In the Shade of the Qur'an by Sayyid Qutb

This passage discusses a new episode in the history of Moses and the Children of Israel, after God has saved them from their enemy. In the previous passage we see how Pharaoh and his people were drowned in the sea and all that they had done and built was destroyed. In this episode, Moses does not confront the tyranny of Pharaoh and his people, for that battle is over. He fights a different sort of battle, which may be longer and more ferocious. He is fighting against the human self. Traces of ignorance and humiliation still had their effects on the nature of the Children of Israel, allowing traits of deviousness, cruelty, cowardice and weakness to reveal themselves in their attitude. These traits are bound to take their toll on human nature, because nothing corrupts human nature more than living for a long while under tyranny and in an atmosphere of terror and fear that compels people to resort to devious scheming in order to avoid trouble.

The Children of Israel lived under this type of suffering for a long while. They endured a reign of terror, coupled with Pharaoh’s idolatrous faith. At first, Pharaoh killed their sons but spared their women. When this type of brutal tyranny abated, it only gave way to a life of humiliation and subjugation. A long life in these conditions was certain to corrupt their nature, leading them to wrong concepts and filling them with cowardice and a cruel bitterness. Equipped with the fine insight granted by God to His best servants, `Umar ibn al-Khaţţāb, recognized the interactions of human nature when he gave his instructions to those whom he appointed as governors of various provinces, urging them to take good care of their subjects, and saying: “Do not thrash them, because that would humiliate them.” He realized that a physical beating is likely to humiliate people. His Islamic faith wanted him to make sure that people living under an Islamic government should have their integrity preserved.

They must never be beaten by rulers, because they are not slaves to be subjugated by their rulers. They are servants of God only and their integrity is clearly evident when they deal with anyone else.

The Children of Israel were beaten and thrashed under Pharaoh’s rule until they became too humble and submissive. Indeed, physical beating was the mildest type of humiliation they suffered in peaceful times. The Egyptians were also beaten and thrashed until they also became submissive and Pharaoh could make fools of them.

They were beaten under Pharaoh’s tyranny as also under Roman tyranny. It was under Islam that they were saved from all this humiliation, because Islam granted them their freedom and made them serve only the Lord of all mankind. During `Amr ibn al- `Ās’s reign, who liberated Egypt and brought it under the rule of Islam, his own son thrashed a young Coptic Egyptian who probably still bore the marks of flogging by the agents of the Byzantine authority. The Copt’s father was furious because his son had suffered one lash from the whip of the governor’s son. He travelled for a month on camel’s back to put his complaint to `Umar ibn al-Khaţţāb, the Caliph, who was the overall ruler of the Muslim state. Yet only a few years earlier the father endured endless flogging under the Byzantines.

This transformation was a miracle achieved by Islam when it reawakened the feeling of integrity in the hearts of the Egyptian Copts and all those who came under Islamic rule wherever they were. Even those who did not come to accept Islam regained their integrity. This was indeed a miracle, reclaiming those hearts and souls after they had endured centuries of humiliation and submissiveness. Their rediscovered integrity could only have been given back to them by Islam.

It is within this reclamation process of the hearts and minds of the Children of Israel that we will witness sin in this forthcoming passage of the sūrah. It represents Moses’s task in this new episode, after he has crossed the sea with the Children of Israel, leaving Egypt behind them. In the Qur’ānic account we will see how the Israelites had to cope with the responsibilities of freedom and the divine message after having endured submissiveness and ignorance for a very long time. We will see them dealing with Moses with all the deviousness, ignorance and transgression that had left their marks on their nature. We will also see how Moses (peace be upon him)

faced up to this mammoth task, and the troubles he had to endure as he tried to reform their natures.

These troubles are encountered by every advocate of the divine message when he tries to reform people that have for long lived under tyranny and acquired a submissive nature. The situation is even worse if those people have known the divine faith but have forgotten it following years of abandonment. In such a situation, the message of the divine faith appears lifeless to such people. Hence, the advocate of divine faith needs to double his efforts and his patience. He needs an inexhaustible wealth of patience in order to cope with such people’s deviousness, transgression, rigid nature and petty concerns. He also needs to be able to cope with sudden setbacks that will jolt him at every stage as he finds those people trying time and again to relapse into ignorance.

This is perhaps one reason why the Qur’ān frequently relates to the Muslim community the history of the Children of Israel in such detail. Their history and experience are of benefit to the advocates of the divine faith in every generation.

We led the Children of Israel across the sea; and thereupon they came upon people who were dedicated to the worship of some idols of theirs. Said [the Children of Israel]:

“Moses, set up a god for us like the gods they have.” He replied: “You are indeed an ignorant people. As for these people: their method will inevitably lead to destruction, and worthless is all that they have been doing. “[And] he said: `Am I to seek for you a deity other than God, although He has favoured you above all other people?” We have indeed saved you from Pharaoh’s people, who oppressed you cruelly: they slew your sons and spared your women. Surely that was an awesome trial from your Lord.

(Verses 138-141)

This picture of the Children of Israel after having crossed the sea is the seventh scene in this story. We clearly see here the deviant, incorrigible nature of those people encumbered by their long history. It has not been long since they were subjected to cruel oppression under the paganism of Pharaoh and his people. A short while earlier, they were saved from that oppression at the hands of their Prophet and leader, Moses, in the name of God, the only Lord in the universe, who destroyed their enemy and parted the sea for them to cross. Yet hardly had they crossed the sea than they came upon pagan people, dedicated to the worship of idols. At that moment, they asked Moses, the Prophet sent by the Lord of the universe preaching self-surrender to the One God, to set up for them a deity to worship. “We led the Children of Israel across the sea; and thereupon they came upon people who were dedicated to the worship of some idols of theirs. Said [the Children of Israel]: ‘Moses, set up a god for us like the gods they have.’” (Verse 138)

Diseases of the soul are contagious just like diseases of the body, yet the infection cannot be passed on except to souls that are ready to receive it. As accurately and faithfully portrayed in the Qur’ān, the nature of the Children of Israel is weak, totally lacking in resolve. It hardly begins to follow proper guidance when it relapses into deviation. Scarcely does it begin to elevate itself before it tumbles again. When it has gone only a short distance along the straight path, it suffers a sudden setback. All this is accompanied by a rigid and hardened attitude that will not abide by the dictates of the truth. Here we see their nature brought out in full relief. Hardly had they come across people engaged in worshipping deities than they began to overlook what they had been taught over a period extending more than twenty years since Moses first called on them to believe in God’s oneness. Some reports mention that Moses spent twenty-three years in Egypt from the day when he first put his message to Pharaoh and his people to the day when he crossed the sea with the Children of Israel. They even forgot the miracle that had only a short while ago saved them from Pharaoh and drowned him and his army. Those who were with Pharaoh subjugated and oppressed the Children of Israel in the name of idolatry. Pharaoh’s aides tried to provoke him so that he would punish Moses and his followers. They said to him:

“Will you allow Moses and his people to spread corruption in the land and to forsake you and your gods?” (Verse 127) Yet those very Children of Israel forgot all this and made their singular request of Moses, the messenger sent by the Lord of the universe, to set up a god for them! Had they themselves made such gods, the matter would appear less strange than asking Moses to provide them with one. But such is the nature of the Israelites.

Motivated by his faith in God, the Lord of the universe, Moses was very angry. He could not understand how his people could relapse into paganism. He said to them:

“You are indeed an ignorant people.” (Verse 138) He did not specify what they were ignorant of, because he wanted this description to apply in its fullest sense. In the Arabic original, the term “ignorant” is used in two senses, contrasting with knowledge and wisdom. Such a request betrays a total lack of both. This tells us that deviation from the faith based on God’s oneness into paganism can only happen to those who are both ignorant and stupid. Knowledge and wisdom will inevitably lead to believing in God’s oneness. No true knowledge or true wisdom can lead anywhere else. When science and reason look at this universe and the laws that operate in it they understand that all these laws point to the single Creator who has set everything in motion. These laws do not reflect only God’s careful planning, but also the unity, the complementarity and coherence between these laws and the effects of their operation. All this would readily appear to anyone who reflects properly on the universe and what takes place in it. No one will turn a blind eye to all that except ignorant and stupid people, although they may claim to have knowledge, as they often do.

Moses explains to his people what may result out of their request, pointing to the terrible end that awaits those whom they wanted to imitate, making gods similar to theirs: “As for these people: their method will inevitably lead to destruction, and worthless is all that they have been doing.” (Verse 139)

Their idolatry, and the type of life they lead on the basis of such beliefs are in vain.

The large army of functionaries and clerics, and the rulers who derive their authority from such a chaotic mess and all the erroneous concepts and corrupted life that result from deviating away from belief in one God are of no avail. They will all end in ruin.

But Moses’s anger at his people’s attitude takes an even stronger expression and in a higher pitch that also wonders at how they could so quickly forget God’s grace when its manifestations are still there: “Am I to seek for you a deity other than God, although He has favoured you above all other people?” (Verse 140)

That they were favoured above all mankind in their own time was reflected in the fact that they were chosen to be the bearers of the divine message of God’s oneness.

This is the greatest favour of all. They were also chosen to be the heirs to inherit the blessed land, which was at that time in pagan hands. How could they, after all this, request their Prophet to seek for them a deity other than God, when they were at that very moment enjoying God’s grace? As typical of the Qur’ān, the sūrah follows the argument made by Moses with an address by God Himself: “We have indeed saved you from Pharaoh’s people, who oppressed you cruelly: they slew your sons and spared your women. Surely that was an awesome trial from your Lord.” (Verse 141) Such a direct link between the two speeches is a gesture of sublime honour to those prophets and advocates of the divine message.

This favour given to the Children of Israel was still present in their minds at that time. It should have been enough to remind them of their duty to be grateful to God for His blessings. God draws their attention to the lessons that they should have learnt from their suffering and trials, followed by their salvation. It was a trial of affliction followed by a trial of peace and security: “Surely that was an awesome trial from your Lord.” (Verse 141) None of this happened aimlessly. It was all a lesson which should equip them for a great test. If the test fails to set their minds and hearts on the right course and they incur, as a result of that failure, God’s punishment, then they know that the punishment is well deserved.

Now we move on to witness the eighth scene in the story when Moses is preparing himself for a meeting with his great Lord in this life. He gives specific instructions to his brother, the Prophet Aaron, before he leaves for that meeting: “We appointed for Moses thirty nights, to which We added ten, whereby the term of forty nights set by His Lord was complete. Moses said to his brother Aaron: `Take my place among my people and act righteously. Do not follow the path of those who spread corruption.’” (Verse 142)

The first stage of the mission assigned to Moses had been completed. He had saved the Children of Israel from a life of affliction, humiliation and subjugation by Pharaoh and his people. He crossed over with them from the land of tyranny and humiliation into the open desert, on the way to the Holy Land. They, however, were not yet prepared to undertake the great task awaiting them, which was the implementation of God’s law on earth. We have seen how they wanted to revert to paganism once they saw a group of people dedicated to the worship of their idols.

The faith preached by Moses, based on God’s absolute oneness, was shaken in their hearts after only a short while. It was necessary for those people to have a detailed message to prepare them to shoulder their forthcoming responsibilities. It was to give Moses that detailed message that God appointed those nights for him. The appointment would prepare Moses himself for the great meeting ahead.

The period of preparation was thirty nights, to which ten more were added in order to complete forty nights during which Moses would be completely free from all preoccupations of this world in order to concentrate on dedicating himself to God alone. Thus, his soul would achieve purification and refinement, and his resolve would be strengthened to fulfil the great trust which was about to be given to him.

Just before leaving for his period of seclusion and dedication, Moses gave his instructions to the man who was to deputize for him: “Moses said to his brother Aaron:

‘Take my place among my people and act righteously. Do not follow the path of those who spread corruption.’” (Verse 142) Moses was aware that his brother, Aaron, was also a Prophet sent alongside him by his Lord. But a believer always gives good counsel to other believers. This is the right and duty of Muslims. Moses was aware of the heavy burden Aaron was about to shoulder, and of the nature of the Children of Israel.

Aaron welcomed the good advice given him by his brother. Advice is felt to be a burden only by wicked people who want to break loose, or by arrogant people who feel that to take advice is beneath them. It is a small man who refuses to take a supporting hand in order to show that he can cope on his own.

As regards the thirty nights and the addition of ten more, Ibn Kathīr states in his commentary on the Qur’ān: “God mentions in His book that He appointed thirty nights for Moses. Commentators say that Moses (peace be upon him) fasted during these days and ate practically nothing. When the term was over, Moses took the skin of a tree and rubbed his teeth with it. God commanded him then to continue for ten more days.”

Then we come to the ninth scene which is unique. In this scene we find that God has chosen His Prophet Moses [peace be upon him] to talk to him directly, without any intermediary. It is a scene where an insignificant mortal makes contact with the everlasting existence, without any catalyst or intermediary. A human being is thus able to receive instructions directly from God, the eternal, when that human being is still on earth. As for us, we do not know how this took place. We do not know how God spoke to His servant Moses, nor do we know with what sense or organ Moses received God’s commandments. To try to describe this for certain is impossible for us, human beings, because we are limited by our own experience and confined within our own practical world.§ What we can do is to utilize that aspect of our constitution which results from the fact that God has breathed of His soul into man in order to look up to that great horizon. When we do this, we must not ruin that experience by asking how it all took place, trying to limit it to our own experience.

When Moses came for Our appointment and his Lord spoke to him, he said: “My Lord, show Yourself to me, so that I may look at You.” Said [God]: “You shall not see Me.

But look upon the mountain; if it remains firm in its place, then, only then, you shall see Me.” When his Lord revealed His glory to the mountain, He sent it crashing down. Moses fell down senseless. When he came to himself he said: “Limitless You are in Your glory. To You I turn in repentance. I am the first to truly believe in You.” He said: “Moses, I have chosen you of all mankind and favoured you by entrusting My messages to you and by My speaking to you. Take then what I have given you and be thankful.” We wrote for him on the tablets all manner of admonition, clearly spelling out everything, and (said to him): “Implement them with strength and determination, and bid your people to observe what is best in them. I shall show you the abode of the transgressors. I will turn away from My revelations those who, without any right, behave arrogantly on earth: for, though they may see every sign, they do not believe in it. If they see the path of righteousness, they do not choose to follow it, but if they see the path of error, they choose it for their path; because they disbelieve in Our revelations and pay no heed to them. Those who deny Our revelations and the certainty of the meeting in the Hereafter will see all their works collapse. Are they to be rewarded for anything other than what they have done?’” (Verses 143-147)

We need to concentrate all our mental ability into visualizing this great and unique scene in order to begin to understand what Moses must have felt: “When Moses came for Our appointment and his Lord spoke to him, he said: ‘My Lord, show Yourself to me, so that I may look at You.’” (Verse 143) In that awesome scene when Moses was receiving his Lord’s commandments, his soul was looking up to something greater, eager to reach out to what is most desirable. He forgets himself and his nature, and requests what no one can have or can tolerate while on earth. He requests to see the Lord Himself, prompted by his hope, genuine love and keenness to have the greatest prize of all. But he is brought back to reality by a decisive word:

“Said [God]: ‘You shall not see Me.’” (Verse 143)

But then the great Lord is kind to him, so He explains to him why he cannot see Him. His constitution cannot tolerate it: “But look upon the mountain; if it remains firm in its place, then, only then, you shall see Me.” (Verse 143) A mountain is certainly much firmer and less affected by outside powers than a human being. But what happened?

“When his Lord revealed His glory to the mountain, He sent it crashing down.” (Verse 143)

How did God reveal His glory to the mountain? We simply cannot describe or understand this. We can only have a feeling of it when we use that secret aspect of our constitution which holds a bond between us and God, when our souls are purified, with all filth purged away, and we concentrate all our thinking and understanding on God and His power. Simple words cannot express it at all.

Therefore, we will not try to describe with words how God revealed His glory to the mountain. We prefer to discount all the reports that try to explain it, because none of them is authentically attributed to the Prophet himself, while the Qur’ān has said nothing on it.

“When the Lord revealed His glory to the mountain, He sent it crashing down.” (Verse 143) The whole mountain was thus levelled down with no obtrusions on the surface of the earth. Moses was overawed and “Moses fell down senseless.” (Verse 143) He was completely unconscious.

“When he came to himself” realizing the limits of his ability, and recognizing that he overstepped his limits when he made his request, “he said: ‘Limitless You are in Your glory.’” He thus realized that God is too glorious to be seen by the naked human eye.

“To You I turn in repentance,” for having overstepped my limit in making such a request. “I am the first to truly believe in You.” (Verse 143) God’s messengers are always the first to believe in the greatness of their Lord and in His revelations. God commands them to declare that they are the first to believe. The Qur’ān reports in several instances that they comply and make that declaration.

Once more God’s grace was bestowed on Moses in abundance. He soon received the happy news of his being chosen to carry God’s message to his people after they had been saved. His message to Pharaoh and his people focused on that deliverance:

“He said: Moses, I have chosen you of all mankind and favoured you by entrusting My messages to you and by My speaking to you. Take then what I have given you and be thankful.” (Verse 144)

We understand from this statement that Moses was favoured over all his contemporaries. Messengers were sent before Moses and other messengers were sent after his time. It is, then, a favour over a whole generation of mankind. What was unique to Moses alone was the fact that God spoke to him directly. Moses was also commanded by God to take what he was given and to be grateful for being favoured and for having been given God’s message. Thus he was instructed how to react to God’s favour. All messengers [peace by upon them] provide guidance to people and present them with a good example. Hence, all people should accept whatever is given to them by God and show their gratitude for it so that they can receive more blessings and guard against arrogance and conceit, and maintain a good relationship with God.

The sūrah then tells us how Moses was given the message and its contents: “We wrote for him on the tablets all manner of admonition, clearly spelling out everything.” (Verse 145) Reports and commentators give different accounts of these tablets. Some of them give very detailed descriptions which we imagine to have been taken from Jewish sources. Such accounts have found their way into commentaries on the Qur’ān. None of these details is authentically reported to have been given by God’s Messenger (peace be upon him). Therefore, we confine ourselves to the true Qur’ānic statement, not going an inch beyond it. Those descriptions neither add to, nor detract anything from the nature of those tablets. What were these tablets and how they were written are matters that do not concern us, since no authentic report has provided us with any details. What is important is the contents of those tablets. They included all aspects that were of the essence of the divine message, its aim of providing a true concept of God and details of His law, and the instructions needed to reform the Israelite community whose nature had been corrupted by enduring tyranny and humiliation for a long time.

“Implement them with strength and determination, and bid your people to observe what is best in them.” (Verse 145) This is a divine order to Moses (peace be upon him) to take those tablets and implement their contents with strength and determination.

Moreover, he was to bid his people to fulfil their tough obligations because these were the best for them and the most certain to bring about a great transformation in their situation. The way this order is given suggests that this was the proper approach to reform the nature of the Israelites. They needed to show seriousness and determination to fulfil their obligations outlined to them in God’s message. But the order given to Moses also suggests that this is the approach to be followed by every community towards divine faith.

Faith is a matter of great importance in God’s view, and in as far as this universe is concerned and how God conducts its affairs by His will. It is also a matter of great importance in human history, man’s life on earth, and in the hereafter as well. The code of living detailed by the divine faith is based on the basic concept of God’s oneness, the only Lord in the universe, to whom all mankind are servants. It thus transforms human life in general, giving it a direction that is totally different from all courses chartered by ignorance that assign lordship in the universe to beings other than God.

What is viewed so seriously by God and enjoys such importance in the universe, human life and history must be taken seriously and cannot but have a strong effect on people. It simply cannot be trifled with or taken lightly. It is a serious matter in itself, and it demands serious action. But such seriousness cannot be tolerated by people who, by their nature, take everything very lightly. This does not mean any rigidity, complexity or extremism. None of these have anything to do with divine faith. It simply means that the approach must be serious and the implementation must be carried out with strength and determination.

The nature of the Children of Israel in particular required such a serious instruction after it had been corrupted by a long period of humiliation in Egypt. It is noted that all commandments given to the Children of Israel were coupled with added emphasis in order to train them to be serious, straightforward and determined. This applies to any community that may have suffered a long period of subjugation, humiliation and tyranny. After such a period, it is only natural that people should become devious in the way they approach all matters, because their priority has been to avoid trouble and do only that which is easy. We can see this very clearly in many contemporary communities which try to evade faith in order not to fulfil its obligations. They simply join the crowd, because being one of a crowd does not cost much.

In return for carrying out God’s orders, God promises Moses and his people to establish them in the land and to cause them to inherit the land which was then in the hands of a transgressor community: “I shall show you the abode of the transgressors.” (Verse 145)

Most probably this is a reference to the Holy Land which was at the time in the hands of a pagan community. Thus, this was happy news given to the Israelites that they were certain to take over the Holy Land. It is true that the Children of Israel did not enter the Holy Land in Moses’s lifetime, but that was because their reformation was as yet incomplete, and their nature not yet straightened. We should remember that they stood at its borders, saying to their Messenger: “Mighty people dwell in that land, and we will surely not enter it unless they depart from it. If they do depart, then we will enter.” (5: 22) When two believers who truly feared God urged them to force their way into the Holy Land, they spoke to Moses with all the rudeness only cowards can command, just like a mule that kicks its driver, saying: “We will never go in so long as they are in it. Go forth, then, you and your Lord, and fight, both of you. We shall stay here.” (5: 24) This describes their cowardly nature which cannot stand up to any serious obligation. The faith and the law given to the Prophet Moses (peace be upon him)

and the divine commandment that he should take it seriously and implement it with strength and determination aimed at transforming that nature. Hence, he was also ordered to bid his people to stand up to the difficulties involved in implementing God’s law.

At the end of this scene we have a clear statement of what will eventually happen to those who defy every right and behave arrogantly, turning away deliberately from every sign God has given and every directive He has issued. The statement plainly and accurately describes the nature of this type of people, using all the artistic touches of the Qur’ānic style.

I will turn away from My revelations those who, without any right, behave arrogantly on earth: for, though they may see every sign, they do not believe in it. If they see the path of righteousness, they do not choose to follow it, but if they see the path of error, they choose it for their path; because they disbelieve in Our revelations and pay no heed to them. Those who deny Our revelations and the certainty of the meeting in the Hereafter will see all their works collapse. Are they to be rewarded for anything other than what they have done? (Verses 146-147)

God declares that it is His will to turn such people away from His revelations so that they cannot respond to them. Thus, they will not benefit by His signs in the open book of the universe, or by His revelations that He has sent down to His messengers.

This is the result of their own action, because it is they who have disbelieved in God’s revelations and paid no heed to them.

Such people are brought vividly before our own eyes so that we can see through the Qur’ānic words how they move about and how they smile, for they “without any right, behave arrogantly on earth.” (Verse 146) Needless to say, no one can be rightfully arrogant and proud. Indeed, pride is an attribute that belongs to God alone, and He shares it with no other partner. Whenever a human being makes pride the mark of his behaviour, he does so without any right. The worst type of pride is to claim lordship over other people, enacting legislation that is at variance with God’s law, and forcing people to submit to such false legislation. It is from this basic aspect of pride that all arrogant behaviour emanates. All other aspects are secondary to it: “If they see the path of righteousness, they do not choose to follow it, but if they see the path of error, they choose it for their path.” (Verse 146)

This is then an erring nature that moves away from the path of righteousness whenever it sees it, and prefers the path of error at every opportunity. It seems to have a mechanism that prompts it in such a fashion. This is the main characteristic of such arrogant people whom God has willed to punish for rejecting His signs. Thus, He turns them away from these signs forever. We meet such people and recognize them by their features and characteristics. It is as if they turn away from righteousness and choose error without effort or contemplation. They are blind to the right indicators, always receptive of what leads to error. At the same time, they are turned away from God’s signs and revelations, so that they will never respond to them.

Limitless is God in His Glory. Through quick touches and simple Qur’ānic expressions, these people appear in front of us so vividly that we almost declare: yes we know them. In other words, the description perfectly fits someone we know by name.

The punishment that ensures ruin in this life as well as in the life to come is indeed the just and fitting punishment for this type of person. It is the type who rejects God’s revelations and turns away from them, behaving arrogantly on earth and moving away from the path of righteousness whenever they see it, rushing always to follow the path of error. It is their own action that merits such punishment and leads them to ruin: “Because they disbelieve in Our revelations and pay no heed to them.” (Verse 146)

“Those who deny Our revelations and the certainty of the meeting in the hereafter will see all their works collapse. Are they to be rewarded for anything other than what they have done?” (Verse 147) The Qur’ānic statement uses a special term for the “collapse” of those people’s works. It is derived from what happens to a she-camel which eats poisonous plants causing her belly to swell before she dies. This is an apt description which fits the falsehood reiterated by those who deny God’s revelations and the certainty of the meeting in the hereafter. They give themselves airs, trying to impress people of their assumed greatness. Their falsehood leads them to ruin just like the she-camel which eats poisonous plants. But how will the works and actions of those rejecters collapse?

From the point of view of faith, we believe that God’s warnings will certainly come true, regardless of any contrary appearances. Whoever denies God’s revelations and the certainty that all people will be gathered to Him in the hereafter will have all his works ruined. In practice, we find that this is truly the case in human life. Those who deny the signs God has placed all over the universe or deny the revelations He has vouchsafed to His Messenger, and consequently deny the certainty of meeting God on the Day of Judgement, have gone astray. They continuously move away from the nature of the universe, because the universe submits to God’s law. They have no link with the universe and have no motivation to link themselves with the action that fulfils the purpose of universal existence. Hence, every action that such people perpetrate will certainly collapse, even though it may appear to be flourishing. This is because such action is not linked to the motives that are deeply rooted in the very basis of the universe or its goal. It is just like a little stream that gets cut off from the main spring. It will eventually dry out.

Those who see no close relationship between the values of faith and the movement of human history, and those who overlook God’s will which defines the destiny of everyone that denies such values are indeed the ones who continue to pay no heed to God’s signs and revelations. It is to those that God’s declaration applies. They are the ones whom God will turn away from His revelations and leave them to their inevitable destiny.

Those who admire the apparent success achieved by some unbelievers, unaware that it is only a short term success, are like those who admire the swollen belly of a she-camel that has eaten poisonous plants, thinking it to be indicative of good health, unaware that its death is so close. Past nations provide very clear examples. Those who have succeeded them should learn the lessons to be derived from their experience and watch how God’s law never fails. God’s will is certain to be done.

When Moses was on this unique trip, attending with all his faculties to his meeting with his Lord, something else was happening with his people. He was fully engaged with a mission that our minds can only contemplate but we cannot visualize; a mission our thoughts cannot conceive, but to which our spirits warm. But at that very same time, his people were relapsing into paganism, and taking to themselves a lifeless calf that issues a lowing sound, making of it a deity for worship in place of God. There is, then, a wide gulf between the ninth and tenth scenes of the story. The former took us into a sublime horizon in which we look up to the resplendent glory of God, while the latter brings us to a low depth of deviation, superstition and disbelief:

In his absence, the people of Moses took to the worship of the effigy of a calf made of their ornaments, which gave a lowing sound. Did they not see that it could neither speak to them nor give them any guidance? Yet they took to worshipping it, for they were evildoers. When they were later afflicted with remorse, having realized that they had gone astray, they said: ‘if our Lord does not have mercy on us and forgive us, we shall certainly be losers.” (Verses 148-149)

That was typical of the nature of the Israelites who could hardly move one step along the straight path before they deviated. They were hardly able to elevate themselves, in their beliefs and concepts, above what is physical and tangible. Even a short lull in exhortation and reminders could see them relapsing into disbelief.

We saw earlier how they tried to persuade their Prophet to set up a deity for them to worship. They did so only because they saw pagan people worshipping idols.

Their Prophet rebuked them severely for entertaining such thoughts. But when they were left to themselves and saw a mere body of a calf of gold made by the Sämirī in a way that allowed the calf to make a lowing sound, they were so excited and addressed their worship to it. The Sarnia said to them: “This is your and Moses’s God, whom Moses has gone to meet, but has forgotten his appointment.” Perhaps this was said because of the ten extra nights that were added to the period appointed for Moses, of which his people were not aware. When Moses did not return after the thirty original nights, the Sarnia said to his people: “Moses has forgotten his appointment with his God, so now his God is here. This is it.” The strange thing is that those people forgot all the teachings of their Prophet who had repeatedly told them that they must only worship their Lord, the Lord of the universe, who cannot be seen by the naked human eye. They did not even reflect on the nature of that calf which was shaped and fashioned by a man among them. They belonged to a disgraceful type of people. The Qur’ān wonders at such people as they are presented to the unbelievers in Makkah who worshipped idols and statues.

“Did they not see that it could neither speak to them nor give them any guidance? Yet they took to worshipping it, for they were evildoers.” (Verse 148) Who is a worse evildoer than one who worships something made by a human hand, when it is God who has created human beings and all that they do?

Aaron, the Prophet (peace be upon him) was still among them, but he was unable to stop them from sinking into this stupid idiocy. There were also a few wise people, but these could not restrain the masses who scrambled to touch the golden calf, particularly because it was made of gold, the true idol of the Israelites.

Eventually, the farce died down, the truth was clear to all, and it was plain to everyone how far into stupid error they had sunk. Error gave way to remorse: “When they were later afflicted with remorse, having realized that they had gone astray, they said: ‘If our Lord does not have mercy on us and forgive us, we shall certainly be losers.’” (Verse 149)

The original Arabic statement gives an impression that they were at a total loss, unable to determine how to get out of the trouble in which they had landed themselves. They realized that this relapse could not be corrected, because it had actually taken place. Hence, their admission: “If our Lord does not have mercy on us and forgive us, we shall certainly be losers.” (Verse 149) This statement suggests that they had still retained some willingness to follow the right guidance. Their hearts had not yet hardened to the extent of their being harder than stones, as God describes them in the Qur’ān (2: 74). When they recognized their error, they were afflicted with remorse and realized that they could only be saved by God’s mercy.

All this took place when Moses was with his Lord, addressing his appeal to Him.

He was unaware of what his people had done in his absence. At this point, scene eleven is raised before our eyes: “When Moses returned to his people, full of wrath and sorrow, he said: ‘What an evil thing you have done in my absence! Have you tried to hurry up your Lord’s command?’ He put down the tablets and, seizing his brother by the head, he pulled him to himself. Cried Aaron, ‘Son of my mother, the people felt I was weak and they almost killed me. Do not let our enemies rejoice over my affliction, and do not count me among the evil-doing folk.’ Said [Moses]: ‘My Lord, forgive me and my brother, and admit us to Your grace: for You are indeed the most merciful of those who are merciful.‘“ (Verses (Verses 150-151)

We see how terribly angry Moses was. Anger can be felt in both what he said and did, particularly seizing his brother by the head and dragging him: “’What an evil thing you have done in my absence! Have you tried to hurry up your Lord’s command?’ Seizing his brother by the head, he pulled him to himself” (Verse 150)

Yet it was only right that Moses should feel very angry. He had received a terrible shock and a painful surprise. Hence he exclaimed: “What an evil thing you have done in my absence!” (Verse 150) I left you following right guidance, and you relapsed into error. Before I left, you were worshipping God alone, and while I was away you took to the worship of a mere lifeless calf that gave a lowing sound. “Have you tried to hurry up your Lord’s command?” (Verse 150) This could mean that they were trying to hurry God’s judgements and punishment, or it could mean that they tried to hasten his appointment.

“He put down the tablets and, seizing his brother by the head, he pulled him to himself” (Verse 150) This is a very strong reaction. Those tablets contained the law God had given him. Moses would not put those tablets down except in a state of extreme anger which caused him to lose control of himself. Again, dragging his brother by the head is indicative of the same reaction, because Aaron was a noble Prophet, full of faith and piety.

Aaron appeals to the bond of brotherhood that he had with Moses, in order to cool his temper. He explained his attitude and that he spared no effort in trying to give good counsel to his people: “Cried Aaron, ‘Son of my mother, the people felt I was weak and they almost killed me.’“ (Verse 150)

This statement gives us an impression of how the Israelites scrambled to worship the golden calf. They almost killed Aaron when he tried to restrain them. “Son of my mother!” That address is an appeal to a bond of compassion. “The people felt I was weak and they almost killed me.” (Verse 150) That is a vivid description of his own attitude.

“Do not let our enemies rejoice over my affliction.” (Verse 150) Again, Aaron is appealing to a bond that should ensure mutual support between the two brothers, because their enemies would gloat over his affliction.

“And do not count me among the evil-doing folk.” (Verse 150) I did not share in their error or evil deeds. I dissociated myself from their action.

At this point, Moses begins to cool down, because his brother did not meet anger with anger. He simply explained himself and his attitude. Therefore, Moses turns to his Lord and seeks forgiveness for himself and his brother from the most merciful.

“Said [Moses]: ‘My Lord, forgive me and my brother, and admit us to Your grace: for You are indeed the most merciful of those who are merciful...’” (Verse 151)

At this point, the final judgement is passed by the One who has the authority to give such a judgement. God’s words follow directly on what the Qur’ān relates of the words in the familiar Qur’ānic fashion: “Those who took to worshipping the calf have surely incurred their Lord’s wrath, and disgrace [will be their lot] in this life. Thus do We reward those who invent falsehood. But those who do evil deeds and later repent and truly believe will surely, after such repentance, find your Lord to be much-forgiving, most merciful.” (Verses 152-153)

This is a judgement and a promise. The people who worshipped the calf were certain to incur God’s anger and were certain to be at the receiving end of disgrace in this life. At the same time, God’s rule remains valid: those who repent after having misbehaved are certain to receive God’s forgiveness and His mercy. This means that God is fully aware that those who worshipped the calf would never turn back to God in sincere repentance. They were sure to do enough to make that permanent rule inapplicable to them. History shows that this was the case. The Children of Israel continued to do one sinful act after another, and God continued to forgive them time after time, until eventually they incurred God’s permanent rejection: “Thus do We reward those who invent falsehood.” (Verse 152) This applies to all the inventors of falsehood. Whenever the crime is repeated, time after time, whether by the Children of Israel or any other people, then its punishment is certain to apply.

God’s promise will certainly come true. He has condemned those who took to worshipping the calf to be subject to His anger and to be disgraced. The last part of His condemnation was that He would be sending them, time after time, until the Day of Judgement, people who would inflict on them great suffering. It may happen that in a certain period of history they appear to exercise so much power and influence which enables them to behave arrogantly towards the Gentiles. They may appear to have enormous wealth which gives them so much power. They may be able to control the world’s media; and they may even have a decisive say in bringing in governments, in different countries, that do their bidding. We may see all this and a great deal more, but this does not contradict God’s warning to them or His condemnation. All these actions will work against them, as people will nurture their hatred which will eventually destroy them.

They can overcome the people in Palestine, for example, because those people have abandoned their faith and are no longer Muslims. They do not rally under the banner of the Islamic faith, but instead they hoist a nationalist or racist banner. Their efforts end in failure and Israel is able to overcome them. But this state of affairs will not last forever. These Arab people have been in a state of total unawareness of the only method, weapon and banner which saw them victorious for a thousand years, and which is certain to make them victorious again. When they abandon them, they are sure to be defeated. Such lack of awareness comes as a result of the poison injected in the Muslim community by Zionist and Christian imperialist forces, which try to perpetuate such a state of affairs through the regimes they establish in the Muslim world. But all this will not last. There will be a re-awakening of the Muslim community. Future Muslim generations will equip themselves with the same weapons as their forefathers. Who knows, but humanity will one day wake up to recognize the tyranny of the Zionist Jews. They will then act to make God’s warnings come true and return the Zionist Jews to the state of humiliation and disgrace to which God has condemned them. If humanity will not wake up, then certainly future Muslim generations will. We are absolutely certain of this.

Those two verses serve as a pause in order to comment on the ultimate destiny of those who worshipped the calf inventing falsehood against God. They come in the middle of this scene, but then the sūrah picks it up again: “Then when his wrath had subsided, Moses took up the tablets, upon which was inscribed a text of guidance and grace to those who stood in awe of their Lord.” (Verse 154)

The Qur’ānic style personifies anger as if it is a living thing that exercises control over Moses, dictating his actions. But when it subsides and its promptings die down, Moses regains his self-control. He picks up the tablets, which, as we are told again, contain the guidance and mercy for those who fear God and open their hearts to receive His guidance and mercy. Indeed, the very provision of guidance is an act of grace. No one is more miserable than a deviant person who cannot see the light, or a soul that is lost without faith and without guidance. It is the fear of God that opens hearts to receive guidance and prepares them to respond properly. It is God, the Creator of hearts, who states this fact. Who knows these hearts better than the Lord who created them?

The sūrah then begins a new scene, in which we see Moses selecting seventy men from among his people: “Moses chose out of his people seventy men to come at a time set by Us. Then, when they were seized by violent trembling, he said: ‘My Lord, had it been Your will, You could have destroyed them, and myself too, long ago. Would You destroy us because of what the weak-minded among us have done? This is only a trial You have ordained, whereby You allow to go astray whom You will, and You guide aright whom You will. You alone are our guardian: grant us, then, forgiveness and bestow mercy on us. You are the best of all those who do forgive. Ordain for us what is good, both in this world and in the lift to come. To You alone we turn. [God] answered. I afflict anyone I wish with My torment while My grace encompasses all things; so I will confer it on those who steer away from evil, and spend in charity, and who believe in Our signs — those who follow the Messenger, the unlettered Prophet whom they shall find described in the Torah and the Gospel that are with them. He commands them to do what is right and forbids them to do what is wrong, and makes lawful to them the good things of life and forbids them all that is foul. He lifts from them their burdens and the shackles that weigh upon them. Those, therefore, who believe in him, honour and support him, and follow the light that has been bestowed from on high through him shall indeed be successful.’“ (Verses 155-157)

Reports differ as to the reason for this appointment. It may have been set so that they would declare their repentance and pray to God to forgive the Children of Israel after they had sunk back into error and disbelief. In the second sūrah, The Cow, we learn that the penance imposed on the Israelites was that they should kill themselves, which means that the good ones among them should kill those who were disobedient. They did just that until God told them to stop and accepted their penance. Those seventy men were the best among them. The way the choice is expressed in Arabic makes them stand out from the whole community of Israelites.

Nevertheless, what happened to this choice group? They were seized by a violent trembling and dropped unconscious. The reason for this, as mentioned in another sūrah, was that they asked Moses to show them God so that they would believe him and accept the law He has given them in the tablets. This is typical of the nature of the Children of Israel. It applies to all of them, whether good or bad, in different measures. The most singular thing is that they should make such a request when they were supposed to declare their repentance and seek God’s forgiveness.

Moses, on the other hand, turned to his Lord imploring Him to bestow His forgiveness and mercy, declaring his total submission to Him: “When they were seized by violent trembling, he said: ‘My Lord, had it been Your will, You could have destroyed them, and myself too, long ago.’“ (Verse 155) That is the mark of total submission to God’s power. Moses makes sure to declare his own submission as he addresses his supplication to God to forgive his people, end their test and to spare them from destruction because of the deed perpetrated by some fools among them: “Would You destroy us because of what the weak- minded among us have done?” (Verse 155) Moses puts his appeal in a questioning form to emphasize his request that God does not destroy them. It is as if he is saying: my Lord, Your grace makes it absolutely unlikely that You should destroy us on account of what some fools among us have done. “This is only a trial You have ordained, whereby You allow to go astray whom You will, and You guide aright whom You will.” (Verse 155)

Thus Moses declares his understanding of what was taking place, that it was all a trial. In every trial, God guides those who understand its nature and recognize it as a test. He also lets those who ignore it to go deeper into error. Moses reiterates his recognition as a prelude to an appeal to God for His help to enable him and his people to pass the trial successfully: “You alone are our guardian.” (Verse 155) Give us your help so that we pass the test, and earn Your forgiveness and Your grace: “Grant us, then, forgiveness and bestow mercy on us. You are the best of all those who do forgive.” (Verse 155)

“Ordain for us what is good, both in this world and in the life to come. To You alone we turn.” (Verse 156) We are returning to You in repentance. We seek Your protection and support.

We see here how the appeal for forgiveness and mercy by Moses was preceded by a declaration of full submission to God and recognition of the purpose of his trial. It is concluded with a declaration of a return to God to seek His protection. Thus, it serves as an example for supplication to be followed by every good servant of God, the glorious, the beneficent.

This is followed by God’s reply: “God answered: ‘I afflict anyone I wish with My torment while My grace encompasses all things.’“ (Verse 156) This is a statement of God’s free will which chooses a rule and implements it as a matter of free choice. It is true that the rule is always enforced in accordance with the truth and justice, but this is also a matter of choice. Justice is an attribute of God which is seen in every aspect of the working of His will, because this is His choice. His punishment is visited only on those who deserve it, as a matter of will. His mercy encompasses all, but it is given only to those who deserve it; again as a matter of choice. He does not will to punish or show mercy to anyone in a haphazard manner. Far be it from God to do so.

Having thus informed His Prophet, Moses, of this rule, God then tells him something about the future and the community which will advocate the final version of His message and who will earn His mercy that encompasses everything. The expression here shows that God’s grace and mercy is far greater than the whole universe whose dimensions are impossible for human beings to visualize. Great indeed is the mercy whose measure is only known to God Himself.

My grace encompasses all things; so I will confer it on those who steer away from evil, and spend in charity, and who believe in Our signs — those who follow the Messenger, the unlettered Prophet whom they shall find described in the Torah and the Gospel that are with them. He commands them to do what is right and forbids them to do what is wrong, and makes lawful to them the good things of life and forbids them all that is foul. He lifts from them their burdens and the shackles that weigh upon them. Those, therefore, who believe in him, honour and support him, and follow the light that has been bestowed from on high through him shall indeed be successful.

(Verses 156-157)

This is an extremely important piece of news confirming that the Children of Israel had been given, most emphatically, confirmed information of the advent of the unlettered Prophet. This was given them by their Prophets Moses and Jesus (peace be upon them both) a long time ago. Both informed them of his mission, description, the method his message would follow and the distinctive features of his faith. He is `the unlettered Prophet’ who enjoins people to do what is good and forbids them what is evil. He will also lift off the shoulders of those among the Children of Israel who will believe in him the burdens and shackles God knew would be imposed on them because of their disobedience. They will continue to apply to them until the unlettered Prophet lifts them from those who believe in him. His followers fear their Lord, steer away from evil, pay zakāt and believe in God’s signs. The Children of Israel have also received the most certain news that those who believe in this unlettered Prophet, honour and support him and follow the light that has been sent down with him “shall indeed be successful.” This early information given to the Children of Israel by their Prophet Moses (peace be upon him) makes it clear what future form God’s message will take, who will bear its banner, who will follow that standard bearer and what course of action will ensure receiving His mercy. Thus, there is no excuse for the followers of earlier religions not to follow the message of Islam, having received such an early warning of it.

This absolutely true piece of information, given by the Lord of the universe to Moses (peace be upon him) when he and the seventy chosen people were at their appointment with their Lord, reveals the extent of the crime perpetrated by the Jews and their attitude to the unlettered Prophet and the religion revealed to him. They adopted an uncompromisingly hostile attitude to him and his message in spite of what it contained of reducing their burden and giving his followers the certain promise of success. They have perpetrated this crime despite their being fully aware of the facts. They have spared no effort in pursuing their hostility. History records that the Children of Israel have been the most hardened opponents of this Prophet and his religion.

The Jews come first, followed closely by extremist Christians. The war they have launched against this Prophet, his faith and followers is an ugly, wicked, determined and cruel war.

We need only refer to what the Qur’ān mentions about the way the people who received earlier Scriptures fight Islam and Muslims. There are detailed accounts of this in Sūrahs 2, 3, 4 and 5. Such references give us a glimpse of the broad front over which they have conducted their wicked war with this religion. Reference to historical events, ever since the first day Islam established its state in Madinah, to the present moment is sufficient to reveal their unhesitating and obstinate resolve to fight this religion and to try to exterminate it altogether.

Zionism and Christian Imperialism have employed in these modern times various methods of combat, scheming and plotting against this religion which are far superior to what they used over past centuries. In our modern time, they are trying to put an end to the Islamic faith altogether, thinking that they are fighting their final decisive battle. Therefore, they re-employ the methods and schemes they used in the past, in addition to what the present advancements enable them to use. At the same time, some naïve people, who claim to belong to Islam, call in a most simplistic and naïve way for cooperation between Muslims and the followers of other religions against the tide of atheism and materialism. They overlook the fact that those followers of other religions are slaughtering Muslims everywhere and waging against them a war that combines all the ugliness of the Crusades and the Spanish Inquisition, either using their own forces in their colonies in Asia and Africa, or through the regimes they support in so-called independent states. They try hard to replace Islam with secular creeds which claim to be `scientific’, in order to deny everything that lies beyond the reach of common perception. These creeds also call for the `modernization’ of moral values in order to adopt animal `freedom’ and a standard of `morality’ that only fits animals. They want also to `modernize’ Islamic law, convening Orientalists’ seminars and conferences for this purpose, with the aim of finding ways to legalize usury, promiscuity and other practices that Islam forbids.

All these are aspects of the ferocious war fought against this religion by those who claim to follow earlier Scriptures, although they are the ones who were given the news of this final religion and the Prophet who calls for it.

That news was given to them a very long time ago, but they nevertheless have chosen to oppose this religion with evil and hardened determination.

The sūrah pauses at this point in its relating of Moses and the Children of Israel’s story to address the unlettered Prophet himself, giving him God’s order to declare that his message applies to all mankind, in fulfilment of God’s promise: “Say:

‘Mankind, I am indeed God’s Messenger to you all. It is to Him that sovereignty over the heavens and the earth belongs. There is no deity other than Him. He alone grants life and causes death. Believe, then, in God and His Messenger, the unlettered Prophet, who believes in God and His words. And follow him, so that you may be rightly guided.’” (Verse 158)

This is, then, the final, universal message that is not confined to a particular community, area or generation. Earlier messages were limited to a certain community or a certain period of time which extended until the appearance of a new messenger. Mankind made certain limited progress in the light of those messages, in preparation for this last message. Every new message incorporated certain modifications of the divine law that took into account human progress. The final message is complete and perfect in essence leaving room for flexibility in the implementation of its details. It is meant for all mankind, and there will be no subsequent local messages for any particular community or generation. It responds to basic human nature, which means that it is suitable for all mankind. Hence, it was conveyed by the unlettered Prophet whose nature remained pure, refined only by the care he received from God. Hence, the Prophet’s pure nature conveyed the naturally pure message, addressing the very nature that is common to all mankind:

“Say: ‘Mankind, I am indeed Gods Messenger to you all.’” (Verse 158)

This Qur’ānic verse which commands God’s Messenger (peace be upon him) to address his message to all mankind was revealed in Makkah. It thus provides the perfect answer to the falsehood alleged and promoted by some followers of earlier divine religions who claim that Muhammad could not have contemplated, when he was in Makkah, to address his message to anyone outside it. They further claim that he only started to go beyond the tribe of Quraysh, and then to move to a larger area in order to address his message to the followers of earlier religions, and then to go beyond the Arabian Peninsula after the successes he was fortunate to achieve. This is merely a lie that serves them in their age-long war against his religion and its followers, and which continues unabating even today.

It is not surprising that the followers of earlier religions should mobilize their forces against Islam, or that the Orientalists who write such lies take the lead in the unabating onslaught against the followers of Islam. What is surprising and most unfortunate is that many simpleminded and naive people among those who claim to be Muslims are happy to be students to those who invent falsehood against the Prophet of Islam and who continue to fight Muslims and the Islamic faith itself. They are happy to accept their ideas about Islam and to quote them on the history of this faith. Those naïve people have the audacity to describe themselves as `intellectuals’.

Having commanded the Prophet to declare that his message applies to all mankind, the Qur’ānic verse continues to make it clear that the Prophet’s role is to make people fully aware of who is their true Lord: “It is to Him that sovereignty over the heavens and the earth belongs. There is no deity other than Him. He alone grants life and causes death.” (Verse 158)

The Prophet, then, is a Messenger to all mankind from their Lord who is the Sovereign of the whole universe to which they themselves belong. He is the only God to whom everything in the universe submits. The clearest manifestation of His Godhead and His power is seen in the fact that He alone grants life and causes death.

His religion, which His Messenger conveys to mankind, is the one that deserves to be accepted by all humanity because it is the religion that makes people fully aware of the true nature of their Lord. Thus, their submission to Him is an enlightened one, entailing complete obedience to God’s Messenger: “Believe, then, in God and His Messenger, the unlettered Prophet, who believes in God and His words. And follow him, so that you may be rightly guided.” (Verse 158)

This final address makes some important, though subtle, points which should be outlined. To start with, this address implies an order to believe in God and His Messenger. This is the same implication as the declaration that there is no deity other than God and that Muhammad is God’s Messenger. This is certainly the essence of faith. This order is preceded by an outline of God’s essential attributes: “It is to Him that sovereignty over the heavens and the earth belongs. There is no deity other than Him. He alone grants life and causes death.” (Verse 158) Hence, it is an order to believe in God, having learnt His true and essential attributes, and learnt that this message applies to all mankind.

It also implies that the unlettered Prophet (peace be upon him) believes in God and His word. While this goes without saying, drawing attention to it here is quite important. Before a person advocates a certain cause, he himself must believe in it and must have its essentials clear in his mind so that he knows the true nature of what he advocates. Hence, the Prophet sent as God’s Messenger to all mankind is described as one “who believes in God and His words.” (Verse 158) This is exactly what he calls on people to believe.

The address also refers to the practical requirements of the faith which the Prophet calls on people to accept. When they have accepted faith, they are required to abide by its law and to follow its teachings. This is stated clearly in God’s own words: “And follow him, so that you may be rightly guided.” (Verse 158) There is simply no way that people can benefit by the guidance given to them through God’s Messenger unless they follow in practice what that Messenger says. It is not sufficient that they should believe in it, unless that belief is endorsed by practice. This is the essence of Islam.

This faith of Islam makes its own nature clear at every occasion. It is not simply a set of beliefs that find their way into people’s minds and hearts. Nor is it merely a set of rituals that have to be observed. It means the complete adherence in practice to everything that God’s Messenger has conveyed to us as part of his message. The Prophet has not confined himself to telling people to believe in God and His Messenger, or merely to do the various aspects of worship, but he has also conveyed to them, in word and deed, God’s law which must be implemented in human life.

There is no way that people can have full guidance unless they follow the Prophet in all these aspects, which, together, form the religion God has given them. This religion of Islam has no version other than that indicated by the command to believe in God and His Messenger, coupled with this order: “And follow him, so that you may be rightly guided.” (Verse 158) Had the Islamic faith been merely a matter of beliefs only, it would have been sufficient to say: “Believe, then, in God and His Messenger.” (Verse 158) But God has followed this by the order to follow the Prophet in everything that he has given us.

The sūrah resumes its account of the certain aspects of the history of the Israelites, picking it up after the violent trembling that seized the seventy people Moses had chosen for the appointment set by God. Moses was absorbed in a heartfelt supplication to his Lord to save them. We know from the accounts given in other sūrahs that these seventy people were resurrected and returned to their folk, full of faith. The sūrah picks up the thread of this story, but begins first by stating that not everyone among the Israelites was in error: “Yet among the folk of Moses there are some who guide (others) by means of the truth and act justly in its light.” (Verse 159)

This describes their situation at the time of Moses, and after him, which meant that there was among them a group who were keen to follow the truth and show its guidance and maintain justice. It was such people who received the Prophet Muhammad’s message with ready acceptance, since they were informed in the Torah of his forthcoming appearance. The most notable of these was `Abdullāh ibn Sallām (may God be pleased with him), a companion of the Prophet who stood up to the Jews in Madinah pointing out to them what the Torah says about the unlettered Prophet as well as the fact that Islamic law endorsed a number of Jewish laws.

The sūrah then resumes its account of the historical events: “We divided them into twelve tribes, each a community. And when his people asked Moses for water to drink, We inspired him: ‘Strike the rock with your staff’ Twelve springs gushed forth from it, and each tribe knew its drinking-place. We caused the clouds to draw their shadow over them and sent down for them manna and quails, [saying]: ‘Eat of the good things We have given you as sustenance.’ Yet they could do Us no wrong, but they certainly wronged themselves.” (Verse 160)

These are aspects of God’s care which continued to be extended to Moses and his people, even after they strayed away and worshipped the calf, then atoned for their error as God told them and He accepted their repentance. This also comes after they demanded to see God Himself and were stunned by the trembling, before God brought them back to life in answer to Moses’s prayers. God’s care is demonstrated here in organizing them into twelve communities, according to their ancestry. Each community traced their ancestry to one of the children of the Prophet Jacob, who was also known as Israel. They confirmed their allegiance on tribal lines: “We divided them into twelve tribes, each a community.” (Verse 160)

God’s care is also manifest in assigning a spring to each community so that none of them would try to take what belonged to others: “When his people asked Moses for water to drink, We inspired him: ‘Strike the rock with your staff’. Twelve springs gushed forth from it, and each tribe knew its drinking place.” (Verse 160)

Another aspect of God’s care was to send clouds to give them shade from the burning desert sun, and to bestow on them from on high manna, a kind of wild honey, and quails to provide them with food after their drink had been guaranteed:

“We caused the clouds to draw their shadow over them and sent down for them manna and quails.” (Verse 160) A further aspect of God’s care was the fact that all these good things were made lawful to them, as nothing had been forbidden them yet in punishment for their disobedience: “Eat of the good things We have given you as sustenance.” (Verse 160)

God’s care is manifest in all that, but the Israelite nature continued to be rebellious, unwilling to keep to the path of guidance, as clearly appears from the final comment of this verse which mentions all these blessings that gave them water out of the rock, shade in the burning desert sun and wholesome, delicious food: “Yet they could do Us no wrong, but they certainly wronged themselves.” (Verse 160) Disobedience to God and straying away from His path were the manifestations of their wronging themselves. Such disobedience could cause God no harm, because God has no need of the Israelites or anyone else. Indeed, His kingdom is not affected at all even if they and all creatures were to unite in total disobedience to Him. Nor is His kingdom increased in any way, if all creatures were to continue to obey Him without fail.

People simply wrong themselves by disobedience to God and straying away from His path.

How did the Children of Israel respond to God’s care? What steps did they take on the long road pointed out to them? “It was said to them: Dwell in this city and eat of its food whatever you may wish, and say: “Lord, relieve us of our burden,” and enter the gate in humility. We will forgive you your sins, and We will richly reward those who do good.’ But the wrongdoers among them substituted other words for those which they had been given.

Therefore We let loose against them a scourge from heaven in requital for their wrongdoing.” (Verses 161-162)

God forgave them their sin of worshipping the calf, and He also forgave them after they were seized by the trembling when they were on the mountain. He has given them all His blessings; yet again their nature takes them away from the straight path. Again they disobey and change God’s words. They are told to enter a particular city, the name of which is not given in the Qur’ān because knowing its name does not add to the significance of the story, and God makes lawful for them all its fruits and provisions, provided that as they enter they say a particular supplication and prostrate themselves on entry. That last gesture was required as a declaration of their submission to God at the time of victory when they felt very powerful, just as the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) prostrated himself many centuries later, on the back of his camel, when Makkah fell to Islam. In return for their obedience, God promised to forgive them their sins and to increase the reward of those among them who did well. But why would they disobey? There is no explanation other than the fact that deviation was in their nature: “But the wrongdoers among them substituted other words for those which they had been given.” (Verse 162)

At this point, God let loose against them a scourge from heaven. It was the same heaven from which He sent down manna and quails, and which carried the clouds that gave them shade and comfort: “Therefore We let loose against them a scourge from heaven in requital for their wrongdoing.” (Verse 162) Thus, the fact that a group of them disbelieved constituted what is termed in the Qur’ān as ‘wronging themselves’ and made them liable to God’s punishment. The Qur’ān does not tell us exactly the nature of the suffering to which they were subjected, because the purpose of this account is achieved without specifying it. All that is needed here is to explain that disobedience entails the enforcement of the threats, giving the guilty their fair punishment.

Once more the Children of Israel are guilty of sinful disobedience. In this particular case, they do not openly contravene God’s law, but they try to find loopholes to evade what the law requires. They cannot remain steadfast in the face of the trial to which they are exposed, because steadfastness requires a nature that can control desires and ambitions: “Ask them about the town which stood by the sea: how its people profaned the Sabbath. Each Sabbath their fish appeared before them breaking the water’s surface, but they would not come near them on other than Sabbath days. Thus did We try them because of their disobedience. When some among them asked: ‘Why do you preach to people whom God is certain to destroy, or at least to punish severely?’ [others] replied: So that we may be free from blame in the sight of your Lord, and that they may become God-fearing.’ When they had forgotten all the warnings they had been given, We saved those who had tried to prevent evil, and overwhelmed the transgressors with dreadful suffering for their iniquitous deeds. And when they insolently persisted in doing what they had been forbidden to do, We said to them: ‘Turn into despicable apes.’ Then your Lord declared that He would most certainly raise against them people who would cruelly oppress them till the Day of Resurrection. Your Lord is swift indeed in His retribution, yet He is certainly much forgiving, merciful.” (Verses 163-167)

There is a change of style here as the method of reporting historical events is dropped in preference for confronting the descendants of the Israelites who opposed the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) in Madinah. The passage beginning with this verse up to verse 171 was revealed in Madinah to give answers to its Jewish population. However, it is incorporated in this Makkan sūrah to complete the history of the Israelites with their Prophet Moses.

Here God orders His Messenger (peace be upon him) to ask the Jews about this well-known event in their former history. They are questioned about it here because they were keen to assert their ancestry and that they belonged to a nation with a history extending over many generations. It reminds them of their old disobedience and the fact that their disobedience doomed a group of them to a complete change of form in this life, and condemned them all to a long history of humiliation. The only exceptions are those ready to follow the last Prophet who would certainly relieve them of the burdens and the shackles that tied them down.

The name of the city by the sea is not mentioned, because it was well known to the addressees. The event itself was perpetrated by a group of Jews who were living in a coastal city. The Children of Israel had requested that a day should be assigned to them for rest and total devotion, so that none of them would need to work on that day. Hence the appointment of the Sabbath for them. They were then subjected to a test so that they would learn how to demonstrate their willpower and resist temptation. They certainly needed to learn how to fulfil their commitments, particularly in the case of a conflict between duty and desire. That was absolutely necessary for the Children of Israel whose characters were badly weakened as a result of the humiliation they had long suffered. Their will needed to be liberated after such a long history of subjugation, so that they could get used to facing challenges and resisting temptations.

Besides, this is needed by everyone who aspires to be an advocate of God’s message, and to fulfil the trust God has given to human beings on earth. Indeed, the test of willpower was the first to which Adam and Eve were subjected. They could not stand up to it, and were tempted by Satan to eat of the fruit of the tree, which he described to them as the tree of everlasting life and imperishable wealth. Every community of advocates of God’s cause must go successfully through this test before they can be trusted with the task assigned to mankind as they are placed in charge of the earth. The nature of the test remains the same, but its methods may vary.

A group of the Children of Israel were unable to face the challenge and pass the test this time. This was the result of their repeated disobedience. Fish of different types used to come very close to the shore on Sabbath days, appearing to be so easy to catch. Yet they could do nothing to catch them because of the sanctity of the Sabbath, which they needed to observe. When the Sabbath day ended the fish were no longer there. They had gone deep into the sea. This is the event which the Prophet Muhammad was ordered to remind them of, in addition to giving them a reminder of what they did and what happened to them as a result: “Ask them about the town which stood by the sea: how its people profaned the Sabbath. Each Sabbath their fish appeared before them breaking the water’s surface, but they would not come near them on other than Sabbath days. Thus did We try them because of their disobedience.” (Verse 163)

How did all this happen? What made the fish behave in this way? How could the fish out-manoeuvre them? This is a miracle that takes place by God’s will at the time He chooses. Those who are devoid of knowledge are keen to deny that God’s will can operate in any way other than what they describe as ‘the laws of nature’. But the Islamic concept, endorsed by the facts of life, has a different view. It is God (limitless is He in His glory) who has created this universe and set its laws in operation, in accordance with His absolute, free will. This means that God’s law is not restrained by those laws of nature, or that it must operate within them. God’s will remains free and absolute after these laws have come into operation, just as it was before them.

This is the fact ignored by those who are devoid of knowledge. It is certainly an aspect of God’s grace which He bestows on His servants that these laws of nature remain constant, but that does not mean that His will becomes subject to them or restrained by them. Whenever He, in His wisdom, wants something to take place in a fashion that breaks these laws of nature, His will is certainly done. Moreover, every time these constant laws operate, their operation takes place by a new act of God’s will, which is specific to that particular instance. These laws do not operate automatically, of their own accord, or without God’s will. This is indeed the case, despite the fact that the laws of nature remain constant, unless God determines otherwise. Whether the constant laws of nature operate or some other laws operate in their place, whatever actually happens in the universe is subject to a special act of God’s will. Hence, the operation of the laws of nature and the accomplishment of something supernatural are equal and at the same level. There is nothing in the system of the universe that happens automatically, not even once, as those who are devoid of knowledge are keen to assert. In fact, they have recently started to recognize this.

Be that as it may, the temptation was too strong for those people of the city facing the sea. A group of them found the temptation irresistible, and all their willpower collapsed. They forgot their covenant with their Lord and began, as is typical of the Jews, to try to find subtle ways of fishing on the Sabbath. When faith is weak in people’s hearts, many a deviant way can be found, since people start to deal with the law as a mere restriction which they need to evade. No law can be properly enforced by its mere statements, or by a police force. A law is safeguarded by God-fearing hearts who are keen to please God and to avoid His punishment. People will continue to try to evade the law when they have an interest in evading its provisions.

Therefore, a law cannot be safeguarded by material power or a police force. No strong-handed tactics can give a government enough power to appoint a policeman to watch every individual to ensure observance of the law. That can only be achieved through faith, when people are God-fearing, keen to abide by God’s law in public and private.

Hence, all situations which do not rely on the inner motivation of God-fearing hearts are bound to fail. Also doomed to failure are all man-made theories and regimes which do not rely on God’s authority. Hence, all human systems to ensure the enforcement of the law remain ineffective, because no police force can watch over all people, all the time.

In this particular case mentioned in the sūrah, the inhabitants of that city began to seek ways and means to get around the prohibition of fishing on the Sabbath day. It has been reported that they put up certain barriers on the Sabbath day so that the fish could not return to the sea, and on the Sunday they would be quick to take their catch. They claimed that they did not do the fishing on the Sabbath, because the fish remained in the water, behind the barriers. A second group recognized the deviousness in all this, and warned those people who perpetrated it against God’s punishment, dissociating themselves from their schemes.

A third group said to the ones urging their community to comply with God’s orders: what use is your admonition to those erring people, when they persist in their erring ways? God is certain to destroy them or to inflict severe punishment on them: “When some among them asked: ‘Why do you preach to people whom God is certain to destroy, or at least to punish severely?’” (Verse 164) Warnings and admonition are no longer of use, after they have condemned themselves to destruction or severe punishment by violating God’s law. The second group replied: “So that we may be free from blame in the sight of your Lord, and that they may become God-fearing.” It is a duty on us to enjoin what is right and warn against what is evil and against violating God’s law. When we have done our duty, we hope to be free from blame. Besides, it may be that our admonition will touch a sensitive heart and cause at least some disobedient people to repent.

Thus, the inhabitants of that city were divided into three groups, or three communities. In Islamic terminology, a nation or a community is a group of people who believe in one faith, have the same concept, and admit allegiance to a single leadership. It is thus different from the definitions given to it in non-Muslim societies, ancient and modern, which make a nation any group of people living in a particular area and governed by a particular regime. This concept is alien to Islam.

Hence, we say that the inhabitants of that city were divided into three groups: a clearly disobedient one, and one opposed to the sly schemes of disobedience to God, taking a positive action or denouncing disobedience and giving admonition. A third group adopted a negative attitude, disapproving of those disobedient schemes but taking no positive action to repel them. Each group had its own concept and line of action, which made each of them a separate nation.

When warnings and admonition were apparently useless, and the disobedient group persisted with their erring ways, God’s warnings had to be fulfilled. Those who admonished them were saved, while the disobedient community suffered a very severe punishment, as will be explained presently. The sūrah does not mention what happened to the third group or community, perhaps in order to indicate that they were of no consequence, because they refrained from taking positive action and were satisfied to disapprove of God’s disobedience only in a negative way. Hence, they deserved to be ignored although they did not incur punishment: “When they had forgotten all the warnings they had been given, We saved those who had tried to prevent evil, and overwhelmed the transgressors with dreadful suffering for their iniquitous deeds. And when they insolently persisted in doing what they had been forbidden to do, We said to them:

`Turn into despicable apes.’” (Verses 165-166)

We note here how the Qur’ān equates disobedience with denying the faith, and refers to this as `wrongdoing’, or `transgression’. This occurs very frequently in the Qur’ān, which gives these terms a different concept to what is used in the works of scholars of later generations.

The dreadful suffering inflicted on those scheming people who disobeyed God was to transform them into despicable apes. They forfeited their humanity when they abandoned their will, which could control their desires. They simply sank into the world of animals.

Hence, it was a befitting punishment that they should be given the appearance of apes.

How did they become apes, and what happened to them thereafter? Did they perish, as would every creature that is transformed into another shape? Or did they procreate in the form of apes?

There are so many different reports in books of Qur’ānic commentary. However, none of these questions is given an answer in the Qur’ān, and we do not have any authentic statement by the Prophet to give answers to them.

Hence, we will not delve into these areas.

The same order which initiates creation and gives creatures their forms and shapes was given in order to bring about a change of form or a transformation. The word used in all these cases is, “Be”, and whatever God desires immediately takes place.

“We said to them: ‘Turn into despicable apes,’” with the Arabic text using the formula, “Be despicable apes”. (Verse 166) That was sufficient for them to be apes that are despicable, and to live in humiliation. That was the order that no power could repel, issued by the One who always accomplishes His purpose.

This was followed by an everlasting curse, which spared only those who would believe in the unlettered Prophet and follow him. This curse was also earned because of their long persistence in disobeying God. Hence, God issued the verdict that was certain to be implemented: “Then your Lord declared that He would most certainly raise against them people who would cruelly oppress them till the Day of Resurrection. Your Lord is swift indeed in His retribution, yet He is certainly much forgiving, merciful.” (Verse 167)

That declaration will last for ever, although its fulfilment started the day it was issued. In different periods of history, there were those who dealt very severely with the Jews and were ready to oppress them. The declaration will continue to operate, and there will from time to time be those who will deal cruelly with them. Whenever the Jews gain power and tyrannize in disobedience of God, they will certainly come to suffer at the hands of people whom God will raise against them. This is because they will continue to move from one act of disobedience of God to another, and will not mend their ways before they start with new erring ways.

At times we may think that the curse is no longer operative, and that the Jews have gathered so much power and influence. The fact is that this will only be for a limited period of history. It is God alone who knows whom He will raise against the Jews in the next round, and the round to follow that, until the Day of Resurrection.

God has made this declaration, and informed His Messenger of it in His own book, the Qur’ān, and concluded this declaration with a statement outlining the two attributes of God that He is at the same time swift in retribution, much forgiving and merciful: “Your Lord is swift indeed in His retribution, yet He is certainly much forgiving, merciful.” (Verse 167) With His swift punishment, He overwhelms those who earn that punishment, as happened to those dwellers of that city by the seaside. With His forgiveness and mercy He accepts the repentance of those of the Israelites who are ready to follow the unlettered Prophet who is clearly described in the Torah and the Gospel. His punishment is not the result of any grudge, but it is the fitting retribution for those guilty of disobedience. God’s mercy and forgiveness are always there to be extended to those who earn them.

The Qur’ānic account follows the historical events after Moses. It refers to succeeding generations up to the Jewish generation that lived in Madinah at the time when the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) established the first Muslim community there.

We dispersed them all over the earth as separate communities; some of them were righteous, and some far from that, and We tried them with blessings and misfortunes, so that they might mend their ways. They were succeeded by generations who inherited the Book. Yet these are keen to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of this lower world and say, “We shall be forgiven.” Should some similar pleasures come their way, they would certainly be keen to indulge them. Have they not solemnly pledged through their Scriptures to say nothing but the truth about God? And have they not studied well what is in [the Scriptures]? Surely the life in the hereafter is better for all who are God-fearing. Will you not use your reason? As for those who hold fast to the Scriptures and attend regularly to their prayers, We shall not fail to reward those who enjoin the doing of what is right. We suspended the mountain over them as if it were a shadow, and they thought that it would fall down on them. [We said]: Hold fast with all your strength to what We have given you and bear in mind all that it contains, so that you may remain God-fearing. (Verses 168-171)

These verses, revealed in Madinah and added to this Makkan sūrah, serve as a complement to the history of the Children of Israel after the Prophet Moses had passed away. The Jews were dispersed across the earth, divided into groups of varying concepts and different schools, trends and leanings. Some of them were righteous indeed, while others were not. In His wisdom, God continued to set them one test after another, trying them at times with ease and comfort, and at others with affliction and misfortune. All these tests were meant to help them see things in the right perspective and choose the path of righteousness: “We tried them with blessings and misfortunes, so that they might mend their ways.” (Verse 168) It is an act of divine mercy that God puts His servants to one test after another, because these tests serve as reminders to them so that forgetfulness will not let them think too highly of themselves. Such thoughts can easily lead people to self-condemnation.

“They were succeeded by generations who inherited the Book. Yet these are keen to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of this lower world and say, `We shall be forgiven.’ Should some similar pleasures come their way, they would certainly be keen to indulge them.” (Verse 169) This new generation of Israelites have certain characteristics that are described in the Qur’ān. They have inherited the Scriptures and learned them well. However, they did not take the Scriptures to heart, so that they would bring their behaviour and practices in line with their dictates. In other words, their approach to faith was an academic one, taking their faith as mere knowledge to be learned, but having no practical purpose. Whenever a worldly pleasure offered itself to them, they took it up and indulged in it. They then claimed that they would be forgiven by God.

This state of affairs was repeated time after time. Hence, the Qur’ān poses this rhetoric question: “Have they not solemnly pledged through their Scriptures to say nothing but the truth about God? And have they not studied well what is in [the Scriptures]?” (Verse 169) In their very Scriptures they pledged never to try to manipulate the provisions of divine law, or give them a false interpretation. They also vowed not to say anything about God but the plain truth. How is it possible, then, for them to claim that they will be forgiven when they are keen to indulge in every worldly pleasure that presents itself to them? How can they justify such indulgence by making a false statement about God, assuring themselves of His forgiveness, when they are well aware that God forgives only those who truly repent of their mistakes and resolve not to repeat them? This does not apply to them, because having studied the Scriptures well and known everything they contain, they remain ready to indulge in every fleeting pleasure of this low world.

A mere academic study of religion is of little benefit, as long as faith does not establish itself in the heart of the person studying it. Many of those who study religion let their hearts drift away from it. They simply study it in order to find justification for their deeds by twisting the meaning of religious statements. Thus they try to find loopholes to justify their indulgence in worldly pleasures. Indeed, the true enemies of religion are those who have an academic approach to it, without truly believing in it and without fearing God.

“Surely the life in the hereafter is better for all who are God-fearing. Will you not use your reason?” (Verse 169) Indeed, the abode of the hereafter is the one to seek. Its value, as it is recognized by those who are God-fearing, is bound to tilt the scales. Seeking it provides the determination to resist the fleeting pleasures that present themselves now, in the life of this world. It is the motivation to gain admission into that abode of the hereafter that mends hearts and sets life on the proper footing. Without observing the requirements for such future life, this present life will go awry. How else can a human being resist the great pressure of indulging the immediate pleasures of this life? What stops a human being from indulging his greed or taking away what belongs to others? What can tame people’s urges, cravings and powerful aspirations?

What can give people the reassurance that what is lost in this life struggle will not have been totally lost at the point of death? Rather, there is still more to come in a future, everlasting life. What gives the believers support in the battle between good and evil, truth and falsehood, when they see life’s pleasures slipping away from their hands, and find evil gaining increased power and imposing tyrannical authority?

Nothing can give such strength and help to believers to remain steadfast in the face of misfortunes and changing circumstances during an unabating battle with falsehood except the firm belief in the life to come and that it is far better and superior for those who are God- fearing. That abode belongs to those who forgive, rise above the fleeting pleasures of this world, show determination to follow the truth and to do what is good, remain unshakeable, as they go along the way, reassured that what God has for them is infinitely better than what they may have in this world.

This abode of the hereafter is something that lies beyond the reach of our human perception. The advocates of `scientific socialism’ want to obliterate the belief in it from our hearts, faith and life in order to replace it with an ignorant, atheistic concept, which they describe as ‘scientific’. But their attempt relates to the corruption of hearts and souls, and the corruption of life itself. So many social ills, such as bribery, greed, oppression, negligence, apathy and treachery break loose, but nothing can check them except faith. To place what is ‘scientific’ in opposition to what is ‘imperceptible’ is no more than an ignorant phenomenon that spread in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, but human knowledge has abandoned it altogether. In the twentieth century, it has only been upheld by a small minority. This whole phenomenon is in conflict with human nature. Hence, it corrupts lives to the extent that it exposes all mankind to the risk of destruction. It is part of the Zionist plan, which tries to rob humanity of the most important factors that give it health and strength. In this way, they hope to eventually make the whole world submissive to the kingdom of Zion. Such flimsy ideas are repeated by some human parrots, scattered here and there, while the regimes that Zionism has put in power in most parts of the world continue to implement the wicked Zionist plan. What is worse is that they implement it knowing its aim and purpose.

Because the questions of the hereafter and fearing God are central to faith and life, the Qur’ān tells those who are keen to indulge in the fleeting pleasures of this world to use their minds: “Surely the lift in the hereafter is better for all who are God-fearing. Will you not use your reason?” (Verse 169) Had reason had the final say, and had the final verdict been that of true knowledge, rather than ignorance given the guise of knowledge, the hereafter would have been seen as far superior to the fleeting pleasures of this lower world. Fearing God would have been seen as strengthening faith and achieving success in this life: “As for those who hold fast to the Scriptures and attend regularly to their prayers, We shall not fail to reward those who enjoin the doing of what is right.” (Verse 170)

Clear criticism of those who have given their pledges through the Scriptures and who have studied them thoroughly is implied. That is because they do not hold fast to the Scriptures they studied, and do not implement their teachings, or refer to them in formulating their concepts and deciding their behaviour. However, this verse remains general in its import, addressing all generations and all situations.

The very expression, “hold fast to the Scriptures”, gives a vivid image that we can almost see and feel. It is the image of holding the book with strength and seriousness.

This is how God likes His book to be approached, without rigidity or narrowmindedness.

Strength and seriousness are totally different from rigidity and narrowmindedness.

They are not opposed to ease, broad vision and compatibility with dayto- day life, but they are opposed to looseness, carelessness, and giving human practices precedence over God’s law. Indeed, what people do must always be subject to God’s law.

Holding fast with strength and seriousness to what God has revealed and attending regularly to prayers, which is here a reference to all aspects of worship, are the twin essential factors of the divine method that aims at setting human life on the right footing. The way this Qur’ānic verse clearly links holding fast to the Scriptures with attending to worship is significant. It shows that implementing divine revelations in human life gives it the right basis, and that proper worship reforms human rights. Thus, the two operate in everyday life as well as in human hearts and set them both aright. This is further emphasized by the reference to doing right at the conclusion of the Qur’ānic verse: “As for those who hold fast to the Scriptures and attend regularly to their prayers, We shall not fail to reward those who enjoin the doing of what is right.” (Verse 170)

The plain fact is that all human life suffers as a result of abandoning these two essential factors of the divine method. When the revealed message is taken lightly, it has no effect on everyday life, and when worship is abandoned, people’s hearts become prone to corruption. This leads to evading the law, as was the practice of the people of earlier Scriptures. The same applies to the followers of any Scripture when their hearts take worship lightly, and in consequence, their fear of God weakens.

The divine system is a complete whole, which establishes life on the basis of a divine writ, and reforms hearts through worship. Thus, hearts are healthy and human life is also wholesome. That is the divine method, which is abandoned in preference for another only by those who are bound to suffer misery in this world and punishment in the life to come.

At the end of the story, as related in this sūrah, an account is given of how God accepted the pledges of the Children of Israel: “We suspended the mountain over them as if it were a shadow, and they thought that it would fall down on them. [We said]: Hold fast with all your strength to what We have given you and bear in mind all that it contains, so that you may remain God-fearing.” (Verse 171) That covenant cannot be forgotten, because it was taken in unforgettable circumstances. It was taken at a time when God suspended the mountain over the Children of Israel’s heads, just as though it was a shadow. For all intents and purposes, they thought it was going to fall on them. Just prior to that, they were reluctant to give any pledges, but when they experienced that supernatural event, they hastened to make their pledges. That in itself should have prevented any relapse on their part. With such a miracle taking place before their eyes, they were ordered to take their pledges seriously, and to fulfil them conscientiously. They were warned against any slackness or complacency. They must always remember their pledges and work for their fulfilment, so that their hearts soften and remain conscious of God. But the nature of the Israelites remains the same. They soon broke their pledges and sank into disobedience. Thus, they incurred God’s wrath. They proved that they could not be grateful for God’s favours and the grace He had bestowed on them. Hence, they incurred God’s punishment on account of breaking their pledges to Him. God never deals unjustly with anyone.