Translation:
So they fought (bravely) and put the enemy to flight by God’s permission. David killed Goliath.134 God granted David kingdom and wisdom and knowledge of things as He pleased. Were it not for God’s enabling people to defend themselves against others, the Earth would have been full of corruption and chaos; thus, God shows His limitless Grace to the universe. These are the messages from God. We convey these to you in truth, and truly you (Mohammad) are one of the Messengers.135
Interpretation:
134 The conflict between David and Goliath is truly a reflection of the constant conflict between truth and falsity, justice and tyranny, the haves and the have-nots, the forces of civility and the forces of disorder, knowledge and ignorance, belief and disbelief, and serving people and oppressing people. As the story reflects, God has always been on the side of truth and civility and is ever willing to help us provide for the people of faith and justice that are seriously committed to the values and teachings of God. Saul and David, just like the Prophet Mohammad and his small band of followers, were willing to sacrifice a great deal in the face of tremendous odds. Muslims today need to pay particular attention to this. Despite large followership and significant resources, we are being humiliated because of two reasons: (1) The majority of us have lost our faith and our commitment to serve people, and (2) Those who have some level of faith and commitment lack the courage and wisdom with which to act and persevere.
135 God is committed to maintaining a level of peace and civility in this world by overpowering one group with another, though from time to time it may seem unfair to people (see 22:40). When good people feel they are being unfairly oppressed, they need to ask themselves to what extent they are willing to commit and sacrifice them- selves in order to preserve and increase the betterment of the human condition. In Muslim countries, corruption dominates because the people are willing to live with it, even if they hate it; in these same countries, incompetent leaders are in power because the people are willing to live with them and keep them in power rather than go through the pain and potential sacrifices of replacing them. Not only do we need to know how to overcome forces of evil, we need to know how to sustain the forces of good and fairness. Muslim lands were freed from colonialism through tremendous sacrifice only to be tyrannized by their own corrupt leaders and a lack of a stable process for ensuring people’s rights to faith and freedom. Serving our people first and then serving all of humanity is a serious test of our faith and commitment. In
21:107, Prophet Mohammad is declared to be a mercy to humanity, and in 3:109, his followers are called the best of the people. We must now ask ourselves, “Are we living up to the same standards and meeting the expectation that has been set?” If the answer is “No,” then we must ask ourselves, “Why not?”
Reflection: People of faith and goodness have to understand that freedom and peace need to be earned and not given without due exertion and active commitment. Acts of faith and the willingness to sacrifice for the sake of peace and justice have been demonstrated by people of all faiths and all civilizations and, therefore, are not unique to Muslims. It is important that people of different faiths and ideologies recognize our mutual commitment to humanity, and Muslims in particular have a responsibility to do this because we acknowledge all previously revealed faiths as an act of our own faith and because our commitment to serve people goes beyond those of our own faith and extends to all of humanity.
Action: The lessons from history are repeated many times where the forces of faith and freedom have to collide with the forces of evil—we need to be committed and have the wisdom to sustain and persevere once the sacrifices are made and peace is attained. Young people (Muslims in particular, since our faith demands it) have to recommit to faith and good work in large numbers and establish purity of their thoughts and morals so that people of all faiths can benefit from their services; otherwise, why would God give them the opportunity only to become the next tyrant, replacing previous tyrants? The uprisings in 2011 in several countries such as Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, and Syria give hope that people are waking up and taking a stand
against the tyrants and corrupt leaders in Muslim countries, and the world (particu- larly the Muslim world) needs to encourage and support such uprisings and at the same time look at their own countries, communities, and personal lives to make sure that they are actively upholding freedom and justice for their citizens.