Surah Yusuf,12: 99-104

فَلَمَّا دَخَلُوۡا عَلٰى يُوۡسُفَ اٰوٰٓى اِلَيۡهِ اَبَوَيۡهِ وَقَالَ ادۡخُلُوۡا مِصۡرَ اِنۡ شَآءَ اللّٰهُ اٰمِنِيۡنَؕ‏﴿12:99﴾ وَرَفَعَ اَبَوَيۡهِ عَلَى الۡعَرۡشِ وَخَرُّوۡا لَهٗ سُجَّدًا​ۚ وَقَالَ يٰۤاَبَتِ هٰذَا تَاۡوِيۡلُ رُءۡيَاىَ مِنۡ قَبۡلُقَدۡ جَعَلَهَا رَبِّىۡ حَقًّا​ؕ وَقَدۡ اَحۡسَنَ بِىۡۤ اِذۡ اَخۡرَجَنِىۡ مِنَ السِّجۡنِ وَجَآءَ بِكُمۡ مِّنَ الۡبَدۡوِ مِنۡۢ بَعۡدِ اَنۡ نَّزَغَ الشَّيۡطٰنُ بَيۡنِىۡ وَبَيۡنَ اِخۡوَتِىۡ​ؕ اِنَّ رَبِّىۡ لَطِيۡفٌ لِّمَا يَشَآءُ​ؕ اِنَّهٗ هُوَ الۡعَلِيۡمُ الۡحَكِيۡمُ‏ ﴿12:100﴾رَبِّ قَدۡ اٰتَيۡتَنِىۡ مِنَ الۡمُلۡكِ وَ عَلَّمۡتَنِىۡ مِنۡ تَاۡوِيۡلِ الۡاَحَادِيۡثِ​ ۚ فَاطِرَ السَّمٰوٰتِ وَالۡاَرۡضِ اَنۡتَ وَلِىّٖ فِى الدُّنۡيَا وَالۡاٰخِرَةِ​ ۚ تَوَفَّنِىۡ مُسۡلِمًا وَّاَلۡحِقۡنِىۡ بِالصّٰلِحِيۡنَ‏﴿12:101﴾ ذٰلِكَ مِنۡ اَنۡۢبَآءِ الۡغَيۡبِ نُوۡحِيۡهِ اِلَيۡكَ​ۚ وَمَا كُنۡتَ لَدَيۡهِمۡ اِذۡ اَجۡمَعُوۡۤا اَمۡرَهُمۡ وَهُمۡ يَمۡكُرُوۡنَ‏ ﴿12:102﴾ وَمَاۤ اَكۡثَرُ النَّاسِ وَلَوۡ حَرَصۡتَ بِمُؤۡمِنِيۡنَ‏﴿12:103﴾ وَمَا تَسۡـئَلُهُمۡ عَلَيۡهِ مِنۡ اَجۡرٍ​ؕ اِنۡ هُوَ اِلَّا ذِكۡرٌ لِّـلۡعٰلَمِيۡنَ‏  ﴿12:104﴾

(12:99) And when they went to Joseph,68 he took his parents aside and said (to the members of his family): “Enter the city now, and if Allah wills, you shall be secure.” (12:100) And after they had entered the city, Joseph raised his parents to the throne69 beside himself, and they (involuntarily) bowed in prostration before him.70 Joseph said: “Father! This is the fulfilment of the vision I had before – one that My Lord has caused to come true. He was kind to me when He rescued me from the prison, and brought you from the desert after Satan had stirred discord between me and my brothers. Certainly my Lord is Subtle in the fulfilment of His will; He is All-Knowing, All-Wise. (12:101) My Lord! You have bestowed dominion upon me and have taught me to comprehend the depths of things. O Creator of heavens and earth! You are my Guardian in this world and in the Hereafter. Cause me to die in submission to You, and join me, in the end, with the righteous.”71 (12:102) (O Muhammad), this is part of news from the Unseen that We reveal to you for you were not present with them when Joseph’s brothers jointly resolved on a plot. (12:103) And most of the people, howsoever you might so desire, are not going to believe. (12:104) You do not seek from them any recompense for your service.72 This is merely an admonition to all mankind.73


Notes

68. It is worthwhile to take notice of the total number of Prophet Jacob’s family members that migrated to Egypt with him, for it is closely connected with the problem that is raised concerning the total number of the Israelites who emigrated from there some five hundred years after this. According to the Bible, the total number of the family members was 70, including Prophet Joseph and his two sons, and excluding those daughters-in-law who did not belong to the family of Prophet Jacob. But according to the census figures given in Numbers, their number was about two million when they were counted in the wilderness of Sinai in the second year, after they come out of the land of Egypt. The problem is this: how is it possible that these three score and ten souls of his house had multiplied into two million souls during five hundred years or so? 

It is obvious that no family can multiply to such a large number in five hundred years merely by the generative process. Thus the only other way in which their number could have been increased was proselytism. And there are sound reasons to believe that this must have been so. The Israelites were the descendants of Prophets. They had migrated to Egypt because of the power Prophet Joseph enjoyed there. And we have seen that he made full use of every opportunity he got for carrying out the work of the mission of Prophethood. Therefore it may reasonably be expected that the Israelites would have done their very best to convert the Egyptians to their faith of Islam during the five centuries of their power in Egypt. As a result of this the Egyptian converts to Islam would not only have changed their religion but also their culture so as to make them look quite different from the other Egyptians and look like the Israelites. Naturally the non Muslim Egyptians would have declared them to be foreigners just as the Hindus treat the Indian Muslims of today. By and by they themselves would have accepted this position and become members of the Israelite nationality. Afterwards, when the Egyptian nationalists began to persecute the alien Israelites, the Muslim Egyptians were also made a target of their tyranny. So when the Israelites migrated from Egypt, they, too, left their country along with them and began to be counted among them. 

The above mentioned explanation is confirmed by the Bible also. For instance, it says “that when they left Egypt, the children of Israel journeyed from Remases to Suceoth….and a mixed multitude went up also with them….” (Exodus 12: 37-38) and “the mix multitude that was among them fell a lusting”. (Numbers 11: 4). Then by and by these non-Israelite converts to Islam began to be called the stranger. “One ordinance shall be both for you of the congregation, and also for the stranger that sojourneth with you, an ordinance forever in your generations: as ye are, so shall the stranger be before the Lord. One law and the one manner shall be for you, and for the stranger that sojourneth with you.” (Numbers 15: 15-16). “And I charged your judges at that time, saying: Hear the causes between your brethren, and judge righteously between every man and his brother, and the stranger that is with him.” (Deut. 1: 16). Now it is not an easy thing to find out the exact term which was applied in the original Scriptures to the Egyptian converts to Islam, and which was afterwards changed into the stranger by the translators. 

69. According to the Talmud, “when Joseph learned that his father was upon the way, he gathered together his friends and officers, and soldiers of the realm, attired in rich garments,….and formed a great company to meet Prophet Jacob on the way and escort him to Egypt. Music and gladness filled the land, and all the people, the women and the children, assembled on the house tops to view the magnificent display.” (H. Polano, p. 111). 

70. The interpretation of this verse has given rise to some serious misunderstandings, which are against the very fundamentals of the divine guidance. So much so that some people have gone to the extreme of making it lawful to prostrate before kings and saints as a mark of respect. Others more strict on this point have explained it away, saying, “In the former divine laws, it was unlawful only to prostrate in worship before others than Allah, though it was permissible to prostrate before others if it was done without the intention of worship, but now in the divine law given to Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) it has been made absolutely unlawful. 

Such misunderstandings as these have resulted from taking the words in this verse to mean “to perform sajadah” in the technical sense in which it is now used in the Islamic code, that is, “lying flat in such a way that the hands, the knees and the forehead touch the ground,” whereas the word sujjadan has been used here in its literal meaning of sajud “to bow down”. The parents and brothers of Prophet Joseph bowed down before him in accordance with the ancient custom among the people of the age, (and the custom is still in vogue among some people), who used to bow down before others to show their gratitude, or welcome them, or merely to salute them by placing their hand on the breast. There are many instances of this in the Bible. “….and when he (Abraham) saw them (the three men) corning towards him, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself towards the ground.” (Please refer to Arabic translation: Gen. 18: 32). Further on it says that when the children of Heth gave a field and a cave as a burying place for Sarah, Prophet Abraham was so grateful to them that “he stood up and bowed himself to the people of the land, even to the children of Heth,” (Gen. 23: 7) and “Abraham bowed down himself before the people of the land.” (Gen. 23: 12). In both cases the words `bowed down’ have been translated into (Sajada). 

These and other like instances in the Bible are a conclusive proof of the fact that in this (verse 100), the Quran has not used the word in its technical Islamic sense but in its literal sense. 

Besides, those commentators are absolutely wrong who suppose that in the former laws, sajadah in the present Islamic sense was allowed as a mark of respect laws. For instance, during the Babylonian captivity of the Children of Israel, king Ahasuerus promoted Haman above all the princes and commanded all his servants to bow and reverence him, but Mordecai, who was a holy and righteous man among the Jews, bowed not, nor did him reverence. (Esther3: 1-2). The Talmud has elaborated this point in a way that is worth reading: 

The servants of the king said to Mordecai: “Why wilt thou refuse to bow before Haman, transgressing thus the wishes of the king? Do we not bow before him?” “Yea are foolish,” answered Mordecai, “aye, wanting in reason. Listen to me. Shall a mortal, who must return to dust be glorified? Shall I bow down before one born of woman, whose days are short? When he is small he cries and weeps as a child; when he grows older sorrow and sighing are his portion; his days are full of wrath and anger, and at the end he returns to dust. Shall I bow to one like to him? No, I prostrate myself before the Eternal God, who lives forever. To Him the great Creator and Ruler of the Universe, and to no other will I bow.” (The Talmud Selections by H. Polano, p. 172). 

This speech which was made by a believer from among the Israelites a thousand years before the revelation of the Quran, is conclusive on the point. Thus there is absolutely no room for the performance of sajadah before any other than Allah.

71. The few sentences that were uttered by Prophet Joseph (peace be upon him) at the happiest occasion of his life help depict the most graceful pattern of the virtues of a true believer. There is the man from the desert, whom his own brothers had, out of jealousy, attempted to kill, now sitting on the throne after passing through many vicissitudes of life. All the members of his family have been forced by famine to come before him for help. The same jealous brothers, who had made an attempt on his life, are now standing before him with downcast heads. Had there been a “successful man of the world” in his place, he would have used this opportunity for boasting of his greatness and bragging of his successes, and giving vent to his grievances and hurling malicious taunts at his defeated enemies. In utter contrast to this, the true man of God behaves in a quite different way. Instead of boasting and bragging of his own greatness, he is grateful to his God Who had shown grace to him by raising him to such a high position of power, and for arranging his meeting with his people after such a long period of separation. Instead of giving vent to his grievances against his brothers, making taunts at them for their ill treatment, he does not make even a mention of such things but puts up a defense for them, saying that it was all due to Satan, who had stirred up strife between them: nay, he even puts it forward as a blessing in disguise, being one of the mysterious ways of Allah by which He had fulfilled His design of raising him to the throne. After saying these things in a few concise sentences, he at once turns to his Lord in gratitude for bestowing on him kingdom and wisdom, instead of letting him rot in the prison, and prays to Him to keep him as His faithful and obedient servant as long as he was alive, and to join him with the righteous people after his death. What a pure and high pattern of character. 

It is strange that this speech of Prophet Joseph has neither found a place in the Bible nor in the Talmud, though these books are full of irrelevant and unimportant details of this story and others. It is an irony that these Books are void of those things that teach moral values and throw light on the real characters and the mission of the Prophets. Now that this story has come to an end, the readers are again reminded that this story of Prophet Joseph as given in the Quran is not a copy of the story given in the Bible and the Talmud for there are striking differences between them. A comparative study of these Books will show that the story in the Quran differs from that given in the other two Books in several very important parts. The Quran contains additional facts in some cases and omits certain facts in other cases or even refutes some parts as contained in the Bible and the Talmud. Therefore there is absolutely no room for anyone to allege that Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) related this story merely in the form he heard it from the Israelites. 

72. In order to grasp the full significance of the underlying admonition implied in it, we must keep in view the background of the revelation of this story given in the introduction to this Surah. The Quraish themselves had invited the Prophet (peace be upon him) to a meeting that had been arranged for putting him to a test which was to show whether he was a true Prophet or not. When he arrived there, they put this question to him without any previous notice or intimation: why did the Israelites go to Egypt? In answer to this, the Prophet (peace be upon him) recited this Surah then and there. As they themselves knew that this was an abrupt question and there had been no preparation for its answer beforehand, it was expected that they would believe in his Prophethood. But they were so obdurate that they did not believe in him even then. As Allah was aware of their intentions, he informed His Messenger beforehand, as if to say: Though you have come out successful in the test, to which they themselves put to you, yet most of them are not going to believe it because they are not sincere in their quest for the truth. That is why they will not believe even now when the revelation of this Surah has proved conclusively that the Quran is not being forged by you but is being sent down by Allah Himself. As their real aim and intention is to reject your message anyhow, they will now invent another excuse for their denial. 

This is not meant to remove any misunderstanding the Prophet (peace be upon him) might have cherished, but is merely an indirect warning to the questioners that Allah knew their intentions well. This was meant to warn them like this: O obdurate people, this Surah has been placed before you to serve as a mirror for you. You demanded a proof from Our Messenger that he was not forging the Quran: had you been reasonable and sincere people, you would have accepted the truth that has been established according to your own test, but you are obdurate people and are still denying it. 

73. This is another admonition more subtle than the one given above. Though this, too, has been addressed to the Prophet (peace be upon him), it is meant for the unbelievers, as if to say: O people, consider your attitude towards the message from another point of view. Had you noticed anything in the mission and the message of Our Prophet that might have smelt of any self interest whatsoever, you would have been justified in rejecting it as the work of a selfish person. But you yourselves have experienced it that he has absolutely no self interest in his work and demands no recompense for the message, which is nothing but instruction for all the people of the world. Therefore you should listen to it and consider it without prejudice and make your decisions about it on merit and merit alone.

Surah Al-Baqarah, 2:93-93

وَاِذۡ اَخَذۡنَا مِيۡثَاقَكُمۡ وَرَفَعۡنَا فَوۡقَکُمُ الطُّوۡرَ ؕ خُذُوۡا مَآ اٰتَيۡنٰکُمۡ بِقُوَّةٍ وَّاسۡمَعُوۡا ​ ؕ قَالُوۡا سَمِعۡنَا وَعَصَيۡنَا  وَاُشۡرِبُوۡا فِىۡ قُلُوۡبِهِمُ الۡعِجۡلَ بِکُفۡرِهِمۡ ​ؕ قُلۡ بِئۡسَمَا يَاۡمُرُکُمۡ بِهٖۤ اِيۡمَانُكُمۡ اِنۡ كُنۡتُمۡ مُّؤۡمِنِيۡنَ‏ ﴿2:93﴾

(2:93) Recall the covenant We made with you and caused the Mount to tower above you, stressing: “Hold to what We have given you with full strength and give heed to it.” But their forefathers said: “We hear, but we disobey” – for their hearts were overflowing with love for the calf because of their unbelief. Say: “If you are people of faith, then evil are the things that your faith enjoins upon you.” 


Notes

Surah 2 Al-Baqarah, Ayat 75-77

Audio discussion of the summary:

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اَفَتَطۡمَعُوۡنَ اَنۡ يُّؤۡمِنُوۡا لَـكُمۡ وَقَدۡ كَانَ فَرِيۡقٌ مِّنۡهُمۡ يَسۡمَعُوۡنَ کَلَامَ اللّٰهِ ثُمَّ يُحَرِّفُوۡنَهٗ مِنۡۢ بَعۡدِ مَا عَقَلُوۡهُ وَهُمۡ يَعۡلَمُوۡنَ‏ ﴿2:75﴾ وَاِذَا لَـقُوۡا الَّذِيۡنَ اٰمَنُوۡا قَالُوۡآ اٰمَنَّا  ۖۚ وَاِذَا خَلَا بَعۡضُهُمۡ اِلٰى بَعۡضٍ قَالُوۡآ اَ تُحَدِّثُوۡنَهُمۡ بِمَا فَتَحَ اللّٰهُ عَلَيۡكُمۡ لِيُحَآجُّوۡكُمۡ بِهٖ عِنۡدَ رَبِّكُمۡ​ؕ اَفَلَا تَعۡقِلُوۡنَ‏﴿2:76﴾ اَوَلَا يَعۡلَمُوۡنَ اَنَّ اللّٰهَ يَعۡلَمُ مَا يُسِرُّوۡنَ وَمَا يُعۡلِنُوۡنَ‏  ﴿2:77﴾

(2:75) Do you hope that these people will believe in the Message you are preaching,86even though a party of them has been wont to listen to the Word of Allah and after they had fully grasped it, knowingly distorted it?87 (2:76) And when they meet those who believe (in Muhammad) they say: “We too believe in him.” But in their intimate meetings they say to one another: “How foolish! Why should you intimate to them what Allah has revealed to you, for they will use it as argument against you before your Lord?”88 (2:77) Are they unaware that Allah knows all that they hide and all that they disclose? 


Notes

86. This is addressed to the converts of Madina, who had then lately embraced the faith of the Arabian Prophet. These people had some vague notions about Prophethood, Heavenly Scriptures, Angels, the After-life, Divine Law and so on, and for this they were indebted to their Jewish neighbours. It was from these same Jewish neighbours that they had heard that another Prophet was about to appear, and that his followers would prevail over the rest of the world.

It was partly because of this background that when the people of Madina heard about the Prophet, they readily turned towards him and embraced Islam in large numbers. They naturally expected that those who already followed Prophets and Divine Scriptures, and who, by introducing them to these ideas had contributed to their embracing the true faith, would not only join the ranks of the true believers, but would even be amongst their vanguard. As a result of these expectations the enthusiastic Muslim converts approached their Jewish friends and neighbours and invited them to embrace Islam. When the Jews flatly declined to do so, this negative reply was exploited by the hypocrites and other enemies of Islam as an argument for creating doubts about the truth of Islam. 

If Muhammad was the true Prophet, they argued, how was it conceivable that the Jewish scholars and divines would deliberately turn away from him since, if he was a true Prophet, such a behaviour would be tantamount to ruining their After-life? Here the simple-hearted Muslims learn of the historical record of the Jews, a record which is replete with perversion and corruption. This was designed to make them realize that they ought not to expect too much of a people with so dark a past, for if they were not realistic in their expectations about them they would be utterly disappointed when their call failed to penetrate their hardened and stony hearts. Their chronic decadence had a history of several centuries. For a long time they had treated those verses of the Scriptures which made sincere believers tremble in awe as objects of jest and play. They had tailored religion to suit their base desires and it was around such a perverted view of religion that all their hopes of salvation were centred. It was futile to hope that such people would flock to the call of Truth the moment it was proclaimed. 

87. ‘A party of them’ refers to the scholars and religious doctors of the Jewish community. The’ Word of God’ here signifies the Torah, the Psalms (Zabur) and other Scriptures which the Jews had received through the Prophets. ‘Distortion’ denotes the attempt to twist a text in such a manner as to make it signify something different from its real meaning, and may also denote tampering with the text of the Scriptures. The Israelite scholars had subjected the Scriptures to distortions of both kinds. 

88. When the Jews talked among themselves they asked their co-religionists to disclose to the Muslims neither the prophesies about the Prophet, nor those verses of the Scriptures on the basis of which they could be reproached for their evil conduct; they thought that the Muslims would make use of scriptural arguments against them before God, and would thus have them pronounced guilty. These were the depths to which Jewish religious decadence had sunk. They were convinced that if they could succeed in concealing their guilt in this world, they would be saved from censure in the Next. For this reason they were asked if they considered God to be unaware of their deeds, either apparent or hidden.

Surah 2 Al-Baqarah, Ayat 72-74

Audio discussion of the summary:

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وَ اِذۡ قَتَلۡتُمۡ نَفۡسًا فَادّٰرَءۡتُمۡ فِيۡهَا ​ؕ وَاللّٰهُ مُخۡرِجٌ مَّا كُنۡتُمۡ تَكۡتُمُوۡنَۚ‏ ﴿2:72﴾ فَقُلۡنَا اضۡرِبُوۡهُ بِبَعۡضِهَا ​ؕ كَذٰلِكَ يُحۡىِ اللّٰهُ الۡمَوۡتٰى ۙ وَيُرِيۡکُمۡ اٰيٰتِهٖ لَعَلَّكُمۡ تَعۡقِلُوۡنَ‏﴿2:73﴾ ثُمَّ قَسَتۡ قُلُوۡبُكُمۡ مِّنۡۢ بَعۡدِ ذٰلِكَ فَهِىَ كَالۡحِجَارَةِ اَوۡ اَشَدُّ قَسۡوَةً ​ ؕ وَاِنَّ مِنَ الۡحِجَارَةِ لَمَا يَتَفَجَّرُ مِنۡهُ الۡاَنۡهٰرُ​ؕ وَاِنَّ مِنۡهَا لَمَا يَشَّقَّقُ فَيَخۡرُجُ مِنۡهُ الۡمَآءُ​ؕ وَاِنَّ مِنۡهَا لَمَا يَهۡبِطُ مِنۡ خَشۡيَةِ اللّٰهِ​ؕ وَمَا اللّٰهُ بِغَافِلٍ عَمَّا تَعۡمَلُوۡنَ‏ ﴿2:74﴾

(2:72) And recall when you killed a man and then began to remonstrate and cast the blame (of killing) upon one another even though Allah was determined to bring to light what you were hiding. (2:73) Then We ordered: “Smite the corpse with a part of it.” Thus does Allah bring the dead to life and thus does He show His Signs that you might understand.85 (2:74) Then (even after observing this) your hearts hardened and became like stones, or even harder. For surely there are some stones from which streams burst forth and some that split asunder and water issues out, and some that crash down for fear of Allah. Allah is not heedless of the things you do.


Notes

85. At least one thing becomes clear from this statement: that the slain person was restored to life at least long enough to indicate his assassins. But the actual words in which the order ‘smite the corpse with a part of it’ is couched tend to create a measure of ambiguity. Nevertheless, the meaning inferred by the early Qur’anic commentators – that the order was to smite the slain man’s body with some part of the slaughtered cow – seems to me plausible. Two birds were thus killed with one stone: first, they were made to behold a sign of God’s power; and second, the notion that the cow possessed any holiness or sanctity was shattered. For if the of the object of their worship – the cow – had any supernatural power, some calamity should have visited them as a consequence of slaughtering it. But no calamity took place. On the contrary, killing the cow seemed to be beneficial insofar as striking a dead man with a part of it brought him back to life.

Surah 2 Al-Baqarah, Ayat 67-71

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وَاِذۡ قَالَ مُوۡسٰى لِقَوۡمِهٖۤ اِنَّ اللّٰهَ يَاۡمُرُكُمۡ اَنۡ تَذۡبَحُوۡا بَقَرَةً ​ ؕ قَالُوۡآ اَتَتَّخِذُنَا هُزُوًۡا ​ؕ قَالَ اَعُوۡذُ بِاللّٰهِ اَنۡ اَكُوۡنَ مِنَ الۡجٰـهِلِيۡنَ‏﴿2:67﴾ قَالُوا ادۡعُ لَنَا رَبَّكَ يُبَيِّنۡ لَّنَا مَا هِىَ​ؕ قَالَ اِنَّهٗ يَقُوۡلُ اِنَّهَا بَقَرَةٌ لَّا فَارِضٌ وَّلَا بِكۡرٌؕ عَوَانٌۢ بَيۡنَ ذٰلِكَ​ؕ فَافۡعَلُوۡا مَا تُؤۡمَرُوۡنَ‏ ﴿2:68﴾ قَالُوا ادۡعُ لَنَا رَبَّكَ يُبَيِّنۡ لَّنَا مَا لَوۡنُهَا ​ؕ قَالَ اِنَّهٗ يَقُوۡلُ اِنَّهَا بَقَرَةٌ صَفۡرَآءُۙ فَاقِعٌ لَّوۡنُهَا تَسُرُّ النّٰظِرِيۡنَ‏  ﴿2:69﴾قَالُوا ادۡعُ لَنَا رَبَّكَ يُبَيِّنۡ لَّنَا مَا هِىَۙ اِنَّ الۡبَقَرَ تَشٰبَهَ عَلَيۡنَا ؕ وَاِنَّـآ اِنۡ شَآءَ اللّٰهُ لَمُهۡتَدُوۡنَ‏ ﴿2:70﴾ قَالَ اِنَّهٗ يَقُوۡلُ اِنَّهَا بَقَرَةٌ لَّا ذَلُوۡلٌ تُثِيۡرُ الۡاَرۡضَ وَلَا تَسۡقِى الۡحَـرۡثَ ​ۚ مُسَلَّمَةٌ لَّا شِيَةَ فِيۡهَا ​ؕ قَالُوا الۡـٰٔـنَ جِئۡتَ بِالۡحَـقِّ​ؕ فَذَبَحُوۡهَا وَمَا كَادُوۡا يَفۡعَلُوۡنَ‏ ﴿2:71﴾

(2:67) And then recall when Moses said to his people: “Behold, Allah commands you to slaughter a cow.” They said: “Are you jesting with us?” Moses answered: “I seek refuge in Allah that I should behave in the manner of the ignorant.” (2:68) They said: “Pray to your Lord that He make clear to us what she is like.” Moses answered: “He says, she is a cow, neither old nor immature, but of an age in between the two. Do, then, what you have been commanded.” (2:69) They said: “Pray to your Lord that He make clear to us of what colour she is.” Moses answered: “He says, she is a yellow cow, with a bright colour which is pleasing to those who see!” (2:70) They said: “Pray to your Lord that He make clear to us what cow she is. Cows seem much alike to us, and if Allah wills, we shall be guided.”84 (2:71) Moses answered: “Lo! He says, she is a cow unyoked to plough the earth or to water the tillage, one that has been kept secure, with no blemish on her!” Thereupon they cried out: “Now you have come forth with the information that will direct us aright.” And they slaughtered her although they scarcely seemed to do so. 


Notes

84. Through contact with neighbouring peoples, the Israelites had become infested with the attitude of sanctifying the cow, in fact they had even become accustomed to cow-worship. In order to disabuse the Jews of this, they were ordered to slaughter the cow. Their professed belief that God alone was worthy of worship could be tested only by making them slaughter with their own hands what they had formerly worshipped. This test was indeed a hard one since their hearts were not fully imbued with faith. Hence, they tried to shelve the issue by resorting to enquiries about the kind of animal they were required to slaughter. But the more they enquired, the narrower the strait became for them, until the indications were as obvious as if someone had put his finger precisely on the particular animal they were required to slaughter – the animal which had for so long been an object of their worship. The Old Testament also mentions the incident, but there is no reference to the manner in which the Jews tried to evade the matter. (See Numbers 19: 1-10.)

Surah 2 Al-Baqarah, Ayat 65-66

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وَلَقَدۡ عَلِمۡتُمُ الَّذِيۡنَ اعۡتَدَوۡا مِنۡكُمۡ فِىۡ السَّبۡتِ فَقُلۡنَا لَهُمۡ كُوۡنُوۡا قِرَدَةً خَاسِـِٔـيۡنَ ​ۚ‏ ﴿2:65﴾ فَجَعَلۡنٰهَا نَكٰلاً لِّمَا بَيۡنَ يَدَيۡهَا وَمَا خَلۡفَهَا وَمَوۡعِظَةً لِّلۡمُتَّقِيۡنَ‏ ﴿2:66﴾

(2:65) And you know the case of those of you who broke the Sabbath,82 how We said to them: “Become apes, despised and hated.”83 (2:66) And thus We made their end a warning for the people of their own time and for the succeeding generations, and an admonition to the God-fearing.


Notes

82. Sabbath, i.e., Saturday . It was laid down that the Israelite should consecrate that day for rest and worship. They were required to from abstain from all worldly acts, including cooking (which they might neither do themselves, nor have their servants do for them). The injunctions, in this connection were so strict that violation of the Sabbath was to be punished with death. (See Exodus 31:12-17. ) When religious and moral decadence, however, spread among the Israelites they indulged in open desecration of the Sabbath, so much so that in Jewish towns trade and commerce were carried out in broad daylight. 

83. The details of this incident are mentioned later in (Surah 7, vv. 163) ff. The exact manner in which their transformation into apes took place is disputed. Some scholars are of the opinion that the transformation was a physical one, while others hold that they were invested with the attributes characteristic of apes. But both the words and the manner in which this incident is recounted in the Qur’an seem to suggest that what took place was a physical transformation of certain persons into apes rather than just a moral metamorphosis. What seems plausible to me is that while their minds were allowed to remain intact, their bodies were changed into those of apes.

Surah 2 Al-Baqarah, Ayat 63-64

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وَاِذۡ اَخَذۡنَا مِيۡثَاقَكُمۡ وَرَفَعۡنَا فَوۡقَكُمُ الطُّوۡرَؕ خُذُوۡا مَآ اٰتَيۡنٰكُمۡ بِقُوَّةٍ وَّ اذۡكُرُوۡا مَا فِيۡهِ لَعَلَّكُمۡ تَتَّقُوۡنَ‏ ﴿2:63﴾ ثُمَّ تَوَلَّيۡتُمۡ مِّنۡۢ بَعۡدِ ذٰلِكَ​​ۚ فَلَوۡلَا فَضۡلُ اللّٰهِ عَلَيۡكُمۡ وَرَحۡمَتُهٗ لَـكُنۡتُمۡ مِّنَ الۡخٰسِرِيۡنَ‏ ﴿2:64﴾

(2:63) And recall when We made a covenant with you and caused the Mount Sinai to tower above you,81 (saying): “Hold fast to the Book that We have given you, and remember the directives and commandments in it, that you be pious.” (2:64) Then you turned away from your covenant, and had it not been for Allah’s grace and mercy upon you, you would have long been utter losers. 


Notes

81. From the manner in which this incident is described at various places in the Qur’an it is obvious that, at that time, it was quite well known to the Israelites. It is difficult, however, after the Passage of many centuries to be able to speak with certainty about the precise nature of the incident. All we can say is that while the Children of Israel were making their covenant in the shadow of Mount Sinai, they witnessed an awesome phenomenon and felt as if the mountain was about to fall upon them. (Verse 171 of Surah al-A’raf) seems to portray this. See also (n. 132 in that surah.)

Surah 2 Al-Baqarah, Ayat 62-62

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اِنَّ الَّذِيۡنَ اٰمَنُوۡا وَالَّذِيۡنَ هَادُوۡا وَالنَّصٰرٰى وَالصّٰبِـئِـيۡنَ مَنۡ اٰمَنَ بِاللّٰهِ وَالۡيَوۡمِ الۡاٰخِرِ وَعَمِلَ صَالِحًـا فَلَهُمۡ اَجۡرُهُمۡ عِنۡدَ رَبِّهِمۡۚ وَلَا خَوۡفٌ عَلَيۡهِمۡ وَلَا هُمۡ يَحۡزَنُوۡنَ‏ ﴿2:62﴾

(2:62) Whether they are the ones who believe (in the Arabian Prophet), or whether they are Jews, Christians or Sabians – all who believe in Allah and the Last Day, and do righteous deeds – their reward is surely secure with their Lord; they need have no fear, nor shall they grieve.80


Notes

80. The context of the verse makes it clear that it is not attempting to enumerate in detail all the articles of faith in which one should believe, or all the principles of conduct which one should follow in order to merit reward from God. These matters are mentioned elsewhere, in their appropriate places. The aim of the verse is merely to repudiate the illusion cherished by the Jews that, by virtue of their being Jews, they have a monopoly of salvation. They had long entertained the notion that a special and exclusive relationship existed between them and God. They thought, therefore, that all who belonged to their group were predestined to salvation regardless of their beliefs and actions,. whereas all non-Jews were predestined to serve as fodder for hell-fire.

To clarify this misgiving the Jews are told that what really matters in the sight of God is true faith and good deeds rather than formal affiliation with a certain religious community. Whoever has true faith and good deeds to his credit is bound to receive his reward, since God will judge people on the basis of merit rather than on the grounds that a man’s name happens to be listed in the world as a member of one religious community or the other.

Surah 2 Al-Baqarah, Ayat 61-61

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وَاِذۡ قُلۡتُمۡ يٰمُوۡسٰى لَنۡ نَّصۡبِرَ عَلٰى طَعَامٍ وَّاحِدٍ فَادۡعُ لَنَا رَبَّكَ يُخۡرِجۡ لَنَا مِمَّا تُنۡۢبِتُ الۡاَرۡضُ مِنۡۢ بَقۡلِهَا وَقِثَّـآئِهَا وَفُوۡمِهَا وَعَدَسِهَا وَ بَصَلِهَا​ؕ قَالَ اَتَسۡتَبۡدِلُوۡنَ الَّذِىۡ هُوَ اَدۡنٰى بِالَّذِىۡ هُوَ خَيۡرٌ​ؕ اِهۡبِطُوۡا مِصۡرًا فَاِنَّ لَـکُمۡ مَّا سَاَلۡتُمۡ​ؕ وَضُرِبَتۡ عَلَيۡهِمُ الذِّلَّةُ وَالۡمَسۡکَنَةُ وَبَآءُوۡ بِغَضَبٍ مِّنَ اللّٰهِ​ؕ ذٰلِكَ بِاَنَّهُمۡ كَانُوۡا يَكۡفُرُوۡنَ بِاٰيٰتِ اللّٰهِ وَيَقۡتُلُوۡنَ النَّبِيّٖنَ بِغَيۡرِ الۡحَـقِّ​ؕ ذٰلِكَ بِمَا عَصَوا وَّڪَانُوۡا يَعۡتَدُوۡنَ‏ ﴿2:61﴾

(2:61) And recall when you said: “O Moses, surely we cannot put up with one sort of food, so pray to your Lord to bring out for us what the earth produces – its herbs and its cucumbers and its corn and its lentils and its garlic and its onions.” Then Moses said: “Will you take a meaner thing in exchange for what is better?77Go down to some city and there you shall get what you ask for.” And ignominy and wretchedness were pitched upon them and they were laden with the burden of Allah’s wrath. This was because they denied the Signs of Allah78 and slew the Prophets unrightfully.79 All this, because they disobeyed and persistently exceeded the limits (of the Law). 


Notes

77. This does not mean that their real fault lay in asking for things which entailed cultivation instead of availing themselves of manna and quails which they received without any toil. What is emphasized here is that rather than being concerned with the great purpose for which they had been brought to the Sinai they relished the foods which gratified their palates to such a degree that they could not forgo them even temporarily (cf. Numbers 11: 4-9). 

78. There are several ways in which one might deny the signs of God. First, one might refuse to accept those teachings of God which one found contrary to one’s fancies and desires. Second, one might know that something is from God and yet wilfully flout it. Third, one might know well the import of God’s directives and yet distort them. 

79. The Israelites recorded their crimes in detail in their own history. Here are just a few examples from the Bible: 

(1) After the death of Solomon the state of the Israelites was split into two: the State of Judah with its capital in Jerusalem, and the State of Israel with its capital in Samaria. This was followed by a series of wars between the two States so that the State of Judah sought the assistance of the Aramacan State of Damascus against its own kinsmen. At this, Hamani the seer went under God’s direction to Asa the king and rebuked him. Instead of rectifying his behaviour, Asa was so angry that he put the seer in the stocks. (See 2 Chronicles 16: 7-10.)

(2) When Elijah denounced the Jews for their worship of Baal and invited them to return to monotheism, Ahab, the king of Israel pursued him for the sake of his pagan wife so that he had to take refuge in the mountains of the Sinai peninsula. On this occasion, according to the Bible, he said: ‘. . . the people of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thy altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword., and 1, even 1 only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away’ (1 Kings 19: 14). 

(3) The same king Ahab imprisoned another Prophet, Micah, for no other reason than that of speaking the truth. King Ahab ordered that he should be given only bread and water. (See 1 Kings 22: 26-7) 

(4) When idol-worship and moral corruption became prevalent in Judah and the Prophet Zechariah raised his voice against them, he was stoned to death in the very court of the house of the Lord. (See 2 Chronicles 24: 2l.) 

(5) When the Israelite State of Samaria was wiped out by the State of Jerusalem, the Prophet Jeremiah deplored the condition of the Israelites. He warned them that it was time they set about mending their ways otherwise they would face an even more calamitous end than that of Samaria. The response to this sincere preaching was abuse and curses: he was beaten, imprisoned, put in the stocks and lowered by ropes into a cistern, where he was left to die of hunger and thirst. He was also accused of various crimes, including treason and conspiracy. (See Jeremiah 15: 10; 18: 20-3; 20: 1-18; 36-40) 

(6) It is reported of another Prophet, Amos, that when he denounced the widespread errors and corruption in the State of Samaria and warned of the evil consequences that follow such misdeeds, he was condemned to exile and told to pursue his prophetic task somewhere beyond its frontiers. (See Amos 7: 10-13.) 

(7) When John the Baptist protested against the acts of moral corruption that were brazenly practised in his court, Herod, the ruler of Judah, first put John into prison, then had him beheaded at the request of a dancing girl, and had his head set on a platter and presented to the girl. (See Mark 6: 17-29)

(8) The same hostility to Prophets is evident from the life of Jesus. The priests and political leaders of Israel ultimately became inflamed against Jesus, who criticized them for their impiety and hypocrisy and invited them to true faith and righteousness. It was this which prompted them to prepare a false case against him and persuade the Romans to sign a death sentence. Later, when the Roman governor, Pilate, asked them which of the two prisoners – Jesus or Barabbas, a notorious brigand – should be released on the occasion of the feast, they asked for the release of Barabbas and for the crucifixion of Jesus (Matthew 27: 20-6). This is a shameful chapter in the record of the Jewish nation, to which the Qur’an refers here in passing. It is evident that when a nation chooses its most notoriously criminal and wicked people for positions of leadership, and its righteous and holy men for gaol and the scaffold, God has no alternative but to lay His curse and damnation on that nation.

Surah 2 Al-Baqarah, Ayat 60-60

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وَاِذِ اسۡتَسۡقَىٰ مُوۡسٰى لِقَوۡمِهٖ فَقُلۡنَا اضۡرِب بِّعَصَاكَ الۡحَجَرَ​ؕ فَانۡفَجَرَتۡ مِنۡهُ اثۡنَتَا عَشۡرَةَ عَيۡنًا​ؕ قَدۡ عَلِمَ کُلُّ اُنَاسٍ مَّشۡرَبَهُمۡ​ؕ کُلُوۡا وَاشۡرَبُوۡا مِنۡ رِّزۡقِ اللّٰهِ وَلَا تَعۡثَوۡا فِىۡ الۡاَرۡضِ مُفۡسِدِيۡنَ‏  ﴿2:60﴾

(2:60) And recall when Moses prayed for water for his people and We replied: “Strike the rock with your staff.” And there gushed out from it twelve springs76 and each tribe knew its drinking-place. (Then you were directed): “Eat and drink of the sustenance provided by Allah, and do not go about acting wickedly on earth, spreading mischief.” 


Notes

76 That rock can still be seen in the Sinai Peninsula with the twelve holes of the springs. Twelve springs were caused to flow for the Israelites in order to avoid water disputes among their twelve clans.

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