Quran Commentary 2.11 — Signs, Human Ignorance, and the Straight Path (2:246–248; 2:253; 2:258)

Quran 2:246–248

246. Have you not considered the assembly of the Children of Israel after [the time of] Moses when they said to a prophet of theirs, “Send to us a king, and we will fight in the way of Allāh”? He said, “Would you perhaps refrain from fighting if battle was prescribed for you?” They said, “And why should we not fight in the cause of Allāh when we have been driven out from our homes and from our children?” But when battle was prescribed for them, they turned away, except for a few of them. And Allāh is Knowing of the wrongdoers.

247. And their prophet said to them, “Indeed, Allāh has sent to you Saul as a king.” They said, “How can he have kingship over us while we are more worthy of kingship than him and he has not been given any measure of wealth?” He said, “Indeed, Allāh has chosen him over you and has increased him abundantly in knowledge and stature. And Allāh gives His sovereignty to whom He wills. And Allāh is all-Encompassing [in favor] and Knowing.”

248. And their prophet said to them, “Indeed, a sign of his kingship is that the chest will come to you in which is assurance from your Lord and a remnant of what the family of Moses and the family of Aaron had left, carried by the angels. Indeed in that is a sign for you, if you are believers.” ^*

The Locked Chest

It was said that a chest would be brought as evidence that Ṭālūt (Saul) had been appointed by Allah. Thus the Jew Ṭālūt, a descendant of the tribe of Benjamin, became your king. And you are commanded to believe in what your forefathers believed — in the locked chest.

The Revealed Book, the Seven Lampstands, and the Covenant of Unity

But I have not shown you a locked chest. I have opened before the world the final Book of the Almighty, which had been locked for thousands of years.

And in this Book there is not empty talk, but the seven lampstands of God. They could not be taken from the Book without knowing the mystery of the properties of the keys and the Divine system by which the seven lampstands are formed.

These two mysteries could not be received by anyone in the three worlds of our creation. Only the Almighty reveals them to the one who is able to fulfill His command.

Where, then, is your faith, if you are too weak even to look into the Book of the Almighty — a Book into which nothing can be added, in which nothing can be distorted, and whose Divine content cannot be refuted?

What further signs from the Almighty do you still need in order to awaken and fulfill Muhammad’s dream of unity against the fallen forces that distort and divide?

Shortly before ascending to the higher world, the Prophet Muhammad gave the Ummah one of his most important covenants: that the Ummah should become a united community. Tens of thousands of his followers heard this command. Yet to this day, this covenant remains unfulfilled: peoples remain divided, and the Ummah has not yet become the united community he called it to be.

And remember: prophets are always given to the whole world, not only to a few nations. Prophets are messengers of the Almighty, for Whom all nations are equally beloved.

Quran 2:253

253. Those messengers – some of them We caused to exceed others. Among them were those to whom Allāh spoke, and He raised some of them in degree. And We gave Jesus, the son of Mary, clear proofs, and We supported him with the Pure Spirit [i.e., Gabriel]. If Allāh had willed, those [generations] succeeding them would not have fought each other after the clear proofs had come to them. But they differed, and some of them believed and some of them disbelieved. And if Allāh had willed, they would not have fought each other, but Allāh does what He intends.

Wars Come from Human Ignorance, Not Allah’s Will

Wars do not happen by the will of Allah, nor is it He who creates wars, destruction, and rivers of blood. Wars happen through the ignorance of peoples who listen to distorters — those who divide nations and set them against one another.

Allah could stop every war instantly. But then the teaching of the struggle between darkness and light within human souls would stop. The growth of souls in the time of learning and in the time of testing would stop as well.

People themselves, in their majority, provoke wars by remaining under the power of darkness and by refusing to fulfill the covenants transmitted through the prophets.

There is no true faith in those who are unable to distinguish what is true from what is distorted in sacred writings. This inability is the main weapon of the enemies of humanity.

The ability to discern comes from following the path of the Almighty. Those who distort may ignite hatred, but war continues only while people agree to be provoked, divided, and sent against one another. All wars are a boomerang returning from the level of godlessness among peoples.

Quran 2:258

258. Have you not considered the one who argued with Abraham about his Lord [merely] because Allāh had given him kingship? When Abraham said, “My Lord is the one who gives life and causes death,” he said, “I give life and cause death.” Abraham said, “Indeed, Allāh brings up the sun from the east, so bring it up from the west.” So the disbeliever was overwhelmed [by astonishment], and Allāh does not guide the wrongdoing people.

The Straight Path Is Open to All Who Can Awaken

Allah gives the straight path to all — to the just and to the unjust. He is the Absolute of justice, and therefore He gives a chance to everyone who has stumbled.

Kings may argue about power, but truth is not established by argument. A ruler can claim authority, but he cannot change the order of the Almighty.

Everyone who goes astray is given a chance to awaken.

But those who do not try to awaken others are themselves still unawakened.

The path is open. The Book is revealed. The question is no longer whether a sign has been given. The question is whether people will recognize what has already been opened before them — and whether they will help others awaken as well.

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* The text of the Quran is quoted from Surah Al-Baqarah — Quran.com (Translation by Saheeh International) ↑ back