Page 14
wa-ʾidh ʾakhadhnā mīthāqakum wa-rafaʿnā fawqakumu ṭ-ṭūra khudhū mā ʾātaynākum bi-quwwatin wa-smaʿū qālū samiʿnā wa-ʿaṣaynā wa-ʾushribū fī qulūbihimu l-ʿijla bi-kufrihim qul biʾsa-mā yaʾmurukum bihī ʾīmānukum ʾin kuntum muʾminīna
And when We took covenant with you and raised the Mount above you, [declaring], ‘Hold on with power to what We have given you, and do listen!’ They said, ‘We hear, and disobey,’ and their hearts had been imbued with [the love of] the Calf, due to their unfaith. Say, ‘Evil is that to which your faith prompts you, should you be faithful!’
— Ali Quli Qarai
Surah Al-Baqarah, Verses 91-93
When it is said to them: ‘Believe in what Allah has sent down,’ they said: ‘We believe (only) in what was sent down to us (before).’ But they disbelieve in what is beyond that, while it is the Truth confirming what is with them. Say: ‘Why then were you slaying the Prophets of Allah in former times, if you were (indeed) faithful?’ (2:91)
And, also, Moses came to you with clear signs; yet you took to worship of the Calf after him (in his absence) and you were (willful) wrongdoers. (2:92)
And (remember) when We made a covenant with you, and raised the Mount, above you, (saying): ‘Hold you fast that which We have given you with the strength and hear (Our commandments)’. They said: ‘We hear and disobey,’ and they were made to imbibe (the love of) the Calf into their hearts because of their disbelief. Say: ‘Evil is what your faith bids you if you be, indeed, faithful’. (2:93)
Racial Bigotries of the Jews
In commenting on the previous verses, it was said that the Jews tolerated a lot of trouble and toil on the path of reaching the Prophet (S) that the Torah had promised, but when he (S) came, they did not believe in him, because of envy, or for the reason that this prophet (S) was not from the Children of Israel, or because their personal interests were in danger. Now, through the verses under discussion, the Qur’an refers to the racial bigotries of the Jews by which they are known throughout the world. It says:
When it is said to them: ‘Believe in what Allah has sent down.’ They said: ‘We believe (only) in what was sent down to us (before).’ But they disbelieve in what is beyond that… (2:91)
The Jews believed neither in the Evangel (Injil) nor in the Qur’an, but they paid attention only to the racial aspects and their personal benefits. The Jews said that they believed in what had been revealed to, them, i.e. to the Israeli prophets (‘a) and they would not believe in anything revealed to a non-Israeli prophet (i.e. the Holy Prophet Muhammad (S)). The reply to this arrogance is given in this verse saying that that which has been sent down to the Holy Prophet (S) is truth verifying that which is in the Book with them, referring to their prophecy proclaimed in Duet. 18/15-18. And now, the Qur’an says:
…while it is the Truth confirming what is with them… (2:91)
Then, the Holy Qur’an uncovers their falsehood and says that their excuse for their disbelief is that Prophet Muhammad (S) is not from among them:
…Say: ‘Why then were you slaying the Prophets of Allah in former times, if you were (indeed) faithful?’ (2:91)
If they truly believed in the Torah, the Divine Book in which murder is considered a major sin, they would not slay the great prophets of Allah. Furthermore, this statement that they say:
…We believe (only) in what was sent down to us (before)’… (2:91)
is a clear deviation from the path of Monotheism, or, in other words, it is, in itself, blasphemy. This is a kind of arrogance and selfishness whether it be in the form of a personal issue or racial one. The purpose of Monotheism is to eradicate these disgraceful habits from the unity of human beings so that they accept Allah’s commandments merely because they are issued from that Origin. In other words, if the acceptance of the Divine instructions is only on the condition that they be sent down to us, it is, in fact, disbelief, rather than ‘belief’, or it is infidelity rather than ‘faithfulness’ in Islam. The acceptance of such instructions is not at all true evidence of Faith.
It is worthy to note that when the above verse says:
When it is said to them: ‘Believe in what Allah has sent down,’ (2:91)
it refers neither to Muhammad (S) nor to Moses (‘a) nor to Jesus (‘a). It merely says:
Believe in what Allah has sent down. (2:91)
To make their falsehood clearer, in the next verse, the Qur’an provides further evidence against them. It says:
And, also, Moses came to you with clear signs; yet you took to worship of the Calf after him (in his absence), and you were (willful) wrongdoers. (2:92)
The Qur’an tells the Jews that if you are true and you believe in your prophet, why did you worship the Calf after those clear signs and that monotheistic evidence? What kind of faith is it that when Moses (‘a) goes to the Mount, in his absence, it escapes from your hearts and immediately infidelity is substituted therein; or the Calf takes the place of Monotheism? Yes, with this wrong action, you committed an injustice both to yourselves and your society, and to your coming generations.
In the subsequent verse, the Holy Qur’an cites another example proving the meagreness of their claim. It refers to the covenant of Mount Sinai and says:
And (remember) when We made a covenant with you, and raised the Mount, above you, (saying): ‘Hold you fast that which We have given you with the strength and hear (Our commandments)’. They said: ‘We hear and disobey,’ and they were made to imbibe (the love of) the Calf into their hearts because of their disbelief (2:93)
Yes, blasphemy and mammonism, whose symbol was the love of the golden Samaritan Calf, had influenced their hearts and took root throughout their souls. That was why they forgot their Lord. Strange! What sort of Faith is it that condones both the slaying of prophets and the worshipping of the Calf, but neglects the observance of firm Divine Covenants? Yes,
…Say: ‘Evil is what your faith bids you if you be, indeed, faithful’ (2:93)