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Sura 2
Aya 246
246
أَلَم تَرَ إِلَى المَلَإِ مِن بَني إِسرائيلَ مِن بَعدِ موسىٰ إِذ قالوا لِنَبِيٍّ لَهُمُ ابعَث لَنا مَلِكًا نُقاتِل في سَبيلِ اللَّهِ ۖ قالَ هَل عَسَيتُم إِن كُتِبَ عَلَيكُمُ القِتالُ أَلّا تُقاتِلوا ۖ قالوا وَما لَنا أَلّا نُقاتِلَ في سَبيلِ اللَّهِ وَقَد أُخرِجنا مِن دِيارِنا وَأَبنائِنا ۖ فَلَمّا كُتِبَ عَلَيهِمُ القِتالُ تَوَلَّوا إِلّا قَليلًا مِنهُم ۗ وَاللَّهُ عَليمٌ بِالظّالِمينَ

A. J. Arberry

Hast thou not regarded the Council of the Children of Israel, after Moses, when they said to a Prophet of theirs, 'Raise up for us a king, and we will fight in God's way.' He said, 'Might it be that, if fighting is prescribed for you, you will not fight?' They said, 'Why should we not fight in God's way, who have been expelled from our habitations and our children?' Yet when fighting was prescribed for them, they turned their backs except a few of them; and God has knowledge of the evildoers.