THE COMMENTARY A STRANGE REQUEST!

THE COMMENTARY A STRANGE REQUEST! (VERSE NO. 55) This verse shows how obstinate and excuse makers the Israelites were, and how God's chastisement caught them down! ``When you said: O, Moses! we shall never believe in you, until we see Allah openly with our eyes.'' This strange request must have been due to their deep ignorance, as the understandings of the fools exceeds not beyond the realm of their five senses.

It might also have been due to their obstinacy or their firm adherence to an unreasonable opinion. Any how; it was an inevitable fate and decree for them in that state of mind peculiar to them; to see instead of God; one of God's [ 81 ] signs, which they were not able to withstand its force and sight, in order to teach them a lesson that no one can see the face of God and live! and that God is not an entity to be ever seen physically by human's eyes; or to be felt by other senses.

Therefore, a dreadful event, a monstrous thunder-bolt struck the Mount Sinai - so hard and with such a huge and blinding brightness, and accompained by a violent earthquake that all of them fell down to death! QURA"N, narrates the event thus: ``(WHEN YOU SAID SO) a thunder-bolt caught you, while you were watching.'' VERSE NO.

56 Moses was annoyed, and felt a bitter discomfort in his heart, because he had brought seventy elect men of the chiefs and leaders, and influentials of the HEBREWS, who were now dead - all of them! What could he say about that to the critics given to harsh and captious judgements?! And how could he handle such a tremendous event? Resorting to God; Moses prayed for his riddle to be solved. God answered his prayer and raised again the seventy elects to life!

``Then we raised you up after your death, so that you might give thanks.'' وَ ظَلَّلْنَا عَلَيْكُمُ الْغَمَامَ وَأَنْزَلْنَا عَلَيْكُمُ الْمَنَّ وَالسَّلْوَى كُلُواْ مِن طَيِّبَـتِ مَا رَزَقْنَـكُمْ وَمَا ظَلَمُونَا وَلَـكِن كَانُواْ أَنْفُسَهُمْ يَظْلِمُونَ(( 57 )) 57- AND WE OUTSPREAD THE CLOUD TO OVERSHADOW YOU, AND SENT DOWN TO YOU MANNA AND QUAILS; (SAYING) EAT OF THE GOOD THINGS WE HAVE PROVIDED FOR YOU. (BUT THEY REBELLED) AND TO US THEY DID NOT HARM, THEY RATHER HARMED THEIR OWN SOULS.

[ 82 ] THE COMMENATRY VARIOUS BOUNTIES (VERSE NO. 57) By the verses: S 5: 23-25, we understand that after the PASS OVER, God commanded the Israelties to set out for PALESTINE, and enter the Holy Land which Allah had assigned unto them. They disobeyed the commandment saying: ``O Moses!

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