- Interpretation Of Quran / The long version
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- (002) Al Bakara
Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds, and peace and blessings upon Sayyidina Muhammad, the honest and the trustworthy. O, Allah, we know nothing but what You teach us. You are the All- Knower, the Wise. O Allah, teach us what is good for us, and benefit us from what You taught us, and increase our knowledge. Show us the righteous things as righteous and help us to do them, and show us the bad things as bad and help us to keep away from them. O Allah our Lord, make us amongst those who listen to the Word and follow the best meaning of it, and admit us, by Thy Grace, to the ranks of Thy righteous Servants.
Getting closer to Allah provides us with unlimited power
Dear brother, this is the 81st lesson of Surat Al-Baqarah which deals with the ayah number 240 in which Allah the Almighty says:
"And those of you who die and leave behind wives should bequeath for their wives a year's maintenance and residence without turning them out, but if they (wives) leave, there is no sin on you for that which they do of themselves, provided it is honourable (e.g. lawful marriage). And Allah is All-Mighty, All-Wise."
Last lecture, I mentioned that the following ayah: "Guard strictly (five obligatory) As-Salawat (the prayers)"
was mentioned between the ayat of divorce, and the ones of jihad (struggling for the Sake of Allah). I told you that these ayat clarify that adherence to the Islamic law is the slightest Islamic action. Also I mentioned that sacrificing ourselves and anything else whether it is precious or valueless requires getting closer to Allah, because your connection with Him will provide you with unlimited power, enthusiasm and Happiness. The Prophet PBUH used to say:((Relieve us with Salah, O Bilal))
Listen to the ayah which follows the ayah of Salah,
"And those of you who die"
Which means when a man dies "and leave behind wives should bequeath for their wives "
When man feels that he is going to die, and when he is on his deathbed, he should bequeath for his wife a whole year's maintenance and residence.
It is kind of the husband to bequeath for his wife a year’s maintenance and residence:
Allah the Almighty says:
"And those of you who die and leave behind wives should bequeath for their wives a year's maintenance and residence"
Until the end of the year.
"without turning them out, but if they (wives) leave, there is no sin on you for that which they do of themselves, provided it is honourable (e.g. lawful marriage). And Allah is All-Mighty, All-Wise."
Before explaining this ayah, I'd like to refer to the ayah where Allah the Almighty says:
"And those of you who die and leave wives behind them, they (the wives) shall wait (as regards their marriage) for four months and ten days,"
We can bring together the rulings of these two ayat by the following: the woman should spend her Iddah (the period a woman must observe after the death of her spouse or after a divorce, during which she cannot remarry) in her husband’s house. During this period which lasts for 4 month and 10 days, it is an obligatory act that she has her maintenance and the one of her children. After this period she can stay at her husband’s house and has the maintenance till the end of the year, because no one may ask her hand after her Iddah finishes or perhaps her parents are abroad and cannot give her the maintenance. In this case she will not be able to leave the house. Thus, it is out of the husband’s kindness to guarantee her maintenance and residence after his death for one whole year.
The wife has the right of residence in her deceased husband's house
Allah the Almighty says:
"And those of you who die and leave behind wives should bequeath for their wives a year's maintenance and residence"
She has the right of maintenance and residence, she can eat, drink in his house and she is obliged to remain there for 4 months and 10 days. After she spends this period of time, she has the free will to remain in her husband’s house and be provided with maintenance till the end of the year,"without turning them out"
Without leaving her husband’s house after his death.
"But if they (wives) leave,"
If she leaves out of her own will, or if someone asks for her hand, then
"There is no sin on you for that which they do of themselves, provided it is honourable (e.g. lawful marriage)."
If the widow is a young woman, she is in need of a husband to protect her and take care of her. Thus, she has the right to adorn herself to get engaged, and to hope to get married according to the Islamic law, principles and morals,
"There is no sin on you for that which they do of themselves, provided it is Marouf (honourable) (e.g. lawful marriage). And Allah is All-Mighty, All-Wise."
Al-Marouf is what is known by sound souls and sound Fitrah:
The best explanation for the word Marouf (what is known) is that Islam is the religion of Fitrah (natural inborn instinct which recognizes Allah), so the sound souls and the clear minds accept it and refuse sh3er. Al-Marouf is what is known by the sound souls and Fitrah, while Al-Munkar (the rejected) is what is rejected by sound Fitrah. By the way, in some western countries, there are some courts which depend on common sense; they inform a group of people they meet on streets about the details of a crime. Those people are not bias and have no self-interest in condemning or discharging the guilty, so they give the right verdict spontaneously. I repeat again; Al-Marouf is what is known by sound Fitrah, and Al-Munkar is what is rejected by sound Fitrah. Thus, when the young woman takes care of her appearance for those who want to marry her, it is according to her Fitrah. Therefore, there is no harm on the righteous pious young widow to move to her parents’ house after she finishes her Iddah to get engaged for example,"there is no sin on you for that which they do of themselves, provided it is honourable (e.g. lawful marriage). And Allah is All-Mighty, All-Wise."
Allah the Almighty says:
"And for divorced women, maintenance (should be provided) on reasonable (scale). This is a duty on Al-Muttaqun"
This means that when the woman gets divorced, she loses the most valuable thing in her life, i.e. her husband. Therefore, in addition to giving her the dowry, and releasing her with kindness, the husband should provide her with maintenance. Some scholars of Islamic Fiqh said, "He should give her half of her dowry as an act of honoring, and as an act of compensation for losing the husband." Perhaps it is impossible to apply this ruling in our society. Nowadays when the husband wants to divorce his wife, disputes arise, spouses start to throw out charges against each other and each one of them defames the other. The husband for example, accuses his wife of infidelity, and she accuses him of stinginess, and these arguments go on in unreasonable manner.
The meaning of releasing with kindness:
When the relationship between the husband and wife comes to its end, and they get divorced according to the Islamic law, Allah's saying should be applied,"either you retain her on reasonable terms or release her with kindness."
Releasing with kindness is to give her the full dowry, and half of her dowry as maintenance out of kindness. Allah the Almighty says:
"And for divorced women, maintenance (should be provided) on reasonable (scale). This is a duty on Al-Muttaqun"
Al-Muttaqun are those who fear Allah. Thus, whoever fears Allah the Almighty and fears the Resurrection Day, and whose heart is full of mercy towards women, will never defame his ex-wife and mention defects which she does not have if their relationship comes to a deadlock, and they see that divorce is the better solution for both of them. A man whose wife was a very bad woman was asked, "Why do not you divorce her?!" He replied, "By Allah, I'll never divorce her, because I do not want to deceive the Muslim who will marry her after me." Allah the Almighty says:
"And for divorced women, maintenance (should be provided) on reasonable (scale). This is a duty on Al-Muttaqun"
It was said that the Judge Shurayh ordered a husband to divorce his wife, and when he ordered him to give her maintenance, she said, "He does not have to give me maintenance, because this is the duty of Al-Muttaqeen (those who fear Allah) and Al-Muhsineen (the doers of good). He is none of them."
The obligatory Iddah and the optional one:
After the above mentioned ayah Allah the Almighty says:"Thus Allah makes clear His Ayat (Laws) to you, in order that you may understand."
In order to apply the Islamic law, man should have deep faith, he should know Allah, the One, the Jude and he should fear the Resurrection Day. Therefore, the true believer may give up some of his rights out of fear of Allah the Almighty, while the hypocrite behaves in a very imprudent, evil and insulting manner whenever he quarrels with his wife. Actually, what happens in our society is that when there is a conflict between a husband and his wife, and when this conflict ends up with divorce, they will defame each other in an exaggerated way. Such exaggeration makes you draws false bad images of the spouses.
"And those of you who die and leave behind wives should bequeath for their wives a year's maintenance and residence without turning them out, but if they (wives) leave,"
As i mentioned above, the obligatory Iddah lasts for 4 months and 10 days. When this period ends, the wife of deceased can go to her parents’ house and stay there to get engaged.
"but if they (wives) leave, "
Out of their own wills.
"there is no sin on you for that which they do of themselves, provided it is honourable (e.g. lawful marriage). And Allah is All-Mighty, All-Wise. * And for divorced women,"
And for divorced women in general
"And for divorced women, maintenance (should be provided) on reasonable (scale). This is a duty on Al-Muttaqun"
It is enough blessing, as it was mentioned in the relic, for every two companions to break off their relationship and each one of them says to the other, "May Allah reward you handsomely". Can you break off your partnership and say to your partner may Allah reward you handsomely for the time I spent with you? Can you divorce a woman and she says to you may Allah reward you handsomely for your great unlimited kindness? What happens between couples nowadays is completely the opposite. The right Islamic attitude is that when you break off a relationship, when you divorce your wife, when you dissolve a business partnership and when you end a relation, you should do that with kind heart and pure soul,
"And for divorced women, maintenance (should be provided) on reasonable (scale). This is a duty on Al-Muttaqun"* Thus Allah makes clear His Ayat (Laws) to you, in order that you may understand."
The subject of Jihad (the sacrificed struggle):
Then Allah the Almighty moves to the subject of Jihad, He says:"Did you (O Muhammad PBUH) not think of those who went forth from their homes in thousands, fearing death?"
Who are they? Their names, their places and their time were not mentioned in these ayat.
"Did you (O Muhammad PBUH) not think of "
This ayah could also be translated as follows,
[did not you (O Muhammad PBUH) see]
but someone may say, "How did Allah the Almighty say to the Prophet PBUH: did not you see… while the Prophet had not seen that?" The scholars who interpreted the Noble Qur'an said, "When Allah the Almighty informs you about something, you receive that as a witness to those events." Allah the Almighty says:"And who is truer in statement than Allah?"
Verily, who is truer in statement than Allah?! Thus, when Allah the Almighty states to you something, you should believe it as if you witnessed those events. In another ayah, He says:"Have you (O Muhammad (Peace be upon him))not seen how your Lord dealt with the Owners of the Elephant?
[The elephant army which came from Yemen under the command of Abrahah Al-Ashram intending to destroy the Ka'bah at Makkah]
. * Did He not make their plot go astray?"
Listen again to the ayah:
"Did you (O Muhammad PBUH) not think of those who went forth from their homes in thousands, fearing death?"
Some scholars said, "Perhaps an enemy threatened them, so they left their country out of fear."This is what happens nowadays when a civil war erupts in a society; hundreds of thousands of people leave their homeland seeking safety in another country.
Man has no power over death and provision:
Allah the Almighty says:"Did you (O Muhammad PBUH) not think of those who went forth from their homes in thousands, fearing death?"
Perhaps they left their homes fearing an infectious fatal disease. Allah has not mentioned the reason, but He has mentioned the result; they got out of their houses in thousands loving people. Some scholars said, "They left their homes as kind people to each other. They did not hate each other, but what made them leave was their fear of a threatening danger such as, an enemy and an infectious fatal disease...etc." whatever the reason was, Allah the Almighty says:
"Allah said to them, "Die".
They became dead by only one word ...
"And then He restored them to life."
Then He brought them back to life by one word too.
" Truly, Allah is full of Bounty to mankind, but most men thank not. "
The best interpretation is that those who went forth from their homes in thousands were afraid of death that could be caused by their enemy. However, Allah the Almighty affirmed that no one can cause death but He. They went seeking safety, but Allah the Almighty made them die, then He willed to bring them back to life. Death and life are in the Hand of Allah Alone, so man has power over neither death nor provision. The Prophet PBUH said:
"The Holy Spirit (Jibreel) has inspired to me that no soul will die until it has completed its appointed term and received its provision in full, so fear Allah O worshipper of Allah, and do not be desperate in seeking provision"
This Hadith was mentioned in the relic. Allah the Almighty has caused death to those who went from their houses in thousands fearing death, and He has brought them back to life by only one word. Allah the Almighty says:
"Say (to them): "Verily, the death from which you flee will surely meet you, then you will be sent back to (Allah), the All-Knower of the unseen and the seen, and He will tell you what you used to do."
Allah reassures you that all your matters are in His Hand:
Man thinks that a heart attack will end his life, but he dies by an accident. Another one may think that he will die in a dangerous place, while standing for example at the line of confrontation in a battle, , yet he dies in a deep dark place…
"Say (to them): "Verily, the death from which you flee will surely meet you,"
It means that death may come to you unexpectedly. They went forth from their houses in thousands fearing death.
"Allah said to them, "Die". And then He restored them to life. Truly, Allah is full of Bounty to mankind, but most men thank not. "
One of the greatest Graces of Allah upon us is that our life and our sustenance are in His Hand (under His Power). Man has no power over people's sustenance and death time although it may seem to foolish people, some weak-minded and those who lack faith that the amount of provision, life and death are under the control of powerful people.
"Truly, Allah is full of Bounty to mankind,"
Allah has ordered you to worship Him after He assured you that all your matters return to Him.
"and to Him return all affairs (for decision). So worship Him (O Muhammad PBUH) and put your trust in Him."
It is illogical that Allah the Almighty orders you to worship Him, while your affairs do not return to Him. If your matters return to other than Him, how could He say to you:
"and to Him return all affairs (for decision). So worship Him (O Muhammad PBUH) and put your trust in Him."
In brief, one of the greatest Graces of Allah is that life and death are under His Power, (Allah Alone brings life and causes death.) Similarly, sustenance is in His Hand. It was said, "The word of truth never hinders sustenance nor brings death closer", but the weakness of faith, the weakness of perception, and keeping away from the essence of Islam, cast in man’s heart fear and dread.
The Missionary Jihad and the fighting one:
After the aforementioned ayah, Almighty Allah says:"And fight in the Way of Allah and know that Allah is All-Hearer, All-Knower."
I keep repeating that there is jihad of An-Nafs (the soul, to strive against your ownself) which is also called Jihad Al-Hawa (to strive against your desires). Actually, the one who is defeated by his ownself cannot sacrifice his money or his soul for the Sake of Allah. Unless you strive against your ownself and your own desires, you will not be able to know Allah and obey Him. When you fight your ownself and desires and defeat them, it is called a missionary Jihad. Thanks to Allah, the missionary Jihad can be noticed in most Muslim countries. About this Jihad Allah the Almighty says:
"but strive against them (by preaching) with the utmost endeavour, with it (the Quran). "
Allah has called it a great Jihad (with the utmost endeavour). When you are powerful, when you can spread the Islamic religion all around the world through the fighting Jihad and when you have high moral ideals, then the fighting Jihad is obligatory,
"And fight in the Way of Allah"
We should fight so that Allah's Word is superior. Whoever aims at achieving this, is fighting in Allah's Cause.
"and know that Allah is All-Hearer, All-Knower."
Allah hears whatever you say, even when you say something good but hide the contrary inside your heart Allah knows it. Allah knows whatever you conceal inside yourself, as not a secret will be hidden from Him.
"that Allah is All-Hearer, All-Knower."
Righteous deeds are like a goodly loan to Allah the Almighty:
Pay attention to the following ayah , Allah the Almighty says:
"Who is he that will lend to Allah a goodly loan"
Allah the Almighty says that when you do a good deed to His servants, it is as if you lend a goodly loan to His Divine Essence. If you help people, relieve them, alleviate their misery, release their prisoner, give charity to the poor, cure their patient and if you do a righteous deed to one of His servants, then all these good deeds are considered a goodly loan to Allah the Almighty, and you will get a multiple reward. This meaning is confirmed by the following Qudsi Hadith in which the Prophet PBUH said:
((O son of Adam, I was sick but you did not visit Me. He will say: O my Lord, how can I visit You when You Are the Lord of the worlds? Allah will say: Did you not know that such-and-such servant of Mine was sick and you did not visit him, and had you visited him you would have found Me with him? O Son of Adam! I asked you for food but you did not give Me any.” “O My Lord! How could I have fed You when You are the Lord of the worlds? Allah will say: Did you not know that My servant so and so asked you for food but you did not give him any. Did you know that if you had fed him, you would have found (reward) with Me? “O son of Adam! I asked you for water and you did not give me any. He says: “O My Lord! How could I have given You drink when You are the Lord of the worlds? Allah will say: Did you not know that My servant so and so asked you for a drink and you did not give him any? Did you not know that if you had given him something to drink you would have found (your reward) with Me?))
Dear brother, if we consider this meaning carefully, our souls will melt (out of Allah's Love). The Creator of the heavens and the earth, the Perfect Essence says to you, "If you do a righteous deed to anyone of My servants, or to anyone of My creatures, it is like a goodly loan to Me, and I will multiply the reward for you." Dear brother, this is the meaning of this ayah. If we apply it, we will rush to serve people. You will help whoever needs your help no matter where he is from, you will alleviate someone's misery, you will help the needy, you will cure the patient, you will guide the clumsy, you will teach the ignorant, you will boost the morale of the frustrated…etc. There are many other righteous deeds such as, smiling in the face of one of your righteous brother, lending an amount of money to one of your brother who is in need, visiting a patient to lift his spirits. All of these good deeds are considered a goodly loan to Allah the Almighty, and Allah will multiply the reward to you many times. This is the meaning of the Noble ayah below:"Who is he that will lend to Allah a goodly loan so that He may multiply it to him many times?"
Goodly loan to Allah is a reason for being honored on the Resurrection Day:
Dear brother, let me elaborate this in a simple manner; when you meet one of your dearest friends with his child, and you give the little child a piece of candy, then you present this piece of candy to the child as an act of honor to his father. You want to please the father more than his child. In other words, this piece of candy which you present to the child is actually presented to the father, because when you honor his child, it is as if you honor him. Likewise, when you perform a righteous deed to anyone of Allah's servant or to any of His creatures, it is just like a goodly loan to Him.
Once, a woman (who was a prostitute) found a starving dog that was eating the soil out of a raging thirst, so she went down a well, filled her shoe with water, then climbed up and gave it to the dog. The dog drank and thanked Allah for her, so Allah forgave her sins. This is the situation of the Muslim; he is good to all the creatures whether human or non-human beings, all of them are the creatures of Allah the Almighty. Thus, when you reassure Allah’s creatures , when you are kind to them, when you treat them in a good way, honor them, lead them to get to know Allah and help them in religious affairs and the ones related to their worldly lives, you will lend Almighty Allah a goodly loan.
"Who is he that will lend to Allah a goodly loan so that He may multiply it to him many times? And it is Allah that decreases or increases (your provisions), and unto Him you shall return."
I will give you an example to illustrate the meaning of the ayah. A king, who is enormously wealthy, says to a poor man, "Lend me one Dirham and take a palace or a considerable wealth for it." If that poor man refuses to lend the king one Dirham and take a great palace or a fabulous wealth or occupy a high position instead of it, then he is absolutely foolish. That king does not need the Dirham of the poor man, but he just wants to make this loan a reason for honoring him. Similarly, Allah the Almighty wants to make His worshipper's goodly loan a reason for being honored on the Day of Resurrection,
"Who is he that will lend to Allah a goodly loan"
Your position in the Sight of Allah is based on your deeds:
In contrast, the one who harms the worshipper of Allah, who cheats people, who takes their money unlawfully, who terrifies them, who spoils their relationships, who destroys their family ties, who corrupts their sound nature, who spreads the moral corruption among people, who spreads a pornographic film or story, and who spreads a false creed to corrupt the creed and morals of people, what does this man do? His deed contradicts what Allah wants him to do. Allah wants him to lend Him a goodly loan, so that He will multiply the reward to him, but this man harms Allah's creatures instead. . It was mentioned in a Qudsi Hadith that good and evil are under the Power of Allah, but blessed is the one to whom the good is attributed according to Allah's Will, and woe to the one to whom the evil is ascribed according to Allah's Will.
You spread either good or evil. Thus, if you want to know your position in the Sight of Allah, consider your deeds which Allah has inspired you to perform (according to your own free will,)
"Who is he that will lend to Allah a goodly loan so that He may multiply it to him many times? And it is Allah that decreases or increases (your provisions), and unto Him you shall return."
I would like to tell you a story of an old righteous woman who used to live in old Damascus. She had a lemon tree in her house which used to produce more than 5 hundred lemons each year. Whenever her neighbors wanted lemons, they knocked her door and asked her for them, and that old noble righteous woman never minded giving them lemons. The lemon tree used to produce a huge number of lemons every year, as if it was means of sustenance for all the neighbors. When that noble woman died, her reckless young daughter- in- law lived in her house. When her neighbors knocked her door for the first time asking for lemons, she refused to give them any, so it was the last time they knocked her door. Consequently, the lemon tree dried and died.
To sum up, when you are generous to people, Allah will be generous to you, but when you are mean, He will never grant you. When someone asks you to help him, you should be pleased, because when Allah the Almighty loves one of His worshippers, He makes people ask for his help. Every righteous deed you do to any creature, even if you save an ant from drowning while you are performing wudu (ablution), is considered a goodly loan to Allah the Almighty. Also, saving a butterfly, removing a straw from the Masjid (mosque) ground and putting it in your pocket and any other good deed that may seem valueless to you, are considered a goodly loan to Allah the Almighty, and He will multiply your reward many times.
In times of adversity people are few, while during dividing spoils, they are many:
Then Allah the Almighty says:
"Have you not thought about the group of the Children of Israel after (the time of) Musa (Moses)? When they said to a Prophet of theirs, "Appoint for us a king and we will fight in Allah's Way."
Actually, making claims is too easy,
"O you who believe! Why do you say that which you do not do?"
It is easy to make claims, but it seems that that Noble Prophet knew them perfectly well (he knew that they were just claiming when they said that they would fight in Allah's Way.)Therefore, he said to them,
"He said, "Would you then refrain from fighting, if fighting was prescribed for you?"
He said to them,
"Now you wish you fight in Allah's Way, but if fighting is prescribed for you afterwards, will you refuse to do that?"
They answered him,"They said, "Why should we not fight in Allah's Way while we have been driven out of our homes and our children (families have been taken as captives)?"
They replied,
"Why do not we fight in Allah's Way since we have been expelled from our country, and we have lost our children?"
"But when fighting was ordered for them, they turned away, all except a few of them."
In times of adversity, you miss many people, while during the times of dividing spoils, all people gather! During time of hardship, you find none.
"But when fighting was ordered for them, they turned away, all except a few of them. And Allah is All-Aware of the Zalimun (polytheists and wrong-doers)."
Who are the Zalimun (the wrongdoers)? They are those who wronged themselves by refusing to respond to the Command of their Lord the Almighty.
Allah's Standards are different from those of people:
Allah the Almighty says:
"And their Prophet (Samuel ) said to them, "Indeed Allah has appointed Talut (Saul) as a king over you."
Allah sent to them a king named Talut to be their leader in fighting the enemy and to take back their land, and to regain their dignity. However, they had their own standards concerning the leader. Their worldly standards are manifested in the following ayah,
"They said, "How can he be a king over us when we are better fitted than him for the kingdom, and he has not been given enough wealth."
According to their standards, the king who leads them to what is good should live a luxurious lifestyle, and he should be notable, rich and famous, while Allah the Almighty has chosen for them a poor man, but he was a brave believer. They rejected him because these standards contradict theirs.
"They said, "How can he be a king over us when we are better fitted than him for the kingdom, and he has not been given enough wealth. He said: "Verily, Allah has chosen him above you"
Each society has its own standards which sometimes contradict the standards of Allah the Almighty. Whom do people magnify? They magnify the rich and the powerful forgetting about all their mistakes, while they always focus on the mistakes of the poor person. This poor man will always be watched, so he may be held accountable for even a statement like, "None deserves to be worshipped except Allah. " The wealthy man, on the other hand, may commit major mistakes, shameful acts and other unacceptable deeds, nevertheless, they turn a blind eye to him. Verily, those are the standards of humankind.
The leader of a decisive battle should be knowledgeable:
Allah the Almighty says:
"They said, "How can he be a king over us when we are better fitted than him for the kingdom, and he has not been given enough wealth. He said: "Verily, Allah has chosen him above you and has increased him abundantly in knowledge and stature."
The one who will lead a nation in a fateful war should be knowledgeable, Allah the Almighty says:
"He said: "Verily, Allah has chosen him above you and has increased him abundantly in knowledge and stature."
It means that Allah has granted him deep knowledge and immense physical strength.
And Allah grants His Kingdom to whom He wills."
You should not object to Allah's Decree. Allah the Almighty grants His Kingdom to whomever He wills according to His extremely deep Wisdom,
"And Allah is All-Sufficient for His creatures' needs, All-Knower."
Scholars have different interpretations about At-Tabut:
Then that noble Prophet said to them:
"And their Prophet (Samuel) said to them: Verily! The sign of His Kingdom is that there shall come to you At-Tabut (a wooden box), wherein is Sakinah (peace and reassurance) from your Lord"
The scholars’ interpretations vary concerning the meaning of At-Tabut (a wooden box). Actually, At-Tabut was mentioned in the story of Prophet Moses PBUH. Allah says,"Saying: 'Put him (the child) into the Tabut (a box or a case or a chest) and put it into the river (Nile), then the river shall cast it up on the bank,"
Some scholars said, "The Tabut where Allah saved Prophet Moses PBUH, was favored by the children of Israel, but they lost it. They kept searching for it, but in vain." Therefore, the sign of the King whom Allah has chosen for them was that he would bring the Tabut to them. Other group of scholars said, "At-Tabut was a box where At-Torah, and the verses that Allah revealed to Prophet Moses PBUH were concealed." Actually, the latter interpretation is stronger,
"And their Prophet (Samuel ) said to them: Verily! The sign of His Kingdom is that there shall come to you At-Tabut (a wooden box), wherein is Sakinah (peace and reassurance) from your Lord and a remnant of that which Musa (Moses) and Harun (Aaron) left behind, carried by the angels."
It was the authentic Torah which was revealed by Allah the Almighty. It was not the distorted one, so whoever read it, his heart would be filled with tranquility and reassurance. That Torah is the Word of Allah the Almighty, wherein is peace and reassurance from your Lord.
"and a remnant of that which Musa (Moses) and Harun (Aaron) left behind, carried by the angels."
It included some statements of that noble Prophet. In our religion, we have a Noble Book which is the Noble Qur'an, and we have Noble As7adeth of the Prophet PBUH which explain what is mentioned in the Noble Qur'an. Likewise, in At-Tabut, there were the plates of Prophet Moses PBUH and some of the entirely clear and precise ayat.
"wherein is Sakinah (peace and reassurance) from your Lord and a remnant of that which Musa (Moses) and Harun (Aaron) left behind, carried by the angels. Verily, in this is a sign for you if you are indeed believers."
Which means At-Tabut is the sign of Talut whom Allah has chosen for you to lead you in your battle to take back your land and to restore your dignity.
The following ayah includes a scientific fact:
Allah the Almighty says:
"Then when Talut (Saul) set out with the army, he said: "Verily! Allah will try you by a river."
By a river whose water is fresh,"So whoever drinks thereof, he is not of me, and whoever tastes it not, he is of me, except him who takes (thereof) in the hollow of his hand."
In addition to the fact that this ayah is a part of the story, it includes a reference to a scientific fact. If someone exerts a considerable physical effort in intense heat, then drinks greedily very cold fresh water till he satisfies his thirst, he may die immediately. The reason is that his body temperature is at its highest level, so when very cold water enters inside your stomach suddenly, this will stimulate a nerve in the stomach which called the vagus nerve. This nerve connects the stomach with the heart. Many cases of sudden death are caused by drinking very cold water immediately after exerting a great effort. Actually, people who got lost in the dessert sometimes die out of drinking cold water. They drink till they satisfy their thirst, so they are afflicted with a heart attack. This is the scientific fact indicated in the ayat, but the context of the ayah does not discuss this fact:
"Then when Talut (Saul) set out with the army, he said: "Verily! Allah will try you by a river. whoever drinks thereof, he is not of me,"
Although the ayat refers to a scientific fact, in this particular context it shows how Allah tests the army (whether they will drink from it or not),
"and whoever tastes it not, he is of me, except him who takes (thereof) in the hollow of his hand."
This means when man exerts a great physical effort, and he is dying for a cup of water, he should only drink a little amount of water. It was narrated that the Prophet PBUH said:
((The best drink in this world is water, when you are thirsty drink it by sips and not gulps, gulping produces sickness of the liver.))
Thus, when someone drinks only what fills the palm of his hand, and sucks it, he may save his life from danger.When man disobeys Allah, he suffers physical weakness:
Allah the Almighty says:"Yet, they drank thereof, all, except a few of them."
Those who wanted to fight with him were a few of many people, and those who abstained from drinking the water of that river were a few of them too.
"So when he had crossed it (the river), he and those who believed with him, they said: "We have no power this day against Jalut (Goliath) and his hosts."
In fact when man commits a sin or disobeys Allah, he feels physical weakness, but when he abides by Allah's Order, he will stand up for Salah vividly. The person who allows himself to commit something that does not please Allah, he will stand up for Salah lazily after hearing the Azan, because a veil will detach him from Allah. Those who disobeyed their leader's order and drank from that river, when they encountered their formidable enemy, said:
"They said: "We have no power this day against Jalut (Goliath) and his hosts." But those who knew with certainty that they were to meet their Lord, said: "How often a small group overcame a mighty host by Allah's Leave?" And Allah is with As-Sabirin (the patient ones, etc.)."
This leads us to the fact that there is a deserved victory.Types of victory:
1- The deserved Victory:
The deserved victory means that Allah will grant you victory no matter how few you are. You will be granted triumph as long as you are real believers, fully adhere to Allah's Order and in need of Him. Allah the Almighty says:
"How often a small group overcame a mighty host by Allah's Leave?"
Thus, this is the victory by worthiness.
2- The granted victory:
Allah the Almighty says:
"The Romans have been defeated * In the nearer land (Syria, Iraq, Jordan, and Palestine), and they, after their defeat, will be victorious. * Within three to nine years. The decision of the matter, before and after (these events) is only with Allah, (before the defeat of Romans by the Persians, and after, i.e. the defeat of the Persians by the Romans)."
This is the victory by Allah's Bounty, i.e. the Romans did not deserve to win over the Persians, as they did not fulfill the conditions of victory. However, according to Allah's Deep Wisdom, He grants victory to the party who is less evil than the other one, so, it is called the triumph by Allah's Bounty. Nowadays, you may hear similar cases of victory, the winner may not deserve to win, but according to Allah's Wisdom, the less evil army is granted victory over the more evil one.
3- The victory that is based on the Enactment of Allah:
This victory is granted according to the Enactment of Allah in the earth, and it has nothing to do with the religious basis. Let me illustrate; the parties of the war do not believe in Allah and they turn away from Him, so they are heedless and ignorant. However, Allah enables the party which is more prepared, more in number, has the more powerful weapons, is more accurate in shooting, is richer, is stronger and is more knowledgeable to defeat the other party. Thus, the victory which is based on the Enactment of Allah is not related to the religion. It is said, "The battle between two rights never happens because the right can never be numerous, the battle between the right and the falsehood never lasts long because Allah is with the right, and the battle between two false parties will never end." This is exactly the victory that is based on the Enactment of Allah.The balance of power is one of Allah's Greatest Graces:
Allah the Almighty says:
"How often a small group overcame a mighty host by Allah's Leave?" And Allah is with As-Sabirin"
"And when they advanced to meet Jalut (Goliath) and his forces, they invoked:..."
Those who were a small group said:
"they invoked: "Our Lord! Pour forth on us patience and make us victorious over the disbelieving people."
Allah responded to their sincere supplication, He says:
"So they routed them by Allah's Leave and Dawud (David) killed "
Who was a soldier in the Army of Talut?
"Jalut (Goliath), and Allah gave him
[Dawud (David)]
the kingdom
[after the death of Talut (Saul) and Samuel]
and Al-Hikmah (Prophethood), and taught him of that which He willed."
Here is the moral lesson of the story:
"And if Allah did not check one set of people by means of another, the earth would indeed be full of mischief. But Allah is full of Bounty to the 'Alamin (mankind, jinns and all that exists)."
The balance of power is one of the Greatest Graces of Allah. If there is only one powerful country in the earth, we will suffer a fairly bad condition. Actually, we did not realize the value of the balance of power before, but nowadays we do. This balance is to the advantage of the weak and of many countries, because if only one powerful country has control over other countries, it will do whatever it wishes without mercy, fear or dread.
"And if Allah did not check one set of people by means of another, the earth would indeed be full of mischief. But Allah is full of Bounty to the 'Alamin (mankind, jinns and all that exists)."
This story confirms the prophecy of Prophet Muhammad PBUH:
Dear brother, let's ponder over the following Noble ayah one more time, Allah the Almighty says:"So they routed them by Allah's Leave and Dawud (David) killed Jalut (Goliath), and Allah gave him
[Dawud (David)]
the kingdom
[after the death of Talut (Saul) and Samuel]
and Al-Hikmah (Prophethood), and taught him of that which He willed. And if Allah did not check one set of people by means of another,.."
It refers to the balance of power,"the earth would indeed be full of mischief. But Allah is full of Bounty to the 'Alamin (mankind, jinns and all that exists)."
One of the indications of Allah's Bounty is that He made the forces balanced. However, according to Allah's Will, sometime one power has control over the whole earth, which causes calamities to the other nations. O Allah, let us recognize the grace when it exists not after it vanishes.
"These are the Verses of Allah, We reauthor them to you (O Muhammad PBUH) in truth, and surely, you are one of the Messengers (of Allah)."
How did the Prophet PBUH know the stories of Dawud, Talut, Jalut, and those who went forth from their houses in thousands fearing death? The Prophet PBUH did not witness the events of these stories, but when he PBUH mentioned clearly those stories in details, this confirms his prophecy because Allah the Almighty says:
"You were not with them, when they cast lots with their pens as to which of them should be charged with the care of Maryam (Mary);"
Who informed the Prophet PBUH about that? He is Allah the Almighty:
"These are the Verses of Allah, We reauthor them to you (O Muhammad PBUH) in truth, and surely, you…"
These ayat confirm that,
" you are one of the Messengers (of Allah)."
