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Surah 17. Al-Israa

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17:1
سُبْحَـٰنَ ٱلَّذِىٓ أَسْرَىٰ بِعَبْدِهِۦ لَيْلًا مِّنَ ٱلْمَسْجِدِ ٱلْحَرَامِ إِلَى ٱلْمَسْجِدِ ٱلْأَقْصَا ٱلَّذِى بَـٰرَكْنَا حَوْلَهُۥ لِنُرِيَهُۥ مِنْ ءَايَـٰتِنَآ ۚ إِنَّهُۥ هُوَ ٱلسَّمِيعُ ٱلْبَصِيرُ Sub ha na alla th ee asr a biAAabdihi laylan mina almasjidi al h ar a mi il a almasjidi alaq sa alla th ee b a rakn a h awlahu linuriyahu min a y a tin a innahu huwa a l ssameeAAu alba s eer u
LIMITLESS in His glory is He who transported His servant by night from the Inviolable House of Worship [at Mecca] to the Remote House of Worship [at Jerusalem] - the environs of which We had blessed1 - so that We might show him some of Our symbols: for, verily, He alone is all-hearing, all-seeing2.
  - Mohammad Asad

The above short reference to the Prophet's mystic experience of the "Night Journey" (al-isra') to Jerusalem and the subsequent "Ascension" (mi'raj) to heaven is fully discussed in Appendix IV at the end of this work. - "The Inviolable House of Worship" (al-masjid al-haram) is one of the designations given in the Qur'an to the Temple of the Ka'bah, the prototype of which owed its origin to Abraham (see surah {2}, note [102]) and was "the first Temple set up for mankind" ( 3:96 ), i.e., the first ever built for the worship of the One God. "The Remote [lit., "farthest"] House of Worship", on the other hand, denotes the ancient Temple of Solomon - or, rather, its site - which symbolizes here the long line of Hebrew prophets who preceded the advent of Muhammad and are alluded to by the phrase "the environs of which We had blessed". The juxtaposition of these two sacred temples is meant to show that the Qur'an does not inaugurate a "new" religion but represents a continuation and the ultimate development of the same divine message which was preached by the prophets of old.

Although the term ayah is most frequently used in the Qur'an in the sense of "[divine] message", we must remember that, primarily, it denotes "a sign [or "token"] by which a thing is known" (Qamus). As defined by Raghib, it signifies any perceivable phenomenon (irrespective of whether it is apparent to the senses or only to the intellect) connected with a thing that is not, by itself, similarly perceivable: in brief, a "symbol". Hence, the expression min ayatina may be suitably rendered as "some of Our symbols", i.e., insight, through symbols, into some of the ultimate truths.

Glory be to Him Who took His devotee (Muhammad) one night from Masjid-al-Haram (in Makkah) to Masjid-al-Aqsa (in Jerusalem), whose vicinity We have blessed, so that We may show him some of Our signs: surely He is the One Who is the Hearer, the Observer.
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
Glory be to the One Who took His servant 'Muḥammad' by night from the Sacred Mosque to the Farthest Mosque whose surroundings We have blessed, so that We may show him some of Our signs.1 Indeed, He2 alone is the All-Hearing, All-Seeing.
  - Mustafa Khattab

 Al-Isrâ' refers to the Prophet’s Night Journey from Mecca to Jerusalem about a year before his emigration (or Hijrah) from Mecca to Medina. This journey came as a comfort for the Prophet after several years of hardship and persecution, which included a 3-year siege by Meccan pagans, who drove the Muslims out of the city and forbade anyone from trading, marrying, or feeding them. This was followed by the “Year of Sadness,” which included the death of the Prophet’s uncle Abu Ṭâlib, the major defender of Muḥammad (ﷺ) despite his disbelief in his message, as well as the death of the Prophet’s beloved wife Khadîjah. The Prophet was carried overnight by a noble steed (called Burâq) from Mecca to Jerusalem where he met some earlier prophets and led them in prayer. He was later carried to the heavens (this journey is called Al-Mi’râj, or the Ascension) where he received direct orders from Allah to observe five daily prayers. The Ascension is referred to in 53:13–18.

 i.e., Allah.

Glorified be He Who carried His servant by night from the Inviolable Place of Worship to the Far Distant Place of Worship the neighborhood whereof We have blessed, that We might show him of Our tokens! Lo! He, only He, is the Hearer, the Seer.
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
Glory to (Allah) Who did take His Servant for Journey by night from the Sacred Mosque to the Farthest Mosque whose precincts We did Bless in order that We might show him some of Our Signs: for He is the one Who heareth and seeth (all things). 2166 2167 2168 2169
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

The reference is to the Isra' for which see the Introduction to this Sura.

Masjid is a place of prayer: here it refers to the Ka'ba at Makkah. It had not yet been cleared of its idols and rededicated exclusively to the One True God. It was symbolical of the new Message which was being given to mankind.

The Farthest Mosque must refer to the site of the Temple of Solomon in Jerusalem on the hill of Moriah, at or near which stands the Dome of the Rock, called also the Mosque of Hadhrat 'Umar. This and the Mosque known as the Farthest Mosque (Masjid-ul-Aqsa) were completed by the Amir 'Abd-ul-Malik in A.H. 68. Farthest, because it was the place of worship farthest west which was known to the Arabs in the time of the holy Prophet: it was a sacred place to both Jews and Christians, but the Christians then had the upper hand, as it was included in the Byzantine (Roman) Empire, which maintained a Patriarch at Jerusalem. The chief dates in connection with the Temple are: it was finished by Solomon about B.C. 1004; destroyed by the Babylonians under Nebuchadnezzar about 586 B.C.; rebuilt under Ezra and Nehemiah about 515 B.C.; turned into a heathen idol-temple by one of Alexander's successors, Antiochus Epiphanes, 167 B.C.; restored by Herod, B.C. 17 to A.D. 29; and completely razed to the ground by the Emperor Titus in A.D. 70. These ups and downs are among the greater Signs in religious history.

Allah's knowledge comprehends all things, without any curtain of Time or any separation of Space. He can therefore see and hear all things, and the Mi'raj was a reflection of this knowledge. In this and the subsequent verses, the reference to Allah is generally in the first person and plural. But in the first and the last clause of this verse it is in the third person singular: "Glory to Allah, Who did take His Servant..."; "He is the One...". In each of these two instances, the clause expresses the point of view of Allah's creatures, who glorify Him, and whose hearing and seeing are ordinarily so limited that they can do nothing but glorify Him when one of His creatures is raised up to hear and see the Signs. It is they who glorify Him.

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17:2
وَءَاتَيْنَا مُوسَى ٱلْكِتَـٰبَ وَجَعَلْنَـٰهُ هُدًى لِّبَنِىٓ إِسْرَٰٓءِيلَ أَلَّا تَتَّخِذُوا۟ مِن دُونِى وَكِيلًا Wa a tayn a moos a alkit a ba wajaAAaln a hu hudan libanee isr a eela all a tattakhi th oo min doonee wakeel a n
And [thus, too,] We vouchsafed revelation unto Moses,3 and made it a [source of] guidance for the children of Israel, [commanding them:] "Do not ascribe to any but Me the power to determine your fate,4
  - Mohammad Asad

The conjunctive particle "And" which introduces this verse is meant to show that the mystic Night Journey - and, by implication, the subsequent Ascension as well - were experiences of the same high order of divine grace as the revelation bestowed upon Moses. The Qur'an mentions in 4:164 that "God spoke His word unto Moses", i.e., directly (takliman); see also {7:143-144}, and especially verse {144}, in which God says to Moses, "I have raised thee above all people...by virtue of My speaking [unto thee]". A similar directness of experience is alluded to in the opening words of this surah, "Limitless in His Glory is He who transported His servant [Muhammad] by night...so that We might show him some of Our symbols" (see note [2] above; also, Appendix IV). Apart from this, the reference, in this and many other places in the Qur'an, to the religious history of the Hebrews is due to the fact that the revelations granted to their prophets represent the earliest formulation of monotheism, which makes it ideologically important for its later development.

The term wakil denotes "one who is entrusted with the management of [another person’s] affairs", or "is responsible for [another person’s] conduct". When applied to God, it is sometimes used in the sense of "guardian" (e.g., in 3:173 ), or "defender" (e.g., in 4:109 ), or - in combination with the phrase 'ala kulli shay’in (as, e.g., in 6:102 or 11:12 ) - in the sense of "the One who has everything in His care". In the present instance (as well as in 39:62 ) the term evidently alludes to God’s exclusive power to determine the fate of any created being or thing.

We gave Musa (Moses) the Book and made it a guide for the Children of Israel, saying: "Do not take any other protector besides Me.
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
And We gave Moses the Scripture and made it a guide for the Children of Israel, 'stating:' 'Do not take besides Me any other Trustee of Affairs,
  - Mustafa Khattab
We gave unto Moses the Scripture, and We appointed it a guidance for the Children of Israel, saying: Choose no guardian beside Me.
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
We gave Moses the Book and made it a Guide to the Children of Israel (commanding): "Take not other than Me as Disposer of (your) affairs." 2170 2171
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

The Book: the revelation that was given to Moses. It was there clearly laid down that those who followed Moses must consider Allah as the Only God. "Thou shalt have no other gods before me; thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image...thou shalt not bow down thyself to them nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God .... ;" etc.(Exod. xx. 3-5). These are the words of the English Bible. As a matter of fact the spirit of the Mosaic teaching went further. It referred all things to the Providence of Allah: Allah is the Disposer of all affairs, and we are to look to none but Him. This is Islam, and the Mi'raj showed that it was the teaching of Allah from the most ancient times, and yet it was violated by the very people who claimed to be its custodians.

Note the transition from "We" in the first clause to "Me" in the second clause. The first clause refers to the majesty of Allah as the Heavenly King; the second clause refers to His personal interest in all our affairs.

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17:3
ذُرِّيَّةَ مَنْ حَمَلْنَا مَعَ نُوحٍ ۚ إِنَّهُۥ كَانَ عَبْدًا شَكُورًا Th urriyyata man h amaln a maAAa noo h in innahu k a na AAabdan shakoor a n
O you descendants of those whom We caused to be borne [in the ark] with Noah! Behold, he was a most grateful servant [of Ours]!"
  - Mohammad Asad
You are the descendents of those whom We carried in the Ark with Nuh, and he was indeed a grateful devotee."
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
'O' descendants of those We carried with Noah 'in the Ark'! He was indeed a grateful servant.'
  - Mustafa Khattab
(They were) the seed of those whom We carried (in the ship) along with Noah. Lo! he was a grateful slave.
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
O ye that are sprung from those whom We carried (in the Ark) with Noah! verily he was a devotee most grateful. 2172
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

After the Deluge of the time of Noah the only descendants of Noah were those who were saved in the Ark with him. They had special reason to celebrate the praises of Allah. But they relapsed into idolatry, sin, and abominations. They are reminded of the true and sincere devotion of Noah himself, as contrasted with the unworthiness of Noah's descendants, especially the Children of Israel.

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17:4
وَقَضَيْنَآ إِلَىٰ بَنِىٓ إِسْرَٰٓءِيلَ فِى ٱلْكِتَـٰبِ لَتُفْسِدُنَّ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ مَرَّتَيْنِ وَلَتَعْلُنَّ عُلُوًّا كَبِيرًا Waqa d ayn a il a banee isr a eela fee alkit a bi latufsidunna fee alar d i marratayni walataAAlunna AAuluwwan kabeer a n
And we made [this] known to the children of Israel through revelation:5 "Twice, indeed, will you spread corruption on earth and will indeed become grossly overbearing!"6
  - Mohammad Asad

Lit., "in the revelation" - here evidently used in the generic sense of the word, and probably applying to predictions contained in the Torah (Leviticus xxvi, 14-39 and Deuteronomy xxviii, 15-68) as well as the prophecies of Isaiah, Jeremiah, John and Jesus.

Since both the Bible and the Qur’an mention that the children of Israel rebelled against the law of God on many occasions, there is every reason to assume that the expression "twice" (marratayn) does not refer to two single instances but, rather, to two distinct, extended periods of their history.

Besides this We forewarned the Children of Israel in their Holy Book that you will do mischief in the land twice through becoming arrogant transgressors and each time you will be punished.
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
And We warned the Children of Israel in the Scripture, 'You will certainly cause corruption in the land twice, and you will become extremely arrogant.
  - Mustafa Khattab
And We decreed for the Children of Israel in the scripture: Ye verily will work corruption in the earth twice, and ye will become great tyrants.
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
And We gave (clear) warning to the Children of Israel in the Book that twice would they do mischief on the earth and be elated with mighty arrogance (and twice would they be punished)! 2173 2174
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

The Book is the revelation given to the Children of Israel. Here it seems to refer to the burning words of Prophets like Isaiah. For example, see Isaiah, chap. xxiv. or Isaiah v. 20-30, or Isaiah iii. 16-26.

What are the two occasions referred to? It may be that "twice" is a figure of speech for "more than once", "often". Or it may be that the two occasions refer to (1) the destruction of the Temple by the Babylonian Nebuchadnezzar in 586 B.C., when the Jews were carried off into captivity, and (2) the destruction of Jerusalem by Titus in A.D. 70, after which the Temple was never re-built. See n. 2168 above. On both occasions it was a judgment of Allah for the sins of the Jews, their backslidings, and their arrogance.

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17:5
فَإِذَا جَآءَ وَعْدُ أُولَىٰهُمَا بَعَثْنَا عَلَيْكُمْ عِبَادًا لَّنَآ أُو۟لِى بَأْسٍ شَدِيدٍ فَجَاسُوا۟ خِلَـٰلَ ٱلدِّيَارِ ۚ وَكَانَ وَعْدًا مَّفْعُولًا Fai tha j a a waAAdu ool a hum a baAAathn a AAalaykum AAib a dan lan a olee basin shadeedin faj a soo khil a la a l ddiy a ri wak a na waAAdan mafAAool a n
Hence, when the prediction of the first of those two [periods of iniquity] came true, We sent against you some of Our bondmen of terrible prowess in war, and they wrought havoc throughout the land: and so the prediction was fulfilled.7
  - Mohammad Asad

The term ibad, rendered by me above as "bondmen", denotes every kind of "created beings" (in this case, obviously human beings) inasmuch as all of them are, willingly or unwillingly, subservient to God’s will (cf. 13:15 and the corresponding note [33]). It is probable that the phrase "Our bondmen of terrible prowess in war" relates to the Assyrians who overran Palestine in the seventh century B.C. and caused the disappearance of the greater part of the Hebrew nation (the ten "lost tribes"), and to the Babylonians who, about one hundred years later, destroyed Solomon’s Temple and carried off the remainder of the children of Israel into captivity, or to both, thus comprising all these events within one "period" (see foregoing note). - God’s "sending" tribulations upon reprobate sinners is here, as elsewhere in the Qur’an, a metonym for the natural law of cause and effect to which, in the long run, the life of man - and particularly the corporate life of nations and communities - is subject.

When the promise for the first of the two fore warnings came to be fulfilled, We sent against you Our servants (the Assyrians) who gave you a terrible warfare: so they rampaged through your homes to carry out the punishment of which you were forewarned.
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
When the first of the two warnings would come to pass, We would send against you some of Our servants of great might, who would ravage your homes. This would be a warning fulfilled.
  - Mustafa Khattab
So when the time for the first of the two came, We roused against you slaves of Ours of great might who ravaged (your) country, and it was a threat performed.
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
When the first of the warnings came to pass We sent against you Our servants given to terrible warfare: They entered the very inmost parts of your homes; and it was a warning (completely) fulfilled. 2175
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

A good description of the war-like Nebuchadnezzar and his Babylonians. They were servants of Allah in the sense that they were instruments through which the wrath of Allah was poured out on the Jews, for they penetrated through their lands, their Temple, and their homes, and carried away the Jews, men and women, into captivity. As regards "the daughters of Zion" see the scathing condemnation in Isaiah, iii. 16-26.

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17:6
ثُمَّ رَدَدْنَا لَكُمُ ٱلْكَرَّةَ عَلَيْهِمْ وَأَمْدَدْنَـٰكُم بِأَمْوَٰلٍ وَبَنِينَ وَجَعَلْنَـٰكُمْ أَكْثَرَ نَفِيرًا Thumma radadn a lakumu alkarrata AAalayhim waamdadn a kum biamw a lin wabaneena wajaAAaln a kum akthara nafeer a n
And after a time We allowed you to prevail against them once again,8 and aided you with wealth and offspring, and made you more numerous [than ever].
  - Mohammad Asad

Lit., "We gave back to you the turn against them" - apparently a reference to the return of the Jews from the Babylonian captivity in the last quarter of the sixth century B.C., the partial re-establishment of their state, and the building of a new temple in the place of the one that had been destroyed.

Then after this, We afforded you an opportunity to overpower them and helped you with wealth and sons and granted you more manpower.
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
Then 'after your repentance' We would give you the upper hand over them and aid you with wealth and offspring, causing you to outnumber them.
  - Mustafa Khattab
Then we gave you once again your turn against them, and We aided you with wealth and children and made you more in soldiery,
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
Then did We grant you the Return as against them: We gave you increase in resources and sons and made you the more numerous in manpower. 2176
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

The return of the Jews from the Captivity was about 520 B.C. They started life afresh. They rebuilt their Temple. They carried out various reforms and built up a new Judaism in connection with Ezra. See appendix 11 following S. v. For a time they prospered. Meanwhile their old oppressors the Babylonians had been absorbed by Persia. Subsequently Persia was absorbed in Alexander's Empire. The whole of western Asia was Hellenized, and the new school of Jews was Hellenized also, and had a strong centre in Alexandria. But their footing in Palestine continued, and under the Asmonaean Dynasty (B.C. 167-63), they had a national revival, and the names of the Makkah bees are remembered as those of heroes. Another dynasty, that of the Idummans, (B.C. 63 to B.C. 4), to which Herod belonged, also enjoyed some semi-independent power. The sceptre of Syria (including Palestine) passed to the Romans in B.C. 65, and Jewish feudatory Kings held power under them. But the Jews again showed a stiff-necked resistance to Allah's Messenger in the time of Jesus, and the inevitable doom followed in the complete and final destruction of the Temple under Titus in 70 A.D.

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17:7
إِنْ أَحْسَنتُمْ أَحْسَنتُمْ لِأَنفُسِكُمْ ۖ وَإِنْ أَسَأْتُمْ فَلَهَا ۚ فَإِذَا جَآءَ وَعْدُ ٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ لِيَسُـۥٓـُٔوا۟ وُجُوهَكُمْ وَلِيَدْخُلُوا۟ ٱلْمَسْجِدَ كَمَا دَخَلُوهُ أَوَّلَ مَرَّةٍ وَلِيُتَبِّرُوا۟ مَا عَلَوْا۟ تَتْبِيرًا In a h santum a h santum lianfusikum wain asatum falah a fai tha j a a waAAdu al a khirati liyasoooo wujoohakum waliyadkhuloo almasjida kam a dakhaloohu awwala marratin waliyutabbiroo m a AAalaw tatbeer a n
[And We said:] "If you persevere in doing good, you will but be doing good to yourselves; and if you do evil, it will be [done] to yourselves. "And so, when the prediction of the second [period of your iniquity] came true, [We raised new enemies against you, and allowed them] to disgrace you utterly,9 and to enter the Temple as [their forerunners] had entered it once before, and to destroy with utter destruction all that they had conquered.
  - Mohammad Asad

Lit., "to bring evil to your faces". Inasmuch as the face is the most prominent and expressive part of the human body, it is often used as a metonym for one’s whole being; hence, the "evil done to one’s face" is synonymous with "utter disgrace". Most probably, this passage relates to the destruction of the Second Temple and of Jewish statehood by Titus in the year 70 of the Christian era.

If you did good, it was to your own benefit; but if you did evil, it proved to be bad for your own selves. Then, when the promise for your second forewarning came to be fulfilled, We sent another army (the Romans) to disfigure your faces and to enter your Temple as the former entered it before, and they utterly destroyed all that they laid their hands on.
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
If you act rightly, it is for your own good, but if you do wrong, it is to your own loss. 'And when the second warning would come to pass, your enemies would 'be left to' totally disgrace you and enter the Temple 'of Jerusalem' as they entered it the first time, and utterly destroy whatever would fall into their hands.
  - Mustafa Khattab
(Saying): If ye do good, ye do good for your own souls, and if ye do evil, it is for them (in like manner). So, when the time for the second (of the judgments) came (We roused against you others of Our slaves) to ravage you, and to enter the Temple even as they entered it the first time, and to lay waste all that they conquered with an utter wasting.
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
If ye did well ye did well for yourselves; if ye did evil (ye did it) against yourselves; so when the second of the warnings came to pass (We permitted your enemies) to disfigure your faces and to enter your Temple as they had entered if before and to visit with destruction all that fell into their power. 2177 2178 2179 2180
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

This is a parenthetical sentence. If anyone follows Allah's Law, the benefit goes to himself: he does not bestow a favour on anyone else. Similarly evil brings its own recompense on the doer of evil.

The second doom was due to the rejection of the Message of Jesus. "To disfigure your faces" means to destroy any credit or power you may have got: the face shows the personality of the man.

Titus's destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. was complete. He was a son of the Roman Emperor Vespasian, and at the date of the destruction of Jerusalem, had the title of Caesar as heir to throne. He ruled as Roman Emperor from 79 to 81 A.D.

Merivale in his Romans Under the Empire gives a graphic account of the siege and final destruction (ed. 1890, vii. 221-255). The population of Jerusalem was then 200,000. According to the Latin historian Tacitus it was as much as 600,000. There was a famine and there were massacres. There was much fanaticism. The judgment of Merivale is: "They" (the Jews) "were judicially abandoned to their own passions and the punishment which naturally awaited them". (vii. 221).

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17:8
عَسَىٰ رَبُّكُمْ أَن يَرْحَمَكُمْ ۚ وَإِنْ عُدتُّمْ عُدْنَا ۘ وَجَعَلْنَا جَهَنَّمَ لِلْكَـٰفِرِينَ حَصِيرًا AAas a rabbukum an yar h amakum wain AAudtum AAudn a wajaAAaln a jahannama lilk a fireena h a s eer a n
Your Sustainer may well show mercy unto you; but if you revert [to sinning], We shall revert [to chastising you]. And [remember this:] We have ordained that [in the hereafter] hell shall close upon all who deny the truth.
  - Mohammad Asad
Now your Rabb may again be merciful to you; but if you repeat the same behavior, We will repeat the punishment, and in the hereafter, We have made hell a prison for such unbelievers.
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
Perhaps your Lord will have mercy on you 'if you repent', but if you return 'to sin', We will return 'to punishment'. And We have made Hell a 'permanent' confinement for the disbelievers.'
  - Mustafa Khattab
It may be that your Lord will have mercy on you, but if ye repeat (the crime) We shall repeat (the punishment), and We have appointed hell a dungeon for the disbelievers.
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
It may be that your Lord may (yet) show Mercy unto you; but if ye revert (to your sins) We shall revert (to Our punishments): and We have made Hell a prison for those who reject (all Faith). 2181 2182
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Now we come to the time of our holy Prophet. In spite of all the past, the Jews could still have obtained Allah's forgiveness if they had not obstinately rejected the greatest of the Prophets also. If they were to continue in their sins, Allah's punishment would also continue to visit them.

There is such a thing as disgrace in this life, but the final disgrace is in the Hereafter, and that will be irretrievable.

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17:9
إِنَّ هَـٰذَا ٱلْقُرْءَانَ يَهْدِى لِلَّتِى هِىَ أَقْوَمُ وَيُبَشِّرُ ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ ٱلَّذِينَ يَعْمَلُونَ ٱلصَّـٰلِحَـٰتِ أَنَّ لَهُمْ أَجْرًا كَبِيرًا Inna h atha alqur a na yahdee lillatee hiya aqwamu wayubashshiru almumineena alla th eena yaAAmaloona a l ssa li ha ti anna lahum ajran kabeer a n
VERILY, this Qur'an shows the way to all that is most upright,10 and gives the believers who do good deeds the glad tiding that theirs will be a great reward;
  - Mohammad Asad

I.e., conformable to ethical rectitude and beneficial to man’s individual and social life. Thus, after showing that sinning is synonymous with denying the truth, the discourse returns to the fundamental theme of the Qur’an, already alluded to in verse {2} of this surah: namely, the statement that God always offers guidance to man through the revelations which He bestows upon His prophets.

Surely this Qur'an guides to the Way which is perfectly straight and gives the good news to the believers who do good that they shall have a magnificent reward;
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
Surely this Quran guides to what is most upright, and gives good news to the believers- who do good- that they will have a mighty reward.
  - Mustafa Khattab
Lo! this Quran guideth unto that which is straightest, and giveth tidings unto the believers who do good works that theirs will be a great reward.
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
Verily this Qur'an doth guide to that which is most right (or stable) and giveth the glad tidings to the Believers who work deeds of righteousness that they shall have a magnificent reward; 2183
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

The instability and crookedness of the Jewish soul having been mentioned, the healing balm which should have cured it is now pointed out. The Message of the Qur-an is for all. Those who have Faith and show that Faith in their conduct must reap their spiritual reward. But those who reject Faith cannot escape punishment. Apart from what is past, apart from questions of national or racial history, there is a Hope,-and a Danger- for every soul.

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17:10
وَأَنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ بِٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ أَعْتَدْنَا لَهُمْ عَذَابًا أَلِيمًا Waanna alla th eena l a yuminoona bi a l a khirati aAAtadn a lahum AAa tha ban aleem a n
and [it announces, too,] that We have readied grievous suffering for those who will not believe in the life to come.
  - Mohammad Asad
and at the same time it gives warnings to those who do not believe in the hereafter, that We have prepared for them a painful punishment.
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
And 'it warns' those who do not believe in the Hereafter 'that' We have prepared for them a painful punishment.
  - Mustafa Khattab
And that those who believe not in the Hereafter, for them We have prepared a painful doom.
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
And to those who believe not in the Hereafter (it announceth) that We have prepared for them a Penalty grievous (indeed).
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

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17:11
وَيَدْعُ ٱلْإِنسَـٰنُ بِٱلشَّرِّ دُعَآءَهُۥ بِٱلْخَيْرِ ۖ وَكَانَ ٱلْإِنسَـٰنُ عَجُولًا WayadAAu alins a nu bi al shsharri duAA a ahu bi a lkhayri wak a na alins a nu AAajool a n
As it is,11 man [often] prays for things that are bad as if he were praying for something that is good:12 for man is prone to be hasty [in his judgments].
  - Mohammad Asad

This, to my mind, is the meaning of the conjunctive particle wa in the above context.

Cf. {2: 216} - "it may well be that you hate a thing the while it is good for you, and it may well be that you love a thing the while it is bad for you: and God knows, whereas you do not know": in other words, divine guidance is the only objective criterion as to what is good and what is bad.

Yet man prays for evil as fervently as he ought to pray for good, and mankind is ever hasty.
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
And humans 'swiftly' pray for evil1 as they pray for good. For humankind is ever hasty.
  - Mustafa Khattab

 Some people are quick to pray against themselves or others in times of anger and frustration.

Man prayeth for evil as he prayeth for good; for man was ever hasty.
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
The prayer that man should make for good he maketh for evil: for man is given to hasty (deeds). 2184
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Man in his ignorance or haste mistakes evil for good, and desires what he should not have. The wise and instructed soul has patience and does not put its own desires above the wisdom of Allah. He receives with contentment the favours of Allah, and prays to be rightly guided in his desires and petitions.

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17:12
وَجَعَلْنَا ٱلَّيْلَ وَٱلنَّهَارَ ءَايَتَيْنِ ۖ فَمَحَوْنَآ ءَايَةَ ٱلَّيْلِ وَجَعَلْنَآ ءَايَةَ ٱلنَّهَارِ مُبْصِرَةً لِّتَبْتَغُوا۟ فَضْلًا مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ وَلِتَعْلَمُوا۟ عَدَدَ ٱلسِّنِينَ وَٱلْحِسَابَ ۚ وَكُلَّ شَىْءٍ فَصَّلْنَـٰهُ تَفْصِيلًا WajaAAaln a allayla wa al nnah a ra a yatayni fama h awn a a yata allayli wajaAAaln a a yata a l nnah a ri mub s iratan litabtaghoo fa d lan min rabbikum walitaAAlamoo AAadada a l ssineena wa a l h is a ba wakulla shayin fa ss aln a hu taf s eel a n
And We have established the night and the day as two symbols;13 and thereupon We have effaced the symbol of night and set up [in its place] the light-giving symbol of day,14 so that you might seek to obtain your Sustainer's bounty and be aware of the passing years15 and of the reckoning [that is bound to come]. For clearly, have We spelt out everything!16
  - Mohammad Asad

Regarding the primary meaning of the term ayah, see note [2] above. In the present context, the expression ayatayn ("two symbols") refers - as the subsequent clause shows - to the symbols of spiritual darkness and light.

I.e., the message of the Qur’an, which is meant to lead man out of spiritual ignorance and error into the light of faith and reason.

Lit., "the count ('adad) of years". Since, as the Qamus points out, this phrase denotes also "the years of [a person's] life, which he counts", it obviously implies here a call to spiritual self-criticism in view of the ephemeral nature of one's worldly life.

I.e., everything that man may be in need of in the domain of ethics and religion.

We have made the night and the day as two signs. We enshrouded the night with darkness and gave light to the day, to enable you to seek the bounty of your Rabb, and that you may compute the years and count the numbers. Thus, We have set forth all things in detail.
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
We made the day and night as two signs. So We made the sign of the night devoid of light, and We made the sign of the day 'perfectly' bright, so that you may seek the bounty of your Lord and know the number of years and calculation 'of time'. And We have explained everything in detail.
  - Mustafa Khattab
And we appoint the night and the day two portents. Then We make dark the portent of the night, and We make the portent of the day sight- giving, that ye may seek bounty from your Lord, and that ye may know the computation of the years, and the reckoning; and everything have We expounded with a clear expounding.
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
We have made the Night and the Day as two (of Our) Signs: the Sign of the Night have We obscured while the Sign of the day We have made to enlighten you; that ye may seek Bounty from your Lord and that ye may know the number and count of the years: all things have We explained in detail. 2185 2186
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

If we were to cry when it is night, we shall look foolish when it is day; for the night is but a preparation for the day: perhaps, as the last verse says, we pray for the day when we want rest for the night. Both are Signs from Allah. Darkness and light stand for ignorance and knowledge. "Where ignorance is bliss, its folly to be wise." Darkness and light may also stand for shadow and sunshine, sorrow and joy: both may be for our development.

By the physical light we see physical facts. And this physical gift of Allah is good for us in two ways: (1) we can arrange for our livelihood, or we can attain the knowledge of the physical sciences and gain some control over the physical forces of nature; and (2) the daily rising and setting of the sun gives us the computation of days and years, for the physical natural year is the solar year.

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17:13
وَكُلَّ إِنسَـٰنٍ أَلْزَمْنَـٰهُ طَـٰٓئِرَهُۥ فِى عُنُقِهِۦ ۖ وَنُخْرِجُ لَهُۥ يَوْمَ ٱلْقِيَـٰمَةِ كِتَـٰبًا يَلْقَىٰهُ مَنشُورًا Wakulla ins a nin alzamn a hu ta irahu fee AAunuqihi wanukhriju lahu yawma alqiy a mati kit a ban yalq a hu manshoor a n
And every human being's destiny have We tied to his neck;17 and on the Day of Resurrection We shall bring forth for him a record which he will find wide open;
  - Mohammad Asad

The word ta'ir literally signifies a "bird" or, more properly, a "flying creature". Since the pre-Islamic Arabs often endeavoured to establish a good or bad omen and, in general, to foretell the future from the manner and direction in which birds would fly, the term ta'ir came to be tropically used in the sense of "fortune", both good and evil, or "destiny". (See in this connection surah {3}, note [37], and surah {7}, note [95].) It should, however, be borne in mind that the Qur'anic concept of "destiny" relates not so much to the external circumstances of and events in man's life as, rather, to the direction which this life takes in result of one's moral choices: in other words, it relates to man's spiritual fate - and this, in its turn, depends - as the Qur'an so often points out - on a person's inclinations, attitudes and conscious actions (including self-restraint from morally bad actions or, alternatively, a deliberate omission of good actions). Hence, man's spiritual fate depends on himself and is inseparably linked with the whole tenor of his personality; and since it is God who has made man responsible for his behaviour on earth, He speaks of Himself as having "tied every human being's destiny to his neck".

We have fastened the fate of every man to his own neck, and on the Day of Judgment We shall bring out for him a book spread wide open,
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
We have bound every human's destiny to their neck.1 And on the Day of Judgment We will bring forth to each 'person' a record which they will find laid open.
  - Mustafa Khattab

 This refers to the deeds that one is destined to do of their own free will. Out of His infinite knowledge, Allah knows people’s choices even before they make them. In the Hereafter, He will raise them from the dead for judgment.

And every man's augury have We fastened to his own neck, and We shall bring forth for him on the Day of Resurrection a book which he will find wide open.
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
Every man's fate We have fastened on his own neck: on the Day of Judgment We shall bring out for him a scroll which he will see spread open. 2187 2188
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Fate: Tair, literally a bird, hence an omen, an evil omen, fate. Cf. xxxvi. 19. The Arabs, like the ancient Romans, sought to read the mysteries of human fate from the flight of birds. And many of us in our own day seek to read our future fortunes by similar superstitions. We read in the previous verse that there are Signs of Allah, but they are not meant to subserve the vulgar purpose of disclosing our future destiny in a worldly sense. They are meant for quite other purposes, as we have explained. Our real fate does not depend upon birds or omens or stars. It depends on our deeds; good or evil, and they hang round our necks.

These deeds, good or evil, will be embodied in a scroll which will be quite open to us in the light of the Day of Judgment, however much we may affect to be ignorant of it now or waste our energies in prying into mysteries that do not concern us.

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17:14
ٱقْرَأْ كِتَـٰبَكَ كَفَىٰ بِنَفْسِكَ ٱلْيَوْمَ عَلَيْكَ حَسِيبًا Iqra kit a baka kaf a binafsika alyawma AAalayka h aseeb a n
[and he will be told:] "Read this thy record! Sufficient is thine own self today to make out thine account!"18
  - Mohammad Asad

The "record" and the subsequent "account" represent man's total comprehension, on Judgment Day, of all his past life (Razi). This allegory occurs in the Qur'an in many formulations, e.g., in 37:19 or 39:68 , and perhaps most incisively in {50: 22} - "now We have lifted from thee thy veil, and sharp is thy sight today!"

saying: "Here is your book of deeds: read it. Today you yourself are sufficient to take your own account."
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
'And it will be said,' 'Read your record. You 'alone' are sufficient this Day to take account of yourself.'
  - Mustafa Khattab
(And it will be said unto him): Read thy book. Thy soul sufficeth as reckoner against thee this day.
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
(It will be said to him:) "Read thine (own) record: sufficient is thy soul this day to make out an account against thee." 2189
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Our true accusers are our own deeds. Why not look to them instead of vainly prying into something superstitious which we call a book of fortune or a book of omens?

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17:15
مَّنِ ٱهْتَدَىٰ فَإِنَّمَا يَهْتَدِى لِنَفْسِهِۦ ۖ وَمَن ضَلَّ فَإِنَّمَا يَضِلُّ عَلَيْهَا ۚ وَلَا تَزِرُ وَازِرَةٌ وِزْرَ أُخْرَىٰ ۗ وَمَا كُنَّا مُعَذِّبِينَ حَتَّىٰ نَبْعَثَ رَسُولًا Mani ihtad a fainnam a yahtadee linafsihi waman d alla fainnam a ya d illu AAalayh a wal a taziru w a ziratun wizra okhr a wam a kunn a muAAa thth ibeena h att a nabAAatha rasool a n
Whoever chooses to follow the right path, follows it but for his own good; and whoever goes astray, goes but astray to his own hurt; and no bearer of burdens shall be made to bear another's burden.19 Moreover, We would never chastise [any community for the wrong they may do] ere We have sent an apostle [to them].20
  - Mohammad Asad

See 6:164 , 35:18 and 39:7 , as well as the corresponding notes, also 53:38 , which represents the earliest Qur'anic statement of this fundamental principle of ethics.

Sc., "so that they might fully understand the meaning of right and wrong": cf. {6:131-132} and the corresponding note [117], as well as 28:59 (which, in the chronology of revelation, immediately precedes the present surah).

He that seeks guidance, shall be guided to his own advantage, but he that goes astray does so to his own loss. No bearer shall bear the burden of another on the Day of Judgement. And during your worldly life, We do not inflict punishment until We send forth a Rasool to make truth distinct from falsehood.
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
Whoever chooses to be guided, it is only for their own good. And whoever chooses to stray, it is only to their own loss. No soul burdened with sin will bear the burden of another. And We would never punish 'a people' until We have sent a messenger 'to warn them'.
  - Mustafa Khattab
Whosoever goeth right, it is only for (the good of) his own soul that he goeth right, and whosoever erreth, erreth only to its hurt. No laden soul can bear another's load. We never punish until We have sent a messenger.
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
Who receiveth guidance receiveth it for his own benefit: who goeth astray doth so to his own loss: no bearer of burdens can bear the burden of another: nor would We visit with Our Wrath until We had sent an apostle (to give warning). 2190 2191
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

The doctrine of personal responsibility is insisted on, and the basis of ethics is shown to be our own good or evil as furthering or obstructing our highest development.

The doctrine of vicarious atonement is condemned. Salvation for the wicked cannot be attained by the punishment of the innocent. One man cannot bear the burden of another: that would be unjust. Every man must bear his own personal responsibility. Cf. vi. 164. But Allah never visits His wrath on anyone until due warning is conveyed to him through an accredited messenger.

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