Tafsir

The Children of Israel safely cross the Sea, but still held on to the Idea of Idol Worshipping

Allah mentions the words that the ignorant ones among the Children of Israel uttered to Musa after they crossed the sea and witnessed Allah's Ayat and great power.فَأَتَوْاْ عَلَى قَوْمٍ يَعْكُفُونَ عَلَى أَصْنَامٍ لَّهُمْ(And they came upon a people devoted to some of their idols (in worship).) Some scholars of Tafsir said that the people mentioned here were from Canaan, or from the tribe of Lakhm. Ibn Jarir commented, "They were worshipping idols that they made in the shape of cows, and this influenced the Children of Israel later when they worshipped the calf. They said here,يَمُوسَى اجْعَلْ لَّنَآ إِلَـهًا كَمَا لَهُمْ ءَالِهَةٌ قَالَ إِنَّكُمْ قَوْمٌ تَجْهَلُونَ("O Musa!

Make for us a god as they have gods." He said: "Verily, you are an ignorant people.") Musa replied, you are ignorant of Allah's greatness and majesty and His purity from any partners or anything resembling Him.إِنَّ هَـؤُلاءِ مُتَبَّرٌ مَّا هُمْ فِيهِ("Verily, these people will be destroyed for that which they are engaged in) they will perish,وَبَطَلَ مَا كَانُواْ يَعْمَلُونَ("and all that they are doing is in vain.") Commenting on this Ayah, Imam Abu Ja`far bin Jarir reported from Abu Waqid Al-Laythi that they (the Companions) went out from Makkah with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ for (the battle of) Hunayn. Abu Waqid said, "Some of the disbelievers had a lote tree whose vicinity they used to remain in, and upon which they would hang their weapons on. That tree was called `Dhat Al-Anwat'. So when we passed by a huge, green lote tree, we said, `O Messenger of Allah! Appoint for us a Dhat Al-Anwat as they have.' He said,«قُلْتُمْ وَالَّذِي نَفْسِي بِيَدِهِ كَمَا قَالَ قَوْمُ مُوسَى لِمُوسَى:(by He in Whose Hand is my soul!

You said just as what the people of Musa said to him:اجْعَلْ لَّنَآ إِلَـهًا كَمَا لَهُمْ ءَالِهَةٌ قَالَ إِنَّكُمْ قَوْمٌ تَجْهَلُونَإِنَّ هَـؤُلآء مُتَبَّرٌ مَّا هُمْ فِيهِ وَبَـطِلٌ مَّا كَانُواْ يَعْمَلُونَ-( ("Make for us a god as they have gods." He said: "Verily, you are an ignorant people. Verily, these people will be destroyed for that which they are engaged in, and all that they are doing is in vain."))"

After the miraculous victory of the Israelites over Pharaoh and his people, and having a life of ease and comfort, they started to show the signs of ignorance as people of wealth show when given a life of luxury and opulence. The first impertinent request they made was to the prophet Musa (علیہ السلام) to make for them a god like the gods of the people they saw being worshipped on their way. They (the Israelites) said, يَا مُوسَى اجْعَل لَّنَا إِلَـٰهًا كَمَا لَهُمْ آلِهَةٌ "0 Musa make a god for us like their gods." He said, قَالَ إِنَّكُمْ قَوْمٌ تَجْهَلُونَ "You are really an ignorant people." The prophet Musa (علیہ السلام) was greatly annoyed by their ignorance and said that the labour of worship of those people was to go waste. How could he think of making for them a god other than Allah while he had given to them excellence over the people of all the worlds. That is, the people who believed in the prophet Musa (علیہ السلام) were superior to all the people of that age.

The next verses remind them of their pitiable condition and their persecutions at the hands of Pharaoh when their sons were killed and their daughters were saved to serve them as their maid-servants. Allah relieved them of this disgraceful chastisement through His prophet. Shall they be as ungrateful to their Lord as to take the abject stones as gods and make them partners with Allah? They must repent to Allah for their transgression.

إن هؤلاء المقيمين على هذه الأصنام مُهْلَك ما هم فيه من الشرك، ومدمَّر وباطل ما كانوا يعملون من عبادتهم لتلك الأصنام، التي لا تدفع عنهم عذاب الله إذا نزل بهم.

( إن هؤلاء متبر ما هم فيه ) أي : هالك ( وباطل ما كانوا يعملون )وروى الإمام أبو جعفر بن جرير رحمه الله تفسير هذه الآية من حديث محمد بن إسحاق وعقيل ، ومعمر كلهم ، عن الزهري ، عن سنان بن أبي سنان ، عن أبي واقد الليثي : أنهم خرجوا من مكة مع رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم إلى حنين ، قال : وكان للكفار سدرة يعكفون عندها ، ويعلقون بها أسلحتهم ، يقال لها : " ذات أنواط " ، قال : فمررنا بسدرة خضراء عظيمة ، قال : فقلنا : يا رسول الله ، اجعل لنا ذات أنواط كما لهم ذات أنواط . فقال : " قلتم والذي نفسي بيده ، كما قال قوم موسى لموسى : ( اجعل لنا إلها كما لهم آلهة قال إنكم قوم تجهلون إن هؤلاء متبر ما هم فيه وباطل ما كانوا يعملون )وقال الإمام أحمد : حدثنا عبد الرزاق ، حدثنا معمر ، عن الزهري ، عن سنان بن أبي سنان الديلي ، عن أبي واقد الليثي قال : خرجنا مع رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم قبل حنين ، فمررنا بسدرة ، فقلت : يا نبي الله اجعل لنا هذه " ذات أنواط " ، كما للكفار ذات أنواط ، وكان الكفار ينوطون سلاحهم بسدرة ، ويعكفون حولها .

فقال النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم : " الله أكبر ، هذا كما قالت بنو إسرائيل لموسى : ( اجعل لنا إلها كما لهم آلهة [ قال إنكم قوم تجهلون ] ) إنكم تركبون سنن من قبلكم "ورواه ابن أبي حاتم ، من حديث كثير بن عبد الله بن عمرو بن عوف المزني ، عن أبيه عن جده مرفوعا