Verse Number 23-25
The Book of Musa and the Leadership of the Children of Israel
Allah tells us that He gave the Book — the Tawrah — to His servant and Messenger Musa, peace be upon him.
فَلاَ تَكُن فِى مِرْيَةٍ مِّن لِّقَآئِهِ
(So, be not you in doubt of meeting him.) Qatadah said, “This refers to the Night of Isra’,” then he narrated that Abu Al-`Aliyah Ar-Riyahi said, “The cousin of your Prophet, meaning Ibn `Abbas, told me that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
«أُرِيتُ لَيْلَةَ أُسْرِيَ بِي مُوسى بْنَ عِمْرَانَ رَجُلًا آدَمَ طِوَالًا جَعْدًا كَأَنَّهُ مِنْ رِجَالِ شَنُوءَةَ، وَرَأَيْتُ عِيسى رَجُلًا مَرْبُوعَ الْخَلْقِ إِلَى الْحُمْرَةِ وَالْبَيَاضِ، سَبْط الرَّأْسِ، وَرَأَيْتُ مَالِكًا خَازِنَ النَّارِ وَالدَّجَّال»
(On the night of Isra’, I saw Musa bin `Imran, a tall, brown-skinned man with curly hair, looking like the men of Shanu’ah; and I saw `Isa, a man of medium stature and ruddy white skin, and with lank hair. And I saw Malik the Keeper of Hell, and the Dajjal.) Among the signs which Allah showed him were:
فَلاَ تَكُن فِى مِرْيَةٍ مِّن لِّقَآئِهِ
(So, be not you in doubt of meeting him.) i.e., he saw Musa and met with him on the Night of Isra’.”
وَجَعَلْنَـهُ
(And We made it) means, `the Book which We gave to him, ‘
هُدًى لِّبَنِى إِسْرَءِيلَ
(a guide to the Children of Israel.) This is similar to what Allah says in Surat Al-Isra’:
وَءَاتَيْنَآ مُوسَى الْكِتَـبَ وَجَعَلْنَاهُ هُدًى لِّبَنِى إِسْرَءِيلَ أَلاَّ تَتَّخِذُواْ مِن دُونِى وَكِيلاً
(And We gave Musa the Scripture and made it a guidance for the Children of Israel (saying): “Take none other than Me as Trustee.”) (17:2)
وَجَعَلْنَا مِنْهُمْ أَئِمَّةً يَهْدُونَ بِأَمْرِنَا لَمَّا صَبَرُواْ وَكَانُواْ بِـَايَـتِنَا يُوقِنُونَ
(And We made from among them, leaders, giving guidance under Our command, when they were patient and used to believe with certainty in Our Ayat.) means, because they were patient in adhering to the commands of Allah and avoiding what He prohibited, and they believed in His Messengers and followed what they brought, there were among them leaders who guided others to the truth by the command of Allah, calling for goodness, enjoining what is right and forbidding what is wrong. Then when they changed the Words of Allah, twisting and distorting them, they lost that position and their hearts became hard. They change the words from their places, so they do no righteous deeds and have no correct beliefs. Allah says:
وَجَعَلْنَا مِنْهُمْ أَئِمَّةً يَهْدُونَ بِأَمْرِنَا لَمَّا صَبَرُواْ
(And We made from among them (Children of Israel), leaders, giving guidance under Our command, when they were patient) Qatadah and Sufyan said: “When they patiently shunned the temptations of this world.” This was also the view of Al-Hasan bin Salih. Sufyan said, “This is how these people were. A man cannot be an example to be followed unless he shuns the temptation of this world.” Allah says:
وَلَقَدْ ءَاتَيْنَا بَنِى إِسْرَءِيلَ الْكِتَـبَ وَالْحُكْمَ وَالنُّبُوَّةَ وَرَزَقْنَـهُمْ مِّنَ الطَّيِّبَـتِ وَفَضَّلْنَـهُمْ عَلَى الْعَـلَمينَ وَءاتَيْنَـهُم بَيِّنَـتٍ مِّنَ الاٌّمْرِ
(And indeed We gave the Children of Israel the Scripture, and the understanding of the Scripture and its laws, and the prophethood; and provided them with good things, and preferred them above the nations. And We gave them clear proofs in matters.) (45:16-17). And He says here:
إِنَّ رَبَّكَ هُوَ يَفْصِلُ بَيْنَهُمْ يَوْمَ الْقَيَـمَةِ فِيمَا كَانُواْ فِيهِ يَخْتَلِفُونَ
(Verily, your Lord will judge between them on the Day of Resurrection, concerning that wherein they used to differ.) meaning, with regard to beliefs and actions.
Verse Number 26-27
Learning the Lessons of the Past
Allah says: will these people who deny the Messengers not learn from the nations who came before them, whom Allah destroyed for their rejection of His Messengers and their opposition to what the Messengers brought them of the straight path No trace is left of them whatsoever.
هَلْ تُحِسُّ مِنْهُمْ مِّنْ أَحَدٍ أَوْ تَسْمَعُ لَهُمْ رِكْزاً
(Can you find a single one of them or hear even a whisper of them) (19:98). Allah says:
يَمْشُونَ فِى مَسَـكِنِهِمْ
(in whose dwellings they do walk about) meaning, these disbelievers walk about in the places where those disbelievers used to live, but they do not see any of those who used to live there, for they have gone —
كَأَن لَّمْ يَغْنَوْاْ فِيهَآ
(As if they had never lived there) (11:68) This is like the Ayat:
فَتِلْكَ بُيُوتُهُمْ خَاوِيَةً بِمَا ظَلَمُواْ
(These are their houses in utter ruin, for they did wrong) (27:52).
فَكَأَيِّن مِّن قَرْيَةٍ أَهْلَكْنَـهَا وَهِىَ ظَالِمَةٌ فَهِىَ خَاوِيَةٌ عَلَى عُرُوشِهَا وَبِئْرٍ مُّعَطَّلَةٍ وَقَصْرٍ مَّشِيدٍ أَفَلَمْ يَسِيرُواْ فِى الاٌّرْضِ
(And many a township did We destroy while they were given to wrongdoing, so that it lie in ruins, and (many) a deserted well and lofty castle! Have they not traveled through the land) until:
وَلَـكِن تَعْمَى الْقُلُوبُ الَّتِى فِى الصُّدُورِ
(but it is the hearts which are in the breasts that grow blind.) (22:45-46) Allah says here:
إِنَّ فِى ذَلِكَ لاّيَاتٍ
(Verily, therein indeed are signs.) meaning, in the fact that these people are gone and have been destroyed, and in what happened to them because they disbelieved the Messengers, and how those who believed in them were saved, there are many signs, proofs and important lessons.
أَفَلاَ يَسْمَعُونَ
(Would they not then listen) means, to the stories of those who came before and what happened to them. n
The Revival of the Earth with Water is Proof of the Resurrection to come
أَوَلَمْ يَرَوْاْ أَنَّا نَسُوقُ الْمَآءَ إِلَى الاٌّرْضِ الْجُرُزِ
(Have they not seen how We drive water to the dry land) Here Allah explains His kindness and goodness towards them by His sending water to them, whether from the sky or from water flowing through the land, water carried by rivers down from the mountains to the lands that need it at particular times. Allah says:
إِلَى الاٌّرْضِ الْجُرُزِ
(to the dry land) which means the land where nothing grows, as in the Ayah,
وَإِنَّا لَجَاعِلُونَ مَا عَلَيْهَا صَعِيداً جُرُزاً
(And verily, We shall make all that is on it a bare dry soil.) (18:8) i.e., barren land where nothing grows. Allah says here:
أَوَلَمْ يَرَوْاْ أَنَّا نَسُوقُ الْمَآءَ إِلَى الاٌّرْضِ الْجُرُزِ فَنُخْرِجُ بِهِ زَرْعاً تَأْكُلُ مِنْهُ أَنْعَـمُهُمْ وَأَنفُسُهُمْ أَفَلاَ يُبْصِرُونَ
(Have they not seen how We drive water to the dry land that has no vegetation, and therewith bring forth crops providing food for their cattle and themselves Will they not then see) This is like the Ayah,
فَلْيَنظُرِ الإِنسَـنُ إِلَى طَعَامِهِ أَنَّا صَبَبْنَا الْمَآءَ صَبّاً
(Then let man look at his food: We pour forth water in abundance.) (80:24-25). Allah says here:
أَفَلاَ يُبْصِرُونَ
(Will they not then see)