Surah Al Isra Tafseer

وَاسْتَفْزِزْ مَنِ اسْتَطَعْتَ مِنْهُمْ بِصَوْتِكَ

And fool them gradually those whom you can among them with your voice,

It was said that this refers to singing.

Mujahid said,

"With idle entertainment and singing,"

meaning, influence them with that.

Ibn Abbas said,

"Every caller who calls people to disobey Allah."

This was the view of Qatadah, and was also the opinion favored by Ibn Jarir.

وَأَجْلِبْ عَلَيْهِم بِخَيْلِكَ وَرَجِلِكَ

Ajib upon them with your cavalry and your infantry.

Send your troops and cavalry and infantry against them.

The meaning is, send whatever forces you have at your disposal against them.

This is a command (related to the divine decree), as Allah says elsewhere:

أَلَمْ تَرَ أَنَّأ أَرْسَلْنَا الشَّيَـطِينَ عَلَى الْكَـفِرِينَ تَوُزُّهُمْ أَزّاً

See you not that We have sent the Shayatin against the disbelievers to push them to do evil. (19:83),

meaning, to provoke them and drive them towards evil.

وَأَجْلِبْ عَلَيْهِم بِخَيْلِكَ وَرَجِلِكَ

Ajlib upon them with your cavalry and your infantry,

Ibn Abbas and Mujahid said,

"Everyone who rides or walks to go and commit sin and disobey Allah."

Qatadah said,

"He has infantry and cavalry among the Jinn and among humans. They are the ones who obey him."

The Arabs use the verb Ajlaba when describing somebody shouting at another person. Hence it is forbidden in races to shout at one another and push one another.

From this root is also derived the word Jalabah, which means raising voices.

وَشَارِكْهُمْ فِي الَامْوَالِ وَالَاوْلادِ

and share with them wealth and children,

Ibn Abbas and Mujahid said,

"This means what he commands them to do of spending money in disobedience to Allah, may He be exalted."

وَالَاوْلادِ

and children,

Ibn Abbas, as reported by Al-Awfi, Mujahid and Ad-Dahhak said,

"This means the children of Zina (i.e., illegitimate children)."

Ali bin Abi Talhah reported that Ibn Abbas said,

"This means the children whom they used to kill out of folly, without knowledge."

Qatadah reported that Al-Hasan Al-Basri said:

"Allah caused Shaytan to take a share of wealth and children by making them Magians, Jews and Christians, and making them follow any religion other than Islam, and by making them give a part of their wealth to the Shaytan."

Qatadah said the same.

وَشَارِكْهُمْ فِي الَامْوَالِ وَالَاوْلادِ

and share with them wealth and children.

The fact that only wealth and children are mentioned in this Ayah, does not mean that it is limited only to those things. Everything in which a person disobeys Allah or obeys the Shaytan means that he is sharing with him.

It was reported in Sahih Muslim from Iyad bin Himar that the Messenger of Allah said:

يَقُولُ اللهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ

إِنِّي خَلَقْتُ عِبَادِي حُنَفَاءَ فَجَاءَتْهُمُ الشَّيَاطِينُ فَاجْتَالَتْهُمْ عَنْ دِينِهِمْ وَحَرَّمَتْ عَلَيْهِمْ مَا أَحْلَلْتُ لَهُم

Allah the Mighty and Exalted says,

"I have created My servants as Hunafa' (monotheists), then the Shayatin come to them and lead them astray from their religion and (tell that) what I have permitted for them is forbidden to them."

According to the Two Sahihs, the Messenger of Allah said:

لَوْ أَنَّ أَحَدَهُمْ إِذَا أَرَادَ أَنْ يَأْتِيَ أَهْلَهُ قَالَ

بِسْمِ اللهِ اللَّهُمَّ جَنِّبْنَا الشَّيْطَانَ وَجَنِّبِ الشَّيْطَانَ مَا رَزَقْتَنَا فَإِنَّهُ إِنْ يُقَدَّرْ بَيْنَهُمَا وَلَدٌ فِي ذَلِكَ لَمْ يَضُرَّهُ الشَّيْطَانُ أَبَدًا

When one of you wants to have intercourse with his wife, let him say,

`In the Name of Allah. O Allah, keep us away from Shaytan and keep Shaytan away from what you bestow on us (children).'

Then if a child is decreed for them from that, the Shaytan will never harm him.

وَعِدْهُمْ وَمَا يَعِدُهُمُ الشَّيْطَانُ إِلاَّ غُرُورًا

"...and make promises to them." But Shaytan promises them nothing but deceit.

As Allah tells us, Iblis will say, on the Day when the matter is decided:

إِنَّ اللَّهَ وَعَدَكُمْ وَعْدَ الْحَقِّ وَوَعَدتُّكُمْ فَأَخْلَفْتُكُمْ

Verily, Allah promised you a promise of truth. And I too promised you, but I betrayed you. (14:22)