بِسۡمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ
Al-Isra 17:2
The Night Journey · Juz 15 · Page 282
وَءَاتَيۡنَا مُوسَى ٱلۡكِتَٰبَ وَجَعَلۡنَٰهُ هُدٗى لِّبَنِيٓ إِسۡرَٰٓءِيلَ أَلَّا تَتَّخِذُواْ مِن دُونِي وَكِيلٗا ٢
And We gave Moses the Scripture and made it a guidance for the Children of Israel that you not take other than Me as Disposer of affairs,1
1 translator’s note
- i.e., trust in Allāh, knowing that He (subḥānahu wa taʿālā) is responsible for every occurrence. ↩
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Commentary on 17:2–3
Musa and how He was given the Tawrah
When Allah mentions how He took His servant Muhammad ﷺ, on the Journey by Night, He follows it by mentioning Musa, His servant and Messenger who also spoke with Him. Allah often mentions Muhammad ﷺ and Musa (AH.) together, may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon them both, and he mentions the Tawrah and the Qur'an together. So after mentioning the Isra', He says:
وَءَاتَيْنَآ مُوسَى الْكِتَبَ
(And We gave Musa the Scripture), meaning the Tawrah.
وَجَعَلْنَاهُ
(and made it), meaning the Scripture,
هُدًى
(a guidance), meaning a guide,
لِّبَنِى إِسْرَءِيلَ أَلاَّ تَتَّخِذُواْ
(for the Children of Israel (saying): "Take none...") means, lest they should take,
مِن دُونِى وَكِيلاً
("... other than Me as (your) Wakil") means, `you have no protector, supporter or god besides Me,' because Allah revealed to every Prophet that he should worship Him alone with no partner or associate. Then Allah says:
ذُرِّيَّةَ مَنْ حَمَلْنَا مَعَ نُوحٍ
(O offspring of those whom We carried (in the ship) with Nuh) by addressing the descendants of those who were carried in the ship with Nuh there is a reminder of the blessings, as if Allah is saying: `O descendants of those whom We saved and carried in the ship with Nuh, follow in the footsteps of your father,
إِنَّهُ كَانَ عَبْدًا شَكُورًا
(Verily, he was a grateful servant). `Remember the blessing I have granted you by sending Muhammad ﷺ.' Imam Ahmad reported that Anas bin Malik said: "The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
«إِنَّ اللهَ لَيَرْضَى عَنِ الْعَبْدِ أَنْ يَأْكُلَ الْأَكْلَةَ أَوْ يَشْرَبَ الشَّرْبَةَ فَيَحْمَدَ اللهَ عَلَيْهَا»
(Allah will be pleased with His servant if, when he eats something or drinks something, he praises Allah for it.)" This was also recorded by Muslim, At-Tirmidhi and An-Nasa'i. Malik said about Zayd bin Aslam: "He used to praise Allah in all circumstances." In this context, Al-Bukhari mentioned the Hadith of Abu Zar`ah narrating from Abu Hurayrah, who said that the Prophet said:
«أَنَا سَيِّدُ وَلَدِ آدَمَ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَة»
(I will be the leader of the sons of Adam on the Day of Resurrection...) He quoted the Hadith at length, and in the Hadith, the Prophet said:
«فَيَأْتُونَ نُوحًا فَيَقُولُونَ: يَا نُوحُ إِنَّكَ أَنْتَ أَوَّلُ الرُّسُلِ إِلَى أَهْلِ الْأَرْضِ، وَقَدْ سَمَّاكَ اللهُ عَبْدًا شَكُورًا، فَاشْفَعْ لَنَا إِلَى رَبِّك»
(They will come to Nuh and will say, `O Nuh, you were the first of the Messengers sent to the people of earth, and Allah called you grateful servant, so intercede for us with your Lord.') And he quoted the Hadith in full.
Page 282
17:1
سُبۡحَٰنَ ٱلَّذِيٓ أَسۡرَىٰ بِعَبۡدِهِۦ لَيۡلٗا مِّنَ ٱلۡمَسۡجِدِ ٱلۡحَرَامِ إِلَى ٱلۡمَسۡجِدِ ٱلۡأَقۡصَا ٱلَّذِي بَٰرَكۡنَا حَوۡلَهُۥ لِنُرِيَهُۥ مِنۡ ءَايَٰتِنَآۚ إِنَّهُۥ هُوَ ٱلسَّمِيعُ ٱلۡبَصِيرُ ١
Exalted1 is He who took His Servant [i.e., Prophet Muḥammad (ﷺ)] by night from al-Masjid al-Ḥarām to al-Masjid al-Aqṣā,2 whose surroundings We have blessed, to show him of Our signs. Indeed, He is the Hearing,3 the Seeing.4
4 translator’s notes
17:2
وَءَاتَيۡنَا مُوسَى ٱلۡكِتَٰبَ وَجَعَلۡنَٰهُ هُدٗى لِّبَنِيٓ إِسۡرَٰٓءِيلَ أَلَّا تَتَّخِذُواْ مِن دُونِي وَكِيلٗا ٢
And We gave Moses the Scripture and made it a guidance for the Children of Israel that you not take other than Me as Disposer of affairs,1
1 translator’s note
- i.e., trust in Allāh, knowing that He (subḥānahu wa taʿālā) is responsible for every occurrence. ↩
17:3
ذُرِّيَّةَ مَنۡ حَمَلۡنَا مَعَ نُوحٍۚ إِنَّهُۥ كَانَ عَبۡدٗا شَكُورٗا ٣
O descendants of those We carried [in the ship] with Noah. Indeed, he was a grateful servant.
17:4
وَقَضَيۡنَآ إِلَىٰ بَنِيٓ إِسۡرَٰٓءِيلَ فِي ٱلۡكِتَٰبِ لَتُفۡسِدُنَّ فِي ٱلۡأَرۡضِ مَرَّتَيۡنِ وَلَتَعۡلُنَّ عُلُوّٗا كَبِيرٗا ٤
And We conveyed1 to the Children of Israel in the Scripture that, "You will surely cause corruption on the earth twice, and you will surely reach [a degree of] great haughtiness."
1 translator’s note
- Foretold out of divine knowledge of what they would do. ↩
17:5
فَإِذَا جَآءَ وَعۡدُ أُولَىٰهُمَا بَعَثۡنَا عَلَيۡكُمۡ عِبَادٗا لَّنَآ أُوْلِي بَأۡسٖ شَدِيدٖ فَجَاسُواْ خِلَٰلَ ٱلدِّيَارِۚ وَكَانَ وَعۡدٗا مَّفۡعُولٗا ٥
So when the [time of] promise came for the first of them,1 We sent against you servants of Ours - those of great military might, and they probed [even] into the homes,2 and it was a promise fulfilled.
17:6
ثُمَّ رَدَدۡنَا لَكُمُ ٱلۡكَرَّةَ عَلَيۡهِمۡ وَأَمۡدَدۡنَٰكُم بِأَمۡوَٰلٖ وَبَنِينَ وَجَعَلۡنَٰكُمۡ أَكۡثَرَ نَفِيرًا ٦
Then We gave back to you a return victory over them. And We reinforced you with wealth and sons and made you more numerous in manpower.
17:7
إِنۡ أَحۡسَنتُمۡ أَحۡسَنتُمۡ لِأَنفُسِكُمۡۖ وَإِنۡ أَسَأۡتُمۡ فَلَهَاۚ فَإِذَا جَآءَ وَعۡدُ ٱلۡأٓخِرَةِ لِيَسُـُٔواْ وُجُوهَكُمۡ وَلِيَدۡخُلُواْ ٱلۡمَسۡجِدَ كَمَا دَخَلُوهُ أَوَّلَ مَرَّةٖ وَلِيُتَبِّرُواْ مَا عَلَوۡاْ تَتۡبِيرًا ٧
[And said], "If you do good, you do good for yourselves; and if you do evil, [you do it] to them [i.e., yourselves]." Then when the final [i.e., second] promise came, [We sent your enemies] to sadden your faces and to enter the masjid [i.e., the temple in Jerusalem], as they entered it the first time, and to destroy what they had taken over with [total] destruction.
Translation: Saheeh International · Text and layout: Quran Foundation · Mushaf fonts: King Fahd Complex, provided by Quran Foundation · Privacy