The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 1) — Page 145
PT. 1 AL-BAQARAH CH. 2 وَظَلَّلْنَا عَلَيْكُمُ الْغَمَامَ وَأَنْزَلْنَا عَلَيْكُمُ And We caused the clouds. 58 b to be a shade over you and sent الْمَنَّ وَالسَّلُوى كُلُوا مِنْ طَيِّبَتِ مَا down on you Manna and Salwa رَزَقْنَكُمْ وَمَا ظَلَمُوْنَا وَلَكِنْ كَانُوا We have provided for you. And أَنْفُسَهُمْ يَظْلِمُونَ ) saying: 'Eat of the good things they wronged Us not, but it was themselves that they wronged. 64 a7:161. b7:161; 20:81. Moses, Whosoever hath sinned against Me, him will I blot out of My book. Therefore now go, lead the people unto the place of which I have spoken unto thee. . . And the Lord plagued the people, because they made the calf" (Exod. 32:31-35). But God's forgiveness soon followed; for He did not want to ruin the Israelites, but to raise them morally and spiritually and make them a grateful people. 64. Important Words: من (Manna). The infinitive signifies bestowing favour on or doing good to. They say ali. e. he bestowed a favour on him without his labouring for it. means: (1) a favour; (2) anything obtained without trouble or difficulty; (3) honey- dew (Aqrab). (Salwā) is derived from w. ie he was سلا عن الشيء They say satisfied with it means, he satisfied him with it; he removed his grief and worry through it. is (1) a whitish bird resembling a quail and found in some parts of Arabia and the neighbouring countries. It also means, (2) whatever renders a person contented and happy; 145 (3) honey (Aqrab). Commentary: As the Israelites were camping in hot and open country, God speaks of the clouds having been sent to give them shade. We learn from Exod. 40:34-38, that clouds spread and shaded the spot where the Israelites encamped, and that they dispersed on the day when it was time for them to resume their journey. But the verse under comment shows that the clouds meant not only shadow but also rainfall because, firstly, it is rain- clouds that are generally dark and dense; and, secondly, along with the "clouds," the Quran also mentions two eatables, Manna and Salwā, which served as complement to the favour mentioned in the shadowing clouds. In fact, there was scarcity of both water and food in that arid country, and God used to quench their thirst by sending clouds, and satisfy their hunger by providing Manna and Salwā. And, no wonder, for God shows special favours to His servants in order to remove their difficulties and promote their comfort. The sending down of Manna and Salwa has been mentioned in Exod. 16:11-15, where we read: "And the