In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
بِسْمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحْمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ
17-1 Glory to Him Who carried His servant by night from the Sacred Mosque to the Remote Mosque, whose precincts We blessed, that We might show him of Our signs! Surely He is the Hearing, the Seeing.a
سُبْحَـٰنَ ٱلَّذِىٓ أَسْرَىٰ بِعَبْدِهِۦ لَيْلًۭا مِّنَ ٱلْمَسْجِدِ ٱلْحَرَامِ إِلَى ٱلْمَسْجِدِ ٱلْأَقْصَا ٱلَّذِى بَـٰرَكْنَا حَوْلَهُۥ لِنُرِيَهُۥ مِنْ ءَايَـٰتِنَآ ۚ إِنَّهُۥ هُوَ ٱلسَّمِيعُ ٱلْبَصِيرُ (۱)
17-1a: ٱلْمَسْجِدِ ٱلْأَقْصَا – اَقۡصی and قَصٰی mean بُعد remote. See 8-42a. The literal meaning of ٱلْمَسْجِدِ ٱلْأَقْصَا is the Remote Mosque. بیت المقدس literally The Holy House or Jerusalem is called ٱلْمَسْجِدِ ٱلْأَقْصَا because of the distance between Hijaz, the resident place of the Holy Prophet and Jerusalem (R). Some commentators have taken remote to indicate that the Holy Prophet was remote from uncleanness and impurities (RM). Both the explanations denoting remoteness and purity are equally applicable to Masjid Nabawi which is in Madinah, but in Hadith, the term مَسْجِدِ ٱلْأَقْصَا is used only for بیت المقدس.
بَـٰرَكْنَا – بارك means blessed it, and بَرَکَة means goodness placed in something by Allah because بِرۡکة is a reservoir or tank in which water is stored, and thus, the blessing or goodness placed in something stays in it like water stays in a tank (R). The meaning of بَـٰرَكْنَا here is that the land is blessed with both spiritually and worldly goodness because the land with its rivers and trees is a blessed place from a worldly perspective, and is also a blessed place spiritually since many prophets resided in it.
حَوْل – Its literal meaning is to change and to separate from other things. See 4-98a. A year is called حَوْل because in it the earth completes a cycle around the sun, as in حَوْلَيْنِ كَامِلَيْنِ : two whole years (2:233). حَوْل الشَّیءِ is the side of an object towards which it can be turned, and derived from it is حَوْل meaning surroundings (R), which is the meaning in this verse.
The verse of the night journey or أَسْرَىٰ and the hadith regarding Mi‘raj : In this verse there is a mention of taking the Holy Prophet at night from Masjid Haram to Masjid Aqsa and commentators have understood this to mean the Mi‘raj because in the hadith of Mi‘raj, it is stated that the Holy Prophet was first taken to Bait al Muqaddas. There are many hadith about this subject, some are authentic (صیحح ), some are good (حسن ) and some are weak (ضعیف ) and there are many differences in them. Because of these differences some commentators have concluded that the Mi‘raj took place several times and not just once. However, the narration of this hadith from many companions in which there is mention of one Mi‘raj clearly testifies to the fact that the event is authentic and occurred only once, but because of the novelty of the event the narrators have reported it in different ways. The summary of this experience of Mi‘raj is that the Holy Prophet was first taken to Bait al Muqaddas and after that he was taken on an excursion of the heavens until he surpassed all the ranks that previous prophets had achieved. It also appears that the five daily prayers were mandated during the Mi‘raj.
Was the Mi‘raj with the physical body or not? There are two opinions about this in the Muslim nation. The majority consider the Mi‘raj to have been with the physical body, but there is a minority view that considers it to be a vision, and included in this later group are Hazrat Ayesha Siddiqa, Muawiyah and Hassan. Ibn Kathir, during his discussion on the subject, cites Ibn Abbas as follows:
و اللّٰہ اعلم ای ذالك کان قد جاءہ و عاین من اللّٰہ فیه ما عاین علی ای حالاته کان نائما او یقظانا کل ذٰلك حق و صدق : Allah knows best whether the Mi‘raj was with the physical body or without it. However, the Holy Prophet did go into the presence of Allah, the Most High, and saw what Allah showed him, and in whatever condition he was, whether in a vision or awake, all of it is true and correct. This is a wise thought process in the matter, and it is strange that people are ready to call those who think the Mi‘raj was a vision as disbelievers, merely on this pretext.
The arguments of those who claim a physical ascension: First, the incident has been described as a magnificent event to the extent that its narration begins with the glorification of Allah. Second, if the Mi‘raj was not thought to be physical, why would the Quraish reject it as false? Third, some of the Muslims reneged on Islam after hearing about the Mi‘raj, assuming it was physical. Fourth, the word عَبْدِ used in the verse is a composite of body and soul.
Studying the arguments one by one, the first is not strong because even if the Mi‘raj was purely spiritual, it does not in any way detract from the greatness of the event. Its greatness is from the fact that the Holy Prophet was elevated to a rank above that of all the prophets. The second argument, that the disbelievers would not have rejected Mi‘raj is also not a strong argument, because the disbelievers even rejected that the Holy Prophet received revelation. The answer given by Caliph Abu Bakr when this event was mentioned before him also points in this direction. His reply to the detractors was:
انی اصدقه علی ابعد من ذٰلك اصدقه علی خبر السماء غدوۃ اوروحة : I hold something even harder to imagine to be true. I consider him (Holy Prophet) to be true (when he says) that he receives Divine communication day and night. The third argument, that some Muslims on learning of this event apostatized, does not seem to be true. I have not seen anybody named in any hadith who apostatized because of the Mi‘raj and there are only general statements in some narrations that some people apostatized, which are contradicted by a hadith report. When Abu Sufiyan was asked by the Kaiser whether any Muslims had apostatized, he replied that no Muslim had reneged on his religion because of disappointment with his faith. This statement was given before Abu Sufiyan became a Muslim. The fourth reason is very weak because whatever one sees in a dream is not with this physical body, but the spirit is given another body in a dream. A vision is a condition of greater clarity than dream, and a spiritual body is bestowed to experience another world. Prophet Abraham said إِنِّىٓ أَرَىٰ فِى ٱلْمَنَامِ :I have seen in a dream (37:102) and the one seeing here is a spirit with a body, but the body given in a dream or vision is not a physical body. The physical body stays where it is, but the person can roam the world with the spiritual body and visit any number of other places. The dreams of prophets are not like the dreams of ordinary people, because their dreams have a reality which is difficult for ordinary people to comprehend, which results in misunderstanding prophetic visions.
Arguments to prove Mi‘raj did not happen with the physical body: It appears from a deliberation of the Quran and Hadith that the correct view about the Mi‘raj is the one that is held by the minority, namely that the Mi‘raj of the Holy Prophet was not with the physical body but with a unique spiritual body that Allah gives to His pious persons for visiting the spiritual world. The first evidence for a non-physical Mi‘raj comes from the Quran itself where it is stated in this same chapter after mentioning the night journey: وَمَا جَعَلْنَا ٱلرُّءْيَا ٱلَّتِىٓ أَرَيْنَـٰكَ : We made not the vision which We showed thee… (17:60). The night journey is called a vision here in clear words. The word vision is specifically associated with the world of dreams in which the physical body does not move, as stated in والرویا ما یری فی المنام : A vision is seen in a dream. Second, when the disbelievers demanded that the Holy Prophet ascend physically to the heaven تَرْقَىٰ فِى ٱلسَّمَآءِ : thou ascend into heaven, his reply was
سُبْحَانَ رَبِّى هَلْ كُنتُ إِلَّا بَشَرًۭا رَّسُولًۭا : Glory to my Lord! Am I aught but a mortal messenger? (17:93). The reply shows that it is not for a mortal to leave the earth and go to heaven with the physical body, as is stated elsewhere: أَلَمْ نَجْعَلِ ٱلْأَرْضَ كِفَاتًا۔ أَحْيَآءًۭ وَأَمْوَٰتًۭا : Have We not made the earth draw to itself; The living and the dead (77:25-26). Third, it is clearly stated in a hadith in Bukhari that the Mi‘raj took place in the state when:
فیما یری قلبه و تنام عینهٗ و لا ینام قلبه : His heart was seeing and his eyes were sleeping but the heart was not sleeping, and in the end of this hadith, it is stated:
واستیقظ و ھو فی المسجد الحرام : Then he woke up and he was in Masjid al Haram. All this evidence shows that the night journey (أَسْرَىٰ) and the Mi‘raj took place while the Holy Prophet was asleep. In another narration which is also in Bukhari, the condition in which the Mi‘raj took place has been described as: بین النائم و الیقطان : between sleep and wakefulness, in a state of semi alertness. Fourth, it is proven that whatever the Holy Prophet saw in the Mi‘raj, he also saw on this earth in a vision or dream. The first place is Bait al Muqaddas. It is stated in a hadith that when the disbelievers did not accept the word of the Holy Prophet and asked him about the situation in Bait al Muqaddas, Allah brought the Bait al Muqaddas before the Holy Prophet in a vision and the Holy Prophet was able to fully respond to the query of the disbelievers and tell them everything:
قمت فی الحجر فجلی اللّٰہ لی بیت المقدس فطفقت اخبر ھم عن اٰیاته و انا انظر الیه. : I stood up on a stone and Allah brought Bait al Muqaddas before me and I began to tell them of its signs while I was looking at it. The sights of heaven and hell are discussed next. It is narrated in the hadith of کسوف eclipse of the sun that the Holy Prophet said ‘Everything was shown to me while here, and even heaven and hell’. This statement was made when the Holy Prophet was leading the special prayer said at the time of a solar eclipse. Accordingly, in the Book ابواب الکسوف in Bukhari, a hadith narrated by Asma bint Abu Bakr, has the following statement:
ما من شئ کنتُ لم اَرَہ الا و قد ریئتهٗ فی مقامی ھذا حتی الجنة و النار :There is nothing that I did not see but it was shown to me here, while offering the prayer, and this included even heaven and hell. The third consideration is the meeting with Allah. The scene described during the Mi‘raj in the words: دَنَا فَتَدَلَّىٰ : he drew near, drew nearer yet (53:8) is replicated in an authentic narration by Maaz in Tirmidhi and Ahmed in which the Holy Prophet said: I saw my Lord in the most beautiful way, and this is a statement made while in this world: انی قمت من اللیل فصلیت …فا ذا انا بربی فی احسن صورۃ…فرایت وضع کفه بین کتفی حتی وجدت بردانا ملہ بین صدری
I got up at night and said my prayer… then all of a sudden, I saw my Lord in the most beautiful way…then I saw my Lord placed His hand between my shoulders and I felt the coolness of His fingers in my chest.
Since the visions of Allah, heaven, hell and Bait al Muqaddas were all seen in Makkah or Madinah, it follows that Allah allows these spiritual visualizations here in this world and it is not necessary for a person to travel physically from where they are. This is not to deny that Allah has the power to lift a person and take him till he sees heaven, or to bring heaven to a person so that he can see it. There is no difference in the power required to do either, and neither is there any doubt in the power of Allah to show a replica of something at another location while the original stays in its place.
The purpose of the Mi‘raj is also revealed here and is given as: لِنُرِيَهُۥ مِنْ ءَايَـٰتِنَآ : that We may show him of Our signs. Since the purpose of the Mi‘raj was to show the Holy Prophet some of the signs of Allah, what was shown to the Holy Prophet during the Mi‘raj were signs of a different reality. The Mi‘raj maps out the infinite spiritual blessings of the Holy Prophet and reveals that he had reached the highest station, never before achieved by any human or angel. It is also possible that in this night journey, there is an indication of the migration that the Holy Prophet had to undertake, and Aqsa represents Madinah, and the mosque that was going to be constructed in it from which the blessings of Islam were to spread in the world. It is also possible that while Masjid Aqsa refers to the Bait al Muqaddas, the journey can be understood differently because in some of the hadith narrations about Mi‘raj, it is stated that at the first destination in the journey, the Holy Prophet prayed in Madinah and the second destination was Bait al Muqaddas.
There is an indication in أَسْرَىٰ , the Holy Prophet’s night journey from Masjid Haram to Masjid Aqsa, that Bait al Muqaddas which was the residence of the prophets of Bani Israel, will be given to the followers of the Holy Prophet, since Christianity and Judaism had become devoid of pious people who could inherit this holy land. By virtue of a Divine promise it was necessary that the other line of Prophet Abraham’s descendants be made the owner of this holy land. The projection is that the Holy Prophet has been made the inheritor of the blessings of the Israelite prophets, and this is the reason why the Holy Prophet was shown during the Mi‘raj that he was leading all the prophets in a congregational prayer. The Quran only mentions the أَسْرَىٰ the night journey to Bait al Muqaddas but has no mention of the Mi‘raj which reinforces the opinion that the special reference here is to the granting of Bait al Muqaddas to the Holy Prophet and his being given the blessings of all previous prophets as inheritance. This view is lent further support by the Divine attributes of Hearing and Seeing mentioned in the last words of the verse, as if to say that the God Who hears the conversations of His creation and sees their deeds, is now acting to make another nation as the inheritor of all the blessings. This interpretation is supported by the mention of Prophet Moses and of the trouble created in the earth by the Bani Israil in the verses that follow.
Some have taken the pronoun هُوَ he in هُوَ ٱلسَّمِيعُ ٱلْبَصِيرُ : He is Hearing, Seeing to refer to the Holy Prophet, but in this case, the meaning will simply be that the Holy Prophet is foremost in hearing the words of Allah and foremost in seeing Allah. However, since ٱلسَّمِيعُ the Hearing and ٱلْبَصِيرُ the Seeing are attributes of Allah, it is more apt to apply the pronoun هُوَ to Allah.
When did the Mi‘raj take place: The common opinion is that the Mi‘raj took place in the tenth or eleventh year of the Call. In my opinion, this date is incorrect. In discussing the period of revelation of this chapter, it is shown that the revelation took place in the fourth or fifth year of the Call and the testimony of Ibn Masud in this matter is very reliable. The mention of the Mi‘raj in this chapter clearly shows that the Mi‘raj happened before the revelation of this chapter. An even greater proof is that there is a reference to this event in Surah Najam which was revealed even earlier.
17-2 And We gave Moses the Book and made it a guidance to the Children of Israel (saying): Take no guardian beside Me—a
وَءَاتَيْنَا مُوسَى ٱلْكِتَـٰبَ وَجَعَلْنَـٰهُ هُدًۭى لِّبَنِىٓ إِسْرَٰٓءِيلَ أَلَّا تَتَّخِذُوا۟ مِن دُونِى وَكِيلًۭا (۲)
17-2a: The purpose of teaching monotheism: This chapter particularly draws attention to the condition of the Jews, and this is clear from the discussion in the first and last sections of this chapter. The next chapter contains a similar discussion about Christianity. There is also an indication about the condition of the Jews in the mention of the night journey in the first verse, as is clear from the preceding note. The first thing stated in this verse is that the Torah was revealed for the guidance of Bani Israil and the main law that it propounds is not to rely on anyone besides Allah. وَكِيل is used in the sense of موکول الیه , one to whom affairs are entrusted. The practical manifestation of توحید monotheism is not to rely on any but Allah. Just professing monotheism verbally is of no benefit unless one shows it in practice, by relying for one’s affairs only on Allah, and not on any human.
17-3 The offspring of those whom We bore with Noah. Surely he was a grateful servant.a
ذُرِّيَّةَ مَنْ حَمَلْنَا مَعَ نُوحٍ ۚ إِنَّهُۥ كَانَ عَبْدًۭا شَكُورًۭا (۳)
17-3a: ذُرِّيَّةَ – They are called ذُرِّيَّةَ either because of their likeness to the followers of Noah or because the Bani Israel were the offspring of Noah. The mention of Noah is to remind the Bani Israel that when people show gratitude, Allah intervenes to create a way out of their difficulties.
17-4 And We made known to the Children of Israel in the Book: Certainly you will make mischief in the land twice, and behave insolently with mighty arrogance.a
وَقَضَيْنَآ إِلَىٰ بَنِىٓ إِسْرَٰٓءِيلَ فِى ٱلْكِتَـٰبِ لَتُفْسِدُنَّ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ مَرَّتَيْنِ وَلَتَعْلُنَّ عُلُوًّۭا كَبِيرًۭا (۴)
17-4a: قَضَيْنَآ – See 15-66a for its meaning.
Bani Israel causes strife twice and is visited by devastation twice: Bani Israel were warned in their scripture that they would cause strife twice. Commentators differ about which two events constitute the ones referred to in the Quran, but the Quran itself has made them clear. لُعِنَ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ مِنۢ بَنِىٓ إِسْرَٰٓءِيلَ عَلَىٰ لِسَانِ دَاوُۥدَ وَعِيسَى ٱبْنِ مَرْيَمَ ۚ Those who disbelieved from among the Children of Israel were cursed by the tongue of David and Jesus, son of Mary (5:78). The two curses are the news of the impending disasters that were given, first by Prophet David and then by Prophet Jesus. Although Jerusalem was attacked several times with varying levels of destruction, but the complete devastation of the Jewish nation happened only twice as clearly stated in: لِيَدْخُلُوا۟ ٱلْمَسْجِدَ كَمَا دَخَلُوهُ أَوَّلَ مَرَّةٍۢ : that they enter the mosque as they entered it the first time (17:7). The first destruction took place about 400 years after Prophet David and about 600 years before Prophet Jesus when the Babylonians under Nebuchadnezzar conquered Jerusalem and burned down the Hekal. The second time it was the Romans under Titus who destroyed the Hekal about seventy years after Prophet Jesus. It is these destructions that the verse references, and these destructions are stated to be the result of Bani Israel’s disobedience and rebellion. Prophet David and Prophet Jesus are singled out because the material blessings given to the Israelites climaxed through Prophet David and the spiritual blessings climaxed through Prophet Jesus. However, on both these occasions, Bani Israel displayed extreme ungratefulness and disobedience, and so were called to account. The words of Prophet Jesus are worth mentioning here: And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh…there shall be great distress in the land, and wrath upon this people. And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled (Luke 21: 20-24). In Mathew 23:38 and 24:2, there is a clear prophecy of the destruction of the Hekal.
17-5 So when of the two, the first warning came to pass, We raised against you Our servants, of mighty prowess, so they made havoc in (your) houses. And it was an accomplished threat.a
فَإِذَا جَآءَ وَعْدُ أُولَىٰهُمَا بَعَثْنَا عَلَيْكُمْ عِبَادًۭا لَّنَآ أُو۟لِى بَأْسٍۢ شَدِيدٍۢ فَجَاسُوا۟ خِلَـٰلَ ٱلدِّيَارِ ۚ وَكَانَ وَعْدًۭا مَّفْعُولًۭا (۵)
17-5a: جَاسُوا۟ – Its root is جَوۡس which means تردّد repeated comings and goings and another meaning is to seek something wholeheartedly (LA). The meaning in the present context is that those people will enter towns in search of Israelites so that none survive.
ٱلدِّيَارِ – It is the plural of دار which means both residence and town. It is derived from دَور which means to surround because a wall surrounds a house (R).
Raising the Babylonians: Allah’s calling the Babylonians who destroyed the Bani Israel as عِبَادًۭا لَّنَآ Our servants and also using the word بَعَثْنَا We raised (See 2-246a) is meant only to indicate that Allah had appointed the Babylonians for the destruction of the Israelites and this destruction was a chastisement for the Israelites. It does not mean that Allah had sent revelation to the Babylonians or that they were upright men of God.
17-6 Then We gave you back the turn against them, and aided you with wealth and children and made you a numerous band.a
ثُمَّ رَدَدْنَا لَكُمُ ٱلْكَرَّةَ عَلَيْهِمْ وَأَمْدَدْنَـٰكُم بِأَمْوَٰلٍۢ وَبَنِينَ وَجَعَلْنَـٰكُمْ أَكْثَرَ نَفِيرًا (۶)
17-6a: كَرَّةَ – The literal meaning of کرّ is to return to a thing either physically or by actions (R), as in فَلَوْ أَنَّ لَنَا كَرَّةًۭ فَنَكُونَ مِنَ ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ : Now, if we could but once return, we would be believers (26:102) where by كَرَّةَ is meant return back to the earth. Derived from کرّ are تکرار repetition, reiteration, recurrence and مکر deception, deceit. By كَرَّةَ here is meant dominance because now it was the Israelites turn to become dominant over their enemies.
This كَرَّةَ or dominance mentioned here came about through Cyrus II of Persia who allowed the Jews to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the Hekal and this transpired in 536 BC.
نَفِيرً – It means band, party, company, group. See 9-38a.
17-7 If you do good, you do good for your own souls. And if you do evil, it is for them. So when the second warning came, (We raised another people) that they might bring you to grief and that they might enter the Mosque as they entered it the first time, and that they might destroy, whatever they conquered, with utter destruction.a
إِنْ أَحْسَنتُمْ أَحْسَنتُمْ لِأَنفُسِكُمْ ۖ وَإِنْ أَسَأْتُمْ فَلَهَا ۚ فَإِذَا جَآءَ وَعْدُ ٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ لِيَسُـۥٓـُٔوا۟ وُجُوهَكُمْ وَلِيَدْخُلُوا۟ ٱلْمَسْجِدَ كَمَا دَخَلُوهُ أَوَّلَ مَرَّةٍۢ وَلِيُتَبِّرُوا۟ مَا عَلَوْا۟ تَتْبِيرًا (۷)
17-7a: لِيَسُـۥٓـُٔوا۟ وُجُوهَكُمْ – For the meaning of وجه see 2-112a. It can mean the face because the signs of affliction and sorrow show on the face and it can also mean self, body or person because by سوء here is meant killing, plunder and enslaving and these are things that impact the being and body of a person. The يَسُـۥٓـُٔوا۟ or the killing and plunder, is by a group that is not mentioned but this unknown group can be described by the same statement as in 17:5 بَعَثْنَا عَلَيْكُمْ عِبَادًۭا We raised against you Our servants, of mighty prowess.
In this verse, first the general law of Allah is explained: any nation that strives for goodness will find that the benefits of goodness accrue to the nation itself. After this, the second devastation of Bani Israel is mentioned which shows that it was their corruption that again brought the chastisement mentioned here on them. After clearly mentioning the destruction of Hekal in this verse and by adding كَمَا دَخَلُوهُ أَوَّلَ مَرَّةٍۢ : as they entered the first time, it is shown clearly that the Hekal or Bait al Muqaddas was destroyed both times.
The history of Bani Israel repeated among the Muslims: The history of Bani Israel on the one hand, is a warning to the Muslims not to be ungrateful like the Israelites, and on the other it predicts a similar pattern in their own history. An authentic hadith draws attention to this in the statement: تتبعن سنن من قبلکم : what transpired with the Bani Israel will also transpire with the Muslims. Accordingly, the Muslim nation was also devastated twice. However, as Allah has granted the Kaa‘ba, the Sacred Mosque, a special nobility and has promised that it will never be destroyed by the hands of the enemy, the Kaa‘ba was not harmed by the two destructions of the Muslim caliphate. The first time was when Baghdad was sacked, which marked the end of the Abbasside caliphate, and the second time was when the European allied powers dismantled the Ottoman Empire and parceled its pieces among themselves and brought to end the Islamic Caliphate. Just as the first destruction led to the establishment of a glorious Islamic kingdom, the second destruction will Inshallah do the same.
17-8 It may be that your Lord will have mercy on you. And if you
return (to mischief), We will return (to punishment). And We have made hell a prison for the disbelievers.a
عَسَىٰ رَبُّكُمْ أَن يَرْحَمَكُمْ ۚ وَإِنْ عُدتُّمْ عُدْنَا ۘ وَجَعَلْنَا جَهَنَّمَ لِلْكَـٰفِرِينَ حَصِيرًا (۸)
17-8a: حَصِيرًا – حَصۡر means to limit, restrict, confine and حَصِيرً means one who restricts, confines or imprisons and further its meaning are said to be سِجۡن prison and فراش bedding (IJ).
After mentioning the two chastisements, there is mention of Allah’s mercy which took the form of Allah sending Holy Prophet as a mercy for all nations. The implication is that if the Israelite nation accepts the Holy Prophet, Allah will have mercy on them and take them out from their present condition of humiliation and deprivation. By عُدتُّمْ is meant their return to mischief and by عُدْنَا their chastisement again by Allah.
17-9 Surely this Qur’an guides to that which is most upright, and gives good news to the believers who do good that theirs is a great reward,a
إِنَّ هَـٰذَا ٱلْقُرْءَانَ يَهْدِى لِلَّتِى هِىَ أَقْوَمُ وَيُبَشِّرُ ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ ٱلَّذِينَ يَعْمَلُونَ ٱلصَّـٰلِحَـٰتِ أَنَّ لَهُمْ أَجْرًۭا كَبِيرًۭا (۹)
17-9a: The excellence of the Quran compared to the Torah: In verse 17:2 the Book given to Moses was mentioned and that Allah made it a guidance for Bani Israel. The mention of the Quran in this verse sets up a comparison with the Torah and there are two things that are worthy of attention. There is no specific nation as the object of the verb یھدی guidance unlike in verse 17:2 where the mention of guidance in the Torah is confined to Bani Israel, as in هُدًۭى لِّبَنِىٓ إِسْرَٰٓءِيلَ. So, by یھدی is meant that the Quran shows the way to all the people. The second point is that this path is called أَقْوَمُ which indicates that by comparison this way is more powerful than the way of the Torah. The teaching of the Torah was also potent, but it was only for a certain time and for only one nation. The teaching of the Quran is for all nations and for all times to come and allows for the fulfillment of all human potentialities. Hence the Quran is more powerful and lasting than the Torah. After mentioning the two calamities that befell the Bani Israel, the characterization of the Quran as أَقْوَمُ indicates that although hardships will also befall the Muslims but since the Quranic teachings are stronger and will last forever, the Muslims will not reach the condition that Bani Israel reached, and after their calamities Allah will once again assist the Muslims and provide succor.
17-10 And that those who believe not in the Hereafter, We have prepared for them a painful chastisement.
وَأَنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ بِٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ أَعْتَدْنَا لَهُمْ عَذَابًا أَلِيمًۭا (۱۰)
Bayan-ul-Quran 