The truth is that We^-SWT gave Prophet Musa^-AS a Book, a code of life, a comprehensive programme that would guarantee success both here and in the Akhirah. All human endeavour, thought and aspirations, and the resulting political systems aimed at searching for the best way to live. But We^-SWT sent down a Scripture from the Heaven unto Bani-Israil giving them a code of life, and also sent a Prophet^-AS of great determination, because the Book alone cannot benefit unless the Qulub are purified to accept its teachings. This purification is effected in the company of the Prophets^-AS. Even after the purification, the interpretation of the Divine Book can only be done by a Prophet^-AS or a Messenger^-AS of Allah^-SWT   who receives guidance directly from Him^-SWT   .

In case of Muslims, Allah^-SWT   sent the greatest of all Books, the Quran along with the greatest of all Prophets, Muhammad^-SW. He imparted guidance in every aspect of life, from buying shoelaces to running a State. But nothing can be gained from the Book when the hearts are devoid of the Prophetic Barakah,

The matter, however, did not end with Prophet Musa^-AS. Allah^-SWT sent Messengers after Messengers unto the Bani-Israil. All of them were gifted with the power to rekindle the hearts, and each one was a fountain of Divine Beneficence. Finally, Prophet 'Isa^-AS arrived with clear signs and miracles; the Archangel Jibril^-AS always in his attendance. All Prophets are basically innocent, but Prophet 'Isa^-AS had the additional distinction that he was conceived because of Angel Jibril^-AS blowing at her mother and he attended him at birth, protected him all his life and finally lifted him to the heavens. Thus, the temperament and nature of Prophet 'Isa^-AS was thoroughly angelic as he was neither conceived through copulation, nor ever indulged in it himself.

Copulation, although rewarding when legitimate, is an act that absorbs total attention, disconnecting for a few moments the spiritual states which can only be regained after spending some time and effort. Prophet 'Isa^-AS did not even go through this temporary phase of disconnection, although according to the Hadith, he will get married on his return to this world. Similar Divine Protection is guaranteed to the Book brought by Prophet Muhammad^-SW. Its Barakah enlightened all ages ever since he was raised, through the medium of the Aulia Muslim Ummah.

According to the Holy Prophet^-SW: "the scholars of my Ummah are like the Prophets^-AS of Bani-Israil". This saying refers to those enlightened souls who in addition to the knowledge of the Book also possess powerful hearts capable of spreading light to others. It is not about those who only specialize in the Arabic grammar and use their knowledge as the means of earning livelihood. The problem with Bani-Israil was that they appraised their Prophets^-AS by the standard of their own souls. Soul is the end product of various forms of matter put together, and its entire attention is towards acquiring material pleasures. It is the Spirit and its Qalb that are illuminated by transcendental truths, and in turn enlighten the soul to a degree that it desires change. On the contrary, the Bani-Israil allowed their souls to dominate their Spirits. Instead of benefiting from the Prophets^-AS, they stood in wilful defiance before them. They crossed all limits, and as a nation slew many of them and prevaricated others. Arrogance of the soul not only drove them to quibble but also turned their hearts so dark that they did not hesitate in killing the Prophets^-AS. A similar treatment is extended to most of the Aulia and instead of benefiting from them, people often resort to pestering and labelling them. The basic reason behind this attitude is nothing but arrogance.

And they say, "Our hearts are wrapped"... it is very little that they believe.

And they claim that their hearts are draped in fine coverings and always re­main pure and receptive to the truth, had there been any weight in the invitation to Islam they would have certainly accepted it. The fact is that the Holy Prophet's^-SW words carry much weight, but the hearts of the repudiators have always been under Allah^-SWT's curse. Now they are denying the Prophet^-SW of Islam, which indeed is a punishment for their disbelief and waywardness. It is obvious that continuous malefaction eventually leads to faithlessness, and the hearts turn so hard as to remain unaffected by the truth The Bani-Israil knew and recognized very well the truth of Quran and the Prophet^-SW of Islam as true, yet they were deprived of the capability to believe.

And when a Book from Allah^-SWT   .....So the curse of Allah^-SWT   is on the non-believers.

When the Final Book arrived, it not only endorsed their own Books, but also re-emphasized the Unity of Allah^-SWT , the Prophethood, the Akhirah and the Worships etc, the common factors in all the Divine Books. Indeed, arrival of the Quran and the raising of the Holy Prophet^-SW confirmed the preceding Books, which had given glad tidings of these twin events. And the Bani-Israil were so sure of that they would often invoke Allah^-SWT's help in their waft against the non-believers in the name of the Last Prophet^-SW. And often, in their arguments with the infidels, they would boast that they were the People of the Book They would say that although the era of the Prophets^-AS had gone by, yet the emergence of the last Prophet^-SW was at hand, and together with him they would teach the non-believers a lesson.

But what did actually happen? When the Holy Prophet^-SW and the Quran arrived, they refused to believe in both. They were accursed by Allah^-SWT and will continue to be under His^-SWT Reprobation until the end of the Day.

Miserable is the price ...for the non-believers is a humiliating punishment.

Their souls have certainly struck the worst deal. Merely out of malice, chagrin arid false pride, they denied the blessings of Allah^-SWT bestowed in the form of the Quran and the Prophethood. They wanted to keep the Institution of Prophethood under their control for had the Holy Prophet^-SW been from the Bani-Israil, they would have accepted him. They say that the Prophethood can never be conferred outside Bani-Israil. But Allah^-SWT is not bound by anyone; He^-SWT   may bless anyone at His^-SWT   Free Will with whatever He^-SWT   chooses. And all His^-SWT chosen servants are not of the same status, some are more blessed than the others. This Jewish tendency also prevails in us today. A person from a known religious family is accepted as a saint or a religious leader even if a sinner, whereas someone from a common lineage, no matter how pious and righteous, is not benefited from. The Jews had presumed Prophethood to be a matter of inheritance, while the Muslims today treat Wilayah as the same. Thus the Bani-Israil were caught in a twofold doom. They not only denied the Prophet^-SW of Islam, but also objected to His Providence. They will soon see the results of their audacity; for them awaits an agonizing retribution and dis­grace. In other words, they will be subjected to humiliation besides the torture whereas, if a believer is punished, it will be only to cleanse him. His self-respect will be maintained and the matter will be settled between him and Allah^-SWT   , without open humiliation.

And when it is said to them, .... if you have any ".

The Bani-Israil make tall claims, whereas the truth is that Allah^-SWT   had to sus­pend Mount Tur over them to obtain their allegiance to His^-SWT   obedience and de­votion. To obtain involuntary obedience is a Divine Favour by itself, though it is not the general rule, because it would make things easy for everyone. They heard His^-SWT Commands very well and promised to obey but their behaviour con­tinued to be defiant even afterwards. They were the folk who, because of their ingratitude and apostasy even after their miraculous rescue from the Pharaoh, could not repent sincerely and the love of the calf was imbibed in their hearts as a result. Here the intention is not to recall the event of Mount Tur, but to highlight the level and the state of their ingratitude. They had seen idolaters indulging in idol worship and pleaded with Prophet Musa^-AS to provide them with a deity too. Although Prophet Musa^-AS scolded them into repentance, yet they did not repent sincerely until the Mount was actually suspended over them. They promised obedience but practically adopted the wrong path. Nothing could, therefore, be expected from the Bani-Israil as a nation and claim of believing was nothing but a lie.

So O Prophet^-SW! Let them know that if they call their indulgence in disbelief and polytheism, their violation of the laws of the permissible and the forbidden and their slaying of Allah's^-SWT Prophets^-AS, as faith, they are sadly mistaken. This can be a heap of disbelief but not faith. Today also, some of the Muslims claim to be believers while they give rituals the status of worship and prefer them over Sunnah. Such people ascribe partners to Allah^-SWT in His^-SWT Being and in His^-SWT Attributes. And to crown it all, they claim to be the custodians of Islam! The fact is that no one can attain eternal bliss without the beliefs handed down by the Holy Prophet^-SW and without the endorsement of Sunnah on his actions, no matter how tall the claims might be.

Say, "If the home ... And Allah^-SWT is well Aware of the wrongdoers.

Now let us assess the claim of Jews from another angle. They maintained that the Fire will not touch them and if at all it does, it will only be for a few days. They also claimed that the salvation would only be for the Jews and the Christians and that they were the children of Allah^-SWT and His^-SWT chosen ones. These claims were based on the false notion that they were on the right path while the reality was just the opposite. They were just beguiling people, knowing very well that the Holy Prophet^-SW is Allah's^-SWT Messenger. If they are adamant, then instead of arguing, let the matter be decided in a totally different and unusual manner. Let them wish for death if they are sincere. Wishing for death, or the conditions under which it is permissible, is a separate issue. Here, it is intended to prove that even the worst antagonists of the Holy Prophet^-SW are convinced in their hearts that he is indeed the Prophet of Allah^-SWT . They are aware that if they accept the challenge and wish for death, they will definitely perish. Allah^-SWT declares that they will never wish for death, as they know themselves to be wrongdoers and transgressors. These are the people who try to prove the truth as falsehood, and vice versa. Allah^-SWT is well aware of such malefactors.

This highlights the fact that the fear of the unknown haunting a sinner is basically the fear of death, whereas the peace and composure in the hearts of the righteous flow out of the hope of eternal bliss. This challenge was in a way similar to Mubahalah to prove the truth, and the Jews could not even wish for death. According to Hadith, had the Jews uttered this wish, every one of them would have been choked to death on their own saliva.

You shall indeed find them, ... for Allah^-SWT sees all that they do.

Allah^-SWT informs the Holy Prophet^-SW that he will find these Jews desirous of living longer than anyone else. They are even more covetous than the idolaters or non-believers who do not believe in the Akhirah at all. The worldly life means everything to them, so it is natural for them to wish for longevity. But the Jews, who claim to be believers and are convinced of the eternal life, surpass the rest in the lust of this worldly life. Each one of them desires to live a thousand years. Thus their claim that they qualify for eternal bliss is a hoax. Even if one lives a very long life, it cannot save him from Divine punishment. In fact, a long life of disbelief will rather add to the distress as salvation is based on faith. Allah^-SWT is well aware of their precepts and practices, and of the fact that inwardly they know the truth but neither acknowledge nor accept it.

The Difference Between Knowing And Accepting

It must not be presumed that knowledge need not be acknowledged. Satan knows yet does not acknowledge. Faith demands not only knowledge but also the acknowledgement. The acceptance, of course, should not be of the category: "We-hear and we rebel!" whereby the claim is followed by practical negation. The real acceptance is the one followed by practice.

Many a leading scholars, including the illustrious Imam Bukhari^-RUA, declare that actions are synonymous to faith. But according to the Hanafi School of Thought, if someone takes Shahadah and endorses it with his Qalb, failure to practise will render him a sinner but not a non-believer. It is because verbal acceptance and endorsement of the Qalb are actions too, and indeed meritorious ones. But the exquisiteness and the real merits lie in practice backed by certification of the Qalb, else it will be a neglectful and heedless pretence. May Allah^-SWT guide us all!