THE BLESSINGS AND PATIENCE OF US 1

BY
Shaikh Jalilu Issha

In the name of Allah, the most Beneficent, the most Merciful

English Transliteration

[002:049 Wa-ith najjaynakum min ali firAAawna yasoomoonakum soo-a alAAathabi

yuthabbihoona abnaakum wayastahyoona nisaakum wafee thalikum balaon min
rabbikum Aaatheemun]
[002: 050 Wa-ith faraqna bikumu albahra faanjaynakum waaghraqna ala firAAawna
waantum tanthuroona]
]002:051 Wa-ith waAAadna moosa arbaAAeena laylatan thumma ittakhathtumu
alAAijla min baAAdihi waantum thalimoona]
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BY
Shaikh Jalilu Issha

Translation

[002:049 And remember, We delivered you from the people of Pharaoh: They set you
hard tasks and punishments, slaughtered your sons and let your women-folk live; therein
was a tremendous trial from your Lord.]
[002:50 And remember We divided the sea for you and saved you and drowned Pharaoh's
people within your very sight.]
[022:51 And remember We appointed forty nights for Moses, and in his absence ye took
the calf (for worship), and ye did grievous wrong.]

Exegeses:

The holy Quran is still telling us about the blessings what He showered on the Israelites.
In these verse Allah is talking to the Israelites that what kind of very special blessings
they were granted. They were saved from the tyranny of Pharaoh. If there had been no
help and blessing from Allah, they also would have drowned like the army of Pharaoh.
And Allah is saying that they should recall the Allah’s favor that He saved them from
Pharaoh. In the verse there is a word yasoomoonakum- who were afflicting you.
Yasoomoon came from the word saam. In Arabic it means to go in order to look for
something. When someone goes looking for something, in Arabic is said saamaayasoom.
So the holy Quran said yasoomoonakum soo-a alAAathabi – who were afflicting you
with horrible torment. From the history and tafseers we came to know that Pharaoh used
to unleash every possible cruelty and torments on the Bani Israel. The holy Quran told us
that he used to kill the sons you and spare you women. And Pharaoh used to hunt the
children to kill continuously. He was afraid of the fact that the people may become in
majority and they may topple him in coming future. That’s why every possible cruelty he
used to unleash on the Bani Israel.
The holy Quran mentions that yuthabbihoona abnaakum – killing your sons. It
was the common and frequent cruelty of Pharaoh to kill the kids and children of that
nation. And wayastahyoona nisaakum – and let live your women. The women used to
live without their men. He also used to kill their men. And the women had become the
servants only. And then the holy Quran says nisaakum wafee thalikum balaon min
rabbikum Aaatheemun – and in that there was a trial from your great Lord. So the holy
Quran says that all the sufferings on you from Pharaoh was a trial of your patience from
your Lord. Balaon is the test of any person. So it was a balaon for the Bani Israel in order
to prove their mettle. This is the custom of Allah to test His servants.
There are many ways of Allah to test the patience of a man. Allah may take
health and money from him. Allah tests in such a way. Allah also tests a man by giving
him wealth. Allah also tests a man by snatching all the wealth from him and put him in
starvation.
There are some people that they have rich wealth. They are under the impression
that their Allah is happy with them.
And on the contrary there are some people that they have nothing. They are
living a life of poverty and devoid of many things what others have. They say that their
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Shaikh Jalilu Issha

Allah is not doing justice with them. They lose their patience. And forget it might a test
of Allah on them.
There are some people that think that what qualities and capabilities they have in
them, they are of the view that it is the blessing of Allah upon them to test their
knowledge and spirit. That how they are able to serve the humanity. And they are
grateful to their Lord. And when Allah snatches all these powers, they don’t become
angry. They say in their hearts that they are being tested by their Allah. And Allah gives
them what they wish in this mortal world and in hereafter world.
So we should not forge that we should not sell this world for the hereafter world
with the money what we have in this world. And with a view to earn money that you
would develop some kind of immense love for this world, then bear in mind that we are
filling our stomach with the fires of the hell. We are not entitled to get the paradise.
Our power, our strength, our knowledge etc are all for our test in the sight of
Allah. We have to keep the resource open for the welfare of the nation and other people.
We should not confine the resources to ourselves only. On the resources others too have
their right to consume and utilize. Don’t you see the life pattern of Muhammad (Salla
'Llahu 'alayhi wa sallam), Ahlul Bayt and the holy Imams? They used their knowledge
for the welfare of the humanity. All the prophets and auliya and imams were tested by
Allah Subhana-Wa-Ta’aala. Then what is the place of us?
And Iblis and Allah are engaged in testing the people. Iblis challenges Allah that
your prophet or some other pious personality may turn away from you. But Allah proves
that it is the false impression of Iblis. The pious people of Allah never turns away from
Him in whatever the circumstances Allah gives them. The prophet Ayub’s life is before
us. He faced many hardships but despite the fact his tongue always recited the holy name
of Allah. And the prophet Ayub always remained humble and thankful to his Allah. Iblis
saw it and he got the defeat from Allah. Here is a lesson for us that we should not leave
the rope of Allah in whatever the circumstances we are.
Allah deals with the tyrants with the Law of Lenity. He gives them liberty to do
and unleash the cruelties on the opponents of them. The opponents of them are always
the proponents of Allah. The end of the tyrants is ultimately the death and worst possible
end of them. The pages of history are replete with the examples and stories likewise.
Dear readers I would like to request you that you must make a habit of reading books of
history too. History sharpens our skills of intellectualism.
It is very difficult for a man to see his own child killed. And if a lady is called to
see her husband killed it would be very difficult for her to see him being killed. And
that’s why Allah said that is a big trial for any person. So in these verses Allah is calling
the attentions of Israelites that remember the great blessing of Allah that He freed you
from the raptorial talons of Pharaoh. Because Bani Israel were slaves in the reign of
Pharaoh, and Allah freed them from him. Not only that Allah freed them but also killed
and drowned the enemy of Bani Israel in front of their eyes.

At the day Ashura Imam Hussain (AS) was talking to his people if
you don’t have religion in your life, if you have any belief in you at
least be free in your life. Don’t be slave of other people. We have got one more example
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Shaikh Jalilu Issha

of Imam Ali (AS) he also said don’t be a slave of

anyone after the Almighty Allah have created you free. So if freedom is snatched from a
human it is the biggest possible tragedy in the man’s life.
So Allah is reminding them that they were made free from Pharaoh. It was a
great blessing of Allah upon them.

Further would be discussed in next session with detail Inshallah!