Al-Isrâ' (Surah 17)
Al-Isrâ' (The Night Journey)
Makki SurahIntroduction
Since Abraham (ﷺ) is praised in the last verses of the previous sûrah as a role model for the world, this Meccan sûrah speaks of how the Prophet (ﷺ) is honoured in this world through the Night Journey from Mecca to Jerusalem then to the heavens and back to Mecca—all in one night (verses 1 and 60). He (ﷺ) will also be honoured on the Day of Judgment through the station of praise where he will make intercession (verse 79). The children of Israel are referred to passingly at the end of the previous sûrah, but more insights are given about them both at the beginning and the end of this sûrah. The key to success in this life and salvation in the next is encapsulated in a set of divine commandments (verses 22-39), along with a warning against Satan and his whispers (verses 61-65). The sûrah is critical of the pagan arguments against resurrection and their ridiculous demands (verses 89-93). Criticism of attributing partners and children to Allah is carried over to the next sûrah.
بِسْمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحْمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ
In the Name of Allah—the Most Compassionate, Most Merciful.
Journey from Mecca to Jerusalem
1. Glory be to the One Who took His servant (Muḥammad) by night from the Sacred Mosque to the Farthest Mosque whose surroundings We have blessed, so that We may show him some of Our signs. Indeed, He alone is the All-Hearing, All-Seeing. 2. And We gave Moses the Scripture and made it a guide for the Children of Israel, (stating:) “Do not take besides Me any other Trustee of Affairs, 3. (O) descendants of those We carried with Noah (in the Ark)! He was indeed a grateful servant.”
Surah 17 - Al-Isrâ' (The Night Journey) - Verses 1-3
Warning to the Israelites
4. And We warned the Children of Israel in the Scripture, “You will certainly cause corruption in the land twice, and you will become extremely arrogant.
Surah 17 - Al-Isrâ' (The Night Journey) - Verses 4-4
The Two Corruptions
5. “When the first of the two warnings would come to pass, We would send against you some of Our servants of great might, who would ravage your homes. This would be a warning fulfilled. 6. Then (after your repentance) We would give you the upper hand over them and aid you with wealth and offspring, causing you to outnumber them. 7. If you act rightly, it is for your own good, but if you do wrong, it is to your own loss. And when the second warning would come to pass, your enemies would (be left to) totally disgrace you and enter the Temple (of Jerusalem) as they entered it the first time, and utterly destroy whatever would fall into their hands. 8. Perhaps your Lord will have mercy on you (if you repent), but if you return (to sin), We will return (to punishment). And We have made Hell a (permanent) confinement for the disbelievers.”
Surah 17 - Al-Isrâ' (The Night Journey) - Verses 5-8
The Message of the Quran
9. Surely this Quran guides to what is most upright, and gives good news to the believers—who do good—that they will have a mighty reward. 10. And (it warns) those who do not believe in the Hereafter (that) We have prepared for them a painful punishment.
Surah 17 - Al-Isrâ' (The Night Journey) - Verses 9-10
Prayers in Anger
11. And humans (swiftly) pray for evil as they pray for good. For humankind is ever hasty.
Surah 17 - Al-Isrâ' (The Night Journey) - Verses 11-11
The Day and Night
12. We made the day and night as two signs. So We made the sign of the night devoid of light, and We made the sign of the day (perfectly) bright, so that you may seek the bounty of your Lord and know the number of years and calculation (of time). And We have explained everything in detail.
Surah 17 - Al-Isrâ' (The Night Journey) - Verses 12-12
The Record of Deeds
13. We have bound every human’s destiny to their neck. And on the Day of Judgment We will bring forth to each (person) a record which they will find laid open. 14. (And it will be said,) “Read your record. You (alone) are sufficient this Day to take account of yourself.” 15. Whoever chooses to be guided, it is only for their own good. And whoever chooses to stray, it is only to their own loss. No soul burdened with sin will bear the burden of another. And We would never punish (a people) until We have sent a messenger (to warn them).
Surah 17 - Al-Isrâ' (The Night Journey) - Verses 13-15
Punishment of the Wicked
16. Whenever We intend to destroy a society, We command its elite (to obey Allah) but they act rebelliously in it. So the decree (of punishment) is justified, and We destroy it utterly. 17. (Imagine) how many peoples We have destroyed after Noah! And sufficient is your Lord as All-Aware and All-Seeing of the sins of His servants.
Surah 17 - Al-Isrâ' (The Night Journey) - Verses 16-17
This Life or the Next?
18. Whoever desires this fleeting world (alone), We hasten in it whatever We please to whoever We will; then We destine them for Hell, where they will burn, condemned and rejected. 19. But whoever desires the Hereafter and strives for it accordingly, and is a (true) believer, it is they whose striving will be appreciated. 20. We provide both the former and the latter from the bounty of your Lord. And the bounty of your Lord can never be withheld. 21. See how We have favoured some over others (in this life), but the Hereafter is certainly far greater in rank and in favour.
Surah 17 - Al-Isrâ' (The Night Journey) - Verses 18-21
Commandments: 1) Worship Allah Alone, 2) Honour Your Parents
22. Do not set up any other god with Allah, or you will end up condemned, abandoned. 23. For your Lord has decreed that you worship none but Him. And honour your parents. If one or both of them reach old age in your care, never say to them (even) ‘ugh,’ nor yell at them. Rather, address them respectfully. 24. And be humble with them out of mercy, and pray, “My Lord! Be merciful to them as they raised me when I was young.” 25. Your Lord knows best what is within yourselves. If you are righteous, He is certainly All-Forgiving to those who (constantly) turn to Him.
Surah 17 - Al-Isrâ' (The Night Journey) - Verses 22-25
3) Give and 4) Do Not Waste
26. Give to close relatives their due, as well as the poor and (needy) travellers. And do not spend wastefully. 27. Surely the wasteful are (like) brothers to the devils. And the Devil is ever ungrateful to his Lord. 28. But if you must turn them down (because you lack the means to give)—while hoping to receive your Lord’s bounty—then (at least) give them a kind word.
Surah 17 - Al-Isrâ' (The Night Journey) - Verses 26-28
5) Spend Moderately
29. Do not be so tight-fisted, for you will be blameworthy; nor so open-handed, for you will end up in poverty. 30. Surely your Lord gives abundant or limited provisions to whoever He wills. He is certainly All-Aware, All-Seeing of His servants.
Surah 17 - Al-Isrâ' (The Night Journey) - Verses 29-30
6) Treasure Your Children
31. Do not kill your children for fear of poverty. We provide for them and for you. Surely killing them is a heinous sin.
Surah 17 - Al-Isrâ' (The Night Journey) - Verses 31-31
7) Do Not Commit Adultery
32. Do not go near adultery. It is truly a shameful deed and an evil way.
Surah 17 - Al-Isrâ' (The Night Journey) - Verses 32-32
8) Do Not Kill
33. Do not take a (human) life—made sacred by Allah—except with (legal) right. If anyone is killed unjustly, We have given their heirs the authority, but do not let them exceed limits in retaliation, for they are already supported (by law).
Surah 17 - Al-Isrâ' (The Night Journey) - Verses 33-33
9) Protect Orphans’ Wealth, 10) Honour Pledges
34. Do not come near the wealth of the orphan—unless intending to enhance it—until they attain maturity.Honour (your) pledges, for you will surely be accountable for them.
Surah 17 - Al-Isrâ' (The Night Journey) - Verses 34-34
11) Maintain Fairness
35. Give in full when you measure, and weigh with an even balance. That is fairest and best in the end.
Surah 17 - Al-Isrâ' (The Night Journey) - Verses 35-35
12) Be Sure
36. Do not follow what you have no (sure) knowledge of. Indeed, all will be called to account for (their) hearing, sight, and intellect.
Surah 17 - Al-Isrâ' (The Night Journey) - Verses 36-36
13) Be Humble
37. And do not walk on the earth arrogantly. Surely you can neither crack the earth nor stretch to the height of the mountains.
Surah 17 - Al-Isrâ' (The Night Journey) - Verses 37-37
Compliance with the Commandments
38. The violation of any of these (commandments) is detestable to your Lord. 39. This is part of the wisdom which your Lord has revealed to you (O Prophet). And do not set up any other god with Allah (O humanity), or you will be cast into Hell, blameworthy, rejected.
Surah 17 - Al-Isrâ' (The Night Journey) - Verses 38-39
Rebuttal to a Pagan Claim
40. Has your Lord favoured you (pagans) with sons and taken angels as (His) daughters? You are truly making an outrageous claim. 41. We have surely varied (the signs) in this Quran so perhaps they may be mindful, but it only drives them farther away.
Surah 17 - Al-Isrâ' (The Night Journey) - Verses 40-41
Other Gods?
42. Say, (O Prophet,) “Had there been other gods besides Him—as they claim—then they would have certainly sought a way to (challenge) the Lord of the Throne.” 43. Glorified and Highly Exalted is He above what they claim! 44. The seven heavens, the earth, and all those in them glorify Him. There is not a single thing that does not glorify His praises—but you (simply) cannot comprehend their glorification. He is indeed Most Forbearing, All-Forgiving.
Surah 17 - Al-Isrâ' (The Night Journey) - Verses 42-44
The Pagans Mock the Quran
45. When you (O Prophet) recite the Quran, We put a hidden barrier between you and those who do not believe in the Hereafter. 46. We have cast veils over their hearts—leaving them unable to comprehend it—and deafness in their ears. And when you mention your Lord alone in the Quran, they turn their backs in aversion. 47. We know best how they listen to your recitation and what they say privately—when the wrongdoers say, “You would only be following a bewitched man.” 48. See how they call you names (O Prophet)! So they have gone so (far) astray that they cannot find the (Right) Way.
Surah 17 - Al-Isrâ' (The Night Journey) - Verses 45-48
The Resurrection
49. And they say (mockingly), “When we are reduced to bones and ashes, will we really be raised as a new creation?” 50. Say, (O Prophet,) “(Yes, even if) you become stones, or iron, 51. or whatever you think is harder to bring to life!” Then they will ask (you), “Who will bring us back (to life)?” Say, “The One Who created you the first time.” They will then shake their heads at you and ask, “When will that be?” Say, “Perhaps it is soon!” 52. On the Day He will call you, you will (instantly) respond by praising Him, thinking you had remained (in the world) only for a little while.
Surah 17 - Al-Isrâ' (The Night Journey) - Verses 49-52
Advice to the Prophet
53. Tell My (believing) servants to say only what is best. Satan certainly seeks to sow discord among them. Satan is indeed a sworn enemy to humankind.
Surah 17 - Al-Isrâ' (The Night Journey) - Verses 53-53
Invitation to the Disbelievers
54. Your Lord knows you best. He may have mercy on you if He wills, or punish you if He wills. We have not sent you (O Prophet) as a keeper over them. 55. Your Lord knows best all those in the heavens and the earth. And We have surely favoured some prophets above others, and to David We gave the Psalms.
Surah 17 - Al-Isrâ' (The Night Journey) - Verses 54-55
Other Gods Besides Allah?
56. Say, (O Prophet,) “Invoke those you claim (to be divine) besides Him—they do not have the power to undo harm from you or transfer it (to someone else).” 57. (Even) the closest (to Allah) of those invoked would be seeking a way to their Lord, hoping for His mercy, and fearing His punishment. Indeed, your Lord’s torment is fearsome.
Surah 17 - Al-Isrâ' (The Night Journey) - Verses 56-57
Signs Always Denied
58. There is not a (wicked) society that We will not destroy or punish with a severe torment before the Day of Judgment. That is written in the Record. 59. Nothing keeps Us from sending the (demanded) signs except that they had (already) been denied by earlier peoples. And We gave Thamûd the she-camel as a clear sign, but they wrongfully rejected it. We only send the signs as a warning.
Surah 17 - Al-Isrâ' (The Night Journey) - Verses 58-59
Signs as a Test
60. And (remember, O Prophet) when We told you, “Certainly your Lord encompasses the people.” And We have made what We brought you to see as well as the cursed tree (mentioned) in the Quran only as a test for the people. We keep warning them, but it only increases them greatly in defiance.
Surah 17 - Al-Isrâ' (The Night Journey) - Verses 60-60
Satan’s Defiance
61. And (remember) when We said to the angels, “Prostrate before Adam,” so they all did—but not Iblîs, who protested, “Should I prostrate to the one You have created from mud?” 62. Adding, “Do you see this one you honoured above me? If you delay my end until the Day of Judgment, I will certainly take hold of his descendants, except for a few.” 63. Allah responded, “Be gone! Whoever of them follows you, Hell will surely be the reward for all of you—an ample reward. 64. And incite whoever you can of them with your voice, mobilize against them all your cavalry and infantry, manipulate them in their wealth and children, and make them promises.” But Satan promises them nothing but delusion. 65. (Allah added,) “You will truly have no authority over My (faithful) servants.” And sufficient is your Lord as a Guardian.
Surah 17 - Al-Isrâ' (The Night Journey) - Verses 61-65
Human Ingratitude
66. It is your Lord Who steers the ships for you through the sea, so that you may seek His bounty. Surely He is ever Merciful to you. 67. When you are touched with hardship at sea, you (totally) forget all (the gods) you (normally) invoke, except Him. But when He delivers you (safely) to shore, you turn away. Humankind is ever ungrateful.
Surah 17 - Al-Isrâ' (The Night Journey) - Verses 66-67
False Immunity
68. Do you feel secure that He will not cause the land to swallow you up, or unleash upon you a storm of stones? Then you will find none to protect you. 69. Or do you feel secure that He will not send you back to sea once again, and send upon you a violent storm, drowning you for your denial? Then you will find none to avenge you against Us.
Surah 17 - Al-Isrâ' (The Night Journey) - Verses 68-69
Allah’s Favours to Humanity
70. Indeed, We have dignified the children of Adam, carried them on land and sea, granted them good and lawful provisions, and privileged them far above many of Our creatures.
Surah 17 - Al-Isrâ' (The Night Journey) - Verses 70-70
The Record of Deeds
71. (Beware of) the Day We will summon every people with their leader. So whoever will be given their record in their right hand will read it (happily) and will not be wronged (even by the width of) the thread of a date stone. 72. But whoever is blind (to the truth) in this (world) will be blind in the Hereafter, and (even) far more astray from the (Right) Way.
Surah 17 - Al-Isrâ' (The Night Journey) - Verses 71-72
Temptation by Meccan Pagans
73. They definitely (thought they) were about to lure you away from what We have revealed to you (O Prophet), hoping that you would attribute something else to Us falsely—and then they would have certainly taken you as a close friend. 74. Had We not made you steadfast, you probably would have inclined to them a little, 75. and then We truly would have made you taste double (punishment) both in this life and after death, and you would have found no helper against Us. 76. They were about to intimidate you to drive you out of the land (of Mecca), but then they would not have survived after you (had left) except for a little while. 77. (This has been) Our way with the messengers We sent before you. And you will never find any change in Our way.
Surah 17 - Al-Isrâ' (The Night Journey) - Verses 73-77
Advice to the Prophet
78. Observe the prayer from the decline of the sun until the darkness of the night and the dawn prayer, for certainly the dawn prayer is witnessed (by angels). 79. And rise at (the last) part of the night, offering additional prayers, so your Lord may raise you to a station of praise. 80. And say, “My Lord! Grant me an honourable entrance and an honourable exit and give me a supporting authority from Yourself.” 81. And declare, “The truth has come and falsehood has vanished. Indeed, falsehood is bound to vanish.”
Surah 17 - Al-Isrâ' (The Night Journey) - Verses 78-81
The Quran as a Healing
82. We send down the Quran as a healing and mercy for the believers, but it only increases the wrongdoers in loss.
Surah 17 - Al-Isrâ' (The Night Journey) - Verses 82-82
Arrogance and Ingratitude
83. When We grant people Our favours, they turn away, acting arrogantly. But when touched with evil, they lose all hope. 84. Say, (O Prophet,) “Everyone acts in their own way. But your Lord knows best whose way is rightly guided.”
Surah 17 - Al-Isrâ' (The Night Journey) - Verses 83-84
Question by Pagans
85. They ask you (O Prophet) about the spirit. Say, “Its nature is known only to my Lord, and you (O humanity) have been given but little knowledge.”
Surah 17 - Al-Isrâ' (The Night Journey) - Verses 85-85
The Quran as a Favour
86. If We willed, We could have certainly taken away what We have revealed to you (O Prophet)—then you would find none to guarantee its return from Us— 87. had it not been for the mercy of your Lord. Indeed, His favour upon you is immense.
Surah 17 - Al-Isrâ' (The Night Journey) - Verses 86-87
The Quran Challenge
88. Say, (O Prophet,) “If (all) humans and jinn were to come together to produce the equivalent of this Quran, they could not produce its equal, no matter how they supported each other.”
Surah 17 - Al-Isrâ' (The Night Journey) - Verses 88-88
Meaningless Demands
89. And We have truly set forth every (kind of) lesson for humanity in this Quran, yet most people persist in disbelief. 90. They challenge (the Prophet), “We will never believe in you until you cause a spring to gush forth from the earth for us, 91. or until you have a garden of palm trees and vineyards, and cause rivers to flow abundantly in it, 92. or cause the sky to fall upon us in pieces, as you have claimed, or bring Allah and the angels before us, face to face, 93. or until you have a house of gold, or you ascend into heaven—and even then we will not believe in your ascension until you bring down to us a book that we can read.” Say, “Glory be to my Lord! Am I not only a human messenger?”
Surah 17 - Al-Isrâ' (The Night Journey) - Verses 89-93
An Angelic Messenger?
94. And nothing has prevented people from believing when guidance comes to them except their protest: “Has Allah sent a human as a messenger?” 95. Say, (O Prophet,) “Had there been angels walking the earth, well settled, We would have surely sent down for them an angel from heaven as a messenger.” 96. Say, “Sufficient is Allah as a Witness between me and you. He is certainly All-Knowing, All-Seeing of His servants.”
Surah 17 - Al-Isrâ' (The Night Journey) - Verses 94-96
Reward of the Wicked
97. Whoever Allah guides is truly guided. And whoever He leaves to stray, you will find no guardians for them besides Him. And We will drag them on their faces on the Day of Judgment—deaf, dumb, and blind. Hell will be their home. Whenever it dies down, We will flare it up for them. 98. That is their reward for rejecting Our signs and asking (mockingly), “When we are reduced to bones and ashes, will we really be raised as a new creation?” 99. Have they not realized that Allah, Who created the heavens and the earth, can (easily) re-create them? He has (already) set for them a time, about which there is no doubt. But the wrongdoers persist in denial. 100. Say (to them, O Prophet), “Even if you were to possess the (infinite) treasuries of my Lord’s mercy, then you would certainly withhold (them), fearing they would run out—for humankind is ever stingy!”
Surah 17 - Al-Isrâ' (The Night Journey) - Verses 97-100
Pharaoh Challenges Moses
101. We surely gave Moses nine clear signs. (You, O Prophet, can) ask the Children of Israel. When Moses came to them, Pharaoh said to him, “I really think that you, O Moses, are bewitched.” 102. Moses replied, “You know well that none has sent these (signs) down except the Lord of the heavens and the earth as insights. And I really think that you, O Pharaoh, are doomed.” 103. So Pharaoh wanted to scare the Israelites out of the land (of Egypt), but We drowned him and all of those with him. 104. And We said to the Children of Israel after Pharaoh, “Reside in the land, but when the promise of the Hereafter comes to pass, We will bring you all together.”
Surah 17 - Al-Isrâ' (The Night Journey) - Verses 101-104
The Noble Quran
105. We have sent down the Quran in truth, and with the truth it has come down. We have sent you (O Prophet) only as a deliverer of good news and a warner. 106. (It is) a Quran We have revealed in stages so that you may recite it to people at a deliberate pace. And We have sent it down in successive revelations. 107. Say, (O Prophet,) “Believe in this (Quran), or do not. Indeed, when it is recited to those who were gifted with knowledge before it (was revealed), they fall upon their faces in prostration, 108. and say, ‘Glory be to our Lord! Surely the promise of our Lord has been fulfilled.’ 109. And they fall down upon their faces weeping, and it increases them in humility.”
Surah 17 - Al-Isrâ' (The Night Journey) - Verses 105-109
Advice to the Prophet
110. Say, (O Prophet,) “Call upon Allah or call upon the Most Compassionate—whichever you call, He has the Most Beautiful Names.” Do not recite your prayers too loudly or silently, but seek a way between. 111. And say, “All praise is for Allah, Who has never had (any) offspring; nor does He have a partner in (governing) the kingdom; nor is He pathetic, needing a protector. And revere Him immensely.”