Tafsir of Al-Isra 17:73

It is narrated that the tribe of Thaqif said to the Prophet (ﷺ): "We will not enter into your affair until you grant us conditions by which we may boast over the Arabs: that we shall not be tithed, nor gathered for war, nor shall we bow in our prayer; that all usury owed to us remains ours, and all usury we owe is waived; that you allow us to enjoy [the idol] al-Lat for a year and not break it with our own hands at the year's end; and that you forbid anyone from entering our valley or cutting its trees. If the Arabs ask you why you did this, say: 'Allah commanded me to do so.'"

They brought a document, and he wrote: "In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. This is a document from Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah, to Thaqif: They shall not be tithed, nor gathered." They said: "And that we do not bow [in prayer]." The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) remained silent. They said to the scribe: "Write: 'And that we do not bow.'" The scribe looked at the Messenger of Allah. Then Umar ibn al-Khattab (ra) stood up, drew his sword, and said: "O tribe of Thaqif, have you set the heart of our Prophet on fire? May Allah set your hearts on fire!" They replied: "We are not speaking to you; we are speaking to Muhammad." Then this verse was revealed.

It is also narrated that the Quraysh said to him: "Turn a verse of mercy into a verse of punishment, and a verse of punishment into a verse of mercy, and we will believe in you." Then this verse was revealed: "And indeed, they were about to tempt you"—the in is the lightened form of the heavy inna, and the lam is the separator between it and the negative particle. The meaning is: They nearly seduced you, turning you away from what We revealed to you of Our commands, prohibitions, promises, and warnings, "to invent about Us"—to say on Our behalf what We did not say, referring to their desire for him to swap promises for threats and vice versa, and what Thaqif proposed regarding attributing to Allah what He did not reveal.

"And then [if you had done so], they would have taken you as a friend"—had you followed their desires, they would have taken you as a close friend, and you would have exited My guardianship.

"And if We had not strengthened you"—had We not made you firm and protected you—"you would have almost inclined to them"—you would have nearly leaned toward their deception and plotting. This is a stirring from Allah for him, a grace of steadfastness, and a kindness to the believers.

"Then [if you had inclined to them even slightly], We would have made you taste double [the punishment] of life and double [the punishment] of death." If you ask: What is the reality of this phrasing? I say: Its origin is "We would have made you taste the punishment of life and the punishment of death," for there are two punishments: the punishment of death, which is the punishment of the grave, and the punishment of the afterlife, which is the fire. "Double" (ḍiʿf) is used as a descriptor, as in His saying: "Enter among nations that have already passed" (al-A'raf: 38), meaning "doubled." The original speech was: "We would have made you taste a punishment doubled in life, and a punishment doubled in death." Then the described noun was omitted, and the adjective (ḍiʿf) took its place, then the adjective was annexed to the noun, so it was said: "double of life and double of death," just as one might say: "We would have made you taste the painfulness of life and the painfulness of death."

It is also possible that "double of life" refers to the punishment of the worldly life, and "double of death" refers to what follows death: the punishment of the grave and the Fire. The meaning is: We would have doubled for you the punishment hastened for the disobedient in this world and what We delay for after death.

In the mention of the "nearness" (kaydūda) and its minimization, followed by the severe threat of doubled punishment in both realms, is clear evidence that the ugliness of an evil act increases in proportion to the greatness of the actor and the loftiness of his status. Hence, the masters of al-ʿadl wa al-tawḥīd (the Mu'tazila) considered it a grave matter to attribute evil acts to Allah—Exalted is He far above that. It is also evidence that the slightest appeasement of the misguided is an opposition to Allah, an exit from His guardianship, and a cause for His anger and retribution. Therefore, when a believer recites this verse, he should kneel before it and reflect upon it; it is worthy of reflection, and it should instill in the observer fear and an increase in firmness in the religion of Allah.

It is narrated that when this was revealed, the Prophet (ﷺ) used to say: "O Allah, do not entrust me to myself for the blinking of an eye."

"And indeed, they were about to drive you from the land to expel you therefrom. And then [if they had done so], they would not have remained [there] after you, except for a little. [This is Our] established way for those We had sent before you of Our messengers; and you will not find in Our way any change."