Al-Baqarah: (54) And when Moses said...

Contextualizing the Command for Killing

Some commentators suggest that this fifth blessing, starting from this verse, is disconnected from the preceding enumeration of favors because it involves a command for killing, which is not typically considered a blessing.

This view is weak for several reasons:

1. Divine Mercy in Guidance: Allah (Exalted is He) first alerted them to the magnitude of their sin, and then guided them on how to escape that great sin. This guidance is one of the greatest religious blessings. If Allah enumerates worldly favors, enumerating this religious favor is even more appropriate. Furthermore, since the description of this means of repentance required mentioning the preceding sin, its inclusion is part of completing the enumeration of favors. Thus, everything contained in this verse is counted among Allah's favors, justifying its mention.
2. Blessing for the Survivors: Allah lifted the command for killing before they were completely annihilated, which was a blessing for those remaining alive. For the descendants living during the time of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), if Allah had not lifted the killing from their ancestors, these descendants would not have existed. Thus, mentioning it is a form of gratitude toward those present during the time of Muhammad (PBUH).
3. Highlighting the Ease of Current Repentance: By showing that the repentance of those people required the severity of killing, it serves as a reminder of the immense favor granted by accepting the current, much easier repentance (which only requires returning from disbelief and accepting faith, without the need for killing).
4. Encouragement for the Ummah of Muhammad: This serves as a strong encouragement for the Ummah of Muhammad (PBUH) regarding repentance. If the Ummah of Moses desired repentance despite its extreme hardship, then the desire for repentance, which for us is merely regret, is even more fitting. Encouraging someone toward what is truly beneficial for them is one of the greatest blessings.

Exegesis of the Verse

{And when Moses said to his people} (Wa-idh qāla Mūsā li-qawmihi): Remember when Moses said to his people after returning from the appointed meeting place where his Lord had promised him, and he found them having taken the calf: {O my people, indeed you have wronged yourselves} (yā qawmi innakum ẓalamtum anfusakum).

There are two interpretations regarding the meaning of ẓulm (wronging):

1. You have diminished your own reward that was due by remaining steadfast with Moses (peace be upon him).
2. Ẓulm here means persistence in an act that is undeserved, offering neither benefit nor warding off harm, neither intellectually nor practically. Since they worshipped the calf, they harmed themselves, as anything leading to eternal harm is the greatest form of injustice. This is why Allah says: {Indeed, association [of partners with Allah] is a great wrong} (Luqmān: 13). However, this wrong should be qualified so that its unqualified use does not imply wrongdoing against others, as the default meaning of ẓulm is transgression against others. Hence, He specified: {you have wronged yourselves}.

{by your taking of the calf} (bi-ittikhādhikum al-ʿijl): There is an omission here. They did not wrong themselves merely by taking the calf; if they had taken it and not made it a god, their action would not have been a wrong. The intended meaning is by your taking of the calf as a god. However, since the beginning of the verse implies this omission, the omission itself is acceptable.

{So repent to your Creator and kill yourselves} (fa-tūbū ilā bāriʾikum fa-q-tulū anfusakum): This phrase raises several questions.

The verse structure suggests that repentance is explained by self-killing, similar to how the Prophet (PBUH) said, "Allah does not accept the prayer of any of you until he performs purification correctly..." which implies that correct purification is defined by washing the face and hands. However, this is false, as repentance is regret over a past evil act and resolving not to repeat it, which is distinct from and not necessarily implied by self-killing.

Answer: The intent is not to define repentance by self-killing, but to state that their repentance would not be complete or achieved except through self-killing. This was because Allah revealed to Moses (PBUH) that the condition for their repentance was self-killing, just as the intentional killer's repentance is not complete until he surrenders himself to the victim's heirs, who may then execute him or forgive him. It is not impossible that the Law of Moses required the apostate's repentance to be finalized by killing.

If this is established, we can say that the condition of something is sometimes metaphorically called by the name of that thing. For example, one might tell a usurper seeking repentance, "Your repentance is to return what you seized," meaning repentance is not complete without it. The same applies here.

Answer: This means to refrain from hypocrisy in repentance. It is as if He told them: If you show repentance but not from the heart, then you have not truly repented to Allah, Who is aware of your innermost secrets; rather, you have only repented to people, which is useless, since you sinned against Allah.

Answer: Al-Bāriʾ (The Originator/Creator) is He Who created beings free from disparity (as in {You see no inconsistency in the creation of the Most Merciful} [Al-Mulk: 3]), distinguishing them with varied shapes and diverse forms. This serves as a reminder that the One possessing such perfection is more deserving of worship than cattle, which are cited as an example of stupidity.

Answer: The first Fā’ indicates causality, as the wrongdoing is the cause necessitating repentance. The second Fā’ indicates sequence/completion, as killing is the final part of their repentance. Thus, {So repent} means: Follow up the repentance with killing as a completion of your repentance.

Answer: People differed on this. A group of commentators, including Qadi Abd al-Jabbar, stated that it is impermissible for the command to mean that every repentant person should kill himself. They offered two arguments:

1. The consensus of commentators is that they did not kill themselves by their own hands. If they had been commanded to do so, they would have become disobedient by failing to do it.
2. Qadi Abd al-Jabbar argued that killing is the act that destroys the structure (the body) such that one ceases to be alive. Anything else that leads to death sooner or later is called killing metaphorically. If we accept the true definition of killing, Allah cannot command it because religious obligations are only good insofar as they constitute a benefit for the obligated person, and this benefit must relate to future actions. Death ends the state of obligation, so killing cannot be a benefit for future actions. This differs from Allah causing death, which is permissible if it benefits another obligated person (who is compensated), or commanding self-injury that does not immediately cause death, as the person remains alive, and the act might benefit future actions.

Counter-Argument: One might argue that killing is not just the act that instantly extinguishes life, but rather the act that leads to the extinguishing of life, whether immediately or later. Evidence: If someone swears not to kill a person, and then inflicts a severe wound causing death moments later, the oath is broken, and everyone calls him a killer. Since the common usage implies this meaning, it suggests the command for self-killing is permissible. Furthermore, you conceded that commanding self-injury not resulting in immediate death is permissible. If so, commanding self-killing is also permissible.

Rebuttal to the Counter-Argument: The command requires a future benefit. We deny that a future benefit is always necessary. Evidence: Allah commanded disbelievers to believe, yet there is no benefit in that command other than incurring punishment if they refuse. Even if a benefit is necessary, why must that benefit return to the person himself? Perhaps his killing benefits someone else, and Allah commands it so that the other person benefits, while Allah grants the killer a great reward. Even if the benefit must return to him, perhaps his knowledge that he is commanded to do this act is itself a benefit—for example, if he is commanded to kill himself tomorrow, knowing this might deter him from sins from now until tomorrow. Since these possibilities exist, the Qadi's argument fails.

Conclusion on the Qadi's View: The first argument relied upon by the commentators is stronger. Therefore, the verse must be interpreted away from its literal meaning.

Two Interpretations for the Command to Kill:

1. Mutual Killing: Each repentant person was commanded to kill some of the others. {kill yourselves} means "let some of you kill others." This is like {and do not kill yourselves} (An-Nisā’: 29), meaning "let no one kill another." The rationale is that believers are like a single soul. This is supported by {and do not defame one another} (Al-Ḥujurāt: 11), meaning "do not defame your brethren among the believers," and {why did not the believing men and believing women think well of one another} (An-Nūr: 12), meaning "think well of their peers among the Muslims," and {then greet one another} (An-Nūr: 61), meaning "let some of you greet others." Commentators state that those repentant people stood in two rows and struck one another until evening.
2. Submission to Others' Killing: Allah commanded those who did not worship the calf to kill the worshippers. Thus, {kill yourselves} means "submit yourselves to being killed." This second view is closer because, in the first view, the hardship increases, as when a group shares a sin, some are more compassionate toward others than toward outsiders; commanding them to kill each other increases the difficulty.

Narrations on How the Killing Occurred:

• Narration 1 (Ibn Ishaq): The command was for the seventy chosen men who attended the meeting with Moses to kill those among them who worshipped the calf. Seventy thousand were killed over three days without moving until they were slain.
• Narration 2 (Al-Kalbi): When Moses commanded them to kill, they agreed and took an oath to endure the killing. They gathered, each tribe separately. Aaron came with twelve thousand who had absolutely not worshipped the calf, carrying swords. The repentant ones said: "These are your brethren who have come to you with drawn swords; fear Allah and be patient." Then, a curse fell upon any man who stood up, looked toward them, or moved a hand or foot toward them, saying, "Amen." They began killing each other until evening. Moses and Aaron prayed, "Our Lord, save the remainder, save the remainder, O our God!" Allah revealed to them: "I have forgiven those who killed, and I have accepted the repentance of those who remained." The slain numbered seventy thousand.
• Narration 3: The Children of Israel were divided into two groups: those who worshipped the calf and those who did not worship it but also did not object to those who did. Those who did not object were commanded to kill those who worshipped it. Commentators say that a man would see his father, son, or neighbor, and could not proceed with Allah's command. Allah sent a black cloud, then commanded the killing, and they killed until evening. Moses and Aaron prayed, "O Lord, the Children of Israel are destroyed! Save the remainder, save the remainder!" The cloud lifted, the Torah descended, and the swords fell from their hands.

Answer: This varies between religious laws. Perhaps the Law of Moses required the killing of one who repented from apostasy, either generally for everyone or specifically for that group.

Answer: This is not impossible. Since {indeed you have wronged yourselves} was a direct, spoken address, it might have been directed only to some of them, or even if it was general, a general ruling can have specific exceptions.

Further Analysis

{That is better for you with your Creator} (Dhālikum khayrun lakum ʿinda bāriʾikum): This points to the reason why this hardship could be borne. Their situation was balanced between worldly harm and eternal harm. The worldly harm is preferable to endure because it is finite, whereas the harm of the Hereafter is infinite. Furthermore, death is inevitable; enduring the killing only means hastening it. Escaping punishment and achieving reward is the greater objective.

{Then He turned to you in forgiveness} (fa-tāba ʿalaykum): There is an omission here, which can be understood in two ways:

1. It is understood from Moses's speech, as if he said: "If you do this, then He will turn to you in forgiveness."
2. It is a shift in address from Allah to them (a shift in perspective), meaning: You did what Moses commanded you, so your Creator turned to you in forgiveness.

{Indeed, He is the Accepter of Repentance, the Merciful} (innahu huwa at-Tawwābu ar-Raḥīm): The meaning of this phrase has already been covered in the discussion of the verse {Then He turned to him in forgiveness; indeed, He is the Accepter of Repentance, the Merciful}.

Verse 7 (Al-Baqarah)

**{And when you said, "O Moses, we will never believe you until we see Allah clearly," and the thunderbolt seized you while you were looking. Then We revived you after your death, that perhaps you would be grateful.}*