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Tafsir of Surah Al-Isra - Verse 39

Surah 17
Verse 39
111 verses
39

ذَ ٰ⁠لِكَ مِمَّاۤ أَوۡحَىٰۤ إِلَیۡكَ رَبُّكَ مِنَ ٱلۡحِكۡمَةِۗ وَلَا تَجۡعَلۡ مَعَ ٱللَّهِ إِلَـٰهًا ءَاخَرَ فَتُلۡقَىٰ فِی جَهَنَّمَ مَلُومࣰا مَّدۡحُورًا

That is from what your Lord has revealed to you, [O Muhammad], of wisdom. And, [O mankind], do not make [as equal] with Allah another deity, lest you be thrown into Hell, blamed and banished.

Scholarly Interpretations(3)

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Everything previously mentioned is Revelation and Wisdom

Allah says: `What We have commanded you to do is part of good manners, and what We have forbidden you are evil qualities. We have revealed this to you, O Muhammad, so that you may command the people likewise.'

وَلاَ تَجْعَلْ مَعَ اللَّهِ إِلَـهًا ءَاخَرَ فَتُلْقَى فِى جَهَنَّمَ مَلُومًا

(And set not up with Allah any other god lest you should be thrown into Hell, blameworthy) meaning, your own self will blame you, as will Allah and His creation.

مَّدْحُورًا

(rejected) means far removed from everything good. Ibn `Abbas and Qatadah said: "(It means) cast out." This is an address to the Ummah via the Messenger , for he is infallible.

You are reading a tafsir for the group of verses 17:38 to 17:41

After having described details of the injunctions appearing above, it was said in the last verse: كُلُّ ذَٰلِكَ كَانَ سَيِّئُهُ عِندَ رَ‌بِّكَ مَكْرُ‌وهًا (That which is evil, of all these, is detestable in the sight of your Lord - 38).

As for what has been forbidden in the said injunctions, their repugnance is obvious. But, within these there are some commandments where rights of parents and relatives have been enjoined or fulfillment of promises has been made mandatory. Here too, the purpose is to avoid doing the opposite of it, like hurting parents, breaking off from relatives and going back on solemn promises. Since all these things are haram or reprehensible, therefore, it has been called 'makruh' in a general sense of 'detestable' which includes the haram and makruh both. (Bayan al-Qur an)

Note

The injunctions described in the fifteen verses cited above are, in a way, the explanation of the effort acceptable in the sight of Allah mentioned in: وَسَعَىٰ لَهَا سَعْيَهَا (and makes effort for it as due - 19). There it was said that not every effort is acceptable with Allah. Instead, the effort made in accordance with the Sunnah and teaching of the Holy Prophet ﷺ is the only one acceptable with Him. Main divisions of such acceptable effort have been mentioned in these injunctions which take up the rights of Allah first and then the rights of the servants of Allah.

A gist of Torah in fifteen verses

Sayyidna ` Abdullah ibn ` Abbas ؓ said that the commandments of the entire Torah have been reduced to fifteen verses of Surah Bani Isra'il. (Mazhari)

The injunctions given in the above verses come under the heading of ‘wisdom’ (hikmah). The meaning of ‘wisdom’ here stands for the firm reality, the sound truths of life. It is on the foundations of these realities that the healthy life is built. A human society devoid of them can expect little else but annihilation both in the present and in the next life. The narration of the above-mentioned advice begins with the Oneness of God, or tawhid (verse 22) and finishes with the oneness of God (verse 39). This indicates that, for the foundation of all good deeds, man should believe in the one God. He should fear and love Him alone. The secret of a good life is concealed in the right relationship with God. If the relationship with God is not proper, no other thing can set right the affairs of human life. God is the beginning and the end of human life.