Surah Al-Isra (The Night Journey ) 17 : 85

Overview (Verses 85 - 88)

Man’s Scanty Knowledge
 
At this point the sūrah mentions how some unbelievers questioned the Prophet about the spirit and its nature. The consistent approach of the Qur’ān, which is indeed the best approach, is to answer people when they ask about matters that they need to know about and to give them answers that their faculties can understand and learn. It does not waste the intellectual faculties God has given them in pursuits that are of no use to them. Nor does it carry them over domains which they cannot comprehend. Hence, when they asked about the spirit and its nature, the Prophet was instructed to tell them that such knowledge belonged to God alone. None other than Him has such knowledge. “They question you about the spirit. Say, ‘The [knowledge of the nature of the] spirit belongs to my Lord alone. You, [mankind], have been granted but little knowledge.’” (Verse 85)
 
Such an answer does not present a barrier preventing the proper working of the human intellect. It simply directs such intellect to concentrate its efforts within the limits of its power and the domain where it can profitably function. It is worthless to roam endlessly in a maze. Similarly, it is pointless to spend one’s mental energies pursuing what we are not equipped to comprehend. The spirit is one such pursuit. It belongs to the realm that lies beyond the reach of human perception. It is a secret God has kept to Himself. He has breathed spirit into man and some other creatures whose nature is unknown to us. Compared to God’s absolute knowledge, human knowledge is limited. The secrets of existence are too great to be understood by man’s finite reason. It is not man’s role to manage all the affairs of the universe, and as such, his powers are not limitless. Instead he has been given such powers as are sufficient for him to control his own world and to fulfil his mission of building the earth and bringing it to the best standard possible within the limits of his faculties and knowledge.
 
Man has been able to achieve high standards with his inventive powers. However, he looks helplessly at the spirit, unable to fathom its secrets, or to comprehend its nature. He does not know how the spirit comes to us and how it departs, where it comes from and to where it eventually goes. He knows nothing of the spirit except the information God has given us in the revelations He has bestowed from on high. This information provides knowledge that is certain, beyond doubt. It comes from the One who knows everything. Had it been His will, He would have deprived mankind of such knowledge, taking away what He revealed to His Messenger. But He does not do so as an act of grace: “Had We so willed, We would have taken away that which We have revealed to you. In that case, you would not find anyone to plead with Us on your behalf except through the grace of your Lord. His favour towards you has been great indeed.” (Verses 86-87)
 
God reminds His Messenger of this act of grace. It is undeniable grace that God has chosen to bestow revelations on His Messenger, and to keep them intact. This is a great favour granted to mankind, since the Qur’ān gives them guidance and blessings, one generation after another.
 
Just as the spirit is one of the secrets that God keeps to Himself, the Qur’ān is God’s book that human beings cannot emulate. Indeed, neither human beings nor jinn, representing the visible and invisible types of creation, can produce anything similar to the Qur’ān, even if they were to muster all their powers in a single effort to achieve this task: “Say: ‘If all mankind and the jinn were to gather together for the purpose of producing the like of this Qur’ān, they would not produce anything like it, even though they helped one another as best they could.’” (Verse 88)
 
The Qur’ān is not mere words and expressions that humans and jinn may try to emulate. It is but one of God’s works, the like of which no creature can produce. It is just like the spirit whose nature is known only to God. Creatures cannot fathom its complete secret, even though they may understand some of its aspects, features and merits.
 
The Qur’ān is indeed a complete and perfect way of life. It provides a method that takes into account all the laws of nature that affect the human soul in all its situations, as well as those affecting human communities in all conditions and stages of development. It provides solutions that apply to a single human being, and others for a closely knit community, providing legislation and rules that suit human nature and its complex bonds, feelings and directions. Its solutions are perfectly coherent and fully consistent. They lose sight of nothing that is relevant, or any possible option. Nor do they ignore any of the conflicting circumstances that may affect the life of the individual or the community. This is only possible because these laws and legislation are made by God who is fully aware of human nature in all its conditions and its complexities.
 
Man-made systems, on the other hand, betray man’s limitations and reflect his circumstances. They cannot allow for all eventualities at the same time. They may treat an individual or social aspect with something that could easily lead to a situation requiring some other treatment. The miracle of the Qur’ān is far greater than its superb construction and infallible meanings. Indeed the inability of all human beings and jinn to produce anything similar to it includes also their inability to produce any system that encompasses all the areas it tackles.