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Qur'an 17:36

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Qur'an 17:36
Verse's Information
SuraSura al-Isra (Qur'an 17)
Verse36
Juz'15
Content Information
Place of
Revelation		Mecca
TopicProhibition of following that of which one has no knowledge.
Related VersesQur'an 17:23-39; Qur'an 41:20


Qur'an 17:36 issues a divine mandate prohibiting the pursuit of that of which one possesses no knowledge. The abstention from following unfounded information is categorized as an instance of wisdom.

The rationale provided in Qur'an 17:36 for this prohibition is eschatological: in the Hereafter, the human faculties of hearing, sight, and the heart will be interrogated and will bear witness regarding the veracity of what an individual heard, saw, or believed. Exegetes interpret this prohibition as encompassing both baseless beliefs and actions lacking a scientific or rational foundation. This injunction is viewed as a corollary of the dictates of nature. In this context, "knowledge" is defined as any awareness corresponding to reality, attained either through independent verification or legitimate imitation.

It is reported that a group of Shi'a scholars, citing Qur'an 17:36, have argued against the permissibility of acting upon analogy and solitary reports, positing that these methods do not yield certain knowledge. Furthermore, some exegetes have derived ethical principles from this verse, while others have identified it as a cornerstone of social order.

Do Not Follow What You Do Not Know

Exegetes unanimously interpret Qur'an 17:36 as a prohibition against following that of which one lacks knowledge.[1] Scholars such as Amin al-Islam al-Tabrisi and Allama Tabataba'i, noting the absolute nature of the prohibition, extend its scope to include both unfounded beliefs and actions.[2] Nasir Makarim Shirazi, a prominent Shi'a exegete, asserts that attempts by some commentators to restrict the verse's general applicability to specific instances lack reliable justification.[3]

Allama Tabataba'i posits that the prohibition in Qur'an 17:36 stems from the requirements of nature.[4] He argues that humans, driven by their innate disposition, strive throughout their lives to align their beliefs and actions with external realities—a correspondence achievable only through adherence to knowledge.[5]

This prohibition, along with adjacent ethical and social injunctions, is characterized in Qur'an 17:39 as an aspect of wisdom revealed by God to His Prophet.[6]

Reason for Prohibition of Following Non-Knowledge

The verse explicates the reason for this prohibition with the statement: "Indeed hearing, eyesight, and the heart—all of these are accountable."[7] This rationale implies that in the Hereafter, these faculties will be interrogated and will testify regarding the veracity of matters heard, seen, or believed. Consequently, individuals are obligated to avoid pursuing that of which they have no knowledge, as such pursuit may contradict reality.[8]

According to Makarim Shirazi, the specific mention of hearing and sight among the five senses reflects the fact that the majority of human sensory knowledge is acquired through these two channels.[9] It is noted that the use of the pronoun specific to rational beings (ulāʾika) in reference to these senses underscores their accountability in the Hereafter.[10]

Meaning of Knowledge

Allama Tabataba'i defines "knowledge" in Qur'an 17:36 as any awareness that corresponds to reality, whether attained independently or through imitation.[11] He maintains that imitation in matters where an individual lacks the capacity for independent verification—such as in the Branches of Religion or in consulting experts in scientific and technical fields—is itself an action consistent with nature.[12]

Fakhr al-Razi (544/1149–50 – 606/1210), a renowned Sunni exegete, extends the prohibition of Qur'an 17:36 to include following conjecture (ẓann: a mental state between doubt and certainty).[13] However, given that acting on conjecture is validated in certain religious rulings, Fakhr al-Razi restricts the generality of the verse's prohibition to reconcile this apparent conflict.[14] He argues that the authority of conjecture in specific religious contexts is excluded from the prohibition, with its permissibility grounded in the consensus of the Umma.[15] Allama Tabataba'i critiques this view, arguing that acting on conjecture is often supported by scientific and rational evidence. In such cases, following conjecture based on a scientific rationale for its obligation is tantamount to following knowledge.[16] Thus, he concludes that the generality of Qur'an 17:36 remains unrestricted.[17]

Jurisprudential and Usuli Inferences

A group of Shi'a scholars has invoked Qur'an 17:36 to argue against the permissibility of acting on analogy and solitary reports, contending that these methods do not yield certain knowledge.[18] Sayyid Muhammad Mujahid, a Shi'a Usuli scholar, cites several Usulis, including al-Muhaqqiq al-Hilli,[19] who rely on this verse to demonstrate the invalidity of analogy.[20]

Muhammad Jawad Mughniyya, a Shi'a exegete, reports several inferences derived from this verse:

  • The invalidity and prohibition of imitation for one capable of independently inferring rulings from their sources, as such a person abandons their own knowledge to follow another's.[21]
  • The prohibition of acting upon analogy and Istihsan, and of inferring divine rulings through these methods.[22]
  • The prohibition against issuing a Fatwa by anyone lacking the requisite scientific and practical competence.[23]

Ethical and Social Inferences

Some exegetes have utilized Qur'an 17:36 as a foundation for ethical deductions, positing that adherence to this verse eliminates moral vices such as backbiting, tale-bearing, and mockery.[24]

Makarim Shirazi asserts that Qur'an 17:36 enshrines a fundamental principle of social life, the neglect of which precipitates social chaos and the erosion of human relationships.[25] In his view, refraining from following non-knowledge fosters social stability by negating disorders such as false propaganda and rumor-mongering.[26]

Notes

  1. ↑ Ṭūsī, Al-Tibyān, vol. 6, p. 477; Zamakhsharī, Al-Kashshāf, 1407 AH, vol. 2, p. 666; Ṭabrisī, Majmaʿ al-bayān, 1372 Sh, vol. 6, p. 641; Ṭabāṭabāʾī, Al-Mīzān, 1392 AH, vol. 13, p. 92.
  2. ↑ Ṭabrisī, Majmaʿ al-bayān, 1372 Sh, vol. 6, p. 641; Ṭabāṭabāʾī, Al-Mīzān, 1392 AH, vol. 13, p. 92.
  3. ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, 1374 Sh, vol. 12, p. 116.
  4. ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, Al-Mīzān, 1392 AH, vol. 13, p. 92.
  5. ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, Al-Mīzān, 1392 AH, vol. 13, p. 92.
  6. ↑ Faḍlallāh, Min waḥy al-Qurʾān, 1419 AH, vol. 14, p. 124.
  7. ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, Al-Mīzān, 1392 AH, vol. 13, p. 94; Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, 1374 Sh, vol. 12, p. 117.
  8. ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, Al-Mīzān, 1392 AH, vol. 13, p. 94; Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, 1374 Sh, vol. 12, p. 117.
  9. ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, 1374 Sh, vol. 12, p. 117.
  10. ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, Al-Mīzān, 1392 AH, vol. 13, p. 94.
  11. ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, Al-Mīzān, 1392 AH, vol. 13, pp. 92-93.
  12. ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, Al-Mīzān, 1392 AH, vol. 13, p. 92.
  13. ↑ Fakhr al-Rāzī, Al-Tafsīr al-kabīr, 1420 AH, vol. 20, p. 339.
  14. ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, Al-Mīzān, 1392 AH, vol. 13, pp. 93-94.
  15. ↑ Fakhr al-Rāzī, Al-Tafsīr al-kabīr, 1420 AH, vol. 20, p. 339.
  16. ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, Al-Mīzān, 1392 AH, vol. 13, p. 94.
  17. ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, Al-Mīzān, 1392 AH, vol. 13, p. 94.
  18. ↑ Ṭabrisī, Majmaʿ al-bayān, 1372 Sh, vol. 6, p. 641.
  19. ↑ Muḥaqqiq Ḥillī, Maʿārij al-uṣūl, 1403 AH, p. 188.
  20. ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, Mafātīḥ al-uṣūl, p. 456.
  21. ↑ Mughniyya, Al-Tafsīr al-kāshif, 1424 AH, vol. 5, p. 43.
  22. ↑ Mughniyya, Al-Tafsīr al-kāshif, 1424 AH, vol. 5, p. 44.
  23. ↑ Mughniyya, Al-Tafsīr al-kāshif, 1424 AH, vol. 5, p. 44.
  24. ↑ Mudarrisī, Min hudā l-Qurʾān, 1419 AH, vol. 6, p. 231.
  25. ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, 1374 Sh, vol. 12, p. 118.
  26. ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, 1374 Sh, vol. 12, p. 118.

References

  • Faḍlallāh, Muḥammad Ḥusayn. Min waḥy al-Qurʾān. Beirut, Dār al-Malāk, 1419 AH.
  • Fakhr al-Rāzī, Muḥammad b. ʿUmar. Al-Tafsīr al-kabīr. Beirut, Dār Iḥyāʾ al-Turāth al-ʿArabī, 1420 AH.
  • Makārim Shīrāzī, Nāṣir. Tafsīr-i nimūna. Tehran, Dār al-Kutub al-Islāmiyya, 1374 Sh.
  • Mudarrisī, Muḥammad Taqī. Min hudā l-Qurʾān. Tehran, Dār Muḥibbī al-Ḥusayn, 1419 AH.
  • Mughniyya, Muḥammad Jawād. Al-Tafsīr al-kāshif. Qom, Dār al-Kitāb al-Islāmī, 1424 AH.
  • Muḥaqqiq Ḥillī, Jaʿfar b. Ḥasan al-. Maʿārij al-uṣūl. Edited by Muḥammad Ḥusayn Raḍawī Kashmīrī. Qom, Muʾassasat Āl al-Bayt (a) li-Iḥyāʾ al-Turāth, 1403 AH.
  • Ṭabāṭabāʾī, Sayyid Muḥammad b. ʿAlī. Mafātīḥ al-uṣūl. Qom, Muʾassasat Āl al-Bayt (a) li-Iḥyāʾ al-Turāth, n.d.
  • Ṭabāṭabāʾī, Sayyid Muḥammad Ḥusayn. Al-Mīzān fī tafsīr al-Qurʾān. Beirut, Muʾassasat al-Aʿlamī li-l-Maṭbūʿāt, 1392 AH.
  • Ṭabrisī, Faḍl b. al-Ḥasan al-. Majmaʿ al-bayān fī tafsīr al-Qurʾān. Edited by Sayyid Hāshim Rasūlī Maḥallātī & Sayyid Faḍl Allāh Yazdī Ṭabāṭabāʾī. Tehran, Intishārāt-i Nāṣir Khusraw, 1372 Sh.
  • Ṭūsī, Muḥammad b. al-Ḥasan al-. Al-Tibyān fī tafsīr al-Qurʾān. Edited by Aḥmad Ḥabīb al-ʿĀmilī. Beirut, Dār Iḥyāʾ al-Turāth al-ʿArabī, n.d.
  • Zamakhsharī, Maḥmūd b. ʿUmar al-. Al-Kashshāf ʿan ḥaqāʾiq ghawāmiḍ al-tanzīl wa ʿuyūn al-aqāwīl fī wujūh al-taʾwīl. Edited by Muṣṭafā Ḥusayn Aḥmad. Beirut, Dār al-Kitāb al-ʿArabī, 1407 AH.
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