Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah.
The basic principle in understanding the Noble Qur’an is to refer to reliable books of tafsir and benefit from the statements of the leading scholars of Qur’anic interpretation. There is no objection to deriving lessons and insights for those who are qualified to do so. However, it is not permissible to assert with certainty that a particular verse applies to a specific historical event without Islamic evidence, because determining what Allah Almighty intended is a matter that cannot be established through speculation and conjecture.
The exegetes differed concerning the identification of the two instances of corruption mentioned in Surah Al-Isra. Some said that the first was carried out by Goliath and his soldiers; others said it was carried out by Sennacherib; others said it was carried out by Nebuchadnezzar; and there are other opinions as well.
Ibn Kathir, may Allah have mercy on him, mentioned these opinions and explained that some of the reports transmitted concerning the identification of these events are not authentic, including fabricated reports and Isra’iliyyat. He then stated that Allah Almighty informed us of the punishment of the Children of Israel because of their corruption and transgression, and that we have no need to know details that the Qur’an itself did not specify.
Therefore, the stronger view is that we should not definitively identify the two instances of corruption mentioned in these verses with specific events for which there is no authentic text identifying them. Rather, the greater purpose is to take heed and learn a lesson, and to understand Allah’s established way concerning those who spread corruption on earth and transgress unjustly.
Allah says:
“If you do good, you do good for yourselves; and if you do evil, it is against yourselves.”
Then He says:
“And if you return to wrongdoing, We will return to punishment.”
This verse indicates that their returning to corruption results in the return of punishment, and this is one of the established ways of Allah Almighty.
Accordingly, it is not correct to assert that the first instance of corruption was what occurred during Hitler’s era, nor that the second instance refers to a particular event occurring in our time or in the future, because such claims require evidence. The punishments that befall the Children of Israel because of their corruption may be included within the general warning contained in Allah’s saying, “And if you return to wrongdoing, We will return to punishment,” but it is not correct to assert that such events are one of the two instances specifically intended by the verse.
Likewise, the claim that the Qur’an contains everything, including the details of people’s movements and speech, requires clarification. Allah says:
“And We have sent down to you the Book as an explanation of everything.”
This means that the Qur’an explains to people what they need concerning religion and guidance, what is lawful and unlawful, reward and punishment, and other matters of faith and guidance. It does not mean that the Qur’an contains every detail of historical events and human life.
As for using the wording “So when the promise of the first of the two came” as evidence that the first instance of corruption must have occurred after the Prophet ﷺ was sent, this is not correct. The verse informs us of an event that would occur after the time when this information was revealed, but this does not necessarily mean that it occurred after the lifetime of the Prophet ﷺ. The exegetes have mentioned that this divine report concerned events that would subsequently befall the Children of Israel.
Likewise, it is not correct to argue that the fact that Goliath or Nebuchadnezzar is not mentioned in the verse proves that the intended person was someone else, such as Hitler. The verse does not mention Hitler either. Rather, the account was given in a general form, so the intended person or event cannot be specified without evidence that establishes the claim.
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, may Allah have mercy on him, mentioned some opinions concerning the identification of these events and connected them to the lesson of recognizing Allah’s established way: that He grants victory to those who follow His command and punishes those who oppose it. The purpose is not merely to recount history or identify particular individuals.
Therefore, we must contemplate these verses in light of the principles and lessons they convey. We should understand that corruption, arrogance, and ظلم have grave consequences, while righteousness and obedience are causes of goodness and victory, without rushing to apply the verses to contemporary political or historical events and asserting that such events are what the verses specifically refer to.
It is not correct to assert that Hitler is the person intended by either of the two instances of corruption mentioned in Surah Al-Isra, nor that contemporary events are certainly the latter promise mentioned in the verses, because there is no authentic text specifying this. What is established is that Allah Almighty informed us about the corruption of the Children of Israel and their punishment for it, and that whenever they return to corruption, punishment returns upon them. The greater purpose of these verses is to take heed and learn a lesson.
And Allah knows best.