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Explanatory Note
The sūrah then addresses the Prophet Muĥammad, ordering him to inquire of the Israelites, described earlier in the sūrah as dithering and hesitant in their response to God’s call: how many signs they chose to disregard and how they abused the privileges God had bestowed upon them and how much they distorted His Message. Referring back to the experience of the Israelites at this juncture is a timely warning to Muslims not to follow their example. Muslims are urged not to hesitate in responding to God’s call, or show any reluctance or stubbornness, or insist on miracles as proof of its authenticity. By avoiding these pitfalls, Muslims will be sure to avoid the Israelites’ fate. The instruction to “ask the Children of Israel” is not meant literally, of course, but purely to introduce the next point: the profusion of evidence presented to them, either at their request or directly given by God, and their persistent refusal to accept and believe in God, or submit themselves to Him.
Having drawn attention to the Israelites’ example, the sūrah makes a general reference to the ‘grace’ of faith and peace, and warns: “He who alters the grace of God after it has been bestowed on him [should know that] God is severe in retribution."
Whenever a society turns away from God’s grace and denies His favour, it is beset by tension and strife, as manifested all over the world today in the inordinate spread of stress and depression, social and military conflict, alcohol and drug abuse, and the emergence of extreme and bizarre alternatives to religious faith.
The strange trends in fashion, the arts, entertainment and general social behaviour, which appear almost every day in modern society, as well as the changing social norms relating to marriage and the family, to sexual relations and attitudes, are all indications of social alienation, insecurity, discontent and a lack of direction in life. Modern life seems almost like a demented attempt to escape, where individuals and groups tend to break away from the norm and reject everything, but have no idea what they are looking for. That is the outcome of renouncing God’s teachings, and ignoring His call to enter the fold of faith.
Ibn Kathir writes, "Allah mentioned that the Children of Israel, were witnesses to many clear signs that attest to the truth of Moses regarding what he was sent with for them. They witnessed his hand (when it became lit with light), his parting the sea, his striking the rock (and water flowed from the rock), the clouds that shaded them during the intense heat, the manna and the quails, and so forth. These signs attested to the existence of the Creator and the truth of Moses by whose hand these signs appeared. Yet, so many among them changed Allah's favor, by preferring disbelief to faith and by ignoring Allah's favors."