Tafsir of Al-Isra 17:56-57

Surah Al-Isra (The Night Journey): Verses 56-57

Verse 56:

Say, "Call upon those you claim [to be deities] besides Him. They do not possess [the power to remove] adversity from you or [to change it]."

Know that the purpose of this verse is to refute the polytheists. We have previously mentioned that the polytheists used to say: "We lack the qualification to engage in the worship of God Almighty; rather, we worship some of God's close servants, such as the angels." Furthermore, they fashioned idols and statues for the beings they worshipped and devoted themselves to worshipping them based on this interpretation.

God Almighty has established the invalidity of their claim in this verse by saying: {Call upon those you claim [to be deities] besides Him}. The intended objects of worship are not idols, because God Almighty described them by saying: {Those whom they invoke seek the means of approach to their Lord} (Al-Isra 17:57). Seeking the means of approach to God Almighty is utterly unsuitable for idols.

If this is established, we say that a group of people worshipped the angels, and this verse was revealed concerning them. It is also said that it was revealed concerning those who worshipped the Messiah (Jesus) and Uzair (Ezra). Another view is that a group of people worshipped a number of Jinn, and when those Jinn embraced Islam, those people persisted in their worship, leading to the revelation of this verse.

Ibn Abbas said: Every place in the Book of God where the word za'am (claim/suppose) appears signifies falsehood.

Moreover, God Almighty argued against the corruption of their doctrine by stating that the deity worthy of worship is the one capable of removing harm and bringing benefit. These beings they worship—the angels, the Jinn, the Messiah, and Uzair—have no power to remove harm or secure benefit. Therefore, it must be definitively concluded that they are not gods.

Someone might object: "This proof is only valid if you demonstrate that the angels have no power to remove harm or secure benefit. What is the proof for that, so that your argument becomes complete? If you say, 'Because we see those disbelievers supplicating to them, yet the response does not occur,'..."

We reply: In opposition to that, we also see Muslims supplicating to God Almighty, yet the response does not occur [immediately or as expected]. The Muslims say that the actual realization of removing harm and securing benefit comes only from God Almighty, not from the angels. Those disbelievers say it comes from the angels, not from God Almighty. Under this premise, the proof is incomplete.

The answer is: The proof is complete and perfect. This is because the disbelievers acknowledged that the angels are servants of God, and the Creator of the angels, and the Creator of the universe, must necessarily be more capable, stronger, and more perfect in status than the angels.

If this is established, we say: The perfection of God's power is known and agreed upon, whereas the perfection of the angels' power is neither known nor agreed upon. Rather, what is agreed upon is that their power, relative to God's power, is small and insignificant. If this is the case, then engaging in the worship of God Almighty is more appropriate than engaging in the worship of the angels, because the deserving nature of God for worship is known, while the deserving nature of the angels in this regard is unknown. Taking the known is preferable.

As for our scholars among the Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jama'ah (Sunni orthodoxy), they have another approach in this matter: They establish through rational proof that there is no originator except God Almighty, and nothing can move from non-existence to existence except by God. If this is established, it proves that there is no bringer of harm or benefit except God Almighty. Therefore, it must be definitively concluded that there is no being worthy of worship except God Almighty.

This methodology is not fully effective for the Mu'tazilah because, since they permit the possibility that a servant can be the originator of their own actions, it becomes difficult for them to argue that the angels lack the power to give life, cause death, or create bodies. If they are unable to prove this, their argument is incomplete. This is the mention of the decisive proof for the correctness of His statement: {They do not possess [the power to remove] adversity from you or [to change it]}. Tahwil (change) is an expression for moving from one state to another, or from one place to another; it is said, hawwalahu fa-tahawwala (He moved it, so it moved).

Verse 57:

Those whom they invoke seek the means of approach to their Lord, [striving as to] which of them is nearest, and they hope for His mercy and fear His punishment. Indeed, the punishment of your Lord is ever to be heeded.

Then God Almighty said: {Those whom they invoke seek the means of approach to their Lord}. There are two interpretations regarding this:

The First Opinion: Al-Farrā' said that the meaning of {they invoke} (yad'ūna) refers to the actions of the human worshippers. And {they seek} (yabtaghūna) refers to the actions of the beings being worshipped. The meaning is: Those beings who are worshipped seek the means of approach to their Lord. There is no dispute that the angels return to God in seeking benefits and warding off harms, hoping for His mercy and fearing His punishment. If this is the case, they are characterized by neediness and dependence. God Almighty is the Richest of the rich, so engaging in His worship is more appropriate.

If they argue: "We do not concede that the angels are in need of God's mercy or fearful of His punishment," we reply: These angels are either necessarily existent in themselves, or they are possible in existence in themselves. The first is false because all the disbelievers acknowledged that the angels are servants of God and in need of Him. As for the second, it necessitates affirming that the angels are in need of God in their very essence and in their perfections. Therefore, engaging in the worship of God is more appropriate than engaging in the worship of the angels.

The Second Opinion: That {Those whom they invoke} refers to the Prophets whom God Almighty mentioned by saying: {And We have preferred some of the prophets over others} (Al-Isra 17:55). The connection of this statement to what preceded is that those whose status is exalted—the Prophets—worship none but God Almighty and seek the means of approach only to Him. Therefore, you (the worshippers) ought to follow their example and worship none but God Almighty.

Those who hold this view support its validity by saying: Angels do not disobey God, so they do not fear His punishment. Thus, it is established that this characteristic (seeking approach while fearing punishment) is not suitable for angels but is suitable for the Prophets.

We reply: Angels fear God's punishment if they were to commit a sin. The proof for this is the Almighty's saying: {And whoever of them should say, "Indeed, I am a god besides Him," then We would recompense him with Hell} (Al-Anbiya 21:29).

As for the phrase {Indeed, the punishment of your Lord is ever to be heeded}, it means that it is incumbent upon it to be feared. If some people fail to fear it due to their ignorance, it does not remove the fact that it is something that must be feared.

Verse 58:

And there is no town but that We will destroy it before the Day of Resurrection or punish it with a severe punishment. That has been written in the Book.