Tafsir of Al-Isra 17:107

(Say) to those who disbelieve, (believe in it), meaning: in the Quran, (or do not believe), meaning: in it. The meaning is that your belief in it and your lack of belief in it are the same, for your belief does not add to its perfection, and your lack of belief does not result in any deficiency in it.

{Indeed, those who were given knowledge before it}—meaning the scholars who read the preceding scriptures before the descent of the Quran, and recognized the reality of revelation, the signs of prophethood, and were capable of distinguishing between truth and falsehood, and between the one who is truthful and the one who is a fabricator, or who saw your description and the description of what was sent down to you—{when it is recited}—meaning the Quran—{to them, they fall upon their chins}. Al-khurur (falling) is descending rapidly. Al-adhqan (chins) is the plural of dhiqn (chin), which is the junction of the two jawbones; it is applied metaphorically to the hair that grows upon it, and it is also applied to the face, as an expression of the part for the whole. It is said that this is what is intended, and it is narrated from Ibn Abbas; so it is as if it were said: they fall rapidly upon their faces.

{Prostrating} out of veneration for the command of Allah the Exalted, or in gratitude for the fulfillment of what was promised in those scriptures regarding your mission. The apparent meaning is that there is a physical falling and prostration in reality. It is said: None of that is the case, but rather the intent is that they submit to what they hear and yield to it with complete submission and humility; thus, the speech is cast by way of allegorical metaphor. Al-Zamakhshari interpreted "falling upon their chins" as falling upon their faces, then said: "The chin is only mentioned because it is the first thing of a prostrator's face that meets the ground." It is said that this view is problematic, because the first parts are the forehead and the nose. Then he explained it by saying that when the falling commences, the closest thing of his face to the ground is the chin, as if the intent were the first point of approach toward contact.

It has been permitted that the chins remain in their literal sense, and the intent is hyperbole in humility, which is the rubbing of the beard upon the dust, or that perhaps they fall upon their chins like those who have fainted out of fear of Allah the Exalted. It is said: Perhaps their prostration was in this manner, other than what we have known, and it is as you see.

The author of Al-Fara'id said: The intent is hyperbole in pressing down upon the forehead and nose, to the point that it is as if they were sticking their chins to the ground; this is a very good interpretation. The lam (in lil-adhqan), as stipulated by Al-Zamakhshari, is for specification (al-ikhtisas), and he mentioned that the meaning is: they made their chins for the falling, and specified them for it.

The meaning of this specification, according to Al-Kashf, is that the falling does not extend from the chins to other parts of the face. He verified this in a manner beyond which there is nothing more to be said. The claim of specification was objected to on the grounds that it contradicts what was previously stated: that the chin is the first thing of a prostrator that meets the ground. It was answered with what was answered, and Al-Khafaji pursued this by noting that it is based on the assumption that the specification indicated by the lam implies restriction (al-hasr), which is not the case; rather, it is a matter of a specific connection. Even if one were to concede it, the meaning of specification with the chin is specification by its direction and that which is parallel to it, which is the direction of the bottom. There is no doubt of its specification to it, as it cannot be for anything else. So the meaning of {they fall upon their chins} is: they fall upon the earth at the moment of completion, and the intent is to depict that state, as in the saying: "And he fell prostrate for his hands and his mouth." So ponder this.

Some chose that the lam is in the meaning of 'ala (upon). Some claimed the two pronouns in {in it} and {before it} refer to the Prophet, peace be upon him, but the context preceding and following rejects this. Ibn al-Mundhir and Ibn Jarir narrated that the pronoun in {it is recited} refers to their book, and its condition is not hidden.

The apparent meaning is that the nominal sentence is included within the scope of {Say}, and it is an explanation for what is understood from His saying—Exalted be He—{believe in it or do not believe}, regarding the lack of concern for that; meaning: if you do not believe in it, then he who is better than you has believed in it with the best of belief. It is permissible that it is not included in the scope of Say, but rather it is an explanation for it by way of consolation to the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, as if it were said: Be consoled by the belief of the scholars for the belief of the ignorant, and do not care about their belief and their agendas. Both aspects were mentioned in Al-Kashshaf.

He said in Al-Kashf: The outcome is that the intent is consolation, disdain, and lack of concern—which is useful for rebuke and denigration—derived from it, combined or conversely. The formula in the second is more apparent, and the explanation is by His saying—Glory be to Him—{indeed, those who were given knowledge} in the first.

Ibn Atiyyah said: Another meaning is directed in the verse, which is that His saying—Glory be to Him—{Say: Believe in it or do not believe} came only for warning. The meaning is: Do whichever of the two things you wish, for you shall see what you are repaid with. Then he struck for them a parable by way of denigration regarding those of the people of the book who preceded; meaning: that people were not as you are in disbelief, but rather those who were given the Torah, the Gospel, the Psalms, and the revealed scriptures, when what was revealed to them was recited to them, they humbled themselves and believed. This is very far-fetched and is not free from the commission of forcing the meaning. It may be that there is in the discourse regarding it an istikhdam (use of a word in a sense other than its primary one).