completing this thematic address to the Children of Israel.
This section continues the direct admonition. It moves from general principles (40-46) to a recitation of specific, historical instances of God’s unparalleled favor to the Israelites and their subsequent ingratitude and rebellion. The tone becomes more forceful, using their own history as evidence against their current arrogance and rejection of the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ).
سورة البقرة (Surah Al-Baqarah)
آية 47
القرآن: يَا بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ اذْكُرُوا نِعْمَتِيَ الَّتِي أَنْعَمْتُ عَلَيْكُمْ وَأَنِّي فَضَّلْتُكُمْ عَلَى الْعَالَمِينَ
Translation: O Children of Israel! Remember My favour which I bestowed upon you, and that I preferred you over all other peoples (of your time).
Explanation (Tafheemul Quran):
Maududi explains that this verse reiterates and intensifies the opening call of verse 40. The phrase “I preferred you over all other peoples” refers to a specific historical period following their exodus. God chose them to be the bearers of His revelation and granted them political and religious supremacy for a time, making them the guiding nation. This was not due to any inherent superiority but a divine trust, making their subsequent corruption a greater betrayal.
آية 48
القرآن: وَاتَّقُوا يَوْمًا لَّا تَجْزِي نَفْسٌ عَن نَّفْسٍ شَيْئًا وَلَا يُقْبَلُ مِنْهَا شَفَاعَةٌ وَلَا يُؤْخَذُ مِنْهَا عَدْلٌ وَلَا هُمْ يُنصَرُونَ
Translation: And fear a Day when no soul will suffice for another soul at all, nor will intercession be accepted from it, nor will compensation be taken from it, nor will they be aided.
Explanation:
Immediately after the reminder of privilege comes the warning of inescapable, individual accountability. Maududi states that this verse dismantles their false sense of collective security and ancestral privilege. On the Day of Judgment:
· No one can bear another’s burden.
· No mediation (like claiming “I am a son of Abraham”) will be accepted without God’s permission.
· No ransom will be taken.
· No worldly power or tribe will be of any help.
This erases any notion of salvation through ethnicity or lineage, a concept some among them held.
آية 49
القرآن: وَإِذْ نَجَّيْنَاكُم مِّنْ آلِ فِرْعَوْنَ يَسُومُونَكُمْ سُوءَ الْعَذَابِ يُذَبِّحُونَ أَبْنَاءَكُمْ وَيَسْتَحْيُونَ نِسَاءَكُمْ ۚ وَفِي ذَٰلِكُم بَلَاءٌ مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ عَظِيمٌ
Translation: And [remember] when We delivered you from the people of Pharaoh, who afflicted you with the worst torment, slaughtering your sons and sparing your women. And in that was a great trial from your Lord.
Explanation:
The discourse now begins listing specific, monumental favors. The first is their national salvation: deliverance from the genocidal oppression of Pharaoh. Maududi notes that “in that was a great trial”—such an immense blessing was also a test of their gratitude and fidelity, a test they would later fail repeatedly.
آية 50
القرآن: وَإِذْ فَرَقْنَا بِكُمُ الْبَحْرَ فَأَنجَيْنَاكُمْ وَأَغْرَقْنَا آلَ فِرْعَوْنَ وَأَنتُمْ تَنظُرُونَ
Translation: And [remember] when We parted the sea for you and saved you and drowned the people of Pharaoh while you were looking on.
Explanation:
This was the miraculous climax of their deliverance—a clear, supernatural act of divine intervention that should have cemented their faith forever. The vivid detail “while you were looking on” emphasizes they were eyewitnesses to God’s power and their enemies’ utter destruction.
آية 51
القرآن: وَإِذْ وَاعَدْنَا مُوسَىٰ أَرْبَعِينَ لَيْلَةً ثُمَّ اتَّخَذْتُمُ الْعِجْلَ مِن بَعْدِهِ وَأَنتُمْ ظَالِمُونَ
Translation: And [remember] when We made an appointment with Moses for forty nights. Then you took the calf [for worship] in his absence, and you were wrongdoers.
Explanation:
Here begins the record of their betrayal. Almost immediately after the miracle of salvation, in the very shadow of Mount Sinai where Moses was receiving the Torah, they fell into idolatry by worshipping the calf. Maududi stresses the severity: this was not just disobedience but outright polytheism (Shirk) at the very moment of covenant-making.
آية 52
القرآن: ثُمَّ عَفَوْنَا عَنكُم مِّن بَعْدِ ذَٰلِكَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ
Translation: Then We forgave you after that so that perhaps you would be grateful.
Explanation:
Despite this gross act, God in His mercy accepted their repentance. Maududi points out that this pattern—great favor, followed by gross sin, followed by divine forgiveness—was meant to instill profound gratitude (Shukr) and loyalty. Yet, the subsequent verses show they persisted in transgression.
آية 53
القرآن: وَإِذْ آتَيْنَا مُوسَى الْكِتَابَ وَالْفُرْقَانَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَهْتَدُونَ
Translation: And [remember] when We gave Moses the Scripture and the Criterion that perhaps you would be guided.
Explanation:
This highlights another supreme favor: the gift of the Torah (Al-Kitab), which contained the Criterion (Al-Furqan) to distinguish truth from falsehood. Guidance was provided to them in the clearest form.
آية 54
القرآن: وَإِذْ قَالَ مُوسَىٰ لِقَوْمِهِ يَا قَوْمِ إِنَّكُمْ ظَلَمْتُمْ أَنفُسَكُم بِاتِّخَاذِكُمُ الْعِجْلَ فَتُوبُوا إِلَىٰ بَارِئِكُمْ فَاقْتُلُوا أَنفُسَكُمْ ذَٰلِكُمْ خَيْرٌ لَّكُمْ عِندَ بَارِئِكُمْ فَتَابَ عَلَيْكُمْ ۚ إِنَّهُ هُوَ التَّوَّابُ الرَّحِيمُ
Translation: And [remember] when Moses said to his people, “O my people, you have wronged yourselves by your taking of the calf [for worship]. So repent to your Creator and kill yourselves [the guilty among you]. That is best for [all of] you in the sight of your Creator.” Then He accepted your repentance; indeed, He is the Accepting of repentance, the Merciful.
Explanation:
Maududi explains this severe command to “kill yourselves” was a prescribed ritual of atonement for the sin of idolatry—a symbolic act where the guilty would be killed by the innocent, demonstrating collective repentance. Their willingness to submit to this harsh decree led to God’s forgiveness, again highlighting His attribute of being “the Accepting of repentance, the Merciful.”
آية 55
القرآن: وَإِذْ قُلْتُمْ يَا مُوسَىٰ لَن نُّؤْمِنَ لَكَ حَتَّىٰ نَرَى اللَّهَ جَهْرَةً فَأَخَذَتْكُمُ الصَّاعِقَةُ وَأَنتُمْ تَنظُرُونَ
Translation: And [remember] when you said, “O Moses, we will never believe you until we see Allah outright,” so the thunderbolt struck you while you were looking on.
Explanation:
This verse exposes another facet of their insolence: a demand for a direct, physical vision of God, which no creature can bear. This arrogant demand for impossible proof met with a punitive lightning bolt, a stark lesson in humility before the divine.
آية 56
القرآن: ثُمَّ بَعَثْنَاكُم مِّن بَعْدِ مَوْتِكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ
Translation: Then We revived you after your death that perhaps you would be grateful.
Explanation:
Even after this punishment, God restored them to life. Maududi underscores the constant cycle: sin, punishment, mercy, and the repeated opportunity for gratitude.
آية 57
القرآن: وَظَلَّلْنَا عَلَيْكُمُ الْغَمَامَ وَأَنزَلْنَا عَلَيْكُمُ الْمَنَّ وَالسَّلْوَىٰ ۖ كُلُوا مِن طَيِّبَاتِ مَا رَزَقْنَاكُمْ ۖ وَمَا ظَلَمُونَا وَلَٰكِن كَانُوا أَنفُسَهُمْ يَظْلِمُونَ
Translation: And We shaded you with clouds and sent down upon you manna and quails, [saying], “Eat from the good things with which We have provided you.” And they wronged Us not, but they were [only] wronging themselves.
Explanation:
The list of favors continues with sustenance and protection in the wilderness: the cooling clouds, the miraculous food (manna and quail). The concluding line is crucial: “And they wronged Us not…” Maududi explains that God is beyond any harm. Their disobedience and ingratitude only harmed their own souls, corrupting their spiritual capacity and inviting divine chastisement.
آية 58
القرآن: وَإِذْ قُلْنَا ادْخُلُوا هَٰذِهِ الْقَرْيَةَ فَكُلُوا مِنْهَا حَيْثُ شِئْتُمْ رَغَدًا وَادْخُلُوا الْبَابَ سُجَّدًا وَقُولُوا حِطَّةٌ نَّغْفِرْ لَكُمْ خَطَايَاكُمْ ۚ وَسَنَزِيدُ الْمُحْسِنِينَ
Translation: And [remember] when We said, “Enter this city and eat from it wherever you will in [ease and] abundance, and enter the gate bowing humbly and say, ‘Relieve us of our burdens,’ (Hittah). We will [then] forgive your sins for you, and We will increase the doers of good [in goodness].”
Explanation:
Upon reaching the Promised Land (Jericho), they were given a simple command of humility: enter the city gate in a state of prostration (sujjadan), uttering words of penitence (“Hittah”—an appeal for forgiveness of sins). This was a test of obedience and a rejection of the arrogance they had shown before.
آية 59
القرآن: فَبَدَّلَ الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا قَوْلًا غَيْرَ الَّذِي قِيلَ لَهُمْ فَأَنزَلْنَا عَلَى الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا رِجْزًا مِّنَ السَّمَاءِ بِمَا كَانُوا يَفْسُقُونَ
Translation: But those who wronged changed [those] words to other than what they were told. So We sent down upon those who wronged a punishment from the sky because they were defiantly disobeying.
Explanation:
They failed the test. In an act of mockery and defiance (Fisq), they altered the words of penitence to something insolent. Maududi cites traditions that they entered crawling on their buttocks while saying words of ridicule. This deliberate perversion of a divine command brought down a swift punishment (likely a plague).
آية 60
القرآن: وَإِذِ اسْتَسْقَىٰ مُوسَىٰ لِقَوْمِهِ فَقُلْنَا اضْرِب بِّعَصَاكَ الْحَجَرَ ۖ فَانفَجَرَتْ مِنْهُ اثْنَتَا عَشْرَةَ عَيْنًا ۖ قَدْ عَلِمَ كُلُّ أُنَاسٍ مَّشْرَبَهُمْ ۖ كُلُوا وَاشْرَبُوا مِن رِّزْقِ اللَّهِ وَلَا تَعْثَوْا فِي الْأَرْضِ مُفْسِدِينَ
Translation: And [remember] when Moses prayed for water for his people, so We said, “Strike the stone with your staff.” And there gushed forth from it twelve springs, and every people knew its drinking place. “Eat and drink from the provision of Allah, and do not commit abuse on the earth, spreading corruption.”
Explanation:
Another profound favor is recalled: the miracle of the twelve springs from the rock, providing structured sustenance for all their tribes. The command that follows the blessing is telling: “do not commit abuse on the earth, spreading corruption.” Maududi notes this links their material provision directly to a moral condition—they were not to use their sustenance and strength for tyranny and corruption, which they repeatedly did.
آية 61
القرآن: وَإِذْ قُلْتُمْ يَا مُوسَىٰ لَن نَّصْبِرَ عَلَىٰ طَعَامٍ وَاحِدٍ فَادْعُ لَنَا رَبَّكَ يُخْرِجْ لَنَا مِمَّا تُنبِتُ الْأَرْضُ مِن بَقْلِهَا وَقِثَّائِهَا وَفُومِهَا وَعَدَسِهَا وَبَصَلِهَا ۖ قَالَ أَتَسْتَبْدِلُونَ الَّذِي هُوَ أَدْنَىٰ بِالَّذِي هُوَ خَيْرٌ ۚ اهْبِطُوا مِصْرًا فَإِنَّ لَكُم مَّا سَأَلْتُمْ ۗ وَضُرِبَتْ عَلَيْهِمُ الذِّلَّةُ وَالْمَسْكَنَةُ وَبَاءُوا بِغَضَبٍ مِّنَ اللَّهِ ۗ ذَٰلِكَ بِأَنَّهُمْ كَانُوا يَكْفُرُونَ بِآيَاتِ اللَّهِ وَيَقْتُلُونَ النَّبِيِّينَ بِغَيْرِ الْحَقِّ ۗ ذَٰلِكَ بِمَا عَصَوا وَّكَانُوا يَعْتَدُونَ
Translation: And [remember] when you said, “O Moses, we can never endure one [kind of] food. So call upon your Lord to bring forth for us from the earth its green herbs, its cucumbers, its garlic, its lentils, and its onions.” He [Moses] said, “Would you exchange what is better for what is inferior? Go down to any settlement and indeed you will have what you have asked.” And they were covered with humiliation and poverty and returned with wrath from Allah. That was because they [repeatedly] disbelieved in the signs of Allah and killed the prophets without right. That was because they disobeyed and were [habitually] transgressing.
Explanation (Tafheemul Quran):
Maududi explains this as the climax of their ingratitude, encapsulating their spiritual decline.
· Ingratitude for Miraculous Provision: Despite receiving the heavenly manna, they complained, longing for the base vegetables of Egypt—the land of their bondage. This symbolizes preferring the lowly comforts of a life of subservience to falsehood over the noble but simple sustenance of a life of freedom under God.
· Moses’ Rebuke: His response “Would you exchange what is better for what is inferior?” is the moral heart of the story. They traded spiritual elevation for worldly desire.
· The Lasting Curse: The verse concludes with their historical fate: perpetual “humiliation and poverty” and divine wrath. Maududi clarifies this is not an ethnic condemnation but the historical consequence of their specific, accumulated crimes: rejecting God’s signs, the ultimate arrogance of killing the very prophets sent to guide them, persistent disobedience, and transgression. This fate stands as an eternal lesson.
Summary from Tafheemul Quran Perspective (Verses 47-61):
This historical recitation, according to Maududi, serves a profound purpose for its immediate listeners (the Jews of Medina) and for all Muslims:
- It dismantles pride: It shows that divine favor in the past is no guarantee of future success if the covenant is broken.
- It defines ingratitude (Kufr): Kufr is not just denial; it is the arrogance to demand different signs, to mock commands, to prefer the low over the high, and to rebel despite endless blessings.
- It establishes a universal law: The sequence is clear: Great Blessing → Ingratitude & Arrogance → Chastisement & Humiliation. This is a law of history for any nation entrusted with divine truth.
- It warns the new Muslim nation: The passage implicitly warns the nascent Islamic community to learn from this history, to avoid the traps of arrogance, ingratitude, and preferring worldly gain over divine truth, lest they suffer a similar fate.
This concludes the direct historical address to the Children of Israel in this section. The subsequent verses will now apply these lessons more broadly.
Messages from Quran 