The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 1) — Page 236
CH. 2 AL-BAQARAH PT. 1 تِلْكَ أُمَّةٌ قَدْ خَلَتْ لَهَا مَا كَسَبَتْ Those are a people that. 135 have passed away; for them is وَلَكُمْ مَّا كَسَبْتُمْ وَلَا تُسْلُونَ عَمَّا that which they earned, and for كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ you shall be what you earn, and you shall not be questioned as to what they did. 141 b6 وَقَالُوا كُونُوا هُودًا اَوْ نَظرى تَهْتَدُوا And they say, Be ye Jews. 136 قُل بَلْ مِلَّةَ إِبْرهِمَ حَنِيفًا وَمَا كَانَ مِنَ rightly guided. Say: Nay الْمُشْرِكِينَ or Christians that you may be follow ye the Abraham who religion of was "ever inclined to God; he was not of those who set up gods with God. '142 a2:142. 2:112. 3:68; 6:80; 16:124; 22:32. Jews of the Holy Prophet's day act upon that principle? In corroboration of what the Quran says about Jacob's will to his sons, Rodwell quotes the following from Midrash Rabbah: "At the time when our father Jacob quitted this world, he summoned his twelve sons and said to them, Hearken to your father Israel (Gen. 49:2). Have you any doubts in your hearts concerning the Holy One, blessed be He. They said, Hear, o Israel, our father, as there is no doubt in thy heart, so neither is there in ours. For the Lord is our God, and He is One" (Midr. Rabbah on Gen. par. 98, and on Deut. par. 2). Compare also Targ. Jer. on Deut. 6:4. not avail them in any way. Their forefathers reaped the rewards of their good deeds and won God's favours; and if they also wish to become His favourites, they must perform similar deeds and show implicit obedience to God and complete submission to His will. The fact that they are descended from holy persons makes them all the more responsible. 142. Important Words: who turns to (ever inclined to God) is derived from which means, he became inclined. means: (1) one error away from guidance (Mufradāt); (2) one who steadily follows the right faith and never swerves from it; (3) one inclining in a perfect manner to Islam The People of the Book are here and continuing firm therein (Lane); warned that the fact that they are the (4) one who follows the religion of descendants of God's Prophets would | Abraham (Aqrab). 141. Commentary: 236