Al-Israa (The Night Journey)

60. “And (remember) when We said to you: ‘Verily your Lord encompasses the people;’ and we did not make the dream which We showed you and the cursed tree in the Qur’an, save (as) a trial for the people; and We cause them to fear, but it only increases them in great insolence.”

Now, the Lord, addressing His Prophet (S), states that he should remember the time when He told him: his Lord is knowledgeable about the state of the people and their good and bad deeds, and He knows who merits rewards and who deserves punishments.

He is All-powerful for the punishment and reward of the people. Therefore, all are within the range and scope of His power, and no one is capable of exceeding the limits of His Will and Providence.

The holy verse says:

“And (remember) when We said to you: ‘Verily your Lord encompasses the people;’…”

Thus, Allah encourages the Prophet (S) to go on with his process of propagation, and He promises him that He will save him from the harm of the people, and, eventually, He will conquer Mecca for him.

Incidentally, the issue involved in the previous holy verse concerned the killing of Salih’s she-camel, and in this verse, the issue in question deals with the whole damned lot who were the murderers of ‘Ahl-ul-Bayt’, the ‘Prophet’s household’.

The verse continues saying:

“…and we did not make the dream which We showed you and the cursed tree in the Qur’an, save (as) a trial for the people…”

We have it in the quotations that the Ahl-ul-Bayt remarked:

“We are no less in position than the Salih’s she-camel. Any insult to us would lead to annihilation.”1

In the blissful Qur’an, there are several dreams cited for the Prophet of Islam (S), one of which has been cited at the time of the outbreak of the ‘Battle of Badr’, in which, the Lord degraded and minimized the enemies in the sight of the Prophet (S) so that the Muslims would not lose courage.¹

Another dream came upon him when he dreamed about the victorious arrival into Masjid-ul-Har am.²

A third dream was the one which is referred to in this verse. The first two dreams took place after the Hejrah and in Medina, while this third one came about in Mecca. Of course, some ascribe the dream in relation to ‘Mi‘raj’ (Muhammad’s ascension to Heaven) while the ‘Mi‘raj’ took place in full awakening state but dreams come about while one is asleep.

That dream and the state of that cursed lot (the cursed tree) are the same and identical, for their end-result is one and the same. That is, they both provide the roots of evil for the people.

The Lord indicated this ‘cursed tree’ and their acts in dream to the Prophet (S) while he was asleep, saying that this is the cause of the evil of your people, and with the holy sentence:

“…‘Verily your Lord encompasses the people;’…”

Allah Sought to Console Him

The Arabic term /šajarah/ signifies both ‘a tree’ as well as whatever else has got branches and offshoots. Therefore, it also refers to ‘a tribe’. The Prophet (S) also remarked:

“Ali and I are both from one tribe (the same ‘pedigree’ and ‘line’).”4

This term also points to the chain of blood relations and race as in the case of ‘family pedigree’ which is called ‘genealogical tree’. Therefore, the idiomatic expression ‘the cursed tree’, signify a whole lot of ‘branches’ and a well-rooted tribe which has got off-shoots as well, and which is cursed.

At the end of this verse, we have it that the Divine warning as for this ‘cursed lot’, or cursed tree, has brought no results except an increase in their viciousness and rebellion.

The holy verse says:

“…and We cause them to fear, but it only increases them in great insolence.” The phrase: /tuqy anan kabir/ “great insolence”, has only been mentioned once in the Qur’an and only in this verse. Therefore, one must look out for a “cursed lot” and a tribe in the Qur’an which has been Muslim in appearance but dissident and rebellious inwardly and in the real sense with a kind of hypocrisy which causes the trial and sedition for people.

There are numerous causes of condemnation and cursing in the Qur’an such as: the Satan, the Jews, the hypocrites, the pagans, and the scholars who cover-up the truth as well as those who inflict harm on the Prophet (S).

However, it is only the hypocrites who accompany the Muslims and cause them the maximum injury by their hypocrisy, for the Satan, the people of the Book, and the pagans indicate clearly what they are, while the hypocrites, apparently Muslims, have always been the agents for sedition.³

Some have held the opinion that the ‘cursed tree’ consist of the ‘tree of Zaqqūm’ which, in Hell, is the means of the Divine chastisement.

But there are also other things which have been used as the Divine punishment as well, and they do not provide sings for the condemnation of those means, like the River Nile, which drowned Pharaoh, or the angels who inflicted punishment on certain peoples, or the believers who served as the arms of Allah in punishment and annihilation of the pagans.

“Fight them (and) Allah will punish them at your hands…”6

Alameh Tabataba’i (q.s.), in his discussion dealing with the quotations concerning ‘Surah Al-Qadr, No. 97’, quotes from some outstanding of Sunni sources such as: Khatib Baqd adi, Turmathi, Ibn-Jarir, Tabar ani, Bihaqi, Ibn Mardooyah, as well as Shi‘ah sources such as Kafi, etc, that the blissful Prophet (S) dreamed of panthers climbing his pulpit and it saddened him greatly.

Gabriel descended when the Prophet (S) recounted his dream for him.

Gabriel ascended to the heaven, and, on his return, He brought along with him the following verses:

“Have you then considered if We let them enjoy themselves for years.” “Then there comes to them that with which they are threatened,” “That which they were made to enjoy shall not avail them?”7

This dream also caused the descending of Surah ‘Al-Qadr’ so as to comfort the Prophet (S) that if the ‘Umayyads’ ruled for a thousand months, We provided you with the Night of ‘Qadr’ in exchange, which is better than a thousand months.

The issue concerning the dreaming about the panthers, which overtook the government and were climbing the pulpit of the Prophet (S), has also been quoted from Imam Baqir and Imam Sadiq (as)⁴

The Sunni and Shi‘ah commentators regard the ‘Umayyads’ as the ‘coursed tree’.

Imam Sajjad (as) remarked: Gabriel adapted the panthers to the Umayyads. The Prophet (S) asked:

“Does this event take place during my era?”9

From among the Umayyads, the person who was most rebellious, and caused the advent of Karbala to come about, was ‘Yazid’, and this calamity was the greatest rebellion throughout history.

Explanations

The Lord uses the dreams at times to reveal some facts to the prophets and others.

Every event, even interpretation of dreams, can be used as a means for the testing of the people.

Those tribes and groups who incite deviations are the ‘cursed tree’

“…and the cursed tree in the Qur’an save (as) a trial for the people…”

Issuing warnings to the people, even to the cursed tribes and the ‘cursed families’ is among Allah’s ways of treatment.

Warnings will have no impact on the tenacious people who are obstinate. ‘An iron nail will not penetrate stones’.

“…but it only increase them in great insolence.”