Why, according to the Quran, does God cause Israel to wander the desert for 40 years?

To understand why, according to the Quran, God caused the Israelites to wander the desert for 40 years, we need to refer to the Quran itself. The Quran is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be the word of God as revealed to the Prophet Muhammad.

In the Quran, the story of the Israelites' wandering in the desert is described in several passages, including Surah Al-Baqarah (Chapter 2) and Surah Al-Ma'idah (Chapter 5). According to the Quranic account, after rescuing the Israelites from the oppression of the Pharaoh in Egypt and parting the Red Sea for them to cross, Moses led them towards the Promised Land, known as Canaan.

However, upon reaching the outskirts of Canaan, the Israelites were reluctant to enter the land due to fear and lack of faith. In Surah Al-Ma'idah, it is mentioned that when Moses exhorted his people to enter the land and fight against their enemies, they responded with cowardice and said, "Go, you and your Lord, and fight! We are sitting right here." (Quran 5:24)

As a consequence of their lack of faith and disobedience, God punished the Israelites by decreeing that they would wander in the desert for a period of 40 years. This is mentioned in several verses of the Quran, including Surah Al-Ma'idah (Chapter 5) verse 26, where it is said, "So, Allah made them taste disgrace in the worldly life. But the punishment of the Hereafter is greater, if they only knew."

The purpose of this punishment was to purify the Israelites, increase their faith, and test their commitment to God's commands. The Quran presents this punishment as a lesson for future generations to learn from the Israelites' mistakes and to emphasize the importance of having strong faith and trust in God's guidance.

To delve deeper into the interpretation and understanding of this specific Quranic account, it is recommended to consult Islamic scholars, Tafsir (Quranic exegesis), and related religious texts to gain a more comprehensive understanding.