RENAISSANCE NOVEMBER 2020

Qur’ ā nic Exegesis 12 Monthly Renaissance November 2020 ۙ ﻮۡ ﻣﻦۡ ﺟﻨٰﺖٍ وﻋﻴﻮۡنٍ ﴿ 0 ﻛﻢۡ ﺗﺮ ٢٥﴾ ۙ ﻳۡﻢٍ ﴿ tu ٍ و زروۡعٍ و ﻣﻘﺎم ٢٦﴾ ۙ ﴿ ۡ ﻌۡﻤﺔٍ ?ﺎﻧﻮۡ ﻓﻴۡﻬﺎ ﻓٰﻜﻬ  و ٢٧﴾ ﻳۡﻦ﴿ t‘ٰ و وۡرﺛۡﻨٰﻬﺎﻗﻮۡﻣًﺎ ’ ﻛﺬٰﻟﻚ ٢٨﴾ ﻓﻤﺎﺑﻜﺖۡ ﻋﻠﻴۡﻬﻢ ﻟﺴﻤﺂءو ﻳۡﻦ﴿ 9“ۡ ﻵۡﻹرۡضوﻣﺎ?ﺎﻧﻮۡ ﻣﻨ ٢٩﴾ ۙ ﴿ ۡ آءﻳۡﻞ ﻣﻦ ﻟۡﻌﺬ ب ﻟۡﻤﻬ tۡ‹ ۤۡk• و ﻟﻘﺪۡ ﻧﺠﻴۡﻨﺎ ﺑ ٣٠﴾ ?ﺎنﻋﺎﻟﻴًﺎﻣﻦ M ﻧﻪ D ۡﻋﻮۡن t ۡ ﻣﻦ ﴿ ۡ ﻓ tۡ– ﻟۡﻤ ٣١﴾ ۚ ﴿ ۡ ﻟۡﻌٰﻠﻤ 4ƒ ﻋﻠۡﻢٍ ﻋ 4ٰƒ ۡﻧٰﻬﻢۡ ﻋ 1‡ۡ وﻟﻘﺪ ﺧ ٣٢﴾ ٌ ـﺆ ˜ و ٰﺗﻴۡﻨٰﻬﻢۡ ﻣﻦ ﻵۡﻹٰﻳٰﺖﻣﺎﻓﻴۡﻪﺑﻠ ﴿ ٌۡ ﻣﺒ ٣٣﴾ ۙ ﺆﻵﻼء ﻟﻴﻘﻮۡﻟﻮۡن﴿ ˆ ن ﻫ ٣٤﴾ ﻳۡﻦ﴿ t™ۡ وﻣﺎﻧﺤۡﻦﺑﻤﻨ 4ٰ‚ۡ [ ﻵﻹﻣﻮۡﺗﺘﻨﺎ ﻵۡﻹو › ۡ ن ٣٥﴾ ﻓﺎۡﺗﻮۡ ﺑﺎٰﺑﺂ]ﻨﺎۤ drown.” (22-24) How many orchards, streams, cultivated lands, beautiful houses and provisions of luxury they left behind which they used to enjoy! 23 This is what happens to such wrongdoers. And We made other people the inheritors of all these things. Then neither did the sky shed tears on them nor the earth; nor were they given respite. (25-29) We had delivered the Israelites from [such a] humiliating torment. From the Pharaoh – surely, he was very rebellious, transgressor of limits. And had knowingly given them preference to the people of the world 24 and had given them such signs in which there was a clear reward [for them.] (30-33) They say with full certainty: “We shall only die this first death the sea was parted through tempestuous winds so that Moses (sws) and his nation could cross it. This directive was given for precisely this reason. As a result, as soon as the Israelies crossed the sea, the parted water came back to engulf the Pharaoh and his armies who by that time had reached the centre of the sea in pursuit of the Israelites. A little deliberation shows that the style adopted here is as if the control of the sea had been handed over to the prophet at that time; if it had to become calm, it was only through his permission. 23. These are the things which make people rebellious in the land but are no avail to them when they encounter the consequences and people go away leaving them to others. 24. The Israelites were chosen to bear witness to the truth before the rest of the world the way God selects prophets from human beings. It is for this selection that their preference over other nations is mentioned. This is specified at many instances in the first two chapters of the Qur’ ā n. This selection is not done haphazardly, but on the basis of the qualities and traits which are found in an individual or a nation. The words ٍ ﻋﻠۡﻢ 4ٰƒ ﻋ of the verse refer precisely to this aspect.