Surah 17. Al-Israa

And declare, 'The truth has come and falsehood has vanished. Indeed, falsehood is bound to vanish.'

  - Mustafa Khattab

And say: "Truth has (now) arrived and Falsehood perished: for Falsehood is (by its nature) bound to perish." ²²⁸¹

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

From its nature falsehood must perish, for it is the opposite of Truth, and Truth must ever prevail.

We send down the Quran as a healing and mercy for the believers, but it only increases the wrongdoers in loss.

  - Mustafa Khattab

We send down (stage by stage) in the Qur'an that which is a healing and a mercy to those who believe: to the unjust it causes nothing but loss after loss. ²²⁸²

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

In Allah's revelation there is healing for our broken spirits, hope for our spiritual future, and joy in the forgiveness of our sins. All who work in faith will share in these privileges. It is only the rebels against Allah's Law who will suffer loss. The more they will oppose Truth, the deeper down will they go into the mire-the state of sin and Wrath, which is worse than destruction.

When We grant people Our favours, they turn away, acting arrogantly. But when touched with evil, they lose all hope.

  - Mustafa Khattab

Yet when We bestow Our favors on man he turns away and becomes remote on his side (instead of coming to Us) and when Evil seizes him he gives himself up to despair! ²²⁸³

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Truth saves us from two extremes: when we are happy, we are saved from being puffed up, for we realise that everything comes from Allah; and when we suffer misfortunes, we are not in despair, for we know that Allah is our sure refuge and help.

Say, 'O Prophet,' 'Everyone acts in their own way. But your Lord knows best whose way is rightly guided.'

  - Mustafa Khattab

Say: "Everyone acts according to his own disposition: but your Lord knows best who it is that is best guided on the Way." ²²⁸⁴

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

If the wicked go their own ways, there is nothing to discourage us. It is their nature. We must seek and hold fast to true guidance.

They ask you 'O Prophet' about the spirit. Say, 'Its nature is known only to my Lord, and you 'O humanity' have been given but little knowledge.'

  - Mustafa Khattab

They ask thee concerning the Spirit (of inspiration). Say: "The Spirit (cometh) by command of my Lord: of knowledge it is only a little that is communicated to you (O men!) ²²⁸⁵

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

What is the nature of inspiration? Who brings it? Can it ask its Bringer questions? Can we ask anything which we wish? These are the sort of questions always asked when inspiration is called in question. The answer is given here. Inspiration is one of those high experiences which cannot be explained in the terms of our everyday human experience. It is spiritual. The Spirit (Gabriel) does not come of his own will. He comes by the command of Allah, and reveals what Allah commands him to reveal. Of the sum-total of true divine knowledge what a small part it is that ordinary mortals can understand! They can be only given that which they can understand, however dimly. We are not in a position to ask anything that we wish. If we did so, it would only make us look foolish, for the guidance comes from Allah's Wisdom, not from our worldly knowledge.

If We willed, We could have certainly taken away what We have revealed to you 'O Prophet'- then you would find none to guarantee its return from Us-

  - Mustafa Khattab

If it were Our Will We could take away that which We have sent thee by inspiration: then would thou find none to plead thy affair in that matter as against Us ²²⁸⁶

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Even the spiritual knowledge that comes to us comes because of the favour and mercy of Allah. If He were to withhold it, who can call Him in question?

had it not been for the mercy of your Lord. Indeed, His favour upon you is immense.

  - Mustafa Khattab

Except for Mercy from thy Lord: for His Bounty is to thee (indeed) great. ²²⁸⁷

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

In that case the only one who can plead for us is the Mercy of Allah. We can interpret the phrase in its widest abstract sense, as well as in the concrete sense of the title which is applied to the holy Prophet Muhammad, the Mercy of Allah. Thus we come from the abstract question to the concrete question of the Qur-an, which is referred to by name in the verses that follow.

Say, 'O Prophet,' 'If 'all' humans and jinn were to come together to produce the equivalent of this Quran, they could not produce its equal, no matter how they supported each other.'

  - Mustafa Khattab

Say: "If the whole of mankind and Jinns were to gather together to produce the like of this Qur'an they could not produce the like thereof even if they backed up each other with help and support. ^{2288 2289}

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

For the meaning of "Jinns", see n. 929 to vi. 100.

The proof of the Qur-an is in its own beauty and nature, and the circumstances in which it was promulgated. The world is challenged to produce a Book like it and has not produced one. It is the only revealed Book whose text stands pure and uncorrupted today. Cf., for a similar challenge, ii. 23, x. 38, and xi. 13.

And We have truly set forth every 'kind of' lesson for humanity in this Quran, yet most people persist in disbelief.

  - Mustafa Khattab

And We have explained to man in this Qur'an every kind of similitude: yet the grater part of men refuse (to receive it) except with ingratitude! ^{2290 2291}

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

In the Qur-an everything is explained in detail from various points of view, by commands, similitudes, examples, stories, parables, etc. It does not merely narrate stories or lay down vague abstract propositions. It gives every detailed help in outward and inner life.

One form in which it can be received with ingratitude is to pay verbal tributes to it but not study it as it ought to be studied (ii. 121, haqqa tilawatihi), or to disobey its precepts or standards.

They challenge 'the Prophet', 'We will never believe in you until you cause a spring to gush forth from the earth for us,

  - Mustafa Khattab

They say: "We shall not believe in thee until thou cause spring to gush forth for us from the earth ²²⁹²

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Cf. ii. 60.

or until you have a garden of palm trees and vineyards, and cause rivers to flow abundantly in it,

  - Mustafa Khattab

"Or (until) thou have a garden of date trees and vines and cause rivers to gush forth in their midst carrying abundant water; ²²⁹³

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

This ill-assorted and crude jumble of the sort of miracles which the Unbelievers wanted is in very appropriate contrast to the sober and reasoned argument which has begun in the last sentence of verse 93 and continued in sections 11 and 12, which close this Sura. It is throughout reminiscent of the materialistic imagination of Jewish sceptics, which was mainly responsible for the fall of the Jewish nation (see verse 104 below). For a thirsty people sojourning in a dry land, the finding of a spring of water as in the story of Moses or of the well of Zamzam is an appropriate miracle. But miracles are not for faithless crowds to gape at. A beautiful well-watered Garden is a symbol of Felicity: but a sceptic cannot order Allah to produce it for his pleasure. The same may be said about a house adorned with gold, except that its symbolism is even more materialistic. The fall of the sky or producing Allah face to face or climbing to the skies by a ladder, or bringing down a book of parchment which men could handle, are all irreverent suggestions that make no distinction between spiritual and material things.

or cause the sky to fall upon us in pieces, as you have claimed, or bring Allah and the angels before us, face to face,

  - Mustafa Khattab

"Or thou cause the sky to fall in pieces as thou sayest (will happen) against us; or thou bring Allah and the angels before (us) face to face; ^{2294 2295}

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Contrast the sublime passages like the beginning with lxxxii. 1 or that in xxv. 25, where the final breaking up of the firmaments as we know them is referred to in the world's catastrophe, with the ridiculous demand that it should be done for the sport of the sceptics!

Cf. ii 55 and iv. 153 about the desire of the Israelites to see Allah face to face; and vi. 8-9, about angels coming down to convince men.

or until you have a house of gold, or you ascend into heaven- and even then we will not believe in your ascension until you bring down to us a book that we can read.' Say, 'Glory be to my Lord! Am I not only a human messenger?'

  - Mustafa Khattab

"Or thou have a house adorned with gold or thou mount a ladder right into the skies. No we shall not even believe in thy mounting until thou send down to us a book that we could read." Say: "Glory to my Lord! am I aught but a man an apostle?" ^{2296 2297 2298}

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Cf. vi. 35 about a ladder to the skies.

Cf. vi. 7 for the foolish idea of materialistic sceptics that a spiritual revelation could come down from the heavens on a piece of parchment that they can touch.

A prophet or messenger of Allah is a man at the command of Allah, and not to satisfy the disingenuous whims and fancies of Unbelievers. Miracles greater than any that their foolish fancies could devise were before them. The Qur-an was such a miracle, and it is a standing miracle that lasts through the ages. Why did they not believe? The real reason was spite and jealousy like that of Iblis. See next verse.

And nothing has prevented people from believing when guidance comes to them except their protest: 'Has Allah sent a human as a messenger?'

  - Mustafa Khattab

What kept men back from Belief when Guidance came to them was nothing but this: they said "Has Allah sent a man like us) to be (His) Apostle?" ²²⁹⁹

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

When a man is raised to honour and dignity, his sincere brothers rejoice, for it is an honour that reflects its glory on them. But those with evil in their hearts are jealous like their prototype Iblis, (xvii. 61, n. 2251). To such men the mere fact that their own brother receives the grace of Allah is enough to turn them against that brother. Any other reasons they may devise are mere make-believe.

Say, 'O Prophet,' 'Had there been angels walking the earth, well settled, We would have surely sent down for them an angel from heaven as a messenger.'

  - Mustafa Khattab

Say "If there were settled on earth angels walking about in peace and quiet We should certainly have sent them down from the heavens an angel for an apostle." ²³⁰⁰

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

The argument is that if angels inhabited this earth, an angel from heaven could be sent down as a messenger to them, as they could mutually understand each other, and the Message of Allah could be explained without difficulty. But the earth is inhabited by men, and the men themselves are divided into races, or groups, or nations. To each Group is sent a prophet from among their brethren: to 'Ad, their brother Hud (xi. 50); to Thamud, their brother Salih (xi. 61): and so on. As a matter of fact, with wicked men, constituted as they are, the appearance of an angel causes disturbance and an unseemly riot, as in the case of the angels that came to Lot (xi. 77-80). In any case they cannot carry out an effective mission among men (vi. 8-9).