Al-A'raf 7:152–183

This action of the Israelites has been called false representation (iftira). Why was it so called? The reason is that they had committed this wrongful act in the name of Truth. Their case was not of the rejection of truth but of the exploition of Truth in order to gain material benefits. They used to justify such acts in religious terms. Like the polytheists, they said that God had become incarnate in the form of the idol they had made themselves, so they believed that worshipping it was as good as worshipping God. Moreover, Samiri also fabricated a dream, saying that in it he had seen Gabriel and collected a handful of earth from the footprint of his horse and put it in the statue of the calf, which caused a sound to come from its mouth. Samiri and his companions fabricated falsehoods and attributed them to God. Such action amounted to the making of false allegations (iftira) about God. When the People of the Book indulge in such irreligious acts in the name of religion, they incur the wrath of God. Such people are punished not only in the Hereafter but also in this life. As for the Israelites, Moses instructed the leaders of each tribe to find out those who were initially responsible for this wrongdoing. The guilty were thus caught and put to death by their own tribesmen. Only those who, greatly ashamed of their actions, admitted their guilt and sincerely repented, were not punished. The Israelites were punished for their wrongdoing by their own people. However, such punishment is sometimes meted out by other people or communities, especially when they can also inflict humiliation or ignominy. Being truly ashamed of sin is the real essence of repentance (tawbah). This strong feeling of shame is a guarantee that the individual resolves in the innermost recesses of his heart that he will never indulge in such an act in future. When a sinner displays this feeling of shame and proves his determination never to repeat the act in question, it is as if he has embraced the faith afresh. After a period of backsliding, he re-enters the fold of God’s religion.

The Book of God is one of guidance and grace. It is the best guide for man in the life of this world and a certain source of God’s grace in the Hereafter. But the Book of God can benefit only those who fear God, who constantly think of how their fate will be decided by God. These are the people who are the real seekers after Truth. So when the Truth comes before them, they accept it without suffering from any psychological complexes. God becomes the centre of their hopes and fears. Their lives and their possessions are all then devoted to God. Their fear of God awakens their consciousness. All barriers are removed from their eyes. They do not fail to recognize God’s signs when these appear before them. In short, they live in fear and not in contentment and complacency.

The making of a calf by the Israelites for the purposes of worship revealed that they did not have that conviction and faith in God that they should have had. So they were called by God to Mount Sinai to which Moses, along with seventy representatives of the Children of Israel, once again went at the appointed time. There God created conditions by means of thunder, lightning and earthquakes such as made them turn to God in total submission. The Children of Israel cried and wailed before God and repented collectively. They vowed that they would truly carry out the commandments of the Torah. On this occasion, Moses prayed, ‘O, my Lord, ordain for us good in this world and in the Hereafter.’ God said, ‘I inflict My punishment on whomsoever I will and My mercy embraces all things.’ Moses’ prayer was for his entire community, in general, but in His reply God made it clear that salvation and success did not depend on belonging to any particular community. This would be decided in respect of every individual on the basis of his deeds. God is the most merciful, yet one who does not perform righteous deeds cannot escape God’s chastisement, irrespective of his belonging to any special group

To the knowledge of the Israelites, whatever prophets had come, had all without exception been from their own community. Now, according to God’s plan the last prophet was to be appointed from the Children of Isma‘il, a fact which God had already conveyed to the Israelites through their prophets. They were given these tidings, so that when the last prophet appeared, they should not have to undergo any great trial, but be able to recognize him readily and rally to his cause. Many predictions on this subject are still extant in their Books. The Prophet Muhammad was unlettered, so that no one might doubt his credibility. If he had been educated, people would have had their doubts that he had invented everything himself, while attributing it to God. Furthermore, according to Jewish tradition, it was predicted in the scriptures that the Final Prophet would be unlettered, so that people would have no difficulty in recognizing him as a prophet of God. The real spirit of religion is the fear of God and concern for the Hereafter. But in the later generations (of a prophet or a reformer) when the inner spirit became less ardent, and the utmost importance was attached to the form, the Prophet Muhammad brought the pure religion, free of all human additions and interpolations. When a prophet appears, the greatest virtue lies in believing in him. But this Faith does not simply mean reciting a few words as if performing a ritual. It, in fact, amounts to abandoning the soulless structure of rituals in favour of a living religion, having direct appeal to human nature. Man’s links with the former religious structure rest simply on the strength of historical traditions and racial customs. But when he accepts a new religion (of a new prophet) it involves a conscious decision on his part. He leaves behind him soulless rituals and opts for the reality. This appears to be a simple matter, but this has proved to be the most difficult step to take in every age. (That is, people find it most difficult to see beyond appearances).

‘Say, “People, I am God’s Messenger to you all,”’ does not mean that all other prophets were sent to their own community while the Prophet Muhammad was sent to all the nations. This statement is not meant to compare one prophet with any other, but is simply a statement of fact. In fact, the prophethood of the Prophet Muhammad has two distinct aspects. One is direct and the other through his community, the ‘ummah’. He was sent to convey the divine message directly to people living in Arabia ( 6:92 ) and he was to convey the message indirectly to the whole world ( 22:78 ). In principle, this was the nature of the task assigned to all the prophets of God. But the religion brought by other prophets did not remain in its original, pristine condition, hence it was not possible for them to become the givers of good tidings or to warn the people of the consequences of their actions in the life to come, that being the main duty of a prophet. About the Arab Prophet there is a prediction in the Bible that all the tribes of the earth will be blessed through him (Genesis, Ch. 12 ) It has been possible for his blessings to reach all nations because the religion brought by him has been preserved in its original state. The religion brought by Moses and Jesus Christ has been distorted. Therefore, its voice may reach everybody, but its blessings will not. A number of Jewish tribes were settled in Arabia, who were proud of having God’s holy Book. Such people resist accepting any external truth. Their feeling that they are in possession of the greatest Truth hinders them from accepting any Truth brought to them by any other. The large majority of the Jews were blinded by obstinacy and prejudice, except for a few people like ‘Abdullah ibn Salam, who could look upon Islam with an open mind. They vouched for its veracity without caring for their worldly honour and surrendered themselves wholeheartedly to it. ‘The unlettered prophet who believes in God and His words.’ This statement indicates the difference between the philosopher’s concept of God and the prophet’s concept of God. The philosopher’s God is an abstract spirit. Accepting Him is like accepting the force of gravity in the universe. But the force of gravity neither speaks nor gives commands, whereas the God of the prophet is a living and conscious God. He speaks to human beings; He commands His subjects and decides on reward or punishment on the basis of obedience or disobedience to His commands.

God took the Israelites from the polytheistic atmosphere of Egypt and settled them in the desert of Sinai. Here they were organised and divided into twelve groups. Each group had a leader and all were under the charge of Moses. Then, the Children of Israel were specially provided with all the necessities of life. Water was provided for them from mountain springs. For their food, ‘manna and quails’ were sent down and these were readily available to them right in front of their tents. For their regular settlement one entire city, Ariho, (in the Jordan valley) was given to them. God then advised them that He had arranged for all their necessities and that they should therefore desist from being greedy for the pleasures of the world and the flesh and should not rush towards unholy things; instead, they should adopt the way of contentment and gratefulness towards God.

Literally, ‘Enter the gate bowing down or kneeling down.’ The Jews were asked to enter their place of worship with humility and modesty and to worship their Lord; they were enjoined to remember the majesty and supremacy of God and admit their shortcomings before Him. But the Jews forgot the admonition of God. Instead of adopting the way shown by God, they followed a path devised by themselves in the name of God. They adopted the way of arrogance instead of treading the path of humility. Their utterances were not of gratitude but of insolence. When the Jews went to this extent in their wrongdoing, God withdrew His grace from them. They were surrounded by different kinds of punishments instead of God’s blessings.

It is a sin to do anything which God has prohibited. But to perform a prohibited act by attempting to legalize it through some trick amounts to adding insult to injury. By violating the rule of the Sabbath, the Jews had committed a double sin. Such people must suffer divine retribution; that is, they are deprived of the bounties which God has set apart for human beings alone. In this world such people fall from the level of humanity to the level of the animals.

This was the fate of those who contravened the rule of the Sabbath. But ‘God made them apes,’ does not mean that their faces became the faces of apes; it means that their character became ape-like; their hearts and thinking were like those of apes instead of human beings. (Tafsir al-Qurtubi). Now, man’s becoming an ape means that he becomes so insensitive after taking action again and again against the dictates of his wisdom and conscience, that any fine feelings are completely driven out of him. Whatever desire takes shape in his heart, he puts it into action. Whenever anyone comes into his ambit, he will attack his honour and property. If he has a complaint against anybody, he will immediately set about degrading that person. If he has any differences with anybody, he will start denigrating him. If he finds somebody to be an impediment in his way, he will immediately start fighting with him. A true man is one who applies the bridle of God to himself, and an ape is one who unrestrictedly starts doing whatever his base self asks him to do. Preventing others from doing evil is, in fact, a way of proclaiming that one has discharged one’s responsibility. So, when God’s scourge falls upon a group, those people who are extremely disgusted with evil, to the extent of becoming its preventers, are saved from this punishment. A human being is a creature into whom the Creator has infused intelligence and conscience. In a human being when some desire takes shape, his wisdom and conscience immediately becomes activated and the question arises as to whether the fulfillment of that desire is proper or not. In the case of an ape, however, there is no impediment between his wish and its fulfillment. Whatever comes into his mind he immediately does it. It is not necessary for him to think about his wish, nor need he be ashamed after pursuing it.

When a great reward is given for the performance of a task, it follows that the punishment for non-performance of that task will be equally great. This is the case in respect of a community which has been made the bearer of the Holy Book. God had elevated the Jews to this status. So, besides being made promises of bounties in the Hereafter, they were granted extraordinary benefits in the world as well. But the Jews continuously indulged in disobedience, committing irreligious acts in the name of practicing religion. The result was that God deposed them from their elevated status. It was decided that so long as the world existed, they would continue to experience God’s punishment, and whatever was going to happen in the Hereafter would be further to that. This does not mean that till Doomsday, they would never have good fortune. As is clarified in these verses themselves, they would have intervals of good days, but such periods would themselves be a sort of divine curse on them, in as much as it would be an opportunity for them to indulge in more insolence and thus become liable for more punishment. This universal law of God was not solely for the Jews. It was applicable to even that later group which was raised, after the deposition of the Jews, to the elevated position of God’s witnesses. If Muslims find that they are being dominated by those who deny the truth and polytheists, and that their various groups have become scattered, then they must revert to God, because this shows that they have incurred God’s displeasure.

During the time of Moses, Jews were given the commandments of God, the event having taken place at the foot of a hill. At that time such conditions were created that the Jews felt as if the hill was about to fall on them. This was to impress upon them that giving a pledge to God was a very serious matter, and that if they did not fulfil the conditions of the pledge, they had to remember that the other party to this pledge was that majestic Being who, if He so desired, could cause the hill to fall on them. At that time, there were many people among the Jews who were God-fearing and righteous in their deeds. But, later on, they gradually adopted the world as the goal of their life. They started accumulating wealth without having any scruples about its being legitimate or otherwise. Even then, they used to read the Holy Book, but by means of self-devised interpretations, they gave it such a colour that God Himself appeared to be supporting their rebellious way of life. Their insensitiveness increased to the extent that they took satisfaction in declaring, ‘We are a pious community; we are the progeny of prophets; God will forgive us in the name of His favourite subjects.’

This happens in the case of every prophet’s community. In the beginning, its individuals are God-fearing and pious. But in later generations, this spirit vanishes. They become just like other worldly people. Religion is still amongst them. The Holy Book is still read and taught. But all this is done in the context of a national heritage and not as a real fulfilment of a pledge to God. They proceed in the way of the world and in practice forget the Hereafter. Being completely unmindful of right or wrong, they make their desire their religion. At the same time they are proud of being the best of all communities. They are the members of the community of one who is God’s favourite; they are the inheritors of the Holy Book; by the grace of the belief in monotheism they shall certainly be granted salvation. But the truth is that man should hold fast to God’s Word; he should regularly say his prayers. And the sign of holding fast God’s Book and of having said his prayers sincerely is that he should have become a maintainer of peace and harmony (muslihun). Communion with God’s Book and God’s worship are what makes a man opposed to one who disturbs the peace.

If an animal is separated from its father and mother and it is brought up in a strange atmosphere, even after growing up it retains the characteristics of its species. The way it behaves in all its dealings is rooted in its instinct. The same is true of the human being as regards his ‘God-consciousness’. In the soul of a human being the consciousness of a Creator and Lord has been instilled so deeply that he never loses it. However, there is one difference between animals and human beings. Animals are not capable of going against their nature. They are compelled to do whatever their inner nature urges them to do. But the case of a human being is different. This awareness is embedded in his nature, but he is completely free in the matter of action, even although his mind and his conscience start pointing out to him what is right and what is wrong. A human being has, therefore, the power and the option either to follow his inner voice, or to ignore it and start doing whatever he likes. It is on such occasions of moral choice that man is on trial and on the basis of its result, decisions regarding heaven or hell are taken. The one who lends his ears to the voice of God and does whatever He tells him to do through the silent language of ‘Nature’, passes the test. The doors of heaven (Paradise) will be thrown open for him after death, whereas one who ignores the voice of God speaking at Nature’s level, will be held guilty in the eyes of God and he will be ignored by God, just as he ignored God’s voice. This voice of inner nature is, in itself, evidence of the existence of God. Now, nobody has the excuse of ignorance and nobody can say that he is just doing whatever has been done since ancient times. Man brings the consciousness of God along with him from his birth. This consciousness remains preserved even with changes in his circumstances. In view of this, what excuse has anyone to follow the path of misguidance?

During the period of the Prophet Muhammad there was a man of great moral and intellectual distinction called Umayyah ibn Abi as-Salt. When he came to know that there were predictions in the Holy Books of the Christians and Jews about the coming of a prophet, he felt that he himself was that prophet. Later, when he was informed about the claim to prophethood made by the Prophet Muhammad and he heard the fine discourse revealed to him, he was greatly disappointed, and became an opponent of the Prophet. The proper use of the superior qualities given by God to Umayyah ibn Abi as-Salt would have been to recognise the Prophet of God and then become his companion. But because of the blessings of God already showered on him, he formed the idea that God should have showered the blessing of prophethood on him rather than on anyone else. He saw worldly benefit in the rejection of the Prophet of God while, on the contrary, acceptance of the Prophet would have led to benefit in the Hereafter. Had he gone in the direction of acceptance, he could have made the angels his fellow travellers. But when he walked the path of jealousy and pride, there was nobody except Satan to give him company. This example is applicable to all those people who ignore the Truth or refuse to accept it on the basis of jealousy and haughtiness. A man’s becoming like this amounts to falling down from the status of humanity to the status of a dog. A dog pants on good treatment as well as on bad. This is the condition of such a man. When God blessed him, he became arrogant and when He did not bless him, he still remained arrogant. Actually, he should have been grateful and obliged to God for His blessing, and when he did not receive some blessing, he should have reconciled himself to God’s dispensation and turned back to Him. God does not openly appear to guide people, He shows His way to the people by means of signs. Those who have the ability to recognize Truth as it appears in the shape of signs and arguments, and are ready to surrender to it, are the ones who avail of guidance in this world. And for those who do not attach importance to signs and arguments, there is nothing but eternal destruction.

The Truth is a thing which a man has to discover by himself. God has given everyone a heart (mind), eyes and ears. Man arrives at the Truth by utilizing these faculties. The man who does not do so will be unable to discover the Truth, howsoever close it may be to him. Discovery of the Truth is the conscious and deliberate act of every man. Only one who has kept the doors of his heart (mind) open for the purpose, will be able to understand the Truth. Only one who has not covered his eyes with artificial veils will be able to see it. Only one who has not plugged his ears will hear its voice. Such people will recognise the voice of Truth and will surrender themselves before it. And one whose case is opposite to this will remain mindless like the animals. It will not be possible for him to be moved by even the weightiest of arguments. Flashes of God’s brilliant light will appear before him, but he will not be able to see them. The melody of Divine song will come to his ears, but he will be prevented from hearing it. Truth is available to those who are awake; for neglectful people, no truth is Truth.

The reason for man’s being misguided in respect of God is that, although he accepts His existence, he often frames a wrong image of God in his mind. He attributes some things to God which do not befit His glory. For example, imagining things as in the case of a human being, he formulates the idea of God’s close ones. Looking at Kings, he assumes the existence of deputies and assistants of God, just as there are regents and advisers of Kings. In the matter of God’s decisions, he assumes such things as fulfil his desires, but which are not in accordance with God’s justice. Attributing to God such matters as are not consistent with His Majesty and Glory amounts to distortion of the names of God. God does not seize a person immediately for his wrongdoing. In this way, he is given the opportunity either to take a lesson from God’s warnings and reform himself, or to become still more fearless so that his guilt becomes well-established.