Melaka Is the Promised Land

Part 13: Where Were Moses and His People When the Command to Enter the Ardhul Muqaddasah Was Issued?

When reading Surah al-Mā’idah verse 21, most readers immediately jump to the question of the location of the Ardhul Muqaddasah. However, before debating where that land is, a more fundamental question must first be answered:

Where were Prophet Moses and his people at the moment the command was delivered?

This is not a historical question.
This is a question of language and verse structure.

If the position of the people themselves is unclear, then any further discussion about the location of the land will be built upon an unstable foundation.

Reference Verse

يَـٰقَوْمِ ٱدْخُلُوا۟ ٱلْأَرْضَ ٱلْمُقَدَّسَةَ ٱلَّتِى كَتَبَ ٱللَّهُ لَكُمْ وَلَا تَرْتَدُّوا۟ عَلَىٰٓ أَدْبَارِكُمْ فَتَنقَلِبُوا۟ خَـٰسِرِينَ

“O my people, enter the land which has been sanctified that Allah has decreed for you, and do not turn back on your heels lest you become among the losers.”

(Surah al-Mā’idah 5:21)

Initial Observation of the Verse

This verse contains a command that is extremely clear and direct:

ٱدْخُلُوا۟
Enter.

We are not interpreting here. We are engaging in tadabbur. Before drawing any conclusions, we must first ask a basic question:

How does the Qur’an itself use the word ٱدْخُلُوا۟ elsewhere?

If the Qur’an is consistent in its use of language, then the meaning of this command does not need to be guessed. It can be observed through patterns found in other verses.

How the Qur’an Uses the Command ٱدْخُلُوا۟

Let us examine several Qur’anic verses and observe the consistent pattern.

Example 1: Entering Paradise

ٱدْخُلُوا۟ ٱلْجَنَّةَ بِمَا كُنتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ
(Surah an-Naḥl 16:32)

The command to enter Paradise is given only to those who are not yet inside it.
There is no verse that commands someone to “enter” a place they are already in.

Example 2: Entering the gates of Hell

ٱدْخُلُوٓا۟ أَبْوَٰبَ جَهَنَّمَ خَـٰلِدِينَ فِيهَا
(Surah az-Zumar 39:72)

This instruction is given while they are outside, then ordered to step inside.

Example 3: Entering houses

يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ لَا تَدْخُلُوا۟ بُيُوتًا غَيْرَ بُيُوتِكُمْ
(Surah an-Nūr 24:27)

A prohibition against entering only makes sense if the subject is outside the house.
There is no prohibition against entering for someone already inside.

Example 4: Entering the land of Egypt

ٱدْخُلُوا۟ مِصْرَ إِن شَآءَ ٱللَّهُ ءَامِنِينَ
(Surah Yūsuf 12:99)

This command clearly indicates that they were not yet in Egypt when the instruction was issued.

Example 5: Entering through the gate while bowing

ٱدْخُلُوا۟ ٱلْبَابَ سُجَّدًا
(Surah al-Baqarah 2:58)

Once again, this command only makes sense if the subject is standing before the gate, not already inside.

A Consistent Linguistic Pattern

When all these verses are placed side by side, a very clear linguistic pattern emerges:

The command ٱدْخُلُوا۟ is always used when the subject is outside a space, place, or state.

It is never used for situations where the subject is:

• Already inside
• Currently in the middle of it
• Already in control of the place

Once again, this is not interpretation. This is linguistic observation derived from Qur’anic tadabbur.

Application to Surah al-Mā’idah 5:21

With this pattern established, we return to the verse under discussion:

ٱدْخُلُوا۟ ٱلْأَرْضَ ٱلْمُقَدَّسَةَ

If this command is consistent with how the Qur’an uses the word elsewhere, then a very strong linguistic conclusion can be drawn:

When this command was given, Prophet Moses and his people were outside the Ardhul Muqaddasah.

At that time, they had:

• not yet entered it
• not yet been inside it
• not yet inherited it

They did not yet possess the land and were not residing within it. They were facing a command to enter. The land was not yet in their possession.

Evidence from the Internal Structure of the Verse

Beyond comparison with other Qur’anic verses, the position of Prophet Moses and his people can also be determined from the internal structure of this verse itself.

The verse does not employ vague or general language. Every word choice carries a very specific implication of position and direction.

Observe that the verse does not say:

• Remain in the land.
• Defend the land.
• Control the land.

Instead, the verse explicitly says:

ٱدْخُلُوا۟ ٱلْأَرْضَ ٱلْمُقَدَّسَةَ
Enter the sanctified land.

From a linguistic standpoint, the command “enter” is only reasonable if the subject is outside the area in question. One is not commanded to enter a place one is already in.

This simultaneously indicates several important points:

1. The Ardhul Muqaddasah was ahead of them, not beneath their feet.
2. There was a boundary separating their current position from the land.
3. The command required forward movement, not merely verbal acceptance or symbolic acknowledgment.

The Prohibition Against Turning Back Strengthens This Position

The command to enter is immediately followed by a vivid prohibition:

وَلَا تَرْتَدُّوا عَلَىٰٓ أَدْبَارِكُمْ
Do not turn back on your heels.

This prohibition only makes sense if several conditions exist simultaneously:

1. They were facing toward the Ardhul Muqaddasah.
2. They were close to entering, not far away.
3. Turning back means returning toward the direction they originally came from, not merely stopping.

If they were far away, the prohibition against turning back would be irrelevant.
If they were already inside, the prohibition would also lose its meaning.

This language only functions in one specific scenario: a moment of decision at a threshold.

This further confirms that:

They were standing before or at the edge of the Ardhul Muqaddasah.
They were not inside it.
And they were not in a state of confusion or aimless movement.

Conclusion

Based on the overall structure of the verse, its linguistic register, comparison with other Qur’anic verses, and the internal logic of the text, the position of Prophet Moses and his people can be summarized as follows:

1. They had arrived at the region of the Ardhul Muqaddasah.
2. They were outside the Ardhul Muqaddasah.
3. They were at its front or at its boundary.
4. They were at a decision point.
5. They were facing the land and had a clear choice to enter or to turn back.

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