Allah says to His Messenger , encouraging him to convey the Message and
informing him that He is protecting him from the people, that He is able to deal
with them and that they are in His grasp and under His domination and control.
[وَإِذْ قُلْنَا لَكَ
إِنَّ رَبَّكَ أَحَاطَ بِالنَّاسِ]
(And (remember) when We told you: "Verily, your Lord has encompassed
mankind..'') Mujahid, `Urwah bin Az-Az-Zubayr, Al-Hasan, Qatadah and others
said, "This means, He protected you from them.''
[وَمَا جَعَلْنَا
الرُّءْيَا الَّتِى أَرَيْنَـكَ إِلاَّ فِتْنَةً لِّلنَّاسِ]
(And We made not the vision which We showed you but a trial for mankind,)
Al-Bukhari recorded that Ibn `Abbas said:
[وَمَا جَعَلْنَا
الرُّءْيَا الَّتِى أَرَيْنَـكَ إِلاَّ فِتْنَةً لِّلنَّاسِ]
(And We made not the vision which We showed you but a trial for mankind,)
"This is the vision which the Messenger of Allah saw with his own eyes on the
night when he was taken on the Night Journey (Al-Isra').
[وَالشَّجَرَةَ
الْمَلْعُونَةَ فِى القُرْءَانِ]
and (likewise) the accursed tree in the Qur a0n. refers to the Tree of
Zaqqum.'' This was also recorded by Ahmad, `Abdur-Razzaq and others. It was also
reported by Al-`Awfi from Ibn `Abbas. It was also interpreted as referring to
the Night of the Isra' by Mujahid, Sa`id bin Jubayr, Al-Hasan, Masruq, Ibrahim,
Qatadah, `Abdur-Rahman bin Zayd and several others. We have already quoted at
length a comprehensive collection of Hadith about the Isra' at the beginning of
this Surah, praise be to Allah. We have also already stated that some people
gave up their Islam after they had been following the truth, because their
hearts and minds could not comprehend that, and they denied what their knowledge
could not grasp, but Allah caused it to increase and strengthen the faith of
others, and so He says:
[إِلاَّ
فِتْنَةً]
(but a trial), meaning a test. As for the cursed tree, this is the Tree of
Zaqqum. When the Messenger of Allah told them that he had seen Paradise and
Hell, and seen the Tree of Zaqqum, they did not believe that, and Abu Jahl, upon
whom be the curses of Allah, even said, "Bring us some dates and butter,'' and
he started eating them and saying, "Let us have some Zaqqum, we don't know any
other Zaqqum but this.'' This was narrated by Ibn `Abbas, Masruq, Abu Malik,
Al-Hasan Al-Basri and others. Everyone who interpreted the Ayah to refer to the
Night of the Isra', also interpreted it to refer to the Tree of Zaqqum.
[وَنُخَوِّفُهُمْ]
([We] make them afraid) meaning, `We make the disbelievers afraid with Our
warnings and punishments and torment.'
[فَمَا يَزِيدُهُمْ
إِلاَّ طُغْيَانًا كَبِيرًا]
(but it only increases them in naught save great disbelief, oppression and
disobedience to Allah.) means, it only pushes them further into their disbelief
and misguidance, and this is because Allah has forsaken them.
[وَإِذْ قُلْنَا
لِلْمَلَـئِكَةِ اسْجُدُواْ لآدَمَ فَسَجَدُواْ إَلاَّ إِبْلِيسَ قَالَ أَءَسْجُدُ
لِمَنْ خَلَقْتَ طِينًا - قَالَ أَرَءَيْتَكَ هَـذَا الَّذِى كَرَّمْتَ عَلَىَّ
لَئِنْ أَخَّرْتَنِ إِلَى يَوْمِ الْقِيَـمَةِ لأَحْتَنِكَنَّ ذُرِّيَّتَهُ إَلاَّ
قَلِيلاً ]
(61. And (remember) when We said to the angels: "Prostrate yourselves unto
Adam.'' They prostrated themselves except Iblis. He said: "Shall I prostrate
myself to one whom You created from clay'') (62. He said: "See this one whom You
have honored above me, if You give me respite to the Day of Resurrection, I will
surely, seize and mislead his offspring, all but a few!'')