Verse 62
Q: What is the universal criterion for salvation according to verse 62?
Arabic Verse:
إِنَّ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَالَّذِينَ هَادُوا وَالنَّصَارَىٰ وَالصَّابِئِينَ مَنْ آمَنَ بِاللَّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ وَعَمِلَ صَالِحًا فَلَهُمْ أَجْرُهُمْ عِندَ رَبِّهِمْ وَلَا خَوْفٌ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا هُمْ يَحْزَنُونَ
A: The verse establishes three universal conditions for salvation that applied before Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ): (1) Belief in Allah (true monotheism), (2) Belief in the Last Day (accountability), and (3) Righteous deeds. Any individual from any community who truly fulfilled these conditions would be saved. However, Maududi emphasizes that with the coming of the final Messenger, belief must now also include belief in Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) and the Quran.
Verse 63
Q: What dramatic event accompanied the giving of the Torah to the Israelites?
Arabic Verse:
وَإِذْ أَخَذْنَا مِيثَاقَكُمْ وَرَفَعْنَا فَوْقَكُمُ الطُّورَ خُذُوا مَا آتَيْنَاكُم بِقُوَّةٍ وَاذْكُرُوا مَا فِيهِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ
A: The mountain (Mount Sinai) was raised over their heads as a solemn threat to ensure their obedience. They were commanded to hold fast to the Torah “with determination” and to internalize its teachings to achieve Taqwa (God-consciousness). This awesome circumstance set up the seriousness of their subsequent covenant-breaking.
Verse 64
Q: What saved the Israelites from total ruin after they turned away from their covenant?
Arabic Verse:
ثُمَّ تَوَلَّيْتُم مِّن بَعْدِ ذَٰلِكَ ۖ فَلَوْلَا فَضْلُ اللَّهِ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَتُهُ لَكُنتُم مِّنَ الْخَاسِرِينَ
A: Only God’s recurring patience and mercy saved them from immediate and total ruin. This mercy manifested through sending new prophets and accepting repentance, despite their persistent pattern of turning away from their covenant.
Verses 65-66
Q: What was the punishment for those who transgressed the Sabbath, and what was its purpose?
Arabic Verses:
وَلَقَدْ عَلِمْتُمُ الَّذِينَ اعْتَدَوْا مِنكُمْ فِي السَّبْتِ فَقُلْنَا لَهُمْ كُونُوا قِرَدَةً خَاسِئِينَ
فَجَعَلْنَاهَا نَكَالًا لِّمَا بَيْنَ يَدَيْهَا وَمَا خَلْفَهَا وَمَوْعِظَةً لِّلْمُتَّقِينَ
A: Those who violated the Sabbath through deceit underwent a transformation into apes—a moral and spiritual metamorphosis that left them devoid of higher purpose and dignity. This punishment served as an “exemplary punishment” for their own time and all future generations, and as an admonition for the God-fearing about the consequences of playing games with God’s clear commandments.
Verses 67-71: The Story of the Cow
Q: What does the story of the cow reveal about the Israelites’ attitude toward divine commands?
Arabic Verses:
وَإِذْ قَالَ مُوسَىٰ لِقَوْمِهِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَأْمُرُكُمْ أَن تَذْبَحُوا بَقَرَةً ۖ قَالُوا أَتَتَّخِذُنَا هُزُوًا ۖ قَالَ أَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ أَنْ أَكُونَ مِنَ الْجَاهِلِينَ
قَالُوا ادْعُ لَنَا رَبَّكَ يُبَيِّن لَّنَا مَا هِيَ ۚ قَالَ إِنَّهُ يَقُولُ إِنَّهَا بَقَرَةٌ لَّا فَارِضٌ وَلَا بِكْرٌ عَوَانٌ بَيْنَ ذَٰلِكَ ۖ فَافْعَلُوا مَا تُؤْمَرُونَ
قَالُوا ادْعُ لَنَا رَبَّكَ يُبَيِّن لَّنَا مَا لَوْنُهَا ۚ قَالَ إِنَّهُ يَقُولُ إِنَّهَا بَقَرَةٌ صَفْرَاءُ فَاقِعٌ لَّوْنُهَا تَسُرُّ النَّاظِرِينَ
قَالُوا ادْعُ لَنَا رَبَّكَ يُبَيِّن لَّنَا مَا هِيَ إِنَّ الْبَقَرَ تَشَابَهَ عَلَيْنَا وَإِنَّا إِن شَاءَ اللَّهُ لَمُهْتَدُونَ
قَالَ إِنَّهُو يَقُولُ إِنَّهَا بَقَرَةٌ لَّا ذَلُولٌ تُثِيرُ الْأَرْضَ وَلَا تَسْقِي الْحَرْثَ مُسَلَّمَةٌ لَّا شِيَةَ فِيهَا ۚ قَالُوا الْآنَ جِئْتَ بِالْحَقِّ ۚ فَذَبَحُوهَا وَمَا كَادُوا يَفْعَلُونَ
A: The story illustrates their profound evasiveness and contentiousness. When given a simple command to slaughter a cow, they responded with insolent suspicion, accusing Moses of mocking them. They then raised endless trivial questions about the cow’s age, color, and characteristics—using pretended quest for detail as a tactic to avoid submission. Maududi explains the moral: when people are resolved to evade truth, they raise pointless objections until compliance becomes nearly impossible. They finally slaughtered the cow reluctantly, only after the description became so specific it identified a unique animal.
Verses 72-73
Q: What was the purpose behind the command to slaughter the cow, and what greater truth did the miracle point to?
Arabic Verses:
وَإِذْ قَتَلْتُمْ نَفْسًا فَادَّارَأْتُمْ فِيهَا ۖ وَاللَّهُ مُخْرِجٌ مَّا كُنتُمْ تَكْتُمُونَ
فَقُلْنَا اضْرِبُوهُ بِبَعْضِهَا ۚ كَذَٰلِكَ يُحْيِي اللَّهُ الْمَوْتَىٰ وَيُرِيكُمْ آيَاتِهِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَعْقِلُونَ
A: The command was connected to a murder mystery where tribes were disputing. The slain man was to be struck with a piece of the slaughtered cow, and through God’s miracle, he was revived and identified his killer. The ultimate lesson: “Thus does Allah bring the dead to life.” This physical miracle pointed to the greater reality of spiritual revival and the ultimate Resurrection, meant to make them reason and reflect.
Verse 74
Q: How does Allah describe the condition of the Israelites’ hearts after witnessing such clear miracles?
Arabic Verse:
ثُمَّ قَسَتْ قُلُوبُكُم مِّن بَعْدِ ذَٰلِكَ فَهِيَ كَالْحِجَارَةِ أَوْ أَشَدُّ قَسْوَةً ۚ وَإِنَّ مِنَ الْحِجَارَةِ لَمَا يَتَفَجَّرُ مِنْهُ الْأَنْهَارُ ۚ وَإِنَّ مِنْهَا لَمَا يَشَّقَّقُ فَيَخْرُجُ مِنْهُ الْمَاءُ ۚ وَإِنَّ مِنْهَا لَمَا يَهْبِطُ مِنْ خَشْيَةِ اللَّهِ ۗ وَمَا اللَّهُ بِغَافِلٍ عَمَّا تَعْمَلُونَ
A: Their hearts became harder than stone. Maududi elaborates on the profound contrast: even hard stone can be a source of life (gushing water), can split to let water through, or can fall down in fear of Allah. But their hearts—despite receiving the “water” of revelation—remained barren, unmoved, and unyielding. The verse concludes with a solemn warning: “And Allah is not unaware of what you do”—their internal hardness and outward obstinacy are fully recorded.
Summary Questions
Q: What are the core lessons Maududi draws from verses 62-74?
A: Four essential lessons emerge:
- Universal Criterion for Salvation: Salvation has always been based on true faith and righteous action, not mere religious affiliation.
- The Disease of Evasion: The parable of the Cow demonstrates how diseased hearts use quibbling, feigned confusion, and insincerity to avoid submitting to clear truth.
- The Miracle and Its Rejection: God provides clear signs and miracles, but these only benefit receptive hearts. For others, they increase hardness.
- A Warning to Muslims: The entire passage warns believers not to follow the path of those who turned religion into legalistic evasions and whose hearts became impervious to guidance. True faith requires immediate, sincere, and humble submission.
VERSES WITH TRANSLATION AND TAFSEER
Messages from Quran 