Obedience and Co-operation with leaders is a mark of Faith
In His book, The Noble Qur’an, Allah mentioned His favor and blessings upon the children of Israel. There are more than twenty-five times in the Qur’an where Allah either reminds us of His bounties and special favors upon them or gives instances where and how He helped them miraculously in certain situations. Along with these reminders, Allah also adds examples of stubbornness from the ungrateful community, when they refused to obey their prophets or accused them of joking and put their desirous conditions before obeying the divine instructions.
Allah cites a few examples in Quran.
He reminded them of being His chosen people.
“O children of Israel! Remember those blessings of Mine with which I graced you, and how I favoured you above all other people.“
(Surah Al Baqarah, 1:47)
He reminded them of His other miraculous help
“And We shaded you (Bani Israel) with clouds, and sent down on you Al-Manna and the quail (salwah), eat of the good lawful things We have provided you. And they did not wrong us but they wronged themselves.“
(Surah Al Baqarah, 2: 57)
This ayah mentions the white clouds that provided shade for them, protecting them from the sun’s heat during their years of wandering. No other community had been given such a privilege.
Ibn Jarir said those clouds “were cooler and better than the type we know.”
Ibn Abbas commented that “The manna used to descend to them on the trees, and they used to eat whatever they wished of it.”
Also, Qatadah said, “The manna was whiter than milk and sweeter than honey, used to rain down just as snow falls, from down until sunrise. When manna is mixed with water, it becomes a sweet drink.”
As for the (salwa) that is a bird that looks like a quail.
Also Ikrimah said that Salwa is a bird in Paradise about the size of a sparrow.
During that time they could catch as many as were sufficient for them.
(Tafsir Ibn Kathir Al Baqarah #57)
Allah expected them to be obedient to Him and Moses (peace be upon him) and thus show gratefulness but they refused and rather were stubborn.
The Children of Israel rebelled, disbelieved and committed injustices against themselves, even though they saw the clear signs and miracles. They were selfish, arrogant, and always wanted more and more. That’s why Allah misguided them. They were always ungrateful to Allah.
The Bani Israel accused Musa of making fun of them by giving strange commands in the name of Allah
And when Musa said to his people, “Indeed, Allah commands you that you slaughter a cow.” They said, “Do you take us (in) ridicule.
(Surah Al Baqarah, 2:67)
After seeing and experiencing miraculous signs, the Bani Israel refused to believe in the prophethood of Musa –
And when you said: O Musa! we will not believe in you until we see Allah manifestly
(Surah Al Baqarah, 2:55)
They refused to fight in the way of Allah
Nevertheless they said: ‘O Moses! Never shall we enter it as long as they are there. Go forth, then, you and your Lord, and fight, both of you. As for us, we will sit here.”
(Surah Al Maidah, 5:24)
Allah punished them by letting them wander in the desert without any city or village for forty years.
Through this lessons Allah addressed the sahaba ( and the rest of the Muslims too )
‘O You who believe do not be like those who slandered Moses’
(Surah Al Ahzab, 33:56)
And also cautioned them ( and us) –
‘Do not raise your voice above the voice of the Prophet’
(Surah Al Hujurat, 49:2)
Studying lessons from the contradicting parables we get a chance to introspect our own selves as to whether we are following the Sahaba or the Bani Israel.
The virtue of Companions of Muhammad over the Bani Israel
The Companions always used to accompany the Prophet (Peace be upon him) in his travel and battle.They were always patient and were firm on religion and were never arrogant.
The Battle of Tabuk
During the battle of Tabuk, in intense heat and hardship, they did not ask for any miracle. They were patient, though it was easy for the Prophet (peace be upon him) to ask help from Allah. And when the sahaba became hungry, they merely asked the Prophet (peace be upon him) to pray to Allah for food. They collected whatever food they had and brought it to the Prophet (peace be upon him), and he asked Allah to bless it. The Prophet (peace be upon him) started distributing the food and when every one finished eating there was still some amount of it left.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) asked Allah to send down rain, and he sent rain. They drank, gave water to their animals and filled their water pot.
They drank, gave water to their camels and filled their water skins. When they looked around, they found that the cloud had only rained on their camp.
In the tough battle of Badr
The Prophet (peace be upon him) held an advisory meeting regarding the situation. Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him), was the first one to get up and endorse his unconditional support. Umar bin Al Khattab (mayAllah be pleased with him), was the next, and then Miqdad bin Amr announced an assurance “O Messenger of Allah. Proceed where Allah directs you. For we are with you and we will not say as the children of Bani Israel said to Musa, “Go you and your lord alone and fight, we will sit”. [Surah al Maidah, 5:24]
There was a display of loyalty and spirit from the entire army including the Muhajir and the Ansar.
Soon after that Allah gave them victory and certified their Iman with His pleasure.
The more Allah tested them the more they became firm on deen. Allah honored this Ummah with the title, “You are the best of the people ever raised up for mankind.” (Surah Al e Imran #110)
The responsibility is now upon us. Whether we look for an excuse to disobey the Prophet or we choose to cling to each of his Sunnah that reach us.
A deep introspection is indeed required.
