Selected Ayaat of Surah al-Israa — Study Session 9
Overview
The main topics covered in this session are:
- Final sessions before Ramadan — completing the book quickly
- Ayah 33 — Do not kill a soul unlawfully; the right of the heir
- Ayah 34 — Do not approach the orphan's property except to improve it
- Ayah 35 — Give full measure and weigh with the straight balance
- Ayah 36 — Do not follow what you have no knowledge of
- Ayah 37 — Do not walk on earth with arrogance
- Ayaat 38–39 — Summary: all these are hateful to Allah; this is the revealed wisdom
- Grammar: نَائِب الفَاعِل in passive sentences; nested sentences in iʿrāb
- Grammar: أُولَئِكَ used for non-intelligent nouns in literary Arabic (Ibn Mālik)
- Grammar: مَفعُول مُطلَق نَائِب — a Ḥāl maṣdar deputizing for the actual mafʿūl muṭlaq
- Vocabulary: نَفس, وَلِيّ, سُلطَان, مَال, يَتِيم, أَشُدّ, وَفَّى, عَهد, قِسطَاس, حِكمَة
1. Ayah 33 — Do Not Kill Unlawfully
وَلَا تَقتُلُوا النَّفسَ الَّتِي حَرَّمَ اللَّهُ إِلَّا بِالحَقِّ ۗ وَمَن قُتِلَ مَظلُومًا فَقَد جَعَلنَا لِوَلِيِّهِ سُلطَانًا فَلَا يُسرِف فِي الْقَتلِ
1.1 Passive Voice: مَن قُتِلَ
قُتِلَ is passive voice. In Arabic, when a verb is passive: - The original فاعل is dropped - The original مفعول به becomes نَائِب الفَاعِل (substitute subject), taking the marfūʿ case
| Active | Passive |
|---|---|
| قَتَلَ حَامِدٌ بَكرًا | قُتِلَ بَكرٌ |
| Ḥāmid killed Bakr | Bakr was killed |
In the passive, بَكرٌ was originally the مفعول به but is now the نَائِب الفَاعِل (marfūʿ). There is NO mention of who did it.
نَائِب الفَاعِل looks exactly like فَاعِل (both are marfūʿ, both could be a pronoun). The difference is meaning: فاعل = the doer; نائب الفاعل = the one on whom it was done.
1.2 مَظلُومًا — A Ḥāl
مَظلُومًا = passive participle from ظَلَمَ → wrongfully, unjustly. It is a Ḥāl (circumstantial clause) for the one killed:
"If he was killed in a wrongful state — i.e., unjustly."
ظُلم (ẓulm) = to put something out of its proper place. Shirk is called "the greatest ẓulm" because it puts someone in the place of Allah — where they do not belong.
1.3 Key Vocabulary
| Arabic | Root | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| نَفس | ن-ف-س | soul, life, person (feminine); plural: نُفُوس / أَنفُس |
| أَنفُس (emphasis use) | ن-ف-س | "themselves" — for emphasis of intelligent beings (جَاءَ القَومُ أَنفُسُهُم) |
| وَلِيّ / أَولِيَاء | و-ل-ي | guardian; the one with authority; heir who can pursue justice |
| سُلطَان | س-ل-ط | authority; power; Sultan; used in Surah al-Raḥmān for divine power/capability |
| إِسراف (في القَتل) | س-ر-ف | excess even in legally permitted killing — don't be bloodthirsty |
| نَصَرَ | ن-ص-ر | to support in a cause/value (Hadith: help your brother whether oppressor or oppressed) |
2. Ayah 34 — Do Not Approach the Orphan's Property
وَلَا تَقرَبُوا مَالَ الْيَتِيمِ إِلَّا بِالَّتِي هِيَ أَحسَنُ حَتَّى يَبلُغَ أَشُدَّهُ
2.1 Vocabulary
| Arabic | Root | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| مَال | م-و-ل | wealth, property, money |
| رَأسُ الْمَال | — | capital (head of wealth) |
| رَأسمَالِيَّة | — | capitalism |
| مَوَّلَ | م-و-ل | to finance, invest |
| يَتِيم / يَتَامَى | ي-ت-م | orphan (child whose father has died; only for minors); pl. يَتَامَى |
When Does Yatīm Stop?
Once a child reaches maturity (أَشُدّ), they are no longer called يَتِيم — even if their father is still deceased. The rights and protections of the yatim apply only to minor children.
يَتِيم for Animals
In the animal kingdom, يَتِيم = a young one whose mother has died — because in animals, the mother is the primary provider of nurture and food.
يَتِيمَة الدُّر = the unique, matchless pearl — "orphaned" because it has no equal, no pair. A beautiful extension of the root's meaning.
2.2 أَشُدّ — A Singular Word on a Plural Pattern
أَشُدّ = age of maturity. Interestingly, the word appears to be the plural form (pattern of جُمُوع الكَثرَة) yet it functions as singular. This is noted in classical Arabic morphology — some words carry plural patterns but are used singularly.
In Surah Yūsuf:
وَلَمَّا بَلَغَ أَشُدَّهُ — "When he reached his age of maturity..."
2.3 الَّتِي هِيَ أَحسَنُ — The Omitted Mubtadaʾ
إِلَّا بِالَّتِي هِيَ أَحسَنُ — "except in the manner that is best"
The full form: إِلَّا بِالطَّرِيقَةِ الَّتِي هِيَ أَحسَنُ — the specific noun (طَرِيقَة or حَال) is omitted. This is an example of ذو الحَال المَحذُوف — a Ḥāl whose sāḥib (owner) is omitted.
3. Ayah 35 — Fulfill Measure and Weight
وَأَوفُوا الْكَيلَ إِذَا كِلتُم وَزِنُوا بِالْقِسطَاسِ الْمُستَقِيمِ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ خَيرٌ وَأَحسَنُ تَأوِيلًا
3.1 Vocabulary
| Arabic | Root | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| وَفَّى / أَوفَى | و-ف-ي | to fulfill (an obligation, promise, or measure) |
| عَهد / عُهُود | ع-ه-د | promise, covenant, obligation; "إِنَّ الْعَهدَ كَانَ مَسؤُولًا" |
| كَالَ يَكِيلُ | ك-ي-ل | to measure by volume (grain, bulk goods) |
| وَزَنَ يَزِنُ | و-ز-ن | to weigh on a balance |
| الْقِسطَاس | — | scales, balance; appears only twice in the entire Quran |
| تَأوِيل | أ-و-ل | interpretation of a dream; also: the final outcome/what comes back; from أَوَّلَ to return to origin |
إِنَّ الْعَهدَ كَانَ مَسؤُولًا
The literal reading is: "The promise will be questioned" — not "you will be questioned about your promise." This is a rhetorical device (majāz) in which the object of the action stands in for the person. It carries far more weight and emphasis: the pledge itself will be summoned and interrogated. Dr. ʿAbdurraḥīm notes that while both phrasings convey the same core meaning, the Quranic phrasing is rhetorically far more powerful.
تَأوِيل — deeper meaning: to make something return to its origin. When a dream is "interpreted," the interpretation reveals its origin/truth. When acts are correctly measured/weighed, the outcome returns good to you. Hence أَحسَنُ تَأوِيلًا = "better in its ultimate outcome."
4. Ayah 36 — Do Not Follow What You Have No Knowledge Of
وَلَا تَقفُ مَا لَيسَ لَكَ بِهِ عِلمٌ ۚ إِنَّ السَّمعَ وَالْبَصَرَ وَالْفُؤَادَ كُلُّ أُولَئِكَ كَانَ عَنهُ مَسؤُولًا
4.1 Three Faculties of Knowledge
| Arabic | Meaning |
|---|---|
| السَّمع | hearing |
| الْبَصَر | sight |
| الْفُؤَاد | the heart/intellect (seat of reasoning and understanding); plural: أَفئِدَة |
All three are faculties of information-gathering. All three will be held accountable for what they gathered and what decisions were made from that information. Our own organs will testify for or against us.
Qatāda said: "Do not say 'I saw' when you have not seen, nor 'I heard' when you have not heard, nor 'I know' when you do not know."
In an age of social media and forwarded news, this Ayah is more urgent than ever.
4.2 أُولَئِكَ Referring to Non-Intelligent Nouns
Normally: - هَؤُلَاء (haʾulāʾi) = these (rational beings) - هَذِهِ (feminine singular) = these (non-rational/inanimate plural things)
But here Allah uses أُولَئِكَ (for rational beings) to refer to السَّمع، البَصَر، الفُؤَاد — which are technically non-rational/inanimate concepts.
Why? Ibn Mālik explains in the Alfiyya:
أُولَاء can be used for both rational and irrational nouns in literary Arabic (fuṣḥā).
Normal speech: هَذِهِ الأَيَّامُ (these days — irrational plural → feminine singular demonstrative) Literary Arabic: أُولَئِكَ الأَيَّامُ (used in poetry and classical literature)
In the Quran, أُولَئِكَ for hearing, sight, and heart conveys that these faculties are being treated as if they were intelligent, responsible beings — which they effectively are, since they will testify. This is a literary elevation (majāz ʿaqlī) of these faculties.
5. Ayah 37 — Do Not Walk with Arrogance
وَلَا تَمشِ فِي الأَرضِ مَرَحًا ۖ إِنَّكَ لَن تَخرِقَ الأَرضَ وَلَن تَبلُغَ الجِبَالَ طُولًا
5.1 مَرَحًا — A Ḥāl
مَرَحًا = merry, exuberant, self-important. It is a Ḥāl of the walker — the manner of walking: arrogant, striding as if the earth is yours.
| Arabic | Root | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| مَرَح | م-ر-ح | cheerfulness; exuberance; arrogant swagger |
| خَرَقَ | خ-ر-ق | to tear, pierce, make a hole |
| طُولًا | ط-و-ل | tamyīz (specifier): in height |
| بَلَغَ | ب-ل-غ | to reach |
لَن تَخرِقَ الأَرضَ — You will never pierce through the earth. لَن تَبلُغَ الجِبَالَ طُولًا — You will never reach the mountains in their height.
A powerful reminder of human weakness: the very earth and mountains you walk among are incomparably greater than you. Walk with humility.
6. Ayaat 38–39 — Summary: Hateful to Allah
كُلُّ ذَٰلِكَ كَانَ سَيِّئُهُ عِندَ رَبِّكَ مَكرُوهًا (38) ذَٰلِكَ مِمَّا أَوحَى إِلَيكَ رَبُّكَ مِنَ الْحِكمَةِ (39)
6.1 Vocabulary
| Arabic | Root | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| مَكرُوه | ك-ر-ه | hated, disliked; opposite of مُستَحَبّ |
| مَذمُوم | ذ-م-م | blameworthy, condemned |
| مَدحُور | د-ح-ر | banished, driven away |
| حِكمَة / حِكَم | ح-ك-م | wisdom; plural: حِكَم |
| مِن الْحِكمَةِ | — | partitive مِن: "some of the wisdom" — not ALL the wisdom, but a selection |
6.2 The Commandments Summarized
All the commandments from Ayah 23 to Ayah 37 form a unified passage of divine wisdom — sometimes called the "Quranic Ten Commandments":
| Ayah | Command |
|---|---|
| 23 | Do not worship except Allah; be good to parents |
| 24 | Lower the wing of humility to them; make duʿāʾ for them |
| 25 | Allah knows what is in your hearts; He forgives the repentant |
| 26 | Give the kinsman, the needy, and the wayfarer their due |
| 27 | Do not squander wastefully |
| 28 | If you must turn away, do so gently |
| 29 | Don't be miserly; don't be extravagant |
| 30 | Allah expands and restricts provision — He knows, He sees |
| 31 | Do not kill your children for fear of poverty |
| 32 | Do not come near zinā |
| 33 | Do not kill a soul unlawfully |
| 34 | Do not approach the orphan's property except to improve it |
| 35 | Fulfill measure and weight honestly |
| 36 | Do not follow what you have no knowledge of |
| 37 | Do not walk on earth with arrogance |
All of this is "part of the wisdom which your Lord has revealed to you."
7. Grammar Notes — Nested Sentences
7.1 Sentences in Place of Nouns
A complete sentence (جُملَة) cannot itself be marfūʿ or manṣūb or majrūr the way a noun is. Instead, when a sentence comes in the position of a noun, we say:
The sentence is in the place of (فِي مَحَلِّ) marfūʿ/manṣūb/majrūr.
Example from Ayah 36:
إِنَّ السَّمعَ... كُلُّ أُولَئِكَ كَانَ عَنهُ مَسؤُولًا
- The clause كُلُّ أُولَئِكَ كَانَ... is the khabar of إِنَّ → it is in the place of marfūʿ
- Within that clause: كَانَ = فعل ناقص; كُلُّ = اسم كان; مَسؤُولًا = خبر كان
7.2 مَفعُول المُطلَق نَائِب (Deputizing Maṣdar for Ḥāl)
Sometimes a maṣdar comes as a Ḥāl rather than as a standard مفعول مطلق. When it does, it deputizes (يَنُوبُ عَن) the actual form and is analyzed as نَائِب عَن الحَال.
Example: جَاءَ بَغتَةً — "He came suddenly." بَغتَةً is a maṣdar but functions as a Ḥāl.
8. Vocabulary Summary
| Arabic | Root | Form | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| قُتِلَ | ق-ت-ل | passive of Form I | was killed |
| مَظلُوم | ظ-ل-م | اسم مفعول | wrongfully treated; unjustly |
| وَلِيّ | و-ل-ي | فَعِيل | guardian; protector; heir |
| سُلطَان | س-ل-ط | فُعلَان | authority; power; Sultan |
| يَتِيم | ي-ت-م | فَعِيل | orphan (minor whose father died) |
| أَشُدّ | ش-د-د | pattern of plural, singular meaning | age of maturity |
| وَفَّى | و-ف-ي | Form II | to fulfill completely |
| عَهد | ع-ه-د | فَعل | promise, covenant |
| قِسطَاس | — | — | balance, scales (twice in Quran) |
| مَرَح | م-ر-ح | فَعَل | arrogant swagger; exuberance |
| خَرَقَ | خ-ر-ق | Form I | to pierce, tear |
| مَكرُوه | ك-ر-ه | اسم مفعول | disliked, hated |
| حِكمَة / حِكَم | ح-ك-م | فِعلَة / فِعَل | wisdom |
| أَوحَى | و-ح-ي | Form IV | to reveal (wahi); also: to communicate without words |
9. Key Lessons from This Session
Summary of Lessons
- Passive voice (نائب الفاعل) looks identical to فاعل in form — both are marfūʿ — but means the opposite (actor vs. acted-upon).
- "The promise will be questioned" (الْعَهدُ كَانَ مَسؤُولًا) is a rhetorical device far more powerful than "you will be questioned about the promise."
- Ayah 36 prohibits making decisions or statements based on hearsay, suspicion, or unverified information — a command urgently relevant in the age of social media.
- أُولَئِكَ can refer to non-intelligent nouns in literary Arabic (as confirmed by Ibn Mālik's Alfiyya). The Quran uses it for hearing, sight, and heart to elevate them as accountable faculties.
- The passage from Ayah 23–39 constitutes a unified code of conduct — the Quranic equivalent of the Ten Commandments, covering worship, family, property, life, and character.
This session completed the book "Selected Ayaat of Surah al-Israa." The series will continue after Ramadan with further studies. The topic of the different types of Lām (لَام) was deferred to the next series.