A Generation Fit for Victory

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) tells us a clue to the reason this victory was delayed. The children of Israel who came out of Egypt were raised in servitude and slavery, so they were weak, and they were not fit for victory. Allah made them stay in the wilderness for forty years, until all of that generation passed away — and a new generation, raised in freedom under the leadership and the teaching of Mūsā and Hārūn, these are the ones who were given the victory of entering Jerusalem. The ones raised by Mūsā and Hārūn in a free environment. Because the environment in Egypt was not suitable for raising a generation of victory.

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) says: lam yabqa maʿahu aḥadun mimman ʿabada al-ʿijl — none of those who worshipped the calf entered Jerusalem. All of that old generation who worshipped the calf were dead. A new generation was raised in the desert, in that harsh environment, under the teachings of the Torah, at the hands of Mūsā and Hārūn — these are the ones who were qualified for leadership.