سُوْرَةُ الإِسۡرَاءِ
Surah Al-Israa (17) — Ayah 60
وَإِذْ قُلْنَا لَكَ إِنَّ رَبَّكَ أَحَاطَ بِٱلنَّاسِ ۚ وَمَا جَعَلْنَا ٱلرُّءْيَا ٱلَّتِىٓ أَرَيْنَـٰكَ إِلَّا فِتْنَةً لِّلنَّاسِ وَٱلشَّجَرَةَ ٱلْمَلْعُونَةَ فِى ٱلْقُرْءَانِ ۚ وَنُخَوِّفُهُمْ فَمَا يَزِيدُهُمْ إِلَّا طُغْيَـٰنًا كَبِيرًا ﴿60﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
And (remember) when We told you: "Verily! Your Lord has encompassed mankind (i.e. they are in His Grip)." And We made not the vision which we showed you (O Muhammad as an actual eye-witness and not as a dream on the night of Al-Isrâ’) but a trial for mankind, and (likewise) the accursed tree (Zaqqûm, mentioned) in the Qur’ân. We warn and make them afraid but it only increases them in naught save great disbelief, oppression and disobedience to Allâh.
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
وَإِذْ
wa-idh
And when
قُلْنَا
qul'nā
We said
لَكَ
laka
to you
إِنَّ
inna
Indeed
رَبَّكَ
rabbaka
your Lord
أَحَاطَ
aḥāṭa
has encompassed
بِٱلنَّاسِ ۚ
bil-nāsi
the mankind
وَمَا
wamā
And not
جَعَلْنَا
jaʿalnā
We made
ٱلرُّءْيَا
l-ru'yā
the vision
ٱلَّتِىٓ
allatī
which
أَرَيْنَـٰكَ
araynāka
We showed you
إِلَّا
illā
except
فِتْنَةًۭ
fit'natan
(as) a trial
لِّلنَّاسِ
lilnnāsi
for mankind
وَٱلشَّجَرَةَ
wal-shajarata
and the tree
ٱلْمَلْعُونَةَ
l-malʿūnata
the accursed
فِى
fī
in
ٱلْقُرْءَانِ ۚ
l-qur'āni
the Quran
وَنُخَوِّفُهُمْ
wanukhawwifuhum
And We threaten them
فَمَا
famā
but not
يَزِيدُهُمْ
yazīduhum
it increases them
إِلَّا
illā
except
طُغْيَـٰنًۭا
ṭugh'yānan
(in) transgression
كَبِيرًۭا
kabīran
great
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.
60. And when We said to you that your Lord has encompassed the people [75]. And the vision [76] (the event of Mi'raj) which We showed you, and the cursed tree mentioned in the Quran [77], We have made them only as a trial for the people. We keep warning them, but it only increases their transgression.
[75] By this is meant verses 19 and 20 of Surah Al-Buruj, that is, the disbelievers are busy denying you and this call of the Quran, while Allah has surrounded them from all sides, and Surah Al-Buruj was revealed much before this Surah Bani Isra'il. And what is meant by this is that these disbelievers of Makkah, no matter how much effort they make in their hostile activities, they will not be able to go beyond a certain limit, and despite all their efforts, the call of Islam will continue to spread.
[76]
Disbelievers Do Not Believe Even After Seeing a Physical Miracle:
The incident of Mi'raj was an extraordinary event and a miracle. The disbelievers mocked this miracle so much that even some weak-hearted Muslims fell into doubt. Then the disbelievers who had previously seen Bayt al-Maqdis began to ask youﷺ questions. Allah Almighty removed all the veils from before you, and youﷺ kept answering all the questions of those disbelievers. Now, what should have happened is that the disbelievers who demanded a physical miracle would have believed. But it became a trial for them in which they failed, and they adopted the path of even greater rebellion than before.
[77]
The Accursed Tree and Mi'raj: Both as a Trial for the Disbelievers of Makkah:
Similarly, in Surah As-Saffat, another extraordinary matter was reported, which was that "from the depths of Hell, a tree of Zaqqoom will grow. This will be the food of the inhabitants of Hell, and apart from this, they will have nothing else to eat." [37: 62 تا 66]
The disbelievers also made much fuss over this, saying how could a tree possibly grow in fire? This, in reality, is a denial of the perfect power of Allah, as they try to measure it by the standards of their own intellect, whereas not only plants but even living creatures are created and live in fire. The fire-worm is produced from sea fire and lives in it. Then there are also many plants from which fire emerges. This is the state of this world, and as for the Hereafter and the condition of Hell, when we cannot fully understand them nor can anything be experienced, then what reason is there for denial? Denial would only be reasonable if man had fully understood all the other powers of Allah Almighty and only this one matter remained. Man's knowledge is so deficient that he cannot even understand the nature of things within his own body, so what right does he have to deny or mock other wonders? This was the second matter that became a cause for the increase in the rebellion of these disbelievers. And this accursed tree is so called because it contains no nourishment at all. Its thorns are very hard and sharp, which will only add to the torment of the inhabitants of Hell. Just as the incident of Mi'raj, the creation of the Zaqqoom tree in fire also became a trial for the disbelievers. And the fact that the incident of Mi'raj became a trial itself proves that this journey was physical, not spiritual or visionary, because in a dream every person can see such or even stranger events, but no one has ever objected to that.
[75] By this is meant verses 19 and 20 of Surah Al-Buruj, that is, the disbelievers are busy denying you and this call of the Quran, while Allah has surrounded them from all sides, and Surah Al-Buruj was revealed much before this Surah Bani Isra'il. And what is meant by this is that these disbelievers of Makkah, no matter how much effort they make in their hostile activities, they will not be able to go beyond a certain limit, and despite all their efforts, the call of Islam will continue to spread.
[76]
Disbelievers Do Not Believe Even After Seeing a Physical Miracle:
The incident of Mi'raj was an extraordinary event and a miracle. The disbelievers mocked this miracle so much that even some weak-hearted Muslims fell into doubt. Then the disbelievers who had previously seen Bayt al-Maqdis began to ask youﷺ questions. Allah Almighty removed all the veils from before you, and youﷺ kept answering all the questions of those disbelievers. Now, what should have happened is that the disbelievers who demanded a physical miracle would have believed. But it became a trial for them in which they failed, and they adopted the path of even greater rebellion than before.
[77]
The Accursed Tree and Mi'raj: Both as a Trial for the Disbelievers of Makkah:
Similarly, in Surah As-Saffat, another extraordinary matter was reported, which was that "from the depths of Hell, a tree of Zaqqoom will grow. This will be the food of the inhabitants of Hell, and apart from this, they will have nothing else to eat." [37: 62 تا 66]
The disbelievers also made much fuss over this, saying how could a tree possibly grow in fire? This, in reality, is a denial of the perfect power of Allah, as they try to measure it by the standards of their own intellect, whereas not only plants but even living creatures are created and live in fire. The fire-worm is produced from sea fire and lives in it. Then there are also many plants from which fire emerges. This is the state of this world, and as for the Hereafter and the condition of Hell, when we cannot fully understand them nor can anything be experienced, then what reason is there for denial? Denial would only be reasonable if man had fully understood all the other powers of Allah Almighty and only this one matter remained. Man's knowledge is so deficient that he cannot even understand the nature of things within his own body, so what right does he have to deny or mock other wonders? This was the second matter that became a cause for the increase in the rebellion of these disbelievers. And this accursed tree is so called because it contains no nourishment at all. Its thorns are very hard and sharp, which will only add to the torment of the inhabitants of Hell. Just as the incident of Mi'raj, the creation of the Zaqqoom tree in fire also became a trial for the disbelievers. And the fact that the incident of Mi'raj became a trial itself proves that this journey was physical, not spiritual or visionary, because in a dream every person can see such or even stranger events, but no one has ever objected to that.
