Prophets Yūshaʿ and Dāwūd: Ṭālūt’s River and the Making of a King
Section 13 of 28 · Lives of the Prophets
The River
So he is going to take them through a test. This test is: inna Allāha mubtalīkum bi-nahar — Allah is going to test you with a river.
فَلَمَّا فَصَلَ طَالُوتُ بِٱلْجُنُودِ قَالَ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ مُبْتَلِيكُم بِنَهَرٍ فَمَن شَرِبَ مِنْهُ فَلَيْسَ مِنِّى وَمَن لَّمْ يَطْعَمْهُ فَإِنَّهُۥ مِنِّىٓ إِلَّا مَنِ ٱغْتَرَفَ غُرْفَةًۢ بِيَدِهِۦ ۚ فَشَرِبُوا۟ مِنْهُ إِلَّا قَلِيلًا مِّنْهُمْ ۚ فَلَمَّا جَاوَزَهُۥ هُوَ وَٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ مَعَهُۥ قَالُوا۟ لَا طَاقَةَ لَنَا ٱلْيَوْمَ بِجَالُوتَ وَجُنُودِهِۦ ۚ قَالَ ٱلَّذِينَ يَظُنُّونَ أَنَّهُم مُّلَـٰقُوا۟ ٱللَّهِ كَم مِّن فِئَةٍ قَلِيلَةٍ غَلَبَتْ فِئَةً كَثِيرَةًۢ بِإِذْنِ ٱللَّهِ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ مَعَ ٱلصَّـٰبِرِينَ
“So, when Tālūt set out along with the troops, he said: “Allah is going to test you by a river, so, whoever drinks from it is not my man, and whoever does not taste it is surely a man of mine, except the one who scoops a little with his hand.” Then they drank from it, except a few of them. So, when it (the river) was crossed by him and by those who believed with him, they said: “There is no strength with us today against Jālūt and his troops.” Said those who believed in their having to meet Allah: “How many small groups have overcome large groups by the will of Allah. Allah is with those who remain patient.”” (2:249)
Ṭālūt made them march in the desert, and he made them thirsty, exhausted and tired. And then, when they saw water in front of their eyes, Ṭālūt said: do not drink. Thirsty, exhausted, tired — some of them are maybe wondering that we might face death if we do not drink. Ṭālūt said: do not drink. Man shariba minhu fa-laysa minnī — whoever drinks does not belong to me; you cannot come with me anymore. Wa man lam yaṭʿamhu fa-innahū minnī — and if you do not drink, then you can come with me. Illā man ightarafa ghurfatan bi-yadih — or if you drink one handful, then you can still come with me.
So you either do not drink, or, if you drink, you only drink one handful — just one hand, and one hand cannot take much. Not two hands: one hand. I assume that it is easier not to drink at all than to take one drink. Because when you take that first drink, Shayṭān is going to make it taste like the best sip of water you ever had in your life.
In the end, the result was that 80,000 went through this admission test, and only 4,000 graduated. Out of 80,000, 76,000 of them drank from the river. Only 4,000 crossed to the other side; the rest failed at the first test. 76,000 were left behind. Ṭālūt is not looking for numbers. These are men who are willing to go and fight with him. He said: do not come with me; you are not allowed. It is a test of will — because he wants to have men with him who are willing to stand up against temptation, and who are going to be patient against hardship. They are willing to stand against strong temptations, and at the same time they are very patient, enduring hardship.