Surah al-A`raf (The Elevated Places) 7 : 155

Overview (Verses 155 - 157)

The Seventy Chosen Israelites

The sūrah then begins a new scene, in which we see Moses selecting seventy men from among his people: “Moses chose out of his people seventy men to come at a time set by Us. Then, when they were seized by violent trembling, he said: ‘My Lord, had it been Your will, You could have destroyed them, and myself too, long ago. Would You destroy us because of what the weak-minded among us have done? This is only a trial You have ordained, whereby You allow to go astray whom You will, and You guide aright whom You will. You alone are our guardian: grant us, then, forgiveness and bestow mercy on us. You are the best of all those who do forgive. Ordain for us what is good, both in this world and in the lift to come. To You alone we turn. [God] answered. I afflict anyone I wish with My torment while My grace encompasses all things; so I will confer it on those who steer away from evil, and spend in charity, and who believe in Our signs — those who follow the Messenger, the unlettered Prophet whom they shall find described in the Torah and the Gospel that are with them. He commands them to do what is right and forbids them to do what is wrong, and makes lawful to them the good things of life and forbids them all that is foul. He lifts from them their burdens and the shackles that weigh upon them. Those, therefore, who believe in him, honour and support him, and follow the light that has been bestowed from on high through him shall indeed be successful.’“ (Verses 155-157) Reports differ as to the reason for this appointment. It may have been set so that they would declare their repentance and pray to God to forgive the Children of Israel after they had sunk back into error and disbelief. In the second sūrah, The Cow, we learn that the penance imposed on the Israelites was that they should kill themselves, which means that the good ones among them should kill those who were disobedient. They did just that until God told them to stop and accepted their penance. Those seventy men were the best among them. The way the choice is expressed in Arabic makes them stand out from the whole community of Israelites.

Nevertheless, what happened to this choice group? They were seized by a violent trembling and dropped unconscious. The reason for this, as mentioned in another sūrah, was that they asked Moses to show them God so that they would believe him and accept the law He has given them in the tablets. This is typical of the nature of the Children of Israel. It applies to all of them, whether good or bad, in different measures. The most singular thing is that they should make such a request when they were supposed to declare their repentance and seek God’s forgiveness.

Moses, on the other hand, turned to his Lord imploring Him to bestow His forgiveness and mercy, declaring his total submission to Him: “When they were seized by violent trembling, he said: ‘My Lord, had it been Your will, You could have destroyed them, and myself too, long ago.’“ (Verse 155) That is the mark of total submission to God’s power. Moses makes sure to declare his own submission as he addresses his supplication to God to forgive his people, end their test and to spare them from destruction because of the deed perpetrated by some fools among them: “Would You destroy us because of what the weak- minded among us have done?” (Verse 155) Moses puts his appeal in a questioning form to emphasize his request that God does not destroy them. It is as if he is saying: my Lord, Your grace makes it absolutely unlikely that You should destroy us on account of what some fools among us have done. “This is only a trial You have ordained, whereby You allow to go astray whom You will, and You guide aright whom You will.” (Verse 155)

Thus Moses declares his understanding of what was taking place, that it was all a trial. In every trial, God guides those who understand its nature and recognize it as a test. He also lets those who ignore it to go deeper into error. Moses reiterates his recognition as a prelude to an appeal to God for His help to enable him and his people to pass the trial successfully: “You alone are our guardian.” (Verse 155) Give us your help so that we pass the test, and earn Your forgiveness and Your grace: “Grant us, then, forgiveness and bestow mercy on us. You are the best of all those who do forgive.” (Verse 155)

“Ordain for us what is good, both in this world and in the life to come. To You alone we turn.” (Verse 156) We are returning to You in repentance. We seek Your protection and support. We see here how the appeal for forgiveness and mercy by Moses was preceded by a declaration of full submission to God and recognition of the purpose of his trial. It is concluded with a declaration of a return to God to seek His protection. Thus, it serves as an example for supplication to be followed by every good servant of God, the glorious, the beneficent.

This is followed by God’s reply: “God answered: ‘I afflict anyone I wish with My torment while My grace encompasses all things.’“ (Verse 156) This is a statement of God’s free will which chooses a rule and implements it as a matter of free choice. It is true that the rule is always enforced in accordance with the truth and justice, but this is also a matter of choice. Justice is an attribute of God which is seen in every aspect of the working of His will, because this is His choice. His punishment is visited only on those who deserve it, as a matter of will. His mercy encompasses all, but it is given only to those who deserve it; again as a matter of choice. He does not will to punish or show mercy to anyone in a haphazard manner. Far be it from God to do so.

The Recipients of God’s Mercy

Having thus informed His Prophet, Moses, of this rule, God then tells him something about the future and the community which will advocate the final version of His message and who will earn His mercy that encompasses everything. The expression here shows that God’s grace and mercy is far greater than the whole universe whose dimensions are impossible for human beings to visualize. Great indeed is the mercy whose measure is only known to God Himself. My grace encompasses all things; so I will confer it on those who steer away from evil, and spend in charity, and who believe in Our signs — those who follow the Messenger, the unlettered Prophet whom they shall find described in the Torah and the Gospel that are with them. He commands them to do what is right and forbids them to do what is wrong, and makes lawful to them the good things of life and forbids them all that is foul. He lifts from them their burdens and the shackles that weigh upon them. Those, therefore, who believe in him, honour and support him, and follow the light that has been bestowed from on high through him shall indeed be successful. (Verses 156-157)

This is an extremely important piece of news confirming that the Children of Israel had been given, most emphatically, confirmed information of the advent of the unlettered Prophet. This was given them by their Prophets Moses and Jesus (peace be upon them both) a long time ago. Both informed them of his mission, description, the method his message would follow and the distinctive features of his faith. He is `the unlettered Prophet’ who enjoins people to do what is good and forbids them what is evil. He will also lift off the shoulders of those among the Children of Israel who will believe in him the burdens and shackles God knew would be imposed on them because of their disobedience. They will continue to apply to them until the unlettered Prophet lifts them from those who believe in him. His followers fear their Lord, steer away from evil, pay zakāt and believe in God’s signs. The Children of Israel have also received the most certain news that those who believe in this unlettered Prophet, honour and support him and follow the light that has been sent down with him “shall indeed be successful.”

This early information given to the Children of Israel by their Prophet Moses (peace be upon him) makes it clear what future form God’s message will take, who will bear its banner, who will follow that standard bearer and what course of action will ensure receiving His mercy. Thus, there is no excuse for the followers of earlier religions not to follow the message of Islam, having received such an early warning of it.

This absolutely true piece of information, given by the Lord of the universe to Moses (peace be upon him) when he and the seventy chosen people were at their appointment with their Lord, reveals the extent of the crime perpetrated by the Jews and their attitude to the unlettered Prophet and the religion revealed to him. They adopted an uncompromisingly hostile attitude to him and his message in spite of what it contained of reducing their burden and giving his followers the certain promise of success. They have perpetrated this crime despite their being fully aware of the facts. They have spared no effort in pursuing their hostility. History records that the Children of Israel have been the most hardened opponents of this Prophet and his religion.

The Jews come first, followed closely by extremist Christians. The war they have launched against this Prophet, his faith and followers is an ugly, wicked, determined and cruel war.

We need only refer to what the Qur’ān mentions about the way the people who received earlier Scriptures fight Islam and Muslims. There are detailed accounts of this in Sūrahs 2, 3, 4 and 5. Such references give us a glimpse of the broad front over which they have conducted their wicked war with this religion. Reference to historical events, ever since the first day Islam established its state in Madinah, to the present moment is sufficient to reveal their unhesitating and obstinate resolve to fight this religion and to try to exterminate it altogether.

Zionism and Christian Imperialism have employed in these modern times various methods of combat, scheming and plotting against this religion which are far superior to what they used over past centuries. In our modern time, they are trying to put an end to the Islamic faith altogether, thinking that they are fighting their final decisive battle. Therefore, they re-employ the methods and schemes they used in the past, in addition to what the present advancements enable them to use. At the same time, some naïve people, who claim to belong to Islam, call in a most simplistic and naïve way for cooperation between Muslims and the followers of other religions against the tide of atheism and materialism. They overlook the fact that those followers of other religions are slaughtering Muslims everywhere and waging against them a war that combines all the ugliness of the Crusades and the Spanish Inquisition, either using their own forces in their colonies in Asia and Africa, or through the regimes they support in so-called independent states. They try hard to replace Islam with secular creeds which claim to be `scientific’, in order to deny everything that lies beyond the reach of common perception. These creeds also call for the `modernization’ of moral values in order to adopt animal `freedom’ and a standard of `morality’ that only fits animals. They want also to `modernize’ Islamic law, convening Orientalists’ seminars and conferences for this purpose, with the aim of finding ways to legalize usury, promiscuity and other practices that Islam forbids.

All these are aspects of the ferocious war fought against this religion by those who claim to follow earlier Scriptures, although they are the ones who were given the news of this final religion and the Prophet who calls for it.

That news was given to them a very long time ago, but they nevertheless have chosen to oppose this religion with evil and hardened determination.