ভূমিকা

“And indeed We gave Moses the Book (Torah) after We had destroyed the earlier generations (as a means) of insight for mankind and a guidance and mercy that haply they might receive admonition.” The Arabic word /basa’ir/ is the plural form of /basirat/ in the sense of ‘insight and awareness’, and the word /’absar/ is the plural form of /basar/ which means ‘eye’.

A man usually will not be guided unless he obtains /basirat/ (insight and awareness), and he will not be guided unless he receives the favour and grace of Allah. Religion is inside the nature of human beings, and the Heavenly Books uncover the dust from it. By this verse, which is the last verse of this section of verses, we reach the tenth scene of the adventurous story of Moses (as). This verse speaks in relation with the revelation of Divine ordinances and Torah, i.e.

the period when the ‘negation of deity’ has finished and the period of construction and proof begins. It says: “And indeed We gave Moses the Book (Torah) after We had destroyed the earlier generations (as a means) of insight for mankind and a guidance and mercy that haply they might receive admonition.” Concerning the objective of the Qur’anic phrase: /qurun al ’ula/ (the earlier generations who were destroyed) and that who they are, commentators are divided.

Some of them have said that it refers to the disbelievers among the people of Noah, ‘Ad, Thamud, and the like, because, by the past of time, the effects of the former prophets had disappeared and it was necessary that a new Heavenly Book be set at mankind’s disposal. Some other commentators of the Qur’an believe that it refers to the destruction of the people of Pharaoh who were the remaining of the early generations, since Allah gave Torah to Moses (as) after their destruction.

But it is no problem that the above-mentioned sentence refers to all of these generations and peoples.