The Heifer (Al-Baqarah)
Verses 58-61 GROUP_12 2.58-61
58
وَإِذْ قُلْنَا ادْخُلُواْ هَـذِهِ الْقَرْيَةَ فَكُلُواْ مِنْهَا حَيْثُ شِئْتُمْ رَغَداً وَادْخُلُواْ الْبَابَ سُجَّداً وَقُولُواْ حِطَّةٌ نَّغْفِرْ لَكُمْ خَطَايَاكُمْ وَسَنَزِيدُ الْمُحْسِنِينَ
Remember when We said, ‘Enter this land and eat freely wherever you will. Make your way through the gates, bowing down and saying, “God! Forgive us our sins.” We shall forgive you your sins and We shall give abundance to those who do good.’
59
فَبَدَّلَ الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُواْ قَوْلاً غَيْرَ الَّذِي قِيلَ لَهُمْ فَأَنزَلْنَا عَلَى الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُواْ رِجْزاً مِّنَ السَّمَاء بِمَا كَانُواْ يَفْسُقُونَ
But the wrongdoers changed the words to something other than what they had been told. So We sent down upon the transgressors a punishment from heaven, because they were disobedient.
60
وَإِذِ اسْتَسْقَى مُوسَى لِقَوْمِهِ فَقُلْنَا اضْرِب بِّعَصَاكَ الْحَجَرَ فَانفَجَرَتْ مِنْهُ اثْنَتَا عَشْرَةَ عَيْناً قَدْ عَلِمَ كُلُّ أُنَاسٍ مَّشْرَبَهُمْ كُلُواْ وَاشْرَبُواْ مِن رِّزْقِ اللَّهِ وَلاَ تَعْثَوْاْ فِي الأَرْضِ مُفْسِدِينَ
When Moses prayed for water for his people, We said to him, ‘Strike the rock with your staff!’ And there gushed out from it twelve springs. Each tribe knew its drinking-place. [We said], ‘Eat and drink what God has provided and do not act wrongfully in the land, spreading corruption.’
61
وَإِذْ قُلْتُمْ يَا مُوسَى لَن نَّصْبِرَ عَلَىَ طَعَامٍ وَاحِدٍ فَادْعُ لَنَا رَبَّكَ يُخْرِجْ لَنَا مِمَّا تُنبِتُ الأَرْضُ مِن بَقْلِهَا وَقِثَّآئِهَا وَفُومِهَا وَعَدَسِهَا وَبَصَلِهَا قَالَ أَتَسْتَبْدِلُونَ الَّذِي هُوَ أَدْنَى بِالَّذِي هُوَ خَيْرٌ اهْبِطُواْ مِصْراً فَإِنَّ لَكُم مَّا سَأَلْتُمْ وَضُرِبَتْ عَلَيْهِمُ الذِّلَّةُ وَالْمَسْكَنَةُ وَبَآؤُوْاْ بِغَضَبٍ مِّنَ اللَّهِ ذَلِكَ بِأَنَّهُمْ كَانُواْ يَكْفُرُونَ بِآيَاتِ اللَّهِ وَيَقْتُلُونَ النَّبِيِّينَ بِغَيْرِ الْحَقِّ ذَلِكَ بِمَا عَصَواْ وَّكَانُواْ يَعْتَدُونَ
When you said, ‘Moses, we cannot bear to eat only one kind of food, so pray to your Lord to bring forth for us some of the earth’s produce, its herbs and cucumbers, its garlic, lentils,and onions.’ Moses said, ‘Would you take a lesser thing in exchange for what is better? Go to some town and there you will find all that you demand.’ Abasement and destitution were stamped upon them, and they incurred the wrath of God, for having rejected His signs, and they killed His prophets unjustly, because they were rebels and transgressors.
No class discussions published for this verse group yet.
Commentary
(a) God bestowed special blessings upon the Israelites. They should have shown their gratitude by remaining obedient to Him, but they did quite the opposite. They were given possession of a great city and told to enter it—not in a vainglorious manner—but in humility and repentance; but instead they started rejoicing in their victory. (a) Divine provision was given to them in the form of manna and quails so that, free from the struggle for a livelihood, they would be able to devote themselves entirely to carrying out God’s commandments; but they took to demanding spicy, cooked foods instead. Discontented with the basic necessities of life, they sought to indulge in worldly luxury. So hardened did they become that even clear signs of God could not move their hearts. They opposed and even killed those servants of God who sought to admonish them. (b) The reason for the Israelites' heedlessness was that they thought salvation was their birthright, whereas God will not judge anyone on an ethnic or hereditary basis. Jews will be judged according to the same divine law as non-Jews. Heaven is for those who prove themselves worthy of it by their actions; it is not the monopoly of any clan or community. Man’s harmony with nature comes from his leading a life of thanksgiving, humility and contentment; by his remaining steadfast in the face of adversity. Ingratitude, hot-headedness, pride and greed only spread evil in the world, and lead to deviation from the natural order established by God.