TLDR;
Today, we explore Ayah 40 of Surah Al-Baqarah, which discusses the Israelites. Israel, or Prophet Yaqub, had 12 sons, leading to the 12 tribes of Israel.
Prophet Musa is frequently mentioned in the Quran due to his mission's resemblance to Prophet Muhammad's.
The Quran teaches us about the Israelites to learn from their mistakes.
Ayah 40 reminds the Israelites of the blessings they received, including numerous prophets and scriptures.
The shift from the Israelites to the followers of Prophet Muhammad emphasizes our responsibility to be the best in our personal and community lives, representing our religion and Prophet ﷺ with excellence.
We are now on day 66 and we are exploring Ayah number 40 of Surah Al-Baqarah.
This ayah is the first to discuss the Israelites, and this will be a long journey in Surah Al-Baqarah. The largest portion of the Surah talks about the children of Israel. Before we delve deeper into the ayah about Banu Israel, let’s explore the historical figure.
Who is Israel and who are the Banu Israel or the children of Israel? Israel is the nickname of Prophet Yaqub, the son of Prophet Ishaq and the grandson of Prophet Ibrahim, who is known as Abu al-Ambiya, the father of prophets. From Prophet Ibrahim's two sons, you have Prophet Ismail, from whose line comes Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, and from Prophet Ishaq's line, you get Prophet Yaqub.
Yaqub's nickname is Israel, which means "servant of God" in Hebrew (isr = servant, il = God). Prophet Yaqub had 12 sons, and from these 12 sons came the 12 tribes of Israel. One of Yaqub's sons was Judah (Yehuda in Hebrew, Yahud in Arabic), from whom the Jews descend. After the Assyrians attacked Palestine and Jerusalem, only the tribes of Judah and Benjamin remained, leading to all Israelites being known as Jews.
The Quran mentions the Israelites the most, and the prophet most mentioned is Prophet Musa. There is a hadith where the Prophet ﷺ said, "It's as if the entire Quran is talking about Musa." The mission of Prophet Muhammad resembles that of Prophet Musa, both being spiritual and political leaders, receiving revelations and sharia.
The Israelites are mentioned frequently because of their similarities to the Muslims. Just as the Israelites were the people of the book in their time, Muslims are today. The Quran teaches us about the Israelites not to condemn Jews today, but to learn from their mistakes.
In Ayah 40, Allah says, "O children of Israel, remember the blessings I have bestowed upon you." The Israelites received numerous blessings, including the most prophets and scriptures apart from the Quran, and many miracles.
The preference for the Israelites was due to their role in setting an example of living in harmony with Allah's teachings as a community. However, due to their repeated failures, the preference shifted to the followers of Prophet Muhammad.
The lessons from this ayah for us include remembering our covenant with Allah, fulfilling our responsibilities, and striving to be the best in our personal and community lives, setting an example of morality and trustworthiness.
As the ummah of Muhammad ﷺ, we are chosen to be the best of nations, as mentioned in Surah Ali Imran. This responsibility requires us to represent our religion and Prophet ﷺ in the best way possible, whether at school, work, or in any aspect of our lives.
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