Shafaqna English- Commentary on the 2nd Chapter of the Holy Quran by Mohammad Sobhanie.
وَإِذْ أَخَذْنَا مِيثَاقَكُمْ وَرَفَعْنَا فَوْقَكُمُ الطُّورَ خُذُوا مَا آتَيْنَاكُم بِقُوَّةٍ وَاذْكُرُوا مَا فِيهِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ ﴿٦٣﴾ ثُمَّ تَوَلَّيْتُم مِّن بَعْدِ ذَٰلِكَ فَلَوْلَا فَضْلُ اللَّـهِ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَتُهُ لَكُنتُم مِّنَ الْخَاسِرِينَ ﴿٦٤﴾
2:63 And when We took a pledge from you (O Children of Israel, to abide by the Taurat), and raised the Mount above you, (declaring), ‘Hold on with power (determination) to what We have given you and remember that which is in it so that you may be righteous.’
2:64 Again, you turned away after that and were it not for Allah’s grace on you and His mercy, you would have surely been among the losers.
2:63 Advance Warnings in Life
Commentary: The Children of Israel crossed the Nile River[1] and camped in the foothills of Mount Sinai. Here, Allah (SWT) revealed the Taurat to Prophet Musa (AS) and took a covenant from the Israelites (وَإِذْ أَخَذْنَا مِيثَاقَكُمْ). Shortly after that, the Israelites forsook their covenant and disregarded the teachings of the Taurat. Afterward, Allah (SWT), in His grace, warned them of the punishment that awaited them. Verses 2:63-64 describe this event.
Allah (SWT) plucked the Mountain[2] (وَرَفَعْنَا فَوْقَكُمُ الطُّورَ) and held it above their heads as if it was a canopy about to fall[3]. He called the Israelites to “Take (their) religion seriously and put it into practice so that (they) may remain conscious of God.”
… خُذُوا مَا آتَيْنَاكُم بِقُوَّةٍ وَاذْكُرُوا مَا فِيهِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ ﴿٦٣﴾
The Israelites acknowledged their faults and solemnly pledged[4] to abide by their promise. Nevertheless, they still turned away (ثُمَّ تَوَلَّيْتُم مِّن بَعْدِ ذَٰلِكَ).
In the end, verse 2:64 asserts that if Allah (SWT) in His grace did not warn the Israelites and in His mercy did not accept their repentance, the Israelites would have surely been losers[5].
… فَلَوْلَا فَضْلُ اللَّـهِ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَتُهُ لَكُنتُم مِّنَ الْخَاسِرِينَ ﴿٦٤﴾
Did the divine warning coerce the Children of Israel to abide by the covenant? Absolutely not! The Qur’an states clearly that coercive faith has no value in the kingdom of God[6]. However, the law of causality upholds that man is not immune from the consequences of his actions.
In the realm of metaphysics, the disobedience of God causes humankind to face hardship and punishment[7], whereas timely repentance causes aversion of the divine chastisement. Nevertheless, Allah (SWT), in His mercy and grace, warns disobedient servants as He warned the nation of Firon on many occasions. Human beings are free to heed warnings and amend their affairs or ignore them and face the consequences.
For instance, Firon’s nation was confronted by furious plagues, such as storms that destroyed their lives, locusts that destroyed their crops, lice that harmed humans and livestock, frogs that made life miserable, and blood that polluted water supplies. Each time Firon’s nation faced one of these hardships, they asked Prophet Musa (AS) to call upon Allah (SWT) to save them from suffering. However, when the adversity was removed, they instead attributed the affliction to the sorcery of Prophet Musa (AS)[8]. Firon did not heed these warnings and finally drowned in the Nile River.
The Qur’an does not explicitly state whether raising the mountain over the heads of the Israelites was a final warning or punishment. Commentators of the Qur’an believe that it was a frightening warning that made the Israelites realize the might and majesty of Allah (SWT)[9], since repentance at the time of ones’ last hours usually is not accepted[10].
Word-for-Word Translation:
2:63 [وَإِذْ] And when [أَخَذْنَا] we took [مِيثَاقَكُمْ] your covenant, [وَرَفَعْنَا] and We raised [فَوْقَكُمُ] over you [الطُّورَ] the mount. [خُذُوا] Hold [مَا] what [آتَيْنَاكُم] We have given you [بِقُوَّةٍ] with strength, [وَاذْكُرُوا] and remember [مَا] what [فِيهِ] is in it, [لَعَلَّكُمْ] perhaps you [تَتَّقُونَ] would become righteous.
2:64 [ثُمَّ] Then, [تَوَلَّيْتُم] you turned away [مِّن] from [بَعْدِ] after [ذَٰلِكَ] that. [فَلَوْلَا] So if not [فَضْلُ] for the Grace [اللَّـهِ] of Allah [عَلَيْكُمْ] upon you [وَرَحْمَتُهُ] and His Mercy, [لَكُنتُم] surely you have been [مِّنَ] of [الْخَاسِرِينَ] the losers.
Note:
[1]. Tafseer-e-Namoona, Vol.15, P.247.
[2]. This event also mentioned in Al-Baqara 2:93, An-Nisa 4:154, Al-Araf 7:171.
[3]. Al-Araf 7:171.
[4]. An-Nisa 4:154.
[5]. Qamvs Qran Vol 5 P183.
[6]. Al-Baqara 2:256, Yunus 12:99.
[7]. Ar-Rum 30:41.
[8]. Al-Araf 7:133.
[9]. Al-Mizan Vol.1 Page 300, L. 4.
[10]. Yunus 10:98.
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