Does Allah Command Immorality in Surah Al-Isra?
Does Allah Command Immorality in Surah Al-Isra?
Some sophists imagine that there is a contradiction between the words of Allah Almighty:
“Indeed, Allah does not command immorality. Do you say about Allah that which you do not know?”
And His words Almighty:
“And when We desire to destroy a city, We command its affluent ones, but they defiantly disobey therein.”
Their aim behind that is to attack the infallibility of the Holy Qur’an.
Ways to Refute the Doubt
Allah Almighty does not command immorality nor is He pleased with it. The command in the verse, “We commanded its affluent ones,” is understood either as a legal command to obey, which they disobeyed, or as a cosmic command connected to divine decree. Some commentators also explained the word as meaning increase or leadership, depending on the reading and linguistic usage.
The refutation rests on three points.
First, Allah Almighty does not command immorality nor is He pleased with it.
Second, the type of command in His words, “We commanded its affluent ones,” is either a legal command or a cosmic command.
Third, some commentators said that the meaning of the word “command” in this verse is either “increase,” meaning Allah increased its affluent ones, or “We made them leaders,” according to the reading with emphasis.
Allah Does Not Command Immorality
Allah Almighty does not command immorality nor is He pleased with it.
It was said in the interpretation of the words of Allah Almighty:
“And when they commit an immorality, they say, ‘We found our fathers doing it, and Allah has commanded us to do it.’ Say, ‘Indeed, Allah does not command immorality. Do you say about Allah that which you do not know?’”
That the polytheists in the Age of Ignorance used to circumambulate the House naked, both men and women.
When it was said to them, “Why do you do that?” they replied:
We found our fathers doing it, and Allah commanded us to do it.
Then Islam came and responded to their statement. Allah Almighty said:
“Indeed, Allah does not command immorality.”
“By Allah, Allah has never forced a servant to disobey Him, nor has He been pleased with it for him nor commanded it. Rather, He was pleased with your obedience to Him, and forbade you from disobeying Him.”
The Meaning of “We Commanded Its Affluent Ones”
The type of command in Allah Almighty’s statement:
“We commanded its affluent ones.”
Is either a legal command or a cosmic command.
A cosmic command is Allah’s command of decree. It concerns what Allah creates and allows to occur by divine wisdom, whether He loves that thing religiously or does not love it.
A legal command is only in what Allah loves, Glory be to Him, but it is not necessary for it to be fulfilled. Allah Almighty commands the implementation of His law, and He loves that, but many countries have not done so.
The cosmic command may concern what Allah loves and what He does not love, but it necessarily occurs due to a higher divine wisdom. Satan was created by Allah’s command, but Allah Almighty does not love him.
First Explanation: The Command Is Legal
If the command in Surah Al-Isra is a legal command, then the meaning is:
But they were immoral, disobeyed Allah, rejected His command, and denied His Messengers, so the threat was made against them and punishment became due.
This is like saying:
I commanded so-and-so, and he disobeyed me.
From this is the saying of the poet:
I gave them my orders at the bend of the brigade,
But they did not make up their minds until the next morning.
This interpretation is consistent with what precedes the verse:
“Whoever is guided is only guided for the benefit of his soul, and whoever goes astray only goes astray to its detriment. And no bearer of burdens will bear the burden of another. And We never punish until We have sent a messenger.”
It is also consistent with what comes after it:
“And how many generations have We destroyed after Noah? And sufficient is your Lord, concerning the sins of His servants, as Knowing and Seeing.”
Among the verses that indicate this meaning is the statement of Allah Almighty:
“And We did not send a warner to any city but its affluent said, ‘Indeed, we, in that with which you have been sent, are disbelievers.’”
The wording here is general regarding the affluent people of all cities. The messengers commanded them to obey Allah, but they responded:
“Indeed, we, in that with which you have been sent, are disbelievers.”
And they boasted about their wealth and children.
The meaning is: We commanded its affluent people to obey, but they committed indecencies and deserved punishment.
Ibn Jarir narrated this meaning from Ibn Abbas, and Saeed bin Jubair also held this view.
Second Explanation: The Command Is Cosmic
If the command is a cosmic command, then the meaning, according to what some scholars stated, is that the command in the words of Allah Almighty:
“We commanded its affluent ones.”
Is a cosmic predestined command.
The predestined command is like His words Almighty:
“His command, when He intends a thing, is only to say to it, ‘Be,’ and it is.”
And His words Almighty:
“Our command came to them by night or by day.”
And His words Almighty:
“And Our command was but one, like the twinkling of an eye.”
And His words Almighty:
“So We said to them, ‘Be apes, despised.’”
Accordingly, what is meant here is: Allah decreed immorality upon them and subjected them to committing indecencies, because everyone is facilitated for what he was created for.
Meaning: it was previously known to Allah that these affluent people, even though Allah guided them to the two paths of good and evil, would incline by their own will toward following the path of immorality.
The command in Surah Al-Isra is a cosmic predestined command, while the command denied in Surah Al-A’raf is a religious legal command to commit immorality.
Other Interpretations of “We Commanded”
The commentators differed regarding the meaning of the word command in Allah Almighty’s statement:
“We commanded its affluent ones.”
Among these interpretations are the following.
First Interpretation: We Increased Its Affluent Ones
One interpretation is that We commanded its affluent ones means:
We increased its affluent ones.
Meaning: Allah increased its affluent people so that they would obey, but they committed sin.
This is why He said after that:
“And how many generations have We destroyed after Noah.”
All of that is encouragement toward obedience and warning against disobedience.
In Arabic,amr can carry the meaning of becoming numerous and appearing.
What indicates this is what was reported from Abdullah ibn Masoud, who said:
We used to say to a tribe when they became numerous in the pre-Islamic era: the Banu so-and-so became amr.
From this is also the long hadith of Abu Sufyan with Heraclius, in which Abu Sufyan said:
“The amr of Ibn Abi Kabsha has appeared; the king of the yellow people fears him.”
Second Interpretation: We Made Them Leaders
Another interpretation is based on the reading:
Amarna mutrafeeha
With emphasis, meaning:
We made them princes.
So they went astray and led their people astray.
This only comes according to the reading of the one who read it as amarna mutrafeeha.
Ali ibn Talha reported from Ibn Abbas that His saying:
“We commanded its affluent ones, so they disobeyed therein.”
Means:
We gave power to its wicked ones, so they disobeyed therein. If they did that, Allah would destroy them with punishment.
This is His saying:
“And thus We have placed in every town the greatest of its criminals to plot therein. But they plot not except against themselves, and they perceive it not.”
This was also the view of Abu Al-Aaliyah, Mujahid, and Al-Rabi’ ibn Anas.
This explanation invalidates the claim that the Qur’an contradicts itself regarding the command to commit indecency and the prohibition of it.
Conclusion
The people of the Age of Ignorance used to circumambulate the Kaaba naked and say: “We found our fathers doing it and Allah commanded us to do it.” Allah explained to them that He does not love indecency and does not command it.
The type of command in His Almighty’s statement:
“We commanded its affluent ones.”
May be legal. In that case, the meaning is that Allah commanded them to obey and follow His Messengers, but they refused, disobeyed, and committed sin, so punishment was justified against them. The object of the command is omitted because it is known, since Allah Almighty only commands obedience.
Or it may be universal. In that case, the meaning is that Allah Almighty, when He knew from eternity that its affluent ones would go astray, decreed sin for them, so they committed sin, and punishment was justified against them.
Some commentators also said that the meaning may be: We increased their affluent people, because the word amr can be used to mean increased and became great. Or it may mean: We made them leaders, according to the emphatic reading, so they led their people astray.
Thus, there is no contradiction between the two verses.
Source Notes
Adwa’ Al-Bayan, Al-Shanqeeti, Ibn Taymiyyah Library, Cairo, 1992, vol. 3, p. 441.
See: Daf’ Iham Al-I’tirad ‘an Ayat Al-Kitab, Sheikh Muhammad Al-Amin Al-Shanqeeti, Arab History Foundation, Beirut, 2nd edition, 1420 AH / 2000 CE, pp. 107-108.
See also: Response to the Book “Divine Errors in the Holy Qur’an”, Islamic Research Complex, Dar Al-Sa’ada, Cairo, 2003, pp. 60-62.
Also referenced: Tanzih Al-Qur’an from Objections, Judge Abdul-Jabbar, edited by Dr.
The report from Abdullah ibn Masoud was narrated by Al-Bukhari in his Sahih, Book of Interpretation, Chapter of Surat Al-Isra, no. 4434.
The hadith of Abu Sufyan with Heraclius was narrated by Al-Bukhari in his Sahih, Book of Jihad and Expeditions, Chapter of the Prophet’s Call to Islam and Prophethood, no. 2782, and in other places, and by Muslim in his Sahih, Book of Jihad and Expeditions, Chapter of the Prophet’s Letter to Heraclius Inviting Him to Islam, no. 4707.
Al-Bayan fi Daf’ Al-Ta’arud Al-Mutawahham Bayna Ayat Al-Qur’an, Dr. Muhammad Abu Al-Nur Al-Hadidi, Al-Amanah Library, Cairo, 1401 AH / 1981 CE, pp. 118-119.
Jami’ Al-Bayan ‘an Ta’wil Ayat Al-Qur’an, Muhammad ibn Jarir Al-Tabari, under the interpretation of the verse.