Tafsir of Al-Isra 17:28

{And if you turn away from them}—meaning from the kin, the needy, and the wayfarer, according to what is apparent. It is also said: [that it means turning away] from the seekers [of charity] in an absolute sense. "Turning away" (i‘rad) originally means to show the side (‘ard), that is, the flank. Thus, the meaning of "he turned away from him" is that he turned while revealing his side. The intended meaning here is its literal sense, as has been said, based on what is narrated: that when the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) was asked for something he did not possess, he would turn his noble face away and remain silent; then [this verse] was revealed: {And if you turn away from them}.

{Seeking a mercy from your Lord which you hope for}: The address is general, for the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) and others. The intended meaning of "mercy," according to what Ibn Jarir extracted on the authority of Ibn Abbas, Mujahid, and al-Dahhak, is "provision." The word ibtigha'a (seeking) is in the accusative case as a maf‘ul lahu (causative object). Al-Kashf states: "The seeking of provision is placed in the position of the lack thereof," which contains a subtle grace. Thus, this turning away is for the sake of striving for them, which is the placement of the effect in the place of the cause, as clarified in al-Kashshaf. It is sometimes interpreted as "waiting," and it is permissible to make it a state (hal) from the pronoun in {tu‘ridanna}, meaning "while seeking." Making it a state from the genitive pronoun [in "from them"] is far-fetched.

It is also permitted that the "turning away" be a metonym for not providing benefit or omitting the act of giving, as that is its customary implication. Likewise, "seeking" is a metaphor for the lack of ability. The connection remains with the conditional clause. This is supported by what Sa‘id ibn Mansur and Ibn al-Mundhir extracted from ‘Ata’ al-Khurasani, who said: "Some people from Muzaynah came to request the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) to provide them with mounts. He said: 'I do not find that upon which I can mount you.' They turned away, their eyes overflowing with tears out of grief, thinking this was due to the anger of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) toward them. So Allah, the Exalted, revealed: {And if you turn away from them}—the verse." He interpreted the "mercy" as the fay' (spoils). However, you know that this is not apparent, based on what you have heard: that this Surah is Meccan and the aforementioned verse is not among the exceptions. It is as if for this reason it was said: the meaning is, "If it is established and realized in the future that you turned away from them in the past seeking a mercy from your Lord which you hope for, then say..." The intended meaning is the causality of the established fact for the command to speak. Reflect on this.

It is permitted that {ibtigha'a} relates to the answer of the condition, i.e., His saying: {then speak to them a gentle word}. Meaning: "If you turn away from them, then speak to them a gentle word seeking a mercy from your Lord." Al-Zamakhshari prioritized this view over all other views. He was challenged with the objection that what comes after the fa' (the particle of consequence) does not govern what comes before it, except in the chapter of imma and what is attached to it. It was answered that he mentioned this according to the Kufan school, which permits such governance absolutely, or he intended a semantic connection, so he implies a verb that would govern it and considers what is mentioned as proceeding in the manner of an explanation. The turning away, according to this, is in its literal sense, while the possibility of it being a metonym is restricted to its connection with the conditional clause, as claimed by al-Tibi. The truth is that it is not restricted, as is not hidden [from the scholar].

The clause {which you hope for} is, according to all views, capable of being an attribute of "mercy" or a state from the active participant, and {min rabbika} relates to {tarjuha}. It is also permissible for it to be an attribute of "mercy."

The maysur is a passive participle from yassara (the matter was made easy), like su‘ida (the man was made happy). Its meaning is "the easy one," i.e., say to them an easy, gentle word; promise them a beautiful promise. Al-Hasan said: "He was ordered to say to them: 'Kindness and honor, but we do not have [it] today; if something comes to us, we will acknowledge your right.'" It is said that maysur is a verbal noun, and it is made a hyperbolic adjective or [is understood] by the estimation of an annexed noun, i.e., "a word possessing ease." The intended meaning is a word containing a supplication for ease, such as "May Allah the Exalted enrich you and make things easy for you." Ibn Zayd interpreted it as "May Allah the Exalted provide for us and you; may Allah the Exalted bless you." This was challenged on the grounds that maysur means "possessing ease," and this is why it occurs as an attribute for "a word," so what is the necessity for making it a verbal noun and then interpreting it as "possessing ease"? It was defended by saying that if the intended meaning is a word containing a supplication, the word itself is not "easy" (maysur), but rather "made easy" (muyassar) for what they desired.

That maysur is a verbal noun is something established in the language without awkwardness. Making it a hyperbolic adjective or [by way of] estimating an annexed noun has a valid aspect, though it requires reflection. The truth is that considering it a verbal noun is contrary to the apparent meaning. The verse, according to the latter view, provides evidence that supplicating for the seeker is something in which there is no harm. From Imam Malik (may Allah have mercy on him), it is reported that he did not see it as appropriate to say to a seeker if he gave him nothing: "May Allah provide for you," and the like, saying that this is something that weighs heavily upon him and he dislikes hearing it, and it is not appropriate to mention the Name of Allah to one who is not pleased by it. By my life, this is a deep insight.

Some have stated that the verse contains evidence for the prohibition of "turning away" in the first sense, for the meaning is: "If you desire to turn away from them, then speak to them a gentle word; do not turn away." This has a valid aspect that is not hidden from one who has sharp insight. ‘Izz al-Din ibn ‘Abd al-Salam found it problematic to consider {ibtigha'a} as related to the conditional clause, given that we are commanded to respond beautifully whether we are waiting for something to reach us or not. He answered that the intended meaning of the "gentle word" is the promise of giving. Thus, the import of the verse is: "Do not promise unless you are in expectation of obtaining that which you are promising." Therefore, the qualification with "seeking" is in complete agreement with the condition, because it is not proper to promise when there is no expectation, as it leads to breaking the promise. And it is as you see.