When Musa (AS) crossed the sea with Bani Isra’il, they began a new life away from the clutches of Firawn the tyrant. They had just tasted the sweetness of freedom and had no idea how to take care of themselves. Allah assisted them. He sent food from the heavens and commanded Musa (AS) to strike a rock, from which 12 springs of water began flowing for the 12 tribes of Bani Isra’il. Thus, Allah provided them with food, water and a place to live in the desert. They were now required to do nothing except worship Allah, for which they would have been paid a handsome reward in the hereafter. But their greed and ingratitude deceived them. Bani Isra’il decided to confront Musa (AS). Allah speaks of the incident in the Qur’an:
وَإِذْ قُلْتُمْ يَا مُوسَىٰ لَن نَّصْبِرَ عَلَىٰ طَعَامٍ وَاحِدٍ فَادْعُ لَنَا رَبَّكَ يُخْرِجْ لَنَا مِمَّا تُنبِتُ الْأَرْضُ مِن بَقْلِهَا وَقِثَّائِهَا وَفُومِهَا وَعَدَسِهَا وَبَصَلِهَا ۖ قَالَ أَتَسْتَبْدِلُونَ الَّذِي هُوَ أَدْنَىٰ بِالَّذِي هُوَ خَيْرٌ
“And [recall] when you [O Bani Isra’il] said, “O Musa, we can never endure one [kind of] food. So call upon your Lord to bring forth for us from the earth its green herbs and its cucumbers and its garlic and its lentils and its onions.” [Musa] said, “Would you exchange what is better for what is less?”
In other words, Allah was feeding them from the heavens without any effort on their part. Surely, that is easier than growing their own food. Furthermore, this gave them more time to fulfil their real purpose in life, which is to worship Allah and acquire Jannah. Musa (AS) was astonished at the absurdity of their request. Despite this, Allah fulfilled it out of His mercy towards Bani Isra’il. The ayah continues:
اهْبِطُوا مِصْرًا فَإِنَّ لَكُم مَّا سَأَلْتُمْ ۗ وَضُرِبَتْ عَلَيْهِمُ الذِّلَّةُ وَالْمَسْكَنَةُ وَبَاءُوا بِغَضَبٍ مِّنَ اللَّهِ ۗ ذَٰلِكَ بِأَنَّهُمْ كَانُوا يَكْفُرُونَ بِآيَاتِ اللَّهِ وَيَقْتُلُونَ النَّبِيِّينَ بِغَيْرِ الْحَقِّ ۗ ذَٰلِكَ بِمَا عَصَوا وَّكَانُوا يَعْتَدُونَ
“”Go into [any] settlement and indeed, you will have what you have asked.” And they were covered with humiliation and poverty and returned with anger from Allah [upon them]. That was because they [repeatedly] disbelieved in the signs of Allah and killed the prophets without right. That was because they disobeyed and were [habitually] transgressing” (Qur’an, 2:67).
Allah then commanded Bani Isra’il to conquer Jerusalem, Palestine while thanking Allah for His bounties and blessings. They refused to enter and mocked this command (this incident is detailed in the Qur’an, 2:58). They were given many chances, but they repeatedly chose to disobey. Eventually, Allah destroyed them.
LESSONS TO LEARN
Allah has mentioned stories in the Qur’an so that we may take heed. Bani Isra’il refused to be grateful for their food because they desired variety. This attitude has crept into our lives. We desire an endless variety in everything. Some people travel constantly but are never satisfied. Some even complain that they are tired of going for Umrah so many times and would rather visit another country. We get bored of eating the same food daily, while others have nothing to eat. Women get tired of their kitchens, men get bored of their watches. We are constantly looking to change for no good reason. This is the mentality that Allah is referring to in this verse. An unending desire and an insatiable greed, for worldly matters. This, coupled with constant complaining, was the attitude of Bani Isra’il. As a result, Allah cast over them humiliation and poverty.
If we choose to follow suit in greed and ingratitude, our fate will be similar. When a woman has a wedding to attend and claims to have nothing to wear despite having plenty, that is poverty. There are women who truly stress over this, as though they truly have nothing to wear. That is poverty. Wearing ripped clothes in the name of fashion or displaying one’s undergarments, is a form of self-humiliation. They are paying money only to embarrass and disgrace themselves. Thus, those who are constantly dissatisfied with the blessings of Allah upon them, will never be content. For they have exchanged what is better (i.e. the Sunnah) for what is less (i.e. any other lifestyle).
The prophetic module encourages simplicity and gratitude. Nabi ﷺ always wore the same clothes and all the food he ate, could be noted on one page. At times, the stove in their home would not be lit for two months. When Aishah (RA) was asked about what they ate, she responded, “The two black ones, dates and water” (recorded in Bukhari and Muslim). This lifestyle may be difficult to emulate as we are not in the league of Nabi ﷺ, but we should at least try. Develop self-discipline in worldly matters. Avoid self-indulgence by developing self-control. Shun greed by adopting gratitude. This path offers contentment in this world and a mighty reward in the hereafter, whereas greed has little to offer besides a few fleeting moments. May Allah guide us, aameen.
— Shaykh Dawood Seedat حفظه اللّٰه
Above is an extract from Shaykh’s talk on 7/10/19 in Masjid-ut-Taqwa, Pietermaritzburg. To listen to the full talk, please click here.
