(1) Shaykh Abu Shahbah, may Allah have mercy on him, states: “What we affirm with certainty, and what must be believed, is that the Children of Israel possessed an ark—that is, a chest—without inquiring into its true nature, form, or origin, since no authentic report concerning this has come from the infallible Messenger; that this ark contained relics left by Moses and Aaron, though it is possible that the identification of these relics is found in some of the reports cited above, narrated by al-Baghawi and others; that the ark was a source of tranquility and reassurance for the Children of Israel, especially when fighting their enemy; and that it returned to the Children of Israel borne by the angels, without investigating how the angels carried it. Thus, the ark was a sign proving the truthfulness of Saul’s being their king. As for the other reports you have heard, there is no evidence to support them.” See Israelite Narratives and Fabricated Reports in Books of Quranic Exegesis, p. 243. Sayyid Qutb, may Allah have mercy on him, disregarded all these Israelite reports in order to present the lessons suggested by the noble verses, drawn from the experiences of those earlier nations, which the Quran came to instill in and cultivate within believing souls. See In the Shade of the Quran, 2:260 ff., Dar al-Shuruq edition.