وَإِذْ قُلْتُمْ يَامُوسَى لَنْ نَصْبِرَ عَلَى طَعَامٍ وَاحِدٍ فَادْعُ لَنَا رَبَّكَ يُخْرِجْ لَنَا مِمَّا تُنْبِتُ الْأَرْضُ مِنْ بَقْلِهَا وَقِثَّائِهَا وَفُومِهَا وَعَدَسِهَا وَبَصَلِهَا قَالَ أَتَسْتَبْدِلُونَ الَّذِي هُوَ أَدْنَى بِالَّذِي هُوَ خَيْرٌ اهْبِطُوا مِصْرًا فَإِنَّ لَكُمْ مَا سَأَلْتُمْ وَ ضُرِبَتْ عَلَيْهِمْ الذِّلَّةُ وَالْمَسْكَنَةُ وَبَاءُوا بِغَضَبٍ مِنْ اللَّهِ ذَلِكَ بِأَنَّهُمْ كَانُوا يَكْفُرُونَ بِآيَاتِ اللَّهِ وَيَقْتُلُونَ النَّبِيِّينَ بِغَيْرِ الْحَقِّ ذَلِكَ بِمَا عَصَوْا وَكَانُوا يَعْتَدُونَ (٦١)

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَالَّذِينَ هَادُوا وَالنَّصَارَى وَالصَّابِئِينَ مَنْ آمَنَ بِاللَّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ وَعَمِلَ صَالِحًا فَلَهُمْ أَجْرُهُمْ عِنْدَ رَبِّهِمْ وَلَا خَوْفٌ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا هُمْ يَحْزَنُونَ(٦٢)

وَإِذْ أَخَذْنَا مِيثَاقَكُمْ وَرَفَعْنَا فَوْقَكُمْ الطُّورَ خُذُوا مَا آتَيْنَاكُمْ بِقُوَّةٍ وَاذْكُرُوا مَا فِيهِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ  ثُمَّ تَوَلَّيْتُمْ مِنْ بَعْدِ ذَلِكَ فَلَوْلَا فَضْلُ اللَّهِ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَتُهُ لَكُنتُمْ مِنْ الْخَاسِرِينَ  وَلَقَدْ عَلِمْتُمْ الَّذِينَ اعْتَدَوْا مِنْكُمْ فِي السَّبْتِ فَقُلْنَا لَهُمْ كُونُوا قِرَدَةً خَاسِئِينَ  فَجَعَلْنَاهَا نَكَالًا لِمَا بَيْنَ يَدَيْهَا وَمَا خَلْفَهَا وَمَوْعِظَةً لِلْمُتَّقِينَ(٦٣-٦٦)

وَإِذْ قَالَ مُوسَى لِقَوْمِهِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَأْمُرُكُمْ أَنْ تَذْبَحُوا بَقَرَةً قَالُوا أَتَتَّخِذُنَا هُزُوًا قَالَ أَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ أَنْ أَكُونَ مِنْ الْجَاهِلِينَ  قَالُوا ادْعُ لَنَا رَبَّكَ يُبَيِّنْ لَنَا مَا هِيَ قَالَ إِنَّهُ يَقُولُ إِنَّهَا بَقَرَةٌ لَا فَارِضٌ وَلَا بِكْرٌ عَوَانٌ بَيْنَ ذَلِكَ فَافْعَلُوا مَا تُؤْمَرُونَ   قَالُوا ادْعُ لَنَا رَبَّكَ يُبَيِّنْ لَنَا مَا لَوْنُهَا قَالَ إِنَّهُ يَقُولُ إِنَّهَا بَقَرَةٌ صَفْرَاءُ فَاقِعٌ لَوْنُهَا تَسُرُّ النَّاظِرِينَ  قَالُوا ادْعُ لَنَا رَبَّكَ يُبَيِّنْ لَنَا مَا هِيَ إِنَّ الْبَقَرَ تَشَابَهَ عَلَيْنَا وَإِنَّا إِنْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ لَمُهْتَدُونَ  قَالَ إِنَّهُ يَقُولُ إِنَّهَا بَقَرَةٌ لَا ذَلُولٌ تُثِيرُ الْأَرْضَ وَلَا تَسْقِي الْحَرْثَ مُسَلَّمَةٌ لَا شِيَةَ فِيهَا قَالُوا الْآنَ جِئْتَ بِالْحَقِّ فَذَبَحُوهَا وَمَا كَادُوا يَفْعَلُونَ(٦٧-٧١)

وَإِذْ قَتَلْتُمْ نَفْسًا فَادَّارَأْتُمْ فِيهَا وَاللَّهُ مُخْرِجٌ مَا كُنتُمْ تَكْتُمُونَ  فَقُلْنَا اضْرِبُوهُ بِبَعْضِهَا كَذَلِكَ يُحْيِ اللَّهُ الْمَوْتَى وَيُرِيكُمْ آيَاتِهِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَعْقِلُونَ(٧١-٧٣)

ثُمَّ قَسَتْ قُلُوبُكُمْ مِنْ بَعْدِ ذَلِكَ فَهِيَ كَالْحِجَارَةِ أَوْ أَشَدُّ قَسْوَةً وَإِنَّ مِنْ الْحِجَارَةِ لَمَا يَتَفَجَّرُ مِنْهُ الْأَنْهَارُ وَإِنَّ مِنْهَا لَمَا يَشَّقَّقُ فَيَخْرُجُ مِنْهُ الْمَاءُ وَإِنَّ مِنْهَا لَمَا يَهْبِطُ مِنْ خَشْيَةِ اللَّهِ وَمَا اللَّهُ بِغَافِلٍ عَمَّا تَعْمَلُونَ(٧٤)

أَفَتَطْمَعُونَ أَنْ يُؤْمِنُوا لَكُمْ وَقَدْ كَانَ فَرِيقٌ مِنْهُمْ يَسْمَعُونَ كَلَامَ اللَّهِ ثُمَّ يُحَرِّفُونَهُ مِنْ بَعْدِ مَا عَقَلُوهُ وَهُمْ يَعْلَمُونَ  وَإِذَا لَقُوا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا قَالُوا آمَنَّا وَإِذَا خَلَا بَعْضُهُمْ إِلَى بَعْضٍ قَالُوا أَتُحَدِّثُونَهُمْ بِمَا فَتَحَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْكُمْ لِيُحَاجُّوكُمْ بِهِ عِنْدَ رَبِّكُمْ أَفَلَا تَعْقِلُونَ  أَوَلَا يَعْلَمُونَ أَنَّ اللَّهَ يَعْلَمُ مَا يُسِرُّونَ وَمَا يُعْلِنُونَ  وَمِنْهُمْ أُمِّيُّونَ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ الْكِتَابَ إِلَّا أَمَانِيَّ وَإِنْ هُمْ إِلَّا يَظُنُّونَ  فَوَيْلٌ لِلَّذِينَ يَكْتُبُونَ الْكِتَابَ بِأَيْدِيهِمْ ثُمَّ يَقُولُونَ هَذَا مِنْ عِنْدِ اللَّهِ لِيَشْتَرُوا بِهِ ثَمَنًا قَلِيلًافَوَيْلٌ لَهُمْ مِمَّا كَتَبَتْ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَوَيْلٌ لَهُمْ مِمَّا يَكْسِبُونَ  وَقَالُوا لَنْ تَمَسَّنَا النَّارُ إِلَّا أَيَّامًا مَعْدُودَةً قُلْ أَاتَّخَذْتُمْ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ عَهْدًا فَلَنْ يُخْلِفَ اللَّهُ عَهْدَهُ أَمْ تَقُولُونَ عَلَى اللَّهِ مَا لَا تَعْلَمُونَ  بَلَى مَنْ كَسَبَ سَيِّئَةً وَأَحَاطَتْ بِهِ خَطِيئَتُهُ فَأُوْلَئِكَ أَصْحَابُ النَّارِ هُمْ فِيهَا خَالِدُونَ  وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ أُوْلَئِكَ أَصْحَابُ الْجَنَّةِ هُمْ فِيهَا خَالِدُونَ(٧٥-٨٢)

And recall when you said: ‘Moses we shall never be content with one type of food1; so, call on your Lord to bring forth for us some green herbs, cucumbers, garlic2, lentils and onions which the earth produces.’3 He answered: ‘Would you exchange that which is better for what is inferior?’4 [Then go] live in some Egypt5. There you shall find all that you have asked for’. [This is what they kept on doing] and shame and misery were stamped upon them6 and they earned the wrath of Allah7. This was because they went on disbelieving His revelations and kept on slaying His prophets unjustly. This was because they showed disobedience and crossed all limits set by Allah.8 (61)

[It is evident from this that the law of retribution is absolutely unbiased. Therefore,]9 those who profess faith in Muhammad and those [before them] who became Jews10 and those who are called Christians11, and Sabaeans12 – whoever among them believes in Allah and in the Last Day and does righteous deeds – shall be rewarded by their Lord and [in His gracious presence] they shall have nothing to fear nor shall they grieve [there].13 (62)

And recall14 when We made a covenant with you15 and raised Mount Sinai above you16 [emphasizing]: ‘Grasp strongly what We have given you17 and bear in mind [what is written in it]18 so that you may be secure [from the wrath of God]19.’ Yet even after this you turned away20, and but [in reality] had it not been for Allah’s grace and mercy you would have surely been among the astray [owing to your attitude]. And you have heard of [those among you] who violated the sanctity of the Sabbath21 so We said to them: ‘Go and become detested apes’22. In this way, We made that [city23 of theirs in which they violated the Sabbath] an example for those around and a means of admonition to the God fearing. (63-6)

And recall24 when Moses said to his people: ‘Allah commands you to slaughter a cow25 [in order that you may swear oaths on its blood26]’. They replied: ‘Are you joking with us?’27 ‘I seek refuge with Allah from becoming such a reckless28 person!’ he rejoined. They said: ‘Call on your Lord that He make known to us what should the cow be like’. Moses replied: ‘Your Lord says: “Let her be neither an old cow nor a young cow, but in between.” Do, therefore, as you are being bidden.’29 They went on: ‘Call on your Lord that He make known to us what her colour shall be’. Moses replied: ‘Your Lord says: “Let the cow be golden30, a bright golden31 pleasing to those who see [her]’. They said ‘Call on your Lord to fully explain to us the exact type of cow required for we are confused in this matter of cows. And if Allah wills we shall be rightly guided’.32 Moses replied: ‘Your Lord says: “Let her not be a working cow that ploughs the earth and waters the field; a cow of one colour and no other colour should be mixed in it.”’ ‘Now you have brought a clear picture,’33 they answered. In this way they slaughtered that cow, and it did not look that they would do so. (67-71)

And recall also the incident when you slew a man. Then [you swore false oaths and] started to blame one another for the deed34 and Allah decided to make known what you were concealing. So, We said: ‘Strike35 this [corpse] with a piece of that [cow which has been sacrificed for swearing oaths on it, and it came to life again]. In this manner, Allah will restore the dead to life and He shows you His signs that you may show understanding.36 (72-3)

[You persisted in this attitude of denial37 until] after this your hearts became as hard as if they were rocks or even harder; and there are some rocks from which rivulets flow and there are some which break asunder and water gushes from them and others which tumble down for fear of Allah38. [It is a fact that you have persisted in this attitude] and Allah is not unaware of what you do.39 (74)

[Believers! In spite of this40] you expect that they will accept what you say and [these are the people] a group of which has been listening to the Word of Allah and after understanding it fully has been altering it41 deliberately42. [And these are the people] when they meet the faithful declare: ‘We accept’43. But when alone they say to each other: ‘Must you preach to them what Allah has revealed to you so that they may dispute with you about it in your Lord’s presence. Have you no sense?’ Do they not know that Allah has knowledge of all they hide and all that they reveal? [and these are the people] among whom are the illiterate44 who consider the book of God to be only a collection of their fancies45 and act on their conjecture – Woe to those that write the sharī‘ah with their own hands46 and then declare: ‘This is from Allah,’ in order to gain some paltry price. So woe to them because of what their hands have written and woe to them because of that what they earn [through this means] – [and these are the people who] claim: ‘The Fire shall not touch us except for a few days’47. Ask them: ‘Did Allah make you such a promise [for if He has made such a promise], Allah will not break His promise – or do you fabricate against God what you have no knowledge of?’48 Truly49, those who have committed evil and their sin has totally encompassed them are the companions of Hell50; in it they shall remain forever. And those who accepted faith and did righteous deeds are the companions of Paradise51; forever they shall abide in it. (75-82)

(Translated from Ghamidi’s Al-Bayān by Shehzad Saleem)

1. The implication being that they cannot eat Mann and Salwā everyday. Human taste requires variety and something should be done to quench this yearning for variety in the desert they are wandering in.

2. The actual Qur’ānic word used is ‘فُوْم’. It is the same as ‘ثُوْم’. So common is this word for ‘garlic’ that it cannot be taken to mean bread, wheat or corn.

3. The Bible refers to this demand of the Israelites in the following words:

The rabble with them began to crave other food, and again the Israelites started wailing and said, ‘If only we had meat to eat! We remember the fish we ate in Egypt at no cost-also the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic. But now we have lost our appetite; we never see anything but this manna!’ The manna was like coriander seed and looked like resin. (Numbers, 11: 4-7)

4. The implication being: are the Israelites craving for variety forsaking the Mann and Salwā they are eating in a state of liberation from the clutches of Pharaoh and his people? they should realize that dry bread eaten in a state of freedom is much better than all the delicious foods of the world.

5. The actual Qur’ānic words used are ‘اهْبِطُوا مِصْرًا’. The verb ‘هَبَطَ’ does not merely mean ‘to fall down’. It is also very commonly used ‘to disembark at one’s destination’ and ‘to enter a city’. The word ‘مِصْر’ is used for the country of ‘مِصْر’ (Egypt). Though it occurs as an indeclinable noun (غير منصرف), here the nunnation (تنوين) has incorporated the meaning of ‘some Egypt’ in it. The implication being that if the Israelites cannot live without tasty foods, they should surrender themselves back in the clutches of some Egypt, where they would be able to savour their taste.

6. The actual Qur’ānic words used are ‘ضُرِبَتْ عَلَيْهِمْ الذِّلَّةُ وَالْمَسْكَنَةُ’ which imply that humiliation and shame were hurled upon them. In other words, just as wet mud is thrown and plastered on a wall, in a similar manner helplessness and misery were stamped upon them.

7. The actual Qur’ānic words used are ‘وَبَاءُوا بِغَضَبٍ مِنْ اللَّهِ’. They mean ‘they returned with the wrath of God’. In other words, instances in which they were provided with an opportunity to reap the favours of their Lord were turned into instances which earned them the wrath and rage of the Almighty because of their wrongdoings.

8. The implication being that they were struck by misery and humiliation because of their crimes which they did in succession and because of the fact that they broke all limits on account of their arrogance and haughtiness. They went as far as to kill the Prophets of Allah. The Prophet Zechriah was stoned to death in the city of Judah right between the altar and the temple in Solomon’s temple at the directive of their king Joash. At the very bidding of their king Herodius, the Prophet Yahya’s head was severed and presented to his beloved in a tray. As per their claim, they crucified Jesus (sws). That the Almighty protected him from their evil is a separate matter. Moreover, these killings were without any justification (بِغَيْرِ الْحَقِّ). Murdering someone is one thing, murdering a Prophet grave and murdering a Prophet without any reason very grave. The Qur’ān has made it clear that the Almighty did not let them go free for these crimes because they were the progeny of Prophets; on the contrary, He seized them for these crimes and punished them in this very world.

9. The subject which began in verse 40 is now brought to completion here in this verse 62. The Almighty has made it absolutely clear in this set of verses that no one will attain salvation in the Hereafter on the basis of merely being a Jew, a Christian, a Sabean or a Muslim; on the other hand, he will attain salvation on the basis of believing in Allah, the Day of Judgement and doing righteous deeds. The followers of every religion will be judged on these criteria and there will be no exception to this rule. The claim of the Jews that merely being a Jew is enough to attain salvation is absolutely baseless. Had this been the case, the Almighty would never have punished them in this world for their crimes. Thus, whether a person is a Jew or a Muslim or a follower of any other religion he does not become worthy of Paradise just because he believes in the Prophets. It is only real belief in Allah, the Day of Judgement and righteous deeds that earn him salvation.

10. The actual Qur’ānic words used are ‘وَالَّذِينَ هَادُوا’. Just as the Arabs use the verb ‘هَاَد يَهُوْدُ’ for ‘to repent’, they also use it to mean ‘to become a Jew’. The Qur’ān has not invented this word; it has used it as a common Arabic word. The Jews were given this name after the Prophet Jacob’s son ‘Yehuda’. This name is not made from two constituents ‘يَهُوْ’ and ‘ذَا’, as some people contend. It is made of one root word ‘هُوْد’ and means ‘praise and obedience’. Imām Hamīdu’l-Dīn Farāhī has written a detailed note on this word in his book ‘Mufradātu’l-Qur’ān’.

11. This word is the plural of ‘نَصْرَان’. In the beginning, the followers of the Prophet Jesus (sws) were called by this name. The followers of his rightful disciple Simon also called themselves by this name. However, just as Paul had introduced other innovations in the teachings of the Prophet Jesus (sws), he had also made this name to be a word signifying shame and disgrace. This, however, is clear that the earliest followers of Jesus (sws) liked to be called by this name. Imām Hamīdu’l-Dīn Farāhi has written a detailed note on this word as well in his book ‘Mufradātu’l-Qur’ān’. Those interested in details can consult this book.

12. This is an ancient religious group which was very well known in the time of revelation of the Qur’ān. The word ‘صَبَا’ means to ‘to rise [at dawn]’. Hence, the conjecture of Imam Farāhī seems to be true that these people were called Sabeans (Magians) because of their adeptness in astrology and their acquaintance with the influences of stars and heavenly bodies. The way the Qur’ān has mentioned them here shows that they were a righteous people and like the Jews and Christians, later deviated from the right path. Some of the early scholars of Islam say that these people used to worship the angels, prayed while facing the Ka‘bah and recited the Psalms. Some others regard them to be a sect of the People of the Book and still others opine that they were the followers of the Prophet Abraham (sws). It is evident from certain narratives that the Idolaters of Arabia would call the Prophet (sws) Muhammad and his followers by this name. Imām Farāhī is of the opinion that the reason for this was that these people used to pray a lot. When the Idolaters observed the diligence of the Prophet (sws) and his Companions (rta) in praying five times a day, they reckoned that these people too had become Sabeans. Certain orientalist scholars say that a few people who belong to them still exist in Iraq and the people of Iraq call them the people of the Prophet Yahya (sws). However, since no authentic historical record of theirs exists, nothing can be said about them with certainty.

13. These glad tidings for salvation are of course with the condition that a person has not committed a crime which makes him worthy of Hell in spite of believing in Allah and the Last Day and doing righteous deeds. Examples of such crimes are killing an innocent person or deliberately denying a Prophet of Allah.

14. From here resumes the subject that was taken up in verse 40.

15. The actual Qur’ānic word used is ‘مِيثَاق’. This word is used for a covenant which is made with full awareness and sense of responsibility regarding an important matter about which it is accepted that it will be fulfilled with full sincerity come what may. Here it refers to the covenant which was taken from the Israelites for holding steadfast to the Torah and its directives. Verses 169-171 of Sūrah A‘rāf refer to this covenant in detail.

16. It is evident from both the Qur’ān and the Bible that this covenant was taken from the Israelites in the valley of Mount Tūr in such a manner that it was uprooted from behind and made to hang over them like a canopy. It seemed to them that it would fall over them. This in fact was a display of the power and grandeur of the Almighty made so that the Israelites always remember that the God of this covenant is very powerful and thus must realize the consequences of breaking it.

17. The implication being that the Israelites should hold to it tightly and follow its directives with full determination and steadfastness in all stages of life.

18. The implication being that the Israelites should be aware of each and every word of it whether it is related to its directives or to the admonishment that has been sounded to them if they deviate from these directives.

19. The actual Qur’ānic words used are ‘لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ’. Since before these words the Israelites have been counselled to remember the directives of the Almighty, this context entails that the word ‘تَتَّقُون’ be taken to mean ‘to be secure against the wrath of Allah’.

20. The implication being that the Israelites breached this covenant. Addressing the current generation for what has been done by their forefathers is a very common linguistic style and found in other languages as well. Granada was lost to the Muslims centuries ago; but we do address the Muslims of today in these words: ‘Muslims your oblivious slumber cost you Granada’.

21. ‘Sabbath’ refers to ‘Saturday’. For the Israelites, this day was devoted to worshipping the Almighty generation after generation as a symbolic manifestation of the eternal covenant they had pledged. On this day, they were not allowed to do work, go out for hunting or entertainment and they could not even light their stoves and take service from their slaves. This reference is to the people among them of a city who had tried to liberate themselves from the restrictions of this day by inventing subterfuges in the garb of Sharī‘ah and thus made fun of it; here the purpose is to cite an example of the breaches the Israelites had committed. Since the Israelites were fully aware of this anecdote, the Qur’ān has not mentioned the details.

22. The Qur’ān sounds a curse to the Israelites in these words. It is evident from the succeeding verse that the way they resembled monkeys was so manifest that the people of the surrounding cities could take a lesson from them. It seems that when like monkeys they broke all limits in following their base desires, first their character became perverted and later their appearance also changed. So ultimately they became cursed monkeys from both their inside and their outside.

23. It is referred to in 7:162 that this city was located near a sea and as a divine trial, the fish would come near the coastline on Saturdays in a prominent way. They however did not appear on other days. Authorities are of the opinion that this location was most probably Ilāh or Ilāt or Ilūt. Currently, Israel has made a seaport by this very name. The famous seaport of Jordan ‘Aqbah also lies near it. In the times of the Prophet Solomon (sws), this was the principal port for his military and trade fleets for the Red Sea. Its location lies at the extreme end of that branch of the Red Sea which lies in the form of a long gulf between the eastern side of the island of Sinai and the western coast of Arabia.

24. This is the second example of violation of the covenant by the Israelites. It is evident from this that the Israelites were always on the look out to hoodwink the divine law.

25. It is evident from the incident which is narrated subsequently that the Israelites had been commanded to sacrifice a cow for the purpose of ‘Qassāmah’ (taking oaths over the blood of the sacrificed cow). The Torah narrates this incident in the following words:

If a man is found slain, lying in a field in the land the LORD your God is giving you to possess, and it is not known who killed him, your elders and judges shall go out and measure the distance from the body to the neighbouring towns. Then the elders of the town nearest the body shall take a heifer that has never been worked and has never worn a yoke and lead her down to a valley that has not been ploughed or planted and where there is a flowing stream. There in the valley they are to break the heifer’s neck. The priests, the sons of Levi, shall step forward, for the LORD your God has chosen them to minister and to pronounce blessings in the name of the LORD and to decide all cases of dispute and assault. Then all the elders of the town nearest the body shall wash their hands over the heifer whose neck was broken in the valley, and they shall declare: ‘Our hands did not shed this blood, nor did our eyes see it done’. (Deuteronomy 21:1-8)

26. It is evident from the way the word ‘بَقَرَة’ is used in this verse as an indefinite noun that if the Israelites had sacrificed any average cow, the directive would have stood fulfilled. However, it was their unbecoming temperament of asking various questions that made the directive very difficult to follow.

27. The implication being: ‘What is this way of finding out the murderer? It seems that you are joking with us.’

28. The Qur’ānic words used are ‘أَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ أَنْ أَكُونَ مِنْ الْجَاهِلِينَ’. The word ‘جَهَل’ here is used in contrast to ‘حِِلْم’ (forbearance) and not to ‘عِلْم’ (knowledge). The implied meaning of the Prophet Moses (sws) being: ‘I take refuge with Allah from saying anything foolish in matters of religion’.

29. The implied meaning is that the Israelites should not put themselves into a difficult situation by asking such questions and should just sacrifice any cow they can find.

30. Golden colour is considered to be the best colour for a cow. If the Almighty is asked about its colours, He would naturally select the best one.

31. The actual word used is ‘فَاقِع’. It is used to connote brightness in the golden colour.

32. It becomes clear from these words that the foolishness of their questions had become evident to them as well. It is perhaps a consequence of this feeling that their tongue was blessed with these words and it was a blessing of these words that they were ultimately divinely driven to sacrifice the cow.

33. The actual Qur’ānic words used are ‘الْآنَ جِئْتَ بِالْحَقِّ’. The word   ‘اَلْحَقّ’ is used in the Arabic language in various meanings. One of its meanings is ‘something which is unambiguous and clear’.

34. The word ‘ادَّارَأْتُمْ’ which is used to convey this meaning is actually an assimilated (mudgham) form of ‘تَدَارَءْتُمْ’.

35. The actual Qur’ānic words used are ‘اضْرِبُوهُ بِبَعْضِهَا’. It is evident from the way the pronoun ‘هَا’ has been used in this expression that at this instance also in accordance with the law of Qassāmah, a cow was sacrificed first, but when people swore false oaths and started to blame one another for the murder, the Almighty showed them a miracle to admonish them and to sound a reminder to them of the Hereafter. Since the directive of cow sacrifice for Qassāmah has been mentioned immediately before, the pronoun ‘هَا’ has come in this manner and it has thus very subtly alluded to what has been delineated by the translation above. It should remain evident from the nature of this miracle that striking the slain person with a piece taken from the sacrificed cow is just a symbolic expression; other miracles which have been mentioned in this sūrah prior to this, also appeared through a gesticulation of Moses’ staff. A study of miracle reveals that they normally appear through such symbolic expressions.

36. This is an expression of reminder which the miracle gave by its mere manifestation.

37. That is they kept quibbling and prevaricating and showing stubbornness.

38. The implication being that rocks in spite of being rocks are not divested of the natural characteristics they have been divinely blessed with. The Israelites have seen from their very eyes how the mount of Sinai shook over them and how twelve springs sprouted for them; it is a pity that moral misconduct has dried all the springs of their hearts to such an extent that they have become rocks; in fact their hardness has exceeded that of the stones and rocks.

39. That is the Almighty is well aware of their wrong doings and they should not try to feign piety before Him at least.

40. 40. Here the address shifts from the Jews to the Muslims. A similar shift in address to the Idolaters of Madīnah and its surrounding areas took place in verse 21-9 of this very sūrah. One reason for this current shift of address is to assure the Muslims that they should not loose heart while facing the hostility of the Jews and to inform of them of some clandestine activities of the Jews so that the simpletons among the Muslims are not defrauded by being influenced from the claims to faith made by the Jews.

41. ‘تَحْرِيْف’ means ‘to change and alter the words of a message or a discourse’. Imām Amīn Ahsan Islāhī, while pointing out the various types of alterations the Israelites had been guilty of, writes:

To deliberately interpret something in a manner that is totally opposite to the intention of the author. To distort the pronunciation of a word to such an extent that the word changes completely. For example, the word ‘مروه’ was changed to ‘موره’ or ‘موريا’.

To add to or delete a sentence or discourse in a manner that completely distorts the original meaning. For example, the Jews altered the incident of the migration of the Prophet Abraham (sws) in a manner that no one could prove that Abraham (sws) had any relationship with the Ka‘bah.

To translate a word that has two meanings in the meaning that is totally against the context. For example the Hebrew word ‘ابن’ was translated as ‘son’ whereas it also meant ‘servant’ and ‘slave’.

To raise questions about something which is absolutely clear in order to create uncertainty about it or to change it completely. (Islāhī, Amīn Ahsan, Tadabbur-i-Qur’ān, 2nd ed., vol. 1, (Lahore: Faran Foundation, 1986), p. 252)

42. This condition on alteration (تَحْرِيْف) makes it clear that only deliberate alteration can be in fact called alteration. It is precisely this that makes it a grave sin and deprives its perpetrators of the light which the Almighty has blessed people with through His Prophets.

43. The way the Jews were expressing this acceptance has been dealt with in an earlier note relating to verse 14 of this sūrah. Here this much more should remain clear that when they would profess faith in Prophet Muhammad (sws) implying that he is a Prophet for the Ismaelites, they would also narrate certain predictions about the Prophet Muhammad (sws) which were mentioned in their scriptures.

44. The actual Qur’ānic word used is ‘أُمِّيُّونَ’ which is the plural of ‘اُمِّى’ meaning ‘illiterate’. The way they are mentioned in this verse clearly shows that the people who were guilty of alteration as referred to earlier were the literate and scholars among the Jews.

45. For example their wish that the fire of Hell would touch them for a few days and the wish that only Jews and Christians would enter Paradise and that success in the Hereafter was only their right and that they were the beloved sons of God.

46. This refers to the edicts of the Jews which they would concoct and which had absolutely no base in their religion. This they did in order to fulfill their worldly desires and to please their followers.

47. It is evident from this that their belief in salvation depended on their relationship with their group and not one which related to deeds.

48. That is something which has no base in their scriptures and they have invented it themselves and claim that it is from God.

49. Just as at the end of the previous section of verses came the verse ‘…إِنَّ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَالَّذِينَ هَادُوا’ similarly, this verse appears here. Both have the same objective and it is evident from such instances how beautifully the topics of the Qur’ān are coherently arranged.

50. That is a person who commits a sin and then this sin encompasses his life to such an extent that he becomes devoid of any urge to repent and is also stripped off the awareness that one day he will have to face God, then such a person will stay in Hell eternally whichever group he may belong to.

51. That is whatever group they belong to, they shall go to Paradise.