Tafsir of Al-Isra 17:4

Ibn Jarir and others reported from Ibn Abbas: "We informed them." Al-Raghib added: "And We revealed to them," meaning a definitive revelation. Many have clarified that the term al-qada' (decree) implies the meaning of revelation; it is for this reason that it is connected with the particle ila (to). To reveal to them is to inform them, even if through an intermediary.

It has been said that ila is in the sense of ala (upon). This is also narrated from Ibn Abbas, who said: "We decreed upon them in the Book," meaning the Torah, or the genus of books, as evidenced by the recitation of Abu al-'Aliyah and Ibn Jubayr: al-kutub (the books) in the plural form. The explicit meaning points to the former in the first instance, or to the Preserved Tablet in the latter.

Ibn al-Mundhir and al-Hakim narrated from Tawus, who said: "I was with Ibn Abbas, and there was a man from the Qadariyyah sect with us. I said, 'There are people who say there is no decree (qadar).' He said, 'Is there any one of them among the people?' I replied, 'If there were, what would you do to him?' He said, 'If there were one of them among them, I would seize him by the head,' then he recited: 'And We decreed for the Children of Israel in the Book: You shall surely cause corruption in the land.'"

This is the response to a suppressed oath. The object related to the decree is also omitted because it is known, the estimate being: "And We decreed to the Children of Israel, regarding their corruption and their arrogance, 'By Allah, you shall surely cause corruption...'" This serves to emphasize the association of the decree. It is also permissible to consider it the response to qadayna, by treating the decree as an oath, and thus it is received with what an oath is received with, such as: "Allah has decreed that I shall surely do such and such." The "land" refers to the genus of land or the land of the Levant and Jerusalem.

Ibn Abbas, Nasr ibn 'Ali, and Jabir ibn Zayd recited la-tufsidunna with the ta dammed and the sin fatha (passive voice), meaning: "Others will corrupt you." Some say this refers to misguidance, while others say it refers to being overcome. 'Isa recited la-tafsudunna with the ta fatha and the sin dammed, meaning: "You shall surely corrupt by your own selves through the perpetration of sins."

"Twice" is in the accusative case as a verbal noun (masdar) from a root other than la-tufsidunna (the verb it modifies), and it signifies two acts of corruption. The first of these, as reported by al-Suddi from his elders, was the killing of Zachariah (peace be upon him). This is also narrated from Ibn Abbas and Ibn Mas'ud. It is said that when their righteous king died, they competed for the throne, killing one another and refusing to listen to Zachariah. Allah the Almighty said to him: "Stand among your people and proclaim what is revealed to you." When he finished what was revealed to him, they turned against him to kill him. He fled, and a tree split open for him; he entered it, and the Shaytan caught up to him, grabbed a piece of his garment, and revealed him to them. They placed a saw in the middle of the tree until they cut him in half.

It is also said that the cause of his killing was that they accused him regarding Mary (peace be upon her). It is said they remarked: "When she became pregnant, the daughter of our master sinned," so they cut him with a saw within the tree. Ibn Ishaq says: "It was the killing of Isaiah (peace be upon him)," who was sent after Moses (peace be upon him). When the revelation reached them, they wanted to kill him, so he fled and was killed; he is the "man of the tree," whereas Zachariah (peace be upon him) died a natural death and was not killed.

In al-Kashshaf, it is mentioned: "The first was the killing of Zachariah and the imprisonment of Jeremiah; the second was the killing of John (Yahya) and the attempt to kill Jesus (peace be upon them)." This is for those who place the demise of Zachariah before John (peace be upon them), which is the narration of Ibn 'Asakir in his history from 'Ali (may Allah honor his countenance). Then, coupling that with the imprisonment of Jeremiah in the same era is not sound, because Jeremiah was in the time of Nebuchadnezzar, and between him and Zachariah there are more than two hundred years.

Some have chosen—and it is said this is the truth—that the first was the altering of the Torah, the failure to act upon it, and the imprisonment and wounding of Jeremiah when he preached to them and gave them glad tidings of our Prophet (peace be upon him). He was the first to give him glad tidings (peace be upon him) after the tidings of the Torah. The second was the killing of Zachariah and John (peace be upon them).

Whoever says that Zachariah died in his bed limits the two acts to John (peace be upon him). There is disagreement regarding the cause of John’s killing. From Ibn Abbas and others: the cause was that a king wanted to marry a woman whom it was unlawful for him to marry. John (peace be upon him) forbade him. The king had accustomed that woman to grant her whatever she wished on every feast day. Her mother instructed her to ask him for the head of John (peace be upon him). She asked him, he refused, but she persisted until he called for a basin and slaughtered him into it. A drop of blood fell onto the ground and continued to boil until seventy thousand were killed because of it.

Al-Rabi' ibn Anas said: "John (peace be upon him) was very handsome and beautiful. The king’s wife tried to seduce him, but he refused. She said to her daughter: 'Ask your father for the head of John.' She asked him, and he gave it to her."

Al-Jubba'i said: "Allah the Almighty mentioned their corruption in the land twice without specifying what that was, so one should not be definitive regarding anything mentioned."

"And you shall surely reach a great height"—meaning, you shall surely grow arrogant against the obedience of Allah the Almighty, or you shall surely overcome people through injustice and aggression, and you shall exceed all bounds in that to an excessive degree. The original meaning of 'uluw (height) is rising, which is the opposite of being low; it is used metaphorically for arrogance and seizing power through injustice. Zayd ibn 'Ali (may Allah be pleased with them both) recited 'aliyyan kabiran with the 'ayn and the lam kasra and a doubled ya. In al-Bahr, it is said: "Correction in the fa'ul form of the verbal noun is more common, unlike the plural, where weakening (i'lal) is the standard rule." The correction [without weakening] is rare, such as lahw and mahw, contrary to al-Farra', who considered that a standard rule.