Until They Leave It

Not only did Banū Isrāʾīl turn their backs on their enemy — they refused to fight to begin with. It was not a matter of turning your back on the battlefield. They said: we are not going to fight, period.

They said: O Mūsā, in it are a people of great strength. So what if there are people of great strength? And we shall never enter it until they leave it; when they leave, then we will enter. Look at this. They said the people in there are powerful and strong — they said they are powerful and strong — so we are not going in there until these people leave. How do you think people who are powerful and strong are going to vacate it for you? You have already said they are powerful and strong. Do you expect them to walk out and tell you: come on in? You have already said these are people who are strong.

But this is the negative, passive way of people who are humiliated: they want victory without paying the price. Let them leave, and then we are going to walk in. We want the victory; we want the Holy Land; but we do not want to fight, and we do not want to sacrifice. We do not want to pay any wealth; we do not want to give our souls; we do not want to put in any effort. We want to go in there in an effortless fashion. Let them leave first, and then we are going to walk in.