Surah Al-Baqara (2) — Ayah 246

(Ayah 246) ➊ {الْمَلَاِ :} This is from {’’ مَلَأَ يَمْلَأُ (ف) ‘‘}, meaning "to fill, to make full." The chiefs of a nation also fill eyes with their awe and majesty, that is why they are called {”مَلَأٌ“}.

➋ By starting from {”اَلَمْ تَرَ“}, the intention is to mention a strange story of the Children of Israel after Moses (peace be upon him): when, due to their cowardice and abandonment of jihad, they were expelled from their homeland, and their children and women were made slaves and maidservants, their chiefs requested the prophet of the time to appoint a king for them so that they could fight in the way of Allah. The prophet was aware of their temperament and habits; he said, "Consider well! When fighting is made obligatory upon you, you will not fight." They said, "Why would we not fight in the way of Allah, when we have been expelled from our homes and sons?" In the end, the prophet's assessment proved correct; only a few people remained to fight, but Allah Almighty granted them victory due to their steadfastness in jihad. The intention is to describe the loss of abandoning jihad, i.e., deprivation of homeland and kingdom, and the enslavement of family and children by the enemy, and also its remedy: that this lost honor cannot be regained in any way except through jihad. It is also understood from this that if Muslims fight to regain their homeland, this too is jihad in the way of Allah, because the word of Allah is lowered by the occupation of disbelievers over the land, and elevated by the occupation of Muslims. Some ignorant people, by calling the fight in Indian-occupied Kashmir a fight for homeland, deny its being fighting in the way of Allah; they should reflect on these verses.

➌ When fighting was made obligatory upon them, according to the prophet's apprehension, most people withdrew from the battle; this was their wrongdoing against themselves. In مَلَأٌ{”الظّٰلِمِيْنَ “}, the "al" is for specification, that is why the translation is "those wrongdoers."

246. 1. Malā’ refers to the nobles, chiefs, and decision-makers of a nation who are special advisors and leaders, whose presence fills eyes and hearts with awe. The literal meaning of Malā’ is “to fill” (Aysar al-Tafasir). The prophet mentioned here is named Shamwil. The summary of the incident narrated by Ibn Kathir and other commentators is as follows: After Musa (عليه السلام), the Children of Israel remained upright for some time, then deviation crept in among them, they innovated in religion, even began idol worship. Prophets kept forbidding them, but they did not desist from sin and shirk. As a result, Allah imposed their enemies upon them, who seized their territories and took a large number of them captive. The chain of prophethood also ceased among them. Eventually, through the prayers of some people, the prophet Shamwil was born, who began the work of calling and preaching. They demanded from the prophet to appoint a king for them under whose leadership they could fight their enemies. In view of their previous conduct, the prophet said that although you are making this demand, my estimation is that you will not remain firm on your word. And so it happened, as the Quran has stated.

246. 2. The demand for a king in the presence of a prophet is proof of the permissibility of kingship, because if kingship were not permissible, Allah would have rejected this demand. But Allah did not reject this matter; rather, He appointed Talut as their king, as will be mentioned ahead. From this, it is understood that if a king is not absolute and is bound by divine commands and establishes justice and fairness, then his kingship is not only permissible but also desirable and beloved. See also the footnote of Surah al-Ma’idah, verse 20.

246. Have you not considered the case of the chiefs of the Children of Israel after Moses? When they said to their prophet [343], "Appoint for us a king so we may fight in the way of Allah." The prophet said to them, "Is it not possible that if fighting is prescribed for you, you would not fight?" They replied, "How could we not fight in the way of Allah when we have been driven out of our homes and separated from our children?" Yet when fighting was prescribed for them, they turned away, except for a few of them. And Allah knows well the wrongdoers.

[343]
The Leadership of Prophets Among Bani Israel, i.e., the System of Caliphate:

Among Bani Israel, it was customary that their rulers were also prophets. Legal cases were decided by them, and under their leadership, jihad was undertaken. In other words, the correct system of caliphate was established among these people, and this is the very political system that is an inseparable part of Islam. However, these people, following the example of other nations where the system of monarchy prevailed, demanded from their elderly prophet Samuel ؑ that he appoint a king for them so that they could wage jihad under his leadership. In reality, this demand was merely a way to evade jihad, which indicated their cowardice. They presented it in such a manner that you have grown old and we need a young leader, and in their materialistic view, only someone who possessed the pomp and grandeur of kings could be a leader.

[344] Their prophet Samuel ؑ, since he knew the real ailment, therefore took a firm pledge from them that they would not turn away from jihad if a king was appointed In response, they assured him that they would never do so, and how could they, when they had already become homeless, their enemies had seized their lands, and their wives and children had been made slaves. Therefore, why would they not fight them? But despite this, when jihad was made obligatory upon them, they began to break their pledge through various excuses and specious arguments.