Al-Isrā’ (The Night Journey): Verses 90–93

It is known that the Almighty, after demonstrating through evidence that the Qur'an is a miracle, and this miracle manifested in accordance with the claim of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), the proof was established for his being a truthful Prophet.

This is because we say: Muhammad claimed prophethood, and the miracle manifested according to his claim. Whoever is like that is a truthful Prophet. This indicates that Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) is truthful.

It is not a condition for being a truthful Prophet that miracles be numerous and continuous. If we opened this door, the matter would never cease. Every time a Messenger brought a miracle, they would demand another, and the matter would not reach a limit where the obstinacy of the stubborn would cease and the ignorance of the ignorant would be overcome.

For indeed, the Almighty narrated that the disbelievers, after the miraculous nature of the Qur'an became clear, demanded six types of overwhelming miracles from the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him).

As Ibn Abbas narrated: The chiefs of Mecca sent for the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) while they were sitting near the Ka'bah. He came to them, and they said: "O Muhammad, the land of Mecca is narrow. Move its mountains so we may benefit from the space, and cause a spring to gush forth for us from the earth, meaning a river and springs so we may cultivate." He said, "I cannot do that."

One of them said: "Or you should have a garden of date palms and grapes, and you cause rivers to flow through them forcefully." He said, "I cannot do that."

They said: "Or you should have a house adorned with gold (zukhruf) to suffice you from us." He said, "I cannot do that."

They said: "Are you unable to bring your people what they ask of you?" He said, "I am not able." They said: "If you cannot bring good, then bring evil upon us. Cause the sky to fall upon us in pieces (sifaf), as you claimed," referring to His saying: {When the sky is split asunder} (Al-Inshiqaq: 1) and {When the heaven is split open} (Al-Infitar: 1).

Then Abdullah ibn Umayyah al-Makhzumi—whose mother was the paternal aunt of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)—said: "By Him by Whom you swear, we will never believe in you until you ascend a ladder to the sky while we watch you, and you bring four angels to testify to your prophethood. Then, even after that, I do not know if we will believe in you or not." This is the explanation of this story as narrated by Ibn Abbas.

The Second Issue

Know that they demanded various types of miracles from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him).

First: Their saying: {until you cause a spring to gush forth for us from the earth} (Al-Isrā’: 90).

• Recitation: 'Asim, Hamzah, and Al-Kisā’ī recited tafajjira (with fatḥa on the tā’, sukūn on the fā’, and ḍamma on the jīm, lightened), and Abu Hātim chose this. They argued that the spring (yanbū‘) is singular. The rest recited it with tashdīd (doubling the jīm), and Abu 'Ubaydah preferred this. They did not differ on the second instance being doubled due to the rivers, as they are plural. It is said: fajjara al-mā’ fajran and fajjartuhu tafjīran. Whoever uses the heavy form intends the abundance of the bursting forth from the spring. Even if the spring is singular, the abundance of its bursting forth justifies the heavy form, similar to saying ḍaraba Zayd (Zayd struck) when the striking action is abundant, even if the actor is one. Whoever uses the light form does so because the spring is singular.
• Meaning: Yanbū‘an means a source from which water springs forth. It is said: nabu‘a al-mā’ yanbu‘u nubu‘an, nubū‘an, wa nab‘an, as mentioned by Al-Farrā’.
• Their intent: The people said: "Remove the mountains of Mecca from us, and cause the spring to gush forth for us to make agriculture and cultivation easy for us."

Second: Their saying: {Or you should have a garden of date palms and grapes, and you cause rivers to flow through them forcefully} (Al-Isrā’: 91). The implication is as if they said: "Suppose you cannot cause these rivers to spring forth for our sake, then cause them to spring forth for your own sake."

Third: Their saying: {Or you cause the sky to fall upon us in pieces, as you claimed} (Al-Isrā’: 92). This involves several issues:

• Recitation Variations:
  • Ibn 'Āmir recited kisafan (with fatḥa on the sīn) here and throughout the Qur'an with sukūn.
  • Nāfi‘ and Abu Bakr (from 'Āsim) recited it with fatḥa here and in Ar-Rūm, but with sukūn elsewhere.
  • Ḥafṣ recited it with fatḥa everywhere except in Ar-Rūm.
  • Ibn Kathīr, Abu 'Amr, Ḥamzah, and Al-Kisā’ī recited it with fatḥa in Ar-Rūm, but with sukūn elsewhere.

• Al-Wāḥidī (may Allah have mercy on him) said: There are two ways of reciting kisafan: with sukūn on the sīn and with fatḥa.
  • Abu Zayd said: It is said: kasafat ath-thawb akṣifuhu kusūfan if you cut it into pieces.
  • Al-Layth said: Al-kasf is the cutting of a vein, and al-kisfa is the piece.
  • Al-Farrā’ said: I heard a Bedouin say to a cloth seller: "Give me a kisfa," meaning a piece.

• Interpretations based on Sukūn:
  1. Al-Farrā’ suggested it is the plural of kisfa, like dimnah and diman, or sidrah and sidr.
  2. Abu 'Alī suggested that if the verbal noun (maṣdar) is al-kasf, then al-kisaf is the thing cut, just as as-saqy (watering) is used for the action of grinding (ṭaḥn) or cooking (ṭabkh). This is supported by the verse: {And if they see a piece of the heaven falling} (At-Ṭūr: 44).
  3. Al-Zajjāj suggested that whoever reads it with sukūn means: "Or the sky falls upon us layered (ṭabaqan)," deriving it from kasaftu ash-shay’a (I covered the thing).

• Interpretation based on Fatḥa: It is the plural of kisfa, like qiṭ‘ah and qiṭa‘, or sidrah and sidr. In both readings, it is in the accusative case (naṣb) describing a state (ḥāl), as if they meant: "Or the sky falls upon us, being cut into pieces."

This phrase, "as you claimed," has several interpretations:

1. 'Ikrimah's view: "As you claimed, O Muhammad, that you are a Prophet, so cause the sky to fall upon us."
2. Others' view: "As you claimed that your Lord does what He wills."
3. Possible meaning: It might refer to what Allah mentioned in this very Sūrah: {Or do you feel secure that He will not cause a part of the land to collapse upon you, or send against you a storm of stones?} (Al-Isrā’: 68). So they said: "Make the sky fall upon us in scattered pieces, like a storm of stones (ḥāṣib)."
4. Their demand: {Or you bring Allah and the angels as a spectacle} (Al-Isrā’: 93).

Regarding the word Qabīlan (spectacle/in front of us), there are several interpretations:

1. Opposite/Companion: Qabīl means muqābil (opposite/facing), similar to ‘ashīr meaning mu‘āshir (companion). This statement indicates their ignorance, as they did not know that Allah is not subject to being faced or accompanied. This is close to His saying: {And We will gather them, and We will leave none of them behind} (Al-An‘ām: 111).
2. Ibn Abbas's view: It means troop after troop (fawjan ba‘da fawjin). Al-Layth said every troop of Jinn and mankind is a qabīl. We mentioned this in the context of {Indeed, he [Satan] and his tribe see you} (Al-A‘rāf: 27).
3. Guarantor/Surety: Qabīlan here means ḍāminan (guarantor) and kafīlan (surety). Al-Zajjāj said: It is said qabiltu bihi aqbalu, like saying kafaltu bihi akfulu. Under this view, it is singular but refers to a group, like {and how excellent a companion} (An-Nisā’: 69).
4. Direct Sight: Abu 'Alī said it means direct witnessing (mu‘āyanah). The evidence is His saying: {Or that we see our Lord face to face} (Al-Furqān: 21).

Fifth: Their saying: {Or you should have a house adorned with gold (zukhruf)} (Al-Isrā’: 92).

• Mujāhid said: We did not know what zukhruf was until we saw in 'Abdullah’s recitation: {Or you should have a house of gold}.
• Al-Zajjāj said: Zukhruf means adornment, evidenced by His saying: {until the earth takes on its beauty and is adorned} (Yūnus: 24), meaning it takes its utmost beauty. Nothing improves and adorns a house like gold.

Sixth: Their saying: {Or you ascend into the sky} (Al-Isrā’: 93).

• Al-Farrā’ said: It is said: raqītu wa anā arqā (I ascended, and I ascend) with ruqiyyan and ruqiyyan. He cited poetry:

  You are the one who tasked me with ascending the steps, Despite fatigue, old age, and lameness.

• His saying "into the sky" means into the ascensions/ladders of the sky (ma‘ārij as-samā’), with the noun (ma‘ārij) omitted. It is said: raqī as-sullam (he ascended the ladder) and raqī ad-darajah (he ascended the step).

Then they said: {and we will not believe in your ascent} (Al-Isrā’: 93), meaning: we will not believe because of your ascent, {until you send down to us a book from the heaven confirming you}.

'Abdullah ibn Umayyah said: "We will not believe until you make a ladder to the sky, and you ascend it while we watch, until you reach it, and then you come back to us with an open scroll accompanied by four angels testifying for you that the matter is as you say."

When Allah recounted the disbelievers' demand for these miracles, He commanded Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) to say: {Say, "Exalted is my Lord! Was I ever anything but a human Messenger?"} (Al-Isrā’: 93). This involves several discussions:

Allah recounted the disbelievers' words: {We will never believe until you cause a spring to gush forth...} (Al-Isrā’: 90) up to His saying: {Say, "Exalted is my Lord!"}. All of this is the speech of the people. We do not find any disparity in structure between these words and the rest of the Qur'anic verses. This confirms the validity of what the disbelievers said: "If We willed, We could say something like this."

The Answer: The Qur'an in this short passage does not clearly reveal the difference between the levels of eloquence and rhetoric, so this question is resolved.

These verses are among the strongest evidence that coming and going (al-maji’ wa adh-dhahāb) is impossible for Allah, because the word Subḥān (Exalted) is for declaring transcendence from what is inappropriate.

Saying Subḥāna Rabbī (Exalted is my Lord) is declaring Allah’s transcendence from something unfitting for Him, or attributed to Him, from what was previously mentioned. Nothing mentioned previously is unfitting for Allah except their demand: {Or you bring Allah...}. This indicates that {Subḥāna Rabbī} is a declaration of Allah’s transcendence from coming and going. This refutes the view of the Anthropomorphists (Mushabbihah) that Allah comes and goes.

If they argue: "Why can it not mean declaring Allah’s transcendence from being controlled by controllers who demand things?" We reply: The people were not controlling Allah; rather, they said to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): "If you are a truthful Prophet, ask Allah to honor you with these miracles." Thus, the people controlled the Messenger, not Allah. Therefore, it is not appropriate to interpret {Subḥāna Rabbī} in this sense; it must be interpreted regarding their demand: {Or you bring Allah...}.

To establish this answer, we say: Either your demand for these miracles meant that you asked me to bring these things by my own power, or you asked me to ask Allah to manifest them through me as proof that I am a true Messenger from Allah.

The first is false because I am a human being, and humans have no power over such things. The second is also false because I have already brought you one miracle, which is the Qur'an, and demonstrated its miraculous nature. Therefore, demanding these miracles is demanding something unnecessary and without need, making the demand akin to stubbornness and arbitrary control. I am a servant commanded; I do not have the authority to control Allah. Thus, this question is dismissed.

It is established that {Say, "Exalted is my Lord! Was I ever anything but a human Messenger?"} is a sufficient answer in this matter.

The summary of the matter is that the Almighty, through His saying {Exalted is my Lord! Was I ever anything but a human Messenger?}, clarified their error in both Theology (Ilāhiyyāt) and Prophethood (Nubuwwāt).

• In Theology: His saying Subḥāna Rabbī indicates their error, meaning He is exalted above having coming, going, or movement.
• In Prophethood: His saying {Was I ever anything but a human Messenger?} indicates their error, the explanation of which we have already provided.