Allah - Exalted and Majestic - said: "Two men from those who feared that Allah had bestowed His favor upon them said, 'Enter upon them through the gate. When you enter it, you will surely be victorious. And upon Allah, rely if you should be among the believers.'" They said, 'O Moses, we will never enter it as long as they are in it. So go, you and your Lord, and fight. Indeed, we are sitting right here.'" Moses said, 'My Lord, indeed I do not possess except for myself and my brother. So part us from the disobedient people.'" Allah said, 'Then indeed, it is forbidden to them for forty years. They will wander in the land. So do not grieve over the disobedient people.'" Ibn Abbas, Sa'id ibn Jubair, and Mujahid read: "they feared" with a dammah on the ya. The majority read: "they fear" with a fathah on the ya. Most of the interpreters said: The two men are Joshua ibn Nun, who is the nephew of Moses, and Caleb ibn Yufana. It is said about him: "Kilab"; and it is said: "Kaluth" with a thaa (p-139) that is three-pointed; and it is said about his father's name: "Qafiya"; and he is the brother-in-law of Moses through his sister. Al-Tabari said: The name of his wife is Maryam bint Imran. The meaning of "they feared" is: Allah; and He bestowed His favor upon them with true faith, composure, and steadfastness in the truth. Some said: The meaning is that they fear the enemy; but Allah, the Exalted, bestowed His favor upon them with faith and steadfastness, along with their fear. The first interpretation is supported by the reading of Ibn Mas'ud: "Two men from those who fear Allah, He bestowed His favor upon them." As for the one who read with a dammah on the ya, he has three meanings: One is what has been narrated that the two men were from the tyrants; they believed in Moses and followed him; thus they were among the people who are feared; but Allah bestowed His favor upon them with faith in Moses. They said: 'We know our people better.' The second meaning is that they are Joshua and Kaluth; however, they are among those who are respected and whose words are heard; they are feared for their piety and virtue; thus they are feared in this regard. The third meaning is that the action is from "to fear"; and the meaning is: from those who are feared by the commands of Allah and His prohibitions, and His threats and warnings; and this would be praise for them in the manner of the praise in His saying: "Those are the ones whom Allah has tested their hearts for piety" [Al-Hujurat: 3]; and His saying: "He bestowed His favor upon them" is a description of the two men. The gate is the gate of the city of the tyrants, as mentioned by the interpreters; and the meaning is: "Strive and fight until you enter the gate." And His saying: "Then you will surely be victorious" is their assumption and hope and estimation; meaning: that by this you will break their ranks, and terror will fall into their hearts, and you will overcome them. And in the reading of Ibn Mas'ud: "Woe to you, enter!" And their saying: "And upon Allah, rely if you should be among the believers" implies that they doubted their faith when they saw them disobeying the Messenger and being cowardly, despite Allah's promise to them of victory.

Then indeed, the Children of Israel persisted in their disobedience. They heard from the ten leaders, the spies, who frightened them with the matter of the tyrants. They described to them the strength of the tyrants and the greatness of their creation. So they were resolute in opposing the command of Allah, the Exalted: "They said, 'O Moses, we will never enter it as long as they are in it. So go you and your Lord and fight. Indeed, we are here sitting.'" This statement implies disbelief. Some people went to say that the meaning is: "Go you; and your Lord will assist you," and that the words are disobedience, not disbelief.

The judge Abu Muhammad - may Allah have mercy on him - said: And their saying: "So fight" cuts off this interpretation. Al-Naqqash mentioned from some of the commentators that what is meant by 'Lord' here is Aaron, because he was older than Moses and was esteemed among the Children of Israel, beloved for his good character and broad-mindedness. So it is as if they said: "Go you and your elder."

The judge Abu Muhammad - may Allah have mercy on him - said: And this interpretation is far-fetched. Aaron was merely a minister to Moses and a follower of him in the meaning of the message. However, it is an interpretation that absolves the Children of Israel from disbelief. Al-Tabari mentioned from Qatadah that he said: "We have reached that the Messenger of Allah - blessings and peace be upon him - when he resolved to fight Quraysh in the year of Hudaybiyyah, gathered the army and spoke to the people about that. Then Al-Miqdad ibn Al-Aswad said to him: 'We do not say to you as the Children of Israel said: "So go you and your Lord and fight. Indeed, we are here sitting." But we say: "Go you and your Lord and fight. Indeed, we are with you fighting.'" And Al-Naqqash mentioned that the Ansar said this statement to the Prophet - blessings and peace be upon him.

The judge Abu Muhammad - may Allah have mercy on him - said: And all of this is an illusion. Qatadah - may Allah have mercy on him - was mistaken about the timing of the incident, and Al-Naqqash was mistaken about who made the statement. The words actually occurred during the Battle of Badr when the Messenger of Allah - blessings and peace be upon him - settled at Dhafiran. He spoke to the people and said to them: 'Advise me, O people.' Then Al-Miqdad made this statement in a lengthy discourse, which Ibn Ishaq and others mentioned. Then from the Ansar, Sa'd ibn Mu'adh spoke similarly, but Al-Miqdad preceded him in citing the verse.

The judge Abu Muhammad - may Allah have mercy on him - said: And Al-Miqdad's citing of it and the Prophet's - blessings and peace be upon him - approval of that implies that the Lord intended by it Allah, the Exalted. It also reassures in the faith of the Children of Israel because Al-Miqdad said: 'Go you and your Lord and fight.' And there is no meaning to his words except that Allah, the Exalted, will assist you and fight alongside you with His angels and His support. Perhaps the Children of Israel intended that, meaning: 'Go you; and Allah will bring them out by His victory and power from the city; and then we will enter it.' However, their statement was ugly due to the conjunction of refusal with it, while the statement of Al-Miqdad was good due to the conjunction of obedience and courage with it.

And when Musa - blessings and peace be upon him - heard their words and saw their disobedience, he disavowed them to Allah, the Most High, and said, calling upon Him: "My Lord, I do not possess except myself and my brother." He means Harun. And his saying: "and my brother"; it is possible that its grammatical case is nominative, either as a subject, and the implied meaning is: "and my brother does not possess except himself"; or as a conjunction to the pronoun in "I do not possess"; its implied meaning is: "I do not possess myself"; and it is possible that its grammatical case is accusative, as a conjunction to "myself"; and that is because Harun was obedient to Musa; therefore, he informed that he possesses him. Al-Hasan read: "except myself and my brother" with a fatha on both of them. And his saying: "So distinguish between us"; is a supplication of distress. Al-Suddi said: It is a haste that Musa - blessings and peace be upon him - hastened. Ibn Abbas, Al-Dahhak, and others said: The meaning is: "Separate between us and them by a judgment; and open"; so the meaning is: "Rule with a judgment that separates this disagreement and gathers the scattered."

Qadi Abu Muhammad - may Allah have mercy on him - said: And according to this interpretation, there is no haste in the supplication. And some said: The meaning is: "So distinguish between us and them in the Hereafter; so that the status of the obedient is separate from the status of the disobedient and sinful." And the supplication may mean: "Separate between us and them"; meaning that he says: "We have lost their faces; and separate between us and them so that we do not suffer from their sinfulness." And in this way, haste in the supplication comes. And Ubaid ibn Umayr read: "So distinguish" with a kasra on the ra.

He said, "Then it is forbidden." The meaning is: "Allah said"; and the subject has been omitted in all these actions for brevity, due to the indication of the meaning of the words to what is intended. Allah, glorified and exalted is He, forbade all the Children of Israel from entering that city for forty years. He left them during that time wandering in the land; that is, in the land of that place; and this wandering is said to be a length of eighty miles, in a width of six farsakhs; and it is what is between Egypt and the Levant. It is narrated that it happened that everyone who said, "Indeed, we will never enter it" died; and no one from that generation entered the city except Yusha and Kalb. It is narrated that Harun, peace be upon him, died during the wandering; and there is no disagreement about this. It is narrated that Musa, peace be upon him, died in it eight years after Harun; and it is said, six months and a half; and that Yusha was informed after the completion of the forty years; and he went out with the Children of Israel; and fought the tyrants; and opened the city; and in that war the sun stood still for him for an hour until the defeat of the tyrants continued. It is narrated that Musa, peace be upon him, lived until the forty years were completed; and he went out with the people; and fought the tyrants; and Yusha was with him at the forefront; and he opened the city; and killed 'Uj ibn 'Anq. It is said that he was ten cubits taller than Musa; and the length of his staff was ten cubits; and it stretched from the ground to the sky ten cubits. At that time, he caught 'Uj's ankle and struck him with his staff on his ankle, and he fell dead. It is narrated that 'Uj uprooted a rock to throw it at the army of the Children of Israel; so Allah sent a hoopoe with a diamond stone; it turned around the rock and it became round; and it entered the neck of 'Uj; and Musa struck him; and he died. Al-Tabari narrated that the height of 'Uj was eight hundred cubits; and it was narrated from Ibn 'Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them, that he said: When he fell, he was a bridge over the Nile for a year.

Qadi Abu Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, said: The Nile is not in those regions; and all of this is weak; and Allah knows best. Al-Zajjaj narrated from a group that Musa and Harun were not in the wandering; and the subject in "forty" may be understood to be "forbidden"; that is, "it was forbidden for them for forty years; and they wandered in the land during this period, then it will be opened for them; whoever reaches that will reach it; and whoever dies before it will die." Abu Ishaq erred in saying that the subject is "forbidden"; and that is from him a bias; and it may be that the subject is "wandering"; indicated by the later "wandering"; and his saying, "Then it is forbidden"; is an ongoing report; they received from him that the addressees will never enter it; and that they, with that, will wander in the land for forty years; and whoever dies in it will die.

Qadi Abu Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, said: And the address on this interpretation is a more difficult position; and more despairing; and it is narrated that whoever had passed twenty years did not live to exit from the wandering; and that those who were under twenty lived.

The judge Abu Muhammad - may Allah have mercy on him - said: It is as if the accountable ones did not live; Al-Zajjaj pointed to that.

And the wandering is: going in the land without a known destination; it is narrated that the Children of Israel used to travel at night and move all night in a circle; and similar to that; from the indecision; and the lack of straightness in their journey; until when they reached morning, they found their entire group in the place where they were at the beginning of the night. Mujahid and others said: They would sometimes travel during the day; and sometimes at night; so they would spend the night where they reached in the morning; and they would reach morning where they spent the night; and that was over a distance of six farsakhs.

The judge Abu Muhammad - may Allah have mercy on him - said: It is possible that their wandering was due to the division of the word; and the lack of consensus of opinion; and that Allah, glorified and exalted is He, cast them into disagreement; and they knew that it had been forbidden to them for forty years; so their dwellings were scattered in that search; and they remained moving from one place to another; without order and gathering; until this period was completed; and Allah permitted their exit; and this is a possible wandering; likely; according to human understanding; and the other that Mujahid mentioned is merely a breaking of habit; and a wonder from the power of Allah, glorified and exalted is He.

And in that wandering, the cloud was shaded over them; and they were provided with manna and quails; in addition to other things that have been narrated about their clothing; and that has passed in the Surah of Al-Baqarah.

And His saying, glorified and exalted is He: ﴿So do not grieve for the disobedient people﴾; its meaning is: So do not be sad; it is said: "The man felt grief; he grieves; grief"; if he was saddened; and from it is the saying of Imru' al-Qais:

Standing with them, my companions, on their mounts ∗∗∗ they say: Do not perish in grief and be composed.

And from it is the saying of Mutammim ibn Nuwayrah:

So I said to them: Indeed, grief begets grief ∗∗∗ ∗∗∗ Leave me, for this is all the grave of Malik.

And the address in this verse is to Musa - peace be upon him -; Ibn Abbas - may Allah be pleased with both of them - said: Musa regretted his supplication against his people; and he grieved for them; so Allah - blessed and exalted is He - said to him: ﴿So do not grieve for the disobedient people﴾; and some of the interpreters said: The address in these words is to Muhammad - blessings and peace be upon him -; and the disobedient ones refer to his contemporaries; meaning: These are the actions of their forefathers; so do not be sad because of their vile actions against you; and their rejection of you; for indeed, it is a vile disposition inherited among them.