Tafsir of Al-Isra 17:85

The view that appears most plausible to the fair-minded is that the question concerned the essence of the Ruh (Spirit/Soul) which acts as the axis of the human body and the principle of its life. This is because it is among the most subtle of matters, which no one can deny, for which everyone yearns to gain knowledge, and toward which the motives of rational minds are directed. Yet, it is a subject that leaves minds exhausted and is hardly known except through revelation.

Ibn al-Qayyim claimed that the Ruh being asked about is the Ruh mentioned by Allah in His Book, which shall stand on the Day of Resurrection with the angels (peace be upon them). He argued that they were only asking the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) about a matter that could not be known except by revelation, and that is the Ruh which is with Allah, which people do not know, whereas the souls of the children of Adam are not of the Unseen. He dwelt at length on this. In al-Buhur al-Zakhirah, it is stated that this is the position of most of the predecessors—nay, all of them. However, the truth is what we have mentioned, which is the position of the majority, as stipulated in al-Bahr and others. Indeed, what Ibn al-Qayyim claimed is narrated from some of the predecessors.

'Abd ibn Humayd and Abu al-Shaykh narrated from Ibn 'Abbas that he said: "The Ruh is a creation from the creations of Allah; He fashioned them in the image of the children of Adam. No angel descends from the heaven but that one of the Ruh accompanies him." Then he recited: “On the Day when the Ruh and the angels stand in rows” (78:38).

Abu al-Shaykh and others narrated from the path of 'Ata’, from him (may Allah be pleased with him), that he said regarding the Ruh being asked about: "It is a single angel who has ten thousand wings; two of which span from the East to the West. He has a thousand faces, and for every face, a tongue, two eyes, and two lips. He glorifies Allah (the Exalted) with them until the Day of Resurrection." He and others also narrated from 'Ali (may Allah honor his face) that he said about it: "It is an angel from among the angels who has seventy thousand faces, and for every face of them, seventy thousand tongues, and for every tongue of them, seventy thousand languages. He glorifies Allah (the Exalted) with all those languages, and Allah (the Exalted) creates from every glorification an angel who flies with the angels until the Day of Resurrection." This was criticized on the grounds that it is not authentic from 'Ali (may Allah honor his face), and the Imam (al-Razi) criticized it as well.

Ibn al-Anbari narrated in Kitab al-Addad from Mujahid that he said: "The Ruh is a creation from the angels (peace be upon them); the angels do not see them, just as you do not see the angels."

Abu al-Shaykh narrated from Salman that he said: "Humans and Jinn are ten parts; humans are one part, and Jinn are nine. Angels and Jinn are ten parts; Jinn are one part of that, and angels are nine. Angels and the Ruh are ten parts; angels are one part of that, and the Ruh is nine. The Ruh and the Cherubim (al-Karubiyyun) are ten parts; the Ruh is one part of that, and the Cherubim are nine."

Al-Hasan and Qatadah said: "The Ruh is Jibril (peace be upon him)." He has been named Ruh in the words of Allah (the Exalted): "The Trustworthy Spirit (al-Ruh al-Amin) has brought it down upon your heart" (26:193), and the question was about the manner of his descent and his casting of the revelation upon him (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). Some said it is the Qur’an, and it has been named Ruh in the words of Allah (the Exalted): "And thus We have revealed to you a Spirit of Our command" (42:52). Others said otherwise.

Some claimed that the question was about the contingency of the Ruh (in the first sense) and its pre-eternity, but this is nothing, as you shall hear, if Allah (the Exalted) wills.

The pronoun in "they ask you" refers to the Jews. The Two Shaykhs and others narrated from Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) who said: "I was walking with the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) in the ruins of Medina, and he was leaning on a palm branch. He passed by a group of Jews, and some said to others, 'Ask him about the Ruh.' Others said, 'Do not ask him.' So they asked him, saying, 'O Muhammad, what is the Ruh?' He remained leaning on the branch, and I thought that revelation was coming to him. When the revelation came, he said: 'And they ask you about the Ruh...' (verse)."

Others said it refers to the Quraysh, since Ahmad, al-Nasa'i, al-Tirmidhi, al-Hakim (who authenticated it), Ibn Hibban, and a group narrated from Ibn Abbas that he said: "The Quraysh said to the Jews, 'Give us something to ask this man.' They said, 'Ask him about the Ruh.' So they asked him, and it was revealed: 'And they ask you...' etc."

In the Siyar, it is narrated from Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with both) that the Quraysh sent al-Nadr ibn al-Harith and 'Uqbah ibn Abi Mu'ayt to the Jewish rabbis in Medina and said to them: "Ask them about Muhammad, for they are the People of the Book and have knowledge that we do not have." So we went out until we arrived in Medina and asked them. They said: "Ask him about the People of the Cave, about Dhu al-Qarnayn, and about the Ruh. If he answers them or remains silent, he is not a prophet. If he answers some and remains silent about others, he is a prophet." They came and asked him; he explained the two cases to them but kept the matter of the Ruh vague, as it is vague in the Torah and the verse. According to this and the previous report, it is Meccan; according to the report of the Two Shaykhs, it is Medinan. Some have reconciled this by saying the verse was revealed twice; ponder this.

Whatever the case, the reason for following the preceding passage with this is that if the Ruh is interpreted as the Qur’an, it is apparent and compatible with the words of Allah (the Exalted): "And We send down of the Qur’an that which is healing and mercy" (17:82), and with the subsequent expressions of gratitude toward him and his followers for preserving it in their chests and its endurance. Likewise, if it is interpreted as Jibril (peace be upon him). But according to the view of the majority, it came as an interruption, indicating the loss of the oppressors and their misguidance, and that they are preoccupied with pedantic questioning about what wisdom has sealed off the path to knowing, rather than pondering the Book and benefiting from it. Something similar is said regarding the view narrated from some of the predecessors.

Say, "The Ruh" (The declaration of "The Ruh" is in the place of the pronoun to demonstrate perfect concern) "is from the command of my Lord." The word "from" (min) is for partiality (tab'id), and it is said: for clarification (bayani). "The command" (al-amr) is one of the matters (al-umur) in the sense of an affair (sha'n). The attribution (idafa) is for scientific specialization, not for creative origination, for there is nothing that is not attributed to Him (the Almighty and Majestic) in this sense. In it lies a nobility of the attributed object that is not hidden, just as the second attribution (my Lord) conveys nobility to the Attributee. That is: it is of the kind of hidden secrets whose knowledge Allah (the Exalted) has reserved for Himself, which the eyes of human intellects can hardly perceive.

"And you have not been given of knowledge except a little." It is impossible for this to pertain to such matters. According to what has been said, this is a withholding of explanation and a prohibition against their asking.

Ibn Ishaq and Ibn Jarir narrated from 'Ata’ ibn Yasar that he said: "This verse was revealed in Mecca. When he (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) migrated to Medina, the Jewish rabbis came to him and said: 'O Muhammad, did we not hear from you that you say, "And you have not been given of knowledge except a little"? Did you mean us or your people?' He said: 'Both; I meant both.' They said: 'But you recite that we were given the Torah, in which there is an explanation of everything!' The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: 'It is little in comparison to the knowledge of Allah (the Exalted). And Allah (the Exalted) has given you what, if you acted upon it, you would benefit from.' Then Allah (the Exalted) revealed: 'And if whatever tree upon the earth were pens...' until His saying: 'Indeed, Allah is All-Hearing, All-Seeing' (31:27)." It is as if he (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) pointed out that the meaning in the verse is an explanation of everything regarding religious matters, and there is no doubt that this is the least of the little in comparison to the knowledge of Allah, which has no end. By this, one refutes those who claim an absolute generality.

In a narration by al-Nasa'i, Ibn Hibban, al-Tirmidhi, and al-Hakim (who authenticated it), it is stated that the Jews said when the verse was revealed: "We have been given much knowledge; we were given the Torah, and whoever is given the Torah has been given much good." So Allah (the Exalted) revealed: "Say, 'If the sea...'" (18:109) the verse. It is not hidden that this also does not necessitate a contradiction, for abundance and scarcity are relative matters. A thing may be little in comparison to what is above it and much in comparison to what is below it. So what is in the Torah is little in comparison to what is in the knowledge of Allah (the Exalted), but much in comparison to another matter.

In a narration narrated by Ibn Marduyah from 'Ikrimah, when he (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said that, the Jews said: "We are specified by this address." He said: "Rather, both we and you." They said: "How amazing is your affair; one moment you say, 'And whoever is given wisdom has been given much good' (2:269), and another moment you say this!" So it was revealed: "And if whatever tree upon the earth were pens..." etc. This also does not necessitate a contradiction in the manner previously mentioned, by saying: Human wisdom is to know as much of the good as human capacity can contain, indeed as much as allows for the order of livelihood and the afterlife. This is little in comparison to His knowledge (the Exalted) and much in comparison to others. Ibn Jurayj went toward generalizing the address so as to include all people, as narrated from Ibn Jarir and Ibn al-Mundhir. However, the apparent reading of Ibn Mas'ud and al-A'mash ("And they have not been given..." - ma utuu) conflicts with the view of generalization, as it necessitates specificity to those who asked. The last hadith, which is explicit, was said by al-'Iraqi to be not authentic, and Allah (the Exalted) knows best about the condition of the first hadith.

Many have said: The meaning of the Ruh being from the command of Allah (the Exalted) is that it is among the "originated beings" (ibda'iyyat) existing by the "Command" (Amr Takwini—the creative command) without formation from matter or generation from an origin like the human body. So "the command" (al-amr) means the commands (al-awamir), namely "Be" (Kun). The question was about the essence, and the answer is general; its outcome is that the Ruh is from the world of origination (alam al-ibda'), created without matter, not from the world of creation (alam al-khalq). This is from the "Wise Style," like the answer of Musa (peace be upon him) to the question of Pharaoh: "What is the Lord of the worlds?" (26:23), pointing out that the essence of His reality is something that the circle of human perception cannot encompass. Only this much general amount is known, which is included under what was excepted by His (the Exalted) saying: "And you have not been given of knowledge except a little," i.e., except for a little knowledge that you benefit from through the ways of the senses. For the conceptualization of theoretical knowledge is, for the most part, from the sensation of particulars. Therefore it was said: "Whoever lacks a sense lacks knowledge." Perhaps most things are not perceived by the sense because they are not sensible, or they are sensible but an obstacle prevents their perception, such as absence, for example. Similarly, one does not perceive any of its accidents to describe it by them, let alone transferring the thought from them to the essential properties to arrive at the reality.

The apparent view of some is that arriving at the essence of the Ruh is impossible, so for them, there is no difference between the two answers. Al-Khafaji differentiated by saying that explaining the essence of the Ruh is possible, unlike the essence of the Most Holy Being. In al-Kashf, it is stated that the path to knowing the Ruh is the removal of the veil from the eyes of the hearts by the clarity of the kohl of the gems of the speech of the Knower of the Unseen. To those whose eyes are anointed, it is the clearest of the clear, and to those preoccupied, it is the most hidden of the hidden.

This is challenged by what Ibn Abi Hatim narrated from 'Abdullah ibn Buraydah, who said: "The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was taken (passed away) and the Ruh was not known." Perhaps this 'Abdullah claims that knowledge of it is impossible. Otherwise, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) would not have passed away until he knew everything possible to be known, as indicated by what Imam Ahmad and al-Tirmidhi narrated—who said it is an authentic hadith, and al-Bukhari was asked about it and said it is a good, authentic hadith—from Mu'adh (may Allah be pleased with him) that he (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "I stood in the night and prayed what was destined for me, then I dozed off in my prayer until I became heavy. Suddenly, I was with my Lord (the Almighty and Majestic) in the best form. He said: 'O Muhammad, about what does the Supreme Assembly dispute?' I said: 'I do not know, my Lord.' He said: 'O Muhammad, about what does the Supreme Assembly dispute?' I said: 'I do not know, my Lord.' He said: 'O Muhammad, about what does the Supreme Assembly dispute?' I said: 'I do not know, my Lord.' Then I saw Him place His palm between my shoulder blades until I felt the coolness of His fingertips between my chest, and everything became clear to me, and I knew."

The word "I saw" (ra'aytu) in the previous report in some books is written in the passive voice (ru'iya), and "Ruh" is written in the nominative case (al-Ruh), but the challenge to this is weaker, though it is contrary to the apparent meaning.

It is understood from the words of some late-period Sufis that grasping the reality of the Ruh is impossible. This person even mentioned that the reality of all things cannot be grasped, and this is built upon what is not hidden from you, and its rejection or acceptance is left to you. Furthermore, I have a pause on this aspect, for it is apparent that the absolute use of "the world of command" (alam al-amr) for that which exists without formation from matter or generation from an origin, and the "world of creation" (alam al-khalq) for the opposite, is a pure convention not known to the Arabs, nor do they know it. In using the verse: "Verily, His is the creation and the command" (7:54) to prove this, there is what is not hidden to a fair-minded person.

The Imam (al-Razi) mentioned that the question about the Ruh occurs in many ways, and there is nothing in the words of Allah (the Exalted): "And they ask you about the Ruh" to indicate one of them, except that the mentioned answer is only suitable for two of them: first, it being a question about the quiddity (mah-iyyah), and second, it being a question about pre-eternity and contingency (qidam and huduth). The summary of the answer to the first is that it is a simple, abstract substance, originated by the command of Allah (the Exalted), His formation, and His influence in bestowing life upon the body. It does not follow that because the knowledge of its specific essence is absent, it does not exist, for most realities of things, their quiddities are unknown, and it does not follow from their being unknown that they are denied. This is indicated by: "And you have not been given of knowledge except a little." The basis for this is also the distinction between the world of command and the world of creation, and you have heard what is in that. The summary of the answer to the second is that it is contingent, having occurred by the act of Allah, His formation, and His bringing into existence. He made His (the Exalted) saying: "And you have not been given of knowledge except a little" an argument for contingency, in the sense that souls in the beginning of their nature are devoid of knowledge and understandings, then that is obtained in them, so they are in constant change from one state to another, which is one of the signs of contingency. You know that interpreting the question as mentioned and making the answer an information about contingency, while it does not suit the condition of the questioners, is not supported by the mention of the paucity of their knowledge, for what they asked about is something their knowledge would have sufficed for at that time had He informed them. Making that an argument for contingency is one of the most wondrous of wonders, as is not hidden to anyone who has a soul. And Allah (the Exalted) knows best.