Al-Baqarah · Madani · ayah 87 of 286

Al-Baqarah 2:87

وَلَقَدْ ءَاتَيْنَا مُوسَى ٱلْكِتَـٰبَ وَقَفَّيْنَا مِنۢ بَعْدِهِۦ بِٱلرُّسُلِ ۖ وَءَاتَيْنَا عِيسَى ٱبْنَ مَرْيَمَ ٱلْبَيِّنَـٰتِ وَأَيَّدْنَـٰهُ بِرُوحِ ٱلْقُدُسِ ۗ أَفَكُلَّمَا جَآءَكُمْ رَسُولٌۢ بِمَا لَا تَهْوَىٰٓ أَنفُسُكُمُ ٱسْتَكْبَرْتُمْ فَفَرِيقًا كَذَّبْتُمْ وَفَرِيقًا تَقْتُلُونَ

“And We did certainly give Moses the Scripture [i.e., the Torah] and followed up after him with messengers. And We gave Jesus, the son of Mary, clear proofs and supported him with the Pure Spirit [i.e., the angel Gabriel]. But is it [not] that every time a messenger came to you, [O Children of Israel], with what your souls did not desire, you were arrogant? And a party [of messengers] you denied and another party you killed.”

Saheeh International

Essence

Allah sent messenger after messenger, and strengthened ʿĪsā with the Holy Spirit; yet whenever a messenger brought what their desires disliked, pride turned against him.

A reflection

When the message doesn't suit, attack the messenger

A man with high blood pressure sees three doctors in two years. Each tells him to cut down on salt and sugar. Each, he decides, is 'one of those preachy types'. The fourth is relaxed and tells him a little of what he likes won't hurt. That one, he says, is a good doctor.

The ayah's question is sharp. Every time a messenger came with what your souls did not desire, were you arrogant? The trigger is named exactly: bimā lā tahwā anfusukum, with what your desires did not want. Not with what was false, or unclear. With what was unwelcome.

The word for desire is hawā. One classical lexicographer, quoted by a commentator, says it is so named because it drags its owner down. A later commentator points to a related verb, hawā, to fall, like a hawk dropping from the sky. The picture is of empty air, and a long fall through it.

Yet the same word is not always bad. His wife once said to the Prophet ﷺ, 'I see your Lord hastening to fulfil your wish', using this very word (Sahih Muslim). Desire is not the problem. The problem is when desire becomes the judge of what is true.

A classical theologian explains what desires were at stake: high standing, worldly pleasure, leadership over ordinary people. The messengers threatened all of it. So the messengers were called liars, and some were killed. He compares their arrogance to Iblīs refusing to bow to Ādam.

This is a mirror that does not flatter any of us. How often do we decide a teacher is too strict, a parent old-fashioned, a speaker extreme? Usually at the very moment they say what we did not want to hear. Before dismissing a messenger, ask a simple question. Is the message wrong, or just inconvenient?

The full entry has 5 more reflections, questions to sit with, and "Live it today" - with the words, the roots and the tafsir alongside. Free, no account, works offline.