Alhassanain(p) Network for Heritage and Islamic Thought

Section 7

Surah Al-Baqarah, Verse 62

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ وَالَّذِينَ هَادُواْ وَالنَّصَارَى وَالصَّابِئِينَ مَنْ آمَنَ بِاللَّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الآخِرِ وَعَمِلَ صَالِحاً فَلَهُمْ أَجْرُهُمْ عِندَ رَبِّهِمْ وَلاَ خَوْفٌ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلاَ هُمْ يَحْزَنُونَ

62. "Verily those who believed (in the Prophet of Islam), and those of Jews and Christians and Sabians, whoever believed (truly) in Allah and the Last Day, and worked righteousness -for them is their reward with their Lord, and no fear shall be upon them, nor shall they grieve. "

A General Principle for Salvation

The Qur'an, here, points to a general and common principle when it proclaims that that which is worthy is' truth' and 'reality’. With Allah, only ' true Faith ' and ' good deeds ' are accepted.

"Verily, those who believed (in the Prophet of Islam), and those of Jews and Christians and Sabians, whoever believed (truly) in Allah and the Last Day, and worked righteousness -for them is their reward with their Lord..."

Therefore, they will have no fear in the future or any grief for their past:

"...and no fear shall be upon them, nor shall they grieve."

This verse, with nearly the same form, has occurred in Surah Al-Maidah No. 5. Verse 69: and with a further variation on the same subject in Surah AL-Hajj, No. 22. Verse 17.

A careful study over the verses cited after this verse in Surah Al-Ma'idah, makes it clear that the Jews and Christians boasted that their religions were better than other religions. They imagined that all of Heaven would be for them alone, exclusively.

That very pride, perhaps, was seen in the manner of some Muslims, too. The current verse denotes that superficial faith, especially with the lack of doing good deeds, whether it proceeds from Muslims or Jews, Christians and Sabians, or the followers of any other religion, is worthless.

Faith in Allah and the Last Day of Judgment is noted worthy by Allah when it is true, pure, and sincere, and accompanied with righteous deeds. Only this agendum deserves rewards and causes peace, security, and salvation for a believer.

Who are the Sabians?

There are a variety of opinions as to who the Sabians are. Here you are introduced to a few of them which are usually referred to. For example, the description cited in: 'An Arabic -English Lexicon, Part 4,' p. 1640, by Edward William Lame is, in brief, as follows:

The term / Sabi'un / in the Kur'an is said to mean: 'Those who depart from one religion to another (The Sabians,) said to worship the stars secretly, and openly to profess themselves to belong to the Christians: They are called / as-sabi'ah / and / as-sabi'un/: and they assert that they are of the religion of Sabi the son of Sheyth (or Sheth) the son of Adam: their appellation may also be pronounced / as-sabiyun / or the Sabi'un are a certain class of the people who possess revealed scripture: or a people whose religion resembles that of the Christians, except that their Qiblah is towards the place where blows the (south, or southerly, wind called) Jannb... or according to some, their Qiblah is the Ka'bah: and they assert that they are of the religion of Noah.

It is said that they are thus called in relation to Sabi the son of Lamak (or Lamech), the brother of Noah. It is said that they are worshippers of angels: and it said that they are the worshippers of the stars: and that their appellation is Arabic; from / saba / he departed from a religion '; or from / saba / he inclined because of their inclining from Truth to falsehood.

Another idea about 'Sabians', the appellation mentioned in the Holy Qur'an, is what the known scholar, Raqib, cites in his book, 'Mufradat’.

He says:

"They are a group of followers of Noah (as), and their name mentioned along with the names of Believers, Jews and Christians, is also an evidence that they have been a religious group of people, believing in one of the heavenly religions who believed in God and the Hereafter, too."

Some other commentators have said that the idea that some have called them pagans and star worshippers, or some others have considered them Zoroastrians, does not seem right, because Sabians believed that: first, the heavenly Holy Books were revealed to Adam (as) and then to Noah (as) and after him to Sam (as), then to Ram (as) and thereafter to Abraham (as), then to Moses (as) and after him to John (as) the son of Zachariah, all of which were sent rightfully and Divinely.

Who are the 'People of the Book'?

The Qur'anic phrase / 'ahlul kitab / ' the People of the Book' has occurred in more than 30 different verses of the Qur'an where it mostly means both the Jews and the Christians or either of them.

The above mentioned Arabic-English Lexicon, part one, page 121 explains the phrase / 'ahlul-kitab / thus: ‘(the people of the Scripture, or Bible; and) the readers, or reciters, of the Mosaic Law, and of the Gospel.'

Apparently, all the adherents of the prophets who had revealed Books, the clearest example of whom are Jews and Christians, may be called 'the People of the Book’. If so, we can also consider the Prophet's tradition when he was asked about the number of the Books Allah revealed and he (S) replied:

"One hundred and four books were revealed: ten books to Adam (as), fifty books to Shith, thirty books to Ukhnukh (Enoch) and he is the first one who wrote by pen, ten books to Abraham, the Turah to Moses, the Ingeel to Jesus, Zabur to David, and the Qur'an to Muhammad (the Prophet of Islam)."1

Surah Al-Baqarah, Verses 63-64

وَإِذْ أَخَذْنَا مِيثَاقَكُمْ وَرَفَعْنَا فَوْقَكُمُ الطُّورَ خُذُواْ مَا آتَيْنَاكُم بِقُوَّةٍ وَاذْكُرُواْ مَا فِيهِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ

ثُمَّ تَوَلَّيْتُم مِّن بَعْدِ ذَلِكَ فَلَوْلاَ فَضْلُ اللَّهِ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَتُهُ لَكُنتُم مِّنَ الْخَاسِرِينَ

63, "And (remember) when We made a covenant with you, and raised the Tur (Mountain) above you; (saying): 'Hold you fast that which We have given you with the strength, and remember all that is therein (to do accordingly); haply you shall guard yourselves (against evil)',"

64. "Thereafter, you turned back, and had it not been for the Grace and Mercy of Allah on you, you had certainly been among the losers,"

Hold the Signs of Allah Firmly!

In these verses, the subject of taking a covenant from the Children of Israel for the practicing of the contents of the Turah and, then, breaching that covenant, is pointed out, At first it says:

"And (remember) when We made a covenant with you, and raised the Tur (Mountain) above you; ",

"…(saying): ‘Hold you fast that which We have given you with the strength, "

",and remember all that is therein (to do accordingly); haply you shall guard yourselves (against evil)',"

But you people neglected your covenant.

"Thereafter, you turned back,"

"..and had it not been for the Grace and Mercy of Allah on you, you had certainly been among the losers,"

The objective of the covenant, here, is the same that has been mentioned in verse 40 of the current Surah and what is in verse 83 and 84, which will be discussed later.

The items of that covenant are: worshipping only Allah; treating parents, relations, orphans, and those in need with kindness; speaking to and treating people fairly; attending and being steadfast in ritual prayers, paying alms, avoiding shedding blood, the like of which had been mentioned in the Torah, too.

Surah Al-Ma'idah, No.5, verse 12, also denotes that Allah had taken a covenant from the Children of Israel to believe in all of the Divine prophets and help them, and practice regular charity in the way of Allah. Then, at the end of the same verse, Allah promises that if they keep this covenant and actually do it, they will be allowed to abide in Paradise.

How was the Mountain Raised over the Israelites' Heads?

The leading famous commentator, the Late Tabors, has narrated from 'Abuzeyd ' that when Moses (as) returned from Mount Sinai and brought the Torah with him, he told his people that he had brought a Divine Book consisting of some religious instructions and rules about lawful and unlawful things.

He told them to take the instructions that Allah had ordained and practically observe them in their lives.2

But the Jews, with the excuse that he (as) had brought them difficult duties to perform, disobeyed and exceeded the limits. The Lord commanded the angels to raise a great big rock from Tor Mountain above them.

At that moment Moses (as) announced that if they promised to perform the orders of Allah and repented for their disobedience, that punishment would be removed from over them, else they would be destroyed.

The Jews, who expected that the Mountain would fall on them at any moment, submitted and accepted the Turah and prostrated for Allah.

Then, finally, that chastisement was warded off because of their repentance. This very occurrence, with a little difference, is mentioned in verse 93 of the current Surah; and in Surah An-'Nisa. No. 4. Verse 104: and in Surah AL-A'raf. No.7 Verse 171.

It is necessary to note, here, that as for the suspending mountain and as to how it could stand high above as a covering overhead for the Israelites, some commentators believe that it was by the command of Allah that Tor Mount was shaken and taken up from its place and, then, suspended above them as a canopy.3

A more detailed explanation will be referred to when commenting on Surah Al-'A'raf, No.7, verse 171.

The above mentioned event as described in the Qur’an was quite known by the Jews, who had these original statements in the Turah about it with them. Besides that, this event is also recorded in Talmud Aboda Sara. 1: 2 which says: ‘I will cover you with the mountain like a roof’. Talmud.

Notes

1. Majma'-ul-Bayan, vol. 10, p. 476

2. Majma'-ul-Bayan, vol. 1, p. 128

3. Majma'-ul-Bayan, vol. 1, p. 128

Section 8

Surah Al-Baqarah, Verses 65-66

وَلَقَدْ عَلِمْتُمُ الَّذِينَ اعْتَدَواْ مِنكُمْ فِي السَّبْتِ فَقُلْنَا لَهُمْ كُونُواْ قِرَدَةً خَاسِئِينَ

فَجَعَلْنَاهَا نَكَالاً لِّمَا بَيْنَ يَدَيْهَا وَمَا خَلْفَهَا وَمَوْعِظَةً لِّلْمُتَّقِينَ

65. "And certainly you have known those among you who exceeded the limits on the Sabbath, so We said to them:, Be you (as) apes despised and rejected’."

66. "So We made it an exemplary punishment to those who witnessed it and to their posterity and an admonishment to the pious ones."

Those Who Exceeded on the Sabbath!

These two verses, like the previous verses, point out the disobedience and transgression dominating the souls of the Jews, and their intensive interest in economic gain.

At first, it says:

"And certainly you have known those among you who exceeded the limits on the Sabbath..."

And, also, you have known that:

“...so We said to them: ‘Be you (as) apes, despised and rejected’."

Some may think that the present state of the Israelites and their apparent progress, after the first and the second World Wars or after their unlawful occupation of the Holy Land does not tally with this but yet they are hated by most nations and they have no rest in the real sense of the term, and the term 'a Jew' has passed into a proverb for a niggardly, miserly person -this is due to their own vanities and their hatred towards the others which, for example, they have shown in many places such as Palestine and Lebanon, both openly and hiddenly, during these recent years.

"So We made it an exemplary punishment to those who witnessed it and to their posterity..."

"...and an admonishment to the pious ones."

It is worthy to note that Imam Baqir (as) and Imam al-Sadiq (as) are narrated from, who, on the meaning of this verse, have said:

"The purpose of the phrase /ma bayna yadayha / 'those who witnessed it ' if the generation of that time, and the objective of the phrase / ma xalfaha / 'their posterity, is about us Muslims."1 .

That is, that exemplary lesson was not exclusive to the Israelites alone, but it was meant for all of us, the Muslims, too; or, all who come after them until the Day of Judgement and who do the same as they did.

Explanation: Divine Miracles of Moses (as)

Whenever an apostle of Allah wanted to introduce himself to his people as a true, authentic Messenger of Allah, he would prove his claim by performing some miracles given by Him.

Here, it must be remembered that the following wonderful events wrought by divine and supernatural phenomena are counted in the Holy Qur'an as the miracles given to Moses (as) as the proof of his prophethood; each of which will be discussed in its appropriate place.

They are as follows:

1. The Rod of Moses (as) becoming a serpent. (7:107, 26:32)

2. The Palm of Moses (as) shining brightly. (7:108, 26:33)

3. The dividing of the sea. (2:50)

4. The gushing of water from the rock. (2:60, 2:74)

5. The shower of manna and quails from heaven. (2:57)

6. The shadowing of the cloud over the Israelites' heads. (2:57, 2:93)

7. The raising of the dead to life. (2:56, 2:73)

8. The suspension of the mount above the heads of the people. (2:63)

9. The transformation of the transgressors into despised apes. (2:65, 7:166).

Surah Al-Baqarah, Verses 67-74

وَإِذْ قَالَ مُوسَى لِقَوْمِهِ إِنَّ اللّهَ يَأْمُرُكُمْ أَنْ تَذْبَحُواْ بَقَرَةً قَالُواْ أَتَتَّخِذُنَا هُزُواً قَالَ أَعُوذُ بِاللّهِ أَنْ أَكُونَ مِنَ الْجَاهِلِينَ

قَالُواْ ادْعُ لَنَا رَبَّكَ يُبَيِّن لّنَا مَا هِيَ قَالَ إِنَّهُ يَقُولُ إِنَّهَا بَقَرَةٌ لاَّ فَارِضٌ وَلاَ بِكْرٌ عَوَانٌ بَيْنَ ذَلِكَ فَافْعَلُواْ مَا تُؤْمَرونَ

قَالُواْ ادْعُ لَنَا رَبَّكَ يُبَيِّن لَّنَا مَا لَوْنُهَا قَالَ إِنَّهُ يَقُولُ إِنّهَا بَقَرَةٌ صَفْرَاء فَاقِـعٌ لَّوْنُهَا تَسُرُّ النَّاظِرِينَ

قَالُواْ ادْعُ لَنَا رَبَّكَ يُبَيِّن لَّنَا مَا هِيَ إِنَّ البَقَرَ تَشَابَهَ عَلَيْنَا وَإِنَّا إِن شَاء اللَّهُ لَمُهْتَدُونَ

قَالَ إِنَّهُ يَقُولُ إِنَّهَا بَقَرَةٌ لاَّ ذَلُولٌ تُثِيرُ الأَرْضَ وَلاَ تَسْقِي الْحَرْثَ مُسَلَّمَةٌ لاَّ شِيَةَ فِيهَا قَالُواْ الآنَ جِئْتَ بِالْحَقِّ فَذَبَحُوهَا وَمَا كَادُواْ يَفْعَلُونَ

وَإِذْ قَتَلْتُمْ نَفْساً فَادَّارَأْتُمْ فِيهَا وَاللّهُ مُخْرِجٌ مَّا كُنتُمْ تَكْتُمُونَ

فَقُلْنَا اضْرِبُوهُ بِبَعْضِهَا كَذَلِكَ يُحْيِي اللّهُ الْمَوْتَى وَيُرِيكُمْ آيَاتِهِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَعْقِلُونَ

ثُمَّ قَسَتْ قُلُوبُكُم مِّن بَعْدِ ذَلِكَ فَهِيَ كَالْحِجَارَةِ أَوْ أَشَدُّ قَسْوَةً وَإِنَّ مِنَ الْحِجَارَةِ لَمَا يَتَفَجَّرُ مِنْهُ الأَنْهَارُ وَإِنَّ مِنْهَا لَمَا يَشَّقَّقُ فَيَخْرُجُ مِنْهُ الْمَاء وَإِنَّ مِنْهَا لَمَا يَهْبِطُ مِنْ خَشْيَةِ اللّهِ وَمَا اللّهُ بِغَافِلٍ عَمَّا تَعْمَلُونَ

67. "And (remember) when Moses said to his people: ‘Surely, Allah commands you that you should sacrifice a cow’. They said: 'Do you mock us?' He said: 'I take refuge with Allah from being one of the ignorant!' "

68. "They said ' Ask your Lord for us to make it clear to us what she is.' Moses said: 'He says: Surely she is a cow neither old nor young, but of middle age; so do what you are commanded’."

69. "They said: ‘Ask your Lord for us to make it clear to us what colour she should be. 'Moses replied: 'He says she should be a yellow cow, bright in colour, giving delight to the beholders’."

70. "They said: 'Ask your Lord for us to make it clear to us what kind of cow must it be, for surely to us the cows are all alike, and, if Allah wills, we shall surely be guided aright.'"

71. "(Moses) said: ‘Verily, He says: Verily, she is a cow not (yet) trained to till the soil or to water the fields; sound and without blemish. They said: 'Now you have brought the truth. Then they offered her in sacrifice, though they had not the mind to do (it)."

72. "And (remember) when you killed a man and disputed thereon: but Allah was to bring forth what you were hiding."

73. "So, We said: ‘Strike him (the corpse) with a part of it (the sacrificed cow)’. Thus, Allah gives life to the dead and shows you of His signs, so that you might understand."

74. "Then your hearts hardened after that as stones or even worse in hardness; for verily, among stones there are some from which rivers gush forth, and others that split asunder and water issues out of them, and others tumble down through fear of Allah, and Allah is not heedless of what you do. "

The Story of the Israelites' Cow

Among what we have already studied about the Children of Israel in Surah Al-Baqarah, all of the facts were mentioned shortly and briefly.

The event of the Israelites' Cow which is referred to in the above verses, in contrast to all of the previous incidents, is explained in detail and comprehensively. This is so, perhaps, for the reason that this story is mentioned in the Qur'an only once.

Besides that, there are many instructive subjects involved in it which requires such an extensive explication. One of these subjects which are vividly seen throughout the story is the persistency of the Israelites in seeking for excuses.

It also illustrates their level of faith in the revelations brought forth by Moses (as). Most important of all is that the story provides clear emphatic evidence to the possibility of the Resurrection.

As it is understood from the Holy Qur'an and its commentaries, the incident was described that one of the Israelites was murdered in a mysterious way, in which his murderer was not at all known.

So, there arose a dispute among the different tribes and divisions of the people as to who murdered the man. Every tribe accused the members of another tribe of the crime and announced that the members of its own tribe were innocent.

For its judgement and solution, the problem was brought to the Apostle Moses (as). One one hand, that crime was committed hiddenly and the murderer of the man could not be found by any ordinary means employed at that time.

On the other hand, that dispute might have led to a great complicated disturbance among the Children of Israel. Then, finally Moses (as), by the help of the Grace and Guidance of Allah and through a miraculous way, whose explanation will come later, solved the problem.

The Qur'an begins the description of the event as thus:

"And (remember) when Moses said to his people:

'Surely, Allah commands you that you should sacrifice a cow’..."

They said:, Do you mock us ?'

He said: ‘I take refuge with Allah from being one of the ignorant! ' "

That is, causing division and mocking others are acts of the ignorant and never is a prophet of Allah of such people.

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When the Israelites realized that it was not a mockery and the matter was serious,

"They said: 'Ask your Lord for us to make it clear to what she is, "

The phrase: 'Ask your Lord' which is repeated several times in their demands, carries a kind of hidden impoliteness and ridicule in itself. It seems that they considered the Lord of Moses (as) a different Lord from their own Lord.

However, as a reply to their demand:

"...Moses said: ‘He says: Surely she is a cow neither old nor young, but of middle age;’... "

In order to stop them from prolonging the matter by bringing new excuses forth to postpone that fulfillment of the command of Allah, at the end of the statement, it has been added:

“...so do what you are commanded’."

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But, they still continued their insistence and obstinacy.

"They said: ‘Ask your Lord for us to make it clear to us what colour she should be.'..."

“...Moses replied: ‘He says she should be a yellow cow, bright in colour, giving delight to the beholders’. "

Anyhow, this cow should be very good and interesting in colour. The colour should be so bright and beautiful that any beholder wonders and becomes delighted when looking at it.

It is amazing that they were not satisfied with that and went on seeking for excuses by which, every time, they made the fulfillment of their duty more difficult.

A tradition says that Imam Rida (as) has said that any cow would have been sufficient, but they imposed the particulars upon themselves, and the more they did so, the more did Allah impose the restrictions as a punishment for their persistent demands for unnecessary details.

All this, while Moses (as), acting under inspiration, was driving them to purchase a particular cow belonging to a particular man who was very holy and pious and deserved to be favoured. They had to pay him an enormous price for this cow which was the only one then available. Hence they were very near to not doing it.2

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"They said: Ask your Lord for us to make it clear to us what kind of a cow must it be..."

“...for surely to us the cows are all alike..."

“...and, if Allah wills, we shall surely be guided aright…"

Again,

"(Moses) said: Verily, He says: Verily, she is a cow not (yet) trained to till the soil or to water the fields; sound and without blemish...."

“...They said: Now you have brought the truth... "

So, they tried with much effort to find that particular cow, and, finally, they found it.

“...Then they offered her in sacrifice, though they had not the mind to do (it)."

After describing this story in detail, again the Qur'an retells it briefly, and generally through the following two verses, thus:

"And (remember) when you killed a man and disputed thereon: but Allah was to bring forth what you were hiding."

"So, We said: Strike him (the corpse) with a part of it (the sacrificed cow)..."

".. Thus, Allah gives life to the dead..."

“...and shows you of His signs, so that you might understand."

In the last verse of the verses under discussion, the hardness of the hearts of the Israelites is referred to. It points out that after witnessing all these events and observing the Signs of Allah and the miraculous evidence that Moses (as) prepared for them, yet their hearts became hard, even harder than stone, because, there are some rocks that bring forth water, or shatter and fall down for the fear of Allah. It says:

"Then your hearts hardened after that as stones or even worse in hardness..."

“...for verily, among stones there are some from which rivers gush forth..."

“...and others that split as under and water issues out of them..."

“...and others tumble down through fear of Allah..."

So, your hearts are even harder than these rocks, because neither a spring of passion, love, or knowledge flows out of them nor tremble they from the fear of Allah. Then in the last sentence of the verse, it says:

“...and Allah is not heedless of what you do."

This is a subtle threat against this group of Israelites and all others who behave like them or do the same as they did.

Notes

1. Majma'-ul-Bayan, vol. 1, p. 130

2. Nur-uth- Thaqalayn, vol. 1, pg 88-89