Ours possessing great might and power, who wrought havoc throughout the land. And [this] decree was sure to be fulfilled.

17:6. Then We allowed you to prevail over them once again; We strengthened you with wealth and offspring, and made you greater in number.

17:7. If you do good, you do good for your own selves. If you do evil, you do it to your own detriment. So when the second of the two came to pass, [We sent your enemies against you] to humiliate and suppress you, and to enter the mosque [the temple in Jerusalem] as they did the first time, and to utterly destroy all that fell into their power.

17:8. It may be that your Lord will have mercy on you, but if you repeat [the mischief]. We will repeat [the punishment]. And We have made hell a place of detention for the disbelievers.

Allah often mentions the prophethood of Muhammad (ﷺ) and the prophethood of Moosa (عليه السلام) together, and He mentions their Books and their laws together, because their Books are the best of all books, their laws are the most perfect of all laws, their prophethoods were the most sublime of prophethoods, and their followers comprise the majority of believers. Hence Allah says here:

﴾We gave Moosa the Book﴿ namely the Torah ﴾and made it a guide for the Children of Israel﴿ by which they might be guided from the darkness of ignorance to knowledge of the truth ﴾[saying]: Do not take any other than Me as a disposer of affairs﴿ that is, We told them that and We revealed the Book to them for that purpose, so that they might worship Allah alone, turn to Him and take Him alone as a disposer of affairs and controller in all their religious and worldly concerns, and so that they would not be attached to any other than Him, such as created beings that have no power over anything and cannot benefit them in any way.

﴾]0 descendants of those whom We carried with Nooh [in the ark]﴿ that is, O offspring of those whom We blessed and carried with Nooh, ﴾verily he was a grateful slave﴿ these are words of commendation for Nooh for having given thanks to Allah, as he is described in such terms; this also encourages his descendants to follow his example of gratitude and to remember the blessing that Allah bestowed upon them when He saved them and caused them to inherit the earth, and He caused others to drown.

﴾We declared to the Children of Israel in the Book﴿ that they would spread mischief in the land twice by committing sins, being ungrateful for the blessings of Allah and acting in an arrogant and tyrannical manner. The first time that happened, Allah would give their enemies power over them and wreak vengeance upon them. This was a warning to them so that they might stop and pay heed.

4 When the first of the two came to pass﴿ that is, the first of the two occasions on which they would spread mischief. When that occurred, ﴾We sent against you﴿ as a punishment ﴾slaves of Ours possessing great might and power﴿ that is, they were courageous and strong in terms of numbers and weapons. Allah granted them victory over you, so they killed you, took your children captive, seized your wealth as plunder and wrought havoc throughout your land, breaking into your houses and entering and desecrating the temple in Jerusalem.

﴾And [this] decree was sure to be fulfilled﴿ that it would come to pass, because they were the cause of it.

The commentators differed concerning the identity of those who were sent against them, but they were unanimously agreed that they were a disbelieving people who came from Iraq or Mesopotamia or elsewhere. Allah sent them against the Children of Israel when they committed many sins, abandoned many of their laws and transgressed in the land.

﴾Then We allowed you to prevail over them once again﴿ that is, over those who had been sent against you, so you expelled them from your land.

﴾fWe strengthened you with wealth and offspring﴿ that is. We increased your provision and numbers, and We give you more strength against them.

﴾fand made you greater in number﴿ than them. This was because of your good deeds and your submission to Allah.

﴾flf you do good, you do good for your own selves﴿ because the benefit of that comes back to you, even in this world, as you have seen in your victory over your enemies.

﴾If you do evil, you do it to your own detriment﴿ that is, the harm comes back to you, as Allah showed you by giving your enemies the upper hand over you.

﴾So when the second of the two came to pass﴿ that is, the second time you spread corruption in the land, we sent your enemies against you once more.

﴾to humiliate and suppress you﴿ by defeating you and taking you captive, so that they could enter the temple again as they had done the first time. What is meant by the temple is Bayt al-Maqdis.

﴾fand to utterly destroy﴿ that is, ruin and demolish ﴾all that fell into their power﴿ - so they destroyed your houses, your places of worship and your crops.

﴾It may be that your Lord will have mercy on you﴿ and give you the upper hand over them. And He did indeed have mercy on them and give them the upper hand, and He warned them against falling into sin: ﴾but if you repeat [the mischief]﴿ and spread mischief in the land again, ﴾We will repeat [the punishment]﴿. They did repeat their mischief, so Allah sent against them His Messenger Muhammad (ﷺ) and wrought vengeance upon them. This was the recompense in this world, and that which is with Allah of recompense (in the hereafter) is more terrifying and more fearsome. Hence He says: ﴾And We havemade hell a place of detention for the disbelievers﴿; they will bum therein and will remain there, and they will never emerge from it.

This passage contains a warning for this Ummah against committing sins, lest there befall them what befell the Children of Israel, for the way of Allah (in dealing with sinners) is the same and never changes or alters.

Anyone who examines how the disbelievers and wrongdoers have the upper hand over the Muslims will realise that this is because of the sin of the latter and is a punishment to them; if they adhere to the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger (ﷺ), He will give them power in the land and grant them victory over their enemies.

17:9. Verily this Qur’an guides to that which is most just and right, and gives glad tidings to the believers who do righteous deeds that theirs will be a great reward,

17:10. And that for those who do not believe in the hereafter, We have prepared a painful punishment.

Here Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) tells us of the noble status and grandeur of the Qur’an, and that it ﴾guides to that which is most just and rights that is, that which is most upright and sublime of beliefs, deeds and attitudes. Whoever follows that which the Qur’an promotes will be the most perfect and upright of people, and the most guided in all his affairs.

4jand gives glad tidings to the believers who do righteous deeds﴿, both obligatory and supererogatory, 4jthat theirs will be a great reward﴿which Allah has prepared for them in His paradise, the description of which no one knows except Him.

﴾And that for those who do not believe in the hereafter, We have prepared a painful punishment﴿. Thus the Qur’an includes both glad tidings and warnings. It tells us the means of attaining the glad tidings, namely faith and righteous deeds, and it tells us of that which will incur the warning, which is the opposite of that.

17:11. Man prays for evil just as he prays for good, for man is ever hasty.

This is because of man’s ignorance and haste, for he prays against himself, his children and his wealth when he is angry, and he rushes to pray for that just as he rushes to pray for good. But Allah - by His grace - answers his prayers for good but He does not answer his prayers for evil.

c﴾If Allah were to hasten the punishment for people as they would hasten their reward, then their fate would have been sealed... ]﴿ (Yoonus 10: 11)

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17:12. We have made the night and the day as two [of Our] signs. We obscured the sign of the night with darkness and gave light tothe sign of the day, so that you might seek the bounty of your Lord and know the number of the years and the reckoning of time. And We have explained all things in detail.

﴾ We have made the night and the day as two [of Our] signs﴿ that is, two signs that point to the perfect nature of Allah’s power and the vastness of His mercy, and that no one should be worshipped except Him.

﴾We obscured the sign of the night with darkness﴿ that is, We have made it dark, for the purpose of stillness and rest ﴾and gave light to the sign of the day, so that you might seek the bounty of your Lord﴿ by going about in pursuit of your livelihood, doing your crafts, engaging in trade and setting out on your journeys.

﴾and know﴿ by the alternation of night and day, and the phases of the moon

﴾the number of the years and the reckoning of timeK and on the basis of that you run your affairs.

﴾And We have explained all things in detail﴿ that is, We have explained the signs so that all things may be clear, and truth may become distinct from falsehood, as Allah (tte) says elsewhere:

﴾... We have neglected nothing in the Book... ]﴿ (al-An am 6. 38)

17:13. Every man’s deeds We have fastened to his neck, and on the Day of Resurrection We will bring forth for him a record [of his deeds] which he will find spread wide open.

17:14. [It will be said to him:] Read your own record; sufficient is your own soul as a reckoner against you this day.

Here Allah tells us of the perfect nature of His justice, for each person’s deeds are fastened to his neck. In other words, everything that he does, good or evil, Allah will cause it to adhere to him and not go to anyone else, so that he will not be brought to account for the deeds of anyone else, and no one else will be brought to account for his deeds.

tfand on the Day of Resurrection We will bring forth for him a record [of his deeds] which he will find spread wide open﴿, and in it will be everything that he did, good or evil, small or great: it will be said to him: ﴾Read your own record; sufficient is your own soul as a reckoner against you this day﴿. This is the ultimate justice and fairness, that it will be said to the individual: Take account of your own self, so that he will acknowledge his wrongdoing that brought the punishment upon him.

17:15. Whoever is guided, is only guided for [the good of] his own soul; whoever goes astray, only goes astray to his own detriment, and no bearer of burdens can bear the burden of another. Nor do We punish until We have sent a Messenger [to give warning].

The guidance or misguidance of each individual only affects him, and no one can bear the burden of another person’s sins or ward off from him even an atom’s weight of harm. Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) is the most just of those who show justice; He does not punish anyone until proof has been established against him by sending the message, then he stubbornly rejects it.

As for the one who submits and follows the proof, or no proof reached him from Allah Os), Allah will not punish him.

This verse is quoted as evidence to prove that those who lived in the periods between Prophets, and the children of the polytheists (who die in infancy) will not be punished by Allah until He sends a Messenger to them, for He is far above injustice.

17:16. When it is Our will to destroy a city. We command its affluent people [to fear Allah], but they transgress. Thus the punishment becomes inevitable, then We destroy it completely.

17:17. How many nations We have destroyed since the time of Nooh! Your Lord is sufficiently aware of the sins of His slaves and sees them all.

Here Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) tells us that when He wants to destroy any wrongdoing city and eradicate it with His punishment. He commands its affluent people to fear Him, but they transgress, and their transgression reaches such a grave extent that ﴾]the punishment becomes inevitable﴿ that is, the decree of punishment cannot be put back ﴾then We destroy it completely﴿.

There were many nations whom Allah destroyed with the punishment after the people ofNooh, such as ‘Ad, Thamood, the people of Loot, and others. Allah punished them when their transgression became too much and their disbelief became extreme; at that point, Allah sent upon them His mighty punishment.

﴾Your Lord is sufficiently aware of the sins of His slaves and sees them all﴿, so they have no reason to fear injustice, but the punishment will be commensurate with their deeds.

17:18. Whoever seeks [the pleasures of] this fleeting life, We hasten therein whatever We will for whomever We please. Then We decree for him hell, which he will enter, disgraced and rejected.

17:19. But whoever seeks the hereafter and strives for it as it should be striven for, and is a [true] believer - such are the ones whose effort will be appreciated.

17:20. On all - both the latter and the former - We bestow of the bounty of your Lord. Verily the bounty of your Lord is not denied [to anyone].

17:21. See how We have bestowed more on some than on others [in this world], but verily the hereafter will have higher ranks and greater degrees of excellence for some over others.

Here Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) tells us that ﴾Whoever seeks [the pleasures of] this fleeting life﴿ in this world, which will diminish and come to an end, so he works and strives for that, and forgets how he started and how he will end, Allah will hasten for him whatever He wills of its worthless accumulation and pleasures that He has decreed for himin al-Lawh al-Mahfoodb, but it is pleasure that is of no benefit and will not last.

Then He will decree for him in the hereafter ﴾hell, which he will enter﴿, and be punished therein

﴾disgraced and rejected﴿ that is, in a state of disgrace, shame and condemnation from Allah and from His creation, far removed from the mercy of Allah. Thus punishment and disgrace will be combined for him.

﴾But whoever seeks the hereafter﴿ and is content with it, and gives it precedence over this world

﴾and strives for it as it should be striven for﴿, as taught in the divinely-revealed Books and the prophetic traditions, and acts in accordance with that to the best of his ability,

﴾fand is a [true] believer﴿ in Allah, His angels. His Books, His Messengers and the Last Day

﴾such are the ones whose effort will be appreciated﴿that is, it will be accepted, multiplied and stored up, and they will have their reward with their Lord. In addition to that, they will not miss out on their share of this world, for Allah will bestow worldly bounty on both believers and disbelievers, because He is generous and kind,

﴾Verily the bounty of your Lord is not denied [to anyone]﴿ that is, it is not withheld from anyone; rather all people enjoy His bounty and kindness.

﴾See how We have bestowed more on some than on others [in this world]because abundance or restriction of provision, ease and hardship, knowledge and ignorance, wisdom and foolishness, and so on, are things in which Allah has blessed some people more than others.

﴾but verily the hereafter will have higher ranks and greater degrees of excellence for some over others﴿. So there is no comparison at all between the delights and pleasures of this world and those of the hereafter. How great is the difference between the one who is in alofty dwelling in paradise, enjoying all sorts of pleasures, happiness, bliss and joy, and the one who is suffering in hell, being subjected to a painful punishment, having incurred the wrath of the Most Merciful Lord. In each of these two abodes, the differences between people cannot be enumerated.

17:22. Do not associate with Allah any other god, lest you find yourself disgraced and forsaken.

That is, do not believe that any created being is deserving of any kind of worship or that any of them can be associated with Allah, for that is blameworthy and leads to failure. Allah, His angels and His Messengers have forbidden the ascription of partners to Allah and have condemned in the strongest terms anyone who does that, describing this action in the worst terms, by using such words that one may conclude from them that the one who does this is the worst in characteristics and the most abhorrent in description.

Such a person is a failure in terms of both worldly and religious affairs, to the extent of his detachment from his Lord. Whoever puts his hopes in anything but Allah is a failure and will be left to the one in whom he put his trust, for no one of Allah’s creation can benefit anyone except by Allah’s leave. Just as the one who believes that there is any other god besides Allah is deserving of blame and is a failure, the one who affirms His oneness and devotes his worship to Allah alone, putting his hopes in Him and no other, is deserving of commendation and will receive help from Allah in all his affairs.

17:23. Your Lord has ordained that you should worship none but Him and show kindness to parents. If one or both of them reach old age in your care, do not say to them even the mildest word of annoyance or reproach them; rather speak to them with respect.

17:24. And lower to them the wing of humility out of compassion, and say: My Lord, have mercy on them, as they cared for me when I was small.

Having forbidden the ascription of partners to Him, Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) enjoins affirmation of His oneness. ﴾Your Lord has ordained﴿ as a religious instruction ﴾that you should worship none﴿ of the inhabitants of the heavens and the earth, living or dead c-fbut Him﴿, for He is the One, the Eternal, Whom all creatures need. Who possesses all attributes of perfection and the greatest manifestation of those attributes, in such a manner that none of those whom He created resembles Him. He is the Bestower of blessings, both visible and hidden. Who wards off all calamities; the Creator, the Provider, the controller of all matters. He is the only One Who does all of that, and no other has any share of that.

After mentioning His rights, Allah speaks of fulfilling the rights of parents:

﴾fand show kindness to parents﴿ that is, be kind to them in all ways, in word and deed, because they are the reason for one’s existence, and they have so much love for their child, show him kindness and areclose to him, which confirms the rights of the parent over the child and the obligation of the child to show kindness to them.

﴾If one or both of them reach old age in your care﴿ that is, if they reach this age, at which they become physically weak and need kind and gentle treatment, as is well known, ﴾do not say to them even the mildest word of annoyance﴿ - this is the least offence, but it is a warning against saying anything that could be more offensive than that. What is meant is: do not offend them in the slightest manner.

﴾or reproach them﴿ that is, rebuke them or speak harshly to them, ﴾rather speak to them with respect﴿ in ways that they like, politely and gently, with soft words that will bring joy to their hearts and reassure them. That varies from one situation and time to another, according to people’s traditions.

And lower to them the wing of humility out of compassion﴿ that is, be humble towards them, out of compassion and seeking reward from Allah, not because you fear them or hope to get what they have, and other reasons that may deprive one of reward (from Allah).

tjand say: My Lord, have mercy on them﴿ that is, pray for mercy for them in life and in death, as recompense for their having taken care of you when you were small. From this it is understood that the longer they take care of you, the more rights they have over you. Similarly, if someone other than the parents takes care of a person with regard to his religious and worldly interests, and shows him the right path in a sound manner, that person is indebted to the one who took care of him.

17:25. Your Lord knows best what is in your hearts. If you are righteous, then verily He is Oft-Forgiving to those who constantly turn to Him [in repentance].

That is, your Lord (36) sees what is hidden in your hearts of good and evil, and He does not look at your deeds or your physical appearance; rather He looks at your hearts and what is in them of good and evil.

﴾flf you are righteous﴿ in the sense that your intentions and aims are focused on pleasing Allah, and you are keen to draw close to Him, and there are no aspirations in your heart that are contrary to the will of Allah,

﴾then verily He is Oft-Forgiving to those who constantly turn to Him﴿ that is, those who turn back to Him at all times. So if Allah sees into a person’s heart and knows that there is nothing in it except devotion to Him and love for Him and for that which will bring him closer to Him, then - even if that person sometimes behaves in accordance with human inclinations - Allah will pardon him and forgive him for the occasional slip that is out of character.

17:26. Give kinsfolk their due, and those in need, and wayfarers: but do not squander your wealth wastefully.

17:27. For squanderers are the brothers of the devils. And the Shaytan [the Devil] is ever ungrateful to his Lord.

17:28. If you [O Muhammad] must turn away from them whilst seeking mercy from your Lord for which you hope,^{1This refers to a situation in which he had no resources with which to help them, and was himself hoping for mercy, that is, provision, from his Lord. (at-Tabari)} then say to them words of comfort.

17:29. Do not keep your hand tied to your neck [like a miser], or stretch it forth to its utmost extent [like a squanderer], lest you become blameworthy and destitute.

17:30. Verily your Lord gives abundantly to whomever He will and sparingly [to whomever He will]. Verily He is well aware of His slaves and sees them all.

﴾Give kinsfolk their due﴿ of kindness and honour, both that which is obligatory and that which is sunnah. These rights vary according to the situation, the degree of relationship and the extent of need at different times.

﴾fand those in need﴿ - give them their due of zakah and other forms of charity in order to meet their needs dand wayfarers﴿ this refers to the stranger who is cut off from his homeland. They should all be given from one’s wealth, in such a way that does not harm the giver and is not more than is appropriate, because that would come under the heading of squandering, which Allah has prohibited.

﴾For squanderers are the brothers of the devils﴿ because the Shaytan only calls people to that which is blameworthy, so he calls people to be miserly and stingy, then if they disobey him, he calls them to be extravagant and to squander their wealth, whereas Allah (te) only enjoins moderation in all things and praises people for that, as He says, describing the righteous slaves of the Most Gracious:﴾And who, when they spend, are neither extravagant nor stingy, but follow a middle path between the [two].﴿ (al-Furqan 25: 67)

﴾Do not keep your hand tied to your neck [like a miser] ﴿ this is a metaphor for extreme stinginess and miserliness ﴾or stretch it forth to its utmost extent [like a squanderer]﴿, spending it on that which is not necessary or more than is appropriate.

﴾lest you become﴿, if you do that,

﴾blameworthy﴿ that is, subject to blame for what you did

﴾and destitute﴿ that is, empty-handed, with no wealth left and not deserving any praise.

The command to give kinsfolk their due is addressed to the one who has the means and can afford it. As for the one who does not have the means or cannot afford it, Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) instructs him to apologise by saying kind words:

﴾If you [O Muhammad] must turn away from them whilst seeking mercy from your Lord for which you hope﴿ that is, if you must turn away from giving to them until some other time, hoping that Allah will make things easier,

﴾then say to them words of comfort﴿ that is, kind and gentle words, with a promise to give them something as soon as you can afford it, and apologise for not being able to give them something at present, so that they may go back reassured and comforted, as Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) says elsewhere:

﴾Kind words and forgiveness are better than charity followed by hurtful words.-.b (a!-Baqarah 2: 263)

By His kindness towards His slaves, Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) instructs them to expect mercy and provision from Him. By the same token, promising to give charity and be generous when one can afford it is in itself an act of worship, because thinking of doing a good deed is in itself a good deed. Hence the individual should do whatever he is able to do of good, and he should have the intention to do whatever he is notable to do, so that he will be rewarded for that and in the hope that Allah may make it easy to do it, because of his hope.

Then Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) tells us that He grants abundant provision to whomever He will among His slaves, and He grants it sparingly to whomever He will, in accordance with His wisdom.

﴾Verily He is well aware of His slaves and sees them all﴿ and He gives them according to what He knows is good for them, and He deals with them on the basis of kindness and generosity.

17:31. Do not kill your children for fear of poverty, for We will provide for them and for you. Verily killing them is a grave sin.

This is by His mercy towards His slaves, for He is more merciful towards them than their own parents. Therefore He forbids parents to kill their children for fear of poverty and want, and He guarantees to provide for all. He informs us that killing them is a grave major sin; in fact it is one of the worst of major sins, because of the loss of mercy from the heart, grave disobedience and transgression by killing children who never did anything wrong.

(rr :.iyyi;Jr.)

17:32. Do not approach fornication [or adultery], for it is shameful, an abominable way indeed.

The prohibition on approaching the matter is more eloquent than the prohibition on simply doing it, because this includes the prohibition of all precursors that lead to it, for:

«.. .whoever lets his flocks graze around the protected area will soon find his flocks transgressing upon it.» (Bukhari and Muslim)

That is especially applicable with regard to this matter, as many people have the strongest inclination towards it.

Allah describes fornication (or adultery), because of its abhorrent nature, as ﴾shameful﴿ that is, a sin which is regarded as shameful and evil according to Islamic teachings, reason and human nature, because it involves transgression of the sacred limits set by Allah, and it is also a transgression against the woman and against her family or husband, it causes trouble in marriages, mixes lineages, and leads to other negative consequences.

﴾fan abominable way indeed﴿ that is, an evil way, the way of one who has the audacity to commit that grave sin.

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17:33. Do not kill, for that is forbidden by Allah, except in the course of justice. If anyone is killed wrongfully, We have given his heir authority [to seek legal retribution or compensation, or to forgive], but he should not exceed the bounds in the matter of killing, for he is already supported [by Islamic law].

This applies to every soul the killing of which is ﴾forbidden by Allah﴿, whether it is young or old, male or female, free or slave, Muslim or a non-Muslim who has a covenant with the Muslims.

﴾except in the course of justice﴿ such as a life for a life; execution of a previously-married adulterer or an (apostate) who leaves his religion and splits from the main body of the Muslims; or cases of self-defence where the attacker cannot be warded off except by killing him.

﴾If anyone is killed wrongfully﴿ that is, unlawfully ﴾We have given his heir﴿, who is the closest to him of his male relatives on his father’s side and his heirs

﴾authority﴿ to seek legal retribution (qisas) from the killer. That is when the conditions for this retribution are met, namely that the killing was deliberate and the killer was the aggressor (who initiated the fight), and both are of equal standing.

﴾but hep that is, the heir

﴾should not exceed the bounds in the matter of killing, for he is already supported [by Islamic law]﴿. Exceeding the bounds means overstepping the mark, either by mutilating the killer, or killing him in a manner different from that in which he killed the victim, or killing someone other than the killer.

This verse indicates that the right to legal retribution belongs to the heir, so no retribution can be exacted except with his permission, and if he forgives the killer, retribution is waived. It also indicates that Allah will help the heir of the victim against the killer and anyone who helped the killer, until he is able to settle the score.

17:34. Do not touch the orphan’s property, before he comes of age, except to improve it; and fulfil [all] covenants, for [every] covenant will be asked about.

This highlights Allah’s kindness and mercy towards the orphan who has lost his father when he is still small and is not aware of what is in his own best interests, nor is he in a position to achieve that. Allah instructs the orphan’s guardians to take care of him and his wealth, and to handle it in a manner that best serves his interests. The guardians are not to touch it ﴾except to improve it﴿ by doing business with it, not exposing it to danger, and working to make it grow. That should continue until the orphan ﴾comes of age﴿, that is, until he reaches puberty and becomes mature. When he comes of age, guardianship over him ends; he becomes in charge of his own affairs and his wealth is to be given to him, as Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) says elsewhere:

﴾.. .Then, if you find that they have sound judgement, hand over their property to them...k (an-Nisa’4: 6)

t-(and fulfil [all] covenants﴿ that you make, whether the covenant is with Allah or with other people t-ffor [every] covenant will be asked about﴿ that is, you will be asked whether you fulfilled it or not; if you fulfilled it, then you will have a great reward, but if you did not, then you will carry a great burden of sin.

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17:35. Give full measure when you measure, and weigh with accurate scales; that is better and more seemly in the end.

This is an instruction to be fair and to give full weight and measure, without overcharging or giving short measure. From the general meaning of the verse it is understood that all kinds of cheating areprohibited, whether that has to do with price, quality or the terms of any deal entered into, and it is enjoined to be sincere and honest in all dealings.

﴾that is better﴿ than not doing so

(﴾and more seemly in the end﴿ that is, it leads to better consequences, for by following this advice, one will be safe from any bad consequences and will attain blessing (barakah).

17:36. Do not pursue [beliefs, rumours, slander and the like] of which you have no certain knowledge, for verily, the hearing, the sight, and the heart, all of these will be asked about.

That is, do not pursue that of which you have no knowledge; rather you should make sure that everything you say or do is verified or proven. So do not think that you can get away with it, for it will be recorded either for you or against you.

﴾for verily, the hearing, the sight, and the heart, all of these will be asked about﴿. So the individual - who knows that he is responsible for all that he says and does, and for the way in which he uses his faculties which Allah has created so that he might worship Him - must prepare his answers to that questioning, and that can only be done by using all his faculties in servitude to Allah, doing acts of devotion to Him alone and refraining from that which Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) hates.

17:37. Do not walk on the earth with insolence, for you cannot cleave the earth, nor can you rival the mountains in height.

17:38. The evil of all that is hateful to your Lord.

17:39. This is part of the wisdom that your Lord has revealed to you [O Muhammad]. Do not associate with Allah any other god, lest you be thrown into hell, blameworthy and outcast.

﴾fDo not walk on the earth with insolence﴿ that is, with arrogance, too proud to accept the truth and looking down on others, for if you do that ﴾you cannot cleave the earth, nor can you rival the mountains in height﴿ in your arrogance; rather you will be insignificant before Allah and despised by people, hated and resented for having acquired the worst and most reprehensible of characteristics without being able to attain even some of what you are pursuing.

4The evil of all that﴿ namely the things that Allah has prohibited, that are mentioned above (17:22), where Allah says ﴾Do not associate with Allah any other god﴿, and the prohibition on disobedience to parents, and so on,

﴾fis hateful to your Lord﴿ that is, all of that will harm those who do it and Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) hates it and disapproves of it.

﴾This﴿ that We have explained of these important rulings 4is part of the wisdom that your Lord has revealed to you [O Muhammad]﴿. Wisdom is enjoining good deeds and noble characteristics, and forbidding evil characteristics and bad deeds.

The good deeds mentioned in these verses are part of the sublime wisdom that the Lord of the worlds revealed to the leader of the Messengers in the noblest of Books, so as to enjoin them upon the best of nations. So they are part of that wisdom which, if anyone is granted it, then he has been granted a great deal of good.

This passage ends with the prohibition on worshipping anything other than Allah, as it began: ﴾Do not associate with Allah any other god, lest you be thrown into hell﴿ that is, to abide therein forever, for whoever ascribes any partner to Allah, Allah will forbid paradise to him, and his abode will be hell.

﴾blameworthy and outcast﴿ that is, lest you be subject to blame, curses and criticism from Allah, His angels and all the people.

17:40. Has your Lord favoured you with sons and taken for Himself daughters from among the angels? Verily, you are uttering a dreadful word!

This is a stem denunciation of those who claimed that Allah had taken from among His creation daughters.

﴾Has your Lord favoured you with sons﴿ that is, Has He chosen for you that which is best and perfect, and taken for Himself from among the angels females - as they claimed that the angels were the daughters of Allah.

﴾Verily, you are uttering a dreadful word!﴿ which implies the worst insolence towards Allah, as you attribute offspring to Him, which would imply need on His part, and would imply that some of Hiscreation have no need of Him. Moreover, you attributed the inferior of the two to Him, namely the females, when He is the One Who created you, and you say that He chose the males for you. Exalted be Allah far above what the wrongdoers say.

17:41. We have explained [the truth] in this Qur’an in various ways, so that they may pay heed, but it only increases them in aversion.

17:42. Say [O Muhammad]: If there were [other] gods with Him, as they say, they would surely have sought a way to the Lord of the Throne.^{1What is meant is that they would have sought a way to challenge Him (al-Qurtubi, from Ibn ‘Abbas [radiya Allahu ‘cmhuma - may Allah be pleased with both of them]); another view is that they would have sought a way to draw near to Him. (at-Tabari)}

17:43. Glory be to Him, and exalted be He far above what they say!

17:44. The seven heavens and the earth, and all those who are therein, glorify Him. There is not a thing that does not glorify Him with praise, but you do not understand their glorification. Verily He is Forbearing, Oft-Forgiving.

Here Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) tells us that He has explained all issues to His slaves in this Qur’an. In other words. He discusses various rulings and clarifies them, presenting a great deal of evidence and proof for that to which He calls people, and He exhorts and reminds so that theywill remember that which will benefit them and thus follow it, and that which will harm them and thus refrain from it. But most people insist on turning away from the revelations of Allah, because of their resentment towards the truth and their love for that which they are following of falsehood, to the extent that they are fanatically devoted to the falsehood and they do not listen to the revelations of Allah or pay attention to them.

The issue for which the most proof and evidence is presented is the oneness of Allah, which is the most important of fundamental issues. Allah enjoins it, forbids the opposite, and establishes a great deal of rational and textual proof for it, to the extent that if one listens to some of it, no room will be left in his heart for any doubt or confusion.

Among the evidence for that is the rational evidence that is mentioned here:

SjSayj﴿ to the polytheists who associate another god with Allah:

﴾flf there were [other] gods with Him, as they say﴿ that is, according to their claims and fabrications,

﴾they would surely have sought a way to the Lord of the Throne﴿ that is, they would have tried to seek a way to worship Him and draw close to Him, seeking nearness to Him. So how can the weak human being, who realises how great is his need to be a true slave of his Lord, associate another god with Allah? Can this be anything but the worst wrongdoing and the greatest foolishness?

According to this interpretation, the meaning of this verse is similar to that of the verses in which Allah says: ﴾Those upon whom they call themselves seek nearness to their Lord﴿ (17: 57) and:

﴾On the day when He gathers them together with those whom they worshipped besides Allah, He will ask:^{2This question will be put to those who were wrongfully worshipped, such as the angels, ‘Eesa (-S^). Prophets, righteous people, ‘saints’, idols and so on.} Did you lead these slavesof Mine astray, or did they stray from the [right] path by themselves? They will say: Glory be to You! It was not proper for us to take anyone as an ally besides You [and worship him]^{3A question is implied here: so how could we have asked anyone else to take us as allies and worship us besides You? (ash-Shawkani)}...﴿ (al-Furqan 25: 17-18) Or it may be that what is meant by the words ﴾If there were [other] gods with Him, as they say, they would surely have sought a way to the Lord of the Throne﴿ is: they would have sought a way to reach Him and they would have tried to challenge Allah (سبحانه وتعالى), then if they overcame Him, the one who prevailed would be the Lord and God. However, they already knew and admitted that the gods whom they worshipped besides Allah were subjugated and inferior, and had no control over anything. So why did they take them as gods, if they were like that? In this case, the meaning is like that of the verse in which Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) says:

﴾Allah has never begotten a son, nor is there any god besides Him. [In that case,] each god would have taken full control of what he had created, and each would have rushed to gain supremacy over the Others... j﴿ (al-Mu 'mirioon 23: 91)

﴾Glory be to Him, and exalted be He﴿ that is, He is to be declared holy and far above ﴾what they say﴿ of ascribing partners and rivals to Him, for He is sublime and great, and His Majesty is so immense that there can be no gods besides Him. Those who say such a thing have gone far astray and committed a grievous wrongdoing.

In comparison to His greatness, great creations are as nothing. In comparison to His Majesty, the greatness of the seven heavens and all those who are in them, and of the seven earths and all those who are in them, is very small indeed.

([... On the Day of Resurrection, the entire earth will be in His grip, and the heavens will be rolled up in His Right Hand...﴿ (az-Zumar 39: 67)

Both the upper and lower realms are inherently in need of Him, and this need is never absent from anyone at any time. This need, in all aspects, is the need for creation, provision and care, a need which they have no choice but to feel until He becomes the object of worship and focus of love, to which they seek to draw near and they turn to Him in all situations. Hence He says:

﴾The seven heavens and the earth, and all those who are therein, glorify Him. There is not a things human, animal, tree, plant, inanimate, living or dead ﴾that does not glorify Him with praise﴿ implicitly or explicitly

﴾but you do not understand their glorification﴿ that is, the glorification of all other creatures that do not speak your language, but the Knower of the unseen encompasses them all with His knowledge.

﴾Verily He is Forbearing, Oft-Forgiving﴿ as He does not hasten to punish the one who says concerning Him a word at which the heavens might almost be tom apart, the earth split asunder, and the mountains come tumbling down (cf 19. 90). Rather He gives respite, bestows blessings upon them, overlooks their deeds, grants them provision and calls them to His door, so that they might repent from this grave sin, so that He might give them an immense reward and forgive them. Were it not for His forbearance and forgiveness, the heavens would fall upon the earth and no living creature would be left on the surface of the earth.

17:45. When you recite the Qur’an, We place between you and those who do not believe in the hereafter a hidden barrier,^{1That is so that they will not understand it, as a punishment for their (stubborn) disbelief. (at-Tabari)}

17:46. And We have placed covers on their hearts so that they will not understand it, and deafness in their ears; when you mention your Lord alone in the Qur’an, they turn their backs in aversion.

17:47. We know' best what they are listening for when they listen to you, and what they say when they converse in private, when the wrongdoers say: [If you were to follow Muhammad] you would be following none but a man who is bewitched.

17:48. See what they liken you to! Thus they have gone astray and cannot find a way.

Here Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) tells us about His punishment of those disbelievers in the truth who reject it and turn away from it: He then bars them from faith, as He says:

﴾When you recite the Qur’an﴿ in which there is exhortation, admonition, guidance, faith, goodness and a great deal of knowledge, ﴾ We place between you and those who do not believe in the hereafter a hidden barrier﴿ that prevents them from understanding it correctly, grasping the true meaning and submitting to the goodness to which they are called.

﴾And We have placed covers on their hearts﴿ so that they do not understand the meanings of the Qur’an; rather they listen to it in such a way that proof is established against them ﴾and deafness in their ears﴿ so that they are prevented from hearing, ﴾when you mention your Lord alone in the Qur’an﴿ calling them to affirm His oneness, and forbidding them to ascribe partners to Him ﴾they turn their backs in aversion﴿ and resentment towards that idea, out of love for that which they are following of falsehood. This is like the verse in which Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) says:﴾When Allah alone is mentioned, the hearts of those who do not believe in the hereafter shrink with aversion, but when [gods] other than Him are mentioned, they rejoice.﴿ (az-Zumar 39: 45)

﴾We know best what they are listening for﴿ that is. We only prevented them from benefiting when they hear the Qur’an because We know that their aim is wrong; they want to find the least reason to criticise it. They are not listening for the purpose of seeking guidance or accepting the truth; rather their intention is not to follow it. One who is like that will not benefit from listening to it in the slightest. Hence Allah says:

﴾...when they listen to you, and what they say when they converse in private, when the wrongdoers say﴿ when they converse in private ﴾[If you were to follow Muhammad] you would be following none but a man who is bewitched﴿. If this is the evil conversation that they had amongst themselves, basing it on the assumption that he was bewitched, then it is certain that they were not taking what he said seriously, and they thought that he was simply murmuring, not knowing what he was saying.

﴾See what they liken you to!﴿ This is expressing astonishment because it is the most misguided of likenesses and the furthest from the truth.

﴾Thus they have gone astray﴿ by doing that, or it became a cause of their misguidance, because they base their judgement of him on that assumption, and that which is based on something evil is worse than it. ﴾and cannot find a way﴿ that is, they will not be guided in any way, thus their share is pure misguidance and utter wrongdoing.

17:49. They say: What! When we have turned into bones and dust, will we really be raised up and created anew?

17:50. Say: Even if you turned to stone or iron.

17:51. or any other substance you think even more unlikely [to be given life]. Then they will say: Who will bring us back [to life]? Say: The One Who brought you into being in the first instance. They will nod their heads at you [in disbelief and mockery] and say: When will that be? Say: It may well be soon.

17:52. On the day when He calls you, you will respond by praising Him and think that you have tarried but a short while.

Here Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) tells us what was said by those who denied the resurrection, disbelieved in it and thought it unlikely.

﴾They say: What! When we have turned into bones and dust﴿ that is, when our bodies have disintegrated completely,

﴾will we really be raised up and created anew?﴿ That is, that will never happen and it is impossible - according to their claim. They demonstrated extreme ignorance when they disbelieved the Messengers of Allah, denied the signs of Allah, and compared the power of the Creator of the heavens and the earth to their puny and weak powers. As they saw that it was impossible for them and they could not do it, they assumed that the power of Allah was equally weak.

Glory be to the One Who made some of His creation, who claimed that they were people of mature thinking and intellect, into an example of ignorance of the most obvious of things, for which there is the clearest proof, in order to show His slaves that no one can achieveanything except by His help, otherwise there is nothing but doom and misery.

﴾Our Lord, do not let our hearts deviate now after You have guided us, and bestow upon us mercy from Yourself; for You are the Bestower.﴿

Hence Allah instructed His Messenger (ﷺ) to say to these people who denied the resurrection because they thought that it was unlikely:

﴾Say: Even if you turned to stone or iron, or any other substance you think even more unlikely [to be given life]﴿ that is, so that you will be safe - or so you claim - from the power of Allah reaching you or His will being done concerning you. For you cannot escape Allah, no matter what state you are in and no matter what you are turned to. You have no control over yourselves in this life or after death, so leave control and disposal of affairs to the One Who has power over all things and Who encompasses all things.

﴾Then they will say﴿ when you establish proof against them concerning the resurrection:

﴾Who will bring us back [to life]? Say: The One Who brought you into being in the first instance﴿. As He originated you, when you were nothing worth mentioning, He will recreate you:

﴾...As We originated creation, so We will repeat it...﴿ (al-Anbiya’ 21: 104)

﴾They will nod their heads at you [in disbelief and mockery]﴿ that is, in denial and amazement at what you say ﴾and say: When will that be?﴿ That is, when will this resurrection of which you speak come to pass? They are not affirming the idea of the resurrection; rather this is foolishness on their part, and is intended to cause annoyance.

﴾Say: It may well be soon﴿. There is no benefit in knowing the exact time of it; rather the benefit is to affirm it, establish it as a belief and prove it. Otherwise everything that is coming is near at hand.

t-(On the day when He calls you﴿ to the resurrection, and the Trumpet is blown ﴾you will respond by praising Him﴿ that is, you will submit to His command and you will not be able to rebel against Him.

﴾by praising Him﴿ - for He is worthy of praise for all that He does, and He will requite people for their deeds when He gathers them on the Day of Judgement.

﴾and think that you have tarried but a short while﴿ because it will happen so quickly, and whatever you had enjoyed of pleasures will be as if it never happened. This is the event of which the deniers asked ﴾When will that be?﴿ They will regret it bitterly when it comes, and it is said to them:

﴾.. .This is what you used to deny.﴿ (al-Muiaffifeen 83: 17)

17:53. Tell My slaves that they should say what is best,^{1What is meant is to speak in a courteous and gracious manner, and not to respond in kind to harsh words.} for Shaytan sows discord among them. Verily Shaytan is to man an avowed enemy.

17:54. Your Lord knows you best: if He wills. He will have mercy on you and if He wills, He will punish you. We have not sent you [O Muhammad] to be in charge of them.

17:55. And your Lord knows best all who are in the heavens and on earth. Indeed We have exalted some of the Prophets above others, and to Dawood We gave the Zaboor [Psalms],

This is by His kindness towards His slaves, as He enjoined upon them the best manners, deeds and words that lead to happiness in this world and the hereafter.

﴾Tell My slaves that they should say what is best﴿ - this is enjoining all words that bring one closer to Allah, such as reading Qur’an, remembering Him (dhikr), acquiring knowledge, enjoining what is right, forbidding what is wrong, and speaking good and kind words to people in a manner that is appropriate to their various positions and status. If there is a choice between two good things, then it is enjoined to give precedence to the better of the two, if it is not possible to combine both.

Speaking good words leads to developing good manners and doing righteous deeds, for the one who controls his tongue will be in control of all his affairs.

﴾for Shaytan sows discord among them﴿ that is, he strives to create trouble between people in a manner that is detrimental to their religious commitment and worldly affairs. The remedy for that is not to obey him, by avoiding the inappropriate talk to which he calls people, and by being soft and gentle with one another, so as to suppress the Shaytan who seeks to spread discord among them, because he is their true enemy whom they should oppose, for he calls them to:

([.. .become inhabitants of the raging fire.p (Fatir 35: 6)

As for brothers in Islam, even if the Shaytan manages to sow discord among them and create enmity between them, the right thing to do is strive against their enemy and suppress their inclinations towards evil, through which the Shaytan finds a way to influencethem. By doing so, they will be obeying their Lord, putting their affairs in order and following the path of wisdom.

﴾Your Lord knows you best﴿, better than you know yourselves. Hence He only wants what is good for you and He only enjoins upon you that which is in your best interests. You may want something when the opposite is better.

﴾if He wills. He will have mercy on you and if He wills, He will punish you﴿. Hence He guides whomever He will to take the measures that lead to mercy, and He forsakes whomever He will, so that he will go astray and will become deserving of punishment.

﴾We have not sent you [O Muhammad] to be in charge of them﴿ and to control their affairs and requite them for their deeds. Rather Allah is in charge of them, and your role is to convey the message and guide people to the straight path.

And your Lord knows best all who are in the heavens and on earth﴿ of all types of creatures, so He gives each of them what he deserves, according to His wisdom, and He favours some of them over others in terms of both physical and intangible qualities, just as He favoured some of the Prophets, who all have in common the fact that they received revelation, over others in terms of virtues and characteristics that had to do with what Allah blessed them with of physical characteristics, pleasant manners and attitudes, righteous deeds, number of followers, and revelation of Books to some of them that contained rulings and beliefs, as He sent down to Dawood the Zaboor (Psalms), which is the well-known Book.

As it is the case that Allah favoured some of them over others, and gave to some of them Books, why do those who reject Muhammad (ﷺ) deny what Allah has sent down to him and what He has blessed him with of prophethood and the Book?

17:56. Say: Call on those whom you claim [to be gods]^{1Those who are falsely worshipped, who are referred to in this and the following verse, are ‘Eesa, ‘Uzayr and the angels; they have no power to benefit or harm in and of themselves, and are themselves devoted slaves of Allah.} besides Him; they have no power to relieve you of harm or divert it from you.

17:57. Those upon whom they call themselves seek nearness to their Lord, [competing to see] which of them will be nearest. They hope for His mercy and fear His punishment, for verily the punishment of your Lord is something to be dreaded.

﴾Say﴿ to the polytheists who ascribe partners to Allah and take others as gods which they worship as they worship Allah, and they call upon them as they call upon Him, and instruct them to correct what they claim and believe, if they are sincere: ﴾Call on those whom you claim [to be gods]﴿ besides Allah, and see whether they can benefit you or ward off harm from you, for they ﴾have no power to relieve you of harm or divert it from you﴿, such as sickness, poverty, hardship and so on. They cannot ward it off at all, and they also have no power to divert it from one person to another, or to change it from hardship to something less severe.

If this is how they are, then why do you call upon them besides Allah? For they have no attributes of perfection and do not do any useful deeds, so taking them as gods is lacking in religious understanding and reason, and it is foolishness.

What is astounding is that when foolishness becomes a common practice and is received from misguided parents, a person sees it as being right thinking, and he sees sincere devotion to Allah alone, the One Who is perfect and bestows all blessings, both apparent and invisible, as foolishness and as something strange, as the polytheists said:

Has he made all the gods into one God? This is indeed most strange! p

Then Allah tells us that those whom they worship besides Allah are completely distracted from them because they are concerned with showing their own need for Allah and seeking to draw near to Him:

﴾Those upon whom they call﴿ among the Prophets, the righteous and the angels

﴾themselves seek nearness to their Lord, [competing to see] which of them will be nearest﴿ that is, they compete in drawing near to their Lord, striving their utmost to do righteous deeds that will bring them closer to Allah and to His mercy, for they fear His punishment, so they avoid everything that may lead to it.

﴾for verily the punishment of your Lord is something to be dreaded﴿ that is, it is something to be feared greatly and one should keep away from anything that could lead to it.

These three things - fear, hope and love - which Allah describes as the characteristics of those who are close to Him are the basis and prerequisites for all goodness. Whoever has all of them, all his affairs will be in order, but if his heart is devoid of them, good things will disperse from around him and he will be surrounded by troubles.

The sign of love is that which Allah mentions, that a person strives hard to do everything that will bring him closer to Allah, and he competes with others in drawing closer to Him, intending all his deeds for Allah alone, being utterly sincere in doing them and doing them in the best possible manner. Whoever claims that he loves Allah, but does not do this, is lying.

17:58. There is no city but We will destroy it before the Day of Resurrection, or punish it severely. That is written in the Book [of our decrees].^{1That is, al-Lawh al-Mahfoodh-}

That is, there is no city among the cities that disbelieved in the Messengers but it will inevitably be destroyed or punished severely before the Day of Resurrection. This is a decree that has been ordained by Allah, and it will inevitably come to pass. So let the disbelievers hasten to turn to Allah and believe in His Messengers, before they reach a point where punishment will become inevitable.

17:59. Nothing prevents Us from sending signs except that the earlier people rejected them. We sent the she-camel to Thamood as a clear sign, yet they rejected her. We send signs only by way of instilling fear.

17:60. And [remember] when We said to you: Verily your Lord encompasses humankind [with His knowledge and might]. Wedid not make the sight which We showed you,^{1This refers to the Prophet’s Isra’ (Night Journey).} and the accursed tree^{2This refers to the tree of az-Zaqqoom, mentioned in (ad-Dukhan 44:43-44), from which the people of hell will be fed.} [mentioned] in the Qur’an, except as a test for the people. We seek to instil fear in their hearts, but it only increases their inordinate transgression.

Here Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) refers to His mercy in that He did not send down the signs demanded by the disbelievers. Nothing prevented Him from sending them except the possibility of their rejecting them, for if they had rejected them, the punishment would have been hastened for them and would have come upon them without delay, as happened to earlier generations who disbelieved in His signs.

One of the greatest signs is that which Allah sent to Thamood, namely the great she-camel, but they rejected that sign, so that fate befell them of which Allah tells us in His Book. And these people (the disbelievers of Makkah) are the same: even if great signs were to come to them, they would not believe. What prevented them from believing was not the fact that what the Messenger brought was unclear, as a result of which they were uncertain as to whether it was true or false, for He brought a great deal of proof which pointed to the soundness of the message he brought, which would lead to guidance for anyone who was seeking guidance. Any other sign (that they demanded) would be the same, so they would inevitably think of it as they thought of other signs. Therefore not sending another sign, when this was the case, was better for them.

﴾We send signs only by way of instilling fear﴿ that is, the purpose behind it is not to lead them to faith that could not be achieved otherwise; rather the purpose is to instil fear, so as to deter them (from their obstinate behaviour).

﴾And [remember] when We said to you: Verily your Lord encompasses humankind [with His knowledge and might]﴿, so they have nowhere to turn to and no refuge to escape from Him. This is sufficient for anyone who has intellect to refrain from that which is hateful to Allah, Who encompasses humankind.

﴾fWe did not make the sight which We showed you, and the accursed tree [mentioned] in the Qur’an, except as a test for the people﴿. The majority of commentators are of the view that the sight mentioned here refers to the Night Journey (Isra’) and the tree is the tree of az-Zaqqoom that grows from the depths of hell.

What is meant is that if these two things have become a trial or test that causes confusion to people, to the extent that the disbelievers become more stubborn in their disbelief and increase in evil, and some of those who had weak faith recanted their faith because what the Prophet (ﷺ) told them - of events that occurred during the Night Journey, and what happened during that journey from the Sacred Mosque to the Distant Mosque - was so extraordinary, and what he told them about a tree growing from the depths of hell was also extraordinary, and this is what made them reject faith and not accept it, then how about if they saw great signs and remarkable extraordinary events? Is that not more likely to lead to an increase in their evil? Therefore Allah had mercy on them and diverted that from them.

Hence you will understand that it is more appropriate that the Qur’an and Sunnah did not describe in clear terms major events that would occur at later times, because when it comes to things the like of which people have never seen, their minds may not accept them if they are told of them before they happen, which may then become a cause of doubt in the hearts of some believers, and may prevent others from entering Islam, as they are put off from it. Rather Allah refers to such matters in very general and ambiguous words that refer to all that will happen.

﴾We seek to instil fear in their hearts﴿ by means of the signs ﴾but it only increases their inordinate transgression﴿.

17:61. And [remember] when We said to the angels: Prostrate before Adam, and they [all] prostrated except Iblees. He said: Should I prostrate before one whom You have created from clay?

17:62. [Iblees] said: Do you see this one whom You have honoured above me? If You give me respite until the Day of Resurrection, I will surely bring his offspring under my sway, all but a few.

17:63. [Allah] said: Go ahead; whoever among them follows you, verily hell will be the recompense of you all, an ample recompense.

17:64. Entice whomever among them you can with your voice; mobilise your cavalry and infantry against them;^{1What is meant is use all the means at your disposal against them. (al-Qurtubi)} share with them in their wealth and their children,^{2What is meant is causing them to acquire and dispose of wealth in unlawful ways, and to produce children in unlawful ways (by means of fornication).} and make promises to them. But Shaytan makes promises to them only in order to deceive them.

17:65. Verily you will have no power over My slaves, and sufficient is Allah as a guardian.

Here Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) points out to His slaves the extent of Shaytan’s enmity and his keenness to mislead them, and that when Allah created Adam, he (Shaytan) was too arrogant to prostrate to him.

﴾He said﴿ out of arrogance: ﴾Should I prostrate before one whom You have created from clay?﴿ He claimed that he was better than him, because he had been created from fire. We have mentioned above how wrong this false analogy was, in many aspects.

When it became clear to Iblees that Allah had favoured Adam, he said to Allah: ﴾Do you see this one whom You have honoured above me? IfYou give me respite until the Day of Resurrection, I will surely bring his offspring under my sway﴿ that is, I will mislead them and not spare anyone,

﴾all but a few﴿. The evil one knew that there would inevitably be some who would oppose him and disobey him.

Therefore Allah said to him: ﴾Go ahead; whoever among them follows you﴿ and chooses you above his true Lord ﴾verily hell will be the recompense of you all, an ample recompense﴿ that is, it is saved for you as requital for your deeds.

Then Allah told him to do all that he could to misguide them, saying: ﴾Entice whomever among them you can with your voice﴿ - this includes everyone who calls others to sin.

﴾mobilise your cavalry and infantry against them﴿ - this includes everyone who rides or walks in the course of committing sin and disobedience towards Allah; he is one of the cavalry and infantry of the Shaytan.

What is meant is that Allah tests people by means of this avowed enemy who calls them to disobey Allah by his words and deeds.

﴾share with them in their wealth and their children﴿ - this includes every sin that is connected to their wealth and children, such as withholding zakah and expiatory payments, not paying dues, not disciplining children and raising them to do good and keep away from evil, taking wealth unlawfully or using it inappropriately, and acquiring money from bad sources.

In fact many of the commentators stated that sharing with the Shaytan in wealth and children also includes not invoking the name of Allah when eating, drinking and having intercourse, because if a person does not invoke the name of Allah at those times, the Shaytan will have a share of those things with him, as is mentioned in the hadith.

﴾and make promises to them﴿ that is, attractive promises that have no substance. Hence Allah says: ﴾But Shaytan makes promises to them only in order to deceive them﴿ because his promise is false and has no value, such as when he makes sin and false beliefs fair-seeming to them and promises them reward for that, because they think that they are following truth. Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) says elsewhere:

﴾The Shaytan threatens you with poverty and instructs you to be miserly, but Allah promises you His forgiveness and grace...﴿

Having mentioned what the Shaytan wants to do to people, and what helps to protect one from his temptations, which is true servitude to Allah, adherence to faith and putting one’s trust in Him, Allah now says: ﴾Verily you will have no power over My slaves﴿ that is, you have no power to tempt them; rather Allah will ward off all evil from them, if they are true slaves to Him, and He will protect them from the accursed Shaytan and suffice them against him.

﴾and sufficient is Allah as a guardian﴿ for the one who puts his trust in Him and complies with His commands.

17:66. It is your Lord Who drives forward the ships for you on the sea, so that you may seek of His bounty. Verily He is to you Most Merciful.

17:67. When danger threatens you at sea, all those on whom you call disappear [from your minds], except Him alone. But when He brings you safe to dry land, you turn away from Him. Man is ever ungrateful.

17:68. Do you then feel secure that He will not cause a tract of dry land to swallow you up, or that He will not send against you a violent squall of pebbles? Then you will find none to protect you.

17:69. Or do you feel secure that He will not send you back [to sea] once more, then send against you a tempest and drown you because of your disbelief? Then you will find no one to help you against Us.

Here Allah mentions the blessings that He has bestowed upon people, as He has made to be of service to them ships and other vessels, which He inspired them to make. And He has made the tumultuous sea to be of service to them, carrying them on its surface, so that people may benefit thereby, travelling, carrying their goods and doing trade. This is by His mercy towards His slaves, for He isever merciful and compassionate, giving them everything they want and that is useful for them.

One of the signs of His mercy, which indicates that He is the only One Who is deserving of worship, to the exclusion of all others, is that if harm befalls them on the sea, and they fear that they will die because of the high waves, those whom they used to worship besides Allah at times of ease, among the living and the dead, vanish from their minds, and it is as if they never called upon them at any time, because they realise that those (objects of worship) are helpless and incapable of granting relief from hardship. Instead they cry out to the Originator of the earth and the heavens, Whose help all creatures seek at times of hardship, and they call upon Him and beseech Him with utter sincerity in such situations.

But when Allah grants them relief from hardship and brings them safely to the shore, they forget the one on Whom they called, and they associate others with Him that can neither bring benefit nor cause harm, and can neither give nor withhold, and they turn away from showing sincere devotion to their true Lord and Sovereign. This is indicative of man’s ignorance and ingratitude, except those whom Allah has guided and blessed with sound reasoning, so they are guided to the straight path. Such a one knows that the One Who grants relief from hardship and saves one from terrors is the only One Who deserves to be shown sincerity in all one’s actions, at times of ease and of hardship.

As for the one who fails and is left to his own devices and weak reasoning, at the tune of hardship he focuses only on his immediate interests and need to be saved in that situation. But when he is saved and the hardship is over, he thinks in his ignorance that he has managed to escape from Allah, and the idea of consequences in this world never crosses his mind, let alone consequences in the hereafter.

Therefore Allah reminds them by saying: (﴾Do you then feel secure that He will not cause a tract of dry land to swallow you up, or thatHe will not send against you a violent squall of pebbles?﴿ That is, He is able to do all things: if He so willed. He would send down punishment upon you which would come upon you from beneath you by means of the earth swallowing you up, or from above you by means of showers of pebbles, and you would be destroyed, so do not think that death or destruction can only come at sea.

If you do think that, then do you feel confident that ﴾that He will not send you back [to sea] once more, then send against you a tempest﴿ that is, a strong wind that destroys everything in its path ﴾fand drown you because of your disbelief? Then you will find no one to help you against Us﴿ and Allah does not wrong them in the slightest.

17:70. We have indeed honoured the sons of Adam, given them means of transportation on land and sea, provided them with good things, and have favoured them above many of those whom We have created.

This is by His generosity and kindness towards them, the full extent of which no one can know. He has honoured the children of Adam in all ways, as He has honoured them with knowledge and reason, sending the Messengers, sending down the Books, making some of them His close friends and chosen ones, and bestowing upon them blessings both visible and invisible.

﴾given them means of transportation on land﴿ such as camels, mules, donkeys and other means of transportation ﴾fand sea﴿ such as ships and other vessels﴾provided them with good things﴿ such as food, drink, clothing and spouses. There is nothing good that has to do with their needs, but Allah has honoured them with it and made it available to them.

﴾and have favoured them above many of those whom We have created﴿ by means of that for which He has singled them out of blessings, virtues and qualities that are not given to other types of creatures.

So will they not give thanks to the One Who has bestowed these blessings and warded off harm? These blessings should not be a barrier between them and the One Who bestowed them, and they should not distract them from worshipping their Lord, let alone be used to disobey Him.

17:71. [Mention, O Muhammad] the day when We will summon every community with their leaders. Those who are given their record of deeds in their right hands will read their record; they will never be wronged even by as much as the thread in the groove of a date stone.

17:72. Those who are blind [to the truth] in this world will be blind in the hereafter, and even further astray from the path [of truth].

Here Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) tells us how people will be on the Day of Resurrection, and that He will call all people, with their leaders and those who called them to true guidance, namely the Messengers and their deputies. Each nation will be presented, brought by theirMessenger who called them, and their deeds will be judged against the Book to which the Messenger called them: were their deeds in accordance with it or otherwise? Based on this criterion, they will be divided into two groups:

﴾Those who are given their record of deeds in their right hands﴿ because they followed their leader who guided them to the straight path, followed His Book and did a great deal of good deeds and few bad deeds

﴾will read their record﴿ happily and joyfully, rejoicing at what they see in it

﴾they will never be wronged even by as much as the thread in the groove of a date stone﴿ with regard to what they did of good deeds.

﴾Those who are blind [to the truth] in this world﴿ and did not accept the truth or submit to it, rather they followed misguidance ﴾will be blind in the hereafter﴿ to following the path that leads to paradise, just as they did not follow it in this world dand even further astray from the path [of truth]﴿ because the requital matches the nature of the deed; as you sow, so shall you reap.

This verse indicates that every nation will be called to its religion and Book: did it act in accordance with it or not? They will not be called to account on the basis of the law of a Prophet whom they were not instructed to follow, for Allah does not punish anyone except after proof is established against him and he chooses to reject it.

People of goodness will be given their records of their deeds in their right hands and they will rejoice greatly; people of evil will be the opposite of that and they will not be able to read their records because of the severity of their distress and grief.

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17:73. Verily, they were about to tempt you away from that which We have revealed to you [O Muhammad], so that you would fabricate something else and attribute it to Us; then they would have taken you as a close friend.

17:74. Had We not kept you steadfast, you would nearly have inclined towards them a little.

17:75. In that case, We would have made you taste a double punishment in this life, and a double punishment after death. Then you would have found none to help you against Us.

17:76. They were about to hound you from the land in order to expel you therefrom, but in that case they would not have remained there after you, except for a little while.

17:77. Such was Our way with the Messengers We sent before you [O Muhammad], and you will find no change in Our way.^{1What is meant here is that it is the way of Allah to send His punishment upon people if they expelled the Messenger who was sent to them. (at-Tabari)}

Here Allah B?) mentions His favour to His Messenger Muhammad (ﷺ) and how He protected him from those who were keen to tempt him away by all means:

﴾Verily, they were about to tempt you away from that which We have revealed to you [O Muhammad], so that you would fabricate something else and attribute it to Us﴿ that is, they wanted something of you but they did not get it. They used tricks to make you fabricate and attribute to Allah something other than what We revealed to you.so that you would bring something that was in accordance with their desires and you would abandon that which Allah had sent down to you.

﴾then﴿ if you had done what they wanted «fthey would have taken you as a close friend﴿ that is, one who was beloved and dearer to them than their own loved ones, because of what Allah has bestowed upon you of good manners and etiquette that endear you to everyone, near and far, friend and enemy.

But you should understand that they only oppose you and show enmity to you because of the truth that you have brought, not because of your character. This is like the verse in which Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) says: ﴾We know well that what they say grieves you [O Muhammad], It is not you they disbelieve; rather it is the revelations of Allah that the wrongdoers deny.﴿ (al-Andm 6: 33)

Nevertheless, t﴾Had We not kept you steadfast﴿ in adherence to the truth, and blessed you by enabling you to refrain from responding to their call

﴾you would nearly have inclined towards them a little﴿ because of their persistence and your desire that they be guided.

﴾In that case﴿, if you had inclined towards what they wanted, ﴾We would have made you taste a double punishment in this life, and a double punishment after death]﴿ because of the perfect blessing that Allah has bestowed upon you and because of your perfect knowledge. ﴾Then you would have found none to help you against Us﴿ to save you from the punishment that would have befallen you, but Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) protected you from that which leads to evil and from people, and He made you steadfast and guided you to the straight path, and you did not incline towards them at all. Thus He granted you a perfect blessing.

﴾They were about to hound you from the land in order to expel you therefrom﴿ that is, because they hated for you to stay among them, they almost drove you out of the land and expelled you from it.

If they had done that, they would not have remained there after you, except for a little while, until the punishment came upon them, as is the way of Allah with all nations, which never changes or varies. For every nation that rejected and expelled its Messenger, Allah hastened its punishment.

When those who disbelieved plotted against him and expelled him, it was not long before Allah punished them at Badr, where their leaders were killed and they were weakened; to Him be praise.

This passage points to the individual’s great need for Allah to make him steadfast, and indicates that he should keep beseeching his Lord, asking Him to make him firm in his faith, and he should continue striving by all means to attain that, because Allah said to the Prophet (ﷺ), who is the most perfect of all people: ﴾Had We not kept you steadfast, you would nearly have inclined towards them a little﴿, so how about others?

It is also a reminder from Allah to His Messenger (ﷺ) of His blessings and how He protected him against evil. This indicates that Allah loves for His slaves to notice the blessing that He bestows upon them - when they are exposed to temptation - by protecting them from it and keeping them steadfast in their faith.

We also see that the higher a person’s status is and the more blessings he receives from Allah, the greater his sin and the more serious the offence if he does something blameworthy, because Allah reminded His Messenger (ﷺ) that if he did that - although he is far above doing such a thing - then ﴾We would have made you taste a double punishment in this life, and a double punishment after death. Then you would have found none to help you against Us﴿.

These verses also tell us that when Allah wills to destroy a nation, their sins increase and become more serious in nature, thus the punishment becomes inevitable, as is His way with all nations, when they expelled their Messengers.&S ofM Sf^'is >Jt a; >; a'i

17:78. Establish prayer at the decline of the sun [from the meridian] until the darkness of the night, and recite the Qur’an at dawn, for verily the recitation at dawn is ever witnessed [by the angels].^{1The five daily prayers are included in this verse, from dhuhr (mid-day) prayer through ‘asr (mid-afternoon) to maghrib (sunset) and isha (nighttime, when it becomes dark), and finally fajr (dawn).}

17:79. And during the night wake up and pray [tahajjud], an additional prayer for you [O Muhammad], so that your Lord may raise you to a station of praise and honour.

17:80. Say: My Lord, grant me a goodly entrance and a goodly exit,^{2Many commentators said that this refers to the Prophet s leaving Makkah and entering Madinah.} and grant me from You a supporting power.

17:81. And say: The truth has come and falsehood has perished. Falsehood is always bound to perish.

Here Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) instructs His Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) to establish prayer perfectly, with the proper outward movements and inward focus of mind, at the prescribed times.

﴾at the decline of the sun [from the meridian]﴿ that is, when it begins to sink towards the western horizon, after reaching its zenith. This includes dhuhr and ‘a?r prayers.﴾until the darkness of the night﴿ this includes maghrib and ‘isha’ prayers.

﴾and recite the Qur’an at dawn﴿ that is,fajr prayer. It is referred to as reciting the Qur'an because it is prescribed to recite at length in this prayer more than in others, and because of the virtue of recitation, because it is witnessed by Allah and by the angels of the night and the angels of the day.

This verse mentions the times of the five daily prayers, and indicates that the prayers that are to take place at these times are obligatory, because the command refers specifically to them.

It also indicates that being on time is a condition of the prayer being valid and that the time is the reason for the prayer being obligatory, because Allah enjoins us to establish the prayers at these times. It also indicates that dhuhr and ‘asr may be put together for a valid reason, as may maghrib and ‘isha’, because Allah mentioned their times together.

This verse also highlights the virtue of fajr prayer and of reciting at length in it, and highlights the fact that recitation is an essential part of the prayer, because calling an act of worship by the name of one of its parts indicates that that part is obligatory.

﴾And during the night wake up and pray [tahajjud]﴿ that is, pray at any part of the night t-(an additional prayer for you [O Muhammad]﴿ that is, so that prayer at night may be something additional for you, so as to raise you in status, unlike others for whom it is expiation of sins.

And it may be that what is meant is that the five daily prayers are obligatory for you (O Muhammad [^]) and for the believers, unlike prayers at night, which are obligatory for you in particular (O Muhammad [s^t|]), because of your special status before Allah; as He wants to honour you. He has made your duties greater than those of others, so as to increase you in reward and so that you may attain thereby the station of praise and glory (al-maqam al-mahmood), whichis the station for which the first and the last will praise him, the station of greater intercession, when the people will seek the intercession of Adam, then Nooh, then Ibraheem, then Moosa, then ‘Eesa, and all of them will excuse themselves and refuse to do it, until they seek the intercession of the leader of the sons of Adam, to ask Allah to relieve them of the distress and anguish of the standing (on the Day of Resurrection). Then he will intercede with his Lord, Who will accept his intercession and make him stand in that station, for which he will be envied by the first and the last, and he will be praised by all people.

﴾Say: My Lord, grant me a goodly entrance and a goodly exit﴿ that is, make my entrance and my exit all in obedience to You and pleasing to You, because that means sincerity and compliance with Allah’s command.

﴾and grant me from You a supporting power﴿ that is, clear evidence and definitive proof for all that I do or do not do.

This is the highest position that Allah may cause a person to attain, that all his situations are good and are means of drawing closer to his Lord, and that - in all situations - he may have clear evidence. This includes beneficial knowledge, righteous deeds and knowledge of various issues and proofs.

﴾And say: The truth has come and falsehood has perished﴿ - the truth is that which Allah revealed to His Messenger Muhammad (ﷺ) and commanded him to speak and proclaim. The truth has come which nothing can resist, and falsehood has perished, that is it has diminished and vanished.

﴾Falsehood is always bound to perish﴿ that is, this is the nature of falsehood, but it may have the upper hand for a while, if it is not opposed by the truth. But when the truth comes, falsehood diminishes and ends up lifeless. Hence falsehood is only popular at times and in places where there is no knowledge of the revelations and proofs of Allah.

17:82. We send down in the Qur’an that which is a healing and mercy for the believers, but it increases the wrongdoers in nothing but loss.

The Qur’an contains healing and mercy, but that is not for everyone; rather it is only for those who believe in it and have knowledge of it. As for the wrongdoers who do not believe in it, or who do not act in accordance with it, its verses only increase them in loss, as proof is established against them by means of it.

The healing that is contained in the Qur’an is broad in scope, and offers healing for spiritual maladies such as doubt, ignorance, corrupt views, deviation and bad intentions. It also contains certain knowledge by means of which all doubts may be dispelled, and exhortation and reminders that dispel all desires that are contrary to the command of Allah. It also offers healing from physical pain and sickness.

With regard to mercy, this refers to what the Qur’an contains of the means of attaining mercy and encouragement to pursue those means; when a person does those things, he will attain mercy, eternal happiness and reward in this world and the hereafter.

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17:83. When We bestow Our blessings upon man, he turns away and draws aside, but if misfortune befalls him, he is filled with despair.

This is the nature of man, by default, except those whom Allah guides. When Allah blesses man, he rejoices in the blessing and becomes insolent because of it, turning away and drawing aside from his Lord; so he does not give thanks and does not remember Him. ﴾but if misfortune﴿, such as sickness and the like ﴾befalls him, he is filled with despair﴿ of anything good, and he loses all hope in his Lord, thinking that this misfortune will last forever.

But in the case of the one whom Allah guides, when blessings come to him he humbles himself before his Lord and give thanks for His blessings, and when misfortune strikes, he beseeches his Lord and puts his hope in Allah to restore his well-being and relieve him of what has befallen him, and thus the calamity is alleviated.

17:84. Say: Everyone acts according to his own disposition. But your Lord knows best who is more rightly guided as to the way.

﴾Say: Everyone﴿ that is, all people ﴾acts according to his own disposition﴿ that is, as befits his nature. If he is one of the chosen and righteous, nothing befits him except to do deeds solely for the sake of the Lord of the worlds. In the case of others, who have been forsaken by Allah and are doomed to failure, nothing befits them except doing deeds for the sake of created beings, and they do not do anything except that which suits them.﴾But your Lord knows best who is more rightly guided as to the way﴿ so He knows who is fit to be guided, and He guides him; and He knows who is not fit for guidance, so He forsakes him and does not guide him.

(ao jy,)

17:85. They ask you about the soul. Say: The soul is a matter known only to my Lord, and of knowledge you have been granted only a little.

This is an implied rebuke of the one who asks questions with no intention but to show stubbornness and try to frustrate the person questioned, and he does not ask about that which is important. They ask about the soul, which is a hidden matter that not everyone is able to describe properly or know its nature. Moreover, they are lacking in the knowledge they need and failing to ask about it.

Hence Allah instructed His Messenger (ﷺ) to answer the question by saying: ﴾Say: The soul is a matter known only to my Lord﴿ That is, it is one of the things that He created by saying to it, ‘Be!’ and it was. There is no great benefit in asking about it, when one lacks knowledge of other important issues.

This verse indicates that if a person is asked about something when it would have been more appropriate to ask about something else, he should refrain from answering and point the questioner towards that which he needs to know and which will benefit him.

17:86. If We so willed, We could surely take away that which We have revealed to you; then you would find no one to help you in recovering it from Us.

17:87. But [it has been left with you] by the mercy of your Lord, for His favour to you has been great indeed.

Here Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) tells us that the Qur’an and the revelation that He gave to His Messenger (ﷺ) was a mercy from Him to the Messenger and His slaves, and it is the greatest blessing of all to His Messenger, for the bounty of Allah towards him is great and no one can evaluate it.

The One Who bestowed it upon you is able to take it away, then you would not find anyone who could recover it for you. So you should be happy to have it and rejoice in it, and do not let the disbelief of the disbelievers and the mockery of those who have gone astray make you sad, for the greatest blessing (namely the Qur’an) was offered to them, but they rejected it, because they are insignificant before Allah and He has forsaken them.

17:88. Say: Verily if all of humankind and the jinn were to come together to produce the like of this Qur'an, they could never produce the like thereof, even if they helped one another.

This is definitive proof of the soundness and truth of that which the Messenger (ﷺ) brought, as Allah challenged humankind and the jinn to produce its like, and stated that they would never be able to produce its like; even if they all cooperated to that effect they would never be able to do it.

And it came to pass as Allah told us, for those who disbelieved had the strongest motive to refute it in any way possible, and they had a strong command of the language and were very eloquent. If they had the least ability to meet the challenge, they would have done so.

Thus it is known that they surrendered completely, willingly or otherwise, and declared that they were incapable of producing something to match the Qur’an.

How could one who is created from clay and is lacking in all aspects, who possesses no knowledge, power, will, speech or perfection except that which is granted by his Lord, match the words of the Lord of the earth and the heavens, Who sees all that is hidden, Who is possessed of absolute perfection and majesty, and is worthy of all praise, and if all the sea, with seven more seas besides, were ink and all the trees were pens, the ink would run dry and the pens would wear out, but the words of Allah would never be exhausted?

Just as no one in creation is in any way like unto Allah in any of His attributes, His speech is one of His attributes, in which no one resembles Him. So there is nothing like unto Him in His essence, His names. His attributes and His actions - may He be blessed and exalted.

May he perish, the one who cannot see the difference between the words of the Creator and the words of created beings, and claims that Muhammad (ﷺ) fabricated it and attributed it to Allah, and that he made it up by himself.

17:89. We have explained [the truth] to man in this Qur’an, discussing different issues in various ways, yet most people persist in disbelief.

17:90. They say: We will never believe in you until you cause a spring to gush forth from the earth for us;

17:91. Or you have a garden of date palms and vines, and you cause rivers to gush forth in their midst;

17:92. Or you cause the sky to fall upon us in pieces, as you claimed [will happen on the Day of Resurrection]; or you bring Allah and the angels before us, face to face;

17:93. Or you have a house made of gold; or you ascend to heaven, and even then we will not believe in your ascent unless you bring down to us a Book we can read. Say: Glory be to my Lord! Am I anything but a man, sent as a Messenger?

17:94. Nothing kept the people from believing, when guidance came to them, except that they said: Has Allah sent a [mere] human as a Messenger?

17:95. Say: If there had been angels on earth, walking about and settled therein. We would surely have sent down to them from heaven an angel as a messenger.

17:96. Say: Allah is sufficient as a witness between me and you. Verily He is well aware of His slaves and sees them all.

t-(We have explained [the truth] to man in this Qur’an, discussing different issues in various ways﴿ that is, We have various ways of exhortation and comparisons, and We have discussed repeatedly issues that people need to know, so that they may be reminded of them and fear Allah. But only a few of them pay heed, those for whom Allah has previously decreed happiness, and whom Allah helped and guided. But most people insist on showing ingratitude for this blessing, which is the greatest of all blessings, and they showed stubbornness by demanding signs other than the signs that Allah sent to His Prophet (ﷺ), and they came up with suggested signs from their own ignorant and unjust minds. Hence they said to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) who brought this Qur’an which contains all kinds of proof and signs:

3(We will never believe in you until you cause a spring to gush forth from the earth for us﴿ that is, flowing rivers.

﴾Or you have a garden of date palms and vines﴿ so that you no longer need to walk about in the marketplaces, coming and going.

﴾Or you cause the sky to fall upon us in pieces, as you claimed [will happen on the Day of Resurrection]﴿ that is, as a punishment.

﴾or you bring Allah and the angels before us, face to face﴿ that is, so we can see them with our own eyes and they testify to the truth of what you have brought.

﴾Or you have a house made of gold﴿ that is, adorned with gold and other materials﴾or you ascend to heaven﴿ physically, ﴾and even then we will not believe in your ascent unless you bring down to us a Book we can read﴿.

As this stubbornness and these demands were the words of the most foolish and the most wicked of people, which implied rejection of the truth and an ill-mannered attitude towards Allah, and stemmed from a belief that it was the Messenger (ﷺ) who produced the signs by himself, Allah instructed him to declare Him to be far above that which they ascribed to Him, so He said:

﴾Say: Glory be to my Lord﴿ and exalted be He far above what they say, for His rulings and signs cannot be in accordance with their corrupt whims and desires and their misguided opinions.

﴾Am I anything but a man, sent as a Messenger?﴿ I have no control over the matter at all.

This matter is what prevented most people from believing: the fact that the Messengers who were sent to them were humans of their own kind. But this was by the mercy of Allah towards them; He sent to them Messengers from among themselves, for they would not have been able to learn from angels.

?﴾If there had been angels on earth, walking about and settled therein﴿ then they would have been able to see angels and learn from them, so ﴾We would surely have sent down to them from heaven an angel as a messenger﴿ so that they could learn from them.

﴾Say: Allah is sufficient as a witness between me and you. Verily He is well aware of His slaves and sees them all﴿. Part of His testimony in support of His Messenger (ﷺ) is the miracles with which He supported him, the signs that He sent down to him and the victory that He granted him over those who opposed him. If the Messenger had fabricated any lies and attributed them to Allah, He would have seized him by his right hand, then cut off his aorta (cf 69:44-46). For Allah is All-Aware, All-Seeing, and nothing about His slaves is hidden from Him.j-f-'-O

17:97. Whomever Allah guides is truly guided; whomever He causes to go astray, you will find no one to protect them from Him. On the Day of Resurrection, We will gather them on their faces, blind, dumb and deaf. Their abode will be hell; every time its flames die down. We will increase for them the fierceness of the blaze.

17:98. That will be their recompense because they rejected Our revelations and said: What! When we have turned into bones and dust, will we really be raised up and created anew?

17:99. Do they not see that Allah, Who created the heavens and the earth, has power to create the like of them? He has decreed an appointed time for them, of which there is no doubt. Yet the wrongdoers persist in disbelief.

17:100. Say: If you possessed the treasuries of my Lord’s bounty, you would surely hold them back for fear of spending, for man is ever miserly.

Here Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) tells us that He is the only One Who has the power to guide or leave astray. Whomever He guides, He shows him the path of ease and protects him from the path of hardship, so that hewill be truly guided. But whomever He sends astray, He will forsake him and leave him to his own devices, so he will have none to guide him other than Allah, and he will have no ally to protect him from the punishment of Allah, when Allah gathers them on their faces by way of humiliation and disgrace, blind and dumb, so that they will not be able to see or speak.

﴾Their abode﴿ that is, their destination ﴾will be hell﴿ in which all distress, anguish and punishment will be combined.

﴾every time its flames die down﴿ and are about to be extinguished ﴾We will increase for them the fierceness of the blaze﴿ that is, We will make it increase in flame. The punishment will never be reduced, nor will they be finished off so that they might die. The punishment will never be alleviated, but Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) will not wrong them; rather He will requite them for disbelieving in His signs and denying the resurrection of which all the Messengers and Books spoke, and for demanding signs from their Lord and denying His perfect power.

﴾and said: What! When we have turned into bones and dust, will we really be raised up and created anew?﴿ That is, that will never happen, because it is highly unlikely - according to their corrupt way of thinking.

﴾Do they not see that Allah, Who created the heavens and the earth﴿, the creation of which is greater than the creation of man ﴾has power to create the like of them?﴿ Indeed He is able to do that. But ﴾He has decreed an appointed time for them, of which there is no doubt﴿ otherwise, if He so willed, he could have brought them all at once.

(﴾Yet﴿﴿, even though He has established proof and evidence for the resurrection, ﴾the wrongdoers persist in disbelief﴿, unjustly on their part and in rejection of the truth.

﴾Say: If you possessed the treasuries of my Lord’s bounty﴿ that never runs out or diminishes﴾you would surely hold them back for fear of spending﴿ that is, lest what you spend from them runs out, even though it is impossible for the treasuries of Allah to run out. But man is inherently stingy and miserly.

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17:101. We gave Moosa nine clear signs - ask the Children of Israel. When he came to them, Pharaoh said to him: O Moosa, indeed I think you are bewitched.

17:102. Moosa said: You know full well that none but the Lord of the heavens and the earth has sent down these [signs] as clear evidence. Verily, O Pharaoh, I think that you are doomed!

17:103. So he resolved to drive them out of the land, but We drowned him and all those who were with him.

17:104. After his death, we said to the Children of Israel: Dwell in the land, but when the appointed time of the hereafter comes, We will bring you all together as a mixed crowd.

That is: you, O Messenger who is supported by signs, are not the first Messenger to be rejected by the people, for before you We sent Moosa ibn ‘Imran, to whom We spoke directly, to Pharaoh and his people, and We gave him fjnine clear signs﴿, each of which on itsown would have been sufficient for anyone whose aim was to follow the truth, such as the snake, the staff, the flood, the locusts, the lice, the frogs, the blood, the plague and the parting of the sea. So if you doubt any of that, ﴾ask the Children of Israel﴿

﴾When he came to them. Pharaoh said to him﴿ despite these signs ﴾0 Moosa, indeed I think you are bewitched﴿.

﴾Moosa said﴿ to him: ﴾You know full well﴿, O Pharaoh, ﴾that none but the Lord of the heavens and the earth has sent down these [signs] as clear evidence﴿ from Him to His slaves, so your statement is not correct. Rather you only said that in order to deceive your own people and out of disrespect towards their intelligence.

﴾Verily, O Pharaoh, I think that you are doomed!﴿ that is, disgraced and exposed to punishment, subject to condemnation, blame and curses.

﴾So he﴿ namely Pharaoh

﴾resolved to drive them out of the land﴿ that is, to expel them and banish them from the land

﴾but We drowned him and all those who were with him﴿ and we caused the Children of Israel to inherit their land.

Hence Allah says: ﴾After his death, we said to the Children of Israel: Dwell in the land, but when the appointed time of the hereafter comes, We will bring you all together as a mixed crowd﴿ that is, all of you, so that We may requite each one according to his deeds.

O -o :.i

17:105. With the truth We have sent it [the Qur’an] down, and with the truth it has descended. And We have not sent you but as a bearer of glad tidings and a warner.

That is, with the truth We sent down this Noble Qur’an, speaking of commands and prohibitions, reward and punishment.

With the truth We have sent it [the Qur’an] down﴿ that is, with truth from Allah and justice, and with protection from every accursed devil.

﴾And We have not sent you but as a bearer of glad tidings﴿ to those who obey Allah, of reward in this world and the hereafter ﴾and a warner﴿ to those who disobey Allah, of punishment in this world and the hereafter. This requires that there should also be further explanation of the glad tidings and warnings that are given.

17:106. It is a Qur’an that We have revealed with clarity so that you may recite it to the people slowly and with deliberation. And We have sent it down little by little.

17:107. Say: Believe in it, or do not believe. Verily, those who were given knowledge before it,^{1Namely the People of the Book (Jews and Christians).} when it is recited to them, fall down on their faces in prostration.

17:108. and they say: Glory be to our Lord. Verily the promise of our Lord is ever bound to be fulfilled.

17:109. They fall down on their faces, weeping, and it [the Qur’an] increases them in humility.

That is, and We have sent down this Qur’an with clarity, to distinguish between guidance and misguidance, truth and falsehood ﴾so that you may recite it to the people slowly and with deliberation﴿, so that they may ponder and reflect upon its meanings, and derive knowledge from it.

﴾And We have sent it down little by little﴿ that is, piecemeal over twenty-three years.

﴾Whenever they come to you [O Muhammad] with an argument, We reveal to you the truth and the best explanation.﴿ (al-Furqdn 25: 33)

Once it is clearly established that it is the truth concerning which there is no doubt whatsoever, then ﴾Say﴿ to those who reject it and turn away from it:

﴾Believe in it, or do not believe﴿, for Allah has no need of you and you will not harm Him in the slightest; rather you only harm yourselves, for Allah has slaves other than you and it is they to whom Allah has given beneficial knowledge.

﴾when it is recited to them, fall down on their faces in prostration﴿ that is, they are deeply moved by it and they submit to Him.

﴾and they say: Glory be to our Lord﴿ and exalted be He far above that which is not befitting to His Majesty that the polytheists ascribe to Him.

﴾Verily the promise of our Lord﴿ of the resurrection and requital for deeds

﴾is ever bound to be fulfilled﴿ - it will not be broken and there is no doubt about it.

﴾They fall down on their faces, weeping, and it [the Qur’an] increases them in humility﴿. These people are like those whom Allah blessed of the believers among the People of the Book, such as ‘Abdullah ibn Salam and others, who believed at the time of the Prophet (ﷺ) and after that.

17:110. Say [0 Muhammad]: Call upon Allah, or call upon the Most Gracious [ar-Rahman].^{1The polytheists of Quraysh objected when they heard the Prophet (sj^g) saying: O Allah, O Most Gracious (Yd Allah, yd Rahman). They said: Muhammad enjoins us to call upon One God at the time when he is calling upon two! So this verse was revealed to clarify that there is only One God, to Whom belong the most beautiful names and sublime attributes.} No matter which name you call upon Him by, to Him belong the most beautiful names. Do not raise your voice too loud in prayer, nor say it in too low a voice, but seek a way in between.

17:111. And say: Praise be to Allah Who has never begotten a son, and has no partner in His dominion, nor is anyone [needed] to protect Him due to [any] weakness. And magnify Him by proclaiming His greatness.

Here Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) says to His slaves: ﴾Call upon Allah, or call upon the Most Gracious [ar-Rahman]﴿ that is, whichever name you choose, for ﴾No matter which name you call upon Him by, to Him belong the most beautiful names﴿ that is. He does not have any name that is not beautiful, such that it would not be permissible to call upon Him by it; rather no matter what name you call upon Him by, it will serve the purpose. What should be done is to call upon Him for whatever is sought by the name that is appropriate to that need.

﴾Do not raise your voice too loud in prayer﴿ that is, in your recitation ﴾nor say it in too low a voice﴿ for neither is allowed.As for raising the voice too loud, if the polytheists who disbelieve in the Qur’an hear it, they revile it and they revile the one who brought it. As for reciting in too low a voice, that does not achieve the purpose because those who want to hear it cannot do so when the voice is too low.

﴾but seek a way in between﴿ that is, between being too loud and too low; in other words, a middle path between the two extremes.

﴾And say: Praise be to Allah﴿ to Whom belong all perfect attributes, praise and glory in all aspects, and Who is far above all faults and shortcomings.

?(Who has never begotten a son, and has no partner in His dominion﴿; rather all dominion belongs to Allah, the One, the Subduer. Both the upper and lower realms are owned by Him and no one has any share in His dominion.

﴾nor is anyone [needed] to protect Him due to [any] weakness﴿ that is, He does not take anyone from among His creation as a friend in order to seek honour or help from that friendship, for He is the Self- Sufficient, the Most Praiseworthy, Who has no need of any created being on earth or in the heavens. Rather He takes people as close friends out of kindness and mercy towards them.

﴾Allah is the Protector of those who have faith; from the depths of darkness He will lead them forth into light...﴿ (al-Baqarah 2: 257) ﴾And magnify Him by proclaiming His greatness﴿ that is, venerate Him and proclaim His greatness by speaking of His great attributes, praising Him by His beautiful names, extolling His glorious actions and honouring Him by worshipping Him alone, with no partner or associate, and showing total devotion to Him alone.

This is the end of the commentary on Soorat al-lsra'.

All praise and thanks are for Allah, and may the blessings and peace of Allah be upon Prophet Muhammad (Sjif), his family, and his Companions abundantly until the Day of Judgement.