Surah 2 · 2:246
Surah Al-Baqarah 2:246
Al-Baqarah · The Cow
أَلَمْ تَرَ إِلَى
Alam tara ila almala-i min banee isra-eelamin baAAdi moosa ith qaloo linabiyyin lahumuibAAath lana malikan nuqatil fee sabeeli Allahiqala hal AAasaytum in kutiba AAalaykumu alqitalualla tuqatiloo qaloo wama lanaalla nuqatila fee sabeeli Allahi waqadokhrijna min diyarina waabna-inafalamma kutiba AAalayhimu alqitalu tawallaw illaqaleelan minhum wallahu AAaleemun biththalimeen
Have you not considered the assembly of the Children of Israel after [the time of] Moses when they said to a prophet of theirs, "Send to us a king, and we will fight in the way of Allāh"? He said, "Would you perhaps refrain from fighting if battle was prescribed for you?" They said, "And why should we not fight in the cause of Allāh when we have been driven out from our homes and from our children?" But when battle was prescribed for them, they turned away, except for a few of them. And Allāh is Knowing of the wrongdoers.
Tidakkah kamu perhatikan para pemuka Bani Israil setelah Musa wafat ketika mereka berkata kepada seorang nabi mereka, "Angkatlah seorang raja untuk kami, niscaya kami berperang di jalan Allah." Nabi mereka menjawab, "Jangan-jangan jika diwajibkan atasmu berperang, kamu tidak akan berperang juga?" Mereka menjawab, "Mengapa kami tidak akan berperang di jalan Allah, sedangkan kami telah diusir dari kampung halaman kami dan (dipisahkan dari) anak-anak kami?" Tetapi ketika perang itu diwajibkan atas mereka, mereka berpaling, kecuali sebagian kecil dari mereka. Dan Allah Maha Mengetahui orang-orang yang zalim.
Tafsir
Ibn Kathir (Abridged)
The Story of the Jews Who sought a King to be appointed over Them
Mujahid said that the Prophet (mentioned in the Ayah 2:246 above) is Shamwil (Samuel). Wahb bin Munabbih said: The Children of Israel remained on the straight path for a period of time after Moses. They then innovated in the religion and some of them even worshipped the idols. Yet, there were always Prophets sent among them who would command them to work righteous deeds, refrain from doing evil and who would rule them according to the commands of the Torah. When they (Israelites) committed the evil that they committed, Allah caused their enemies to overwhelm them, and many fatalities fell among them as a consequence. Their enemies also captured a great number of them, and took over large areas of their land. Earlier, anyone who would fight the Israelites would lose, because they had the Torah and the Tabut, which they inherited generation after generation ever since the time of Moses, who spoke to Allah directly. Yet, the Israelites kept indulging in misguidance until some king took the Tabut from them during a battle. That king also took possession of the Torah, and only a few of the Israelites who memorized it remained. The prophethood halted among their various tribes and only a pregnant woman remained of the offspring of Lavi (Levi), in whom the prophethood still appeared. Her husband had been killed, so the Israelites kept her in a house so that Allah may give her a boy, who would be their Prophet. The woman also kept invoking Allah to grant her a boy. Allah heard her pleas and gave her a boy whom she called `Shamwil' meaning `Allah has heard my pleas.' Some people said that the boy's name was Sham`un (Simeon), which also has a similar meaning.As that boy grew, Allah raised him to be a righteous person. When he reached the age of prophethood, Allah revealed to him and commanded him to call (his people) to Him and to His Tawhid (Oneness). Shamwil called the Children of Israel (to Allah) and they asked him to appoint a king over them so that they could fight their enemies under his command. The kingship had also ended among them. Their Prophet said to them, "What if Allah appoints a king over you, would you fulfill your vow to fight under his command"
قَالُواْ وَمَا لَنَآ أَلاَّ نُقَـتِلَ فِى سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ وَقَدْ أُخْرِجْنَا مِن دِيَـرِنَا وَأَبْنَآئِنَا(They said, "Why should we not fight in Allah's way while we have been driven out of our homes and our children") meaning, `After our land had been confiscated and our children had been taken from us' Allah said:
فَلَمَّا كُتِبَ عَلَيْهِمُ الْقِتَالُ تَوَلَّوْاْ إِلاَّ قَلِيلاً مِّنْهُمْ وَاللَّهُ عَلِيمٌ بِالظَّـلِمِينَ(But when fighting was ordered for them, they turned away, all except a few of them. And Allah is All-Aware of the wrongdoers) meaning, only a few of them kept their promise, but the majority abandoned Jihad and Allah has full knowledge of them.
Tafsir Kemenag RI
Kisah pertama tentang Bani Israil pada ayat yang lalu diuraikan secara umum dan dalam ayat ini diuraikan secara terperinci. Pada masa itu, telah menjadi kebiasaan bagi Bani Israil bahwa soal-soal kenegaraan diatur oleh seorang raja dan soal agama dipimpin oleh seorang yang juga ditaati oleh raja sendiri. Samuel (nabi mereka saat itu) yang mengetahui tabiat Bani Israil, ketika mendengar usul mereka mengangkat seorang raja, timbul keraguan dalam hatinya tentang kesetiaan Bani Israil itu, sehingga beliau berkata, "Mungkin sekali jika kepada kamu nanti diwajibkan perang, kamu tidak mau berperang." Beliau sering menyaksikan sifat penakut di kalangan mereka. Mereka menjawab, "Mengapa kami tidak mau berperang di jalan Allah. Padahal telah cukup alasan yang mendorong kami untuk melaksanakan perang itu? Kami telah diusir dari kampung halaman kami dan anak-anak kami pun banyak yang ditawan oleh musuh."
Mereka menyatakan bahwa penderitaan mereka sudah cukup berat sehingga jalan lain tidak ada lagi, kecuali dengan mempergunakan kekerasan. Ternyata benar apa yang diragukan oleh Samuel, yaitu tatkala perang telah diwajibkan kepada Bani Israil dan Samuel telah memilih seorang raja untuk memimpin mereka, mereka banyak yang berpaling dan meninggalkan jihad di jalan Allah serta sedikit sekali yang tetap teguh memegang janjinya.
Allah mengetahui orang-orang yang tidak ikut berjihad itu dan mereka dimasukkan dalam golongan orang-orang yang zalim, yang menganiaya dirinya sendiri disebabkan tidak mau berjihad untuk membela hak dan menegakkan kebenaran. Mereka di dunia menjadi orang-orang yang terhina dan di akhirat menjadi orang-orang yang celaka dan mendapat siksa.
Tafsir is bundled locally for static rendering. Verify redistribution rights for Ibn Kathir and Tafsir Kemenag before production release.
Word by word
أَلَمۡ
alam
Did not
تَرَ
tara
you see
إِلَى
ilā
[towards]
ٱلۡمَلَإِ
l-mala-i
the chiefs
مِنۢ
min
of
بَنِيٓ
banī
(the) Children
إِسۡرَٰٓءِيلَ
is'rāīla
(of) Israel
مِنۢ
min
from
بَعۡدِ
baʿdi
after
مُوسَىٰٓ
mūsā
Musa
إِذۡ
idh
when
قَالُواْ
qālū
they said
لِنَبِيّٖ
linabiyyin
to a Prophet
لَّهُمُ
lahumu
of theirs
ٱبۡعَثۡ
ib'ʿath
Appoint
لَنَا
lanā
for us
مَلِكٗا
malikan
a king
نُّقَٰتِلۡ
nuqātil
we may fight
فِي
fī
in
سَبِيلِ
sabīli
(the) way
ٱللَّهِۖ
l-lahi
(of) Allah
قَالَ
qāla
He said
هَلۡ
hal
Would
عَسَيۡتُمۡ
ʿasaytum
you perhaps
إِن
in
if
كُتِبَ
kutiba
prescribed
عَلَيۡكُمُ
ʿalaykumu
upon you
ٱلۡقِتَالُ
l-qitālu
[the] fighting
أَلَّا
allā
that not
تُقَٰتِلُواْۖ
tuqātilū
you fight
قَالُواْ
qālū
They said
وَمَا
wamā
And what
لَنَآ
lanā
for us
أَلَّا
allā
that not
نُقَٰتِلَ
nuqātila
we fight
فِي
fī
in
سَبِيلِ
sabīli
(the) way
ٱللَّهِ
l-lahi
(of) Allah
وَقَدۡ
waqad
while surely
أُخۡرِجۡنَا
ukh'rij'nā
we have been driven
مِن
min
from
دِيَٰرِنَا
diyārinā
our homes
وَأَبۡنَآئِنَاۖ
wa-abnāinā
and our children
فَلَمَّا
falammā
Yet, when
كُتِبَ
kutiba
was prescribed
عَلَيۡهِمُ
ʿalayhimu
upon them
ٱلۡقِتَالُ
l-qitālu
the fighting
تَوَلَّوۡاْ
tawallaw
they turned away
إِلَّا
illā
except
قَلِيلٗا
qalīlan
a few
مِّنۡهُمۡۚ
min'hum
among them
وَٱللَّهُ
wal-lahu
And Allah
عَلِيمُۢ
ʿalīmun
(is) All-Knowing
بِٱلظَّٰلِمِينَ
bil-ẓālimīna
of the wrongdoers