النص المفهرس

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Surah Al-Baqarah 2 : 43 - 46
the Jama'ah becomes habitual for him, he will be committing a grave
sin. If all the people living in the vicinity of a mosque leave it deserted
and offer their prayers at home, they become, in the eyes of the Sha-
ri'ah, liable to punishment. Qadi 'Iyad says that if persuasion fails to
mend such people, they must be challenged by a show of force. (Qurtubi)
An admonition to preachers without practice
Verse 44 addresses the religious scholars of the Jews, and
reprimands them for a strange contradiction in their behaviour - they
used to advise their friends and relatives to follow the Holy Prophet
and to be steadfast in their Islamic faith, which shows that they
regarded Islam as the true faith, but, being enslaved to their desires,
were not prepared to accept this faith themselves, although they were
regular readers of the Torah and knew how emphatically it denounces
the scholar who does not act upon his knowledge. Though externally
addressed to the Jewish scholars, the verse, in a larger sense,
condemns all those who preach good deeds to others but do not act
upon this principle, who ask others to have fear of Allah but show no
such fear in their own behaviour. The Hadith speaks in detail of the
dreadful punishments these men will have to bear in the other world.
The blessed Companion Anas reports that on the Night of the
Ascension (als), the Holy Prophet y passed by some people whose lips
and tongues were being cut with scissors made of fire; on being
questioned as to who they were, the Archangel Jibra'il >JILL
(Gabriel) explained that they were certain avaricious preachers of the
Holy Prophet's WJI+J. Ummah who bade others to good deeds but
ignored themselves. (Ibn Kathir). According to a hadith reported by Ibn
'Asākir, certain people living in Paradise will find some of their
acquaintances in the fire of hell, and ask them, "How is it that you find
yourselves in hell, while we have attained Paradise just on account of
the good deeds we had learnt from you"; those in hell will reply: "We
used to say all that with our tongues, but never acted upon what we
said." (Ibn Kathir)
All this should not be taken to mean that it is not permissible for a
man who has himself been slack in good deeds, or is in some way a
transgressor, to give good counsel or preach to others, nor that a man
who has been indulging in a certain sin may not try to dissuade others

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from committing that sin. For, doing a good deed is one form of virtue,
and persuading others to do this good deed is another form of virtue in
its own right. Obviously, if one has given up one form of virtue it does
not necessarily follow that he should give up the other form as-well.
For example, if a man does not offer his prescribed Salah, it is not
necessary for him to give up fasting too. Similarly, if a man does not
offer his prayers, it does not argue that he should not be allowed to ask
others to offer their prayers. In the same way, doing something
prohibited by the Shari'ah is one kind of sin, and not to dissuade those
whom he can influence from this misdeed is another kind, and
committing one kind of sin does not necessarily entail committing the
other sin as well. (Rüh al-Ma'anī)
Imam Malik has cited Sa'id ibn Jubayr as saying that if everyone
decides to refrain from persuading others to good deeds and
dissuading them from evil deeds on the assumption that he himself is
a sinner and can have no right to preach to others until and unless he
has purged himself of all sins, there would be no one left to give good
counsel to people, for who can be totally free of sins? According to
Hasan of Basra, this is exactly what Satan wants that, obsessed by
this false notion of purity, people should neglect their obligation to
provide religious instruction and good counsel to others. (Qurtubi)
Maulana Ashraf 'Ali Thanavi used to say that when he became
aware of a certain bad habit in himself, he would expressly denounce
this particular tendency in his sermons so that the barakah of the
sermon should help him to get rid of it.
In short, verse 44 does not imply that the man who has been indif-
ferent to good deeds in his own life is not allowed to preach or to give
good counsel, but that the man who preaches should not neglect good
deeds in his own life. Now, a new question arises here - it is not per-
missible for a preacher and non-preacher alike to neglect good deeds,
then why should the preacher alone be specifically discussed in this
context? We would reply that such negligence is, no doubt, impermissi-
ble for both, but the crime of the preacher is more serious and repre-
hensible than that of the non-preacher, for the former commits a crime
knowing that it is crime, and cannot plead ignorance as an excuse. On
the contrary, the non-preacher, specially if he is illiterate , may be

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committing the sin of not trying to acquire knowledge, but, as far as
the transgression of the Shari'ah is concerned, he can, to a certain de-
gree plead ignorance of the law as his excuse. Moreover, if a scholar or
a preacher commits a sin, he is actually mocking at the Shari'ah. The
قام reports from the Holy Prophet رضى الله عنه blessed Companion Anas
that on the Day of Judgment, Allah will forgive illiterate and ignorant
people much more readily than He will the scholars.
Khushu' : The Humbleness of Heart
Verse 45 speaks of the humble in heart. The "humbleness of heart"
(Khushü'), which the Holy Qur'an and the Hadith speak of, connotes a
restfulness of heart and humility arising out of the awareness of
Allah's majesty and of one's own insignificance in comparison to it.
This quality, once acquired, shows its spiritual fruitfulness in making
the obedience to Allah and submission to Him easy and pleasant for
one; sometimes it reflects itself even in the bodily posture and
appearance of the man who has acquired it, for such a man always
behaves in a disciplined and polite manner, is modest and humble,
and seems to be "broken-hearted", that is to say, one who has lost all
vanity and self-love. If a man does not bear genuine humility and fear
of Allah in his heart, he does not, with all his external modesty and
downcast looks, really possess the quality of Khushu' (humbleness of
heart). In fact, it is not proper even to show the signs of Khushu' in
one's behavior deliberately. On seeing a young man sitting with his
head bowed down, the rightly-guided Khalifah Sayyidna 'Umar JI,
te said: "Raise your head! Humbleness of heart is in the heart."
Ibrahim Nakha'i has said: "Humbleness of heart does not mean
wearing rough clothes, eating coarse food and keeping the head bowed
down. Humbleness of heart is to treat the high and the low alike in
matters of truth, and to keep the heart free to devote itself entirely to
Allah and to the performance of what Allah has made obligatory for
you." Similarly, Hasan of Basra has said : "The Caliph 'Umar would
speak loudly enough to be heard, whenever he spoke, would walk
swiftly, whenever he walked, and would strike forcefully, whenever he
struck a man. All the same, he undoubtedly was a man with a real
humbleness of heart." In short, wearing deliberately and by one's own
choice, the looks of a man who possesses the humbleness of heart is a

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kind of self-delusion and a ruse of Satan, and hence reprehensible. But
if a man happens to manifest such signs without knowing it, he can be
excused. (Qurtubi)
Let us add that there is another word - Khudu' - which is often
used along with Khushu', and which appears several times in the Holy
Qur'an as well. The two words are almost synonymous. But the word
Khushu', according to its lexical root, refers to the lowering of the voice
and of the glance when it is not artificial but arises out of a real
modesty and fear of Allah - for example, the Holy Qur'an says: "Voices
have been hushed" (20:108). On the other hand, the word "Khudu"
refers to the bodily posture which shows modesty and humility - for
example, the Holy Qur'an says: "So their necks will stay humbled to
it." (26:4) We must also define as to what, in the eyes of the Shari'ah,
the exact position and value of Khushu' is with regard to Salah. The
Holy Qur'an and the Hadith repeatedly stress its importance as in:
'And perform the prayer for the sake of My remembrance." (20:14)
Obviously, forgetfulness is the opposite of remembrance, and hence
the man who becomes unmindful of Allah while offering Salah, is not
fulfilling the obligation of remembering Allah. Another verse says:
"Do not be among the unmindful." (7:205)
Similarly, the Holy Prophet & has said: "The Salah simply means
self-abasement and humility." Says another hadith: "If his prayers do
not restrain a man from immodesty and evil, he goes farther and
farther away from Allah." Salah offered unmindfully does not
obviously restrain man from evil deeds, and consequently such a man
goes farther and farther away from Allah.
Having quoted these verses and ahadith in support of other
arguments in his Ihya' al-'Ulum, Imam al-Ghazali suggests that
Khushu' must then be a necessary condition for Salah, and that its
acceptability must depend on it. He adds that, according to the blessed
Companion, Mu'adh ibn Jabal and jurists as great as Sufyan
al-Thawri and Hasan al-Basri, Salah offered without Khushu' is not
valid.
On the other hand, the four great Imams of Islamic jurisprudence
and most of the jurists do not hold Khushu' to be a necessary condition

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Surah Al-Baqarah 2 : 43 - 46
for Salah. In spite of considering it to be the very essence of Salah,
they say that the only condition necessary in this respect is that while
saying Allahu Akbar at the beginning of the prayers one should turn
with all one's heart to Allah, and have the intention (niyyah) of
offering the prayers only for the sake of Allah; if one does not attain
Khushu' in the rest of the prayers, one will not get any reward for that
part of the prayers, but, from the point of view of Figh (jurisprudence),
one will not be charged with having forsaken Salah, nor will one be
liable to the punishment which is meted out to those who give up
prescribed prayers without a valid excuse.
Imam al-Ghazali has provided an explanation for this divergence
of view. The Fuqaha' (jurists), he points out, are not concerned with
inner qualities and states of the heart (Ahwal), but only enunciate the
exoteric regulations of the Shari'ah on the basis of the external actions
of men's physical organs - it does not lie within the jurisdiction of Fiqh
to decide whether one will get a reward for a certain deed in the other
world or not. Khushu' being an inner state, they have not prescribed it
as a necessary condition for the total duration of Salah, but have made
the validity of the prayers depend on the lowest degree of Khushu' -
turning, as one begins the prayers, with one's heart to Allah and
having the intention of only worshipping Him.
There is another explanation for not making Khushu' a necessary
condition for the total duration of the prayers. In certain other verses,
the Holy Qur'an has clearly enunciated the principle which governs
legislation in religious matters: nothing is made obligatory for men
that should be beyond their endurance and power. Now, except for a
few gifted individuals, men in general are incapable of maintaining
Khushu' for the total duration of the prayers; so, in order to avoid
compelling men to a task they cannot accomplish, the Fuqaha' have
made Khushu' a necessary condition only for the beginning of the
prayers, and not for the whole duration.
In concluding the discussion, Imam al-Ghazali remarks that in
spite of the great importance of Khushu' one can depend on the infinite
mercy of Allah, and hope that the man who offers his prayers
unmindful will not be counted among those who give up the prayers
altogether, for he has tried to fulfil the obligation, has turned his heart

209
Surah Al-Baqarah 2 : 47 - 48
away from everything to concentrate his attention on Allah even for a
few moments, and has been mindful of Allah alone at least while
forming his intention for the prayers. Offering one's prayers in this
half-hearted manner has, to say the least, the merit of keeping one's
name excluded from the list of those who habitually disobey Allah and
forsake the prescribed prayers altogether.
In short, this is a matter in which hope and fear both are involved -
there is the fear of having incurred punishment as well as the hope of
being ultimately forgiven. So, one should try one's best to get rid of
one's laziness and indifference. But it is the mercy of Allah alone
which can help one to succeed in this effort.
Verses 47-48
يَبَنِىٌ إِسْرَائِيْلَ اذْكُرُوا نِعُمَتِىَّ الَّتِىٌ أَنْعَمْتُ عَلَيْكُمْ وَأَنِّىٌ
فَضَّلْتُكُمْ عَلَى الْعَلَمِيْنَ ا وَأَتَّقُوا يَوْمًا لَّا تَجْزِئُ نَفْسَّ عَنْ
نَفْسِ شَيْئًا وَلَا يُقْبَلُ مِنْهَا شَفَاعَةٌ وَّلَا يُؤْخَذُ مِنْهَا عَدُلُ
وَّلَاهُمْ يُنْصَرُونَ )
O Children of Isra'il (the Israelites), remember My
blessing that I conferred upon you, and that I gave you
excellence over the worlds. And guard yourselves
against a day when no one shall stand for anyone for
anything, nor shall intercession be accepted on one's
behalf, nor shall ransom be taken from one and neither
shall they be given support. (Verses 47-48)
Verse 47 asks the Israelites to call to their minds the blessing of
Allah, so that the recognition of the benefits they have received may
induce them to be thankful to Allah and thus to obey Him. The verse
is addressed to the Jews contemporaneous with the Holy Prophet ,
while the blessing had been received by their forefathers. The point is
that when a man receives a special favour, his children and grand
children too usually partake of the benefits flowing from it; in this
sense, the Jews who are being addressed may be said to have received
the blessing themselves.

210
Surah Al-Baqarah 2 : 49
As for Allah giving preference to the Israelites "over the worlds",
the phrase means that they were given preference only in certain
matters, or only over a large part of men - for example, over the
contemporaries of the earlier Israelites.
The day referred to in verse 48 is the Day of Judgment. As for no
one being able to suffice another on that day, the phrase should be
understood in the sense of one man paying the dues on behalf of
another man. Let us, for example, suppose that a man is found
wanting in the performance of obligatory acts of worship like Salah
and Sawm (fasting), and another man should suggest that his own
prayers and fasts may be transferred to the account of the former in
order to make up the deficiency. Such a transaction shall not be
possible on that day. Ransom, of course, means the money paid for
securing the release of a criminal - this too shall be out of the question.
As for intercession (shafa'ah) not being accepted, the phrase does not
totally deny the possibility of intercession on the Day of Judgment; it
only means that if a man does not have 'Iman (faith), no intercession
in his favour shall be accepted. For the Holy Qur'an makes it clear in
certain other verses that Allah will allow intercession to be made on
behalf of some people (53:26, 34:23, 2:55 etc.), and will disallow it in
the case of those who do not possess 'Iman (21:28, 20:109). Since there
would be no intercession on behalf of the latter, the question of its
being accepted does not simply arise. 'Receiving support', in usual
terms, means getting oneself released from a difficult situation with
the help of a strong and powerful friend or patron. In short, none of
the ways of receiving help possible in this world will be effective in the
other world unless one possesses 'Iman.
A doctrinal point
On the basis of verse 48, the Mu'tazilah and some other groups of a
more recent origin have denied the possibility of all intercession in
favour of Muslims. But, as we have shown above, the negation of
intercession applies only to disbelievers and infidels. (Bayan al-Qur'an)
Verse 49
وَإِذْ تَّيْتُكُمُ بِنْ أَلِ فِرُعَوْنَ يَسُوْمُوْنَكُمُ سْوَءَ الْعَذَابِ يُذَّبِّحُونَ

211
Surah Al-Baqarah 2 : 50 - 51
ابْنَآ ءَكُمُ وَ يَسْتَحُبُونَ نِسَآءَكُمُ « وَفِىٌ ذُلِكُمْ بَلَّ ءٌ مِنْ ◌َرَتِّكُمُ
عَظِيُُ 0
And when We delivered you from the people of the
Pharaoh! They had been inflicting on you grievous
torment, slaughtering your sons and leaving your
women alive. And in all that there was a great trial
from your Lord. (Verse 49)
Verse 47 had spoken of the special favours shown to the Israelites
by Allah. Now, with Verse 49 begins the account of these favours.
Someone had made a prediction to the Pharaoh (s) that a child
was going to be born among the Israelites who would destroy his
kingship. So, he began slaughtering all the male infants as soon as
they were born. But he would spare the females, as there was nothing
to fear from them, and, moreover, they could, on growing up, serve as
maid-servants. So, even this leniency was motivated by self-interest.
What the verse refers to as "a great trial" is either the slaughter of the
sons - which was a calamity, and it is the quality of patience that is
tested in a calamity - or the deliverance from the people of the
Pharaoh - which was a blessing, and it is the quality of thankfulness
which is tested when one receives a blessing.
The next verse gives us the details about this deliverance.
Verses 50 - 51
وَإِذْ فَرَقْنَا بِكُمُ الْبَحْرَ فَاَ نْجُمْتُكُمُ وَاغْرَقْنَآَ أَلَ فِرْعَوْنَ وَأَنْتُ
تَنْظُرُوْنَ ا وَإِذُ وعَدُنَا مُؤْسُىَ أَرْبَعِيْنَ لَيْلَةً ثُمَّ اتَّخَذُتُمُ
الْعِجْلَ مِنْ بَعْدِمٍ وَأَنْتُمُ ظْلِمُوْنَ 0
And when We parted the sea for you; then We rescued
you, and drowned the Pharaoh's people as you were
looking on! And when We appointed forty nights for
Musa, then you took to yourselves the calf thereafter,
and you were unjust! (Verses 50-51)
Verse 50 refers to certain things which had happened in the days
of Sayyidna Musa >JI ale (Moses). He, in his capacity as a messenger
of Allah, continued efforts for a long time to make the Pharaoh and his

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Surah Al-Baqarah 2 : 50 - 51
people see Truth, but when they persisted in their denial, Allah
commanded him to take the Israelites along with him and leave Egypt
surreptitiously. On their way, they came across a sea while the
Pharaoh was behind him with his army in hot pursuit. Allah
commanded the sea to split, and make way for Sayyidna Musa and his
people. So, they went over smoothly. But when the Pharaoh and his
army followed them into the sea, it gathered the water back so that
the Pharaoh and his men were drowned then and there.
Verse 51 refers to other incidents in the same story. When the Pha-
raoh had been drowned, the Israelites, according to one report, went
back to Egypt, or, according to another, began to live somewhere else.
Having at last found a peaceful existence, they now wished they could
receive a Shari'ah, or a religious code of laws, from Allah which they
should follow. Allah answered the prayer of Sayyidna Musa JI,
and promised that if he came to the Mount Tur (Sinai) and devoted
himself to worship for a month, he would receive a Divine Book. He
gladly obeyed the Commandment, and was granted the Torah. But he
was ordered to continue to worship for ten days more, because he had
broken his fast after a month and thus lost the special odour which ris-
es from the mouth of a fasting person and which is very pleasant to Al-
lah; so Allah commanded him to fast for ten additional days and re-
gain that odour. Thus, Sayyidna Musa >JILL completed forty days of
total fasting and devotion. While he was on Mt. Sinai, something very
odious happened to the Israelites. Among them there was a man
called Samiriyy. He fashioned the figure of a calf out of gold or silver,
and put into it some of the dust which he had picked up from under
the hooves of the horse of Jibra'il (the Archangel Gabriel JI -le), at
the time when the Pharaoh and his army had been drowned by the
Archangel. The golden calf immediately acquired life. The ignorant
among the Israelites were so impressed that they started worshipping
it.
Verse 51 calls them "unjust" for having committed this sin, for
'injustice' lies in putting things in the improper places, and idolatory is
essentially just that.
A doctrinal point
Verse 50 speaks of the splitting of the sea, and clearly proves that

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Surah Al-Baqarah 2 : 52 - 54
miracles do occur at the hands of prophets, which some Westernized
Muslims have been trying to deny. (Bayan al-Qur'an)
Verse 52
ثُمَّ عَفَوْنَا عَنْكُمْ مِنُ بَعْدِ ذَلِكَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ ﴾
Then We pardoned you, even after that, so that you be
grateful. (Verse 52)
The Israelites were forgiven only when they had offered Taubah
(repentance), as recounted in Verse 54. In saying that they were
pardoned so that they might learn gratefulness, the present verse
employs the Arabic word JJ: La'lla which indicates expectation. In
the present context it does not mean that Allah had or could have any
doubt or misgiving about this or any other matter; what the word
implies here is just that when a man receives a pardon, the onlookers
may expect him to feel grateful.
Verse 53
وَإِذْ أَتَيِّنَا مُؤْسَى الْكِتْبَ وَالْفُرْقَانَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَهْتَدُوْنَ 0
Then We gave Musa the Book and the Criterion (of
right and wrong) so that you find the right path. (Verse
53)
Torah is the book which was given to Sayyidna Musa Wi de .
In the language of the Holy Qur'an, al-Furqan is a term signifying
something which separates truth from falsehood or distinguishes the
one from the other. In the present verse, it refers either to (a) the
injunctions of the Shari'ah which are to be found in the Torah, for the
Shari'ah resolves all the differences that may arise with regard to the
doctrines or the practice of good deeds; or to (b) miracles which decide
between a true or a false claim in a palpable manner; or even to (c) the
Torah itself which has the twin qualities of being a Book of Allah and
of being an instrument for separating truth from falsehood.
Verse 54
وَإِذْ قَالَ مُوْسِى لِقَوْمِهِ يِقَوْمِ إِنَّكُمُ ظَلَهُمْ أَنْفُسَكُمْ بِاِخَاذِكُمُ
الْعِجْلَ فَتُوبُوا إِلى بَارِئِكُمْ فَاقْتُلُّاَ اَنْفُسَكُمُ ذَلِكُمْ خَيْرٌ لَّكُمْ

214
Surah Al-Baqarah 2 : 55
عِنْدَ بَارِئِكُمْ فَتَابَ عَلَيْكُمْ إِنَّهُ هُوَ التَّوَّابُ الرَّحِيْمُ 0
And when Musa said to his people: "My people, you
have wronged yourselves by your taking the calf (as
God). So, turn in repentance to your Creator and
slay yourselves. That will be better for you in the sight
of your Creator" Then, He accepted your repentance
Indeed He is the Most-Relenting, the Very-Merciful.
(Verse 54)
This verse describes the special mode of offering their Taubah
(repentance) which was prescribed for the Israelites in this situation,
-- that is to say, those who had not indulged in the worship of the
golden calf should execute those who had. Similarly, in the Islamic
Shari'ah too, certain major sins necessarily entail capital punishment
even when the sinner has offered this Taubah -- for example, life in
return for a life in the case of intentional homicide, or death by stoning
in the case of adultery established through proper evidence.
Then the Israelites acted upon this divine commandments, they
became worthy of receiving the mercy and favour of Allah in the other
world.
Verse 55
وَإِذْ قُلْتُمْ يُمُؤْسِى لَنْ تُؤْمِنَ لَكَ حَثَى نَرَى اللّهَ جَهَْرَةً
فَاَخَذَتْكُمُ الصُّعِقَةُ وَأَنْتُمُ تَنْظُرُوْنَ 0
And when you said, "Musa, we will never believe you
till we see Allah openly!" So, the thunderbolt took you
while you were looking on. (Verse 55)
Then Sayyidna Musa (Moses >Jiic ) brought the Torah from
Mount Tur (Sinai) and presented it to the Israelites as the book of
Allah, some of them were insolent enough to say that they could
not believe it until and unless Allah Himself told them in so many
words. With the permission of Allah, Sayyidna Musa WI Le replied
that even this condition would be fulfilled, if they went with him to
Mount Tur. The Israelites chose seventy men for this purpose.
Arriving there, they heard the words of Allah with their own ears.
Now, in their perversity, they invented a new ruse. It was not enough,
they said, to hear the speech, for they could not be sure whether it was

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Surah Al-Baqarah 2 : 56 - 57
Allah Himself who had spoken to them or someone else. But they
promised that they would be finally convinced if they could see Allah
with their own eyes. Since it is beyond the power of a living being to
be able to see Allah in the physical world, they had to pay for their
impertinence, and were killed by a thunderbolt -- the next verse
reports their death.
Verse 56
ثُمَّ بَعَثْنَكُمْ ◌ِنْ بَعْدِ مَوْتِكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُوْنَ 0
Then, We raised you up after your death, so that you be
grateful. (Verse 56)
This verse refers to death, which suggests that the thunderbolt had
killed them. Since the Israelites had always been mistrusting
Sayyidna Musa WJIu. , he feared that they would suspect him of
having taken the men to a solitary place and got them slaughtered. So,
he prayed to Allah to save him from such a vile accusation. Allah
granted his prayer, and gave those a new life.
Verse 57
وَظَلَّلْنَا عَلَيْكُمُ الْغَمَامَ وَأَنْزَلْنَا عَلَيْكُمْ الْمَنَّ وَالشَّلُوَى كُلُوًّا
مِنْ طَيِّبْتِ مَارَزَقْنْكُمْمَوَمَا ظَلَهُوْنَا وَلْكِنُّ كَانُوًّا أَنْفُسَهُمْ
يَظْلِمُوْنَ 0
And We made the cloud give you shade, and sent down
to you Mann and Salwa: 'Eat of the good things We have
provided you'. And they (by their ingratitude) did Us
no harm, but were harming only themselves. (Verse 57)
These two incidents took place in the wilderness of Tih. The
Israelites belonged to Syria, but had gone to Egypt in the time of
Sayyidna Yusuf (Joseph JIle), and settled there, while Syria itself
had come under the domination of a people called the 'Amaliqah
(Amaleks). When the Pharaoh had been drowned and the Israelites
could live in peace, Allah commanded them to go to war against the
'Amaliqah, and to free their homeland. The Israelites started on the
expedition, but, on approaching Syria, when they came to learn about
the military strength of the foe, their courage failed them, and they

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refused to engage themselves in the Jihad. Allah punished them for
their disobedience, so that for full forty years they kept wandering
about in a wilderness, and could not even go back to Egypt. The
wilderness was not very vast, but only a stretch of some ten miles,
lying between Egypt and Syria. They would make a day-long march in
the direction of Egypt, and stop somewhere for the night. But, on
getting up the next morning, they would always find themselves just
where they had started from. Thus, they spent forty years wandering
about in the wilderness in futile rage and exasperation. That is why
the wilderness is called Tih, which signifies 'having lost one's way'.
The wilderness was just a barren space without a tree or a building
which could offer protection against heat or cold. There was no food to
eat, and no clothes to wear. But in answer to the prayer of Sayyidna
Musa XuJIAde , Allah made a miraculous provision for all their needs.
When they could not bear the scorching sun, Allah sent them the
shade of a thin, white cloud. When they began to starve, Allah blessed
them with Mann (manna) and Salwa. That is to say, Allah produced
honeydew in abundance which they could easily gather. Hence it has
been designated as mann which signifies "a gift or favour". Then,
quails would not flee but come around them, so that they could catch
the birds with little effort. The two things being unusual, the Holy
Qur'an says that Allah made them "descend" for the benefit of the
Israelites. Similarly, when they were thirsty, Allah commanded
Sayyidna Musa WJI.de to strike a rock with his staff, which made
twelve streams gush forth, as the Holy Qur'an narrates in another
place. When they complained of the thick darkness of the night, Allah
produced for them a constant pillar of light. When their clothes began
to wear out, Allah showed another miracle - their clothes would
neither go dirty nor wear out, while the clothes of the children grew
with their growth. (Qurtubi)
Allah had commanded the Israelites to take as much of the
miraculous food as they really needed, and not to store it for future
use. But when they disobeyed this commandment, the meat began to
rot. This is how they harmed, not Allah, but themselves.

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Surah Al-Baqarah 2 : 58
Verse 58
وَإِذُ قُلْنَ ادْخُلُوا هَذِهِ الْقَرْيَةَ فَكُلُوا مِنْهَا حَيْثُ شِئْتُمْ رَغَدًا
وَادْخُلُوا الْبَابَ سُجَّدًا وَقُوْلُوا حِطَّةٌ تَغْفِرُلَكُمْ خَطَيْكُمْ،وَسَنَزِيْدُ
الْمُحْسِنِيْنَ 0
And when We said, "Enter this town, and eat there to
your heart's content wherever you will. And enter the
gate prostrating and say: Hittah (we seek forgiveness) -
so that We forgive your errors. And We shall give much
more to those who are good in deeds. " (Verse 58)
There are two views as to when this incident took place. According
to Shah 'Abd al-Qadir, when the Israelites grew weary of eating the
same Mann and Salwa everyday and prayed for being granted the
kind of food they were used to (2:61), they were commanded to go to a
certain city where they could get what they wished for. So, the com-
mandment in the present verse pertains to the mode of entering this
city, and lays down the spiritual etiquette for action and speech on this
occasion. On the other hand is the view that the commandment per-
tains to the city against which the Israelites had been ordered to en-
gage themselves in a Jihad. They obeyed it only after their long wan-
derings in the wilderness, and conquered the city. The commandment
reported in Verse 58 was sent to them through Sayyidna Yusha'
(Joshua >JI ue ) who was the prophet among them at the time.
The discrepancy between the two views, which raises a question
about the chronological sequence of the events, should not confuse us
as to the nature of the stories narrated in the Holy Qur'an. The Holy
Qur'an does not tell the stories for the sake of telling stories, the
usual purpose of which is to provide entertainment. The real intention
here is to draw certain conclusions from the stories, and to illustrate
or point out certain spiritual principles. Now, the various episodes of a
story help to bring out various principles. So, in view of a particular
effect sought in a particular context, the chronological sequence of the
episodes may be invented and the incidents re-arranged to serve the
interest of the pattern of meaning that is intended. This is just what
the Holy Qur'an does; in fact, this is a quite usual literary method, and

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the disturbance of the chronological order in the stories narrated by
the Holy Qur'an should not raise irrelevant questions in the mind of
the reader - after all, in any and every piece of writing, or even speech,
it is the intention which governs the ordering of the material.
The Verse holds out the promise that if the Israelites obeyed the
commandment, their errors would be forgiven. On the basis of the first
of the two views we have referred to, one must include among the
errors their rejection of the Mann and the Salwa and their request for
the normal kind of food. The demand was really insolent, but Allah
promised that if they showed their obedience by following the new
commandment, He would forgive this error too. Anyhow, the promise
of pardon was general, and extended to everyone who was ready to
obey the new commandment, while a special reward was promised to
those who devoted themselves to good deeds sincerely and
wholeheartedly.
The meaning of Ihsan
"We may add that 'sincerity' and 'wholeheartedness' are a very
weak rendering in English of the essential quality of the text's Muh-
sin un (rendered here as "those who are good in deeds"). This word
comes from Ihsan which signifies "doing a thing beautifully - that is, in
the manner that is proper to it." Beside this lexical meaning, Ihsan has
a technical meaning which has been defined in a famous Hadith: si
Offer your prayers as if you can see": تعبد الله كأنك تراه، فإن لم تكن تراه فإنه يراك
Him, and if you do not see Him, He is seeing you (in any case)." (Bayan
al-Qur'an)
Verse 59
فَبَدَّلَ الَّذِيْنَ ظَلَمُوا قَوْلاً غَيْمَ الَّذِىُ قِيْلَ لَهُمْ فَأَنْزَلُنَا عَلَى
الَّذِيْنَ ظَلَمُوْا رِجُزًّا ◌ِنَ السَّمَاءِ بِمَا كَانُوا يَفْسُقُوْنَ 0
But those who were unjust substituted another word
for the one that was set for them. So, We sent down
upon those who were unjust a scourge from heaven,
because they have been acting sinfully. (Verse 59)
This verse is a continuation of the preceding verse. Allah had

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Surah Al-Baqarah 2:59
commanded the Israelites to keep, while entering the city, repeating
the word Hittatun (which indicates repentance for one's sin and the
request for pardon). But they replaced this word with another phrase
by way of mockery, and started saying, Habbatun fi sha'irah (grain in
the midst of barley), or Hintatun (wheat).
The punishment which descended on them was plague that wiped
out seventy thousand men (Qurtubi). In passing, we may recall a hadith
which says that plague is a punishment for the disobedient, and a
blessing for the obedient.
Injunctions and related considerations
The Israelites were punished for having changed a word ordained
by Allah, and substituted a phrase of their own invention, thus
distorting the meaning itself. According to the consensus of the
Fuqaha' (Muslim jurists), a change in the words of the Holy Qur'an, or
of a Hadith, or of a divine commandment which invents or distorts the
actual meaning is impermissible.
This should be obvious enough. But there is another question -- is
it permissible to change the words in such a way that the meaning
does not suffer but remains intact? In his commentary, Imam
al-Qurtubi says that in certain texts and in certain kinds of speech the
words are as much a part of the intention as the meanings and equally
necessary for conveying an idea, and that in such a case it is not
permissible to change the words. For example, in the Adhan (the call
for prayers) it is not permissible to employ words other than those
which have been laid down for the purpose by the hadith. Similar is
the case of the Salah: the different things to be recited in them (like
Subhanaka Allahumma, At-Tahiyyat, Qunut) or the glorification of
Allah during the Ruku' (bowing down) and the Sajdah (prostration) --
all these must be said exactly in the words which have been reported
in the hadith; substituting other words is not allowed, even if the
meaning does not undergo a change.
This rule applies to each and every word of the Holy Qur'an. All
the Injunctions with regard to the recitation of the Holy Qur'an
strictly pertain to those words alone which Allah has revealed to the
Holy Prophet . According to the hadith, the merit of reciting the

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Surah Al-Baqarah 2: 59
Holy Qur'an is so great that for every letter that one reads or recites
one gets the reward which one would get for performing ten good
deeds. But if one reads a very accurate translation of the Holy Qur'an
or even an Arabic version in which the original words have been
replaced by certain other words without injuring the sense, the
Shari'ah shall not accept it as a recitation of the Holy Qur'an, and one
will not get any reward of recitation for it. For, it is not the meanings
alone which constitute the Holy Qur'an; "Qur'an" is the name of
meanings inherent in the words revealed by Allah to the Holy Prophet
so that the two are inseparable from each other.
It appears from the present verse that Allah had commanded the
Israelites to say this particular word, Hittatun, while offering their
Taubah (repentance), and hence changing the ordained word was in
itself a sin. They went so far as to distort even the meaning, and drew
upon themselves the divine punishment.
Now, as for other kinds of speech in which it is the meanings that
are really intended and not the words, the masters of the science of
Hadith and the jurists in general believe that in such places words can
be changed provided that the meaning does not suffer but remains in-
tact. Al-Qurtubi has cited Imam Abu Hanifah, Imam Malik and Imam
Shafi'i; as holding the view that it is quite permissible to report a ha-
dith with regard to its meaning alone provided that the man who re-
ports it should have a perfect knowledge of the Arabic language and
also be familiar with the situation to which this particular hadith per-
tains, so that he should not misinterpret the text or distort the sense.
On the other hand, certain masters of the science of Hadith do not
allow the slightest change in the words of a hadith, and insist that it
should be reported exactly in the words in which one has received it.
This, for example, is the view of Muhammad ibn Sirin, Qasim ibn
Muhammad etc. Some of them even insist that if in reporting a hadith
a reporter has made a lexical mistake, the man who has heard the
hadith from him must, in his own turn, report it in exactly the same
words including the mistake, only indicating what the correct word is
likely to be. Such scholars cite a hadith in support of their view. It has
been reported that the Holy Prophet & advised a man to say this

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Surah Al-Baqarah 2: 59
prayer before going to sleep at night : ◌َأمَنْتُ بِكِتَابِكَ الَّذِيُ اَنْزَلْتَ وَنَبِّكَ اَلَّذِىُ أَرْسَلْت : "I
have faith in Your Book which You have made to descend, and in Your
Prophet whom You have sent." The prescribed prayer had the word
Nabiyy (Prophet), but the man changed it for Rasul (Messenger). The
Holy Prophet & instructed him not to make a change, but to say the
prescribed word Nabiyy. This shows that it is not permissible to
change a single word in reporting a hadith. Similarly, another hadith
says :نَضَرَ اللهُ اِمْرَأَ سَمِعَ مَقَالَتِىٌ فَبَلَّغَهَا كَمَا سَمِعَهَا :"May Allah make the man flourish
who heard my speech, and then conveyed it exactly as he had heard."
This also indicates that it is necessary to report the exact words of a
hadith as one has received them.
Most of the jurists and the masters of the science of Hadith,
however, believe that although it is better to report a hadith as far as
possible in exactly the same words as one has heard without making
any change intentionally, yet if one cannot recall the exact words, it is
also permissible to report the meaning in one's own words, and that
the words of the hadith quoted above - " ... conveyed it exactly as he
had heard" - might also mean that one should report the meaning of a
hadith exactly and without any alteration. Obviously, changing the
words does not necessarily go against this provision. Imam al-Qurtubi
has, in support of his view, pointed out that this very hadith goes to
prove that changing words, when necessary, is permissible, for this
hadith itself has come down to us in different words in different
versions. As for the other hadith in which the Holy Prophet has
insisted that the word Nabiyy should be recited and not the word
Rasul, one might explain it in this way. The word Nabiyy (prophet)
carries the sense of sublimity much more than does the word Rasul,
for the latter is employed for any messenger whatsoever, while the
former is reserved only for those who are specially chosen by Allah for
being directly addressed through revelation (Wahy), and who thus
occupy a rank higher than all other men. There is another explanation
too. As far as prayers are concerned, the words appointed for the
purpose by Allah or by the Holy Prophet have a much greater
efficacy than any other words can have. (Qurtubi) That is why those who
prepare iss : ta'widh (translated as 'charms' in absence of an exact
counterpart) or 'awdhah, or suggest words to pray are very careful in

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keeping to the authentically reported words without the slightest
change. So, one may say that the prayers which are considered to be
very efficacious, should be included in the first category of speech in
which not only the meanings but the words also must be carefully
safeguarded, for both are equally intended.
Verse 60
وَإِذِاسْتَسُقى مُؤْسِى لِقَوْمِهِ فَقُلُنَا اضْرِبٌ بِعَصَاكَ الْحَجَرَ،
فَانْفَجَرَتُّ مِنَّهُ اثْنَنَا عَشْرَةَ عَيْنَا، قَدْ عَلِمَ كُلُّ أُنَاسٍ مَّشُرَبَهُمْ ء
كُلُوا وَاشْرَبُوًا مِنْ رِزْقِ اللهِ وَلَا تَعْثَوْا فِى الْأَرْضِ مُفْسِدِيْن0َ
And when Musa sought water for his people! We said,
"Strike the rock with your staff." So, gushed forth
twelve springs from it. Each group of people came to
know their drinking place. "Eat and drink of what
Allah has provided, and do not go about the earth
spreading disorder." (Verse 60)
This incident too belongs to the story of the wanderings of the
Israelites in the wilderness. Parched with thirst, they requested
Sayyidna Musa WI ale to pray to Allah for water. Allah commanded
him to strike a certain rock with his staff. As he did so, twelve
streams gushed forth out of the rock, one for each of the twelve tribes.
Sayyidna Ya'qub (Jacob) WWI Je had twelve sons, and each had a large
family of his own. So, the families were considered as tribes, each
with its own administrative organisation and its own head. Hence,
the number twelve. What they have been asked to eat is the Mann
and the Salwa (manna and quails), and the water is, of course, the one
which had come out of the rock.
The Israelites have, in this verse, been asked not to spread
disorder which in this context signifies disobedience to Allah and
transgression of His Commandments.
The great Commentator al-Qadi al-Baydawi points out that it is a
great error 22 to deny miracles. When Allah has given a certain stone
the unusual property of drawing iron to itself, it cannot be, logically
22. Even a great error in logic.

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Surah Al-Baqarah 2:61
and rationally speaking, impossible that He should also give another
stone the property of absorbing water from the earth and of releasing
it again. Even this explanation is meant for those who take a
superficial view of things. Otherwise, it is in no way impossible that
Allah should produce water within a stone itself. Those who call it
impossible do not actually understand the technical meaning of the
term "impossible."
An answer to a doubt about the Israelites
It has been asked whether it is necessary, in times of drought, to
offer formal prayers in order to beseech Allah for rains. The present
verse tells us that Sayyidna Musa WJILL just prayed for water, and
Allah made a miraculous provision. It shows that the essential thing
in beseeching Allah for rains is just a prayer. In the Shari'ah of
Sayyidnā Mūsa >JI e , a mere prayer was considered to be sufficient
for the purpose. According to Imam Abu Hanifah, this principle holds
good for the Islamic Shari'ah too. The Holy Prophet , has, in this
respect, acted differently on different occasions. An authentic hadith
reports that once he went outside the city to the open space where the
congregational prayers were held on the day of the 'Id, offered formal
prayers, delivered a Khutbah (address), and then prayed to Allah for
rains. According to another hadith reported by Al-Bukhari and
Muslim from the blessed Companion Anas, once the Holy Prophet
prayed for rains while delivering the Khutbah on Friday, and Allah
sent down rains.
No matter what form the prayer takes, all the scholars agree that
it cannot be effective unless it is accompanied by a repentance for one's
sins, a confession of one's powerlessness, a sincere expression of
humility and an affirmation of servitude to Allah. So long as one
persists in sin and transgression, one has no right to hope that the
prayer would be answered. But if Allah may, in His mercy and
benevolence, grant the prayer without this condition being fulfilled, it
is His will, and He is All-Powerful.
Verse 61
وَإِذْ قُلُهُمْ يُؤْسِى لَنْ تَّصْبَر عَلَى طَعَامِ تَوَاحِدٍ فَادْعُ لَنَا رَبَّكَ