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Surah 17 · Makkah · 111 āyāt
Phase 04 · Ṭāʾif, al-Isrāʾ and the final Makkan years(c. 5–1 BH) — view in timelineAl-IsrāʾThe Night Journey
الإسراء
The 50th surah revealed, opening the fourth phase of the Makkan mission. It begins with the Night Journey from the Sacred Mosque to al-Masjid al-Aqṣā — a consolation given after the death of Khadījah and Abū Ṭālib and the rejection at Ṭāʾif — and then lays down the moral charter of a believing society in āyāt 23–39: parents, kin, the poor, wealth, the orphan, the measure, speech, walking, killing, adultery. Between these it answers Quraysh's demands for miracles, states that the Qurʾān is itself the sign, and closes with the challenge that jinn and mankind together could not produce its like.
Why it was revealed
Revealed after the ʿām al-ḥuzn — the year in which Khadījah رضي الله عنها and Abū Ṭālib died — and after the Prophet ﷺ was driven out of Ṭāʾif. Quraysh were demanding physical miracles as the price of belief, and the small Muslim community had no state, no land and no protector.
The surah's opening āyah refers to the Night Journey, established in the ṣaḥīḥ collections. The question about the rūḥ (āyah 85) was, per Ibn Masʿūd, put to the Prophet ﷺ after the Jews of Madinah advised Quraysh to ask it. Beyond these, no single occasion is transmitted for the surah as a whole.
Bukhārī 3887 and Muslim 162 (the Isrāʾ); Bukhārī 125 and 4721 (Ibn Masʿūd on the question about the rūḥ); Ibn Kathīr, introduction to Sūrat al-IsrāʾIn the Prophet's ﷺ life
The death of Khadījah and Abū Ṭālib
Within a short span the Prophet ﷺ lost his wife of twenty-five years and the uncle whose tribal protection had shielded him, leaving him exposed to Quraysh in a way he had never been before.
Recalled in āyah 1
سُبْحَـٰنَ ٱلَّذِىٓ أَسْرَىٰ بِعَبْدِهِۦ لَيْلًا مِّنَ ٱلْمَسْجِدِ ٱلْحَرَامِ إِلَى ٱلْمَسْجِدِ ٱلْأَقْصَا ٱلَّذِى بَـٰرَكْنَا حَوْلَهُۥ لِنُرِيَهُۥ مِنْ ءَايَـٰتِنَآ ۚ إِنَّهُۥ هُوَ ٱلسَّمِيعُ ٱلْبَصِيرُ
Exalted is He who took His Servant [i.e., Prophet Muḥammad (ﷺ)] by night from al-Masjid al-Ḥarām to al-Masjid al-Aqṣā, whose surroundings We have blessed, to show him of Our signs. Indeed, He is the Hearing, the Seeing.
Ibn Isḥāq via Ibn Hishām, al-Sīrah al-Nabawiyyah; Ibn Kathīr, al-Bidāyah wa al-Nihāyah
Glory be to the One who took His servant by night
The surah opens not with a complaint about Ṭāʾif but with a journey: the servant who was rejected on earth is honoured in the heavens. Allah names him ʿabd — servant — at the moment of highest honour. The passage then turns to Banū Isrāʾīl, who were given the Book and warned that corruption twice brought ruin upon them, tying the honour of the sanctuary to the conduct of the people who hold it.
سُبْحَـٰنَ ٱلَّذِىٓ أَسْرَىٰ بِعَبْدِهِۦ لَيْلًا مِّنَ ٱلْمَسْجِدِ ٱلْحَرَامِ إِلَى ٱلْمَسْجِدِ ٱلْأَقْصَا ٱلَّذِى بَـٰرَكْنَا حَوْلَهُۥ لِنُرِيَهُۥ مِنْ ءَايَـٰتِنَآ ۚ إِنَّهُۥ هُوَ ٱلسَّمِيعُ ٱلْبَصِيرُ
Exalted is He who took His Servant [i.e., Prophet Muḥammad (ﷺ)] by night from al-Masjid al-Ḥarām to al-Masjid al-Aqṣā, whose surroundings We have blessed, to show him of Our signs. Indeed, He is the Hearing, the Seeing.
From the tafsīr
Allah begins with tasbīḥ because the journey is beyond ordinary causes; and He calls him ʿabdihi — 'His servant' — showing that servitude is the highest station a human can hold.
— Ibn Kathīr, Tafsīr al-Qurʾān al-ʿAẓīm on 17:1
The two corruptions of Banī Isrāʾīl and their two punishments are placed here as a warning to any community entrusted with a sanctuary and a scripture: possession does not guarantee protection.
— Al-Qurṭubī, al-Jāmiʿ li-Aḥkām al-Qurʾān on 17:4–8
Key takeaways
- Consolation in the Qurʾān often comes as elevation, not as removal of the difficulty.
- The title Allah gives His Messenger ﷺ at the peak of honour is 'servant'.
- Custody of a sacred place is conditional on the conduct of its people.
Reflect
When you were last rejected by people, what did Allah open for you that you only recognised later?
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Question 1 of 2
Why does al-Qurṭubī say the ruin of Banī Isrāʾīl is mentioned right after the Night Journey?
Question 2 of 2
What title does āyah 1 use for the Prophet ﷺ at the moment of the Night Journey?
The charter: parents, kin, wealth, speech and the measure
Seventeen āyāt that read like the constitution of a society that does not yet exist. Worship none but Allah, and to parents excellence — do not say 'uff' to them. Give the relative, the needy and the traveller their right. Do not squander. Do not kill your children out of fear of poverty. Do not approach zinā. Do not take a life unjustly. Fulfil the covenant. Give full measure. Do not pursue what you have no knowledge of. Do not walk the earth in arrogance.
۞ وَقَضَىٰ رَبُّكَ أَلَّا تَعْبُدُوٓا۟ إِلَّآ إِيَّاهُ وَبِٱلْوَٰلِدَيْنِ إِحْسَـٰنًا ۚ إِمَّا يَبْلُغَنَّ عِندَكَ ٱلْكِبَرَ أَحَدُهُمَآ أَوْ كِلَاهُمَا فَلَا تَقُل لَّهُمَآ أُفٍّ وَلَا تَنْهَرْهُمَا وَقُل لَّهُمَا قَوْلًا كَرِيمًا
And your Lord has decreed that you worship not except Him, and to parents, good treatment. Whether one or both of them reach old age [while] with you, say not to them [so much as], "uff," and do not repel them but speak to them a noble word.
وَلَا تَقْرَبُوا۟ ٱلزِّنَىٰٓ ۖ إِنَّهُۥ كَانَ فَـٰحِشَةً وَسَآءَ سَبِيلًا
And do not approach unlawful sexual intercourse. Indeed, it is ever an immorality and is evil as a way.
وَلَا تَقْفُ مَا لَيْسَ لَكَ بِهِۦ عِلْمٌ ۚ إِنَّ ٱلسَّمْعَ وَٱلْبَصَرَ وَٱلْفُؤَادَ كُلُّ أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ كَانَ عَنْهُ مَسْـُٔولًا
And do not pursue that of which you have no knowledge. Indeed, the hearing, the sight and the heart - about all those [one] will be questioned.
From the tafsīr
Allah pairs His own right with the right of parents in a single command, and forbids even the smallest word of irritation, 'uff', before forbidding anything larger.
— Ibn Kathīr on 17:23
'Do not pursue that of which you have no knowledge' is a general prohibition of speaking, judging or testifying without verification — hearing, sight and heart are each held answerable.
— Al-Ṭabarī, Jāmiʿ al-Bayān on 17:36
The wording is 'do not approach zinā', not merely 'do not commit it' — the pathways to it are forbidden along with the act.
— Al-Saʿdī, Taysīr al-Karīm al-Raḥmān on 17:32
Key takeaways
- The rights of parents are legislated immediately after the right of Allah.
- Prohibitions here target approaches and causes, not only final acts.
- Every faculty — hearing, sight, heart — is individually accountable for unverified claims.
- Financial balance is commanded between hoarding and squandering, not left to taste.
Reflect
Which single āyah of this charter would change your week most if you applied it strictly for seven days?
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Question 1 of 2
What does Ibn Kathīr highlight about the command regarding parents in 17:23?
Question 2 of 2
According to al-Ṭabarī, what does 17:36 forbid?
The Qurʾān as healing, and the challenge no one met
Quraysh wanted a miracle they could touch. The answer: this recitation is healing and mercy for the believers and only loss for the wrongdoers. Then the question about the rūḥ, answered by naming the limit of human knowledge, and finally the challenge — if mankind and jinn gathered to produce the like of this Qurʾān they could not, even backing one another.
وَنُنَزِّلُ مِنَ ٱلْقُرْءَانِ مَا هُوَ شِفَآءٌ وَرَحْمَةٌ لِّلْمُؤْمِنِينَ ۙ وَلَا يَزِيدُ ٱلظَّـٰلِمِينَ إِلَّا خَسَارًا
And We send down of the Qur’ān that which is healing and mercy for the believers, but it does not increase the wrongdoers except in loss.
From the tafsīr
He was walking with the Prophet ﷺ in Madinah when some Jews suggested Quraysh ask about the rūḥ; the answer 'the rūḥ is of the affair of my Lord' came down while he leaned on a palm branch.
— Bukhārī 4721, from Ibn Masʿūd
The Qurʾān is shifāʾ — healing — for the diseases of the heart such as doubt, hypocrisy and desire, and for the body by permission of Allah; the wrongdoer gains nothing from it but greater loss.
— Ibn Kathīr on 17:82
The taḥaddī is the standing miracle: it is public, repeatable and permanent, unlike a one-off sign that only the witnesses could see.
— Al-Qurṭubī on 17:88
Key takeaways
- Some knowledge is deliberately withheld; admitting the limit is part of belief.
- The Qurʾān's miracle is designed to be verifiable in every generation.
- The same recitation heals one heart and hardens another — the difference is in the receiver.
Reflect
Do you come to the Qurʾān as a patient seeking healing, or as a critic seeking material?
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Question 1 of 2
What does Ibn Kathīr say the Qurʾān is shifāʾ for?
Question 2 of 2
Who reported the occasion of the question about the rūḥ in 17:85?
Prayer at the sun's decline, and the station of the night
Immediately after the moral charter comes the timetable: establish prayer from the decline of the sun to the darkness of night, and the recitation of dawn — which is witnessed. Then a command addressed to the Prophet ﷺ personally: keep vigil in part of the night as extra for you, that your Lord may raise you to a praised station, al-maqām al-maḥmūd. The section closes with the duʿāʾ of the honest entrance and exit, and the announcement that truth has come and falsehood has vanished.
وَمِنَ ٱلَّيْلِ فَتَهَجَّدْ بِهِۦ نَافِلَةً لَّكَ عَسَىٰٓ أَن يَبْعَثَكَ رَبُّكَ مَقَامًا مَّحْمُودًا
And from [part of] the night, pray with it [i.e., recitation of the Qur’ān] as additional [worship] for you; it is expected that your Lord will resurrect you to a praised station.
From the tafsīr
Al-maqām al-maḥmūd is explained in the ṣaḥīḥ ḥadīth as the station of the great intercession on the Day of Resurrection, which the Prophet ﷺ will be granted.
— Ibn Kathīr on 17:79
'Qurʾān al-fajr' is the recitation in the dawn prayer, and it is 'witnessed' by the angels of the night and the day as they exchange watch.
— Al-Qurṭubī on 17:78
The duʿāʾ for a truthful entrance and exit is asking Allah for integrity of purpose in every transition — every beginning and ending of an affair.
— Al-Saʿdī on 17:80
Key takeaways
- A moral charter is only sustainable when it is anchored to a daily timetable of prayer.
- The night prayer is presented as the path to elevation, not as a burden.
- Dawn recitation is witnessed — the quietest worship has the largest audience.
Reflect
What would it take to make one part of your night belong to Allah alone this week?
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Question 1 of 2
Why is the dawn recitation described as 'witnessed' (mashhūdā)?
Question 2 of 2
What is al-maqām al-maḥmūd in 17:79, per Ibn Kathīr?
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Roots from this surah
Learn the three-letter root and you unlock every word built from it — across the whole Qur'an, not just this surah.
س ر ي
āyāt 1to travel by night
- أَسْرَىٰHe took by night
- إِسْرَاءa night journey
- سَرَىٰhe travelled by night
ق ض ي
āyāt 4, 23to decree, decide, complete an affair
- قَضَىٰHe decreed
- قَضَاءa decree, judgement
- مَقْضِيًّاdecreed, settled
ح م د
āyāt 79, 111praise given for what is good by choice
- مَحْمُودpraised
- ٱلْحَمْدall praise
- مُحَمَّدthe much-praised one
ش ف ي
āyāt 82to heal, to cure
- شِفَاءhealing
- يَشْفِىHe heals
- شَافِىhealer
ق ر ب
āyāt 32, 34to draw near, to approach
- تَقْرَبُوا۟you approach
- قَرِيبnear
- قُرْبَىٰkinship
ف س د
āyāt 4to corrupt, to spoil what was sound
- فَسَادcorruption
- مُفْسِدa corrupter
- أَفْسَدَhe corrupted
ع ل م
āyāt 36, 85to know; knowledge as a basis for claims
- عِلْمknowledge
- أُوتِيتُمyou were given
- عَلِيمall-knowing
Carry this with you
- When people close every door, Allah may answer by opening the heavens.
- The highest title given to the best of creation is 'servant'.
- A believing society is defined by how it treats parents, orphans, the poor and the traveller — before anything else.
- Forbidden things are fenced off at their approaches, not just at the act.
- Never assert what you have not verified; your hearing, sight and heart will each be questioned.
- The night prayer is the private engine behind public elevation.
- The Qurʾān is the standing miracle: the challenge to produce its like remains open and unmet.
- Holding a sacred place or a scripture protects no community that abandons justice.
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Al-Isrāʾ · Prayer at the sun's decline, and the station of the night
What is al-maqām al-maḥmūd in 17:79, per Ibn Kathīr?
Arabic (Uthmānī script) and the Ṣaḥīḥ International translation are fetched live from the Quran.com API (v4), sourced from the King Fahd Complex muṣḥaf — api.quran.com API docs · Translation: Ṣaḥīḥ International · Integrity & testing protocol