Surah Al-Baqarah (243-251)
Qur’anic Exegesis
أَلَمْ تَرَ إِلَى الَّذِينَ خَرَجُواْ مِن دِيَارِهِمْ وَهُمْ أُلُوفٌ حَذَرَ الْمَوْتِ فَقَالَ لَهُمُ
[These issues have been raised because of your questions about jihad and infaq. Believers! these directives should not weigh hard upon you]. Did you not see[1] those who were in thousands and who fled their homes because of the fear of death[2]. At this, God said to them: “Live like the dead”[3]. [They remained in this state for many
اللّهُ مُوتُواْ ثُمَّ أَحْياهُمْ إِنَّ اللّهَ لَذُو فَضْلٍ عَلَى النَّاسِ وَلَـكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ النَّاسِ لاَ يَشْكُرُونَ (243)
وَقَاتِلُواْ فِي سَبِيلِ اللّهِ وَاعْلَمُواْ أَنَّ اللّهَ سَمِيعٌ عَلِيمٌ مَّن ذَا الَّذِي يُقْرِضُ اللّهَ قَرْضًا
years[4]], and then God brought them back to life[5]. Surely, God is gracious to mankind, but most men are not grateful [to Him][6]. (243)
[Believers! Learn a lesson from this], and wage war for the cause of God, and bear in mind that God hears all and knows all.[7]
حَسَنًا فَيُضَاعِفَهُ لَهُ أَضْعَافًا كَثِيرَةً وَاللّهُ يَقْبِضُ وَيَبْسُطُ وَإِلَيْهِ تُرْجَعُونَ (244-245)
Who is it who will give God a loan – a generous loan [for this war] that He may increase it for him manifold.[8] And it is God who gives in scant measure and in abundance. [So whatever has been received is His favour] and [one day] to Him shall you be returned.[9] (244-245)
أَلَمْ تَرَ إِلَى الْمَلإِ مِن بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ مِن بَعْدِ مُوسَى إِذْ قَالُواْ لِنَبِيٍّ لَّهُمُ ابْعَثْ لَنَا مَلِكًا نُّقَاتِلْ فِي سَبِيلِ اللّهِ قَالَ هَلْ عَسَيْتُمْ إِن كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ الْقِتَالُ أَلاَّ تُقَاتِلُواْ
Have you[10] not seen the leaders of the Israelites after Moses when they asked one of their prophets[11]: “Appoint a king for us[12]
قَالُواْ وَمَا لَنَا أَلاَّ نُقَاتِلَ فِي سَبِيلِ اللّهِ وَقَدْ أُخْرِجْنَا مِن دِيَارِنَا وَأَبْنَآئِنَا فَلَمَّا كُتِبَ عَلَيْهِمُ الْقِتَالُ تَوَلَّوْاْ إِلاَّ قَلِيلاً مِّنْهُمْ وَاللّهُ عَلِيمٌ بِالظَّالِمِينَ (246)
وَقَالَ لَهُمْ نَبِيُّهُمْ إِنَّ اللّهَ قَدْ بَعَثَ لَكُمْ طَالُوتَ مَلِكًا قَالُوَاْ أَنَّى يَكُونُ لَهُ الْمُلْكُ عَلَيْنَا وَنَحْنُ أَحَقُّ بِالْمُلْكِ مِنْهُ وَلَمْ يُؤْتَ سَعَةً مِّنَ الْمَالِ قَالَ إِنَّ اللّهَ
so that [at his bidding] we can wage war for the cause of God”. At this, the prophet replied: “What if[13] jihad is made mandatory upon you and you refuse to wage it?” They said: “Why should we refuse to wage jihad for the cause of God when we have been driven from our dwellings and our children?” But [this is what exactly happened]: when jihad was made mandatory for them[14], all except a few refused, and [in reality], God knows these who oppress. (246)
And [at their demand] their prophet said to them: “God has appointed[15] Talut[16] as your king.” But they replied: “Why should he be made king upon us when we are more deserving of it than himand he is not a rich person also?”[17] The prophet replied: “God
اصْطَفَاهُ عَلَيْكُمْ وَزَادَهُ بَسْطَةً فِي الْعِلْمِ وَالْجِسْمِ وَاللّهُ يُؤْتِي مُلْكَهُ مَن يَشَاء وَاللّهُ وَاسِعٌ عَلِيمٌ وَقَالَ لَهُمْ نِبِيُّهُمْ إِنَّ آيَةَ مُلْكِهِ أَن يَأْتِيَكُمُ التَّابُوتُ فِيهِ سَكِينَةٌ
has chosen him to rule over you and [for this purpose] blessed him with great wisdom and physique.[18] [This is the kingdom of God] and [in accordance with His wisdom], God gives it to whom He wills. [You observe matters through your narrow eyes] and God is munificent and all-knowing.” Their prophet further explained: “The portent of him being appointed the king would be that [your] Ark[19]shall come back to you [from the hands of your enemies – the Ark] in which there [always has remained for you] great tranquillity[20] and in which are the relics which the
مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ وَبَقِيَّةٌ مِّمَّا تَرَكَ آلُ مُوسَى وَآلُ هَارُونَ تَحْمِلُهُ الْمَلآئِكَةُ إِنَّ فِي ذَلِكَ لآيَةً لَّكُمْ إِن كُنتُم مُّؤْمِنِينَ (247-248)
progeny of Moses and Aaron left behind [for you]. It will be borne by the angels.[21] Indeed, in it is a great sign for you, if you are [true] believers.”[22] (247-248)
فَلَمَّا فَصَلَ طَالُوتُ بِالْجُنُودِ قَالَ إِنَّ اللّهَ مُبْتَلِيكُم بِنَهَرٍ فَمَن شَرِبَ مِنْهُ فَلَيْسَ مِنِّي وَمَن لَّمْ يَطْعَمْهُ فَإِنَّهُ مِنِّي إِلاَّ مَنِ اغْتَرَفَ غُرْفَةً بِيَدِهِ فَشَرِبُواْ مِنْهُ إِلاَّ
[After becoming the king of the Israelites], when Talut marched out with his army,[23] he said: “God has decided to put you to test through a rivulet.[24] The test will be that he who drinks
قَلِيلاً مِّنْهُمْ فَلَمَّا جَاوَزَهُ هُوَ وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ مَعَهُ قَالُواْ لاَ طَاقَةَ لَنَا الْيَوْمَ بِجَالُوتَ وَجُنودِهِ قَالَ الَّذِينَ يَظُنُّونَ أَنَّهُم مُّلاَقُو اللّهِ كَم مِّن فِئَةٍ قَلِيلَةٍ غَلَبَتْ فِئَةً كَثِيرَةً بِإِذْنِ اللّهِ وَاللّهُ مَعَ الصَّابِرِينَ وَلَمَّا بَرَزُواْ لِجَالُوتَ وَجُنُودِهِ قَالُواْ رَبَّنَا أَفْرِغْ
from it shall not remain my companion, and he who does not drink[25] from [the rivulet], or contents himself by tasting it a palmful[26], shall be my companion.” But what happened was that except a few of them all drank from [the rivulet].[27] And when Saul had crossed the river with those who remained on their faith[28] [and saw the armies] then [those who had failed the test] said: “We are not in a position to combat Goliath and his warriors today”. At this, those of them who believed[29] that they would meet God cried out: “[Rest assured, because] many a time a small group has, by God’s grace, vanquished a mighty group, and God is with those who endure with fortitude”.[30] [And it was these truebelievers who] when encountered Goliath and his warriors they
عَلَيْنَا صَبْرًا وَثَبِّتْ أَقْدَامَنَا وَانصُرْنَا عَلَى الْقَوْمِ الْكَافِرِينَ فَهَزَمُوهُم بِإِذْنِ اللّهِ وَقَتَلَ دَاوُدُ جَالُوتَ وَآتَاهُ اللّهُ الْمُلْكَ وَالْحِكْمَةَ وَعَلَّمَهُ مِمَّا يَشَاء وَلَوْلاَ دَفْعُ
prayed: “Lord, bless us with perseverance; make us firm of foot and help us against these disbelievers”. Thus [their prayer was accepted and] at God’s directive they routed [their enemies][31] and David slew Goliath[32] and God bestowed on him sovereignty and
اللّهِ النَّاسَ بَعْضَهُمْ بِبَعْضٍ لَّفَسَدَتِ الأَرْضُ وَلَـكِنَّ اللّهَ ذُو فَضْلٍ عَلَى الْعَالَمِينَ (249-251)
wisdom and taught him what He wants to teach [such of His people[33]] – And [in reality] had God not driven away some by the might of others, the earth would have been filled with anarchy. But [in this manner He has driven away people because] God is gracious to the dwellers of this world.[34] (249-251)
(Tr. by Shehzad Saleem)