سُوْرَةُ الإِسۡرَاءِ
Surah Al-Israa (17) — Ayah 37
وَلَا تَمْشِ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ مَرَحًا ۖ إِنَّكَ لَن تَخْرِقَ ٱلْأَرْضَ وَلَن تَبْلُغَ ٱلْجِبَالَ طُولًا ﴿37﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
And walk not on the earth with conceit and arrogance. Verily, you can neither rend nor penetrate the earth, nor can you attain a stature like the mountains in height.
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
وَلَا
walā
And (do) not
تَمْشِ
tamshi
walk
فِى
fī
in
ٱلْأَرْضِ
l-arḍi
the earth
مَرَحًا ۖ
maraḥan
(with) insolence
إِنَّكَ
innaka
Indeed, you
لَن
lan
will never
تَخْرِقَ
takhriqa
tear
ٱلْأَرْضَ
l-arḍa
the earth
وَلَن
walan
and will never
تَبْلُغَ
tablugha
reach
ٱلْجِبَالَ
l-jibāla
the mountains
طُولًۭا
ṭūlan
(in) height
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran — Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran (Facilitation of the Quran) is a comprehensive Quran commentary by Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar from Pakistan. Known for his eloquent and accessible writing style, Kilani authored this tafsir with a focus on clarity — making Quranic meanings understandable to the common reader. The tafsir provides detailed historical context for verses related to battles and expeditions, and firmly refutes modernist ideologies using strong scriptural evidence. It is widely regarded as an invaluable resource for understanding the Quran and countering deviant interpretations. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
37. And do not walk upon the earth arrogantly [47], for you can neither split the earth apart nor reach the mountains in height.
[47]
The Arrogant Walk is Severely Condemned, and the Exception to This Principle:
The arrogant walk is extremely displeasing to Allah Almighty, and the person who walks with pride, puffing out his cheeks and dragging his lower garment on the ground—Allah certainly punishes such a person in this world. There is a famous saying: "Pride comes before a fall," so his head is indeed brought low. Being arrogant is befitting only for Allah, and no one else is worthy of this attribute. There should be humility and dignity in a person's walk, but not to the extent that a person appears contemptible and humiliated; rather, one should adopt moderation in walking. Thus, Allah Almighty has said at another place: ﴿وَاقْصِدْ فِيْ مَشْيِكَ﴾ [19: 31] meaning, "Adopt moderation in your walk," and He said: ﴿الَّذِيْنَ يَمْشُوْنَ عَلَي الْاَرْضِ هَوْنًا﴾ [63: 25] (those who walk on the earth with humility). Here, the word ﴿هَوْن﴾ is used, which includes both humility and dignity. He did not say ﴿هُوْن﴾, which means humiliation and contempt. There is also an exception to this principle: if the purpose is to demonstrate before the disbelievers, then at that time, walking with pride is pleasing to Allah. In the Battle of Uhud, when the Prophet ﷺ granted his sword to Abu Dujanah ؓ in comparison to all the other companions, he began to walk arrogantly before the disbelievers. Upon seeing this, the Prophet ﷺ said that this walk is not pleasing to Allah, except at this time. At the time of 'Umrah Qada, the Prophet ﷺ commanded the companions ؓ to perform raml . The purpose of this was also the same. At the conquest of Makkah, the Prophet ﷺ and all the companions ؓ displayed such a majestic demonstration before the disbelievers.
[47]
The Arrogant Walk is Severely Condemned, and the Exception to This Principle:
The arrogant walk is extremely displeasing to Allah Almighty, and the person who walks with pride, puffing out his cheeks and dragging his lower garment on the ground—Allah certainly punishes such a person in this world. There is a famous saying: "Pride comes before a fall," so his head is indeed brought low. Being arrogant is befitting only for Allah, and no one else is worthy of this attribute. There should be humility and dignity in a person's walk, but not to the extent that a person appears contemptible and humiliated; rather, one should adopt moderation in walking. Thus, Allah Almighty has said at another place: ﴿وَاقْصِدْ فِيْ مَشْيِكَ﴾ [19: 31] meaning, "Adopt moderation in your walk," and He said: ﴿الَّذِيْنَ يَمْشُوْنَ عَلَي الْاَرْضِ هَوْنًا﴾ [63: 25] (those who walk on the earth with humility). Here, the word ﴿هَوْن﴾ is used, which includes both humility and dignity. He did not say ﴿هُوْن﴾, which means humiliation and contempt. There is also an exception to this principle: if the purpose is to demonstrate before the disbelievers, then at that time, walking with pride is pleasing to Allah. In the Battle of Uhud, when the Prophet ﷺ granted his sword to Abu Dujanah ؓ in comparison to all the other companions, he began to walk arrogantly before the disbelievers. Upon seeing this, the Prophet ﷺ said that this walk is not pleasing to Allah, except at this time. At the time of 'Umrah Qada, the Prophet ﷺ commanded the companions ؓ to perform raml . The purpose of this was also the same. At the conquest of Makkah, the Prophet ﷺ and all the companions ؓ displayed such a majestic demonstration before the disbelievers.
