Quran Garden

Session 440

Chapter 3

Verse 112

They were stricken with humiliation wherever they went, unless they are protected by a rope from Allah and a rope from the people.  They have brought down God's anger upon themselves and been plunged into disgrace.  That is because they rejected God's Signs and killed the Prophets without any right to do so.  That was because they disobeyed and went beyond the limits.  (Chapter 3: Verse 112)

The expression "stricken with" has its origins in money, more specifically, metal coins.  The manufacturing of coins starts with a blank metal disk that is then stricken by a mold made from a harder material.  The mold has the markings, carvings, and writing that get imprinted on the metal disk as it strikes it.  The metal disk is changed forever as it turns into a coin.  As if 'to strike' means 'to impose and change forever.'  The stricken object has no choice; Thus, when God says, "They were stricken with humiliation," it means that they are bound by humiliation and can never escape it, just as the coined metal will always carry the markings.   

But there is an exception to that.  God says, "unless they are protected by a rope from Allah and a rope from the people."  In other words, humiliation can temporarily be masked if they enter a covenant with God or a powerful nation.  We see proof from history.  When Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, arrived in Medina, he signed a treaty of cooperation and joint defence with its Jewish leadership.  The Jewish tribes of Medina lived in peace and prosperity as long as they held onto the rope from God, but once they severed it, all was lost.  When the Army of Quraysh surrounded Medina, the Jewish leaders betrayed the covenant and aided the enemies of Muhammad in breaching the city defenses.  As soon as the battle ended, they were humiliated and kicked out of their homes.   

As for "the rope from people," we see the example of the State of Israel in our modern times.  It is a state that is almost entirely dependent on the support of world powers.  During the 1973 war, the Israelis were in defeat until the United States provided satellite intelligence and established an air bridge to deliver a steady supply of weapons, which ultimately halted the war.  Israel would have been humiliated if that rope had not been extended from a powerful nation like the United States. 

The verse continues with, "They have brought down God's anger upon themselves, and they have been plunged into disgrace"  We must note that humiliation, which is brought on by others, can be temporarily lifted by a rope from God and from the people.  However, disgrace is brought on by one's own actions, and there is no escaping it.  God says,

Remember when you said, "Moses, we cannot bear to eat only one kind of food, so pray to your Lord to bring out for us some of the earth's produce, herbs and cucumbers, garlic, lentils, and onions." He said, "Would you exchange better for worse?  Go to Egypt, and there you will find what you have asked for." They were struck with humiliation and disgrace, and they incurred the wrath of God because they persistently rejected His messages and killed prophets contrary to all that is right.  All this was because they disobeyed and were lawbreakers.  (2:61)

Humiliation is an external matter, while disgrace is from within, and thus, no one can save you from it; no offer from God will come to solve this issue.  He says: " They have brought down God's anger upon themselves." Is there any anger worse than the anger of God that dispersed them on earth?  He says:

We dispersed them over the earth in separate communities- some are righteous and some less so: We tested them with blessings and misfortunes so that they might all return (7:168)

The only place that sheltered them around the time of Muhammad, peace be upon him, was the Arabian Peninsula in Yathrib.  They settled there for a while and had authority in knowledge because they were the People of the Book and held economic and military power.  Yet, they rebelled against God's command and rejected His message.  They initially settled in Yathrib because the prophecies in the Torah informed them that a prophet would come to this place, and they took a pledge to follow him.  God says,

God took a pledge from the prophets, saying, "If, after I have bestowed scripture and wisdom upon you, a messenger comes confirming what you have been given, you must believe in him and support him.  Do you affirm this and accept My pledge as binding on you?" They said, "We do." He said, "Then bear witness, and I too will bear witness." (3:81)

This covenant requires the people of faith to convey the message of the Lord to future generations and inform them of the coming of a new messenger with the final revelation from the heavens.  The Jews tribes who settled in Yathrib came to receive and support God's messenger.  But did they do that?  Allah explains,

When a Scripture came to them from God confirming what they already had, and when they had been praying for victory against the disbelievers, even when there came to them something they knew to be true, they disbelieved in it: God rejects those who disbelieve.  (2:89)

Isn't that enough to earn God's anger?  Doesn't that warrant God's sealing their hearts from faith and striking them with humiliation?  Remember that Allah gave the Children of Israel countless chances to repent, and almost every time, they chose the path away from the Lord.  Listen to the following examples of the bounties God blessed the Israelites with,

We made the clouds cover you with shade and sent manna and quails down to you, saying, 'Eat the good things We have provided for you.' It was not Us they wronged; they wronged themselves.  (2:57)

And in another verse,

Remember when We took your pledge, and made the mountain tower high above you, and said, 'Hold fast to what We have given you and bear its contents in mind, so that you may be conscious of God.' (2:63)

And again, while wandering the desert in the company of our beloved Moses, 

Remember when Moses prayed for water for his people, and We said to him, "Strike the rock with your staff." Twelve springs gushed out, and each group knew its drinking place.  "Eat and drink the sustenance God has provided and do not cause corruption in the land." (2:60)

Despite all the bounties, they chose to tell lies about God's messengers and killed His prophets.   So do not think that Allah targets a group of people and treats His creation unjustly.  On the contrary, Allah showers you with countless bounties from the womb to the grave; it is up to you to respond appropriately.  God says, "That is because they rejected God's Signs and killed the Prophets without any right to do so.  That was because they disobeyed and went beyond the limits." In other words, their repeated disobedience is the reason behind God's anger, their humiliation and disgrace.  There is a difference between God initiating action against you on the one hand, and punishing you as a response to your actions on the other.  Listen to the following example,

Because of wrongdoing on the part of the Jews, We forbade them certain good things that had been permitted to them before; and because of their obstructing many people from the path of God (4:160)

The most important lesson you can learn from the verse above is that if you indulge in a pleasure Allah has forbidden, you will be barred from good pleasures that are permissible.  People who indulge in adultery often end up in broken marriages.  We see drug dealers who amass incredible wealth end up hiding in underground tunnels, unable to spend a penny.  You can also find plenty of examples from the material world—people who indulge in food gain weight and have to cut down to regain their health.