Surah 17 Al-Israa — Ayah 70
۞ وَلَقَدْ كَرَّمْنَا بَنِىٓ ءَادَمَ وَحَمَلْنَٰهُمْ فِى ٱلْبَرِّ وَٱلْبَحْرِ وَرَزَقْنَٰهُم مِّنَ ٱلطَّيِّبَٰتِ وَفَضَّلْنَٰهُمْ عَلَىٰ كَثِيرٍۢ مِّمَّنْ خَلَقْنَا تَفْضِيلًۭا
En wij hebben de kinderen van Adam met onderscheidene bijzondere voorrechten en gunsten vereerd; wij droegen hen ter land en ter zee en hebben hen van goed voedsel voorzien, en wij hebben hen de voorkeur gegeven boven velen der schepselen welke wij hebben geschapen, door hun groote voorrechten te verleenen.
walaqad karramnā banī ādama waḥamalnāhum fī l-bari wal-baḥri warazaqnāhum mina l-ṭayibāti wafaḍḍalnāhum ʿalā kathīrin mimman khalaqnā tafḍīlan
Word by word
- ۞ وَلَقَدْ walaqad And certainly
- كَرَّمْنَا karramnā We have honored
- بَنِىٓ banī (the) children of Adam
- ءَادَمَ ādama (the) children of Adam
- وَحَمَلْنَـٰهُمْ waḥamalnāhum and We carried them
- فِى fī on
- ٱلْبَرِّ l-bari the land
- وَٱلْبَحْرِ wal-baḥri and the sea
- وَرَزَقْنَـٰهُم warazaqnāhum and We have provided them
- مِّنَ mina of
- ٱلطَّيِّبَـٰتِ l-ṭayibāti the good things
- وَفَضَّلْنَـٰهُمْ wafaḍḍalnāhum and We preferred them
- عَلَىٰ ʿalā over
- كَثِيرٍۢ kathīrin many
- مِّمَّنْ mimman of those whom
- خَلَقْنَا khalaqnā We have created
- تَفْضِيلًۭا tafḍīlan (with) preference
Tafsir · Ibn Kathir (Abridged)
The Honor and noble Nature of Man
Allah tells us how He has honored the sons of Adam and made them noble by creating them in the best and most perfect of forms, as He says:
(Verily, We created man in the best stature (mould).) (95:4) He walks upright on his two feet and eats with his hand, whilet other living creatures walk on four feet and eat with their mouths, and He has given him hearing, sight and a heart with which to understand all of that, to benefit from it, and distinguish between things to know which are good for him and which are harmful, in both worldly and religious terms.
(and We have carried them on land) means, on animals such as cattle, horses and mules, and also on the sea in ships and boats, great and small.
(and have provided them with At-Tayyibat,) meaning agricultural produce, fruits, meat, and milk with all kinds of delicious and desirable flavors and colors and beautiful appearance, and fine clothes of all kinds of shapes colors and sizes, which they make for themselves or are brought to them by others from other regions and areas.
(and have preferred them above many of those whom We have created with a marked preferment. ) means, over all living beings and other kinds of creation. This Ayah indicates that human are also preferred over the angels.