17-94 And nothing prevents people from believing, when the guidance comes to them, except that they say: Has Allah raised up a mortal to be a messenger?
وَمَا مَنَعَ ٱلنَّاسَ أَن يُؤْمِنُوٓا۟ إِذْ جَآءَهُمُ ٱلْهُدَىٰٓ إِلَّآ أَن قَالُوٓا۟ أَبَعَثَ ٱللَّهُ بَشَرًۭا رَّسُولًۭا (۹۴)
17-95 Say: Had there been in the earth angels walking about secure, We would have sent down to them from the heaven an angel as messenger.a
قُل لَّوْ كَانَ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ مَلَـٰٓئِكَةٌۭ يَمْشُونَ مُطْمَئِنِّينَ لَنَزَّلْنَا عَلَيْهِم مِّنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ مَلَكًۭا رَّسُولًۭا (۹۵)
17-95a: مُطْمَئِنِّين – اطمینان means tranquility after fear (R) and in this verse it means living or resting.
The topic of messengers being mortal is continued and it is stated that only a human could be a messenger for humans, and mortality is invariably associated with all humans. The disbelievers want to view spiritual matters in a physical form, which is why they ask to see angels. However, angels cannot come to humans as messengers because the function of a messenger is to be an exemplar and for that it is necessary that the exemplar and those for whom he is an example are the same species. If angels were inhabiting the earth, then angels would have been sent as messengers but since humans inhabit the earth, only humans can be sent as messengers and as exemplars. However, this does not preclude the visitation of an angel to a messenger because the messenger does not see the angel with physical senses but with spiritual senses – the same senses with which he hears the messages of Allah.
This verse shows that angels can only be seen by spiritual senses and not by physical senses which are not equipped for this purpose. Angel Gabriel came to the Holy Prophet at all hours of the morning and evening, and he saw other angels as well, but all this was with his prophetic eyes. Some narrations indicate that some companions also saw Angel Gabriel in the form of a desert Arab or in the form of Dahya Kalbi, a companion of the Holy Prophet, but this does not in any manner contradict this verse. Those manifestations were only spiritual visions in which the companions participated with the Holy Prophet as a result of the very strong prophetic vision of the Holy Prophet. This is like the experience of Abu Bakr reported in some narrations in which he heard the sound of revelation as a buzzing when it was being revealed to the Holy Prophet.
This verse also shows that just as angels cannot be messengers for humans, humans cannot be messengers for angels or jinn who are not of the same species as humans and are invisible, intangible beings. It is necessary for any species that requires a messenger for its completion to have that messenger from its own species. The discussion regarding what is meant by a reported event in the Quran in which certain jinn came to the Holy Prophet, listened to the Quran from the Holy Prophet and believed in it, will be discussed in its proper place.
17-96 Say: Allah suffices for a witness between me and you. Surely He is ever Aware of His servants, Seeing.a
قُلْ كَفَىٰ بِٱللَّهِ شَهِيدًۢا بَيْنِى وَبَيْنَكُمْ ۚ إِنَّهُۥ كَانَ بِعِبَادِهِۦ خَبِيرًۢا بَصِيرًۭا (۹۶)
17-96a: What is meant by Allah being a witness? It means that by His actions Allah provides evidence of the truth being the truth, and evil being evil. He does this by establishing the truth and making it succeed in the world and by making evil, which tries to destroy the truth, to fail. This is why Allah’s attributes of Aware and Seeing have been brought in at the end of the verse.
17-97 And he whom Allah guides, he is on the right way; and he whom He leaves in error, for them thou wilt find no guardians besides Him. And We shall gather them together on the day of Resurrection on their faces, blind and dumb and deaf. Their abode is hell. Whenever it abates, We make them burn the more.a
وَمَن يَهْدِ ٱللَّهُ فَهُوَ ٱلْمُهْتَدِ ۖ وَمَن يُضْلِلْ فَلَن تَجِدَ لَهُمْ أَوْلِيَآءَ مِن دُونِهِۦ ۖ وَنَحْشُرُهُمْ يَوْمَ ٱلْقِيَـٰمَةِ عَلَىٰ وُجُوهِهِمْ عُمْيًۭا وَبُكْمًۭا وَصُمًّۭا ۖ مَّأْوَىٰهُمْ جَهَنَّمُ ۖ كُلَّمَا خَبَتْ زِدْنَـٰهُمْ سَعِيرًۭا (۹۷)
17-97a: فَهُوَ ٱلْمُهْتَد he is on the right way– This phrase means such a person walks on a way that will take him to the desired destination. In contrast, a person who goes so far astray that Allah holds him guilty will invariable face His punishment.
عَلَىٰ وُجُوهِهِمْ on their faces– A hadith narrates that the Holy Prophet was asked how would the people be gathered on their faces on the day of Resurrection? The Holy Prophet replied that He Who has the power to make them walk on their feet, also has the power to make them walk on their faces. In another hadith, the Holy Prophet reportedly said: People will be gathered in three groups – a group who will be mounted, a group who would be walking and running, and a group who the angels will bring dragging on their faces. The Quran states: يَوْمَ يُسْحَبُونَ فِى ٱلنَّارِ عَلَىٰ وُجُوهِهِمْ : On the day when they are dragged into the Fire upon their faces (54:48), and in another place, it states: أَفَمَن يَمْشِى مُكِبًّا عَلَىٰ وَجْهِهِۦٓ أَهْدَىٰٓ أَمَّن يَمْشِى سَوِيًّا عَلَىٰ صِرَٰطٍۢ مُّسْتَقِيمٍۢ : Is, then, he who goes prone upon his face better guided or he who walks upright on a straight path (67:22). The rhetorical question that is being asked is whether a path on which a person stumbles and falls on his face at every step, is a path that will lead him to the desired destination. The nature of punishment in the Quran is described as جَزَآءًۭ وِفَاقًا : Requital corresponding (78:26). Hence those who do not follow the straight path in this world and tread on the wrong path on which they fall flat on their face, their requital will be likewise. They were blind and deaf to the truth in this world and hence they will be blind and deaf in the Hereafter, even though in some ways they will be able to see, hear, and to speak. See 17:72 and 20:124. Thus, their punishment is described in the same words as the words describing the wrongdoings they were guilty of. It is apparent from the hadith given above that just as the mounted group, and the walking and running group are described metaphorically, as the people in the mounted group are not actually mounted on horses or trains, similarly the falling flat on their face is a metaphor. Just as they trampled the noblest and highest purpose of life under their feet, similarly the noblest part of their body will turn into their feet.
خَبَتْ – It is derived from خَبۡو , and خِبَاء is a covering or curtain that covers an object. Hence when the heat of a blazing fire is tempered by the formation of a covering of ash, the covering is called خِبَاء (R).
A similitude of the abatement of the fire and then its blazing again is given by:
كُلَّمَا نَضِجَتْ جُلُودُهُم بَدَّلْنَـٰهُمْ جُلُودًا غَيْرَهَا : As often as their skins are burned, We shall change them for other skins (4:56). This means that the chastisement will persist. The fire is not such that once lighted, it will ultimately die out when the kindling gets covered by ash, but instead its effect will persist. Just as the opponents kept igniting the fire of opposition, the fire of their punishment will similarly be kept ablaze.
17-99 See they not that Allah, Who created the heavens and the earth, is able to create the like of them? And He has appointed for them a term, whereof there is no doubt. But the wrongdoers consent to naught but denying.a
أَوَلَمْ يَرَوْا۟ أَنَّ ٱللَّهَ ٱلَّذِى خَلَقَ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضَ قَادِرٌ عَلَىٰٓ أَن يَخْلُقَ مِثْلَهُمْ وَجَعَلَ لَهُمْ أَجَلًۭا لَّا رَيْبَ فِيهِ فَأَبَى ٱلظَّـٰلِمُونَ إِلَّا كُفُورًۭا (۹۹)
17-99a: In the life after death, the body will not be this physical body but it’s like: The life after death in the Resurrection is called مِثْلَهُمْ the like of, or like this life, which shows that the body in the Hereafter is not exactly this body which is subject to constant change, but is like it. The word مِثْلَهُمْ is also suitable because reward and punishment are based on deeds and the mention of أَجَل fixed term is to remind us that this body will end after an appointed term, but our deeds are never destroyed.
17-100 Say: If you control the treasures of the mercy of my Lord, then you would withhold (them) for fear of spending. And man is ever niggardly.a
قُل لَّوْ أَنتُمْ تَمْلِكُونَ خَزَآئِنَ رَحْمَةِ رَبِّىٓ إِذًۭا لَّأَمْسَكْتُمْ خَشْيَةَ ٱلْإِنفَاقِ ۚ وَكَانَ ٱلْإِنسَـٰنُ قَتُورًۭا (۱۰۰)
17-100a: إِنفَاق –إِنفَاق is used for the loss of some wealth or its complete loss . See 2-3c. How is this verse related to the preceding one? Some commentators have said that this is in response to the disbelievers asking that the believers will have gardens, rivers, and houses of gold in the next world, but what about this world? In this case, this verse means Allah will give worldly goods as well which He gives even to sinners, so why would He not give them to good people? Allah is not stingy like humans. However, the majority opinion is that by رَحْمَةِ رَبِّىٓ mercy of my Lord is meant the رَحْمَةِ or the mercy brought by Divine revelation which indicates there are blessings of Allah far greater than wealth which He keeps bestowing without fear that they will run out because His treasures are limitless. The reference is to the success of the Holy Prophet that Allah will grant him many treasures and kingdoms out of His mercy.
Bayan-ul-Quran 