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The Events Of Bani Isra’il Are A Lesson For Muslim

“And, in the Book, We declared to the children of Isra’il: ‘You will surely spread disorder on the earth twice, and you will surely show arrogance, a great arrogance. So, when came the time appointed for the first of the two, We sent upon you some servants belonging to us having strong aggressive power, who combed through the houses. And it was a promise bound to be fulfilled. Then We gave you your turn to overpower them, and increased your strength with wealth and sons, and made you greater in number. If you do good, you will do it for yourselves, and if you do evil, it will be for you, too. Later, when came the time appointed for the second, (We sent others) so that they spoil your faces, and so that they enter into the Mosque as the former ones had entered it the first time and destroy what they overpower, totally. Maybe your Lord would bestow mercy upon you. And if you do this again, We shall do that again. And We have made Jahannam a prison for the disbelievers. [Surah Al-Isra, Verses 4-8]

The outcome of the events mentioned above is that Allah Ta’ala decreed that the Bani Isra’il will be successful, having the best of both worlds, the material and the spiritual, as long as they continue to obey Allah. But, whenever they deviate from the dictates of Faith, they shall be put to disgrace, and they would be subjected to punishment at the hands of enemies and disbelievers. Then, not only that the enemies run over them destroying their lives and properties, but it would also happen that their Qiblah, their sacred Baytul-maqdis, would also not remain safe against the onslaught of that enemy. Their disbelieving enemies will barge into the Mosque of Baytul-maqdis and defile and damage it. This too will be a part of the punishment of Bani Isra’il themselves.

The Holy Qur’an has told us about two events relating to them. The first one dates back to the time of Mosaic religious law while the second pertains to the Christian. During both these periods, the Bani Isra’il rebelled against the divine law of the time. In the first case, a disbelieving Magian monarch was made to sit over them, and Baytul-maqdis, who brought great destruction upon them. In the second case, a Roman emperor was set against them who killed and pillaged and made Baytul-maqdis all demolished and rendered desolate. Along with this description, it has also been mentioned that the Bani Isra’il – when, on both occasions, they repented from their misdeeds resolving not to go near them again – Allah Ta’ala reinstated their country, wealth, and children.

After having mentioned these two events, Allah Ta’ala declared His Law in such matters by saying: (If you do this again, We shall do that again – 8). This law which means – ‘if you return to disobedience and contumacy, We shall, once again, make a similar penalty and punishment zoom back upon you’ – has been declared as valid right through the last day of Qiyamah. That its addressees were the people of Bani Isra’il who were present during the blessed time of the Holy Prophet serves as a reminder to them. It is being pointed out to them that they should not forget that they were seized by divine punishment twice when they had first opposed the code of Sayyidna Musa, and then the code of Sayyidna Isa.

Now this was the period of the Code of Laws brought by the Holy Prophet. This was a period that would continue up to the Last Day. Let them, therefore, realize that the fate of those who choose to be hostile to it will turn out to be no different. Consequently, this has actually happened. These people became hostile to Islam and the religious code of laws brought by the Holy Prophet. When they did that, they were expelled and disgraced at the hands of Muslims, and finally Baytul-maqdis, their Qiblah, too came under Muslim control. However, the only difference was that their past conquering kings had treated them disgracefully and had desecrated their Qiblah too. Now when Muslims took over Baytul-maqdis, they reconstructed the great Mosque of al-Quds ash-Sharif which had been demolished and desolate for centuries, and thereby reinstated the honour and reverence of the Qiblah of prophets.

The Events of Bani Isra’il are a Lesson for Muslims and What Has Happened to Baytul-maqdis in Our Time is a Part of the Same Chain. Obviously, the purpose of narrating these events relating to the Bani Isra’il in the Qur’an and making Muslims listen to them is to let Muslims understand that there are no exceptions to this divine law. Be it this mortal world or the eternal universe of their Faith, their honor and ascendancy, possessions, and wealth are inseparably tied with obedience to Allah. Whenever they veer away from their obedience to Allah and the Holy Prophet, their enemies and disbelieving tyrants of all sorts shall be empowered to prevail over them. When this happens, the desecration of their places of worship will also not remain too far.

The calamity of the Jewish usurpation of Baytul-maqdis in our time and the added sacrilege of setting fire to it have thrown the world of Islam into acute anxiety. In reality, it is confirming the Qur’an. Muslims forgot Allah and His Rasul, ignored the life waiting for them in the Hereafter, and opted to scrounge for their share in the glamour and grandeur of the mortal world. When they became aliens to the dictates of the Qur’an, and Sunnah, the same divine law stood activated before them.

Prophet Musa (Alaih Assalaam)

In the land of Egypt where the children of Ibrahim(Alaih Assalaam), Yaqub(Alaih Assalaam), and Yusuf(Alaih Assalaam) once lived, there reigned an evil, wicked Pharaoh. One day, this wicked Pharaoh ordered that all boys descended from Yusuf (Alaih Assalaam) should be killed. He gave this order because he did not want Yusuf(Alaih Assalaam)’s children to increase and become more powerful than his own people.

It was at this dangerous time that the baby Musa (Alaih Assalaam)was born. Allah sent a message to his mother, telling her to place little Musa(Alaih Assalaam) in a small basket and put the basket on the river. That way, Musa(Alaih Assalaam) would escape the dreadful fate which Pharaoh had decreed.

The basket with the little child in it was found by the Pharaoh’s wife. She was kind and good-hearted and took Musa(Alaih Assalaam) into the palace. Nobody knew who his parents were, but the Pharaoh’s wife wanted to keep him, so she looked for a foster mother to nurse him. Allah then caused Musa(Alaih Assalaam)’s own mother to be brought into the palace so that she could be chosen as Musa(Alaih Assalaam)’s foster mother. So the baby Musa(Alaih Assalaam)’s life was saved, and through the help of Allah, he was given back to his own mother.
Musa(Alaih Assalaam) was brought up in Pharaoh’s palace and had the best teachers to educate him. They made a clever and capable man out of him.

As Musa (Alaih Assalaam)grew up to be a man, he had to leave Pharaoh’s land on a journey. On the way, he passed by a well where the shepherds gave water to their sheep. Musa(Alaih Assalaam) found there two women who also wanted to give their sheep water to drink. But they could not reach the water before the shepherds had taken their flocks away from the well. Musa (Alaih Assalaam)helped them to give water to their herd and when the two women returned home, they told their old father what had happened. He sent one of them back to invite Musa(Alaih Assalaam) to come to their house. Later the father offered him one of his daughters to take for his wife, and Musa (Alaih Assalaam)accepted. Afterward, Musa (Alaih Assalaam) led a happy life with his family and the old father by the well.

Some years later, Musa(Alaih Assalaam) and his family were traveling in the country, when suddenly, he saw a big fire. He told his family to stay where they were and went on his own to find out about the fire. As Musa(Alaih Assalaam) approached, he heard a voice: O Musa! the voice said I am Allah, your Lord. I am going to make you my Prophet. You must go to the people and tell them that there is only one God, Allah, Who created them. So they must be grateful and pray only to Allah and strive to do good. Take your brother Harun (Alaih Assalaam)with you and go to the Pharaoh and his people and give them My message.

Musa(Alaih Assalaam) went to Egypt and told Pharaoh: Allah, Who is the Lord of the worlds, has sent me to you. I am Allah’s messenger and I bring the truth to you. You should set free the children of Yusuf(Alaih Assalaam), who are being oppressed in this land and let them come away with me.

When Pharaoh heard this, he became furious and shouted: You lie! No-one except me, the great Pharaoh of Egypt, is the lord of the world. I am the most powerful king on earth. You must be out of your mind to dare to say otherwise. If you disobey me, I will throw you into prison!

But Musa(Alaih Assalaam) was not frightened by Pharaoh’s anger or his words. With the help of Allah I shall show you that Allah is more powerful than all men and also more powerful than you, he told the Pharaoh. Musa(Alaih Assalaam) then took his stick and threw it onto the ground. At once, the stick turned into a long thick curling snake.
You are obviously a magician, said the Pharaoh when he saw this. I will call together all the magicians in my land, and then we will see who can make better magic, they or you.

So, all the magicians were summoned to the Pharaoh’s palace. They had many sticks with them, and they turned them into snakes. But then Musa (Alaih Assalaam)threw his stick once more onto the ground, and once more it turned into a snake. This snake swallowed up all the snakes which the magicians had made.

The magicians were impressed: We believe truly in Allah, Who has sent Musa(Alaih Assalaam) as His prophet, they said, Allah is really and truly much more powerful than all or any of us.

The Pharaoh was furious. He said: Do you want to believe in something before I give you permission to believe it? You will all have your hands and feet chopped off as punishment! he shouted at the magicians.

Do you want to take revenge on us just because we believe in Allah’s signs? the magicians replied. Whatever you do to us, we will still turn to Allah. May Allah have mercy on us and help us to be patient and steadfast. In this way, the magicians, who were greedy men, were turned into good and faithful servants of Allah.

Now Musa(Alaih Assalaam) went to the descendants of Yusuf who were suffering much oppression under the rule of the evil Pharaoh. He told them: We shall go away from Egypt. But after they had departed, Pharaoh and his soldiers went after them to fetch them back.

Musa (Alaih Assalaam)and his people sped on their journey until they finally reached the sea. By this time, though, Pharaoh and his soldiers were approaching and the people grew terribly afraid. But Allah came to their rescue. He divided the water into two so that Musa (Alaih Assalaam)and his people could walk through the middle to get across the sea. when Pharaoh and his soldiers reached the sea, they of course rode after them. But they could not reach Musa (Alaih Assalaam)and his people before they came to the other side. Suddenly, while Pharaoh and his soldiers were still riding across the sea bed, the waters came flowing back, and all of them were drowned. Allah had thus saved Musa (Alaih Assalaam) and his people because they worshipped Him alone. Pharaoh, who refused to believe in Allah and who was proud and even wanted to throw Musa (Alaih Assalaam) into prison, was left to drown.

After their escape, Musa (Alaih Assalaam)and his people wandered in the desert for many years. One day, Musa(Alaih Assalaam) received Allah’s order to climb a high mountain. Musa (Alaih Assalaam)was to stay there for forty days and nights praying to Allah and listening to what Allah would tell him and his people. But forty days and nights seemed a long time and while Musa(Alaih Assalaam) was away, his people became impatient. They decided to make a calf out of gold and worship it. When Musa (Alaih Assalaam)came down from the mountain, he saw the calf and became very angry. He smashed the calf into a thousand pieces and scolded his people so much that they felt ashamed of themselves. You must never, ever worship anything else apart from Allah, Musa(Alaih Assalaam) instructed them.

Musa(Alaih Assalaam) had brought a book to his people which Allah had revealed to him on the mountain. This book is called the Taurat. In the Taurat, it is stated what men should not do. They must never worship anything else apart from Allah.

They must never kill a fellow man. They must not take things which do not belong to them. They must be good to their parents and to one another.

Musa(Alaih Assalaam)’s people understood now that they had been very ungrateful to Allah, for it was Allah who had saved them from Pharaoh and his soldiers. They prayed to Allah and thanked Him for what He had done for them. They asked for His forgiveness and made a promise that they would strive hard to do good deeds.
Allah forgives those who are ashamed for the bad deeds they have done, and are willing to correct their mistakes and return to Allah.

Let The Sinner Separate Himself, O Musa

It was narrated that in the days that Musa (peace be upon him) wandered with Bani Israel in the desert, an intense drought befell them. Together, they raised their hands towards the heavens praying for the blessed rain to come. Then, to the astonishment of Musa and all those watching, the few scattered clouds that were in the sky vanished, the heat poured down, and the drought intensified.

It was revealed to Musa that there was a sinner amongst the tribe of Bani Israel who had disobeyed Allah for more than 40 years of his life. “Let him separate himself from the congregation,” Allah told Musa. “Only then shall I shower you all with rain.”

Musa (peace be upon him) called out to the throngs of humanity, “There is a person amongst us who has disobeyed Allah for 40 years. Let him separate himself from the congregation and only then shall we be rescued from the drought.”

That man waited, looking left and right, hoping that someone else would step forward, but no one did. Sweat poured forth from his brow and he knew that he was the one. The man knew that if he stayed amongst the congregation all would die of thirst and that if he stepped forward he would be humiliated for all eternity.

He raised his hands with a sincerity he had never known before, with humility he had never tasted, and as tears poured down on both cheeks he said, “O Allah, have mercy on me! O Allah, hide my sins! O Allah, forgive me!”

As Musa (peace be upon him) and the people of Bani Israel waited for the sinner to step forward, the clouds hugged the sky and the rain poured. Musa asked Allah, “O Allah, you blessed us with rain even though the sinner did not come forward.”

And Allah replied, “O Musa, it is for the repentance of that very person that I blessed all of Bani Israel with water.”

Musa (peace be upon him), wanting to know who this blessed man was, asked, “Show him to me O Allah!”

Allah replied, “O Musa, I hid his sins for 40 years, do you think that after his repentance I shall expose him?”

– Muhammad Al-Shareef is director of Al-Maghrib Institute in Canada

The Day Of Aashura (10th Muharam ) And Historical Events

Although the month of Muharram is a sacred month as a whole, the 10th of Muharram is the most sacred of all its days.

The day is named ‘aashurah’. it is one of the most important and blessed days of allah ta’ala in the Islamic calendar. This day has been accepted as having deep significance. evidence of its significance has been clearly found in authentic traditions.

There are many prophetic events of great historical importance and also events that happened after the beloved and final messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) had left this world, such as the battle of Karbala, that have taken place on this day.

The importance of the month of Muharram has been mentioned in the Qur’an in surah taubah verse 36. This day of Ashura derives its importance from prophetic traditions. in the ahadeeth (sayings of rasulullah sallallaho alaihe wassallam) the following have been mentioned :

Fasting
The prophet Muhammad(sallallahu-alaihe wasallam) has exhorted and encouraged his ummah to fast on this day. He said: ” This fast is a compensation for the (minor) sins of the past year ” ( hadith: Muslim )

The prophet Muhammad (PBUH), when migrated to Madinah, found that the Jews of Madinah used to fast on the 10th day of Muharram. They said that it was the day on which the prophet Musa (Moses), alaihe salam, and his followers crossed the red sea miraculously and the pharaoh was drowned in its waters. On hearing this from the Jews, the prophet, sallallahu alaihi wassallam, said, “We are more closely rotated to Musa, alaihi salam, than you, and directed the Muslims to fast on the day of “Ashura”. ( hadith-abu Dawood)

“Observe the fast of Ashura and oppose the Jews. Fast a day before it or a day after.” (hadith: baihaqi)

Hence, it is important to either fast on the ninth and the tenth or the tenth and the eleventh of Muharram.

Being Generous
One should be generous with one’s family and dependents and spend more on them than what is normally spent.

Rasulullah ( sallallahu-alayhi-wasallam) said:” One who generously spends on his family on the day of Aashora, Allah will increase (his provision) for the whole year.” ( hadith: baihaqi )

Historical Events
There is no doubt about the blessedness of the day of Ashura. Many historical events of deep significance have also been recorded on this day.
Hazrat Musa (as) and his people, the Bani Israel, were saved from the Egyptian pharaoh by the miracle of the parting of the sea on the day of Ashura. it was for this reason that the Jews used to fast on this day.

The tragic battle of Karbala was also fought on this day. This event has many important lessons for the ummah (Muslim nation), especially at this point in time when the ummah is being maliciously targeted and persecuted just because of their attachment to and love for Islam.