Study the Quran

Tafsir

Scholarly commentary explaining a verse — its context, its meaning and how the scholars have understood it.

Al-Isra 17:81

Word by word

وَقُلْ جَآءَ ٱلْحَقُّ وَزَهَقَ ٱلْبَـٰطِلُ ۚ إِنَّ ٱلْبَـٰطِلَ كَانَ زَهُوقًا

And say, "Truth has come, and falsehood has departed. Indeed is falsehood, [by nature], ever bound to depart."

Ibn Kathir (Abridged) English Ma'arif al-Qur'an English Tafsir Muyassar Arabic Tafsir Ibn Kathir Arabic All sources

Ibn Kathir (Abridged)

Hafiz Ibn Kathir

The Command to emigrate

Imam Ahmad recorded that Ibn `Abbas said: The Prophet was in Makkah, then he was commanded to emigrate, and Allah revealed the words:وَقُل رَّبِّ أَدْخِلْنِى مُدْخَلَ صِدْقٍ وَأَخْرِجْنِى مُخْرَجَ صِدْقٍ وَاجْعَل لِّى مِن لَّدُنْكَ سُلْطَـناً نَّصِيرًا(And say: "My Lord! Let my entry be good, and (likewise) my exit be good. And grant me from You a helping authority.") At-Tirmidhi said, "This is Hasan Sahih." Al-Hasan Al-Basri commented on this Ayah, "When the disbelievers of Makkah conspired to kill the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, or expel him or imprison him, Allah wanted him to fight the people of Makkah, and commanded him to go to Al-Madinah. What Allah said was:وَقُل رَّبِّ أَدْخِلْنِى مُدْخَلَ صِدْقٍ وَأَخْرِجْنِى مُخْرَجَ صِدْقٍ(And say: "My Lord! Let my entry be good, and (likewise) my exit be good...")وَقُل رَّبِّ أَدْخِلْنِى مُدْخَلَ صِدْقٍ(And say: "My Lord! Let my entry be good...") means, my entry to Al-Madinah.وَأَخْرِجْنِى مُخْرَجَ صِدْقٍ(and (likewise) my exit be good, ) means, my exit from Makkah.

This was also the view of `Abdur-Rahman bin Zayd bin Aslam.وَاجْعَل لِّى مِن لَّدُنْكَ سُلْطَـناً نَّصِيرًا(And grant me from You a helping authority.) Al-Hasan Al-Basri explained this Ayah; "His Lord promised to take away the kingdom and glory of Persia and give it to him, and the kingdom and glory of Byzantium and give it to him." Qatadah said, "The Prophet of Allah knew that that he could not achieve this without authority or power, so he asked for authority to help him support the Book of Allah, the Laws of Allah, the obligations of Allah and to establish the religion of Allah.

Authority is a mercy from Allah which He places among His servants, otherwise some of them would attack others, and the strong would consume the weak." Alongside the truth, he also needed power and authority in order to suppress those who opposed and resisted him, hence Allah said:لَقَدْ أَرْسَلْنَا رُسُلَنَا بِالْبَيِّنَـتِ(Indeed We have sent Our Messengers with clear proofs,) until His saying,وَأَنزْلْنَا الْحَدِيدَ(And We brought forth iron) 57:25A Threat to the Disbelievers of the Qurayshوَقُلْ جَآءَ الْحَقُّ وَزَهَقَ الْبَـطِلُ(And say: "Truth has come and falsehood has vanished...") This is a threat and a warning to the disbelievers of the Quraysh, for there has come to them from Allah the truth of which there can be no doubt and which they have no power to resist. This is what Allah has sent to them of the Qur'an, faith and beneficial knowledge.

Their falsehood has perished or vanished and been destroyed, it cannot remain or stand firm in the face of the truth.بَلْ نَقْذِفُ بِالْحَقِّ عَلَى الْبَـطِلِ فَيَدْمَغُهُ فَإِذَا هُوَ زَاهِقٌNay, We fling the truth against the falsehood, so it destroys it, and behold, it dis- appears. Al-Bukhari recorded that `Abdullah bin Mas`ud said: The Prophet entered Makkah (at the Con- quest), and around the House (the Ka`bah) were three hundred and sixty idols. He started to strike them with a stick in his hand, saying,جَآءَ الْحَقُّ وَزَهَقَ الْبَـطِلُ إِنَّ الْبَـطِلَ كَانَ زَهُوقًا(Truth has come and falsehood has vanished. Surely falsehood is ever bound to vanish.) 17:81جَآءَ الْحَقُّ وَمَا يُبْدِىءُ الْبَـطِلُ وَمَا يُعِيدُ(Truth has come, and falsehood can neither create anything nor resurrect (anything).) 34:49

Ma'arif al-Qur'an

Mufti Muhammad Shafi

Verse 81: وَقُلْ جَاءَ الْحَقُّ وَزَهَقَ الْبَاطِلُ (And say, "Truth has come and false-hood has vanished" ) was revealed after Hijrah about the conquest of Makkah. Sayyidna Ibn Masud ؓ says that on the day Makkah was conquered, the Holy Prophet ﷺ entered Makkah. At that time, there were three hundred and sixty idols standing around the Baytullah. Some ` Ulama' report a reason for this particular number. They say that the Mushriks of Makkah had a separate idol for each day of the year that they used to worship on the given day. (Qurtubi) When the Holy Prophet ﷺ reached there, this was the verse he had on his blessed lips: وَقُلْ جَاءَ الْحَقُّ وَزَهَقَ الْبَاطِلُ (Truth has come and falsehood has vanished) while he went round striking at each single idol on the chest with his stick. (al-Bukhari and Muslim)It appears in some Hadith narratives that the end of this stick had a pewter or iron ferrule mounted on it. So, when the Holy Prophet ﷺ would hit an idol on the chest, it would fall back. In the end, when all idols fell down, he gave orders that they be demolished.

(Qurtubiwithreference to Qadi ` Iyad and al-Qushairi)It is necessary to erase customs and symbols of polytheism, disbelief and falsehood

Imam al-Qurtubi said that this verse proves that it is wajib (necessary, obligatory) to erase the idols of Mushriks and all other polytheistic symbols and signs - and all such false instruments that are used in the way of sin and disobedience as well. They too come under the purview of the game injunction. Ibn al-Mundhir said that pictures and sculpted figures made in wood or metal etc. also come under the injunction governing idols. The Holy Prophet ﷺ had torn the curtain having pictures made on it in lines and colors. This, incidentally, tells us about the general injunctions covering common pictures. According to Sahih Hadith, when Sayyidna ` Isa (علیہ السلام) will come towards the later times, he will undo the cross and eliminate the swine. These things prove that it is necessary to demolish and eliminate the instruments of shirk, kufr and batil.

Tafsir Muyassar

Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Saudi Arabia

وقل -أيها الرسول- للمشركين: جاء الإسلام وذهب الشرك، إن الباطل لا بقاء له ولا ثبات، والحق هو الثابت الباقي الذي لا يزول.

Tafsir Ibn Kathir

Hafiz Ibn Kathir

وقوله : ( وقل جاء الحق وزهق الباطل إن الباطل كان زهوقا ) تهديد ووعيد لكفار قريش ؛ فإنه قد جاءهم من الله الحق الذي لا مرية فيه ولا قبل لهم به ، وهو ما بعثه الله به من القرآن والإيمان والعلم النافع . وزهق باطلهم ، أي اضمحل وهلك ، فإن الباطل لا ثبات له مع الحق ولا بقاء ( بل نقذف بالحق على الباطل فيدمغه فإذا هو زاهق ) [ الأنبياء : 18 ] .وقال البخاري : حدثنا الحميدي ، حدثنا سفيان ، عن ابن أبي نجيح ، عن مجاهد ، عن أبي معمر ، عن عبد الله بن مسعود قال : دخل النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم مكة وحول البيت ستون وثلاثمائة نصب ، فجعل يطعنها بعود في يده ، ويقول : ( جاء الحق وزهق الباطل إن الباطل كان زهوقا ) ، جاء الحق وما يبدئ الباطل وما يعيد " .وكذا رواه البخاري أيضا في غير هذا الموضع ، ومسلم ، والترمذي ، والنسائي ، كلهم من طرق عن سفيان بن عيينة به . [ وكذا رواه عبد الرزاق عن الثوري عن ابن أبي نجيح ] .وكذا رواه الحافظ أبو يعلى : حدثنا زهير ، حدثنا شبابة ، حدثنا المغيرة ، حدثنا أبو الزبير ، عن جابر رضي الله عنه ، قال : دخلنا مع رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم مكة ، وحول البيت ثلاثمائة وستون صنما يعبدون من دون الله .

فأمر بها رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم فأكبت لوجهها ، وقال : " جاء الحق وزهق الباطل ، إن الباطل كان زهوقا " .

Tafsir is provided for educational reference. Paragraph breaks are added for readability — the wording of each commentary is unchanged. For religious guidance, consult a qualified scholar.