Tafseer of The Night Journey · Al-Israa · 17:108
And they say, "Exalted is our Lord! Indeed, the promise of our Lord has been fulfilled."
Important: The Arabic source text is always authoritative. This translation is a study aid and has not been verified by scholars — do not use it as a basis for religious proof or for deriving rulings (ahkam). When in doubt, always consult the Arabic text and a qualified scholar.
His word سُبْحَانَ رَبِّنَا إِنْ كَانَ وَعْدُ رَبِّنَا لَمَفْعُولا (Glory be to our Lord — the promise of our Lord is indeed fulfilled): Allah the Exalted says: These people who were endowed with knowledge before the descent of this Qurʾān say, when they have fallen down upon their jaws in prostration upon hearing the Qurʾān that is recited to them — glorifying their Lord and absolving Him of what the polytheists (mushrikīn) attribute to Him — that the promise of our Lord concerning reward and punishment is none other than fulfilled, true, and certain. This is belief in the Qurʾān and affirmation of it. The word aḏqān (jaws) in Arabic is the plural of ḏaqan (chin) — that is the meeting point of the two jawbones (laḥy). If that is so, then what al-Ḥasan said about this word is the most consistent with the apparent meaning of the revelation.
In accordance with what we have said, the exegetes spoke — despite their disagreement among themselves over who is intended in His word أُوتُوا الْعِلْمَ (who are endowed with knowledge) and in يُتْلَى عَلَيْهِمْ (when it is recited to them).
* Mention of who said that:
Al-Qāsim related to us, saying: al-Ḥusayn related to us, saying: Ḥajjāj related to me, on the authority of Ibn Jurayj, saying: Mujāhid said concerning الَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْعِلْمَ مِنْ قَبْلِهِ (those who were endowed with knowledge before it) ... up to His word ... خُشُوعًا (in humility): "These are people from among the People of the Book who, when they heard what Allah had sent down upon Muhammad, said: سُبْحَانَ رَبِّنَا إِنْ كَانَ وَعْدُ رَبِّنَا لَمَفْعُولا (Glory be to our Lord — the promise of our Lord is indeed fulfilled)."
Yūnus related to me, saying: Ibn Wahb informed us, saying: Ibn Zayd said concerning His word قُلْ آمِنُوا بِهِ أَوْ لا تُؤْمِنُوا إِنَّ الَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْعِلْمَ مِنْ قَبْلِهِ (Say: believe in it or do not believe — those who were endowed with knowledge before it) — that is, before the Prophet ﷺ — إِذَا يُتْلَى عَلَيْهِمْ what had been sent down to them from Allah يَخِرُّونَ لِلأَذْقَانِ سُجَّدًا * وَيَقُولُونَ سُبْحَانَ رَبِّنَا إِنْ كَانَ وَعْدُ رَبِّنَا لَمَفْعُولا (they fall down upon their jaws in prostration and say: 'Glory be to our Lord — the promise of our Lord is indeed fulfilled')."
Others said: by His word الَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْعِلْمَ مِنْ قَبْلِهِ is meant: before the Qurʾān that was sent down upon Muhammad ﷺ.
* Mention of who said that:
Al-Qāsim related to us, saying: al-Ḥusayn related to us, saying: Ḥajjāj related to me, on the authority of Ibn Jurayj, concerning His word إِذَا يُتْلَى عَلَيْهِمْ (when it is recited to them): "their Book."
Yūnus related to me, saying: Ibn Wahb informed us, saying: Ibn Zayd said concerning His word إِذَا يُتْلَى عَلَيْهِمْ (when it is recited to them): "what Allah had sent down to them from His side."
We say that by إِذَا يُتْلَى عَلَيْهِمْ the Qurʾān is meant, because the passage stands in the context of mentioning the Qurʾān, and no other Book has been mentioned earlier to which the discourse could be referred back. For this reason I assigned the pronoun in His word مِنْ قَبْلِهِ to the Qurʾān, for the discourse preceding this verse was about it, namely in His word وَقُرْآنًا فَرَقْنَاهُ and what comes after it in the context concerning it. That is why the correctness of what we have said stands firm, so long as no counter-proof comes that requires acceptance.
