17. Al-Isra Page 282 17. Al-Isra بِسْمِ اللّٰهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِیْمِ سُبْحٰنَ Exalted الَّذِیْۤ (is) the One Who اَسْرٰی took بِعَبْدِهٖ His servant لَیْلًا (by) night مِّنَ from الْمَسْجِدِ Al-Masjid الْحَرَامِ Al-Haraam اِلَی to الْمَسْجِدِ Al-Masjid الْاَقْصَا Al-Aqsa الَّذِیْ which بٰرَكْنَا We blessed حَوْلَهٗ its surroundings لِنُرِیَهٗ that We may show him مِنْ of اٰیٰتِنَا ؕ Our Signs اِنَّهٗ Indeed He هُوَ He السَّمِیْعُ (is) the All-Hearer الْبَصِیْرُ the All-Seer وَ اٰتَیْنَا And We gave مُوْسَی Musa الْكِتٰبَ the Book وَ جَعَلْنٰهُ and made it هُدًی a guidance لِّبَنِیْۤ for the Children اِسْرَآءِیْلَ (of) Israel اَلَّا That not تَتَّخِذُوْا you take مِنْ other than Me دُوْنِیْ other than Me وَكِیْلًاؕ (as) a Disposer of affairs ذُرِّیَّةَ Offsprings مَنْ (of one) who حَمَلْنَا We carried مَعَ with نُوْحٍ ؕ Nuh اِنَّهٗ Indeed he كَانَ was عَبْدًا a servant شَكُوْرًا grateful وَ قَضَیْنَاۤ And We decreed اِلٰی for بَنِیْۤ (the) Children اِسْرَآءِیْلَ (of) Israel فِی in الْكِتٰبِ the Book لَتُفْسِدُنَّ Surely you will cause corruption فِی in الْاَرْضِ the earth مَرَّتَیْنِ twice وَ لَتَعْلُنَّ and surely you will reach عُلُوًّا haughtiness كَبِیْرًا great فَاِذَا So when جَآءَ came وَعْدُ (the) promise اُوْلٰىهُمَا (for) the first of the two بَعَثْنَا We raised عَلَیْكُمْ against you عِبَادًا servants لَّنَاۤ of Ours اُولِیْ those of great military might بَاْسٍ those of great military might شَدِیْدٍ those of great military might فَجَاسُوْا and they entered خِلٰلَ the inner most part الدِّیَارِ (of) the homes وَ كَانَ and (it) was وَعْدًا a promise مَّفْعُوْلًا fulfilled ثُمَّ Then رَدَدْنَا We gave back لَكُمُ to you الْكَرَّةَ the return victory عَلَیْهِمْ over them وَ اَمْدَدْنٰكُمْ And We reinforced you بِاَمْوَالٍ with the wealth وَّ بَنِیْنَ and sons وَ جَعَلْنٰكُمْ and made you اَكْثَرَ more نَفِیْرًا numerous اِنْ If اَحْسَنْتُمْ you do good اَحْسَنْتُمْ you do good لِاَنْفُسِكُمْ ۫ for yourselves وَ اِنْ and if اَسَاْتُمْ you do evil فَلَهَا ؕ then it is for it فَاِذَا So when جَآءَ came وَعْدُ promise الْاٰخِرَةِ the last لِیَسُوْٓءٗا to sadden وُجُوْهَكُمْ your faces وَ لِیَدْخُلُوا and to enter الْمَسْجِدَ the Masjid كَمَا just as دَخَلُوْهُ they (had) entered it اَوَّلَ first مَرَّةٍ time وَّ لِیُتَبِّرُوْا and to destroy مَا what عَلَوْا they had conquered تَتْبِیْرًا (with) destruction 17. Al-Isra Page 283 عَسٰی (It) may be رَبُّكُمْ that your Lord اَنْ that your Lord یَّرْحَمَكُمْ ۚ (may) have mercy upon you وَ اِنْ But if عُدْتُّمْ you return عُدْنَا ۘ We will return وَ جَعَلْنَا And We have made جَهَنَّمَ Hell لِلْكٰفِرِیْنَ for the disbelievers حَصِیْرًا a prison-bed اِنَّ Indeed هٰذَا this الْقُرْاٰنَ the Quran یَهْدِیْ guides لِلَّتِیْ to that هِیَ which اَقْوَمُ (is) most straight وَ یُبَشِّرُ and gives glad tidings الْمُؤْمِنِیْنَ to the believers الَّذِیْنَ those who یَعْمَلُوْنَ do الصّٰلِحٰتِ the righteous deeds اَنَّ that لَهُمْ for them اَجْرًا (is) a reward كَبِیْرًاۙ great وَّ اَنَّ And that الَّذِیْنَ those who لَا (do) not یُؤْمِنُوْنَ believe بِالْاٰخِرَةِ in the Hereafter اَعْتَدْنَا We have prepared لَهُمْ for them عَذَابًا a punishment اَلِیْمًا۠ painful
(17:1) Holy is He Who carried His servant by night from the Holy Mosque (in Makkah) to the farther Mosque (in Jerusalem) whose surroundings We have blessed that We might show him some of Our Signs.1 Indeed He alone is All-Hearing, All-Seeing.
(17:2) We gave Moses the Book, and made it a source of guidance for the Children of Israel,2 commanding: "Take no other Guardian beside Me."3
(17:3) You are the descendants of those whom We carried (in the Ark) with Noah.4 He was truly a thankful servant.
(17:4) Then We clearly declared to the Children of Israel in the Book:5 "Twice you will make mischief in the land and will commit transgression."6
(17:5) So, when the occasion for the first of the transgressions arrived, We raised against you some of Our creatures who were full of might, and they ran over the whole of your land. This was a promise that was bound to be fulfilled.7
(17:6) Then We granted you an upper hand against them, and strengthened you with wealth and children, and multiplied your numbers.8
(17:7) Whenever you did good, it was to your own advantage; and whenever you committed evil, it was to your own disadvantage. So, when the time of the fulfilment of the second promise arrived, (We raised other enemies that would) disfigure your faces and enter the Temple (of Jerusalem) as they had entered the first time, and destroy whatever they could lay their hands on.9
(17:8) Your Lord may well show Mercy to you, but if you revert to your evil behaviour, We shall revert to chastising you. We have made Hell a prison for those who are thankless10 of Allah's bounties.
(17:9) Verily this Qur'an guides to the Way that is the Straight most. To those who believe in it, and do righteous works, it gives the good news that a great reward awaits them,
(17:10) and warns those who do not believe in the Hereafter that We have prepared for them a grievous chastisement.11
1. This is an allusion to the event known as Mi ‘raj (Ascension) and Isra’ (Night Journey). According to most traditions — and especially the authentic ones — this event took place one year before Hijrah. Detailed reports about it are found in the works of Hadith and Sirah and have been narrated from as many as twenty-five Companions. The most exhaustive reports are those from Anas ibn Malik, Malik ibn Sa‘sa‘ah, Abi Dharr al-Ghifari and Abi Hurayrah.
Some other details have been narrated by ‘Umar, ‘Ali, ‘Abd Allah ibn Mas‘ud, ‘Abd Allah ibn ‘Abbas, Abu Sa‘id al-Khudri, Hudhayfah ibn al-Yaman, and ‘A‘ishah among other Companions of the Prophet (peace be on him).
The Qur’an here only mentions that the Prophet (peace be on him) was taken from the Ka‘bah to the mosque in Jerusalem, and specifies that the purpose of the journey was such that God might ‘show him some of His signs’. Beyond this, the Qur’an does not concern itself with any detail. However, according to Hadith reports, Gabriel took the Prophet (peace be on him) at night from the Ka‘bah to the mosque in Jerusalem on a buraq.* On reaching Jerusalem the Prophet (peace be on him), along with other Prophets offered Prayers. (Al-Nasa’i, Sunan, K. al-Salah, ‘Bab Fard al-Salah wa Dhikr Ikhtilaf al-Naqilin . .. .’ — Ed.) Gabriel then took him to the heavens and the Prophet (peace be on him) met several great Prophets in different heavenly spheres. (See al-Nasa’i, Sunan, K. al-Salah, ‘Bab Fard al-Salah’ — Ed.) Finally, he reached the highest point in the heavens and was graced with an experience of the Divine’ Presence. On that occasion the Prophet (peace be on him) received a number of directives including that Prayers were obligatory five times a day. (Al-Bukhari, K. Manaqib al-Ansar, ‘Bab al-Mi‘raj’; K. al-Tawhid, ‘Bab Kallama Musa Taklima’ — Ed.) Thereafter, the Prophet (peace be on him) returned from the heavens to Jerusalem, and from there to the Holy Mosque in Makka. Numerous reports on the subject reveal that the Prophet (peace be on him) was also enabled on this occasion to observe Heaven and Hell. *For buraq, see the Glossary of Terms — Ed. (Al-Bukhari, K. al-Salah, ‘Bab Kayfa Furidat al-Salah fi al-Isra’ ’ and Ibn Hisham, Sirah, vol. 1, p. 404 - Ed.)
It may be recalled that according to authentic reports when the Prophet - (peace be on him) narrated the incidents of this extraordinary journey the following day to the people in Makka, the unbelievers found the whole narration utterly amusing. (Muslim, K. al-Iman, ‘Bab Dhikr al-Masih ibn Maryam’ — Ed.) In fact, even the faith of some Muslims was shaken because of the highly extraordinary nature of the account. (See Ibn Hisham, Sirah, vol. I, p. 398 and al-Qurtubi, comments on verse 1 of the surah — Ed.)
The details of the event provided by the Hadith supplement the Qur’anic account. There is no reason, however, to reject all this supplementary information on the grounds that it is opposed to the Qur’an. Nevertheless, if someone is not quite convinced and hence does not accept some of the details concerning the Ascension mentioned in the Hadith as true, he should not be considered an unbeliever. On the contrary, if someone were to clearly deny any part of the account categorically mentioned in the Qur’an, he would be deemed to have gone beyond the fold of Islam.
What was the nature of this journey? Did it take place when the Prophet (peace be on him) was asleep or when he was awake? Did he actually undertake a journey in the physical sense or did he have a spiritual vision while remaining in his own place? These questions, in our view, have been resolved by the text of the Qur’4n itself. The opening statement: ‘Holy is He Who carried His servant by night from the Holy Mosque to the farther Mosque . . .’ (verse 1) itself indicates that it was an extraordinary event which took place by dint of the infinite power of God. For quite obviously, to be able to perceive the kind of things mentioned in connection with the event, either in a dream or by means of intuition, is not so wondrous that it should be prefaced by the statement: “Holy is He Who carried His servant by night . . .’; a statement which amounts to proclaiming that God was free from every imperfection and flaw. Such a statement would make absolutely no sense if the purpose of it was merely to affirm that God had the power to enable man to have either visions in the course of a dream, or to receive information intuitively. In our view, the words of the verse clearly indicate that the event, far from being merely a spiritual experience or a dream vision, was an actual journey, and the observation in question was a visual observation. All was contingent upon God’s will that truths be revealed to the Prophet (peace be on him) in this fashion.
Now, let us consider the matter carefully. The Qur’an tells us, in clear terms, that the Prophet (peace be on him), went from Makka to Jerusalem and then returned to Makka during the night (obviously, without the use of anything resembling an aircraft), owing to God’s power. Now, if we believe this to be possible, what justification can there be to reject as inherently impossible the additional details of the event mentioned in the traditional sources? Statements declaring certain acts to be possible and others to be beyond the range of possibility are understandable if these acts are deemed to have been performed by creatures in exercise of the natural powers with which they are endowed.
However, when it is clearly stated that it is God Who did something out of His power, any doubts about the possibility of these acts can be entertained only by those who do not believe God to be all-powerful.
Those who reject the Hadith as such raise several objections against the traditions concerning this incident. It seems that only two of these objections are worth any consideration.
First, it is claimed that the-contents of the traditions relating to the Ascension imply that God is confined to a particular place. For had that not been the case, it is argued there would have been no need to transport the Prophet (peace be on’ him) in order for him to experience the presence of God. Second, it is questionable whether the Prophet (peace be on him) was enabled to observe Heaven and Hell and to see people being chastised for their sins even though - they had not yet even been judged by God. How is it that people were subjected to punishment even before the coming of that Day when all will be judged?
Both these objections, however, carry little substance. The first objection is to be rejected on the grounds that although the Creator is infinite and transcends both time and place, yet in dealing with His Creatures He has to have recourse to the means which are finite and are circumscribed by time-space limitations. This is because of the inherent limitations of man. Hence when God speaks to His creatures, He employs, of necessity, the same means of communication which can be comprehensible to the latter even though His Own speech transcends the means employed in the speech. In like fashion, when God wants to show someone the signs of His vast kingdom, He takes him to certain places and enables him to observe whatever he is required to observe. For it is beyond the power of man to view the universe in the manner God can. While God does not stand in need of visiting a certain plate in order to observe something that exists there, man does need to do so. The same holds true of having a direct encounter with the Creator. Although-God is not confined to a particular place, man needs to experience His presence at a defined place where the effulgence of His Being might be focused. For it is beyond man’s power to encounter God in His limitlessness.
Let us now consider the second objection. That too is fallacious for the simple reason that the objects shown to the Prophet (peace be on him) represented, in symbolic form, certain truths. For instance, a mischievous statement has allegorically been represented by a fat ox that could not return via the small hole through which it had come. (See Ibn Kathir, Tafsir, comments on Bani Isra’il 17: 1 - Ed.) Or the other allegory relating to those who indulge in fornication — that they prefer to eat rotten meat when fresh, clean meat is available to them. (Loc. cit.; see also Ibn Hisham, vol. 1, p. 406 — Ed.) The same holds-true for the punishments to which sinners ‘will be subjected in the Next Life — they are anticipatory representations of the sufferings to which they will be subjected in the Life to Come.
The main point which needs to be appreciated regarding the Ascension is that it belongs to a genre of experience through which each Prophet is enabled to observe — consonant with his standing and mission — aspects of God's dominion of the heavens and the earth. Once the material barriers to the normal vision of human beings are removed, it becomes possible to view, physically, ‘the realities which the Prophets are required to summon others to believe in as part of faith in the Unseen. This is done in order to distinguish the Prophets from mere speculative philosophers. For a philosopher’s contentions are based on speculative reason and hence are essentially conjectural. Were a philosopher to recognize his true position — the position of a philosopher — he would shrink from testifying to the truth of his contentions. In contrast, what the Prophets say is based on their direct knowledge and observation. They can testify before others with full conviction that whatever they expound are realities which they themselves have directly perceived.
2. This transition from a narration of the Ascension to observations about the history of the Israelites may appear, at first glance, somewhat. abrupt, rendering the passages in question disjointed. However, if one bears in mind the main purpose of this surah, the link between the two subjects becomes readily clear. Now, as we are aware, the main purpose of this surah is to warn the Makkan unbelievers. Therefore, the surah begins by referring to the Ascension so as to bring home to its addressees the fact that the Prophet (peace _be on him) who was expounding God’s Message, had himself observed, shortly before, immense signs of God. Thereafter, the attention of the Makkan unbelievers is drawn to the history of the Israelites, pointing out that when those bestowed with the Scripture rise in revolt against God, they are subjected to terrible punishments.
3. The word wakil signifies one upon whom a person. totally relies; one in whom full trust is reposed; to whose care one entrusts one’s affairs, to whom one looks to for guidance and support.
4. The Israelites were descendants of the Prophet Noah (peace be on him) and his Companions. Hence it be hooves them to place their trust in and leave their affairs to the One True God. For they are well aware that their ancestors survived the Flood because they had placed their full confidence in God and had entrusted their affairs to Him.
5. The word ‘Book’ here does not specifically signify the Torah. Rather, it stands for the heavenly Scripture as such. On several occasions the Qur’an uses the term al-Kitab in the sense of heavenly Scripture as such rather than in the » sense of just one specific revealed book. (See al-A‘raf 7: 37 and 52; Yunus 10: 61; Had 11:6; al-Ra‘d 13: 39; Bani Isra’ il 17: 4 and 58; and often elsewhere in the Qur’an —- Ed.)
6. These warnings occur at several places in the Bible. The Israelites were warned in the Psalms, Jeremiah and Ezekiel of the consequences that would ensue from the first great corruption they might work. As to their second corruption, Jesus (peace be on him) forewarned them of its severe consequences, and these are recorded in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke. The following Biblical passages bear out fully the veracity of the above Qur’anic statement.
David was the first to have warned against the’ first corruption in the following words: They did not destroy the peoples, as the Lord commanded them, but they mingled with the nations and learned to do as they did. They served their idols, which became a snare to them. They sacrificed their sons and their daughters to the demons; they poured out innocent blood, the blood of their sons and daughters. Then the anger of the Lord was kindled against his people, and he abhorred his heritage; he gave them into-the hand of the nations, so that those who hated them ruled over them (Psalms 106: 34-8 and 40-1). In the above passage, the events of the future are mentioned in the past tense which emphasizes that the occurrence of those events was beyond all doubt.
This is a peculiar mode of expression which is employed in the Scriptures.
Once this corruption had actually taken place, its dire consequences were foretold by Isaiah: ‘ Ah, sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, offspring of evildoers, sons who deal corruptly! They have forsaken the Lord, they have despised the Holy One of Israel, they are utterly estranged. Why will you still be smitten, that you continue to rebel? (Isaiah 1: 4-5).
How the faithful city has become a harlot, she that was full of justice! Righteousness lodged in her. Your princes are rebels and companions of thieves. Everyone loves a bribe and runs after gifts. They do not defend the fatherless, and the widow’s cause does not come to them. Therefore, the Lord says, the Lord of hosts, the Mighty One of Israel: ‘Ah, I will vent my wrath on my enemies’ (Isaiah 1: 21-4).
They are full of diviners from the east and of soothsayers like the Philistines, and they strike hands with foreigners. Their land is filled with idols; they bow down to the work of their hands, to what their own fingers have made (Isaiah 2: 6 and 8). The Lord said: Because the daughters of Zion are haughty and walk with outstretched necks, glancing wantonly with their eyes, mincing along as they go, tinkling with their feet; the Lord will smite with a scab the heads of the daughters of Zion, and the Lord will lay bare their secret parts. Your men shall fall by the sword and your mighty men in battle. And her gates shall lament and mourn; ravaged, she shall sit upon the ground (Isaiah 3: 16-17 and 25-6).
Behold, the Lord is bringing up against them the waters of the River, mighty and many, the king of Assyria and all his glory; and it will rise over all its channels and go over all its banks (Isaiah 8: 7).
For they are a rebellious people, lying sons, sons who will not hear the instruction of the Lord; who say to the seers, ‘See not and to the prophets, ‘Prophesy not to us what is right; speak to us smooth things’.
Therefore thus says the Holy One of Israel, ‘Because you despise this word, and trust in oppression and perverseness, and rely on them; therefore this iniquity shall be to you like a break in a high wall, bulging out, and about to collapse, and its breaking is like that of a potter’s vessel which is smashed so ruthlessly ‘that’ among its fragments not a:sherd is found with which to take fire from the hearth, or to dip up water out of the cistern (Isaiah 30: 9-10, 12-13 and 14): Thus says the Lord, ‘What wrong did your fathers find in me that they went far from me, and went after worthlessness, and became worthless? And I brought you into a plentiful land, to enjoy its fruits and its good things. But when you came in you defiled my land, ‘and made my heritage an abomination. For long ago you broke your yoke and burst your bonds; - and you said, ‘I will not serve’. Yea, upon every high hill and under every green tree you bowed down as a harlot. As a thief is shamed when caught, so the house of Israel shall be shamed; they, their kings, their princes, their priests, and their prophets, who say to a tree, ‘You are my father’, and toa stone, ‘You gave me birth’. For they have turned their back to me, and not their face. But in the time of their trouble they say, ‘Arise and save us!” But where are your gods that you made for yourself? Let them arise, if they can save you, in your time of trouble; for as many as your cities are.
your gods, O Judah (Jeremiah 2: 5, 7, 20 and 26-8).
The Lord said to me in the days of King Josiah: ‘Have you seen what she did, that faithless one, Israel, how she went up on every high hill and under every green tree, and there played the harlot?’ ‘And her false sister Judah, - saw it. She saw that for all the adulteries of that faithless one, Israel, I had sent her away with a decree of divorce; yet her false sister Judah did not fear, but she too went and played the harlot. Because harlotry was so light to her, she polluted the land, committing adultery with stone and tree. (Jeremiah 3: 6 and 8-9).
Run to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem, look and take note! Search her squares to see if you can find a man, one who does justice and seeks truth; ‘How can I pardon you? Your children have forsaken me, and have sworn by those who are no gods. When I fed them to the full, they committed adultery and trooped to the houses of harlots. They were well-fed lusty stallions, each neighing for his neighbour’s wife. Shall I not punish them for these things? says the Lord; and shall I not avenge myself on a nation such as this? Jeremiah 5: 1, 7-9).
Behold, I am bringing upon you a nation from afar, O house of Israel, says the Lord. It is an enduring nation, it is an ancient nation, a nation whose language you do not know, nor can you understand what they say. Their quiver is like an open tomb; they are all mighty men. They shall eat up your harvest and your food; they shall eat up your sons and your daughters; they shall eat up your flocks and your herds; they shall eat up your vines and your fig trees; your fortified cities in which you trust they shall destroy with the sword Jeremiah 5: 15-17).
And the dead bodies of this people will be food for the birds of the air, and for the beasts of the earth; and none will frighten them away. And I will make ‘to cease from the cities of Judah and from the streets of Jerusalem the voice of mirth and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom we voice of the bride; for the land shall become a waste (Jeremiah 7:33-4) Send them out of my sight, and let them go! And when they ask you, ‘Where shall *we go?’ you shall say to them, “Thus says the Lord: Those who are for pestilence, to pestilence, and those who are for, the sword, to the sword; those who are for famine, to famine, and those who are for _ captivity, to captivity Jeremiah AS: 1-2).
A city that sheds blood in the midst of her, that her time may come, and that makes idols to defile herself! Behold, the princes of Israel in you, every one according to his power, have been bent on shedding blood.
Father and mother are treated with contempt in you; the sojourner suffers extortion in your midst; the fatherless and the widow are wronged in you.
You have despised my holy things, and profaned my Sabbaths. There are ' men in you who slander to shed blood, and men in you who eat upon the mountains; men commit lewdness in your midst. In you men uncover their fathers’ nakedness; in you they humble women. who are unclean in their impurity? One commits abomination with his neighbor’s wife; another lewdly defiles his daughter-in-law; another in you defiles his sister, his father’s daughter. In you men take bribes to shed: blood; you take interest and increase and make gain of your neighbors by extortion; and you have forgotten me, says the Lord God.
Can your courage endure, or can your hands be strong, in the days that I shall deal with you? I will scatter you among the nations and disperse you through the countries, and J will consume your filthiness out of you. And I shall be profaned through you in the sight of the nations; and you shall know that I am the Lord (Ezekiel 22: 3, 6-12, 14-16).
These warnings were served on the Israelites at the time of the first corruption. Later on, Jesus (peace be on him) warned them against the dire consequences of the second corruption that they would cause. In a lengthy sermon recorded in Matthew, Jesus (peace be on him) denounced the moral degeneration of his people: O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, killing the prophets and stoning those who are sent to you! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not (Matthew 23: 37).
Truly, I say to you, there will not be left here one stone upon another, that will not be thrown down (Matthew 24: 2).
As Jesus (peace be on him) was being carried by the Roman guards for crucifixion, a crowd of people, which also included wailing women, followed him. Addressing them in what was his last address, Jesus said: Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. For behold, the days are coming, when they will say, “Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never gave suck!’ Then they will begin to say to the mountains, ‘Fall on us’; and the hills, ‘Cover us’ (Luke 23: 28-30).
7. This alludes to the terrible destruction suffered by the Israelites at the hands of the Assyrians and the Babylonians. In order to grasp the historical background of this incident, it is not sufficient to just bear in mind the Biblical material we have cited earlier (see n. 6, above). In addition, it is also necessary to have a bird’s-eye view of Israeli history. This will help us clearly grasp the reasons why God removed this nation, which had been entrusted with the Scripture, from the pedestal of universal leadership and reduced it to an utterly defeated, enslaved and backward nation.
In order to understand things clearly, we must look at the period immediately following the death of the Prophet Moses (peace be on him), when the Israelites entered Palestine. This land was then inhabited by several nations such as the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzittels, Hivites, Jebusites and the Philistines. All had been affected by the worst forms of idolatry. Their supreme deity, Ayl, they regarded as the father of gods, and was usually represented by bull images. His consort was Asherah from whom there had descended a whole pantheon of gods and goddesses, numbering around seventy. Of the supreme deity’s offspring the most powerful was Baal, the god of rain and fertility, and the lord of the heavens and the earth. In the northern regions his consort was known as Anathoth and in Palestine as Ashtaroth. They were respectively considered goddesses of love and procreation. Also, there was a god of death, and another of epidemic and famine, and there was a goddess of health; and so on and so forth. : Thus, godhead was split over a number of deities. To crown it all, the acts ascribed to these deities were so despicable and ignoble that even men of exceptionally low character would feel ashamed of being ascribed to them.
Naturally, it was impossible for those people who had accepted and worshipped beings of such degraded character to be saved from sliding into the abyss of crass immorality and rank corruption. Archaeological excavations have brought to light their lurid state of morality, confirming that they were steeped in moral degeneration. To mention just a few examples, child sacrifices at the altars of these deities were quite common. Their temples had become virtual! dens of adultery. Women consecrated themselves to the service of the temples and on that pretext lived in them. Illicit sexual relations with these women were rampant and were even considered an integral part of acts of devotion. These and a host of other vices corrupted their lives.
According to the Torah, Moses had commanded the Israelites to destroy these iniquitous people, wrest Palestine from them, and to stay away from them lest they were affected by their moral and religious degeneration.
However, when the Israelites entered Palestine, they paid no heed to this directive. They failed to set up a unified state. Driven by tribalism, each tribe preferred to own a part of the conquered land. Owing to dissensions in their ranks, no tribe could gain enough power to fully rid themselves of the polytheists and drive them from their land. Eventually, the Israelites had to bear the polytheists in their midst. Even in the conquered land some of the city states of these polytheistic communities, which the Israelites were unable to overpower, survived. This point is eloquently made in a passage from the Psalms quoted earlier (see n. 6 above).
The first catastrophic consequence which the Israelites faced as a result of these errors was that polytheistic practices crept into their lives. By and by. — other moral vices also made inroads into their society. The Bible vehemently denounces these vices in the following terms: And the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and served the Baals; and they forsook the Lord? the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt; they went after other gods, from among the gods of the peoples who were round about them, and bowed down to them; and they provoked the Lord to anger. They forsook the Lord, and served the Baals and the Ashtaroth. So the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel . . . Judges 2: 11-14).
The second catastrophic consequence which the Israelites faced was that the nations whose city states they had failed to annex formed a united front against them in collaboration with the Philistines, whose territory had also not been seized by the Israelites. The axis of these nations launched a series of attacks and drove out the Israelites from a large part of Palestine. They even managed to seize the Holy Ark of their Lord from them. All this drove the Israelites to establish a unified state under one of their rulers. It was at the request of the Israelites that the Prophet Samuel appointed Saul as their King in 1020 B.C. (For further details, see Towards Understanding the Qur'an, vol. I, al-Baqarah 2, verses 246-8, and nn. 268-70, pp. 188-91.) ‘Three rulers governed the kingdom that was. so established — Saul (1020 B.C.—1004 B.C.), the Prophet David (1004 B.C.-965 B.C.) and the Prophet Solomon (965-926 B.C.). These rulers were able to complete the task of bringing under control those neighboring powers, a task which the Israelites ‘had failed to carry out after the time of Moses (peace be on him). It was only the states of the Phoenicians on the, northern coast and of the Philistines on the southern coast that they were unable to subdue. Nevertheless, even these states were made tributaries: After the Prophet Solomon (peace be on him), the Israelites again succumbed to worldliness. Dissension and feuding broke out in their ranks, causing their state to be split into two independent and separate kingdoms. One of these comprised the northern part of Palestine and Transjordan and was called the kingdom of Israel with Samaria as its capital. The second — the kingdom of Judah — comprised the southern part of Palestine and Edom with Jerusalem as its capital. The relations between the two kingdoms were marked by bitter rivalry and strife from the very beginning, a feature which was to endure. The rulers and inhabitants of the kingdom of Israel were the first to be affected by polytheistic beliefs and the moral ‘corruption of neighboring communities. Their degeneration reached its zenith when Ahab, the King of Israel, married the idolatrous princess Jezebel of Sidon.
At this point, under state patronage, virtually a flood of polytheistic ideas, practices and moral vices was let loose upon the Israelites. The Prophets Elias and Elisha spared no effort to stem the tide. However, the Israelites continued Explanation: After the death of Prophet Moses, the Children of Israel conquered the whole of Palestine under Joshua, but instead of establishing a United Kingdom they divided the land among themselves as inheritance.
This map shows how Palestine was divided into lots and taken over by the 12 tribes of the Israelites, who were the children of Judah, Simeon, Dan, Benjamin, Ephraim, Reuben, Gad, Manasseh, Issachar, Zebulun, Naphtali and Asher.
Being weak and divided, they could not fulfil the mission of the Torah, which was to drive out the idolatrous Canaanites from Palestine. The Canaanites still dwelt among them and retained strongholds in the shape of city states. According to the Bible, up to the time of Saul, the cities of Sidon, Tyre, Dor, Megiddo, Beth-Shaan, Gezer, Jerusalem, etc. were still in the hands of the Canaanites and their idolatrous culture was influencing the Israelites. Furthermore, on the borders of the Israelite territories, there still existed powerful states of the Philistines, the Edomites, the Moabites, and the Ammonites, who later subjected them to incessant attacks and annexed large areas of their lands. The Israelites might even have been driven out of Palestine had they not been shown grace by God and in time united under Saul to slide along the course of degeneration despite the efforts of these Prophets and their righteous followers.
Eventually, they were struck by God’s punishment. This appeared in the form of the Assyrians who launched a series of attacks on Palestine during the eighth century B.C. (787-747 B.C.). During this period the Prophets Amos and Hosea (747-735 B.C.) ceaselessly warned and admonished the Israelites. But all to no avail since the Israelites were then too thoroughly entrenched in their ways to pay heed to the Prophets’ warnings. On the contrary, they became even more defiant and acted with greater hostility towards their well-wishers. Amos was asked by the Israelite rulers to leave Israel and to close down his religious mission within the realms of that kingdom. Not long after, however, God’s scourge struck Israel and its inhabitants. In 721 B.C., the ruthless Assyrian ruler, Sargon, conquered Samaria and put an end to the kingdom of Israel.
Thousands of Israelites were put to the sword; another 27,000 leading Israelites were banished from the kingdom and were scattered throughout the eastern parts of the Assyrian Empire. At the same time, people from other lands were brought over and settled in Israel. Thereafter, the Israelites lived largely in the midst of other nations with the result that even those who remained in Israel were increasingly alienated from their national culture.
After the death of the Prophet Solomon, the other kingdom — Judah — which had been set up in southern Palestine also sank into the morass of polytheism and moral corruption. Nonetheless, in comparison with the kingdom of Israel, the pace of their degeneration — both in terms of beliefs and morals — was slower. Hence the people of Judah were spared destruction for a relatively longer period. True, the Assyrians repeatedly launched attacks against this kingdom in the manner that they had attacked the kingdom of Israel and devastated its towns and held its capital under siege. Despite all this, the kingdom of Judah did not disintegrate, but was reduced to the position of an Assyrian tributary. At a later stage when, despite the efforts of Isaiah and Jeremiah, the Israelites did not give up idolatry, nor, purged themselves of moral corruption, the Babylonian King, Nebuchadnezzar, carried out a devastating attack on the kingdom in 586 B.C. and razed all the towns of the kingdom — large and small — to the ground. Jerusalem and Solomon’s temple were totally destroyed. A large number of Jews were driven out of their land and scattered in different areas. As for those who stayed behind, they were ravaged and subjected to a life of ignominy and humiliation by their neighboring nations. This was the first corruption of the Israelites and this was the price they were made to pay for it.
8. This refers to the respite granted the Jews of Judah after their captivity at the hands of the Babylonians. As for the inhabitants of Samaria and of the kingdom of Israel, they were unable to pull themselves out of their morass of doctrinal error and moral corruption. However, there was a section of people in Judah who continually adhered to righteousness and did not cease to call others to it. They continued their efforts to reform the Jews who lived in Judah and also urged the Jews who had been banished to Babylonia and other lands to mend their ways and turn to God in penitence. Eventually, out of compassion and mercy, God came to their rescue and the Babylonian Empire collapsed. In 539 B.C. the Persian Emperor Cyrus conquered Babylonia and the following year he issued a decree allowing the Israelites to return and to settle once again in their homeland. As a result, large numbers of Jews set out towards Judah — a movement which continued for a very long time. Cyrus also allowed the Israelites to rebuild the Temple of Solomon. However, neighboring nations which had also-settled in the region put up stiff resistance to the same. At last, in 522 B.C., Darius I appointed Zerubbabel, grandson of the last king of Judah, as governor of Judah. He arranged for the Temple of Solomon to be rebuilt under the direction of the Prophets Haggai and Zechariah and the Chief Rabbi Joshua. Later, in 458 B.C., Ezra, along with a group of exiles, was entrusted with considerable authority by the Persian Emperor Artaxerxes: And you, Ezra, according to the wisdom of your God which is in your hand, appoint magistrates and judges who may judge all the people in the province Beyond the River, all such as know the laws of your God; and those who do not know them, you shall teach. Whoever will not obey the Jaw of your God and the law of the king let judgement be strictly executed upon him, whether for death or for banishment or for confiscation of his goods or for imprisonment (Ezra 7: 25-6).
Taking advantage of this proclamation, Ezra brought about the revival of the religion of Moses. He brought together the righteous people of the Jewish community. and established an effective organization which assisted him in carrying out his task. He compiled and published the five books of the Old- Testament, including the Torah. He made arrangements for the religious instruction of the Jews. He enforced God’s laws as a result of which the Jews began to purge themselves from the doctrinal errors and moral corruption which had crept into their lives. He made them divorce all idolatrous women whom they had married. And above all, he had them renew their covenant with God — that they shall worship only the One True God and follow His Law. Under the leadership of Nehemiah, another group of exiles returned to Judah in 445 B.C. The Persian King appointed Nehemiah as the Governor of Jerusalem and allowed him to build a protective wall around the city. Thus, after a lapse of 150 years, Jerusalem was restored and became, once again, the focal point of Judaic religion and culture. However, the Israelites of northern Palestine and Samaria derived no benefit from Ezra’s reform efforts. Rather, they set up a rival sanctuary at Mount Gerizim and tried to make it the center for all Jews. This led to further estrangement between the Jews of the two kingdoms — Judah and Samaria.
The Jews suffered serious setbacks by a succession of events — the decline of the Persian Empire, the conquests of Alexander the Great and the rise of the Greeks. After Alexander’s death, his Empire was split up into three kingdoms.
Out of Alexander’s possessions, Syria was wrested by the Seleucid Empire with Antioch as its capital. The Seleucid ruler, Antiochus II, annexed Palestine in 198 B.C. The Greek conquerors held polytheistic beliefs and their lives were permeated with permissiveness and licentiousness. Naturally, they felt uncomfortable with Jewish religion and culture. Out of hostility to Judaism, they resorted to political and economic pressures so as to promote Greek culture, and a sizeable number of Jews themselves did not hesitate to act as their agents. This caused divisions among the Jews. A section of them enthusiastically adopted Greek dress, the Greek language, the Greek lifestyle and Greek sports whereas another section staunchly clung to the Jewish culture, in 175 B.C., Antiochus IV, also known as Epiphanies (i.e. the manifestation of God), ascended the throne; his efforts to root out the Judaic religion and culture were ruthless. He had idols installed in the Temple of Solomon in Jerusalem and he forced the Jews to prostrate themselves before those idols. Likewise, he prohibited the offering of sacrifices at the altar in the Temple. Instead, he ordered the Jews to make sacrificial offerings at idolatrous altars. He laid down capital punishment for those who kept a copy of the Torah in their homes, or followed the laws of the Sabbath, or who circumcised their children. The Israelites were not, however, daunted by these oppressive measures.
Instead, their suffering led to the rise of the great resistance movement known in history as the Maccabean Revolt. In this conflict between Greek and Judaic cultures, the sympathies of the Hellenized Jews lay with the Greeks and they collaborated with the oppressive rulers of Antioch in their bid to suppress the Revolt. However, the generality of Jews was deeply imbibed with the religious spirit inspired by Ezra so that eventually they were able to drive out the Greeks and set up their own independent, religious state which lasted till 67. B.C. The frontiers of their state gradually expanded so that in the course of time it embraced the entire territory that had once been under the control of the two Jewish kingdoms of Judah and Israel. A sizeable part of the land under the control of the Philistines and over which the Jews had been unable to gain control even in the times of the Prophets David and Solomon was also seized.
The above verse alludes to these historical events.
9. Now we proceed to discuss the second corruption of the Israelites and the punishment which ensued from it. These can be better appreciated if the following facts which provide the necessary historical background are borne in mind.
The Maccabean Revolt, as we have seen, was marked by moral and religious fervor. In the course of time, however, this fervor declined and was replaced by rank worldliness and a mechanical adherence to the externals of religious rites. Eventually, serious divisions appeared among the Jews. So much so that some of them invited the Roman General, Pompey, to attack Palestine.
Pompey returned to Palestine in 63 B.C., annexed Jerusalem and put an end to the independence of the Israelites. However, instead of establishing their direct rule, the Roman emperors preferred to enforce their policies through local rulers, who worked as their agents. In pursuance of this policy, they established a seemingly native regime in Palestine, but one which was to remain under their thumb.
In 40 B.C. the control of this state passed to a shrewd Jew named Herod.
Known as Herod the Great, he held sway over the whole of Palestine and Transjordan from 40 B.C. to 4 B.C. He tried to win over the hearts of the Jews by patronizing the rabbis. At the same time, he also tried to curry favor with the Caesar of the time by enthusiastically promoting Roman civilization and.
culture. This period witnessed the lowest water-mark of Jewish degeneration.
After Herod, the realm was divided into three parts. One of Herod’s sons, Archelaus, assumed the reins of Samaria, Judah and Northern Edom. He was, however, dethroned by the Caesar Augustus in 6 CE. and who placed the state under the control of a governor appointed by him. This situation lasted until 41 CE. This was the time when the Prophet Jesus (peace be-on him) appeared on the scene and began his movement to reform the Israelites. The religious leadership of the Jews fiercely opposed Jesus (peace be on him) and persuaded the Roman Governor, Pontius Pilate, to have him put to death.
Herod Antipas, another of Herod’s sons, gained control over northern Palestine, Galilee and Transjordan. It may be recalled that it was he who had the Prophet John (peace be on him) decapitated and then had his head placed at the feet of a dancing maiden at whose behest this heinous crime had been committed.
Philip, Herod’s third son, succeeded to the territories lying between Mount Hermon and the River Yarmuk. He was even more enamored of the Greco-Roman culture than his father and brothers. No wonder then that it was even more difficult for the word of truth to prosper in his realm than in any other part of Palestine.
In 41 C.E., the Romans placed Herod the Great’s grandson, Herod Agrippa, at the helm of all the territories which had once. been governed by his grandfather. After assuming power, Agrippa persecuted Jesus’ followers and spared no effort in stamping out the movement which, under the leadership of Jesus’ apostles, sought to promote piety and righteousness.
In order to fully appreciate the condition of the Jews, including their rabbis, during this period one should cast a glance at the sharp criticism and reproach directed at them in the sermons of the Prophet Jesus (peace be on him). These sermons are to be found in the four Gospels. The moral degeneration of the Jews can be appreciated if we recall the barbarous execution of the Prophet John (peace be on him). He was both righteous and innocent, but was beheaded — before the Jews’ very eyes without the least justification. The entire Jewish population remained mute, uttering not even a single word in support or defense of the Prophet. Furthermore, the depth of Jewish moral insensitivity is blatantly evident from their attitude towards the Prophet Jesus (peace be on him). The entire leadership of the Jews demanded, as one man, that Jesus (peace be on him) be put to death; no more than a handful of people lamented their depravity. On the occasion of the Passover, Pilate informed them that - under the law he could release only one of those sentenced to death. So saying, he asked them whose release they preferred — that of Jesus, or Barabbas the robber? The whole audience, with one voice, asked for Barabbas’ release. This was the lowest level of depravity to which the Jews could have sunk and this particular incident provided incontrovertible evidence of their guilt, guilt which called for punishment from God.
Not long after a fierce conflict ensued between. the Israelites and the Romans, culminating in an open rebellion by the Jews in 64 C.E. Both Herod Agrippa II and the Roman procurator Floris failed to crush the rebellion and — eventually a large-scale military operation was carried out by the Roman Empire. The rebellion was suppressed and in 70 C.E. Titus forcibly seized Jerusalem. A massacre followed in which 133,000 people lost their lives and a further 67,000 were made captive and subsequently enslaved. Additionally, thousands were conscripted to work in the mines in Egypt and thousands of others were dispatched to amphitheaters and coliseums in different parts of the Roman Empire to face either gladiators or wild beasts who tore their bodies to pieces. All tall and attractive girls were picked out as potential candidates for pandering to the lusts of the conquerors. The city of Jerusalem, along with Solomon’s Temple, was razed to the ground. All this put an end to Jewish power in Palestine for about 2,000 years. As for the Temple of Solomon, it was never restored. In the course of time the Roman Emperor Hadrian was able to rebuild Jerusalem. However, he renamed it Aelia, and for centuries Jews were forbidden to enter it. This was the punishment which the Israelites had to suffer for their second major corruption. (For the prophecy that the Israelites would twice work corruption in the earth, see verses 4-5 - Ed.)
10. This should not give rise to the misconception that this discourse is addressed to the Israelites. For it is in fact addressed to the unbelievers of Makka. These significant incidents from the history of the Israelites were mentioned so that the unbelievers might take heed. It is in this connection that an observation has been addressed in parenthesis to the Israelites. This was to serve as a preface to a discourse on moral reform, the occasion for which would arise only one year after the establishment of an Islamic community ‘in Madina.
11. The purpose of the statement is to impress upon those who fail to heed the warning and the admonition embodied in the Qur’an that they should get ready to receive the punishment which had once afflicted the Israelites.