Surah Al Baqarah Ayahs 85-86

In the previous couple of ayahs, we had started discussing the disgrace that the Bani Israel tribes had to go through for accepting a part of their Scripture (the Torah), and rejecting other parts, according to their own desires. We as Muslims can very easily fall into this same category by accepting a part of the Quran and reject other parts due to our personal desires, and need to be very careful about this. This post will continue on with the narrative, starting with the story of the second tribe (named Bani Quraiza), who did not support the first tribe in their ways, but they had a different story altogether.

There was a battle during this time called "The Battle of the Ditch", in which all of the Arabs who were non-Muslims united together to extinguish Islam for once and for all. When the Prophet (SAW) heard about this, he gathered his Sahaba to consult with them the best way to preserve the flickering flame called Islam. A Sahabi named Salman al Farsi came up with the idea that in order to defend themselves, a big ditch can be made around the city of Medina, which will make it difficult for the enemies to cross over. The Muslims would then defend different areas of the ditch, and that would be their method of fighting back - being defensive rather than attacking, mainly. The enemies of Islam then came in a massive amount, but the trench had worked, even though it was a fierce battle outside of the trench. The Muslims were protected inside and they were along with the second Bani Israel tribe with who they had a covenant. However, the people from outside sent a message to the Bani Israel tribe inside, to attack the Muslims from inside Medina, which would be breaking the covenant. But betraying the Muslims in this way, the religion of Islam would be extinguished. The Muslims outside Medina were already barely surviving, so their plan was to get the Bani Quraiza tribe inside to declare war on the Muslims as well, and defeat them all, even though this tribe is actually supposed to be defending one part of the trench.

Initially, the leader of the tribe would not even listen to the message given by the leader of the enemies, saying that you are just a fitna to the community, and you have already ruined your own people. The leader of the outside tribe insisted that he just wants to talk, and eventually he said something that made the leader of the second tribe let him in - he said that you have food inside, but you don't want me to have any of it. Have you become so cheap as not to offer your guest any food? And this was like an insult to the tribal leader, and he let him in. So the outside leader now got the chance to convince the second tribe's leader to declare war on the Muslims, thereby bringing back pride on the Bani Israel. The tribal leader was now convinced. Word began to spread that this tribe will break the covenant that they made with the Prophet (SAW), and will fight against the Muslims, until it eventually reached Hazrat Umar (RA). Hazrat Umar went to the Prophet (SAW) and told him the news, and the Prophet was worried, and told him to confirm this, but not tell anyone else if it is true. When Hazrat Umar soon confirmed the news and told the Prophet (SAW), it forced the Prophet to call back a large quantity of troops who were outside Medina protecting the trench to come back to the city and patrol the city to protect them women and children they had left behind. Because of this, the kuffar were finally able to pass over the ditch, since Muslims were not defending it. The kuffar came with full-force to attack the weak defendants now. This was one of the most stressful days for the Prophet (SAW), and he was fighting for so long at the border that he had missed four prayers while in battle. The Sahaba had also missed their prayers, and complained to the Prophet about it, even though their life, deen and family were in jeopardy. Yet, they cared so much about their prayers. The Prophet (SAW) told them that he too has missed his prayers, and they should keep fighting. However, he cursed the enemies for making him miss his prayers. This is how much prayers were valued.

There was one man in this battle, who was from the kuffar's side. However, once in a battle before this, he was held captive by the Muslims, and was surprised at how much they took care of him and were gentle with him. This made him have a soft spot for Islam. During this battle, he came to the Prophet (SAW) and converted to Islam. He asked if he could then go to the two tribes pretending he was still a kafir, and deceiving them that way. The Prophet said that war is deception and you can do what you want to do. What this man did was he went to the leader of the second tribe in Medina, and said that the Quraysh are planning to leave the war, and this will leave you fighting alone with the Muslims. You should call 5 eminent people from their tribe to protect you. This way they will make sure that the kuffar don't leave the important men behind. Then he went to the kuffar and said that you don't know what's going on. The Bani Quraiza is planning to turn their back on you. They will ask you for some men, and then they will hand them to the Prophet (SAW), and he will forgive you and you can kill those men. The convert made it a point to tell them that when these people from Bani Quraiza come to ask for the men, it's a sign that they've turned their back on the kuffar. So the men should not be given. Having deceived both the kuffaar and the Bani Israel, this man then left.

As planned, the Bani Quraiza asked for the men, and the kuffar figured that it's true that they have turned their back on them. This led to a breaking of connection between the two tribes. Now that the first alliance was broken, the Prophet (SAW) did not have to worry about the inner aspect of Medina. Then Allah sent a severe cold weather and storm to the place which dispersed the enemies even more. The Sahaba were extremely exhausted after this battle, they were tested to the extreme limit. If we look at the ayahs about their state in the Quran during this time, it says that "their hearts were coming out of their throats". That is how bad the situation was.

When Prophet Muhammad (SAW) noticed that the kuffar and Quraish were leaving, he began to relax and put down his armor, indicating that the Sahabis can do the same. However, angel Jibrael (AS) came to him and asked why he put down the armor, because the angels who are fighting in this battle hadn't done so yet. Jibrael (AS) said that we need to get the Bani Quraiza, because they broke the covenant. Then Rasul Allah (SAW) made the announcement, "None of you shall pray Asr until you reach the Bani Quraiza". This is a famous hadith. The Muslims then went to the fortress of the Bani Quraiza, making a siege around it. This fortress was very protected and no one had ever broken it before. The tribe decided not to come out of their fortress and didn't fight. Instead, they stayed inside and thought they had enough food to last them, and meanwhile the Prophet (SAW) and his companions would give up and leave. The Prophet (SAW) stayed there for 25 days waiting for them. In the end, the Bani Quraiza decided that they would accept one of the companions to be the arbitrator and settle the dispute. The tribe chose Saad (RA) as their arbitrator, thinking that he would be easy on them because he was connected to the tribe of Aus, which used to be linked to Bani Quraiza before. They thought he would tell them to leave a part of their wealth like the Bani Nazir had to, and they could easily leave. Both the Prophet (SAW) and the tribe decided that Saad (RA) will make the final decision as to what happens to these people. In the end, he decided that the men's head be severed from their neck, and the women and children be held as captives, and this was what was done. This is the extreme disgrace this tribe had to go through because of breaking their trust like this and thinking that Allah (SWT) is not watching them when they made a decision to declare war on the Muslims. They had mocked the Scripture, and so they were humiliated. They are disgraced in this world and the next.

The mistake of the two tribes was that they made a mockery of the Words of Allah, choosing what they wanted to and leaving what they desired. Even though their intention initially was a good one, to find the Prophet (SAW) and learn from him, but by making a mockery of the Shariah they called upon themselves this fate. We might think that we as Muslims don't do this, but there are so many examples of people accepting some ayahs of the Quran and rejecting others. For example, we all say that alcohol is haram. But in the same Book, Allah (SWT) prohibits the taking of interest, yet most of us do it. We just ignore this ayah completely sometimes, by buying things on a credit card that we can't afford, or sending our kids for an education which we can't afford. We think it's a necessity, even though the student could go to a community college and save up to go to the good school when he can afford it. Both alcohol and interest are said to be haram, but we choose to follow one and not the other. Sometimes Muslims even follow a part of one ayah and reject a part of the same ayah. There is an ayah that says, "They ask you (O' Muhammad [SAW]) about wine and gambling. Say, in these two things is a very big sin. There is some benefit in it, but the sin of these two is much bigger than the benefit," and so both of these things are impermissible. We all know that going to a casino or trying to play a lotto is haram, but we fail to realize that things like life insurance are a sort of gamble as well. We keep giving money, betting on our life, waiting for the "jackpot" if it's needed. There are some sorts of insurance that the Shariah and scholars give lenience to, like car insurance, because the government mandates a car to be insured. A car is a necessity, and the government requires one to have at least limited liability for a car, so it's allowed. We are not talking about full coverage here, but limited liability. The second exception is health insurance, because the system is so corrupt here that one can't survive without health insurance. Most people are not able to afford the bills of hospitals etc. Life insurance is out of the question, but car and health insurance are allowed because of the current situation. We should still make dua that Allah makes ways for us to get out of these situations, but until then, the scholars say there is room for leniency here.

In ayah 86, Allah (SWT) tells us about the main disease, "Those are they who have bought the life of this world at the price of the Hereafter. Their torment shall not be lightened nor shall they be helped." The symptoms of the disease were breaking the covenant, but the main cause of the disease was that they were ready to trade this world with the next. This is the main thing that needs to be cured in all Muslims. The life of the Hereafter is the permanent abode. We shouldn't get misguided in this life by worldly pleasures that are sinful, as they are all temporary pleasures. What remains after sinning for pleasure leaves an emptiness. The real enjoyment is in the Hereafter. Allah (SWT) only prohibits us to look at two things, looking at non-mahrams, and looking at the wealth of the kuffar. Because the world is amassing wealth, yet a Muslim is giving his wealth out to charity. We need to turn our attention to Allah (SWT) and the Everlasting life in order to cure ourselves from this disease.

May Allah (SWT) give us the tawfiq and wisdom to understand and follow the Quran completely, and may He give us the tawfiq to turn our focus to the Afterlife rather than being absorbed completely in this life. Ameen.

Surah Al Baqarah Ayahs 84-85

The Bani Israel are people who accepted Judaism, and in verses 84-85 we are continuing with their stories in order to learn what pleases and displeases Allah (SWT). We should strive to do that which brings us the mercy of Allah (SWT), and avoid those things that repel His mercy.

Verse 84 reads, "And (remember) when We took your covenant (saying): Shed not the blood of your (people), nor turn out your own people from their dwellings. Then, (this) you ratified and (to this) you bear witness." This is basically a covenant that the Bani Israel took with Allah, making a promise of three essential things.

i) Not to kill one another. When someone had decided to follow Musa (AS), they were not allowed to fight or kill one another.

ii) Not to force each other into exile.

iii) This is not mentioned specifically, but the third thing promised here is that if there were any prisoners of war from the tribe, the Bani Israel would take the responsibility of freeing that prisoner. So if another group of people captured people from the Bani Israel, the Bani Israel would have to take it upon themselves to free the person from their tribe.

There are different levels of acceptance of an agreement, ranging from doing something without wanting to do it, to doing something with full will-power. Here, the people of the Bani Israel went on to the extent of promising Allah about these things, and bear witnessing that they will fulfill their promise, portraying that they agreed whole-heartedly.

Verse 85, however, continues on to say that nonetheless, you yourselves (the Bani Israel) killed one another, drove your tribe members away from their homes, assisting your enemies against them in sin and transgression.

This means that the people who made the covenant, broke the promise themselves. The verse then goes on to state, "And if they come to you as captives, you ransom them, although their expulsion was forbidden to you. Then do you believe in a part of the Scripture and reject the rest?" The one promise that these people did fulfill, however, was to give ransom and free any of their tribe members if they were captured by other tribes. It is evident that they are therefore following only some parts of the Torah, and neglecting others. That is why Allah asks them if they only believe in some parts of the Scripture, rejecting whatever they feel like.

This ayah is also related to a case around the time of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW). Years before he was born, the Jews knew that a Prophet was about to come, because their Book had described him, and they also knew relatively in which area he would be, meaning around Madinah. The most righteous among the Bani Israel left their homes and moved toward Madinah, seeking the Prophet, and they had a very good intention. They were waiting for him in order to support him and follow him, hoping that the Prophet would bring back glory to them. There were two such righteous groups who moved to Madinah. These two groups started off by living harmoniously together as a family, but as time went on and they interacted more with the local Arabs of the area, the two groups started to have conflicts amongst one another.

There were two major groups of Arabs before the coming of the Prophet (SAW): Aus, and Khazraj. These two groups used to fight frequently with one another, and one of the reasons they wanted the Prophet (SAW) to come to Madinah was to unite the two groups, because they themselves were tired of fighting. When the Jews came into this city, they began to divide themselves as well, taking sides with these two groups. They had come with a positive intention, to follow the Messenger, and they were in it together. However, when they got into the environment of so much fitnah and fighting, they were also caught up in it. That's why it's important to stay in the right environment. So this ayah also refers to these people who fought amongst their own people.

So Allah questions them, about how they are mocking their religion, acting upon one portion of the book while ignoring others. The same ayah continues, "Then what is the recompense of those who do so among you, except disgrace in the life of this world, and on the Day of Resurrection they shall be consigned to the most grievous torment. And Allâh is not unaware of what you do." This highlights 2 things: (i) The basis of this ayah is the mockery of the Book of Allah. (ii) Allah (SWT) highlights the result of that sort of action. It explains how people will be disgraced in this life and the next, and that's exactly what happened with both of these tribes.

If we go into the history of the tribes during the time of the Prophet (SAW), then we can see how this happened. Both of the tribes were waiting for the Last Messenger of Allah in Madinah. They already believed in Allah, the wahy, and were seeking the final Messenger. When Rasul Allah (SAW) saw these qualities, he knew that they were one of the most likely people to enter Islam, making him more inclined towards them, and made a covenant with them, which was to assist the Muslims in the spread of the deen, and in return the Muslims will invite them to the deen, but they did not have to embrace Islam if they didn't want to. So initially, both tribes were protected under this covenant.

There is yet another story related to this one. There was another tribe, whose chief came to Prophet Muhammad (SAW) and said he was interested in Islam, but not totally convinced yet. He wanted the Prophet to send over some of his companions to his tribe to teach them about Islam. The Prophet hesitated at first, because the people of the tribe could kill his companions. But the chief assured him that their protection was guaranteed. What the Prophet didn't know was that this was a weak chief, who did not have that much power over his people. And sure enough, when Rasul Allah (SAW) sent around 40 of his companions to the tribe, almost all of them were slaughtered by the tribe on the way itself. The remaining 2 headed back, but one of the men killed 2 men from the tribe that slaughtered the companions. When the Prophet heard about this, he said that there must have been some misunderstanding, and the 2 men who were killed from the other tribe were actually innocent. Therefore, blood money should be sent to the family members. So he went to the wealthy tribe who was assisting them, and asked for them to help out. They did not agree immediately, but said let's discuss it over dinner, with the companions of the Prophet (SAW). When it was time for dinner, there was a strange scene, in which the Prophet entered with the Sahabis and sat down. Meanwhile, the people of the tribe whispered amongst themselves, and some of them at the back were leaving the room quietly. This raised doubt in the Prophet's mind. Then, angel Jibreel came to the Prophet and told him that they are planning to kill you, leave immediately. And without saying a word, the Messenger left. His companions found him in his house a while later, when they realized that he is not going to be returning for dinner, and asked him what happened. The Prophet said that this tribe had broken the covenant, and they should be told to leave Madinah within 10 days or the Muslims will fight them. The tribe decided to stay and fight, because they thought they were more powerful, and also the Muslim hypocrites said they would support them. However, when the battle started, the tribe had less people than the Muslims, because the hypocrites did not join them, and also, as the news spread of the battle, more and more Muslims were coming from all directions to help out. In the end, the tribe told the Prophet that they will prefer to leave. The Prophet said that we had given you the chance to leave earlier, but you did not listen. However, we will let you leave if you take only the wealth that will fit on your camels with you, but leave the rest. This tribe was extremely wealthy, and the people of Madinah were amazed to see them leaving with a large amount of jewels and expensive clothing, and yet there was so much left in Madinah. This wealth was distributed to the poor and to the travelers who came from Makkah to Madinah. And this is how the tribe was made to leave disgracefully.

Then there was the second tribe. They did not support the first tribe in all the planning, and so their covenant with the Muslims was protected. This is why the Prophet (SAW) treated them as equals, even though they did not accept Islam.

InshaAllah in the next post I will continue this topic about what happened with the second tribe. May Allah (SWT) give us the tawfiq to learn from these stories, and learn that He is the best of planners, not us. Ameen.

Surah Al Baqarah Ayahs 75-83

We have been discussing the historical stories of the Bani Israel over the past few verses, which have been captured in the Quran as revelations. From these narrations we learnt things that we can do to please Allah, and things that we should avoid that displease Allah. We will continue to go along this same theme.

Verse 75 reads, "Do you (faithful believers) desire that they will believe in your religion inspite of the fact that a party of them (Jewish rabbis) used to hear the Word of Allâh [the Torah], then they used to change it knowingly after they understood it?" In this verse, Allah (SWT) narrates a very important trait of the Prophet (SAW), that is, that he (SAW) had a deep desire that every person he came in contact with be guided with the gift of Islam. For each of us, we have so many different aspirations. Our efforts are divided. However, Rasul Allah (SAW) only had one hope and desire, and that was that every person be guided to the Straight Path. It was a very unified focus. Allah (SWT) therefore addresses him and asks about his desire to bring everyone to the right path. In fact, in Surah Al-Kahf, Allah (SWT) narrates how the Prophet (SAW) was on the verge of self-destruction by worrying about people being guided to this deen. This is how deeply it affected him.

However, in this ayah, the whole community of the Prophet (SAW) is addressed here as well, exemplifying that they all had the same desire. These days, we see people worrying about certain groups of people only. Some worry about only Muslims, and how they should be guided, other worry about People of the Books, meaning Christians and Jews, yet others worry about Atheists, since these are people who don't believe in God. Here, it is shown that regardless of the group of people, Rasul Allah (SAW) and his people tried to guide the people of the Bani Israel (Jews), even though they were so openly against him. Allah (SWT) narrates so many stories of how the Bani Israel have went astray, yet Muhammad (SAW) and his people do not give up on them.

So here, the Bani Israel are described as those who were given the Book of Allah, yet they changed the words, knowingly. Because of this, they were not moved by the powerful words of the Messenger. Even the kuffaar, who did not believe in Allah, converted to Islam, yet, the Bani Israel could not. This is because they were altering the message of Allah (SWT), which is an extremely dangerous thing to do. These people were scholars of the Bani Israel, and they would either interpret the verse wrongly, or even change the words of Allah to fit their own desires, and did what they themselves thought was good for the community. The common people also went astray by picking out what they wanted to follow from the book, and leaving what they found difficult to do. We should avoid these characteristics. This is what closed the doors of their guidance. Also, this is a mistake that the forefathers of the Bani Israel made, and not the current Jews of Rasul Allah's time. Yet, blame is being put on them because they are blindly following the wrongdoings of their forefathers. This is why a scholar has two duties. First, he should verify what earlier scholars have said by going back to the Quran and Hadith, and second, he should pass on this message.

In our day and age, none of us is going to stand up and openly say that we will change the words of the Quran. However, this can be done on different levels. For example, many of us know Islamic rulings but purposely avoid them in order to follow our own opinions. We make excuses based on our own knowledge. This is especially the case if someone has been disobeying Allah (SWT) for a large portion of his life, then suddenly turns to Islam. He still does not have the proper knowledge, and gives his opinion rather than what is said in the Quran. We must learn to be balanced in both our deen and duniya in order to have the correct approach. Even if someone is too focused on deen and ignores the worldly life entirely, it is problematic because he will not know how to approach people, and his stance on religion will be impractical, therefore pushing people away from the deen. The other extreme is those people who are focused on the worldly life, which gives them a high status, making them believe that they have some sort of authority to comment on the deen. They don't have enough knowledge of the deen because of lack of training in Islam. We should try to equalize the amount of secular knowledge we have with Islamic knowledge, in order to balance things out.

Verse 76 proceeds by talking about those in the Bani Israel who were hypocritical, and said to the Muslims that they believed, yet when amongst themselves they would disbelieve in the Messenger (SAW). Apart from this, there was a small group of the Bani Israel which sincerely did accept the Prophet (SAW), but this group was only a small handful. The group of people who were trying to fool the Muslims into believing that they were Muslims as well did so because they saw the Muslims were gaining power and there was business, political and social gain. These hypocrites would go to the people of Bani Israel who outwardly disbelieved, and those who openly rejected Islam questioned the hypocrites about why they told the Muslims what is in their Torah. In the original Torah, it gave a description of Prophet Muhammad (SAW), and how he would come in the future. The hypocrites would go to the Muslims and tell them that we believe in Islam because of these verses in the Torah. The people who openly disbelieved asked the hypocrites why they gave the Muslims this information, because now the Muslims can argue with the Bani Israel and tell them that the Torah itself says they should believe in Muhammad (SAW).

They thought they were discussing these things secretly, but Allah claims in ayah 77, "Know they (Jews) not that Allâh knows what they conceal and what they reveal?"

Verse 78 continues, "And there are among them (Jews) illiterate people, who know not the Book, but they trust upon false desires and they but guess." This refers back to the people who are not learned in religion, yet voice out their opinions on this matter. We think that we are all literate, but there is a degree of illiteracy within us because we don't know how to read or understand the Quran properly, and we will not be fully literate until we fully understand the Quran. Then the blame goes back to the scholars who changed the words of Allah in the Torah, "Then woe to those who write the Book with their own hands and then say, "This is from Allâh," to purchase with it a little price! Woe to them for what their hands have written and woe to them for that they earn thereby."

In verse 80, Allah (SWT) gives an example of one of the things the Bani Israel made up in the Torah due to their own desires, "And they (Jews) say, "The Fire (i.e. Hell-fire on the Day of Resurrection) shall not touch us but for a few numbered days." Say (O Muhammad Peace be upon him to them): "Have you taken a covenant from Allâh, so that Allâh will not break His Covenant? Or is it that you say of Allâh what you know not?" The Bani Israel were in a deep misunderstanding about this point. Every prophet has said that if you believe in Allah and His Messengers, yet you sin in this world more than doing good deeds, then you will be put into the Hellfire for a numbered days, then eventually to Heaven. However, what these people failed to understand was that all of the prophets are to be followed, and after Musa (AS)'s shariah/law, people will have to follow Muhammad (SAW)'s shariah. This had been revealed to them in the Torah earlier, but they chose to ignore it. The second point is that they themselves altered the deen of Musa (AS).

Alah (SWT) makes it clear in the next two ayahs that those who do evil and are surrounded by sin will dwell in the Hellfire, and those who believed in the Oneness of Allah and do righteous deeds are the dwellers of Paradise.

The next ayah then fits into the context of this situation, "And (remember) when We made a covenant with the Children of Israel, (saying): Worship none save Allah (only), and be good to parents and to kindred and to orphans and the needy, and speak kindly to mankind; and establish worship and pay the poor-due. Then, after that, you slid back, save a few of you, being averse." Allah (SWT) tells the Bani Israel not to make excuses that they are following the deen of Musa (AS), because they are not following the covenant. They fail to see that the same things Musa (AS) called his people to, Muhammad (SAW) is also telling his people to do.

An important point mentioned in this covenant is that we should speak kindly and gently to others. Unfortunately, we are lacking in this aspect at times. In a hadith the Prophet (SAW) said, "One should say good, or he should stay quiet". This is a very short hadith but summarizes it all. This is so emphasized in Islam, that when Allah (SWT) sent Musa (AS) to Pharaoh to guide him, he was told to do his preaching in a soft-spoken manner. Such an eminent enemy of Allah (SWT) is also being spoken gently to. So, even in the case of speaking to non-Muslims, we have been commanded to do so softly.

May Allah (SWT) give us the tawfiq to live by the Quran in a proper manner rather than by following our own desires.

Surah Al Baqarah Ayahs 65-74

The story of the Bani Israel continues, where Allah narrates various stories in the history of the Bani Israel about how they disobeyed Allah and His Messengers. These stories are for us to learn how to please Allah (SWT) and learn what angers Him. The stories are not to look down upon the group of people who have been discussed here. An example is then given of how the Bani Israel turned away from Allah in a different situation:

Ayah 65: "And you had already known about those who transgressed among you concerning the sabbath, and We said to them, "Be apes, despised."

A part of the Jewish tradition is Sabbath, in which they are not allowed to work or do business. At the time of Dawud (AS), the way they would work is they would catch fish. However, they had a feeling that the best day to catch fish was Saturday. This is since they weren't supposed to work, and do their religious duties instead, they felt it must be a good day to fish. They then began to play tricks. What they would do is put a net in the water and the fish would get caught in it that day, and on Sunday they would pull the net out. By doing this they thought they were bypassing the Shariah. During this time, a conflict arose between two groups of the Bani Israel. One group was righteous, and said that what they are doing is wrong and against the Shariah. Sabbath is not supposed to be a working day. The group that came up with the idea, however, said that they are not going against the Shariah. They are only catching the fish on Saturday, and then taking it on Sunday, so that should be permissible. The righteous people then moved out of the city and isolated those going astray, because they knew that Allah's punishment would come upon those who are disobedient to Allah. One day what happened was that one day the righteous group who had moved out from the city did not hear any noise coming from the city, and went back to see what was going on. They then saw that their relatives had been turned into apes. The facial features allowed the people to recognize who the apes were, yet they could do nothing about it. Within 3 days, all of the apes had died, and that is how the city was destroyed. So here Allah (SWT) highlights that if it wasn't for Allah's mercy, the Bani Israel in Musa (AS)'s time would have become losers, like this group of people discussed in this ayah.

In the next ayah, the Quran continues, "And We made it a deterrent punishment for those who were present and those who succeeded [them] and a lesson for those who fear Allah ." This incident has been made an example for the people at that time, and all the people who came after them until the Day of Judgement, since this story is preserved in the Quran until that day.

Ayah 67 reads, "And [recall] when Moses said to his people, "Indeed, Allah commands you to slaughter a cow." They said, "Do you take us in ridicule?" He said, "I seek refuge in Allah from being among the ignorant." This story is important because the whole surah (Baqarah), is named after this story. the background of this story is that among the Bani Israel, one day there was a murder. No one knew who the murderer was. There are two possible reasons for the murder, in two narrations:
i) A man came to a girl's father, and asked for her hand in marriage. The father said no, so the man killed him .
ii) There was a nephew who had a rich uncle who could not have children. This nephew killed the uncle, and put the dead body on the doorstep of another person. The next morning, people saw the dead body and thought that the man whose doorstep the body is on had killed the uncle. He said that he didn't, and a big fight erupted between the Bani Israel. The elders of the community said that there is no need to fight, since they have Musa (AS) with them, and so he should be asked.

When Musa (AS) was narrated this story, he made dua to Allah (SWT), and Allah commanded them to sacrifice a cow. The Bani Israel asked Musa (AS) if he was joking, not believing what he said. Musa (AS) replied that he seeks refuge from the ignorant people. What Allah has said cannot be a joke. What they were supposed to do was kill the animal, take a part of it and hit the dead man, and it would be revealed to them who the murderer was.

However, the Bani Israel continued asking questions. In ayah 68 it says, "They said, "Call upon your Lord to make clear to us what it is." [Moses] said, "[ Allah ] says, 'It is a cow which is neither old nor virgin, but median between that,' so do what you are commanded."

In the initial command, Allah had told them to sacrifice a cow, and were they to kill any cow, it would have been accepted from them. The way they told Musa (AS) to make dua is they said "Call upon your Lord". Allah is everybody's Lord. Allah then responds that the cow is neither too old or too young, but in the middle, so do what you were told to do.

They again continue asking questions, "They said, "Call upon your Lord to show us what is her color." He said, "He says, 'It is a yellow cow, bright in color - pleasing to the observers.' "They said, "Call upon your Lord to make clear to us what it is. Indeed, [all] cows look alike to us. And indeed we, if Allah wills, will be guided." In one hadīth [it is reported]: 'Had they not uttered inshā'a Llāh, it would never have been made clear to them.

"He said, "He says, 'It is a cow neither trained to plow the earth nor to irrigate the field, one free from fault with no spot upon her.' " They said, "Now you have come with the truth." So they slaughtered her, but they could hardly do it." In a hadith, it is very clear that had they killed any cow, it would have been accepted from them. By creating all this questioning, they actually created problems for themselves. When they finally found the right cow, then it belonged to an individual who didn't want to give it. He finally said that the only way he will give his cow is if they return the cow's skin full of gold in its place. So that is what the Bani Israel had to go through, all because they did not know the a'daab of asking questions. It's always good to question, but with sincerity. These people were not being sincere, they were making fun of the Shariah. The Sahaba were very careful about what it meant by sincere questioning. In fact, it comes in a narration that they only asked 12-14 question in total to the Prophet (SAW). When an outside person used to come, they would love it, since people would ask questions and they could hear the answers. The 12-14 questions that were asked by the Sahabas were so important, that the answers were narrated by Allah. In the Quran, examples of both extremes have been narrated; those who ask useful questions, and those who ask questions for no purpose.

The next part of the story continues, "And [recall] when you slew a man and disputed over it, but Allah was to bring out that which you were concealing". This is the first part of the cow story. Since Allah has put this part of the story in the second part, the story of the cow is emphasized more. The story of the cow is separate from this story. The Quran continues, "So, We said, "Strike the slain man with part of it." Thus does Allah bring the dead to life, and He shows you His signs that you might reason." When the cow was killed, the people hit a part of it on the dead man, who pointed to his nephew and said that he killed him, and then died again. This point shows that Allah can bring a dead person back to life, and this is what will happen to us on the Day of Judgement.

Ayah 74: "Then your hearts became hardened after that, being like stones or even harder. For indeed, there are stones from which rivers burst forth, and there are some of them that split open and water comes out, and there are some of them that fall down for fear of Allah . And Allah is not unaware of what you do." This ayah highlights that the heart can have many different states. Sometimes hearts can become as hard as rocks. Some hearts are alive, others are dead. The people whose hearts are alive enjoy the Quran, hadith, the dhikr of Allah. Those people whose hearts are dead are the people who just don't care, and their heart is sealed. This ayah speaks of the diseases of the heart. The heart can be seen from a health point of view, and a spiritual point of view. Here, the spiritual aspect is being discussed. Like the body which is functioned to do different things, the heart also has different functions. Naturally, the heart likes to do dhikr, pray, be in the company of the pious etc. When we find that our heart is not doing what it's supposed to do, we should know it's a problem and try to rectify it.

May Allah (SWT) give us the tawfiq to learn from these various narrations, and protect us from disobeying his ayaat and earning His wrath.

Surah Al Baqarah Ayahs 58-64

In the next set of ayahs, Allah (SWT) continues to discuss the benefits bestowed upon the Bani Israel. The reason why Allah mentions these people and the blessings in the Quran is to teach us a lesson. The Bani Israel turning away from Allah does not affect Him in anyway, but it does affect the people.

Verse 58 states, "And (remember) when We said: "Enter this town (Jerusalem) and eat bountifully therein with pleasure and delight wherever you wish, and enter the gate in prostration (or bowing with humility) and say: 'Forgive us,' and We shall forgive you your sins and shall increase (reward) for the good-doers."

The Bani Israel were told to go enjoy themselves in this city, but with the condition that they enter in a humble manner while saying "Forgive us", or "Hi'tattun", as it is said in Arabic. However, when entering, they changed the word Allah told them to say as stated in the next ayah, "But the transgressors changed the word from that which had been given them; so We sent on the transgressors a plague from heaven, for that they infringed (our command) repeatedly." Instead of saying "Hi'tattun", which means "forgive us", they said "Hintattuan", which means "wheat". They were calling upon the food that they were expecting to eat. Because of this, a plague descended upon them in which 70,000 people died. Not all of the Bani Israel were wrongdoers, there were some who were sincere and obeyed Allah. However, when a calamity strikes a place, it's because the wrongdoers are punished for their ways, and the righteous have a quicker means to meet their Lord. Allah does not punish a group of people until they bring the punishment on to themselves. Allah (SWT) actually makes excuses after excuses for us to enter Jannah and forgive our sins, but hardships are sent as a reminder to remember life after death.

In the following verse, Allah mentions another blessing which was bestowed upon the Bani Israel, that being the water which Musa (AS) prayed for for his people. Allah said to Musa (AS), "'Strike with your staff the stone.' And there gushed forth from it twelve springs." The 12 springs were for the 12 different tribes with him. Allah then told them to, "Eat and drink from the provision of Allah, and do not commit abuse on the earth, spreading corruption." In the valley of Teeh, the Bani Israel lacked water, so they told Musa (AS) to pray for water. Allah then told Musa (AS) to hit his staff on a particular rock, thereby creating 12 springs which gushed forth. This miracle also aims to strengthen the faith of the group of people present at that time there. This is also a blessing.

Then the Bani Israel said to Musa (AS), that "We can never be patient with one kind of food", and told him to call upon Allah to give them things such as green herbs, cucumbers, garlic, lentils and onions. This again showed their ungratefulness with what they had, and they were not being humble, constantly complaining. This earned Allah's anger, because they were continuously transgressing. They were tired of the blessing Allah had given them of manna and salwa, and said they cannot endure this any longer, and wanted more variety in food, even though they were being punished for not fighting against those who conquered Syria, and backing out. Also, it is so common even for us in our everyday life to complain about eating the same food everyday, or getting bored of other such things. The Bani Israel are mentioned in the Quran so that we learn what we should avoid doing, so as to gain the pleasure of Allah! Yet we continue doing the same, without even realizing. We should always be grateful for what we have, and consider it a blessing from Allah. It is a sunnah of the Prophet (SAW) that he never ever complained about the food he got, whatever it may be. He was always thankful, and knew that when you start to complain, you deny Allah's blessings on you.

It says in ayah 61 that the Bani Israel "[repeatedly] disbelieved in the signs of Allah and killed the prophets without right". Now, it may seems that, since in our time, we don't have any prophets, we would not be able to follow this act. However, it is possible. This is by killing the sunnah of the Prophet (SAW). We have various ahadith which talk about how the Messenger (SAW) used to talk, eat, sleep, walk, and pretty much everything else. Not following it is killing it, and following it is bringing to life the sunnah of the Prophet (SAW).

Verse 62 highlights Allah's mercy, as He claims that if any Jew, Christian or Sabean (star worshipers before Muhammad (SAW)'s time) convert and believe in Allah and the Last Day, then all of their past life will be erased and they will start off a new Muslims. Allah will reward them, and they will not have to fear or grieve. This is also a blessing from Allah.

The next blessing is in verse 63, which says, " And recall when We took your covenant {O Bani Israel, to abide by the Torah] and We raised over you the mount, [saying], 'Take what We have given you with determination and remember what is in it that perhaps you may become righteous." This ties back in to what we mentioned previously, that the Bani Israel asked Musa (AS) to ask Allah for a Book to abide to the Law, after the demise of Pharaoh. When they received the Torah, they saw that the rules were very strict. They actually needed such rules because the majority of them was a disobedient group who did not listen to Allah's commandments. After seeing these rulings, they said that we should just do as much as we can, Allah will forgive us for what we can't follow. This is something common people say in this day and age as well when disobeying what is written in the Quran. Eventually the Bani Israel stopped following the rules in the Torah because they thought it was too difficult. The covenant was that the Bani Israel had previously agreed to follow what Allah says, and now they were disagreeing, therefore breaking the covenant. Allah then raised a mountain over their heads and said they are breaking the covenant, and if they don't follow it they will be crushed. that is what it took for them to believe, after these numerous clear signs from Allah.

The next ayah says that they went back to the their old ways after this incident, and if it wasn't for Allah's mercy, they would have been among the losers. Allah's mercy will only descend upon us if we follow the Shariah. If we are not following the Islamic Law yet we have a good life, then it a merely a test, not a blessing. The various stories of the Bani Israel are not in the Quran for our entertainment. We have to learn from them, to avoid having the same consequences as them. These stories are a serious and harsh reminder of the power and mercy of Allah. We should read these narrations and reflect about whether we have been thankful for the food Allah has blessed us with, or do we say we're sick of stuff? Are we really fulfilling the Shariah of Allah or are we making excuses that we live in a different time and place from 1400 years ago, so we will be excused? Or that Allah will forgive us and we don't need to worry about it? These are the same things the Bani Israel said.

Summary:

i) We are still discussing the Bani Israel and what they were like in Musa (AS)'s time

ii) They disobeyed Allah in various incidents. The first one for today is changing the words that Allah told them to say, therefore not asking for forgiveness.

iii)One of the numerous blessings given to the Bani Israel include 12 springs of water which gushed forth when Musa (AS) hit his staff on a particular rock.

iv)Yet the Bani Israel continued to complain that they want more variety in their food, and were not thankful for what they had.

v)Because they continued to consistently disobey Allah, Allah had to raise a mountain over their heads to make them obey Him. It was the only way to make them follow Allah because they were so rebellious.

vi)We need to learn from these stories and make sure that we are not behaving like those who angered Allah.

May Allah (SWT) give us the tawfiq to learn lessons from these stories and help us always to strive for His pleasure. Ameen.

Surah Al Baqarah Ayah 55-57

Today, we will continue on with the story of Musa (AS) and the Bani Israel. Basically, we had discussed earlier about the miracles given to Musa (AS) and his people, and afterwards how they wanted a Book so that they can be rightly guided by the Divine Law. However, even after they got the Torah, they said (as it says in ayah 55), "O Mûsa (Moses)! We shall never believe in you till we see Allâh plainly." But you were seized with a thunderbolt (lightning) while you were looking."

So you can imagine what some of the Bani Israel were like - first, they complained to Musa (AS) that they don't have a Book to follow his religion, and they needed a Shariah. So Musa (AS) fasted, and worshipped Allah in solitude, in order to receive the Torah. Meanwhile, some of the Bani Israel began worshipping a calf while Musa (AS) was away. Then when he came with the Message, they said that they needed proof that Allah Himself wrote this, and not Musa (AS). So what happens is 70 people are chosen to go with Musa (AS), and he will talk to Allah, and they will also be there and witness that Allah is speaking to Musa (AS). So they hear Allah (SWT) speaking to Musa (AS), and then they have the audacity to say that they will never believe him until they see Allah physically before their eyes.

So what was the response of Allah (SWT)? He just sent a lightning bolt towards them and finished them on the spot, all 70 of them. Then Musa (AS) said to Allah that He killed all these people, but all the other people of Bani Israel who are waiting for the 70 people will just think that Musa (AS) killed them because he was lying, so he asked Allah to bring them back to life. That's where we have ayah 56, "Then We raised you up after your death, so that you might be grateful."

After this, a whole separate incident is talked about, but about the same group of people, the Bani Israel. "And We shaded you with clouds and sent down on you Al-Manna [] and the quails, (saying): "Eat of the good lawful things We have provided for you," (but they rebelled). And they did not wrong Us but they wronged themselves." Now, the Bani Israel were originally from Syria, but when Yusuf (AS) came they moved to Egypt. Eventually, Pharaoh took power and oppressed them, and they ran to a place near a valley called Teeh. At this point, Allah told them to go and make Jihad in Syria to fight for their land back from a group of people who were controlling Syria called the Amalika. However, while on the way to Syria, they heard of the power and might of the Amalika and they said to Musa (AS) that there was no way they could beat these people, and decided to turn back to Egypt. As a punishment, Allah made them get stranded in Teeh, which in Arabic means "lost". Basically what happened was that everyday they would travel towards Egypt, and then sleep at night to rest. When they woke up every morning they would return to the same place they started, and this happened for 40 years.

This valley was barren, and had no food, shelter, and they didn't have extra clothes. So the Bani Israel asked Musa (AS) to make dua to Allah to ask for these things. This ayah refers to the acceptance of the dua, where Allah gave them a cloud as a shade to protect them from the heat, and "Manna" and "Salwa" to eat. Manna is referred to as fresh fruits like honeydew...which used to come from the sky just for them, and Salwa refers to quails, which were very easy to prepare and eat for them because Allah made it extremely simple for them.

Imam Kurtubi in his tafsir also goes one step further and explains another blessing given to the people of Bani Israel and that was clothes, which cleaned by themselves and grew with the people, such as kids. What happened then was that the Bani Israel then became tired with their blessings. They complained to Musa (AS) that they were bored of the same food everyday and the same clothes, and to make dua to Allah to give them more variety. Based on their complain, Allah removed what they already and, and said that "We have not wronged them, they have wronged themselves".

There are two lessons to be learnt from this ayah.
i) The first is based on the valley of Teeh. It shows that those people who play games, Allah causes them to be lost in the path, despite their apparent progress. In the valley of Teeh, they would go on a journey, and rest at night. In the morning they would end up in the same exact place. Our spiritual journey is called the "Sirat Ul Mustaqim", and the end is nearness to Allah (SWT). With each step, your iman increases, deepens and progresses. However, if you're not serious with the Shariah, and just get an "iman rush" once in a while but are not regular, then you end up in the same spot as you started, there's no progress. We are also caught in our own valley of Teeh.

ii) The second is based on the part that says these people have wronged themselves. When we are in difficulty, it's because we have wronged ourselves. We create our own trials and circumstances. We, in this day and age, obviously wrong ourselves a lot more than the Sahabas. Once when a companion of the Prophet (SAW) missed Tahajjud he retraced what he did and said "Oh I might have missed it because I accidently saw the ankle of a ghayr-mahram"! Hazrat Umar (RA) said that he always figured out when he did something wrong when he got back home, and if he had some trouble with his wife then he'd know it was because of something wrong he did that day. Once we're careful about each and every thing we do, we'll be able to see that there's a direct result for every action.

There is a hadith that says, "When you make a mistake, follow it up with a good deed". When a mistake is made, the door to the next mistake is opened, and the way to close that door is to follow it up with a good deed. We also need to remember that complaining and not thanking Allah is the way to get rid of barakah, so we need to be careful about avoiding complaining. Even if we make a mistake we should thank Allah for helping us recognize that it's a mistake. So may Allah SWT give us the tawfiq to apply this in our daily lives inshaAllah.

Surah Al Baqarah Ayahs 49-54

Image: Partition of the Red Sea

The verses that we will focus on today highlight the blessings that Allah had bestowed on the Bani Israel at the time of Musa (AS). "And recall when We saved you [i.e., your forefathers] from the people of Pharaoh, who afflicted you with the worst torment, slaughtering your [newborn] sons and keeping your females alive. And in that was a great trial from your Lord".

The people being addressed here are the people from Prophet Muhammad (SAW)'s time, but they are being reminded of the blessings given to their previous generations. If Allah had not blessed the people of Bani Israel in Musa (AS)'s time then they would not be in existence since they were all being killed. They were blessed like this due to the reason that they were in the company of Musa (AS), who is a Prophet.

Pharaoh had put the Bani Israel through a lot of difficulties, but one of the greatest difficulties that he bestowed on the Bani Israel is that he used to kill the newborn boys born in their house, but left the females alive. Killing baby boys is brutal enough, but leaving the women alive meant that more babies were born by them, just to be killed. Apart from being so ruthless, Pharaoh was also extremely protective of his kingdom, and no one could question his authority. One day he was told of a prediction that said that there will be a boy born in the tribe of Bani Israel who will arise to threaten his power. Although the Bani Israel were already so weak compared to Pharaoh's army and they had no power compared to him, Pharaoh still decided to get all the boys that were born in their tribe slaughtered immediately after they were born. During this period, there was one baby saved by the Grace of Allah, and he turned out to be Pharaoh's own adopted son! This was Musa (AS). What happened was that when the people of Pharaoh came to kill the baby, Musa (AS)'s mother had quickly put him in the oven to hide him. Pharaoh's people couldn't find the baby and left, and Musa (AS) came out of the oven unhurt. Then Allah told the mother to put the baby in a basket and let it flow in the River Nile. Musa (AS)'s sister quietly followed the basket and saw that it had landed in Pharaoh's kingdom! Aasia (AS) asker her husband Pharaoh if she could keep the baby- she reasoned that if they raise him then he won't go against them. Pharaoh agreed, and later on the baby refused to be nursed by anyone else, and only when his mother came did he get nursed, so she got to see him everyday as well. Such are the ways of Allah.

"And recall when We parted the sea for you and saved you and drowned the people of Pharaoh while you were looking on". When Musa (AS) grew up, he saw how Pharaoh was oppressing the people of Bani Isreal, and not liking it, he planned to escape with them, but Pharaoh's army found out. They chased the Bani Israel until they reached a dead end, in front of the sea. Allah told Musa (AS) to hit his staff on the sea and this caused the sea to part and make a pathway. Musa (AS) and his people quickly went across the sea, and as Pharaoh and his people were following behind them, Allah told the pathway to close and become a sea again. This drowned Pharaoh and his army which Musa (AS) and his people looked on.

The scholars have said that there are so many blessings mentioned in this one ayah.
i) Firstly, when the Bani Israel thought that they were trapped in a dead end, with Pharaoh's people on one side and the sea on the other, they thought there was no escape. But Allah gave Musa (AS) the ability to part the sea, and the sea opened a new passageway.
ii) The second blessing is that all the Bani Israel survived. It could have been that Allah drowned the people of Pharaoh, and along with them the Bani Israel could also have drowned, but Allah saved every single one of them.
iii) Then there's the blessing of Pharaoh and his people drowning. Allah could have left Pharaoh's army on one side and the Bani Israel on the other and they would've been saved. But Allah finished the whole army off by the sea.
iv) And the Bani Israel looked on. Imagine the peace that would've been felt in their heart after seeing such a cruel man you killed others mercilessly, dying before their own eyes. Getting to see him die let's them know it's over now. That in itself is also a blessing.

"And [recall] when We made an appointment with Moses for 40 nights. Then you took [for worship] the calf after him [i.e., his departure], while you were wrongdoers". After they were saved from Pharaoh, the Bani Israel went to a place which is outside of Egypt and Damascus. (Historically, the Bani Israel were originally from Syria but when Yousuf (AS) was King of Egypt they went to Egypt). When they came here they asked Musa (AS) to tell Allah to give them a Book of rules for them. They wanted guidelines in order to please Allah. They asked Musa (AS) to make dua to Allah to bestow on their community this book, and when he did then Allah told Musa (AS) to fast and worship Allah for 30 days at Mount Sinai. On the 30th day Allah gave him the Torah. The Torah and other Books were revealed all in one go, but the Quran was revealed over a period of 23 years. When the Torah was revealed, Musa (AS) broke his fast, and lost the smell of his breath which is very special to Allah (SWT). So he was told by Allah to fast for another 10 days. He did this, and it totaled to 40 days of fasting and worshiping.

What happened during the time that Musa (AS) was in seclusion was that a man named Thamri went back to the magical place that the sea was separated and he found a particular area where he saw the imprint of the horse of Jibrael (AS). He took that sand or dust from that place, and fashioned a gold calf. He put the dust into the mouth of the calf and that calf looked magically realistic. Some of the people of Bani Israel were so mesmerized by this and thought it was a miracle and started worshiping the calf. Thamri was cursed for doing this and he had a constant fever. He had to tell people not to come near him or touch him or else they would get it too. In the end, he asked Allah for forgiveness, and Allah forgave him. This shows Allah's infinite mercy, "Then We forgave you after that so perhaps you might be grateful".

"And [recall] when We gave Musa the Scripture and the criterion that perhaps you may be guided". These are the two blessings given to the Bani Israel. One is the Scripture, which refers to the Torah, and one is the criterion, which refers to the Furqan. This refers to the rulings of the religion or something that separates the truth from falsehood.

When Musa (AS) came back from his 40 days of worship, he was in shock to see that some of his people were worshiping an idol. Musa (AS) made dua to Allah that He forgives the Bani Israel and not finish them off entirely. Allah said that the only way of purifying these people is that those who have wronged will have to be killed, they will then be forgiven. It used to be so difficult to seek Allah's forgiveness before, but Alhumdulillah, in our Ummah, we just have to sincerely ask for repentance and Allah (SWT) accepts it. "And [recall] when Musa said to his people, 'O my people, indeed you have wronged yourselves by worshiping the calf. So repent to your Creator and kill yourselves [i.e., the guilty among you]. That is the best for you in the sight of your Creator'. Then indeed, He accepted your repentance...He is the Merciful". They had committed an act which would take them straight to the Hellfire, but Allah provided a means for them to be forgiven.

There was a Sahabi who came to the Prophet (SAW) and told him that he made a mistake, so the Prophet should punish him. The Prophet (SAW) told him to sit down. Then they had the prayer in Jamaat/congregation. After the prayer Prophet Muhammad (SAW) was leaving the masjid and the Sahabi caught up and said he needs to be punished for the mistake he made. The Prophet (SAW) said the prayer you just made wiped away your sins. So as you can see, the deen is designed to fix our mistakes.

Such are the interesting stories in the Quran and ahadith, and inshaAllah we will continue the inspiring story of Musa (AS) in the next entry. May Allah (SWT) readily forgive our sins and save us from the punishments of the Hellfire. Ameen.

Surah Al Baqarah Ayahs 45-48

In the last couple of ayahs we had discussed, Allah tells us to seek patience and prayer. One thing to keep in mind is that today's society is designed in such a way that it pulls us away from patience or sabr since everything is supposed to be instant, due to the power of technology. We instantly get information on the click of a button off the internet, we can instantly get money from the ATM machine, we have things known as "instant coffee" and "instant noodles" in our generation. This isn't a bad thing, but we have to realize that we can't attain nearness to Allah instantaneously like we can with so many other things. Getting close to Allah requires time, consistency, sacrifice, effort and a long period of time. It's a journey. Sometimes we go to a religious talk and we feel an "iman rush" for a while, thinking our souls have been elevated instantly, then after a while we go back to our normal lives. We have to seek assistance with patience in order to be regular in our deen.

The next few ayahs are addressed towards the Bani Israel, who were people who deviated from the straight path, and Allah says "Remember the blessings I have bestowed upon you and that I preferred you over the worlds". This ayah was revealed to the Bani Israel during the time of Muhammad (SAW), although the stories mentioned are from the time of Musa (AS). This comes to show that the later generations also take part in the benefits given to the Bani Israel. It is similar in the case of Muslims - the source of benefit in our religion is Muhammad (SAW), and because of his efforts and his sacrifices, we, 1400 years later, also get to benefit from our religion. If we have concern for our future generations, we should attain closeness to Allah so that we receive His mercy and this will benefit the next generations. Our primary concern is that the deen remain within the upcoming generations. The best way to make sure Islam stays strong is by supplicating and asking for Allah's grace or "fadhl", and He, in turn, will inshaAllah not only bless the person who made dua, but also the community, and therefore, the future generations.

In this ayah, the Bani Israel are being challanged. They are told in a subtle manner that they shouldn't take it for granted that Allah is bestowing His mercy on them again and again. He could easily close the doors of Rahma for them, and so they should be careful. They have to be sincere, and have be careful about this as well. Just being born Muslim doesn't mean we can take going to Heaven for granted - we have to work for it.

There have been great historical narrations in the life of Bani Israel, and Allah (SWT) reminds them about many incidents to awaken them. Then He makes them conscious, "And fear a Day when no soul will suffice for another soul at all, nor will intercession be accepted from it, nor will compensation be taken from it, nor will they be aided". We live for thousands of days, but the one essential day in our life is that one Day - the Day of Judgment. In reality, all these thousands of days we're living one after another, are just days to prepare for that one day. And Allah gives us 4 charactistics of that Day:
i) There will be no compensation
ii) Intercession will not be accepted
iii) Ransom will not be taken
iv) No one will be aided exept by Allah's will.

So basically, we are all alone. It's just us and our deeds. Even a mother will not think about her child that day. Everyone will be on their own. There are a few examples of intercession taking place on that day though...which include the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) making dua that the people with equal amount of thawab and sin go to Heaven, and an infant which died at a young age will seek intercession for its parents, as will a fetus lost in miscarriage. Also, the hufaaz who have memorized the Quran and implemented it's teachings in their lives and intercede...but it all depends on the situation and their level of piety, and only Allah knows what will happen. In these ayahs it just generally says there will be no intercession as will be the case in most situations.

InshaAllah next time we will go through the various blessings bestowed upon the Bani Israel during Pharaoh's time.

May Allah give us the tawfiq to remember the Day of Judgment everyday and prepare for it accordingly.

Surah Al Baqarah Ayahs 44-46‏

"Do you bid others to righteousness while you ignore your own selves, although you keep reciting the Book? Have you then no sense?" (Ayah 44)

This verse teaches us about practicing what we preach. It is said that when the Prophet (SAW) went to the Mi'raj (journey of ascent), he witnessed people in Hell with their tongues being cut with scissors of fire. When he asked what their fault is, he was told that these are people who do not practice what they tell others to do themselves. In another hadith it is narrated that some people will be in Heaven because of certain people on Earth who told them to do good. But the preachers themselves will end up in Hell. Because of this, the Jannatis will ask those in Hell how they ended up there, because it was due to their teachings that these people got into Heaven. And the people in Hellfire will say that they used to preach, but they didn't practice it themselves. This elucidates the hypocrisy of the preachers.

Because of this, one should always make an effort to practice what they tell others to do. This doesn't mean that people should just stop preaching out of fear. It is the sincere intentions and efforts which count. It is our duty to encourage others to do good and strive to do good ourselves. It is natural to make mistakes and fall into sin from time to time, but it's the repentance and motivation to improve oneself that is the key.

The next ayah continues, "And seek assistance in sabr (patience) and in salah (prayer)". The scholars proclaim that there are 3 main types of sabr:
i) The patience one has while in a time of difficulty, and not complaining while in such a situation.
ii) The patience one has in obedience. This is when one does a good deed regularly even though it's difficult, such as praying in the masjid for Fajr consistently.
iii) The patience that keeps one away from avoiding bad deeds.

The gist of all three of the sabrs is that they help you restrict the nafs, or inner desire. We each have a soul and a body. The soul is such that it loves to worship Allah, it loves to pray, read Quran, give Zakah etc. It finds peace within these things. The body is more animalistic, because it consists of the nafs or desire. Both of these together create a kind of balance in humans, but our goals, as Muslims, is to crush the nafs and follow the Deen, or our religion. This elevates one's soul, and a feeling of elevation is created in oneself such as how one feels during Ramadan.

Sabr is practiced most while one is doing Salah. When in prayer, one has to completely restrict the body and focus the mind on Allah. This is when the soul elevates and the nafs drops. This is when the nafs realizes true pleasure and tranquility is not actually in worldly pleasures, but in remembering Allah and in prayers. This state is what we call the "nafs-ul-mutma inna".

The next verse continues, "And it is indeed difficult (to have patience and pray properly), but not for the humble in heart who bear in mind that to Him they are to return".

Sabr and salah lead to restfulness of the heart. Salah should have "khushu", where one concentrates fully on the prayer and not other thoughts. In a hadith, Prophet Muhammad (SAW) says that the improperly prayed salah rises up as an ugly, dark person, and says "May Allah ruin you the way you ruined me", and the salah is flung back on the person, and he gets no benefit from it. There should be tremendous fear in all of us of this and we should make an effort to attain khushu in our salah. We should remember that we will return to our Lord. This remembrance will give us khushu in our Salah, inshaAllah. Every individual should take some time out and think of their state and our connection with Allah, and spend time in His remembrance and reflection.

May Allah make us from those who reflect on our state, and have khushu in our prayers, and find the utmost pleasure in pleasing Allah alone. Ameen.

Surah Al Baqarah Ayah 43

These verses are addressed towards the People of the Book, but there is something for all of us to learn. We should reflect on where the previous communities went wrong. In the following ayahs there is a tremendous amount of advice. Allah makes 3 commands to the people:

i) Be steadfast in Salah ( "wa aqeemus salah")
ii) pay the alms, give Zakat
iii) make Rukuh with people who make Rukuh.

The first is to establish the Salah. Prayers are a way of lowering oneself towards Allah and praising Him. Literally, the Arabic word "aqeemus" means to straighten. So the prayers also help in straightening ones path towards Allah. We need to be very careful about all the different aspects of Salah, such as the timings, the Qiblah, our purity and the purity of the place we pray in, as well as the purity in our hearts (praying with the right intentions).

All actions have some kind of reaction. Prayers, as well, are supposed to have effects, such as stopping one from doing sinful acts. In a hadith the Prophet (SAW) said the mi'raj (ascension) for a Mu'min is Salah. The unique experience during Salah that are present are unlike any other feeling. If one experiences this deep feeling while praying then they know they are doing it right. Otherwise, more focus is needed in the different aspects. For us non-Arab speakers, it's ideal to also learn the meanings of the various surahs and duas, so that we actually know what we are praying for, and this increases attentiveness.

In Surah Rum, there is an ayah that says, "And among His Signs is this, that He created for you mates from among yourselves that you may dwell in tranquillity with them, and He has put love and mercy between your (hearts). Verily in that are Signs for those who reflect." (Ar Rum: 21) This again comes to show that all forms of worship have some kind of effect. Marriage as well can be a form of worship, and it's effect is tranquility in the heart. If this is not the case in couples then most probably the spouses are not following all of the rules of Islam in their relationship. Obviously, there are ups and downs, but marriage should lead to a general state of peace. Similarly, Salah also has some effects if we pray properly, and this will show that we are doing it the right way. Also, going to the masjid gives you many rewards if you are in a state of wudhu before going there. Every step makes you drop a sin, gain a reward, and raises your rank in Jannah. When you go to the masjid by car you should try to park your car furthest away from the entrance to get more reward for every footstep!

The second command is to give Zakat to the needy. "Zakat" has two meanings. One is "to purify" and one it "to grow". Basically by giving Zakah to the poor and needy, we purify ourselves and our barakah or blessings grows in our own wealth. These is a means of purifying our wealth. If one finds that there is no barakah in their wealth, then there is most probably a problem with the Zakah.

The third command is to make rukuh with those who make rukuh. In the previous Ummahs of other Prophets, the prayers did not have Rukuhs. It is just the Ummah of the Prophet (SAW). So the Bani Israel are told to join the Muslims and make Rukuh in their prayers.

InshaAllah I will continue the rest of the ayahs shortly afterwards. I apologize for the delay in this tafsir!

Jazak Allah Khair.

Surah Al Baqarah Ayahs 38-42

In the previous couple of ayahs, Allah (SWT) had accepted Adam (AS)’s repentance for the mistake of eating from the forbidden tree. We are all prone to making mistakes but what matters is the sincere attitude one has afterwards of trying to improve.

We now proceed to ayah 38, “We said, ‘Go down from here, all of you. Then, should some guidance come to you from Me, those who follow My guidance shall have no fear, nor shall they grieve.” Allah has promised that He will guide those on earth, and this is by means of Prophets and the Holy Books. Obviously, we have no direct contact with Prophets in this day and age, but we do have the Ulama, or the scholars. They have the knowledge, and can guide us Islamically. The way to know which kind of Ulama is right is by making sure he represents the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) through his sunnah. Those who choose to follow this guidance shall not be in fear or grieve. A question that arises is how can there be no fear and grief in people? Even the Prophet (SAW) went through so much grief throughout his life. The fact of the matter is that Allah (SWT) gives difficulties to people in this life, especially those He loves, so that they become closer to Him. There are two ways one can get closer to Allah;

i) through good deeds
ii) by having “sabr” or patience.

Difficulties allow one to practice their patience. The fear and grief spoken about in this ayah refers to the fear and grief everyone will experience in the Hereafter, when they will be held accountable for their deeds. There will be so much fear in everyone who are about to get their results of getting into heaven or hell, except those who have no doubt in Allah (SWT) and follow His guidance.

On the other hand, ayah 39 continues, “As for those people who disbelieve, and deny Our signs, they are the people of the Fire- they shall be there forever.”

For the next dozens of ayahs, the “Bani Israel”, or the Children of Israel are addressed. These were people who spread mischief and corruption on earth. They never fulfilled their covenant with Allah. From ayahs 40-108, the crimes that they have committed are mentioned, and their charges for it. Also, Allah (SWT) talks about the consequences of those He favors and those He does not in these ayahs. After reading these instances and examples of what they did, we have to try and avoid their misdeeds, rather than just think that the ayahs are just being addressed to them and not us.

The term “Israel” literally means “the servant of Allah”. Apart from this, it is also the second name of Yaqub (AS). There are only two prophets who have more than one name. One is Yaqub (AS) and the other is Muhammad (SAW).

So Allah (SWT) addresses the Children of Israel, “O Children of Israel, remember My blessing that I conferred upon you, and fulfill the covenant with Me, so I fulfill you covenant, and have awe of Me alone.”

Allah challenges these people, and He does so by some requests of them. Firstly, it is to remember the blessings He has bestowed upon them. Previously, Allah (SWT) had mentioned many of His blessings on all people. In these ayahs, however, Allah particularly reminds the Bani Israel the blessings He had bestowed on their community. The next request is to fulfill the covenant. This covenant actually refers to an agreement made by the Bani Israel previously; that they would worship Allah, follow His messengers, fast and give sadaqah. In return, Allah had promised them Jannah. But these people had forgotten any such agreement.

The next couple of lines continue as such, “And have faith in what I have revealed, confirming what is already with you, and do not be the first to deny it, nor take a paltry price for My signs. And fear Me alone. And do not confound truth with falsehood, and do not hide the truth when you know.”

Allah asks the Bani Israel to believe in His signs, and not deny it. This is because if they are the first to deny it then the generations following will also deny the signs, and all the sin for that will go to the ancestors. Allah also asks them not to hide the ayahs of the Quran, or His signs, for a “paltry price”, or something worthless. The Torah had verses in it that said that there are more messengers yet to come, but the scholars would hide these verses. The reason behind this is that they wanted their own fame, not someone after them. This is a very small price for hiding the truth. Allah also tells them not to hide the truth with a lie.

Basically all of these ayahs are for the Bani Israel to believe in Prophet Muhammad (SAW) as the Last Messenger, which they didn’t. They denied the fact, and hid the ayahs from the Torah which proved this. The few ayahs after this are about the advice given to the Children of Israel, which we can also take much benefit from. They will be discussed in the next entry, inshaAllah.

May Allah give us the tawfiq to recognize His signs and may He strengthen our Iman. Ameen.