Quran Garden

Session 268

Chapter 2

Verse 251

a continuation

and so with God’s permission, they defeated them. David killed Goliath and God gave him sovereignty and wisdom and taught him what He pleased.  If God did not drive some people back by means of others, the earth would be completely corrupt, but God is bountiful to all. (Chapter 2: Verse 251)

Let’s study the phrase: “If God did not drive some people back by means of others, the earth would be completely corrupt.”  Allah gave us the example of a conflict between the Israelites and their enemies who drove them out of their homes and separated them from their families.  The elders of Israel realized that the only way to regain what is rightfully theirs is to fight.  So, they went to their prophet and asked God for permission to fight.  Allah sent them a king to lead them into battle, and He supported His choice with the clear sign of the chest filled with relics of Prophet Moses and his family.  

Then came the lesson that any wise person understands -even without heavenly revelations-:  When you are about to embark on a mission, you must prepare for it properly using all the resources at your disposal.  Always remember that God is the one who made resources available to you.  Thus, you must utilize these resources before you turn to God for help.  Do not abandon God’s gifts and ask Him to help you directly. Instead, take all the means He made available to you first; only then you can ask for His help.  

Another lesson we can learn from the story of the Israelites is how to scrutinize and properly vet those who defend the truth.  A person who fights in God’s way should be strong, steadfast, and able to control his or her desires.  Many people boast about their abilities, but when the time comes for action, they weaken and make excuses.  Only a select few have the strength and determination to stand up for the truth.  After Saul put his troops through rigorous tests, he ended up with the believing few who were able to defeat their enemies; one of them was David who killed Goliath.

This story was an example of how God drives back some people by means of others.  He says: “If God did not drive some people back by means of others, the earth would be completely corrupt, but God is bountiful to all.”   This concept applies to battles of ideas and principals, and to battles of war.  Allah urges the believers to stand up for the truth and fight the disbelievers.  Fighting is not meant as a tool for aggression; rather, it is meant to restore balance and peace.  Take note that Allah only allowed the Israelites to fight after they were kicked out of their homes and had their families torn apart; these conditions justified fighting.  It is a general principle, not just an Islamic one.  God says: 

Those who have been driven unjustly from their homes only for saying, ‘Our Lord is God.’ If God did not repel some people by means of others, many monasteries, churches, synagogues, and mosques, where God’s name is much invoked, would have been destroyed. God is sure to help those who help His cause- God is strong and mighty- (22:40)

and in another verse:

Fight them: God will punish them at your hands, He will disgrace them, He will help you to conquer them, He will heal the believers’ feelings (9:14)

We find a similar example in the early Muslims who were forced to leave their homes and property in Mecca and join their believing brothers in Madina.  They later returned to Mecca victorious without a fight.   

Both stories share the common fact that the believers should fight back.  In the case of the Israelites, they were large in numbers and went into battle shortly after there were driven out.  In the story of the early Muslims, their defense was to migrate, spread their message and build a healthy society that could overcome the influence of Quraysh and overtake Mecca without a fight.  Here you may be wondering: How could retreating and leaving your home behind be a way of fighting? We answer that had the early Muslims remained in Mecca; their opponents would have killed them all.  So they went to Madina to build a healthy Islamic society then returned as victorious conquerors. God says:

When God’s help comes and He opens up the way before you; When you see people embracing God’s faith in crowds, celebrate the praise of your Lord and ask His forgiveness: He is always ready to accept repentance. (Chapter 110)

So the core message of both stories is one: the believers have to use the means at their disposal to stand up for the truth and fight the disbelievers. Otherwise the earth would turn into a corrupted mess.  God says: "If God did not drive some people back by means of others, the earth would be completely corrupt .”  There will always be people who enrich themselves and benefit from corruption.  They are more than willing to fight for their cause against whoever stands in their way.  They are the enemies of moral people –regardless of their faith-.  God says in the 40^th verse of chapter 22:

If God did not repel some people by means of others, many monasteries, churches, synagogues, and mosques, where God’s name is much invoked, would have been destroyed.

Churches and monasteries are both Christian houses of worship that serve different types of worshippers.  Christians who fulfill the mandates of worship attend churches weekly, while those who commit themselves to a higher level and seclude themselves for worship attend monasteries. Synagogues are the Jewish houses of worship, while mosques are for Muslims.  These houses of worship maintain peoples’ connection with their creator and instill humbleness before God.  Without such places, people often forget their Lord and are overtaken by greed.  

Houses of worship are the protectors of moral values.  They are not the only source of moral values, but they are the foundation.  Similarly, we say that Islam is built on the foundation of the five pillars: faith in God and His messenger, prayer, fasting, almsgiving and pilgrimage.  That does not mean that Islam is limited to these five pillars; rather, these pillars are required for the structure of Islam to stand correctly.  Allah wants the houses of worship to be the moral compass of our society.  A mosque, when properly utilized, should be the place from which the light of God shines upon the entire neighborhood.  

Let’s take a moment to compare verse 251 of ‘The Cow’ with verse 40 of chapter 22.  More specifically, let’s compare these two phrases:

In chapter 2: If God did not drive some people back by means of others, the earth would be completely corrupt

In chapter 22: If God did not drive some people by means of others, many monasteries, churches, synagogues, and mosques, where God’s name is much invoked, would have been destroyed.

Take note that Allah –the All-Wise- equated the destruction of religion and houses of worship with the spread of corruption in the land.  This is because the forces of evil constantly try to distract you from your Lord and the values of faith.  Thus, as  believers, we have to adhere to God’s teachings properly; only then would our battle with evil and corruption become short.  God says:

And say: "The truth has come, and falsehood has vanished. Surely falsehood is ever bound to vanish by its very nature." (17:81)