Surah 2 Al-Baqara — Ayah 249
فَلَمَّا فَصَلَ طَالُوتُ بِٱلْجُنُودِ قَالَ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ مُبْتَلِيكُم بِنَهَرٍۢ فَمَن شَرِبَ مِنْهُ فَلَيْسَ مِنِّى وَمَن لَّمْ يَطْعَمْهُ فَإِنَّهُۥ مِنِّىٓ إِلَّا مَنِ ٱغْتَرَفَ غُرْفَةًۢ بِيَدِهِۦ ۚ فَشَرِبُوا۟ مِنْهُ إِلَّا قَلِيلًۭا مِّنْهُمْ ۚ فَلَمَّا جَاوَزَهُۥ هُوَ وَٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ مَعَهُۥ قَالُوا۟ لَا طَاقَةَ لَنَا ٱلْيَوْمَ بِجَالُوتَ وَجُنُودِهِۦ ۚ قَالَ ٱلَّذِينَ يَظُنُّونَ أَنَّهُم مُّلَٰقُوا۟ ٱللَّهِ كَم مِّن فِئَةٍۢ قَلِيلَةٍ غَلَبَتْ فِئَةًۭ كَثِيرَةًۢ بِإِذْنِ ٱللَّهِ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ مَعَ ٱلصَّٰبِرِينَ
Da Saul brøt opp med hæren, sa han: «Gud vil sette dere på prøve ved en elv! Den som drikker av den, hører ikke meg til. Den som ikke smaker den, han hører meg til, unntatt den som tar en håndfull.» Men de drakk av den, unntatt noen få. Da han og de som trodde sammen med ham, hadde krysset elven, sa de: «I dag klarer vi ikke med Goliat og hans hær!» Men de som trodde at de skulle møte Gud, sa: «Hvor ofte har ikke en liten flokk vunnet over en stor, med Guds bifall? Gud står de standhaftige bi!»
falammā faṣala ṭālūtu bil-junūdi qāla inna l-laha mub'talīkum binaharin faman shariba min'hu falaysa minnī waman lam yaṭʿamhu fa-innahu minnī illā mani igh'tarafa ghur'fatan biyadihi fasharibū min'hu illā qalīlan min'hum falammā jāwazahu huwa wa-alladhīna āmanū maʿahu qālū lā ṭāqata lanā l-yawma bijālūta wajunūdihi qāla alladhīna yaẓunnūna annahum mulāqū l-lahi kam min fi-atin qalīlatin ghalabat fi-atan kathīratan bi-idh'ni l-lahi wal-lahu maʿa l-ṣābirīna
Word by word
- فَلَمَّا falammā Then when
- فَصَلَ faṣala set out
- طَالُوتُ ṭālūtu Talut
- بِٱلْجُنُودِ bil-junūdi with the forces
- قَالَ qāla he said
- إِنَّ inna Indeed
- ٱللَّهَ l-laha Allah
- مُبْتَلِيكُم mub'talīkum will test you
- بِنَهَرٍۢ binaharin with a river
- فَمَن faman So whoever
- شَرِبَ shariba drinks
- مِنْهُ min'hu from it
- فَلَيْسَ falaysa then he is not
- مِنِّى minnī from me
- وَمَن waman and whoever
- لَّمْ lam (does) not
- يَطْعَمْهُ yaṭʿamhu taste it
- فَإِنَّهُۥ fa-innahu then indeed, he
- مِنِّىٓ minnī (is) from me
- إِلَّا illā except
- مَنِ mani whoever
- ٱغْتَرَفَ igh'tarafa takes
- غُرْفَةًۢ ghur'fatan (in the) hollow
- بِيَدِهِۦ ۚ biyadihi (of) his hand
- فَشَرِبُوا۟ fasharibū Then they drank
- مِنْهُ min'hu from it
- إِلَّا illā except
- قَلِيلًۭا qalīlan a few
- مِّنْهُمْ ۚ min'hum of them
- فَلَمَّا falammā Then when
- جَاوَزَهُۥ jāwazahu he crossed it
- هُوَ huwa he
- وَٱلَّذِينَ wa-alladhīna and those who
- ءَامَنُوا۟ āmanū believed
- مَعَهُۥ maʿahu with him
- قَالُوا۟ qālū they said
- لَا lā No
- طَاقَةَ ṭāqata strength
- لَنَا lanā for us
- ٱلْيَوْمَ l-yawma today
- بِجَالُوتَ bijālūta against Jalut
- وَجُنُودِهِۦ ۚ wajunūdihi and his troops
- قَالَ qāla Said
- ٱلَّذِينَ alladhīna those who
- يَظُنُّونَ yaẓunnūna were certain
- أَنَّهُم annahum that they
- مُّلَـٰقُوا۟ mulāqū (would) meet
- ٱللَّهِ l-lahi Allah
- كَم kam How many
- مِّن min of
- فِئَةٍۢ fi-atin a company
- قَلِيلَةٍ qalīlatin small
- غَلَبَتْ ghalabat overcame
- فِئَةًۭ fi-atan a company
- كَثِيرَةًۢ kathīratan large
- بِإِذْنِ bi-idh'ni by (the) permission
- ٱللَّهِ ۗ l-lahi (of) Allah
- وَٱللَّهُ wal-lahu And Allah
- مَعَ maʿa (is) with
- ٱلصَّـٰبِرِينَ l-ṣābirīna the patient ones
Tafsir · Ibn Kathir (Abridged)
Allah states that Talut, the king of the Children of Israel, marched forth with his soldiers and the Israelites who obeyed him. His army was of eighty thousand then, according to As-Suddi, but Allah knows best. Talut said:
(Verily, Allah will try you) meaning, He will test you with a river, which flowed between Jordan and Palestine, i.e. , the Shari`ah river, according to Ibn `Abbas and others. He continued,
(So whoever drinks thereof, he is not of me;) meaning, shall not accompany me today,
(and whoever tastes it not, he is of me, except him who takes (thereof) in the hollow of his hand.) meaning, there is no harm in this case. Allah then said:
(Yet, they drank thereof, all, except a few of them.)
Ibn Jurayj stated that Ibn `Abbas commented, "Whoever took some of it (the river's water) in the hollow of his hand, quenched his thirst; as for those who drank freely from it, their thirst was not quenched."
Ibn Jarir reported that Al-Bara' bin `Azib said, "We used to say that the Companions of Muhammad who accompanied him on the battle of Badr were more than three hundred and ten, just as many as the soldiers who crossed the river with Talut. Only those who believed crossed the river with him." Al-Bukhari also reported this.
This is why Allah said:
(So when he had crossed it (the river), he and those who believed with him, they said: "We have no power this day against Jalut (Goliath) and his hosts.")
This Ayah indicates that the Israelites (who remained with Saul) thought that they were few in the face of their enemy who were many then. So, their knowledgeable scholars strengthened their resolve by stating that Allah's promise is true and that triumph comes from Allah Alone, not from the large numbers or the adequacy of the supplies. They said to them:
("How often has a small group overcome a mighty host by Allah's leave" And Allah is with As-Sabirin (the patient).)