Translation:
Their prophet said, “The sign of his (Saul’s) kingdom is that there will come to you the heart (Tabut) that will have tranquility (Sakinah) from your Lord and the enduring (Baquiah) heritage of Moses and Harun (Aaron), being borne by angels.132 In these there are signs should you intend to believe.”
When Saul set with his forces, he said, “God will try you with a river. Whoever drinks from it, he is not of my party, but whoever does not taste it or only scoops up a single handful belongs to me.” However, most drank from the river, except a few. So when he crossed it along with those who believed, the others said, “Today we have no power against Jalut (Goliath) and his forces.” But those who were sure of their eventual meeting with God said, “How often a small party defeated a larger force by God’s will.” God is (always) with those who are patient (in adversity).133
When they went out against Jalut (Goliath) and his forces, they prayed, “O Our Sustainer, pour upon us patience and make our feet (stance against the enemy) firm and help us against the denier of truth.”
Interpretation:
132 Saul was blessed with a heart full of knowledge and patience knowing that God was his creator and protector. He also had the best attributes of a worthy follower of Moses and Aaron, even though some people disputed his capability and worthiness. Many things that happen in our lives are really tests of our belief. But those who are not inclined to believe will find it hard to accept, as was the case here with some of Saul’s followers. They were not willing to accept Saul as their leader, based on their material criteria, but their rejection was really a reflection of their lack of faith in God and lack of understanding their obligations to each other.
133 Almost all the Prophet’s major undertakings involved an element of trial. This is also true in our individual lives and is shown in the small incidents we face every day. There are evil temptations and the lure of straying from good morals and values, and there are good temptations and the lure of staying on the path of fairness, justice, and equality. The battles of Badr and Ohud, the treaty of Hudaibiyah, and many other events were full of trials for the Muslims in the early days. Many of the conflicts and much of the humiliation that Muslims face today are trials from God, as He is watching how we behave and overcome these difficulties and trials. The abuse of oil wealth, dictatorship, lack of civil societies, bad governance, and absence of people’s dignity are all trials and consequences of straying away from our obligations to God
and to the human race.
Reflection:
Every threat that we face to the safety of our lives and our properties, every act of injustice done whether in the name of religion or national interest, every temp- tation to be jealous of another’s success, any attempt at bribery or corruption to deprive another or to gain undeserved favors, and every inclination to deprive a woman of her rights and privileges are all manifest trials by which God judges all of our actions in
our daily lives. A constant vigilance of our personal and social values and principles and a steady stream of God consciousness have to be our guides if we want to claim ourselves as true servants of God and benefactors of humanity.
Action:
A major fallout of lack of faith and sincerity in serving God and His people is that we all suffer. The Western world has at minimum taken care of their material needs through hard work, creativity, and fairness for themselves, however oppressive and biased they might have been toward people of the East and of other religions and ethnicities. But Muslims have no one to blame but themselves. Our lack of faith in God and our unwillingness to use the criteria set by God and the good examples set by the prophets and generations of people of faith to manage our affairs have led to unprecedented levels of corruption, illiteracy, and economic poverty. The solution is not to blame others for our failures but to take responsibility for our own actions or lack thereof.