Tafheem ul Quran

Surah 2 Al-Baqarah, Ayat 87-96

وَ لَقَدۡ اٰتَيۡنَا مُوۡسَى الۡكِتٰبَ وَقَفَّيۡنَا مِنۡۢ بَعۡدِهٖ بِالرُّسُلِ​ وَاٰتَيۡنَا عِيۡسَى ابۡنَ مَرۡيَمَ الۡبَيِّنٰتِ وَاَيَّدۡنٰهُ بِرُوۡحِ الۡقُدُسِ​ؕ اَفَكُلَّمَا جَآءَكُمۡ رَسُوۡلٌۢ بِمَا لَا تَهۡوٰٓى اَنۡفُسُكُمُ اسۡتَكۡبَرۡتُمۡ​ۚ فَفَرِيۡقًا كَذَّبۡتُمۡ وَفَرِيۡقًا تَقۡتُلُوۡنَ‏ ﴿2:87﴾ وَقَالُوۡا قُلُوۡبُنَا غُلۡفٌ​ؕ بَل لَّعَنَهُمُ اللّٰهُ بِكُفۡرِهِمۡ فَقَلِيۡلًا مَّا يُؤۡمِنُوۡنَ‏ ﴿2:88﴾ وَلَمَّا جَآءَهُمۡ كِتٰبٌ مِّنۡ عِنۡدِ اللّٰهِ مُصَدِّقٌ لِّمَا مَعَهُمۡۙ وَكَانُوۡا مِنۡ قَبۡلُ يَسۡتَفۡتِحُوۡنَ عَلَى الَّذِيۡنَ كَفَرُوۡا  ​ۖۚ فَلَمَّا جَآءَهُمۡ مَّا عَرَفُوۡا کَفَرُوۡا بِهٖ​ فَلَعۡنَةُ اللّٰهِ عَلَى الۡكٰفِرِيۡنَ‏  ﴿2:89﴾ بِئۡسَمَا اشۡتَرَوۡا بِهٖۤ اَنۡفُسَهُمۡ اَنۡ يَّڪۡفُرُوۡا بِمَآ اَنۡزَلَ اللّٰهُ بَغۡيًا اَنۡ يُّنَزِّلَ اللّٰهُ مِنۡ فَضۡلِهٖ عَلٰى مَنۡ يَّشَآءُ مِنۡ عِبَادِهٖ​ۚ فَبَآءُوۡ بِغَضَبٍ عَلٰى غَضَبٍ​ؕ وَلِلۡكٰفِرِيۡنَ عَذَابٌ مُّهِيۡنٌ‏  ﴿2:90﴾ وَاِذَا قِيۡلَ لَهُمۡ اٰمِنُوۡا بِمَآ اَنۡزَلَ اللّٰهُ قَالُوۡا نُؤۡمِنُ بِمَآ اُنۡزِلَ عَلَيۡنَا وَيَكۡفُرُوۡنَ بِمَا وَرَآءَهٗ وَهُوَ الۡحَـقُّ مُصَدِّقًا لِّمَا مَعَهُمۡ​ؕ قُلۡ فَلِمَ تَقۡتُلُوۡنَ اَنۡـۢبِيَآءَ اللّٰهِ مِنۡ قَبۡلُ اِنۡ كُنۡتُمۡ مُّؤۡمِنِيۡنَ‏ ﴿2:91﴾ وَلَقَدۡ جَآءَکُمۡ مُّوۡسٰى بِالۡبَيِّنٰتِ ثُمَّ اتَّخَذۡتُمُ الۡعِجۡلَ مِنۡۢ بَعۡدِهٖ وَاَنۡـتُمۡ ظٰلِمُوۡنَ‏ ﴿2:92﴾ وَاِذۡ اَخَذۡنَا مِيۡثَاقَكُمۡ وَرَفَعۡنَا فَوۡقَکُمُ الطُّوۡرَ ؕ خُذُوۡا مَآ اٰتَيۡنٰکُمۡ بِقُوَّةٍ وَّاسۡمَعُوۡا ​ ؕ قَالُوۡا سَمِعۡنَا وَعَصَيۡنَا  وَاُشۡرِبُوۡا فِىۡ قُلُوۡبِهِمُ الۡعِجۡلَ بِکُفۡرِهِمۡ ​ؕ قُلۡ بِئۡسَمَا يَاۡمُرُکُمۡ بِهٖۤ اِيۡمَانُكُمۡ اِنۡ كُنۡتُمۡ مُّؤۡمِنِيۡنَ‏ ﴿2:93﴾ قُلۡ اِنۡ كَانَتۡ لَـکُمُ الدَّارُ الۡاٰخِرَةُ عِنۡدَ اللّٰهِ خَالِصَةً مِّنۡ دُوۡنِ النَّاسِ فَتَمَنَّوُا الۡمَوۡتَ اِنۡ کُنۡتُمۡ صٰدِقِيۡنَ‏ ﴿2:94﴾ وَ لَنۡ يَّتَمَنَّوۡهُ اَبَدًاۢ بِمَا قَدَّمَتۡ اَيۡدِيۡهِمۡ​ؕ وَاللّٰهُ عَلِيۡمٌۢ بِالظّٰلِمِيۡنَ‏ ﴿2:95﴾ وَلَتَجِدَنَّهُمۡ اَحۡرَصَ النَّاسِ عَلٰى حَيٰوةٍ  ۛۚ وَ مِنَ الَّذِيۡنَ اَشۡرَكُوۡا​​  ۛۚ يَوَدُّ اَحَدُهُمۡ لَوۡ يُعَمَّرُ اَ لۡفَ سَنَةٍ ۚ وَمَا هُوَ بِمُزَحۡزِحِهٖ مِنَ الۡعَذَابِ اَنۡ يُّعَمَّرَ​ؕ وَاللّٰهُ بَصِيۡرٌۢ بِمَا يَعۡمَلُوۡنَ ‏ ﴿2:96﴾

(2:87) Surely We gave Moses the Scripture and caused a train of Messengers to follow him and then sent Jesus, the son of Mary, with Clear Proofs and supported him with the spirit of holiness.93 But is it not true that every time a Messenger brought to you something that was not to your liking, you acted arrogantly: you called some Messengers liars and killed others? (2:88) They say: “Our hearts are well-protected.”94 No! The fact is that Allah has cursed them because of their denying the Truth. So, scarcely do they believe. (2:89) And now that there has come to them a Book from Allah, how are they treating it? Even though it confirms the Truth already in their possession, and even though they had prayed for victory against the unbelievers, and yet when that Book came to them – and they recognized it – they refused to acknowledge its Truth.95 Allah’s curse be upon the unbelievers. (2:90) Evil indeed is what they console themselves with.96 They deny the guidance revealed by Allah, grudging that He chose to bestow His gracious bounty (of revelation and prophethood) on some of His servants whom He willed.97 Thus they have brought on themselves wrath after wrath, and a humiliating chastisement is in store for such unbelievers. (2:91) When they are told: “Believe in what Allah has revealed,” they say: “We believe only in what was revealed to us (Israel).” They deny everything else even though it be the Truth which confirms what they possess. Say (to them): “If indeed you are believers, why is it that in the past you killed the Prophets of Allah (who were from Israel)?” (2:92) Moses came to you with clear proofs and yet you were so wont to wrong-doing that as soon as he was gone you took to worshipping the calf. (2:93) Recall the covenant We made with you and caused the Mount to tower above you, stressing: “Hold to what We have given you with full strength and give heed to it.” But their forefathers said: “We hear, but we disobey” – for their hearts were overflowing with love for the calf because of their unbelief. Say: “If you are people of faith, then evil are the things that your faith enjoins upon you.” (2:94) Say to them: “If indeed the Last Abode with Allah is yours, in exclusion of other people, then long for death98 if you are truthful.” (2:95) But they shall never long for it because of the (evil) deeds they have committed; Allah is well aware of the wrong-doers. (2:96) You will certainly find them most eager to cling on to life,99 indeed even more eager than those who associate others with Allah in His Divinity. Each one of them wishes to live a thousand years although the bestowal of long life cannot remove him from chastisement. Allah sees whatever they do.

Notes

93. The 'spirit of holiness' signifies the knowledge derived through revelation. It also signifies the angel Gabriel who brought this revelation. It also denotes the holy spirit of Jesus, the spirit which God had endowed with angelic character.

The expression 'clear proofs' refers to those signs which are likely to convince a truth-seeking and truth-loving person that Jesus is a Prophet of God.

94. They said, in effect, that they were so staunch in their beliefs that their convictions would remain unaffected regardless of what was said. Such a claim is the hallmark of those bigots whose minds are seized by irrational prejudice. Nothing can be a matter of greater shame for human beings than the so-called firmness of conviction which they often boast of. What can be more foolish than adherence to inherited beliefs and convictions when their falseness is established by overwhelmingly strong arguments?

95. Before the advent of the Prophet, the Jews were eagerly awaiting a Prophet whose coming had been prophesied by their own Prophets. In fact, the Jews used to pray for his advent so that the dominance of the unbelievers could come to an end and the age of their own dominance he ushered in. The people of Madina were witnesses to the fact that these same Jewish neighbours of theirs had yearned for the advent of such a Prophet. They often used to say: 'People may oppress us today as they wish, but when our awaited Prophet comes, we will settle our scores with our oppressors.'

Since the people of Madina had themselves heard such statements they were inclined to embrace the religion of the Prophet all the more readily lest their Jewish neighbours supersede them in acquiring this honour. It was therefore astonishing for them to find that when the promised Prophet did appear those same Jews who had so eagerly looked forward to welcoming him turned into his greatest enemies.

The statement 'and they recognized it' is confirmed by several contemporaneous events. The most authentic evidence in this connection is that of Safiyah, a wife of the Prophet, who was herself the daughter of one learned Jewish scholar (Huyayy b. Akhtab) and the niece of another (Abu Yasir). She says that when the Prophet migrated to Madina both her father and uncle went to meet him and conversed with him for quite a while. When they returned home, she heard the following conversation:

Uncle: Is he really the same Prophet whose advent has been prophesied in our Scriptures?

Father: By God, he is.

Uncle: Do you believe that?

Father: Yes..

Uncle. Then what do you intend to do?

Father: 1 will continue to oppose him and will not let his claim prevail as long as I live.

(Ibn Hishim, Sirah, eds., Mustafa al-Saqqa' et al., 2 vols., II edition, Cairo, 137511955, see vol. 1, pp. 518 f. See also Ibn IshAq, The Life of Muhammad, tr. and notes by A. Guillaume, London, Oxford University Press, 1955, pp. 241 f. - Ed.)

96. Another possible rendering of the same verse is: 'And how evil is that for the sake of which they have sold themselves', i.e. for the sake of which they have sacrificed their ultimate happiness and salvation.

97. They had longed for the promised Prophet to arise from among their own people. But when he arose among a different people, a people they despised, they decided to reject him. It was as if they thought God was duty-bound to consult them in appointing Prophets, and since in this case He had failed to do so they felt they had a right to be offended by God's 'arbitrariness'.

98. This is a subtle, satirical reference to their excessive worldliness. Those who really care for the Hereafter neither set their hearts on earthly life, nor are they unduly frightened of death. The condition of the Jews was the reverse of this.

99. The Arabic text implies that the Jews were so frightened of death and so keen to remain alive that they did not mind whether they led an honourable and dignified existence, or whether their life was one of indignity and humiliation.