Bani Isra'il

Isrā’īl: Yaʿqub and Isrā’īl are the same person in the Hebrew scriptures yet no such claim is made in the Qur’an.

Claim that Qur’an maintains that Banī Isrā’īl are descended from one man (Isrā’īl) formed by analogy from how the names of other tribes are formed (i.e. on the name of their founding father) — see 19:58 where Isrā’īl is named:

أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ ٱلَّذِينَ أَنْعَمَ ٱللَّـهُ عَلَيْهِم مِّنَ ٱلنَّبِيِّـۧنَ مِن ذُرِّيَّةِ ءَادَمَ وَمِمَّنْ حَمَلْنَا مَعَ نُوحٍ وَمِن ذُرِّيَّةِ إِبْرَٰهِيمَ وَإِسْرَٰءِيلَ وَمِمَّنْ هَدَيْنَا وَٱجْتَبَيْنَآ إِذَا تُتْلَىٰ عَلَيْهِمْ ءَايَـٰتُ ٱلرَّحْمَـٰنِ خَرُّوا۟ سُجَّدًا وَبُكِيًّا
Those are they whom God favoured among the prophets of the progeny of Adam, and of those We bore with Noah, and of the progeny of Abraham and Israel¹, and of those We guided and chose. When the proofs of the Almighty were recited to them, they fell down in submission weeping.
(19:58)

1: Arguments are advanced in certain quarters that Israel is a personality distinct from Yaʿqūb (cf. Genesis 32:28 and 35:10). While Israel is nowhere conclusively identified in the Qur’an with Yaʿqūb, I have so far found no conclusive Qur’anic data associating this name with anyone else.

Genesis 32:28 (KJV)

²⁸And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.

Genesis 35:10 (KJV)

¹⁰And God said unto him, Thy name is Jacob: thy name shall not be called any more Jacob, but Israel shall be thy name: and he called his name Israel.

Isrā’īl = Isrā + Īl 

إِسْرَٰٓءِيلَ = إِسْرَٰٓءِ + ءِيلَ

The 17th Chapter of the Qur'an is called Surat Al Isrā’ سورة الإسراء which means The Night Journey or simply The Journey, and the opening of the chapter is about God conveying his servant by night from Al Masjid Al Haram to Al Masjid Al Aqsa to reveal him some āyāt. إسراء means Journey, Travel, Convey, Flow, Depart, Force, Apply, Spread, in Hebrew Īsrā’īl is pronounced Isra'el, and El is Hebrew for God, Thus Isrā'īl could literally mean: "Journeyed/Travelled with God", "God makes to Travel/Journey", "Conveyed by God" or "Elevated by God" as emphasized by the beginning verse of Surat Al Īsrā’:

سُبْحَـٰنَ ٱلَّذِىٓ أَسْرَىٰ بِعَبْدِهِۦ لَيْلًا مِّنَ ٱلْمَسْجِدِ ٱلْحَرَامِ إِلَى ٱلْمَسْجِدِ ٱلْأَقْصَا ٱلَّذِى بَـٰرَكْنَا حَوْلَهُۥ لِنُرِيَهُۥ مِنْ ءَايَـٰتِنَآ إِنَّهُۥ هُوَ ٱلسَّمِيعُ ٱلْبَصِيرُ
Glory be to Him who conveyed (āsrā') His servant by night from the inviolable state of submission to the greatest state of submission, which We blessed round about him, that We might show him some of Our proofs! He is the Hearing, the Seeing. (17:1)

The Servant of God conveyed by God to the Greatest State of Submission during the night. This verse is also (correctly) regarded by the Traditionalist as transcendence of God's Servant to the heavenly state during the night.

The word "Bani" in Arabic can mean "children" or "descendants," but it can also be used in a more general sense to mean "followers" or "members" of a group. The word "Israel" in Arabic is "Isrā’īl" and is not necessarily a name of one singular person in history, but it is used to refer a servant of God, and his group of followers/members.

The name "Isrā’īl" comes from the root word "s-r-y" which has the basic meaning of "to lift up", "to elevate" or "to convey". The word "āsrā'" in Quran 17:1, Surat Al-Isrā, has the same meaning - "conveyed", "journeyed", "lifted up" or "elevated".

In the context of Quran 17:1, Surat Al-Isrā, the word "āsrā'" is used in reference to the night journey of God's Servant from Al Masjid Al Haram to Al Masjid Al Aqsa. The verse states "Exalted is He who Elevated/Conveyed His Servant by night from al-Masjid al-Haram to al-Masjid al-Aqsa, whose surroundings We have blessed, to show him of Our signs. Indeed, He is the Hearing, the Seeing." According to the description of this verse, the name "Isrā’īl" is used to refer to the night journey of God's Servant and it could be interpreted as "the one elevated by God" or "the one conveyed by God".

The verse does not name the "servant" of God, though we safely suggest that his title is "Isrā’īl" as it refers to him as being "āsrā'" to Al Masjid Al Aqsa. The verse describes a night journey that God's Servant took, and it is not necessarily limited to Prophet Muhammad and could refer to any servant of God who took such a journey.

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