Sura 17, al-Israa, Mecca 50
The Quranic text and Ali’s version
وَلَقَدْ
آتَيْنَا
مُوسَى تِسْعَ
آيَاتٍ بَيِّنَاتٍ...
17:101. To Moses We did give nine Clear Signs:
C2308. Nine Clear Signs: see 7:133, n. 1091.
The story of Pharaoh (or a phase of it) is here told with a view to exhibiting the decline of a soul on account of pride in outward power and dignity.
...فَاسْأَلْ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ إِذْ جَاءهُمْ فَقَالَ لَهُ فِرْعَونُ...
ask the Children of Israel: when he came to them, Pharaoh said to him:
C2309. To them: i.e., to Pharaoh, as sitting in his Council, with the Chiefs of his people. Cf. 7:103.
The whole scene is described in some detail from the point of view of nations or Ummahs in 7:103-133.
...إِنِّي لَأَظُنُّكَ يَا مُوسَى مَسْحُورًا ﴿١٠١﴾
"O Moses! I consider thee, indeed, to have been worked upon by sorcery!"
C2310. At a different and later stage in the scene, Pharaoh's Chiefs call Moses a "sorcerer well-versed" (7:109).
Here Moses, who had come with the Nine Signs but had not yet shown them, is reproached with being the object of sorcery: he is practically told that he is mad!
قَالَ
لَقَدْ عَلِمْتَ
مَا أَنزَلَ
هَـؤُلاء إِلاَّ
رَبُّ السَّمَاوَاتِ
وَالأَرْضِ
بَصَآئِرَ...
17:102. Moses said,
"Thou knowest well that these things have been sent down by none but the Lord of the heavens and the earth as eye-opening evidence:
C2311. We can well suppose Moses to ask Pharaoh to recall all the past history of Moses, for Moses had been brought up in Pharaoh's palace in all the learning of the Egyptians. He could not therefore be mad, or a simpleton worked on by Egyptian magic.
What he was going to show was something far greater; it was not the deceptive magic of Pharaoh's sorcerers, but true Signs that came from Allah, the Lord of all power. They were to open the eyes of his people, and if Pharaoh resisted faith. Moses warns him that Pharaoh in that case was doomed to destruction.
This is the course of the soul that sinks down by Pride! (R).
...وَإِنِّي لَأَظُنُّكَ يَا فِرْعَونُ مَثْبُورًا ﴿١٠٢﴾
and I consider thee, indeed, O Pharaoh, to be one doomed to destruction!"
فَأَرَادَ
أَن يَسْتَفِزَّهُم
مِّنَ الأَرْضِ...
17:103. So he resolved to remove them from the face of the earth:
C2312. Pharaoh on this tries various subterfuges and plans for removing not only Moses but all his people by doing away with them.
The detailed story is not told here but may be read in Surah 7.
But Allah's Wrath descended on Pharaoh and those who were with him in body and mind. The Egyptians who repented were subject to Pharaoh's wrath but were saved from the Wrath of Allah (7:121-126).
...فَأَغْرَقْنَاهُ وَمَن مَّعَهُ جَمِيعًا ﴿١٠٣﴾
but We did drown him and all who were with him.
وَقُلْنَا مِن
بَعْدِهِ لِبَنِي
إِسْرَائِيلَ
اسْكُنُواْ
الأَرْضَ...
17:104. And We said thereafter to the Children of Israel, "Dwell securely in the land (of promise)":
C2313. The Israelites were taken to the Promised Land in Palestine, and they established their own kingdom there, but they forfeited Allah's favour by their sins and backslidings and will have to answer like all souls by the law of personal responsibility at the Day of Judgment.
...فَإِذَا جَاء وَعْدُ الآخِرَةِ جِئْنَا بِكُمْ لَفِيفًا ﴿١٠٤﴾
but when the second of the warnings came to pass, We gathered you together in a mingled crowd.
C2314. The second of the warnings:
- the first was probably that mentioned above, in 17:5 and
- the second that mentioned in 17:7 (middle).
When this second warning due to the rejection of Jesus came to pass, the Jews were gathered together in a mingled crowd.
Some Commentators understand the second warning to be the Day of Judgment, the Promise of the Hereafter. (R).
17: 101 [al-Israa, Mecca 50]
Yusuf Ali To Moses We did give nine Clear Signs: ask the Children of Israel: when he came to them Pharaoh said to him: "O Moses! I consider thee indeed to have been worked upon by sorcery!"
Pickthall And verily We gave unto Moses nine tokens, clear proofs (of Allah's Sovereignty). Do but ask the Children of Israel how he came unto them, then Pharaoh said unto him: Lo! I deem thee one bewitched, O Moses.
Yuksel Nine Miracles to Moses
17:101 We had given Moses nine clear signs. So ask the Children of Israel, when he came to them, then Pharaoh said, "I think that you Moses are bewitched!"
Transliteration Wa laqad a_taina_ mu_sa_ tis'a a_ya_tim bayyina_tin fas'al bani isra_'ila iz ja_'ahum faqa_la lahu_ fir'aunu inni la'azunnuka ya_ mu_sa_ mashu_ra_(n).
17: 102
Yusuf Ali Moses said "Thou knowest well that these things have been sent down by none but the Lord of the heavens and the earth as eye-opening evidence: and I consider thee indeed O Pharaoh to be one doomed to destruction!"
Pickthall He said: In truth thou knowest that none sent down these (portents) save the Lord of the heavens and the earth as proofs, and lo! (for my part) I deem thee lost, O Pharaoh.
Yuksel He said, "You know that no one has sent these down except for the Lord of the heavens and the earth as visible proofs. I think that you Pharaoh are doomed!"
Transliteration
Qa_la laqad 'alimta ma_ anzala ha_'ula_'i illa_ rabbus sama_wa_ti wal ardi basa_'ir(a), wa inni la'azunnuka ya_ fir'aunu masbu_ra_(n).
17: 103
Yusuf Ali So he resolved to remove them from the face of the earth: but We did drown him and all who were with him.
Pickthall And he wished to scare them from the land, but We drowned him and those with him, all together.
Yuksel Yuksel So he wanted to entice them out of the land. But We drowned him and all those with him.
Transliteration Fa ara_da ay yastafizzahum minal ardi fa agraqna_hu wa mam ma'ahu_ jami'a_(w),
17: 104
Yusuf Ali And We said thereafter to the Children of Israel "Dwell securely in the land (of promise)": but when the second of the warnings came to pass We gathered you together in a mingled crowd.
Pickthall And We said unto the Children of Israel after him: Dwell in the land; but when the promise of the Hereafter cometh to pass we shall bring you as a crowd gathered out of various nations.
Yuksel
Relating Back to the Beginning of the Chapter
17:104 We said after him to the Children of Israel: "Dwell in the land, then, when the time of the second promise comes, We will bring you all together as a mixed crowd."*
Transliteration Wa qulna_ mim ba'dihi li bani isra_'ila-skunul arda fa iza_ ja_'a wa'dul a_khirati ji'na_ bikum lafifa_(n).
[[ Yuksel’s notes - 017:104 Compared to their small population, the Jewish influence is immense in its global platform, financially, politically and culturally. Disproportional to their population, Jews have exhibited astonishing examples in both good and bad, in both success and blunder, and they have enjoyed a vivid presence in world politics for millennia. This explains why the Quran mentions them so frequently both in negative (3:71; 4:46; 5:78-82; 5:60-65; 7:166) and positive terms (2:47,62; 3:33; 5:20).
After being subjected to genocide and atrocious tortures by Europian fascist forces, Jews were scattered around the world as immigrants. Yet, they did not disappear from the global scene or take centuries to recover, as many other nations would do. A prophecy of the Old Testament, Deuteronomy 30:4-20 was fulfilled. Not surprisingly, with the help of the major powers of the time, they were able to establish their own independent state in 1948, soon after their almost utter annihilation; a state not in Germany, but in their historical land, which has once again become the focal point of a global conflict, stirring the world by showcasing human aggression, greed, hatred, cruelty, racism, and terror. As it seems, some are determined to use any means possible to get the promised lands of their ancestors (Genesis 12:1-3; Deuteronomy 1:6-8; 30:4-5; Joshua 1:1-5), while disregarding the warnings and conditions related to the promise (Joshua 1:6-7; Deuteronomy 16:18-20; 30:15-20; 31:16-17). A question regarding the promised land: since Arabs too are the children of Abraham, why aren't they considered to be the subject of this Biblical promise? If the Bible discriminated against the children of Ishmael, then what was their crime?]]
[[Ali’s notes - 2308 Nine Clear Signs: see vii. 133, n. 1091. The story of Pharaoh (or a phase of it) is here told with a view to exhibiting the decline of a soul on account of pride in outward power and dignity. (17.101)
2309 To them: i.e., to Pharaoh, as sitting in his Council, with the Chiefs of his people. Cf. vii. 103. The whole scene is described in some detail from the point of view of nations or Ummats in vii. 103-133. (17.101)
2310 At a different and later stage in the scene, Pharaoh's Chiefs call Moses a "sorcerer well-versed" (vii. 109). Here Moses, who had come with the Nine Signs but had not yet shown them, is reproached with being the object of sorcery: he is practically told that he is mad! (17.101)
2311 We can well suppose Moses to ask Pharaoh to recall all the past history of Moses, for Moses had been brought up in Pharaoh's palace in all the learning of the Egyptians. He could not therefore be mad, or a simpleton worked on by Egyptian magic. What he was going to show was something far greater; it was not the deceptive magic of Pharaoh's sorcerers, but true Signs that came from Allah, the Lord of all power. They were to open the eyes of his people, and if Pharaoh resisted faith. Moses warns him that Pharaoh in that case was doomed to destruction. This is the course of the soul that sinks down by Pride! (17.102)
2312 Pharaoh on this tries various subterfuges and plans for removing not only Moses but all his people by doing away with them. The detailed story is not told here but may be read in S. vii. But Allah's Wrath descended on Pharaoh and those who were with him in body and mind. The Egyptians who repented were subject to Pharaoh's wrath but were saved from the Wrath of Allah (vii. 121-126). (17.103)
2313 The Israelites were taken to the Promised Land in Palestine, and they established their own kingdom there, but they forfeited Allah's favour by their sins and backslidings and will have to answer like all souls by the law of personal responsibility at the Day of Judgment. (17.104)
2314 The second of the warnings: the first was probably that mentioned above, in xvii. 5 and the second that mentioned in xvii. 7 (middle). When this second warning due to the rejection of Jesus came to pass, the Jews were gathered together in a mingled crowd. Some Commentators understand the second warning to be the Day of Judgment, the Promise of the Hereafter. (17.104) ]]