17:18 Al-Israa (The Night Journey)

يخبر تعالى أن { مَنْ كَانَ يُرِيدُ } الدنيا { العاجلة } المنقضية الزائلة فعمل لها وسعى، ونسي المبتدأ أو المنتهى أن الله يعجل له من حطامها ومتاعها ما يشاؤه ويريده مما كتب [الله] له في اللوح المحفوظ ولكنه متاع غير نافع ولا دائم له. ثم يجعل له في الآخرة { جَهَنَّمَ يَصْلَاهَا } أي: يباشر عذابها { مَذْمُومًا مَدْحُورًا } أي: في حالة الخزي والفضيحة والذم من الله ومن خلقه، والبعد عن رحمة الله فيجمع له بين العذاب والفضيحة.

يخبر تعالى أنه ما كل من طلب الدنيا وما فيها من النعيم يحصل له بل إنما يحصل لمن أراد الله وما يشاء وهذه مقيدة لإطلاق ما سواها من الآيات فإنه قال "عجلنا له فيها ما نشاء لمن نريد ثم جعلنا له جهنم" أي في الدار الآخرة "يصلاها" أي يدخلها حتى تغمره من جميع جوانبه "مذموما" أي في حال كونه مذموما على سوء تصرفه وصنيعه إذ أختار الفاني على الباقي "مدحورا" مبعدا مقصيا حقيرا ذليلا مهانا. روى الإمام أحمد حدثنا حسين حدثنا رويد عن أبي إسحاق عن زرعة عن عائشة رضي الله عنها قالت: قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم الدنيا دار من لا دار له ومال من لا مال له ولها يجمع من لا عقل له.

The Reward of Those who desire this World and Those who desire the Hereafter

Allah tells us that not everyone who desires this world and its luxuries gets what he wants. That is attained by those whom Allah wants to have it, and they get what He wills that they should get. This Ayah narrows down the general statements made in other Ayat. Allah says:

عَجَّلْنَا لَهُ فِيهَا مَا نَشَآءُ لِمَن نُّرِيدُ ثُمَّ جَعَلْنَا لَهُ جَهَنَّمَ

(We readily grant him what We will for whom We like. Then, afterwards, We have appointed for him Hell) meaning, in the Hereafter,

يَصْلَـهَآ

(he will burn therein) means, he will enter it until it covers him on all sides,

مَذْمُومًا

(disgraced) means, blamed for his bad behaviour and evil deeds, because he chose the transient over the eternal,

مَّدْحُورًا

(rejected.) means, far away (from Allah's mercy), humiliated and put to shame.

وَمَنْ أَرَادَ الاٌّخِرَةَ

(And whoever desires the Hereafter) wanting the Hereafter and its blessings and delights,

وَسَعَى لَهَا سَعْيَهَا

(and strives for it, with the necessary effort due for it) seeking it in the right way, which is following the Messenger .

وَهُوَ مُؤْمِنٌ

(while he is a believer,) means, his heart has faith, i.e., he believes in the reward and punishment,

فَأُولَـئِكَ كَانَ سَعْيُهُم مَّشْكُورًا

(then such are the ones whose striving shall be appreciated, (rewarded by Allah).)

Whoever desires through his deeds the hasty world that is the life of this world We hasten for him therein whatever We will for whom We please such a hastening li-man nurīd ‘for whom We please’ is a substitute for lahu ‘for him’ with the repetition of the genitive particle li-. Then We appoint for him in the Hereafter Hell to which he will be exposed to which he will be admitted condemned blameful and rejected banished from God’s mercy.

Commentary

Two behavior models of human beings appear in the cited verses side by side. As for those who elect to go for the readily available benefits out of their life in this world, and the punishment that comes in its wake, the words used were: مَّن كَانَ يُرِ‌يدُ الْعَاجِلَةَ (Whoever opts for the immediate life herein - 18). These words signify continuity and permanence meaning that this punishment of Hell will materialize only when one's actions are all the time motivated by material interests only, having practically no concern for the Hereafter. And as for 'those who desire to have the Here-after and its rewards,' the words used were: أَرَ‌ادَ الْآخِرَ‌ةَ ۔ The sense is that as soon as a true believer were to form an intention to have the reward of the Hereafter in whatever he proposes to do, that deed of his shall stand accepted - irrespective of any corruptive element having entered into something else he was intending to do.

The first condition can only be that of a denier of the Hereafter, therefore, none of his deeds is acceptable. Then, the second condition is that of a true believer. A particular deed by him that issues forth with sincerity of intention, and is for the Hereafter - along with the presence of other conditions - shall be acceptable. And a deed even from the same person, a deed that has no sincerity, or where other conditions are missing, will not be acceptable.