The historical roots of the children of Israel; P.2
Selections from the Book The Prophet Minister Joseph al-Siddiq…
Written by Dr. Ali Muhammad al-Sallabi...
Episode (25)
2- Places where his second name (Israel) was mentioned. It was mentioned in the Holy Qur’an twice:
The first one: In Surah Al-Imran, regarding the narration about what Jacob forbade upon himself and what Allah forbade upon the Children of Israel.
The second one: In Surah Maryam, in the narration about the tree of prophethood that branched out from Abraham and Jacob, peace be upon them.
What Israel [Jacob] forbade upon himself is mentioned in the following verse: {All food was lawful to the Children of Israel except what Israel [i.e., Jacob] had made unlawful to himself before the Torah was revealed. Say, [O Muhammad], "So bring the Torah and recite it, if you should be truthful"} [Al Imran: 93]. Almighty Allah revealed this verse during the Prophet Muhammad's (peace and blessings be upon him) debate with the People of the Book, especially the Jews, regarding Jacob and what he forbade upon himself as an act of drawing closer to Allah.
This verse and those following it refute the claims and falsehoods of the Jews regarding Jacob. In the Scripture of Genesis in the Old Testament, Jewish scribes recorded stories and fabricated falsehoods about Jacob, claiming that he wrestled with God at night and was defeated by Him multiple times. They also claimed that the defeated God blessed Jacob and his prophet and designated the holy land for them until the Day of Judgment. These are among the lies and fabrications against Almighty Allah and the Prophet Jacob, peace be upon him.
The noble verse: {All food was lawful to the Children of Israel except what Israel [i.e., Jacob] had made unlawful to himself before the Torah was revealed. Say, [O Muhammad], "So bring the Torah and recite it, if you should be truthful"} [Al Imran: 93], refers to the second name of Jacob, peace be upon him, which is Israel. Therefore, Jacob is Israel, and his children and descendants are the Children of Israel. Israel existed before the revelation of the Torah because Allah revealed the Torah to His prophet Moses, peace be upon him, while Israel had lived for decades before Moses. Since Israel, peace be upon him, was a prophet, what he adhered to became obligatory for him. Allah made it binding upon his offspring and children, making it a legislation for them.
The Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, informs us in an authentic hadith that the most beloved food to Israel (Prophet Jacob) was camel meat. Once, when he fell severely ill with a kind of sickness that caused profuse sweating and his illness prolonged, he made a vow to Allah. He vowed that if Allah cured and relieved him, he would draw closer to Allah by abstaining from his most beloved food and refraining from eating it.
And since camel meat was his favorite food, he fulfilled his vow by abstaining from it after Allah cured him. This was an expression of gratitude to Allah for relieving him from his illness. This action aligns beautifully with the earlier mentioned verse from Surah Al-Imran, which encourages us to give charity with what we love the most, in order to attain righteousness and reward from Allah.
Almighty Allah said: {Never will you attain the good [reward] until you spend [in the way of Allah] from that which you love. And whatever you spend - indeed, Allah is Knowing of it} [Al Imran: 92]:
So, if a righteous Muslim cannot attain righteousness until they spend for the sake of Allah what they love the most, as an act of drawing closer to Allah; and since the most beloved food to Prophet Israel (peace be upon him) was camel meat, he abstained from it as a means of drawing closer to Allah. By doing so, he made this abstention for the sake of Allah to attain righteousness in the sight of Allah and to achieve high ranks in the Hereafter.
Indeed, Allah later obligated the children of Israel to abstain from what their father, Prophet Israel (peace be upon him), had abstained from, making it a legislation among their laws. Thus, the consumption of camel meat was prohibited for them accordingly.
- Ali Muhammad al-Sallabi, The Prophet Minister Joseph al-Siddiq, pp. 614-616.
- Qur’anic stories, (2/51).
- Moses, Kalimullah, Dr. Ali Muhammad Al-Sallabi, Dar Ibn Kathir, first edition, 2022, pp. 35-36.
For further information and review of the sources for the article, see:
The Book of The Prophet Minister Joseph al-Siddiq on the official website of Sheikh Dr. Ali Muhammad al-Sallabi:
