Sūrat al-Māʾidah
Section 6 of 25 · Surah Studies · Mufti Abdul Rahman Mangera
Go In to the Holy Land
After that, from verse 20, begins the account of Mūsā (peace be upon him) and his people, and of what Allah (swt) had told them. It speaks first of how Allah had made them anbiyāʾ, prophets; had made them kings and rulers; and had given them —
وَإِذْ قَالَ مُوسَىٰ لِقَوْمِهِۦ يَـٰقَوْمِ ٱذْكُرُوا۟ نِعْمَةَ ٱللَّهِ عَلَيْكُمْ إِذْ جَعَلَ فِيكُمْ أَنۢبِيَآءَ وَجَعَلَكُم مُّلُوكًا وَءَاتَىٰكُم مَّا لَمْ يُؤْتِ أَحَدًا مِّنَ ٱلْعَـٰلَمِينَ
“(Recall) when Mūsā said to his people, “O my people, remember the blessing of Allah upon you when He made prophets from among you, made you kings and gave you what He did not give to anyone in the worlds.” (5:20)
— given them what He had given no one else. He then relates the account of their being commanded to enter the holy land: now go in. But there lived there a people who were like giants, the ʿAmāliqah, and they were afraid to go in. Though Allah commanded them, and Mūsā (peace be upon him) told them, to enter, they refused. They said: no, there are these mighty people within. And at last, in their exasperation, they said: if you wish to go, go yourself, you and your Lord.
قَالُوا۟ يَـٰمُوسَىٰٓ إِنَّا لَن نَّدْخُلَهَآ أَبَدًا مَّا دَامُوا۟ فِيهَا ۖ فَٱذْهَبْ أَنتَ وَرَبُّكَ فَقَـٰتِلَآ إِنَّا هَـٰهُنَا قَـٰعِدُونَ
“They said, “O Mūsā, we shall never enter it, in any case, so long as they are there. So go, you and your Lord, and fight. As for us, we are sitting right here.”” (5:24)
As long as they are there, we shall not enter. Fa-dhhab anta wa-rabbuk: you and your Lord, go there. This they said to their own prophet. It is a grave thing to say of one's own prophet; it is a failing of attitude. Fa-qātilā: go and fight them, and we shall sit here.
Two men among them tried to say: listen to him; Allah has commanded it, so go — you should go, and you will succeed. But they refused to go. Allah then said: very well — for forty years it is forbidden to you. For this reason they had to wander for forty years, and in that time Mūsā (peace be upon him) passed away, and Hārūn (peace be upon him) passed away. It was finally through Yūshaʿ ibn Nūn, Joshua, it seems, that they entered the holy land.