17. Al-Israa

Glory be to Him — an affirmation of God’s transcendence — Who carried His servant Muhammad (s) by night laylan is in the accusative as an adverbial qualification; isrā’ means ‘to travel by night’; what is instructive about this mention of laylan ‘by night’ is that through its being indefinite there is an indication of the brevity of its duration from the Sacred Mosque that is Mecca to the Farthest Mosque the Holy House of Jerusalem so called because of its distance from the former; the environs of which We have blessed with fruits and rivers that We might show him some of Our signs the marvels of Our power. Indeed He is the Hearing the Seeing that is to say the Knower of the Prophet’s s sayings and deeds. Thus He God was gracious to him by way of carrying him on the night journey which comprised his encountering the other prophets his ascension to heaven and the sight of the marvels of the Divine Realm and His communion exalted be He with him. For he the Prophet s said ‘I was brought al-Burāq a white animal larger than a donkey but smaller than a mule; it was able to place its hoof back towards its extremity and so I mounted it. It set off carrying me until I reached the Holy House of Jerusalem. There I fastened the animal to the ring where the prophets fasten their animals. I then went in and prayed two units inside it. As I came out Gabriel came to me with a jug of wine and a jug of milk and so I chose the milk. Gabriel said to me “You have made the right choice by choosing the primordial nature fitra”.’ He the Prophet continued the narration ‘We then ascended to the heaven of this world whereat Gabriel asked to be let in. Someone asked “Who are you?”. He replied “Gabriel” “And who is with you?” “Muhammad (s)” he said. “Has he been sent for?”. “Yes he has been sent for”. Then it was opened for us and lo! Adam stood before me; he greeted me and prayed for well-being for me. We then ascended to the second heaven and Gabriel asked to be let in. Someone asked “Who are you?”. He replied “Gabriel” “And who is with you?” “Muhammad (s)” he said.

God exalted be He says And We gave Moses the Scripture the Torah and made it a guidance for the Children of Israel saying that they should not choose beside Me any guardian to whom they delegate their affairs a variant reading for yattakhidhū ‘they should not choose’ is tattakhidhū ‘you should not choose’ thus turning away from the third person address in which case the particle an ‘that’ is extra and the ‘saying’ is implicit.

descendants of those whom We carried with Noah in the Ark. Indeed he was a grateful servant giving thanks to Us frequently and offering praise in whichever state he found himself.

And We decreed We revealed to the Children of Israel in the Scripture the Torah ‘You shall indeed work corruption in the land the land of Syria through acts of disobedience twice and you shall indeed become great tyrants’ you shall perpetrate grave injustice.

So when the time for the first of the two prophecies the first of the two occasions for corruption came We roused against you servants of Ours of great might men who are strong in war and assault who ransacked who came and went seeking you out through your habitations in the very midst of your homes in order to slay you and take others among you captive and it was a promise fulfilled. Their first act of corruption was their slaying of the prophet Zachariah. So Goliath and his army were roused against them and they slew them and took their children captive and destroyed the Holy House of Jerusalem.

Then We gave you back the turn the rule of the state and victory to prevail over them one hundred years later by having Goliath slain and We aided you with children and wealth and made you greater in number in clan.

And We said ‘If you are virtuous through acts of obedience you are being virtuous to your own souls since the reward thereof is for them your souls; and if you do evil by way of working corruption it is for them’ your evildoing. So when the time the occasion for the other prophecy comes We will raise them forth that they might ravage you make you grieve through their slaying and taking captive of you a grief that will be manifest on your faces and that they might enter the Temple the Holy House of Jerusalem and destroy it just as they entered it and destroyed it the first time and that they might destroy lay waste all that they conquered all that they gained ascendancy over utterly with an utter wasting. They indeed wrought corruption a second time when they slew the prophet John. Thus Nebuchadnezzar was roused against them and so he slew thousands of them and took their children captive and destroyed the Holy House of Jerusalem.

And We said in the Scripture It may be that your Lord will have mercy upon you after the second time if you were to repent; but if you revert to working corruption We too will revert to punishment. And assuredly they did revert by denying the Prophet s and so he was given power over them through the slaying of the Banū Qurayza the expulsion of the Banū Nadīr and the exacting of the jizya-tax from them; and We have made Hell a dungeon for the disbelievers a place of detention and a prison for them.

Truly this Qur’ān guides to that to that way which is straightest most upright and correct and gives tidings to the believers who perform righteous deeds that there is a great reward for them.

And it this Qur’ān informs that those who do not believe in the Hereafter We have prepared for them a painful chastisement namely the Fire.