"And when We said, 'Enter this town, and eat there to your heart's content wherever you will. And enter the gate prostrating and say: Hittah (we seek forgiveness) - so that We forgive your errors. And We shall give much more to those who are good in deeds."(2:58)
There are two views as to when this incident took place. According to Shah 'Abd al-Qadir, when the Israelites grew weary of eating the same Mann and Salwa everyday and prayed for being granted the kind of food they were used to (2:61), they were commanded to go to a certain city where they could get what they wished for. So, the commandment in the present verse pertains to the mode of entering this city, and lays down the spiritual etiquette for action and speech on this occasion. On the other hand is the view that the commandment pertains to the city against which the Israelites had been ordered to engage themselves in a Jihad. They obeyed it only after their long wanderings in the wilderness, and conquered the city. The commandment reported in Verse 58 was sent to them through Sayyidna Yusha' (Joshua عليه السلام) who was the prophet among them at the time.
The discrepancy between the two views, which raises a question about the chronological sequence of the events, should not confuse us as to the nature of the stories narrated in the Holy Qur'an. The Holy Qur'an does not tell the stories for the sake of telling stories, the usual purpose of which is to provide entertainment. The real intention here is to draw certain conclusions from the stories, and to illustrate or point out certain spiritual principles. Now, the various episodes of a story help to bring out various principles. So, in view of a particular effect sought in a particular context, the chronological sequence of the episodes may be invented and the incidents re-arranged to serve the interest of the pattern of meaning that is intended. This is just what the Holy Qur'an does; in fact, this is a quite usual literary method, and the disturbance of the chronological order in the stories narrated by the Holy Qur'an should not raise irrelevant questions in the mind of the reader - after all, in any and every piece of writing, or even speech, it is the intention which governs the ordering of the material.
The Verse holds out the promise that if the Israelites obeyed the commandment, their errors would be forgiven. On the basis of the first of the two views we have referred to, one must include among the errors their rejection of the Mann and the Salwa and their request for the normal kind of food. The demand was really insolent, but Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) promised that if they showed their obedience by following the new commandment, He would forgive this error too. Anyhow, the promise of pardon was general, and extended to everyone who was ready to obey the new commandment, while a special reward was promised to those who devoted themselves to good deeds sincerely and wholeheartedly.
The Meaning of Ihsan "We may add that 'sincerity' and 'wholeheartedness' are a very weak rendering in English of the essential quality of the text's Muhsinoon (rendered here as "those who are good in deeds"). This word comes from Ihsan which signifies "doing a thing beautifully - that is, in the manner that is proper to it." Beside this lexical meaning, Ihsan has a technical meaning which has been defined in a famous Hadah: "Offer your prayers as if you can see Him, and if you do not see Him, He is seeing you (in any case)." (Bayan al-Qur'an; Ma'ariful Qur'an)
"But those who were unjust substituted another word for the one that was set for them. So We sent down upon those who were unjust a scourge from heaven, because they have been acting sinfully."(2:59)
This verse is a continuation of the preceding verse. Allah had commanded the Israelites to keep, while entering the city, repeating the word Qittatun (which indicates repentance for one's sin and the request for pardon). But they replaced this word with another phrase by way of mockery, and started saying, Habbatun fi sha'irah (grain in the midst of barley), or Hintatun (wheat). The punishment which descended on them was plague that wiped
out seventy thousand men (Qurtubi). In passing, we may recall a hadith which says that plague is a for the disobedient, and a blessing for the obedient.
Injunctions And Related Considerations The Israelites were punished for having changed a word ordained by Allah, and substituted a phrase of their own invention, thus distorting the meaning itself. According to the consensus of the Fuqaha' (Muslim jurists), a change in the words of the Holy Qur'an, or of a Hadith, or of a divine commandment which invents or distorts the actual meaning is impermissible.
This should be obvious enough. But there is another question -- is it permissible to change the words in such a way that the meaning does not suffer but remains intact? In his commentary, Imam al-Qurtubi says that in certain texts and in certain kinds of speech the words are as much a part of the intention as the meanings and equally necessary for conveying an idea, and that in such a case it is not permissible to change the words. For example, in the Adhaan (the call for prayers) it is not permissible to employ words other than those which have been laid down for the purpose by the hadith. Similar is the case of the Salah: the different things to be recited in them (like Subhanaka Allahumma, At-Tahiyyat, Qunoot) or the glorification of Allah during the Ruku' (bowing down) and the Sajdah (prostration) -- all these must be said exactly in the words which have been reported in the hadith; substituting other words is not allowed, even if the meaning does not undergo a change.
This rule applies to each and every word of the Holy Qur'an. All the Injunctions with regard to the recitation of the Holy Qur'an strictly pertain to those words alone which Allah has revealed to the Holy Prophet (salallahu 'alayhi wasallam). According to the hadith, the merit of reciting the Holy Qur'an is so great that for every letter that one reads or recltes one gets the reward which one would get for performing ten good deeds. But if one reads a very accurate translation of the Holy Qur'an or even an Arabic version in which the original words have been replaced by certain other words without injuring the sense, the Shari'ah shall not accept it as a recitation of the Holy Qur'an, and one will not get any reward of recitation for it. For, it is not the meanings alone which constitute the Holy Qur'an; "Qur'an" is the name of meanings inherent in the words revealed by Allah (azza wa jal) to the Holy Prophet (salallahu 'alayhi wasallam) so that the two are inseparable from each other.
It appears from the present verse that Allah had commanded the Israelites to say this particular word, Hittatun, while offering their Taubah (repentance), and hence changing the ordained word was in itself a sin. They went so far as to distort even the meaning, and drew upon themselves the divine punishment.
Now, as for other kinds of speech in which it is the meanings that are really intended and not the words, the masters of the science of hadith and the jurists in general believe that in such places words can be changed provided that the meaning does not suffer but remains intact. Al-Qurtubi (rahmatullahi alaih) has cited Imam Abu Hanifah, Imam Malik and Imam Shafi'ee (rahmatullahi alaihim) as holding the view that it is quite permissible to report a hadrth with regard to its meaning alone provided that the man who reports it should have a perfect knowledge of the Arabic language and also be familiar with the situation to which this particular hadith pertains, so that he should not misinterpret the text or distort the sense. On the other hand, certain masters of the science of hadith do not allow the slightest change in the words of a hadith, and insist that it should be reported exactly in the words in which one has received it.
This, for example, is the view of Mubammad ibn Sirin, Qasim ibn Muhammad etc. Some of them even insist that if in reporting a hadzth a reporter has made a lexical mistake, the man who has heard the hadith from him must, in his own turn, report it in exactly the same words including the mistake, only indicating what the correct word is likely to be. Such scholars cite a hadith in support of their view. It has been reported that the Holy Prophet (salallahu 'alayhi wasallam) advised a man to say this prayer before going to sleep at night: "I have faith in Your Book which You have made to descend, and in Your prophet whom You have sent." The prescribed prayer had the word Nabiyy (Prophet), but the man changed it for Rasool (Messenger). The Holy Prophet (salallahu 'alayhi wasallam) Instructed him not to make a change, but to say the prescribed word Nabiyy. This shows that it is not permissible to change a singleword in reporting a hadith. Similarly, another hadith says: "May Allah make the man flourish who heard my speech, and then conveyed it exactly as he had heard." This also indicates that it is necessary to report the exact words of a hadith as one has received them.
Most of the jurists and the masters of the science of hadith, however, believe that although it is better to report a hadith as far as possible in exactly the same words as one has heard without making any change intentionally, yet if one cannot recall the exact words, it is also permissible to report the meaning in one's own words, and that the words of the hadith quoted above - "... conveyed it exactly as he had heard" - might also mean that one should report the meaning of a hadith exactly and without any alteration. Obviously, changing the words does not necessarily go against this provision. Imam al-Qurtubi (rahmatullahi alaih) has, in support of his view, pointed out that this very hadith goes to prove that changing words, when necessary, is permissible, for this hadith itself has come down to us in different words in different versions. As for the other hadtth in which the Holy Prophet (salallahu 'alayhi wasallam) has insisted that the word Nabiyy should be recited and not the word Rasool, one might explain it in this way.
The word Nabiyy (prophet) carries the sense of sublimity much more than does the word Rasool, for the latter is employed for any messenger whatsoever, while the former is reserved only for those who are specially chosen by Allah for being directly addressed through revelation (Wahy), and who thus occupy a rank higher than all other men. There is another explanation too. As far as prayers are concerned, the words appointed for the purpose by Allah (azza wa jal) or by the Holy Prophet (salallahu 'alayhi wasallam) have a much greater efficacy than any other words can have. (Qurtubi) That is why those who prepare: ta'widh (translated as 'charms' in absence of an exact counterpart) or 'awdhah, or suggest words to pray are very careful in keeping to the authentically reported words without the slightest change.
So, one may say that the prayers which are considered to be very efficacious, should be included in the first category of speech in which not only the meanings but the words also must be carefully safeguarded, for both are equally intended.(Ma'ariful Qur'an)
"And when Musa sought water for his people! We said, 'Strike the rock with your staff!' So, gushed forth twelve Springs from it. Each group of people came to know their drinking place. 'Eat and drink of what Allah has provided, and do not go about the earth spreading disorder!'"(2:60)
This incident too belongs to the story of the wanderings of the Israelites in the wilderness. Parched with thirst, they requested Sayyidna Musa (عليه السلام) to pray to Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) for water. Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) commanded , him to strike a certain rock with his staff. As he did so, twelve streams gushed forth out of the rock, one for each of the twelve tribes. Sayyidna Ya'qoob (Jacob - عليه السلام) had twelve sons, and each had a large family of his own. So, the families were considered as tribes, each with its own administrative organisation and its own head. Hence, the number twelve. What they have been asked to eat is the Mann and the Salwa (manna and quails), and the water is, of course, the one which had come out of the rock.
The Israelites have, in this verse, been asked not to spread disorder which in this context signifies disobedience to Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) and transgression of His Commandments.
The great Commentator al-Qadi al-Baydawi (رحمه الله) points out that it is a great error (even a great error in logic) to deny miracles. When Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) has given a certain stone the unusual property of drawing iron to itself, it cannot be, logically and rationally speaking, impossible that He should also give another stone the property of absorbing water from the earth and of releasing it again. Even this explanation is meant for those who take a superficial view of things. Otherwise, it is in no way impossible that Allah should produce water within a stone itself. Those who call it impossible do not actually understand the technical meaning of the term "impossible."
An Answer To A Doubt About The Israelites
It has been asked whether it is necessary, in times of drought, to offer formal prayers in order to beseech Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) for rains. The present verse tells us that Sayyidna Musa (عليه السلام) just prayed for water, and Allah made a miraculous provision. It shows that the essential thing in beseeching Allah for rains is just a prayer. In the Shari'ah of Sayyidna Musa (عليه السلام), a mere prayer was considered to be sufficient for the purpose. According to Imam Abu Hanifa (رحمه الله), this principle holds good for the Islamic Shari'ah too. The Holy Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) has, in this respect, acted differently on different occasions. An authentic hadith reports that once he went outside the city to the open space where the congregational prayers were held on the day of the 'Id, offered formal prayers, delivered a Khutbah (address), and then prayed to Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) for rains. According to another hadith reported by al-Bukhari (رحمه الله) and Muslim (رحمه الله) from the blessed Companion Anas (رضي الله عنه), once the Holy Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) prayed for rain while delivering the Khufbah on Friday, and Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) sent down rain.
No matter what form the prayer takes, all the scholars agree that it cannot be effective unless it is accompanied by a repentance for one's sins, a confession of one's powerlessness, a sincere expression of humility and an affirmation of servitude to Allah (سبحانه وتعالى). So long as one persists in sin and transgression, one has no right to hope that the prayer would be answered. But if Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) may, in His mercy and benevolence, grant the prayer without this condition being fulfilled, it is His will, and He is All-Powerful.(Ma'ariful Qur'an)
"And when you said, 'Musa we will no longer stay on a single food: So, pray for us to your Lord that He may bring forth for us of what the earth produces -- its wheat, its lentils and its onions!' He said, 'Do you want to take the inferior in exchange of what is better? Go down to a town, and you will have what you have asked for!! And disgrace and misery were stamped over them and they returned with wrath from Allah. That was because they used to deny the signs of Allah, and would slay the prophets unjustly. That was because they disobeyed and would go beyond the limits."(2:61)
This episode has been indirectly referred to in verse 58, and it also occurred in the wilderness of Tih. The Israelites grew weary of eating the Mann and the Salwa (manna and quails) everyday, and wished to have ordinary vegetables and grain. Allah (azza wa jal) commanded them through Sayyidna Musa (alayhis sallam) to go to a certain town which lay somewhere in the wilderness, to till the land there, to grow to eat whatever they liked.
The Israelites were thus being ungrateful and impertinent. Even otherwise, it was so usual with them not only to transgress divine commandments but also to deny them outright. They had also been slaying a number of prophets at different times - they knew they were committing a misdeed, but their hostility to the truth and their stubbornness in disobedience made them blind to the nature of their conduct and its consequences. Through such persistent and wilful misdemeanour they drew upon themselves the wrath of Allah. Disgrace and degradation settled upon them for ever. That is to say, they no longer had any respect in the eyes of others, nor magnanimity in themselves.
One form of this disgrace is that temporal power has been taken away from them for ever. For only forty days, however, - and that too when the Day of Judgment will have come close - the Dajjal (Anti-Christ) belonging to the Jewish race, will have an irregular dominion like that of a robber. This cannot be described as having temporal power, in the proper sense of the term. Allah (azza wa jal) had made it quite clear to the Jews through Sayyidns Musa (Moses - alayhis sallam) that if they continued to be disobedient, they would always have to live under the domination of other nations. Says the Holy Qur'an: "And when your Lord proclaimed He would send forth against them, unto the Day of Resurrection, those who should visit them with evil chastisement." (7:167)
As to how the Companions (radiallahu anhum), their successors and the great commentators (rahmatullahi alaihim) have interpreted the disgrace and degradation which has settled on the Jews, let us present a summary in the words of Ibn Kathir (rahmatullahi alaih): "No matter how wealthy they grow, they will always be despised by other people; whoever gets hold of them will humiliate them, and attach to'them the emblems of servitude." The commentator Dahhak Ibn Muzahim (rahmatullahi alaih) reports from the blessed Companion 'Abdullah Ibn 'Abbas (radiallahu anhuma) that the Jews will always remain under the domination of others, will be paying taxes and tributes to them - that is to say, they will themselves never have power and authority in the real sense of the term. Another verse of the Holy Qur'an also speaks of the disgrace of the Jews. but with some addition: "And disgrace has been stamped over them wherever they are found, unless (saved) through a rope from Allah and through a rope from men." (3:112)
Now, the 'rope' or means from Allah (azza wa jal) refers to the case of those whom Allah Himself has, through His own commandment, saved from this disgrace - for example, children, women, or those who are totally devoted to prayer and worship and never go to war against Muslims.
The 'rope' or means from men refers to a treaty of peace with the Muslims, or a permission to live in a Muslim country on payment of the Jizyah (the tax levied on non-Muslims living in a Muslim country, which exonerates them from military service etc.) Since the Holy Qur'an uses the expression "from men" and not "from Muslims", a third situation is also possible - the Jews may make political arrangements with other non-Muslims, live under their backing and protection, and thus be in 'peace'.
There is another aspect to the question - we must look into the nature of the exception that has been made in the verse which we have just cited. Now, when an exception is added to a statement, the exception may fall into either of these two categories: (1) What has been excepted formed, or still forms, a part of what it has been excepted from. For example, take this statement: "The tribe came except Zayd." Zayd was and still is a member of the tribe, but he has been excepted from it in so far as the act of coming is concerned. (2) What has been excepted did not form, or no longer forms, a part of what it has been excepted from. For example: "The tribe came except the donkey." The donkey, of course, never formed a part of the tribe, and he has been excepted from the act of coming in so far as the act pertains to the tribe. If the exception made in the present verse is of the first kind, then the statement would mean that all the Jews always and everywhere live in disgrace with the exception of two situations - protection provided to women and children etc. by the commandment of Allah Himself, or by a treaty of peace with the Muslims or with some non-Muslim nations. On the other hand, if the exception is of the second kind, the verse would mean that the Jews as a group would essentially and always remain in disgrace with the exception of some who may find protection under the commandment of Allah, or of some others who may receive support from other nations and thus disguise their own disgrace.
Thus, Verse 3:112 helps to elucidate Verse 2:61, and also dispels the doubt which sometimes arises in the minds of the Muslims at the sight of the so-called "Israeli state" imposed on Palestine. For, they find it difficult to reconcile the two things - the Holy Qur'an seems to indicate that the Jews will never have a sovereign state, while they have actually usurped Palestine and set up a state of their own. But if we go beyond the appearances, we can easily see that "Israel" is not an independent sovereign state, but only a stronghold of the Western powers which they have established in the midst of Muslim countries in order to protect their own interests; without the backing of these super-powers the Jewish "state" cannot survive for a month, and the Western powers themselves look upon the Israelis as their henchmen. The "Israeli state" has been living, as the Holy Qur'En says, "through a rope from men," and, even at that, living as a parasite on the Western powers. So, there is no real occasion to have a misgiving about what the Holy Qur'an has said on the subject.
Moreover, the half of Palestine which the Jews have usurped and the parasite state they have set up there is no more than a spot on the map of the world. As against this, we have vast expanses of the globe covered by Christian states, by Muslim states, and even by the states of people who do not believe in Allah (azza wa jal) at all. Can this tiny blot on the map and that too under the American-British umbrella, negate the disgrace which Allah (azza wa jal) has made to settle upon the Jews? (Ma'ariful Qur'an)
"Surely, those who believed in Allah, and those who became Jewish, and Christians, and the Sabeans -- whosoever believes in Allah and in the Last Day, and does good deeds -- for them, with their Lord, is their reward, and there is no fear for them, nor shall they grieve."(2:62)
The previous verse spoke of how the Israelites drew upon themselves the wrath of Allah through their habitual insolence and disobedience. Now, this account may lead the listeners, or the Jews themselves, to suppose that, in view of such transgression, their Taubah (repentance), if they agree to offer it, would not be acceptable to Allah.
In order to dispel such a misgiving, the present verse lays down a general principle: no matter how a man has been behaving earlier, so long as he submits himself fully to the commandments of Allah (azza wa jal) in his beliefs and in his deeds both, he is acceptable to Allah, and will get his reward. It is obvious enough that after the revelation of the Holy Qur'an, which is the last message of Allah, perfect obedience to Allah can only mean accepting Islam and following the Last Prophet Muhammad (salallahu 'alayhi wasallam).* The verse, in effect, assures everyone that once a man has accepted Islam, all his former transgressions, whether in the matter of beliefs or in that of deeds, will be forgiven, and he will become worthy of receiving the rewards of the other world.
(*Note: Contrary to the flaccid fancies of some "modernizers" who are very happy with themselves over their "liberalism" and "tolerance", the present verse does not open the way to salvation for each and every "man of good will" irrespective of the creed he follows. If one reads the verse in its proper context and along with other relevant verses of the Holy Qur'an, one will easily see that the verse, in fact, promises salvation in the other world only to those who accept Islam. It is an invitation to Islam extended to the Jews, the Christians, the Sabeans and, as a matter of fact, to the followers of all possible religions, and even to non-believers -- specific names only serve as examples.)
Let us note, in passing, that nothing is definitely known as to the beliefs and the practices of the Sabeans, and different opinions have been expressed on the subject. (Most probably they used to worship the stars).
One might also ask why the verse mentions the Muslims, for if it is an invitation to Islam, there is no need to extend the invitation to those who have already accepted Islam. But if we keep in mind the richly concentrated style of the Holy Qur'an, and try to look beyond the literal sense of the words into the implications and suggestions contained in the verse, we would find that the inclusion of the Muslim factor has added a new dimension to the meaning. It is es if a king should, in a similar situation, say that his laws are impartially applicable to all his subjects, and that whosoever obeys them shall receive his reward for obedience irrespective of whether he has earlier been a friend or a foe. Obviously, the friend has always been loyal and obedient, and the warning and the promise have really been addressed to the foe. But the suggestion contained in such a formulation is that the favours of the king do not proceed from any personal attachment to the friends, but depend on the quality of obedience and loyalty, and hence the foes too will become worthy of his favours if they acquire the necessary quality. This is the raison d'etre of mentioning the Muslims along with the non-Muslims in this verse, which should never be taken to imply that salvation can be attained without accepting Islam.
We had better dispel another misunderstanding which is likely to arise from the wordings of the present verse -- and, which is actually being promoted by certain 'modernizers'. The verse mentions only two articles of faith of the Islamic creed -- faith in Allah and faith in the Day of Judgment. This should not be taken to mean that in order to attain salvation it is enough to have faith only in Allah and in the Day of Judgment. Fcr, the Holy Qur'an repeatedly declares that he who does not believe in the prophets, in angels and in the Books of Allah is not a Muslim. Faith in Allah is the first article in the Islamic creed, while faith in the Day of Judgment is the last. By mentioning only these two, the verse intends to say in a succinct manner that it is necessary to have faith in all the articles of the creed, from the first to i the last. Moreover, it is through the prophets and the Books of Allah alone that man can acquire any knowledge of the essence and the attributes of Allah and of what is to happen on the Day of Judgment, while the Books of Allah are revealed to the prophets through an angel. So, it is not possible to have faith in Allah and the Day of Judgment until and unless one has faith in the angels, in the Books of Allah and in the prophets (alayhimus sallam). [color=green](Ma'ariful Qur'an) [/color]
"And when We took pledge from you, and raised high above you the (Mount of) Tur: "Hold fast to what We have given to you, and remember what is there in it, so that you may become God-fearing!'"(2:63)
Having received the Torah from Allah (azza wa jal), Sayyidna Musa (Moses - alayhis sallam) returned from Mount Tur (Sinai) and recited it to the Israelites. The injunctions contained in the Book were rather rigorous, but their conduct and habits of mind really called for such strict discipline. To begin with, they replied that they would not obey the injunctions until and unless Allah Himself told them that it was His book.
Seventy men, as we have related above, were selected to go to Mount Tur and to hear Allah (azza wa jal) attest the authenticity of the Torah. On their return, they bore witness to the Torah being a Book of Allah, but added something on their own to what Allah had actually said. For, they told the Israelites that Allah (azza wa jal) had allowed them to act upon the injunctions only as much as they could, and had promised to forgive them for what they could not accomplish. They had always and instinctively been prone to rebellion against Allah, then, the injunctions were, no doubt, stern, and now they got a new pretext for being negligent. So, the Israelites flatly refused to obey the injunctions, insisting that it was beyond their endurance to act upon such harsh regulations. In reply to this insolence, Allah commanded the angels to raise Mount Tur and let it hang in the air above their heads as a threat that if they did not fulfil their covenant with Allah, it would fall on them and crush them. The Israelites, then, had no choice but to submit.
A doubt is quite likely to arise here. The Holy Qur'an says in another place that force should not be used to make a man change his religion, while in the present instance it appears that force is being used. But, in fact, force is not being used to make the Israelites change their religion, for they had already accepted Sayyidna Musa (alayhis sallam) as a prophet of Allah, and willingly made a covenant with Allah that they would act upon the Book of Allah, if one was given to them. So, they now stand as rebels, and are being threatened with dire punishment for persisting in their rebellion. This is exactly how even a secular state deals with rebels, and how it adopts towards them an attitude quite different from that towards aliens or enemies, for it leaves only two ways open to the rebel -- either to submit himself, or to lose his life. That is why it is only an apostate (Murtadd) who is, according to the Islamic Shari'ah, condemned to capital punishment, and not an outright disbeliever. Moreover, the Israelites were being threatened with death as criminals and offenders against the law which they acknowledged to be the divine law, but which they refused to obey. (Ma'ariful Qur'an)
"Then even after that, you did turn away. So, had it not been for the grace of Allah upon you, and His mercy, you surely would have been among the losers."(2:64)
The Israelites went against the Covenant they had made with Allah (سبحانه وتعالى). The sin was so grave that one could have expected utter destruction and ruin to descend on them as a punishment. But Allah (سبحانه وتعالى), in His mercy, spared them in so far as physical life is concerned, although they will have to pay for their treason in the other world. Allah's mercy is of two kinds. One is general and extends to believers and disbelievers alike -- its action is to be seen in the shape of worldly well-being and prosperity. The other is special, and pertains to believers alone -- it will manifest itself particularly in the other world in the shape of salvation and closeness to Allah (سبحانه وتعالى).
It appears that the last phrase of the present verse has been addressed to the Jews who were the contemporaries of the Holy Prophet (صلي الله عليه وسلم). Since having faith in him is also a part of the Covenant, these Jews too have been included among those who had been guilty of infringement. In this verse, Allah asks them to realize that it is in His mercy alone that he has not, in spite of their treason, sent down on them the kind of catastrophic punishment in this world as used to descend on the other infidels and traitors who have gone before. Since a number of authentic ahadeeth declare that it is the barakah (blessing) of the Holy Prophet (صلي الله عليه وسلم) that catastrophic punishments no longer descend on any people, some commentators have identified this particular mercy and grace of Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) with the sending down of Muhammad (صلي الله عليه وسلم) as a Prophet and Messenger of Allah.
In order to emphasize what the present verse has said, the next verse tells the story of another group of earlier transgressors and of the dreadful punishment which overtook them all of a sudden.(Ma'ariful Qur'an)
"And certainly you have known those among you who transgressed in (the matter of) the Sabbath. So, We said to them, "Become apes, living in disgrace!' Thus, We made it a deterrent for those around and after them -- and a lesson for the God-fearing."(2: 65-66)
This episode belongs to the time of Sayyidna Dawood (David - alayhis sallam). Allah (azza wa jal) had appointed Saturday as the Sabbath, or the sacred day, for the Israelites; it was specially set apart for prayers and worship, and hence fishing was prohibited on this day. But these people lived on the sea-shore, and were very fond of fish. Al-Qurtubi (rahmatullahi alaih) says that the Israelites, at first, invented all sorts of clever pretences for catching fish on Saturday, and gradually started doing so openly. There now grew a division amongst them on this point. On the one hand were these transgressors, and, on the other, some scholars and pious men who tried to dissuade them from such disobedience. When the former paid no heed to them, the latter broke away altogether from the sinners, and began to live in a separate part of the town. One day they felt no sound was coming from the other part of the town. Growing curious, they went there and found that all the transgressors had been changed into apes. Qatadah (rahmatullahi alaih) says that the young ones had become apes, and the old ones swine. The apes could recognize their relatives and friends, and would approach them weeping out of remorse, and seeking their sympathy and help. Then all of them died after three days.
As to the question whether the apes and the swine we see today bear any kinship to these Israelites who had been metamorphosed, the correct position is that people who have been metamorphosed into beasts by Allah as a punishment cease to breed, and leave no progeny behind. According to a hadsh reported by Imam Muslim (rahmatullahi alaih) from the blessed Companion 'Abdullah ibn Mas'ud (radiallahu anh), some people asked the Holy Prophet (salallahu 'alayhi wasallam) whether the apes and the swine were the descendants of the metamorphosed Jews. The Holy Prophet (salallahu 'alayhi wasallam) reminded them that apes and swine existed in the world even before, and said that when Allah sends down this particular kind of punishment on a people, the race comes to an end with this, and there is no further breeding.*
*[Note: Some 'modernizing' Muslims have tried to explain away this metamorphosis by suggesting that these disobedient Jews did not actually and physically turn into beasts, but that the change was only psychological in so far as they acquired the evil characteristics of apes and swine. To say such a thing is to deny an explicit statement of the Holy Qur'an, which no Muslim can do, if he wishes to remain a Muslim. Moreover, in denying the possibility of physical change, the 'modernizers' are also denying the power of Allah, and putting limitations on it. Even as a piece of literary exegesis, the 'modernist' interpretation is flimsy. For, even before the punishment fell on them, these Jews had been displaying the moral and psychological traits of beasts: the greed of swine and the craftiness of apes. Where was, then, the change which the Holy Qur'an declares to be a punishment for the offenders and a warning for others? Our 'modernists' are, in fact, all too ready to swallow without batting an eye-lid the most preposterous and unfounded notions, only if they come from the West. So, they have complete certitude with regard to Darwin's speculation, that the apes evolved into man, although no verifiable data has yet been gathered to support the contention; but when it comes to the statement in the Holy Qur'iin that men were changed into apes, they look askance at it, although this kind of change is rationally and logically as possible as the other.]
Injunctions And Related Considerations
We have been saying that the Jews who were changed into apes had used certain ruses or pretences to justify their sin in their own eyes. This brings us to a rather delicate question of Fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence). Certain 'modernists' have quite shamelessly been busy maligning the master-jurists of Islam by suggesting that these masters have invented very intricate "stratagems" (Hiyal, plural of Haah) for helping the rich and powerful to infringe the laws of the Shari'ah and get away with it. This is a petty calumny, and should not have been worthy of consideration except for the fact that such 'modernists' have had some success with the gullible and the ignorant by playing upon the Arabic word Hilah. As everyone knows, the lexical meaning of a word is one thing, and its technical signification, when it is used as a term in some science, is another. In its literal sense, the word Hilah no doubt means "a trick, a stratagem", but as a technical term in Fiqh it signifies a device for and a means of giving legitimacy to an action in a contingency by making certain necessary modifications in it in consonance with the'Shari'ah. Thus, it is not a way of by-passing the Shari'ah, but of helping people to conform to it even in a situation where necessity or human weakness would compel them to go against it.
The present verse has a particular relevance to the question, and would help to clarify it a great deal. The transgression on the part of the Jews which the verse speaks of, and which drew upon them such dreadful punishment, was not a clear and explicit infringement of divine law, but the use of certain "tricks" which necessarily involved the negation of the divine commandment. For example, on Saturday they would tie one end of a cord to the tail of a fish and the other end to something on the shore, and leave the fish in the water; on Sunday, they would take it out and eat it. Such a ruse not only negates an injunction of the Shari'ah, but is actually a mockery. That is why those who practised such "stratagems" were considered to be disobedient and rebellious, and subjected to dire punishment.
But this particular instance does in no way go to prove that the Hiyal aree impermissible. We have explained the nature and purpose of such "devices" alone. Not only do they form an integral part of Fiqh, but some of them have actually been suggested by the Holy Prophet (salallahu 'alayhi wasallam) himself. For example, bartering a kilo of good dates for two kilos of bad dates is, according to the Shari'ah, a kind of usury. The Holy Prophet (salallahu 'alayhi wasallam) has suggested a "device" (Hilah) for avoiding the infringement of this regulation in a situation where such a transaction becomes necessary - that is, instead of bartering one commodity for another, one may employ the exchange value of money: first sell two kilos of bad dates for two rupees, and then with the two rupees thus obtained buy a kilo of good dates. The intention in using this "device" is to conform to the Shari'ah , and not to by-pass it. The negation of the Shari'ah is neither intended here, nor does it actually take place. This principle holds good in the case of all the Hiyal which the Fuqaha' (jurists) have proposed in order to save people from practicing what the Shari'ah has prohibited. It is a travesty of the truth to compare them to or represent them as the "tricks" employed by the Jews to negate and mock the Shari'ah. (Ma'ariful Qur'an, Maulana Mufti Muhammad Shafi rahmatullahi alaih)
"And when Musa said to his people, "Allah commands you to slaughter a cow!' They said, "Are you making us a laughing stock?" He said, "I seek refuge with Allah that I be one of the ignorant!'"(2:67)
According to Mirqat, a commentary on Mishkat, a man among the Israelites wanted to marry a girl, but her father refused. The suitor was so incensed that he killed the father, and disappeared. It is mentioned in Ma'alim al-Tanzil which says on the authority of Kalbi that Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) had not yet sent down any injunction with regard to man-slaughter. If it was so, this shows that the incident happened before the Torah was revealed. Anyhow, the Israelites requested Sayyidna Musa (عليه السلام) to tell them how to trace the culprit. Under the commandment of Allah (سبحانه وتعالى), he asked them to sacrifice a cow. As was their regular habit, they started raising all kinds of doubts and objections, of which the next verses give us the details. (Ma'ariful Qur'an, Volume 1)
"They said, 'Pray for us to your Lord that He makes it clear to us what sort she be!' He said, 'He says she be - a cow neither too old, nor too young - of some middle age in between. Now, do what you are being asked to do!' They said, 'Pray for us to your Lord that He make it clear to us what colour she be!' He said: "He says that she be a yellow cow, rich yellow in her colour, pleasing for all to look at." They said, "Pray for us to your Lord that He makes it clear to us of what sort she be, for we are confused about this cow, and if Allah wills, We shall certainly take the right course!' He said, "He says that it be a cow which is not tractable for tilling the soil or in'watering the fields, sound and without blemish!' They said, "Now, you have come up with the truth!' Then, they slaughtered her, although it did not appear they would do it." (2: 68-71)
These Verses show how the Israelites were disposed to disobedience, and how this inclination expressed itself in different forms. The Hadith says that if these people had obeyed Allah's commandment without raising so many doubts and asking unnecessary questions, such strict condition would not have been imposed on them, gnd the sacrifice of any cow whatsoever would have been accepted.(Ma'ariful Qur'an)
"And when you killed a man, and began to push and pull each other for it; while Allah was to bring forth what you were holding back. So, We said, "Strike him with a part of it!' Similar to that, Allah revives the dead. And He shows you His signs, so that you may understand."(2: 72-73)
The murderer had his supporters who wanted to hide his crime, and hence began accusing different people. But Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) willed that the criminal should be brought to book, and appointed a miraculous way of identifying him -- that is, the dead body of the murdered man should be touched with a part of the flesh of the sacrificial cow. When this was done, the dead man came back to life, announced the name of his murderer, and died again.
This miraculous event is a manifestation of the omnipotence of Allah (سبحانه وتعالى), and Holy Qur'an presents it as an argument against those who deny the Resurrection of the dead for the Last Judgment. Verse 73 says that this precedent should induce people to make use of their reason, and see that what has happened in a past instance can as easily happen in a future instance.
With regard to this event one may ask as to why Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) made the resurrection of the dead man depend upon his being touched with a part of flesh when he had the power to bring the man back to life without the intervention of any such device; or, one may ask as to why the dead man should have been brought back to life when the name of the murderer could have been revealed even otherwise. In answer to this, we shall say that Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) is omnipotent, and does not act under any kind of compulsion, but that all His actions proceed from His all-embracing wisdom. Moreover, it is He alone who knows, and can know, the raison d'etre of what He does. The Shari'ah does not oblige us to discover the raison d'etre of each and every divine act, nor is it necessary or possible that we should be able to comprehend the raison d'etre in each case. The best way in such a case is to accept what Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) or the Holy Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسل) has said, and to keep quiet.
Let us say a word about the arrangement and sequence of the events. Verse 72 relates how a man was murdered, and how people started accusing each other. This is the beginning of the story which has been related earlier in Verses 67-71. This chronological order has not been preserved in the narration, but inverted, and this re-arrangement has a subtle significance. This long section of the Surah (Chapter) has been dealing with the transgressions of the Israelites, and this is just what the Holy Qur'an intends to bring out in narrating different stories, the narrating of stories not being an object in itself here. The present story is meant to show two misdeeds - firstly, committing a murder and then trying to hide it; secondly, raising uncalled-for objections to divine commandments. If the chronological order had been kept up, the readers would have supposed that it was only the first of these that was really intended, while the second was added only by way of completing the story. The present arrangement clearly shows that both the misdeeds have been equally emphasized.
Injunctions And Related Consideration In this incident the statement of the murdered man was considered evidence for condemning the murderer, because Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) had informed Sayyidna Musa (عليه السلام) through revelation that the man would, on coming back to life, speak the truth. Otherwise, one cannot be declared as being guilty of murder without proper evidence, the rules - of which have been laid down by the Shari'ah.(Ma'ariful Qur'an)
"Then, after that, your hearts were hardened and became as stones or even worse in hardness. And indeed, there are stones out of which rivers gush forth, and indeed, there are of them (stones) which split asunder so that water flows from them, and indeed, there are of them (stones) which fall down for fear of Allah. And Allah is not unaware of what you do." (2:74)
The Surah has been relating a number of incidents which show that the Israelites were always prone to disobedience and rebellion and had to undergo punishment again and again. Such an experience should have taught them humility and obedience. On the contrary, their hearts became all the more hardened against divine guidance. This insensibility led them into further misdeeds and transgressions. The present verse describes their degeneracy, and warns them that Allah (azza wa jal) knows everything they have been doing, and will punish them for their evil deeds.
In contrasting the hearts of the Israelites with stones, the verse refers to three states of the latter: (1) Some stones give forth a great amount of water. (2) Others give forth only a small quantity. (3) Still others do not give forth water, but fall down from their place for fear of Allah (azza wa jal).
The first two of these states are a matter of everyday observation, but the third may be subject to doubt, for the ability to feel fear requires reason and sensibility, and the stones, as one supposes, do not possess these faculties. But reason is not always a necessary requisite for the ability to feel fear - after all, animals do feel fear, even though they do not possess reason. Sensibility is, of course, necessary. But there is no rational argument which should deny sensibility to minerals. For sensibility depends on life, and the minerals may possibly possess a kind of subtle life which man may not be aware of. In fact, scientists have recently discovered the signs of life and sensibility in minerals too. Anyhow, an explicit statement in the Holy Qur'an carries a validity and an authority which no physical science or rational argument can dispute.
Then, we do not claim that fear of Allah is always the only cause which makes a stone fall down. For, the Holy Qur'an itself says that this cause operates only in the case of some stones. So, there may be different causes which make stones fall down; some of these causes may be purely physical, while one of them may be the fear of Allah (azza wa jal).
The order in which the three kinds of stones have been mentioned is very subtle, and, in view of the meaning and purpose intended, extremely expressive and significant. The verse places in the highest degree those stones whose affectivity is so strong that rivers gush forth from them, and provide sustenance to beasts and men. In contrast to them, it has been suggested, the hearts of the Jews are so hard that they are incapable of feeling any sympathy for their fellow-men even in suffering and pain, and hence incapable of wishing to do them good. In the second degree come the stones which do serve the creatures of Allah, but to a lesser extent. But the hearts of Jews are harder than even these. To the lowest degree of affectivity belong those stones which do not benefit anyone, but can at least 'feel' the fear of Allah. But the Jews are devoid of even this minimum degree of sensitivity.[Ma'ariful Qur'an]
"Do you still fancy that they will believe you, although a group of them used to hear the word of Allah, and then, after having understood it, used to distort it knowingly?"(2:75)
The Muslims used to take great pains in trying to make the Jews accept Islam. Having recounted so many stories of the perversity of the Jews, the Holy Qur'an points out to the Muslims that they cannot expect such a people to be sensible, and asks them not to worry much about them. For, some of the Jews have been committing an even more heinous sin - they used to change and distort the Word of Allah in spite of knowing the ignominy of such a deed. So, the Holy Qur'an wants the Muslims to realize that men who are so enslaved to their desires and so shameless in their pursuit of evil, cannot be expected to listen to anyone.
The "Word of Allah" mentioned in the verse refers to the Torah which the Jews had "heard" fiom the prophets, and the distortion pertains to the changes made in the words themselves or in the sense or in both; or it refers to the words of Allah which the seventy men had heard directly on the Mount Tur (Sinai) where they had gone to seek divine confirmation of what Sayyidna Musa (Moses - عليه السلام) had been telling and the distortion pertains to their declaration before their people that Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) had promised to forgive them if they could not act upon certain commandments.
The Jews who were the contemporaries of the Holy Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) may not have themselves been involved in some of these transgressions, but since they did not abhor the misdeeds of their forefathers, they are to be considered as their counterparts.(Ma'ariful Qur'an)
"And when they meet those who believe, they say, 'We believe." But when some of them meet others in private, they say, "Do you tell them what Allah has disclosed to you so that they may thereby argue against you before your Lord? Have you, then, no sense?"(2:76)
Some of the Jews, seeing the growing power of the Muslims in Madinah and around it, pretended to have accepted Islam. In order to assure the Muslims of their sincerity and to win their favour, these hypocrites would now and then disclose to them that the Torah itself had given out the good tidings of the coming of the Holy Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) and mentioned the Holy Qur'an. But when they met other Jews who openly declared their adherence to Judaism, they would admit that they were only trying to deceive the Muslims, and were otherwise quite loyal to their own faith. On such occasions, those of the other group used to reprimand them for revealing to the Muslims what they themselves were trying to keep concealed, for a knowledge of the relevant verses of the Torah could be very useful for the Muslims in order to defeat the Jews in their argument.(Ma'ariful Qur'an, Vol. 1)
"Are they not aware that Allah knows what they conceal and what they manifest? And some among them are illiterate who have no knowledge of the Book but have some fancies, and they do nothing but make conjectures. So, woe to those who write the Book with their hands and then say, "This is from Allah", so that they may gain a small price out of it. Then, woe to them for what their hands have written, and woe to them for what they earn."(2:77-79)
Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) reminds the Jews that He is omniscient, and knows what they try to keep concealed as well as what they say or do openly. So, it would make no difference at all, if the hypocrites tried to conceal their infidelity from the Muslims, or the other group, not to disclose the verses of the Torah which speak of the Holy Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم). For, Allah Himself has, on different occasibns, informed the Muslims in the Holy Qur'an as to the hypocrisy of certain Jews and as to the testimony of the Torah also.
Verse 77 deals with the educated ones among the Jews, while Verse 78 speaks of those who were unlettered. These men had no knowledge of the Torah, and were even deficient in their understanding. Then, the Jewish scholars did not give them correct or proper information about their religion. No wonder, their minds were stuffed only with baseless superstitions which they found very pleasant and flattering.
Since the dishonesty of their scholars was the real cause of their superstitiousness, the crime of the former was greater than that of the latter. So, Verse 79 turns to the Jewish scholars. They were greedy and self-seeking, and in order to please the people for receiving money and respect from them, they used to misrepresent divine injunctions, going so far as to change the words of the Torah or distort the sense, pretending all the while that this was just what Allah had said or meant. The Verse 79 announces a grievous punishment for these two sins - distorting the Word of Allah and earning money by doing so.
A Doctrinal Point
Verse 78 says that the illiterate Jews follow their "Zann", that is to say, their fancies or conjectures. Some people do not pay any attention to the context in which the word has been used here, and come to the erroneous conclusion that it is not legitimate to accept or follow any view or injunction based on "Zann", which they always translate as "a fanciful supposition." This, no doubt, is one of the lexical meanings of the word, but only one. Let us explain that the Holy Qur'an uses the word "Zann" in three ways:-
(1) To signify perfect certitude -"Those who are certain that they are going to meet their Lord" (2:46). (2) To signify the greatest likelihood - "And he said to him whom he thought was the more likely of the two to be released from the prison" (12:42). (3) To signify a mere fanciful supposition - as in the present verse. The Zann which the Holy Qur'an prohibits us to follow is that of the third kind. This verse condemns the Jews for having followed this kind of qann which consists in a fanciful opinion that is not supported by a respectable argument or goes against a valid one. On the contrary, it is necessary to follow the Zann of the first two kinds. When certain ahadeeth or certain arguments and conclusions in the shari'ah are described as resting on Zann, it is done according to the second signification of the word. One cannot avoid this kind of Zann in any sphere of life, and the shari'ah requires us to accept and follow it. Certain verses of the Holy Qur'an, of course, condemn those who follow their Zann, but to apply this condemnation to all the possible cases, and to use such verses for rejecting all the legitimate arguments and injunctions of the shari'ah based on Zann is to betray one's ignorance of the Holy Qur'an.(Ma'ariful Qur'an)
This cannot be undone and I am sure it will be greatly appreciated.
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