Baqarah 84-86

Baqarah 84-86

84- AND WE TOOK YOUR COVENANT “NEITHER TO SHED YOUR OWN PEOPLE’S BLOOD NOR TURN SOME OF YOUR OWN PEOPLE OUT OF THEIR HOMES”, AND THEN YOU RECTIFIED THE COVENANT AND WERE WITNESSES.

85- THEN HERE YOU ARE THE SAME PEOPLE (WHO RECTIFIED THE COVENANT), YOU ARE KILLING EACH OTHER, AND TURNING A GROUP OF YOU OUT OF THEIR HOMES, SUPPORTING THEIR ENEMEIES AGAINST THEM, SINFULLY AND TRANSGRESSING.  HOWEVER, IF THEY COME TO YOU AS CAPTIVES, YOU RANSOM THEM (TO SET THEM FREE) WHILE IT WAS FORBIDDEN FOR YOU TO TURN THEM OUT.  DO YOU BELIEVE IN SOME OF THE BOOK AND DISBELIEVE IN SOME?  THE RECOMPENSE OF THOSE OF YOU WHO DO THIS IS DISGRACE IN THIS LIFE AND ON THE DAY OF RESURRECTION THEY WILL BE ALLOCATED THE MOST SEVERE PUNISHMENT, FOR ALLAH IS NOT UNAWARE OF WHAT YOU DO.

86- THOSE ARE THE PEOPLE WHO BOUGHT THIS LIFE AT THE COST OF THE HEREAFTER. THEIR PUNISHMENT WILL NOT BE LIGHTENED, NOR WILL THEY BE HELPED.

Allah the Highest is telling us about a covenant (a promise) the Jews gave Him.  Which is not to fight and kill each other nor turn each other out of their homes?  They did that in fact when they were in Medina.  Some of the Jewish tribes had an allegiance with Arab tribes who were disbelievers at that time.  When the disbelieving Arab tribes fought each other, the Jewish tribes fought with their allies against other Jewish tribes, killing each other and turning each other out of their homes.

When the war was over, the Jews collectively ransomed other Jews, as they should according to the Torah.  They did not observe one part of the Torah, while observing another part.  Allah the Highest promises those who do that, disgrace in this life and severe punishment in the Hereafter.

The same commands apply to the Muslims.  Allah the Highest said: “HE WHO INTENTIONALLY KILLS A MUSLIM, HIS RECOMPENSE IS THE HELL-FIRE, WHERE HE WILL ABIDE FOREVER, ALLAH’S CURSE AND WRATH IS UPON HIM, AND HE PREPARED HIM A DREADFUL PUNISHMENT”.  (S; 4 A: 93)

Allah’s messenger prayer and peace upon him said in his last Hajj sermon, on the Day of the stand on Arafat: “All that is a Muslim’s is sacred to the other Muslims, his blood, property and honor.  It is as sacred as this day, in this month and in this town”.

(Ma: Fetan; 2 & T: Adab; 18 & A: 2; 277,360 3; 491)

Indeed, not only the killer will be sent to the Hell-Fire, but also the deceased, if he fought another Muslims wanting to kill him.  Allah’s messenger prayer and peace upon him said: “Whenever two Muslims meet with their swords to fight each other; the killer and the deceased will go to the Hell-Fire”.  He was asked: “We understand about the killer, but what about the deceased?”  He said: “He was keen to kill his brother”.

(B: Eman; 22 & M: Fetan; 14, 15)

It is not surprising that in many respects, we are given the same commands as other nations.  They all come from the same God.  We are told about other nation’s history to learn from, particularly from their mistakes.

Very sadly, the Muslims of the present day do what the Jews used to do, while the Jews seem to have stopped doing this particularly sin.

Muslims fight other Muslims, even making allegiances with others against them.  Muslims turn other Muslims out of their homes.  Muslims even make allegiances with the Jews against other Muslims.  The worldly punishment for this is here already.  Disgrace and humiliation of Muslims before other Muslims is very apparent and manifest.  We await the punishment of the Hell-Fire.

B: Bukhari   M: Muslim    Mal: Malek   A: Ahmed   D: Abu Dawood

Da: Daremy       Ma: Ibn Magah            N: Nesae          T: Termezi

Baqarah 83

Baqarah 83

83- AND WE TOOK THE COVENANT OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL THAT YOU WORSHIP NONE BUT ALLAH, AND TREAT YOUR PARENTS KINDLY, AS WELL AS YOUR KINDRED, THE ORPHANS AND THE POOR.  AND TO SPEAK TO PEOPLE RIGHTEOUSLY, ESTABLISH REGULAR SALAH, GIVE THE ZAKAH, THEN YOU TURNED AWAY, EXCEPT FOR A FEW OF YOU, AND YOU TOOK NO HEED.

A Covenant is an agreement and a promise and commitment between two people or groups.  In this case it is between Allah the Highest and the Children of Israel.  They gave Allah the Highest these promises and commitments.  These are not the only covenant they gave Allah the Highest, indeed, there are a number of covenants.

The importance of these to us is not that it is history, but that the same covenants apply to us too.

What are these covenants? They are:-

1-    To worship Allah the Highest only, meaning worshiping no partners with him.  These partners might be gods, nature, people, money, power, whatever we might consider equal to Allah and worthy of being followed and obeyed as Allah the Highest is, or even more.    The purpose for our creation in the first place, is worshipping Allah “I CREATED JINN AND MANKING ONLY TO WORSHIP ME”. (S:51 A:56)

2-    Being kind and good to one’s parents.  It is interesting that this followed worshiping Allah the Highest directly.  This is not the only time this happened.  This command to be kind to one’s parents came in the Quran 5 times, 4 of them it was following a command to worship Allah the Highest only.  This shows the great reverence of the parents in the Eyes of Allah the Highest.  Being good to one’s parents is an order made by decree from Allah the Highest saying: “YOUR LORD DECREAD THAT YOU WORSHIP NONE BUT HIM AND TO BE GOOD AND KIND TO YOUR PARENTS”. (S:17 A:23)

Allah’s messenger, prayer and peace upon him, was asked by Abd Allah Ibn Masoud: “Allah’s messenger, which of our deeds are best?” he said: “Praying the Salah at it’s time”.  I said: “Then what?” He said: “Being good and kind to your parents”.  I said: “Then what?  He said: “Jihad in the cause of Allah”.   (B: Eman; 18 & M: Eman; 137 & D: Salah; 24 & A: 5:150,171)

3-    Then one should be kind to one’s blood relations and close kin, as well as the weakest in the society, including the orphans and the poor and needy.

4-    Then, Allah the Highest commands us, to speak to people in general, righteously.  Meaning to be right and truthful in what one says.  Also not to be insulting or offensive, rude or calling a person names they do not like.  Allah the Highest clarifies this idea in this very eloquent Ayah” “DO YOU NOT SEE THAT ALLAH HAS SENT DOWN A PARABLE OF A GOOD WORD LIKE A GOOD TREE, IT’S ROOT IS FIRM AND IT’S BRANCH IS IN THE SKY * GIVING IT’S FRUIT EVERY SEASON BY IT’S LORD’S PERMISSION * AND THE PARABLE OF AN EVIL WORD IS THAT OF AN EVIL TREE, TORN OUT OF THE EARTH HAVING NO ROOTS.  (S:14 A:24-26)

And Allah’s messenger, prayer and peace upon him, said: “A kind word is a charity”. (Bukhari & Muslim)

5- Praying regularly:-

The praying of the Salah, 5 times a day, at the correct time, as ordered by Allah the Highest.

6- Giving Zakah.

This is the charity money which we have been ordered to give by Allah the Highest. It is a stated amount of our income, of cause we are not restricted to this and giving more than this minimum is always better.

Allah the Highest tells us that only few of the Jews followed these commands and obeyed them, the majority did not.

B: Bukhari   M: Muslim    Mal: Malek   A: Ahmed   D: Abu Dawood

Da: Daremy       Ma: Ibn Magah            N: Nesae          T: Termezi