Tafheem ul Quran

Surah 2 Al-Baqarah, Ayat 49-74

وَاِذۡ نَجَّيۡنٰکُمۡ مِّنۡ اٰلِ فِرۡعَوۡنَ يَسُوۡمُوۡنَكُمۡ سُوۡٓءَ الۡعَذَابِ يُذَبِّحُوۡنَ اَبۡنَآءَكُمۡ وَيَسۡتَحۡيُوۡنَ نِسَآءَكُمۡ​ؕ وَفِىۡ ذٰلِكُمۡ بَلَاۤءٌ مِّنۡ رَّبِّكُمۡ عَظِيۡمٌ‏ ﴿2:49﴾ وَاِذۡ فَرَقۡنَا بِكُمُ الۡبَحۡرَ فَاَنۡجَيۡنٰکُمۡ وَاَغۡرَقۡنَآ اٰلَ فِرۡعَوۡنَ وَاَنۡتُمۡ تَنۡظُرُوۡنَ‏ ﴿2:50﴾ وَاِذۡ وٰعَدۡنَا مُوۡسٰٓى اَرۡبَعِيۡنَ لَيۡلَةً ثُمَّ اتَّخَذۡتُمُ الۡعِجۡلَ مِنۡۢ بَعۡدِهٖ وَاَنۡـتُمۡ ظٰلِمُوۡنَ‏ ﴿2:51﴾ ثُمَّ عَفَوۡنَا عَنۡكُمۡ مِّنۡۢ بَعۡدِ ذٰلِكَ لَعَلَّكُمۡ تَشۡكُرُوۡنَ‏ ﴿2:52﴾ وَاِذۡ اٰتَيۡنَا مُوۡسَى الۡكِتٰبَ وَالۡفُرۡقَانَ لَعَلَّكُمۡ تَهۡتَدُوۡنَ‏  ﴿2:53﴾ وَاِذۡ قَالَ مُوۡسٰى لِقَوۡمِهٖ يٰقَوۡمِ اِنَّكُمۡ ظَلَمۡتُمۡ اَنۡفُسَکُمۡ بِاتِّخَاذِكُمُ الۡعِجۡلَ فَتُوۡبُوۡآ اِلٰى بَارِئِكُمۡ فَاقۡتُلُوۡٓا اَنۡفُسَكُمۡؕ ذٰ لِكُمۡ خَيۡرٌ لَّـكُمۡ عِنۡدَ بَارِئِكُمۡ ؕ فَتَابَ عَلَيۡكُمۡ​ؕ اِنَّهٗ هُوَ التَّوَّابُ الرَّحِيۡمُ‏ ﴿2:54﴾ وَاِذۡ قُلۡتُمۡ يٰمُوۡسٰى لَنۡ نُّؤۡمِنَ لَـكَ حَتّٰى نَرَى اللّٰهَ جَهۡرَةً فَاَخَذَتۡكُمُ الصّٰعِقَةُ وَاَنۡتُمۡ تَنۡظُرُوۡنَ‏ ﴿2:55﴾ ثُمَّ بَعَثۡنٰكُمۡ مِّنۡۢ بَعۡدِ مَوۡتِكُمۡ لَعَلَّکُمۡ تَشۡكُرُوۡنَ‏  ﴿2:56﴾ وَظَلَّلۡنَا عَلَيۡکُمُ الۡغَمَامَ وَاَنۡزَلۡنَا عَلَيۡكُمُ الۡمَنَّ وَالسَّلۡوٰى​ؕ كُلُوۡا مِنۡ طَيِّبٰتِ مَا رَزَقۡنٰكُمۡ​ؕ وَمَا ظَلَمُوۡنَا وَلٰـكِنۡ كَانُوۡآ اَنۡفُسَهُمۡ يَظۡلِمُوۡنَ‏ ﴿2:57﴾ وَاِذۡ قُلۡنَا ادۡخُلُوۡا هٰذِهِ الۡقَرۡيَةَ فَکُلُوۡا مِنۡهَا حَيۡثُ شِئۡتُمۡ رَغَدًا وَّادۡخُلُوا الۡبَابَ سُجَّدًا وَّقُوۡلُوۡا حِطَّةٌ نَّغۡفِرۡ لَـكُمۡ خَطٰيٰكُمۡ​ؕ وَسَنَزِيۡدُ الۡمُحۡسِنِيۡنَ‏ ﴿2:58﴾ فَبَدَّلَ الَّذِيۡنَ ظَلَمُوۡا قَوۡلاً غَيۡرَ الَّذِىۡ قِيۡلَ لَهُمۡ فَاَنۡزَلۡنَا عَلَى الَّذِيۡنَ ظَلَمُوۡا رِجۡزًا مِّنَ السَّمَآءِ بِمَا كَانُوۡا يَفۡسُقُوۡنَ‏  ﴿2:59﴾ وَاِذِ اسۡتَسۡقَىٰ مُوۡسٰى لِقَوۡمِهٖ فَقُلۡنَا اضۡرِب بِّعَصَاكَ الۡحَجَرَ​ؕ فَانۡفَجَرَتۡ مِنۡهُ اثۡنَتَا عَشۡرَةَ عَيۡنًا​ؕ قَدۡ عَلِمَ کُلُّ اُنَاسٍ مَّشۡرَبَهُمۡ​ؕ کُلُوۡا وَاشۡرَبُوۡا مِنۡ رِّزۡقِ اللّٰهِ وَلَا تَعۡثَوۡا فِىۡ الۡاَرۡضِ مُفۡسِدِيۡنَ‏  ﴿2:60﴾ وَاِذۡ قُلۡتُمۡ يٰمُوۡسٰى لَنۡ نَّصۡبِرَ عَلٰى طَعَامٍ وَّاحِدٍ فَادۡعُ لَنَا رَبَّكَ يُخۡرِجۡ لَنَا مِمَّا تُنۡۢبِتُ الۡاَرۡضُ مِنۡۢ بَقۡلِهَا وَقِثَّـآئِهَا وَفُوۡمِهَا وَعَدَسِهَا وَ بَصَلِهَا​ؕ قَالَ اَتَسۡتَبۡدِلُوۡنَ الَّذِىۡ هُوَ اَدۡنٰى بِالَّذِىۡ هُوَ خَيۡرٌ​ؕ اِهۡبِطُوۡا مِصۡرًا فَاِنَّ لَـکُمۡ مَّا سَاَلۡتُمۡ​ؕ وَضُرِبَتۡ عَلَيۡهِمُ الذِّلَّةُ وَالۡمَسۡکَنَةُ وَبَآءُوۡ بِغَضَبٍ مِّنَ اللّٰهِ​ؕ ذٰلِكَ بِاَنَّهُمۡ كَانُوۡا يَكۡفُرُوۡنَ بِاٰيٰتِ اللّٰهِ وَيَقۡتُلُوۡنَ النَّبِيّٖنَ بِغَيۡرِ الۡحَـقِّ​ؕ ذٰلِكَ بِمَا عَصَوا وَّڪَانُوۡا يَعۡتَدُوۡنَ‏ ﴿2:61﴾ اِنَّ الَّذِيۡنَ اٰمَنُوۡا وَالَّذِيۡنَ هَادُوۡا وَالنَّصٰرٰى وَالصّٰبِـئِـيۡنَ مَنۡ اٰمَنَ بِاللّٰهِ وَالۡيَوۡمِ الۡاٰخِرِ وَعَمِلَ صَالِحًـا فَلَهُمۡ اَجۡرُهُمۡ عِنۡدَ رَبِّهِمۡۚ وَلَا خَوۡفٌ عَلَيۡهِمۡ وَلَا هُمۡ يَحۡزَنُوۡنَ‏ ﴿2:62﴾ وَاِذۡ اَخَذۡنَا مِيۡثَاقَكُمۡ وَرَفَعۡنَا فَوۡقَكُمُ الطُّوۡرَؕ خُذُوۡا مَآ اٰتَيۡنٰكُمۡ بِقُوَّةٍ وَّ اذۡكُرُوۡا مَا فِيۡهِ لَعَلَّكُمۡ تَتَّقُوۡنَ‏ ﴿2:63﴾ ثُمَّ تَوَلَّيۡتُمۡ مِّنۡۢ بَعۡدِ ذٰلِكَ​​ۚ فَلَوۡلَا فَضۡلُ اللّٰهِ عَلَيۡكُمۡ وَرَحۡمَتُهٗ لَـكُنۡتُمۡ مِّنَ الۡخٰسِرِيۡنَ‏ ﴿2:64﴾ وَلَقَدۡ عَلِمۡتُمُ الَّذِيۡنَ اعۡتَدَوۡا مِنۡكُمۡ فِىۡ السَّبۡتِ فَقُلۡنَا لَهُمۡ كُوۡنُوۡا قِرَدَةً خَاسِـِٔـيۡنَ ​ۚ‏ ﴿2:65﴾ فَجَعَلۡنٰهَا نَكٰلاً لِّمَا بَيۡنَ يَدَيۡهَا وَمَا خَلۡفَهَا وَمَوۡعِظَةً لِّلۡمُتَّقِيۡنَ‏ ﴿2:66﴾ وَاِذۡ قَالَ مُوۡسٰى لِقَوۡمِهٖۤ اِنَّ اللّٰهَ يَاۡمُرُكُمۡ اَنۡ تَذۡبَحُوۡا بَقَرَةً ​ ؕ قَالُوۡآ اَتَتَّخِذُنَا هُزُوًۡا ​ؕ قَالَ اَعُوۡذُ بِاللّٰهِ اَنۡ اَكُوۡنَ مِنَ الۡجٰـهِلِيۡنَ‏ ﴿2:67﴾ قَالُوا ادۡعُ لَنَا رَبَّكَ يُبَيِّنۡ لَّنَا مَا هِىَ​ؕ قَالَ اِنَّهٗ يَقُوۡلُ اِنَّهَا بَقَرَةٌ لَّا فَارِضٌ وَّلَا بِكۡرٌؕ عَوَانٌۢ بَيۡنَ ذٰلِكَ​ؕ فَافۡعَلُوۡا مَا تُؤۡمَرُوۡنَ‏ ﴿2:68﴾ قَالُوا ادۡعُ لَنَا رَبَّكَ يُبَيِّنۡ لَّنَا مَا لَوۡنُهَا ​ؕ قَالَ اِنَّهٗ يَقُوۡلُ اِنَّهَا بَقَرَةٌ صَفۡرَآءُۙ فَاقِعٌ لَّوۡنُهَا تَسُرُّ النّٰظِرِيۡنَ‏  ﴿2:69﴾ قَالُوا ادۡعُ لَنَا رَبَّكَ يُبَيِّنۡ لَّنَا مَا هِىَۙ اِنَّ الۡبَقَرَ تَشٰبَهَ عَلَيۡنَا ؕ وَاِنَّـآ اِنۡ شَآءَ اللّٰهُ لَمُهۡتَدُوۡنَ‏ ﴿2:70﴾ قَالَ اِنَّهٗ يَقُوۡلُ اِنَّهَا بَقَرَةٌ لَّا ذَلُوۡلٌ تُثِيۡرُ الۡاَرۡضَ وَلَا تَسۡقِى الۡحَـرۡثَ ​ۚ مُسَلَّمَةٌ لَّا شِيَةَ فِيۡهَا ​ؕ قَالُوا الۡـٰٔـنَ جِئۡتَ بِالۡحَـقِّ​ؕ فَذَبَحُوۡهَا وَمَا كَادُوۡا يَفۡعَلُوۡنَ‏ ﴿2:71﴾ وَ اِذۡ قَتَلۡتُمۡ نَفۡسًا فَادّٰرَءۡتُمۡ فِيۡهَا ​ؕ وَاللّٰهُ مُخۡرِجٌ مَّا كُنۡتُمۡ تَكۡتُمُوۡنَۚ‏ ﴿2:72﴾ فَقُلۡنَا اضۡرِبُوۡهُ بِبَعۡضِهَا ​ؕ كَذٰلِكَ يُحۡىِ اللّٰهُ الۡمَوۡتٰى ۙ وَيُرِيۡکُمۡ اٰيٰتِهٖ لَعَلَّكُمۡ تَعۡقِلُوۡنَ‏ ﴿2:73﴾ ثُمَّ قَسَتۡ قُلُوۡبُكُمۡ مِّنۡۢ بَعۡدِ ذٰلِكَ فَهِىَ كَالۡحِجَارَةِ اَوۡ اَشَدُّ قَسۡوَةً ​ ؕ وَاِنَّ مِنَ الۡحِجَارَةِ لَمَا يَتَفَجَّرُ مِنۡهُ الۡاَنۡهٰرُ​ؕ وَاِنَّ مِنۡهَا لَمَا يَشَّقَّقُ فَيَخۡرُجُ مِنۡهُ الۡمَآءُ​ؕ وَاِنَّ مِنۡهَا لَمَا يَهۡبِطُ مِنۡ خَشۡيَةِ اللّٰهِ​ؕ وَمَا اللّٰهُ بِغَافِلٍ عَمَّا تَعۡمَلُوۡنَ‏ ﴿2:74﴾

(2:49) And recall64 when We rescued you from the slavery of Pharaoh’s people65 who had afflicted you with dreadful suffering, slaying your males and sparing your females. That was a tremendous trial for you from your Lord.66 (2:50) And recall when We split the sea, providing passage for you, and thus saved you and caused Pharaoh’s people to drown before your very eyes. (2:51) And recall when We summoned Moses for a term of forty nights,67 and then you set up the calf as your god in his absence.68 You indeed committed a grave wrong. (2:52) Yet We pardoned you that you might be grateful. (2:53) And recall (that while you were committing this wrong) We gave Moses the Scripture69 and the Criterion that you are guided to the Right Way. (2:54) And recall when (on returning with this favour) Moses said to his people: “My people! You have wronged yourselves by taking the calf for an object of worship, so turn in repentance to your Creator and kill yourselves.70 This will be best for you in your Creator’s sight.” Thereupon He accepted your repentance. Indeed He is Much-Relenting, Most Compassionate. (2:55) And recall when you said: “O Moses, we will not believe in you until we clearly see Allah (speaking to you).” Thereupon a tremendous thunderbolt struck you before your very eyes. (2:56) Then We revived you after your extinction, that you might be grateful.71 (2:57) And We caused a cloud to comfort you with shade,72 and We sent down upon you manna and the quails,73 (saying): “Eat of the good wherewithal that We have provided you as sustenance.” And by their sinning (your forefathers) did not wrong Us: it is they themselves whom they wronged. (2:58) And recall when We said: “Go into this town74 and eat abundantly of its food; but enter the gate prostrate, saying, “Repentance”.75We will forgive you your sins and shall bestow more favour on the doers of good.” (2:59) Then the wrong-doers substituted another saying for that which had been given them; and so We sent down a scourge upon the wrong-doers from the heavens for their transgression. (2:60) And recall when Moses prayed for water for his people and We replied: “Strike the rock with your staff.” And there gushed out from it twelve springs76 and each tribe knew its drinking-place. (Then you were directed): “Eat and drink of the sustenance provided by Allah, and do not go about acting wickedly on earth, spreading mischief.” (2:61) And recall when you said: “O Moses, surely we cannot put up with one sort of food, so pray to your Lord to bring out for us what the earth produces – its herbs and its cucumbers and its corn and its lentils and its garlic and its onions.” Then Moses said: “Will you take a meaner thing in exchange for what is better?77 Go down to some city and there you shall get what you ask for.” And ignominy and wretchedness were pitched upon them and they were laden with the burden of Allah’s wrath. This was because they denied the Signs of Allah78 and slew the Prophets unrightfully.79 All this, because they disobeyed and persistently exceeded the limits (of the Law). (2:62) Whether they are the ones who believe (in the Arabian Prophet), or whether they are Jews, Christians or Sabians – all who believe in Allah and the Last Day, and do righteous deeds – their reward is surely secure with their Lord; they need have no fear, nor shall they grieve.80 (2:63) And recall when We made a covenant with you and caused the Mount Sinai to tower above you,81 (saying): “Hold fast to the Book that We have given you, and remember the directives and commandments in it, that you be pious.” (2:64) Then you turned away from your covenant, and had it not been for Allah’s grace and mercy upon you, you would have long been utter losers. (2:65) And you know the case of those of you who broke the Sabbath,82 how We said to them: “Become apes, despised and hated.”83 (2:66) And thus We made their end a warning for the people of their own time and for the succeeding generations, and an admonition to the God-fearing. (2:67) And then recall when Moses said to his people: “Behold, Allah commands you to slaughter a cow.” They said: “Are you jesting with us?” Moses answered: “I seek refuge in Allah that I should behave in the manner of the ignorant.” (2:68) They said: “Pray to your Lord that He make clear to us what she is like.” Moses answered: “He says, she is a cow, neither old nor immature, but of an age in between the two. Do, then, what you have been commanded.” (2:69) They said: “Pray to your Lord that He make clear to us of what colour she is.” Moses answered: “He says, she is a yellow cow, with a bright colour which is pleasing to those who see!” (2:70) They said: “Pray to your Lord that He make clear to us what cow she is. Cows seem much alike to us, and if Allah wills, we shall be guided.”84 (2:71) Moses answered: “Lo! He says, she is a cow unyoked to plough the earth or to water the tillage, one that has been kept secure, with no blemish on her!” Thereupon they cried out: “Now you have come forth with the information that will direct us aright.” And they slaughtered her although they scarcely seemed to do so. (2:72) And recall when you killed a man and then began to remonstrate and cast the blame (of killing) upon one another even though Allah was determined to bring to light what you were hiding. (2:73) Then We ordered: “Smite the corpse with a part of it.” Thus does Allah bring the dead to life and thus does He show His Signs that you might understand.85 (2:74) Then (even after observing this) your hearts hardened and became like stones, or even harder. For surely there are some stones from which streams burst forth and some that split asunder and water issues out, and some that crash down for fear of Allah. Allah is not heedless of the things you do.

Notes

64. From here on, through the several sections that follow, reference is made to the best

65. We have rendered 'Al Fir'awn' as 'Pharaoh's people'. This includes the members of the Pharaonic family as well as the aristocracy of Egypt.

66. The test was whether they would emerge from the crucible of persecution as pure gold, or as mere dross. The test also lay, in whether or not, after their miraculous deliverance from so great a calamity, they would become grateful servants of God.

67. When the Israelites reached the Sinai peninsula after their exodus from Egypt, God summoned Moses to the mountain for forty days and nights so that the nation which had now achieved independence could be taught law and morality. (See Exodus 24-3l.)

68. The cult of cow-worship was widespread among Israel's neighbours. It was particularly common in Egypt and Canaan. After the time of Joseph, when the Israelites fell prey to degeneracy and became the slaves of the Copts, they were contaminated by many of the corrupt practices prevalent among their rulers. Cow-worship was one of them. (There is a detailed account of the episode of calf-worship in Exodus 32.)

69. 'Criterion' here means that understanding of religion which differentiates truth from falsehood, making each stand out distinctly.

70. That is, they should put to death those of their own number who made the calf an object of worship and actually worshipped it.

71. The incident referred to here is the following. When Moses went to the mountain he had been ordered to bring with him seventy elders of Israel. Later, when God bestowed upon Moses the Book and the Criterion, he presented them to the people. Some mischief-makers, according to the Qur'an, began to complain that they could not believe in something just because Moses claimed that God had spoken to him. This invited the wrath of God and they were punished. The Old Testament, however, has the following account:

'And they saw the God of Israel and there was under his feet as it were a pavement of sapphire stone, like the very heaven for clearness. And he did not lay his hand on the chief men of the people of Israel; they beheld God, and ate and drank' (Exodus 24: 10-11),

Interestingly, it is stated later in the same book that when Moses requested God to show him His glory, God rejected the request and said: 'You cannot see my face; for man shall not see me and live'. (See Exodus 33: 18-23)

72. That is, God provided them with shade from clouds in the Sinai peninsula where there was no shelter from the heat of the sun.

It should be remembered that the Israelites had left Egypt in their hundreds of thousands. In Sinai, there were not even any tents in which they could shelter, never mind proper houses. But for the fact that God by His grace kept the sky, overcast for a considerable period, these people would have been scorched to death by the heat of the sun.

73. Manna and quails constituted the natural food that was continually made available to them throughout the forty years of their wandering in the Sinai desert. Manna was like coriander seed. When the dew fell in the night, manna fell with it from above. By God's grace the quails were made available so plentifully that the entire nation was able to live on them alone and so escaped starvation. (For details regarding manna and quails see Exodus 16; Numbers 11: 7-9 and 31-2; Joshua 5: 12)

74. It has not yet been possible to arrive at any conclusion about the identity of the locality mentioned here. The series of events in the context of which God's command to enter the city is mentioned belong to the period of the exodus of the Children of Israel in the Sinai peninsula. It is therefore probable that the place mentioned in this verse is some Sinaitic city. Another plausible suggestion is that it is Shattim, which was located opposite Jericho on the eastern bank of the river Jordan. According to the Bible the Israelites conquered this town during the last years of the life of Moses. After the conquest the Israelites became so decadent that God smote them with a plague from which twenty-four thousand died (Numbers 25: 1-9).

75. God's command was to enter the city not with the arrogance of tyrannical conquerors, but with the humility of men of God (in the manner in which the Prophet would later enter Makka at the time of its conquest).

As for 'hit ' tah', it could either mean that when they entered the town they should seek God's pardon for their sins or that instead of plundering and massacring people in the wake of their conquest, they should proclaim an amnesty.

76 That rock can still be seen in the Sinai Peninsula with the twelve holes of the springs. Twelve springs were caused to flow for the Israelites in order to avoid water disputes among their twelve clans.

77. This does not mean that their real fault lay in asking for things which entailed cultivation instead of availing themselves of manna and quails which they received without any toil. What is emphasized here is that rather than being concerned with the great purpose for which they had been brought to the Sinai they relished the foods which gratified their palates to such a degree that they could not forgo them even temporarily (cf. Numbers 11: 4-9).

78. There are several ways in which one might deny the signs of God. First, one might refuse to accept those teachings of God which one found contrary to one's fancies and desires. Second, one might know that something is from God and yet wilfully flout it. Third, one might know well the import of God's directives and yet distort them.

79. The Israelites recorded their crimes in detail in their own history. Here are just a few examples from the Bible:

(1) After the death of Solomon the state of the Israelites was split into two: the State of Judah with its capital in Jerusalem, and the State of Israel with its capital in Samaria. This was followed by a series of wars between the two States so that the State of Judah sought the assistance of the Aramacan State of Damascus against its own kinsmen. At this, Hamani the seer went under God's direction to Asa the king and rebuked him. Instead of rectifying his behaviour, Asa was so angry that he put the seer in the stocks. (See 2 Chronicles 16: 7-10.)

(2) When Elijah denounced the Jews for their worship of Baal and invited them to return to monotheism, Ahab, the king of Israel pursued him for the sake of his pagan wife so that he had to take refuge in the mountains of the Sinai peninsula. On this occasion, according to the Bible, he said: '. . . the people of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thy altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword., and 1, even 1 only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away' (1 Kings 19: 14).

(3) The same king Ahab imprisoned another Prophet, Micah, for no other reason than that of speaking the truth. King Ahab ordered that he should be given only bread and water. (See 1 Kings 22: 26-7)

(4) When idol-worship and moral corruption became prevalent in Judah and the Prophet Zechariah raised his voice against them, he was stoned to death in the very court of the house of the Lord. (See 2 Chronicles 24: 2l.)

(5) When the Israelite State of Samaria was wiped out by the State of Jerusalem, the Prophet Jeremiah deplored the condition of the Israelites. He warned them that it was time they set about mending their ways otherwise they would face an even more calamitous end than that of Samaria. The response to this sincere preaching was abuse and curses: he was beaten, imprisoned, put in the stocks and lowered by ropes into a cistern, where he was left to die of hunger and thirst. He was also accused of various crimes, including treason and conspiracy. (See Jeremiah 15: 10; 18: 20-3; 20: 1-18; 36-40)

(6) It is reported of another Prophet, Amos, that when he denounced the widespread errors and corruption in the State of Samaria and warned of the evil consequences that follow such misdeeds, he was condemned to exile and told to pursue his prophetic task somewhere beyond its frontiers. (See Amos 7: 10-13.)

(7) When John the Baptist protested against the acts of moral corruption that were brazenly practised in his court, Herod, the ruler of Judah, first put John into prison, then had him beheaded at the request of a dancing girl, and had his head set on a platter and presented to the girl. (See Mark 6: 17-29)

(8) The same hostility to Prophets is evident from the life of Jesus. The priests and political leaders of Israel ultimately became inflamed against Jesus, who criticized them for their impiety and hypocrisy and invited them to true faith and righteousness. It was this which prompted them to prepare a false case against him and persuade the Romans to sign a death sentence. Later, when the Roman governor, Pilate, asked them which of the two prisoners - Jesus or Barabbas, a notorious brigand - should be released on the occasion of the feast, they asked for the release of Barabbas and for the crucifixion of Jesus (Matthew 27: 20-6). This is a shameful chapter in the record of the Jewish nation, to which the Qur'an refers here in passing. It is evident that when a nation chooses its most notoriously criminal and wicked people for positions of leadership, and its righteous and holy men for gaol and the scaffold, God has no alternative but to lay His curse and damnation on that nation.

80. The context of the verse makes it clear that it is not attempting to enumerate in detail all the articles of faith in which one should believe, or all the principles of conduct which one should follow in order to merit reward from God. These matters are mentioned elsewhere, in their appropriate places. The aim of the verse is merely to repudiate the illusion cherished by the Jews that, by virtue of their being Jews, they have a monopoly of salvation. They had long entertained the notion that a special and exclusive relationship existed between them and God. They thought, therefore, that all who belonged to their group were predestined to salvation regardless of their beliefs and actions,. whereas all non-Jews were predestined to serve as fodder for hell-fire.

To clarify this misgiving the Jews are told that what really matters in the sight of God is true faith and good deeds rather than formal affiliation with a certain religious community. Whoever has true faith and good deeds to his credit is bound to receive his reward, since God will judge people on the basis of merit rather than on the grounds that a man's name happens to be listed in the world as a member of one religious community or the other.

81. From the manner in which this incident is described at various places in the Qur'an it is obvious that, at that time, it was quite well known to the Israelites. It is difficult, however, after the Passage of many centuries to be able to speak with certainty about the precise nature of the incident. All we can say is that while the Children of Israel were making their covenant in the shadow of Mount Sinai, they witnessed an awesome phenomenon and felt as if the mountain was about to fall upon them. (Verse 171 of Surah al-A'raf) seems to portray this. See also (n. 132 in that surah.)

82. Sabbath, i.e., Saturday . It was laid down that the Israelite should consecrate that day for rest and worship. They were required to from abstain from all worldly acts, including cooking (which they might neither do themselves, nor have their servants do for them). The injunctions, in this connection were so strict that violation of the Sabbath was to be punished with death. (See Exodus 31:12-17. ) When religious and moral decadence, however, spread among the Israelites they indulged in open desecration of the Sabbath, so much so that in Jewish towns trade and commerce were carried out in broad daylight.

83. The details of this incident are mentioned later in (Surah 7, vv. 163) ff. The exact manner in which their transformation into apes took place is disputed. Some scholars are of the opinion that the transformation was a physical one, while others hold that they were invested with the attributes characteristic of apes. But both the words and the manner in which this incident is recounted in the Qur'an seem to suggest that what took place was a physical transformation of certain persons into apes rather than just a moral metamorphosis. What seems plausible to me is that while their minds were allowed to remain intact, their bodies were changed into those of apes.

84. Through contact with neighbouring peoples, the Israelites had become infested with the attitude of sanctifying the cow, in fact they had even become accustomed to cow-worship. In order to disabuse the Jews of this, they were ordered to slaughter the cow. Their professed belief that God alone was worthy of worship could be tested only by making them slaughter with their own hands what they had formerly worshipped. This test was indeed a hard one since their hearts were not fully imbued with faith. Hence, they tried to shelve the issue by resorting to enquiries about the kind of animal they were required to slaughter. But the more they enquired, the narrower the strait became for them, until the indications were as obvious as if someone had put his finger precisely on the particular animal they were required to slaughter - the animal which had for so long been an object of their worship. The Old Testament also mentions the incident, but there is no reference to the manner in which the Jews tried to evade the matter. (See Numbers 19: 1-10.)

85. At least one thing becomes clear from this statement: that the slain person was restored to life at least long enough to indicate his assassins. But the actual words in which the order 'smite the corpse with a part of it' is couched tend to create a measure of ambiguity. Nevertheless, the meaning inferred by the early Qur'anic commentators - that the order was to smite the slain man's body with some part of the slaughtered cow - seems to me plausible. Two birds were thus killed with one stone: first, they were made to behold a sign of God's power; and second, the notion that the cow possessed any holiness or sanctity was shattered. For if the of the object of their worship - the cow - had any supernatural power, some calamity should have visited them as a consequence of slaughtering it. But no calamity took place. On the contrary, killing the cow seemed to be beneficial insofar as striking a dead man with a part of it brought him back to life.