Surah Al-Isrâ’ 17:85

وَيَسْأَلُونَكَ عَنِ الرُّوحِ ۖ قُلِ الرُّوحُ مِنْ أَمْرِ رَبِّي وَمَا أُوتِيتُم مِّنَ الْعِلْمِ إِلَّا قَلِيلًا

17:85 Translating the word al-Rûhالرُّوحُ as the spirit or the soul is perhaps ambiguous. The root word of Rûhis râha, which means to go or do a thing in the evening. Rawâhis the blowing of the wind in the afternoon or the evening on journey when it is used in the Holy Qur’ân in the singular form as in 17:69; 54:19; 69:6. Rîhun has the meanings of wind, power, dominance, strength, victory, good and pure things, aid against the enemy, or mercy. Rîhalso signifies Divine punishment as in 27:69, but when it is used in the plural form as in 27:63, it signifies Divine blessings. Rawhis similar to mercy, but is more appropriately a life giving and soothing mercy as the related word Râhat means rest from grief and sadness.

Clearly, the word Rûh has a broad range of meanings. In the Holy Book, we find that al-Rûh` mostly stands for the Divine Revelation. For example in Sûrah al-Nahal we read, “He sends down the Angels with the Revelation” (16:2). Verses 42:51-52 further clarify this. The same meaning can be derived from the narration of Adam in 38:72; 15:29 and 32:9. In these verses the word Rûh (without the suffix alال)stands for the capacity of a human being to receive Divine revelation. In this verse al-Rûh uses the definite article al and refers to the greatest Divine Revelation: the Holy Qur’ân.

While the Holy Prophet (pbuh) was passing Bait al-Madâris in Medînah, some Jews asked him about al-Rûh`. Their question concerned the Qur’ânic Revelation. The reply of the Holy Prophet (pbuh) was that this Revelation had come through “Divine Command”, and that in spite of their knowledge in many worldly matters (2:88), they have been given little knowledge of the great treasures, light, and comfort hidden within this Revelation. This view finds support if we continue to read to verse (17:88) in which a challenge is made to all ordinary people and the learned, especially to the Jews claiming that their hearts are storehouses of knowledge (2:88), to join their efforts and produce the likeness of the Holy Qur’ân.

If one translates the word al-Rûh as the Spirit, it will convey another Truth. It was a common belief at the time of the Holy Prophet (pbuh), and even today of many Hindus of India, that the spirit is eternal and that God and the Spirit have existed side by side since eternity. This notion is refuted in this verse. The Divine words الرُّوحُ مِنْ أَمْرِ رَبِّي , “it is under the command of my Lord”, correct the wrong belief of the eternity of the spirit, as it is only Allâh Who is eternal and the spirit was created under His Divine Command Be!. However, al-Rûh should not be given solely the meaning of spirit or soul. Such a translation would make the understanding of many other Qur’ânic verses ambiguous, because the word can carry such a variety of connotations (note also that in 2:87 the word refers to the Divine Revelation and not the Holy Ghost or the Holy Spirit). The verse sheds light that the Divine Revelation (al-Rûh) is a necessity.

If one is to be punished for breaking any law, one should be given knowledge of that law beforehand. Allâh provides us with the required Knowledge to secure real happiness (râhat) and real life (14:32-34). We mortals grope in darknesses, committing our misdeeds and sins and do not know how to come out of it, so we need light from the Unseen, for He is the Perfect and all penetrating Light of the heavens and the earth (24:35) that can guide us (cf. 14:1; 16:2; 42:52).