Allah, the Exalted, continues to remind the people of the book how He bestowed their ancestors with many blessings and how these blessings were met with ingratitude. He was warning the people of the book living in Medina to avoid the behaviour of their ancestors and instead show gratitude to Him. This involves correcting one’s intention so that they only act in order to please Allah, the Exalted. An indication of one’s sincerity to Allah, the Exalted, is that they will not hope nor expect for reward or gratitude from people. The one who acts for the sake of people will be told to gain their reward from the people they acted for on Judgement Day, which will not be possible. This has been warned in a Hadith found in Jami At Tirmidhi, number 3154. Gratitude with the tongue is shown when one speaks what is good or remains silent. And gratitude with one’s actions is shown by using the blessings one has been granted in ways pleasing to Allah, the Exalted, as outlined in the Holy Quran and the traditions of the Holy Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him. An aspect of this gratitude the people of the book living in Medina should have shown Allah, the Exalted, was to accept Islam when it was presented to them as they clearly recognized its truthfulness. Chapter 6 Al An’am, verse 20:
“Those to whom We have given the Scripture recognize it[the Holy Quran] as they recognize their [own] sons…”
And chapter 2 Al Baqarah, verse 146:
“Those to whom We gave the Scripture know him [Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him] as they know their own sons…”
Chapter 2 Al Baqarah, verse 58:
“And [recall] when We said, “Enter this city and eat from it wherever you will in [ease and] abundance…””
After the destruction of Pharoah, the children of Israel were commanded to enter a city which Allah, the Exalted, designated for them, under the leadership of the Holy Prophet Musa, peace be upon him. This city is not named in these verses as this information is not relevant to learn the important lessons these verses teach. One must therefore always aim to research and study relevant information, which will aid them to increase their sincere obedience to Allah, the Exalted, and study and act on those things which will be questioned about on Judgement Day. In addition, this verse indicates the importance of understanding that in most cases, a person receives blessings in both worlds according to their efforts. Chapter 53 An Najm, verse 39:
“And that there is not for man except that [good] for which he strives.”
The children of Israel were promised a life of ease after they struggled against the tyrannical nation which was ruling that city at the time. One must therefore understand that just like they cannot obtain worldly success without real effort, neither will they obtain spiritual success in the form of peace of mind and success in both worlds without striving hard in the sincere obedience of Allah, the Exalted. This involves using the blessings one has been granted in ways pleasing to Him, as outlined in the Holy Quran and the traditions of the Holy Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him. It is strange how many muslims find time and energy to dedicate to things which entertain them and please their desires yet find no time or energy to learning and acting on Islamic teachings so that they can use the blessings they have been granted correctly. If a muslim chooses to put in the minimal effort, which involves fulfilling the obligatory duties, then they will be rewarded accordingly. But if they desire more blessings in both worlds, then they must strive for it. Islam is not for lazy people. Chapter 2 Al Baqarah, verse 58:
“And [recall] when We said, “Enter this city and eat from it wherever you will in [ease and] abundance…””
Allan, the Exalted, commanded them to fight the tyrant nation which was inhabiting that city and guaranteed them victory beforehand. But as they did not desire to make the sacrifices their faith demanded from them and only wished to live a life fulfilling their worldly desires, they rudely disobeyed Allah, the Exalted, and the Holy Prophet Musa, peace be upon him. Chapter 5 Al Ma’idah, verses 21-26:
“O my people, enter the blessed land [i.e., Palestine] which Allāh has assigned to you and do not turn back [from fighting in Allāh’s cause] and [thus] become losers.” They said, “O Moses, indeed within it is a people of tyrannical strength, and indeed, we will never enter it until they leave it; but if they leave it, then we will enter.” Said two men from those who feared [to disobey] upon whom Allāh had bestowed favor, “Enter upon them through the gate, for when you have entered it, you will be predominant. And upon Allāh rely, if you should be believers.” They said, “O Moses, indeed we will not enter it, ever, as long as they are within it; so go, you and your Lord, and fight. Indeed, we are remaining right here.” [Moses] said, “My Lord, indeed I do not possess [i.e., control] except myself and my brother, so part us from the defiantly disobedient people.” [Allāh] said, “Then indeed, it is forbidden to them for forty years [in which] they will wander throughout the land. So do not grieve over the defiantly disobedient people.””
As a result of their defiance, they were left to wander the desert for 40 years until Allah, the Exalted, gave them another opportunity to sincerely obey Him, make the sacrifices their faith demanded from them and enter the city which was designated to them under the leadership of another Holy Prophet, peace be upon him.
Even though Allah, the Exalted, guaranteed them victory yet they disobeyed Him. This indicates their lack of trust in the promise of Allah, the Exalted. This occurs when one possesses weak faith. In order to avoid lacking trust in the promises and warnings of Allah, the Exalted, one must adopt strong faith. This is only achieved by learning and acting on divine knowledge so that one understands the countless examples in history when Allah, the Exalted, fulfilled His promises and warnings. Strong faith will ensure one remains firm on the sincere obedience of Allah, the Exalted, irrespective of the appearance of the situation, as they firmly believe the promises and warnings of Allah, the Exalted, cannot be averted by anyone.
In addition, one must always remember that when they take on a specific role they must fulfill the responsibilities attached to that role in order to fulfill the role’s conditions. For example, a licensed driver must obey the rules of the road in order to fulfil the condition of being a licensed driver. Similarly, a person who accepts Islam as their faith must fulfill the responsibilities attached to it in order to fulfill the requirements of their faith. This requires one to sacrifice and control their desires so that they sincerely obey Allah, the Exalted, in every situation, which involves using the blessings they have been granted in ways pleasing to Him, as outlined in the Holy Quran and the traditions of the Holy Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him. Just like a person who fails to fulfil the responsibilities attached to their occupation will get in trouble with their employer, so will the one who accepts Islam as their faith yet fails to fulfill the responsibilities attached to it. Verbal declaration of faith is simply not enough. One must support it with acts of obedience, which involves making sacrifices. Words without actions have very little weight in Islam.
Allah, the Exalted, gave the children of Israel another opportunity, amongst countless others, to correct their error of disobeying Him, by entering the city which was chosen for them and fight the tyrannical nation which occupied it in order to achieve the victory that was guaranteed to them beforehand. Allah, the Exalted, granted them this city in order to make things easy for them so that they could lead a life of obedience to Him, which would ensure they obtained peace of mind and success in both worlds. All they were commanded to do was to show humility to Him, which is an important aspect of obeying Allah, the Exalted. The humble person will always find it easier to sincerely obey Allah, the Exalted, by using the blessings they have been granted in ways pleasing to Him. Whereas, the arrogant person will only ever want to use the blessings they have been granted in ways pleasing to themself, as they dislike subjugating their desires to the commands of another. An aspect of humility is to admit one’s faults and seek the forgiveness of Allah, the Exalted, and amend one’s behaviour in the future. Generally speaking, sincere repentance involves feeling guilty, seeking the forgiveness of Allah, the Exalted, and anyone who has been wronged, as long as this will not lead to further trouble, one must sincerely promise to avoid committing the same or similar sin again and make up for any rights which have been violated in respect to Allah, the Exalted, and people. If one combines humility with repentance they will sincerely obey Allah, the Exalted, in every situation and this would lead to more blessings and reward from Allah, the Exalted, in both worlds. Chapter 2 Al Baqarah, verse 58:
“And [recall] when We said, “Enter this city and eat from it wherever you will in [ease and] abundance, and enter the gate bowing humbly and say, ‘Relieve us of our burdens [i.e., sins].’ We will [then] forgive your sins for you, and We will increase the doers of good [in goodness and reward].”
And chapter 14 Ibrahim, verse 7:
“And [remember] when your Lord proclaimed, ‘If you are grateful, I will surely increase you [in favor]…”
And chapter 16 An Nahl, verse 97:
“Whoever does righteousness, whether male or female, while he is a believer – We will surely cause him to live a good life, and We will surely give them their reward [in the Hereafter] according to the best of what they used to do.”
It is therefore important for muslims to adopt humility as it will ensure they submit to the commands and prohibitions of Allah, the Exalted, at all times and guide them to sincere repentance whenever they commit sins. Humility is adopted when one recognizes the fact that Allah, the Exalted, created them from nothing, granted them countless and continuous blessings even though they did not earn or deserve them, covers their faults despite their continuous disobedience to Him and promises them a great reward for the little amount of good they do, even though the source of the good deeds they perform is none but Allah, the Exalted, as He alone grants them the inspiration, knowledge, ability, opportunity to perform the good deeds. When one learns and acts on Islamic knowledge these facts will become apparent to them and this in turn will lead to humility towards Allah, the Exalted, and people, humility without weakness in the latter case. In addition, the one who adopts humility will not cherry pick which commands and prohibitions to act upon and which ones to ignore. Humility reminds one that they are nothing but a servant of Allah, the Exalted, and must therefore hear and obey under every circumstance, even if their desires are contradicted, as they know that Allah, the Exalted, only commands and prohibits according to what is best for them. Whereas, the arrogant person will pick and choose when to sincerely obey Allah, the Exalted, and when to disobey Him according to their own desires. So even though it appears they believe and obey Allah, the Exalted, but in reality they only worship their own desires. Chapter 45 Al Jathiyah, verse 23:
“Have you seen he who has taken as his god his [own] desire…”
Chapter 2 Al Baqarah, verses 58-59:
“And [recall] when We said, “Enter this city and eat from it wherever you will in [ease and] abundance, and enter the gate bowing humbly and say, ‘Relieve us of our burdens [i.e., sins].’ We will [then] forgive your sins for you, and We will increase the doers of good [in goodness and reward]. But those who wronged changed [those words] to a statement other than that which had been said to them, so We sent down upon those who wronged a punishment [i.e., plague] from the sky because they were defiantly disobeying.”
The Holy Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, practically demonstrated how one should behave on the day he conquered Mecca. When he entered the proximity of the House of Allah, the Exalted, the Kaaba, he bowed so low out of humility to Allah, the Exalted, that his face almost touched his saddle. This has been discussed in Imam Ibn Kathir’s, the Life of the Prophet, Volume 3, Page 397.
Whereas, many from the children of Israel failed to show the humility they were commanded to adopt. As a result, their arrogance encouraged them to disobey Allah, the Exalted, and misuse the blessings they were granted. Allah, the Exalted, then punished them for their persistent defiance. One must ensure they avoid adopting arrogance, as an atom’s worth of it is enough to take them to Hell. This has been warned in a Hadith found in Sahih Muslim, number 265. Arrogance encourages one to reject the truth when it is presented to them as it challenges their desires, just like the children of Israel rejected the truth which were the commands and prohibitions of Allah, the Exalted. Arrogance also encourages one to look down upon others believing they are superior to them. This is a foolish attitude as no one is aware of their rank in the sight of Allah, the Exalted, nor are they aware if they or others will leave this world with their faith. In addition, every worldly blessing they possess was created by and belongs to none but Allah, the Exalted. Therefore, being proud over a worldly blessing which in reality belongs to another is simply foolish. As discussed earlier, one must avoid these negative traits by adopting humility, which is obtained by learning and acting on Islamic knowledge.
Chapter 2 Al Baqarah, verses 58-59:
“And [recall] when We said, “Enter this city and eat from it wherever you will in [ease and] abundance, and enter the gate bowing humbly and say, ‘Relieve us of our burdens [i.e., sins].’ We will [then] forgive your sins for you, and We will increase the doers of good [in goodness and reward]. But those who wronged changed [those words] to a statement other than that which had been said to them, so We sent down upon those who wronged a punishment [i.e., plague] from the sky because they were defiantly disobeying.”
This verse also warns against innovating in matters of faith. One must adhere strictly to the teachings of the Holy Quran and the traditions of the Holy Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, and avoid other things, even if they are considered good deeds, as the more one acts on other things, the less they will act on the two sources of guidance. In fact, the Holy Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, warned in a Hadith found in Sunan Abu Dawud, number 4606, that any matter which is not rooted in the two sources of guidance will be rejected by Allah, the Exalted. If the children of Israel avoided innovating and instead adhered to their divine teachings they would have obtained peace of mind and blessings in both worlds.
In addition, these verses also warn against the temptation and test of times of ease and worldly blessings. The children of Israel were tested with victory and conquering a city and instead of showing gratitude to Allah, the Exalted, by using the blessings they had been granted in ways pleasing to Him, they grew arrogant and misused the blessings they were granted. One must always remember that times of ease is often a harder test to overcome, as the one who faces difficulties is often restricted and has no option but to wait for relief. Whereas, the one who faces times of ease has the resources and opportunities to easily disobey Allah, the Exalted, by misusing the blessings they have been granted. Muslims must therefore strive to act on the Hadith found in Sahih Muslim, number 7500, which advises that a believer will obtain reward and blessings in times of ease, when they show gratitude to Allah, the Exalted, by using the blessings they have been granted in ways pleasing to Him, and obtain reward and blessings in times of difficulty by adopting patience. Patience involves avoiding complaining through one’s words and actions and maintaining one’s obedience to Allah, the Exalted.
Chapter 2 Al Baqarah, verse 59:
“But those who wronged changed [those words] to a statement other than that which had been said to them, so We sent down upon those who wronged a punishment [i.e., plague] from the sky because they were defiantly disobeying.”
It is important to note that the punishment of Allah, the Exalted, for those who adopt arrogance and misuse the blessings they have been granted is not always obvious, such a punishment from the sky. It is often subtle where a person fails to connect their negative attitude and disobedience of Allah, the Exalted, to their punishment. These subtle punishments take the form of stress, anxiety, depression and addiction to harmful substances. The very worldly blessings these people obtain through disobeying Allah, the Exalted, become a source of their misery, despite the fact they have all the worldly blessings one could imagine. As they cannot connect their disobedience of Allah, the Exalted, to their punishment, they then blame the people and things around them, such as their spouse, children, relatives and friends, and as a result they destroy these relationships and things, even though these things are the only decent things in their lives. They therefore further destroy their lives with their own hands. This punishment may not be as epic as punishment descending from the sky, yet it can often be more painful, as this person leads a life of misery which often leads to mental breakdowns and even suicide, despite the fact they have moments of fun and entertainment and have the world at their feet. Chapter 9 At Tawbah, verse 82:
“So let them laugh a little and [then] weep much as recompense for what they used to earn.”
Chapter 20 Taha, verses 124-126:
“And whoever turns away from My remembrance – indeed, he will have a depressed [i.e., difficult] life, and We will gather [i.e., raise] him on the Day of Resurrection blind.” He will say, “My Lord, why have you raised me blind while I was [once] seeing?” [Allāh] will say, “Thus did Our signs come to you, and you forgot [i.e., disregarded] them; and thus will you this Day be forgotten.””
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