Refusal to Repent: Commentary on Holy Quran (2:58-59)

Shafaqna English- Commentary on the 2nd Chapter of the Holy Quran by Mohammad Sobhanie.

وَإِذْ قُلْنَا ادْخُلُوا هَـٰذِهِ الْقَرْيَةَ فَكُلُوا مِنْهَا حَيْثُ شِئْتُمْ رَغَدًا وَادْخُلُوا الْبَابَ سُجَّدًا وَقُولُوا حِطَّةٌ نَّغْفِرْ لَكُمْ خَطَايَاكُمْ وَسَنَزِيدُ الْمُحْسِنِينَ ﴿٥٨﴾ فَبَدَّلَ الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا قَوْلًا غَيْرَ الَّذِي قِيلَ لَهُمْ فَأَنزَلْنَا عَلَى الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا رِجْزًا مِّنَ السَّمَاءِ بِمَا كَانُوا يَفْسُقُونَ ﴿٥٩﴾

2:58 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.’ We will (then) forgive your sins for you, and We will increase the doers of good (in goodness and reward).”

2:59 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 from the sky because they were defiantly disobeying.

2:58 Refusal to Repent

Commentary: After 40 years of roving in the wilderness of the Sinai Peninsula, the Children of Israel, under the leadership of Yusha-Ibn-Nun[1] (Joshua), eventually defeated the Amalekites and entered Jericho and the nearby cities. This victory brought the Israelites access to urban amenities and enjoyment of the Holy Land’s delightful foods.

In the hours of triumph and glory, Allah (SWT) directed the Children of Israel to implore for divine forgiveness by saying the word “hittatun” [Arabic: (وَقُولُوا حِطَّةٌ)] as they entered through the gate of the city with humility (وَادْخُلُوا الْبَابَ سُجَّدًا). The word “hittatun” is a plea for divine forgiveness. Allah (SWT) promised to accept their prayers in His mercy. He forgives sinners and increases the rewards of the righteous ones.

However, some Israelites refused to utter “hittatun” correctly and instead mocked a different word.

The latant defiance and violation of Allah’s command (بِمَا كَانُوا يَفْسُقُونَ) eventually brought down divine retribution from the sky (رِجْزًا مِّنَ السَّمَاءِ) on the transgressors (الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا):

فَأَنزَلْنَا عَلَى الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا رِجْزًا مِّنَ السَّمَاءِ بِمَا كَانُوا يَفْسُقُونَ ﴿٥٩﴾

2:59 So We sent down on the transgressors a plague from the sky because of the transgressions they used to commit.

The Arabic word “rijz” [Arabic: (رِجْزًا)] means torment. Nevertheless, some translate it to plague. This translation may be due to a narration that the Prophet (SAWA) said that preceding nations were punished with a plague[2].

قال النّبيّ- صلى اللّه عليه و آله‏- في الطّاعون‏: إِنَّهُ رِجْزٌ عُذِّبَ بِهِ بَعْضُ الْأُمَمِ ‏ الّذين‏ قَبْلَکُمْ ‏.

The word, “rijz”, also means defilement, as used in verse Al-Anfal 8:11:

وَيُذْهِبَ عَنكُمْ رِجْزَ الشَّيْطَانِ

8:11 To repel from you the defilement of Satan

A more general lesson may be drawn from this verse. Divine punishment awaits those who change the word of Allah (SWT) and the nature of His creation, “fitrat” [Arabic: (فطرت)], to some other form than the original presentation.

Word-for-Word Translation:

2:58 [وَإِذْ] And when [قُلْنَا] we said [ادْخُلُوا] Enter [هَـٰذِهِ] this [الْقَرْيَةَ] town [فَكُلُوا] then eat [مِنْهَا] from [حَيْثُ] wherever [شِئْتُمْ] you wished [رَغَدًا] abundantly [وَادْخُلُوا] and enter [الْبَابَ] the gate [سُجَّدًا] prostrating [وَقُولُوا] And say [حِطَّةٌ] “Repentance” [نَّغْفِرْ] We will forgive [لَكُمْ] for you [خَطَايَاكُمْ] your sins [وَسَنَزِيدُ] And we will increase [الْمُحْسِنِينَ] the good-doers in reward.

2:59 [فَبَدَّلَ] But changed [الَّذِينَ] those who [ظَلَمُوا] wronged [قَوْلًا] the word [غَيْرَ] other (than) [الَّذِي] that which [قِيلَ] was said [لَهُمْ] to them. [فَأَنزَلْنَا] So We sent down [عَلَى] upon [الَّذِينَ] those who [ظَلَمُوا] wronged [رِجْزًا] a punishment [مِّنَ] from [السَّمَاءِ] the sky [بِمَا] because [كَانُوا] they were [يَفْسُقُونَ] defiantly disobeying.

Appendix: The word qaryah [Arabic: (قريه)] today is used for a village, whereas the Qur’an uses it for any place that people are gathered to live in, whether it is a city, town, or village. In this verse, it refers to a town in the Holy Land^[3] [Arabic: (الْأَرْضَ الْمُقَدَّسَةَ)].

Note, verses 2:58-59 may be compared with verses 7:161-162. In verse 2:58, we have “entered the town” (ادْخُلُوا هَـٰذِهِ الْقَرْيَةَ), and in 7:161, we have “dwelled in this town” (اسْكُنُوا هَـٰذِهِ الْقَرْيَةَ). Also, verse 2:59 states:

فَأَنزَلْنَا عَلَى الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا رِجْزًا مِّنَ السَّمَاءِ بِمَا كَانُوا يَفْسُقُونَ ﴿٥٩﴾

So, We sent down on the transgressors a plague from the sky because they infringed (Our command) repeatedly,

Whereas verse 7:162 states:

فَأَرْسَلْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ رِجْزًا مِّنَ السَّمَاءِ بِمَا كَانُوا يَظْلِمُونَ ﴿١٦٢﴾

“So, We sent against them a plague from the sky because of the transgression they used to commit.”

Note:

[1]. Manshoor-e-Javid, Vol.12, Page 191, L. 10.

[2]. Tafseer-e-Namoona, Vol. 1, P.268, L.19.

[3]. Arabic: (الْأَرْضَ الْمُقَدَّسَةَ), Al-Maida 5:21.

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