بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
وَقَضَيۡنَآ إِلَىٰ بَنِيٓ إِسۡرَٰٓءِيلَ فِي ٱلۡكِتَٰبِ لَتُفۡسِدُنَّ فِي ٱلۡأَرۡضِ مَرَّتَيۡنِ وَلَتَعۡلُنَّ عُلُوّٗا كَبِيرٗا ٤ فَإِذَا جَآءَ وَعۡدُ أُولَىٰهُمَا بَعَثۡنَا عَلَيۡكُمۡ عِبَادٗا لَّنَآ أُوْلِي بَأۡسٖ شَدِيدٖ فَجَاسُواْ خِلَٰلَ ٱلدِّيَارِۚ وَكَانَ وَعۡدٗا مَّفۡعُولٗا ٥ ثُمَّ رَدَدۡنَا لَكُمُ ٱلۡكَرَّةَ عَلَيۡهِمۡ وَأَمۡدَدۡنَٰكُم بِأَمۡوَٰلٖ وَبَنِينَ وَجَعَلۡنَٰكُمۡ أَكۡثَرَ نَفِيرًا ٦ إِنۡ أَحۡسَنتُمۡ أَحۡسَنتُمۡ لِأَنفُسِكُمۡۖ وَإِنۡ أَسَأۡتُمۡ فَلَهَاۚ فَإِذَا جَآءَ وَعۡدُ ٱلۡأٓخِرَةِ لِيَسُـُٔواْ وُجُوهَكُمۡ وَلِيَدۡخُلُواْ ٱلۡمَسۡجِدَ كَمَا دَخَلُوهُ أَوَّلَ مَرَّةٖ وَلِيُتَبِّرُواْ مَا عَلَوۡاْ تَتۡبِيرًا ٧
4. And We decreed for the Children of Israel in the Scripture, that indeed you would do mischief on the earth twice and you will become tyrants and extremely arrogant!
Qur’ān : Sūrah al-Isrā’ 4-8
5. So, when the promise came for the first of the two, We sent against you slaves of Ours given to terrible warfare. They entered the very innermost parts of your homes. And it was a promise (completely) fulfilled.
6. Then We gave you once again, a return of victory over them. And We helped you with wealth and children and made you more numerous in man power.
7. (And We said): “If you do good, you do good for your ownselves, and if you do evil (you do it) against yourselves.” Then, when the second promise came to pass, (We permitted your enemies) to make your faces sorrowful and to enter the mosque (of Jerusalem) as they had entered it before, and to destroy with utter destruction all that fell in their hands.
8. [And We said in the Taurat (Torah)]: “It may be that your Lord may show mercy unto you, but if you return (to sins), We shall return (to Our Punishment). And We have made Hell a prison for the disbelievers.
Imām As-Sa’dī says in his Tafsīr of the above verses (abridged and paraphrased):
‘We decreed for the Children of Israel’, meaning we foretold them and informed them in the Book that they will bring corruption upon the land because of their arrogance, disobedience, ungratefulness for Allāh’s blessings, and greed for power. When they caused corruption the first time, Allāh empowered their enemies against them. This was an admonition and a warning for them so that they may return to the right path.
‘So, when the promise came for the first of the two, We sent against you slaves of Ours given to terrible warfare‘, When the incident of the first corruption took place, ‘We sent against you’ as a mighty punishment and universal retribution, ‘slaves of Ours given to terrible warfare‘, meaning, brave, and great in number (who were disbelievers) . Allāh aided them against you and they killed some of you, enslaved your children, and confiscated your wealth. They turned to the Sacred Mosque and spoiled it.
Allāh gave them power over the Children of Israel because of the latters disobedience, abandoning the legislation, and spreading corruption across the Earth.
‘Then We gave you once again, a return of victory over them’, meaning, We empowered you upon this powerful nation and you expelled them from your homes. ‘And We helped you with wealth and children and made you more numerous in man power‘, meaning, We blessed you with sustenance, increased your numbers, and gave you power over them.
The reason for this victory was because of your humility towards Allāh and acts of righteousness.
‘(And We said): “If you do good, you do good for your ownselves” ‘, because it’s benefit will return to you even in this world as you witness victory over your enemies. ‘ “And if you do evil (you do it) against yourselves” ‘, and the harm will return to you as you will see your enemies once again overpower you.
‘Then, when the second promise came to pass‘ , meaning, the second time you caused corruption upon the Earth,we permitted your enemies ‘to make your faces sorrowful and to enter the mosque (of Jerusalem) as they had entered it before, and to destroy with utter destruction all that fell in their hands‘, so that they destroyed your homes, your places of worship, and your crops.
‘It may be that your Lord may show mercy unto you‘, by giving you victory. Warning them against sin, Allāh says: ‘but if you return (to sins), We shall return (to Our Punishment)’.
Whoever ponders over the domination that the disbelievers sometimes have over the Muslims, and the oppression that the Muslims suffer at their hands, will come to know that this is a form of punishment for the sins of the Muslims. If the Muslims stick to the Book of Allāh and the sunnah of His Messenger, they will be blessed by Allāh with power on Earth, and they will be aided against their enemies.
(Tafsīr as-Sa’dī, Sūrah al-Isrā 4-8)
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