And when Musa--AS asked for water .. • and do not make mischief on the earth.
Allah-SWT provided them water miraculously, by commanding Prophet Musa-AS to strike the rock with his-AS staff. Immediately, twelve springs sprouted and began to flow and each person was guided to the spring from which he was to drink. What a Divine Favour indeed, that for twelve tribes of Bani Israil, twelve springs were provided in a supernatural way! Under the normal circumstances human endeavour is essential for every task. Had it been provided through rain, they would have had to build ponds and reservoirs to store the rain water, which in due course would become muddy or create various other problems. Allah-SWT bid them to enjoy His-SWT provisions, not to make mischief on land and be grateful to Him-SWT , because the elegance and peace of the world is directly dependent upon the human conduct. If human character is evil, it will affect the environment and be a source of mischief on land.
The reason why man, in spite of his technological advancement, has failed to establish peace on earth is that he has alienated himself from Allaah-SWT . He is disobedient and wrongdoer and that is why there is disturbance everywhere. In fact this world is like a home and when its dwellers begin to misbehave, it certainly causes disruption. Do eat and drink, but it is important to consume only what is permissible and the means employed to earn the livelihood must be legitimate in terms of ‘Shari'ah’. One should not grab anything and everything that comes his way without having regard for the permissible and the forbidden. Such an attitude will not only lead to self-destruction, but will also disrupt peace all around, which is extremely undesirable.
And when you said... for their defiance and (continued) transgression.
In spite of all the Divine Blessings and favours, the Bani Israil began to complain to Prophet Musa-AS that they were irked by eating the same food everyday and it was difficult to live on a single diet for long. So he should pray to Allaah-SWT to grow for them some crops from the land, such as lentils, cucumbers, onions and garlic. Despite this blatant ingratitude and rudeness, He-SWT fulfilled their desires, though Prophet Musa-AS did try his best to persuade them to give up their foolish demand of the inferior against the superior that had been provided to them without any effort whatsoever.
The Hunted Meat
The food that Bani Israil miraculously received from Allaah-SWT was purely legitimate whereas when man earns his living through his own efforts, there is always a chance that a mistake committed somewhere in the process may render the earnings illegitimate. Shah Muhammad Isma'il Shahid-RAU was asked as to why he preferred hunting. He replied that the meat so obtained was the purest form of food as it came directly from Allah-SWT, without the involvement of any butcher or trader.
In spite of Prophet Musa's-AS pleadings, the Bani Israil insisted on their demands and always called upon him to tell his Rabb-SWT to meet their demands, as if Allaah-SWT was only his Rabb-SWT , and not theirs. They did not even for once proclaim Allaah-SWT as their Rabb-SWT , Who-SWT was still so forgiving and generous to grant their wish. He-SWT ordered them to enter any township, wherein they would find all that they had demanded. Then they were hit with hardships and indigence for they had to labour hard with little time to rest and a meagre income. Thus humiliation fell to their lot forever, as their characters were stripped of perseverance and determination. Agriculture, in general, is an occupation that usually leaves the peasants poor, while others reap the benefits of their labour.
Vile and baseness is part of Jewish character. Even a billionaire will pose as a pauper. Moreover, they stand deprived forever of power and a homeland, except that Allaah-SWT may alleviate this punishment to a certain extent for some of them, or they may gain power temporarily, relying on others: The present State of Israil is nothing more then a colony of USA and Britain, established only to harm the Muslims and keep them entangled in various conflicts. Otherwise, from that early period to this age, and forever, the Jews have been condemned to lead a life of dishonour. They have, and will always live as parasites propped by others.
Because of their defiance and indifference, they qualified for Allah-SWT's wrath. Consequently, they got deeply involved in the mundane affairs and drifted away from the faith. This alienation culminated in hostility towards it, to the extent that they no longer tolerated the biddings of their Prophets-AS. In order to preserve their own rituals and traditions, which would have obliterated if Allah-SWT's Commandments were to be enforced, they even resorted to the wrongful murder of their Prophets-AS. Slaying a Prophet-AS is always wrongful, as he is innocent; how can an innocent person deserve to be killed? The Quran, by stating this act as wrongful, has highlighted the fact that the killers themselves knew that they were transgressing; yet they committed it. This was because continuous indulgence in sin had gradually taken them to a point where they had crossed all limits. This indeed is the fruit borne by continuous disobedience.
