أَلَمْ تَرَ إِلَى الْمَلا َِ مِن بَنِی إِسْرَاءِیلَ مِن بَعْدِ مُوسَى إِذْ قَالُواْ لِنَبِیٍّ لَّهُمُ ابْعَثْ لَنَا مَلِکاً نُّقَـاتِلْ فِی سَبِیلِ اللهِ قَالَ هَلْ عَسَیْتُمْ إِن کُتِبَ عَلَیْکُمُ الْقِتَالُ أَلاَّ تُقَـاتِلُواْ قَالُواْ وَمَا لَنَآ أَلاَّ نُقَـاتِلَ فِی سَبِیلِ اللهِ وَقَدْ أُخْرِجْنَا مِن دِیَـارِنَا وَأَبْنَآئنَا فَلَمَّا کُتِبَ عَلَیْهِمُ الْقِتَالُ تَوَلَّوْاْ إِلاَّ قَلِیلاً مِنْهُمْ وَاللهُ عَلِیمُ بِالظَّـالِمِینَ (( 246 ))

246- DID YOU NOT SEE A GROUP OF THE ISRAELITE'S GRANDEES, AFTER MOSES, WHEN THEY SAID TO A PROPHET OF THEIRS: `RAISE UP FOR US A KING, THAT WE MAY FIGHT IN THE WAY OF ALLAH.' HE SAID: `MIGHT IT BE THAT, IF FIGHTING IS PRESCRIBED FOR YOU, YOU WILL NOT FIGHT?' THEY SAID: `WHY SHOULD WE NOT FIGHT IN THE WAY OF ALLAH, AND WE HAVE BEEN EXPELLED FROM OUR HABITATIONS, AND OUR CHILDREN? (OUR HOMES ARE OCCUPIED

BY THE ENEMY AND OUR CHILDREN ARE TAKEN CAPTIVES AND HOSTAGES) BUT WHEN FIGHTING WAS PRESCRIBED FOR THEM THEY ALL TURNED THEIR BACKS EXCEPT A FEW OF THEM, AND ALLAH KNOWS ALL ABOUT THE OPPRESSORS.

247- AND THEIR PROPHET SAID TO THEM: `ALLAH HAS RAISED UP SAUL AS A KING FOR YOU.' THEY SAID: `HOW CAN HE HAVE SOVEREIGNTY OVER US, WHILE WE HAVE MORE RIGHT THAN HE TO KINGSHIP, AND HE IS NOT EVEN GIFTED WITH AN EXTENSIVE WEALTH.' HE SAID: `ALLAH HAS CHOSEN HIM OVER YOU, AND HAS INCREASED HIM BROADLY IN KNOWLEDGE AND BODILY POWER.' AND ALLAH GIVES HIS KINGDOM TO WHOM HE WILLS. AND ALLAH IS EXTENDER, ALL-KNOWING.

وَقَالَ لَهُمْ نَبِیُّهُمْ إِنَّ ءَایَةَ مُلْکِهِ أَن یَأْتِیَکُمُ التَّابُوتُ فِیهِ سَکِینَةٌ مِّن رَّبِّکُمْ وَبَقِیَّةٌ مِمّا تَرَکَ ءَالُ مُوسَى وَءَالُ هَـارُونَ تَحْمِلُهُ الْمَلائکَةُ إنَّ فِی ذَلِکَ لاََیَةً لَّکُمْ إِن

کُنتُم مُّؤْمِنِینَ(( 248 ))

248- AND THEIR PROPHET SAID TO THEM, THE SIGN OF HIS KINGDOM IS THAT THE ARK OF COVENANT WILL COME TO YOU, THEREIN SHALL BE A TRANQUILITY (FOR YOU) FROM YOUR LORD, AND RELICS WHICH THE HOUSE OF MOSES AND THE HOUSE OF AARON LEFT BEHIND, (AND THE ARK IS) CARRIED BY ANGELS. IN THAT THERE IS A SIGN FOR YOU IF YOU ARE BELIEVERS.

فَلَمَّا فَصَلَ طَالُوتَ بِالْجُنُودِ قَالَ إِنَّ اللهَ مُبْتَلِیکُم بَنَهَرفَمَن شَرِبَ مِنْهُ فَلَیْسَ مِنّیِ وَمَن لَّمْ یَطْعَمْهُ فَإِنَّهُ مِنّیِ إِلاَّ مَنِ اغْتَرَفَ غُرْفَةَ بِیَدِهِ فَشَرِبُواْ مِنْهُ إِلاَّ قَلِیلاً مِنْهُمْ فَلَمَّا جَاوَزَهُ هُوَ وَالَّذِینَ ءَامُنُواْ مَعَهُ قَالُواْ لاَطَاقَةَ لَنَا الْیَوْمَ بِجَالُوتَ وَجُنُودِهِ قَالَ الَّذِینَ یَظُّنُّونَ أَنَّهُم مُّلاقُواْ اللهِ کَم مِّن فِئَة قَلِیلَة غَلَبَتْ فِئَةً کَثِیرَةَ بِإِذْنِ اللهِ وَاللهُ مَعَ الصَّـابِرِینَ(( 249 ))

249- AND WHEN SAUL MARCHED FORTH WITH THE ARMIES, HE SAID: `ALLAH WILL TRY YOU WITH A STREAM; THEN WHOEVER DRINKS FROM IT, HE IS NOT MINE, AND WHO DRINKS IT NOT, HE IS MINEِA MERE SIP OUT OF THE HAND IS EXCUSED.' BUT THEY DRANK OF IT, EXCEPT A FEW OF THEM. WHEN SAUL AND THOSE WHO BELIEVED WITH HIM CROSSED THE STREAM, THEY SAID: TO-DAY WE CANNOT COPE WITH GOLIATH AND HIS FORCES.' BUT THOSE WHO THOUGHT THAT THEY WOULD MEET ALLAH SAID: `HOW OFTEN BY ALLAH'S PERMISSION, A SMALL FORCE VANQUISHED A LARGE ONE. AND ALLAH IS WITH THE PATIENTS.

وَلَمَّا بَرَزُواْ لِجَالُوتَ وَجُنُودِهِ قَالُواْ رَبَّنَآ أَفْرِغْ عَلَیْنَا صَبْراً وَثَبِّتْ أَقْدَامَنَاوَانصُرْنَا عَلَى الْقَوْمِ الْکَـافِرِینَ(( 250 ))

250- AND WHEN THEY WENT FORTH AGAINST GOLIATH AND HIS HOSTS, THEY SAID: `OUR LORD! POUR OUT UPON US PATIENCE, AND MAKE OUR STEPS FIRM AND HELP US AGAINST THE UNBELIEVERS.!

فَهَزَمُوهُم بِإِذْنِ اللهِ وَقَتَلَ دَاوُدُ جَالُوتَ وَءاتَـاهُ اللهُ الْمُلْکَ وَالْحِکْمَةَ وَعَلَّمَهُ مِمَّا یَشَآءُ وَلَوْ لاَ دَفْعُ اللهِ النَّاسَ بَعْضَهُم بِبَعْض لَفَسَدَتِ الاَْرْضُ وَلَـکِنَّ اللهَ ذُو فَضْل عَلَى الْعَـالَمِینَ(( 251 ))

251- THEY ROUTED THEM BY ALLAH'S PERMISSION, AND DAVID (A YOUNG BRAVE MAN IN THE HOST OF SAUL)SLEW GOLIATH, AND ALLAH GAVE HIM KINGDOM AND WISDOM, AND TAUGHT HIM WHATEVER (ELSE)HE NEEDED. AND HAD ALLAH NOT DRIVEN BACK THE PEOPLE, SOME BY THE MEANS OF OTHERS; THE EARTH WOULD HAVE BEEN UTTERLY CORRUPTED, BUT ALLAH IS BOUNTEOUS TO ALL BEINGS.

تِلْکَ ءَایَـاتُ اللهِ نَتْلُوهَا عَلَیْکَ بِالْحَقِّ وَإِنَّکَ لَمِنَ الْمُرْسَلِینَ (( 252 ))

252- THESE ARE THE SIGNS OF ALLAH. WE RECITE TO YOU IN TRUTH, AND THAT YOU ARE ONE OF OUR MESSENGERS.