When the jihad verses were revealed, the believers were reassured that victory ultimately belongs to the faithful and pious even if they are few in number and that defeat and destruction is the fare of sin, even if its followers be numerous.
This moral is explained through the story of Samuel , Talut/Saul, Dawud and Jalut/Goliath 2:246-251.
Samuel himself isnt mentioned by name in the passage and this is due to several reasons. There are many examples in the Quran where in a story, names, places, numbers and other details are omitted when they are of minor importance to the message it wants to convey. Samuel, contrary to the other named characters in the passage plays no role in the events which were chosen to be highlighted, as will be seen later.
A time came in the history of the Israelites where, because of having strayed from God's comandements revealed to Moses, they lost the promise of divine immunity and thus lived in long periods of disgrace under various Canaanite nations. They were originally divinely ordered to exterminate these nations upon their entry into the land promised to their forefathers, but failed doing so due to their lack of spiritual resolve and in addition progressively adopted their ways. These periods were interrupted by times where their desperate cries caused God to rise for them a liberator/prophet (or what their scriptures often call a "judge") that would give them back the upper hand, but after whom they would fall back into spiritual degeneration and consequent submission to their pagan enemies.
Under Samuel's prophethood and leadership, after suffering initial defeats in battle 1Sam4, they began returning to the straight spiritual path and thus successfully repelled the enemy threat outside their borders, with the help of God 1Sam7. However, as their history has shown it only is a matter of time before they sin again and incur God's wrath at the hands of those very enemies. Fearing for such a day to come, instead of putting their trust in God who repeatedly protected them in the most dire situations, as He had just done with the Philistines that invaded them, they made a request to Samuel who had reached old age. His unrighteous sons were about to inherit leadership after him. To avoid this outcome the Israelites requested a king to rule over them, a respected figure like their neighbouring nations' kings. He would lead them in war and liberate them from this continuous cycle of invasion, destruction, subjugation and expulsion from their lands and homes.
This is the reason the Quran gives for them wanting to fight these enemies. Those enemies being called kafirun/deniers of the truth in 2:250 who will be defeated by those who fight in God's way (fighting in God's way means defending one's God given rights as is proven from countless verses) isnt the reason for fighting them, it simply is a statement of fact and a label put on them. In the HB, such a label is put on them, along with other Canaanites by God Himself long before the Israelites had conquered this land. They are a sinful people whose sins have overstepped all limits and should therefore be forcefully expelled from the land Gen15:16,Deut9.
Astonishingly, this request for a worldly king meant they still did not understand that victory comes from God, especially in their state of inferiority and no matter who the earthly leader is, as seen in 1Sam4, they will never succeed if they themselves arent spiritually upright
1Sam8:19-20,9:15-16,10:18-19,12:14,24-25"We want a king over us, then we will be like all the other nations, with a king to lead us and to go out before us and fight our battles...Now the day before Saul came, the Lord had revealed this to Samuel. About this time tomorrow I will send you a man from the tribe of Benjamine. Anoint him a ruler over my people Israel; he will deliver them from the hand of the Philistines. I have looked on my people for their cries have reached me...So said the Lord God of Israel; 'I brought Israel up from Egypt, and delivered you from the hand of the Egyptians, and from the hand of all the kingdoms which oppressed you. And today you have rejected your God, Who saves you from all your adversities and your troubles, and you have said to him 'But a king you shall set over us'...If you will fear the Lord and serve Him, and hearken to His voice, and you will not rebel against the commandements of the Lord, both you and the king who reigns over you, will be after the Lord your God. But if you will not hearken to the voice of the Lord, and you will rebel against the commandements of the Lord, the Lord's hand will be against you and against your fathers...If you do wrong, both you and your king will be destroyed".
In addition to this direct affront to God and ingratitude, they were disrespectful to their prophet, requesting a non prophetic leader to free them and give them a decisive military victory over their oppressors. However even when that request was granted they could not escape the realm of divine authority and testing. Through a privation test, as will be seen in more details below, God provided Talut a means by which to reveal their level of spirituality and God-consciousness as well as their capacity to withstand physical hardships, both being important when engaging in battle in God's way.
God in the HB, accedes to their request in wrath and disdain Hos13:11, because of the arrogance and disrespect towards a prophet in their midst.
When Allah appointed Talut/Saul as their king some of them still found a way to protest, just as Samuel had predicted 1Sam8:18 and others despised him because of his humble lineage. Coming from the small Benjamite tribe, and from among the poorest elements of that tribe 1Sam9:21,10:27,11:12. The Benjamites were nearly decimated by successive conflicts against the rest of the Israelites. These ethnical wars reduced their numbers to become the smallest Israelite tribe Judges20. The protest against Saul's appointment must have been quite vehement for others to call for the execution of the culprits, as related in the above verses.
The Quran does not say that they all protested his designation -the Arabic "they said" does not point to all, but to a significant part, as is commonly used in the Quran itself- but does put that stain on the whole community. The Quran or the HB, all speak to the Israelites in this manner, as a monolith, including Jesus in the NT. This is because they were collectively bound by a covenant with God, whose breach would result in their rejection from God's grace as a whole, even if not all of them transgress. This occurred countless times as reported in their own Books. Another reason for their address as a unit is that they are the first to lay claim as a single body to the rights and favors bestowed, conditionally, on their ancestors but yet conveniently skip the parts of their history that caused divine wrath to be poured upon them for their transgressions. Such monolithic address puts back their boastful claims in check.
They were once again proving their prejudiced mind-frame, and difficulty to bend to God's commands as so often pointed by their prophets. This attitude caused them not only to mistreat Moses through whom they were made to witness great miracles, but also reject and kill many prophets sent to them, even those from themselves who called them to adhere to their own books.
2:247"Allah grants His Kingdom to whom He pleases".
The word "kingdom" is qualified here by the possessive pronoun "His" because the kingdom belongs to Allah alone; nobody has any right in it therefore, the Israelites should not have asked why He transferred the kingdom from one family to another, or why He gave it to Saul who was neither from a noble family nor owned abundant wealth. The prophet Daniel in he HB eloquently reminds of this supreme reality thus
Dan4:14"the Most High rules over the kingdom of man, and to whom He wishes He gives it, and the lowest of men He sets upon it".
It was the decree of Allah who had strictly caused a distinction between them, based on His wisdom, and the righteousness of the chosen one
1Sam10:24"Samuel said to all the people, "Do you see the man the LORD has chosen? There is no one like him among all the people".
Quran2:247"Allah has chosen him over you and He has increased him abundantly in knowledge and physique".
Kingship is establishment of supreme authority over a group of people to unite them under one will and create a relationship with all of them. Knowledge and physical aptitudes are both historically important, necessary aspects of a leader's effectiveness in implementing his policies
1Sam10:23"And as he stood among the people he was a head taller than any of the others".
Physical appearance has always and still does play an important role in creating a charismatic and powerfully authoritative aura of a leader in the eyes of his subjects. It is interesting to note here the miraculous nature of the Quran, that restores Talut's honour in the most intricate manner. The Arabic Talut is derived from t-w-l implying a high stature. This name was known since pre-islamic times as mentioned in a poem by al-samaw'al. It could have been one of the names by which that king was known to the Jews. But the name the Biblical scribes gave him was Sha'ul, implying "to ask". This retrospective appellation was aimed at negatively comparing Sha'ul/Saul to both David and Samuel. Samuel was asked of God 1Sam1 while Saul was asked of the people. Then God answers David while Saul is answered with silence 1Sam14:37,28:6. There is a clear play on the questioning motif by the Biblical writers, who, like their predecessors, frowned upon the election of a Benjamite as their king.
Other means by which God strengthened Talut/Saul's authority was that, in the words of their prophet
2:248"Verily the sign of his kingship (is) that the chest comes to you, carried by the angels. In him, calm from your nurturing Lord, and remainder of what the people of Moses and the people of Aaron left behind. Verily, in that, a sign to you, if you would trust in God".
Aron haberit/Chest of the Covenant more commonly known as the Ark of the Covenant was originally built by Moses to transport the tablets and other relics, according to God's precise directives Ex25 and was carried by the Israelites, covered by a veil, during their 40 years wandering in the desert. It was then passed on to Joshua and was the means by which certain miracles were performed and their enemies had been annihilated from before them. It was thus an object of great pride, joy and reverence for them until a time when their spirituality degraded and it did not serve its purpose anymore. This above statement from their prophet in the Quran is very significant in that under his own leadership, as stated in the HB, the Ark was of no use to the Israelites who suffered a crushing defeat to the Philistines despite it being in their midst 1Sam4. The Philistines even captured it following the battle but returned it a few months later, because of the multiple curses that it brought upon them wherever it was stationed 1Sam5-6. After initially rejoicing at its return, the Israelites quickly learned to dread it because of the very strict rules that had to be taken into account when manipulating it and which they were unable to abide by. Even inappropriately gazing at it or touching it resulted in a horrible and painful death 1Sam6:19-21,Lev10:2,Num4:20.
Although the Ark of the Covenant was among them since before the coming of Talut/Saul, it had remained unused. It was isolated in a distant location for many years without anyone daring to manipulate it in a military context. Yet they were in constant fear of a possible invasion from those enemies that had subdued them in the past and who were at their doorsteps. The situation of the Ark remained so until Saul brought it back to make use of it again in battle 1Sam14:18 (it was present with his army prior to the incident in this verse).
It is interesting to note here the conflicting traditions as to what was Saul's reaction to the imminent danger of enemies approaching the Hebrew camp. The Masoretic tradition states that he asked for the Ark, while the Septuagint says that he asked for the ephod, a priestly garment. One can clearly see the need of having a miraculous tool of war at that critical moment, while it makes little sense that Saul would ask for the ephod. The Israelites were hiding in holes and caves, fearing their enemies. The sight of the Ark coming to battle would've had the effect of seeing B52 bombers flying to the rescue of soldiers in the most dire situation, in addition to being a clear sign, as the Quran says, of Saul's capacity to lead the Israelites to victory. The manner in which this occured is described in the Quran as miraculous. As the ultimate divine confirmation of his kingship to his people, the Ark was brought before them carried by angels
2:248"...carried by the angels. Indeed in that is a sign for you, if you are believers".
The verse does not state that the angelic carriers were visible, and as a general rule, angels in their actual form are imperceptible to the human eye. The Ark in the Bible seems to have been at first a modest wooden chest made by Moses Deut10 but is described elsewhere as an elaborate item adorned with gold Ex25,31. Scholars see this discrepancy as a later embellishment as the story was retold. Noticing the problem, Rabbinic tradition, trying to harmonize the apparent tension in the text, states that there may have been 2 Arks (Tosefta Sotah 7:18). The most noteworthy addition to the simple Ark made by Moses, are the golden Cherubim on the cover Ex25:18. Whether the Ark was truly adorned with representations of those entities or not, the fact is that the tradition has maintained the memory of angelic connection with the Ark. What that connection truly is remains a mystery as the function and meaning of those adorning cherubim are not given in the text and are contested in Jewish tradition. Going by the intertextual meaning, cherubim are guarding angels. It could thus be inferred that those in connection with the Ark, instead of being simple adornments, were the unseen angels guarding the Ark, accompanying it wherever it was, and performing God's will in relation to it.
The Quran passingly alludes to the Ark's contents
2:248"the chest will come to you in which is assurance from your Lord and a remnant of what the family of Moses and the family of Aaron had left".
In the HB, the contents are said to be the tablets of the law, the manna, and Aaron's rod Ex16,25,Num17. Contrary to later Christological misappropriations and trinitarian symbolisms irrelevant to the Jewish context and Israelite history, these relics were simple reminders of some important moments to the Israelites' collective memory. The covenant they had entered into, the food that rained down from heaven during their wandering in the desert, the miraculous rod of Aaron that symbolized God's choice for the line of priesthood, which consequently put an end to the plagues God had sent to destroy the rebellious Israelites. These elements, as well as the Ark itself built by Moses their most prominent prophet and leader, were warm reminders of their rich history, divine favors and connection to God. The arrival of this container and its elements, in the miraculous manner as described in the Quran so as to ward off all fear they had from it, giving them an unequivocal green light to make use of it against their enemies, was the impact needed to uplift them spiritually and physically for the momentous task at hand.
It is hard not to see the tradition preserved in the Septuagint as but another attempt at discrediting Saul, painted as wavering and uncertain about how to react to the impending danger, and thus asking for the ephod so as to consult an oracle. It would have been out of place to begin a prayer ceremony while the enemy was all around and just about to attack, in fact we see in the next verse Saul interrupting the priest's prayers then throwing himself into battle. Details are obviously missing as to how the events unfolded and a full harmonization, as is so often the case with the Bible, can only be reached tentatively.
Bringing back the Ark was thus certainly an act of great courage and determination befitting of a ruler appointed by God, considering the level of dread this item inspired. Yet it was meant to help them, so long as they properly revered it and were themselves spiritually upright. Thanks to Saul returning the Ark to battle, a symbol of God's presence among them, they had the courage to provoke the Philistines for a decisive all-out war with the aim of repelling them far outside their borders. Such a move, which they did not dare attempting until now, would put an end to their permanent fear of invasion 1Sam13:1-4.
It should be noted however that the Ark itself wasnt used in the way Joshua made use of it in battle, it simply emboldened them by its presence. This reassuring effect is encapsulated in the word sakina.
The word appears in different places in the Quran 9:26,40,48:4,18,26. It is something that Allah sends, as stated in the verse about the Ark 2:248. It is therefore separate from Allah. It is neither Allah, nor divine. The sakina may fill any receptacle, animate or inanimate so as to bring about calmness and reassurance. The Quran here is using an Arabic word analogous to the Hebrew shekhina, implying dwelling and settling, and clarifying its meaning. This is because the word shekhina, although absent from the HB, is interpolated at length in rabbinic writings, and is even given the feminine gender. The shekhina is the idea of "God's presence" at a particular point in creation, whether in the Ark, the pillar of clouds during the exodus, or the tabernacle of Moses. The concept is unbefitting of God's majesty and perfect monotheism. The Quran, through the description of the sakina/shekhina, dismisses the cultic exaggeration ascribed to the Ark.
No reference to the Ark is made afterwards until David ordered it removed from its place of seclusion amid great rejoicing, implying that it wasnt displaced and used for the nation's benefit since a while. What can also be inferred is that they must have been irreverent to it again sometime shortly following the battle, which caused them to be chastised and the Ark returned by Saul to the place specially sanctified for it 1Chron13,2Sam6.
As stated earlier, the Israelites disliked Talut/Saul's appointment as their king. Despite the presence of the Ark with them, only a few stood up to fight in the way of Allah at the critical moment when, in response to the daring provocation, their enemies had gathered most of their forces for war, becoming "as numerous as the sand on the seashore" 1Sam13.
They had cowardly fled in caves, mountains, or accross the Jordan river. Others that were already mobilized for previous battles, deserted. Some even went as far as joining the Philistines, either as a result of this debacle or before 1Sam14:21. This is, just at their prophet had predicted, as quoted in the Quran, before the appointment of a king to lead them in battle as per their own request
2:246"May it not be that you would not fight if fighting is ordained for you?"
Only 600 valliant ones remained alongside Saul, and were in addition ill equipped due to the elimination of all the smiths among them by the Philistines when they had full reign over their lands 1Sam13:19-22,14:2. As Saul and his small band of followers were encamping, a group from among them decided to stealthily ambush a Philistines' nearby post, and succeeded in doing so, inflicting casualties as well as a psychological blow that invigorated the rest of the Israelites, even those that had fled. They subsequently all joined Saul in taking advantage of the situation, pursuing, routing and plundering the Philistines 1Sam14. Followed several successful battles with other neighbouring nations, as well as the Philistines, until another decisive meeting with their archfoes 1Sam15.
It is during this above pursuit, that the Biblical account speaks of a privation test similar to that of the Quran in 2:249. It says in 1Sam14:24-33 that as the enemy was already drawing back in confusion, the fighters were told not to eat food until they are dealt the hardest blow, a device meant at not delaying the fleeing enemy's pursuit and not release the pressure until they are completely routed. In the Quran, the test consisted in not drinking (the one in the HB was of not eating) from a stream which the marching men of Saul/Talut encountered, prior to the decisive encounter with their enemies. A little observation shows that this was done in order to select the elite both physically and spiritually among all able men, to ascertain the true companions ready to accept one of the most difficult privation, that of thirst, demonstrating their discipline and eagerness in obeying a divine command and thus prove themselves worthy of being the bearers of the banner of truth and worthy of divine assistance in battle as per God's law.
This law of the proportionality of divine help in relation to the level of spirituality of the fighters in battle is established several times over both in the Quran and the Hebrew Bible, even during the time of Samuel and hence one can understand why Saul resorted to that selection process at such a critical time. If this test were to be placed in the sequence of events as related in the Bible, then it must have happened at the selection of the 600, with the rejected others cowardly waiting for the outcome from their hiding places around.
Although most failed the test by drinking their fill and were thus eliminated from the group and sent back, others successfully passed it without even as much as tasting of it and were thus retained, along with others who were forgiven for taking only a handful.
That distinction in level of resolve reaffirmed itself among the selected group when, after crossing the river, some were fearful at the near prospect of meeting the superior enemy, while others had complete trust in God's promised assistance and boldly confronted the Philistines, repelling them. It was at that battle that they met Jalut/Goliath, a soldier since his youth, a prominent hero and warrior 1Sam17:4,33,51. Jewish tradition asserts he had won many battles against the Israelites, including capturing the Ark of the Covenant, although his name doesnt appear during the incident in 1Sam4, and neither during the previous battles. The Quran paints the additional image of Goliath being a warrior with soldiers under his orders "Jalut and his forces". This certainly isnt far-fetched if one considers that armies have always primarily raised their soldiers in hierarchy based on merits acquired on the field, as in Goliath's case. Besides, nowhere does it say in the Hebrew Scriptures, neither in their traditions, that he was a simple soldier, quite to the contrary.
The Hebrew scriptures, contrary to the Quran, do not say whether Goliath was among the ranks of the Philistines at this first major confrontation between them and Saul's ill equipped and vastly outnumbered men. It can however be inferred, given the aforementioned traditions depicting him as an experienced soldier, participating in many battles, including those battles spoken of in the HB in which he isnt explicitly named. Further the HB itself reports the amassing of Philistine soldiers and equipment for that encounter with Saul and his men. The battle was for them a momentous event, from which they could not have dismissed their most prominent warriors, like Goliath, from participating.
Despite their humiliating defeat and debacle, the Philistines did not give up their enmity with the Jews and constantly provoked them into battle 1Sam14:52. But their continuous defeats caused them at some point to change tactics and challenge the Israelites into a one on one combat that would determine the final outcome. Thinking they would inflict upon them a hard psychological blow, they designated their champion Goliath to represent them, knowing that on his own, no man by himself could overcome him. It was only David that stood up to Goliath's challenge while the rest of the Israelites turned away in fear despite him taunting them for 40 days. David, with the help of God, slew him with a single strike from his slingshot to his forehead, then severed his head. Upon seeing their hero's death, the rest of the Philistines drew back and fled while the Israelites plundered their camp 1Sam17.
The Quran doesnt list all the Israelites' battles and squirmishes under Saul/Talut, rather it is interested in highlighting certain landmarks that occured in a military context and with which the believers in the prophet Muhammad's time could identify:
- When the firm in faith were separated from the disbelievers and the hypocrites
- When they defeated a much more powerful enemy against all odds
- When David enters the scene in a decisive manner
If one looks closely at the wording of the verses, what transpires is that the first 2 incidents occured at one occasion, and the last involving David at another. This is because the Quran states clearly that there was first a victory in which Jalut/Goliath and his forces were routed with God's help. The word used stems from h-z-m which implies defeat, not necessarily through bloodshed or general slaughter, more so by putting to flight after disheartening the opponent, thus paralleling with the Biblical account of the Israelite victory against the Philistines in 1Sam14. It is after that hazm that comes the statement about Dawud killing Jalut. The wording doesnt negate it happening at another meeting and in fact strongly implies it.
Some have suggested an anachronism in the Quran's version of the events. Through superficial parallelisms, they have argued that the test of privation from water spoken of in the Quran must have been the similar test mentioned in the HB before the coming of Saul, in Judges7, and then misplaced it in the time of Saul. In the HB, during that test, Gideon directs a group of 10.000 to a fountain or well (all translations imply a kind of body of water different from a river) to see the manner in which they would drink, not whether they would drink or not. According to the Talmud, the Israelites that inclined to idolatry would perform their rituals by kneeling to the ground and bending forward. Gideon wanted to expose them by seeing who would naturally kneel and quench his thirst directly from the water source, and who would lap the water with their tongue from their hand Judges7:1-8. Clearly here, besides the fact that the soldiers were not already marching for war as in the Quran, they were not informed of the test and its conditions aforehand, because it would have cancelled the purpose which was in addition completely different.
Since in the Quran, it is their level of disciple that determined their selection in Saul/Talut's army, they were told that only the ones that could control their thirst would be chosen, while in Gideon's case the object was not to see whether the soldiers would refrain from drinking but rather how they would drink.
There are many other contextual and fine details, including the fact that the Quran speaks of a nahr that had to be crossed, a word used for a significant body of flowing water as in a river, that negate the attempted parallelism between the 2 accounts, which in reality boils down to one single common point; a test involving water. If one were to follow that line of thinking, countless similar claims can be raised and "parallelisms" be made, between anything and everything.
The Muslims were being tested in their resolve and discipline just as the Israelites under Saul/Talut were, so they were told to take lesson from this story and its outcome
4:66"And if We had prescribed for them: Lay down your lives or go forth from your homes, they would not have done it except a few of them".
Just like the Jews, some of the followers of the prophet used to back out of the battles whenever commanded to lay down their lives and go forth from their homes. The battles of Badr, Uhud and Khandaq bear testimony to this fact.
