17-71 On the day when We shall call every people with their leader: then whoever is given his book in his right hand, these will read their book; and they will not be dealt with a whit unjustly.a
يَوْمَ نَدْعُوا۟ كُلَّ أُنَاسٍۭ بِإِمَـٰمِهِمْ ۖ فَمَنْ أُوتِىَ كِتَـٰبَهُۥ بِيَمِينِهِۦ فَأُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ يَقْرَءُونَ كِتَـٰبَهُمْ وَلَا يُظْلَمُونَ فَتِيلًۭا (۷۱)
17-71a: يَمِين – For the different meanings of يَمِين see 4-3d. Wherever this word is used for Allah in the Quran, it is as a metaphor or allegory because Allah does not have a physical body, and He cannot be likened to anything (LA). A hadith states وکِلۡتایدیه یمین Both His hands are يَمِين , both His hands are endowed with perfection and one is not inferior to the other as is normally the case that the left hand is weaker than the right (LA). Even with humans, apart from the use of the word to denote the right hand, يَمِين is also used in a metaphorical sense. For example: ھوعندنا بالیمین he has a good standing amongst us and إِنَّكُمْ كُنتُمْ تَأْتُونَنَا عَنِ ٱلْيَمِينِ : Surely you used to come to us from the right side (37:28) which Zajjaj has interpreted as باقَوی الاسباب with strong means, and similarly in فَرَاغَ عَلَيْهِمْ ضَرْبًۢا بِٱلْيَمِينِ : So he turned upon them, smiting with his right hand (37:93), يَمِين is taken to mean power or force (LA).
يُظْلَمُونَ – For ظلم see 2-35b. Any transgression against what is just, right, or due, through a decrease or increase, is ظلم . It is used only for decrease in: وَمَا ظَلَمُونَا وَلَـٰكِن كَانُوٓا۟ أَنفُسَهُمْ يَظْلِمُونَ : And they did not do Us any harm, but they wronged their own souls (2:57) and كِلْتَا ٱلْجَنَّتَيْنِ ءَاتَتْ أُكُلَهَا وَلَمْ تَظْلِم مِّنْهُ شَيْـًۭٔا : Both these gardens yielded their fruits, and failed not in aught thereof (18:33), (LA) indicating good deeds will not be decreased.
In the last section, the opponents were advised not to be heedless of Divine chastisement. In this section, the efforts being made by the opponents against the Holy Prophet are mentioned. The last verse of the previous section mentioned that the children of Adam have been blessed with a great honor in being granted excellence over the rest of the creation and this subject is continued in the first two verses of this section. Those who fail to attain this perfection do so because they close their eyes to this great goal. امام means spiritual leaders, such as the prophet that people claim they follow. In another place they are called شہید a witness: فَكَيْفَ إِذَا جِئْنَا مِن كُلِّ أُمَّةٍۭ بِشَهِيدٍۢ وَجِئْنَا بِكَ عَلَىٰ هَـٰٓؤُلَآءِ شَهِيدًۭا : But how will it be when We bring from every people a witness and bring thee as a witness against these (4:41), which means that their spiritual leader invited them to strive for the excellence that humans can achieve. One group followed the spiritual leader and achieved this excellence, but the others closed their eyes and remained deprived. Some have taken امام to mean their deeds and others have taken it to mean the scripture that was revealed to them (IJ). Whether امام is taken to be a prophet or scripture, the implications are the same. For امام see 2-124a.
What is meant by the book being given in the right hand: The alternative to giving the book in the right hand is expressed in the Quran in several ways. In some places, it is said: وَأَمَّا مَنْ أُوتِىَ كِتَـٰبَهُۥ بِشِمَاله : And as for him who is given his book in his left hand (69:25), in another place, it is said وَأَمَّا مَنْ أُوتِىَ كِتَـٰبَهُۥ وَرَآءَ ظَهْرِهِۦ : And as to him who is given his book behind his back (84:10), and in this verse, it is said وَمَن كَانَ فِى هَـٰذِهِۦٓ أَعْمَىٰ فَهُوَ فِى ٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ أَعْمَىٰ And whoever is blind in this (world) will be blind in the Hereafter (17:72). Hence, the opposite of the book being given in يَمِين the right hand is being given in شمال the left hand, or being given وَرَآءَ ظَهْرِهِۦ behind the back, or being فِى ٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ أَعْمَىٰ blind in the Hereafter. This goes to show that the giving of the book in the Hereafter is in the sense of جزاء وفاقا requital corresponding. Thus, there is one group of people who take the book that they get through their prophet in their right hand, they act on it with strength and fortitude and there is another group that take the book in their left hand, in an unsound and imperfect way, and yet a third group throws the book behind their back. This attitude is also addressed at another place: فَنَبَذُوهُ وَرَآءَ ظُهُورِهِمْ : But they cast it behind their backs (3:187). A fourth group is of those who close their eyes and remain blind to what is in their scripture. In the Hereafter, their fate would be meted out accordingly. Those who took the Book in their right hand here would be given their book in the right hand in the Hereafter, and those who took it in their left hand will get their book in the left hand. Those who threw the Book behind their back, will receive their book behind their back, and the ones who remained blind to their Book, here would remain blind in the Hereafter as well.
The giving of the books in يَمِين, or شمال, or وَرَآءَ ظَهْرِهِ, is metaphorical and exactly how this will play out is something that is difficult to understand in this world because all matters of the Hereafter fall in the category of ما لا عین رأت what no eye has seen. For example, the people of the fire will be blind but will also see, they will not be permitted to talk but will still speak, they will be far removed from Paradise but will ask the people of Paradise for water.
The people who will receive their book in the right hand or يَمِين are called اصحاب الیمین people of the right and those who receive their book in the left hand or شمال are called اصحاب الشمال people of the left. Imam Raghib takes the meaning of اصحاب الیمین as اصحاب السعادات وَالۡمیَامِنِ people of felicity and blessings. A hadith cited by Ibn Kathir in the commentary of this verse states that a person’s face will light up as soon as the book is received in their right hand.
Reading the Book of Deeds: What is meant by أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ يَقْرَءُونَ كِتَـٰبَهُمْ these will read their book ?(17:71) It appears from the contrast set up between يَقْرَءُونَ كِتَـٰبَهُمْ read their book in this verse and اعمیٰ blind in the next verse, that only those given the book in the right hand will read it but the others will not. However, it has been stated previously in this chapter that everyone will be commanded to ٱقْرَأْ كِتَـٰبَكَ : Read thy book (17:14). See 17-14a. We conclude this is not a physical reading, but something accessible to all. Since knowledge is gained by reading, this reading of the book means that people may become aware of their good and bad deeds, not only being aware of their actions, but their outcome. This same point is repeatedly stressed as: ذُوقُوا۟ مَا كُنتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ : taste what you did (29:55), where tasting means to deal with the outcome of the deeds.
17-72 And whoever is blind in this (world) he will be blind in the Hereafter, and further away from the path.a
وَمَن كَانَ فِى هَـٰذِهِۦٓ أَعْمَىٰ فَهُوَ فِى ٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ أَعْمَىٰ وَأَضَلُّ سَبِيلًۭا (۷۲)
17-72a: Being blind in the Hereafter: For اعمیٰ see 11-28a. The first اعمیٰ in the verse is taken to be metaphorically blind and the second in a literal sense, yet in another verse it is stated: فَكَشَفْنَا عَنكَ غِطَآءَكَ فَبَصَرُكَ ٱلْيَوْمَ حَدِيدٌۭ : but now We have removed from thee thy veil, so thy sight is sharp this day (50:22). It is also proven from other verses that the disbelievers will be able to see. So, the second reference to اعمیٰ cannot mean a blindness in which there is no sight. This also appears to be the case from أَضَلُّ سَبِيلًۭا further away from the path. The path is called أَضَلُّ because a person who adopts the wrong way keeps straying farther and farther from the truth each day. In this verse, the experiences of hell have been explained in a different way, which is worth noting alongside the other descriptions of the fire. The meaning of عمیٰ here can only be that such a person will be debarred from a meeting with his Lord, and will be deprived of the light that the believers will have and will live in darkness.
17-73 And surely they had purposed to turn thee away from that which We have revealed to thee, that thou shouldst forge against Us other than that, and then they would have taken thee for a friend.a
وَإِن كَادُوا۟ لَيَفْتِنُونَكَ عَنِ ٱلَّذِىٓ أَوْحَيْنَآ إِلَيْكَ لِتَفْتَرِىَ عَلَيْنَا غَيْرَهُۥ ۖ وَإِذًۭا لَّٱتَّخَذُوكَ خَلِيلًۭا (۷۳)
17-73a: يَفْتِنُونَكَ – يَفْتِنُونَ – It is derived from فتن and for one of its meaning see 3-7b. Raghib has taken its meaning to be to put one in distress and difficulties. (R).
In the commentary of this verse, some commentators have mentioned certain events that occurred in Madinah, although this chapter and this verse were revealed in Makkah. The reference in this verse is to a delegation of Quraish mentioned in Ibn Hisham. When the Quraish were unsuccessful in stopping the call to Islam despite their harsh persecution of the Holy Prophet and his Companions, they tried to stop the Holy Prophet by enticing him with an attractive proposition. A delegation of Quraish came to the Holy Prophet with the proposal that if he dropped the condemnation in the Quran of من دون اللّٰہ deities besides Allah, they would supply him with whatever he wanted including wealth, beautiful women, and power. The Holy Prophet rejected this offer contemptuously.
17-74 And if We had not made thee firm, thou mightest have indeed inclined to them a little;a
وَلَوْلَآ أَن ثَبَّتْنَـٰكَ لَقَدْ كِدتَّ تَرْكَنُ إِلَيْهِمْ شَيْـًۭٔا قَلِيلًا (۷۴)
17-74: This does not mean that the Holy Prophet had any inclination whatsoever to accept the Quraish’s offer, and the text does not lend itself to such an interpretation. It is clearly stated here that if Allah had not made him firm then he would have inclined a little, since the offer was so attractive that if Allah’s special protection was not part of the Holy Prophet’s being, he would have inclined to the offer, or that any person regardless of how great he is would have inclined to such an offer. The next verse also corroborates that the Holy Prophet never had any intention to accept, because the chastisement did not occur.
17-75 Then We would have made thee taste a double (punishment) in life and a double (punishment) after death, and then thou wouldst not have found any helper against Us.a
إِذًۭا لَّأَذَقْنَـٰكَ ضِعْفَ ٱلْحَيَوٰةِ وَضِعْفَ ٱلْمَمَاتِ ثُمَّ لَا تَجِدُ لَكَ عَلَيْنَا نَصِيرًۭا (۷۵)
17-75a: ضِعْفَ ٱلْحَيَوٰةِ – It means double punishment in life, and ضِعْفَ ٱلْمَمَاتِ is double punishment after death. According to a narration by Qatadah, when this verse was revealed, the Holy Prophet prayed as follows: اللّٰھم لا تکلنی الیٰ نفسی طرفة عین O Allah! Do not leave me to myself even for a moment. This shows how much the Holy Prophet trusted the protection of Allah.
17-76 And surely they purposed to unsettle thee from the land that they might expel thee from it, and then they will not tarry after thee but a little.a
وَإِن كَادُوا۟ لَيَسْتَفِزُّونَكَ مِنَ ٱلْأَرْضِ لِيُخْرِجُوكَ مِنْهَا ۖ وَإِذًۭا لَّا يَلْبَثُونَ خِلَـٰفَكَ إِلَّا قَلِيلًۭا (۷۶)
17-76a: This verse mentions the intention of Quraish to belittle and demean the Holy Prophet and to expel him from Makkah. It is not a reference to the final scheme of the Quraish that was hatched in the Dar ul Nadwa and which is mentioned in another place in the following words: وَإِذْ يَمْكُرُ بِكَ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ لِيُثْبِتُوكَ أَوْ يَقْتُلُوكَ أَوْ يُخْرِجُوكَ : And when those who disbelieved devised plans against thee that they might confine thee or slay thee or drive thee away (8:30). These plans are only to provoke and instigate, and indicate the imposition of sanctions and the confinement of the Banu Hashim and Banu Al-Muttalib in Shaib Abu Talib. The real purpose was to unsettle the Holy Prophet so that he would panic and leave Makkah. Since the Holy Prophet was finally forced to migrate, it is stated that although they did not succeed that first time but when the Holy Prophet later leaves under Divine command, the disbelievers will not stay for long in the city. This prophecy was fulfilled and only a year and half after migration, the Quraish suffered such an overwhelming defeat in the Battle of Badr that their power was shattered, and within eight years Makkah was captured and the rule and persecution by the disbelievers came to an end. Some commentators have mentioned a demand by the Jews that the land of prophets is Syria, and the Holy Prophet should proceed there and then have mentioned the Tabuk expedition. These commentators have totally ignored the historical facts because this chapter was revealed in Makkah and the Tabuk expedition took place in the last days of the Madinah period.
17-77 (This is Our) way with Our messengers whom We sent before thee, and thou wilt not find a change in Our course.a
سُنَّةَ مَن قَدْ أَرْسَلْنَا قَبْلَكَ مِن رُّسُلِنَا ۖ وَلَا تَجِدُ لِسُنَّتِنَا تَحْوِيلًا (۷۷)
17-77a: When the persecution of Allah’s Messengers reaches an extreme so that they are forced to leave the land, the opponents face their own destruction soon after. This is the practice of Allah regarding His Messengers which is mentioned here.
Bayan-ul-Quran 