Surah Al Isra Tafseer

أَوْ يَكُونَ لَكَ بَيْتٌ مِّن زُخْرُفٍ

Or you have a house of Zukhruf.

Ibn Abbas, Mujahid and Qatadah said,

"This is gold."

This was also what was said in the recitation of Ibn Mas`ud,

"Or you have a house of gold."

أَوْ تَرْقَى فِي السَّمَاء

or you ascend up into the sky,

meaning, you climb up on a ladder while we are watching you.

وَلَن نُّوْمِنَ لِرُقِيِّكَ حَتَّى تُنَزِّلَ عَلَيْنَا كِتَابًا نَّقْرَوُهُ

and even then we will put no faith in your ascension until you bring down for us a Book that we would read.

Mujahid said,

"This means a book in which there would be one page for each person, on which would be the words:`This is a book from Allah to so-and-so the son of so-and-so, which he would find by his head when he woke up in the morning."

قُلْ سُبْحَانَ رَبِّي هَلْ كُنتُ إَلاَّ بَشَرًا رَّسُولاً

Say:"Glorified be my Lord! Am I anything but a man, sent as a Messenger."

meaning, `Glorified, exalted and sanctified be He above the notion that anyone would come before Him concerning any matter pertaining to His authority and sovereignty. He is the One Who does what He wills. If He willed, he could have given you what you asked for, or if He willed, he could have refrained. I am only a Messenger to you, sent to convey the Messages of my Lord and advise you. I have done that, and the response to what you have asked is to be decided by Allah, may He be glorified.