Lessons from Surah Al-Baqarah- Bani Isra’il’s Covenant

Previously in Surah Al Baqarah, Allah azza wa jal discussed the creation of Adam.

We learned that Allah subhanho wa Taala created Adam, and all of us, to be the Khalifa on earth, to be left in charge, to run things, to run things in the way that Allah azza wa jal wants them done. To take care of the whole creation. We also learned that we human beings were made to repent. That was the plan from the very beginning, that we would make mistakes, we would sin, but that along with our tendency to sin, we have the unique opportunity for redemption. To come out of our mistakes, better, wiser, closer to Allah subhanahu wa Tada and that redemption is in sincere repentance.

After that, Allah azza wa jal turns to the main point of this chapter surah to the Bacara. And that is telling us the story of Benny Israel, you have all the communities mentioned in the Koran of all of the stories, the story of Musa Ali, he said I'm and Benny Israa eel is by far the story told most often. And it's also the story that is given the most time and attention and detail. Compare that to the story of Yusuf Ali he Salam, which is largely confined to just one chapter, or even the story of Isa Alehissalaam, whose story is told here and there across a handful of chapters Al Imran majeeda And Miriam, the story of Musa Allah He said I'm and Benny is straw eel on the other hand, it keeps

coming and keeps coming over and over again pages and pages at a time. Why? One of the reasons is that the stories of Prophet Musa alayhis salam and Prophet Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam are extremely similar. Both were given a book of law, a Sharia both were forced out of their homelands. And both were present with their followers for years after that book was given to them. That's the key similarity. Ibrahima they he said I'm left his people for good. Who would saw the shoe I Eve and loot are they Hema Salam have fled their homes just before their people were destroyed by Allah's punishment. Even ASA alayhi salam was taken up into heaven, but Musa Allah He sit down and the

Prophet Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam would stay with their community of believers, as Revelation kept coming down to guide them.

This brings us to the second reason that bene Israel ILA gets so much attention. There. Oma is most like our Oma. They had the book. They had their prophet with them for a long time they knew what to do. All that was left was to follow. All that was left was to obey. And as we will see, this is the part where Benny Israel either went wrong, and this is why Allah azza wa jal keeps telling us their story. And especially why Allah azza wa jal focuses on the story right after sorrows and Fatiha in Surah Al Fatiha what's the one single thing that we asked for guidance in a sit off almost pain guide us to the straight path? The reader might wonder well, what's that? See it off? I'll let the

unti lay him The path of those who you have blessed, meaning the prophets, laity, the mother who will be the human body and not the path of those who have earned Your anger or those who have been led astray. The Prophet Mohammed alayhi salatu salam was asked about this last part. Allah doesn't tell us who they are. Who are the people who earned Allah's Anger. The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said Alia hood, the Jews. Many Muslims today misunderstand what the prophet meant sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam. He was not limiting the application of this verse to them. It's not just the Jews. He was merely giving an example. People that did what they did.

Well then what did they do? What did they do that made Allah subhana wa Tada angry at them we need to know so that we can stay away from making the same mistake. sorbitol Fatiha doesn't tell us. It leaves us hanging.

The answer is in the next chapter surah Al Baqarah Allah subhanaw taala is going to show us exactly what they did to earn his anger and more importantly, exactly what we need to avoid. If we don't

Want the same exact thing to happen to us? Allah azza wa jal says yeah Benny Islam elf caught on yet Metzia Latina Namta Alikum while Oh for the it oh Phoebe, it comes with a Yo yo, goon, oh children of Israel remember My favor which I have bestowed upon you and fulfill My covenant so that I will fulfill your covenant and be afraid only of me. Allah azza wa jal does something here that he does throughout the entire Quran, Allah azza wa jal motivates us to worship him. By getting us to realize how indebted we are to him. Once we realize how indebted we are to Him, we will feel grateful. And then we will ask how do we express this gratitude and the definition of gratitude, the definition of

worship is simply how we are supposed to show a loss of Hannah that we are grateful. So if you're a parent, for example, and you've got kids, especially teenagers, and they don't pray, or they're lazy, when it comes to their prayers, or they're not obeying Allah Subhana Allah to the extent that you would like them to, you need to realize that your job isn't just to get your kids to pray. Your job is to get your kids to want to pray. What good is compliance if it's not felt in the heart? What good is obedience to Allah? If it's not sincere?

Allah Himself addresses us in this way. He deals with our motivations. Allah subhanaw taala tries to give us the motivation to obey and that is done by realizing how indebted we are to him.

This is what Allah subhanaw taala tries to communicate to Benny Israel you remember your blessings. The chapter goes on to list the various blessings Allah subhanaw taala gave to Benny Israel, they're hard to count. He says waiting Ajay Netcom mean it that I wanna So Munna consew are there for you, they'll be Hona burner como esta human and he's a coma. Remember when we saved your forefathers from the people of Pharaoh? who afflicted you with the worst torment who slaughtered your sons and spared your daughters? Allah reminds him of other things he says what is not gonna be commanded Bathsheba and Jane Eyre como algo rockin Ah, one two Tango rune. And remember when we parted the sea for you,

and we saved you and we took that down in his people and we drowned them while you were watching.

Then Allah says, with Whaddon mo say out of Aina Leila, remember we appointed Musa 40 nights he came up to the mountain to receive the Torah.

Then Allah subhanaw taala says filmer, I fell now uncoming Daddy Daddy God Allah come to school on and we forgave you after you made mistake so that perhaps you would be grateful. That was after they worship the NGO the golden calf. Allah says later with Tina Musa al Kitab Al Furqan, Allah Allah Quinta Dune, and we gave Moses the Scripture and the criteria so that hoping that you would be guided blessings upon blessings upon blessings. There's more. Allah subhanaw taala he says what alumna aleikum wa rahmatullah when Zelina alikhan When Noah Silva, We shaded you with clouds we sent down to you mana and Sal where everything you needed your food and your drink. Allah says, why this

discard Musa they call me taco nobody Basar Cal Hazara Fang visit Ottoman who's Natasha, China. Cada Oliver cologne se Mesaba, who, Miss Raba home and recall remember when Musa alayhis salaam prayed for water, the desert. So we said strike the stone with your staff and all of a sudden gushing forth from the stone was 12 springs, and everybody knew where to get their water from blessings upon blessings upon blessings. Allah azza wa jal saved them from the tyranny of Iran. He parted the sea for them, he gave them the Torah. He brought them out of Egypt. He gave them food and water in the desert. He forgave them their sins shouldn't be any straw you feel indebted.

Should not they feel grateful? Shouldn't they express that gratitude through worship and obedience? Of course, but what they did is a whole other story. A cool little holy ha That was stuck through Allah Lee welcome Melissa in Muslim equilibrium. Let's talk through in a hula for Rahim.

Hamdulillah he

Allah sne shook Allahu Allah toffee if he wasn't in any way shadow in Allah wa Tobler, Sadiq Allah Tao them and they certainly are shadow and then the v&a was Eden and Mohammed and I'm the hula solo who had died Ihlara Dhwani sallallahu alayhi wa early he was happy he was when he was selling with a Sleeman Kathira

How did Benny Islam eel respond to all of these blessings that Allah azza wa jal gave them? Allah subhanaw taala tells us when Musa was gone, or they he sat down when he went up to the mountain to receive the Torah. Many Israel has started worshipping an idol, an idol that was shaped into a calf that was made out of gold, but as well as an animal sir, Marina Leila Thorne MetroHealth HLM embody one volley moon and remember when we made an appointment with Musa for 40 nights then you took for worship the calf after he was gone while you were wrongdoers.

Then despite miracle after miracle they refuse to believe unless they literally saw ALLAH SubhanA wa Tada way the quantum yamasa la nakina laka had Turner Allah had Jafra and remember when you said oh Moses we're never gonna believe until we see Allah Himself.

Then after they were instructed to enter into the promised land while saying certain words of thanks, they took those words and they mocked them they changed the words into something that was insulting but the bed della the Nevada Mongolian lady feel alone but those who wronged they changed the words to a statement other than that which had been said to them

then they complained about the food that Allah subhanaw taala provided them well it's called them yeah Musa Lannister Allah I mean why he didn't Fidel and Arab Becca, you created an army metal metal out of the remember when they said, Oh Moses, we can never be patient with just one type of food. So Call upon your Lord, to bring forth for us from the earth. Then they broke the Sabbath which was part of their city, a day of rest. they disobeyed Allah's command will call the Alim to malaria and atado mewn community service. And you had already known about those who transgressed among you concerning the Sabbath.

Then when they were asked about to sacrifice a cow, They drugged their feets. They asked questions not because they really wanted to know but because they didn't want to do it. What kind of cow? What color could you please be more specific?

And Allah subhanaw taala along the way, Allah was so gracious. Allah was so merciful, He forgave and he parted and He forgave and he pointed to my iPhone, the oncoming battery that the other concepts guru, talking about now coming daddy multicam Lila come to school. Allah subhanaw taala didn't need their worship. He didn't need their gratitude. They were the ones who needed it. For the sake of their own souls, they needed it for the sake of their afterlife, which is why Allah subhanaw taala said, well now of Allah Munna Wada, Kin can who enforce a homeopathy moon, they did not wrong us at all. Allah speaking here, rather, they were only hurting themselves.

To patiently deal with someone who is defiant is a good thing. It's a gracious thing. But only up until a certain point, at some point to keep giving mercy to people who are defiant, isn't fair.

They don't deserve to be treated the same way as someone who has faith and is grateful. Imagine we're all in school again. Mashallah, we're all pretty young. So imagine we're all in school. Again, every single one of us is a student, the first day of class, the teacher comes in, and tells us that on December 1, there's going to be a big test and exam that will decide whether we pass or fail for the whole year.

Some of us are going to start preparing and studying right now as soon as we leave this room.

Some of us are going to start preparing and studying maybe a few weeks from now. Some of us will wait a few months to start studying. And some of us are going to come into the classroom on December 1. Having never even opened a book.

What if the teacher came in that day and said, You know what? I'm going to be merciful. I'm going to give everyone 100% A plus.

Who's that merciful for?

Is that merciful for the people who study is that merciful for the people who put in the work?

How would you feel if you were treated the same as somebody who didn't do anything? They turned up their nose?

It's not very merciful for you. Now imagine Bani Israel. It's not a situation where they simply refuse

To study, they failed the test. But then they're given a second chance they're given a makeup test, well, then they fail that too. They refuse to study a second time, then they're given a third chance and a fourth chance and a fifth chance. This is a very merciful teacher we're talking about here. But every single time, they simply don't even fail to study they refuse to study.

At some point, the teacher has to fail the student out of fairness, out of justice, and out of mercy to those who actually tried. And that's exactly what Allah subhanaw taala did in response to their arrogance, and they're making a mockery of everything Allah subhanaw taala says, Well, what about salah hemos Villa to well Mexicana to other Obeah rather, they mean Allah, that he could be in the home. Can we have full autonomy at law we have to learn in the beginning and because it will help that he can be MASL okay, I knew Yeah. And they were covered with humiliation and poverty and met with anger from Allah. That's the explanation from Surah Al Fatiha. That was because what did they

do to deserve it? They repeatedly rejected the signs of Allah they killed the prophets without rights. That was because they disobeyed and they were habitually transgressors.

Now here's the thing.

Who is Allah talking to here?

Is he talking to Benny Israel? Did he send the Quran of any Israel?

Did he send it to the followers of Musa or did he send it to us?

Allah subhanaw taala is talking to us. Why is he telling us the story? What's he trying to stay? Is it just the story to pass the time?

Are we supposed to feel better than them? Or that's the Jews. Allah hates them? At least we're saved?

No, the message is for us. Allah azza wa jal is warning us. What did they do that earned Allah's anger and wrath. They did not fulfill their and of the covenants, that deal that they had with Allah subhanaw taala they were given a prophet. They were given a book of Revelation. They knew the truth. But did knowing the truth do anything for them? No. They ignored it. They rejected it. They made a mockery of it

can't the same thing happened to us?

Hasn't in some ways it already happened. We're told to establish the prayer of chemo salah but we say

I'll make it up later. We're told to give this a chi Wah to Zika but we say I work hard for my money. We are told to follow the Sunnah will tell como Rasulullah sallallahu Amanda How come I new fans oh, what's up Allah.

But we say it's just sunnah.

We treat sunnah, like it means that we don't have to do it.

We're told not to be suspicious of others not to spy on others not to speak bad about others behind their backs. Yeah, yo, I love the steady Booker's. Here I'm in a van in Nevada, Ronnie ism Walter just says Oh, wala Caballo Candela. But we're always spinning conspiracy theories about other people and living life as if we're in a soap opera soap opera. We're told to fulfill our covenants in our contracts. Yeah, you and Olivia and Olaf will be literal code. But we cut corners and we under deliver. We are told to practice what we preach. Yeah, you have Lavina Avenue limited coluna mallards of unknown Kelvedon Nakata named Allah He owns a kolomela falloon. But we live our lives

addicted to the dunya. And we think that dropping off our kids to the masjid for a few hours on a Sunday is going to save them. And to top it all off, when we don't do these things when we fall short instead of owning up to it and repenting to Allah. We say in the Drina Yusuf

we say the religions easy.

Yeah. So as disobeying Allah, that's easy too. So as following the path of Bani Israel eel, that's easy too. So as making Allah azza wa jal angry at us for making a mockery of his faith that's easy to

not everything that's easy is good.

People have faith. The Koran is not just ink on pages. It's not just a book to collect dust on the shelf. Allah azza wa jal is talking to every single one of us. He's telling us what to do and what not to do. He's telling us to who to follow and whom to stay away from and not follow their poor example. We take a lot of pride in having the last Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam. But we don't follow him. We take a lot of pride in having a preserved Book of Revelation, but we don't read it and we don't benefit from it. Oh, people of faith heed Allah's words. of them. Yes.

Nila Dena Ave and Tasha Kaluga home Nicola womaniser, La Mina al Huck, while you're cool, you can Lavina O'Toole Kitab me and Pablo football Allah Ali hemal Emma do sakasa Kulu Ocasio minhang says she

has the time not calmness as in sort of Hadid, Allah says, has the time not come for those who have believed that their hearts should turn to humbly and submissively at the remembrance of Allah, and what has come down from the truth. And don't be like those who were given the Scripture before.

And a long time passed after they were given their scripture. And so their hearts hardened and many of them were defiantly disobedience.