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Al-Baqarah - 2:61
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The Children of Israel preferred Foods inferior to Manna and Quails
Allah said, "And remember My favor on you when I sent down the manna and quails to you, a good, pure, beneficial, easily acquired food. And remember your ungratefulness for what We granted you. Remember how you asked Musa to exchange this type of food for an inferior type that consists of vegetation, and so forth."
Al-Hasan Al-Basri said about the Children of Israel, "They were bored and impatient with the type of food they were provided. They also remembered the life they used to live, when their diet consisted of lentils, onions, garlic and herbs."
Allah tells,
وَإِذْ قُلْتُمْ يَا مُوسَى لَن نَّصْبِرَ عَلَىَ طَعَامٍ وَاحِدٍ فَادْعُ لَنَا رَبَّكَ يُخْرِجْ لَنَا مِمَّا تُنبِتُ الَارْضُ مِن بَقْلِهَا وَقِثَّأيِهَا وَفُومِهَا وَعَدَسِهَا وَبَصَلِهَا
They said, "O Musa ! We cannot endure one kind of food. So invoke your Lord for us to bring forth for us of what the earth grows, its herbs, its cucumbers, its Fum, its lentils and its onions.
They said,
عَلَىَ طَعَامٍ وَاحِدٍ
(One kind of food) meaning, the manna and quails, because they ate the same food day after day.
The Ayah mentioned lentils, onions and herbs, which are all known types of foods.
As for the Fum, Ibn Mas'ud read it, Thum (garlic).
Also, Ibn Abi Hatim narrated that Al-Hasan said about the Ayah,
وَفُومِهَا
(Its Fum), "Ibn Abbas said that Fum means, garlic."
He also said that; the expression, 'Fumu-lanna' means, 'bake for us', according to the languages of old.
Ibn Jarir commented, "If this is true, then 'Fum' is one of the words whose pronunciations were altered, the letter 'fa' was replaced by the letter 'tha', since they are similar in sound." And Allah knows best.
Others said that Fum is wheat, the kind used for bread.
Al-Bukhari said, "Some of them said that Fum includes all grains or seeds that are eaten."
Allah's statement,
قَالَ أَتَسْتَبْدِلُونَ الَّذِي هُوَ أَدْنَى بِالَّذِي هُوَ خَيْرٌ
He said, "Would you exchange that which is better for that which is lower!" Criticized the Jews for asking for inferior foods, although they were living an easy life, eating tasty, beneficial and pure food.
Allah's statement,
اهْبِطُواْ مِصْراً
Go you down to any Misr,
Ibn Abbas said, means, 'any city'.
Ibn Jarir also reported that Abu Al-Aliyah and Ar-Rabi bin Anas said that; the Ayah refers to Misr, the Egypt of Fir'awn.
The truth is that the Ayah means any city, as Ibn Abbas and other scholars stated. Therefore, the meaning of Musa's statement to the Children of Israel becomes, "What you are asking for is easy, for it is available in abundance in any city that you might enter. So since what you asked for is available in all of the villages and cities, I will not ask Allah to provide us with it, especially when it is an inferior type of food. "
This is why Musa said to them,
أَتَسْتَبْدِلُونَ الَّذِي هُوَ أَدْنَى بِالَّذِي هُوَ خَيْرٌ اهْبِطُواْ مِصْراً
فَإِنَّ لَكُم مَّا سَأَلْتُمْ
Would you exchange that which is better for that which is lower Go you down to any town and you shall find what you want!
Since their request was the result of boredom and arrogance and since fulfilling it was unnecessary, their request was denied.
Allah knows best.
Covering the Jews in Humiliation and Misery
Allah said,
وَضُرِبَتْ عَلَيْهِمُ الذِّلَّةُ وَالْمَسْكَنَةُ
And they were covered with humiliation and misery.
This Ayah indicates that the Children of Israel were plagued with humiliation, and that this will continue, meaning that it will never cease. They will continue to suffer humiliation at the hands of all who interact with them, along with the disgrace that they feel inwardly.
Al-Hasan commented, "Allah humiliated them, and they shall have no protector. Allah put them under the feet of the Muslims, who appeared at a time when the Majus (Zoroastrians) were taking the Jizyah (tax) from the Jews."
Also, Abu Al-Aliyah, Ar-Rabi bin Anas and As-Suddi said that; 'misery' used in the Ayah means, 'poverty.'
Atiyah Al-Awfi said that; 'misery' means, 'paying the tilth (tax).'
In addition, Ad-Dahhak commented on Allah's statement,
وَبَأوُوْاْ بِغَضَبٍ مِّنَ اللَّهِ
and they drew on themselves the wrath of Allah, "They deserved Allah's anger."
Also, Ibn Jarir said that the Ayah means, "They went back with the wrath. Similarly, Allah said,
إِنِّي أُرِيدُ أَن تَبُوءَ بِإِثْمِي وَإِثْمِكَ
(Verily, I intend to let you draw my sin on yourself as well as yours), (5:29) meaning, 'You will end up carrying my, and your, mistakes instead of me'.
Thus, the meaning of the Ayah becomes, 'They went back carrying Allah's anger; Allah's wrath descended on them; they deserved Allah's anger."'
Allah's statement,
ذَلِكَ بِأَنَّهُمْ كَانُواْ يَكْفُرُونَ بِأيَاتِ اللَّهِ وَيَقْتُلُونَ النَّبِيِّينَ بِغَيْرِ الْحَقِّ
That was because they used to disbelieve in the Ayat (proofs, evidences, etc.) of Allah and killed the Prophets wrongfully. Means, "This is what We rewarded the Children of Israel with:humiliation and misery."
Allah's anger that descended on the Children of Israel was a part of the humiliation they earned, because of their defiance of the truth, disbelief in Allah's Ayat and belittling the carriers of Allah's Law i.e. the Prophets and their following. The Children of Israel rejected the Messengers and even killed them. Surely, there is no form of disbelief worse than disbelieving in Allah's Ayat and murdering the Prophets of Allah.
Meaning of Kibr
Similarly, in a Hadith recorded in the Two Sahihs the Messenger of Allah said,
الْكِبْرُ بَطَرُ الْحَقِّ وَغَمْطُ النَّاس
Kibr, is refusing the truth and degrading (belittling) people.
Imam Ahmad recorded, Abdullah bin Mas'ud saying that the Messenger of Allah said,
أَشَدُّ النَّاسِ عَذَابًا يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ رَجُلٌ قَتَلَهُ نَبِيٌّ أَوْ قَتَلَ نَبِيًّا وَإِمَامُ ضَلَلَةٍ وَمُمَثِّلٌ مِنَ الْمُمَثِّلِين
The people who will receive the most torment on the Day of Resurrection are:a man who was killed by a Prophet or who killed a Prophet, an unjust ruler and one who mutilates (the dead).
Allah's statement,
ذَلِكَ بِمَا عَصَواْ وَّكَانُواْ يَعْتَدُونَ
That was because they disobeyed and used to transgress the bounds. Mentions another reason why the Children of Israel were punished in this manner, for they used to disobey and transgress the limits. Disobedience is to do what is prohibited, while transgression entails overstepping the set limits of what is allowed and what is prohibited. Allah knows best.
Al-Baqarah - 2:62
Faith and doing Righteous Deeds equals Salvation in all Times
Allah says;
إِنَّ الَّذِينَ امَنُواْ وَالَّذِينَ هَادُواْ وَالنَّصَارَى وَالصَّابِيِينَ مَنْ امَنَ بِاللَّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الاخِرِ وَعَمِلَ صَالِحاً فَلَهُمْ أَجْرُهُمْ عِندَ رَبِّهِمْ وَلَا خَوْفٌ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا هُمْ يَحْزَنُونَ
Verily, those who believe and those who are Jews and Christians, and Sabians (Sabi'in), whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day and does righteous good deeds shall have their reward with their Lord, on them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve.
After Allah described the condition - and punishment - of those who defy His commands, fall into His prohibitions and transgress set limits by committing prohibited acts, He stated that the earlier nations who were righteous and obedient received the rewards for their good deeds. This shall be the case, until the Day of Judgment. Therefore, whoever follows the unlettered Messenger and Prophet shall acquire eternal happiness and shall neither fear from what will happen in the future nor become sad for what has been lost in the past.
Similarly, Allah said,
أَلا إِنَّ أَوْلِيَأءَ اللَّهِ لَا خَوْفٌ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا هُمْ يَحْزَنُونَ
No doubt! Verily, the Awliya of Allah, no fear shall come upon them nor shall they grieve. (10:62)
The angels will proclaim to the dying believers, as mentioned,
إِنَّ الَّذِينَ قَالُواْ رَبُّنَا اللَّهُ ثُمَّ اسْتَقَـمُواْ تَتَنَزَّلُ عَلَيْهِمُ الْمَلَـيِكَةُ أَلاَّ تَخَافُواْ وَلَا تَحْزَنُواْ وَأَبْشِرُواْ بِالْجَنَّةِ الَّتِى كُنتُمْ تُوعَدُونَ
Verily, those who say:"Our Lord is Allah (alone)," and then they stand firm, on them the angels will descend (at the time of their death) (saying):"Fear not, nor grieve! But receive the glad tidings of Paradise which you have been promised!" (41:30)
The Meaning of Mu'min, or Believer
Ali bin Abi Talhah narrated from Ibn Abbas, about,
إِنَّ الَّذِينَ امَنُواْ وَالَّذِينَ هَادُواْ وَالنَّصَارَى وَالصَّابِيِينَ مَنْ امَنَ بِاللَّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الاخِرِ
(Verily, those who believe and those who are Jews and Christians, and Sabians, whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day) that Allah revealed the following Ayah afterwards,
وَمَن يَبْتَغِ غَيْرَ الاِسْلَـمِ دِينًا فَلَن يُقْبَلَ مِنْهُ وَهُوَ فِى الاٌّخِرَةِ مِنَ الْخَـسِرِينَ
And whoever seeks religion other than Islam, it will never be accepted of him, and in the Hereafter he will be one of the losers. (3:85).
This statement by Ibn Abbas indicates that Allah does not accept any deed or work from anyone, unless it conforms to the Law of Muhammad that is, after Allah sent Muhammad. Before that, every person who followed the guidance of his own Prophet was on the correct path, following the correct guidance and was saved.
Why the Jews were called Yahud
The Jews are the followers of Prophet Musa, who used to refer to the Tawrah for judgment. Yahud is a word that means, 'repenting', just as Musa said,
إِنَّا هُدْنَـا إِلَيْكَ
(We have Hudna (we repent, go back and return) unto You), (7:156).
Why the Christians were called Nasara
Allah said;
مَنْ أَنصَارِى إِلَى اللَّهِ قَالَ الْحَوَارِيُّونَ نَحْنُ أَنْصَارُ اللَّهِ
"Who will be my helpers in Allah's cause" Al-Hawariyyun said:"We are the helpers of Allah." (61:14)
It was said that; they were called 'Nasara', because they inhabited a land called An-Nasirah (Nazareth), as Qatadah, Ibn Jurayj and Ibn Abbas were reported to have said, Allah knows best.
Nasara is certainly plural for Nasran.
When Allah sent Muhammad as the Last and Final Prophet and Messenger to all of the Children of Adam, mankind was required to believe in him, obey him and refrain from what he prohibited them; those who do this are true believers. The Ummah of Muhammad was called 'Mu'minin' (believers), because of the depth of their faith and certainty, and because they believe in all of the previous Prophets and matters of the Unseen.
The Sabi'un or Sabians
There is a difference of opinion over the identity of the Sabians.
Sufyan Ath-Thawri said that Layth bin Abu Sulaym said that Mujahid said that, "The Sabians are between the Majus, the Jews and the Christians. They do not have a specific religion."
Similar is reported from Ibn Abi Najih.
Similar statements were attributed to Ata and Sa`id bin Jubayr.
They (others) say that; the Sabians are a sect among the People of the Book who used to read the Zabur (Psalms), others say that they are a people who worshipped the angels or the stars.
It appears that the closest opinion to the truth, and Allah knows best, is Mujahid's statement and those who agree with him like Wahb bin Munabbih, that; the Sabians are neither Jews nor Christians nor Majus nor polytheists. Rather, they did not have a specific religion that they followed and enforced, because they remained living according to their Fitrah (instinctual nature). This is why the idolators used to call whoever embraced Islam a 'Sabi', meaning, that he abandoned all religions that existed on the earth.
Some scholars stated that; the Sabians are those who never received a message by any Prophet.
And Allah knows best.
Al-Baqarah - 2:63
Taking the Covenant from the Jews
Allah tells;
وَإِذْ أَخَذْنَا مِيثَاقَكُمْ وَرَفَعْنَا فَوْقَكُمُ الطُّورَ خُذُواْ مَا اتَيْنَاكُم بِقُوَّةٍ وَاذْكُرُواْ مَا فِيهِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ
And (O Children of Isra'il, remember) when We took your covenant and We raised above you the Mount (saying):"Hold fast to that which We have given you, and remember that which is therein so that you may acquire Taqwa.
Allah reminded the Children of Israel of the pledges, covenants and promises that He took from them to believe in Him alone, without a partner, and follow His Messengers. Allah stated that when He took their pledge from them, He raised the mountain above their heads, so that they affirm the pledge that they gave Allah and abide by it with sincerity and seriousness. Hence, Allah's statement,
وَإِذ نَتَقْنَا الْجَبَلَ فَوْقَهُمْ كَأَنَّهُ ظُلَّةٌ وَظَنُّواْ أَنَّهُ وَاقِعٌ بِهِمْ خُذُواْ مَأ ءَاتَيْنَاكُم بِقُوَّةٍ وَاذْكُرُواْ مَا فِيهِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ
And (remember) when We raised the mountain over them as if it had been a canopy, and they thought that it was going to fall on them. (We said):"Hold firmly to what We have given you (Tawrah), and remember that which is therein (act on its commandments), so that you may fear Allah and obey Him." (7:171).
The mount mentioned here is At-Tur, just as it was explained in Surah Al-A'raf, according to the Tafsir of Ibn Abbas, Mujahid, Ata, Ikrimah, Al-Hasan, Ad-Dahhak, Ar-Rabi bin Anas and others. This is more obvious.
There is another report from Ibn Abbas saying; 'The Tur is a type of mountain that vegetation grows on, if no vegetation grows on it, it is not called Tur.'
And in the Hadith about the trials, Ibn Abbas said; "When they (the Jews) refused to obey, Allah raised the mountain above their heads so that they would listen."
Al-Hasan said that Allah's statement,
خُذُواْ مَا اتَيْنَاكُم بِقُوَّةٍ
(Hold fast to that which We have given you), means, the Tawrah.
Mujahid said that the Ayah commanded, "Strictly adhere to it."
Abu Al-Aliyah and Ar-Rabi said that,
وَاذْكُرُواْ مَا فِيهِ
(and remember that which is therein) means, "Read the Tawrah and implement it."
Al-Baqarah - 2:64
Allah's statement,
ثُمَّ تَوَلَّيْتُم مِّن بَعْدِ ذَلِكَ فَلَوْلَا فَضْلُ اللَّهِ
Then after that you turned away. Had it not been for the grace of Allah, means, "Yet, after the firm pledge that you gave, you still deviated and broke your pledge";
فَلَوْلَا فَضْلُ اللَّهِ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَتُهُ
Had it not been for the grace and mercy of Allah upon you, meaning, by forgiving you and by sending the Prophets and Messengers to you.
لَكُنتُم مِّنَ الْخَاسِرِينَ
Indeed you would have been among the losers. Meaning, in this life and the Hereafter due to their breach of the covenant
Al-Baqarah - 2:65
The Jews breach the Sanctity of the Sabbath
Allah said,
وَلَقَدْ عَلِمْتُمُ الَّذِينَ اعْتَدَواْ مِنكُمْ فِي السَّبْتِ فَقُلْنَا لَهُمْ كُونُواْ قِرَدَةً خَاسِيِينَ
And indeed you knew those amongst you who transgressed in the matter of the Sabbath (i.e. Saturday). We said to them:"Be you monkeys, despised and rejected."
وَلَقَدْ عَلِمْتُمُ الَّذِينَ
(And indeed you knew).
This Ayah means, O Jews! Remember that Allah sent His torment on the village that disobeyed Him and broke their pledge and their covenant to observe the sanctity of the Sabbath.
They began using deceitful means to avoid honoring the Sabbath by placing nets, ropes and artificial pools of water for the purpose of fishing before the Sabbath. When the fish came in abundance on Saturday as usual, they were caught in the ropes and nets for the rest of Saturday. During the night, the Jews collected the fish after the Sabbath ended.
When they did that, Allah changed them from humans into monkeys, the animals having the form closest to humans. Their evil deeds and deceit appeared lawful on the surface, but they were in reality wicked. This is why their punishment was compatible with their crime.
This story is explained in detail in Surah Al-A'raf, where Allah said,
وَسْيَلْهُمْ عَنِ الْقَرْيَةِ الَّتِى كَانَتْ حَاضِرَةَ الْبَحْرِ إِذْ يَعْدُونَ فِى السَّبْتِ إِذْ تَأْتِيهِمْ حِيتَانُهُمْ يَوْمَ سَبْتِهِمْ شُرَّعًا وَيَوْمَ لَا يَسْبِتُونَ لَا تَأْتِيهِمْ كَذَلِكَ نَبْلُوهُم بِمَا كَانُوا يَفْسُقُونَ
And ask them (O Muhammad) about the town that was by the sea; when they transgressed in the matter of the Sabbath (i.e. Saturday):when their fish came to them openly on the Sabbath day, and did not come to them on the day they had no Sabbath. Thus We made a trial of them, for they used to rebel (disobey Allah). (7:163)
In his Tafsir, Al-Awfi reported from Ibn Abbas that he said,
فَقُلْنَا لَهُمْ كُونُواْ قِرَدَةً خَاسِيِينَ
(We said to them: "Be you monkeys, despised and rejected") means, "Allah changed their bodies into those of monkeys and swine. The young people turned into monkeys while the old people turned into swine."
Shayban An-Nahwi reported that Qatadah commented on,
فَقُلْنَا لَهُمْ كُونُواْ قِرَدَةً خَاسِيِينَ
(We said to them: "Be you monkeys, despised and rejected"), "These people were turned into howling monkeys with tails, after being men and women."
The Monkeys and Swine that exist now are not the Descendants of Those that were transformed
Ibn Abi Hatim recorded that Ibn Abbas said, "Those who violated the sanctity of the Sabbath were turned into monkeys, then they perished without offspring."
Ad-Dahhak said that Ibn Abbas said, "Allah turned them into monkeys because of their sins. They only lived on the earth for three days, for no transformed person ever lives more than three days. They did not eat, drink or have offspring. Allah transformed their shapes into monkeys, and He does what He wills, with whom He wills and He changes the shape of whomever He wills. On the other hand, Allah created the monkeys, swines and the rest of the creation in the six days (of creation) that He mentioned in His Book."
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