Al-Isra: (37-38) And do not walk...

Know that this is the second type of things that God has forbidden in these verses, and it contains several issues:

Issue 1: Marahan (Exuberance/Arrogance)

Marah means extreme joy or exuberance. It is said: maraha yamrahu marah (he was exuberant). The meaning of the verse is a prohibition against a person walking in a manner that indicates pride and grandeur.

Al-Zajjaj said: "Do not walk upon the earth boastfully and proudly." This is similar to what the Almighty said in Surah Al-Furqan:

{And the servants of the Most Merciful are those who walk upon the earth humbly} (Al-Furqan: 63).

And He said in Surah Luqman:

{And be moderate in your pace and lower your voice} (Luqman: 19).

And He also said therein:

{And do not walk upon the earth exultantly. Indeed, Allah does not like everyone who is conceited and boastful} (Luqman: 18).

Issue 2: The Reading of Marahan

Al-Akhfash said: If marahan were read with a kasra (i.e., marihan), it would be better in recitation. Al-Zajjaj said: Marahan (with fath) is the masdar (verbal noun), and marihan (with kasra) is the ism al-fa'il (active participle). Both are permissible, but the masdar is better and more emphatic here. You say, "Zayd came running (rakdan)" or "Zayd came while running (rakidan)," and rakdan is more emphatic because it confirms the action.

Furthermore, the Almighty emphasized the prohibition against arrogance and conceit by saying:

{Indeed, you will never pierce the earth, nor will you ever reach the mountains in height.}

The meaning of "piercing" (kharq) here is digging into the earth. Scholars have mentioned several interpretations for this:

1. First Interpretation: Walking involves rising and falling. It is as if it is said: In your descent, you cannot pierce or dig into the earth, and in your ascent, you cannot reach the tops of the mountains. The intent is to alert him to his weakness and inability, making arrogance unsuitable for him.
2. Second Interpretation: It means that beneath you is the earth which you cannot pierce, and above you are the mountains which you cannot reach. You are surrounded from above and below by two types of inanimate matter, and you are much weaker than both. Arrogance is not fitting for a weak, confined being. It is as if He is saying: Be humble and do not be arrogant, for you are a weak creation of God, confined between stones and dust. Therefore, do not act like a powerful, capable being.

Then the Almighty said: {All that was of the evil deeds your Lord disliked.}

This statement contains several issues:

The majority read it as sayyi'uhu (with a damma on the ha and a hamza). However, Nafi', Ibn Kathir, and Abu 'Amr read it as sayyi'ahu (with fath on the ha).

The justification for the majority reading (sayyi'uhu):

1. First Reason: Al-Hasan said that God mentioned things previously, some commanded and some forbidden. If we judged everything mentioned as sayyi' (evil), it would imply that what was commanded is also evil, which is impossible. However, if we read it as an idafa (possessive construction), the meaning is: "Whatever of those mentioned things was evil, it was disliked by God," and the statement becomes sound.
2. Second Reason: If we judged everything mentioned previously as sayyi', it would necessitate saying, "They are disliked," but the text says, {disliked} (makruhan) in the singular masculine form. If we read it with the idafa construction, the meaning is that the evil aspect of those categories is disliked, which makes the statement consistent.

The justifications for the reading of Nafi', Ibn Kathir, and Abu 'Amr (sayyi'ahu):

1. First: The discourse ended at the statement: {That is better and more excellent in result} (An-Nisa: 59). Then a new sentence began: {And do not follow that of which you have no knowledge} (Al-Isra: 36), {And do not walk upon the earth exultantly} (Al-Isra: 37). Then He said: {All that was of the evil deeds...} referring specifically to these last things God forbade.
2. Second: The meaning of {All that} (kullu dhālika) is "All that God forbade previously." As for the reading {disliked} (makruhan), scholars provided justifications for its correctness with this reading:
   • First: The implied structure is: "All that was an evil deed, and it was disliked by your Lord."
   • Second: The author of Al-Kashshaf said: Sayyi'ah (evil deed) functions as a noun like dhanb (sin) or ithm (offense), thus losing its adjectival quality. There is no difference between reading sayyi'ah or sayyi'uh. Do you not see that you say, "Adultery is an evil deed (sayyi'ah)," just as you say, "Theft is an evil deed (sayyi'ah)," without distinguishing when attributing it to a masculine or feminine noun?
   • Third: There is fronting and delaying (taqdeem wa ta'kheer). The implied structure is: "All that was disliked and an evil deed by your Lord."
   • Fourth: It is interpreted based on meaning, as sayyi'ah (evil deed) is inherently a sin, which is masculine.

Al-Qadi said: This verse indicates that these actions are disliked by God. What is disliked cannot be intended by Him. Therefore, these actions are not intended by God, refuting the view that everything that comes into existence is intended by God. If it is established that they are not by God's intention, they must not be created by Him, because if they were created by God, they would be intended by Him.

One might object: The meaning of them being disliked is that God forbade them. Also, the meaning of them being disliked is that God hated their occurrence. Even with this interpretation, it does not prevent God from intending their existence.

The response to the first objection is that interpreting "disliked" as "forbidden" is deviating from the apparent meaning. Moreover, the phrase "was an evil deed by your Lord" indicates that it is forbidden, so interpreting "disliked" as "forbidden" would result in redundancy.

The response to the second objection is that God mentioned this verse in the context of deterring people from these actions. It is not appropriate for this context to state that He dislikes their occurrence. This concludes Al-Qadi's line of reasoning.

The response is: The intended meaning of "disliked" is "forbidden," and there is no harm in repetition for the sake of emphasis. And God knows best.

Al-Qadi said: This verse indicates that just as God is described as having Will (murid), He is also described as having Dislike (karih). Our scholars hold that Dislike in relation to God is interpreted either as prohibition or as the Will for non-existence. And God knows best.

{That [prohibition] is from the wisdom your Lord has revealed to you. And do not set up with Allah another deity, lest you be cast into Hell, blameworthy and banished. Has then your Lord preferred for you sons and taken for Himself from among the angels daughters? Indeed, you are saying a grave saying.}