The Holy Quran 2:249 — Surah Al-Baqarah

Arabic text

فَلَمَّا فَصَلَ طَالُوتُ بِٱلْجُنُودِ قَالَ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ مُبْتَلِيكُم بِنَهَرٍ فَمَن شَرِبَ مِنْهُ فَلَيْسَ مِنِّى وَمَن لَّمْ يَطْعَمْهُ فَإِنَّهُۥ مِنِّىٓ إِلَّا مَنِ ٱغْتَرَفَ غُرْفَةًۢ بِيَدِهِۦ ۚ فَشَرِبُوا۟ مِنْهُ إِلَّا قَلِيلًا مِّنْهُمْ ۚ فَلَمَّا جَاوَزَهُۥ هُوَ وَٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ مَعَهُۥ قَالُوا۟ لَا طَاقَةَ لَنَا ٱلْيَوْمَ بِجَالُوتَ وَجُنُودِهِۦ ۚ قَالَ ٱلَّذِينَ يَظُنُّونَ أَنَّهُم مُّلَـٰقُوا۟ ٱللَّهِ كَم مِّن فِئَةٍ قَلِيلَةٍ غَلَبَتْ فِئَةً كَثِيرَةًۢ بِإِذْنِ ٱللَّهِ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ مَعَ ٱلصَّـٰبِرِينَ

Translation

When Taaloot set out with the army (with 80,000 from Baytul Maqdas in extreme heat), he said to them, "Surely Allaah shall test you with a river (the Jordan River, to see who will obey their king and who will not). Whoever drinks from it (to his heart's content) is not of me (not my faithful followers), and whoever does not taste (the water) except for a handful that he takes (and no more) is from me. So they (most of them) drank from it (to their fill) except a few of them (who survived with a handful of water). When he (Taaloot) and the Mu'mineen (313) with him crossed the river, they (those who drank to their fill) said, "We have no strength today against Jaaloot and his army." Those who knew they would meet their Rabb said, "How many (so many) a little group had defeated a large group by the permission of Allaah? Allaah is with those who exercise Sabr."

Tafsir (excerpt) — التفسير الميسر

فلما خرج طالوت بجنوده لقتال العمالقة قال لهم: إن الله ممتحنكم على الصبر بنهر أمامكم تعبرونه; ليتميَّز المؤمن من المنافق، فمن شرب منكم من ماء النهر فليس مني، ولا يصلح للجهاد معي، ومن لم يذق الماء فإنه مني; لأنه مطيع لأمري وصالح للجهاد، إلا مَن ترخَّص واغترف غُرْفة واحدة بيده فلا لوم عليه.

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