Tafsir of Al-Isra 17:11

"And man invokes [for] evil as he invokes [for] good..."

Meaning: Man calls upon God when he is angry, invoking evil upon himself, his family, and his wealth, just as he calls upon Him for good for them. This is like the verse: "And if Allah were to hasten for the people the evil [they invoke] as He hastens for them the good..." (Yunus: 11).

"...And man is ever hasty."

He rushes to seek everything that falls into his heart and crosses his mind, without deliberating upon it with the patience of one who possesses insight.

It is narrated from the Prophet (ﷺ) that he entrusted a captive to Sawda bint Zam'a. At night, the captive began to moan. She asked him, "What is the matter with you, that you moan?" He complained of the pain of the ropes, so she loosened them. When she fell asleep, he freed his hand and escaped. When the Prophet (ﷺ) awoke in the morning, he called for the captive and was informed of what happened. The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "O Allah, cut off her hands!" Sawda raised her hands, expecting the answer to be granted and that Allah would cut off her hands. The Prophet (ﷺ) then said, "I have asked Allah to make my curse and my supplication a mercy for those of my family who do not deserve it, for I am a human being; I get angry just as humans get angry. So, let Sawda lower her hands."

It is also permissible that "man" here refers to the disbeliever, meaning he invokes [the] punishment out of mockery and hastens it, just as he invokes [for] good when distress touches him. "And man is ever hasty" means that the punishment is coming to him inevitably, so why this haste?

Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) said: It refers to al-Nadr ibn al-Harith, who said: "O Allah, if this is the truth from You..." (referring to the verse). His prayer was answered, and he was beheaded as a prisoner.

"And We have made the night and the day two signs, and We erased the sign of the night and made the sign of the day visible, that you may seek bounty from your Lord and may know the number of years and the account. And everything We have set out in detail."