Children’s Column for YMD April 2015
The Qur’an for Young Hearts – 60
Important Notes
1:The translation of the Qur’an being presented here is interpretative. It is meant for children. Those who can understand other translations should better consult them.
2. Parents are advised to hold sessions at home and teach the verses and explanation as given here, and, if they can, add more from Qur’anic commentaries.
3. Answers to exercise below may be attempted. Parents may evaluate them and reward the children suitably.
4. Schools could also include this in their Islamic curriculum.
5. The underlined words have been explained in the Dictionary given below.
Verses from Surah No. 2, Al-Baqarah
[211] Ask the Jews how many a clear sign We gave them. And whosoever replaces a favor of Allah after it was received (with something else, should know that) Allah is harsh in punishment.
Understanding the verses
What is the favor that the verse is talking about? It is that of, first and foremost, the Revelations that were given to them through their Prophets over almost a thousand years. What did they do with this favor?
They were to take this message forward to the entire humankind. But they refused it, and continue to refuse to this day. If someone looked into one of the million or so bookstores in the world, he will not find a single copy of the Torah as published by the Jews.
In fact, he will not find any book in them called the Torah.
The Christians have prepared a book called the Holy Bible. It has two divisions: the Old Testament and the New Testament. The Christians explain that the first five books of the Old Testament is the Torah. But Jews do not say that. No Jewish scholar, (Rabbi), will accept that the first five books of the Bible are Torah. In fact, the Jews do not accept anything of the Bible as true. They say their Torah is with them. Why do they not publish it? Because, they say God gave it for the Jews alone.
The Jews were to spread the main message of the Revelations, which was that there is only one Lord God of all creations. But they replaced that with the belief that the Lord God of the world is a Jewish God called Yahweh.
The Jews also believe that they are a special people; they are the Children of God. As for the rest of the people, they are goyim, which means animals. And they disallow that anyone should convert to Judaism.
Another favor shown to the Jews was that when they were starving in Sinai, Allah fed them with gum-like manna for making bread, and sent them millions of easily catchable birds (salwa) to cook as meat. But, the Jews refused them after some time.
They were ordered not to lend money on interest. They changed it to mean, “not to lend money on interest to Jews, but it could be lent to non-Jews.” And, so, they are leaders in banking throughout the times.
They were asked to seek paradise through good deeds. They changed it to the belief that Jerusalem is the Paradise for them.
They were told that a Messiah will arrive to establish Allah’s Revelations. They changed the prophesy to say that the Messiah will fight for them, will subdue all people to the Jews, and Jews will rule the world thereafter, with the rest of the mankind serving them.
They were given Laws of life and state through the Revelations. But when the British stole Muslim lands and gave them (with the help of Westernnations, who had been killing them for 500 years or more), the land of Palestine – then, instead of the Torah laws, they adopted Western laws. How ungrateful of the Jews that they abandoned the laws of He who gave them mann and salwa and adopted the laws of those who murdered them by the millions throughout history!
Thus, when Allah said, “Ask the Jews how many a clear sign We gave them,” nobody understands it better than the Jews. If you ever come across those few Jews who call themselves as the “true Jews,” and who are referred to as the “Orthodox” by other Jews, they will agree with all that we have stated above.
So, what should be the punishment of those who alter Allah’s Revelations and replace his favors with something else, but a harsh punishment? And Allah’s harsh punishment is not the Hitlerian “harshness.” Hitleraian harshness is a mere pin-prick when compared to Allah’s harsh punishment.
Muslims, who behave like the Jews behave, by replacing Qur’anic laws with those of the east or the west, face the same kind of punishment. Allah is not related to anyone. His rules are universal, applicable to all.
Test of Understanding:
Answer the following:
- Re-write verse 211 in your own words.
- What are the favors that the verse is speaking of?
- Are Muslims a special people?
- What is meant by Hitlerian harshness?
- How were the Western nations treating the Jews before they brought them to Palestine?
- What is the name of Jewish God?
- Whose Book is the Bible?
- What do the Jews think the Messiah will do for them?
- Say why a people, any people, cannot be a special people to God.
- Have the Muslims of today replaced Allah’s laws with their own, and what are those laws?
(To be continued)
