Hajj Rituals (Manasek Hajj)

Hajj Rituals (Manasek Hajj)37%

Hajj Rituals (Manasek Hajj) Author:
Publisher: www.sistani.org
Category: Jurisprudence Science

Hajj Rituals (Manasek Hajj)
  • Start
  • Previous
  • 30 /
  • Next
  • End
  •  
  • Download HTML
  • Download Word
  • Download PDF
  • visits: 12596 / Download: 4149
Size Size Size
Hajj Rituals (Manasek Hajj)

Hajj Rituals (Manasek Hajj)

Author:
Publisher: www.sistani.org
English

1

2

Prohibitions during Ihram

As has already been discussed, ihram is established by talbiyah or what is considered of its kind, [see Rule 182] despite the niyyah to wear ihram. Once ihram is worn twenty five things become forbidden:

1. Hunting.

2. Sexual union.

3. Kissing a woman.

4. Touching a woman.

5. Looking at a woman and flirting with her.

6. Masturbating.

7. Reciting nikah.

8. Wearing perfume.

9. Wearing sewn clothes by men.

10. Wearing antimony (surma).

11. Looking in the mirror.

12. Wearing shoes, slippers or socks.

13. Outrage (Fusouq).

14. Quarrelling.

15. Killing insects found on humans, [such as lice].

16. Beautifying oneself.

17. Applying oil.

18. Removing hair from the body.

19. Covering the head, for males, or dipping one's body in water, even for females.

20. Covering of the face by females.

21. Sheltering in the shaded placef or males.

22. Bleeding one's body.

23. Cutting nails.

24. Extracting tooth, according to some scholars.

25. Carrying arms.

1. Hunting

Rule 199: While in the state of ihram it is forbidden to hunt, hurt, injure or kill a wild animal, whether it is in the Haram or outside it and, evidently, whether it is halal to eat or not. It is absolutely forbidden to hunt in the Haram, even if the hunter is not in a state of ihram.

Rule 200: Just as it is forbidden for a pilgrim to hunt while in the state of ihram, so is it forbidden to aid a hunter, even by pointing at the animal. In this regard. there is no difference whether the hunter is a pilgrim in ihram or not.

Rule 201: It is not permissible for a pilgrim in a state of ihram to hold a prey and keep it under control, even if he had hunted it before wearing ihram, or it was hunted by someone else, whether inside or outside the Haram.

Rule 202: It is not permissible for a pilgrim in a state of ihram to eat the meat of a prey, even if the hunter has captured it while still not in a state of ihrahm. It is forbidden for a person who is not in a state of ihram to eat the meat of a prey of a pilgrim, in the state of ihram, who killed it by hunting or slaughtered it after hunting.

It is forbidden for a person, who is not in a state of ihram, to eat the prey of a pilgrim, whether in a state of ihram or not, who hunted it inside the Haram.

Rule 203: The rules regarding free animals apply also to their young ones. As a matter of precaution, it is forbidden for pilgrims, in a state of ihram, to take, break or eat their eggs. And as a matter of precaution too, one should not help others to do so.

Rule 204: The rules stated above are for wild creatures, including locust. As for marine creatures, there is no objection to catching fish, for example. Amphibians are regarded as wild animals. Evidently, there is no objection to catching those animals, whose identity, as being wild or not, is doubtful .

Rule 205: Just as it is unlawful for a person in a state of ihram to hunt wild animals, so is it forbidden to kill any of the reptiles, even though it is not considered hunting. There are some exceptions:

1. Domestic animals, like sheep, cow, camels and poultry, including turkey. It is permissible to kill these. The same rule applies when there is doubt as to whether or not an animal is a domestic one.

2. When a person, in the state of ihram, fears for his safety, for example, from wild animals, or snakes, it is permissible to kill them.

3. It is permissible to kill vultures, if they are hunting the pigeons in the Haram.

4. It is permissible to kill vipers, other dangerous snakes, scorpions and mice. There is no kaffarah for killing them.

Rule 206: There is no objection to a pilgrim, in ihram, throwing an arrow at a crow or kite. There is no penalty (kaffarah) should any of them be killed by the arrow.

Kaffarah (penalty) for hunting

Rule 207: For killing grazing livestock, the penalty is a camel; for killing a wild cow it is a cow; for killing a wild donkey it is a cow, as a matter of precaution; for killing a gazelle or a hare it is a sheep. The same, as a matter of precaution, is the penalty for killing a fox.

Rule 208: If the penalty for the animal killed is a camel and it is not available, the obligation is to feed sixty poor people each of whom should be given a mudd (75O grams) of food; if it is not possible to do so, one has to fast for eighteen days. If the penalty is a cow, and it is not available, thirty poor people must be fed; if this is not within one's means, the penalty is fasting for nine days. If the penalty payable is a sheep, and it is not available, ten poor people must be fed; if one cannot afford it, three days fasts should be observed.

Rule 209: For killing a sand grouse, partridge or francolin and their likes, the penalty is a lamb which has been weaned and feeds on grass. For killing a sparrow, a lark and the like, evidently, the penalty is one mud of food. For killing other birds, such as pigeons, the penalty is a sheep.

The penalty for killing their young ones, is a lamb or the young of a goat. If their eggs were broken, the penalty is a dirham (3.456 gms. of silver), if there is no foetus; if otherwise, the ruling is the same as that for the young ones of a bird and out of caution the young lamb feeding on its own.

For killing a locust, the penalty will be a date; if more than one was killed, the penalty will be a handful of food, which is preferable; If the killings are repeated, the kaffarah should be repeated too; if the killing was abundant, it will be a sheep.

Rule 210: For killing a mouse, hedgehog or lizard, and the likes, the penalty is a young goat and for a locust, the penalty will be a handful of food.

Rule 211: For a deliberate killing of a wasp, the penalty is giving away, in charity, some food. If done in defending oneself, there is no penalty.

Rule 212: If a person, in a state of ihram, hunts an animal outside the boundaries of Haram, he must pay a penalty or the price of the animal, where there is no fixed penalty. However, if a person, not in a state of ihram, hunts an animal inside the boundaries of the Haram, he must pay the price of the animal, except for hunting a lion, for which the penalty is a ram. If a person, in ihram, hunts inside the boundaries of Haram, he must pay both the penalty and the price.

Rule 213: It is obligatory on a pilgrim, in of ihram, to avoid the path on which there are locusts, but if that is not possible, there is no objection, if they get killed.

Rule 214: If a group of pilgrims, in ihram, jointly kill an animal, each of them will be liable to the penalty.

Rule 215: The penalty for eating the hunted animal is the same as for killing it. Thus, if the pilgrim in ihram hunts the animal, then eats it, he will be liable to double the rate of the penalty.

Rule 216: If a person, not in ihram, has with him the hunted animal and enters the Haram in his possession, he must immediately release it; if he does not do so and the animal dies, he becomes liable to pay the penalty. The same is the rule, if the hunting took place before ihram, but the animal died after ihram, i.e. the penalty must be paid, even if he did not enter the Haram, as a matter of precaution,

Rule 217: The penalty for hunting an animal and eating its meat applies whether the act was done deliberately, in error, or out of ignorance.

Rule 218: If the hunting is repeated, so is the penalty, whether the hunting was out of ignorance, due to an oversight, or deliberate - by a person, not in ihram, inside the Haram. The same rule applies to the hunting in the Haram by pilgrim, in the state of ihram - in each and every ihram. However, if a pilgrim, in ihram, hunts repeatedly during the same state of ihram, he will pay the penalty once.

2. Sexual Activity

Rule 219: Sexual union is forbidden for a pilgrim, in ihram for an Umrat-ut-Tamatu' or Umrat-ul- Mufradah or during Hajj; this is the case even after performing them, but before saying the prayers for Tawaf-un-Nisa.

Rule 220: If during an Umrat-ut-Tamatu' a pilgrim intentionally has sexual intercourse with his wife, and if he does so after performing sa'y, the Umrah is not invalidated. However, there is an obligatory penalty upon him which should, as a matter of precaution, be camel or a cow.

If the intercourse takes place before sa'y is completed, the penalty will be as stated above. As a matter of precaution, he must finish his Umrah, the pilgrimage that follows it, and repeat both of them in the ensuing year.

Rule 221: If a pilgrim, in ihram for Hajj deliberately has sexual intercourse with his partner, before wuquf at Muzdalifah, his Hajj is invalidated; if the lady is also in ihram and she knowingly and voluntarily condoned the act, her Hajj is also invalidated. There is a penalty on each of them; they also have to complete the remaining ceremonies and repeat the Hajj in the following year, whether the pilgrimage was obligatory or optional. However, if the woman was compelled into the act, her Hajj is not invalidated, and there will be no penalty on her. Her husband, who coerced her into it, should pay double the penalty.

The penalty for the intercourse is a camel, but if one cannot afford it, it is a sheep. It is mandatory that husband and wife live separately during the remainder of the pilgrimage - except in the presence of a third person - until they complete all the pilgrimage rituals, including those at Mina. They should return to the point where the intercourse took place. Should they choose to use a different route, they are free to meet, only when they have finished all the required acts of worship.

They should also be separated, during the repeat Hajj in the following year on arrival, until they reach the place where the intercourse took place in the preceding year. Indeed, as a matter of precaution, the separation should be maintained until the completion of all the pilgrimage devotions and the return to the place where the act took place.

Rule 222: If a person, in ihram, had intentionally had a sexual intercourse after wuquf at Muzdalifah, but before completing the fourth round of Tawaf-un-Nisa, the above-quoted penalty is obligatory on him; however, his pilgrimage stands.

Rule 223: If a person knowingly has a sexual intercourse during Umrat-ul-Mufradah, he is liable to the penalty, previously discussed. His Umrah, though, is valid, if the sexual act took place after sa'y; otherwise the it is invalidated as well. It is then mandatory on him to remain in Makkah for another month, and proceed to one of the Meqats to wear ihram again to repeat Umrah. It is not sufficient to wear ihram from Adnal hil. As a matter of precaution, he must also complete the Umrah that was rendered invalid.

Rule 224: If a pilgrim, relieved from his ihram, had a sexual intercourse with his wife, who is still in ihram, she becomes liable to a kaffarah of a camel, which must be borne by the husband.

Rule 225: If a pilgrim, in a state of ihram , has a sexual intercourse with his wife out of ignorance or due to an oversight, his Umrah and Hajj are valid; there shall be no penalty on him. This rule also applies to all the other prohibitions which attract penalties. That is to say that an act of a pilgrim, in ihram, will not attract a penalty, if it was performed out of ignorance or due to an oversight, except in the following cases:

1. if he forgets a tawaf in Hajj or Umrah till he returns to his country, and has intercourse with his wife;

2. if he forgets some parts of the sa'y in Umrat-ut-Tamatu' and has intercourse with his wife considering himself relieved of ihram;

3. if he needlessly keeps stroking his head or beard, and a hair or two drop off;

4. if out of ignorance, he applies oil to his body.

The rules relating to these aspects will be discussed at their appropriate places.

3. Kissing a Woman

Rule 226: It is not permissible for a pilgrim, in a state of ihram , to kiss his wife with passion. If he does so and as a result ejaculates, he is liable to a penalty of a camel. If he did not ejaculate, a penalty of a sheep will do. If the kissing was without passion, the same kaffarah (penalty) shall be due, as a matter of precaution.

Rule 227: If a person, who is not in a state of ihram, kisses his wife, who is in state of ihram, he must, as a matter of precaution, pay a penalty of a sheep.

4. Touching a Woman

Rule 228: It is not permissible for a pilgrim, in ihram, to touch, carry, or cuddle his wife with passion. If he does so, whether he ejaculates or not, he becomes liable to a penalty of a sheep. However, if he touches, carries or cuddles her without passion, no penalty is incurred.

5. Looking at and Playing with a Woman

Rule 229: It is not permissible for a person, in the state of ihram to embark on foreplay with his wife. If he does so and ejaculates, he is liable to a penalty of a camel. However if he is unable to pay this penalty, he is liable for a sheep. He should avoid looking at her with desire, if this eventually leads to ejaculation. That said, it is advisable not to embark on this road whether or not looking at her resulted in ejaculation, as a matter of ihtiyat.

If he looks at her with passion and ejaculates, he is liable to a penalty of a camel, as a matter of precaution. If he looks at her with passion but does not ejaculate, or the looking is without desire, yet it is followed by ejaculation, no penalty shall be incurred.

Rule 230: If a pilgrim, in ihram, unlawfully looks at a lady who is a stranger to him and ejaculates, he is liable to a penalty of a camel, if he is well off. If he is of an average means, a cow. If he is poor, the penalty is, evidently, a sheep. If there is no ejaculation, no penalty is incurred.

Rule 231: It is permissible for a pilgrim, in ihram, to enjoy the company of his wife, such as talking to her. However, categorically abandoning such a thing is recommended, as a matter of precaution.

6. Masturbation

Rule 232: If a pilgrim in a state of ihram masturbates, the rule of sexual intercourse applies to him. If this happens before the stay at Muzdalifah, his Hajj is invalidated; it is obligatory on him to complete the ceremonies and repeat the pilgrimage in the following year.

If this act occurs in Umrat-ul-Mufradah before completing sa'y, his Umrah is invalidated and he is obliged to complete and repeat it as stated above. The penalty for it is the same as that for sexual intercourse. If, however, there is ejaculation without masturbation, by, for example, looking only or imagining, the penalty is still operative but Hajj or Umrah is not invalidated. Yet, as a matter of caution, it must be repeated.

7. Marriage Contract

Rule 233: It is forbidden for a pilgrim, in a state of ihram , to officiate the marriage contract himself or another person, irrespective of whether or not the other person is also in a state of ihram , and whether the intended marriage is permanent or temporary. In all these cases, the marriage is invalid.

Rule 234: If a pilgrim, in the state of ihram, gets married, and the marriage is consummated, the person who conducted the ceremony, husband, and wife should each pay a penalty, which is a camel. That is, if they were aware of the situation and the rules.

If some were aware and others not, the ignorant party shall not incur the penalty. There is no difference as to the extent of the penalty whether the person, who conducted the marriage ceremony, and the woman, were in a state of ihram or not.

Rule 235: It is not permissible for a pilgrim, in a state of ihrahm, to witness a marriage ceremony, or be present there, as is widely believed (ala mashhoor). However, as a matter of optional precaution (al ahwatil awla), he must decline bearing witness to it, albeit he would practically have, be virtue of being there, assumed a responsibility.

Rule 236: As a matter of optional precaution, a person in a state of ihram should not propose to a lady. However, there is no objection to reverting to a lady who had been divorced by way of a revocable divorce, just as it is permissible to divorce one's wife.

8. Use of Perfume

Rule 237: It is forbidden for a person, in ihram, to use perfume, be it by way of wearing, smelling, applying, or eating it. Not permissible, too, is wearing any garment that had come into contact with it. By perfume we mean every substance intended for one's body, clothes, and food, such as musk, oud, waras, amber, saffron and the like.

However, it is evident that, one must also refrain from all kinds of scent and perfume, like rose and jasmine. There is one exception, though, which is ‘Khalooq-ul-Ka'ba’, which is extracted from saffron and other materials, and is applied on the Holy Ka'ba.

Rule 238: It is not forbidden for a pilgrim in a state of ihram to smell sweet plants, be they used for perfumes, such as jasmine, or others. fragrant wild flowers, such as wormwood, are apparently exempt.

Fruits which have a scent in them, like apples and quinces, one must refrain from smelling them while eating them, as a matter of precaution. The same applies to aromatic oils; it is permissible to use for food the edible ones among them, yet it is advisable not to smell the aroma while eating them, as a matter of ihtiyat.

Rule 239: A pilgrim in a state of ihram, performing sa'y does not have to hold his nose in a bid to avoid smelling the aroma which may exude from a vendor of perfumery. However, he must do so in situations other than this. Khalooq-ul-Ka'ba is exempt.

Rule 240: If a person, in ihram, deliberately consumes an item of perfumery, or wears clothes that have traces of scent on them, he should, as a matter of obligatory precaution (al ahwat luzuman [wujuban]), bear a kaffarah of a sheep.

There is no kaffarah for using perfume in situations other than those discussed, although, as a matter of precaution, one must pay the penalty.

Rule 241: It is forbidden for a pilgrim, in the state of ihram, to close his nose to bad smell, although there is no objection to moving away quickly from the smell.

9. Wearing Sewn Clothes by Men

Rule 242: It is forbidden for a male pilgrim, in ihram, to wear any garment with buttons, or that used as pullover, such as cloak. It is also forbidden to wear trousers, and the like to cover one's private parts, unless they do not have buttons. However, as a matter of obligatory precaution, he must completely refrain from wearing traditional clothes, such as shirt, cloak, jacket, Arabian thawb or dishdasha (gown), albeit not buttoned up.

However, there is no objection to tying a sewn purse/wallet worn around the waist or over the shoulder. Likewise, it is permissible to use a sewn belt to support a rupture, or hernia, for example. He can also use a sewn kilt or covering, but he must not let it cover his head.

Rule 243: As a matter of precaution (al ahwat), one must not tie the lose ends of the loin cloth round one's neck ; indeed one must not tie a knot in the loin cloth at all, i.e. one must not connect the two ends of the loin cloth, either by a knot or by a pin or needle. As a matter of precaution, one must not tie a knot in the cloth round the shoulders either; however, one can connect its loose ends with a pin or a needle.

Rule 244: Ladies can wear sewn dresses, but not gloves.

Rule 245: If a pilgrim, in ihram, deliberately wears anything forbidden, the penalty is a sheep. As a matter of precaution, the penalty must be paid even if the infringement was involuntary.

If it is repeated, there is a penalty incurred for each and every infringement, even if it involves simply the deliberate change of clothes, be they of different kinds or of the same kind, as a matter of precaution.

10. Applying Antimony (Surma)

Rule 246: Applying antimony in two situations need consideration:

1. Application of black collyrium for beautification is totally forbidden, except if used for treatment.

2. Application for beautification of collyrium which is not black, and its equivalent, without intention of beautification is not objectionable and carries no penalty. However, it is preferable to sacrifice a sheep, if the antimony was mixed with an unlawful substance.

11. Looking in the Mirror

Rule 247: It is forbidden for a pilgrim, in a state of ihram, to look in a mirror for the purpose of beautification. However, there is no objection to looking in a mirror for any other reason. For example, a driver looking in the mirror to check the rear view; a pilgrim may need to look into a mirror to tend an injury in his face, or to ensure that there is nothing on the face to obstruct wudhu water reaching the skin.

All other reflective surfaces are treated in the same way as a mirror. If one has looked into the mirror for beautification, it is recommended to renew the talbiyah.

There is no objection to wearing medical spectacles. However, as a matter of precaution, one should refrain from wearing them, if it is widely the view that they may be considered among beautification objects.

12. Wearing Shoes, Socks or Stockings

Rule 248: It is forbidden for a male pilgrim, in ihram, to wear shoes, socks or stockings, if they cover the foot. However, if the pilgrim is unable to obtain slippers, and it becomes necessary for him to wear shoes, he should, as a matter of precaution, tear off the front part.

He is, however, permitted to wear what covers only part of the foot, or the whole foot, without wearing anything; for example, by letting the cloth of the ihram, worn around the waist, to cover the foot while sitting. The kaffarah for wearing shoes, socks or stockings is a sheep, as a matter of ihtiyat. There is no objection to women wearing them.

13. Outrage (Fusouq)

Rule 249: Fusouq covers lying, swearing, and unlawful boasting. Although, it is forbidden at all times, yet more seriously so when one is in a state of ihram.

However, by boasting, we mean one showing off one's social standing, and the like; it is forbidden, if it entails denigrating a fellow believer. Otherwise, there is no objection to such conduct, whether in a state of ihram or not. There is no kaffarah for such behaviour, except that the pilgrim must seek Allah's forgiveness. However, as a matter of precaution, he should sacrifice a cow.

14. Quarrelling

Rule 250: It is forbidden for a pilgrim in a state of ihram to quarrel with others, particularly to swear by Allah in order to prove something. Apparently, the prohibition is not exclusive to “La Wallah” (No, by Allah) or “Bala Wallah” (Yes, by Allah), but includes all types of swearing in the name of Allah in any language, even though it does not include la or bala. However, swearing by other than Allah is not taken into account.

Rule 251: There are two exceptions to the preceding:

1. it is permissible to swear, if it is necessary to do so to establish a right or disprove a false claim;

2. if it is not intended to take an oath or swear but for another purpose altogether, like showing respect or affection and saying,” La Wallah (No by Allah) do not do so”.

Rule 252: There is no penalty for taking an oath, if it is true. However, the pilgrim should seek Allah's forgiveness, if he has done so only twice; otherwise there is a penalty of a sheep. If the oath is untrue, the penalty is a sheep for the first time, two sheep for the second and a cow for the third time. That is the maximum penalty. However, if he had paid the penalty and took yet another false oath, the penalty is incurred in the same order.

15. Killing of Insects Found on the Body

Rule 253: It is forbidden for a pilgrim, in a state of ihram, to kill lice on one's body or throw them from one's body or clothes, as a matter of precaution. Yet, there is no objection to moving them from one place to the other.

If they are killed, the kaffarah should, as a matter of ihtiyat, be feeding the poor As for mosquitoes, gnats and the like, it, as a matter of precaution, is better to avoid killing them, so long as they do not harm the pilgrim. It is permissible, though, to kill them to protect oneself, although one should, as a matter of precaution, avoid doing so.

16. Self Beautification

Rule 254: As a matter of precaution, a pilgrim, in a state of ihram, should avoid whatever is considered to be beautification, whether or not he has the intention to beautify himself, including applying henna in the usual way.

However, it is permissible to use that which is not considered as beautification and is used for treatment, or the like. It is also permissible to apply it before wearing ihram, even though its effect continues while the pilgrim is in a state of ihram.

Rule 255: It is permissible for a pilgrim, in a state of ihram to wear a ring, not for beautification but as a mustahab act, for safe keeping, or for the purpose of counting the rounds of tawaf However, as a matter of precaution, wearing it for ornamental purposes must be avoided.

Rule 256: It is forbidden for a lady, in a state of ihram, to wear ornamental jewellery, unless she customarily wears them before getting into a state of ihram. However, she should not show them of to her husband or, as a matter of optional precaution (al ahwatil awla), to any male, among her mahaarim. There is no kaffarah on beautification in all these situations.

17. Applying Oil

Rule 257: It is not permissible for the pilgrim, in a state of ihram, to apply oil to the body, even if there is no perfume or scent in it, unless it is applied for necessity or treatment.

Rule 258: If the oil, which contains perfume, is applied deliberately, the kaffarah is a sheep; if it is applied out of ignorance, as a matter of precaution, a poor person should be fed as the penalty.

18. Removal of Hair from the Body

Rule 259: It is forbidden for a pilgrim, in a state of ihram, to shave or pluck, even a single hair of his, or another one's, hair, whether in ihram or not. There are three exceptions to this rule:

1. if there are plenty of lice on the body of the pilgrim and he is troubled by them;

2. if it becomes necessary to remove them, due to, for example, the length or quantity of hair that may cause headache, or for another reason;

3. if the hair drop off by themselves in the course of wudhu or ghusl.

Rule 260: If a pilgrim, in a state of ihram, shaves his head without any valid reason, the kaffarah is a sheep. If, however, he does so out of necessity, the penalty is either a sheep, fasting for three days, or feeding six poor persons, each receiving a kilo and a half of food.

If he removes the hair under the armpits, the kaffarah is a sheep; as a matter of precaution, that will also be the penalty, if he removes the hair under one armpit only. If he removes the hair of the beard, or any other hair, the kaffarah is feeding a poor person. There is no kaffarah for a pilgrim shaving the head of another person, irrespective of whether or not the other person is in a state of ihram.

Rule 261: There is no objection to a pilgrim, in a state of ihram, scratching his head or body, if no hair falls off or blood oozes. If the pilgrim strokes, without any reason, his head or beard, causing one or two hairs to drop off, he must give, in charity, some food. If this happens in the course of wudhu or similar act, there is no kaffarah on him.

19. Covering of the Head for Men

Rule 262: It is not permissible for a male pilgrim, in a state of ihram, to cover his head, or part of it, by way of shawl, masque, shirt, and the like. However he must, as a matter of precaution, not do so by carrying clay or grass, or by carrying anything on his head. Placing a leather water container on the head, or tying it with handkerchief, and the like, to treat a headache, is permissible. By head we mean the part where the hair grow; however, it is highly recommended the ruling applies to the ears .

Rule 263: It is permissible to cover the head with a part of the body, like hands but it is advisable to avoid doing so.

Rule 264: As a matter of precaution, it is not permissible for the pilgrim, in a state of ihram, to immerse his head in water, or any other liquid on ihtiyat grounds. The rule is applicable to both males and females. By head we mean the part above the neck.

Rule 265: If a pilgrim, in a state of ihram, covers his head, the kaffarah, as a matter of precaution, is a sheep. It is evident that there is no penalty, if the action is taken out of necessity.

20. Ladies' Face Cover

Rule 266: It is not permissible for a lady, in a state of ihram, to cover her face with a veil, a drape (niqab), a hand fan, and the like. As a matter of precaution, she should not cover her face with any form of cover and, for that matter, any part thereof. However, she can cover it while sleeping; there is no objection to covering part of the face in prayer.

Rule 267: In a state of ihram, ladies can cover their faces by pulling the end of their head cover (hijab) from the head onto the nose and it is apparent that there is no need to hold the end of the veil away from the face by hand or otherwise, though it is better to do so as a matter of precaution.

Rule 268: As a matter of optional precaution (al ahwatil awla), the kaffarah for covering the face is a sheep.

21. Remaining under Shade by Men

Rule 269: Sheltering is of two kinds:

1. By using an umbrella, the roof of a vehicle, an aeroplane, and the like. This is forbidden for men, in a state of ihram, if the shade is above the head. However, it is allowed to be in the shade of a moving cloud. Evidently (adhhar), there is no objection to the shade covering one side of the body only. For example, pedestrians walking beside a car producing a shade on one side.

2. As a matter of precaution, riders must avoid shade, unless the shade, produced from both sides, is so short that it does not cover the head and chest of the pilgrim.

3. By being under fixed objects like the shade of walls, tunnels, trees, mountains, etc. Evidently, being under such shade is allowed for a pilgrim, in a state of ihram, whether riding or on foot. There is no objection to protecting oneself from the sun with one's bare hands, although it is advisable to refrain from it, as a matter of precaution.

Rule 270: By “avoiding cover, or shading”, we mean no protection should be used against the sun and, as a matter of precaution, the rain. However, there is no objection to protecting oneself from wind, heat, cold, etc., albeit it is advisable not to embark on it, as a precautionary measure.

Yet, there is no objection to using a covered bus during the night, even if it is not raining, as a matter of precaution. That is even with the knowledge that it may provide protection against wind.

Rule 271: The prohibition of resorting to shading, discussed above, is confined to walking and covering a distance. Once the pilgrim, in a state of ihram, arrives at a place, be it that he uses for accommodation or not, there is no objection to his moving under shade. This is treated in the same way as if the pilgrim was en route, in that he can remain in the shade of a house in which he is resting, or meeting friends, i.e. it is apparent that he is permitted to be under shade.

The question, though, still remains as to whether the pilgrim is permitted to be under the shade of a moving object, once he settled and went about his business. Say, he had arrived in Makkah and wished to proceed to the Holy Mosque for tawaf and sa'y, or once in Mina, he wished to proceed to the place of sacrifice or Jamarat. It is very problematic (mushkilun jiddan) to pass a ruling, permitting it. Accordingly, and as a matter of precaution, one should avoid doing so.

Rule 272: There is no objection to women or children sheltering in the shade, and even men when it is necessary.

Rule 273: The kaffarah for being under shade is a sheep, whether the breach was deliberate or out of necessity. If it is repeated, a sheep should, as a matter of precaution, be given for each day of the breach, although it is evident that there is only one penalty for the entire state of ihram.

22. Removal of Blood from the Body

As a matter of precaution, it is forbidden for a pilgrim, in a state of ihram, to remove blood from his body, in any way, be it by cupping or removing a tooth or the like. It could, though, be done for a good reason. However, there is no objection to using siwak, even if it results in bleeding. The kaffarah for bleeding, without a valid reason is a sheep, as a matter of optional precaution (al ahwatil awla).

23. Cutting Nails

It is forbidden for a pilgrim, in a state of ihram, to cut his nails or part thereof, unless it is causing distress to him. For example, if part of the nail has become blunt and causes pain to the entire nail, it is permissible to cut it.

Rule 274: The kaffarah for cutting one nail is mudd (750 gms) of food; for cutting all hand nails in one session, it is a sheep. The same rule applies to cutting feet nails. If hand and feet nails are cut in one go, the kaffarah is a sheep. If hand nails are cut in one session and feet nails in another, the kaffarah is two sheep.

Rule 275: If a person, in a state of ihram, cuts his nails by following a ruling (fatwa), spelling it out to be permissible and, in the process, blood oozes out, the kaffarah must, as a matter of precaution, be borne by the person who erroneously led him in that direction.

24. Extraction of Teeth

Rule 276: Some scholars are of the opinion that extracting a tooth by a person, in a state of ihram, is forbidden, even if no blood comes out in the process. They prescribe the kaffarah to be a sheep. Although there is no doubting the reasoning for this view, it is not far from being the correct one.

25. Wearing of Arms

Rule 277: It is forbidden for a person, in a state of ihram, to wear arms, or carry them in a way that suggests that he is armed, as a matter of precaution. By weapons, we mean that which would generally be regarded as arms, such as sword, spear, and rifle. Items of body protection, such as armour, are excluded from this rule.

Rule 278: There is no objection to the arms being in the possession of a pilgrim, in a state of ihram, in such a manner that it would not be generally construed that he is armed. However, it is advisable to avoid having them altogether, as a precaution.

Rule 279: Carrying arms is forbidden only in normal conditions. If it is necessary to carry them for fear of the enemy or thieves, for example, there is no objection to doing so.

Rule 280: As a matter of precaution, the kaffarah for carrying arms, without a valid reason, is a sheep.

Matters forbidden within (The Haram)

Matters forbidden for a pilgrim, in a state of ihram, have now been covered. We now proceed to deal with the matters forbidden to the pilgrim and the native:

First: Hunting in the Haram is forbidden to the pilgrim and the native as stated before.

Second: Uprooting grass or cutting down trees in the Haram is forbidden. However, there is no objection to grass being damaged in the course of ordinary walk. So too is letting animals feed on the grass. It is advisable, though, to avoid cutting grass to feed them.

There are some exceptions to the rule:

1. `Ethkher' which is a well known herb;

2. Date palm and fruit trees;

3. Privately planted grass or trees;

4. Trees or grass, grown on the premises of an individual, after the purchase of the property or settling in it. As for trees and grass that were there, at the time of purchasing the property, they do not fall within the exception.

Rule 281: If the roots of a tree are in the area of the Haram but branches outside, or vice versa, it will be governed as though it was wholly within the area of the Haram.

Rule 282: The kaffarah for cutting down a tree is its value. The penalty for cutting a portion of it is the value of the portion cut off, as a matter of precaution; there is no penalty for cutting grass.

Third: It is not permissible to execute the religious punishment meted out to a person who, guilty of an act committed outside the Haram, has taken refuge in it. However, people should refrain from feeding such a person, or communicating with him, till he is left with no option but to come out and be penalized.

Fourth: It is highly discouraged to pick lost property within the Haram. However, if a person had picked it up, and traced no sign to recognize its owner, he could keep it for himself. As a matter of precaution, however, it is recommended that he should give it away in charity on behalf of its owner. If its price is more than one dirham (3.456 gms of silver), he should give notice for one year that he has found it; if it remains unclaimed, he must give it away in charity on behalf of the owner.

Boundaries of Haram

The boundaries of Haram are known and have been handed down from generation to generation. From the north is Tan'eem, north-west is Al-Hudaibiyyah, that is, Shamaisi, north-east is Thaniyyat Jabalil Maqta', east is Batan Namirah, south-east is Ja'ranah and from south-west is Idha'atul Laban.

The boundaries of Madinah are the mountains of Aa'ir, Wa'eer and the valleys of Waaqim and Laili. Although it is not obligatory to wear ihram from Madinah, it is not permissible to cut the trees, especially the green ones, and, as a matter of precaution, hunting is not permitted at all.

Place of sacrifice

Rule 283: If the kaffarah was for hunting, in the course of an Umrat-ul-Mufradah in a state of ihram, the animal must be sacrificed in Makkah. If it was in the course of Hajj, the animal must be sacrificed in Mina. As a matter of precaution, the same ruling applies to any other penalty.

Rule 284: If the kaffarah has become due on the pilgrim, in a state of ihram, for hunting or otherwise, but it was not fulfilled, until after completing the pilgrimage and arriving home, he is, evidently, free to kill the animal wherever he likes .

Disbursement of the sacrifice

All penalties, incurred by the pilgrim, must be handed to the poor and the needy. As a matter of precaution, he must refrain from eating it; if he did so, as a matter of precaution (al ahwat), he must pay its price to the poor.

Section 5

Surah Al-Baqarah, Verse 49

وَإِذْ نَجَّيْنَاكُم مِّنْ آلِ فِرْعَوْنَ يَسُومُونَكُمْ سُوَءَ الْعَذَابِ يُذَبِّحُونَ أَبْنَاءكُمْ وَيَسْتَحْيُونَ نِسَاءكُمْ وَفِي ذَلِكُم بَلاء مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ عَظِيمٌ

49. "And (remember) when We delivered you from the people of Pharaoh who had afflicted you with evil torment, slaughtering your sons and sparing your women-folk, and in that was a great trial from your Lord. ":

In this verse, the Qur'an points to another great bounty out of the bounties He bestowed on the Children of Israel. This favour is the bounty of deliverance from the grips of those transgressors. This is the greatest bounty amongst the bounties of Allah on them and He reminds them, saying:

"And (remember) when We delivered you from the people of Pharaoh..." "...who had afflicted you with evil torment..."

"...slaughtering your sons and sparing your women-folk..."

They let your women-folk live as maid-servants and serve hard for them.

"...and in that was a great trial from your Lord."

To illustrate the torments of Pharaoh upon the Israelites, the Qur'an has particularly applied the term / yasumuna / in the future tense of the verb, which, in Arabic, indicates the duration and continuity of that evil torment.

Thus, they saw for themselves that their innocent sons were slaughtered before their eyes and their daughters were taken away from them to serve in the Egyptians' houses as maid-servants. That conduct caused them to tolerate and experience torture permanently, too. They were considered as servants, workers, and slaves of the Coptic people in Egypt and of the men of Pharaoh.

It is a matter of importance that the Qur'an counts this event as a great and grievous trial for the Children of Israel and, of course, bearing all those bitter harsh afflictions had been a hard tremendous trial.

It is also probable that the term / bala' / ' trial', here, has been used with the meaning of 'punishment'. The reason is that before that event, Israelites had been enjoying an abundance of bounties with great power and authority. But they became ungrateful and the Lord punished them.

Anyhow, the day when the Children of Israel were delivered from the tyrannical clutches of the Egyptian monarch, the Pharaoh, was a very important historical day in their lives on which the Holy Qur'an has emphasized repeatedly.

Slavery of Females, Past and Present

In the history of the Israelites, their bondage in Egypt was indeed a tremendous trial for them. Even the Egyptians' wish to spare the lives of the Israelites' females when the males were slaughtered, as the Qur'an declares, added to their bitterness. So, their rescue from that cruelty was really counted as a bounty.

It seems that the Qur'an intends to warn all human beings that they should try to obtain their rightful freedom however hard it may be, and protect it.

Hadrat Ali (as) has pointed out this matter in one of his sermons:

"...Real death is in the life of subjugation while real life is in dying in the way of freedom..."1

But the modern world is different from that of the ancient in this manner. At that time, for example, Pharaoh, through his peculiar cruelty, slaughtered the men and the sons of the people who were his enemies and let their females remain alive to serve Egyptians.

While, today, in this modern world, the spirit of manhood among males is often slaughtered under some other circumstances, and their females are mostly made slaves for the lustful pleasure of a group of filthy men.

Sometimes, the Pharaohs of the Age have pity upon neither men nor women; neither sons nor daughters; neither adults nor infants. They have verified this statement in the massacres they have committed in some Islamic and non-lslamic countries by using chemical bombs and the likes of them. Their actions are often even worse than what the Pharaohs of Egypt used to do.

Now, why did Pharaoh decide to kill the Israeli boys and let their women-folk live? Some of the commentators believe that the reason for that murderous decision was the dream that Pharaoh dreamed. A more appropriate answer to this question will be discussed when commenting on Surah AL-Qasas No 28 verse 4.

Therein, you will come to know that the reason for that murder was not only Pharaoh's dream, but he and his clique also stood in awe of the increasing number of the Children of Israel and that they might become powerful and destroy the government of Pharaoh. This factor helped them make that hostile decision.

Some details about the miserable lot of the Israelites under the bondage of Pharaoh and how they were rescued, are also explained in Exodus -the opening chapter of the Bible i.e. Chapter 1.

Surah Al-Baqarah, Verse 50

وَإِذْ فَرَقْنَا بِكُمُ الْبَحْرَ فَأَنجَيْنَاكُمْ وَأَغْرَقْنَا آلَ فِرْعَوْنَ وَأَنتُمْ تَنظُرُونَ

50. "And (remember) when We divided the sea for you, and delivered you and drowned Pharaoh's people while you were looking on."

The Rescue from Pharaoh!

In the previous verse the miraculous rescue of the Israelites from the tyrannical grips of the Egyptian monarch, the Pharaoh, was briefly pointed out. The present verse is, in fact, an explanatory statement of that rescue, which itself is a sign of the great bounties of Allah upon the Children of Israel. It says:

"And (remember) when We divided the sea for you,..."

"...and delivered you and drowned Pharaoh's people while you were looking on."

The incident of the drowning of Pharaoh and his horsemen in the sea, and the rescue of the children of Israel from their cruel clutches is expressed in several Suras of the Qur'an, including: Surah Al-'A'raf, No. 7, verse 136 -Surah Al-' Anfal, No.8, verse 54 -Surah Al-' Asra', No.17 , verse 103- Surah Ash-Shu'ara', No.26, verses 63 & 66 -Surah Az-Zukhruf, No.43, verse 55- and Surah Ad-Dukhan, No.44, from verses 17 onwards.

More or less all the details of that happening are stated in the above Suras, but by the verse under discussion the story is hinted at only from the point of the favour and grace of Allah upon the Children of Israel in order to attract them to the invitation of Islam, the new religion of salvation, and to invoke them to accept it.

As you will read the explanation of this subject in detail through the aforementioned Suras, Moses (as), after a long time of preaching and inviting Pharaoh and his people to the Divine Faith and showing them numerous miracles and receiving no positive response from them, was commissioned that he and the Children of Israel move from Egypt at midnight. But when he reached the seashore, he realized that Pharaoh and his horsemen were closely pursuing them. The Israelites were terribly afraid.

They had the frightful sea in front of them and at their heels the forceful army of the Pharaoh, whom they could not challenge, threatened them. At that time Moses (as) was commanded to strike the water of the sea with his Rod and he obeyed. Then several dry paths appeared in the sea on which Moses (as) and his people passed.

When they crossed the sea from between the walls of water and arrived on the other side of the sea safely, Pharaoh and his army, who were following them, entered the same paths. They reached the midst of the sea when the walls of water came together and all of them drowned.

Their corpses were floating over the sea water as the Children of Israel were watching them and witnessing how helpless their enemies were in front of their eyes.

That terrible anxiety and the horrible fear they had compared with this miraculous rescue both deserved to be contemplated, and demanded that they express thanksgiving to Allah.

In this manner, the Qur'an tells the Jews that Allah has granted them His Mercy so that they could rid themselves of that anxiety and awe; then why do they repudiate the Prophet of Islam, Allah's Messenger, and do not accept Islam?

By the way, this verse teaches the human race to rely on Allah and trust in that everlasting Power in their lives. They ought to try hard and not stop in their endeavours and seek His help, because He helps them even in their most grievous moments.

A detailed story of this miraculous event is given in the Bible, Exodus; Chapter 14.

1. And the Lord spoke unto Moses, saying,

2. Speak unto the children of Israel that they turn and encamp before Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, over against Baal-zephon: before it shall ye encamp by the sea.

3. For Pharaoh will say of the children of Israel, They are entangled in the land, the wilderness hath shut them in.

4. And I will harden Pharaoh's heart, that he shall follow after them; and will be honoured upon Pharaoh, and upon all his host; that the Egyptians may know that I am the LORD. And they did so.

5. And it was told the king of Egypt that the people fled: and the heart of Pharaoh and of his servants was turned against the people, and they said, Why have we done this that we have let Israel go from serving us?

6. And he made ready his chariot, and took his people with him.

7. And he took six hundred chosen chariots, and all the chariots of Egypt and captains over every one of them.

8. And the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh, King of Egypt, and he pursued after the children of Israel and the children of Israel went out with a high hand.

9. But the Egyptians pursued after them, all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh, and his horsemen, and his army, and overtook them encamping by the sea, beside Pi-hahiroth, before Baal-zephon.

10. And when Pharaoh drew nigh, the children of Israel lifted up their eyes, and, behold, the Egyptians marched after them; and they were sore afraid: and the children of Israel cried out unto the LORD.

11. And they said unto Moses, because there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness wherefore hast thou dealt thus with us, to carry us forth out of Egypt?

12. Is not this the word that we did tell thee in Egypt, saying, Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians? For it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness.

13. And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will show to you today: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen today, ye shall see them again no more forever .

14. The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.

15. And the LORD said unto Moses: Wherefore criest thou unto me? Speak unto the children of Israel that they go forward.

16. But lift thou up thy rod, and stretch out thine hand over the sea, and divide it: and the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea.

17. And I, behold, I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they shall follow them: and I will get honour upon Pharaoh, upon all his host, upon his chariots and upon his horsemen.

18. And the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I have gotten honour upon Pharaoh, upon his chariots, and upon his horsemen.

19. And the angel of God, which went before the camp of Israel, removed and went behind them; and the pillar of the cloud went from before their face, and stood behind them:

20. And it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel; and it was a cloud and darkness to them, but it gave light by night to these: so that the one came not near the other all the night.

21. And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the LORD caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided.

22. And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground: and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand and on their left.

23. And the Egyptians pursued and went in after them to the midst of the sea, even all Pharaoh's horses, his chariots, and his horsemen.

24. And it came to pass that in the morning watch the LORD looked unto the host of the Egyptians through the pillar of the fire and of the cloud, and troubled the host of the Egyptians.

25. And took off their chariot wheels, that they drove them heavily: so that the Egyptians said, let us flee from the face of Israel: for the LORD fighteth for them against the Egyptians.

26. And the Lord said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand over the sea, that the waters may come again upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots and upon their horsemen.

27. And Moses stretched forth his hand over the sea and the sea returned to his strength when the morning appeared; and the Egyptians fled against it; and the LORD over-threw the Egyptians in the midst of the sea.

28. And the waters returned, and covered the chariots, and the horsemen, and all the host of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them; there remained not so much as one of them.

29. But the children of Israel walked upon dry land in the midst of the sea; and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left.

30. Thus the LORD saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians; and Israel saw the Egyptians dead upon the sea shore.

31. And Israel saw that great work which the LORD did upon the Egyptians: and the people feared the LORD, and believed the LORD, and his servant Moses.

The above text is exactly narrated from the Bible, published in London by the British and Foreign Bible Society, 146 Queen Victoria Street.

Then, if some signs and punctuations are not the same as those used in the present style of English writing, it should not be taken as being wrong or misused, but it is because of the method of writing in the original English translated Bible that we observed carefully, without making any changes in the text. The case is also true for page 190 in this book.

Surah Al-Baqarah, Verses 51-54

وَإِذْ وَاعَدْنَا مُوسَى أَرْبَعِينَ لَيْلَةً ثُمَّ اتَّخَذْتُمُ الْعِجْلَ مِن بَعْدِهِ وَأَنتُمْ ظَالِمُونَ

ثُمَّ عَفَوْنَا عَنكُمِ مِّن بَعْدِ ذَلِكَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ

وَإِذْ آتَيْنَا مُوسَى الْكِتَابَ وَالْفُرْقَانَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَهْتَدُونَ

وَإِذْ قَالَ مُوسَى لِقَوْمِهِ يَا قَوْمِ إِنَّكُمْ ظَلَمْتُمْ أَنفُسَكُمْ بِاتِّخَاذِكُمُ الْعِجْلَ فَتُوبُواْ إِلَى بَارِئِكُمْ فَاقْتُلُواْ أَنفُسَكُمْ ذَلِكُمْ خَيْرٌ لَّكُمْ عِندَ بَارِئِكُمْ فَتَابَ عَلَيْكُمْ إِنَّهُ هُوَ التَّوَّابُ الرَّحِيمُ

51. "And (remember) when We appointed forty nights for Moses, and you then took the Calf (for worship) after him, and you were unjust (to yourselves)."

52. "Then We pardoned you after that in order that you might be thankful."

53. "And (remember) when We gave Moses the Book as a Criterion (between right and wrong) so that you might be guided (aright)."

54. "And (remember) when Moses said to his people: ‘O' my people, you have indeed wronged yourselves by worshipping the Calf; so turn (in repentance) to your Creator and slay yourselves (the wrong doers), that will be better for you with your Creator'. Then, He turned towards you (mercifully). Truly, He is the Oft-Pardoning, the Most Merciful."

The Israelites' Greatest Deviation

In these four verses, the Qur'an refers to another episode in the adventurous history of the Children of Israel and reminds the Jews of some shaking events of theirs.

These verses speak of their greatest deviation throughout the history of their lives which was their aberration from the path of monotheism to the worshipping of the calf. The Qur'an warns them that they had gone astray once in their history because of the temptations of the mischief makers.

Now they should beware not to repeat that mistake. They should be attentive that the way of pure monotheism, viz. the way of Islam and the Qur'an, is open to them. They must not detach from it. First the verse says:

"And (remember) when We appointed forty nights for Moses..."

When he (Moses) departed from you and his thirty night appointment delayed for forty nights,

"...and you then took the Calf (for worship) after him, and you were unjust to yourselves."

This event will be scrutinized when commenting on Surah AL-'Araf. No.7. verse 141 and Surah Taha, No. 20 verses 86 on. The story in brief is as follows:

After the deliverance of the Children of Israel from the tyrannical grips of Pharaoh and his men, who drowned in the sea, Moses (as) was commanded to leave for Mount Sinai to stay there for thirty days and nights in order to receive the Law or the Turah on the Tablets from the Lord.

Subsequently, the term was extended by ten more days and nights for the trial of the people. The delay in the return of Moses (as) to his people at the end of thirty days, owing to the extension of the time by ten days and nights, was sufficient to create in the minds of the Israelites doubt about the authenticity of Moses (as) as a true Prophet, on one hand, and for fallacious seductive Sameri to make a golden Calf possessing a special sound in order to deceive the Israelites, on the other hand. They, thereby, were deluded into calf-worship.

The majority of the Children of Israel joined him. Aaron (as), the deputy and brother of Moses (as) with a minority of people remained faithful to their monotheistic creed. They tried very much to restrain others from that great deviation, but they failed finally.

When Moses (as) returned from the Mount and observed the circumstances, he became angry about it and scorned them severely. They understood that they had done wrong and decided to repent. Moses (as) on Allah's command suggested to them an important repentance, whose explanation will be presented in future verses-

************************

In the next verse it says:

"Then We pardoned you after that in order that you might be thankful."

************************

Then, it continues mentioning the series of happenings that had occurred before, saying:

"And (remember) when We gave Moses the Book as a Criterion (between right and wrong) so that you might be guided (aright)."

************************

"And (remember) when Moses said to his people: ‘O' my people, you have indeed wronged yourselves by worshipping the Calf..."

"...so turn (in repentance) to your Creator..." your repentance should be fulfilled in this definite form: "...and slay yourselves (the wrong doers)...", in which the righteous had to kill the wrong doers.

Of course, those who had not worshipped the calf were not condemned to death, but they were commissioned to slay those calf-worshippers among themselves, be they their own kith and kin, i.e. their own fellow men whom they loved the most because they had associated a partner, the Calf, to the Lord, the One True God. 1

"...that will be better for you with your Creator..."

"...Then, He turned toward you (mercifully). Truly, He is the Oft-Pardoning, the Most Merciful."

The phrase /innakum alamtum anfusakum/ 'you have indeed wronged yourselves', here, is also noteworthy because: in Islam, sin which a man or a woman commits, is done against the individual's own self. For, the first and the immediate effect of a sin committed is that the individual becomes degenerated and thus gets far away from Divine Mercy.

Surah Al-Baqarah, Verses 55-56

وَإِذْ قُلْتُمْ يَا مُوسَى لَن نُّؤْمِنَ لَكَ حَتَّى نَرَى اللَّهَ جَهْرَةً فَأَخَذَتْكُمُ الصَّاعِقَةُ وَأَنتُمْ تَنظُرُونَ

ثُمَّ بَعَثْنَاكُم مِّن بَعْدِ مَوْتِكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ

55. "And (remember) when you said: ‘O'Moses! We will never believe in you until we see Allah manifestly', so the thunderbolt struck you while you looked on."

56. "Then We raised you up after your death in order that haply you might be thankful."

An Unjust Demand!

These two verses remind the Children of Israel about another bounty amongst the great bounties that Allah bestowed upon them. This illustrates how stubborn and obstinate those people were, and how the divine grievous torment encompassed them as a result of their unjust demand. But, thereafter, the Mercy of Allah blessed them again. It says:

"And (remember) when you said: ‘O' Moses! We will never believe in you until we see Allah manifestly..."

This kind of demand might originate from their' ignorance', because the minds of ignorant ones usually cannot understand beyond the impressions of their senses. Their minds are not able to conceive anything invisible. So, they demanded to see the Lord openly with their own eyes.

Or, it originated haply from their stubbornness and their habit of seeking pretext which was one of the characteristics of those people.

At any rate, they frankly told Moses (as) that they would never believe in him until they saw the Lord manifestly and with their very eyes.

Here, they insisted on seeing Him. This placed Moses (as) in a helpless predicament. So, they saw, instead, one of the creatures of Allah that they did not have the ability to look upon. This incident might have made them understand that the eyes of the head were not able to see even many of the creations of Allah, much less their ability to see His Pure Self, the Almighty.

Then, a thunderbolt came down and struck the mountain. It issued an amazing light with a horrible sound and an awful earthquake so that everybody there, because of their intensive fear, fell down dead. So, the Qur'an, following the above sentence says:

"..-so the thunderbolt struck you while you looked on."

************************

Moses (as) was very worried about that event. Seventy persons from amongst the great leaders of the Israelites had died in that occurrence. It was a very crucial event for the Children of Israel to endure and they would make life hard for Moses (as). Then he (as) asked Allah to raise them up and let them live again. His supplication was accepted, as the Qur'an says:

"Then We raised you up after your death in order that haply you might be thankful."

This short explanation of the above two verses is also expounded more comprehensively in Surah Al-'Araf. No.7. verse 155 and Surah Nisa No. 4. verse 153. Concerning seeing God, we have in Exod. 33: 20: " And He said: ‘Thou canst see My face: for there shall no man see Me and live’."

See the Bible, Exodus 19: 16 and 17, too, which is as follows:

16. And it came to pass on the third day in the morning that there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of the trumpet exceeding loud; so that all the people that was in the camp trembled.

17. And Moses brought forth the people out of the camp to meet with God; and they stood at the nether part of the mount.

This story shows that while inviting the ignorant and stubborn people to the right path, the great prophets of Allah were involved in many complicated problems. Sometimes, the people asked for improvisatorial miracles from the prophets; and sometimes they went further and demanded of them to see the Lord openly with their physical eyes.

They said decisively that they would never believe in them unless their demand was actually performed. They insisted on their vain thoughts and put forth some new excuses even when they were faced with respective violent responses from the Lord.

But, the Grace and Mercy of Allah assisted the prophets on their path, else it was impossible for them to resist and stand firm when receiving all those excuses.

This tendency of demanding extraordinary and silly manifestations as miracles had also been the habit of the opponents of the holy Prophet (S), (the Holy Qur'an 4:153 , and 17: 90-96).

By the way, this verse is one of the verses that attest to the existence of the possibility of ' restoration of life', in this world, because its occurrence in one respect is evidence of its possibility in other respects, too.

Note

1. Atyabul-Bayan, vol. 2, pg 34

Section 6

Surah Al-Baqarah, Verse 57

وَظَلَّلْنَا عَلَيْكُمُ الْغَمَامَ وَأَنزَلْنَا عَلَيْكُمُ الْمَنَّ وَالسَّلْوَى كُلُواْ مِن طَيِّبَاتِ مَا رَزَقْنَاكُمْ وَمَا ظَلَمُونَا وَلَـكِن كَانُواْ أَنفُسَهُمْ يَظْلِمُونَ

57. "And We outspread the clouds to shade you, and We sent down 'manna' and 'quail' upon you, (saying): Eat of the good things We have provided for you’.

(But they rebelled); to Us they did no harm, but they were putting themselves to destruction."

Abundant Bounties!

As it is understood from Surah AL-Maidah, verses 20 to 22, when the Children of Israel were saved from the hostility of the Pharaoh and his army, Allah commanded them to move toward the Holy Land of Jerusalem and enter in it.

But the Israelites did not obey the command saying:

"...in this land are a people of exceeding strength: never shall we enter it until they leave it: if (once) they leave then shall we enter ", (the Holy Qur'an 5: 22).

Those rebellious people's disobedience did not stop there. They even told Moses (as):

"...Go thou, and thy Lord, and fight ye two, while we sit here (and watch) ", (SurahAl- Maidah No. 5. verse 24).

Moses became very displeased with their words and told the story of his grievance to the Lord. Finally, it was appointed that the Children of Israel wander through the desert (of Sinai) in distraction for forty years.

A group of those people regretted their wrong action and returned to the Lord repenting of that sin. Then, He bestowed His bounties on them again, a part of which is referred to in the verse under discussion, where it says:

"And We outspread the clouds to shade you,..."

It is obvious how happy a wandering passenger, who has been walking under the hot sun in the desert that he has to pass through without any shelter from morning till evening, is when he receives the welcome shade of clouds!

True, it is probable that shady clouds sometimes appear in the sky of the deserts, but the verse clearly declares that the event was not an ordinary thing that occurred for the Children of Israel. It was the favour of Allah that often showered upon them and they enjoyed it.

At the same time, during that long span of time, the passengers in that hot dry desert needed food and sustenance. That problem was also solved for them by the Merciful Creator, as the verse continues saying:

"..And we sent down 'manna' and 'quail' upon you,..."

"...(saying): ‘Eat of the good things We have provided for you.'..."

In order that you may enjoy of the pure delicious nutritious sustenance and not disobey Him. Yet, they were not thankful to Him.

"...(But they rebelled); to Us they did no harm, but they were putting themselves to destruction."

The terms 'manna' and 'salwa' are differently interpreted by different philologists and commentators. However, the fact is: 'manna', and 'salwa' refer to the heavenly provisions the Israelites were provided with, without any strain or burden on their part.

Surah Al-Baqarah, Verses 58-59

وَإِذْ قُلْنَا ادْخُلُواْ هَـذِهِ الْقَرْيَةَ فَكُلُواْ مِنْهَا حَيْثُ شِئْتُمْ رَغَداً وَادْخُلُواْ الْبَابَ سُجَّداً وَقُولُواْ حِطَّةٌ نَّغْفِرْ لَكُمْ خَطَايَاكُمْ وَسَنَزِيدُ الْمُحْسِنِينَ

فَبَدَّلَ الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُواْ قَوْلاً غَيْرَ الَّذِي قِيلَ لَهُمْ فَأَنزَلْنَا عَلَى الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُواْ رِجْزاً مِّنَ السَّمَاء بِمَا كَانُواْ يَفْسُقُونَ

58. "And (remember) when We said, 'Enter this city (Jerusalem) and eat of the plentiful therein, wherever you desire, and enter the gate with humility and ask forgiveness,

We shall forgive you your sins, and give more (the portion of) those who do good’."

59. "But those who were unjust substituted a saying other than that which had been spoken unto them, so We sent down upon those who were unjust a torment from heaven for what they used to pervert."

The Israelites' Intensive Obstinacy

Here we are dealing with another aspect of the life of the Children of Israel concerning their entrance in the Holy Land. It says:

"And (remember) when We said: 'Enter this city (Jerusalem)..."

The term /qaryah / in our ordinary speaking usually means: ‘a village or a town', but in the Qur'an it is applied for any place where people are gathered to live in, whether it is a city, town, or village. The meaning, here, is Jerusalem and the Holy Land.

Then it adds:

"...and eat of the plentiful therein, wherever you desire..."

"...and enter the gate with humility and ask forgiveness..."

“...We shall forgive you your sins, and give more (the portion of) those who do good"

It should be noted that the term / hittah / philologically means: ‘a putting down', and, here, it means: ‘a petition for the putting down of a leavy burden of sin from them and asking Allah to forgive their faults.'

The Lord commanded the Israelites to say that phrase with their whole hearts and spirits for the purpose of asking, thereby, for the putting down of their heavy burdens from them, because they needed to be put down from them before entering the Holy Land.

And, they were promised that they would be forgiven their sins if they did perform the command accordingly. Maybe, it is for the same reason that one of the doors of Heaven is entitled ' Bab-ul-Hittah ' (the door of forgiveness). Abu Hayyan Andulusi says that the objective meaning of /bab/, here, is one of the doors of Jerusalem which is known as ' Bab-ul-Hittah'. 1

The verse finally proclaims that as for the doers of good, besides forgiving their sins, there will be endowed some additional bounties and rewards upon them, too. It says:

"...and give more (the portion of) those who do good."

************************

However, Allah ordered them to express this phrase sincerely as a sign of their repentance and request for forgiveness in order to show their humility unto Him. The Lord promised them that He would forgive them their sins if they followed through with the command. In that case, He would also increase His favour and reward for the good doers among them along with the forgiveness of their faults.

But, as we know and are acquainted with the stubbornness and obstinacy of the Children of Israel, some of them even refused to utter the phrase and mockingly they said another incongruous word (Hinta ) 'wheat' instead of it. Then, the Qur'an says:

"But those who were unjust substituted a saying other than that which had been spoken unto them..."

"...so We sent down upon those who were unjust a torment from heaven for what they used to pervert."

Divine Punishment in some form or other awaits those who unwarrantedly and unjustly change the word of Allah and His covenant, to something other than the original presented to them.

Surah Al-Baqarah, Verse 60

وَإِذِ اسْتَسْقَى مُوسَى لِقَوْمِهِ فَقُلْنَا اضْرِب بِّعَصَاكَ الْحَجَرَ فَانفَجَرَتْ مِنْهُ اثْنَتَا عَشْرَةَ عَيْناً قَدْ عَلِمَ كُلُّ أُنَاسٍ مَّشْرَبَهُمْ كُلُواْ وَاشْرَبُواْ مِن رِّزْقِ اللَّهِ وَلاَ تَعْثَوْاْ فِي الأَرْضِ مُفْسِدِينَ

60. "And (remember) when Moses sought water for his people, so We said: 'Strike the rock with your staff.' Then there gushed forth from it twelve springs. Each (group of) people knew their (respective) drinking-place. 'Eat and drink of Allah's provision, and commit you not evil in the earth, doing corruption'."

The Miracle of Water Gushing Forth in the Desert!

Again in this verse, Allah has pointed out one of the important favours bestowed upon the Children of Israel, saying:

"And (remember) when Moses sought water for his people..."

When Moses (as) prayed for water, Allah accepted his plea as the Qur'an says:

"...so We said: 'Strike the rock with your staff.'..."

“...Then there gushed forth from it twelve springs..."

Each of those springs flowed for a definite tribe so that among all of the tribes of Israelites:

“...Each (group of) people knew their (respective) drinking place..."

There are a variety of ideas about what kind of stone that rock was and how Moses (as) was supposed to strike that rock, and in what form the flow of water appeared from it. What the Qur'an says is not more than that Moses (as) struck the rock with his staff and then twelve springs gushed forth there from.

This incident is referred to in Exod 17: 1-6, with the only difference being that the number of twelve springs that gushed forth from the rock is not mentioned. However, the Lord, on one hand, sent ' Manna' and 'Salwa' (quails) for them, and, on the other hand, provided them enough water, easily available, and told them:

"...'Eat and drink of Allah's provision, and commit you not evil in the earth, doing corruption'."

In fact, the Lord advises them, as a showing of gratitude for these great bounties, that at least they should lay stubbornness and obstinacy aside and stop hurting prophets (as).

Surah Al-Baqarah, Verse 61

وَإِذْ قُلْتُمْ يَا مُوسَى لَن نَّصْبِرَ عَلَىَ طَعَامٍ وَاحِدٍ فَادْعُ لَنَا رَبَّكَ يُخْرِجْ لَنَا مِمَّا تُنبِتُ الأَرْضُ مِن بَقْلِهَا وَقِثَّآئِهَا وَفُومِهَا وَعَدَسِهَا وَبَصَلِهَا قَالَ أَتَسْتَبْدِلُونَ الَّذِي هُوَ أَدْنَى بِالَّذِي هُوَ خَيْرٌ اهْبِطُواْ مِصْراً فَإِنَّ لَكُم مَّا سَأَلْتُمْ وَضُرِبَتْ عَلَيْهِمُ الذِّلَّةُ وَالْمَسْكَنَةُ وَبَآؤُوْاْ بِغَضَبٍ مِّنَ اللَّهِ ذَلِكَ بِأَنَّهُمْ كَانُواْ يَكْفُرُونَ بِآيَاتِ اللَّهِ وَيَقْتُلُونَ النَّبِيِّينَ بِغَيْرِ الْحَقِّ ذَلِكَ بِمَا عَصَواْ وَّكَانُواْ يَعْتَدُونَ

61. "And (remember) when you said: ‘O' Moses! never can we (always) endure one sort of food, so beseech your Lord for us, to produce for us of what the earth groweth, -its pot-herbs, and cucumbers, garlic, lentils, and onions’. He (Moses) said: 'Would you have in exchange what is worse for what is better? Enter a city, thus you shall get that which you demanded! , Abasement and humiliation were stamped upon them and they incurred wrath from Allah; that was because they went on rejecting Allah's Signs and slaying the prophets unjustly. That was because they disobeyed, and went on transgressing."

Demanding a Variety of Food

To continue the description mentioned in the former verses about the different bounties Allah bestowed on the Children of Israel, here in the verse under discussion, the unthankfulness and ingratitude of the Israelites for those great favours is illustrated.

The verse indicates how obstinate they were, so much so that perhaps no people can be found in the history of the human race similar to them from the point of being ungrateful for Divine favours.

At first it says:

"And (remember) when you said: ‘O' Moses! never can we (always) endure one sort of food,..."

"...so beseech your Lord for us, to produce for us of what the earth groweth,- its pot-herbs, and cucumbers, garlic, lentils and onions'..."

But in reply to them:

"He (Moses) said: ‘Would you have in exchange what is worse for what is better?.."

Now that it is so:

“...Enter a city, thus you shall get that which you demanded!’..."

Then, the Qur'an adds that:

“...Abasement and humiliation were stamped upon them, and they incurred wrath from Allah..."

"...that was because they went on rejecting Allah's Signs and slaying the prophets unjustly..."

"...That was because they disobeyed, and went on transgressing."

Why were the Israelites Stamped with Abasement and Humiliation?

As the above verse indicates, they incurred humiliation and wretchedness because of two things: the first was because they went on disobeying the orders of Allah and straying from the path of monotheism to that of infidelity.

The second factor was that they used to kill the righteous and apostles of Allah. This hard-heartedness and heedlessness of the Divine laws and even against most human laws that even today clearly continues among the Jews might be the cause of that humiliation and abasement.

Right now, as we are writing these lines, the territory of Lebanon is being invaded savagely by this hard-hearted tribe where thousands of men and women, among whom are innocent, old persons, infant babies, hospital patients and the like, are unjustly and tyrannically being slain in a pitiable way.

Their bodies are lying lifelessly on the ground in wait of burial. We are sure that this tribe will certainly have to pay the penalty for their cruelty in the future.

Note

1. At-Tafsir-ul-Kashif, vol. 1, p. 109

Section 5

Surah Al-Baqarah, Verse 49

وَإِذْ نَجَّيْنَاكُم مِّنْ آلِ فِرْعَوْنَ يَسُومُونَكُمْ سُوَءَ الْعَذَابِ يُذَبِّحُونَ أَبْنَاءكُمْ وَيَسْتَحْيُونَ نِسَاءكُمْ وَفِي ذَلِكُم بَلاء مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ عَظِيمٌ

49. "And (remember) when We delivered you from the people of Pharaoh who had afflicted you with evil torment, slaughtering your sons and sparing your women-folk, and in that was a great trial from your Lord. ":

In this verse, the Qur'an points to another great bounty out of the bounties He bestowed on the Children of Israel. This favour is the bounty of deliverance from the grips of those transgressors. This is the greatest bounty amongst the bounties of Allah on them and He reminds them, saying:

"And (remember) when We delivered you from the people of Pharaoh..." "...who had afflicted you with evil torment..."

"...slaughtering your sons and sparing your women-folk..."

They let your women-folk live as maid-servants and serve hard for them.

"...and in that was a great trial from your Lord."

To illustrate the torments of Pharaoh upon the Israelites, the Qur'an has particularly applied the term / yasumuna / in the future tense of the verb, which, in Arabic, indicates the duration and continuity of that evil torment.

Thus, they saw for themselves that their innocent sons were slaughtered before their eyes and their daughters were taken away from them to serve in the Egyptians' houses as maid-servants. That conduct caused them to tolerate and experience torture permanently, too. They were considered as servants, workers, and slaves of the Coptic people in Egypt and of the men of Pharaoh.

It is a matter of importance that the Qur'an counts this event as a great and grievous trial for the Children of Israel and, of course, bearing all those bitter harsh afflictions had been a hard tremendous trial.

It is also probable that the term / bala' / ' trial', here, has been used with the meaning of 'punishment'. The reason is that before that event, Israelites had been enjoying an abundance of bounties with great power and authority. But they became ungrateful and the Lord punished them.

Anyhow, the day when the Children of Israel were delivered from the tyrannical clutches of the Egyptian monarch, the Pharaoh, was a very important historical day in their lives on which the Holy Qur'an has emphasized repeatedly.

Slavery of Females, Past and Present

In the history of the Israelites, their bondage in Egypt was indeed a tremendous trial for them. Even the Egyptians' wish to spare the lives of the Israelites' females when the males were slaughtered, as the Qur'an declares, added to their bitterness. So, their rescue from that cruelty was really counted as a bounty.

It seems that the Qur'an intends to warn all human beings that they should try to obtain their rightful freedom however hard it may be, and protect it.

Hadrat Ali (as) has pointed out this matter in one of his sermons:

"...Real death is in the life of subjugation while real life is in dying in the way of freedom..."1

But the modern world is different from that of the ancient in this manner. At that time, for example, Pharaoh, through his peculiar cruelty, slaughtered the men and the sons of the people who were his enemies and let their females remain alive to serve Egyptians.

While, today, in this modern world, the spirit of manhood among males is often slaughtered under some other circumstances, and their females are mostly made slaves for the lustful pleasure of a group of filthy men.

Sometimes, the Pharaohs of the Age have pity upon neither men nor women; neither sons nor daughters; neither adults nor infants. They have verified this statement in the massacres they have committed in some Islamic and non-lslamic countries by using chemical bombs and the likes of them. Their actions are often even worse than what the Pharaohs of Egypt used to do.

Now, why did Pharaoh decide to kill the Israeli boys and let their women-folk live? Some of the commentators believe that the reason for that murderous decision was the dream that Pharaoh dreamed. A more appropriate answer to this question will be discussed when commenting on Surah AL-Qasas No 28 verse 4.

Therein, you will come to know that the reason for that murder was not only Pharaoh's dream, but he and his clique also stood in awe of the increasing number of the Children of Israel and that they might become powerful and destroy the government of Pharaoh. This factor helped them make that hostile decision.

Some details about the miserable lot of the Israelites under the bondage of Pharaoh and how they were rescued, are also explained in Exodus -the opening chapter of the Bible i.e. Chapter 1.

Surah Al-Baqarah, Verse 50

وَإِذْ فَرَقْنَا بِكُمُ الْبَحْرَ فَأَنجَيْنَاكُمْ وَأَغْرَقْنَا آلَ فِرْعَوْنَ وَأَنتُمْ تَنظُرُونَ

50. "And (remember) when We divided the sea for you, and delivered you and drowned Pharaoh's people while you were looking on."

The Rescue from Pharaoh!

In the previous verse the miraculous rescue of the Israelites from the tyrannical grips of the Egyptian monarch, the Pharaoh, was briefly pointed out. The present verse is, in fact, an explanatory statement of that rescue, which itself is a sign of the great bounties of Allah upon the Children of Israel. It says:

"And (remember) when We divided the sea for you,..."

"...and delivered you and drowned Pharaoh's people while you were looking on."

The incident of the drowning of Pharaoh and his horsemen in the sea, and the rescue of the children of Israel from their cruel clutches is expressed in several Suras of the Qur'an, including: Surah Al-'A'raf, No. 7, verse 136 -Surah Al-' Anfal, No.8, verse 54 -Surah Al-' Asra', No.17 , verse 103- Surah Ash-Shu'ara', No.26, verses 63 & 66 -Surah Az-Zukhruf, No.43, verse 55- and Surah Ad-Dukhan, No.44, from verses 17 onwards.

More or less all the details of that happening are stated in the above Suras, but by the verse under discussion the story is hinted at only from the point of the favour and grace of Allah upon the Children of Israel in order to attract them to the invitation of Islam, the new religion of salvation, and to invoke them to accept it.

As you will read the explanation of this subject in detail through the aforementioned Suras, Moses (as), after a long time of preaching and inviting Pharaoh and his people to the Divine Faith and showing them numerous miracles and receiving no positive response from them, was commissioned that he and the Children of Israel move from Egypt at midnight. But when he reached the seashore, he realized that Pharaoh and his horsemen were closely pursuing them. The Israelites were terribly afraid.

They had the frightful sea in front of them and at their heels the forceful army of the Pharaoh, whom they could not challenge, threatened them. At that time Moses (as) was commanded to strike the water of the sea with his Rod and he obeyed. Then several dry paths appeared in the sea on which Moses (as) and his people passed.

When they crossed the sea from between the walls of water and arrived on the other side of the sea safely, Pharaoh and his army, who were following them, entered the same paths. They reached the midst of the sea when the walls of water came together and all of them drowned.

Their corpses were floating over the sea water as the Children of Israel were watching them and witnessing how helpless their enemies were in front of their eyes.

That terrible anxiety and the horrible fear they had compared with this miraculous rescue both deserved to be contemplated, and demanded that they express thanksgiving to Allah.

In this manner, the Qur'an tells the Jews that Allah has granted them His Mercy so that they could rid themselves of that anxiety and awe; then why do they repudiate the Prophet of Islam, Allah's Messenger, and do not accept Islam?

By the way, this verse teaches the human race to rely on Allah and trust in that everlasting Power in their lives. They ought to try hard and not stop in their endeavours and seek His help, because He helps them even in their most grievous moments.

A detailed story of this miraculous event is given in the Bible, Exodus; Chapter 14.

1. And the Lord spoke unto Moses, saying,

2. Speak unto the children of Israel that they turn and encamp before Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, over against Baal-zephon: before it shall ye encamp by the sea.

3. For Pharaoh will say of the children of Israel, They are entangled in the land, the wilderness hath shut them in.

4. And I will harden Pharaoh's heart, that he shall follow after them; and will be honoured upon Pharaoh, and upon all his host; that the Egyptians may know that I am the LORD. And they did so.

5. And it was told the king of Egypt that the people fled: and the heart of Pharaoh and of his servants was turned against the people, and they said, Why have we done this that we have let Israel go from serving us?

6. And he made ready his chariot, and took his people with him.

7. And he took six hundred chosen chariots, and all the chariots of Egypt and captains over every one of them.

8. And the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh, King of Egypt, and he pursued after the children of Israel and the children of Israel went out with a high hand.

9. But the Egyptians pursued after them, all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh, and his horsemen, and his army, and overtook them encamping by the sea, beside Pi-hahiroth, before Baal-zephon.

10. And when Pharaoh drew nigh, the children of Israel lifted up their eyes, and, behold, the Egyptians marched after them; and they were sore afraid: and the children of Israel cried out unto the LORD.

11. And they said unto Moses, because there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness wherefore hast thou dealt thus with us, to carry us forth out of Egypt?

12. Is not this the word that we did tell thee in Egypt, saying, Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians? For it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness.

13. And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will show to you today: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen today, ye shall see them again no more forever .

14. The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.

15. And the LORD said unto Moses: Wherefore criest thou unto me? Speak unto the children of Israel that they go forward.

16. But lift thou up thy rod, and stretch out thine hand over the sea, and divide it: and the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea.

17. And I, behold, I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they shall follow them: and I will get honour upon Pharaoh, upon all his host, upon his chariots and upon his horsemen.

18. And the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I have gotten honour upon Pharaoh, upon his chariots, and upon his horsemen.

19. And the angel of God, which went before the camp of Israel, removed and went behind them; and the pillar of the cloud went from before their face, and stood behind them:

20. And it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel; and it was a cloud and darkness to them, but it gave light by night to these: so that the one came not near the other all the night.

21. And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the LORD caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided.

22. And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground: and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand and on their left.

23. And the Egyptians pursued and went in after them to the midst of the sea, even all Pharaoh's horses, his chariots, and his horsemen.

24. And it came to pass that in the morning watch the LORD looked unto the host of the Egyptians through the pillar of the fire and of the cloud, and troubled the host of the Egyptians.

25. And took off their chariot wheels, that they drove them heavily: so that the Egyptians said, let us flee from the face of Israel: for the LORD fighteth for them against the Egyptians.

26. And the Lord said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand over the sea, that the waters may come again upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots and upon their horsemen.

27. And Moses stretched forth his hand over the sea and the sea returned to his strength when the morning appeared; and the Egyptians fled against it; and the LORD over-threw the Egyptians in the midst of the sea.

28. And the waters returned, and covered the chariots, and the horsemen, and all the host of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them; there remained not so much as one of them.

29. But the children of Israel walked upon dry land in the midst of the sea; and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left.

30. Thus the LORD saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians; and Israel saw the Egyptians dead upon the sea shore.

31. And Israel saw that great work which the LORD did upon the Egyptians: and the people feared the LORD, and believed the LORD, and his servant Moses.

The above text is exactly narrated from the Bible, published in London by the British and Foreign Bible Society, 146 Queen Victoria Street.

Then, if some signs and punctuations are not the same as those used in the present style of English writing, it should not be taken as being wrong or misused, but it is because of the method of writing in the original English translated Bible that we observed carefully, without making any changes in the text. The case is also true for page 190 in this book.

Surah Al-Baqarah, Verses 51-54

وَإِذْ وَاعَدْنَا مُوسَى أَرْبَعِينَ لَيْلَةً ثُمَّ اتَّخَذْتُمُ الْعِجْلَ مِن بَعْدِهِ وَأَنتُمْ ظَالِمُونَ

ثُمَّ عَفَوْنَا عَنكُمِ مِّن بَعْدِ ذَلِكَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ

وَإِذْ آتَيْنَا مُوسَى الْكِتَابَ وَالْفُرْقَانَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَهْتَدُونَ

وَإِذْ قَالَ مُوسَى لِقَوْمِهِ يَا قَوْمِ إِنَّكُمْ ظَلَمْتُمْ أَنفُسَكُمْ بِاتِّخَاذِكُمُ الْعِجْلَ فَتُوبُواْ إِلَى بَارِئِكُمْ فَاقْتُلُواْ أَنفُسَكُمْ ذَلِكُمْ خَيْرٌ لَّكُمْ عِندَ بَارِئِكُمْ فَتَابَ عَلَيْكُمْ إِنَّهُ هُوَ التَّوَّابُ الرَّحِيمُ

51. "And (remember) when We appointed forty nights for Moses, and you then took the Calf (for worship) after him, and you were unjust (to yourselves)."

52. "Then We pardoned you after that in order that you might be thankful."

53. "And (remember) when We gave Moses the Book as a Criterion (between right and wrong) so that you might be guided (aright)."

54. "And (remember) when Moses said to his people: ‘O' my people, you have indeed wronged yourselves by worshipping the Calf; so turn (in repentance) to your Creator and slay yourselves (the wrong doers), that will be better for you with your Creator'. Then, He turned towards you (mercifully). Truly, He is the Oft-Pardoning, the Most Merciful."

The Israelites' Greatest Deviation

In these four verses, the Qur'an refers to another episode in the adventurous history of the Children of Israel and reminds the Jews of some shaking events of theirs.

These verses speak of their greatest deviation throughout the history of their lives which was their aberration from the path of monotheism to the worshipping of the calf. The Qur'an warns them that they had gone astray once in their history because of the temptations of the mischief makers.

Now they should beware not to repeat that mistake. They should be attentive that the way of pure monotheism, viz. the way of Islam and the Qur'an, is open to them. They must not detach from it. First the verse says:

"And (remember) when We appointed forty nights for Moses..."

When he (Moses) departed from you and his thirty night appointment delayed for forty nights,

"...and you then took the Calf (for worship) after him, and you were unjust to yourselves."

This event will be scrutinized when commenting on Surah AL-'Araf. No.7. verse 141 and Surah Taha, No. 20 verses 86 on. The story in brief is as follows:

After the deliverance of the Children of Israel from the tyrannical grips of Pharaoh and his men, who drowned in the sea, Moses (as) was commanded to leave for Mount Sinai to stay there for thirty days and nights in order to receive the Law or the Turah on the Tablets from the Lord.

Subsequently, the term was extended by ten more days and nights for the trial of the people. The delay in the return of Moses (as) to his people at the end of thirty days, owing to the extension of the time by ten days and nights, was sufficient to create in the minds of the Israelites doubt about the authenticity of Moses (as) as a true Prophet, on one hand, and for fallacious seductive Sameri to make a golden Calf possessing a special sound in order to deceive the Israelites, on the other hand. They, thereby, were deluded into calf-worship.

The majority of the Children of Israel joined him. Aaron (as), the deputy and brother of Moses (as) with a minority of people remained faithful to their monotheistic creed. They tried very much to restrain others from that great deviation, but they failed finally.

When Moses (as) returned from the Mount and observed the circumstances, he became angry about it and scorned them severely. They understood that they had done wrong and decided to repent. Moses (as) on Allah's command suggested to them an important repentance, whose explanation will be presented in future verses-

************************

In the next verse it says:

"Then We pardoned you after that in order that you might be thankful."

************************

Then, it continues mentioning the series of happenings that had occurred before, saying:

"And (remember) when We gave Moses the Book as a Criterion (between right and wrong) so that you might be guided (aright)."

************************

"And (remember) when Moses said to his people: ‘O' my people, you have indeed wronged yourselves by worshipping the Calf..."

"...so turn (in repentance) to your Creator..." your repentance should be fulfilled in this definite form: "...and slay yourselves (the wrong doers)...", in which the righteous had to kill the wrong doers.

Of course, those who had not worshipped the calf were not condemned to death, but they were commissioned to slay those calf-worshippers among themselves, be they their own kith and kin, i.e. their own fellow men whom they loved the most because they had associated a partner, the Calf, to the Lord, the One True God. 1

"...that will be better for you with your Creator..."

"...Then, He turned toward you (mercifully). Truly, He is the Oft-Pardoning, the Most Merciful."

The phrase /innakum alamtum anfusakum/ 'you have indeed wronged yourselves', here, is also noteworthy because: in Islam, sin which a man or a woman commits, is done against the individual's own self. For, the first and the immediate effect of a sin committed is that the individual becomes degenerated and thus gets far away from Divine Mercy.

Surah Al-Baqarah, Verses 55-56

وَإِذْ قُلْتُمْ يَا مُوسَى لَن نُّؤْمِنَ لَكَ حَتَّى نَرَى اللَّهَ جَهْرَةً فَأَخَذَتْكُمُ الصَّاعِقَةُ وَأَنتُمْ تَنظُرُونَ

ثُمَّ بَعَثْنَاكُم مِّن بَعْدِ مَوْتِكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ

55. "And (remember) when you said: ‘O'Moses! We will never believe in you until we see Allah manifestly', so the thunderbolt struck you while you looked on."

56. "Then We raised you up after your death in order that haply you might be thankful."

An Unjust Demand!

These two verses remind the Children of Israel about another bounty amongst the great bounties that Allah bestowed upon them. This illustrates how stubborn and obstinate those people were, and how the divine grievous torment encompassed them as a result of their unjust demand. But, thereafter, the Mercy of Allah blessed them again. It says:

"And (remember) when you said: ‘O' Moses! We will never believe in you until we see Allah manifestly..."

This kind of demand might originate from their' ignorance', because the minds of ignorant ones usually cannot understand beyond the impressions of their senses. Their minds are not able to conceive anything invisible. So, they demanded to see the Lord openly with their own eyes.

Or, it originated haply from their stubbornness and their habit of seeking pretext which was one of the characteristics of those people.

At any rate, they frankly told Moses (as) that they would never believe in him until they saw the Lord manifestly and with their very eyes.

Here, they insisted on seeing Him. This placed Moses (as) in a helpless predicament. So, they saw, instead, one of the creatures of Allah that they did not have the ability to look upon. This incident might have made them understand that the eyes of the head were not able to see even many of the creations of Allah, much less their ability to see His Pure Self, the Almighty.

Then, a thunderbolt came down and struck the mountain. It issued an amazing light with a horrible sound and an awful earthquake so that everybody there, because of their intensive fear, fell down dead. So, the Qur'an, following the above sentence says:

"..-so the thunderbolt struck you while you looked on."

************************

Moses (as) was very worried about that event. Seventy persons from amongst the great leaders of the Israelites had died in that occurrence. It was a very crucial event for the Children of Israel to endure and they would make life hard for Moses (as). Then he (as) asked Allah to raise them up and let them live again. His supplication was accepted, as the Qur'an says:

"Then We raised you up after your death in order that haply you might be thankful."

This short explanation of the above two verses is also expounded more comprehensively in Surah Al-'Araf. No.7. verse 155 and Surah Nisa No. 4. verse 153. Concerning seeing God, we have in Exod. 33: 20: " And He said: ‘Thou canst see My face: for there shall no man see Me and live’."

See the Bible, Exodus 19: 16 and 17, too, which is as follows:

16. And it came to pass on the third day in the morning that there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of the trumpet exceeding loud; so that all the people that was in the camp trembled.

17. And Moses brought forth the people out of the camp to meet with God; and they stood at the nether part of the mount.

This story shows that while inviting the ignorant and stubborn people to the right path, the great prophets of Allah were involved in many complicated problems. Sometimes, the people asked for improvisatorial miracles from the prophets; and sometimes they went further and demanded of them to see the Lord openly with their physical eyes.

They said decisively that they would never believe in them unless their demand was actually performed. They insisted on their vain thoughts and put forth some new excuses even when they were faced with respective violent responses from the Lord.

But, the Grace and Mercy of Allah assisted the prophets on their path, else it was impossible for them to resist and stand firm when receiving all those excuses.

This tendency of demanding extraordinary and silly manifestations as miracles had also been the habit of the opponents of the holy Prophet (S), (the Holy Qur'an 4:153 , and 17: 90-96).

By the way, this verse is one of the verses that attest to the existence of the possibility of ' restoration of life', in this world, because its occurrence in one respect is evidence of its possibility in other respects, too.

Note

1. Atyabul-Bayan, vol. 2, pg 34

Section 6

Surah Al-Baqarah, Verse 57

وَظَلَّلْنَا عَلَيْكُمُ الْغَمَامَ وَأَنزَلْنَا عَلَيْكُمُ الْمَنَّ وَالسَّلْوَى كُلُواْ مِن طَيِّبَاتِ مَا رَزَقْنَاكُمْ وَمَا ظَلَمُونَا وَلَـكِن كَانُواْ أَنفُسَهُمْ يَظْلِمُونَ

57. "And We outspread the clouds to shade you, and We sent down 'manna' and 'quail' upon you, (saying): Eat of the good things We have provided for you’.

(But they rebelled); to Us they did no harm, but they were putting themselves to destruction."

Abundant Bounties!

As it is understood from Surah AL-Maidah, verses 20 to 22, when the Children of Israel were saved from the hostility of the Pharaoh and his army, Allah commanded them to move toward the Holy Land of Jerusalem and enter in it.

But the Israelites did not obey the command saying:

"...in this land are a people of exceeding strength: never shall we enter it until they leave it: if (once) they leave then shall we enter ", (the Holy Qur'an 5: 22).

Those rebellious people's disobedience did not stop there. They even told Moses (as):

"...Go thou, and thy Lord, and fight ye two, while we sit here (and watch) ", (SurahAl- Maidah No. 5. verse 24).

Moses became very displeased with their words and told the story of his grievance to the Lord. Finally, it was appointed that the Children of Israel wander through the desert (of Sinai) in distraction for forty years.

A group of those people regretted their wrong action and returned to the Lord repenting of that sin. Then, He bestowed His bounties on them again, a part of which is referred to in the verse under discussion, where it says:

"And We outspread the clouds to shade you,..."

It is obvious how happy a wandering passenger, who has been walking under the hot sun in the desert that he has to pass through without any shelter from morning till evening, is when he receives the welcome shade of clouds!

True, it is probable that shady clouds sometimes appear in the sky of the deserts, but the verse clearly declares that the event was not an ordinary thing that occurred for the Children of Israel. It was the favour of Allah that often showered upon them and they enjoyed it.

At the same time, during that long span of time, the passengers in that hot dry desert needed food and sustenance. That problem was also solved for them by the Merciful Creator, as the verse continues saying:

"..And we sent down 'manna' and 'quail' upon you,..."

"...(saying): ‘Eat of the good things We have provided for you.'..."

In order that you may enjoy of the pure delicious nutritious sustenance and not disobey Him. Yet, they were not thankful to Him.

"...(But they rebelled); to Us they did no harm, but they were putting themselves to destruction."

The terms 'manna' and 'salwa' are differently interpreted by different philologists and commentators. However, the fact is: 'manna', and 'salwa' refer to the heavenly provisions the Israelites were provided with, without any strain or burden on their part.

Surah Al-Baqarah, Verses 58-59

وَإِذْ قُلْنَا ادْخُلُواْ هَـذِهِ الْقَرْيَةَ فَكُلُواْ مِنْهَا حَيْثُ شِئْتُمْ رَغَداً وَادْخُلُواْ الْبَابَ سُجَّداً وَقُولُواْ حِطَّةٌ نَّغْفِرْ لَكُمْ خَطَايَاكُمْ وَسَنَزِيدُ الْمُحْسِنِينَ

فَبَدَّلَ الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُواْ قَوْلاً غَيْرَ الَّذِي قِيلَ لَهُمْ فَأَنزَلْنَا عَلَى الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُواْ رِجْزاً مِّنَ السَّمَاء بِمَا كَانُواْ يَفْسُقُونَ

58. "And (remember) when We said, 'Enter this city (Jerusalem) and eat of the plentiful therein, wherever you desire, and enter the gate with humility and ask forgiveness,

We shall forgive you your sins, and give more (the portion of) those who do good’."

59. "But those who were unjust substituted a saying other than that which had been spoken unto them, so We sent down upon those who were unjust a torment from heaven for what they used to pervert."

The Israelites' Intensive Obstinacy

Here we are dealing with another aspect of the life of the Children of Israel concerning their entrance in the Holy Land. It says:

"And (remember) when We said: 'Enter this city (Jerusalem)..."

The term /qaryah / in our ordinary speaking usually means: ‘a village or a town', but in the Qur'an it is applied for any place where people are gathered to live in, whether it is a city, town, or village. The meaning, here, is Jerusalem and the Holy Land.

Then it adds:

"...and eat of the plentiful therein, wherever you desire..."

"...and enter the gate with humility and ask forgiveness..."

“...We shall forgive you your sins, and give more (the portion of) those who do good"

It should be noted that the term / hittah / philologically means: ‘a putting down', and, here, it means: ‘a petition for the putting down of a leavy burden of sin from them and asking Allah to forgive their faults.'

The Lord commanded the Israelites to say that phrase with their whole hearts and spirits for the purpose of asking, thereby, for the putting down of their heavy burdens from them, because they needed to be put down from them before entering the Holy Land.

And, they were promised that they would be forgiven their sins if they did perform the command accordingly. Maybe, it is for the same reason that one of the doors of Heaven is entitled ' Bab-ul-Hittah ' (the door of forgiveness). Abu Hayyan Andulusi says that the objective meaning of /bab/, here, is one of the doors of Jerusalem which is known as ' Bab-ul-Hittah'. 1

The verse finally proclaims that as for the doers of good, besides forgiving their sins, there will be endowed some additional bounties and rewards upon them, too. It says:

"...and give more (the portion of) those who do good."

************************

However, Allah ordered them to express this phrase sincerely as a sign of their repentance and request for forgiveness in order to show their humility unto Him. The Lord promised them that He would forgive them their sins if they followed through with the command. In that case, He would also increase His favour and reward for the good doers among them along with the forgiveness of their faults.

But, as we know and are acquainted with the stubbornness and obstinacy of the Children of Israel, some of them even refused to utter the phrase and mockingly they said another incongruous word (Hinta ) 'wheat' instead of it. Then, the Qur'an says:

"But those who were unjust substituted a saying other than that which had been spoken unto them..."

"...so We sent down upon those who were unjust a torment from heaven for what they used to pervert."

Divine Punishment in some form or other awaits those who unwarrantedly and unjustly change the word of Allah and His covenant, to something other than the original presented to them.

Surah Al-Baqarah, Verse 60

وَإِذِ اسْتَسْقَى مُوسَى لِقَوْمِهِ فَقُلْنَا اضْرِب بِّعَصَاكَ الْحَجَرَ فَانفَجَرَتْ مِنْهُ اثْنَتَا عَشْرَةَ عَيْناً قَدْ عَلِمَ كُلُّ أُنَاسٍ مَّشْرَبَهُمْ كُلُواْ وَاشْرَبُواْ مِن رِّزْقِ اللَّهِ وَلاَ تَعْثَوْاْ فِي الأَرْضِ مُفْسِدِينَ

60. "And (remember) when Moses sought water for his people, so We said: 'Strike the rock with your staff.' Then there gushed forth from it twelve springs. Each (group of) people knew their (respective) drinking-place. 'Eat and drink of Allah's provision, and commit you not evil in the earth, doing corruption'."

The Miracle of Water Gushing Forth in the Desert!

Again in this verse, Allah has pointed out one of the important favours bestowed upon the Children of Israel, saying:

"And (remember) when Moses sought water for his people..."

When Moses (as) prayed for water, Allah accepted his plea as the Qur'an says:

"...so We said: 'Strike the rock with your staff.'..."

“...Then there gushed forth from it twelve springs..."

Each of those springs flowed for a definite tribe so that among all of the tribes of Israelites:

“...Each (group of) people knew their (respective) drinking place..."

There are a variety of ideas about what kind of stone that rock was and how Moses (as) was supposed to strike that rock, and in what form the flow of water appeared from it. What the Qur'an says is not more than that Moses (as) struck the rock with his staff and then twelve springs gushed forth there from.

This incident is referred to in Exod 17: 1-6, with the only difference being that the number of twelve springs that gushed forth from the rock is not mentioned. However, the Lord, on one hand, sent ' Manna' and 'Salwa' (quails) for them, and, on the other hand, provided them enough water, easily available, and told them:

"...'Eat and drink of Allah's provision, and commit you not evil in the earth, doing corruption'."

In fact, the Lord advises them, as a showing of gratitude for these great bounties, that at least they should lay stubbornness and obstinacy aside and stop hurting prophets (as).

Surah Al-Baqarah, Verse 61

وَإِذْ قُلْتُمْ يَا مُوسَى لَن نَّصْبِرَ عَلَىَ طَعَامٍ وَاحِدٍ فَادْعُ لَنَا رَبَّكَ يُخْرِجْ لَنَا مِمَّا تُنبِتُ الأَرْضُ مِن بَقْلِهَا وَقِثَّآئِهَا وَفُومِهَا وَعَدَسِهَا وَبَصَلِهَا قَالَ أَتَسْتَبْدِلُونَ الَّذِي هُوَ أَدْنَى بِالَّذِي هُوَ خَيْرٌ اهْبِطُواْ مِصْراً فَإِنَّ لَكُم مَّا سَأَلْتُمْ وَضُرِبَتْ عَلَيْهِمُ الذِّلَّةُ وَالْمَسْكَنَةُ وَبَآؤُوْاْ بِغَضَبٍ مِّنَ اللَّهِ ذَلِكَ بِأَنَّهُمْ كَانُواْ يَكْفُرُونَ بِآيَاتِ اللَّهِ وَيَقْتُلُونَ النَّبِيِّينَ بِغَيْرِ الْحَقِّ ذَلِكَ بِمَا عَصَواْ وَّكَانُواْ يَعْتَدُونَ

61. "And (remember) when you said: ‘O' Moses! never can we (always) endure one sort of food, so beseech your Lord for us, to produce for us of what the earth groweth, -its pot-herbs, and cucumbers, garlic, lentils, and onions’. He (Moses) said: 'Would you have in exchange what is worse for what is better? Enter a city, thus you shall get that which you demanded! , Abasement and humiliation were stamped upon them and they incurred wrath from Allah; that was because they went on rejecting Allah's Signs and slaying the prophets unjustly. That was because they disobeyed, and went on transgressing."

Demanding a Variety of Food

To continue the description mentioned in the former verses about the different bounties Allah bestowed on the Children of Israel, here in the verse under discussion, the unthankfulness and ingratitude of the Israelites for those great favours is illustrated.

The verse indicates how obstinate they were, so much so that perhaps no people can be found in the history of the human race similar to them from the point of being ungrateful for Divine favours.

At first it says:

"And (remember) when you said: ‘O' Moses! never can we (always) endure one sort of food,..."

"...so beseech your Lord for us, to produce for us of what the earth groweth,- its pot-herbs, and cucumbers, garlic, lentils and onions'..."

But in reply to them:

"He (Moses) said: ‘Would you have in exchange what is worse for what is better?.."

Now that it is so:

“...Enter a city, thus you shall get that which you demanded!’..."

Then, the Qur'an adds that:

“...Abasement and humiliation were stamped upon them, and they incurred wrath from Allah..."

"...that was because they went on rejecting Allah's Signs and slaying the prophets unjustly..."

"...That was because they disobeyed, and went on transgressing."

Why were the Israelites Stamped with Abasement and Humiliation?

As the above verse indicates, they incurred humiliation and wretchedness because of two things: the first was because they went on disobeying the orders of Allah and straying from the path of monotheism to that of infidelity.

The second factor was that they used to kill the righteous and apostles of Allah. This hard-heartedness and heedlessness of the Divine laws and even against most human laws that even today clearly continues among the Jews might be the cause of that humiliation and abasement.

Right now, as we are writing these lines, the territory of Lebanon is being invaded savagely by this hard-hearted tribe where thousands of men and women, among whom are innocent, old persons, infant babies, hospital patients and the like, are unjustly and tyrannically being slain in a pitiable way.

Their bodies are lying lifelessly on the ground in wait of burial. We are sure that this tribe will certainly have to pay the penalty for their cruelty in the future.

Note

1. At-Tafsir-ul-Kashif, vol. 1, p. 109


6

7

8