• On the Day of Judgment every people will be summoned with their own Imam (Guide or Leader)

• The Blind at heart in this life shall be blind in the hereafter also rather farther astray.

• The way of God is ever unchanged

Al-Israa (Bani-Israel) Verses 71 – 77

يَوْمَ نَدْعُو كُلَّ أُنَاسٍ بِإِمَامِهِمْ فَمَنْ أُوتِيَ كِتَابَهُ بِيَمِينِهِ فَأُولَٰئِكَ يَقْرَءُونَ كِتَابَهُمْ وَلَا يُظْلَمُونَ فَتِيلًا

Remember the Day (of Judgment) when We will summon every people with their Imam1(Leader); then whosoever is given his book in his right2hand, these shall read their books (with pleasure), and they shall not be dealt with (even) a shred unjustly. (17:71)3

وَمَنْ كَانَ فِي هَٰذِهِ أَعْمَىٰ فَهُوَ فِي الْآخِرَةِ أَعْمَىٰ وَأَضَلُّ سَبِيلًا

And whosoever is blind4in this (life), he shall in the hereafter (also) be blind and gone further astray from the (right) way. (17:72)

وَإِنْ كَادُوا لَيَفْتِنُونَكَ عَنِ الَّذِي أَوْحَيْنَا إِلَيْكَ لِتَفْتَرِيَ عَلَيْنَا غَيْرَهُ وَإِذًا لَاتَّخَذُوكَ خَلِيلًا

And verily they had well-nigh purposed to turn thee5away from that which We have revealed unto thee, that thou shouldst forge against Us other than that, and then they would surely have taken thee as a friend. (17:73)6

وَلَوْلَا أَنْ ثَبَّتْنَاكَ لَقَدْ كِدْتَ تَرْكَنُ إِلَيْهِمْ شَيْئًا قَلِيلًا

And if it was not that We had firmly established thee,7thou wouldst surely had been nigh to incline unto them a little, (17:74)

إِذًا لَأَذَقْنَاكَ ضِعْفَ الْحَيَاةِ وَضِعْفَ الْمَمَاتِ ثُمَّ لَا تَجِدُ لَكَ عَلَيْنَا نَصِيرًا

In that case We would surely have caused thee8taste a double (torment) in this life and a double (torment) after death, (and) then thou wouldst not have found for thee against Us any helper. (17:75)

وَإِنْ كَادُوا لَيَسْتَفِزُّونَكَ مِنَ الْأَرْضِ لِيُخْرِجُوكَ مِنْهَا وَإِذًا لَا يَلْبَثُونَ خِلَافَكَ إِلَّا قَلِيلًا

And verily well-nigh they purposed to tare9these away from the land, that they might drive thee out from it, but then, they would not have tarried10(therein) after thee, but a little. (17:76)

سُنَّةَ مَنْ قَدْ أَرْسَلْنَا قَبْلَكَ مِنْ رُسُلِنَا وَلَا تَجِدُ لِسُنَّتِنَا تَحْوِيلًا

This was Our way with those of Our apostles whom We did send before thee, and thou shalt find not in Our way any change. (17:77)

Commentary

Verse 71

The Book mentioned here is the record of one’s own deeds accompanying every individual which shall be manifested in a visible form on the Day of Judgment11.

‘Imam’, i.e., Guide. It is said that whosoever, an individual follows in his life, on the Day of Judgment with him only the individual will be called to account for his faith and deeds. Blessed are they who follow the best Guides - the Holy Ahl al-Bayt, the purified ones of God. When this verse was revealed, people asked the Holy Prophet if he was not the Imam of all the people. The Holy Prophet said: “Yes,” “I am the Imam until I am alive in this world; and after me the Imam will be Ali Ibn Abi Talib, followed by his divinely chosen issues. People attached to them will he safe and shall gain salvation, and those who go astray and disassociate themselves from them, will be lost.”

It is now left to every individual to follow those Holy Souls who are divinely purified, under the verse 33:33, i.e., the Holy Ahl al-Bayt who were the fountainhead of knowledge and guidance and who never in their lives yielded to falsehood, or to follow those who themselves needed to be guided. To guide mankind towards the correct leadership, the Divine Mercy has given several guiding notes.12

“Is he who leadeth to the truth more deserving that he should be followed, or he who findeth not the way unless he himself be guided? What aileth you? How ye judge?” (10:35).

Again, the All-Merciful Lord gives the following guiding note through the Holy Qur’an:

“Is he who goeth groping on his face, more rightly guided, or he who walketh upright in a straight, road?” (67:22).

To identify the genuine Imam against the false one, the quality of his being endowed with the knowledge of everything is marked out:

“All things have We accommodated in a manifest guide.” (36:12).

As to who are those divinely chosen to be the Imams of the people, the Lord Himself has made it clear.13 When Abraham was granted ‘Imamat’, he prayed for his issues. It was said to Abraham that it (i.e., Imamat) would not reach the iniquitous ones in his seed. The greatest iniquity according to the Qur’an being polytheism,14 it gets quite clear that those whom polytheism had polluted, would never have this great gift of God. Now let us see besides the Holy Prophet who has been totally free from the pollution of polytheism or shirk. There is only one among the many around the Holy Prophet who had never in his life yielded to any false deity and that singular personality is Ali Ibn Abi Talib; and what the Holy Prophet declared was true that after him, Ali will be the Imam of the people. Besides taking the other qualities of supreme excellence of Knowledge, Bravery, Piety, Wisdom, Justice and Godliness, there is none to be compared to him. It is referring to this unique, position of Ali the Muslim World as a whole mentions the name of Ali with the suffix – ‘Karramallahu Wajhahu’ - he whose face God has graced to have not bowed to any one, besides God.

“Verily We have shown man the Right Way, let him now follow it thankfully or ungratefully reject it.” (76:2).

Regarding the actual meaning of the word Imam here, the commentators have given different accounts:

1. Scripture.

2. Prophet.

3. Leaders of the respective ages.

4. The recorded life-action.

5. Mothers.

The most appropriate ones are the first three. As to follow a scripture means nothing but to follow the prophet, for the scripture and the prophet, who brought it, are not separable. But Qur’an says that there are two kinds of leaders or Imams:

(1) Those who lead to the fire15

(2) and those who lead to the Right Path – Paradise.16

It is obvious that the right Imam, is the same as the Prophet, in not separable from the scripture, as it was announced by the Holy Prophet in conformity with the Holy Qur’an that the Ahl al-Bayt are with Qur’an and Qur’an is with them, inseparable till the Resurrection Day. And he has asserted in the most authentic tradition that whoever dies without recognising the Imam of his age has died a pagan death; which proves that every age has got its right Imam and he has also asserted that their number is confined to Twelve, neither more nor less. Having all this in view, the meaning of the verse becomes clear that every group of human being will be called through the Imam of their age, i.e., the person who leads them. If he is the right Imam, his identity will be his inseparability with the scripture and the Holy Prophet. And any leader who is opposed to the Imam of the age is opposed to the scripture, to the Prophet and to God. On the Resurrection Day there will be groups:

1. Those who are topmost in whatever is good and excellent and the closest ones to God - performing the function of the leadership.

2. The Rightist – ‘Aṣḥab al-Maymanah’ - The followers of the first group.

3. The Leftist – ‘Aṣḥab al-Mash’amah’ - the opponents of the right. Ref. to the opening verses of Chapter 86. (A.P.)

Verse 72

The blindness mentioned here is not the blindness of the physical eye but the blindness of heart. He whose heart did not get the benefit of the correct belief in God, shall also be deprived of seeing the light of salvation or the bliss in the life Hereafter.

Verse 73

The people of Banu Thaqif demanded a concession to them, i.e., to allow them to worship the idols for one more year and thereafter they would give up idolatry and embrace Islam.17 Another version says the reference is to the heathens offering the Holy Prophet some very tempting offers like making him the ruler of the whole of Arabia and giving in wedlock the most beautiful of the women of the land etc. The Holy Prophet’s reply was: “If they place the sun in my right hand and the moon in the left in return for my giving up my mission, I will not give it up until the truth prevails or I am killed for it.”

Verse 76

Refers to the plot of the Quraysh to expel the Holy Prophet from Mecca. The latter part of the verse is a prophecy about Mecca being captured shortly after the Holy Prophet migrated from it.

• 1. There are two kinds of Imams - Imam guiding at God’s Command. Refer to verses 11:73 & 32:24 and imams inviting to Hell. Refer to verse 28:41.
• 2. Refer to verse 69:19.
• 3. Refer to note on verse 36:12, 11:98, 2:143, 4:41, 16:84-89, 24: 4, 36:65 & 11:18.
• 4. Read this with verse 13:19-22, 46:20, 20:124, 20:125 - The blindness referred to here is not the physical blindness but the blindness of heart - the lack of attention towards God’s Commands and His Signs.
• 5. The Prophet addressed for the people.
• 6. Thus, by the grace of God the Holy Prophet was far from any inclination.
• 7. The people.
• 8. The people.
• 9. by Boycotting.
• 10. This may refer to the Interdict of the ‘Shiʿb Abi Talib’ and the Non-Co-operation of the heathens forcing the Holy Prophet to leave Mecca. Qur’an prophecies that after that, they themselves would not stay there long.
• 11. See Verse 17:14.
• 12. See verse 67:22.
• 13. See verse 2:124.
• 14. See verse 31:13.
• 15. See verse 28:41.
• 16. See verses 11:73 & 32:24.
• 17. Umdatul Bayan.