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Draft:Verse 33 of Surah al-Isra

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Verse 33 of Surah al-Isra
Verse's Information
Suraal-Isra' (Qur'an 17)
Verse15
Juz'15
Content Information
Cause of
Revelation		In response to an inquiry regarding the son of Lady Khadija (a) or in reaction to a claim by al-Walid b. al-Mughira
Place of
Revelation		Mecca
TopicHuman free will in choosing the path of guidance or misguidance • Legal responsibility for human behavior • Inadmissibility of the plea of deception • Exemption from punishment for minor children of polytheists • Punishment contingent upon the mission of divine messengers.
OthersPrinciple of Bara'a • Ontological Goodness and Evil
Related VersesQur'an 6:25 • Qur'an 29:13 • Qur'an 16:25


Qur'an 17:15, renowned as the Ayah of the Negation of Punishment without Clarification (aya nafy al-'adhab bila bayan), elucidates the relationship between human beings and their actions. According to the themes of this verse, the consequences of guidance or misguidance redound solely to the individual, and each soul bears its own burden of sin. Furthermore, the verse establishes that God does not inflict punishment without first sending a prophet and thereby completing the argument.

Scholars have cited this verse to substantiate human free will in choosing the path of guidance or error, affirming individual responsibility for one's actions and the refutation of the plea of deception. Likewise, the verse is referenced in discourses concerning the exemption from punishment of the minor children of polytheists and the implementation of extirpating punishment subsequent to the mission of divine messengers.

Qur'an 17:15 has engendered extensive theological debate regarding Goodness and Evil. The Ash'arites maintain that this verse indicates that no individual warrants punishment prior to the Legislation of Rulings. In principles of jurisprudence, this verse is regarded as a primary Quranic proof establishing the Principle of Bara'a (Original Non-Liability), as it demonstrates that prior to the clarification of religious rulings by messengers, no punishment is administered.

Some commentators attribute the occasion of revelation of this verse to an incident involving al-Walid b. al-Mughira, while other exegeses associate it with an inquiry by Lady Khadija (a) to the Prophet (s) concerning the fate of the minor children of polytheists.

Introduction

Qur'an 17:15, known as the Ayah of the Negation of Punishment without Clarification,[1] is classified as a Meccan verse and is situated in the 15th juz' of the Quran.[2] According to Tafsir-i nimuna, this verse is positioned within a sequence of verses addressing the reckoning of human deeds. This commentary highlights several themes derived from the verse, including: the personal benefit of accepting guidance, the detrimental consequences of misguidance, the personal responsibility of each individual for their own misguidance, and the matter of punishment subsequent to the sending of messengers.[3] In their exegesis of this verse, commentators have explored issues pertaining to Goodness and Evil.[4] In principles of jurisprudence, certain jurists have cited this verse to substantiate the Principle of Bara'a.[5]

Occasion of Revelation

Regarding the occasion of revelation of this verse, at least two perspectives exist. Citing a report from Ibn 'Abbas, it is stated that this verse was revealed when al-Walid b. al-Mughira urged the people of Mecca to renounce the Prophet (s), offering to bear the burden of that sin himself.[6] Additionally, a tradition from Aisha recounts that Khadija (a) questioned the Prophet concerning the children of polytheists. The Prophet (s) regarded them as sharing the rank of their fathers. When Khadija (a) asked what would happen to them in the hereafter, the Prophet replied: "God knows best." Khadija (a) subsequently inquired about the status of the children of polytheists following the advent of Islam, whereupon this verse was revealed.[7]

Usage of the Verse in Proving Individual Free Will and Responsibility

Qur'an 17:15 has been utilized to demonstrate human free will and individual responsibility. Some commentators interpret this verse as evidence of personal accountability for one's own spiritual gain and loss,[8] affirming that every individual is responsible for their own deeds and that no one bears the burden of another's sin.[9] The verse is also cited to affirm human free will in matters of guidance and misguidance,[10] asserting that destiny is not arbitrary, but rather that a human's lot is determined solely by their actions.[11]

In discussions concerning the mutual responsibility of followers and leaders of misguidance, the verse emphasizes that the misguided bear the burden of their own sin[12] and cannot attribute their actions solely to their leaders.[13] Furthermore, this verse has been applied to the interpretation regarding the non-punishment of polytheists' children on the Day of Judgment.[14]

The Place of the Verse in the Issue of Goodness and Evil

The phrase "We do not punish until We send a messenger," found in the final part of the verse, has generated extensive debate among the theological schools of Islam. The Ash'arites, Mu'tazila, and Imamiyya, citing this verse, have debated whether rational goodness and evil alone suffice to establish legal accountability.

  • Imamiyya: For the Imamiyya, this verse serves as evidence that the mission of messengers is necessary for the completion of the argument prior to punishment; God knows, prior to sending messengers, who will accept guidance and who will stray.[15] Allama Tabataba'i[16] and Muhammad Sadiqi Tihrani[17] hold that this verse pertains to worldly punishment, and that contravening rational dictates also merits retribution. Nasir Makarim Shirazi argues that while the verse encompasses all types of punishment, it does not exclude retribution for acts that reason itself judges to be evil (even in the absence of clarification).[18]
  • Ash'arites: From the Ash'arite perspective, this verse serves as a counter-argument to the Mu'tazilite doctrine of rational goodness and evil. al-Qurtubi[19] and Fakhr al-Razi[20] assert that in the absence of messengers, no obligation exists nor is punishment warranted; therefore, punishment is contingent upon legislation and the mission of messengers. Muhsin Qara'ati, offering a Shia perspective, has similarly argued that reason alone is insufficient for guidance; God must send messengers to establish human accountability.[21]
  • Mu'tazila: Among Mu'tazilite commentators, al-Zamakhshari maintains that humans merit punishment for violating the judgment of reason. He interprets the verse to mean that God, by sending His messengers, removes any excuse man might have for neglecting the dictates of reason.[22]

Application of the Verse to Prove Bara'a in Usul al-Fiqh

In principles of jurisprudence, Qur'an 17:15 is considered a primary Quranic proof for the Principle of Bara'a (the exemption of the mukallaf from liability in instances where no legal proof exists). The verse demonstrates that prior to the clarification of rulings by messengers, punishment is negated, thereby implying bara'a.[23]

Argument of the Opponents

Jurists such as al-Shaykh al-Ansari contest the derivation of bara'a from this verse. They argue, first, that the verse describes the divine sunna (precedent) of withholding worldly punishment from a nation until messengers are sent; consequently, it cannot serve as proof for human exemption (bara'a) from punishment in the hereafter.[24] Akhund Khurasani suggests that even if the verse refers to punishment in the hereafter, it may simply indicate that God's grace prevents the punishment from "occurring" before messengers are sent, rather than implying that the individuals are undeserving of it. Conversely, the Principle of Bara'a requires proof of the absence of liability for punishment.[25]

Response of the Supporters

Sayyid Abu l-Qasim al-Khu'i, responding to these objections, argues that first, if God negates worldly punishment, then a fortiori (by greater reason), He negates hereafter punishment, which is more severe. Second, the phrasing of the verse indicates that it is unbecoming of God to punish a human without sending a messenger; this impropriety demonstrates that the mukallaf was, fundamentally, not deserving of punishment.[26]

Notes

  1. ↑ Islamic Sciences and Culture Academy, Farhang-nāma-yi uṣūl-i fiqh, 1389 Sh, p. 63.
  2. ↑ Maʿrifat, al-Tamhīd fī ʿulūm al-Qurʾān, 1411 AH, vol. 1, pp. 134-136.
  3. ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, 1371-1374 Sh, vol. 12, pp. 47-52.
  4. ↑ Qurṭubī, al-Jāmiʿ li-aḥkām al-Qurʾān, 1405 AH, vol. 10, p. 231.
  5. ↑ Khūʾī, Miṣbāḥ al-uṣūl, 1417 AH, vol. 2, pp. 255-256.
  6. ↑ Qurṭubī, al-Jāmiʿ li-aḥkām al-Qurʾān, vol. 10, p. 230; Ibn ʿĀshūr, al-Taḥrīr wa l-tanwīr, 2000, vol. 14, p. 40.
  7. ↑ al-Suyūṭī, Lubāb al-nuqūl, Beirut, p. 122.
  8. ↑ Ṭabarī, Jāmiʿ al-bayān, 1412 AH, vol. 15, p. 41.
  9. ↑ Qarāʾatī, Tafsīr-i nūr, 1375 Sh, vol. 7, p. 31.
  10. ↑ Qarāʾatī, Tafsīr-i nūr, 1375 Sh, vol. 7, p. 31.
  11. ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, 1371-1374 Sh, vol. 12, p. 48; Karamī, al-Tafsīr li-kitāb Allāh al-munīr, 1402 AH, vol. 5, p. 198.
  12. ↑ Qarāʾatī, Tafsīr-i nūr, 1375 Sh, vol. 7, p. 31; Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, 1371-1374 Sh, vol. 12, p. 51.
  13. ↑ ʿAllāma Ṭabāṭabāʾī, al-Mīzān, Isma'iliyan, vol. 13, p. 57.
  14. ↑ Ḥuwayzī, Tafsīr nūr al-thaqalayn, 1415 AH, vol. 3, p. 144; Ṣādiqī Ṭihrānī, al-Furqān, Qom, vol. 17, p. 103; Qummī Mashhadī, Kanz al-daqāʾiq, 1367 Sh, vol. 7, p. 371.
  15. ↑ Ibn Shuʿba al-Ḥarrānī, Tuḥaf al-ʿuqūl, 1404 AH, pp. 474-475.
  16. ↑ ʿAllāma Ṭabāṭabāʾī, al-Mīzān, Isma'iliyan, vol. 13, pp. 57-58.
  17. ↑ Ṣādiqī Ṭihrānī, al-Furqān fī tafsīr al-Qurʾān bi-l-Qurʾān wa-l-Sunna, vol. 17, pp. 107-108.
  18. ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, 1371-1374 Sh, vol. 12, pp. 51-52.
  19. ↑ Qurṭubī, al-Jāmiʿ li-aḥkām al-Qurʾān, 1405 AH, vol. 10, p. 231.
  20. ↑ Fakhr al-Rāzī, al-Tafsīr al-kabīr, 1423 AH, vol. 20, p. 312.
  21. ↑ Qarāʾatī, Tafsīr-i nūr, 1375 Sh, vol. 7, p. 31.
  22. ↑ Zamakhsharī, al-Kashshāf, 1407 AH, vol. 2, p. 653.
  23. ↑ Khūʾī, Miṣbāḥ al-uṣūl, 1417 AH, vol. 2, p. 255; Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, 1371-1374 Sh, vol. 12, pp. 51-52.
  24. ↑ al-Shaykh al-Anṣārī, Farāʾid al-uṣūl, 1419 AH, vol. 2, pp. 22-23.
  25. ↑ Akhūnd Khurāsānī, Kifāyat al-uṣūl, 1384 Sh, vol. 3, p. 13; Khūʾī, Miṣbāḥ al-uṣūl, 1417 AH, vol. 2, p. 256.
  26. ↑ Khūʾī, Miṣbāḥ al-uṣūl, 1417 AH, vol. 2, p. 256.

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