When Saul led his armies, he said: "God will test you by a stream. Whoever drinks its water will not be of me; but those who do not drink shall be on my side. The only exception will be those who scoop up a palmful of water with their hands." And but for a few they all drank of its water. When they had crossed it, and those who believed with him, they said: "We have no strength to combat Goliath and his forces today. But those who believed they have to face their Lord, said: "Many a time has a small band defeated a large horde by the will of God. God is with those who are patient (and persevere)."
So when Talut left the city along with the armies, he said, “Allah will surely test you with a river; so whoever drinks its water is not mine – and whoever does not drink is mine – except him who takes it in the hollow of his hand”; so they all drank it, except a few of them; thereafter when Talut and the believers with him had crossed the river, they said, “We do not have power this day to face Jalut (Goliath) and his armies”; those who were certain of meeting Allah said, “Many a times has a smaller group overcome a bigger group by Allah’s command; and Allah is with the steadfast.”
And when Saul went forth with the hosts he said, 'God will try you with a river; whosoever drinks of it is not of me, and whoso tastes it flot, he is of me, saving him who scoops up with his hand.' But they drank of it, except a few of them; and when he crossed it, and those who believed with him, they said, 'We have no power today against Goliath and his hosts.' Said those who reckoned they should meet God, 'How often a little company has overcome a numerous company, by God's leave! And God is with the patient.'
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 he 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."
Then when Talut sallied forth with the hosts, he said, verily God will prove you with a river: then whosoever drinketh thereof shall be none of mine, and whosoever tasteth it not, verily shall be mine, excepting him who ladeth a lading with his hand. But they drank thereof, save a few of them. Then when he had crossed it, he, and those who believe with him, they said: We have no strength to-day against Jalut and his hosts. But those who imagined that they were going to meet Allah Said how oft hath a small party prevailed against a large party by God's leave! And Allah is with the patiently persevering.
Then when Talut (Saul) set out with the army, he said: "Verily! Allah will try you by a river. So whoever drinks thereof, he is not of me, and whoever tastes it not, he is of me, except him who takes (thereof) in the hollow of his hand." Yet, they drank thereof, all, except a few of them. So when he had crossed it (the river), he and those who believed with him, they said: "We have no power this day against Jalut (Goliath) and his hosts." But those who knew with certainty that they were to meet their Lord, said: "How often a small group overcame a mighty host by Allah's Leave?" And Allah is with As-Sabirin (the patient ones, etc.).
When Saul set out with the troops, he said, “God will be testing you with a river. Whoever drinks from it does not belong with me. But whoever does not drink from it, does belong with me, except for whoever scoops up a little with his hand.” But they drank from it, except for a few of them. Then, when he crossed it, he and those who believed with him, they said, “We have no strength to face Goliath and his troops today.” But those who knew that they would meet God said, “How many a small group has defeated a large group by God’s will. God is with the steadfast.”
And when Saul marched out with his army, he warned: "Allah is going to put you to a test by the side of a river: whoso drinks of its water shall cease to be my companion: he alone shall be my companion who does not quench his thirst with its water: one may, however, take except a few, drank their fill of it. Afterwards when Saul, and those who had believed with him, crossed the river and advanced forward, the former said to Saul, "We have no power left this day to fight against Goliath and his hosts." But those who believed that one Day they shall meet Allah, declared, "lt has often been that a small host has, by Allah's grace, overcome a big host: for Allah is with those who show fortitude."
Then when Talut set out with the army, he said: "Verily, Allah will try you by a river. So whoever drinks thereof, he is not of me; and whoever tastes it not, he is of me, except him who takes (thereof) in the hollow of his hand." Yet, they drank thereof, all, except a few of them. So when he had crossed it (the river), he and those who believed with him, they said: "We have no power this day against Jalut (Goliath) and his hosts." But those who knew with certainty that they were going to meet Allah, said: "How often has a small group overcome a mighty host by Allah's leave" And Allah is with As-Sabirin (the patient).
And when Saul set out with the army, he said: Lo! Allah will try you by (the ordeal of) a river. Whosoever therefore drinketh thereof he is not of me, and whosoever tasteth it not he is of me, save him who taketh (thereof) in the hollow of his hand. But they drank thereof, all save a few of them. And after he had crossed (the river), he and those who believed with him, they said: We have no power this day against Goliath and his hosts. But those who knew that they would meet Allah exclaimed: How many a little company hath overcome a mighty host by Allah's leave! Allah is with the steadfast.
As Saul set out with the troops, he said, ‘Allah will test you with a stream: anyone who drinks from it will not belong to me, but those who do not drink from it will belong to me, barring someone who draws a scoop with his hand.’ But they drank from it, [all] except a few of them. So when he crossed it along with the faithful who were with him, they said, ‘We have no strength today against Goliath and his troops.’ Those who were certain that they would encounter Allah said, ‘How many a small party has overcome a larger party by Allah’s will! And Allah is with the patient.’
And when Saul marched out with his army, he said: 'Allah will test you with a river. He who drinks from it shall cease to be one of mine but he who does not drink from it, except he who scoops up once with his hand, shall be of mine' But for a few of them, they all drank from it. And when he had crossed it with those who believed, they said: 'We have no power this day against Goliath and his soldiers' But those of them who reckoned they would meet Allah replied: 'Many a small band has, by the permission of Allah, vanquished a mighty army. Allah is with the patient'
And when Saul went forth with the soldiers, he said, "Indeed, Allah will be testing you with a river. So whoever drinks from it is not of me, and whoever does not taste it is indeed of me, excepting one who takes [from it] in the hollow of his hand." But they drank from it, except a [very] few of them. Then when he had crossed it along with those who believed with him, they said, "There is no power for us today against Goliath and his soldiers." But those who were certain that they would meet Allah said, "How many a small company has overcome a large company by permission of Allah. And Allah is with the patient."
When Saul set forth with the army he said, "God will test you with a river. Those who drink its water will not be of my people and those who do not even taste the water or who only taste some of it from within the hollow of their hand, will be my friends. They all drank the water except a few of them. When Saul and those who believed in him crossed the river, his people said, "We do not have the strength to fight against Goliath and his army." Those who thought that they would meet God said, "How often, with God's permission, have small groups defeated the large ones?" God is with those who exercise patience.
So when Talut departed with the forces, he said: Surely Allah will try you with a river; whoever then drinks from it, he is not of me, and whoever does not taste of it, he is surely of me, except he who takes with his hand as much of it as fills the hand; but with the exception of a few of them they drank from it. So when he had crossed it, he and those who believed with him, they said: We have today no power against Jalut and his forces. Those who were sure that they would meet their Lord said: How often has a small party vanquished a numerous host by Allah's permission, and Allah is with the patient.
Falamm<u>a</u> fa<u>s</u>ala <u>ta</u>lootu bi<b>a</b>ljunoodi q<u>a</u>la inna All<u>a</u>ha mubtaleekum binaharin faman shariba minhu falaysa minnee waman lam ya<u>t</u>AAamhu fainnahu minnee ill<u>a</u> mani ightarafa ghurfatan biyadihi fashariboo minhu ill<u>a</u> qaleelan minhum falamm<u>a</u> j<u>a</u>wazahu huwa wa<b>a</b>lla<u>th</u>eena <u>a</u>manoo maAAahu q<u>a</u>loo l<u>a</u> <u>ta</u>qata lan<u>a</u> alyawma bij<u>a</u>loota wajunoodihi q<u>a</u>la alla<u>th</u>eena ya<i><u>th</u></i>unnoona annahum mul<u>a</u>qoo All<u>a</u>hi kam min fiatin qaleelatin ghalabat fiatan katheeratan bii<u>th</u>ni All<u>a</u>hi wa<b>A</b>ll<u>a</u>hu maAAa a<b>l</b><u>ssa</u>bireen<b>a</b>
When Talut set out with his forces, he said to them, "God will test you with a river: whoever drinks from it is not with me and whoever does not drink is with me. There will, however, be no blame upon one who sips only a handful from it." But, except for a few of them, they all drank from it. When he and those who believed along with him had crossed the river, they said, "We have no strength today against Goliath and his warriors." But those of them who believed that they would meet God replied, "Many a small group, by God's command has prevailed against a large group. God is indeed with the steadfast."
When Talut set forth with the armies, he said: "Allah will test you at the stream: if any drinks of its water, He goes not with my army: Only those who taste not of it go with me: A mere sip out of the hand is excused." but they all drank of it, except a few. When they crossed the river,- He and the faithful ones with him,- they said: "This day We cannot cope with Goliath and his forces." but those who were convinced that they must meet Allah, said: "How oft, by Allah's will, Hath a small force vanquished a big one? Allah is with those who steadfastly persevere."
فَلَمَّا فَصَلَ طَالُوتُ بِٱلْجُنُودِ قَالَ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ مُبْتَلِيكُم بِنَهَرٍ فَمَن شَرِبَ مِنْهُ فَلَيْسَ مِنِّى وَمَن لَّمْ يَطْعَمْهُ فَإِنَّهُۥ مِنِّىٓ إِلَّا مَنِ ٱغْتَرَفَ غُرْفَةًۢ بِيَدِهِۦ فَشَرِبُوا۟ مِنْهُ إِلَّا قَلِيلًا مِّنْهُمْ فَلَمَّا جَاوَزَهُۥ هُوَ وَٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ مَعَهُۥ قَالُوا۟ لَا طَاقَةَ لَنَا ٱلْيَوْمَ بِجَالُوتَ وَجُنُودِهِۦ قَالَ ٱلَّذِينَ يَظُنُّونَ أَنَّهُم مُّلَٰقُوا۟ ٱللَّهِ كَم مِّن فِئَةٍ قَلِيلَةٍ غَلَبَتْ فِئَةً كَثِيرَةًۢ بِإِذْنِ ٱللَّهِ وَٱللَّهُ مَعَ ٱلصَّٰبِرِينَ
When Saul set out with his warriors, he said to them, ‘Allah will test you with a river. If anyone drinks from it, he will not be on my path and must not join me in fighting. The person who does not drink from it will be on my path and will join me in the fight. If someone drinks a handful of water, this will be forgiven’. When they reached the river, all the warriors drank from its water, except a few of them who held back despite being extremely thirsty. After Saul had crossed the river with the believers, some of the warriors said, ‘We do not have the ability to fight Goliath and his army’. Those that were convinced that they would meet Allah on the Day of Resurrection said to them, ‘So many believing groups small in number have defeated a disbelieving group large in number with Allah’s permission and assistance. Victory is based on faith and not numbers. Allah is with the patient ones among His servants: He assists and gives them victory’.
When Saul set out with his warriors, he said to them, ‘Allah will test you with a river. If anyone drinks from it, he will not be on my path and must not join me in fighting. The person who does not drink from it will be on my path and will join me in the fight. If someone drinks a handful of water, this will be forgiven’. When they reached the river, all the warriors drank from its water, except a few of them who held back despite being extremely thirsty. After Saul had crossed the river with the believers, some of the warriors said, ‘We do not have the ability to fight Goliath and his army’. Those that were convinced that they would meet Allah on the Day of Resurrection said to them, ‘So many believing groups small in number have defeated a disbelieving group large in number with Allah’s permission and assistance. Victory is based on faith and not numbers. Allah is with the patient ones among His servants: He assists and gives them victory’.
<p>Verse 249: قَالَ إِنَّ اللَّـهَ مُبْتَلِيكُم بِنَهَرٍ (He said: Allah is going to test you by a</p><p>river).</p><p>The wisdom behind this test, as perceived by this humble commentator, appears to be as follows. Not difficult to imagine is the excitement created on such occasions but there are not many who would stay firm in their hour of trial. And should such a time come, the weakness shown by such people becomes contagious making others panic as well. Allah Almighty willed that such people be pruned out. This purpose was accomplished by this test, which is very appropriate, because steadfastness is necessary in fighting. So, being patient, when water is made available without asking in a state of intense thirst, is a proof of steadfastness, and dashing for water is a proof of its absence. Later on comes the unusual: Those who drank too much water became mysteriously more incapacitated. This has appeared in Ruh al-Ma'ani on the authority of Ibn Abi Haim from Ibn ` Abbas ؓ . Now the events and sayings mentioned in this story tell us that there were three kinds of people among them:</p><p>(1)	The weak in faith who failed to make the grade in their hour of</p><p>trial.</p><p>(2)	The perfect who fully succeeded in their trial but did feel concerned about how low they were in numbers.</p><p>(3)	The most perfect who did not bother even about that.</p>
Verse 249: قَالَ إِنَّ اللَّـهَ مُبْتَلِيكُم بِنَهَرٍ (He said: Allah is going to test you by ariver).The wisdom behind this test, as perceived by this humble commentator, appears to be as follows. Not difficult to imagine is the excitement created on such occasions but there are not many who would stay firm in their hour of trial. And should such a time come, the weakness shown by such people becomes contagious making others panic as well. Allah Almighty willed that such people be pruned out. This purpose was accomplished by this test, which is very appropriate, because steadfastness is necessary in fighting. So, being patient, when water is made available without asking in a state of intense thirst, is a proof of steadfastness, and dashing for water is a proof of its absence. Later on comes the unusual: Those who drank too much water became mysteriously more incapacitated. This has appeared in Ruh al-Ma'ani on the authority of Ibn Abi Haim from Ibn ` Abbas ؓ . Now the events and sayings mentioned in this story tell us that there were three kinds of people among them:(1)	The weak in faith who failed to make the grade in their hour oftrial.(2)	The perfect who fully succeeded in their trial but did feel concerned about how low they were in numbers.(3)	The most perfect who did not bother even about that.
<p>Allah states that Talut, the king of the Children of Israel, marched forth with his soldiers and the Israelites who obeyed him. His army was of eighty thousand then, according to As-Suddi, but Allah knows best. Talut said: </p><div class="text_uthmani arabic">إِنَّ اللَّهَ مُبْتَلِيكُم</div><p>(Verily, Allah will try you) meaning, He will test you with a river, which flowed between Jordan and Palestine, i.e. , the Shari`ah river, according to Ibn `Abbas and others. He continued, </p><div class="text_uthmani arabic">فَمَن شَرِبَ مِنْهُ فَلَيْسَ مِنِّي</div><p>(So whoever drinks thereof, he is not of me;) meaning, shall not accompany me today, </p><div class="text_uthmani arabic">لَّمْ يَطْعَمْهُ فَإِنَّهُ مِنِّى إِلاَّ مَنِ اغْتَرَفَ غُرْفَةً بِيَدِهِ</div><p>(and whoever tastes it not, he is of me, except him who takes (thereof) in the hollow of his hand.) meaning, there is no harm in this case. Allah then said: </p><div class="text_uthmani arabic">فَشَرِبُواْ مِنْهُ إِلاَّ قَلِيلاً مِّنْهُمْ</div><p>(Yet, they drank thereof, all, except a few of them.) </p><p>Ibn Jurayj stated that Ibn `Abbas commented, "Whoever took some of it (the river's water) in the hollow of his hand, quenched his thirst; as for those who drank freely from it, their thirst was not quenched." </p><p>Ibn Jarir reported that Al-Bara' bin `Azib said, "We used to say that the Companions of Muhammad who accompanied him on the battle of Badr were more than three hundred and ten, just as many as the soldiers who crossed the river with Talut. Only those who believed crossed the river with him." Al-Bukhari also reported this. </p><p>This is why Allah said: </p><div class="text_uthmani arabic">فَلَمَّا جَاوَزَهُ هُوَ وَالَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ مَعَهُ قَالُواْ لاَ طَاقَةَ لَنَا الْيَوْمَ بِجَالُوتَ وَجُنودِهِ</div><p>(So when he had crossed it (the river), he and those who believed with him, they said: "We have no power this day against Jalut (Goliath) and his hosts.") </p><p>This Ayah indicates that the Israelites (who remained with Saul) thought that they were few in the face of their enemy who were many then. So, their knowledgeable scholars strengthened their resolve by stating that Allah's promise is true and that triumph comes from Allah Alone, not from the large numbers or the adequacy of the supplies. They said to them: </p><div class="text_uthmani arabic">كَم مِّن فِئَةٍ قَلِيلَةٍ غَلَبَتْ فِئَةٍ كَثِيرَةً بِإِذْنِ اللَّهِ وَاللَّهُ مَعَ الصَّـبِرِينَ</div><p>("How often has a small group overcome a mighty host by Allah's leave" And Allah is with As-Sabirin (the patient).) </p>
Allah states that Talut, the king of the Children of Israel, marched forth with his soldiers and the Israelites who obeyed him. His army was of eighty thousand then, according to As-Suddi, but Allah knows best. Talut said: إِنَّ اللَّهَ مُبْتَلِيكُم(Verily, Allah will try you) meaning, He will test you with a river, which flowed between Jordan and Palestine, i.e. , the Shari`ah river, according to Ibn `Abbas and others. He continued, فَمَن شَرِبَ مِنْهُ فَلَيْسَ مِنِّي(So whoever drinks thereof, he is not of me;) meaning, shall not accompany me today, لَّمْ يَطْعَمْهُ فَإِنَّهُ مِنِّى إِلاَّ مَنِ اغْتَرَفَ غُرْفَةً بِيَدِهِ(and whoever tastes it not, he is of me, except him who takes (thereof) in the hollow of his hand.) meaning, there is no harm in this case. Allah then said: فَشَرِبُواْ مِنْهُ إِلاَّ قَلِيلاً مِّنْهُمْ(Yet, they drank thereof, all, except a few of them.) Ibn Jurayj stated that Ibn `Abbas commented, "Whoever took some of it (the river's water) in the hollow of his hand, quenched his thirst; as for those who drank freely from it, their thirst was not quenched." Ibn Jarir reported that Al-Bara' bin `Azib said, "We used to say that the Companions of Muhammad who accompanied him on the battle of Badr were more than three hundred and ten, just as many as the soldiers who crossed the river with Talut. Only those who believed crossed the river with him." Al-Bukhari also reported this. This is why Allah said: فَلَمَّا جَاوَزَهُ هُوَ وَالَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ مَعَهُ قَالُواْ لاَ طَاقَةَ لَنَا الْيَوْمَ بِجَالُوتَ وَجُنودِهِ(So when he had crossed it (the river), he and those who believed with him, they said: "We have no power this day against Jalut (Goliath) and his hosts.") This Ayah indicates that the Israelites (who remained with Saul) thought that they were few in the face of their enemy who were many then. So, their knowledgeable scholars strengthened their resolve by stating that Allah's promise is true and that triumph comes from Allah Alone, not from the large numbers or the adequacy of the supplies. They said to them: كَم مِّن فِئَةٍ قَلِيلَةٍ غَلَبَتْ فِئَةٍ كَثِيرَةً بِإِذْنِ اللَّهِ وَاللَّهُ مَعَ الصَّـبِرِينَ("How often has a small group overcome a mighty host by Allah's leave" And Allah is with As-Sabirin (the patient).) 