Surah 1-2 - YasSarNal QuR'aN

Al-Baqarah (The Cow) | COVENANTS BREACHED ALL THE TIMEforcibly made to drink something nasty; but what is it? It is nothing other than thecalf, which is shown to be forced into their hearts. It is easy to get carried away bythis image so as to almost overlook the real significance of the metaphor used here. Itshows their love and adoration for the calf to be so strong that it runs in their veins.Such powerful imagery is but one tool of the inimitable Qur’ānic style.The Jews have made a great fuss claiming themselves to be ‘God’s chosen people’,alleging that they enjoy an exclusive inherent right to divine guidance. They havefurther claimed that, unlike other communities, their salvation is guaranteed, both inthis life and in the life to come.By implication, these claims exclude Muĥammad’s followers from God’s grace inthe hereafter. Their aim behind such claims was to undermine the Muslims’ trust intheir own religion and in the promises made to them by the Prophet and in theQur’ān. God instructs Prophet Muĥammad to challenge the Jews to join the Muslimsin an earnest prayer to God to destroy the party that fabricated lies. He says: “Say, ‘Ifthe ultimate abode with God is yours alone, to the exclusion of all others, then wish for death,if your claim is true.’’’ (Verse 94)This is immediately followed by the assertion that the Jews would not take upsuch a challenge or pray for death because they were aware that they were the oneswho were lying. Hence, they would be afraid that God might answer their prayers.They were well aware that their actions and their record did not qualify them for anygrace in the hereafter. Were they to die straightaway, their loss would be complete:their life here would be cut short and they would come to grief in the life hereafter.This, the sūrah affirms, would only mean that they would fight tooth and nail to stayalive, putting them on a par with the idolaters: “But they will never wish for it because ofwhat their hands have wrought in this life. God is well aware of the wrongdoers. Indeed, youshall find that they cling to life more eagerly than any other people, even more than theidolaters. Each one of them would love to live a thousand years, although the grant of a longlife could not save him from punishment. God sees all that they do.” (Verses 95-96)In these verses, the Qur’ān points to another contemptible characteristic of theJews: their craven desire to live, no matter at what price and regardless of quality,honour and dignity. This has been borne out by Jewish behaviour during all stages oftheir history; their heads are raised only when the big stick of the tormentor is putaway, but once the stick is wielded before them, their heads are bowed and theyacquiesce in fear and servility, scurrying for life, any kind of life.Each of them would wish to live a thousand years because they do not believe in afuture life, after this present one is over. When one accepts that one’s days on earthare numbered but supposes that life here does not lead to a future life, this life wouldthen seem very short, no matter how many years it lasts. Therefore, to believe in life102