Tafsir of Al-Isra 17:81

"And say, 'The Truth has come'" (Islam and the fixed, established religion).

The sentence is a conjunction to the first sentence "Say," though the possibility that it is part of the first spoken statement is extremely remote, given the indication of a response contained within it.

"And the falsehood has perished" (i.e., it has ceased, vanished, and neither polytheism, disbelief, nor the whisperings of Satan remain firm. It is derived from the expression "his soul perished" (zahaqat) when it departs in grief). It is reported from Qatadah that "the Truth" is the Quran and "the falsehood" is Satan. According to Ibn Jurayj, the first refers to Jihad and the second to polytheism. According to Muqatil, "the Truth" is the worship of Allah the Exalted, and "the falsehood" is the worship of Satan; this is close to what we have mentioned.

"Indeed, falsehood is ever bound to perish" (i.e., whatever it may be, it is vanishing—it does not remain fixed, whether now, later, or absolutely, because it is as if it never was). The form fa’ul (zahuq) is used for intensive meaning.

The two Shaykhs and a group of others narrated from Ibn Mas’ud, who said: The Prophet (peace be upon him) entered Makkah while there were three hundred and sixty idols around the House. He began poking them with a stick he held in his hand, saying: "The Truth has come and falsehood has perished; indeed, falsehood is ever bound to perish." "The Truth has come, and falsehood neither begins [anything] nor does it restore [anything]."

In a narration by Al-Tabarani in Al-Saghir and Al-Bayhaqi in Al-Dala’il from Ibn Abbas, it is reported that he (peace be upon him) came with a rod and began striking toward every idol among them, and it would fall on its face, while he said: "The Truth has come and falsehood has perished; indeed, falsehood is ever bound to perish," until he had passed by them all.