﴿ فَلَمَّا فَصَلَ طَالُوتُ بِٱلْجُنُودِ قَالَ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ مُبْتَلِيكُم بِنَهَرٍۢ فَمَن شَرِبَ مِنْهُ فَلَيْسَ مِنِّى وَمَن لَّمْ يَطْعَمْهُ فَإِنَّهُۥ مِنِّىٓ إِلَّا مَنِ ٱغْتَرَفَ غُرْفَةًۢ بِيَدِهِۦ ۚ فَشَرِبُوا۟ مِنْهُ إِلَّا قَلِيلًۭا مِّنْهُمْ ۚ فَلَمَّا جَاوَزَهُۥ هُوَ وَٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ مَعَهُۥ قَالُوا۟ لَا طَاقَةَ لَنَا ٱلْيَوْمَ بِجَالُوتَ وَجُنُودِهِۦ ۚ قَالَ ٱلَّذِينَ يَظُنُّونَ أَنَّهُم مُّلَٰقُوا۟ ٱللَّهِ كَم مِّن فِئَةٍۢ قَلِيلَةٍ غَلَبَتْ فِئَةًۭ كَثِيرَةًۢ بِإِذْنِ ٱللَّهِ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ مَعَ ٱلصَّٰبِرِينَ ﴾

“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."”

And when Saul went forth with the hosts from the Holy House sc. Jerusalem the heat was intense and so they asked him for water; he said ‘God will try test you in order to distinguish the obedient among you from the disobedient with a river between Jordan and Palestine whoever drinks of it of its water is not of me is not of my followers and whoever tastes it not he is of me except for him who scoops up with his hand’ ghurfa or gharfa ‘a scoop’ satisfying himself therewith and not taking more he is also of my followers. But they drank of it when they reached it and saw that it was abundant except a few of them who restricted themselves to a scoop it is reported that one scoop was enough for each man and his horse and they numbered over three hundred; and when he crossed it with those who believed the ones who confined themselves to the one scoop they the ones that drank profusely said ‘We have no power today against Goliath and his troops’ that is no power to fight them and they were cowardly and did not cross it. Those who thought with certainty that they would meet God at the Resurrection and these were the ones that crossed it said ‘How often kam ‘how’ functions as a predicate meaning kathīr ‘many’ a little company group of men has overcome a numerous one by God’s leave by His will; and God is with the patient’ providing them with help and assistance.