Allah Has Tested the Jews With Good and Evil Things That Haply They Might Return

Many people do not know Allah. This series (1-78) is an attempt to help them to know their Creator.   Verses 7:167-168 of the Noble Quran talk about: 1) Allah is swift in prosecution, 2) Allah is Forgiving, Merciful; vis-à-vis those who believe in Him, 3) Who Allah would raise against them those who would lay on them a cruel torment, 4) Allah has divided the Jews in the earth as separate communities, 5) Some of the Jews are righteous and some are wicked and 6) Allah has tested the Jews with good and evil things that haply they might return

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In the previous article (77)

And when they (the Jews) forgot, when they overlooked, that whereof they had been reminded, that for which they had been admonished, and did not desist, Allah delivered those who forbade evil, and seized those who did wrong, through transgression, with a grievous, terrible, chastisement for their wickedness.

And when they disdained, to desist from, that which was prohibited to them,

Allah said to them: Be apes, despised!, abased, and loathed! humiliated and abominated! and they became so.

This is an explication of what preceded with regard to the details of their ‘grievous chastisement’.

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The meaning of verse 7:167

And (remember or mention O Muhammad) when  your Allah proclaimed, made it known, that He would send against them, that is, the Jews, to the Day of Resurrection, those who would inflict on them grievous torment, through humiliation and the exacting of the capitation tax from them.

Thus, and throughout the history:

Allah sent Solomon against them, and after him, Nebuchadnezzar, who slaughtered some of them and took others among them captive, and imposed the capitation tax on them. They continued to pay this tax to the Magians up until the time of the sending of Allah's Prophet Muhammad, who used to deal with him fairly but when they tried to kill him many times, he also imposed the capitation tax on them. In addition, the churches, Roman Popes, western societies, Hitler etc, abused the Jews and inflict on them grievous torment, through humiliation. Lo! verily your Lord is swift in requital, of those who disobey Him. And lo! verily He is Forgiving, to those who obey Him, Merciful, in dealing with them.

In other words, the verse says: And (remember) when Allah proclaimed that He would raise against them till the Day of Resurrection those who would lay on them a cruel torment, those who would severely torment them by the imposition of the capitation tax and other things.  Lo! verily your Lord is swift in prosecution; He has a severe punishment for those who do not believe in Him (and lo! verily He is Forgiving, Merciful) vis-à-vis those who believe in Him.

The meaning of verse 7:168

And Allah has sundered them, has divided them in the earth as separate nations, tribes, distinctly from each other. Some of them are righteous and some are far from that, the rest of the believers from among the Children of Israel; it is also said that this means: and far from that are the disbelievers of the Children of Israel.

And Allah has tried them with good things e.g., land fertility, abundance and comfort and also, has tested them with and evil things e.g., drought, lack of harvest and hardship; that haply they might return, they might repent of their transgression and disbelief.

In other words, the verse says: And Allah divided them, separated them, into communities, sects, in the earth. Some of them are righteous, and some of them, people who, are otherwise, disbelievers and wicked individuals. And We tried them with good things, with graces, and evil things, with misfortunes, so that they might revert, from their wickedness.

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Verses 7:167-168 in different English translations of the meanings of Arabic Quran:

Verse 7:167

QARIB: then your lord declared he would send against them he who would oppress them cruelly till the day of resurrection. swift is the retribution of your lord, yet surely he is forgiving, the most merciful.

SHAKIR: and when your lord announced that he would certainly send against them to the day of resurrection those who would subject them to severe torment; most surely your lord is quick to requite (evil) and most surely he is forgiving, merciful

PICKTHAL: and (remember) when thy lord proclaimed that he would raise against them till the day of resurrection those who would lay on them a cruel torment. lo! verily thy lord is swift in prosecution and lo! verily he is forgiving, merciful.

YUSUFALI: behold! thy lord did declare that he would send against them, to the day of judgment, those who would afflict them with grievous penalty. thy lord is quick in retribution, but he is also oft-forgiving, most merciful.

Verse 7:168

QARIB: we dispersed them through the earth in nations some were righteous, others were not, and tested them with good and evil in order that they return.

SHAKIR: and we cut them up on the earth into parties, (some) of them being righteous and (others) of them falling short of that, and we tried them with blessings and misfortunes that they might turn

PICKTHAL: and we have sundered them in the earth as (separate) nations. some of them are righteous, and some far from that. and we have tried them with good things and evil things that haply they might return.

YUSUFALI: we broke them up into sections on this earth. there are among them some that are the righteous, and some that are the opposite. we have tried them with both prosperity and adversity: in order that they might turn (to us).