وَلَقَدْ آتَيْنَا مُوسَى الْكِتَابَ
وَقَفَّيْنَا مِن بَعْدِهِ بِالرُّسُلِ
وَآتَيْنَا عِيسَى ابْنَ مَرْيَمَ
الْبَيِّنَاتِ وَأَيَّدْنَاهُ بِرُوحِ
الْقُدُسِ أَفَكُلَّمَا جَاءكُمْ
رَسُولٌ بِمَا لاَ تَهْوَى أَنفُسُكُمُ
اسْتَكْبَرْتُمْ فَفَرِيقاً
كَذَّبْتُمْ وَفَرِيقاً تَقْتُلُونَ﴿2:87﴾
(2:87) And We gave Moses the Book
and sent after him a train of
Messengers in succession. Then We
sent Jesus, son of Mary, with clear
Signs and supported him with the
Holy Spirit. *93
Then how is it that whenever a
Messenger came to you wish that
which did not suit your lusts, you
grew rebellious against him, and
repudiated some and slew others.
*93. The 'spirit of holiness'
signifies the knowledge derived
through revelation. It also
signifies the angel Gabriel who
brought this revelation. It also
denotes the holy spirit of Jesus,
the spirit which God had endowed
with angelic character.
The expression 'clear proofs' refers
to those signs which are likely to
convince a truth-seeking and
truth-loving person that Jesus is a
Prophet of God.
وَقَالُواْ قُلُوبُنَا غُلْفٌ بَل
لَّعَنَهُمُ اللَّه بِكُفْرِهِمْ
فَقَلِيلاً مَّا يُؤْمِنُونَ﴿2:88﴾
(2:88) They say, "Our hearts are
secure." *94
Nay, the fact is that Allah has
cursed them for their disbelief; so
they are little disposed to believe.
*94. They said, in effect, that they
were so staunch in their beliefs
that their convictions would remain
unaffected regardless of what was
said. Such a claim is the hallmark
of those bigots whose minds are
seized by irrational prejudice.
Nothing can be a matter of greater
shame for human beings than the
so-called firmness of conviction
which they often boast of. What can
be more foolish than adherence to
inherited beliefs and convictions
when their falseness is established
by overwhelmingly strong arguments?
*95. Before the advent of the
Prophet, the Jews were eagerly
awaiting a Prophet whose coming had
been prophesied by their own
Prophets. In fact, the Jews used to
pray for his advent so that the
dominance of the unbelievers could
come to an end and the age of their
own dominance he ushered in. The
people of Madina were witnesses to
the fact that these same Jewish
neighbours of theirs had yearned for
the advent of such a Prophet. They
often used to say: 'People may
oppress us today as they wish, but
when our awaited Prophet comes, we
will settle our scores with our
oppressors.'
Since the people of Madina had
themselves heard such statements
they were inclined to embrace the
religion of the Prophet all the more
readily lest their Jewist neighbours
supersede them in acquiring this
honour. It was therefore astonishing
for them to find that when the
promised Prophet did appear those
same Jews who had so eagerly looked
forward to welcoming him turned into
his greatest enemies.
The statement 'and they recognized
it' is confirmed by several
contemporaneous events. The most
authentic evidence in this
connection is that of Safiyah, a
wife of the Prophet, who was herself
the daughter of one learned Jewish
scholar (Huyayy b. Akhtab) and the
niece of another (Abu Yasir). She
says that when the Prophet migrated
to Madina both her father and uncle
went to meet him and conversed with
him for quite a while. When they
returned home, she heard the
following conversation:
Uncle:Is he really the same Prophet
whose advent has been prophesied in
our Scriptures?
Father: By God, he is.
Uncle: Do you believe that?
Father: Yes..
Uncle. Then what do you intend to
do?
Father: 1 will continue to oppose
him and will not let his claim
prevail as long as I live.
(Ibn Hishim, Sirah, eds., Mustafa
al-Saqqa' et al., 2 vols., II
edition, Cairo, 137511955, see vol.
1, pp. 518 f. See also Ibn IshAq,
The Life of Muhammad, tr. and notes
by A. Guillaume, London, Oxford
University Press, 1955, pp. 241 f. -
Ed.)
وَلَمَّا جَاءهُمْ كِتَابٌ مِّنْ
عِندِ اللّهِ مُصَدِّقٌ لِّمَا
مَعَهُمْ وَكَانُواْ مِن قَبْلُ
يَسْتَفْتِحُونَ عَلَى الَّذِينَ
كَفَرُواْ فَلَمَّا جَاءهُم مَّا
عَرَفُواْ كَفَرُواْ بِهِ فَلَعْنَةُ
اللَّه عَلَى الْكَافِرِينَ﴿2:89﴾
(2:89) And how are they behaving now
towards a Book which has come to
them from Allah? Inspite of the fact
that it confirms the Scriptures
which they already possessed. and,
inspite of the fact that, before it
came, they used to pray for a signal
victory over the disbelievers, they
rejected it when it came, although
they recognized it. *95
May Allah's curse be upon such
disbelievers!
بِئْسَمَا اشْتَرَوْاْ بِهِ
أَنفُسَهُمْ أَن يَكْفُرُواْ بِمَا
أنَزَلَ اللّهُ بَغْياً أَن يُنَزِّلُ
اللّهُ مِن فَضْلِهِ عَلَى مَن يَشَاء
مِنْ عِبَادِهِ فَبَآؤُواْ بِغَضَبٍ
عَلَى غَضَبٍ وَلِلْكَافِرِينَ
عَذَابٌ مُّهِينٌ﴿2:90﴾
(2:90) What a mean thing it is with
which they delude their minds. *96
They reject the Guidance which Allah
has sent down merely because of
their grudge why Allah has in His
bounty sent it to whom He chose from
amongst His servants. *97
They have thus incurred wrath after
wrath, and for such disbelievers
there is a disgraceful doom.
*96. Another possible rendering of
the same verse is: 'And how evil is
that for the sake of which they have
sold themselves', i.e. for the sake
of which they have sacrificed their
ultimate happiness and salvation.
*97. They had longed for the
promised Prophet to arise from among
their own people. But when he arose
among a diffirent people, a people
they despised, they decided to
reject him. It was as if they
thought God was duty-bound to
consult them in appointing Prophets,
and since in this case He had failed
to do so they felt they had a right
to be offended by God's
'arbitrariness'.
وَإِذَا قِيلَ لَهُمْ آمِنُواْ بِمَا
أَنزَلَ اللّهُ قَالُواْ نُؤْمِنُ
بِمَآ أُنزِلَ عَلَيْنَا وَيَكْفُرونَ
بِمَا وَرَاءهُ وَهُوَ الْحَقُّ
مُصَدِّقاً لِّمَا مَعَهُمْ قُلْ
فَلِمَ تَقْتُلُونَ أَنبِيَاء اللّهِ
مِن قَبْلُ إِن كُنتُم مُّؤْمِنِينَ﴿2:91﴾
(2:91) When it is said to them,
"Believe in that which Allah has
sent down," they say, "We believe
only in that which has been sent to
us", and reject everything else,
though it is the Truth and confirms
what is with them. Well, ask them,
"If you sincerely believed in what
was sent down to you, why did you
kill the Messengers of Allah (who
were sent to you from amongst
yourselves)?
وَلَقَدْ جَاءكُم مُّوسَى
بِالْبَيِّنَاتِ ثُمَّ اتَّخَذْتُمُ
الْعِجْلَ مِن بَعْدِهِ وَأَنتُمْ
ظَالِمُونَ﴿2:92﴾
(2:92) (More than that:) Moses came
to you with clear Signs, yet no
sooner was he away from you than you
transgressed and took the calf for
worship.
وَإِذْ أَخَذْنَا مِيثَاقَكُمْ
وَرَفَعْنَا فَوْقَكُمُ الطُّورَ
خُذُواْ مَا آتَيْنَاكُم بِقُوَّةٍ
وَاسْمَعُواْ قَالُواْ سَمِعْنَا
وَعَصَيْنَا وَأُشْرِبُواْ فِي
قُلُوبِهِمُ الْعِجْلَ بِكُفْرِهِمْ
قُلْ بِئْسَمَا يَأْمُرُكُمْ بِهِ
إِيمَانُكُمْ إِن كُنتُمْ
مُّؤْمِنِينَ﴿2:93﴾
(2:93) Recall also to mind the
Covenant We made with you while We
raised the Tur over you: `Follow
strictly the precepts We are giving
you and give ear to Our
Commandments.' Your forefathers
replied, "We have heard but we will
not obey." They were so prone to
unbelief that they cherished the
calf in their hearts. Tell them (O
Muhammad). "If indeed you are
believers, yours is a strange Faith
that enjoins you to do such evil
things."
قُلْ إِن كَانَتْ لَكُمُ الدَّارُ
الآَخِرَةُ عِندَ اللّهِ خَالِصَةً
مِّن دُونِ النَّاسِ فَتَمَنَّوُاْ
الْمَوْتَ إِن كُنتُمْ صَادِقِينَ﴿2:94﴾
(2:94) Say to them, "If the abode of
the Hereafter with Allah is
exclusively reserved for you and not
for the rest of mankind, then you
should long for death, if you arc
sincere in your claim." *98
*98. This is a subtle, satirical
reference to their excessive
worldliness. Those who really care
for the Hereafter neither set their
hearts on earthly life, nor are they
unduly frightened of death. The
condition of the Jews was the
reverse of this.
وَلَن يَتَمَنَّوْهُ أَبَدًا بِمَا
قَدَّمَتْ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَاللّهُ
عَلِيمٌ بِالظَّالِمينَ﴿2:95﴾
(2:95) Believe it that they will
never wish for it, for (they are
fully aware of the consequences of)
what they have sent before them for
the Hereafter. And Allah knows well
the mentality of the transgressors.
وَلَتَجِدَنَّهُمْ أَحْرَصَ النَّاسِ
عَلَى حَيَاةٍ وَمِنَ الَّذِينَ
أَشْرَكُواْ يَوَدُّ أَحَدُهُمْ لَوْ
يُعَمَّرُ أَلْفَ سَنَةٍ وَمَا هُوَ
بِمُزَحْزِحِهِ مِنَ الْعَذَابِ أَن
يُعَمَّرَ وَاللّهُ بَصِيرٌ بِمَا
يَعْمَلُونَ﴿2:96﴾
(2:96) You will find that, of all
mankind, they are the greediest for
life, *99
nay, they are even greedier than the
mushriks. Each one of them longs to
have a life Of a thousand years, but
a long life can, by no means, remove
them away from the scourge, for
Allah is watching whatever they are
doing.
*99. Tle Arabic text implies that
the Jews were so frightened of death
and so keen to remain alive that
they did not mind whether they led
an honourable and dignified
existence, or whether their life was
one of indignity and humiliation.
|
قُلْ مَن كَانَ عَدُوًّا
لِّجِبْرِيلَ فَإِنَّهُ
نَزَّلَهُ عَلَى قَلْبِكَ
بِإِذْنِ اللّهِ
مُصَدِّقاً لِّمَا بَيْنَ
يَدَيْهِ وَهُدًى
وَبُشْرَى
لِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ﴿2:97﴾
(2:97) Say to them,
"Whoever is enemy to
Gabriel, *100
should understand that
he has, by Allah's
command, revealed to
your heart the Qur'an *101
which confirms what was
revealed before it, *102
and brings Guidance and
glad tidings *103
to the Believers.
*100. The Jews not only
reviled the Prophet
(peace be on him) and
his followers but also
God's chosen angel,
Gabriel, denouncing him
as their enemy, and
branding him as the
angel of curse rather
than of blessing.
*101. Since Gabriel
communicated the
revealed messages with
God's approval the
abuses of the Jews which
were apparently aimed at
Gabriei should be
considered as directed
at God.
*102. They abused
Gabriel because he had
brought the Qur'an from
God, and since the
Qur'an on the whole
confirms the Torah this
too became a co-sharer
in those abuses.
*103. Here there is a
subtle suggestion that
the wrath of the Jews
was, in fact, directed
against true guidance
and righteousness even
though acceptance of
these would have brought
them good tidings as to
their own success.
مَن كَانَ عَدُوًّا
لِّلّهِ وَمَلآئِكَتِهِ
وَرُسُلِهِ وَجِبْرِيلَ
وَمِيكَالَ فَإِنَّ اللّهَ
عَدُوٌّ لِّلْكَافِرِينَ﴿2:98﴾
(2:98) (If their enmity
to Gabriel is due to
this, let them
understand that) whoever
is enemy to Allah, His
Angels, His Messengers,
Gabriel and Michael,
Allah is enemy to such
disbelievers."
وَلَقَدْ أَنزَلْنَآ
إِلَيْكَ آيَاتٍ
بَيِّنَاتٍ وَمَا
يَكْفُرُ بِهَا إِلاَّ
الْفَاسِقُونَ﴿2:99﴾
(2:99) We have sent down
to you Revelations that
clearly expound the
Truth, and none but the
disobedient reject them.
أَوَكُلَّمَا عَاهَدُواْ
عَهْداً نَّبَذَهُ
فَرِيقٌ مِّنْهُم بَلْ
أَكْثَرُهُمْ لاَ
يُؤْمِنُونَ﴿2:100﴾
(2:100) Has it not
always been so that
every time they made a
covenant, some of them
set it aside? Nay, most
of them never believe in
it sincerely.
وَلَمَّا جَاءهُمْ
رَسُولٌ مِّنْ عِندِ
اللّهِ مُصَدِّقٌ لِّمَا
مَعَهُمْ نَبَذَ فَرِيقٌ
مِّنَ الَّذِينَ أُوتُواْ
الْكِتَابَ كِتَابَ
اللّهِ وَرَاء
ظُهُورِهِمْ كَأَنَّهُمْ
لاَ يَعْلَمُونَ﴿2:101﴾
(2:101) And whenever a
Messenger came to them
from Allah, confirming
that Scripture which
they already possessed,
some from among the
people of the Book threw
the Book of Allah behind
their backs as though
they knew nothing about
it.
وَاتَّبَعُواْ مَا
تَتْلُواْ الشَّيَاطِينُ
عَلَى مُلْكِ سُلَيْمَانَ
وَمَا كَفَرَ سُلَيْمَانُ
وَلَـكِنَّ الشَّيْاطِينَ
كَفَرُواْ يُعَلِّمُونَ
النَّاسَ السِّحْرَ وَمَا
أُنزِلَ عَلَى
الْمَلَكَيْنِ بِبَابِلَ
هَارُوتَ وَمَارُوتَ
وَمَا يُعَلِّمَانِ مِنْ
أَحَدٍ حَتَّى يَقُولاَ
إِنَّمَا نَحْنُ فِتْنَةٌ
فَلاَ تَكْفُرْ
فَيَتَعَلَّمُونَ
مِنْهُمَا مَا
يُفَرِّقُونَ بِهِ بَيْنَ
الْمَرْءِ وَزَوْجِهِ
وَمَا هُم بِضَآرِّينَ
بِهِ مِنْ أَحَدٍ إِلاَّ
بِإِذْنِ اللّهِ
وَيَتَعَلَّمُونَ مَا
يَضُرُّهُمْ وَلاَ
يَنفَعُهُمْ وَلَقَدْ
عَلِمُواْ لَمَنِ
اشْتَرَاهُ مَا لَهُ فِي
الآخِرَةِ مِنْ خَلاَقٍ
وَلَبِئْسَ مَا شَرَوْاْ
بِهِ أَنفُسَهُمْ لَوْ
كَانُواْ يَعْلَمُونَ﴿2:102﴾
(2:102) (Instead of
this,) they began to
follow that (magic) to
which the devils falsely
attributed (the
greatness of) the
kingdom of Solomon. *104
In fact Solomon .was
never involved in any
practice of disbelief,
but the satans, who
taught magic to the
people were themselves
guilty of disbelief.
They were after that
thing which was sent to
Harut and Marut, the two
angels at Babylon.
Whenever these two
angels taught black art
to anyone, they would
always give a clear
warning beforehand,
saying, "We are merely a
trial for you; so you
should not commit
blasphemy. *105
But in spite of this
warning, those people
used to learn from the
angels the art which
caused division between
husband and wife. *106
Although it was obvious
that they could not do
any harm to anyone by
means of this magic
without Allah's
permission, yet they
learnt that art which
could not be profitable
even for them but was
actually harmful.
Moreover, they knew it
full well that anyone,
who purchased that art,
would have no share in
the Hereafter. What a
vile commodity it was
for which they sold off
their souls, if they had
but known it!
*104. 'Evil ones'
embraces all evil
beings, whether they
belong to the human
species or to the jinn.
Here the reference seems
to be to both.
When moral and material
decline set in amon the
Israelites, they were
overwhelmed with slavery
and ignorance, with
misery and poverty, and
with humiliation and
decadence. They were
thus drained of all high
ambitions and
increasingly turned to
magic, sorcery,
witchcraft, charms and
amulets. They began to
search for facile means
such as spells that
would spare them hard
work and yet ensure the
achievement of their
desired ends. At this
stage they were misled
by the evil ones, who
made them believe that
the mighty kingdom and
astonishing power of
Solomon were merely due
to occult sciences and
magical formulae, and
that by revealing those
they would pass on to
them the keys to
success. People were so
engrossed in such
practices that they
ignored both the Book of
God and anyone who
summoned them to truth
and righteousness.
*105. There are various
opinions on the
interpretation of this
verse. My own conclusion
is that at the time when
the whole Israelite
nation was chained in
slavery and captivity in
Babylonia God sent two
angels in human form in
order to test the Jews.
In the same way as
angels were sent to the
people of Lot in the
form of handsome youths
(see Quran 11: 69 ff. -
Ed.), they were
presumably sent to
Israel in the form of
divines who could work
magic and sorcery. These
angels at once began
working their magical
wonders but they warned
the people that their
presence among them was
designed to test their
faith, and that they
ought not to jeopardize
their After-life by the
practice of magic.
Despite the warning it
seems that the
Israelites had become so
fond of their magical
artifices that they
continued to resort to
talismans and sorcery.
It should not surprise
anyone that angels came
down to earth in human
form; angels are dutiful
servants of God's
kingdom, and are capable
of assuming the form
appropriate to the
specific task they are
required to perform at
any particular time. Who
knows how many angels
may be busy performing
their duties in our
midst even today!
One might also wonder
why angels should teach
people magic, which is
after all intrinsically
evil. In order to
understand this we must
remember that the nature
of their task was no
different from that of
an undercover policeman
who hands over marked
currency notes to a
corrupt official as a
bribe with the aim of
ensuring that he is
caught red-handed.
*106. This shows that
the greatest demand was
for magical arts and
charms to sow discord
between a man and his
wife and to procure the
eventual seduction of
the latter. This was the
depth of moral depravity
to which these people
had fallen. A people
cannot sink to a lower
level of moral
degeneracy than when
adulterous affairs
become their favourite
pastime, and when
seducing a married woman
is considered a boastful
achievement. The
matrimonial relationship
is, in truth, the very
foundation of man's
collective life. Tle
soundness of human
civilization depends on
the soundness of the
relationship between the
twosexes. Hence, nothing
could be worse than the
person who strikes at
the very foundations of
the structure which
supports both him and
society as a whole.
There is a Tradition
from the Prophet to the
effect that Satan sends
his agents on their
missions to all parts of
the world. On their
return these agents
report their
achievements with each
mentioning his own
special evil act. But
Satan is not completely
satisfied with any of
them. It is only when an
agent reports that he
has succeeded in
separating a wife from
her husband that Satan
is filled with joy and
embraces him. (Bukhiri,
'Talaq', 25 - Ed.) In
the light of this
Tradition it is
understandable why the
angels who were sent to
the Israelites to test
them were asked to
disclose those magical
arts which would lead to
separation between a
husband and his wife,
for the inclination of a
people to learn such
arts is a sure index of
its moral decadence.
وَلَوْ أَنَّهُمْ آمَنُواْ
واتَّقَوْا لَمَثُوبَةٌ
مِّنْ عِندِ اللَّه خَيْرٌ
لَّوْ كَانُواْ
يَعْلَمُونَ﴿2:103﴾
(2:103) Had they
believed in Allah and
practised piety, they
would have received a
far better reward from
AIIah, if they had but
known it.
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