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.