Al-Sayyid Murtaḍa's View Compared with that of Zamakhshari Concerning Verse 16 of Chapter 17 of the Quran

Understanding the meaning of the Qur'anic verses depends on many sciences and prerequisites, without which sometimes doubts or contradictions may seem to arise in the beginning. One of the contended verses is the verse 16 of Chapter al-Isra (17) of the Quran. The present study, using a descriptive-analytical method, intends to examine the meaning and interpretation of "We send Our commandment to the people of it who lead easy lives, but they transgress therein" which has been interpreted differently by different Muslim exegetes. Based on the exegetical view of al-Sayyid Murtaḍa, it can be concluded that: 1. the decision to destroy something does not materialize unless the good and the evil are destroyed. To say, for example, "We ordered him to do good but he disobeyed (امرته فعصی). The action to be done is not mentioned, though the words "send our commandments" are followed by "transgress". 2. The word (امرنا) refers to obedience, because if it were transgression, they should have been awarded, not punished in the said case. The word (امرنا) have been recited in three ways.  Each recitation has a special meaning. 3. The words «امرنا مترفیها» are adjectives of "town". That is, when We wish to destroy a town, We send Our commandment to the people of it who lead easy lives, but they transgress therein. Thus, the result clause is omitted and there is no need for it. 4. The term "decide" has been used in a figurative way which is common to Arabic.  5. The "if clause" and "result clause" are placed instead of each other. If one of them is moved to the place of the other, no change will take place in the commandment.