Indexed OCR Text

456
Sūrah Bani Isra'il : 17 : 1
(3) Sayyidna 'Abdullah ibn Mas'ud,
(4) Sayyidna Abu Dharr al-Ghifari,
(5) Sayyidnā Malik ibn Şa'şa'ah,
(6) Sayyidna Abu Hurairah,
(7) Sayyidna Abu Sa'id al-Khudri,
(8) Sayyidnā 'Abdullah ibn 'Abbas,
(9) Sayyidna Shaddad ibn Aws,
(10) Sayyidnā Ubaiyy ibn Ka'b,
(11) Sayyidna 'Abd ar-Rahman ibn al-Quraz,
(12) Sayyidnā Abu Hayyah (4xl),
(13) Sayyidnā Abu Laila,
(14) Sayyidna 'Abdullah ibn 'Umar,
(15) Sayyidna Jabir ibn 'Abdullah,
(16) Sayyidnā Hudhayfah ibn Yaman,
(17) Sayyidna Buraidah,
(18) Sayyidnā Abu Ayyub al-Anşarī,
(19) Sayyidna Abu 'Umamah,
(20) Sayyidnā Samurah ibn Jundub,
(21) Sayyidnā Abu al-Hamra',
(22) Sayyidnā Şuhayb al-Rumi,
(23) Sayyidah Umm Hanī',
(24) Umm al-Mu'minin Sayyidah 'A'ishah,
(25) Sayyidah Asma' bint Abi Bakr, ........ After that, Ibn Kathir said:
فَحَدِيث الاسراءِ اجمع عليه المسلمون واعرض عنه الزنا دقة والملحدون (ابن كثير)
As for the Hadith of al-Isra', there is a consensus of all Muslim
on it. Only heretics and atheists have denied it. (Ibn Kathir)
A brief account of Mi'raj - as reported by Ibn Kathir
After having explained the present verse in his Tafsir along with a
detailed background of relevant Ahadith, Imam Ibn Kathir has said: The
truth of the matter is that the journey of Isra' came to pass when the
Holy Prophet
was awake, not dreaming. From Makkah
al-Mukarramah to Baitulmaqdis, the journey was covered on buraq (a
special heavenly horse to ride). When he reached the gate of
Baitulmaqdis, he tied the buraq close to the gate, entered the Masjid of
Baitulmaqdis and offered two rakat of Tahiyyatul-masjid (prayer in
honor of the Mosque) facing its orientation. After that, a staircase was

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Sūrah Bani Isra'il : 17 : 1
brought which had steps to go up from below. Through this staircase, he
went to the first heaven. After that, he went to the rest of the heavens.
[Only Allah knows the reality of this staircase - what it was and how did
it work and things like that. In our day too, many kinds of stairs are in
use. There are stairs that escalate automatically and there are elevators
that take one up. Therefore, falling into any doubt or suspicion about
this miraculous staircase is not right.] On every heaven, the resident
angels greeted him and on every heaven, he met blessed prophets who
were stationed on a particular heaven, such as, Sayyidna Musa Sal on
the sixth heaven, and Sayyidna Ibrahim Khalilullah Seal on the seventh
heaven. After that, he went beyond the stations of all these blessed
prophets and reached a plain where he could hear the sound of the pen
writing destinies. And he saw the Sidratul-muntaha, the Far Tree in
Jannah, on which moths in gold and variegated colors were falling from
above by the command of Allah and which was surrounded by angels of
Allah. And it was at this place that the Holy Prophet
saw Sayyidna
Jibra'il al-Amin in his real form with six hundred wings. And right
there, he saw a flag in green that had the horizon all covered up. And he
also saw al-Bayt al-Ma'mur (the well-attended House believed to be
located in Jannah exactly above the Baytullah in Makkah) sitting by
which was the founder of the Ka'bah, Sayyidna Ibrahim Sea with his
back reclining against its wall. Seventy thousand angels enter this Bayt
al-Ma'mur every day who shall be waiting for their turn to re-enter there
right through the day of Qiyamah. And the Holy Prophet Set
saw the
Jannah and the Jahannam with his own blessed eyes. At that time, first
came the command that his people were being obligated with fifty
prayers, then, these were reduced to five. This shows the importance
and merit of Salah as being the foremost out of all acts of 'Ibadah.
After that, he alighted back into Baytul-maqdis and, with him, so did
the blessed prophets he had met on different heavens (as if) they had
come to see him off as far as Baytul-maqdis. At that time, as it was time
for Salah, he offered the prayer with all prophets. It is also probable that
this Salah was the Salah of Fajr the same day. Ibn Kathir says that this
event concerning the prayer with prophets led by the Holy Prophet
1895
has come to pass, as held by some, before he went to the heavens. But,
as obvious, this event took place after the return because it has been re-

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Sūrah Bani Isra'il : 17 : 1
ported in the incident relating to his meeting with blessed prophets at
different heavens that it was Sayyidna Jibra'il who introduced him to all
prophets. Had this event relating to his leading the prayer passed earli-
er, no introduction was needed there - and, for that matter, it is obvious
enough that the real purpose of this journey was to visit with the heaven-
ly hosts. Doing that first appears to be more likely. Once he was done
with the real mission, all prophets came to say good bye to him up to
Baytul-maqdis and by making him the Imam of the prayer through a sig-
nal from Sayyidna Jibra'il, his precedence over others was demonstrated
practically.
After that, he departed from Baytul-maqdis riding burdq and
والله سبحانه تعالى أعلم .reached Makkah al-Mu azzamah while it was still dark
(And Allah, the Pure and the High, knows best).
The testimony of a non-Muslim about the event of Mi'raj
It appears in Tafsir ibn Kathir that Hafiz Abu Nu'aym al-Işbahani,
in his book, Dala'il al-Nubuwwah, has reported a narrative from
Muhammad ibn Ka'b al-Qurazi on the authority of Muhammad ibn 'Amr
al-Waqidi* giving details of the event as follows:
The Holy Prophet
sent Sayyidna Dihyah ibn Khalifah ase
with a
blessed letter from him to the Roman Emperor, Caesar. After that, he
has given a detailed account of how Sayyidna Dihyah reached the
Emperor, delivered the letter, and how intelligent he was in his mission
(an event present in the Şahin of al-Bukhari as well as in all
trustworthy books of Hadith). Towards the end of it, it has been reported
that Hiraql, the Roman Emperor, once he had read the blessed letter,
ordered that all Arab traders who were visiting the country at that time
should be assembled together. He wanted to investigate into the
background of the Holy Prophet . The royal order was carried out. Abu
Sufyan ibn Harb and those with him visiting Syria at that time with
their famous trade caravan were presented before the Emperor. Details
of the questions asked by the Emperor are present in the Sahih of
al-Bukhari and Muslim, as well as elsewhere. Abu Sufyan was really
The Scholars of Hadith say that Al-Waqidi is weak in Hadith narrations but a cau-
tious Muhaddith like Imam Ibn Kathir has reported his narration for the reason
that this matter is not connected with 'Aqa'id or Halal and Haram and in such his-
torical matters his narration is trustworthy - Muhammad Shafi'

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Sūrah Bani Isra'il : 17 : 1
eager to use this occasion to say things about the Holy Prophet :
which
show his insignificance. But, says Abu Sufyan : Nothing stopped me
from doing that except that I may slip and say something which turns
out to be a lie and I stand disgraced in the eyes of the Emperor and my
own comrades keep taunting me for being a liar. Certainly, then it
occurred to me that I should relate the event of Mi'raj before him. The
Emperor would himself conclude from it that it was a lie. So, I said: I
shall describe before you what he claims to have happened to him
regarding which you will yourself realize that it was a lie. Hiraql asked:
What event is that? Abu Sufyan said: This claimant of prophet-hood
says that, one night, he left Makkah al-Mukarramah, reached this
Masjid Baytul-maqdis of yours and, then, within that night, before
dawn, he returned to us in Makkah al-Mukarramah!
At that time, the leading scholar of Elia' (Baytul-maqdis) was stand-
ing close to Hiraql, the Roman Emperor. He disclosed that he knew that
night. The Emperor turned to him and inquired as to how did he come to
know about it. He submitted that, as a matter of habit, he would not
sleep at night until he had closed all gates of Baytul-maqdis. That night
he habitually closed all gates but one which would not close despite his
effort. He summoned his staff. They all tried but they too failed to close
it. The panels of the gate remained simply unmoved from their place. It
seemed as if they were trying to move some mountain. Rendered help-
less, he called technicians and carpenters. They looked at the gate and
decided that the weight of the building has come to rest on the panels of
the gate. There was no way it could be closed before morning. When
morning comes, they said, they will see how this could be fixed. Non-
plussed, he returned leaving both panels of the gate ajar. As soon as it
was morning, he came back to the gate where he noticed that someone
had made a hole in the rock close to the gate of the Masjid which gave
the impression that some animal was tied down there. At that time he
had told his colleagues: Perhaps, Allah Ta'ala has caused this gate not to
close today because some prophet was to come here. And then, he also
stated that this blessed prophet has also offered his prayer in this Mas-
jid of ours. Thereafter, he has described further details. (Ibn Kathir, p. 24,
v. 3)
The date of the event of al-'Isra' and Mi'raj
Imam al-Qurțubi has said in his Tafsir that the narratives of Hadith

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Surah Bani Isra'il : 17 : 1
regarding the date of Mi'raj are quite different. According to Musa ibn
'Uqbah, this event came to pass six month before the Hijrah to Madinah.
Sayyidah 'A'ishah Que d + says that Umm al-Mu'minin Sayyidah
Khadijah رضى الله عنها had passed away before the injunction making Salah
a Fard (obligation) was revealed. Imam Zuhri says that the event of the
sad demise of Sayyidah Khadijah Le Ul >, took place seven years after
the call to the mission of prophet-hood.
According to some Hadith narratives, the event of Mi'raj happened
five years after the call to prophet-hood. Ibn Ishaq says that the event of
Mi'raj took place at a time when Islam had spread throughout the tribes
of Arabia generally. The outcome of all these narratives is that the event
of Mi'raj dates back to several years before the Hijrah to Madinah.
Al-Harbi says that the event of al-'Isra' and Mi'raj has happened dur-
ing the night of the 27th of Rabi' ath-Thani, one year before Hijrah and
Ibn al-Qasim adh-Dhahabi says that it took place eighteen months after
the call to prophet-hood. Esteemed Muhaddithin (Hadith scholars) who
have mentioned these different narratives have not followed it up with
any decisive statement. And as commonly known, the 27th night of the
month of Rajab is the Night of Miraj. والله سبحانه وتعالى أعلم (And Allah, the
Pure and the High, knows best).
Al-Masjid al-Haram and al-Masjid al-Aqsa
Sayyidna Abu Dharr al-Ghifari 4ge says that he asked the Holy
Prophet : 'Which Masjid of this world comes first?' He said, 'Al-Masjid
al-Haram.' Then he inquired, 'Which one after that?' He said, 'Al-Masjid
al-Aqsa.' Then he tried to find out the intervening time difference
between the two whereupon he said, 'Forty years.' After that, he added,
'(as for the order of these masajid, this is it) but, Allah Ta'ala has made
the entire Earth a masjid for us. Wherever comes the time of Salah, offer
it right there.' (Reported by Muslim)
Early Tafsir authority, Mujahid says that Allah Ta'ala has made the
site of Baytullah two thousand years before He made the entire Earth
and that its foundations reach as far down as the seventh (strata of)
Earth and that al-Masjid al-Aqsa was made by Sayyidna Sulayman
Sal. (Reported by an-Nasa'i with sound chains of authority from Sayyid-
na 'Abdullah ibn 'Umar) (Tafsir al-Qurțubi, p. 137, v. 4)

461
Surah Bani Isra'll : 17 : 2 - 3
And al-Masjid al-Haram is the name of the Mosque that stands
around the Baytullah ash-Sharif while, on occasions, the entire Haram
is also identified as al-Masjid al-Haram. In terms of this second sense,
the dichotomy of those two reports - some hold that the Holy Prophet;
left for the nocturnal journey, al-'Isra', from the home of Sayyidah Umm
Hani' رضى الله عنها while others say that he departed from the section of
Baytullah known as Hatim - stands removed. If we were to take al-Mas-
jid al-Haram in its general sense, it is not far out to believe that he may
have been there in the home of Sayyidah Umm Hani' Que d >, first,
then he walked over to the Hatim of Ka'bah and then began the journey
of al-'Isra' from there. Allah knows best.
Al-Masjid al-Aqsa and blessings of the Syrian environs
The word: حَول (hawl: environs) in the verse: بركْنَا حَوُلَه (the environs of
which We have blessed) means the entire land of Syria. It appears in a
Hadith that Allah Ta'ala has made the land from the 'Arsh (Divine
Throne) to the river, Euphrates and, out of this, He has bestowed partic-
ular holiness on the land of Palestine. (Ruh al-Ma'ani)
The blessings it has are both religious and worldly. As for religious
blessings, it has been the Qiblah of all past prophets, and their home,
and the last resting place. And that its land is green, lush and verdant
with streams, rivers and fruit farms etc. shows its worldly blessings.
Sayyidna Mu'adh ibn Jabal
reports that the Holy Prophet
said: Allah Ta'ala says: O land of Syria, thou art My region chosen from
many and I shall make My chosen servants reach thee. (Qurtubi) And it
appears in a Hadith of the Musnad of Ahmad that the Imposter will tra-
verse the whole Earth but he will not be granted access to four Mosques:
(1) Masjid of Madinah, (2) Masjid of Makkah al-Mukarramah, (3)
Al-Masjid al-Aqsa and (4) Masjid Țur.
Verses 2 - 3
وَأَتَيْنَا مُوسَى الْكِتْبَ وَجَعَلُنْهُ هُدَّى لِبَنِىِّ ◌ِسُرَآءِيُلَ آَلاَّ تَتَّخِذُوا
مِنُ دُوْنِىُ وَكِيْلاً ﴿) ذُرِيَّةَ مَنْ حَمَلْنَا مَعَ نُوْحٍ ﴿ إِنَّهَ كَانَ عَبْدًا
شَكُوُرًا ﴿٣﴾

462
Surah Bani Isra'll : 17 : 4 - 8
And We gave Musa the Book and made it guidance for
the children of Isra'il (with the command) "Do not take
anyone other than Me as guardian, [2] O descendants of
those whom We put on board with Nuh. Surely, He was a
very grateful servant." [3]
Verses 4 - 8
وَقَضَيْنَآ إِلَى بَنِىّ اِسُرَآءِيُلَ فِى الْكِتْبِ لَتُفُسِدُنَّ فِى الْأَرْضِ مَرَّتَيْنِ
وَلَتَعُلُنَّ عُلُوًّا كَبِيْرًا ﴿٤﴾ فَإِذَا جَآءَ وَعُدُ أُوْلِمُهُمَا بَعَثْنَا عَلَيْكُمُ عِبَادًا لَّنَآ
أُولِىُ بَأْس شَدِيْدٍ فَجَاسُوْاْ خِلْلَ الدِّيَارِ * وَكَانَ وَعُدًّا مَّفْعُوْلاً ﴿٠﴾ ثُمَّ
رَدَدْنَا لَكُمُ الْكَرَّةَ عَلَيْهِمْ وَأَمُدَدْنَكُمْ بِأَمُوَالِ وَّيِنِينَ وَجَعَلْنَكُمْ أَكْثَرَ
نَفِيُرًا ﴿٢﴾ إِنُ أَحْسَنْتُمُ اَحُسَنْتُمُ لِاَ نُفُسِكُمُ ◌َ وَإِنُ أَسَأْتُمُ فَلَهَا ﴿ فَإِذَا
جَآءَ وَعُدُ الْأُخِرَةِ لِيَسُؤَّءَ اوُ جُوهَكُمْ وَلِيَدُخُلُوا الْمَسْجِدَ كَمَا
دَخَلُوُهُ أَوَّلَ مَرَّةٍ وَّيْتَّرُوْا مَا عَلَوْا تَتْبِيُرًا ﴿٢﴾ عَسىْ رَبُّكُمْ أَنْ
يَّرُ حَمَكُمُ وَإِنُ عُدُّمُ عُدْنَا، وَ جَعَلْنَا جَهَنَّمَ لِلْكُفِرِيْنَ حَصِيرًا ﴿1﴾
And, in the Book, We declared to the children of Isra'il:
"You will surely spread disorder on the earth twice, and
you will surely show arrogance, a great arrogance. [4]
So, when came the time appointed for the first of the
two, We sent upon you some servants belonging to us
having strong aggressive power, who combed through
the houses. And it was a promise bound to be fulfilled.
[5] Then We gave you your turn to overpower them, and
increased your strength with wealth and sons, and
made you greater in number. [6] If you do good, you will
do it for yourselves, and if you do evil, it will be for you,
too. Later, when came the time appointed for the sec-
ond, (We sent others) so that they spoil your faces, and
so that they enter into the Mosque as the former ones
had entered it the first time and destroy what they over-
power, totally. [7]
May be your Lord would bestow mercy upon you. And if
you do this again, We shall do that again. And We have
made Jahannam a prison for the disbelievers. [8]

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Surah Bani Isra'il : 17 : 4 - 8
Sequence of Verses
Verses 2 and 3 featuring the statement: ◌َجَعَلْتُه هُدَّى لِبَنِيّ اِسُرَاءِيُل (We made
it guidance for the children of Bani Isra'il) exhorted the Bani Isra'il to fol-
low and obey the Divine Law. The verses that follow warn and admonish
them on their disobedience. These verses mention two events relating to
the Bani Isra'il so that they serve as a lesson. Tuned to sin and disobedi-
ence, first they increased the tempo of their hostility. Allah Ta'ala set
their enemies upon them. They shook them up. The Jews got the mes-
sage, cut down on their mischief and gave the impression of having been
corrected. But, soon after, the same lust for mischief and misdeeds over-
took them. So then, Allah Ta'ala had them punished at the hands of
their enemies. The Qur'an mentions two events while history carries six
like these:
1. The first event came to pass some time after the demise of
Sayyidna Sulayman Sell, the founder of Al-Masjid al-Aqsa, when the
ruler of Baytul-maqdis became irreligious and corrupt. The ruler of
Egypt attacked him and took away the gold and silver of Baytul-maqdis.
But, he did not demolish the city and the Masjid.
2. The second event relates to the period nearly four hundred years
after that. Some Jews settled in Baytul-maqdis started idol-worship
while the rest began disputing among themselves. This ill omen
prompted another ruler of Egypt to attack them which somewhat af-
fected the city and the Masjid both. After that, their condition took a
turn for the better.
3. The third event came to pass after some years when Nebuchadnez-
zar, the King of Babylon ransacked Baytul-maqdis. He conquered the
city, looted property and took back a lot of people as prisoners of war.
When he left, he had a member of the family of the former king ap-
pointed a ruler of the city as his deputy.
4. When this new king, who worshipped idols and was corrupt, re-
belled against Nebuchadnezzar, he returned, killed people, destroyed
property en masse and burned the city razing it to rubbles. This hap-
pened nearly four hundred and fifteen years after the construction of the
Masjid. After that, the Jews went out as exiles to Babylon where they
lived in disgrace for seventy years. After that, the King of Iran attacked

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Surah Bani Isra'il : 17 : 4 - 8
the King of Babylon and conquered it. Then the King of Iran showed
mercy to the Jewish expatriates and ordered that they should be sent
back to Syria along with things looted from them. Now the Jews had re-
pented having forsaken their habitual sins and misdeeds. When they re-
settled there, they restored the original structure of Al-Masjid al-Aqsa
with the support of the King of Iran.
5. Then came the fifth event. When the Jews had peace and prosper-
ity once again, the first thing they forgot was their past. They returned
to the kind of evil deeds they were used to. Then, it so happened that,
one hundred and seventy years before the birth of Sayyidna 'Isa Seal,
the king who had founded Antakiah (Antioch) attacked, killed forty thou-
sand Jews and took with him another forty thousand as prisoners and
slaves, even desecrated the Masjid though its structure remained safe.
But, later, the successors of that king rendered the city and the Masjid
totally denuded. Soon after this, Baytul-maqdis came under the author-
ity of Roman kings. They put the Masjid back into shape and it was after
eight years that Sayyidna 'Isa &al was born.
6. Forty years after the physical ascension of Sayyidna 'Isa Seal, the
Jews chose to rebel against their Roman rulers. The Romans destroyed
the city and the Masjid once again relegating it to what it was. The king
at that time was called Titus who was neither Jewish nor Christian be-
cause long after him Constantine I was a Christian. From that time to
the time of Sayyidna 'Umar 4ee, this Masjid lay desolate until he had it
reconstructed. These six events have been reported in Tafsir Bayan
al-Qur'an with reference to Tafsir Haqqani.
Now, it is difficult to precisely determine as to which two out of those
mentioned above are the two events mentioned by the Holy Qur'an. But,
as obvious, the events that are major and serious among these, in which
the Jews were far too wicked and more seriously punished too, should be
taken as the likely ones. The fourth and the sixth event seem to be fit for
such application. At this point, a lengthy Hadith narrated by Sayyidna
Hudhayfah , with its chains of authority ascending to the Holy Proph-
et 4%, has been reported in Tafsir al-Qurtubi. It also helps in determin-
ing that these two events mean the fourth and the sixth event. The
translation of this lengthy Hadith is given below:

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Surah Bani Isra'il : 17 : 4 - 8
Sayyidna Hudhayfah4
says that he asked the Holy Prophet 2% if
Baytul-maqdis was a great Masjid in the sight of Allah. He said that it
was the most distinct house of Worship in the world, the greatest of all
houses, which Allah Ta'ala made for Sulayman, the son of Dawud, peace
be on both, with gold, silver and precious stones like ruby and emerald.
The manner in which this happened was, when Sulayman all started
its construction, Allah Ta'ala made the Jinn subservient to him. The
Jinn collected this gold, silver and precious stones and used them in the
making of the Masjid. Sayyidna Hudhayfah 4ee says that he, then, asked
as to where and how did all that gold, silver and precious stones go out
of Baytul-maqdis? The Holy Prophet
said: When the Bani Isra'il dis-
obeyed Allah Ta'ala, got involved in sins and misdeeds and killed their
noble prophets, Allah Ta'ala set King Nebuchadnezzar on them. He was
a fire-worshipper who ruled Baytul-maqdis for seven hundred years.
And when the Qur'an says : ◌ٍفَإِذَا جَاءَ وَعُدُ أُوْلْمُهُمَا بَعَثْنَا عَلَيْكُمُ عِبَادًا لَّنَّا أُولِىُ بَأْس شَدِيد (So,
when came the time appointed for the first of the two, We sent upon you
some servants belonging to Us having strong aggressive power - 17:5), it
means this event. The army of Nebuchadnezzar entered the Masjid of
al-Quds, killed men, took women and children prisoners and carried
away with him all gold, silver and everything of value belonging to Bay-
tul-maqdis loaded on one hundred and seventy thousand vehicles. He
kept the treasure in his country, Babylon and kept the children of Isra'il
as his serfs and slaves for a hundred years making them do hard labor
in utter disgrace.
Then Allah Ta'ala made a king from among the kings of Persia to
stand up against him. He conquered Babylon, freed the remnants of
Bani Isra'il from the bondage of Nebuchadnezzar and made arrange-
ments to have all valuables he had brought from Baytul-maqdis re-
turned back to it. Then he sternly told the Bani Isra'il that should they,
in future, return to disobedience and sin, he too will return the punish-
ment of killing and prison back on them. This is what the verse of the
Quran : عَسى رَبُّكُمُ اَنُ يَّرُحَمَكُمُ وَإِنُ عُدُتُّمُ عُدُّنَا (May be your Lord would bestow
mercy upon you. And if you do this again, We shall do that again - 17:8)
means.
· Later, when the Bani Isra'il had come back to Baytul-maqdis (with
lost wealth and property in their possession), they went back to the life

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Sūrah Bani Isra'il : 17 : 4 - 8
of sins and misdeeds. At that time, Allah Ta'ala set the Roman Emperor,
Caesar upon them. This is what the verse: ◌ْفَإِذَا جَاءَ وَعُدُ الأَخِرَةِ لِيَسُوُءُ وُجُوهَكُم (Lat-
er, when came the time appointed for the second, [We sent others] so
that they spoil your faces - 17:7) means. The Roman Emperor launched a
two-pronged attack, from the land and the sea. He killed many and
many were those he took prisoners. Then he had all this wealth of Bay-
tul-maqdis loaded on one hundred and seventy thousand vehicles and
took it home. There he had it deposited in the Temple of Gold. This
wealth is still there, and there it will remain until comes the Mahdi who
would bring these back to Baytul-maqdis on one hundred and seventy
thousand boats and it will be at this place that Allah Ta'ala will assem-
ble everyone, former and later. (Lengthy Hadith as reported by al-Qurțubi in his
Tafsir)
It appears in Bayan al-Qur'an, that the two events mentioned in the
Qur'an refer to the disobedience of two Divine Codes of Law, first the dis-
obedience to the Code brought by Sayyidna Musa Meel and, then, after
the advent of Sayyidna Isa el, the disobedience to the Code brought
by him. Thus, all events described above can be considered as relevant to
the first disobedience. Now that we have gone through the details of the
events, we can turn to the explanation of the verses cited above.
Commentary
The outcome of the events mentioned above is that Allah Ta'ala had
decreed that the Bani Isra'il will be successful, having the best of both
worlds, the material and the spiritual, as long as they continue to obey
Allah. But, whenever they deviate from the dictates of Faith, they shall
be put to disgrace, and that they would be subjected to punishment at
the hands of enemies and disbelievers. Then, not only that the enemies
will run over them destroying their lives and properties, but it would
also happen that their Qiblah, their sacred Baytul-maqdis, will also not
remain safe against the onslaught of that enemy. Their disbelieving
enemies will barge into the Mosque of Baytul-maqdis and defile and
damage it. This too will be a part of the punishment of Bani Isra'il
themselves. The Holy Qur'an has told us about two events relating to
them. The first one dates back to the time of Mosaic religious law while
the second pertains to the Christian. During both these periods, the
Bani Isra'il rebelled against the divine law of the time. In the first case,
a disbelieving Magian monarch was made to sit over them, and

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Surah Bani Isra'il : 17 : 4 - 8
Baytul-maqdis, who brought great destruction upon them. In the second
case, a Roman emperor was set against them who killed and pillaged
and made Baytul-maqdis all demolished and rendered desolate. And
along with this description, it has also been mentioned that the Bani
Isra'il - when, on both occasions, they repented from their misdeeds
resolving not to go near them again - Allah Ta'ala reinstated their
country, wealth and children.
After having mentioned these two events, Allah Ta'ala declared His
Law in such matters by saying: u or, (If you do this again, We shall
do that again - 8). This law which means - 'if you return to disobedience
and contumacy, We shall, once again, make a similar penalty and pun-
ishment zoom back upon you' - has been declared as valid right through
the last day of Qiyamah. That its addressees were the people of Bani
184
Isra'il who were present during the blessed time of the Holy Prophet
serves as a reminder to them. It is being pointed out to them that they
should not forget that they were seized by divine punishment twice
when they had first opposed the code of Sayyidna Musa, and then the
code of Sayyidna 'Isa. Now this was the period of the Code of laws
brought by the Holy Prophet . This was a period that will continue up
to the Last Day. Let them, therefore, realize that the fate of those who
chose to be hostile to it will turn out to be no different. Consequently,
this was actually happened. These people became hostile to Islam and
the religious code of laws brought by the Holy Prophet
When they
did that, they were expelled and disgraced at the hands of Muslims, and
finally Baytul-maqdis, their Qiblah, too came under Muslim control.
However, the only difference was that their past conquering kings had
treated them disgracefully and had desecrated their Qiblah too. Now
when Muslims took over Baytul-maqdis, they reconstructed the great
Mosque of al-Quds ash-Sharif which was lying demolished and desolate
for centuries and thereby reinstated the honor and reverence of the Qi-
blah of prophets.
The events of Bani Isra'il are a lesson for Muslims and what has
happened to Baytul-maqdis in our time is a part of the same
chain
Obviously, the purpose of narrating these events relating to the Bani
Isra'il in the Qur'an and making Muslims listen to them is to let Mus-

468
Sūrah Bani Isra'il : 17 : 4 - 8
lims understand that they are no exceptions to this divine law. Be it this
mortal world or the eternal universe of their Faith, their honor and as-
cendancy, possessions and wealth are inseparably tied with obedience to
Allah. Whenever they veer away from their obedience to Allah and the
Holy Prophet , their enemies and disbelieving tyrants of all sorts shall
be empowered to prevail over them. When this happens, the desecration
of their places of worship will also not remain too far.
The calamity of the Jewish usurpation of Baytul-maqdis in our time
and the added sacrilege of setting fire to it has thrown the world of Islam
into acute anxiety. In reality, it is confirming the Qur'an. Muslims forgot
Allah and His Rasul, ignored the life waiting for them in the Hereafter
and opted to scrounge for their share in the glamour and grandeur of the
mortal world. When they became aliens to the dictates of the Qur'an,
and Sunnah, the same divine law stood activated before them. A few
hundred thousand Jews overcame them. They also inflicted the loss of
life and property on them. Worse still is the fate of one of the three great-
est mosques of the world according to the religious law of Islam, a
mosque that has the distinction of being the Qiblah of all prophets. It
was snatched from them and those who took it over had a track record of
being the most disgraced people in this world, that is, the Jews. In addi-
tion to that, it is common observation that these people stand nowhere
close to Muslims in terms of their numbers, nor do they have some signif-
icant superiority over the current collective Muslim holdings of war mate-
rials. This also tells us that this event does not really give Jews any
niche of honor in the annals of world nations. However, it does provide
punishment for Muslims in return for their disobedience. It clearly
shows that everything that came to pass came as the punishment of our
own misdeeds. And it also shows that there is no remedy for it except
that we should feel ashamed of our misdeeds, make a genuine taubah
(repentance), start obeying the commandments of Allah, become true
Muslims and shun the great sins of imitating and trusting others. If we
were to do just that, insha'Allah, true to the Divine promise, Baytul-maq-
dis and Palestine shall return to us. But, it is regrettable that the pre-
sent-day Arab rulers and common Muslims living in Arab lands have yet
to be alerted to that reality. They are still relying on foreign assistance
while making plans of taking Baytul-maqdis back, something that does

469
Surah Bani Isra'il : 17 : 4 - 8
not appear to be probable, at least outwardly. Where else shall we lodge
our plaint but Allah!
The only weapon system and military hardware with which
Baytul-maqdis and Palestine can return to Muslim hands are still there
waiting to be picked up - Return to Allah, genuinely and passionately.
Have certitude of Akhirah. Obey the injunctions of the Shari'ah. Stay
away from imitating and trusting others in our social and political goals.
Finally, let us place our trust in Allah and wage a purely Islamic Jihad
as enjoined by the Shari'ah. May Allah Ta'ala give our Arab rulers and
other Muslims the ability to answer the challenge effectively.
A strange coincidence
Allah Ta'ala has made two places on this Earth to serve as the Qi-
blah or orientation for those who worship Him, the Baytul-maqdis and
the Baytullah. But, the divine law relating to each of them is different.
That Baytullah shall be protected and that disbelievers shall never take
it over is a security concern that Allah Ta'ala has taken it upon Himself.
The Event of the Elephant mentioned in Surah al-Fil (105) of the Holy
Qur'an came as its result. When the Christian king of Yaman (Abrahah
al-Ashram) invaded Baytullah, Allah Ta'ala destroyed him and his army
along with the contingent of elephants he had brought, through birds,
much before he could reach Baytullah.
But, this law does not apply in the case of Baytul-maqdis. Instead, as
the verses cited above tell us, when Muslims go astray and start indulg-
ing in disobedience and sin, this Qiblah will be snatched away from
them and it will pass into the control of disbelievers.
Disbelievers too are the servants of Allah, but not among the
accepted ones
About the first event (5), the Holy Qur'an said: When the people of
Faith start letting them be seduced to discord, sin, disobedience and dis-
order, Allah Ta'ala shall set upon them such servants of His as would
break into their homes killing and plundering. At this place, the Qur'an
has used the expression: " bus ('ibadal-lana: Some servants belonging tu
Us) and not: tous ('ibadana: Our servants) - even though it was brief.
There is wisdom behind it. Is it not that the attribution of a servant to
Allah is, for him, the greatest conceivable honor? This is similar to what

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Surah Bani Isra'il : 17 : 9 - 11
we have explained at the beginning of this very Surah under our com-
ments on the first verse: " } (asra' bi'abdihl: made His servant
travel at night). There it was said that certainly great was the honor and
nearness the Holy Prophet was blessed with during the night of the
Mi'raj. But, when the Qur'an describes this event, it does not mention ei-
ther his blessed name or some attribute. It simply said: " ('abdihi: His
servant). This tells us that the ultimate perfection a human person can
have, and the highest station he can occupy, is that Allah Ta'ala chooses
to cherish a servant by calling him 'His' servant. In the verse under refer-
ence, the people who meted out the punishment to the Bani Isra'il were
kafirs, or disbelievers after all. Therefore, instead of calling them: Úsle
(Our servants), Allah Ta'ala has broken the element of attribution and
connection and said: Ubu- (some servants belonging to Us). Thus, a hint
has been given here that all human beings are nothing but servants of
Allah as created, but because of the absence of 'Iman or faith, they are
not the kind of accepted servants who could be attributed directly to
Allah Ta'ala.
Verses 9 - 11
إِنَّ هُذَا الْقُرَانَ يَهُدِىُ لِلَّتِىُّ هِىَ آَقُوَمُ وَيُبَشِرُ الْمُؤْمِنِيْنَ الَّذِيْنَ يَعُمَلُونَ
الصُّلِحْتِ أَنَّ لَهُمْ أَجُرًا كَبِيرًا ﴿﴾ وَأَنَّ الَّذِيْنَ لاَيُؤْمِنُونَ بِالْأَخِرَةِ
أَعْتَدْنَا لَهُمُ عَذَابًا آَلِيمًا (٣)﴾ وَيَدُعُ الْإِنْسَانُ بِالشَّرِّدُعَاءَهُ بِالْخَيْرِ،
وَكَانَ الْإِنْسَانُ عَجُوُلاً ﴿١١﴾
Surely, this Qur'an guides to the way which is most up-
right and gives the believers who do good deeds the
glad tidings that there is a great reward for them, [9]
and that for those who do not believe in the Hereafter,
We have prepared a painful punishment. [10]
Man invites evil as he would invite good, and man is
prone to haste. [11]
Sequence
At the beginning of the Surah, the majesty of the prophet-hood of the
Messenger of Allah was described through the miracle of al-Mi'raj. The
present verses cite the miracle of Qur'an as its confirmation.

471
Surah Bani Isra'il : 17 : 9 - 11
Commentary
The most upright way
The way to which the Qur'an guides has been called 'aqwam,' the
most upright. 'Aqwam' can be explained by saying that it is a way that is
closer to the destination, is easy and free of dangers at the same time.
(Qurtubi) This tells us that the rules set for human life by the Holy
Qur'an are a combination of all three features mentioned above. Howev-
er, it is a different matter that man may start taking this way to be diffi-
cult or dangerous on occasions because of his own lack of comprehension.
But, the Lord of all the worlds has the most comprehensive knowledge of
every single particle in the entire universe. Before Him, the past and the
future are the same. It is He who can have the knowledge of the reality
as to the function and form most beneficial for human beings. And since
man is unaware of things as they are in a comprehensive setting, he can-
not identify even his own good or bad fully and decisively.
Perhaps, it is based on this congruity that it was said in verse 11 that
man would, on occasions, pray for something in a haste, something that
spells out destruction for him. If Allah Ta'ala were to answer such a
prayer, he would be ruined. But, Allah Ta'ala does not answer such pray-
ers instantly until man himself comes to realize that his prayer was
made in error and that it was fatal for him. Then, in the last sentence of
this very verse, a natural weakness of man has been mentioned in the
form of a standing rule - that man is, by nature, haste-prone. He keeps
his sight trained on passing profit and loss and falls short on foresight
and hindsight. He loves to go for the immediate gain and comfort, even if
it happens to be only a little. He would not bat an eye to prefer it to the
greater and more lasting gain and comfort. In short, this verse points
out to a natural weakness of human beings in general.
And some authorities in Tafsir have taken this verse to be related to
a particular event. The event they refer to concerns Nadr ibn Harith who
had made a prayer in the heat of his hostility to Islam saying:
اَللَّهُمَّ إِنْ كَانَ هُذَا هُو الْحَقَّ مِنُ عِنْدِكَ فَأَمْطِرُ عَلَيْنَا حِجَارَةً مِّنَ السَّمَآءِ أَوِ اقْتِنَا بِعَذَابٍ
آلِیُمِ
O Allah, if this [Islam] is the truth from You, then, rain down
on us rocks from the skies or send upon us some other painful

472
Surah Bani Isra'il : 17 : 12 - 15
punishment.
In that case, 'al-insan' of the text would be referring to those mentioned
above, or those like them.
Verses 12 - 15
وَجَعَلْنَا الَّيْلَ وَالنَّهَارَ ايَتَيْنٍ فَمَحَوْنَا أَيَّةَ الَّيْلِ وَجَعَلْنَاَ ايَةَ النَّهَارِ مُبْصِرَةً
لِتَبْتَغُوا فَضُلاً مِّن رَّكُمُ وَلِتَعْلَمُوْا عَدَدَ السِّنِيْنَ وَالْحِسَابَ ﴿ وَكُلَّ
شَىْءٍ فَصَّلْنْهُ تَفْصِيْلاً ﴿١٢﴾ وَكُلَّ إِنْسَانِ الْزَمُنْهُ طْثِرَهُ فِىُ عُنُقِهِ *
وَنُخُرِجُ لَهُ يَوْمَ الْقِيْمَةِ كِتْبًا يَّلْقُهُ مَنُشُورًا ﴿١٣﴾ اِقْرَأْ كِتْبَكَ كَفْى
بنَفُسِكَ الْيَوْمَ عَلَيْكَ حَسِيْبًا ﴿١٤) مَن اهْتَدِى فَإِنَّمَا يَهُتَدِىُ لِنَفُسِهِ »
وَمَنْ ضَلَّ فَإِنَّمَا يَضِلُّ عَلَيْهَا * وَلاَ تَزِرُوَازِرَةٌ وِزْرَ أُخْرِى ﴿ وَمَا كُنَّا
مُعَذِّبِيْنَ حَتّى نَبْعَثَ رَسُوْلاً ﴿١٥)
And We have made the night and the day two signs hav-
ing made the sign of night dark and the sign of day
bright, so that you may seek grace from your Lord, and
that you may know the number of the years and compu-
tation. And everything We have expounded in detail. [12]
And every human's (deeds determining his) fate We
have tied up to his neck, and We shall bring forth for
him, on the day of Resurrection, a book he will receive
wide open. [13] "Read your book. This day you yourself
are enough to take your own account." [14]
Whoever takes to right path does so for his own good,
and whoever goes astray does so to his own detriment.
And no bearer of burden shall bear the burden of anoth-
er. And it is not Our way to punish (anyone) unless We
send a Messenger. [15]
Commentary
In the verses cited above, first it was declared that the alternation of
night and day was a sign of the most perfect power of Allah Ta'ala. Then
it was said that there was great wisdom in the making of the night dark
and the day, bright. As for the wise consideration behind the making of

473
Sūrah Bani Isra'il : 17 : 12 - 15
the night dark, it was not mentioned at this place. It has, however, been
mentioned in other verses that the darkness of the night is appropriate
and conducive to sleep and rest. The divine arrangement is such that hu-
mans and animals go to sleep in the darkness of that very night. In fact,
the whole world sleeps simultaneously in harmony with its night. Had
different people been scheduled to sleep at different timings, the noises
made by those awake and those working at jobs would have turned the
sleep of the sleeping into a nightmare.
As for the day being bright, it has two elements of wisdom. Firstly,
one can earn his living in the light of the day and natural light is needed
for jobs, businesses and industries. Secondly, the alternation of night
and day helps one know the number of years, for instance, the comple-
tion of three hundred and sixty days tells us that a full year has gone by.
Similarly, other calculations are also related to the alternation of
night and day. If this variation of night and day were not there, it would
have been difficult to fix the wages of the wage earner, the employment
of the employee and the time duration of transactions.
The sense of the book of deeds tied to the neck
It means that one's book of deed stays with the doer no matter where
or in whatever condition one is. What he or she does continues to get re-
corded there. When death comes, the 'book' is closed and set aside safely.
After that, when comes the Last Day, the Day of Judgement, this book of
deeds will be placed in everyone's hand in order that he would himself
read it and also decide himself whether he is deserving of reward or de-
serving of punishment. It has been reported from Qatadah Jus dil ,
that it will be a day when even an illiterate person will be able to read
his book of deeds. On this occasion, al-Isbahani has reported on the au-
thority of Sayyidna Abu Umamah
e that the Holy Prophet
said: On
the day of Qiyamah, when the book of deeds belonging to people will be
given in their hand, someone will notice that some of his good deeds
were not recorded there. He will tell his Lord about the particular deeds
missing from there. His Lord will tell him that He had erased those
deeds for he used to speak ill of people on their backs. (Mazhari)
Allah does not punish unless He sends a Messenger:
A clarification
On the basis of this verse, some leading Muslim jurists rule that peo-

474
Sūrah Bani Isra'il : 17 : 16 - 17
ple to whom the call of any prophet or messenger did not reach will not
be subject to any punishment, despite their disbelief. There are other
leading jurists who hold that those who deny the Islamic beliefs that can
be understood through reason - such as, the existence of God and His
Oneness etc. - will be punished for their disbelief, even if no call from
any prophet or messenger has reached them. Of course, there will be no
punishment for usual acts of disobedience and sins without prior call
and transmission of the divine message by prophets. And there are still
others who interpret 'rasul' at this place (15) in a general sense, whether
he is a messenger or prophet, or whether it is the human reason itself -
for, that too, in a way, is a messenger of Allah after all.
There will be no punishment for the children of Mushriks
Commenting on the verse: 5;t, sy (And no bearer of burden shall
bear the burden of another - 15), it has been said in Tafsir Mazhari that
this verse proves that the children of Mushriks and disbelievers who die
before reaching adulthood will not be punished. The reason is that they
will not deserve to be punished on account of the denial and disbelief of
their parents. Sayings of leading jurists differ about this issue; its de-
tails are unnecessary here.
Verses 16 - 17
وَإِذَا أَرَدْنَآ أَنْ نُّهُلِكَ قَرْيَةً أَمَرُنَا مُتْرَفِيُهَا فَفَسَقُوا فِيُهَا فَحَقَّ عَلَيْهَا
الْقَوْلُ فَدَمَّرُنُهَا تَدُمِيْرًا ﴿٢﴾ وَكَمْ أَهْلَكُنَا مِنَ الْقُرُوْنِ مِنُ بَعُدِ نُوْحٍ*
وَكَفِى بِرَبِّكَ بِذُنُوُبِ عِبَادِهِ خَبِيرًا بَصِيْرًا ﴿١٧﴾
And when We intend to destroy a habitation, We com-
mand its affluent people (to do good), then they commit
sins therein, and thus the word (of punishment) be-
comes due against it (habitation) and We annihilate it to-
tally. [16]
And how many a generation We have destroyed after
Nuh! And enough is your Lord to know, (and) watch the
sins of His servants. [17]
Sequence
Previous verses said that it is the customary practice of Allah Ta'ala
that he does not send punishment upon a people until the command-

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Surah Bani Isra'il : 17 : 16 - 17
ments of Allah reach them through the blessed prophets which they still
refuse to obey. Given in the verses cited above is what happens on the
other side when the messages of Allah and His Messenger do reach a
people and they still show contumacy, then, a mass punishment is sent
over them.
Commentary
A doubt and its answer
A surface look at the expressions: Gs, Ts! (idha aradna: when We in-
tend) and, after that: Url (amarna: We command) in verse 12 could have
triggered the doubt that destroying those people was the divine purpose
from the very beginning. Therefore, they were first commanded to be-
lieve and obey through the prophets, then their indulgence in sin was
made to be the cause of punishment. All this came from none but Allah
Ta'ala. Is it not? If so, would these innocent people not be just about a
helpless and excusable lot? The answer is that Allah Ta'ala has given
man reason and choice and has determined the ways of reward and pun-
ishment. Now, if someone elects to do nothing but what brings punish-
ment, then, it is the customary practice of Allah that He would activate
the causes that bring the same punishment. Thus, the real cause of pun-
ishment they receive is nothing but their own resolve and determination
to remain on the side of disbelief and sin. Since this is no simple inten-
tion, therefore, they cannot be helpless and excusable.
Another Tafsir of this verse
The well known sense of the word: Úpl (amarna) is the same as
appears above, that is, 'We commanded.' But, the renditions or versions
(qira'at) of this word differ. In one rendition opted for by Abu 'Uthman
an-Nahdi, Abu Raja', Abu al-'Aliyah and Mujahid, this word has
appeared with a double sound on the letter mim. Rendered as: G
(ammarna), it means 'We made affluent people leaders and rulers, who
then sank in sin, and thus became the cause of punishment for the
whole people.'
There is a qird'ah (rendition or version) of this word credited to Sayy-
idna 'Ali and Ibn 'Abbas
where it has been recited as: Url (aamarna)
and which has also been explained by them as having the sense of: 021
(aktharna: We increase the number of). Thus it comes to mean: 'When