Surah 2. Al-Baqarah

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Verses [Section]: 1-7[1], 8-20 [2], 21-29 [3], 30-39 [4], 40-46 [5], 47-59 [6], 60-61 [7], 62-71 [8], 72-82 [9], 83-86 [10], 87-96 [11], 97-103 [12], 104-112 [13], 113-121 [14], 122-129 [15], 130-141 [16], 142-147 [17], 148-151 [18], 152-163 [19], 164-167 [20], 168-176 [21], 177-182 [22], 183-188 [23], 189-196 [24], 197-210 [25], 211-216 [26], 217-221 [27], 222-228 [28], 229-231 [29], 232-235 [30], 236-242 [31], 243-248 [32], 249-253 [33], 254-257 [34], 258-260 [35], 261-266 [36], 267-273 [37], 274-281 [38], 282-283 [39], 284-286 [40]

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Quran Text of Verse 47-59یٰبَنِیْۤO Childrenاِسْرَآءِیْلَ(of) Israel!اذْكُرُوْاRememberنِعْمَتِیَMy FavorالَّتِیْۤwhichاَنْعَمْتُI bestowedعَلَیْكُمْupon youوَ اَنِّیْand that Iفَضَّلْتُكُمْ[I] preferred youعَلَیoverالْعٰلَمِیْنَ the worlds وَ اتَّقُوْاAnd fearیَوْمًاa dayلَّا(will) notتَجْزِیْavailنَفْسٌany soulعَنْforنَّفْسٍ(another) soulشَیْـًٔاanythingوَّ لَاand notیُقْبَلُwill be acceptedمِنْهَاfrom itشَفَاعَةٌany intercessionوَّ لَاand notیُؤْخَذُwill be takenمِنْهَاfrom itعَدْلٌa compensationوَّ لَاand notهُمْtheyیُنْصَرُوْنَ will be helped 2. Al-Baqarah Page 8وَ اِذْAnd whenنَجَّیْنٰكُمْWe saved youمِّنْfromاٰلِ(the) peopleفِرْعَوْنَ(of) Firaunیَسُوْمُوْنَكُمْ(who were) afflicting you (with)سُوْٓءَhorribleالْعَذَابِtormentیُذَبِّحُوْنَslaughteringاَبْنَآءَكُمْyour sonsوَ یَسْتَحْیُوْنَand letting liveنِسَآءَكُمْ ؕyour womenوَ فِیْAnd inذٰلِكُمْthatبَلَآءٌ(was) a trialمِّنْfromرَّبِّكُمْyour Lordعَظِیْمٌ great وَ اِذْAnd whenفَرَقْنَاWe partedبِكُمُfor youالْبَحْرَthe seaفَاَنْجَیْنٰكُمْthen We saved youوَ اَغْرَقْنَاۤand We drownedاٰلَ(the) peopleفِرْعَوْنَ(of) Firaunوَ اَنْتُمْwhile youتَنْظُرُوْنَ (were) looking وَ اِذْAnd whenوٰعَدْنَاWe appointedمُوْسٰۤی(for) MusaاَرْبَعِیْنَfortyلَیْلَةًnightsثُمَّThenاتَّخَذْتُمُyou tookالْعِجْلَthe calfمِنْۢfromبَعْدِهٖafter himوَ اَنْتُمْand youظٰلِمُوْنَ (were) wrongdoers ثُمَّThenعَفَوْنَاWe forgaveعَنْكُمْyouمِّنْۢfromبَعْدِafterذٰلِكَthatلَعَلَّكُمْso that you mayتَشْكُرُوْنَ (be) grateful وَ اِذْAnd whenاٰتَیْنَاWe gaveمُوْسَیMusaالْكِتٰبَthe Bookوَ الْفُرْقَانَand the Criterionلَعَلَّكُمْperhaps youتَهْتَدُوْنَ (would be) guided وَ اِذْAnd whenقَالَsaidمُوْسٰیMusaلِقَوْمِهٖto his peopleیٰقَوْمِO my people!اِنَّكُمْIndeed youظَلَمْتُمْ[you] have wrongedاَنْفُسَكُمْyourselvesبِاتِّخَاذِكُمُby your takingالْعِجْلَthe calfفَتُوْبُوْۤاSo turn in repentanceاِلٰیtoبَارِىِٕكُمْyour Creatorفَاقْتُلُوْۤاand killاَنْفُسَكُمْ ؕyourselvesذٰلِكُمْThatخَیْرٌ(is) betterلَّكُمْfor youعِنْدَwithبَارِىِٕكُمْ ؕyour CreatorفَتَابَThen He turnedعَلَیْكُمْ ؕtowards youاِنَّهٗIndeed He!هُوَHeالتَّوَّابُ(is) the Oft-returningالرَّحِیْمُ the Most Merciful وَ اِذْAnd whenقُلْتُمْyou saidیٰمُوْسٰیO MusaلَنْNeverنُّؤْمِنَ(will) we believeلَكَin youحَتّٰیuntilنَرَیwe seeاللّٰهَAllahجَهْرَةًmanifestlyفَاَخَذَتْكُمُSo seized youالصّٰعِقَةُthe thunderboltوَ اَنْتُمْwhile youتَنْظُرُوْنَ (were) looking ثُمَّThenبَعَثْنٰكُمْWe revived youمِّنْۢfromبَعْدِafterمَوْتِكُمْyour deathلَعَلَّكُمْso that you mayتَشْكُرُوْنَ (be) grateful وَ ظَلَّلْنَاAnd We shadedعَلَیْكُمُ[over] youالْغَمَامَ(with) [the] cloudsوَ اَنْزَلْنَاand We sent downعَلَیْكُمُto youالْمَنَّ[the] mannaوَ السَّلْوٰی ؕand [the] quailsكُلُوْاEatمِنْfromطَیِّبٰتِ(the) good thingsمَاthatرَزَقْنٰكُمْ ؕWe have provided youوَ مَاAnd notظَلَمُوْنَاthey wronged Usوَ لٰكِنْbutكَانُوْۤاthey wereاَنْفُسَهُمْ(to) themselvesیَظْلِمُوْنَ doing wrong 2. Al-Baqarah Page 9وَ اِذْAnd whenقُلْنَاWe saidادْخُلُوْاEnterهٰذِهِthisالْقَرْیَةَtownفَكُلُوْاthen eatمِنْهَاfrom [it]حَیْثُwhereverشِئْتُمْyou wish[ed]رَغَدًاabundantlyوَّ ادْخُلُواand enterالْبَابَthe gateسُجَّدًاprostratingوَّ قُوْلُوْاAnd sayحِطَّةٌRepentanceنَّغْفِرْWe will forgiveلَكُمْfor youخَطٰیٰكُمْ ؕyour sinsوَ سَنَزِیْدُAnd We will increaseالْمُحْسِنِیْنَ the good-doers (in reward) فَبَدَّلَBut changedالَّذِیْنَthose whoظَلَمُوْاwrongedقَوْلًا(the) wordغَیْرَother (than)الَّذِیْthat whichقِیْلَwas saidلَهُمْto themفَاَنْزَلْنَاso We sent downعَلَیuponالَّذِیْنَthose whoظَلَمُوْاwrongedرِجْزًاa punishmentمِّنَfromالسَّمَآءِthe skyبِمَاbecauseكَانُوْاthey wereیَفْسُقُوْنَ ۠defiantly disobeying

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Translation of Verse 47-59

47. O Children of Israel ! Recall⁶⁸ My favour which was bestowed on you and the fact that I had given you preference⁶⁹ over all (the communities) of the world.

48. And guard yourselves against the day when no soul will avail another, when no intercession will be accepted from it nor will any compensation be taken from it nor will they be helped.

49. And (recall) when We delivered you from the people of Pharaoh, who had subjected you to dreadful torment, slaying your sons and sparing your women. That was a tremendous trial from your Lord.

50. And (recall) when We split the sea for you and rescued you and drowned the folk of the Pharaoh while you were looking on.

51. And (recall) when we appointed⁷⁰ forty nights (of solitude) for Moosa, (Moses) you took the calf⁷¹ in his absence (for worship) and thus committed a (grievous) wrong.

52. Even then, we pardoned you so that you might be grateful.

53. And (recall) when We gave to Moosa the scripture and Furqan (the Criterion⁷² of right and wrong) so that you might be rightly guided.

54. And (recall) when Moosa said to his people “You have indeed wronged yourselves by your worship of the calf, so turn in repentance to your Maker and kill⁷³ (the guilty) yourselves. That will be better⁷⁴ for you in the sight of your Maker. Then He accepted your repentance. Indeed He is Relenting, the Most Merciful.

55. And (recall) you said: “O Moosa ! We will not believe in you unless we see Allah openly”, then you were dazed with thunder and lightning while you merely looked on⁷⁵

56. Then We revived you after your death, so that you might be grateful.

57. And We caused the clouds to give you shade and send down to you Manna and Salwa⁷⁶ saying: “Eat of the good and clean things we have provided for you.” But, (by what they did) they did not harm us; they harmed themselves.

58. “And (recall) when We said: “Enter this town⁷⁷ and eat there freely as you wish, and enter the gate⁷⁸ bowing down and saying Hittatun⁷⁹ (implying Pardon) We will forgive you, your sins and will increase the reward of the right-doers”

59. But the transgressors changed the word that had been told to them for another. So we sent down upon the transgressors chastisement from the heavens for their evil doing.

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Commentary

68. Here a reference is made to the important events in the history of the Bani Israel. They were fully aware of these events. The idea was to show that on the one hand Allah had bestowed great favours on this community while on the other these people acted so ungratefully that finally they were condemned by Allah.

69. By giving them Scripture and Guidance Allah had favoured the Bani Israel with the leadership of the nations of the world so that they might present the call of the true religion to the whole world.

70. In the Desert of Sinai Allah had called Moosa on the Mountain Sinai for 40 days and nights so that he may be given the laws of shariah.

71. Cow-worship was customary in Egypt. The Bani Israel too got infected with the malady worshipping the calf is mentioned in the old Testament: “They have made for themselves a molten calf and have worshipped it and sacrificed to it and said there are your gods, Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt. (‘Exodus 32: 8.)

72. Furqan is a quality of Torah. In other words the essential feature of Torah was that it discriminated between good and evil. It served as a criterion of good and evil for the believers and helped them to desist from doing wrong in their dealings.

73. This was the punishment given to them for worshipping the calf. Those who had not committed the sin of “Shirk” (worshipping calf etc.) were commanded to kill with their own hands those who had turned non-believers by worshipping the calf. The Torah says: “And the sons of Levi did according to the word of Moses and there fell of the people that day about three thousand men.” (Exodus 32:28) This shows that Shirk (Worshipping other beings than Allah) is the greatest sin in Islam and its punishment is also very severe.

74. That is: such a deterrent punishment was absolutely necessary for keeping the society’s belief in the Unity of Allah steadfast. Leniency in dealing with the sin of “Shirk” (Polytheism) would result in laxity in the belief and would lead to all kinds of corruption in the activities of the entire community.

75. They were unable to accept that Allah spoke to Moosa and gave His commandments to him. They demanded to see him speaking with Allah before accepting his statement. This was merely an excuse for not accepting since they had seen open signs from Allah, which were shown by Moosa. That is why Allah punished them for their new excuse. According to the old Testament, there were 70 men who had accompanied Moosa to the Mount Sinai.

76. After the exodus from Egypt, Bani Israel had stayed in the Sinai Desert. Allah had provided them with the shade of clouds for protecting them from the sun and provided them with “Manna’ and Salwa” for protecting them from starvation. ‘Manna’ was something like gum which fell from above like dew and got frozen. It was round shaped like the coriander seeds and was collected by Bani Israel. It served them as bread. Salwa was a bird like quail. They used to fly in flocks and Bani Israel could easily hunt them. Torah says:

And the Lord said to Moses I have heard the murmurings of the People of Israel say to them, ‘At twilight you shall eat flesh and in the morning you shall be filled with bread, then you shall know that I am the Lord your God.’ In the evening quails came up and covered the camp and in the morning dew lay round about the camp. “(Exodus 17:-11-13)

These provisions were in such abundance that the entire community could feed on them.

77. By the town is probably meant the Palestinian township Eriha. This town was first occupied by Bani Israel.

78. The gate here refers to the gate of the township. So when the town is conquered, do not enter it with pride but with humility, bowing your heads before Allah and seeking pardon for your sins.

When materialists conquer a country, their heads are raised with pride and they fill the earth with tyranny and oppression. Contrary to this, the teaching of Islam is that when Muslims are to enter any country as conquerors they should not follow the practice of tyrants and vain warriors but they should adopt the attitude of humility before Allah and should seek His pardon for their sins. This attitude and thinking will keep them away from all sorts of excesses and tyranny.

79. To say “Hittatun” signifies entering with a sense of humility and seeking pardon from Allah.