Sūrah al-Isrāʾ

Overview

Sūrah al-Isrāʾ is a Makkan sūrah with 111 āyāt. The verbal noun isrāʾ is the given name of the sūrah due to the verb asrā appearing in the first āyah: “Glorified be He who carried His slave by night (asrā bi-ʿabdihī laylan) from al-Masjid al-Ḥarām to al-Masjid al-Aqṣā whose surroundings We have blessed that We might show him of our signs. Indeed, He—truly He—is the Hearing, the Seeing” (17:1). This is a reference to the former part of a miraculous journey which saw the Messenger of Allah ﷺ travel from the Kaʿbah in Makkah to al-Aqṣā in Palestine where he led all other prophets in prayer, then ascend to beyond the seventh heaven, then return back to Makkah, all in a single night.

The opening of the sūrah speaks of Banū Isrāʾīl, describing ‘two ascendancies’ they will have in the land, spreading corruption therein. Allah also describes how each one will meet its end (17:2-8, 104). The Qur’an and its ethical supremacy is cited thereafter, where Allah tells us that it “guides to that which is most upright”, giving glad tidings to the believers and a promise of damnation to those who deny the Hereafter (17:9-10). An exposition into the nature of man in light of his moral responsibility, the hubris of previous peoples, and the pursuit of the eternal reward in contrast with the transient is then given (17:11-22). Probably the most endearing and potent qur’anic exhortation of one’s duty to one’s parents and relatives follows (17:23-20), succeeded by a series of ethical commandments (17:31-39). The motifs of prophecy, the Qur’an and its inimitability, and the oneness of Allah and His majesty continue till the conclusion of the sūrah.

A striking feature of Sūrah al-Isrāʾ is how clearly and uncompromisingly it makes the distinction between the person of the Prophet ﷺ and that of the Divine. The former is the latter’s emissary and slave, and is the perfect chosen vessel of the final message to mankind. If hypothetically he were to waver or falter, there is no holding back Allah’s punishment (17:73-75, 86). This perfectly aligns with how Allah emphasises the humanity of the Messenger ﷺ in the sūrah (17:90-95).

Context

Sūrah al-Isrāʾ was revealed in the 11th year after the advent of prophecy, a year and a few months before the Hijrah. Accordingly, some have said that it is from the category of Qur’an that is Makkan in revelation but Madina-esque in style (given the legislations within it). There are relayed reports regarding the context where certain passages were revealed:

• It is said that a young boy came to the Prophet ﷺ telling him that his mother sent him to ask for his shield. The Prophet ﷺ didn’t own a personal shield, so told him, ‘Another time.’ The boy left and came back saying the same thing but for the shirt of the Prophet ﷺ. He ﷺ took it off and gave it to the boy, but then retreated to his home out of modesty. Allah revealed: “Do not keep your hand tied to your neck nor extend it fully such that you sit reproached, empty-handed.” (17:29)
• It is said that the following āyah is revealed regarding ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb. A man insulted him, and he was commanded to pardon: “Tell my slaves to say what is better, for indeed, the devil spurs discord between them. Indeed, the devil is to man a clear enemy.” (17:53)
• Ibn ʿAbbās is reported to have said: “The Makkans asked the Prophet ﷺ to make Mount Ṣafā gold for them, and to clear Makkah of mountains so that they may irrigate the land. It was said to him (from the heavens), ‘If you wish, you can delay them that We may elect the righteous from their midst, or you can give them what they asked for and if they still disbelieve they will be destroyed as the previous peoples were.’ He said, ‘I will delay them.’ Allah revealed: ‘Nothing made us refrain from sending signs except that the earlier people had rejected them. We gave Thamūd the she-camel as an eye-opener then they did wrong to her, and We do not send signs but as a warning.’ (17:59)”

Themes

• The Qur’an, its power to transform, and its miraculous nature. (17:9, 41, 78-82, 88-89 106-109)
• The virtue and humanity of the Prophet ﷺ as Allah’s chosen messenger. (17:1, 73-75, 85-86, 90-96)
• Moral guidance (17:22-39, 78-85)

Unique Features

• Sūrah al-Isrāʾ is also known as Sūrah Banī Isrāʾīl—the sūrah of the Children of Israel—due to the stories narrated and prophecies made therein about them. (17:2-8, 101-104)
• The sūrah contains the fourth sajdah in the Qur’an. (17:109)
• It is the first of five sūrahs in the Qur’an (al-Ḥadīd, al-Ḥashr, al-Ṣaff, and al-Aʿlā) which begin with tasbīḥ.

Lessons

The sūrah is permeated with heavenly moral injunctions. Here is a beautiful excerpt therefrom:

“Do not follow a thing about which you have no knowledge. Surely, the ear, the eye, and the heart—each one of them shall be interrogated about. Do not walk on the earth in haughtily, for you can neither tear the earth apart nor can you match the mountains in height. That which is evil of all these is detestable in the sight of your Lord. That is some of the wisdom your Lord has revealed to you. Do not set up with Allah another god lest you be thrown in Hell, reproached, rejected.” (17:36-39)

Virtues and Valuable Information

• ʿĀʾishah said: “The Prophet ﷺ would not lie down to sleep on his bed until he recited Banī Isrāʾīl and al-Zumar.”
• ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Yazīd said: “I heard Ibn Masʿūd saying about Banī Isrāʾīl, al-Kahf, Maryam, Ṭā-Hā, and al-Anbiyāʾ: ‘They are from the early emancipated ones (al-ʿitāq al-uwal), and they are from my heritage (tilād; i.e. that which he knew very well and passed onto others).’”