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Towards Understanding the Quran
With kind permission: Islamic Foundation UK
Introduction to Tafheem | Glossary | Verbs
Tafsirs: Maarif | Dawat | Ishraq | Clear

 Surah Al-Isra 17:71-77 [8/12] ↕
  
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Verse Summary -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
يَوْمَ(The) Day
نَدْعُواْWe will call
كُلَّall
أُنَاسِۭhuman beings
بِإِمَـٰمِهِمْ‌ۖwith their record,
فَمَنْthen whoever
أُوتِىَis given
كِتَـٰبَهُۥhis record
بِيَمِينِهِۦin his right hand,
فَأُوْلَـٰٓئِكَthen those
يَقْرَءُونَwill read
كِتَـٰبَهُمْtheir records,
وَلَاand not
يُظْلَمُونَthey will be wronged
فَتِيلاً(even as much as) a hair on a date seed.
﴿٧١﴾
وَمَنAnd whoever
كَانَis
فِىin
هَـٰذِهِۦٓthis (world)
أَعْمَىٰblind,
فَهُوَthen he
فِىin
ٱلْأَخِرَةِthe Hereafter
أَعْمَىٰ(will be) blind,
وَأَضَلُّand more astray
سَبِيلاً(from the) path.
﴿٧٢﴾
وَإِنAnd indeed,
كَادُواْthey were about (to)
لَيَفْتِنُونَكَtempt you away
عَنِfrom
ٱلَّذِىٓthat which
أَوْحَيْنَآWe revealed,
إِلَيْكَto you
لِتَفْتَرِىَthat you invent
عَلَيْنَاabout Us
غَيْرَهُۥ‌ۖother (than) it.
وَإِذًاAnd then
لَّٱتَّخَذُوكَsurely they would take you
خَلِيلاً(as) a friend.
﴿٧٣﴾
وَلَوْلَآAnd if not
أَن[that]
ثَبَّتْنَـٰكَWe (had) strengthened you,
لَقَدْcertainly,
كِدتَّyou almost
تَرْكَنُ(would) have inclined
إِلَيْهِمْto them
شَيْــًٔا(in) something
قَلِيلاًa little.
﴿٧٤﴾
إِذًاThen
لَّأَذَقْنَـٰكَWe (would) have made you taste
ضِعْفَdouble
ٱلْحَيَوٲةِ(in) the life,
وَضِعْفَand double
ٱلْمَمَاتِ(after) the death.
ثُمَّThen
لَاnot
تَجِدُyou (would) have found
لَكَfor you
عَلَيْنَاagainst Us
نَصِيرًاany helper.
﴿٧٥﴾
وَإِنAnd indeed,
كَادُواْthey were about
لَيَسْتَفِزُّونَكَ(to) scare you
مِنَfrom
ٱلْأَرْضِthe land,
لِيُخْرِجُوكَthat they evict you
مِنْهَا‌ۖfrom it.
وَإِذًاBut then
لَّاnot
يَلْبَثُونَthey (would) have stayed
خِلَـٰفَكَafter you
إِلَّاexcept
قَلِيلاًa little.
﴿٧٦﴾
سُنَّةَ(Such is Our) Way
مَن(for) whom
قَدْ[verily]
أَرْسَلْنَاWe sent
قَبْلَكَbefore you
مِنof
رُّسُلِنَا‌ۖOur Messengers.
وَلَاAnd not
تَجِدُyou will find
لِسُنَّتِنَا(in) Our way
تَحْوِيلاًany alteration.
﴿٧٧﴾

يَوۡمَ نَدۡعُوۡا كُلَّ اُنَاسٍۢ بِاِمَامِهِمۡ​ۚ فَمَنۡ اُوۡتِىَ كِتٰبَهٗ بِيَمِيۡنِهٖ فَاُولٰۤـئِكَ يَقۡرَءُوۡنَ كِتٰبَهُمۡ وَلَا يُظۡلَمُوۡنَ فَتِيۡلًا‏  وَمَنۡ كَانَ فِىۡ هٰذِهٖۤ اَعۡمٰى فَهُوَ فِى الۡاٰخِرَةِ اَعۡمٰى وَاَضَلُّ سَبِيۡلًا‏  وَاِنۡ كَادُوۡا لَيَـفۡتِنُوۡنَكَ عَنِ الَّذِىۡۤ اَوۡحَيۡنَاۤ اِلَيۡكَ لِتَفۡتَرِىَ عَلَيۡنَا غَيۡرَهٗ​ ​ۖ  وَاِذًا لَّاتَّخَذُوۡكَ خَلِيۡلًا‏  وَلَوۡلَاۤ اَنۡ ثَبَّتۡنٰكَ لَقَدۡ كِدْتَّ تَرۡكَنُ اِلَيۡهِمۡ شَيۡـئًـا قَلِيۡلًا  ۙ‏  اِذًا لَّاَذَقۡنٰكَ ضِعۡفَ الۡحَيٰوةِ وَضِعۡفَ الۡمَمَاتِ ثُمَّ لَا تَجِدُ لَـكَ عَلَيۡنَا نَصِيۡرًا‏  وَاِنۡ كَادُوۡا لَيَسۡتَفِزُّوۡنَكَ مِنَ الۡاَرۡضِ لِيُخۡرِجُوۡكَ مِنۡهَا​ وَاِذًا لَّا يَلۡبَـثُوۡنَ خِلٰفَكَ اِلَّا قَلِيۡلًا‏  سُنَّةَ مَنۡ قَدۡ اَرۡسَلۡنَا قَبۡلَكَ مِنۡ رُّسُلِنَا​ وَلَا تَجِدُ لِسُنَّتِنَا تَحۡوِيۡلًا‏ 
Translation
(17:71) Then think of the Day We shall summon every community with its leader. Those who are given their Record in their right hand shall read the Record of their deeds86 and shall not be wronged a whit. (17:72) Whoever lived in this world as blind shall live as blind in the Life to Come; rather, he will be even farther astray than if he were (just) blind. (17:73) (O Muhammad), they had all but tempted you away from what We have revealed to you that you may invent something else in Our Name.87 Had you done so, they would have taken you as their trusted friend. (17:74) Indeed, had We not strengthened you, you might have inclined to them a little, (17:75) whereupon We would have made you taste double (the chastisement) in the world and double (the chastisement) after death, and then you would have found none to help you against Us.88 (17:76) They were bent upon uprooting you from this land and driving you away from it. But were they to succeed, they would not be able to remain after you more than a little while.89 (17:77) This has been Our Way with the Messengers whom We sent before you.90 You will find no change in Our Way.
Commentary

86. We learn from the Quran that on the Day of Resurrection, the righteous people will be given their records in their right hands and they will be overjoyed to have a look at it and will show it to others. As regards to the wicked people, they will get their records in their left hands and in their shame will try to hide it behind their backs. Please refer to (Surah Al-Haaqqa, Ayats 19-28), (Surah Al-Inshiqaq, Ayats 7-13).

87. In order to understand the significance of this verse, we should keep in view the circumstances through which the Prophet (peace be upon him) had been passing at Makkah during the preceding decade or so. The disbelievers of Makkah were exerting their utmost to turn the Prophet (peace be upon him) away, somehow or other, from his message of Tauhid, which he was presenting, and to force him to make a compromise with shirk and the customs of ignorance. In order to achieve this end, they tempted him in several ways. They practiced deception upon him, and tempted him with greed, held out threats, and raised a storm of false propaganda against him, and persecuted him and applied economic pressure and social boycott against him. In short, they did all that could be done to defeat his resolve.

88. This review implies two things: (1) If you had compromised with falsehood after recognizing the truth, you might have pleased your degenerate people but would have incurred the wrath of Allah and would have received double chastisement both in this world and in the Hereafter. (2) No man, not even a Messenger of Allah, can fight singlehanded against the deceitful methods of falsehood, unless he receives the succor of Allah. It was the fortitude which Allah had bestowed upon the Prophet (peace be upon him), which helped him to retrain steadfast on the right position he had taken, so that no persecution, howsoever great, could turn him away in the least from that position.

89. This was a clear prophecy which was made at the time when it appeared to be no more than a mere threat, but it was fulfilled literally in a decade or so. A year after the revelation of this Surah, the disbelievers of Makkah compelled the Prophet (peace be upon him) to leave his home. Then within eight years he entered Makkah as a conqueror, and within two years after this, the entire Arabia was totally freed from mushriks. Then whosoever stayed in that country, he remained there as a Muslim and not as a mushrik.

90. That is, this is how Allah has always dealt with the people who killed or exiled His Messengers. They never survived in the land after this. They were either annihilated by the scourge of Allah or were brought under the sway of an enemy or were subdued by the followers of the Messenger.