Visits: 7
Land of Israel and Jewish heritage
A series from the book written by Naveed Anjum
Jewish Life in the Land of Canaan, cont’d
The Promised Land, cont’d
Canaanites at the time of the Exodus
It seems very necessary to mention God’s decision regarding those Canaanites at the time of Moses’s Exodus. It is not necessary to go into detail about who they were, where they came from, or whether they were the descendants of Ham or Shem. It is only necessary to elaborate God’s decision regarding them according to the Bible and the Qur’an, which give both Jews and Muslims mutual agreement.
Biblical narratives simply indicate that those Canaanites were the sinful polytheist people involved in idol worship, and God commanded Moses to exterminate them. Moving away from the Bible, we find that some Muslims claim the land of Israel belonged to those Canaanites who were residing there before Moses’s Exodus and that the Israelites unlawfully wiped them out. Without getting involved in a lawful versus unlawful argument, we will prove by the Qur’an what the God wanted and whom He wanted to dwell in the Land of Israel. The Holy Qur’an states:
“O’ My People! Enter the Holy land which Allah has assigned to you and do not turn back humiliatingly, for then you will be overthrown, to your own ruin” (Qur’an, 5:21).
Here again we see proof that the Land of Israel was granted to the people of Israel who were led by Moses. Allah is the one who assigned the Holy land to the Jewish people as verified in the above verse. This verse is very clear and leaves no doubt. The Qur’an not only encourages the Israelites but also forces them to enter the land of Canaan. Otherwise, Israel would face God’s consequences. Once again we see proof that God wanted the Israelites to dwell in the Holy land rather than the Canaanites who were residing there. It also proves that Israelites did not enter the Holy land of their own free will, but God forced them to do so.
(To be continued…)