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wa-law-lā ʾan thabbatnāka la-qad kidta tarkanu ʾilayhim shayʾan qalīlan
And had We not fortified you, certainly you might have inclined toward them a bit.
— Ali Quli Qarai
17Al-Isrā’الإسراءVerse 74 of 111
The Night Journey17. Al-Isrā’الإسراء
Al Isrā’
The Night Journey
MeccanVerse 74 of 111
Surah Isra’ – Verses 74 - 75
74. “And had it not been that We had established you already, you would certainly have been near to incline towards them a little.”
75. “In that case, We would certainly have made you taste a double (punishment) in this life and a double (punishment) after death, then you would not have found any helper for you against Us.”
If such were not the case that We had protected you by bestowing upon you the power of infallibility and of Our grace, you were almost about to approach them, showing your inclination, thus putting into practice some of their wishes. The verse says:
“And had it not been that We had established you already, you would certainly have been near to incline towards them a little.”
In such a case, We would make you taste twice the penalty of the world and the Hereafter. That is, whatever amount of punishment We have procured for the sinners in this world and in the hereafter, and after their death, We would similarly double it for you. This statement provides justifications for the evil and grand nature of the sin as well as that of the position of the sinner. That is, the greater the position of the sinner, the greater the sin and, hence, the greater its punishment would be.
The verse says:
“In that case, We would certainly have made you taste a double (punishment) in this life and a double (punishment) after death, then you would not have found any helper for you against Us.”
Imam Rida (as) and Ibn Abbas have both been quoted as saying that the Messenger of Allah (S) enjoyed the ‘position of infallibility’ and was ‘immune against all sins’10. Nevertheless, this verse, which is addressed to the Prophet (S), aims at dissuading the faithful from showing the slightest inclination towards the pagans in all commandments of Allah. In the meantime, this verse is not incompatible in any way with the Prophet’s (S) infallibility.
The sentence,
does not imply committing sin. Moreover, the sentence:
is conditional. That is, if We had not provided protection, perhaps you were going to be inclined. However, as that protection was provided that inclination was non-existent. In other cases also conditionality ‘if’ does not imply decisiveness in fulfilling the action, as in verses 44 to 46 of Surah Al-Haqqah which mean if he falsely attributes, We cut off his main vein. Other similar case includes verse 65 of Surah Az-Zumar, No. 39 which says:
which implies that the act has not been performed. Thus, the slightest backing down from divine principals and values is not allowed, since that will be regarded as a victory for the enemies. In Islamic sources, we read:
“When the above three verses were revealed, the Prophet (S) invoked:
“O’ Lord! Do not leave me on my own even within the space of one blinking of eyes!”
This very meaningful prayer of the Prophet (S) provides an important lesson for all of us, showing that all must seek refuge to Allah and rely on His grace while one notes that even ‘Immaculate prophets’ have not been able to resist slipping and stumbling, much less in our case in face of all satanical temptations.
Footnotes