Sura Al-Baqarah

this idea has been cited in a tradition narrated from Imam Baqir (a.s.), the fifth Imam. (1)

Some phrases similar to the above ones have occurred in the qur'an. for example, jonah (yunus) (a.s.), asking Allah to forgive him, says: "... Glory to thee: I was indeed wrong! ", (sura Al-'Anbiya , No. 21, verse 87). And, about moses (a.s.), the Qur'an says: "He prayed: ' O' my lord! I have indeed wronged my soul! do thou then forgive me! ' so (Allah) forgave him...", (Sura Al-Qasas, No. 28, verse 16).

Many Islamic traditions narrated from Ahlul-bait (a.s.), such as tafsir-i-durrul-manthur, denote that the objective meaning of the ' words ' taught to Adam (a.s.) by Allah was the holy names of the holy five; viz: the holy prophet Muhammad (p.b.u.h.), his cousin and son-in-law Hadrat Ali, his daughter Fatimah, and his sons (i.e. grandsons) Hassan and Husayn (a.s.). Adam (a.s.) relied on these 'words' and asked Him to forgive him. Then, Allah accepted it and forgave him.

These three commentaries do not contradict one another since the entirity of the 'words' might have been taught to Adam (a.s.) in order that, through their (the ' words ') reality, depth, and innate nature, he could obtained a pure perfect spiritual change in his heart and soul totally so that Allah would shower him with His Grace and Guidance.

(1) Majma'-ul-bayan, vol. 1, p. 89

(40) يَا بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ اذْكُرُواْ نِعْمَتِيَ الَّتِي أَنْعَمْتُ عَلَيْكُمْ وَأَوْفُواْ بِعَهْدِي أُوفِ بِعَهْدِكُمْ وَإِيَّايَ فَارْهَبُونِ

40. " O' Children of Israel, remember My blessing wherewith I blessed you, and fulfil My covenant and I shall fulfil your covenant, and have awe of none but Me."

Commentary :

The Remembrance of the Favours of Allah

In the previous verses we learnt about the commission of Adam's vicegerency on the earth, the respectful treatment of the angels towards him, Iblis's reaction of pride, and the negligence of his covenant with Allah, and, consequently, his removal from the Garden and, thereafter, his penitence. Through these events, this fundamental principle was made clear that: in this world, there are two opposite forces, i.e. right and wrong, or just and unjust, which are always at odds with each other. He who, following the temptations of Satan, chooses the wrong path gets farther and farther away from felicity and salvation and involves himself in toil and pain, the fruit of which is remorse and regret.

But those who, heedless of the Satanic temptations and those of vicious fellows, choose the path of obedience of Allah will live a happy life, free from spiritual pain and grief.

There is a close similarity between the story of Adam (a.s.) and that of the Israelites when they were rescued from the clutches of Pharaoh before their vicegerency on the earth, and, after that, their negligence of their solemn promise to Allah which caused them to be involved in pain and misery. Their fate not only resembles that of Adam's, but it can also be considered as a subdivision of that general principle. Hence, in the above verse and several verses after that, Allah refers to some different aspects of the lives of the Children of Israel and their lamentable end to complete with them the educative lesson which He started with the story of Adam's fate.

He addresses the Israelites and says: " O' Children of Israel, remember My blessing wherewith I blessed you, and fulfil My covenant and I shall fulfil your covenant, and have awe of none but Me."

Those three instructions (the remembrance of the great blessings of Allah, being loyal to His covenant, to be in awe of only Him) are, indeed, the basis of all Divine programs.

The remembrance of the blessings of the Lord leads Man to the knowledge of Allah, and provokes a sense of gratitude in him. Then, believing that those bounties are not given unconditionally and He has taken a covenant for them, makes man aware of his duties and responsibilities. After this, not having awe of anybody or any power in the way of performing the Divine duties, causes Man to remove all the barriers and obstructions from his way and fulfil faithfully his responsibilities and promises, for, having awe of this and that, is one of the greatest obstacles on this way, especially in the case of the Israelites who were under the control of Pharaonic goverments and, consequently, fear had become a part of their lives.

* * * *

Explanations :

Jews in Medina

It is interesting that, according to what historians of the Qur'an have cited, Sura Al-Baqarah is the first Sura that was revealed in Medina. This Sura talks mostly about Jews, because they were the most dominate group of the ' People of the Book ' there. Before the advent of the Prophet of Islam (p.b.u.h.), as their own religious books indicated, they were waiting for such an advent, and used to give its glad tidings to others. They were also in a very good economical condition at that time and, on the whole, they had a deep influence on the social affairs of Medina.

But, with the advent of Islam, many of them not only did not accept the invitation of Islam, but stood, hiddenly and openly, against it, because Islam hindered them from their unlawful interests and did not let them continue their evil social projects. Now, after the passing of more than fourteen centuries, this same hostility is still alive and active against Islam.

It was at that time when the above verse and the verses after that were sent down which blamed them intensively and, by mentioning the sensitive aspects of their historical background, moved them so violently that those Jews, who had the least sense of justice and truth-seeking, awoke and accepted Islam. Besides that, this admonishment was a comprehensive lesson for all the Muslim believers, too.

In the discussions of the verses that will come later, we shall talk about some of the outstanding circumstances of these people such as their rescue from the grips of Pharaoh, the cleaving asunder of the sea and the drowning of Pharaoh and his horsemen, the appointing place of Moses (a.s.) on Mount Sinai (Toor), the calf (of gold) worshipped by the Israelites when Moses (a.s.) was not among them which caused them to receive the instruction of the bloody repentence and, thereafter, the special bounties of Allah were sent down for them, and some other events similar to these, each of which contains a lesson or lessons to be learnt by all.

* * * *

The Jews' Twelve Covenants with Allah

As it is understood from the verses of the Holy Qur'an, the covenant mentioned in the above verse is the very covenant of worshipping Allah; to treat parents, kindred, orphans, and the needy with kindness; to have fair behaviour with people, to attend and be steadfast in ritual prayers; to pay alms; to avoid doing grievous wrongs, and to avoid shedding blood.

The witness of this statement is Sura Al-Baqarah, No. 2, verses 83 and 84:

" And (remember) when We made a covenant with the Children of Israel (instructing): ' You shall not worship any but Allah; and (you shall do) good to (your) parents, and to the near of kin and to the orphans, and the needy, and speak kind words to people, keep up the prayer, and pay the poor-rates (zakat)'.

Then you turned away, except a few of you, and you backslide (even now). " And (remember) when We made a covenant with you: ' You shall not shed your blood, nor expel one another from your dwellings ', then you confirmed it while you bore witness."

These two verses, in fact, refer to the ten different covenants that Allah had taken from the Jews. When we consider, and add, the two other covenants of Sura Al-Ma'idah, No. 5, verse 12, which advises them to believe in the Divine prophets and help them respectfully, the fact is made clear that they had given numerous covenants to Allah for those great Divine blessings; and they had been promised by Allah to be settled in the Gardens of Heaven under whose trees and castles streams flow, if they would have kept their promises, thus:

" Allah did aforetime take a Covenant from the Children of Israel,... and Allah said: 'I am with you: if ye (but) establish regular Prayers, practise regular Charity, believe in My apostles, honour and assist them,... And admit you to Gardens with rivers flowing beneath,..."

But, unfortunately, inspite of the long expectations of the Jews based upon the prophecies in their sacred scriptures, they, finally, observed none of those promises and they continued their most vehement and the most torturous opposition and persecution against Islam and Muslims not only at the advent of Islam but they have also been continuing it until the present time. The fruit of their evil actions was that they became vagrant, and this condition will always be seen in their lives till the time when they will be destroyed. If we see that, with the support of this oe that, they flourish in their authorative existence for a short length of time, it cannot be counted a real reason for their final victory. We know it well that one day the true followers of Islam, free from any tribal or racial adherences, and only under the light of the Holy Qur'an, will rise and put an end to all these vanities.

* * * *

Allah will Fulfil His Covenant, too!

The bounties of Allah have never been given unconditionally and every blessing is accompanied by a responsibility or responsibilities.

A tradition from Imam Sadiq (a.s.) says that the objective meaning of the phrase: 'I shall fulfil your covenant', mentioned in this verse, is that Allah will fulfil His covenant in admitting them into Heaven. (1)

It is not surprising that, in this tradition, the belief in the mastership of Hadrat Ali (a.s.) is mentioned as a part of this covenant, because one of the items of the covenant of the Children of Israel was the acceptance of the prophecy of the Divine Apostles and the assisting of them. And it is evident that the acceptance of their viceeerents is also a part of the acceptance of that leadership and mastership, which should be established at any time appropriate with that age. At the time of Moses (a.s.), it was he who held that position; and at the time of Hadrat Muhammad (p.b.u.h.), he did, and thereafter Hadrat Ali (a.s.) continued it.

By the way, the phrase: "... and have awe of none but Me", referring to an awe of His punishment because of their disobedience of His command, is an emphasis on this subject that, in fulfilling their covenant with Allah, they should fear of no one and no circumstance.

* * * *

Why are Jews Called the Children of Israel ?

'Israel' was one of the titles of Jacob, Yusuf's (Joseph) father. Both the well-known commentators ' Tabarsi ' in his book: 'Majma'ul-Bayan ' (vol. 1, p. 92), and Shaykh-ut-Ta'ifah the Late Toosi in his commentary book entitled: ' at-Tibyan Fi Tafsir-il-Qur'an ' (vol. 1, p. 180) have expressed: "Israel is the same as Jacob, the son of Issac (Ishaq) the son of Abraham (a.s.)...".

These two great commentators believe that the word /isra'il/ is a combination of the term 'Isr', /'abd/, with the meaning of 'servant' and ' 'il ' with the meaning of 'Allah'. Then, the word means 'the servant of Allah'; and it is a 'Hebraic' word.

(1) Nur-uth-Thaqalayn, vol. 1, p. 73

(41) وَآمِنُواْ بِمَا أَنزَلْتُ مُصَدِّقاً لِّمَا مَعَكُمْ وَلاَ تَكُونُواْ أَوَّلَ كَافِرٍ بِهِ وَلاَ تَشْتَرُواْ بِآيَاتِي ثَمَناً قَلِيلاً وَإِيَّايَ فَاتَّقُونِ
(42) وَلاَ تَلْبِسُواْ الْحَقَّ بِالْبَاطِلِ وَتَكْتُمُواْ الْحَقَّ وَأَنتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ
(43) وَأَقِيمُواْ الصَّلوةَ وَآتُواْ الزَّكَوةَ وَارْكَعُواْ مَعَ الرَّاكِعِينَ

41. " And believe in what I have revealed (the Qur'an), confirming that (Scripture) which is with you, and be not the first to reject Faith therein, and sell not My Signs for a miserable price; and be in awe of none but Me."

42. " And confound not the truth with falsehood, nor conceal the truth while you know (it)."

43. " And keep up the prayer, and pay the poor-rates (zakat), and bow down in prayer with those who bow down (in congregation)."

Commentary :

The Lord commands the Jews that they should believe in His revelation, the Qur'an, and accept it because the acceptance of the Qur'an is just the same as the acceptance of the Turah:

" And believe in what I have revealed (the Qur'an) confirming that (Scripture) which is with you,..."

This statement indicates that the Turah, in which they believe, itself has pointed out the glad tidings of the advent of the promised Prophet, Hadrat Muhammad (p.b.u.h.), and the revelation of the Holy Qur'an. Thus, the requisite belief in the content of the Turah is belief in the Qur'an.

"...and be not the first to reject Faith therein,..."

The verse addresses the Jews and says that those people, who are of the " People of the Book " and among whom there are scholars and learned men who believe in God and have accepted the Divine prophets, should not be the first group to reject the Qur'an and deny its rightfulness. When their scholars do not accept the truth, many others also follow them and reject it.

"...and sell not My Signs for a miserable price;..."

Some authentic narrations denote that many of the scholars and Rabbis of the Jews used to sell the verses and some features of Hadrat Muhammad, the promised Prophet (p.b.u.h.), mentioned in the Scripture of old, the Turah, to some of the rich Jews at that time and perverted the verses of the Turah in exchange for taking money from them. Here, Allah scorns them and forbids them from doing this abominable action and directs them not to corrupt the Scripture for that little sum of money. The money they used to take was, of course, a large sum, but, in comparison with what they committed, it was very little. Allah's Signs are worth more than all their paltry considerations, and changing and perverting those Divine Signs is a very great sin so that gold and silver, howsoever much they may be, or even high social positions, seem naught in comparison with it. So, He says

"... and be in awe of none but Me."

* * * *

" And confound not the truth with falsehood, nor conceal the truth while you know (it)."

This verse provides another emphasis on the above meaning. The Jewish scholars are told, here, not to mix up the truth with falsehood by perverting the verses of the Turah and hiding its revelations about the Prophet of Islam (p.b.u.h.), when they are supposed to make them manifest, because they recognize them and, in connection to this, know the difference between right and wrong very well.

* * * *

" And keep up the prayer, and pay the poor-rates (zakat), and bow down in prayer with those who bow down (in congregation)."

In Islam, next to the belief in Allah, His Messenger, and the Resurrection, prayer and alms (zakat) are the two essential pillars of Faith without which the establishment and endurance of Faith is impossible.

Prayer and poor-rates, as well as observing their proper times, are strictly and repeatedly emphasized in the concerning verses of the Holy Qur'an and Islamic traditions and narrations. The excellence and importance of prayers are briefly pointed out in commenting on verse 3, the current Sura on pages 80-83 in this volume.

Explanation :

Islam, as a religion, has revealed information with the perfection necessary to train mankind and to discipline the human race and to enable them to raise themselves from the depths of material degradation to the unlimited elevation of spiritual glory in order to qualify each individual as an adherent, as much as he or she personally desires, to rise towards the divinity in store for every sincere seeker of it. The curbing of the physical desires of a human being is sure to have the natural consequence of sublimating it by the resulting moral effect on the mind which can gradually put it well on the way to receiving the enlightenment of the higher meanings of life. A certain degree of piety and devotion is essential for a human being to be initiated into the realm of spiritual bliss. All the previous religions, particularly the creed of the Jews and the Christians, were limited to some extreme systems of optional ascetic hermitage of extremes which did not agree with the natural demands of the social life of the people. The imposition of such extremes, with the freedom to do it or not, could help only a few to follow the order, discarding completely their worthy life but the bulk of the people had sunk deep into hypocritical observances and practices.

Islam, as a practical and fully regulated religion, bases its foundation first on humbling the ego of man by making him conscious about his relation to his Creator and thus making him yield to the Lord, his God, in complete submission to Him by worshipping in a way suiting his humble position. By this, Islam brings man in the presence of his Lord. The first cardinal doctrine or ordinance of Islam is 'salat' or ' prayers ' which develops in a human being the appropriate feeling in relation to God and puts the individual in direct contact with the great qualities of the Absolute Divinity.

(44) أَتَأْمُرُونَ النَّاسَ بِالْبِرِّ وَتَنسَوْنَ أَنفُسَكُمْ وَأَنتُمْ تَتْلُونَ الْكِتَابَ أَفَلاَ تَعْقِلُونَ

44." Do you enjoin righteousness upon people while you forget your own selves (to practice it)? And you read the Scripture? Have you then no sense? "

Commentary :

This verse is apparently addressing and scorning the scholars of the Jews who, before the Divine invitation of Hadrat Muhammad (p.b.u.h.), recommended people to embrace Islam. They enjoined them to pay charity and favour each other, but they did not do these good deeds themselves. They did not accept Islam in order to continue their mastership, nor pay charity lest they might become poor.

But, the verse, in fact, addresses and admonishes all those who habitually recommend others to piety and neglect their own souls.

" Do you enjoin righteousness upon people while you forget your own selves (to practice it)? ..."

It is not logical that a person enjoins his fellow men to help others and work righteousness but, he himself does not observe it. That is why, at the end of the verse, it says:

"... And you read the Scripture? Have you then no sense? "

It inquires, how you do not understand that you should enjoin righteousness on yourselves first and do accordingly to be as an example,then expect others to obey you and receive your recommendation, with their whole hearts. Experience has proved that words which are uttered only by the tongue, as simple statements, physically strike the ears and perish. But reasonable speech that arises from the soul and reality, settles in souls firmly and affects hearts deeply.

(45) َاسْتَعِينُواْ بِالصَّبْرِ وَالصَّلوةِ وَإِنَّهَا لَكَبِيرَةٌ إِلاَّ عَلَى الْخَاشِعِينَ
(46) الَّذِينَ يَظُنُّونَ أَنَّهُم مُّلاَقُو رَبِّهِمْ وَأَنَّهُمْ إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُونَ

45. " And seek you help (from Allah) through patience and prayer; and most surely it is a hard thing, save upon the humble,"

46. " Those who bear in mind the certainty that they will meet their Lord and that verily unto Him shall they return."

Commentary :

To enable Man to overcome his latent low desires and to clean his mind from the love of position and rank, the Qur'an says:

" And seek you help (from Allah) through patience and prayer; and most surely it is a hard thing, save upon the humble,...".

How to Overcome Difficulties

To overcome difficulties and solve problems demands two fundamental principles. The first principle is a strong inner will, and the second one is a firm outward refuge. These two principles are referred to in the above verse as ' patience ' and ' prayer '. Patience, here, has been rendered into ' fasting ' and ' perseverance ' during difficulties while prayer is a connection with Allah and a means of communication with this Helpful Refuge.

About the term /sabr/ 'patience',one of the commentary books (1) says that it is a natural phenomena well-known to every enlightened one that bodily mortification is to some extent necessary in disciplining the human ego accommodated in the physical framework, to lighten it by liberating it from the clutches of the desires and passions of the material world otherwise it would sink deeply into its own devious personal interest. This is essential to elevate it unto the heights of the spiritual realms. A religion merely consisting of some mere formal rituals and the offering of chanting or the recitation of some verbal prayers or charms without the demand on the individual for the practical control of the animal-self in him can hardly be worth anything. The truth endowed or the spiritual strength one gets through overcoming his selfish passions, is by itself a very vast subject to be dealt with in the brief notes meant to explain the particular aspects of the wordings of the Divine verses here. However, an Islamic tradition says that Imam Sadiq (a.s.) was once asked about the meaning of the word /sabr/ 'patience ', mentioned in this verse, when he said: " Patience means fasting." (2)

Again, commenting on this verse, the leading commentators have cited that whenever any difficulty confronted the Prophet of Islam (p.b.u.h.), he used to resort to ' fasting ' and ' prayers ' to be helped with. (3)(47) Also, Hadrat Ali (a.s.) did the same. (4)

It is also narrated from Imam Sadiq (a.s.) who has said: " It does not matter that when one of you is involved in a grief out of the griefs of the world, you would make ablution and enter a mosque. Then, you would recite a prayer and offer a petition therein to Allah, because I know He has commanded: ' And seek you help (from Allah) through patience and prayer'." (5)

Yes, verily prayer connects Man to an everlasting Power, to Allah, for Whom all the hard problems and complicated difficulties are easy. This very feeling causes man to be calm, powerful, and steadfast against misadventures.

And with prayer, ö what else can ever be imaginably more effective or successful than any individual in his helplessness approaching the All-Merciful, Almighty through prayers for help ?

* * * *

In the verse following the above one, the Holy Qur'an introduces the humble ones, thus :

" Those who bear in mind the certainty that they will meet their Lord and that verily unto Him shall they return."

So, it is narrated from Amir-ul Mu'mineen Ali (a.s.) who has said that one of the characteristics of the humble ones who are the same as the believers, is knowledge and certainty about their meeting with Allah which will take place in the Hereafter. (6)

What is ' Meeting with Allah ' ?

The idea of ' meeting with Allah ' has been mentioned repeatedly in the Qur'an where it totally means ' Presence in the Hereafter '. It is obvious that the purpose of ' meeting with the Lord' is not a physical meeting like the meeting of people with each other face to face. We also know that Allah is not a bodily substance to have colour or place, or to be seen with the eyes. Then, as some commentators have said, the purpose of the phrase may be the observation of the effects of His Power in the scene of the Hereafter, such as: His bounties, rewards, and punishments.

Or, it means an esoteric intuition in the heart or soul, because, sometimes, Man reaches a point that he sees the Lord in front of him by his heart's eye, and in that case no doubt will continue for him.

This state may come to being for some people in this world as a result of piety, worship, and purification of the carnal soul. The following explanation, cited in Nahjul Balaqah, attests to the idea:

One of the companions of Amir-ul Mu'mineen Ali (a.s.), Di'lib al-Yamani, who was a learned man, once asked him (a.s.) whether Ali (a.s.) had seen Allah, his Lord, when he (a.s.) replied: " Do I worship the One Whom I have not seen? " Then the man asked him to explain it more and Ali (a.s.) added: " Eyes do not see Him face to face, but hearts (souls) perceive Him through the (light of) realities of Faith. ..." (7)

However, in the Hereafter, all human beings will attain this esoteric intuition, since, therein, the effects of the Glory and Power of Allah will be so manifested that none can deny them, and all will have a decisive Faith in everything.

(1) The Holy Qur'an, with English Translation of the Arabic Text and Commentary, p. 98
(2) Al-Burhan Fi Tafsiril Qur'an, vol.1, p.14 & Tafsir-us-Safi, vol.1,p.111
(3) Majma'-ul-Bayan, vol. 1, p. 99
(4) Ibid, p. 100
(5) Usuli-Kafi, vol. 3, p. 480
(6) Atyabul-Bayan, vol. 2, p. 21
(7) Nahjul-Balaqah, sermon 179

(47) يَا بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ اذْكُرُواْ نِعْمَتِيَ الَّتِي أَنْعَمْتُ عَلَيْكُمْ وَأَنِّي فَضَّلْتُكُمْ عَلَى الْعَالَمِينَ
(48) وَاتَّقُواْ يَوْماً لاَّ تَجْزِي نَفْسٌ عَن نَّفْسٍ شَيْئاً وَلاَ يُقْبَلُ مِنْهَا شَفَاعَةٌ وَلاَ يُؤْخَذُ مِنْهَا عَدْلٌ وَلاَ هُمْ يُنصَرُونَ

47. " O' Children of Israel,call to mind My favour which I bestowed on you, and that I made you excel the nations (of that time)."

48. " And guard yourselves against a day when no one in the least shall avail another, nor shall intercession be accepted from any one, nor shall any ransom be taken from any one, nor shall they be helped (from outside)."

Commentary :

The Vain Imaginations of the Jews

In these verses, again, the Lord addresses the Children of Israel and reminds them of His bounties bestowed on them, thus:

" O' Children of Israel, call to mind My favours which I bestowed on you, ..."

These bounties were numerous consisting of Faith, Divine Guidance and their rescue from the grips of pharaohs which led them to regaining their splendour and independence. Then, among these bounties He has pointed out the bounty of their being made to excel the nations of their time which in itself is a combination of different bounties. He continues and says: "... and that I made you excel the nations (of that time)."

Some may think that the objective meaning of the phrase, " I made you excel the nations ", is that He has made them excel the nations all over the world and for ever. But, regarding other verses, the Qur'an makes it clear that the application of the address ' you ' is meant for those immediately present at that time and in their own locality,because in another occurrence the Qur'an, addressing Muslims, says: " You are the best of peoples, evolved for mankind, ..." (Sura 'Ali-'Imran, No. 3, verse 110).

Another verse about the Israelites says: " And We made a people, considered weak (and of no account), inheritors of lands in both East and West ...", (Sura Al-'A'raf, No. 7, verse 137).

It is obvious that the Children of Israel did not inherit the world entirely at that time.

So, it means that they inherited the east and the west of their own region. Therefore, their preference to other nations means preference to the other nations in their environment at that time.

* * * *

The Qur'an rejects the vain considerations of the Jews. They thought that, on the Day of Judgement, their forefathers and ancestors, who were prophets of Allah, would make intercession for them; or they imagined that on that Day those prophets could give ransom for their sins the same as some of their people employ bribery in this world.

The Qur'an says:

" And guard yourselves against a day when no one in the least shall avail another ..."

"... nor shall intercession be accepted from any one..."

"... nor shall any ransom be taken from any one, ..."

"... nor shall they be helped (from outside)."

In brief, the ' Judge ' on that Day is He Who accepts, from the servants, only pure good actions done with true belief, as the Qur'an says about it: " The Day whenon neither wealth nor sons will avail," " But only he (will prosper) that brings to Allah a sound heart ", (Sura Shu'ara, No. 26, verses 88 & 89).

The verse under discussion, in fact, is a hint to this reality that, in this world, saving a sinful person from punishment by applying all possible means is an ordinary custom. Sometimes someone undertakes the payment of another person's compensation and pays it. If this way fails, intercession may be resorted to and some respectable personalities who have power and influence may be brought forward to intercede for him. If intercession does not avail either, the person tries to save himself by paying for the fine. And, if this, too, provides no results, he asks his friends and fellow men to help him somehow, so that he can escape from the grips of punishment.

There are different ways of fleeing from punishment in this world, but the Qur'an says that the chastisements in the Hereafter are completely different from those in this world and none of these behaviours are acceptable there. The only way of rescue is to refuge under the shade of Faith and righteousness, and to ask help from Allah, the Merciful.

Supplication:

O' Lord, the Creator, the Cherisher! We humbly ask You to guide us so that, at the end, You will be pleased with us and we can be prosperous.

Intercession in the Qur'an and Traditions

The term /sªafa'at/ ' intercession ', with all its derivations, has occurred about thirty times in the Qur'an. This status shows the depth of the importance of the matter.

Undoubtedly, the punishments of the Lord, whether in this world or in the next, are not for revenging at all, but they are, in fact, to warrant the obedience of the Divine ordinances and, consequently, the development and progress of men. Therefore, everything that weakens this security should be avoided in order that people would be less likely to commit sin and vice.

On the other hand, the way of repentance and return to righteousness and improvement should not be completely closed to the sinners. They must have the opportunity and possibility of improving themselves which results in piety and returning to the path of Allah.

Thus, intercession means that, on the Day of Judgement, prophets, saints, and some special righteous ones will intercede with Allah's permission for those who have not cut their tie of Faith with Allah and preserved their spiritual relationship with Him and His Messengers.

In other words, intercession, in its proper meaning, exists for the preserving of this equilibrium. It is a means for the sinners and the wrong-doers to return from their present way to the path of obedience and servitude.

We may emphasize that the doctrine of intercession is quite natural, reasonable and logical. It is a natural, just, and merciful classification of souls according to the natural affinity and the bonds of love and sincere attachment which existed between the individual and the faithful servants of Allah, viz. the holy Prophet (p.b.u.h.) and the holy Ahlul-Bait (a.s.) whose purity of spirit, flawlessness of conduct and character, selfless services and matchless sacrifices for the cause of truth, are universal factors and whose goodliness is unreservedly acknowledged by the Muslims and even by the non-Muslims as well.

However, as it was mentioned before, there are numerous verses in the Qur'an concerning ' intercession '. To understand these verses completely and correctly, all of them should be studied carefully and considered as a whole to follow the unity of purpose they are meant for.

It is absolutely wrong that for proving our claim we take only one verse from amongst the numerous verses on intercession and neglect the others. The errs that have come into being upon the subject of intercession, as well as upon some other rational subjects, are the effect of such wrong and imperfect investigations. This method, in which we take a single verse and refuse or neglect other verses that can be elucidative and frames of reference for that particular verse, is far from the right manner of researching.

Then, firstly, besides all the other arguments of the various expositions on the validity of intercession based upon the other verses of the Qur'an, as was mentioned formerly, and with further assurance by the traditions of the holy Prophet (p.b.u.h.), it is a natural and logical conclusion, beyond all doubt, that on the Day of Judgement intercession cannot be but an undeniable fact. That is, Allah's regard for His holy and faithful servants is accepted as a natural and logical necessary factor.

Secondly, it is certain that the Holy Qur'an in many places, some of which are mentioned below, asserts the effectiveness of intercession under some conditions, on the Day of Judgement, when those authorized by the Lord shall have the right to do it. The Qur'an says:

" On that Day shall no intercession avail except for those for whom permission has been granted by (Allah) Most Gracious and whose word is acceptable to Him " , (Sura Taha, No. 20, verse 109).

" No intercession can avail in His Presence, except for those for whom He has granted permission...", (Sura Saba, No. 34, verse 23).

" And those whom they invoke besides Allah have no power of intercession; ö only he who bears witness to the Truth, and they know (him)", (Sura Az-Zukhruf, No. 43, verse 86).

For further elucidation on the doctrine of intercession some of the verses which can also be referred to are: 26: 100, 2: 123 & 255, 74: 48, 21: 28, and 19: 87.

In the authentic literature of Muslims,both the Sunnite and Shi'ah schools, through some Islamic narrations, there are many implications to the existence of ' intercession ' in the Hearafter which are presented as explanatory statements for the aforementioned verses on intercession.

Some of these books are: Bihar-ul-Anwar, Majma'-ul-Bayan, Tafsir-i-Almizan, At-Tibyan fi Tafsir-il-Qur'an, Al-Burhan fi Tafsir-il-Qur'an, Al-Khisal by Shaykh Saduq, Usul-i-Kafi, Sunan-i-Ibn-Majih, Musnad-i-Ahmad, Muwatta'-i-Malik, Sunan-i-Tarmazi, Sunan-i-Darmi, Sahih-i-Muslim, Sahih-i-Bukhari, ...

Out of the many traditions and narrations cited in the above mentioned books, a few of them have been chosen here:

1. The holy Prophet (p.b.u.h.) has said: " I will be the first one who intercedes and the first one whose intercession will be accepted (by Allah)." (1)

2. Hadrat Ali (a.s.) said: "...We will intercede and those who love (and follow) us will do so, too. ..." (2)

3. The holy Prophet (p.b.u.h.) also said: "...I have been bestowed on (five privileges: the first is) ' intercession ' which I have kept for my followers (Ummah). Intercession is (permitted) for the one who associates no partner with Allah ..."(3)

4. Again, the Messenger of Allah (p.b.u.h.) has said: "...The most prosperous people by my intercession on the Day of Judgement will be those who have sincerely said from their deep hearts (souls):there is no god except Allah (i.e. sincerely believe in Allah)."(4)

5. The holy Prophet (p.b.u.h.) has also said: " My intercession is for all (true) Muslims." (5)

6. Firdous-ud-Diylami, Abuhurayrah, narrates from the holy Prophet (p.b.u.h.) who has said: " The intercessors (in the Hereafter) are five: the Qur'an, relationships, trust, your Messenger, and the people of the house (Ahlul-Bait) of your prophet." (6)

7. Imam Sadiq (a.s.) is narrated to have said: " There is none of (the people of) ancient times and (those of) the later times but needs Muhammad's intercession (p.b.u.h.) on the Day of Judgement. " (7)

8. In Usul-i-Kafi, it is also cited that Imam Sadiq (a.s.) has said in a tradition: " He who wishes to enjoy of intercession by the intercessors with Allah, should try to gain His pleasure." (8)

We hope that Allah, the Merciful, may bestow the success of obedience and servitude on His path upon all of us and may He save us from any err and sin in our deeds. May He deprive us not of the intercession of the holy Prophet (p.b.u.h.) and Ahlul-Bait (a.s.) on the Day of Reckoning. Amin, O' Lord of the Worlds !

(1) Sunan-i-Tarmazi, vol. 5, p. 24 & Sunan-i-Darmi, vol. 1, p. 26 & 27
(2) Al-Khisal by Saduq, p. 624
(3) Musnad-i-Ahmad, vol. 1, p. 301 & Sunan-i-Nisa'i, vol. 1, p. 172
(4) Sahih-i-Bukhari, vol. 1, p. 36
(5) Sunan-i-Ibn-Majih, vol. 2, p. 1444, tradition 4317
(6) Bihar-ul-Anwar, vol. 8, p. 43
(7) Bihar-ul-Anwar, vol. 8, p. 38, tradition 16
(8) Usul-i-Kafi, vol. 8, p. 11 & Bihar-ul-Anwar, vol. 8, p. 53

(49) وَإِذْ نَجَّيْنَاكُم مِّنْ آلِ فِرْعَوْنَ يَسُومُونَكُمْ سُوَءَ الْعَذَابِ يُذَبِّحُونَ أَبْنَاءكُمْ وَيَسْتَحْيُونَ نِسَاءكُمْ وَفِي ذَلِكُم بَلاء مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ عَظِيمٌ

49. " And (remember) when We delivered you from the people of Pharaoh who had afflicted you with evil torment, slaughtering your sons and sparing your women-folk, and in that was a great trial from your Lord."

Commentary :

In this verse, the Qur'an points to another great bounty out of the bounties He bestowed on the Children of Israel. This favour is the bounty of deliverance from the grips of those transgressors. This is the greatest bounty amongst the bounties of Allah on them and He reminds them, saying:

" And (remember) when We delivered you from the people of Pharaoh..."

" ...who had afflicted you with evil torment, ..."

" ...slaughtering your sons and sparing your women-folk, ..."

They let your women-folk live as maid-servants and serve hard for them.

"...and in that was a great trial from your Lord."

To illustrate the torments of Pharaoh upon the Israelites, the Qur'an has particularly applied the term /yasumuna/ in the future tense of the verb, which, in Arabic, indicates the duration and continuity of that evil torment. Thus, they saw for themselves that their innocent sons were slaughtered before their eyes and their daughters were taken away from them to serve in the Egyptians' houses as maid-servants. That conduct caused them to tolerate and experience torture permanently, too. They were considered as servants, workers, and slaves of the Coptic people in Egypt and of the men of Pharaoh.

It is a matter of importance that the Qur'an counts this event as a great and grievous trial for the Children of Israel and, of course, bearing all those bitter harsh afflictions had been a hard tremendous trial.

It is also probable that the term /bala'/ ' trial ', here, has been used with the meaning of ' punishment '. The reason is that before that event, Israelites had been enjoying an abundancy of bounties with great power and authority. But they became ungrateful and the Lord punished them.

Anyhow, the day when the Children of Israel were delivered from the tyrannical clutches of the Egyptian monarch, the Pharaoh, was a very important historical day in their lives on which the Holy Qur'an has emphasized repeatedly.

Slavery of Females, Past and Present

In the history of the Israelites, their bondage in Egypt was indeed a tremendous trial for them. Even the Egyptians' wish to spare the lives of the Israelites' females when the males were slaughtered, as the Qur'an declares, added to their bitterness. So, their rescue from that cruelty was really counted as a bounty. It seems that the Qur'an intends to warn all human beings that they should try to obtain their rightful freedom however hard it may be, and protect it.

Hadrat Ali (a.s.) has pointed out this matter in one of his sermons: "...Real death is in the eife of subjugation while real life is in dying in the way of freedom..." (1)

But the modern world is different from that of the ancient in this manner. At that time, for example, Pharaoh, through his peculiar cruelty, slaughtered the men and the sons of the people who were his enemies and let their females remain alive to serve Egyptians. While, today, in this modern world, the spirit of manhood among males is often slaughtered under some other circumstances, and their females are mostly made slaves for the lustful pleasure of a group of filthy men. Sometimes, the Pharaohs of the Age have pity upon neither men nor women; neither sons nor daughters; neither adults nor infants. They have verified this statement in the massacres they have committed in some Islamic and non-Islamic countries by using chemical bombs and the likes of them. Their actions are often even worst than what the Pharaohs of Egypt used to do.

Now, why did Pharaoh decide to kill the Israeli boys and let their women-folk live ? Some of the commentators believe that the reason for that murderous decision was the dream that Pharaoh dreamed. A more appropriate answer to this question will be discussed when commenting on Sura Al-Qasas No. 28, verse 4. Therein, you will come to know that the reason for that murder was not only Pharaoh's dream, but he and his clique also stood in awe of the increasing number of the Children of Israel and that they might become powerful and destroy the government of Pharaoh. This factor helped them make that hostile decision.

Some details about the miserable lot of the Israelites under the bondage of Pharaoh and how they were rescued, are also explained in Exodus the opening chapter of the Bible i.e. Chapter 1.

(1) Nahjul-Balaqah, sermon 51

(50) وَإِذْ فَرَقْنَا بِكُمُ الْبَحْرَ فَأَنجَيْنَاكُمْ وَأَغْرَقْنَا آلَ فِرْعَوْنَ وَأَنتُمْ تَنظُرُونَ

50. " And (remember) when We divided the sea for you, and delivered you and drowned Pharaoh's people while you were looking on."

Commentary :

The Rescue from Pharaoh !

In the previous verse the miraculous rescue of the Israelites from the tyrannical grips of the Egyptian monarch, the Pharaoh, was briefly pointed out. The present verse is, in fact, an explanatory statement of that rescue, which itself is a sign of the great bounties of Allah upon the Children of Israel. It says:

" And (remember) when We divided the sea for you, ..."

"...and delivered you and drowned Pharaoh's people while you were looking on."

The incident of the drowning of Pharaoh and his horsemen in the sea, and the rescue of the children of Israel from their cruel clutches is expressed in several Suras of the Qur'an, including: Sura Al-'A'raf, No. 7, verse 136 - Sura Al-'Anfal, No. 8, verse 54 - Sura Al-'Asra', No. 17, verse 103- Sura Ash-Shu'ara', No. 26, verses 63 & 66 - Sura Az-Zukhruf, No. 43, verse 55- and Sura Ad-Dukhan, No. 44, verses from 17 on.

More or less all the details of that happening are stated in the above Suras, but by the verse under discussion the story is hinted at only from the point of the favour and grace of Allah upon the Children of Israel in order to attract them to the invitation of Islam, the new religion of salvation, and to invoke them to accept it.

As you will read the explanation of this subject in detail through the aforementioned Suras, Moses (a.s.), after a long time of preaching and inviting Pharaoh and his people to the Divine Faith and showing them numerous miracles and receiving no positive response from them, was commissioned that he and the Children of Israel move from Egypt at midnight. But when he reached the seashore, he realized that Pharaoh and his horsemen were closely pursuing them. The Israelites were terribly afraid.

They had the frightful sea in front of them and at their heels the forceful army of the Pharaoh, whom they could not challenge, threatened them. At that time Moses (a.s.) was commanded to strike the water of the sea with his Rod and he obeyed. Then several dry paths appeared in the sea on which Moses (a.s.) and his people passed. When they crossed the sea from between the walls of water and arrived on the other side of the sea safely, Pharaoh and his army, who were following them, entered the same paths. They reached the midst of the sea when the walls of water came together and all of them drowned. Their corpses were floating over the sea water as the Children of Israel were watching them and witnessing how helpless their enemies were in front of their eyes.

That terrible anxiety and the horrible fear they had compared with this miraculous rescue both deserved to be contemplated, and demanded that they express thanksgiving to Allah.

In this manner, the Qur'an tells the Jews that Allah has granted them His Mercy so that they could rid themselves of that anxiety and awe; then why do they repudiate the Prophet of Islam, Allah's Messenger, and do not accept Islam?

By the way, this verse teaches the human race to rely on Allah and trust in that everlasting Power in their lives. They ought to try hard and not stop in their endeavours and seek His help, because He helps them even in their most grievous moments.

A detailed story of this miraculous event is given in the Bible, Exodus; Chapter 14.

1. And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,

2. Speak unto the children of Israel, that they turn and encamp before Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, over against Baal-zephon: before it shall ye encamp by the sea.

3. For Pharaoh will say of the children of Israel, They are entangled in the land, the wilderness hath shut them in.

4. And I will harden Pharaoh's heart, that he shall follow after them; and will be honoured upon Pharaoh, and upon all his host; that the Egyptians may know that I am the LORD. And they did so.

5. And it was told the king of Egypt that the people fled: and the heart of Pharaoh and of his servants was turned against the people, and they said, Why have we done this that we have let Israel go from serving us ?

6. And he made ready his chariot, and took his people with him.

7. And he took six hundred chosen chariots, and all the chariots of Egypt and captains over every one of them.

8. And the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh, King of Egypt, and he pursued after the children of Israel and the children of Israel went out with an high hand.

9. But the Egyptians pursued after them, all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh, and his horsemen, and his army, and overtook them encamping by the sea, beside Pi-hahiroth, before Baal-zephon.

10. And when Pharaoh drew nigh, the children of Israel lifted up their eyes, and, behold, the Egyptians marched after them; and they were sore afraid: and the children of Israel cried out unto the LORD.

11. And they said unto Moses, Because there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness wherefore hast thou dealt thus with us, to carry us forth out of Egypt ?

12. Is not this the word that we did tell thee in Egypt, saying, Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians ? For it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness.

13. And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will show to you today: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen today, ye shall see them again no more for ever.

14. The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.

15. And the LORD said unto Moses: Wherefore criest thou unto me? Speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward.

16. But lift thou up thy rod, and stretch out thine hand over the sea, and divide it: and the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea.

17. And I, behold, I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they shall follow them: and I will get honour upon Pharaoh, upon all his host, upon his chariots and upon his horsemen.

18. And the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I have gotten honour upon Pharaoh, upon his chariots, and upon his horsemen.

19. And the angel of God, which went before the camp of Israel, removed and went behind them; and the pillar of the cloud went from before their face, and stood behind them:

20. And it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel; and it was a cloud and darkness to them, but it gave light by night to these: so that the one came not near the other all the night.

21. And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the LORD caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided.

22. And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground: and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand and on their left.

23. And the Egyptians pursued and went in after them to the midst of the sea, even all Pharaoh's horses, his chariots, and his horsemen.

24. And it came to pass that in the morning watch the LORD looked unto the host of the Egyptians through the pillar of the fire and of the cloud, and troubled the host of the Egyptians.

25. And took off their chariot wheels, that they drave them heavily: so that the Egyptians said, let us flee from the face of Israel: for the LORD fighteth for them against the Egyptians.

26. And the LORD said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand over the sea, that the waters may come again upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots and upon their horsemen.

27. And Moses stretched forth his hand over the sea and the sea returned to his strength when the morning appeared; and the Egyptians fled against it; and the LORD over-threw the Egyptians in the midst of the sea.

28. And the waters returned, and covered the chariots, and the horsemen, and all the host of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them; there remained not so much as one of them.

29. But the children of Israel walked upon dry land in the midst of the sea; and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left.

30. Thus the LORD saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians; and Israel saw the Egyptians dead upon the sea shore.

31. And Israel saw that great work which the LORD did upon the Egyptians: and the people feared the LORD, and believed the LORD, and his servant Moses.

* * * *

The above text is exactly narrated from the Bible, published in London by the British and Foreign Bible Society, 146 Queen Victoria Street. Then, if some signs and punctuations are not the same as those used in the present style of English writing, it should not be taken as being wrong or misused, but it is because of the method of writing in the original English translated Bible that we observed carefully, without making any changes in the text. The case is also true for page 190 in this book.

(51) وَإِذْ وَاعَدْنَا مُوسَى أَرْبَعِينَ لَيْلَةً ثُمَّ اتَّخَذْتُمُ الْعِجْلَ مِن بَعْدِهِ وَأَنتُمْ ظَالِمُونَ
(52) ثُمَّ عَفَوْنَا عَنكُمِ مِّن بَعْدِ ذَلِكَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ
(53) وَإِذْ آتَيْنَا مُوسَى الْكِتَابَ وَالْفُرْقَانَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَهْتَدُونَ
(54) وَإِذْ قَالَ مُوسَى لِقَوْمِهِ يَا قَوْمِ إِنَّكُمْ ظَلَمْتُمْ أَنفُسَكُمْ بِاتِّخَاذِكُمُ الْعِجْلَ فَتُوبُواْ إِلَى بَارِئِكُمْ فَاقْتُلُواْ أَنفُسَكُمْ ذَلِكُمْ خَيْرٌ لَّكُمْ عِندَ بَارِئِكُمْ فَتَابَ عَلَيْكُمْ إِنَّهُ هُوَ التَّوَّابُ الرَّحِيمُ

51. " And (remember) when We appointed forty nights for Moses, and you then took the Calf (for worship) after him, and you were unjust (to yourselves)."

52. "Then We pardoned you after that in order that you might be thankful."

53. " And (remember) when We gave Moses the Book as a Criterion (between right and wrong) so that you might be guided (aright)."

54. " And (remember) when Moses said to his people: ' O' my people, you have indeed wronged yourselves by worshipping the Calf; so turn (in repentance) to your Creator and slay yourselves (the wrong doers), that will be better for you with your Creator'. Then, He turned towards you (mercifully). Truly, He is the Oft-Pardoning, the Most Merciful."

Commentary :

The Israelites' Greatest Deviation

In these four verses, the Qur'an refers to another episode in the adventurous history of the Children of Israel and reminds the Jews of some shaking events of theirs.

These verses speak of their greatest deviation throughout the history of their lives which was their aberration from the path of monotheism to the worshipping of the calf. The Qur'an warns them that they had gone astray once in their history because of the temptations of the mischief makers. Now they should beware not to repeat that mistake. They should be attentive that the way of pure monotheism, viz. the way of Islam and the Qur'an, is open to them. They must not detach from it. First the verse says :

" And (remember) when We appointed forty nights for Moses, ..."

When he (Moses) departed from you and his thirty night appointment delayed for forty nights, "...and you then took the Calf (for worship) after him, and you were unjust to yourselves."

This event will be scrutinized when commenting on Sura Al-'A'raf, No. 7, verse 142 and Sura Taha, No. 20, verses 86 on. The story in brief is as follows:

After the deliverance of the Children of Israel from the tyrannical grips of Pharaoh and his men, who drowned in the sea, Moses (a.s.) was commanded to leave for Mount Sinai to stay there for thirty days and nights in order to receive the Law or the Turah on the Tablets from the Lord. Subsequently, the term was extended by ten more days and nights for the trial of the people. The delay in the return of Moses (a.s.) to his people at the end of thirty days, owing to the extension of the time by ten days and nights, was sufficient to create in the minds of the Israelites doubt about the authenticity of Moses (a.s.) as a true Prophet, on one hand, and for fallacious seducive Sameri to make a golden Calf possessing a special sound in order to deceive the Israelites, on the other hand. They, thereby, were deluded into calf-worship.

The majority of the Children of Israel joined him. Aaron (a.s.), the deputy and brother of Moses (a.s.) with a minority of people remained faithful to their monotheistic creed. They tried very much to restrain others from that great deviation, but they failed finally.

When Moses (a.s.) returned from the Mount end observed the circumstances, he became angry about it and scorned them severely. They understood that they had done wrong and decided to repent. Moses (a.s.) on Allah's command suggested to them an important repentance, whose explanation will be presented in future verses.

* * * *

In the next verse it says : " Then We pardoned you after that in order that you might be thankful."

* * * *

Then, it continues mentioning the series of happenings that had occurred before, saying:

" And (remember) when We gave Moses the Book as a Criterion (between right and wrong) so that you might be guided (aright)."

* * * *

" And (remember) when Moses said to his people: ' O' my people, you have indeed wronged yourselves by worshipping the Calf; ..."

"...so turn (in repentance) to your Creator..." your repentance should be fulfilled in this definite form: "...and slay yourselves (the wrong doers), ...", in which the righteous had to kill the wrong doers. Of course, those who had not worshipped the calf were not condemned to death, but they were commissioned to slay those calf-worshippers among themselves, be they their own kith and kin, i.e. their own fellow men whom they loved the most because they had associated a partner, the Calf, to the Lord, the One True God. (1)

"...that will be better for you with your Creator. ..."

"...Then, He turned toward you (mercifully). Truly, He is the Oft-Pardoning, the Most Merciful."

The phrase /innakum zalamtum anfusakum/ 'you have indeed wronged yourselves', here, is also noteworthy because: in Islam, sin which a man or a woman commits, is done against the individual's own self. For, the first and the immediate effect of a sin committed is that the individual becomes degenerated and thus gets far away from Divine Mercy.

(1) Atyabul-Bayan, vol. 2, p. 34

(55) وَإِذْ قُلْتُمْ يَا مُوسَى لَن نُّؤْمِنَ لَكَ حَتَّى نَرَى اللَّهَ جَهْرَةً فَأَخَذَتْكُمُ الصَّاعِقَةُ وَأَنتُمْ تَنظُرُونَ
(56) ثُمَّ بَعَثْنَاكُم مِّن بَعْدِ مَوْتِكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ

55. " And (remember) when you said: ' O' Moses! we will never believe in you until we see Allah manifestly', so the thunderbolt struck you while you looked on."

56. " Then We raised you up after your death in order that haply you might be thankful."

Commentary :

An Unjust Demand !

These two verses remind the Children of Israel about another bounty amongst the great bounties that Allah bestowed upon them. This illustrates how stubborn and obstinate those people were, and how the divine grievous torment encompassed them as a result of their unjust demand. But, thereafter, the Mercy of Allah blessed them again. It says:

" And (remember) when you said: ' O' Moses! we will never believe in you until we see Allah manifestly ', ..."

This kind of demand might originate from their ' ignorance ', because the minds of ignorant ones usually cannot understand beyond the impressions of their senses. Their minds are not able to conceive anything invisible. So, they demanded to see the Lord openly with their own eyes.

Or, it originated haply from their stubbornness and their habit of seeking pretext which was one of the characteristics of those people. At any rate, they frankly told Moses (a.s.) that they would never believe in him until they saw the Lord manifestly and with their very eyes.

Here, they insisted on seeing Him. This placed Moses (a.s.) in a helpless predicament. So, they saw, instead, one of the creatures of Allah that they did not have the ability to look upon. This incident might have made them understand that the eyes of the head were not able to see even many of the creations of Allah, much less their ability to see His Pure Self, the Almighty. Then, a thunderbolt came down and struck the mountain. It issued an amazing light with a horrible sound and an awful earthquake so that everybody there, because of their intensive fear, fell down dead. So, the Qur'an, following the above sentence says: "...so the thunderbolt struck you while you looked on."

* * * *

Moses (a.s.) was very worried about that event. Seventy persons from amongst the great leaders of the Israelites had died in that occurrence. It was a very crucial event for the Children of Israel to endure and they would make life hard for Moses (a.s.). Then he (a.s.) asked Allah to raise them up and let them live again. His supplication was accepted, as the Qur'an says:

" Then We raised you up after your death in order that haply you might be thankful."

This short explanation of the above two verses is also expounded more comprehensively in Sura Al-'A'raf, No. 7, verse 155 and Sura Nisa, No. 4, verse 153. Concerning seeing God, we have in Exod. 33: 20: " And He said: ' Thou canst see My face: for there shall no man see Me and live '."

See the Bible, Exodus 19: 16 and 17, too, which is as follows: 16. And it came to pass on the third day in the morning that there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of the trumpet exceeding loud; so that all the people that was in the camp trembled.

17. And Moses brought forth the people out of the camp to meet with God; and they stood at the nether part of the mount.

This story shows that while inviting the ignorant and stubborn people to the right path, the great prophets of Allah were involved in many complicated problems. Sometimes, the people asked for improvisatorial miracles from the prophets; and sometimes they went further and demanded of them to see the Lord openly with their physical eyes. They said decisively that they would never believe in them unless their demand was actually performed. They insisted on their vain thoughts and put forth some new excuses even when they were faced with respective violent responses from the Lord. But, the Grace and Mercy of Allah assisted the prophets on their path, else it was impossible for them to resist and stand firm when receiving all those excuses.

This tendency of demanding extraordinary and silly manifestations as miracles had also been the habit of the opponents of the holy Prophet (p.b.u.h.), (the Holy Qur'an 4: 153, and 17: 90-96).

By the way, this verse is one of the verses that attests to the existence of the possibility of ' restoration of life ', in this world, because its occurrence in one respect is evidence of its possibility in other respects, too.

(57) َظَلَّلْنَا عَلَيْكُمُ الْغَمَامَ وَأَنزَلْنَا عَلَيْكُمُ الْمَنَّ وَالسَّلْوَى كُلُواْ مِن طَيِّبَاتِ مَا رَزَقْنَاكُمْ وَمَا ظَلَمُونَا وَلَكِن كَانُواْ أَنفُسَهُمْ يَظْلِمُونَ

57. " And We outspread the clouds to shade you, and We sent down ' manna ' and ' quail ' upon you, (saying): ' Eat of the good things We have provided for you '. (But they rebelled); to Us they did no harm, but they were putting themselves to destruction."

Commentary :

Abundant Bounties !

As it is understood from Sura Al-Ma'idah, verses 20 to 22, when the Children of Israel were saved from the hostility of the Pharaoh and his army, Allah commanded them to move toward the Holy Land of Jerusalem and enter in it. But the Israelites did not obey the command saying: "...in this land are a people of exceeding strength: never shall we enter it until they leave it: if (once) they leave then shall we enter ", (the Holy Qur'an 5: 22).

Those rebellious people's disobedience did not stop there. They even told Moses (a.s.): "...Go thou, and thy Lord, and fight ye two, while we sit here (and watch) ", (Sura Al-Ma'idah, No. 5, verse 24).

Moses became very displeased with their words and told the story of his grievance to the Lord. Finally, it was appointed that the Children of Israel wander through the desert (of Sinai) in distraction for forty years.

A group of those people regretted their wrong action and returned to the Lord repenting of that sin. Then, He bestowed His bounties on them again, a part of which is referred to in the verse under discussion, where it says:

" And We outspread the clouds to shade you, ..."

It is obvious how happy a wandering passenger, who has been walking under the hot sun in the desert that he has to pass through without any shelter from morning till evening, is when he receives the welcome shade of clouds !

True, it is probable that shady clouds sometimes appear in the sky of the deserts, but the verse clearly declares that the event was not an ordinary thing that occurred for the Children of Israel. It was the favour of Allah that often showered upon them and they enjoyed it.

At the same time, during that long span of time, the passengers in that hot dry desert needed food and sustenance. That problem was also solved for them by the Merciful Creator, as the verse continues saying:

"...and We sent down 'manna 'and 'quail 'upon you, ..."

"...(saying): ' Eat of the good things We have provided for you '...",

in order that you may enjoy of the pure delicious nutritious sustenance and not disobey Him. Yet, they were not thankful to Him.

"...(But they rebelled); to Us they did no harm, but they were putting themselves to destruction."

The terms ' manna ' and ' salwa ' are differently interpreted by different philologists and commentators. However, the fact is: ' manna ' and ' salwa ' refer to the heavenly provisions the Israelites were provided with, without any strain or burden on their part.

(58) وَإِذْ قُلْنَا ادْخُلُواْ هَذِهِ الْقَرْيَةَ فَكُلُواْ مِنْهَا حَيْثُ شِئْتُمْ رَغَداً وَادْخُلُواْ الْبَابَ سُجَّداً وَقُولُواْ حِطَّةٌ نَّغْفِرْ لَكُمْ خَطَايَاكُمْ وَسَنَزِيدُ الْمُحْسِنِينَ
(59) فَبَدَّلَ الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُواْ قَوْلاً غَيْرَ الَّذِي قِيلَ لَهُمْ فَأَنزَلْنَا عَلَى الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُواْ رِجْزاً مِّنَ السَّمَاء بِمَا كَانُواْ يَفْسُقُونَ

58. " And (remember) when We said, ' Enter this city (Jerusalem) and eat of the plentiful therein, wherever you desire, and enter the gate with humility and ask forgiveness, We shall forgive you your sins, and give more (the portion of) those who do good '."

59. " But those who were unjust substituted a saying other than that which had been spoken unto them, so We sent down upon those who were unjust a torment from heaven for what they used to pervert."

Commentary :

The Israelites' Intensive Obstinacy

Here we are dealing with another aspect of the life of the Children of Israel concerning their entrance in the Holy Land. It says:

" And (remember) when We said: ' Enter this city (Jerusalem)..."

The term /qaryah/ in our ordinary speaking usually means: ' a village or a town ', but in the Qur'an it is applied for any place where people are gathered to live in, whether it is a city, town, or village. The meaning, here, is Jerusalem and the Holy Land.

Then it adds:

"...and eat of the plentiful therein, wherever you desire, ..."

"...and enter the gate with humility and ask forgiveness, ..."

"...We shall forgive you your sins, and give more (the portion of) those who do good '."

It should be noted that the term /hittah/ philologically means: ' a putting down ', and, here, it means: ' a petition for the putting down of a heavy burden of sin from them and asking Allah to forgive their faults.'

The Lord commanded the Israelites to say that phrase with their whole hearts and spirits for the purpose of asking, thereby, for the putting down of their heavy burdens from them,because they needed to be put down from them before entering the Holy Land. And, they were promised that they would be forgiven their sins if they did perform the the command accordingly. Maybe, it is for the same reason that one of doors of Heaven is entitled ' Bab-ul-Hittah ' (the door of forgiveness). Abu Hayyan Andulusi says that the objective meaning of /bab/, here, is one of the doors of Jerusalem which is known as ' Bab-ul-Hittah '. (1)

The verse finally proclaims that as for the doers of good, besides forgiving their sins, there will be endowed some additional bounties and rewards upon them, too. It says:

"...and give more (the portion of) those who do good."

* * * *

However, Allah ordered them to express this phrase sincerely as a sign of their repentance and request for forgiveness in order to show their humility unto Him. The Lord promised them that He would forgive them their sins if they followed through with the command. In that case, He would also increase His favour and reward for the good doers among them along with the forgiveness of their faults.

But, as we know and are acquainted with the stubbornness and obstinacy of the Children of Israel, some of them even refused to utter the phrase and mockingly they said another incongruous word (Hinta) 'wheat' instead of it. Then, the Qur'an says:

" But those who were unjust substituted a saying other than that which had been spoken unto them, ..."

"...so We sent down upon those who were unjust a torment from heaven for what they used to pervert."

Divine Punishment in some form or other awaits those who unwarrantedly and unjustly change the word of Allah and His covenant, to something other than the original presented to them.

(1) At-Tafsir-ul-Kashif, vol. 1, p. 109

(60) وَإِذِ اسْتَسْقَى مُوسَى لِقَوْمِهِ فَقُلْنَا اضْرِب بِّعَصَاكَ الْحَجَرَ فَانفَجَرَتْ مِنْهُ اثْنَتَا عَشْرَةَ عَيْناً قَدْ عَلِمَ كُلُّ أُنَاسٍ مَّشْرَبَهُمْ كُلُواْ وَاشْرَبُواْ مِن رِّزْقِ اللَّهِ وَلاَ تَعْثَوْاْ فِي الأَرْضِ مُفْسِدِينَ

60. " And (remember) when Moses sought water for his people, so We said: ' Strike the rock with your staff. ' Then there gushed forth from it twelve springs. Each (group of) people knew their (respective) drinking-place.

' Eat and drink of Allah's provision, and commit you not evil in the earth, doing corruption'."

(5)

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