The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 3) — Page 532
CHAPTER 17 BANI ISRA'ĪL (Revealed before Hijrah) Title and Date of Revelation This chapter is known as Banī Isrā'īl because it deals with important incidents in the history of the Israelites and with the religious experiences through which they had to pass. It bears the title of Isrā' also because it begins with the Holy Prophet's great vision about his Night Journey to Jerusalem which forms one of the most outstanding topics of this chapter. According to some commentators the consensus of Muslim scholarly opinion regards this Surah as wholly Meccan (Muḥīt), but some other scholars think that vv. 2-8 are Medinite. Ibn Merdawaih reports Ibn 'Abbās and Ibn Zubair as saying that this chapter is of Meccan origin and was revealed very early in the Prophet's ministry, in the third or fourth year of the Call. 'Abdullah bin Mas'ud is of the view that Surahs Bani Isrā'īl, Kahf and Maryam are among the chapters that were revealed very early (Bukhārī, Kitāb Tafsirul-Quran). According to this Ḥadīth, the whole or a part of this Surah was revealed in the early years of the Call but it is not clear what ‘Abdullah bin Mas'ud meant by the words "early years". We are, however, inclined to the view that this chapter does not belong to the very early years of the Call. If ‘Abdullah bin Mas'ud's memory has not failed him, the revelation of this Surah was completed between the 4th and 11th year of the Call; otherwise, it was possibly revealed in the 10th or 11th year or even in the 12th year. Christian commentators of the Quran also assign to this Surah the period between the 6th and 12th years of the Call as the time of its revelation (Wherry). This view is of special significance inasmuch as, for their purpose of criticizing the Quran, a date after the Hijrah should have suited these Christian commentators better. Connection with the Preceding Surah In the preceding chapter Muslims were promised power and dominion. They were told that vast empires will come under their sway but that in the time of their glory and prosperity they should not behave like the Jews upon whom similar blessings were bestowed but who turned those blessings to wicked purposes and consigned God to oblivion, with the result that His wrath descended on them and they were destroyed (16:125). There subsists another beautiful connection between the closing verses of the preceding Surah and the opening verses of the present Surah. Towards the end of the previous Surah Muslims were warned that very soon they would meet with as severe opposition from the "People of the Book" as they had already experienced at the hands of Meccan idolaters but that they should bear it with patience and fortitude till God should give them complete victory over their opponents. In 1740