Overview (Verses 91 - 96)

Claims Falsified by Actions

The sūrah then goes further in exposing their bigotry and deception. It says: “When it is said to them, ‘Believe in what God has revealed,’ they say, ‘We believe in what has been revealed to us.’ They deny everything else, although it is the truth, corroborating the revelations they have.” (Verse 91)

This would be the reply of the Jews of Madinah whenever they were called upon to acknowledge Islam and the Qur’ān. They considered what their own Prophets had taught them sufficient and complete, and they rejected all else, including the revelations received by Jesus and Muĥammad, the last of all prophets (peace be upon them all). The Qur’ān takes great exception to this reaction by the Israelites to God’s revelations, when these are “the truth, corroborating the revelations they have.” (Verse 91)

But, why should they bother about the truth when it is not addressed to them alone, and what concern is it to them that revelations sent to other nations should corroborate their own? Their bigotry and narrow-mindedness were so extreme that they had even rejected what their own Prophets had preached, and dared even to kill some of them. “Say: ‘Why, then, did you in the past kill God’s prophets, if you were true believers?’“ (Verse 91) How could they substantiate their claims to believe only in what had been revealed to them through their Prophets if they went as far as killing some of these prophets?

Worse still, they rejected the revelations Moses, their most senior Prophet and the saviour of their nation, had conveyed to them. “Moses came to you with clear proof, but in his absence you transgressed, worshipping the calf:” (Verse 92) Could their worship of the calf, with Moses still alive, ever be considered a sign of faith? Does it support their argument that they believe in what has been revealed to them?

Nor, indeed, was that the only instance of their transgression and rebellion. Earlier, God had made the covenant with them under Mount Sinai, but soon they were in clear breach of that covenant. “We accepted your solemn pledge, and We raised Mount Sinai above you, saying, ‘Take with firmness and strength what We have given you and hearken to it.’ They said, ‘We hear but we disobey.’ For their unbelief they were made to drink the calf into their hearts.” (Verse 93)

The mode of expression changes from direct address to that of reporting past events. Thus, it confronts the Israelites with their past attitudes, and informs Muslims and mankind generally of these Jewish attitudes. It then instructs the Prophet Muĥammad to condemn utterly the bizarre faith they claimed to have if it would require them to flagrantly reject the truth: “Say, ‘Vile is that which your faith enjoins upon you, if indeed you are believers.’“ (Verse 93)

Two fascinating expressions immediately draw our attention here. The first is: “They said: ‘We hear but we disobey.’“ Indeed, they did not utter the words, ‘but we disobey’. How is it then that these words are attributed to them? It is simply a question of portraying an attitude as though it is fully expressive. Thus, their actual words said that they had heard the message, but their actions said that they had disobeyed it. This reality was a much more authentic and accurate statement of their attitude than the words they uttered. The sūrah here is emphasizing one of the most fundamental Islamic principles: actions lend validity to words. Actions must be in harmony with words in order for the words to have any meaning or value whatsoever.

The second expression is: “For their unbelief they were made to drink the calf into their hearts.” The sarcasm and the severity of the image are unmistakable. They were forcibly made to drink something nasty; but what is it? It is nothing other than the calf, which is shown to be forced into their hearts. It is easy to get carried away by this image so as to almost overlook the real significance of the metaphor used here. It shows their love and adoration for the calf to be so strong that it runs in their veins. Such powerful imagery is but one tool of the inimitable Qur’ānic style.

The Jews have made a great fuss claiming themselves to be ‘God’s chosen people’, alleging that they enjoy an exclusive inherent right to divine guidance. They have further claimed that, unlike other communities, their salvation is guaranteed, both in this life and in the life to come.

By implication, these claims exclude Muĥammad’s followers from God’s grace in the hereafter. Their aim behind such claims was to undermine the Muslims’ trust in their own religion and in the promises made to them by the Prophet and in the Qur’ān. God instructs Prophet Muĥammad to challenge the Jews to join the Muslims in an earnest prayer to God to destroy the party that fabricated lies. He says: “Say, ‘If the ultimate abode with God is yours alone, to the exclusion of all others, then wish for death, if your claim is true.’’’ (Verse 94)

This is immediately followed by the assertion that the Jews would not take up such a challenge or pray for death because they were aware that they were the ones who were lying. Hence, they would be afraid that God might answer their prayers. They were well aware that their actions and their record did not qualify them for any grace in the hereafter. Were they to die straightaway, their loss would be complete: their life here would be cut short and they would come to grief in the life hereafter. This, the sūrah affirms, would only mean that they would fight tooth and nail to stay alive, putting them on a par with the idolaters: “But they will never wish for it because of what their hands have wrought in this life. God is well aware of the wrongdoers. Indeed, you shall find that they cling to life more eagerly than any other people, even more than the idolaters. Each one of them would love to live a thousand years, although the grant of a long life could not save him from punishment. God sees all that they do.”Verses 95-96)

In these verses, the Qur’ān points to another contemptible characteristic of the Jews: their craven desire to live, no matter at what price and regardless of quality, honour and dignity. This has been borne out by Jewish behaviour during all stages of their history; their heads are raised only when the big stick of the tormentor is put away, but once the stick is wielded before them, their heads are bowed and they acquiesce in fear and servility, scurrying for life, any kind of life.

Each of them would wish to live a thousand years because they do not believe in a future life, after this present one is over. When one accepts that one’s days on earth are numbered but supposes that life here does not lead to a future life, this life would then seem very short, no matter how many years it lasts. Therefore, to believe in life after death is a blessing and a source of inspiration that brings hope, since man naturally entertains hopes that go far beyond his numbered years of life. To discard the hopes of an immortal and happy existence reflects a lack of appreciation for the very meaning of life.

Besides being a belief in God’s absolute justice and His most gracious reward, belief in the hereafter is an expression of the value and vigour of life itself, not confined to, or restricted by, the limits of this world. It links man’s existence to a life that goes far beyond this one, to reach spheres and realms the edges of which are known only to God Almighty.