CHAPTER 5, VERSES 20-26
وَإِذْ قَالَ مُوسَىٰ لِقَوْمِهِ يَا قَوْمِ اذْكُرُوا نِعْمَةَ اللَّـهِ عَلَيْكُمْ إِذْ جَعَلَ فِيكُمْ أَنبِيَاءَ وَجَعَلَكُم مُّلُوكًا وَآتَاكُم مَّا لَمْ يُؤْتِ أَحَدًا مِّنَ الْعَالَمِينَ ﴿٢٠﴾ يَا قَوْمِ ادْخُلُوا الْأَرْضَ الْمُقَدَّسَةَ الَّتِي كَتَبَ اللَّـهُ لَكُمْ وَلَا تَرْتَدُّوا عَلَىٰ أَدْبَارِكُمْ فَتَنقَلِبُوا خَاسِرِينَ ﴿٢١﴾ قَالُوا يَا مُوسَىٰ إِنَّ فِيهَا قَوْمًا جَبَّارِينَ وَإِنَّا لَن نَّدْخُلَهَا حَتَّىٰ يَخْرُجُوا مِنْهَا فَإِن يَخْرُجُوا مِنْهَا فَإِنَّا دَاخِلُونَ ﴿٢٢﴾ قَالَ رَجُلَانِ مِنَ الَّذِينَ يَخَافُونَ أَنْعَمَ اللَّـهُ عَلَيْهِمَا ادْخُلُوا عَلَيْهِمُ الْبَابَ فَإِذَا دَخَلْتُمُوهُ فَإِنَّكُمْ غَالِبُونَۚ
وَعَلَى اللَّـهِ فَتَوَكَّلُوا إِن كُنتُم مُّؤْمِنِينَ ﴿٢٣﴾ قَالُوا يَا مُوسَىٰ إِنَّا لَن نَّدْخُلَهَا أَبَدًا مَّا دَامُوا فِيهَاۖ
فَاذْهَبْ أَنتَ وَرَبُّكَ فَقَاتِلَا إِنَّا هَاهُنَا قَاعِدُونَ ﴿٢٤﴾ قَالَ رَبِّ إِنِّي لَا أَمْلِكُ إِلَّا نَفْسِي وَأَخِيۖ
فَافْرُقْ بَيْنَنَا وَبَيْنَ الْقَوْمِ الْفَاسِقِينَ ﴿٢٥﴾ قَالَ فَإِنَّهَا مُحَرَّمَةٌ عَلَيْهِمْۛ
أَرْبَعِينَ سَنَةًۛ
يَتِيهُونَ فِي الْأَرْضِۚ
فَلَا تَأْسَ عَلَى الْقَوْمِ الْفَاسِقِينَ ﴿٢٦﴾
And when Mūsã said to his people: “O my people! Remember the favour of Allãh upon you when He raised prophets among you and made you kings and gave you what He had not given any other in the worlds (20). O my people! Enter the holy land, which Allãh has prescribed for you and turn not on your backs, for then you will turn back losers” (21). They said: “O Mūsã! Surely there is a strong race in it, and we will never enter itun-
til they go out from it, so if they go out from it, then surely we will enter” (22). Two men of those who feared, upon both of whom Allãh had bestowed a favour, said: “Enter upon them by the gate, for when you have entered it you shall surely be vic-torious, and on Allãh you should rely if you are believers” (23). They said: “O Mūsã! We shall never enter it at all so long as they remain therein; go therefore you and your Lord, then fight you both, surely we will here sit down” (24). He said: “My Lord! Surely I have no control (upon any) but my own self and (so does) my brother; therefore make a separation between us and the nation of transgressors” (25). He said: “So it shall surely be forbidden to them for forty years, they shall wander about in the land, therefore do not grieve for the nation of transgressors” (26).
* * * * *
COMMENTARY
The verses are not without connection with the preceding ones: they show how they broke some of the covenants they had made for listening to and obeying Mūsã (a.s.). How they confronted Mūsã with open rejection of his order and how they were inflicted for the sin with the Divine punishment of wandering in wilderness.
QUR’ÃN:
And when Mūsã said to his people: “O my people! Remember the favour of Allãh upon you . .”: The verses related to Mūsã's life show that this incident - the call of Mūsã to them to enter the holy land - had occurred after their exodus from Egypt; as the phrase: “and made you kings”, in this verse too proves it.
The clause: “and gave you what He had not given any other in the worlds”, shows that before that time they were favoured with several signs of divine favour, like manna and quails, gushing forth of water from stone and making the clouds to give shade over them.
The phrase: the nation of transgressors, repeated twice, shows that even before this event they were habitually opposing and dis-obeying the divine messenger, i.e. Mūsã, until transgression became a confirmed trait of their character.
All these aspects prove that this wandering in wilderness had occurred during the last phase of Mūsã (a.s
.)'s life among them, and that most of the events described in the Qur’ãn concerning them had taken place before it.
Mūsã's words: “Remember the favour of Allãh upon you”, point to the sum total of all the favours Allãh had bestowed on them. He has used it to prepare them for what he was going to command them, i.e. to enter the holy land. He reminded them of the Lord's favours, in order that they might become enthusiastic for receiving more favours and blessings. Allãh had bestowed His bounties upon them by sending Mūsã to them, guiding them to His religion, delivering them from Pharaoh, sending the Torah to them and legislating a sharī‘ah. They had got almost everything; now there was only one thing to complete these favours that they should have a holy land where they would live in and rule over it independently.
Mūsã (a.s
.), while enumerating the favours, divided them into three categories:
1) “He raised prophets among you”: It could refer to the prophets in their direct ancestral line, i.e., Ibrãhīm, Ishãq, Ya‘qūb and those after them, or specifically to those from the Children of Israel, i.e., Yūsuf, the tribes, Mūsã and Hãrūn. Prophethood is another favour.
2) “and
made you kings”: The word mulūk (مُلُوك = plural of اَلْمَلِكُ = al-malik) is usually translated as “kings”. Here it means: free from humiliation of Pharaohs' subjugation, independent of tyrants' oppression. He is truly a king who independently manages the affairs of his own self, his family and his property. The Israelites, at the time of Mūsã (a.s
.), followed a social system that was the best of all. It was the system of monotheism which exhorted them to obey Allãh and His messenger, to enforce complete justice in society and non-aggression against other nations; they did not allow anyone of their group to acquire mastery over them; there was no such class distinction among them which could disrupt their social order. There was no one over them except Mūsã (a.s
.) - and he was a prophet who did not behave like a king or a tribal chief who gains upper hand unjustly.
Someone has offered another explanation for this phrase: “made you kings”; that Allãh had decreed that there would be kings among them beginning with Tãlūt, then Dãwūd and going to their last king. The speech, accordingly, refers to the future and is the news of the unseen, because kingdom did not come to them except sometime after Mūsã. There is no difficulty in this explanation, except that the phrase: “and made you kings”, does not agree with it. If this explanation were perfect, Allãh would have said: 'and made among you kings', as He has said: “He raised prophets among you.”
Possibly, the “kingdom” could merely indicate concentration of authority in some members; it would then include the custom of sheikhdom. In this light, Mūsã too would be a king, followed by Joshua; before them Yūsuf was king; this would reach to well-known kings, Tãlūt, Dãwūd, Sulaymãn and others. But the above-mentioned objection applies to this explanation also.
3) “and
gave you what He had not given any other in the worlds”: It reminds them of the divine care and blessings that were joined with clear important signs. Those favours guaranteed that their lives would improve and straighten out if they remained firm on their words and adhered to their covenant. Those were the clear signs that surrounded them from all sides during their stay in Egypt, and after they were delivered from Pharaoh and his people. It is a fact that no nation before Mūsã's time was given so many and so continuous signs, miracles, and brilliant proofs. Israelites were the first to be blessed with such favours in their nation's life.
Accordingly, there is no reason to say (as some have done) that “the worlds” means 'worlds of that time'. The verse asserts that no nation throughout the world upto that time was blessed with so many favours as were the Israelites. And it is a fact.
QUR’ÃN:
“O my people! Enter the holy land which Allãh has pre-scribed for you and turn not on your backs, for then you will turn back losers”: Mūsã ordered them to enter the holy land; but looking at their past he knew they would not obey him. That is why he empha-sized the order by forbidding them to turn on their backs and warning them of the consequences of disobedience, that they would turn losers.
The proof that he was apprehensive of their disobedience because of their past behaviour is found in his description “transgressors” used for them after their refusal to enter.Just one disobedience
does not justify the use of this active participle for them; it is generally used when one repeatedly and continuously indulges in that action.
The land is described as holy. Exegetes have explained it as the land free from polytheism because prophets and believers made it their abode. There is nothing in theQur’ãn
to explain this word. Yet there are in it other expressions nearer in meaning. For example: . to the remote mosque of whichWe
have blessed the precincts . (17:1). AndWe
made the people who were deemed weak to inherit the East and the West of the land, which we had blessed; . (7:137). To bless a land means only to place in it a great good; and a part of that great good is establishment of the religion and removal of the impurity of polytheism.
The clause: “Allãh has prescribed for you”, apparently means that Allãh had decreed that they would abide therein. The later coming clause: So it shall surely be forbidden to them for forty years, does not contradict it, rather it supports it, because the clause: “Allãh has pre-scribed for you”, is general, it has left vague many details - it does not say for what time and for whom it has been assigned; it is addressed to the ummah without specifying who comes under its circle. It has been said that all the people who had been addressed and were given that order, had expired and perished in the wilderness, and it was their sons and grandsons who entered the holy land under Joshua ben Nun. In any case, the clause: So it shall surely be forbidden to them for forty years, indicates that this assignment was to take place after this period.
This prescription is seen in the verses: And We desired to bestow a favour upon those who were deemed weak in the land, and to make them the Imãms, and to make them the heirs, and to grant them power in the land (28:5-6). Mūsã (a.s.) hoped that his people would get that land provided they sought help from Allãh and were patient, as Allãh says: Mūsã said to his people: “Ask help from Allãh and be patient; surely the land is Allãh's; He causes such of His servants to inherit it as He pleases, and the end is for those who fear (Allãh).” They said: “We have been persecuted before you came to us and since you have come to us.” He said: “It may be that your Lord will destroy your enemy and make you rulers in the land,then
He will see how you act” (7:128-9).
And it is this promise whose fulfilment is mentioned in these words: And We made the people who were deemed weak to inherit the East and the West of the land which We had blessed; and the good word of your Lord was fulfilled in the Children of Israel because they bore up (sufferings) patiently; . (7:137). This verse shows that their domination over the holy land and their settlement there was a divine word; a decided fact and firm decree provided they remained patient in Allãh's obedience, in avoidence of His disobedience and in bitter happenings.
We have widened the circle of patience because the verse is unrestricted, and also because hard events were piling up over them during Mūsã's time in addition to the divine commands and prohibi-tions. The more they persisted in disobedience, the harder became their assignments, as may be seen in their stories mentioned in the noble Qur’ãn.
This is the apparent Qur’ãnic connotation of prescription of the holy land for them. Yet the verses are vague as to its time and extent. However, the following verses make it clear that this prescription was conditional, not unrestricted, or irrevocable: It may be that your Lord will have mercy on you, and if you again return (to disobedience)We
too will return (to punishment). AndWe
have made hell a prison for the unbelievers (17:8); [Mūsã's words in the above-mentioned verse]: “It may be that your Lord will destroy your enemy and make you rulers in the land, then He will see how you act” (7:128-9). And when Mūsã said to his people: “Call to mind Allãh's favour to you when He delivered you from Pharaoh's people . And when your Lord made it known: 'If you are grateful, I would certainly give you more; and if you are ungrateful, My chastisement is truly severe'“ (
14:6-7).
An exegete has said that the words of Mūsã: “Allãh has pre-scribed for you”, refer to the promise Allãh had given to Ibrãhīm (a.s.); then he has quoted from the Old Testament
the divine promises to Ibrãhīm, Ishãq and Ya‘qūb, that He would give the land to their progeny; and has gone to some length in this topic. But keeping in view the limit we have put for our book, it is not of much concern to us to discuss it, no matter whether those promises were in the original Torah or are the handiwork of manipulators and forgerers. Certainly theQur’ãn
is not explained through the Torah.
QUR’ÃN:
They said: “O Mūsã! Surely there is a strong race in it; and we will never enter it until they go out from it, so if they go out from it, then surely we will enter: ar-Rãghib has said: “The real meaning of al-Jabr (اَلْجَبْرُ ) is to restore a thing with some force. It is said: Jabartuhu fa-injabarawa
ijtabara (جَبَرْتُهُ فَاِنْجَبَر وَاِجْتَبَرَ ) 'I mended it, so it became mended and restored.'“ He
further says:
“Sometimes al-jabr is used for restoring and mending [without connotation of force]; for example, the saying of ‘Alī (may Allãh be pleased with him): 'O who sets every broken (thing or heart), O who makes easy every difficult (situation or problem)'; in this sense they call bread Jãbir ibn habbah (جَابِرْ اِبْن حَبَّة = 'restorer son of grain'); at other times it is used for force and compulsion only, as [the Prophet] has said: La jabra wa la tafwīd (لاَجَبْرَ وَلا تَفْوِيْضُ = 'There is no compulsion nor delegation').” He goes on to say: “al-Ijbãr (to compel) actually means to make someone to restore another one, but it is commonly used for mere compulsion; the clause: 'I forced him', has the meaning of, 'I compelled him'.” He has further explained: “al- Jabbãr (اَلْجَبَّارُ = tyrant, gigantic, insolent) when used for a man implies that having a defect, he tries to make it up by claiming for himself a high position which he does not deserve. It is only used in derogatory sense. Allãh says: . and every insolent opposer was disappointed [14:15]. .and
He has not made me insolent, unblessed [19:32]. '. . there is a strong race in it' (5:22).” Also he writes:
“Keeping in view the idea of overwhelming by towering over one's fellows, they say: a jabbãrah (giant) date tree; a jabbãrah (colossal) she-camel.”
It is now clear that “strong race” in this verse refers to the group with power and authority who compel people to obey them.
The sentence: “and we will never enter it until they go out from it”, makes their entering the land conditional on the exit of the strong race from it; in reality it is rejection of Mūsã's order, although they promised again to enter it if their condition was met: “so if they go out from it, them surely we will enter.”
A number of traditions have been narrated describing those Amalekites, how huge were their bodies and how tall their stature, they contain such strange things as no sane person can accept; no archaeological find supports those stories, nor any physical research has found their trace. Obviously those traditions are mere forgeries, inserted in Islamic literature.
QUR’AN: Two men of those who feared, upon both of whom Allãh had bestowed a favour, said: “Enter upon them by the gate, . and on Allãh you should rely if you are believers”: The context clearly shows that the fear means fear of Allãh; there were people who feared God and avoided disobedience of Allãh and His prophet; and these two men belonged to that group; that is why they said what they said. Moreover, they had a distinction among that group that Allãh had bestowed His favour upon them, it has been earlier mentioned in this book that when “favour” comes in the Qur’ãn without any condition, it denotes divine wilãyah (اَلْوِلاَيَةُ = friendship); so, the two men were among the friends of Allãh. This in itself indicates that the abovementioned fear refers to fear of Allãh, because friends of Allãh are not afraid of anything, they fear only Allãh. He says: Now surely the friends of Allãh - they shall have no fear nor shall they grieve (10:62).
It may possibly be said that bestowal of divine favour is related to fear; that is, Allãh had bestowed His fear upon them. In the phrase: “those who feared”, object of the verb, “feared”, is omitted because it is understood from the phrase: “upon both of whom Allãh had bestowed a favour”, because clearly they were not afraid of the strong race, otherwise they would not have exhorted the Israelites to enter as they said:“ 'Enter
upon them by the gate' “.
Some exegetes have given a strange explanation: The phrase: “of those who feared”, means: Two men from among those whom the Children of Israel feared and upon both whom Allãh had bestowed a favour by guiding them to Islam. They support it with the recital of Ibn Jubayr, who read, yukhãfūn (يُخَافُونَ in passive case; meaning: they were feared). They say: Two men from the Amalekites had believed in Mūsã (a.s
.) and joined the Children of Israel, then they advised them as described in the verse, showing the way to vanquish Amalekites and capture their towns and land.
This explanation is based on some explanatory traditions; but they are solitary narratives, and are not supported by the Qur’ãn, etc.
“Enter upon them by the gate”: “Gate” may refer to the first town of that strong race, nearest to the Israelites; reportedly, it was called Arihã’, such usage is not uncommon. Or it may refer to the gate of the town.
“for
when you have entered it you shall surely be victorious”: It was their promise to the Israelites for victory over the enemy. They gave such a definite promise, as they had full faith in Mūsã (a.s
.) who had said that Allãh had prescribed the holy land for them - because they knew that his statements were true. Or, probably they knew about this victory through the light of divine friendship.
Most of the Shī‘ah and Sunnī exegetes have written that the two men were Joshua ben Nun and Caleb ben Yuqina, and that they were among the twelve chiefs of the Israelites.
Then the two men invited them to rely on Allãh: “and on Allãh should you rely if you are believers”, because Allãh is sufficient for him who relies on Him; the call was meant to set their minds at rest and give them encouragement.
QUR’ÃN:
They said: “O Mūsã! We shall never enter it at all so long as they remain therein; go therefore you and your Lord, then fight you both, surely we will here sit down”: They repeated their refusal, “We shall never enter it”, in order to make Mūsã (a.s.) lose all hope of their compliance, so that he should not go on telling them to enter.
This speech is full of derision, insult and contempt for Mūsã (a.s
.) and the divine order and promise that he had conveyed to them. The sentences are set in an amazing way: They totally ignored the advice of the two men who had told them to obey Mūsã (a.s.)'s order, as if they did not deserve any reply; then they told off Mūsã (a.s.) in a few words after they had talked with him in the beginning to some length and given him their reason, etc. Resorting in argumentation to brevity after lengthy talk indicates that the speaker is tired of talking with his opposite party and does not like to hear his voice any more. Then they emphasized the repeated refusal, “We shall never enter it”, with the word, “at all”; then their stupidity emboldened them to com-mit the most improper folly when they told Mūsã (a.s.): “go therefore you and your Lord, then fight you both, surely we will here sit down.”
This speech very clearly proves that they thought, like Idol-worshippers, that God had a body like His creatures. And they were like this, for Allãh quotes them as saying: And We made the Children of Israel to pass the sea; then they came upon a people who kept to the worship of their idols. They said: “O Mūsã! Make for us a god as they have (their) gods.” He said: “Surely you are a people acting ignorant-ly” (7:138). To this day they have continued to believe in anthropo-morphization and embodiment of God, as their books clearly show.
QUR’ÃN:
He said: “My Lord! Surely I have no control (upon any) but my own self and (so does) my brother; therefore make a separ-ation between us and the nation of transgressors”: The context shows that the clause: “Surely I have no control (upon any) but my own self and (so does) my brother”, is an indirect declaration that he cannot make anyone accept his call except his own self and his brother. Obviously he could himself follow the divine command and call his brother, Hãrūn (a.s
.), to do so; his brother was, after all, a messenger prophet and was his successor in his life, he could not go against the divine commands. Another meaning: Mūsã (a.s
.) had no control except on his own self, and likewise his brother had no control except on himself.
Mūsã (a.s
.) did not mean that he had no power at all even in making someone to listen to his invitation to belief. Such an explana-tion does not agree with the context: Certainly there were the two men who feared and many others who believed in him and had accepted his call. What we should ponder upon is the fact that he had not included even his and his brother's families in the people under his control, while obviously they were not disobedient to him in any way.
This mystery is solved when we look at the context and the situation. Mūsã (a.s
.) had called his people to a legitimate responsibil-ity; he put all his efforts in it; but the Israeli society rejected his call in a very ignominious and repulsive manner. This situation demanded that he should say to Allãh: 'O my Lord! I diligently conveyed your message to them, but in this affair I have no control on anyone except my own self, and so does my brother; we have discharged the respon-sibility put on our shoulders; but these people confronted us with total refusal. Now, we have lost hope concerning them and our path is blocked. Now, we pray toYou
to open this knot and with Your Lord-ship, pave the way for them to get your complete favour, that they may inherit the land and be made successors in it. O Lord! Decide and judge between these transgressors and us.'
They had in past disobeyed Mūsã (a.s
.) on many occasions: in their demand to see the Lord, in worship of the calf, in entering the door saying hittah, etc. But this time they transgressed all limits; they openly rejected Mūsã (a.s
.)'s call in a very rude manner. If Mūsã had left them in their insolence, and remained silent on their flaunting his order, it would have been the end of his prophetic call; his orders and prohibitions would have lost their value and the society would have disintegrated, losing the unity which Mūsã (a.s.) had established with so much trouble.
The above statement shows that:
First:
The situation demanded that Mūsã (a.s.) should mention his own condition and that of his brother while complaining to Allãh, because these two were the conveyors of the divine message, and should not refer to other believers' condition (even though they were not insubordinate), because the others had no concern with tablīgh and mission. The context required description of the conveyor of the order, not of those who accepted the call, followed, and obeyed the divine commandment.
Second:
The situation also demanded that Mūsã (a.s
.) should turn to his Lord with this complaint, which in reality was a call to Allãh to help him in enforcement of His command.
Third:
The clause, “and my brother”, is in conjunction with “I” in, “Surely I have no control”,The
meaning thus will be as follows: and my brother too, like me, has no control except on his own self. It is not in conjunction with, “my own self”, which would imply that he had no control except on himself and on his brother, because it would not agree with context, although both connotations are correct in themselves. Mūsã and Hãrūn (a.s
.) both had control on their own selves in obedience and compliance, and Mūsã (a.s.) had control on Hãrūn (a.s.) that he would obey him (Mūsã), because he was Mūsã (a.s.)'s successor in his life; likewise, both had control on sincere believers that they would listen to, and obey them.
Fourth:
The sentence: 'therefore make a separation between us and the nation of transgressors.” Mūsã (a.s.) does not invoke God against the Children of Israel that He should enforce on them His final judge-ment by sending punishment on them, or by separating Mūsã and Hãrūn (a.s.) from them (by removing them from there or by giving death to both brothers); Mūsã (a.s.) was calling them to what Allãh had prescribed for them with completion of favour, and it was through him that Allãh bestowed His blessings on the Israelites by delivering them and making them successors in land - all on his hands, as Allãh says: And We desired to bestow a favour upon those who were deemed weak in the land, and to make them the Imãms, and to make them the heirs (28:5). Also the Israelites were aware of the role of Mūsã in their lives, as Allãh quotes them as saying: They said: “We have been persecuted before you came to us and since you have come to us.” He said: “It may be that your Lord will destroy your enemy and make you rulers in the land,then
He will see how you act” (7:129).
Another evidence
may be found in the divine advice to Mūsã (a.s.): therefore do not grieve for the nation of transgressors (5:26). It shows that Mūsã (a.s
.) was afraid of divine punishment overtaking them, and not unexpectedly he would grieve for them when they were encircled in the wilderness.
QUR’ÃN:
He said: “So it shall surely be forbidden to them for forty years, they shall wander about in the land, therefore do not grieve for the nation of transgressors.”:
The pronoun, “it”, refer to the holy land. The forbidding implies divine creative decree to that effect; at-tīh (اَلتِّيه = wondering, wilderness); “in the land”: “the” here refers to the land where they were at that time; “do not grieve”: Mūsã (a.s
.) is advised not to be sorry for them. Allãh has confirmed here Mūsã (a.s
.)'s description of his people as “transgressors”.
Meaning: The holy land, i.e., entering and capturing it is for-bidden to them, i.e., We have decreed that they would not be able to enter it for forty years; they will wander in the land all those years - neither will they be 'civilized' and dwell in a town, nor will they be 'bedouines' living a life of desert-dwellers; do not grieve for the nation of transgressors because of this chastisement, because they are trans-gressors, one should not be sorry for them when they are inflicted with retribution of their deeds.
TRADITIONS
Ibn Abī Hãtim has narrated from AbūSa‘īd
al-Khudrī that the Messenger of Allãh (s.a.w.a.) said: “The Children of Israel, if one of them had a servant, a riding animal and a woman he was written a king.” (ad-Durru
'l-manthūr)
Abū Dãwūd has narrated in his marãsīl
from Zayd ibn Aslam, in explanation of: and made youkings, that
the Messenger of Allãh (s.a.w.a.) said: “A wife, house and servant.”(ibid.)
The author says:
[as-Suyūtī] has narrated other traditions too of the same theme. But the verse's context does not agree with this explanation. Although it was possible that the Israelites used to call everyone having a house, woman and servant a king, or write him as king, yet obviously not all of them (even their servants!) fulfilled this condition and had houses, women and servants. Certainly, only some of them were of that status, as is the case in other nations and gener-ations; acquiring house, wives and servants is a worldwide custom and no nation is without houses, wives, and servents. Therefore, it was not something particularly bestowed on the Children of Israel, so that Allãh should count it as a special favour to them that He made them kings - and the verse counts His special favours.
Probably awareness to this defect has led some narrators to say - as is narrated by Qatãdah - that the Israelites were first to have servants! But history does not agree with it.
al-Mufīd narrates through his chains through Abū Hamzah from Abū Ja‘far (a.s.) that he said: “When Mūsã arrived with them near the holy land, he told them: 'Enter the holy land which Allãh has pre-scribed for you and turn not on your backs, for then you will turn back losers.' And Allãh had certainly prescribed it for them. They said: 'Surely there is a strong race in it, and we will never enter it until they go out from it, so if they go out from it, then surely we will enter.' Two men of those who feared, upon both of whom Allãh had bestowed a favour, said: 'Enter upon them by the gate, for when you have entered it you shall surely be victorious, and on Allãh you should rely if you are believers.' They said: 'O Mūsã! We shall never enter it at all so long as they remain therein; go therefore you and your Lord, then fight you both, surely we will here sit down.' He said: 'My Lord! Surely I have no control (upon any) but my own self and (so does) my brother; therefore make a separation between us and the nation of transgressors.' So, when they refused to enter it Allãh made it forbidden to them, and they kept wanderingwithin about four parasang
for forty years, wandering in the land; therefore do not grieve for the nation of transgressors.”
Abū ‘Abdillãh (a.s.) said: “When evening came, their crier called: 'Departure', so they set out with chantings and songs; until came the dawn, and Allãh ordered the land to turn round with them, and in the morning they found themselves in the place which they had started from, then they said (to one another): 'Certainly you lost the way.' They remained in this (punishment) for forty years; and manna and quails were sent down to them; until all of them had died except two persons, Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Yuqina as well as the children of the (first generation). They kept wanderingwithin about four parasang
. When they wanted to go from there, their clothes and socks dried up upon them.” He said: “They had with them a rock; when they came down, Mūsã hit on it with his staff and there gushed out twelve streams from it, one stream for each tribe; and when they departed, the water returned to the rock and it was put on an animal . “ (al-Amãlī, al-Mufīd)
The Author says:
There are so many traditions of nearly the same meaning narrated through Shī‘ah and Sunnī chains. The words, “Abū ‘Abdillãh said”, indicate beginning of another tradition.
Although these traditions give such details about the wandering and other matters that are not expressly supported by the verses, yet they do not contain anything, which might be considered against the Book. Actually the affairs of Israelites in the time of Mūsã (a.s
.) were amazing, and their life was surrounded on all sides by supernatural happenings; therefore, there is nothing wrong if their wandering had the features mentioned in the traditions.
Mas‘adah ibn Sadaqah narrates from Abū ‘Abdillãh (a.s
.) that he was asked about the words: enter the holy land which Allãh has prescribed for you; he said. “He wrote it for them, then erased it, then wrote it for their children; so they (the children) entered it; Allãh erases what He pleases, and establishes (likewise), and with Him is the basis of the Book [13:39].” (at-Tafsīr
, al-‘Ayyãshī)
The Author says:
This theme has been narrated also byIsmã‘īl
al-Ju‘fī from Abū ‘Abdillãh (a.s.), and by Zurãrah, Humrãn and Muhammad ibn Muslim from Abū Ja‘far (a.s.). The Imãm (a.s.) has looked at the generation which received from Mūsã (a.s.) the order to enter the land with assurance that it was prescribed for them and at the generation which actually entered it; this resulted in al-badã’ regard-ing the generation prescribed for. It does not go against the apparent context of the verse, which shows that those who were prescribed for had entered the land; it was forbidden to them for forty years, then they entered it. In fact, the order was given to the Israeli society col-lectively; thus the same people entered it forwhom
it was prescribed, because all were one nation and one society. It was prescribed to that society to enter, then it was forbidden for a time, then they succeeded in entering. In this light, there was no badã’, although looking at the particular people there certainly was badã’.
[al-Kulaynī] has narrated through his chains from ‘Abdu 'r-Rahmãn ibn Yazīd that Abū ‘Abdillãh (a.s.), said: “The Messenger of Allãh (s.a.w.a.), said: 'The Prophet Dãwūd died on Saturday morning, so the birds overshadowed him with their wings, and Mūsã Kalīmul-lãh died in wilderness, so a crier announced from the sky: “Mūsã has died, and which soul would not die?”' “
(al-Kãfī)
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Author: Allamah Sayyid Muhammad Husayn Tabatabai
