What is the meaning of the saying of Allah the Exalted in Surat al-Isra: "And they ask you about the soul. Say: The soul is from the command of my Lord, and you have not been given of knowledge except a little"

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Question: What is the meaning of the saying of Allah the Exalted in Surat al-Isra:

And they ask you, [O Muhammad], about the soul. Say, "The soul is of the affair of my Lord. And mankind have not been given of knowledge except a little."

وَيَسْأَلُونَكَ عَنِ الرُّوحِ قُلِ الرُّوحُ مِنْ أَمْرِ رَبِّي وَمَا أُوتِيتُمْ مِنَ الْعِلْمِ إِلَّا قَلِيلًا

[Al-Isra 17:85]

⁽⁸⁶⁾ And if We willed, We could surely do away with that which We revealed to you. Then you would not find for yourself concerning it an advocate against Us. ⁽⁸⁷⁾ Except [We have left it with you] as a mercy from your Lord. Indeed, His favor upon you has ever been great.

وَلَئِنْ شِئْنَا لَنَذْهَبَنَّ بِالَّذِي أَوْحَيْنَا إِلَيْكَ ثُمَّ لَا تَجِدُ لَكَ بِهِ عَلَيْنَا وَكِيلًا إِلَّا رَحْمَةً مِنْ رَبِّكَ إِنَّ فَضْلَهُ كَانَ عَلَيْكَ كَبِيرًا

[al-Isra: 85-87] ?

Answer: The Jews had said to the polytheists of Quraysh from the people of Mecca: Ask this man, meaning Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), about three matters,The first matter: about the People of the Cave,And the second matter: about Dhul-Qarnayn,And the third matter: and about the soul. If he answers you about them, then he is a prophet. And Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, revealed to His Messenger the answer to these questions.
About the People of the Cave, and about Dhul-Qarnayn, and as for the soul, Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He,

and Exalted said:

Say, "The soul is of the affair of my Lord

قُلِ الرُّوحُ مِنْ أَمْرِ رَبِّي

[Al-Isra 17:85]

, so He did not respond to their question, but rather He explained that it is among His specific attributes, Glorified and Exalted is He, and that He is the One who created it, and He is the One who knows it, and no one among the creation knows it. So it is a secret among the secrets, and it remains a secret. This is one of the miracles of the Qur'an, for despite the advancement of medicine and skill in it, and despite people's eagerness to research this matter, they have not known anything about the reality of the soul

Say, "The soul is of the affair of my Lord

قُلِ الرُّوحُ مِنْ أَمْرِ رَبِّي

[Al-Isra 17:85]

,As for the intended meaning of the soul: that by which a person lives. This secret by which a person lives, he is alive, and if it departs from him completely, he is dead, and if it departs from him partially, he is sleeping. So the soul has connections with the body: a connection with the body while he is in his mother's womb, a connection with the body after he is born in this worldly life and he is awake, a connection with the body while he is sleeping, a connection with the body while he is in the grave, and a connection with the body in the Hereafter. And this last connection is a connection after which there is no separation. So this soul is among the wonders that no one knows except Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He.

And it was said: The intended meaning of the soul is Jibril (peace be upon him).

And it was said: The intended meaning of the soul is an angel from the angels, or a group of angels.
In any case, the soul is a secret among the secrets of Allah that He has not revealed to His servants, Glorified and Exalted is He:

Say, "The soul is of the affair of my Lord. And mankind have not been given of knowledge except a little."

قُلِ الرُّوحُ مِنْ أَمْرِ رَبِّي وَمَا أُوتِيتُمْ مِنَ الْعِلْمِ إِلَّا قَلِيلًا

[Al-Isra 17:85]

, so however much knowledge and information humans are given, their knowledge is little, or nothing, in relation to the knowledge of Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He.

and His saying, the Exalted:

And if We willed, We could surely do away with that which We revealed to you

وَلَئِنْ شِئْنَا لَنَذْهَبَنَّ بِالَّذِي أَوْحَيْنَا إِلَيْكَ

[Al-Isra 17:86]

means that Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, revealed this Qur'an as a blessing and a favor upon His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) and upon
his Ummah, so it is among the greatest of blessings,

And Allah has revealed to you the Book and wisdom and has taught you that which you did not know. And ever has the favor of Allah upon you been great.

وَأَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْكَ الْكِتَابَ وَالْحِكْمَةَ وَعَلَّمَكَ مَا لَمْ تَكُنْ تَعْلَمُ وَكَانَ فَضْلُ اللَّهِ عَلَيْكَ عَظِيمًا

[al-Nisa: 113] , for it is among the greatest blessings that Allah bestowed upon this noble Prophet, and upon his Ummah until the Day of Resurrection; for by it is their happiness and salvation in this world and the Hereafter. And Allah is able to lift this Qur'an and remove this blessing, just as He is the One who revealed it, so He is able to lift it. And this is what obligates the servants to thank Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, for this blessing, so that they may benefit from it and make use of it.

Source shamela.ws

The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.

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