Surah Al-Israa (17) — Ayah 70

(Ayah 70) ➊ { وَ لَقَدْ كَرَّمْنَا بَنِيْۤ اٰدَمَ …:} Allah Almighty honored the children of Adam with countless blessings: He created their forefather with His two hands, while He created all other creatures with the word {’’ كُنْ ‘‘}. Then He granted them upright stature, taught them the way to eat with their hands, created them in the best form (ahsan taqweem), endowed them with intellect and free will, taught them to transfer their knowledge and experience to the next generation through writing, and granted them the ability to invent new things at every moment. He gave them the skill to utilize everything on earth and every animal for their benefit. He made them ride ships in the sea, mounts on land, and airplanes in the sky (as mentioned in Surah An-Nahl: 5 to 8).

➋ {وَ رَزَقْنٰهُمْ مِّنَ الطَّيِّبٰتِ : ’’اَلرِّزْقُ مَا يُنْتَفَعُ بِهِ‘‘} (Qamoos) Rizq means those things from which benefit is derived, such as food and drink, marital relations, clothing, and shelter, etc. {’’ الطَّيِّبٰتِ ‘‘ ’’اَلْحَلَالُ وَالْأَفْضَلُ مِنْ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ‘‘} (Qamoos) Tayyib means that which is lawful and the best of everything. That is, He granted every lawful, delicious, and best thing for their benefit. It is another matter if their nature becomes corrupted and they begin to benefit from the impure instead of the pure, for example, eating carrion, swine, etc., committing adultery or the act of the people of Lot instead of marriage, and using the rights of others instead of their own. In any case, Allah Almighty did not fall short in granting pure things.

➌ { وَ فَضَّلْنٰهُمْ عَلٰى كَثِيْرٍ مِّمَّنْ خَلَقْنَا تَفْضِيْلًا:} Due to the things mentioned above in honor and the obedience and worship of Allah Almighty by the children of Adam by their own choice, Allah Almighty granted them a great superiority over many of His creatures. The fact that He granted superiority over many of His creatures indicates that there are some creatures of Allah Almighty over whom man has not been given superiority. Some have considered the angels to be those creatures, while some scholars have considered some humans superior to some angels and some angels superior to some humans. The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: [ أَنَا سَيِّدُ وَلَدِ آدَمَ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ وَلَا فَخْرَ ] [ ترمذی، المناقب، باب سلوا اللہ لي الوسیلۃ : ۳۶۱۵ ] "I will be the leader of all the children of Adam on the Day of Resurrection, and there is no pride in this." The reality is that human knowledge is very limited. (See Bani Isra'il: 85) Therefore, silence is safer in such matters, because Allah Almighty has not granted us knowledge of all His creatures. What did Musa (peace be upon him) know that there was someone like Khidr, and what do we know about which creatures belong to Allah Almighty? He said: «وَ مَا يَعْلَمُ جُنُوْدَ رَبِّكَ اِلَّا هُوَ » [ المدثر : ۳۱ ] "And none knows the soldiers of your Lord except Him." Therefore, it is necessary to speak thoughtfully and according to one's status.

70. 1. This honor and action, as a human being, is granted to every human, whether believer or disbeliever. Because this honor is in comparison to other creations, such as animals, inanimate objects, plants, etc. And this honor is in multiple respects: the kind of form, stature, and appearance that Allah has granted to humans is not possessed by any other creation; the intellect given to humans, through which they have invented countless things for their comfort and ease—animals and others are deprived of this. In addition, with this intellect, humans are able to distinguish between right and wrong, beneficial and harmful, and beautiful and ugly. Furthermore, Allah has subjected all things in the universe to the service of humans. The moon, the sun, air, water, and countless other things from which humans are benefiting.

70. 2. On land, humans ride horses, mules, donkeys, camels, and their own manufactured vehicles (trains, cars, buses, airplanes, bicycles, and motorcycles, etc.), and similarly, in the sea, there are boats and ships on which they ride and transport goods.

70. 3. For human nourishment, all the grains, fruits, and produce have been created by Him, and the flavors, tastes, and strengths placed in them. The various kinds of foods, these delicious and desirable fruits, and these strengthening and refreshing compounds and drinks, fermented and compounded foods—what other creation besides humans has access to these?

70. 4. From the above details, the superiority and excellence of humans over many creations is evident.

Indeed, We have honored the children of Adam, carried them on land and sea, provided them with good and pure things, and given them clear superiority over many of those We created [88].

[88]
How is Man the Noblest of All Creatures?

Man’s superiority and honor over all other creatures is that Allah created man in the best stature, who walks upright. Then, the balance and moderation present in the human body, and the multifunctionality of his bodily organs, are not found in any other creature to such an extent. Among creation, Allah’s angels were the most superior. Allah commanded them to prostrate to Adam, and in this way made it clear to all creation that man is indeed the noblest of all creatures. Then, the human child, who is born weaker than the offspring of all other animals, is granted such intellect that he brings the things of the world into his service. He tames large and powerful animals and rides upon them. He sails boats and ships in rivers and seas, riding upon the back of the ocean. Compared to all other creatures, he prepares the finest, most delicious, and cleanest foods for his nourishment. He constructs the finest clothing and builds houses for his residence. That is, the authority and power Allah Almighty has granted to man has not been given to any other creature, and all of this is certainly Allah’s gift and His grace. Then, what could be greater folly and misguidance than for man, after being elevated to such a high rank above other creatures, to bow his head before any of His creation other than Him? Or to consider any needy servant like himself as the fulfiller of needs and remover of difficulties?