Surah Yunus (10) — Ayah 93

(Ayah 93) ➊ The attribution of {وَ لَقَدْ بَوَّاْنَا بَنِيْۤ اِسْرَآءِيْلَ مُبَوَّاَ صِدْقٍ …: ’’ مُبَوَّاَ ‘‘} (abode) to {’’ صِدْقٍ ‘‘} means its praise, that is, the best and most honorable abode. The people of Arabia, when they want to praise something, attribute it to {’’صِدْقٌ‘‘ }, as they say: {’’رَجُلُ صِدْقٍ‘‘} "A true man." Allah said: «{ اَنَّ لَهُمْ قَدَمَ صِدْقٍ }» [ یونس:۲ ] and He said: «{ وَ قُلْ رَّبِّ اَدْخِلْنِيْ مُدْخَلَ صِدْقٍ }» [ بنی إسرائیل : ۸۰ ] meaning We granted the Children of Israel a most honorable abode, authority, and abundant pure provisions to eat. It is difficult to take 'the Children of Israel' here to mean the companions of Musa (Moses), because they, as a result of their outright refusal to go out for jihad at the command of Musa (Moses), wandered in the desert of Sinai for forty years. However, after them, under the leadership of Yusha bin Nun (Joshua), the new generation conquered Palestine and Syria according to Allah’s promise. The promise was: «{ يٰقَوْمِ ادْخُلُوا الْاَرْضَ الْمُقَدَّسَةَ الَّتِيْ كَتَبَ اللّٰهُ لَكُمْ }» [ المائدۃ : ۲۱ ] "O my people! Enter the holy land which Allah has written for you." Then the Children of Israel also established rule over Egypt, as He said: «{ كَذٰلِكَ وَ اَوْرَثْنٰهَا بَنِيْۤ اِسْرَآءِيْلَ }» [ الشعراء : ۵۹ ] "Thus it happened, and We made the Children of Israel its inheritors." Then there came many periods of rule and subjugation over the Children of Israel; sometimes great rulers like Dawud (David) and Sulaiman (Solomon) came, and sometimes they were trampled by Nebuchadnezzar and other disbelievers. The cause of this humiliation was always their discord, which was not due to ignorance, but knowingly they made their rabbis and monks as lords and split into various political and religious sects. In the hadiths, their seventy-two (72) sects are mentioned; who among them was right and who was wrong! Now this decision will be made by the Lord Almighty on the Day of Resurrection.

➋ Another interpretation of {’’ فَمَا اخْتَلَفُوْا حَتّٰى جَآءَهُمُ الْعِلْمُ ‘‘} is that, according to the clear prophecy of Allah’s Book, the Torah, there was consensus among the Children of Israel that the Seal of the Prophets, Muhammad (peace be upon him), was to come; there was no disagreement, nor was anyone unaware of it, rather all were awaiting his arrival and prayed for his coming, as He said: «{ وَ كَانُوْا مِنْ قَبْلُ يَسْتَفْتِحُوْنَ۠ عَلَى الَّذِيْنَ كَفَرُوْا }» [ البقرۃ : ۸۹ ] "Although before this they used to seek victory over those who disbelieved." But when he came, after recognizing him, merely out of stubbornness and jealousy, their consensus turned into discord. Some said, he is not the one who was promised to come. Some said, he is not ours but only the Messenger of the unlettered. Some fortunate ones did accept faith, but in any case, after knowledge, the decision of their discord will now be made by the Lord Almighty.