• Man hastens for evil as he should hasten for good

• Night and Day caused for counting time and age and also for rest and work

• Everyone’s actions cling to himself

• Everyone gets guided aright and goes astray for or against his own self

• No nation is punished with an Apostle already having been raised among them

• The Reward in the Hereafter is greater and more excellent

Al-Israa (Bani-Israel) Verses 11 – 22

وَيَدْعُ الْإِنْسَانُ بِالشَّرِّ دُعَاءَهُ بِالْخَيْرِ وَكَانَ الْإِنْسَانُ عَجُولًا

And prayeth man for evil as he prayeth1for good; and man in ever hasty. (17:11)

وَجَعَلْنَا اللَّيْلَ وَالنَّهَارَ آيَتَيْنِ فَمَحَوْنَا آيَةَ اللَّيْلِ وَجَعَلْنَا آيَةَ النَّهَارِ مُبْصِرَةً لِتَبْتَغُوا فَضْلًا مِنْ رَبِّكُمْ وَلِتَعْلَمُوا عَدَدَ السِّنِينَ وَالْحِسَابَ وَكُلَّ شَيْءٍ فَصَّلْنَاهُ تَفْصِيلًا

And We have made the night and the day two (of Our) signs, then cause We the sign of the night to pass away and have made We the sign of the day sight-giving that ye may seek grace from your Lord, and that ye may know the number and the count of the years; and every thing have We explained in detail. (17:12)

وَكُلَّ إِنْسَانٍ أَلْزَمْنَاهُ طَائِرَهُ فِي عُنُقِهِ وَنُخْرِجُ لَهُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ كِتَابًا يَلْقَاهُ مَنْشُورًا

And every man’s destiny2We have caused to cling to his neck; and We will bring forth unto him on the Day of Resurrection a book which he will find wide open. (17:13)3

اقْرَأْ كِتَابَكَ كَفَىٰ بِنَفْسِكَ الْيَوْمَ عَلَيْكَ حَسِيبًا

(It will be said unto him) “Read thou thy book; Sufficeth thine own self today, as a reckoner against thee.” (17:14)

مَنِ اهْتَدَىٰ فَإِنَّمَا يَهْتَدِي لِنَفْسِهِ وَمَنْ ضَلَّ فَإِنَّمَا يَضِلُّ عَلَيْهَا وَلَا تَزِرُ وَازِرَةٌ وِزْرَ أُخْرَىٰ وَمَا كُنَّا مُعَذِّبِينَ حَتَّىٰ نَبْعَثَ رَسُولًا

Whosoever getteth guided aright, verily he getteth guided aright for his ownself; and he who goeth astray, verily he goeth astray against his ownself; nor shall the bearer of a burden bear the burden of another; And We chastise not (any people) until We raise an apostle (among them) (17:15)4

وَإِذَا أَرَدْنَا أَنْ نُهْلِكَ قَرْيَةً أَمَرْنَا مُتْرَفِيهَا فَفَسَقُوا فِيهَا فَحَقَّ عَلَيْهَا الْقَوْلُ فَدَمَّرْنَاهَا تَدْمِيرًا

And when intend We to destroy a town, (first) send We Our commandment to its people who lead easy lives (to obey Us), and yet (when) they transgress5in it, then proveth true against it, the 6word so We destroy it to a complete destruction. (17:16)7

وَكَمْ أَهْلَكْنَا مِنَ الْقُرُونِ مِنْ بَعْدِ نُوحٍ وَكَفَىٰ بِرَبِّكَ بِذُنُوبِ عِبَادِهِ خَبِيرًا بَصِيرًا

And how many have We destroyed of the peoples after Noah! and thy Lord is (Himself) sufficient8with regard to the sins of his servants, (for He is) the All-Aware,9the All-Seeing10. (17:17)

مَنْ كَانَ يُرِيدُ الْعَاجِلَةَ عَجَّلْنَا لَهُ فِيهَا مَا نَشَاءُ لِمَنْ نُرِيدُ ثُمَّ جَعَلْنَا لَهُ جَهَنَّمَ يَصْلَاهَا مَذْمُومًا مَدْحُورًا

Whosoever intendeth this (fast hastening) immediate (life) We hasten unto him in it what We please for whomsoever We intend, then assign We unto him the hell; he shall enter it despised, driven away. (17:18)

وَمَنْ أَرَادَ الْآخِرَةَ وَسَعَىٰ لَهَا سَعْيَهَا وَهُوَ مُؤْمِنٌ فَأُولَٰئِكَ كَانَ سَعْيُهُمْ مَشْكُورًا

And whosoever intendeth the hereafter and striveth for it a (sincere) striving and he is a believer, these, their striving shall be (recompensed fully) appreciated. (17:19)

كُلًّا نُمِدُّ هَٰؤُلَاءِ وَهَٰؤُلَاءِ مِنْ عَطَاءِ رَبِّكَ وَمَا كَانَ عَطَاءُ رَبِّكَ مَحْظُورًا

All We do aid, these and (also) those out of the bounty of thy Lord; and the bounty of thy Lord is not confined. (17:20)11

انْظُرْ كَيْفَ فَضَّلْنَا بَعْضَهُمْ عَلَىٰ بَعْضٍ وَلَلْآخِرَةُ أَكْبَرُ دَرَجَاتٍ وَأَكْبَرُ تَفْضِيلًا

Behold (thou) how We caused some of them excel the others; and surely the hereafter is much greater in respect of degrees and greater still in respect of excellence. (17:21)

لَا تَجْعَلْ مَعَ اللَّهِ إِلَٰهًا آخَرَ فَتَقْعُدَ مَذْمُومًا مَخْذُولًا

Associate not with God any other gods, lest thou sittest despised, neglected. (17:22)

Commentary

Verse 11

This verse applies to the following occasions:

1. When one is worried or angry against himself or his people in disgust, the individual starts cursing himself and his people in the same earnestness as he prays for good. If God only grants such prayers the individual will meet only perdition, which. But God by His mercy does not do it.

2. Praying for immediate gains, neglecting the ultimate consequences.

3. Praying for things not allowed in the same way that he prays for things allowed. This depicts the common aspects of these three tendencies in man. (A.P.).

Verse 12

The mental tendency of haste in man is in resemblance with the sign of the night which passes away and the ultimate as the sign of the day.

The sign of night is the moon which is not real in its radiation and whose phases are not constant, whereas the sign of day is sun the source of real light of its own - the phases of which are not changeable - and through which we regulate our calculation of time, even if it be lunar and the other accounts. (A.P.).

Verse 14

Every individual will have the record of his own deeds clung to his neck and they will be weighed in the balance of equity which never mistakes in the least12.

• 1. As sincerely as he ought to pray in the manner for good.
• 2. Arabic ‘Taa’ir’ i.e., deeds wrought by the individual.
• 3. Every individual is responsible for his own actions irrespective of any distinction whatsoever.
• 4. Refer to verses 17:7, 2:48, 2:123, 2:154, 6:165, 35:18, 53:38, 29:12, 29:13 & 39:7.
• 5. Disobey the Commands. Refer to verse 18:50.
• 6. Then the decree of punishment is passed.
• 7. Refer to verses 7:30 & 36:7.
• 8. Sufficient Knower and Seer of the Sins, the hidden and manifest alike.
• 9. Sufficient Knower and Seer of the Sins, the hidden and manifest alike.
• 10. Sufficient Knower and Seer of the Sins, the hidden and manifest alike.
• 11. Refer to verse 17:41.
• 12. See verses 7:8, 55:7 & 17:8.