Abu Musa narrated:
"The Prophet (SAW) said: "A faithful believer to a faithful believer is like the bricks of a wall, enforcing each other." While (saying that) the Prophet( SAW) clasped his hands, by interlacing his fingers." (Sahih Al-Bukhari)
I...
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Lessons from the story of Talut (Saul) and Jalut (Goliath): Surah Baqarah verses 243-251
I hope you're all familiar with the story of Saul and Goliath. This story appears at the end of the second para and like all Quranic stories, it fills us all with wonderment and inspiration.
Cuz Allah's the best story teller yo.
So for those who have no clue about this, let me just quickly walk you through this.Let's start with the background of where this comes from.
At the time of Musa AS, Bani Israel were asked to conquer Jerusalem but they disobeyed saying that the Canannites (inhabitants of Canaan, an area encompassing Palestine, Syria and other areas surrounding the Jordan river) were too mighty and strong for them.
They said to Musa AS , "Go, you and your Lord and fight. "
Long story short, Allah punished them and they were made to wander in the deserts for 40 years during which both Musa AS and Haroon AS passed away.
Next came Yusha Bin Noon ( Prophet Joshua) who led them to victory in Palestine and while they lived therein, the Bani Israel went astray again and the Canaanites used this opportunity to oppress them.
Years down the line came Prophet Shamul (Samuel) The leaders of that time were concerned for their community's poor condition so they consulted Prophet Samuel and expressed their wish to fight back against the oppression. They asked him to appoint a commander for them.
Allah selected Talut (Saul) who was a man of great strength and knowledge but belonged to a poor family of a different lineage. The leaders of Bani Israel rejected him as they couldn't accept someone supposedly so inferior as their leader.
Allah then sent them a sign. Allah gave Saul the Ark of the covenant, commonly known as the Taboot-e-Sakina. It was basically this chest that contained really blessed and priceless artefacts of the Bani Israel; Moses' staff and the original plates of 10 commandments to name a few.
Some of them outright even rejected this and some of them, who were renewed with faith, proceeded as a part of Saul's army.
They were to cross a river and they were commanded by Allah to not drink from it. If they were too thirsty, they could sip a few drops from whatever collects in their palms but nothing more than that.
This was a trial in which a lot of the soldiers failed and the few that passed, reached land safely.
As they saw the mighty army of Goliath, the tyrant Philistinian king, some of them bailed out. The remaining few that had truly believed in Allah's promise met the tyrant's army in the battlefield.
And of course they won.
Duh.
But do you know who was the one who actually killed Goliath?
Dun dun dun
Dawood Alayhissalam!
YES!
He was a soldier in the army and because of this feat of his, he was made the king and layer, as we all know came to be one of the most revered prophets. And then followed Suleiman AS and thus the golden era of Bani Israel had begun.
Quite a story, isn't it?
Every verse in the Quran has a specific context and a general context and they're both of course connected. Above, we've seen the specific context of what really happened.
Now let's get to what this teaches US, because that's the actual point of Allah mentioning all these stories in the Qur'an.
1. شعور (consciousness)
Allah doesn't change the state of a nation till they decide to change it themselves, and that can only happen when we stop being traditional Muslims that got Islam in inheritance and only follow it because our parents do, but become conscious Muslims, that focus on ilm and amal.
2. On this path, there will be a lot of challenges :-
Tazkiya Nafs (Purification of the soul) by killing our ego. Like the army of Bani Israel had to, when they had to accept Talut as their commander even though he was from a different lineage and was poor.
- Leadership is based on ilm and one's capacity to act upon it, not upon money or social status- To willfully accept Allah's decision even when one's mind can't wrap itself around it. And history is testimony that when man submits, Allah helps him in miraculous ways.
- Self restraint - The Bani Israel were asked not to drink from the river while they were crossing it.
A lot of times, there are worldly desires that line our way as we proceed to do good. But Allah mentions in surah Rahman that, كل من عليها فان "Everything upon the Earth will perish."
Realising this helps one practice self restraint-Victory only comes to a person when Allah wills it, and when the person practices Sabr. A date palm requires 20 long years of care till it starts giving fruits, and when it does, it does so for hundreds of years.
When we start with the will to bring change, results will not be immediate, they will take time and that's where the test lies.
Do you trudge forward or wear off?
-Allah gives dominion and honour to whom He wills. Just look at our history! Dawood AS: a soldier to a king and a prophet.Mohammed SAW: an orphan to the most influential man on Earth. Allah chooses whom He wills to carry out His work and it depends on a person's characters and deeds.
-Dua.
Allah teaches us a beautiful dua at the end (picture)
