النص المفهرس

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al and permission.
Similarly, this is the position declared to be correct and sound in Taf-
sir Mazhari which says: When the obligatory status of Tahajjud was ab-
rogated in the case of the Muslim ummah, it stood abrogated in the case
of the Holy Prophet
as well. What remained was nafl for everyone.
But, this position raises a question: What is the singularity of the Holy
Prophet
in it? That it is nafl for everyone already stands proved.
What, then, would be the outcome of saying: Watt (an additional prayer
for you)? The answer is that, according to clear statements of Ahadith,
all kinds of voluntary offerings and nafl 'Ibadat made by the Muslim
ummah expiate their sins and serve as complements to whatever short-
comings remain in the performance of their obligatory prayers. But, the
Holy Prophet Et is not only that he is infallible (ma'sum) against sins,
he is also above from any shortcomings in the observance of the etiquette
of Salah. Therefore, as far as he is concerned, nafl 'Ibadat are nothing
but additional. These cannot make amends for any shortcomings. In-
stead, these are simply a source of increased nearness to Allah. (Qurtubi,
Mazhari)
Is the prayer of Tahajjud Nafl or Sunnah al-Mu'akkadah?
As for Sunnah al-Mu'akkadah (the emphasized Sunnah), Muslim jur-
ists have a standing rule. Whatever the Holy Prophet
has done con-
stantly, never leaving it unless under compulsion, is Sunnah al-Mu'akka-
dah - except that it is proved on the authority of an Islamic legal
argument that the particular act was special to the Holy Prophet
and
was not for the Muslim community in general. This rule will obviously re-
quire that the prayer of Tahajjud should also be taken as Sunnah
al-Mu'akkadah for everyone and not a mere nafl. The reason is that the
constancy of the Holy Prophet ze in the matter of this Salah stands
proved as an uninterrupted Sunnah. And there is no proof of its being re-
stricted to the Holy Prophet
'. Therefore, it should be Sunnah al-Mu'ak-
kadah for the Muslim ummah at large as well. This is the position Tafsir
Mazhari rates as preferable, weightier and worthier. In proof of this
being 'emphasized' (al-mu'akkadah), it has pointed out to the Hadith in
which the Holy Prophet
said about a person who used to say his Ta-
hajjud prayer earlier but left it later: 'the Satan has soiled his ear.' Such
a drastic admonition and warning does not sound in order against the

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Surah Bani Isra'll : 17 : 78 - 82
abandonment of nafl only. This tells us that it is Sunnah al-Mu'akkadah
(an emphasized Sunnah).
And as for the respected elders who take the position that Tahajjud
is only a nafl, they declared this perseverance and constancy to be the
hallmark of the Holy Prophet 5. Then, what he said as admonition
against the abandonment of Tahajjud by the person who used to do it be-
fore was not really said against its abandonment by him as such. In-
stead, it was said against first getting used to it, then abandoning it.
The reason is that a person who gets into the habit of doing a certain
nafl must continue with it assiduously - and there is a consensus of the
Muslim ummah on it. If one leaves it after being in the habit of doing it,
he will be blameworthy because leaving it without excuse after the habit
is the sign of certain evasion and reluctance. However, there is no blame
on the person who is just not in the habit of doing it from the very begin-
ning. Allah knows best.
The number of Raka'at in the prayer of Tahajjud
In the Şahin of al-Bukhari and Muslim, as narrated by Sayyidah
'A'ishah رضى الله عنها 'the Holy Prophet
would never say more than
eleven raka at, in Ramadan or during months other than it.' Out of these
eleven, according to the Hanafiyyah, three raka at used to be that of
witr, the remaining eight being that of Tahajjud.
And in a narration of Sahih Muslim, the following words of Sayyidah
'A'ishah رضى الله عنها have been reported: "The Holy Prophet
used to say
thirteen raka at during the night which includes witr and two raka at of
the Sunnah of Fajr as well.' (Mazhari) The Sunnah of Fajr has been
counted with the nightly prayer because they are performed in almost
the same sequence. These reports tell us that the usual habit of the Holy
Prophet
was to offer eight raka at in the prayer of Tahajjud.
But, from a report coming from Sayyidah 'A'ishah 4+ d +, herself,
it also stands proved that, on occasions, he has done less than that
number - four or six - as being sufficient. When Sayyidna Masruq
asked her about the prayer of Tahajjud, she has been reported in the
Şahin of al-Bukhari to have said: "There used to be seven, nine and
eleven raka at - other than the Sunnah of Fajr' (Mazhari from al-Bukhari).
According to the Hanafiyyah, if three raka at are that of witr, four out of

538
Surah Bani Isra'il : 17 : 78 - 82
seven, six out of nine and eight out of eleven turn out to be the rak'at of
Tahajjud.
In what manner was the prayer of Tahajjud offered?
Narrative reports as they generally appear in Ahadith prove that the
first two rak at in the beginning were light with a brief recitation. Then,
in the rest of the rak at, the recitation was long and so were the ruku'
and sajdah - and, at times, this length would become too much and, at
others, somewhat less. (This is a summary of the Hadith reports taken from
Tafsir Mazhar at this place)
The Praised Station
The Holy Prophet
has been promised > >li (Maqam Mahmud:
The Praised Station) in this verse and this station is, out of all prophets,
particular to the Holy Prophet g. As to its explanation, there are
different sayings. But, the most sound of them is what appears in
authentic Ahadith in the words of the Holy Prophet himself. This
Station is the station of the Grand Intercession (al-shafa'ah al-kubra).
This will come to pass on the plains of Resurrection (al-Hashr) when all
children of 'Adam will be there requesting every prophet and messenger
of Allah to intercede with Him on their behalf. All prophets ,JIHle will
offer their excuse. Only the Holy Prophet
shall be blessed with the
honorable station of interceding on behalf of the entire progeny of 'Adam.
Hadith reports carry lengthy relevant details that appear in Tafsir Ibn
Kathir and Mazhari at this point.
The intercession made by prophets and the righteous will be
accepted
Out of the Islamic sects, the Khawarij and the Mu'tazilah deny the
intercession of prophets. They say that a major sin will not be forgiven
through intercession by anyone. But, Ahadith coming in uninterrupted
succession prove that the intercession for sinners will be accepted from
prophets .JIpodle, even from the righteous of the community. There will
be many whose sins will be forgiven through intercession.
Based on a report from Sayyidna 'Uthman 40, it appears in Ibn
Majah and al-Baihaqi that the Holy Prophet
said: On the day of
Qiyamah, the blessed prophets will be the first to intercede on behalf of
sinners, then the 'Ulama' and then the Shuhada'. According to Dailami

539
Sūrah Bani Isra'il : 17 : 78 - 82
reporting from Sayyidna Ibn 'Umar de, the Holy Prophet
said that
the 'Alim will be told that he could intercede on behalf of his disciples,
· even if their number matches the number of stars.
And Abu Dawud and Ibn Hibban carry a narration of Sayyidna Abu
al-Darda' dee, with its chains ascending to the Holy Prophet
¿ who said:
The intercession made by a Shahid (4%) will be accepted in favor of
seventy people from his family.
The Musnad of Ahmad, al-Tabarani and al-Baihaqi authentically re-
port Sayyidna Abu Umamah 4
narrating that the Holy Prophet
said: On the intercession of one person from my ummah many people,
more than the entire number of the people of the tribes of Rabi'ah and
Mudar, will be admitted to Jannah.
A question and its answer
The question is when the Holy Prophet will himself intercede -
and no believer will remain in Hell because of it - why and how will the
'Ulama' and the righteous intercede? The answer appears in Tafsir
Mazhar: perhaps, the 'Ulama' and the righteous of the community will
present their intercession in favor of whomsoever they wish before the
Holy Prophet 2g who will then intercede with Allah Ta'ala.
An important note
In a Hadith, the Holy Prophet
said : شَفَاعَتِىُ لِأَهْلِ الْكَبَائِرِ مِنْ أُمَّتِى (Myinter-
cession shall be for people who had committed major sins). This seems to
tell us that those involved with major sins will be forgiven particularly
through the intercession of the Holy Prophet 3. Any angel or any indi-
vidual from the Muslim community will not be able to intercede in the
case of those who have committed major sins. Instead of that, the inter-
cession made by the righteous of the Muslim community will be for those
who were involved with minor sins.
The Station of Intercession could be reached through the
efficacy of the prayer of Tahajjud
Hadrat Mujaddid Alf Thani, the famous religious revivalist of the
first Islamic millenium in India, said that, in this verse, the Holy
Prophet af was first given the command to make the prayer of Tahajjud,
then he was promised the Praised Station, that is, the Station of Grand
Intercession. This tells us that the prayer of Tahajjud serves as a special

540
Sūrah Bani Isra'il : 17 : 78 - 82
via media in acquiring the Station of Intercession.
Before we proceed to verse 80, let us recapitulate what was said in
the verses previous to it. Mentioned there first were the pains inflicted
on the Holy Prophet g and the conspiracies they kept hatching to hurt
and harm him. Along with it, it was also said that these hostile plans
made by them will never succeed. In contrast, the Holy Prophet se was
being blessed with the real plan to offset their evil by prompting him to
establish the five prayers, and the Tahajjud. Following that, he has been
promised the Praised Station, the highest among all prophets - a pro-
وَقُلُ رَّبِّ أَدُخِلْنِىُ:80 mise to be fulfilled in the Hereafter. Now, in this verse
(And say, "O my Lord, make me enter ... ), the first relief to him against
the hurtful and treacherous actions of the disbelievers was given by
Allah Ta'ala within this world in the form of his migration to Madinah.
Then, he was given the good news of the conquest of Makkah in: U Jf,
JI (And say, "Truth has come ... 81).
It has been reported in al-Jami' of Tirmidhi from Sayyidna 'Abdullah
ibn 'Abbas de that the Holy Prophet " was in Makkah al-Mu azzamah.
Then, he was commanded to migrate to Madinah. Thereupon, this verse
was revealed : وَقُلُ رَّبِّ أَدْخِلْنِىُ مُدُخَلَ صِدُقٍ وَآخرِجُنِىٌ مُخُرَجَ صِدُق (And say, "O my Lord,
make me enter a rightful entrance and make me exit a rightful exit - 80).
Here, the word: L'is (mudkhal) and (mukhraj) meaning the place of
entry and the place of exit are __ (ism-al-zarf: the noun of place and
time). The addition of the attribute (na't) of L'ue :sidq (translated as
rightful) releases the sense of such entry and exit being totally true to
the will and pleasure of Allah and in the best of attending circum-
stances, because the word: 34- (sidq) is also used in the Arabic language
for every such act as is correct and better both outwardly and inwardly.
مَقُعَدَ صِدُق ash-Shutara' 26:84) and) لِسَانَ صِدُق, (10:2 Yunus) قَدَمَ صِدُق :The words
(al-Qamar 54:55) have been used in the Holy Qur'an in that very sense.
'Entrance' means 'Madinah' and the place of exit denotes 'Makkah.'
The sense takes the form of a prayer: O Allah, may my entry into Madin-
ah turn out to be good and smooth, without having to face anything un-
pleasant and unwelcome on arrival there. And may my exit from Mak-
kah be good and smooth, without being entangled in love of country and
home.' There are other exegetic statements too which explain this verse.
But, this particular explanation has been reported from Hasan al-Basri

541
Sūrah Bani Isra'il : 17 : 78 - 82
and Qatadah. Ibn Kathir calls it 'the most sound statement.' Ibn Jarir
too has gone by it. As for the order, it required that the 'exit' should have
been mentioned first while the 'entrance,' later. But, the precedence of
'entrance' and the succession of 'exit' is there, perhaps, to indicate that
the exit from Makkah had no purpose of its own, in fact, parting from
the Baytullah was extremely shocking. But, there was a purpose - to
look for peace, for Islam and Muslims - something that could be hoped
for through the entry in Madinah. Therefore, the objective to be achieved
was made to come first.
A prayer for important objectives
At the time of his migration to Madinah, Allah Ta'ala asked the Holy
Prophet to make this du a' which pleaded with Him that his exit from
Makkah and then the arrival in Madinah should both be good and
smooth in all possible ways. It was the outcome of this prayer that,
though he was within the striking range of the pursuing disbelievers at
the time of Hijrah, yet Allah Ta'ala shielded him at every step and final-
ly made Madinah al-Tayyibah good and promising for him and for all
Muslims, both outwardly and inwardly. Therefore, some 'Ulama' have
said that every Muslim should remember to make this prayer at the be-
ginning of all objectives they wish to pursue and that this prayer is bene-
ficial for all objectives and purposes. The sentence which complements
this very prayer appears next: وَاجُعَلُ لِىُ مِنْ لَّدُنْكَ سُلْطَانًا نَّصِيرًا :"and grant me
from Your Own a power favoured (by You)." Qatadah, the great tabii
says: the Holy Prophet > knew that fulfilling his functional duties as a
prophet and working while besieged by enemies were challenges he
could not handle personally. Therefore, He prayed to Allah Ta'ala for
help and the power to subdue. The prayer was answered and everyone
saw its effects.
Verse 81:ُوَقُلُ جَاءَ الْحَقُّ وَزَهَقَ الْبَاطِل (And say, "Truth has come and false-
hood has vanished") was revealed after Hijrah about the conquest of
Makkah. Sayyidna Ibn Mas'ud
" says that on the day Makkah was con-
quered, the Holy Prophet z entered Makkah. At that time, there were
three hundred and sixty idols standing around the Baytullah. Some 'Ula-
ma' report a reason for this particular number. They say that the Mush-
riks of Makkah had a separate idol for each day of the year that they
used to worship on the given day. (Qurtubi) When the Holy Prophet

542
Sūrah Bani Isra'll : 17 : 78 - 82
جَآءَ الْحَقُّ وَزَهَقَ :reached there, this was the verse he had on his blessed lips
Jul (Truth has come and falsehood has vanished) while he went round
striking at each single idol on the chest with his stick. (al-Bukhari and Mus-
lim)
It appears in some Hadith narratives that the end of this stick had a
pewter or iron ferrule mounted on it. So, when the Holy Prophet
would hit an idol on the chest, it would fall back. In the end, when all
idols fell down, he gave orders that they be demolished. (Qurtubi with refer-
ence to Qadi 'Iyad and al-Qushairi)
It is necessary to erase customs and symbols of polytheism,
disbelief and falsehood
Imam al-Qurtubi said that this verse proves that it is wajib (neces-
sary, obligatory) to erase the idols of Mushriks and all other polytheistic
symbols and signs - and all such false instruments that are used in the
way of sin and disobedience as well. They too come under the purview of
the same injunction. Ibn al-Mundhir said that pictures and sculpted fig-
ures made in wood or metal etc. also come under the injunction govern-
ing idols. The Holy Prophet
had torn the curtain having pictures
made on it in lines and colors. This, incidentally, tells us about the gener-
al injunctions covering common pictures. According to Sahih Hadith,
when Sayyidna 'Isa Meal will come towards the later times, he will undo
the cross and eliminate the swine. These things prove that it is neces-
sary to demolish and eliminate the instruments of shirk, kufr and batil.
وَنُنَزِّلُ مِنَ الْقُرْآن مَاهُوَ شِفَاءٌ:We can now move to the last verse (82) cited above
(And We reveal the Qur'an which is a cure). That the Holy Qur'an cures
hearts and delivers people from shirk and kufr, low morals and spiritual
ailments is no secret. The entire Muslim ummah agrees with it. And ac-
cording to some 'Ulama', the way the Qur'an is a cure for spiritual ail-
ments, it is also a cure for physical diseases. The sense is that reciting
the verses of the Qur'an and blowing the breath on the body of the sick
person or to write its words on an amulet and putting it around the neck
is also expected to be a cure for physical diseases. Hadith narratives
bear testimony to it. The Hadith of Sayyidna Abu Said al-Khudri dge
can be seen in all books of Ahadith. It says that a party of the noble Com-
panions was in travel. In a village on their way, a scorpion had bitten
the chief. The village people asked the Companions if they could suggest

543
Sūrah Bani Isra'il : 17 : 83 - 84
some treatment for it. They recited the Surah al-Fatihah seven times,
blew their breath on him and the ailing patient stood cured. Later, when
this incident was mentioned before the Holy Prophet 5, he declared this
action of the Companions to be permissible.
Similarly, there are several other Hadith reports which prove that
the Holy Prophet
eg has done it himself. After having recited the last
two verses of the Qur'an, he would blow his breath on the sick person. It
is also proved that the Șahabah and the Tabi'in used to treat sick people
with the recital of the last two verses of the Qur'an as well as with the
recital of other verses from it. That it was written and placed around the
neck as an amulet also stands proved. Al-Qurțubi has given details
about it under his commentary on this verse.
The last sentence of the verse: وَلاَ يَزِيُدُ الظُّلِمِينَ إِلاَّ حَسَارًا (And it adds noth-
ing to the unjust but loss - 82) tells us that the Holy Qur'an - when recit-
ed with faith and reverence - is certainly a cure. It is open. It is proven.
Conversely, any denial of the Qur'an, or irreverence to it, could also be-
come a source of loss and misfortunes.
Verses 83 - 84
وَإِذَا أَنْعَمُنَا عَلَى الْإِنْسَانِ أَعُرَضَ وَنَا بِجَانِبِهِ وَإِذَا مَسَّهُ الشَّرُّكَانَ
يُوُسًا ﴿٨٣﴾ قُلُ كُلٌّ يَعُمَلُ عَلَى شَاكِلَتِهِ، فَرَبُّكُمْ أَعْلَمُ بِمَنْ هُوَ
أَهُدى سَبَيْلاً ﴿١٤﴾
And when We bestow Our favor upon man, he avoids (to
recognize it) and keeps himself far aside (from obedi-
ence), and when some evil touches him, he is in total de-
spair. [83]
Say, "Everyone acts in his own style. For, your Lord
knows best which one is better guided in his way." [84]
Commentary
Regarding the explanation of the word: au (shakilah) in verse 84:
Everyone acts in his own style), several interpretations) كُلٌّ يَّعُمَلُ عَلَى شَاكِلَتِه
have been reported from authorities among the early righteous elders,
such as, disposition, habit, instinct, intention, way or manner. In sum,

544
Surah Bani Isra'il : 17 : 85 - 89
all these turn into a second nature in terms of the circumstances, habits
and customs everyone lives with. Thus, what one does remains subservi-
ent to it. (Qurțubi) In this verse, human beings have been warned that
they must abstain from bad surroundings, bad company and bad habits
and take to the company of good people and inculcate good habits
(al-Jașșās). The reason, as stated earlier, is that one's response pattern
built up under the influence of surrounding, company and custom makes
one do what it dictates. Imam al-Jassas has also given another meaning
of 'shakilah' at this place, that of 'like.' Given this meaning, the sense of
the verse would be that everyone feels comfortable with a person who is
compatible with one's temperament. A good man finds another good man
familiar while a wicked man feels comfortable with another wicked man
whose style he follows without any qualms of conscience. An example of
this behavior pattern appears in what Allah says in the Qur'an: SEJi
Good women) وَالطَّتُ لِلطَّيّبِينَ Evil women are for evil men - 24:26) and) لِلْخَبَيْئِينَ
are for good men - 24:26). It means that everyone strikes familiarity with
a man or woman according to one's own temperament. In short, this too
is a warning against falling into bad company and bad habits. One
should really make an effort to abstain from these.
Verses 85 - 89
وَيَسْتَلُوْنَكَ عَنِ الرُّوْحِ ﴿ قُلِ الرُّوْحُ مِنْ أَمْرِ رَبِىُ وَمَآ أُوْنِيْتُمُ مِّنَ الْعِلْمِ
إِلَّ قَلِيلاً ﴿٨٥﴾ وَلَئِنُ شِئْنَا لَنَذُهَبَنَّ بِالَّذِىَ أَوْ حَيْنَآ إِلَيْكَ ثُمَّ لاَ تَحِدُ لَكَ
بِهِ عَلَيْنَا وَكِيُلاً ﴿٨٢﴾ إِلَّ رَحْمَةً مِّنُ رَّبِّكَ ﴿ إِنَّ فَضْلَهُ كَانَ عَلَيْكَ
كَبِيرًا ﴿٢﴾ قُلُ لَِّنِ اجْتَمَعَتِ الإِنْسُ وَالْحِنُّ عَلَى أَنْ يَّأْتُواْ بِمِثْلٍ هُذَا
الْقُرّانِ لاَيَأْتُوُنَ بِمِثْلِهِ وَلَوْكَانَ بَعْضُهُمُ لِبَعْضِ ظَهِيْراً ﴿٨٨﴾ وَلَقَدُ
صَرَّقَنَا لِلنَّاسِ فِىُ هُذَا الْقُرَانِ مِنْ كُلِّ مَثَلٍ، فَنِىّ أَكْثَرُ النَّاسِ إِلَّ
كُفُورًا ﴿٨٩﴾
And they ask you about the soul. Say, "The soul is so-
mething from the command of my Lord, and you are not
given but a little from the knowledge." [85]

545
Surah Bani Isra'il : 17 : 85 - 89.
And if We so will, We will surely take away what We
have revealed to you, then you shall find no one to rely
upon against Us in this matter. [86] But it is a mercy from
your Lord. Great is indeed His favor upon you. [87]
Say, "If all the humans and jinns join together to pro-
duce the like of this Qur'an, they shall not (be able to)
come up with its like, even though they back up one
another. [88]
And surely We have explained for the people in this
Qur'an every subject in various ways. Still most of the
people refused to do anything but reject. [89]
Commentary
The first verse (85) appearing above carries a question posed by disbe-
lievers about Ruh (soul, spirit) along with its answer that came from
Allah Ta'ala. The word: Ji (al-ruh) is used in the Arabic language and
idiom, and in the Holy Qur'an as well, to convey several meanings. The
well-recognized meaning taken from this word is common knowledge,
that is, the soul on which depends life. In the Holy Qur'an, this word has
also been used for the archangel, Jibra'il al-Amin (Gabriel, the Trust-
worthy) : ◌َنَزَلَ بهِ الرُّوحُ الْآَمِيْنُ عَلَى قَلْبك (The Trustworthy Spirit has brought it
down upon your heart - ash-Shu'ara' 26:193,194). It has also been used for
Sayyidna 'Isa 85) (4:171), and Wahy (revelation - 40:15), and the Qur'an
too: أَوُحَيْنَا إِلَيْكَ رُوُحًا مِّنْ آمُرنَا (and We have revealed to you a spirit of Our com-
mand - 42:52).
What does 'Ruh' signify?
Therefore, the first thing to be determined here is the intent of the
questioners as to which meaning they had in mind when they had asked
the question about the Ruh. Some respected early commentators have,
in view of the context, declared this question as related to revelation and
Qur'an, or to angel Jibra'il who brought it. The apparent reason is that
the Qur'an was mentioned earlier in :وَتُنزّلُ مِنَ الْقُران (And We reveal the
Qur'an - 82) and it is again the Qur'an that finds mention in the verses
after that. Given this congruity, they found it appropriate to take 'Ruh'
in this question too as signifying nothing but Wahy and Qur'an, or
Jibra'il. In that case, the question would be about how the Wahy or reve-
lation came to him and who brought it. In response to the question, the
Holy Qur'an considered it sufficient to say that the revelation was from

546
Sūrah Bani Isra'il : 17 : 85 - 89
the command of Allah. It elected to be silent about its details and modal-
ities that the questioners were seeking.
But, the background of the revelation of this verse given in authentic
Ahadith ascending to the Holy Prophet
is just about very clear in
respect of the nature of the question. Those asking the question had
asked about the living Ruh and the underlying purpose was to find out
the reality of Ruh. What is it? How does it come in and go out of the
human body? How does it make man and animal come alive? According
to the Şahin of al-Bukhari and Muslim, Sayyidna 'Abdullah ibn Mas'ud
narrates:
'Once I was walking with the Holy Prophet & through an unpopulat-
ed part of Madinah. He had a stick from the branch of a date palm in his
blessed hand. When he passed by some Jews, they were talking among
themselves: Muhammad
g is coming. Ask him about the Ruh. Others
asked them not to do that. But, those bent on asking went ahead and
asked the question. After having heard the question, the Holy Prophet
vilto
reclined on his stick and stood silent which gave me the inkling that
the revelation was about to come on him. After a little while, when the
revelation had come to him, he recited the verse: وَيَسْئَلُونَكَ عَنِ الرُّوح (And
they ask you about the Ruh).'
At this point, it is understandable that it was a terminology of the
Qur'an when it called the Qur'an, or Way (revelation) as Ruh. That the
question asked by these people was based on it is too far out. Of course,
the matter of the living Ruh, human or animal, is such as would
naturally emerge in everyone's mind. Therefore, the majority of
commentators - Ibn Kathir, Ibn Jarīr, al-Qurtubi, Abu Hayyan, 'Alusi -
confirm the view that the question related to the reality of the living
Ruh. As for the continuity of references to the Qur'an in the context and
that the question-answer interlude about Ruh coming in between would
be incoherent, its answer is clear. Previous verses have mentioned
hostile questions asked by the disbelievers and Mushriks. Their
objective thereby was to test the Holy Prophet :
concerning his claim to
be a messenger of Allah. This question too is a link of the same chain.
Therefore, it is not incoherent. There is yet another authentic Hadith
reported about the background of the revelation of this verse
particularly. The position being explained here has been covered there

547
Sūrah Bani Isra'il : 17 : 85 - 89
more explicitly, that is, the purpose of the questioner was to test the
authority of the Holy Prophet og as a Messenger.
Accordingly, a report of Sayyidna 'Abdullah ibn 'Abbas dee appearing
in the Musnad of Ahmad says that the Quraysh of Makkah who kept ad-
dressing all sorts of questions to the Holy Prophet
hit upon the idea
that the Jews were learned and knew about past scriptures. Why not
ask them about what to ask the Holy Prophet 5 and test him thereby?
Therefore, they sent their men to the Jews seeking their guidance in this
matter. They told them to ask about the Ruh. (Ibn Kathir) Sayyidna Ibn
'Abbas 4se has also been reported to have said in his explanation of this
verse that the Jews had also said while asking this question - 'you tell us
how does punishment affect the Ruh.' By that time, nothing had been re-
vealed to the Holy Prophet s about it. Therefore, he did not answer the
question instantly at that time. Then, came angel Jibra'il with the verse:
Say, "the Ruh is from the command of my Lord.") (Abridged) قُلِ الرُّوحُ مِنْ أَمْرِ رَبِىُ
from Ibn Kathir)
The incident of the question: Did it happen in Makkah or
Madinah?
Before we resolve this aspect of the question, we have to consider the
two Hadith reports relating to the background of the revelation of this
verse, that of Sayyidna Ibn Mas'ud and Ibn 'Abbas de, referred to above.
Out of the two, according to the report of Sayyidna Ibn Mas'ud ce, this
incident about the question came to pass in Madinah - and that is the re-
ason why some commentators have declared this verse to be Madani,
though a major portion of Surah Bani Isra'il (al-Isra') is Makki. As for
the report from Sayyidna Ibn 'Abbas 4ee, it places the incident at Mak-
kah. In accordance with that, this verse too remains Makki like the
whole Surah. Therefore, Ibn Kathir has declared this very probability to
be weightier and more acceptable. And as for the report of Sayyidna Ibn
Mas'ud 4ee, he responds by saying that it is possible that this verse was
revealed in Madinah a second time - as a repeated revelation of many
verses of the Qur'an is an accepted fact in the sight of all 'Ulama'. And
Tafsir Mazhari, by declaring the report of Sayyidna Ibn Mas'ud as
weightier and more acceptable, has determined the incident to be that of
Madinah and the verse to be Madani. It gives two reasons for it. Firstly,
this report appears in the two Sahihs of al-Bukhari and Muslim and its

548
Surah Bani Isra'll : 17 : 85 - 89
authority is stronger as compared to the report of Sayyidna Ibn 'Abbas
. Secondly, in this report, Sayyidna Ibn Mas'ud is a part of the inci-
dent. He is narrating an event that was his own. This makes it contrary
to the report of Sayyidna Ibn 'Abbas where, it is obvious, he would have
heard it as told by someone (because he was too young at that time to
witness the occurance).
The answer to the question asked
The Holy Qur'an said:ُقُلِ الرُّوحُ مِنْ آَمُرِ رَبِى (Say, "the Ruh is from the com-
mand of my Lord."). While explaining the answer, statements and inter-
pretations given by commentators differ. The closest and the clearest of
these is what Qadi Thana'ullah Panipati has preferred in his Tafsir
Mazhari. He says: Only what was necessary and what common people
would understand has been told - and the full reality of Ruh, that the
question sought, was not unfolded because it was beyond the comprehen-
sion of common people and, for that matter, nothing they needed hinged
on understanding it. Here, the Holy Prophet
was asked to respond by
saying that 'the Ruh is from the command of my Lord.' In other words, it
is not like the usual created that come into existence through the disper-
sal of matter and procreation. In fact, it is something created directly
through the command (35: kun: be) of Allah Ta'ala. At least, this much of
the answer makes it clear that Ruh cannot be taken on the analogy of
common matter - which removes all those doubts that emerge as a result
of trying to understand Ruh through the prism of materialistic inquiry.
The hard truth is that this much knowledge of Ruh is sufficient for man.
No business, religious or worldly, depends on knowing more than that.
Therefore, taking that part of the question as redundant and unneces-
sary, it was not answered - specially when understanding its reality is so-
mething not easy even for the wisest of the wise, not to say much about
the common people.
Answering every question is not necessary unless religiously
advisable
Imam Abu Bakr al-Jaşşaş has deduced from this answer the ruling
that it is not necessary for the Mufti and 'Alim to answer every question
and every aspect from it as posed by the questioner. Instead of doing
that, the answer should be given with religious advisability kept in
sight. Any answer that is above the comprehension of the addressee, or

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Sūrah Bani Isra'il : 17 : 85 - 89
should there be the danger of his or her falling into misunderstanding,
then, such an answer should not be given. Similarly, not to be answered
are questions that are unnecessary ( y :la ya'ni). Yes, should there be
a person who faces a situation in which he must act one way or the other
and who is no 'Alim, then, it is necessary for the Mufti and 'Alim to give
an answer in the light of his knowledge. (Jaşşaş) Imam al-Bukhari has de-
voted a chapter heading in Kitab al-'Ilm to highlight this point. He has
said that a question the answer to which is likely to cause misunder-
standing should not be answered.
Whether or not it is possible for anyone to have the knowledge of
the reality of Ruh
The Holy Qur'an has given an answer to this question in accordance
with the need and comprehension of the addressee. It has not elected to
unfold the reality of Ruh. But, it does not necessarily imply that no
human being can simply understand the reality of Ruh and that the
Holy Prophet
also did not know its reality. The truth of the matter is
that this verse neither negates nor confirms it. If a prophet or messenger
were to come to know its reality through Wahy (revelation), or a Waliyy
(man of Allah) through Kashf (illumination) and Ilham (inspiration),
then, it is not contrary to this verse. In fact, even if this matter is debat-
ed and investigated in terms of reason and philosophy, it would certainly
be called useless and unnecessary, but it cannot be called impermissible.
Therefore, many learned scholars from the early and later period of
Islam have written standard books about Ruh. In our period, my venerat-
ed teacher, Shaykh al-Islam, Shabbir Ahmad Usmani has presented this
issue admirably in a small tract. Here, he has explained its reality to the
measure it is possible for a common person to understand and an educat-
ed one to find sufficient enough to avoid doubts and difficulties.
An important note
At this juncture, Imam al-Baghawi has carried a detail report from
Sayyidna 'Abdullah ibn 'Abbas e as follows: This verse was revealed in
Makkah al-Mukarramah. It happened at a time when the Quraysh
chiefs of Makkah got together and talked about the problem that
Muhammad
was born amongst us and grew up into a young man. No
one ever doubted his trustworthiness, honesty and truthfulness, and he
was never accused by anyone of having told a lie. Yet, despite all that,

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Sūrah Bani Isra'il : 17 : 85 - 89
we just do not understand the claim of being a prophet he was now mak-
ing. Therefore, let us do something about it, like sending our delegation
to the Jewish scholars of Madinah and get a learned opinion about him
from them. So, a delegation from the Quraysh met the Jewish scholars
in Madinah. They advised: 'we tell you three things. Ask him about
these three. If he answers all three, he is no prophet. Similarly, if he
does not answer any of the three, he is still no prophet. And if he an-
swers two, not answering the third, be certain that he is the prophet.'*
They proposed three questions: (1) Ask him about those in the past who
had sought refuge in a cave to stay safe from shirk - because, their ac-
count is unique. (2) Ask him about the person who had traveled through
the East and West of the Earth and what had happened to him. (3) Ask
him about the Ruh (soul, spirit).
The delegation returned and posed those three questions before the
Holy Prophet . He said, 'I shall give you the answer to these
tomorrow'- but, he did not say, "Insha'Allah" with it. The outcome was
that the channel of Wahy (revelation) remained discontinued for a few
days. There are various reports that put the number of days from
twelve, fifteen to forty during which it stood stopped. The Quraysh of
Makkah had their opportunity to hurl taunts - 'we were promised an
answer tomorrow, now so many days have passed and we have no
answer!' This caused the Holy Prophet 5 too to become anxious. Then
وَلاَ تَقُوُلَنَّ لِشَاءُءٍ إِنِّىُ فَاعِلٌ ذَلِكَ غَداً إِلَّا أَنْ يَّشَآءَ اللَّهُ : came angel Jibra'il with the verse
(And never say about anything: "I will do that tomorrow," without
[saying]: "Insha'Allah": [If Allah wills].' - al-Kahf, 18: 23,24) and, after that,
he recited the verse about the Ruh mentioned above. Then came the
revelation of the verses relating to the people of Kahf, and the event of
Dhul-Qarnain who had traveled from the East to the West which is to
appear in Surah al-Kahf. A detailed answer has been given there by
narrating the story of the people of Kahf and Dhul-Qarnain while the
question concerned with the reality of the Ruh was not answered (which
made the sign of the veracity of prophecy given by the Jews manifest).
Tirmidhi has also described this event briefly. (Mazhari)
Investigative observations on the reality of Ruh (soul, spirit) and
*. This detail is in accordance with Ma'alim al-Tanzil, p. 134, v. 4 - Muhammad Taqi
Usmani.

551
Sūrah Bani Isra'il : 17 : 85 - 89
Nafs (self) have appeared earlier in this volume under verse 29 of Surah
al-Hijr: نَفَخُتُ فِيهِ مِنُ رُّوحِى (I have blown into him of my spirit - 15:29). Pre-
sented with reference to Tafsir Mazhari, it makes the kinds of Ruh along
with the reality of each sufficiently clear.
We can now move to verse 86:َّوَلَئِنُ شِئْنَا لَنَذُهَبَن (And if We so will, We will
surely take away ... ). It will be recollected that, in the previous verse (85),
by giving an answer to the question about Ruh as true to the measure of
its necessity, the underlying effort to find out the reality of the Ruh was
blocked and it was declared that man's knowledge, no matter how much,
still remains relatively insignificant in terms of the great span of the ulti-
mate reality of things. Therefore, getting entangled with unnecessary de-
bates and investigations is a waste of precious time. The present verse:
Las Af, (And if We so will) indicates that the sum total of whatever knowl-
edge human beings have been given, even that is no private property of
theirs. Allah Ta'ala can, if He so wills, take away that too. Therefore,
they should be grateful to Allah for whatever of knowledge they have
and stay away from wasting time in redundant and unnecessary investi-
gations - specially when pure investigation is just not the objective, in-
stead, testing others or belittling them is. If one did that, it is not out of
the realm of possibility that this crookedness may result in all that one
has in the name of knowledge taken away in toto. The address in this
verse is, though, to the Holy Prophet &g, but the purpose is to really
make his followers listen and get the message - when even the knowl-
edge of the Rasul of Allah is not within his exclusive power and control,
not much can be said about others!
The subject in verse 88 :ُّقُلُ أَمِنِ اجْتَمَعَتِ الأُنُسُ وَالْجن (If all humans and jinns
join together ... ) appears in some other verses of the Holy Qur'an as well.
Challenging the humankind, it has been said there: If you do not take
the Qur'an to be the word of Allah, rather take it to be a word of man,
then, you too are human, why would you not come up with its like?
Along with that challenge, it was also said in this verse: Not the human-
kind alone, you are welcome to join up with jinns, but you, all combined
together, will still be unable to come out with one Surah - even one verse
- like that of the Qur'an.
The repetition of this subject at this place may possibly be to show
the futility of what the deniers of the message were trying to do. Here

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Surah Bani Isra'il : 17 : 90 - 95
they were trying to test the veracity of the mission of a prophet of Allah
by asking all sorts of questions, the one about the Ruh being one of
them. Being an exercise in futility, why would they go about digging into
unnecessary issues only to determine whether or not the prophet sent to
them was true? Why they would not look into the Qur'an as it is? It
leaves no room for doubt in the veracity of the Holy Prophet 2 as proph-
et and messenger of Allah. The reason is simple. When the humans and
jinns of the whole world are incapable of producing the least like of it,
what doubt could there be in that it is but the Divine Word. And once it
is proved so manifestly that the Holy Qur'an is Divine Word, hardly any
doubt remains in that the Holy Prophet
was a true prophet and mes-
senger of Allah.
The last verse: وَلَقَدُ صَرَّفْنَا (And surely We have explained - 89) tells us
that the Holy Qur'an stands out as a miracle so clear that it leaves no
room for any question and doubt. Still, what is happening is that people
do not thank Allah for His blessings, do not even recognize the real
worth of the blessing of the Qur'an and keep wandering around in error.
Verses 90 - 95
وَقَالُوا لَنْ تُؤْ مِنَ لَكَ حَتَّى تَفْحُرَلْنَا مِنَ الأَرْضِ يَنْبُوْعًا (١٠) أَوْتَكُونَ
لَكَ جَنَّةٌ مِّنُ نَّخِيْلٍ وَّعِنَبٍ فَتُفَخِّرَ الأَنْهُرَ خِلْلَهَا تَفُجِيرًا ﴿ ١١)
أَوْ تُسُقِطَ السَّمَآءَ كَمَا زَعَمُتَ عَلَيْنَا كِسَفًا أَوْ تَأْتِىَ بِاللّهِ وَالْمَلِكَةِ
قَبِيلاً (٢)﴾ آَوْيَكُونَ لَكَ بَيْتٌ مِّنُ زُخْرُفٍ أَوْتَرْقَى فِى السَّمَآءِ * وَلَنُ
تُؤْمِنَ لِرُقِّكَ حَتَّى تُنَزِّلَ عَلَيْنَا كِنُبًا نَّقْرَؤُه، " قُلُ سُبُخْنَ رَبِىُ هَلْ
كُنْتُ إِلاَّ بَشَرًّا رَّسُوْلاً ﴿٩٣﴾ وَمَا مَنَعَ النَّاسَ أَنْ يُؤُمِنُوَّا إِذْ جَاءَ هُمُ
الْهُدَى إِلَّ انُ قَالُوًّا أَبَعَثَ اللّهُ بَشَرًا رَّسُوْلاً ﴿٩٤) قُلُ لَوْ كَانَ فِى
الأَرْضِ مَلِكَةٌ يَّمْشُونَ مُطْمَيِنِّيْنَ لَزَّلْنَا عَلَيْهِمُ مِّنَ السَّمَآءِ مَلَكًا
رَّسُوُلاً ﴿٩٥﴾
And they said, "We shall never believe in you unless you

553
Surah Bani Isra'il : 17 : 90 - 95
make a spring gush forth for us from the earth. [90] Or
you have a garden of date-palms and grapes, then you
bring forth rivers from their midst in abundance. [91] Or
you cause the sky to fall upon us in pieces, as you
claimed, or you bring Allah and angels before us face to
face. [92] Or you have a house made of gold; or you as-
cend to the sky, and we will not believe in your ascen-
sion unless you send down to us a book we may read.
Say, "I proclaim the Purity of my Lord. I am nothing but
human, a messenger." [93]
And nothing prevented people from believing, when
guidance came to them, except that they said, "Has
Allah sent a man as a messenger?" [94]
Say, "Were there angels (living) on the earth, walking
about in peace, We would have certainly sent down an
angel from the heavens as a messenger." [95]
Commentary
A prophetic answer to hostile questions sounding absurd
The questions asked and the demands made in these verses from the
Holy Prophet
were virtually conditions on the fulfillment of which his
antagonists were supposed to believe. These conditions are such that
anyone who hears them would find them nothing but some sort of weird
mockery and certainly a very absurd excuse for not believing. While hav-
ing to respond to such questions, one becomes naturally angry and re-
torts in the same manner. But, the answer that Allah Ta'ala taught His
prophet .JI Ale to give against their impertinent questions reported in
this verse is something significant for everyone. Particularly so, for the
leaders and reformers of the Muslim community who would do well to al-
ways remember it making it a regular feature of their work among peo-
ple. Is it not that, in answer to all that, nothing was said about their
lack of sense, nor mention was made of their hostile mischief, nor there
was any verbal duel fought against them? Instead, the truth of the mat-
ter was made clear to them in very simple words. In effect, they were
told: Perhaps, you think that a person who comes as a messenger of
Allah should also be the possessor of all Divine powers and should be
able to control everything. This is a mistaken notion. The duty of a mes-
senger of Allah is only to convey the Divine message. It is a different
matter that Allah would also send many miracles to prove the veracity of
the mission of His apostles, prophets and messengers. But, that takes

554
Sūrah Bani Isra'il : 17 : 90 - 95
place exclusively with the power and under the control of Allah Ta'ala. A
rasul (messenger) is not given Divine powers. He is a human being and
is never outside the framework of human power - except that Allah
Ta'ala alone were to manifest His great subduing power to help him.
Only a human being can be a messenger of Allah: Angels cannot
be sent as messengers to human beings
Common disbelievers and polytheists thought that 'bashar,' that is,
a man, could not be the messenger of Allah because he is someone accus-
tomed to all human compulsions like them. When so, what edge did he
have over them to make them call him the messenger of Allah and take
him as their leader claiming that they follow him? This assumption of
theirs has been answered in the Holy Qur'an, at several places in vari-
ous ways. The outcome of the answer given here in this verse: yurdu
(And nothing prevented people - 94) is that a messenger of Allah sent to
a set of people has to be from their genus or race. If these people are hu-
man, the messenger should be human because mutual congruity does
not exist between one genus and the other - and without congruity, guid-
ance and grooming bring no benefit. Had some angel been sent to men as
their messenger, he would have known no hunger, or thirst, or sexual de-
sires, nor would he have felt the effect of chill and heat, nor fatigue after
hard work. He would have, then, expected human beings to act like him
without having ever realized their weaknesses and limitations. Similar-
ly, when human beings knew that he was an angel, after all, they would
have come to the conclusion that they just did not have the ability to do
what he did. Who would have, then, followed him? Following is the fruit
of correction, reform and right guidance. This benefit can be hoped for
only when the messenger of Allah is from the genus of men. He should
be an embodiment of human emotions and physical desires while, at the
same time, he should also have an angelic majesty that could serve as a
liaison - intermediary communicator - between human beings and an-
gels, receiving revelation from angels bringing it and communicating it
to his fellow human beings.
This submission also removes the doubt that arises by thinking:
when human beings cannot derive benefit from the angel, how would a
messenger - despite being human - derive the benefit of revelation from
them?

555
Sūrah Bani Isra'il : 17 : 96 - 100
As for the doubt - when the compatibility of genus is a condition
between a messenger and his people, how was the Holy Prophet
made a messenger of the jinns for they are not from the same genus as
men? - it can be answered by saying that the messenger is not simply a
human being, instead, he also has an angelic majesty about him because
of which jinns too could also be congruous to him.
In the last verse (95), it was said that they, despite being human, can-
not demand that their messenger should be an angel. This demand was
unreasonable. Yes, if angels had been living on the Earth and there was
the need to send a messenger to them, then, indeed, an angel would
have been sent as a messenger. It will be noted that the attribute of an-
gels living on the Earth has been described here in the words:
' (walking about in peace). This tells us that the need to send an
angel deputed as a messenger to other angels would have come up only
at a time when the angels of the Earth could not themselves go to the
heavens rather remained living on the Earth alone. Otherwise, had they
themselves possessed the power to go to the heavens, there would have
remained just no need to send a messenger to the Earth.
Verses 96 - 100
قُلُ كَفِى بِاللّهِ شَهِيدًا بَيْنِىُ وَبَيْنَكُمُ + ◌ِنَّهُ كَانَ بِعِبَادِهِ خَبِيْرًا بَصِيرًا
﴿٦ ﴾ وَمَنْ يَّهُدِ اللّهُ فَهُوَ الْمُهْتَدِ وَمَنْ يُضْلِلُ فَلَنْ تَجِدَ لَهُمُ أَوْ لِيَآءَ
مِنُ دُونِهٍ ﴿ وَنَحْشُرُهُمُ يَوْمَ الْقِيْمَةِ عَلَى وُجُوهِهِمْ عُمْيًّا وَبُّكُمًا
وَصُمَّاء مَأُوْنَهُمُ جَهَنَّمُ كُلَّمَا خَبَتُ زِدْتُهُمُ سَعِيْرًا ﴿٩٧﴾ ذلِكَ
جَزَاؤُهُمْ بِأَنَّهُمُ كَفَرُوا بِأَنْتِنَا وَقَالُوَّاءَ إِذَا كُنَّا عِظَامًا وَّرُفَاتَاءَ إِنَّا
لَمَبُعُوْتُوُنَ خَلُقًا حَدِيدًا ﴿٩٨﴾ آَوَلَمُ يَرَوْا أَنَّ اللّهَ الَّذِىُ خَلَقَ السَّمُوتِ
وَالْأَرْضَ قَادِرٌ عَلَىّ أَنْ يَّخُلُقَ مِثْلَهُمُ وَجَعَلَ لَهُمْ أَجَلاً لأَرَيْبَ فِيْهِ *
قَابَى الظُّلِمُونَ إِلاَّ كُفُورًا ﴿١٩) قُلُ لَّوُ أَنْتُمْ تَمْلِكُونَ خَزَابِنَ رَحُمَةٍ
رَبِّىَّ إِذَّا لََّمُسَكْتُمُ خَشْيَةَ الْإِنْفَاقِ ، وَكَانَ الْإِنْسَانُ قَتُورًا (١٢)