B i s m i l l a a h i r R a h m a a n i r R a h e e m Teachings of the Qur`aan Soorah 7  Aayaat 160 - 164 Ayub A. Hamid
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Once the Israelites repented and took the covenant to firmly hold and strictly follow the revelations of Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta‘aala, their repentance was accepted. To ensure that in future all Israelites maintain the order among their ranks and follow the Islamic teachings properly without giving any trouble maker a chance to misguide them, they were organized into twelve organizational units based on their clan structure. The head of each clan was accountable to ensure proper order and Islamic practice in his clan. The next section briefly mentions this regimentation of Israelites and other stupendous favours Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta‘aala conferred upon them to ensure their survival in the desert. 160 We divided them into twelve clan-based communities. When his people implored him for water, We revealed to Moosa, “Strike the rock with your staff”; and twelve springs gushed forth therefrom. Each community identified its watering place. In addition, We made the clouds to provide shade over them and We sent to them manna and salwa[1] and told them, “Eat of the good things We have provided for you.” However, they were ungrateful and in doing so, they did not wrong Us, but they were wronging themselves. Just imagine the greatness of Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta‘aala’s mercy on those more than a million Israelites[2] in a desert where they had neither any source of food, nor water, nor any means of shelter from the scorching sun. As mentioned earlier, they were brought to the desert to provide them an opportunity to train themselves in personal Islamic excellence and in the traits of free people, including their leadership capabilities. After their orientation and training, they were supposed to form an Islamic state for establishing Islamic system of justice, peace and excellence in all surrounding areas. Hence, they were commanded to take over a city, enter into it with an attitude of humility and forgiveness, being kind to its residents, and seeking forgiveness of Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta‘aala. 161 And remember when it was said to them, “Take up residence in this town, consume its produce as you like, repent continually, and enter the gate in a posture of humility, We shall forgive you your faults and We shall increase rewards for those who excel. 162 But those who were unjust among them changed it to a statement other than that which they were told, so We sent upon them a punishment from heaven because of the wrongs they were doing. Human beings do make mistakes. Even the most sincere and dedicated believers sometimes slip and err. That is why Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta‘aala does not expect any person to be perfect, but He wants everyone to try his best to excel. He, the Merciful, forgives the errors and mistakes a person makes as long as he continues to strive to do better. If a person tries to excel, Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta‘aala grants him more rewards than he deserves. But those who disregard His teachings face His severe punishment. The next few verses describe a specific incident of the disobedience of the Israelites and its consequences. Saturday (from sunset on Friday to sunset on Saturday) was designated as the Sabbath day for the Jews. They were not allowed to do any work, light fire, cook meals, do any worldly activity or have any animals or servants do any activity for them. The day was supposed to be spent only in the remembrance and worship of Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta‘aala. This was such an important command that the violators were supposed to be punished by death[3]. The incident describes how Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta‘aala dealt with people when the Sabbath was violated. This incident is currently not found in the Biblical or Jewish literature. However, the way the Prophet sall Alaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam was told to ask the Jews about this incident indicates that it was well known among the Jews at the time of the Prophet sall Alaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. Its common knowledge among them is further confirmed by the fact that not a single Jewish enemy of Islam raised any objection to the narration of this incident. 163 And ask them about the town that was by the sea when they violated the limits of the Sabbath—when their fish came to them on the day of their Sabbath, appearing on the surface of the water, and on the day they had no Sabbath, they did not come to them. Thus did We test them because they were defiantly disobedient. 164 And when a group of them said, “Why do you admonish a people whom Allaah is to destroy or punish with a severe punishment?” They responded, “To be absolved before your Lord and perhaps they may save themselves from His wrath.” It shows that when people are given to disobedience, Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta‘aala tests them by making the circumstances more attractive and alluring for them. It should be noted that the whole community was not involved in the violation of the Sabbath. Rather the community was divided into three kinds of people. There were those who violated the Sabbath. There were those who were actively engaged in admonishing them not to do so. And then there were those who were neither involved in the violation nor in the efforts to stop the violators. They believed in minding only their own business. [1] Manna literally means special favour. It was called a special favour because it was extraordinarily provided as food. It would come down like dew but dried to become like grain. Salwa was a quail-like bird which came to their encampment in the thousands and was easily caught. Between these two items, all their nutritional needs were met. [2] The number of men excluding women and children was 600,000 (Exodus 12:37). Also, the adults 20 and over who could serve in the army of Israel were counted to be 603,550, (Numbers 1:44). [3] Exodus 31:14
 Copyright © 2008 Ayub A. Hamid All rights reserved
This document may be used, only with this copyright notice included. Permission is granted to circulate among private individuals and groups, to post on internet forums, and include in not-for-profit publications subject to the following conditions: (1) Material used must be produced faithfully in full, without alteration or omission; (2) The author’s subject title must remain unchanged, in whole or in part; (3) Material must be attributed to the author Ustaadz Ayub A. Hamid. Contact the author for all other rights, which are reserved. Note: This series is providing the teachings of the Qur‘aan, not a literal translation. Instead of literal translation, it gives interpretive meanings of the verses, along with their contextual details. Please remember that any translation of the Holy Qur‘aan is in fact only an expression of the translator’s understanding of the Word of Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta‘aala, and hence cannot be equated with the Qur‘aan itself. Only the original Arabic text can be called the Holy Qur‘aan.
Ustaadz Ayub A. Hamid is a visionary and strategic Islamic thinker residing in Canada for the last 32 years. His recently published books are: 1. Islam - Does It Make Sense? 2. Unveiling the Commands—The Truth about Hijaab, Khimaar and Jilbaab. 3. Finding A Soulmate - A Guide for Parents and Youth. 4. A Book Unlike Any Other. 5. Islam - Adopting Its Paradigms. 6. Exploring the Islamic Beliefs. http://soundvisionc anada.com/ shop/pbrowse. asp?Pg=3&Cat=10004
The following soowar ‘Teachings of the Qur‘aan’ series by Ustaadz Ayub A. Hamid, are available on request:- Al Faatihah Al Baqarah Aali ‘Imraan A Nisaa‘ Al Maaidah Al An’aam Al A'raaf: Name, Background and Topics/7:1-9/7:10-25/7:26-33/7:34-39/7:40-53/7:54-58/ 7:59-72/7:73-79/7:80-93/7:94-102/7:103-126/7:127-137/7:138-147/7:148-154/7:155-159/
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