Surah Al-Isra' , 17...On Tawhid and Love for Parents

THE SURAH ESTABLISHES THE GOD-ORDAINED patterns that govern man's world:

And We appoint the night and the day two portents. Then We make dark the portent of the night, and We make the portent of the day sight-giving, that ye may seek bounty from your Lord, and that ye may know the computation of the years, and the reckoning; and everything have We expounded with a clear expounding. (12)

As time goes by the cycle of human progress and decline is repeated, as indicated in the surah; civilization rise and fall, and communities dominate and become dominated. The single common element in this process is man himself; his behavior and judgement decide his destiny and future. " Whosoever goeth right, it is only for (the good of) his own soul that he goeth right, and whosoever erreth, erreth only to its hurt. No laden soul can bear another's load, We never punish until we have sent a messenger " (15).

This principle is universal, and equally applicable to individual as well as collective human behavior. However, the Qur'an points out that affluence and economic injustice are the first symptoms of corruption in a nation. The ascendancy of those who hoard wealth and exploit others is usually the main reason, and the first sign, of a nation's downfall.

And when We would destroy a township We send commandment to its folk who live at ease, and afterward they commit abomination therein, and so the Word (of doom) hath effect for it, and we annihilate it with complete annihilation. (16) 

Implicit in these statements is the fact that nations and civilizations are liable to be weakened and undermined by affluence and extravagance. Their fate is also linked to their people's attitude towards the hereafter and the judgement that is sure to come. " Whoso desireth that (life) which hasteneth away, We hasten for him therein that We will for whom We please. And afterward We have appointed for him hell; he will endure the heat thereof, condemned, rejected " (18). Affluence and prosperity are bestowed on nations and individuals according to God's will, and they do not necessarily entail obedience and submission to Him.

The surah sounds a stern warning: " How many generations have We destroyed since Noah! And Allah sufficeth as Knower and Beholder of the sins of His slaves "(17), for their corruption and transgression, and " There is not a township but We shall destroy it ere the Day of Resurrection, or punish it with dire punishment. That is set forth in the Book (of Our decrees) "(58).

By way of advice, the surah recommends , in verses 23 - 39 inclusive, a list of social, moral, and and economic practices and measures which, if adopted, would strengthen the fabric of society  and maintain justice, balance and cohesion within it. The section begins thus: "Thy Lord hath decreed, that ye worship none save Him, and (that ye show) kindness to parents. If one of them or both of them attain old age with thee, say not "Fie" unto them nor repulse them, but speak unto them a gracious word  "(23) , and ends with the statement:

This is (part) of that wisdom wherewith thy Lord hath inspired thee (O Muhammad). And set not up with Allah any other god, lest thou be cast into hell, reproved, abandoned. (39)

We note that the section opens and closes with an emphasis on tawhid, indicating that it is the backbone of righteousness and true submission to God. Along the tawhid comes respect and kindness towards parents and old people. To appreciate the value if this, one need only to look at how parents and old people are treated in today's Western materialistic societies. Once they reach a certain age, parents and grandparents are committed to old people's homes and institutions that are devoid of love and kinship, abandoned by their sons and daughters and left to die in loneliness and desolation. Despite the hard work and effort put into raising their children, parents in this society receive very little in return and nothing reflects more disloyalty and selfishness than uncaring, ungrateful offspring. Furthermore, the general trend in many societies today is to raise children with the idea that they should break away from their families at the earliest possible age. In the West, for example, they meet only, if at all, once a year at Christmas, or at a family weddings and funerals.

In Muslim societies, children should have a different relationship with their parents. God says : "And lower unto them the wing of submission through mercy, and say:" My Lord! Have mercy on them both as they did care for me when I was little " "(24). Regarding other family relations, He says: "Give the kinsman his due, and the needy, and the wayfarer, and squander not (thy wealth) in wantonness  "(26). I understand this to mean one should not live in luxury when one is surrounded by others in desperate need of basic necessities of life. This is further stressed in the verse which says: "Be neither miserly nor extravagant, lest you would become despised or destitute" [29].
Alluding to the pre-Islamic Arab custom of burying alive unwanted new-born girls, the surah goes on to point out that such method of birth control are not the best solution for the world population problem. People must seek fair and equitable means of distribution of wealth and resources among all members of society: "Slay not your children, fearing a fall to poverty, We shall provide for them and for you. Lo! the slaying of them is great sin "(31). 


Shaykh Muhammad al-Ghazali
" A Thematic Commentary On The Qur'an "




Reflection and commentary :-
1. Imam Dr Yususf Ziya Kavakci,
[ ayat 28 - ayat 40 ]

2. Tuan Guru Dr Ismail Lutfi al-Patani, [ 'French' ]
[ ayat 23  - 25  ]

1/5

2/5

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4/5

...'mok ning nok pergo anok sepuloh buleh, anok ni sepuloh belong tentu buleh pergo  mok sorge'..


5/5

...dale dunio ning tak dok lagi ambo juppo mok pok nok nyusoh kae anok......



verse 26 to verse 27 :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jXctdAwhEU4