King David 1

(6:84) (17:55) (21:105) (27:15) (38:20-26) (2:246-251)

          In the Quran, the ups and downs the Israelites had been facing are given in great detail.  There are many reasons for it.  The first nation addressed by the Quran was the Arab nation, but along with Arabs, Jews were also living in Arabia, and the inhabitants of Arabia were aware of their history and culture; any allusion to their history was liable to be understood easily.

 The method adopted by the Quran is that it states the law about the rise and fall of nations, but it does not leave it abstract, and in order to prove the truth, it brings evidence from history. The Israelites have a checkered history. Moreover, the history of this nation clearly illustrates the laws that govern the rise and fall of nations. The Israelites were a slave nation in Egypt; from such a miserable position they rose to the status of the most advanced nation in world history.  As long as they followed the laws given to Moses they prospered, but when they transgressed the laws they were beaten down.

The Quran narrates an event from the history of the Israelites, when after the death of Moses, the leaders of the Israelites came to a prophet and requested him to appoint a commander for them, so they could fight in the cause of Allah.  The prophet said, “I will ask God to appoint a commander for you, but before doing that, I want you to consider the request seriously, so that you may not refrain from war when it is prescribed for you.”

 The leaders replied, “What are you saying?  Don’t you see that we are driven away from our land and children? Is this not enough cause to urge us to fight? We will definitely fight in the cause of Allah.” However, what the Nabi anticipated from them turned out to be true. When the commander was appointed, the order of war was given, but only a few were willing to fight; the rest of them turned back from their promise. 

God appointed Saul as their commander.  The first objection to his appointment came from rich people.  They openly declared, “How can Saul be our commander?  He is a poor man.  We, rich people, deserve this rank. It should have been given to us.” The prophet said, “Riches are the sole criterion for giving respect and position for the majority of people in this world, but it is not the criterion of God.  Saul is appointed as a commander because he has gotten an abundance of mental and physical powers along with knowledge.  Moreover, he has been sharing his gifts with less privileged folks. Anyhow, a good sign for you will be that he is going to regain the relics of Moses and Aaron, so that you can again live according to their instructions.”

The commander Saul organized his forces and marched towards the enemy.  The march was long and tiring, and the sun was sending scorching hot rays on the earth. Saul gave an order about a canal which they had to cross on the way.  The order prohibited the army from drinking water from the canal, except a handful to moisturize the face.  He further emphasized that the one who would drink the water did not belong to him.  Almost everyone disobeyed the order and heartily drank the water to quench their thirst in the burning heat. A small minority of firm believers abstained from breaking the discipline.

When the march was over, both armies settled on the battle-field; the same leaders who were asking for a commander to fight went to Saul and informed him that they would not fight with such a large army. Moreover, they were frightened by the size and strength of the leader of the Palestinian army.  The small minority that had not drunk the water said, “Don’t behave like cowards and be afraid of the large number of the enemy. The numbers are not the only criterion for victory.  Many times small numbers have attained victory over large numbers. Have faith in God; remain steadfast on the battle-field, so that you can gain victory.”

When both the armies were facing each other, David, who was a budding youth, joined the Israelite army. He killed Goliath. The small minority of the Israelites’ army prayed to God for steadfastness, firmness, and victory.   Their morale was boosted up by the courageous act of David; the small minority fought with such courage that a crushing defeat was inflicted on the Palestinian army.  After the victory, David, an unknown shepherd boy, became a big star in the nation. He became a well-known celebrity.  

Moses 17

(5:22-26)(21:5)(28:5-6)(7-137)(32:24)(45:16)

      Moses was disappointed with the answer his nation gave him; he asked God for guidance.  God told Moses, “If your nation has been insisting upon leading a settled life, I will give them a land to settle; they will have to attack the city and conquer it.”  On his return, Moses discussed the plan with his nation and gave them the assurance of success by God.

          The elders of the nation, the products of slavery, were not satisfied with it.  So far, the nation of Israelites had done nothing for their improvement except follow Moses’ directions.  Now, against the advice of Moses, they wanted to live a settled life, so they had to execute a plan themselves and act on it.

The Israelites listened to Moses; in spite of the assurances of success by God, they refused to follow it. They said, “The people who are living in the city are very tall and strong.  We will not fight with such a strong nation. The best solution is that the people living in the city should leave it without any struggle.  Once they are gone, then definitely we will enter the city.”  Moses and his brother differed from this absurd proposal and said, “Don’t behave like cowards; we have studied the defense of the city. It is very weak; the inhabitants have not provided a good defense for the protection of the city.  Once we enter the gates of the city, we are going to take them by surprise, and it will bring victory for us.  Moreover, believe in the revelation of God and put your trust in Him.”

All these arguments failed to produce any change in the Israelites’ attitude.  They bluntly told Moses, “We are not going to follow your plan and fight with such a mighty nation.  If you are so sure of success, then go with your brother and God to fight.  In the meanwhile, we are sitting here.”

Moses went to Mount Sinai with the answer of his nation.  He was devastated with the refusal.  Moses said, “Oh God! I have no control over my nation. I and my brother are willing to act, whereas the nation is refusing to act according to your instructions.  Now, decide between us and this ungrateful nation.”  God said, “Don’t feel so sad about them. This land was for them, but they will not get it for 40 years. During this period they will keep roaming in the desert.” The nation of Israelites kept moving in the desert like gypsies until all the old folks who were unable to reshape their character according to the laws of God died.  The new generation that was raised under the directions of God conquered the land after 40 years.

The Quran gives no place or time for Moses’ death.  Only his great achievements as a leader, reformer, and constantly hard- working individual for the uplift of his nation are mentioned in it.  The Quran says that Pharaoh and Haman were aware of the potentialities in the Israelites, but they wanted to suppress them so that they could never be actualized.  God raised the Israelites from a slave nation to the status of the most advanced nation of that time in the world.  He blessed them with revelation, divine guidance, a good land to live on, plenty to eat and enjoy, and above all, knowledge.  All these gifts changed their status among the nations of the world and established them as the most advanced nation of that time.