سُوْرَةُ الإِسۡرَاءِ
Surah Al-Israa (17) — Ayah 70
۞ وَلَقَدْ كَرَّمْنَا بَنِىٓ ءَادَمَ وَحَمَلْنَـٰهُمْ فِى ٱلْبَرِّ وَٱلْبَحْرِ وَرَزَقْنَـٰهُم مِّنَ ٱلطَّيِّبَـٰتِ وَفَضَّلْنَـٰهُمْ عَلَىٰ كَثِيرٍ مِّمَّنْ خَلَقْنَا تَفْضِيلًا ﴿70﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
And indeed We have honoured the Children of Adam, and We have carried them on land and sea, and have provided them with At-Tayyibât (lawful good things), and have preferred them above many of those whom We have created with a marked preferment.
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
۞ وَلَقَدْ
walaqad
And certainly
كَرَّمْنَا
karramnā
We have honored
بَنِىٓ
banī
(the) children of Adam
ءَادَمَ
ādama
(the) children of Adam
وَحَمَلْنَـٰهُمْ
waḥamalnāhum
and We carried them
فِى
fī
on
ٱلْبَرِّ
l-bari
the land
وَٱلْبَحْرِ
wal-baḥri
and the sea
وَرَزَقْنَـٰهُم
warazaqnāhum
and We have provided them
مِّنَ
mina
of
ٱلطَّيِّبَـٰتِ
l-ṭayibāti
the good things
وَفَضَّلْنَـٰهُمْ
wafaḍḍalnāhum
and We preferred them
عَلَىٰ
ʿalā
over
كَثِيرٍۢ
kathīrin
many
مِّمَّنْ
mimman
of those whom
خَلَقْنَا
khalaqnā
We have created
تَفْضِيلًۭا
tafḍīlan
(with) preference
Tafsir al-Quran al-Karim — Hafiz Abdus Salam Bin Muhammad Bhutvi
Tafsir al-Quran al-Karim is a 4-volume Quran commentary by Hafiz Abdus Salam bin Muhammad Bhutvi, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar and Sheikh ul-Hadith from Pakistan. Based on over 45 years of teaching and research, this tafsir follows the methodology of Tafsir bil-Ma'thur — interpreting the Quran through authentic Hadith, statements of the Companions, and the understanding of the early generations (Salaf). It is distinguished by its complete avoidance of Israeliyyat (Judeo-Christian narratives) and unverified reports. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
(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.
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.
