2-243 Hast thou not considered those who went forth from their homes, and they were thousands, for fear of death. Then Allah said to them, Die. Then He gave them life. Surely Allah is Gracious to people, but most people are not grateful.a
أَلَمۡ تَرَ إِلَى ٱلَّذِينَ خَرَجُواْ مِن دِيَـٰرِهِمۡ وَهُمۡ أُلُوفٌ حَذَرَ ٱلۡمَوۡتِ فَقَالَ لَهُمُ ٱللَّهُ مُوتُواْ ثُمَّ أَحۡيَـٰهُمۡۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَذُو فَضۡلٍ عَلَى ٱلنَّاسِ وَلَـٰكِنَّ أَڪۡثَرَ ٱلنَّاسِ لَا يَشۡڪُرُونَ (٢٤٣)
2-243a: أَلَمۡ تَرَ – It is used as an expression of amazement, and for an event that is widely known. The purpose is to draw attention of the addressee to consider the event because observation, as Imam Raghib has written, takes place in several ways, by eyes, by imagination, by thinking, by intelligence. He says that if there is صلہ الیٰ , it means looking at it with an eye to deliberate. Ibn Jarir also calls it رویة القلب ۔
دِيَـٰر – It is the plural of دار which means destination, that is the place where one lives.
أُلُوفٌ – It is the plural of اَلۡف which means a thousand because اِلف is spoken of a congregation which is united. And thousand can generically mean a large gathering (R). Ibn Zaid considers أُلُوفٌ to be plural of اٰلف and considers its meaning to be مؤتلفی القلوب (RM), so that the meaning of ھم الوف is that they went out in a congregation united in their purpose or the whole community or party in their entirety went out.
Exodus of Bani Israel from Egypt and its mention in Quran: The actual subject is the necessity for war. This is clearly mentioned in the next verse, and the whole section is about this subject. The question is which nation was it that came out of its homes? Some commentators state that these were the inhabitants of Dawardan who fled from their village for fear of plague. Allah caused them to die and then resuscitated them so that they may know that no one can run away from the decree of Allah. Another view is that there was a community of Bani Israel. Their king called them for jihad but they refused. God caused them to die for eight days and then brought them back to life. There is no historical evidence of any of this. The latter narration is at least conformable with the general topic of the section, but the use of أَلَمۡ تَرَ shows that the reference is to some well-known event. The incidents mentioned above are not only well known but have no basis in reality. The event to which Quran has drawn attention has to be some famous incident, and in fact this is the case. The use of the word خَرَجُواْ lends further support to the event being renowned because there is only one incident of خروج or exodus in history that is known to everybody. This incident is the exodus of Bani Israel from Egypt which is in the Book of Moses and is known by the name of exodus or خروج. By adopting the word خَرَجُواْ , the Quran has identified this famous event. Further evidence is provided using the word أُلُوفٌ because the Bani Israel at the time of exodus numbered six hundred thousand according to the Bible and there is no other incident in history of such a large exodus. The other meaning of أُلُوفٌ as a congregation also lends credence to the group being Bani Israel because in the exodus, the migrating Israelites are again and again referred to as a congregation. Further evidence that this incident refers to Bani Israel of the time of Moses is lent by the fact that the Israelite prophets after Moses are mentioned in the verses following the next two verses that refer to this incident. This is the third evidence. The fourth evidence is that the Bani Israel refused to fight when Moses asked them to and consequently wondered around in the wilderness for forty years which is tantamount to the death of a nation. The refusal to wage jihad is the theme of this section.
The death and resuscitation of Bani Israel: The other words of the verse also do not negate this interpretation, and are, in fact supportive of it. Egypt from which these people migrated is referred to as دِيَـٰرِهِمۡ because for four hundred years it was their residence and their native country. The explanation of أُلُوفٌ has already been given. The reason they left was حَذَرَ ٱلۡمَوۡتِ or fear of death. Pharoah had enslaved the Israelites and his strategy was to first weaken them and reduce them to an abject state by compelling them to do menial jobs and perform forced labor, and then ultimately his plan ws to kill them. This is referred to as the fear of death. Quran refers to the plan of Moses in Surah Al Qasas: جَعَلَ أَهۡلَهَا شِيَعً۬ا يَسۡتَضۡعِفُ طَآٮِٕفَةً۬ مِّنۡہُمۡ يُذَبِّحُ أَبۡنَآءَهُمۡ وَيَسۡتَحۡىِۦ نِسَآءَهُمۡۚ (…made its people into parties, weakening one party among them; he slaughtered their sons and let their women live.) (28:4). In the beginning of this surah, it is also stated: يَسُومُونَكُمۡ سُوٓءَ ٱلۡعَذَابِ (…subjected you to severe torment…) (2:49). So, most certainly, they left their abode for fear of death. What then is the meaning of فَقَالَ لَهُمُ ٱللَّهُ مُوتُواْ ? When they refused to fight at the behest of Moses, it was ordained: فَإِنَّهَا مُحَرَّمَةٌ عَلَيۡہِمۡۛ أَرۡبَعِينَ سَنَةً۬ۛ يَتِيهُونَ فِى ٱلۡأَرۡضِ (It shall surely be forbidden to them for forty years – they will wander about in the land) (5:26). They were banished from what would have been a new life for their nation for forty years, until, as the Bible states, that generation had passed away (Numbers 14:29-30). This was their death. This was their death. ثُمَّ أَحۡيَـٰهُمۡ – Then they were brought back to life because at last their children entered the promised land and became a great nation. They became victorious, rulers, and were imbibed with high morals. This is what is meant by the life and death of a nation.
. 2-244 And fight in the way of Allah, and know that Allah is Hearing, Knowing.a
وَقَـٰتِلُواْ فِى سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ وَٱعۡلَمُوٓاْ أَنَّ ٱللَّهَ سَمِيعٌ عَلِيمٌ۬ (٢٤٤)
2-245 Who is it that will offer to Allah a goodly gift, so He multiplies it to him manifold? And Allah receives and amplifies, and to Him you shall be returned.a
2-244a: A lesson for the Muslims from the history of Bani Israel: The injunction to the Muslims in the middle of the events of Bani Israel shows that the narration is not meant to be merely a story but is really a message for Muslims that if they refuse to fight in the way of Allah, the consequence would be the death of their nation. So, when the Muslims became remiss, other nations aggressively moved against them resulting in a dark period of servitude for the Muslims. The Companions of the Holy Prophet benefitted from the advice given in the Quran and when the war came to them, although greatly outnumbered against a powerful enemy, they told the Holy Prophet that they will not be like the followers of Moses who declined to fight at his command but would follow him wherever he took them.
مَّن ذَا ٱلَّذِى يُقۡرِضُ ٱللَّهَ قَرۡضًا حَسَنًرَیام۬ا فَيُضَـٰعِفَهُ ۥ لَهُ ۥۤ أَضۡعَافً۬ا ڪَثِيرَةً۬ۚ وَٱللَّهُ يَقۡبِضُ وَيَبۡصُۜطُ وَإِلَيۡهِ تُرۡجَعُونَ (٢٤٥)
2-245a: يُقۡرِضُ – قرضا – قرض is in fact a kind of cutting or severance. In: تَّقۡرِضُہُمۡ ذَاتَ ٱلشِّمَالِ (…leave them behind on the left) (18:17), this word has been used to describe the sun moving on and cutting it from sunshine, leaving the cave behind in shadow. The commonly known meaning of قرض is loan and it is defined as property which is given to a person on the condition that it’s like would be returned (R). Hence the word is used for any action that would be requited. According to Taj al-Arus, قرض , whose real meaning is to sever, has spawned a large number of meanings depending upon the need of the situation, and it quotes the definition by Johari that قرض is a thing done in the past, good or bad, for which there will be a requital. In support of this, he cites a poetic verse of Ammit bin Abi al-Salat: کل امرَئ سوف یجزی قرضه حسنا او سیئا مدینا مثل مادانا and has states that there is an Arab proverb: لك عندی قرض حسن و قرض سیئ and the purport is you have done a good or bad deed to me and you will accordingly be requited good or bad. And واصل القرض ما یعطیه الرجل او یفعل لیجازی علیه meaning real قرض is that which a person gives or does so that he may be requited for it. He has cited Abu Ishaq who gives the meaning of قرض in this verse as every such action for which a requital is sought, and al-Akhfash who gives the meaning as: who will do a good action by following and obeying the command of God, because when someone does a good deed for another person, the Arabs say: قد احسنت قرضی or قد اقرضتنی قرضا حسنا. Baidwai in his commentary of the Quran states that a loan to Allah is a metaphor for doing an action for which one hopes for a reward in the Hereafter, and further he states that قرض حسن is striving and spending in the way of Allah.
يُضَـٰعِفَ – اضعاف is the plural of ضِعۡف and the ضِعۡف of a thing is something that doubles it, and the meaning of ضاعف is to create the like or several likes of a thing along with it or to double or more than double it (R). And the meaning of ضَعۡف and ضُعۡف is weakness.
يَقۡبِضُ – The literal meaning of قَبۡض is to take something fully by the hand. It is used in both the senses of taking a thing from another and keeping it with oneself or to withhold the hand from giving a thing to another. Imam Raghib has given several explanations of یقبض و یبصط as follows: Allah sometimes takes a thing and sometimes gives it, or He takes it from one nation and gives it to another, or that He sometimes causes death and sometimes gives life, and one meaning can be that Allah takes the good deeds to Himself and then increases them.
يَبۡصُۜطُ – It’s root is بسط which means to spread and expand a thing.
The first verse gave the injunction for war, and this verse exhorts to doing good by waging another kind of jihad, namely spending in the way of Allah. It is stated that whatever good deeds are done selflessly, Allah does not waste them, but instead increases them greatly. The increase as stated by اضعافا کثیرة means a great increase, that is giving a big reward. The history of Islam provides evidence of this. Spending in the way of Allah is mentioned in more detail a little further on. The verse is ended with the words: إِلَيۡهِ تُرۡجَعُونَ so that it may be remembered that earning wealth should not be taken as the goal of this life.
2-246 Hast thou not thought of the leaders of the Children of Israel after Moses? When they said to a prophet of theirs: Raise up for us a king, that we may fight in the way of Allah. He said: May it not be that you will not fight if fighting is ordained for you? They said: And what reason have we that we should not fight in Allah’s way and we have indeed been deprived of our homes and our children? But when fighting was ordained for them, they turned back, except a few of them. And Allah is Knower of the wrongdoers.a
أَلَمۡ تَرَ إِلَى ٱلۡمَلَإِ مِنۢ بَنِىٓ إِسۡرَٲٓءِيلَ مِنۢ بَعۡدِ مُوسَىٰٓ إِذۡ قَالُواْ لِنَبِىٍّ۬ لَّهُمُ ٱبۡعَثۡ لَنَا مَلِڪً۬ا نُّقَـٰتِلۡ فِى سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِۖ قَالَ هَلۡ عَسَيۡتُمۡ إِن ڪُتِبَ عَلَيۡڪُمُ ٱلۡقِتَالُ أَلَّا تُقَـٰتِلُواْۖ قَالُواْ وَمَا لَنَآ أَلَّا نُقَـٰتِلَ فِى سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ وَقَدۡ أُخۡرِجۡنَا مِن دِيَـٰرِنَا وَأَبۡنَآٮِٕنَاۖ فَلَمَّا كُتِبَ عَلَيۡهِمُ ٱلۡقِتَالُ تَوَلَّوۡاْ إِلَّا قَلِيلاً۬ مِّنۡهُمۡۗ وَٱللَّهُ عَلِيمُۢ بِٱلظَّـٰلِمِينَ (٢٤٦)
2:246a: ٱلۡمَلَإِ – The literal meaning of ملاء is to fill, as in:مِّلۡءُ ٱلۡأَرۡضِ ذَهَبً۬ا (…the earth full of gold). And مَلَاء is a party that is unanimous in its point of view so that the eyes are imbued with a new vision of the future and the souls are filled with beauty and glory (R).
ٱبۡعَثۡ – The literal meaning of بَعۡث is to raise a thing and to bringing it in front. The word is used for getting up from sleep of men, for raising up of prophets, and for the appointment of a person for some work (R).
مَلِڪً۬ا – مَلِك is he who has the authority to prohibit or to do a thing, and is associated with the politics of men. Hence one can speak of مَلِكِ النَّاسِ (Lord of men), and not مَلِكِ الاشیاء (Lord of things). This also goes to show that the authority of a king over people is limited, and not like that of مَلِكِ who has full authority. See (1:3a).
عَسَيۡتُمۡ – عسی is used in the sense of wish and hope for greed and begging (R). It is from verbs that show affinity. It is used in desirable matters to give hope and in undesirable matters to warn (T).
Mention of Samuel and the lesson for Muslims: An instance from the history of Bani Israel is started from here which ends with the mention of David. The prophet alluded to is Samuel (see 1 Samuel 8:19, 20). The Israelites at the time had been subdued by the Philistines and during several defeats had lost several thousand men. The reference in: وَقَدۡ أُخۡرِجۡنَا مِن دِيَـٰرِنَا is to losing their country after several defeats and in: أَبۡنَآٮِٕنَا to the men killed or enslaved in battle. This historical example takes up the rest of this section and part of the next one. This example is meant to make the Muslims who had been forced out of their homes and were now separated from their kith and kin to realize that now their survival depended on fighting. Another lesson for them is not to be frightened by the numerical superiority of the enemy.
2-247 And their prophet said to them: Surely Allah has raised Saul to be a king over you. They said: How can he have kingdom over us while we have a greater right to kingdom than he, and he has not been granted abundance of wealth? He said: Surely Allah has chosen him above you, and has increased him abundantly in knowledge and physique. And Allah grants His kingdom to whom He pleases. And Allah is Ample-giving, Knowing.
وَقَالَ لَهُمۡ نَبِيُّهُمۡ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ قَدۡ بَعَثَ لَڪُمۡ طَالُوتَ مَلِكً۬اۚ قَالُوٓاْ أَنَّىٰ يَكُونُ لَهُ ٱلۡمُلۡكُ عَلَيۡنَا وَنَحۡنُ أَحَقُّ بِٱلۡمُلۡكِ مِنۡهُ وَلَمۡ يُؤۡتَ سَعَةً۬ مِّنَ ٱلۡمَالِۚ قَالَ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ ٱصۡطَفَٮٰهُ عَلَيۡڪُمۡ وَزَادَهُ ۥ بَسۡطَةً۬ فِى ٱلۡعِلۡمِ وَٱلۡجِسۡمِۖ وَٱللَّهُ يُؤۡتِى مُلۡڪَهُ ۥ مَن يَشَآءُۚ وَٱللَّهُ وَاسِعٌ عَلِيمٌ۬ (٢٤٧)
2-247a: بَسۡطَةً۬ – Its meaning isسعة or spacious and expansive. Bukhari gives the meaning of بَسۡطَةً as زیادة و فضلا (more and more).
طَالُوتَ – Bible gives the name of this king as Saul. Quran gives the name as طَالُوتَ which being similar to طول (length) evidences the height of this king, and Saul was taller than the rest of men (1 Samuel 10:23). The objections raised against the nomination of Saul find support also from the Bible (1 Samuel 9:21 and 10:27).
Principles of selecting a king: The objection raised against the nomination of Saul is that he has neither lineage nor riches, and hence has no right to be the king. The reply given is: إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ ٱصۡطَفَٮٰهُ عَلَيۡڪُمۡ , that is Allah has chosen him because of his piety, greater knowledge and physique.
Kingship is not by inheritance: This incident exemplifies the principles that Quran gives for selecting a king. It negatives kingship by inheritance or wealth as a basis for selecting a king. Against this teaching of Quran and the example of the Righteous Caliphs, Muslims adopted the system of hereditary kingship. This resulted in kingship becoming a source of weakness instead of strength because as this verse shows, the purpose of having a king is to make the nation strong against the enemy. But when kingship is by inheritance, it breeds pleasure and enjoyment, and the real purpose of kingship is vitiated. Hence kingship should be by selection and not inheritance, and the rules of selection are that that person should be made king who is greater in piety, knowledge, and prowess. Because prophethood and kingship have generally remained as two different institutions, the need arose to appoint a king even though a prophet was present.
2-248 And their prophet said to them: Surely the sign of his kingdom is that there shall come to you the heart in which there is tranquillity from your Lord and the best of what the followers of Moses and the followers of Aaron have left, the angels bearing it.a Surely there is a sign in this for you if you are believers.b
وَقَالَ لَهُمۡ نَبِيُّهُمۡ إِنَّ ءَايَةَ مُلۡڪِهِۦۤ أَن يَأۡتِيَڪُمُ ٱلتَّابُوتُ فِيهِ سَڪِينَةٌ۬ مِّن رَّبِّڪُمۡ وَبَقِيَّةٌ۬ مِّمَّا تَرَكَ ءَالُ مُوسَىٰ وَءَالُ هَـٰرُونَ تَحۡمِلُهُ ٱلۡمَلَـٰٓٮِٕكَةُۚ إِنَّ فِى ذَٲلِكَ لَأَيَةً۬ لَّڪُمۡ إِن كُنتُم مُّؤۡمِنِينَ (٢٤٨)
2-248a: ٱلتَّابُوتُ – One well known meaning of تابوت is a chest or trunk and it is said to be derived from توب because things are put back in it again and again. Another meaning of تابوت is the rib cage and all that it contains such as the heart and other organs. The meaning of تابوت as a trunk is derived from the meaning of تابوت as the rib cage and its content (T). In Lisan al-Arab, the meaning of تابوت has been given as قلب or heart, and an example has been cited: ما اَوۡ دعتُ تابوتی شیئاً فقَد تُه (I have never taken to heart (تابوتی ) anything I have lost). In the Mufradat too, it is stated that by تابوت is meant قلب and سکینت (tranquility), and the knowledge in it. It is further stated that قلب has been called سَفَطُ العلۡم (the box of knowledge), the house of wisdom and its vessel and chest. It is precisely because قلب has been called تابوت that Caliph Umar said about Ibn Masud that he is a pot full of knowledge. Quran commentators too have written the meaning of تابوت as قلب . Baidawi in his commentary writes that there is a saying that the meaning of تابوت is قلب and سَڪِينَةٌ۬ is the knowledge in it, and the meaning of : there shall come to you the heart in which there is tranquility is that the heart will become the repository of knowledge and dignity, though previously it was not so.
سَڪِينَةٌ۬ – It is derived from سکن , and the state of rest after a thing has been in motion is called سُکون . So سَڪِينَةٌ۬ is the tranquil heart or heart that has no fear. Some commentators have written that سَڪِينَةٌ۬ is a creature that has the face of a cat. Imam Raghib states that this is not correct and further writes that سَڪِينَةٌ۬ is the name of the state in which a person’s lustful tendencies are fully under control.
بَقِيَّةٌ۬ – بقاء is for a thing to stay in its former state. باقیات are those acts whose reward remains for a person. And the meaning of بَقِيَّةٌ۬ and باقیات are also given as: کل عبادة یقصد بھا وجہ اللّٰه (R) (Every act of worship for the pleasure of Allah). In Taj al-Arus the meaning of بَقِيَّةٌ۬ is given as الحالة الباقیة من الخیر , that is a state of safety and welfare that will persist.
Both Moses and Aaron both have their followers and Book: ءَالُ مُوسَىٰ وَءَالُ هَـٰرُونَ. For the meaning of اٰل see 2:49a. The mention of the followers of Moses and Aaron separately shows that the Quran considers both to be prophets with their own followers. The followers of Moses are those who partake of the special blessings of Moses and the followers of Aaron are those who partake of the special blessings of Aaron. In another place in the Quran both are spoken of being prophets who were given a Book: وَءَاتَيۡنَـٰهُمَا ٱلۡكِتَـٰبَ ٱلۡمُسۡتَبِينَ (And We gave them both the clear Book) (37:117).
2-248b: The ark (تابوت) of Bible and the dissimilarity between Torah and Gospel: What is تابوت whose coming is mentioned here as a sign? A well-known ark (تابوت) is the one that is mentioned in both the components of Bible, that is the Old and the New Testaments. According to the description in Bible, this ark was two and a half cubits in length, and its breath and height was one and a half cubits. It was overlaid with pure gold both within and without and it had a crown of gold round about (Exodus 25:10 and 37:1). In accordance with 1Kings 8:9, “There was nothing in the ark save the two tables of stone, which Moses put there at Horeb”. But in Hebrew 9:4, it is stated about the ark: “…wherein was the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron’s rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant. And over it the cherubims of glory…”. (It is for the Christians to decide which one of the revealed Books is incorrect). This ark or trunk was once captured by the Philistines, but they returned it after a period. Finally, David brough it to Jerusalem, and during the reign of Solomon it was placed in Bait ul Muqaddas. It disappeared from there and its whereabouts are not known.
The تابوت mentioned in the Quran and the Christian criticism: Some commentators of the Quran consider the تابوت of Quran to be the one mentioned above. Some say that it was a different تابوت that descended from the heaven on Adam; some say it is the تابوت in which Moses as a baby was placed by his mother and set afloat in the river. Christian critics on the basis of the first opinion have supposedly found a monumental chronological inaccuracy in the Quran because according to the historical narrative in Bible, the ark had been returned much before the time of Saul. Hence, they conclude that Quran cannot be a revealed Book. This criticism is ironic since there is inconsistency in the matter of the ark in the Old and New Testament and both are considered to be revealed Books. No honest Christian ever questions which of the two Books should be labelled as false. Even if the interpretation of تابوت to be the one mentioned in the Bible, it is not clear from the Bible narrative when the ark was returned after being taken by the Philistines. This is clearly accepted by Rev. Dummelow in his commentary of the Bible.
No historical validity of the two Books of Samuel: First, it is established about the two Books of Samuel that they have no historical validity, and their source is some other previous document. Second, the mention of the ark which is met in the fifth and sixth chapter is in such a disjointed manner that Rev. Dummelow writes about it in his commentary, “The mention of the ark in the fifth and sixth chapter does not provide any clue as to when this event occurred except that it is post Afiq war”. The first line of the sixth chapter states that: “And the ark of the Lord was in the country of Philistine seven months”, while the second verse of the seventh chapter indicates that the ark was with the people of Kirjath-jearim for twenty years, “…and all the house of Israel lamented after the Lord”, which shows that the Israelites were a subdued nation, even though the coming of the ark among the Israelites was meant to be a sign that they would be victorious and aided. It follows that these events are not reliable. If the Quranic تابوت is the ark of the Bible and given that its return was to be a sign of their victory and triumph which began in the reign of Saul, the Quranic version is clearly the correct one.
Meaning of تابوت as heart: An established meaning of تابوت in the lexicon is the heart. Commentators generally consider this to be the meaning. The purport of the Quranic words appears to be to draw attention to Saul’s heart. The Israelites balked at his appointment and so they are told that his heart is not as it was before because God has put tranquility etcetera in it, and it is like he has been given a new heart. This interpretation finds support from Samuel 10:9: “And it was so, that when he had turned his back to go from Samuel, God gave him another heart”. The Quranic words support this. This is not a box to keep tablets or a bowl of manna, but a thing which has tranquility, and tranquility is a condition of the heart.
Tranquility is always sent down into the heart: Elsewhere, Quran states: هُوَ ٱلَّذِىٓ أَنزَلَ ٱلسَّكِينَةَ فِى قُلُوبِ ٱلۡمُؤۡمِنِينَ (He it is who sent down tranquility into the hearts of the believers) (48:4), and it was this tranquility that dispelled the awe of the enemy from their hearts. The Quran then states that he imbued the good qualities that existed in the righteous followers of Moses and the righteous followers of Aaron. Moses was the chief of the tribe and his followers were the rightful heirs of this leadership. Aaron had the responsibilities for the priestly duties. God made Saul inherit both functions. It is then stated: تَحۡمِلُهُ ٱلۡمَلَـٰٓٮِٕكَةُۚ (the angels bearing it). The Biblical version is that it was carried on a bullock cart when it was returned. It is against Allah’s tradition for angels to carry around a wooden box, but angels are the bearers of goodness to the heart. Accordingly, a section of the following hadith is cited in Lisan al-Arab: نزلت علیھم السکینة تحملھا الملائکة (tranquility descended on them carried by angels).
Bayan-ul-Quran 