Al-Isra: (59-60) And We did not send...

Allāh, the Exalted, mentioned the proof against the falsehood of the polytheists' claims and followed it with a warning.

He then addressed the issue of Prophethood, because the disbelievers of Quraysh demanded great, overwhelming miracles from the Messenger of Allāh (peace be upon him), as Allāh recounts their saying: {Why does he not bring us a sign?} (Ṭā-Hā: 133), {like those sent before} (Al-Anbiyā’: 5). Others interpreted it as what they demanded when they said: {We will never believe you until you cause a spring to gush forth from the earth for us} (Al-Isrā’: 90). It is narrated from Sa‘īd ibn Jubayr that they said: "You claim that there were prophets before you—some for whom the wind was made subservient, and some who brought the dead back to life. So bring us some of these miracles."

Allāh responded to this doubt by saying: {And We did not send the signs except to frighten [people] with them.} (Al-Isrā’: 59)

There are several interpretations of this response:

It is narrated from Ibn ‘Abbās that the people of Mecca asked the Messenger (peace be upon him) to turn the hill of Safā into gold for them and to remove the mountains so they could cultivate the land. The Messenger asked Allāh for this, and Allāh replied: "If you wish, I will do that, but on the condition that if they disbelieve, I will destroy them." The Messenger replied: "I do not want that; rather, be patient with them." Then this verse was revealed.

Then Allāh said: {And to Thamūd We gave the she-camel, as a clear sign, but they wronged her.} (Al-Isrā’: 59) This has several points of discussion:

Point One:

The meaning is that the sign they requested is like the sign of Thamūd, which We gave to Thamūd as a clear, manifest sign, yet they disbelieved in it and deserved annihilation. How then can these people demand it as a matter of arbitrary request and control over Allāh?

Point Two:

Regarding His saying: {a clear sign} (mubṣirah), there are two views:

1. Al-Farrā’ said: Mubṣirah means illuminating, just as He said: {and the Day made bright} (mubṣiran) (Yūnus: 67).
2. Mubṣirah means possessing sight, i.e., it contained signs for those who contemplated it, through which they could see their guidance and deduce the truthfulness of that Messenger.

Point Three:

Regarding His saying: {but they wronged her} (fa-ẓalamū bihā), meaning they wronged themselves by rejecting it. Ibn Qutaybah said: Ẓalamū bihā means they denied that it was from Allāh.

Then Allāh said: {And We send not the signs except as a warning.} (Al-Isrā’: 60) It is said that every sign includes a warning upon rejection, either of hastened worldly punishment or of the punishment of the Hereafter.

If it is asked: The primary purpose of displaying signs is to serve as proof of the claimant's truthfulness. How then is the purpose of displaying them restricted to frightening?

We reply: The intent is that when a claimant of prophethood displays a sign, the people hear that he displayed a sign, but they do not know if it is a miracle or a warning. However, they must consider the possibility that it is a miracle. Even if it were a miracle, if they did not reflect upon it and use it as proof of truthfulness, they would deserve severe punishment. This is the fear (al-khawf) that compels them to reflect and contemplate those miracles. Thus, the meaning of {And We send not the signs except as a warning} is what we have mentioned. And Allāh knows best.

Know that when the people demanded overwhelming miracles from the Messenger of Allāh (peace be upon him), and Allāh responded that displaying them was not beneficial, this emboldened those disbelievers to criticize him, saying: "If you were a true Messenger from Allāh, you would bring the miracles we requested, just as Moses and other prophets did."

At this point, Allāh strengthened his heart and clarified that He would support and aid him, saying: {And your Lord encompasses the people.} (Al-Isrā’: 60) There are two views on this:

Then Allāh said: {And We made not the vision which We showed you except as a trial for the people} (Al-Isrā’: 60). There are several sayings regarding this vision:

The First View:

Allāh showed Muhammad (peace be upon him) in a dream the places where the Quraysh disbelievers would be slain. When they reached the water of Badr, he said: "By Allāh, it is as if I am looking at the places where the people will fall." Then he started naming them: "This is the place where so-and-so will fall, this is the place where so-and-so will fall." When Quraysh heard this, they mocked his vision and hastened the fulfillment of what the Messenger of Allāh had promised them.

The Second View:

The intended vision is what he saw of entering Mecca and informed his companions about. When he was prevented from entering the Sacred House during the year of Ḥudaybiyyah, this became a trial for some of the people. ‘Umar said to Abū Bakr: "Did not the Messenger of Allāh tell us that we would enter the House and circumambulate it?" Abū Bakr replied: "He did not say we would do it this year, so we will do it next year." When the following year came, they entered it, and Allāh revealed: {Allāh has certainly fulfilled for His Messenger the vision in truth} (Al-Fatḥ: 27).

Objection was raised against these two views: This Sūrah is Meccan, but these two events occurred in Medina. This objection is weak because although the events were in Medina, the vision itself in a dream could have occurred in Mecca.

The Third View:

Sa‘īd ibn al-Musayyab said: The Messenger of Allāh (peace be upon him) saw the Banū Umayyah scrambling upon his pulpit like monkeys, which saddened him. This is the view of Ibn ‘Abbās in the narration of ‘Aṭā’. The aforementioned objection applies here too, because this Sūrah is Meccan, and the Messenger of Allāh (peace be upon him) did not have a pulpit in Mecca. It can be answered that it is not impossible that he saw in Mecca that he would have a pulpit in Medina that the Banū Umayyah would inherit.

The Fourth View (The Strongest, held by most exegetes):

What is meant is what Allāh showed him on the Night of the Ascension (Isrā’). They differed on the meaning of this vision. The majority said there is no linguistic difference between ru’yā (vision) and ru’yā (dream vision); one can say ra’aytu bi-‘aynī ru’yatan or ru’yā. A minority held that this indicates the story of the Isrā’ occurred in a dream. This view is weak and false, as we established at the beginning of this Sūrah.

His saying: {except as a trial for the people} means that when the Prophet (peace be upon him) narrated the story of the Isrā’, many who had believed in him disbelieved, while the sincere believers increased in faith. Thus, it was a test.

Then Allāh said: {And the accursed tree in the Qur’an} (Al-Isrā’: 60). This is due to fronting and postponement (taqdīm wa ta’khīr). The structure is: "And We made not the vision which We showed you and the accursed tree in the Qur’an except as a trial for the people." Or the meaning is: "And the accursed tree in the Qur’an [is also a trial]."

They differed concerning this tree: The majority said it is the tree of Zaqqūm mentioned in the Qur’an: {Indeed, the tree of Zaqqūm is the food of the sinful} (Ad-Dukhān: 43-44). This became a trial in mentioning this tree in two ways:

1. Abū Jahl said: "Your companion claims that the fire of Hell burns stone, as He said: {fueling it are men and stones} (At-Taḥrīm: 6), yet he claims there is a tree in the Fire, and fire consumes trees, so how can a tree be generated therein?"
2. Ibn Az-Ziba‘rī said: "We only know Zaqqūm as dates and clarified butter, so we tazaqqamna (ate greedily) of it." Allāh then revealed, when they wondered about a tree in the Fire: {Indeed, We have made you a trial for the wrongdoers} (Aṣ-Ṣāffāt: 63) and the following verses.

If it is asked: The Qur’an does not explicitly curse this tree. We reply: There are several ways to address this:

1. The intent is cursing the disbelievers who eat from it.
2. The Arabs call every harmful, disliked food "accursed."
3. The root meaning of la‘n (curse) is expulsion/removal. Since this tree is mentioned in the Qur’an as being removed from all good qualities, it is called accursed.

The Second View:

Ibn ‘Abbās (may Allāh be pleased with him) said the accursed tree refers to Banū Umayyah, specifically Al-Ḥakam ibn Abī al-‘Āṣ. He narrated that the Messenger of Allāh (peace be upon him) saw in a dream that the offspring of Marwān were scrambling over his pulpit, so he recounted his vision to Abū Bakr and ‘Umar when they were alone in his house. When they dispersed, the Messenger heard Al-Ḥakam reporting the vision of the Messenger of Allāh. This greatly distressed him, and he suspected ‘Umar of revealing his secret. Later, it became clear that Al-Ḥakam had been eavesdropping, so the Messenger of Allāh exiled him. Al-Wāḥidī said this incident occurred in Medina, while the Sūrah is Meccan, making this interpretation unlikely unless one argues that this verse is Medinan, which no one has claimed. What supports this interpretation is the saying of ‘Ā’ishah to Marwān: "May Allāh curse your father, and you are part of what Allāh has cursed."

The Third View:

The accursed tree in the Qur’an refers to the Jews, based on His saying: {Cursed are those who disbelieve} (Al-Mā’idah: 78).

If someone asks: When the people demanded overwhelming miracles from the Messenger of Allāh (peace be upon him), he answered that there is no benefit in displaying them because if they appeared and they did not believe, the punishment of annihilation would descend upon them, which is impermissible. What connection does this statement have with mentioning the vision that became a trial for the people, and mentioning the tree that became a trial for the people?

We reply: The implied meaning is: When they demanded these miracles and you did not display them, their non-display became a doubt for them regarding your truthfulness in claiming prophethood. However, the occurrence of this doubt does not weaken your position or cause weakness in your standing. Do you not see that mentioning that vision caused a great doubt in hearts, yet the strength of those doubts did not cause weakness in your affair or slackness in the gathering of the truthful around you? Similarly, this doubt arising from the non-display of these miracles does not cause slackness in your state or weakness in your affair. And Allāh knows best.

Then Allāh said: {And We frighten them, but it only increases them in great transgression.} (Al-Isrā’: 60). The purpose here is to mention another reason why Allāh did not display the miracles they requested: because these people were warned with the terrors of this world and the Hereafter, and with the tree of Zaqqūm, yet this frightening only increased them in great transgression. This indicates the hardness of their hearts and their persistence in error and transgression. If this is the case, then even if Allāh had displayed the miracles they requested, they would not have benefited from them and would only have increased in ignorance and obstinacy. Since this is so, it was incumbent upon wisdom not to display the signs and miracles they requested. And Allāh knows best.

7 < { And [mention] when We said to the angels, "Prostrate to Adam," and they prostrated, except for Iblīs. He said, "Shall I prostrate to one whom You created from clay?" * [Iblīs] said, "Do you see this one whom You have honored above me? If You should delay me until the Day of Resurrection, I will surely destroy his descendants, except for a few." * [Allāh] said, "Go; and whoever of them follows you, indeed, Hell will be your recompense - a full recompense." } > 7

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