The Quran

249

فَلَمّا فَصَلَ طالوتُ بِالجُنودِ قالَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ مُبتَليكُم بِنَهَرٍ فَمَن شَرِبَ مِنهُ فَلَيسَ مِنّي وَمَن لَم يَطعَمهُ فَإِنَّهُ مِنّي إِلّا مَنِ اغتَرَفَ غُرفَةً بِيَدِهِ ۚ فَشَرِبوا مِنهُ إِلّا قَليلًا مِنهُم ۚ فَلَمّا جاوَزَهُ هُوَ وَالَّذينَ آمَنوا مَعَهُ قالوا لا طاقَةَ لَنَا اليَومَ بِجالوتَ وَجُنودِهِ ۚ قالَ الَّذينَ يَظُنّونَ أَنَّهُم مُلاقُو اللَّهِ كَم مِن فِئَةٍ قَليلَةٍ غَلَبَت فِئَةً كَثيرَةً بِإِذنِ اللَّهِ ۗ وَاللَّهُ مَعَ الصّابِرينَ

Muhammad Asad

And when Saul set out with his forces, he said: "Behold, God will now try you by a river: he who shall drink of it will not belong to me, whereas he who shall refrain from tasting it - he, indeed, will belong to me; but forgiven shall be he¹ who shall scoop up but a single handful."However, save for a few of them, they all drank [their fill] of it. And as soon as he and those who had kept faith with him had crossed the river, the others said: "No strength have we today [to stand up] against Goliath and his forces!" [Yet] those who knew with certainty that they were destined to meet God, replied: "How often has a small host overcome a great host by God's leave! For God is with those who are patient in adversity."

Lit., "excepting him". The symbolic implication is that faith - and, thus, belief in the justice of one's cause - has no value unless it is accompanied by heightened self-discipline and disregard of one's material interests.