Israel’s Golden Age - Lessons From History

Israel’s Golden Age

The men who had set out from Egypt under Prophet Musa (AS) were utterly devoid of any sense of honor or self- respect, and they lacked the necessary courage and fortitude to face their enemies in battle. The reason for their low morale was obviously their centuries long slavery and persecution in Egypt. During   their   forty   years   wandering,   however,   the   older generation perished and was replaced by a new generation that grew up in an environment of total freedom. As a result, this fresh generation had a strong enough character to invade the Holy Land under the leadership of Joshua, the successor of Prophet Musa (AS). The Israelites were thus able to conquer most  of  the  cities,  despite  the  fact  that  their  enemies  had fortified towns, advanced weapons, and swift chariots.

The conquest of the Promised Land, however, remained incomplete.   Instead   of   destroying   the   numerous   nations inhabiting Palestine, as they were told to do, the Israelites fell victim to tribal parochialism. They failed to establish a single unified kingdom of their own, and divided the Land among themselves. Thus, losing their political and military strength, the Israelites were forced to live side by side with the corrupt and idolatrous communities of their time. This not only resulted very soon in their adopting all the moral evils of Amorites, Jebusites, and Canaanites, etc., but also in their being driven out from a major part of Palestine by the incessant attacks of the unconquered nations, especially the Philistines.

At last the Israelites felt the need to preserve their independence and regain their unity. A delegation of elders from each tribe gathered and requested their prophet — Samuel — to appoint for them a ruler, who chose Saul (or Taloot) as the king of Israelites. This episode of Jewish history is also mentioned in the Holy Qur’an (Al-Baqarah 2:243-248), and took place around 1020 B.C.. 

Taloot was later succeeded by Prophet Dawood (AS) and Prophet Suleman (AS), and under the rule of these three great  kings,  the  Israelites  were  able  to  transform themselves from a small group of quarreling tribes into the most powerful kingdom between the Nile and Euphrates. During the years 1020 B.C. and 922 B.C., Israel reached the zenith of its territorial size and political power, enjoying an era of peace and affluence. Culture,  trade,  and  industry  flourished,  especially  during  the reign of Prophet Suleman (AS). The famous Temple was also built for the first time in Jerusalem.

Source:Lesson from History (Book) by Dr. Israr Ahmad