Following the story of Adam, which established the principles of guidance, test, and accountability for all humanity, the discourse now turns to a specific, historical case study: the Children of Israel (Bani Isra’il). They were the bearers of a great divine covenant and recipients of countless favors, yet their history is marked by repeated breaches of faith. This address serves as both a lesson for them and a warning for the new Muslim nation forming under Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) about the pitfalls to avoid.

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سورة البقرة (Surah Al-Baqarah)

آية 40

القرآن: يَا بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ اذْكُرُوا نِعْمَتِيَ الَّتِي أَنْعَمْتُ عَلَيْكُمْ وَأَوْفُوا بِعَهْدِي أُوفِ بِعَهْدِكُمْ وَإِيَّايَ فَارْهَبُونِ
Translation: O Children of Israel! Remember My favour which I bestowed upon you, and fulfil your covenant (with Me) and I shall fulfil My covenant (with you), and of Me alone be afraid.

Explanation (Tafheemul Quran):
Maududi explains that this address marks a pivotal shift. The Children of Israel are being directly reminded of their unique historical status.

· “Remember My favour…”: This is a call to recall the countless blessings—deliverance from Pharaoh, parting of the sea, manna and quails, the Covenant at Mount Sinai—that formed their national identity. Forgetfulness of divine blessings, Maududi notes, is the first step towards ingratitude and transgression.
· The Mutual Covenant: The core of the relationship is presented as a bilateral covenant. “Fulfil your covenant… I shall fulfil Mine.” Their covenant was to obey God’s law and uphold their prophetic mission. God’s covenant was to grant them leadership, security, and prosperity. Their history of suffering is framed not as divine abandonment, but as a consequence of their own breach of contract.
· The Essence of Piety: The verse concludes with the fundamental principle: “and of Me alone be afraid.” True piety (Taqwa) is fear of God’s displeasure alone, not fear of other powers, peoples, or losses. Much of their later corruption stemmed from fearing other nations more than God.

آية 41

القرآن: وَآمِنُوا بِمَا أَنزَلْتُ مُصَدِّقًا لِّمَا مَعَكُمْ وَلَا تَكُونُوا أَوَّلَ كَافِرٍ بِهِ ۖ وَلَا تَشْتَرُوا بِآيَاتِي ثَمَنًا قَلِيلًا وَإِيَّايَ فَاتَّقُونِ
Translation: And believe in what I have sent down (the Qur’an), confirming that which is with you (the Torah), and be not the first to disbelieve in it. And do not exchange My signs for a small price, and fear Me alone.

Explanation:
This verse applies the general covenant to the immediate context: their duty regarding the new revelation, the Quran, brought by Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ).

· Belief in the Quran: Since the Quran confirms the essential truths in their own scripture (the Torah), logic and fidelity demand they believe in it. Maududi states that their scholars (Ahbar) recognized the prophecies about Muhammad (ﷺ) but concealed them.
· “Be not the first to disbelieve in it”: This is a severe warning. As the people of the Book, they should have been the first to accept a prophet confirming their own. To be the first to reject him would be a supreme betrayal of their own legacy.
· The Great Corruption: “Do not exchange My signs for a small price” is, in Maududi’s view, the central accusation. This refers to sacrificing truth for worldly gain—using their religious knowledge for social status, wealth, or political power, and thus rejecting the truth of the Quran to protect their vested interests. True Taqwa is presented as the antidote to this corruption.

آية 42

القر Quran: وَلَا تَلْبِسُوا الْحَقَّ بِالْبَاطِلِ وَتَكْتُمُوا الْحَقَّ وَأَنتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ
Translation: And do not mix the truth with falsehood, nor conceal the truth while you know.

Explanation:
Maududi identifies this as the specific method of their corruption.

· Mixing Truth with Falsehood: This refers to distorting religion by blending divine revelation with human interpretations, superstitions, and fabricated traditions, making it difficult for common people to distinguish pure guidance.
· Concealing the Truth: This points directly to their scholars’ sin of hiding the clear prophecies about Muhammad (ﷺ) found in their own scriptures. They “know” the truth but suppress it for ulterior motives. This combination—distortion and concealment—corrupts religion from within.

آية 43

القرآن: وَأَقِيمُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَآتُوا الزَّكَاةَ وَارْكَعُوا مَعَ الرَّاكِعِينَ
Translation: And establish prayer and give zakah and bow with those who bow [in worship and obedience].

Explanation:
After detailing their failures, the call returns to core, universal acts of worship that were also central to their own law.

· Establish Prayer & Give Zakah: These are the pillars of individual piety and social responsibility, common to all Abrahamic faiths.
· “Bow with those who bow”: Maududi emphasizes this is a direct call to join the Muslim community (Ummah) in collective worship and submission. It is an invitation to move from theoretical recognition to practical alignment with the new bearers of divine truth.

آية 44

القرآن: أَتَأْمُرُونَ النَّاسَ بِالْبِرِّ وَتَنسَوْنَ أَنفُسَكُمْ وَأَنتُمْ تَتْلُونَ الْكِتَابَ ۚ أَفَلَا تَعْقِلُونَ
Translation: Do you order righteousness of the people and forget yourselves, while you recite the Scripture? Then will you not reason?

Explanation:
Maududi highlights this verse as a devastating critique of their religious leadership (rabbis and priests).

· The Hypocrisy of the Leaders: They would exhort others to good deeds and to follow the truth (including, implicitly, the truth about Muhammad), yet they themselves would not act upon it due to worldly concerns. They had “knowledge” (they recited the Book) but it did not translate into personal commitment.
· A Call to Reason: The verse ends with “Then will you not reason?” exposing the irrationality of knowing the truth but refusing to follow it—a spiritual and intellectual bankruptcy.

آية 45

القرآن: وَاسْتَعِينُوا بِالصَّبْرِ وَالصَّلَاةِ ۚ وَإِنَّهَا لَكَبِيرَةٌ إِلَّا عَلَى الْخَاشِعِينَ
Translation: And seek help through patience and prayer. Indeed, it is a burden except for the humble—

Explanation:
This verse offers the spiritual solution to the weaknesses just exposed.

· The Two Aids: For the difficult task of surrendering pride, abandoning vested interests, and following the truth, God prescribes two aids: “patience” (Sabr) – steadfastness in the face of hardship, ridicule, or loss; and “prayer” (Salat) – the constant connection to God that provides strength and humility.
· The Condition for Ease: Submitting to this truth feels “burdensome” only to those whose hearts are not humble. For “the humble (Khashi’un)”—those whose hearts are softened before God’s greatness—this submission becomes a source of peace and relief, not a burden. This directly contrasts with the arrogance (Kibr) of Iblis and the Jewish leaders.

آية 46

القرآن: الَّذِينَ يَظُنُّونَ أَنَّهُم مُّلَاقُو رَبِّهِمْ وَأَنَّهُمْ إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُونَ
Translation: Who are certain that they will meet their Lord and that they will return to Him.

Explanation:
Maududi concludes that this verse defines the essence of “the humble” mentioned in the previous verse. Their humility and consequent ability to bear the “burden” stem from one foundational conviction:

· Certainty of the Hereafter: They live with the unwavering certainty (“Yazunnun” here meaning certainty, not doubt) that they will meet their Lord and be returned to Him for accountability. This profound awareness of the afterlife makes worldly pride, status, and petty gains insignificant, enabling true submission to God’s commands.

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Summary from Tafheemul Quran Perspective (Verses 40-46):

This section, according to Maududi, serves as a powerful diagnosis and prescription:

· Diagnosis: It exposes the spiritual diseases that afflicted the previous People of the Book: forgetfulness of blessings, breaching covenants, valuing worldly gain over truth, hypocrisy of religious leaders, and mixing truth with falsehood.
· Prescription: It calls them (and by extension, the new Muslim nation) back to the core: remembrance of God’s favors, fulfilling covenants, fearing God alone, and embodying sincerity between knowledge and action. The ultimate cure lies in the certainty of the Hereafter, which fosters the humility needed to accept truth and the patience to uphold it.

Would you like me to continue with the next thematic section of this address (verses 47-61)?