2:249 Al-Baqara (The Cow)

أي: لما تملَّك طالوت ببني إسرائيل واستقر له الملك تجهزوا لقتال عدوهم، فلما فصل طالوت بجنود بني إسرائيل وكانوا عددا كثيرا وجما غفيرا، امتحنهم بأمر الله ليتبين الثابت المطمئن ممن ليس كذلك فقال: { إن الله مبتليكم بنهر فمن شرب منه فليس مني } فهو عاص ولا يتبعنا لعدم صبره وثباته ولمعصيته { ومن لم يطعمه } أي: لم يشرب منه فإنه مني { إلا من اغترف غرفة بيده } فلا جناح عليه في ذلك، ولعل الله أن يجعل فيها بركة فتكفيه، وفي هذا الابتلاء ما يدل على أن الماء قد قل عليهم ليتحقق الامتحان، فعصى أكثرهم وشربوا من النهر الشرب المنهي عنه، ورجعوا على أعقابهم ونكصوا عن قتال عدوهم وكان في عدم صبرهم عن الماء ساعة واحدة أكبر دليل على عدم صبرهم على القتال الذي سيتطاول وتحصل فيه المشقة الكبيرة، وكان في رجوعهم عن باقي العسكر ما يزداد به الثابتون توكلا على الله، وتضرعا واستكانة وتبرؤا من حولهم وقوتهم، وزيادة صبر لقلتهم وكثرة عدوهم، فلهذا قال تعالى: { فلما جاوزه } أي: النهر { هو } أي: طالوت { والذين آمنوا معه } وهم الذين أطاعوا أمر الله ولم يشربوا من النهر الشرب المنهي عنه فرأوا... قلتهم وكثرة أعدائهم، قالوا أي: قال كثير منهم { لا طاقة لنا اليوم بجالوت وجنوده } لكثرتهم وعَددهم وعُددهم { قال الذين يظنون أنهم ملاقوا الله } أي: يستيقنون ذلك، وهم أهل الإيمان الثابت واليقين الراسخ، مثبتين لباقيهم ومطمئنين لخواطرهم، وآمرين لهم بالصبر { كم من فئة قليلة غلبت فئة كثيرة بإذن الله } أي: بإرادته ومشيئته فالأمر لله تعالى، والعزيز من أعزه الله، والذليل من أذله الله، فلا تغني الكثرة مع خذلانه، ولا تضر القلة مع نصره، { والله مع الصابرين } بالنصر والمعونة والتوفيق، فأعظم جالب لمعونة الله صبر العبد لله، فوقعت موعظته في قلوبهم وأثرت معهم.

يقول تعالى مخبرا عن طالوت ملك بني إسرائيل حين خرج في جنوده ومن أطاعه من ملإ بني إسرائيل وكان جيشه يومئذ فيما ذكره السدي ثمانين ألفا فالله أعلم أنه قال "إن الله مبتليكم" أي مختبركم بنهر قال ابن عباس وغيره: وهو نهر بين الأردن وفلسطين يعني نهر الشريعة المشهور "فمن شرب منه فليس مني" أي فلا يصحبني اليوم في هذا الوجه "ومن لم يطعمه فإنه مني إلا من اغترف غرفة بيده" أي فلا بأس عليه قال الله تعالى "فشربوا منه إلا قليلا منهم" قال ابن جريج قال ابن عباس: من اغترف منه بيده روي ومن شرب منه لم يرو وكذا رواه السدي عن أبي مالك عن ابن عباس. وكذا قال قتادة وابن شوذب قال السدي: كان الجيش ثمانين ألفا فشرب منه ستة وسبعون ألفا وتبقى معه أربعة آلاف كذا قال. وقد روى ابن جرير من طريق إسرائيل وسفيان الثوري ومسعر بن كدام عن أبي إسحاق السبيعي عن البراء بن عازب قال: كنا نتحدث أن أصحاب محمد - صلى الله عليه وسلم - الذين كانوا يوم بدر ثلاثمائة وبضعة عشر على عدة أصحاب طالوت الذين جازوا معه النهر وما جازه معه إلا مؤمن ورواه البخاري عن عبدالله بن رجاء عن إسرائيل بن يونس عن أبي إسحاق عن جده عن البراء بنحوه ولهذا قال تعالى "فلما جاوزه هو والذين آمنوا معه قالوا لا طاقة لنا اليوم بجالوت وجنوده" أي استقلوا أنفسهم عن لقاء عدوهم لكثرتهم فشجعهم علماؤهم العالمون بأن وعد الله حق فإن النصر من عند الله ليس عن كثرة عدد ولا عدة ولهذا قالوا "كم من فئة قليلة غلبت فئة كثيرة بإذن الله والله مع الصابرين".

Allah states that Talut, the king of the Children of Israel, marched forth with his soldiers and the Israelites who obeyed him. His army was of eighty thousand then, according to As-Suddi, but Allah knows best. Talut said:

إِنَّ اللَّهَ مُبْتَلِيكُم

(Verily, Allah will try you) meaning, He will test you with a river, which flowed between Jordan and Palestine, i.e. , the Shari`ah river, according to Ibn `Abbas and others. He continued,

فَمَن شَرِبَ مِنْهُ فَلَيْسَ مِنِّي

(So whoever drinks thereof, he is not of me;) meaning, shall not accompany me today,

لَّمْ يَطْعَمْهُ فَإِنَّهُ مِنِّى إِلاَّ مَنِ اغْتَرَفَ غُرْفَةً بِيَدِهِ

(and whoever tastes it not, he is of me, except him who takes (thereof) in the hollow of his hand.) meaning, there is no harm in this case. Allah then said:

فَشَرِبُواْ مِنْهُ إِلاَّ قَلِيلاً مِّنْهُمْ

(Yet, they drank thereof, all, except a few of them.)

Ibn Jurayj stated that Ibn `Abbas commented, "Whoever took some of it (the river's water) in the hollow of his hand, quenched his thirst; as for those who drank freely from it, their thirst was not quenched."

Ibn Jarir reported that Al-Bara' bin `Azib said, "We used to say that the Companions of Muhammad who accompanied him on the battle of Badr were more than three hundred and ten, just as many as the soldiers who crossed the river with Talut. Only those who believed crossed the river with him." Al-Bukhari also reported this.

This is why Allah said:

فَلَمَّا جَاوَزَهُ هُوَ وَالَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ مَعَهُ قَالُواْ لاَ طَاقَةَ لَنَا الْيَوْمَ بِجَالُوتَ وَجُنودِهِ

(So when he had crossed it (the river), he and those who believed with him, they said: "We have no power this day against Jalut (Goliath) and his hosts.")

This Ayah indicates that the Israelites (who remained with Saul) thought that they were few in the face of their enemy who were many then. So, their knowledgeable scholars strengthened their resolve by stating that Allah's promise is true and that triumph comes from Allah Alone, not from the large numbers or the adequacy of the supplies. They said to them:

كَم مِّن فِئَةٍ قَلِيلَةٍ غَلَبَتْ فِئَةٍ كَثِيرَةً بِإِذْنِ اللَّهِ وَاللَّهُ مَعَ الصَّـبِرِينَ

("How often has a small group overcome a mighty host by Allah's leave" And Allah is with As-Sabirin (the patient).)

And when Saul went forth with the hosts from the Holy House sc. Jerusalem the heat was intense and so they asked him for water; he said ‘God will try test you in order to distinguish the obedient among you from the disobedient with a river between Jordan and Palestine whoever drinks of it of its water is not of me is not of my followers and whoever tastes it not he is of me except for him who scoops up with his hand’ ghurfa or gharfa ‘a scoop’ satisfying himself therewith and not taking more he is also of my followers. But they drank of it when they reached it and saw that it was abundant except a few of them who restricted themselves to a scoop it is reported that one scoop was enough for each man and his horse and they numbered over three hundred; and when he crossed it with those who believed the ones who confined themselves to the one scoop they the ones that drank profusely said ‘We have no power today against Goliath and his troops’ that is no power to fight them and they were cowardly and did not cross it. Those who thought with certainty that they would meet God at the Resurrection and these were the ones that crossed it said ‘How often kam ‘how’ functions as a predicate meaning kathīr ‘many’ a little company group of men has overcome a numerous one by God’s leave by His will; and God is with the patient’ providing them with help and assistance.

Verse 249: قَالَ إِنَّ اللَّـهَ مُبْتَلِيكُم بِنَهَرٍ (He said: Allah is going to test you by a

river).

The wisdom behind this test, as perceived by this humble commentator, appears to be as follows. Not difficult to imagine is the excitement created on such occasions but there are not many who would stay firm in their hour of trial. And should such a time come, the weakness shown by such people becomes contagious making others panic as well. Allah Almighty willed that such people be pruned out. This purpose was accomplished by this test, which is very appropriate, because steadfastness is necessary in fighting. So, being patient, when water is made available without asking in a state of intense thirst, is a proof of steadfastness, and dashing for water is a proof of its absence. Later on comes the unusual: Those who drank too much water became mysteriously more incapacitated. This has appeared in Ruh al-Ma'ani on the authority of Ibn Abi Haim from Ibn ` Abbas ؓ . Now the events and sayings mentioned in this story tell us that there were three kinds of people among them:

(1) The weak in faith who failed to make the grade in their hour of

trial.

(2) The perfect who fully succeeded in their trial but did feel concerned about how low they were in numbers.

(3) The most perfect who did not bother even about that.