Surah Al-Israa (17) — Ayah 85

(Ayah 85) ➊ {وَ يَسْـَٔلُوْنَكَ عَنِ الرُّوْحِ …:} From a hadith of Abdullah bin Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with them both), it is known that this verse was revealed when some Jews asked the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) about the soul. [ دیکھیے بخاری، العلم، باب قول اللہ تعالٰی : « وما أوتیتم من العلم إلا قلیلا » : ۱۲۵ ۔ مسلم : ۲۷۹۴ ] This shows that this verse is Madinan, but this surah is Makkan, and Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) said that the Quraysh said to the Jews: [ أَعْطُوْنَا شَيْئًا نَسْأَلُ عَنْهُ هٰذَا الرَّجُلَ، فَقَالُوْا سَلُوْهُ عَنِ الرُّوْحِ، فَسَأَلُوْهُ، فَنَزَلَتْ : «وَ يَسْـَٔلُوْنَكَ عَنِ الرُّوْحِ قُلِ الرُّوْحُ مِنْ اَمْرِ رَبِّيْ وَ مَاۤ اُوْتِيْتُمْ مِّنَ الْعِلْمِ اِلَّا قَلِيْلًا » [الإسراء : ۸۵] قَالُوْا أُوْتِيْنَا عِلْمًا كَثِيْرًا، أُوْتِيْنَا التَّوْرَاةَ، وَمَنْ أُوْتِيَ التَّوْرَاةَ فَقَدْ أُوْتِيَ خَيْرًا كَثِيْرًا، قَالَ فَأَنْزَلَ اللّٰهُ عَزَّوَجَلَّ : «قُلْ لَّوْ كَانَ الْبَحْرُ مِدَادًا لِّكَلِمٰتِ رَبِّيْ لَنَفِدَ الْبَحْرُ » al-Kahf: 109 ] “Give us something about which we may ask this man?” So they said: “Ask him about the soul.” Thus, they asked him, and this verse was revealed: «وَ يَسْـَٔلُوْنَكَ عَنِ الرُّوْحِ قُلِ الرُّوْحُ مِنْ اَمْرِ رَبِّيْ وَ مَاۤ اُوْتِيْتُمْ مِّنَ الْعِلْمِ اِلَّا قَلِيْلًا » They said: “We have been given much knowledge, for we have been given the Torah, and whoever has been given the Torah has been given much good.” Ibn Abbas said, so Allah Almighty revealed this verse: «قُلْ لَّوْ كَانَ الْبَحْرُ مِدَادًا لِّكَلِمٰتِ رَبِّيْ لَنَفِدَ الْبَحْرُ » [ مسند أحمد : 255/1، ح : ۲۳۱۳، وصححہ الألبانی ] Ibn Kathir (may Allah have mercy on him) said that it is possible that this verse was first revealed in Makkah (because this surah is Makkan), then revealed again in Madinah, and it is also possible that when the Jews asked this question in Madinah, Allah Almighty revealed by inspiration that you should recite this verse to them.

➋ The word “soul” (ruh) has been used in the Qur’an in several meanings, for example, revelation (Mu’min: 15), strength and steadfastness (Mujadilah: 22), Jibreel (peace be upon him) (Shu’ara: 193), the Qur’an (Shura: 52), and the Messiah (peace be upon him) (Nisa: 171). In the verse under commentary, by “soul” is meant that thing by which the body receives life; every person observes it, no one can deny it. Say to them: the soul is by the command of my Lord, meaning, by Allah’s command, a thing enters the body, it comes to life; when it departs, it dies. Other than this, only He knows the reality of the soul. There is also a point here that when a person does not know the reality of this creature created by Allah’s command, which resides within himself, then how can he know the reality of the Creator?

➌ { وَ مَاۤ اُوْتِيْتُمْ مِّنَ الْعِلْمِ اِلَّا قَلِيْلًا:} This meaning is also indicated in Surah al-Kahf (109) and Luqman (27).

➍ From this verse, it is known that Allah Almighty has only informed people of those things which they need and which can come within human intellect and thought. Although there is no restriction on human thought, it is necessary for it to remain within its limits. Man has made such inventions that are beyond description, but he has been unable to grasp the reality of this secret (the soul), because this is a secret of Allah Almighty and a matter of the unseen, which no one knows except Him: what it is, how it comes, and how it goes, where it comes from and where it goes. The creation only knows as much as the All-Knowing, All-Aware has informed, beyond that all are helpless, and the knowledge of all creation compared to Allah's is only as much as the water that comes in a bird’s beak from the sea.

85. 1. The soul is that subtle entity which is not visible to anyone, but the strength and energy of every living being is contained within this soul. What is its reality and essence? No one knows. The Jews also once asked the Prophet ﷺ about it, so this verse was revealed (Sahih Bukhari). The meaning of this verse is that your knowledge, compared to Allah's knowledge, is little, and this soul, about which you are asking, Allah has not given its knowledge to anyone, including the prophets. Understand only this much, that it is the command (order) of my Lord. Or it is from the attributes of my Lord, the reality of which only He knows.

85. They ask you about the soul. Say, "The soul is of the command of my Lord [106], and you have been given only a little knowledge."

[106]
By "Ruh" is Meant Divine Revelation:

Regarding the context of revelation of this verse, consider the following hadiths: Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud ؓ says that once I was walking with the Prophet ﷺ in a field. He ﷺ was leaning on a date-palm stick. Meanwhile, some Jews passed by and said among themselves, "Ask this Prophet what the Ruh (spirit) is." Someone said, "Why is there such a need?" And someone said, "Perhaps he will say something to you that you will dislike." In the end, it was decided to ask. So they asked the Prophet ﷺ, "What is the Ruh?" The Prophet ﷺ remained silent for a while and did not answer them. I understood that revelation was coming to him ﷺ and I stood in my place. When the revelation ended, the Prophet ﷺ recited this verse: ﴿وَيَسْئَلُوْنَكَ...... قليلا﴾ [بخاري، كتاب التفسير۔ نيز كتاب العلم۔ باب وما اوتيتم من العلم الاقليلا]

And in the narration of Tirmidhi, these words are added: "The Jews used to say that we have been given much knowledge. We have been given the Torah, and whoever is given the Torah has been given much good." Then Allah Almighty revealed this verse: ﴿قُلْ لَوْ كَانَ الْبَحْرُ﴾ to the end [سوره كهف كي آيت نمبر 109 ترمذي۔ ابواب التفسير]

Here, the question arises that this Surah is Makki, and the Jews lived in Madinah? The answer is that in some Makki Surahs, there are also several Madinan verses, which have been placed in the Makki Surahs at appropriate places according to the relevance of the subject, and the arrangement of verses within each Surah is also by divine instruction, i.e., this arrangement is also according to divine revelation. Furthermore, from the narrations of some books of Seerah, it is known that this question was actually asked by the Quraysh of Makkah at the suggestion of the Jews, but the clear words of the narration in Bukhari do not support this. The correct explanation is the one mentioned above.

The Difference Between Ruh and Nafs:

The second question is: what is meant by Ruh? The Noble Quran has used the word Ruh in the meaning of "divine revelation" at several places. Especially in the case where the word "Amr" (command) is also present with Ruh, as it is here. Or, for example, it is said: ﴿يُنَزِّلُ الْمَلٰئِكَةَ بالرُوْحِ مِنْ اَمْرِهِ عَليٰ مَنْ يَّشَاءُ مِنْ عِبَادِهٖ﴾ [16: 2] Also, it is said: ﴿يُلْقِيْ الرُّوْحَ مِنْ اَمْرِهٖ عَليٰ مَنْ يَّشَاءُ مِنْ عِبَادِهِ﴾ [40: 15] Also, it is said: ﴿وَكَذٰلِكَ اَوْحَيْنَا اِلَيْكَ رُوْحًا مِنْ اَمْرِنَا﴾ [42: 52] Therefore, here too, by Ruh is meant divine revelation, or the angel who brings revelation, and this angel, i.e., Jibreel, is also called "Ruh al-Amin." And the context also supports this meaning; in the verse before this, divine revelation is mentioned, and in the following verse as well. In other words, the real question of the Jews was: what is the nature of divine revelation, what is the real source of the Quran, and what is the reality of the one who brings revelation? The answer given to them was that the knowledge you have been given is so little that you are incapable of understanding these realities. Some scholars have taken Ruh here to mean "life" (soul), which is present in the body of every living being, and as long as it remains in the body, the living being is alive, and when it departs, the being dies. It is difficult to deny this meaning as well, because no matter how many philosophies man may devise, he has remained incapable of knowing the reality of this Ruh. Moreover, just as man's moral and spiritual life depends on divine revelation, similarly, physical life depends on the Ruh. However, in terms of the context, the first explanation is better, because it is supported by many other verses. Furthermore, at the time of death, when the angels come to take out the Ruh, the Quran uses the word "Nafs" instead of Ruh, as it is said: ﴿اخرجوا انفسكم﴾ [6: 93] And some say that the word "Nafs" is applied to the Ruh when it is present in the body, and when it departs, it is called Ruh.