The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 1) — Page 337
PT. 2 R. 26. AL-BAQARAH CH. 2 سَلُ بَنِي إِسْرَاءِ يْلَ كَمْ أَتَيْتُهُمْ مِنْ آيَةٍ Ask of the children of. 212 Israel "how many clear Signs بَيْنَةٍ وَمَنْ يُبَدِّلُ نِعْمَةَ اللهِ مِنْ بَعْدِ We gave them. But whoso مَا جَاءَتْهُ فَإِنَّ اللهَ شَدِيدُ الْعِقَابِ changes the gift of Allah after it has come to him, surely, then, Allah is severe in punishing. 218 "17:102; 28:37. third person. The verse has apparently been addressed to either disbelievers or to hypocrites and the weak in faith. If it be taken to refer to disbelievers, as the change of form in the address indicates, it would mean that by desisting from belief they are, as it were, waiting for the punishment of God, and the verse incidentally hints that appointed punishment would come to them through raining clouds. The reference is to the Battle of Badr. when God helped believers by sending down clouds and rain (Bukhārī), as was promised (25:26), and also sent down angels (8:10) who inspired the believers with courage and filled the hearts of the disbelievers with fear (8:13). Some of the disbelievers are reported to have actually seen the angels on that day (Zurqānī). The matter was then "decided"; for, on that memorable day, all the chief leaders of the Quraish were killed, the Muslims obtaining a decisive victory which broke the power of the enemy. The coming of clouds refers to the rainfall which on the battlefield of Badr proved a blessing for the Muslims. It made the sand firm for them, while the land on the side of the enemy, 337 being clayey, became slippery. If, however, the verse be taken to refer to the hypocrites or the weak in faith, as the preceding two verses would suggest, then the clause, that Allah should come to them in the coverings of the clouds, would mean that if they did not mend their ways, God would have to chastise them even though they were apparently resting in the shade of faith, which is likened to a da or cloud. As shown under Important Words above, the in connection with God's mercy word (clouds) is sometimes used (7:161). 218. Commentary: The preceding verses referred to those weak in faith who had not yet "come into submission wholly" (2:209). The position of these people was that they had received a favour of God but practically they sought to "change" it. They wished to be known as Muslims and yet to be free to live as they liked. This was exactly what the Israelites had done before. So the Quran fittingly turns here to the story of the children of Israel who afforded an object-lesson for Muslims. The Holy Prophet and, for that matter,