002
The Second Surah
Al-Baqarah (The Cow)
Medina Period
2: 101
And [even now,] when there has come unto them an apostle from God, confirming the truth already in their possession, some of those who were granted revelation aforetime cast the divine writ behind their backs as though unaware [of what it says],* (2:102) and follow [instead] that which the evil ones used to practice during Solomon's reign - for it was not Solomon who denied the truth, but those evil ones denied it by teaching people sorcery** -; and [they follow] that which has come down through the two angels in Babylon, Harilt and Mirfit-although these two never taught it to anyone without first declaring, "We are but a temptation to evil: do not, then, deny [God's] truth!"*** And they learn from these two how to create discord between a man and his wife; but whereas they can harm none thereby save by God's leave, they acquire a knowledge that only harms themselves and does not benefit them - although they know; indeed, that he who acquires this [knowledge] shall have no share in the good of the life to come.**** For, vile indeed is that [art] for which they have sold their own selves -had they but known it!
*The divine writ referred to here
is the Torah. By disregarding the prophecies relating to the coming of the
Arabian Prophet, contained in Deuteronomy xviii, 15, 18 (see note 33 above),
the Jews rejected, as it were, the whole of the revelation granted to Moses
(Zamakhshart; also `Abduh in Mandr I, 397).
**The expression ash-shayd(Th,
here rendered as "the evil ones", apparently refers to human beings,
as has been pointed out by Tabari, Razi, etc., but may also allude to the evil,
immoral impulses within man's heart (see note 10 on verse 14 of this surah).
The above parenthetic sentence constitutes the Qur'anic refutation of the
Biblical statement that Solomon had been guilty of idolatrous practices (see I
Kings xi, 1-10), as well as of the legend that he was the originator of the magic
arts popularly associated with his name.
***This "declaration"
circumscribes, metonymically, man's moral duty to reject every attempt at
"sorcery" inasmuch as - irrespective of whether it succeeds or fails
- it aims at subverting the order of naturre as instituted by God. - As regards
the designation of Harut and Marut, most of the readings of the Qurlan give the
spelling malakayn ("the two angels"); but it is authentically
recorded (see Tabari, Zamakhshari, Baghawi, Razi, etc.) that the great Companion
of the Prophet, Ibn `Abbas, as well as several learned men of the next
generation - e.g., Al-Hasan al-Basri, Abu '1-Aswad and AdDahhak-read it as
malikayn ("the two kings"). I myself incline to the latter reading;
but since the other is more generally accepted, I have adopted it here. Some of
the commentators are of the opinion that, whichever of the two readings is
followed, it ought to be taken in a metaphorical sense, namely, "the two
kingly persons", or "the two angelic persons": in this they rely
on a saying of Ibn'Abbas to the effect that Harut and Maxat were "two men
who practiced sorcery in Babylon" (Baghawi; see also Manar I, 402). At any
rate, it is certain that from very ancient times Babylon was reputed to be the
home of magic arts, symbolized in the legendary persons - perhaps kings -
Harutand Marot; and it is to this legend that the Qur'an refers with a view to
condemning every attempt at magic and sorcery, as well as all preoccupation
with occult sciences in general.
****The above passage does not
raise the question as to~whe~her there is an objectiXe truth in the occult
phenomena loosely described as "magic", or whether they are based on
self-deception: The intent here is no more and no less than to warn man that
any attempt at influencing the course of events by means which-at least in the
mind of the person responsible for it -havoa "supernatural"
connotation is a spiritual offence, and must inevitably result in a most
serious damage to their author's spiritual status.
2: 103
And had they but believed and been conscious of Him, reward from God would indeed have brought them good-had they but known it!
2: 104
O YOU who have attained to faith! Do not say [to the Prophet], "Listen to us," but rather say, "Have patience with us," and hearken [unto him], since grievous suffering awaits those who deny the truth.*
*This admonition, addressed in the
first instance to the contemporaries of the Prophet, has - as so often in the
Quean-a connotation that goes far beyond the historical circumstances that gave
rise to it. The Companions were called upon to approach the Prophet with
respect and to subordinate their personal desires and expectations to the
commandments of the Faith revealed through him: and this injunction remains
valid for every believer and for all times.
2: 105
Neither those from among the followers of earlier revelation who are bent on denying the truth, nor those who ascribe divinity to other beings beside God, would like to see any good* ever bestowed upon you from on high by your Sustainer; but God singles out for His grace whom He wills-for God is limitless in His great bounty.
*I.e., revelation - which is the highest good. The allusion here is to 1he unwillingness of the Jews and the Christians to admit that revelation could have been bestowed on any community but their own.
2: 106
Any message which, We annul or consign to oblivion We replace with a better or a similar ones.* Dost thou not know that God has the power to will anything? (2: 107) Dost thou not know that God's is the dominion over the heavens and the earth, and that besides God you have none to protect you or bring you succour?
*The principle laid down in this
passage - relating to the supersession of the Biblical dispensation by that of
the Quiz' an - has given rise to an erroneous interpretation by many Muslim
theologians. The word ayah ("message") occurring in this, context is
also used to denote a "verse;" of the Quran (because every one of
these verses contains a message). Taking this restricted meaning of the term
ayah, some scholars conclude from the above passage that certain verses of the
Qur'an have been "abrogated" by God's command before the revelation
of the Quran was completed. Apart from the fancifulness of this assertion-which
calls to mind the image of a human'author correcting, on second thought, the
proofs of his manuscript. deleting one passage and replacing it with
another-there does not exist a single reliable Tradition to the effect that the
Prophet ever, declared a verse of the Qurlan to have been
"abrogated". At the root of the so-called "doctrine of
abrogation" may lie the inability of some of the early commentators to
reconcile one Qur'anic passage with another: a difficulty which was overcome by
declaring that one of the verses in question• had been "abrogated".
This arbitrary procedure explains also why there is no unanimity whatsoever
among the upholders of the "doctrine of abrogation" as to which, and
how many, Qur'an-verses have been affected by it; and, furthermore, as to
whether this alleged abrogation implies a total elimination of the verse in
question from the context of the Qur'an, or only a cancellation of the specific
ordinance or statement contained in it. In short, the "doctrine of abrogation"
has no basis whatever in historical fact, and must be rejected. On the other
hand, the apparent difficulty in interpreting the above Qur'anic passage
disappears -immediately if the temp ayah is understood, correctly, as
"message", and if we read this verse in conjunction with the
preceding one, which states that the Jews and the Christians refuse to accept
any revelation which might supersede that of the Bible: for, if read in this
way, the abrogation relates to the earlier divine messages and not to any part
of the Quedn itself.
2: 108
Would you, perchance, ask of the Apostle who has been sent unto you what was asked aforetime of Moses? But whoever chooses to deny the [evidence of the] truth, instead of believing in it,* has already strayed from the right path.
*Lit.. "whoever takes a
denial of the truth in exchange for belief"-i.e., whoever refuses to
accept the internal evidence of the truth of the Qur'anic message and demands,
instead, an "objective" proof of its divine origin (Manor I, 416f.).-That
which was "asked of Moses aforetime" was the demand of the children
of Israel to "see God face to face" (cf. 2 :55). The expression
rendered by me as "the Apostle who has been sent unto you" reads.
literally, "your Apostle", and obviously refers to the Prophet
Muhammad. whose message supersedes the earlier revelations.
2: 109
Out of their selfish envy, many among the followers of earlier revelation would like to bring you back to denying the truth after you have attained to faith - [even] after the truth has become clear unto them. None the less, forgive and forbear, until God shall make manifest His will: behold, God has the power to will anything.
2: 110
And be constant in prayer, and render the purifying dues; for, whatever good deed you send ahead for your own selves, you shall find it with God: behold, God sees all that you do.
2: 111
AND THEY claim,* "None shall ever enter paradise unless he be a Jew" - or, "a Christian". Such are their wishful beliefs! Say: "Produce an evidence for what you are claiming,** if what you say is true!"
*This connects with verse 109
above: "Many among the followers of earlier revelation would like to bring
you back to denying the truth", etc.
**Lit., "produce your
evidence" - i.e.. "from your own scriptures".
2: 112
Yea, indeed: everyone who surrenders his whole being unto God,* and is a doer of good withal, shall have his reward with his Sustainer; and all such need have no fear, and neither shall they grieve.**
*Lit., "who surrenders his
face unto God". Since the face of a person is the most expressive part of
his body, it is used in classical Arabic to denote one's whole personality, or
whole being. This expression, repeated in the Qur'an several times, provides a
perfect definition of isldm, whichderived from the root-verb aslama, "he
surrendered himself" -means "self-surrender [to God]": and it is
in this sense that the terms isldm and muslim are used throughout the Qurlan.
(For a full discussion of this concept, see my note on 68 :35, where the expression
muslim occurs for the first time in the chronological order of revelation.)
**Thus, according to the Qur'an,
salvation is not reserved for any particular "denomination", but is
open to everyone who consciously realizes the oneness of God, surrenders
himself to His will and, by living righteously, gives practical effect to this
spiritual attitude.
2: 113
Furthermore, the Jews assert, "The Christians have no valid ground for their beliefs," while the Christians assert, "The Jews have no valid ground for their beliefs" - and both quote the divine writ! Even thus, like unto what they say, have [always] spoken those who were devoid of knowledge;"* but it is God who will judge between them on Resurrection Day with regard to all on which they were wont to differ.**
*An allusion to all who assert
that only the followers of their own denomination shall partake of God's grace
in the hereafter.
**In other words, "God will
confirm the truth of what was true [in their respective beliefs] and show the
falseness of what was false [therein]" (Muhammad `Abduh in Mandr I, 428).
The Quc'an maintains throughout that there is a substantial element of truth in
all faiths based on divine revelation, and that their subsequent divergencies
are the result of "wishful beliefs" (2: 111) and of a gradual
corruption of the original teachings. (See also 22: 67-69.)
2: 114
Hence, who could be more wicked than those who bar the mention of God's name from [any of] His houses of worship and strive for their ruin, [although] they have no right to enter them save in fear [of God]?* For them, in this world, there is ignominy in store; and for them, in the life to come, awesome sufferidg.
*It is one of the fundamental
principles of Islam that every religion which has belief in God as its focal
point must be accorded full respect, however much one may disagree with its
particular tenets. Thus, the Muslims are under an obligation to honour and
protect any house of worship dedicated to God, whether it be a mosque or a
church or a synagogue (cf. the second paragraph of 22: 40); and any attempt to
prevent the followers of another faith from worshipping God according to their
own lights is condemned by the Qur'an as a sacrilege. A striking illustration
of this principle is forthcoming from the Prophet's treatment of the deputation
from Christian hiajran in the year 10 H. They were given free access to the
Prophet's mosque, and with his full consent celebrated their religious rites
there, although their adoration of Jesus as "the son of God" and of
Mary as "the mother of God" was fundamentally at variance with
Islamic beliefs (see Ibn Sad Ill, '84 f.).
2: 115
And God's is the east and the west: and wherever you turn, there is God's countenance. Behold, God is infinite, all-knowing.
2: 116
And yet some people assert, "God has taken unto Himself a son!" Limitless is He in His glory!* Nay, but His is all that is in the heavens and on earth; all things devoutly obey His will. (2: 117) The Originator is He of the heavens and the earth: and when He wills a thing to be, He but says unto it, "Be" -and it is.
*I.e., far from any imperfection
such as would be implied in the necessity (or logical possibility) of having
"progeny" either in a literal or a metaphorical sense. The expression
subhdna -applied exclusively to God-connotes His utter remoteness from any
imperfection and any similarity, however tenuous, with any created being or
thing.
2: 118
AND [only] those who are devoid of knowledge say, "Why does God not speak unto us, nor is a [miraculous] sign shown to us?" Even thus, like unto what they, say, spoke those who lived before their time* their hearts are all alike. Indeed, We have made all the signs manifest unto people who are endowed with inner certainty.
*I.e., people who were not able to
perceive the intrinsic truth of the messages conveyed to them by the prophets,
but rather insisted on a miraculous "demonstration" that those
messages really came from God, and thus failed to benefit from them. - This
verse obviously connects with verse 108 above and, thus, refers to the
objections of the Jews and the Christians to the message of the Qur'an. (See
also note 29 on 74 :52.)
2: 119
Verily, We have sent thee [O Prophet] with the truth, as a bearer of glad tidings and a warner: and thou shalt not be held accountable for those who are destined for the blazing fire.
2: 120
For, never will the Jews be pleased with thee. nor yet the Christians, unless thou follow their own creeds. Say: "Behold, God's guidance is the only true guidance."
And, indeed, if thou shouldst follow their errant views after all the knowledge that has come unto thee. thou wouldst have none to protect thee from God, and none to bring thee succour.
2: 121
Those unto whom We have vouchsafed the divine writ [and who] follow it as it ought to be followed*-it is they who [truly] believe in it; whereas all who choose to deny its truth -it is they, they who are the losers!
*Or: "apply themselves to it with true
application" -i.e.. try to absorb its meaning and to understand its
spiritual design.
2: 122
O CHILDREN of Israel! Remember those blessings of Mine with which I graced you, and how I favoured you above all other people; (2: 123) and remain conscious of [the coming of] a Day when no human being shall in the least avail another, nor shall ransom be accepted from any of them, nor shall intercession be of any use to them, and none shall be succoured.*
*See 2 : 48. In the above context,
this refers, specifically, to the belief of the Jews that their descent from
Abraham would "ransom" them on the Day of Judgment -a belief which is
refuted in the next verse.
2: 124
And [remember this:] when his Sustainer tried Abraham by [His] commandments and the latter fulfilled them,* He said: "Behold, I shall make thee a leader of men."
Abraham asked: "And [wilt Thou make leaders] of my offspring as well?"
[God] answered: "My covenant does not embrace the evildoers."**
*The classical commentators have
indulged in much speculation as to what these commandments (kalimdt, lit.,
"words") were. Since, however, the Qur'an does not specify them, it
must be presumed that what is meant here is simply Abraham's complete
submission to whatever commandments he received from God.
**This passage, read in
conjunction with the two preceding verses, refutes the contention of the
children of Israel that by virtue of their descent from Abraham, whom God made
"a leader of men", they are "God's chosen people". The
Qur'an makes it clear that the exalted status of Abraham was not something that
would automatically confer a comparable status on his physical descendants, and
certainly not on the sinners among them.
2: 125
AND LO! We made the Temple a goal to which people might repair again and again, and a sanctuary: * take then, the place whereon Abraham once stood as your place of prayer."**
And thus did We command Abraham and Ishmael: "Purify My Temple for those who will walk around it,*** and those who will abide near it in meditation, and those who will bow down and prostrate themselves [in prayer]."
*The Temple (al-bayt)-lit.,
"the House [of Worship]"'-mentioned here is the Ka`bah in Mecca. In
other places the Qur'an speaks of it as "the Ancient Temple" (al-bayt
al= atrq), and frequently also as "the Inviolable House of Worship"
(al-masjid al-hardm ). Its prototype is said to have been built by Abraham as
the first temple ever dedicated to the One God (see 3 : 96), and which for this
reason has been instituted as the direction of prayer (giblah) for all Muslims,
and as the goal of the annually recurring pilgrimage (hajj). It is to be noted
that even in pre-Islamic times the Ka`bah was associated with the memory of
Abraham, whose personality had always been in the foreground of Arabian
thought. According to very ancient Arabian traditions, it was at the site of
what later became Mecca that Abraham, in order to placate Sarah, abandoned his
Egyptian bondwoman Hagar and their child Ishmael after he had brought them
there from Canaan. This is by no means improbable if one bears in mind that for
a camel-riding bedouin (and Abraham was certainly one) a journey of twenty or
even thirty days has never been anything out of the ordinary. At first glance,
the Biblical statement (Genesis xii, 14) that it was "in the wilderness of
Beersheba" (i.e., in the southernmost tip of Palestine) that Abraham left
Hagar and Ishmael would seem to conflict with the Qur'anic account. This
seeming contradiction, however, disappears as soon as we remember that to the
ancient, town-dwelling Hebrews the term "wilderness of Beersheba"
comprised all the desert regions south of Palestine, including the Hijaz. It
was at the place where they had been abandoned that Hagar and Ishmael, after
having discovered the spring which is now called the Well of Zamzam, eventually
settled; and it may have been that very spring which in time induced a
wandering group of bedouin families belonging to the South-Arabian (Qahtani)
tribe of Jurhum to settle there. Ishmael later married a girl of this tribe,
and so became the progenitor of the musta `ribah ("Arabianized")
tribes -thus called on account of their descent from a Hebrew father and a
Qahtani mother. As for Abraham, he is said to have often visited Hagar and Ishmael;
and it was on the occasion of one of these periodic visits that he, aided by
Ishmael, erected the original structure of the Ka`bah. (For more detailed
accounts of the Abraham'c tradition, see Bukhari's Sahfh, Kitdb al- '11m,
Tabari's Ta'rfkh al-Umam, Ibn Sad, Ibn Hisham, Mas'fidi's Murai adh-Dhahab,
Yaqut's Mu'jam alBulddn, and other early Muslim historians.)
**This may refer to the immediate
vicinity of the Ka'bah or, more probably (Manor I, 461 f.), to the sacred
precincts (haram) surrounding it. The word amn (lit., "safety")
denotes in this context a sanctuary for all living beings.
***The seven-fold circumambulation
(fawdf) of the Ka'bah is one of the rites of the pilgrimage, symbolically
indicating that all human actions and endeavours ought to have the idea of God
and His oneness for their centre.
2: 126
And, lo, Abraham prayed: "O my Sustainer! Make this a land secure, and grant its people fruitful sustenance - such of them as believe in God and the Last Day."
[God] answered: "And whoever shall deny the truth, him will I let enjoy himself for a short while -but in the end I shall drive him to suffering through fire: and how vile a journey's end!"
2: 127
And when Abraham and Ishmael were raising the foundations of the Temple, [they prayed:] "O our Sustainer! Accept Thou this from us: for, verily, Thou alone art all-hearing, all-knowing!
2: 128
"O our Sustainer! Make us surrender ourselves unto Thee, and make out of our offspring* a community that shall surrender itself unto Thee, and show us our ways of worship, and accept our repentance: for, verily, Thou alone art the Acceptor of Repentance, the Dispenser of Grace!
* The expression "our
offspring" indicates Abraham's progeny through his first-born son,
Ishmael, and is an indirect reference to the Prophet Muhammad. who descended
from the latter.
2: 129
"O our Sustainer! Raise up from the midst of our off spring* an apostle from among themselves, who shall convey unto them Thy messages, and impart unto them revelation as well as wisdom, and cause them to grow in purity: for, verily, Thou alone art almighty, truly wise!"
*Lit., "within them".
2: 130
And who, unless he be weak of mind, would want to abandon Abraham's creed, seeing that We have indeed raised him high in this world, and that, verily, in the life to come he shall be among the righteous?
2: 131
When his Sustainer said to him, "Surrender thyself unto Me!" - he answered, "I have surrendered myself unto [Thee,] the Sustainer of all the worlds."
2: 132
And this very thing did Abraham bequeath unto his children, and [so did] Jacob: "O my children! Behold, God has granted you the purest faith; so do not allow death to overtake you ere you have surrendered yourselves unto Him."
2: 133
Nay, but you [yourselves, O children of Israel,] bear witness* that when death was approaching Jacob, he said unto his sons: "Whom will you worship after I am gone?"
They answered: "We will worship thy God, the God of thy forefathers Abraham and Ishmael** and Isaac, the One God; and unto Him w;1l we surrender ourselves."
*I.e., "in the religious
traditions to which you adhere". It is to be noted that the conjunction am
which stands at the beginning of this sentence is not
always used in the interrogative sense ("is it that ... ?"):
sometimes -and especially when it is syntactically unconnected with the
preceding sentence, as in this case - it is an equivalent of bat
("rather", or "nay, but"), and has no interrogative
connotation.
**In classical Arabic, as in
ancient Hebrew usage, the term a%6 ("father") was applied not only to
the direct male parent but also to grandfathers and even more distant
ancestors, as well as to paternal uncles: which explains why Ishmael, who was
Jacob's uncle, is mentioned in this context. Since he was the first-born of
Abraham's sons, his name precedes that of Isaac.
2: 134
Now those people have passed away; unto them shall be accounted what they have earned, and unto you, what you have earned; and you will not be, judged on the strength of what they did.*
* Lit., "you will not be
asked about what they did". This verse, as well as verse 141 below,
stresses the fundamental Islamic tenet of individual responsibility, and denies
the Jewish idea of their being "the chosen people" by virtue of their
descent, as well as-by implication-the Christian doctrine of an "original
sin" with which all human beings are supposedly, burdened because of
Adam's fall from grace.
2: 135
AND THEY say, "Be Jews" - or, "Christians" - "and you shall be on the right path." Say: "Nay, but [ours is] the creed of Abraham, who turned away from all that is false,* and was not of those who ascribe divinity to aught beside God."
* The expression hanif is derived
from the verb hanafa, which literally means "he inclined [towards a right
state or tendency]" (cf. Lane II, 658). Already in pre-Islamic times, this
term had a definitely monotheistic connotation, and was used to describe a man
who turned away from sin and worldliness and from all dubious beliefs,
especially idol-worship; and tahannuf denoted the ardent devotions, mainly
consisting of long vigils and prayers, of the unitarian God-seekers of
pre-Islamic times. Many instances of this use of the terms hanif and tahannuf
occur in the verses of pre-Islamic poets, e.g., Umayyah ibn Abi 's-Salt and
Juan al-`Awd (cf. Lisdn al-'Arab, art. hanafa).
2: 136
Say: "We believe in God, and in that which has been bestowed from on high upon us, and that which has been bestowed upon Abraham and Ishmael and Isaac and Jacob and ,their descendants,* and that which has been vouchsafed to Moses and Jesus; and that which has been vouchsafed to all the [other] prophets by their Sustainer: we make no distinction between any of them.** And it is unto Him that we surrender ourselves."
* Lit., "the grandchildren"
(al-asbdt, sing. sibt) - a term used in the Qur'an to describe, in the first
instance, Abraham's, Isaac's and Jacob's immediate descendants, and,
consequently, the twelve tribes which evolved from this ancestry.
** Le., "we regard them all
as true prophets of God".
2: 137
And if [others] come to believe in the way you believe, they will indeed find themselves on the right path; and if they turn away, it is but they who will be deeply in the wrong, and God will protect thee from them: for He alone is all-hearing, all-knowing.
2: 138
[Say: "Our life takes its] hue from God! And who could give a better hue [to life] than God, if we but truly worship Him?"
2: 139
Say [to the Jews and the Christians]: "Do you argue with us about God?* But He is our Sustainer as well as your Sustainer - and unto us shall be accounted our deeds, and unto you, your deeds; and it- is unto Him alone that we devote ourselves.
*I.e., about God's will regarding
the succession of prophethood and man's ultimate salvation. The Jews believe
that prophethood was a privilege granted to the children of Israel alone, while
the Christians maintain that Jesus - who, too, descended from the children of
Israel - was God's final manifestation on earth; and each of these two denominations
claims that salvation is reserved to its followers alone (see 2: 111 and 135).
The Quean refutes these ideas by stressing, in the next sentence, that God is
the Lord of all mankind, and that every individual will be judged on the basis
of his own beliefs and his own behaviour alone.
2: 140
"Do you claim that Abraham and Ishmael and Isaac and Jacob and their descendants were `Jews' or `Christians'?"* Say: "Do you know more than God does? And who could be more wicked than he who suppresses a testimony given to him by God?** Yet God is not unmindful of what you do.
* Regarding the term asbat
(rendered here as well as in verse 136 as "descendants"), see note I
li above. In the above words the Qur'an alludes to thb fact that the concept of
"Jewry" came into being many centuries after the time of the
Patriarchs, and even long after the time of Moses, while the concepts of
"Christianity" and "Christians" were unknown in Jesus' time
and represent later developments.
** A reference to the Biblical
prediction of the coming of the Prophet Muhammad (see note 33 on verse 42 of
this sarah), which effectively contradicts the Judaeo-Christian claim that all true prophets, after the Patriarchs,
belonged to the children of Israel.
2: 141
"Now those people have passed away; unto them shall be accounted what they have earned, and unto you, what you have earned; and you will not be judged on the strength of what they did."
2: 142
THE WEAK-MINDED among people will say, "What has turned them away from the direction of prayer which they have hitherto observed?"*
Say: "God's is the east and the west; He guides whom He wills onto a straight way."**
* Before his call to prophethood,
and during the early Meccan period of his ministry, the Prophet-and his
community with him-used to turn in prayer towards the Ka`bah. This was not
prompted by any specific revelation, but was obviously due to the fact that the
Ka`bah-although it had in the meantime been filled with various idols to which
the pre-Islamic Arabs paid homage -was always regarded as the first temple ever
dedicated to the One God (cf. 3 : 96). Since he was aware of the sanctity of
Jerusalem - the other holy centre of the unitarian faith - the Prophet prayed,
as a rule, before the southern wall of the Ka`bah, towards the north, so as to
face both the Ka`bah and Jerusalem. After the exodus to Medina he continued to
pray northwards, with only Jerusalem as his giblah (direction of prayer). About
sixteen months after his arrival at Medina, however, he received a revelation (verses
142-150 of this sarah) which definitively established the Ka`bah as the giblah
of the followers of the Quc'an. This "abandonment" of Jerusalem
obviously displeased the Jews of Medina, who must have felt gratified when they
saw the Muslims praying towards their holy city; and it is to them that the opening sentence of this passage refers. If
one considers the matter from the historical point of view, there had never
been any change in the divine commandments relating to the giblah: there had
simply been no ordinance whatever in this respect before verses 142-150 were
revealed. Their logical connection with the preceding passages, which deal, in
the main, with Abraham and his creed, lies in the fact that it was Abraham who
erected the earliest structure of the temple which later came to be known as
the Ka'bah.
**Or: "He guides onto a
straight way him that wills [to be guided]".
2: 143
And thus have We willed you to be a community of the middle way,* so that [with your lives] you might bear witness to the truth before all mankind, and that the Apostle might bear witness to it before you.**
And it is only to the end that We might make a clear distinction between those who follow the Apostle and those who turn about on their heels that We have appointed [for this community] the direction of prayer which thou [O Prophet] hast formerly observed: for this was indeed a hard test for all but those whom God has guided aright.*** But God will surely not lose sight of your faith-for, behold, God is most compassionate towards man, a dispenser of grace.
* Lit., "middlemost
community"-i.e., a community that keeps an equitable balance between
extremes and is realistic in its appreciation of man's nature and possibilities,
rejecting both licentiousness and exaggerated asceticism. In tune with its
oft-repeated call to moderation in every aspect of life, the Qur'an exhorts the
believers not to place too great an emphasis on the physical and material
aspects of their lives, but postulates, at the same time, that man's urges and
desires relating to this "life of the flesh" are God-willed and,
therefore, legitimate. On further analysis, the expression "a community of
the middle way" might be said to summarize, as it were, the Islamic
attitude towards the problem of man's existence as such: a denial of the view
that there is an inherent conflict between the spirit and the flesh, and a bold
affirmation of the natural, God-willed unity in this twofold aspect of human
life. This balanced attitude, peculiar to Islam, flows directly from the
concept of God's oneness and, hence, of the unity of purpose underlying all His
creation: and thus, the mention of the "community of the middle way"
at this place is a fitting introduction to the theme of the Ka`bah, a. symbol
of God's oneness.
**I.e., "that your way of
life be an example to all mankind, just as the Apostle is an example to you„,
***I.e., "whom He has given
understanding" (Razi). The "hard test" (kabirah) consisted in
the fact that ever since their exodus to Medina the Muslims had become
accustomed to praying towards Jerusalem - associated in their minds with the
teachings of most of the earlier prophets mentioned in the Qur'an -and were now
called upon to turn in their prayers towards the Ka`bah, which at that time (in
the second year after the hijrah) was still used by the pagan Quraysh as a
shrine dedicated to the worship of their numerous idols. As against this, the
Qur'an states that true believers would not find it difficult to adopt the
Ka`bah once again as their giblah: they would instinctively realize the divine
wisdom underlying this commandment which established Abraham's Temple as a
symbol of God's oneness and a focal point of the ideological unity of Islam. (See
also note 116 above.)
2: 144
We have seen thee [O Prophet] often turn thy face towards heaven [for guidance]: and now We shall indeed make thee turn in prayer in a direction which will fulfil thy desire. Turn, then, thy face towards the Inviolable House of Worship; and wherever you all may be, turn your faces towards it [in prayer].
And, verily, those who have been vouchsafed revelation aforetime know well that this [commandment] comes in truth from their Sustainer; and God is not unaware of what they do.
2: 145
And yet, even if thou wert to place all evidence* before those who have been vouchsafed earlier revelation, they would not follow thy direction of prayer; and neither mayest thou follow their direction of prayer, nor even do they follow one another's direction. And if thou shouldst follow their errant views after all the knowledge that has come unto thee thou wouldst surely be among the evildoers.
* Lit., "every sign
(dyah)", i.e., of its being a revealed commandment.
2: 146
They unto whom We have vouchsafed revelation aforetime know it as they know their own children: but, behold, some of them knowingly suppress the truth - (2: 147) the truth from thy Sustainer!*
Be not, then, among the doubters: (2: 148) for, every community faces a direction of its own, of which He'is the focal point.** Vie, therefore, with one another in doing good works. Wherever you may be, God will gather you all unto Himself: for, verily, God has the power to will anything.
* This refers, in the first
instance, to the fact that the Ka`bah was Abraham's giblah, as well as to the
Biblical prophecies relating to Ishmael as the progenitor of a "great
nation" (Genesis xxi, 13 and 18) from whom a prophet "like unto
Moses" would one day arise: for it was through Ishamel's descendant, the
Arabian Prophet, that the commandment relating to the giblah was revealed.
(Regarding the still more explicit predictions of the future advent of the
Prophet Muhammad, forthcoming from the canonical Gospels, see 61 : 6 and the
corresponding note.)
**Lit., "everyone has a
direction. . .", etc. Almost all of the classical commentators, from the
Companions of the Prophet downwards, interpret this as a reference to the
various religious communities and their different modes of "turning towards
God" in worship. Ibn Kathyr, in his commentary on this verse, stresses its
inner resemblance to the phrase occurring in 5 : 48: "unto every one of
you have We appointed a [different] law and way of life". The statement
that "every community faces a direction of its own" in its endeavour
to express its submission to God implies, firstly, that at various times and in
various circumstances man's desire to approach God in prayer has taken
different forms (e.g., Abraham's choice of the Ka'bah as his giblah. the Jewish
concentration on Jerusalem, the eastward orientation of the early Christian
churches, and the Qur'anic commandment relating to the Ka`bah); and, secondly,
that the direction of prayerhowever important its symbolic significance may
be-does not represent the essence of faith as such: for, as the Quean says,
"true piety does not consist in turning your faces towards the east or the
west" (2: 177), and, "God's is the east and the west" (2: 115
and 142). Consequently, the revelation which established the Ka`bah as the
giblah of the Muslims should not be a matter of contention for people of other
faiths, nor a cause of their disbelief in the truth of the Qur'anic revelation
as such (Manor 11, 21 f.).
2: 149
Thus, from wherever thou mayest come forth, turn thy face [in prayer] towards the Inviolable House of Worship-for,. behold, this [commandment] comes in truth from thy Sustainer; and God is not unaware of what you do. (2: 150) Hence, from wherever thou mayest come forth, turn thy face [in prayer] towards the Inviolable House of Worship; and wherever you all may be, turn your faces towards it, so that people should have no argument against you unless they are bent upon wrongdoing.* And hold not them in awe, but stand in awe of Me, and [obey Me,] so that I might bestow upon you the full measure of My blessings., and that you might follow the right path.
* Lit., "except such among
them as are bent upon wrongdoing" (regarding the intent implied in the use
of the past tense in expressions like alladhrna zalama or alladhrna kafaru, see
note 6 on verse 6 of this sarah). The Qur'an stresses repeatedly that the
Muslims are true 1ollowers of Abraham. This claim, however, might have been
open to objection so long as they prayed in a direction other than Abraham's
giblah, the Ka`bah. The establishment of the latter as the giblah of the
followers of the Quean would invalidate any such argument and would leave it
only to "those who are bent upon wrongdoing" (in this case,
distorting the truth) to challenge the message of the Qur'an on these grounds.
2: 151
Even as We have sent unto you an apostle from among yourselves to convey unto you Our messages, and to cause you to grow in purity, and to impart unto you revelation and wisdom, and to teach you that which you knew not: (2: 152) so remember Me, and I shall remember you; and be grateful unto Me, and deny Me not.
2: 153
O YOU who have attained to faith! Seek aid in steadfast patience and prayer: for, behold, God is with those who are patient in adversity.
2: 154
And say not of those who are slain in God's cause, "They are dead": nay, they are alive, but you perceive it not.
2: 155
And most certainly shall We try you by means* of danger, and hunger, and loss of worldly goods, of lives and of [labour's] fruits. But give glad tidings unto those who are patient in adversity - (2: 156) who, when calamity befalls them, say, "Verily, unto God do we belong and, verily, unto Him we shall return." (2: 157) It is they upon whom their Sustainer's blessings and grace are bestowed, and it is they, they who are on the right path!
*125 Lit., "with
something".
2: 158
[Hence,] behold, As-Safa and Al-Marwah are among the symbols set up by God;* and thus, no wrong does he who, having come to the Temple on pilgrimage or on a pious visit, strides to and fro between these two:** for, if one does more good than he is bound to do-behold, God is responsive to gratitude, all-knowing.***
*Lit., "God's symbols".
The space between the two low outcrops of rock called As-Safa and AI-Marwah,
situated in Mecca in the immediate vicinity of the Ka`bah, is said to have been
the scene of Hagar's suffering when Abraham, following God's command, abandoned
her and their infant son Ishmael in the desert (see note 102 above). Distraught
with thirst and fearing for the life of her child, Hagar ran to and fro between
the two rocks and fervently prayed to God for succour: and, finally, her
reliance on God and her patience were rewarded by the discovery of a spring-existing
to this day and known as the Well of Zamzam - which saved the two from death
through thirst. It was in remembrance of Hagar's extreme trial, and of her
trust in God, that As-Safa and Al-Marwah had come to be regarded, even in
pre-Islamic times, as symbols of faith and patience in adversity: and this
explains their mentionen the context of the passages which deal with the
virtues of patience and trust in God (Razi).
**127 It is in commemoration of
Hagar's running in distress between As-$afa and Al-Marwah that the Mecca
pilgrims are expected to walk, at a fast pace, seven times between these two
hillocks. Because of the fact that in pre-Islamic times certain idols had been
standing there, some of the early Muslims were reluctant to perform a rite
which seemed to them to be associated with recent idolatry (Raz!, on the
authority of Ibn `Abbas). The above verse served to reassure them on this score
by pointing out that this symbolic act of remembrance was much older than the
idolatry practiced by the pagan Quraysh.
*** From the phrase "if one
does more good. than he is bound to do", read in conjunction with no wrong
does he who..." (or, more literally, "there shall be no blame upon
him who..."), some of the great Islamic scholars - e.g., Imam Abu Hanifah
- conclude that the walking to and fro bettween As-$afa and Al-Marwah is not one
of the obligatory rites of pilgrimage but rather a supererogatory act of piety
(see Zamakhshari and Razi). Most scholars, however, hold the view that it is an
integral part of the pilgrimage.
2: 159
BEHOLD, as for those who suppress aught of the evidence of the truth and of the guidance which We have bestowed from on high, after We have made it clear unto mankind through the divine writ - these it is whom God will reject, and whom all who can judge will reject.* (2: 160) Excepted, however, shall be they that repent, and put themselves to rights, and make known the truth: and it is they whose repentance I shall accept-for I alone am the Acceptor of Repentance, the Dispenser of Grace.
*Lit., "whom all who reject
will reject" - i.e., all righteous persons who are able to judge moral
issues. God's rejection (la`nah) denotes "exclusion from His grace"
(Manor II, 50). In classical Arabic usage, the primary meaning of ia'nah is
equivalent to ib'dd ("estrangement" or "banishment"); in
the terminology of the Qur'an, it signifies "rejection from all that is
good" (Lisan al-Arab). According to Ibn `Abbas and several outstanding
scholars of the next generation, the divine writ mentioned here is the Bible;
thus, the above verse refers to the Jews and the Christians.
2: 161
Behold, as for those who are bent on denying the truth and die as deniers of the truth -their due is rejection by God, and by the angels,, and by all [righteous] men. (2: 162) In this state shall they abide; [and] neither will their suffering, be lightened, nor will they be granted respite.
2: 163
AND YOUR GOD is the One God: there is no deity save Him, the Most Gracious, the Dispenser of Grace. (2: 164) Verily, in the creation of the heavens and of the earth, and the succession of night and day: and in the ships that speed through the sea with what is useful to man: and in the waters which God sends down from the sky, giving life thereby to the earth after it had, been lifeless, and causing all manner of living creatures to multiply thereon: and in the change of the winds, and the clouds that run their appointed courses between sky and earth: [in all this] there are messages indeed for people who use their reason.
*This passage is one of the many
in which the Qur'an appeals to "those who use their reason" to
observe the daily wonders of nature, including the evidence of man's own
ingenuity ("the ships that speed through the sea"), as so many indications
of a conscious, creative Power pervading the universe.
2: 165
And yet there are people who choose to believe in beings that allegedly rival God,* loving them as [only] God should be loved: whereas those who have attained to faith love God more than all else.
If they who are bent on evildoing could but see - as see they will when they are made to suffer** [on Resurrection Day] -that all might belongs to God alone, and that God is severe in [meting out] punishment!
* Lit., "there are among the
people such as take [to worshipping] compeers beside God". Regarding the
term andad, see note 13 on verse 22 of this surah.
** Lit., "when they see the
suffering" (or "chastisement").
2: 166
[On that Day] it will come to pass that those who had been [falsely] adored* shall disown their followers, and the latter shall see the suffering [that awaits them], with all their hopes** cut to pieces! (2: 167) And then those followers shall say: "Would that we had a second chance [in life],*** so that we could disown them as they have disowned us!"
Thus will God show them their works [in a manner that will cause them] batter regrets; but they will not come out of the fire.****
*Lit., "followed" -i.e.,
as saints or alleged "divine personalities".
** Asbdb (sing. sabab) denotes, in
its primary meaning, "ties" or "attachments", and in a
tropical sense, "means [towards any end]" (cf. Lisdn al-'Arab, and
Lane IV, 1285). In the above context, asbdb obviously refers to means of
salvation, and may thus be rendered as "hopes".
***Lit., "Would that there
were a return for us".
**** Sc., back to the life of this
world, with a second chance before them (Mandr 11, 81).
2: 168
O MANKIND! Partake of what is lawful and good on earth, and follow not Satan's footsteps: for, verily, he is your open foe, (2: 169) and bids you only to do evil, and to commit deeds of abomination, and to attribute unto God something of which you have no knowledge.*
*This refers to an arbitrary
attribution to God of commandments or prohibitions in excess of what has been
clearly ordained by Him (Zamakhshari). Some of the commentators (e.g., Muhammad
`Abduh in Mandr 11, 89 f.) include within this expression the innumerable
supposedly "legal" injunctions which, without being clearly warranted
by the wording of the Qur'an or an authentic Tradition, have been obtained by
individual Muslim scholars through subjective methods of deduction and then put
forward as "God's ordinances". The connection between this passage
and the preceding ones is obvious. In verses 165-167 the Qur'an speaks of those
"who choose to believe in beings that supposedly rival God": and this
implies also a false attribution, to those beings, of a right to issue
quasi-religious ordinances of their own, as well as an attribution of religious
validity to customs sanctioned by nothing but ancient usage (see next verse).
2: 170
But when they are told, "Follow what God has bestowed from on high," some answer, "Nay, we shall follow [only] that which we found our forefathers believing in and doing." Why, even if their forefathers did not use their reason at all, and were devoid of all guidance?
2: 171
And so, the parable of those who re bent on denying the truth is that of the beast which hears the shepherd's cry, and hears in it nothing but the sound of a voice and a call.* Deaf are they, and dumb, and blind: for they do not use their reason.
* This is a very free rendering of
the elliptic sentence which, literally, reads thus: "The parable of those
who are bent on denying the truth is as that of him who cries unto what hears
nothing but a cry and a call." The verb na'qa is mostly used to describe
the inarticulate cry with which the shepherd drives his flock.
2: 172
O you who have attained to faith! Partake of the good things which We have provided for you as sustenance, and render thanks unto God, if it is [truly] Him that you worship.
2: 173
He has forbidden to you only carrion, and blood, and the flesh of swine, and that over which any name other than God's has been invoked; * but if one is driven by necessity - neither coveting it nor exceeding his immediate need -no sin shall be upon him: for, behold, God is much-forgiving, a dispenser of grace.
*I.e., all that has been dedicated
or offered in sacrifice to an idol or a saint or a person considered to be
"divine". For a more comprehensive enumeration of the forbidden kinds
of flesh, see 5:3.
2: 174
VERILY, as for those who suppress aught of the revelation* which God has bestowed from on high, and barter it away for a trifling gain - they but fill their bellies with fire. And God will not speak unto them on the Day of Resurrection, nor will He cleanse them [of their sins]; and grievous suffering awaits them. (2: 175) It is they who take error in exchange for guidance, and suffering in exchange for forgiveness: yet how little do they seem to fear the fire!
* This term is used here in its
generic sense,. comprising both the Qur'an and the earlier revelations.
2: 176
Thus it is: since it is God who bestows* the divine writ from on high, setting forth the truth, all those who set their own views against the divine writ** are, verily, most deeply in the wrong.
* Lit., "has been
bestowing". Since the form nazzala implies gradualness and continuity in
the process of revelation, it can best be rendered by the use of the present
tense.
** Lit., "who hold discordant
views about the divine writ"-i.e., either suppressing or rejecting parts
of it, or denying its divine origin altogether (Razl').
2: 177
True piety does not consist in turning your faces towards the east or the west* - but truly pious is he who believes in God, and the Last Day; and the angels, and revelation,** and the prophets; and spends his substance - however much he himself may cherish - it - upon his near of kin, and the orphans, and the needy, and the wayfarer,*** and the beggars, and for the freeing of human beings from bondage;**** and is constant in prayer, and renders the purifying dues; and [truly pious are] they who keep their promises whenever they promise, and are patient in misfortune and hardship and in time of peril: it is they that have proved themselves true, and it is they, they who are conscious of God.
*Thus, the Qur'an stresses the
principle that mere compliance with outward forms does not fulfil the
requirements of piety. The reference to the turning of one's face in prayer ip
this or that direction flows from the passages which dealt, a short while ago,
with the question of the giblah.
** In this context, the term
"revelation" (al-kitdb) carries, according to most of the
commentators, a generic significance: it refers to the fact of divine
revelation as such. As regards belief in angels, it is postulated here because
it is through these spiritual beings or force's (belonging to the realm of al-ghayb,
i.e., the reality which is beyond the reach of human perception) that God
reveals His will to the prophets and, thus, to mankind at large.
*** The expression ibn as-sabrl
(lit., "son of the road") denotes any person who is far from his
home, and especially one who, because of this circumstance, does not have
sufficient means of livelihood at his disposal (cf. Lane IV, 1302). In its
wider sense it describes a person who, for any reason whatsoever, is unable to
return home either temporarily or permanently: for instance, a political exile
or refugee.
**** Ar-ragabah (of which ar-rigdb
is the plural) denotes, literally, "the neck", and signifies also the
whole of a human person. Metonymically, the expression fi 'r-rigdb denotes
"in the cause of freeing human beings from bondage", and applies to
both the ransoming of captives and the freeing of slaves. By including this
kind of expenditure within the essential acts of piety, the Qur'an implies that
the freeing of people from bondage = and, thus, the abolition of slavery - is
one of the social objectives of Islam. At the time of the revelation of the
Qurlan, slavery was an established institution throughout the world, and its
sudden abolition would have been economically impossible. In order to obviate
this difficulty, and at the same time to bring about an eventual abolition of
all slavery, the Quean ordains in 8 : 67 that henceforth only captives taken in
a just war (jihad) may be kept as slaves. But even with regard to persons
enslaved in this or-before the revelation of 8 : 67-in any other way, the
Qur'an stresses the great merit inherent in the freeing of slaves, and
stipulates it as a means of atonement for various transgressions (see, e.g., 4
: 92, 5 : 89, 58: 3). In addition, the Prophet emphatically stated on many
occasions that, in the sight of Gocj, the unconditional freeing of a human
being from bondage is among the most praiseworthy acts which a Muslim could
perform. (For a critical discussion and analysis of all the authentic
Traditions bearing on this problem, see IVayl al-Awtar VI, 199 ff.)
2: 178
O YOU who have attained to faith! Just retribution is ordained for you in cases of killing: the free for the free, and the slave for the slave, and the woman for the woman.[*1] And if something [of his guilt] is remitted to a guilty person by his brother,[*2] this [remission] shall be adhered to with fairness, and restitution to his fellow-man shall be made in a goodly manner.[*3]
This is an alleviation from your Sustainer, and an act of His grace. And for him who, none the less, [*4] wilfully transgresses the bounds of what is right, there is grievous suffering in store: (2: 179) for, in [the law of] just retribution, O you who are endowed with insight, there is life for you, so that you might remain conscious of God! [*5]
[*1] After having pointed out that
true piety does not consist in mere adherence to outward forms and rites, -the
Qur'an opens, as it were, a new chapter relating to the problem of man's
behaviour. Just as piety cannot become effective without righteous action,
individual righteousness cannot become really effective in the social sense
unless there is agreement within the community as to the social rights and
obligations of its members: in other words, as to the practical laws which should
govern the behaviour of the individual within the society and the society's
attitude towards the individual and his actions. This is the innermost reason
why legislation plays so great a role within the ideology of Islam, and why the
Qur'an consistently intertwines its moral and spiritual exhortation with
ordinances relating to practical aspects of social life. Now one of the main
problems facing any society is the safeguarding of the lives and the individual
security of its members: and so it is understandable that laws relating to
homicide and its punishment are dealt with prominently at this place. (It
should be borne in mind that "The Cow" was the first surah revealed
in Medina, that is, at the time when the Muslim community had just become
established as an independent social entity.)
As for the term gisds occurring at
the beginning of the above passage, it must be pointed out that-according to
all the classical commentators-it is alfiost synonymous with musawah, i.e.,
"making a thing equal [to another thing]": in this instance, making
the punishment equal (or appropriate) to the crime -a meaning which is best
rendered as "just retribution" and not (as has been often, and
erronepusly, done) as "retaliation". Seeing that the Qur'an speaks
here of "cases of killing" (fi 'I-gatla, lit., "in the matter of
the killed") in general, and taking into account that this expression
covers all possible cases of homicide -premeditated murder, murder under
extreme provocation, culpable homicide, accidental manslaughter, and so
forth-it is obvious that the taking of a life for a life (implied in the term
"retaliation") would not in every case correspond to the demands of
equity. (This has been made clear, for instance, in 4: 92, where legal
restitution for unintentional homicide is dealt with.) Read in conjunction with
the term "just retribution" which introduces this passage, it is
clear that the stipulation "the free for the free, the slave for the
slave, the woman for the woman" cannot - and has not been intended to - be
taken in its literal, restrictive sense: for this would preclude its
application to many cases of homicide, e.g., the killing of a free man by a
slave, or of a woman by a man, or vice-versa. Thus, the above stipulation must
be regarded as an example of the elliptical mode of expression (ijdz) so
frequently employed in the Qur'an, and can have but one meaning, namely:
"if a free man has committed the crime, the free man must be punished; if
a slave has commited the crime. ..", etc.-in other words, whatever the
status of the guilty person, he or she (and he or she alone) is to be punished
in a manner appropriate to the crime.
[*2] Lit., "and he to whom
[something] is remitted by his brother". There is no linguistic
justification whatever for attributing-as some of the commentators have
done-the pronoun "his" to the victim and, thus, for assuming that the
expression "brother" stands for the victim's "family" or
"blood relations". The pronoun "his" refers,
unquestionably, to the guilty person; and since there is no reason for assuming
that by "his brother" a real brother is meant, we cannot escape the
conclusion that it denotes here "his brother in faith" of "his
fellow-man" -in either of which terms the whole community is included.
Thus, the expression "if something is remitted to a guilty person by his
brother" (i.e., by the community or its legal organs) may refer either to
the establishment of mitigating circumstances in a case of murder, or to the
finding that the case under trial falls within the categories of culpable
homicide or manslaughter - in which cases no capital punishment is to be
exacted and restitution is to be made by the payment of an indemnity called
diyyah (see 4 : 92) to the relatives of the victim. In consonance with the
oft-recurring Qur'anic exhortation to forgiveness and forbearance, the
"remission" mentioned above may also (and especially in cases of
accidental manslaughter) relate to a partial or even total waiving of any claim
to indemnification.
[*3] Lit., "and restitution
to him in a goodly manner", it being understood that the pronoun in ilayhi
("to him") refers to the "brother in faith" or
"fellow-man" mentioned earlier in this sentence. The word add' (here
translated as "restitution") denotes an act of acquitting oneself of a
duty or a debt (cf. Lane I, 38), and stands here for the act of legal
reparation imposed on the guilty person. This reparation or restitution is to
be made "in a goodly manner" -by taking into account the situation of the accused and, on the latter's part, by
acquitting himself of his obligation willingly and sincerely (cf. Mandr II,
129).
[*4] Lit., "after
this"-i.e., after the meaning of what constitutes "just
retribution" (gisds) has been made clear in the above ordinance (Razi).
[*5] I.e., "there is a
safeguard for you, as a community, so that you might be able to live in
security, as God wants you to live". Thus, the objective of qisds is the
protection of the society, and not "revenge".
2: 180
IT IS ordained for you, when death approaches any of you and he is leaving behind much wealth, to make bequests in favour of his parents and [other] near of kin in accordance with what is fair:* I this is binding on all who are conscious of God. (2: 181) And if anyone alters such a provision._ after having come to know it, the sin of acting thus shall fall only upon those who have altered it.** Verily, God is all-hearing, all-knowing.
*The word khayr occurring in this
sentence denotes "much wealth" and not simply "property":
and this explains the injunction that one who leaves much wealth behind should
make bequests to particularly deserving members of his family in addition to -
and preceding the distribution of-the legally-fixed shares mentioned in 4:
11-12. This interpretation of khayr is supported by sayings of `A'ishah and
`All ibn AM Talib, both of them referring to this particular verse (cf.
Zamakhshari and Baydawi).
**Lit., "and as for him who
alters it" -i.e., after the testator's death- "after having heard it,
the sin thereof is only upon those who alter it": that is, not on anyone
who may have unwittingly benefited by this alteration. It is to be noted that
the verb sami'a (lit., "he heard") has also the connotation of
"he came to know".
2: 182
If, however, one has reason to fear that the testator has committed a mistake or a [deliberate] wrong, and thereupon brings about a settlement between the heirs,* he will incur no sin [thereby]. Verily, God is much-forgiving, a dispenser of grace.
*154 Lit., "between
them" - i.e., a settlement overriding the testamentary provisions which,
by common consent of the parties concerned, are considered unjust.
2: 183
O YOU who have attained to faith! Fasting is ordained for you as it was ordained for those before you, so that you might remain conscious of God: (2: 184) [fasting] during a certain number of days.* But whoever of you is ill, or on a journey, [shall fast instead for the same] number of other days; and [in such cases] it is incumbent upon those who can afford it to make sacrifice by feeding a needy person.**
And whoever does more good than he is bound to do*** does good unto himself thereby; for to fast is to do good unto yourselves - if you but knew it.
* I.e., during the twenty-nine or
thirty days of Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar (see next
verse). It consists of a total abstention from food, drink and sexual
intercourse from dawn until sunset. As the Qur'an points out, fasting has been
widely practiced at all times of man's religious history. The extreme rigour
and the long duration of the Islamic fast-which is incumbent on every healthy
adult, man or woman - fulfils, in addition to the general aim of spiritual
purification, a threefold purpose: (1) to commemorate
the beginning of the Qur'anic revelation, which took place in the month of
Ramadan about thirteen years before the Prophet's exodus to Medina; (2) to
provide an exacting exercise of self-discipline; and (3) to make everyone
realize, through his or her own experience, how it feels to be hungry and
thirsty, and thus to gain a true appreciation of the needs of the poor.
** This phrase has been subject to
a number of conflicting and sometimes highly laboured interpretations. My
rendering is based on the primary meaning of alladhfna yutfqunahu ("those
who are capable of it" or "are able to do it" or "can
afford it"), with the pronoun hu relating to the act of "feeding a
needy person".
*** Some commentators are of the
opinion that this refers to a voluntary feeding of more than one needy person,
or to feeding the needy for more than the number of days required by the above
ordinance. Since, however, the remaining part of the sentence speaks of the
benefits of fasting as such, it is more probable that "doing more good
than one is bound to do" refers, in this context, to supererogatory
fasting (such as the Prophet sometimes undertook) apart from the obligatory one
during the month of Ramadan.
2: 185
It was the month of Ramadan in which the Qur'an was [first] bestowed from on high as a guidance unto man and a self-evident proof of that guidance, and as the standard by which to discern the true from the false. Hence, whoever of you lives to see* this month shall fast throughout it; but he that is ill, or on a journey, [shall fast instead for the same] number of other days. God wills that you shall have ease, and does not will you to suffer hardship; but [He desires] that you complete the number [of days required], and that you extol God for His having guided you aright, and that you render your thanks [unto Him].
* Lit., "witnesses" or
"is present in".
2: 186
AND IF My servants ask thee about Me - behold, I am near; I respond to the call of him who calls, whenever he calls unto Me: let them, then, respond unto Me, and believe in Me, so that they might follow the right way.
2: 187
IT IS lawful for you to go in unto your wives during the night preceding the [day's] fast: they are as a garment for you, and you are as a garment for them. God is aware that you would have deprived yourselves of this right,* and so He has turned unto you in His mercy and removed this hardship from you. Now, then, you may lie with them skin to skin, and avail yourselves of that which God has ordained for you,** and eat and drink until you can discern the white streak of dawn against the blackness of night,*** and then resume fasting until nightfall; but do not lie with them skin to skin when you are about to abide.in meditation in houses of worship.****
These are the bounds set by God: do not, then, offend against them - [for] it is thus that God makes clear His messages unto mankind, so that they might remain conscious of Him.
* Lit., "deceived" of
"defrauded yourselves [in this respect]": an allusion to the idea
prevalent among the early Muslims, before the revelation of this verse, that
during the period of fasting all sexual intercourse should be avoided, even at
night-time, when eating and drinking are allowed (Razi). The above verse
removed this misconception.
** Lit., "and seek that which
God has ordained for you": an obvious stress on the God-willed nature of
sexual life.
*** Lit., "the white line of
dawn from the black line [of night]". According to all Arab philologists,
the "black line" (al-khayt al'-aswad) signifies "the blackness
of night" (Lane II, 831); and the expression al-khaytdn ("the two
lines" or "streaks") denotes "day and night" (Lisdn
al-Arab).
**** It was the practice of the
Prophet to spend several days and nights during Ramadan-and occasionally also
at other times - in the mosque, devoting himself to prayer and meditation to
the exclusion of all worldly activities; and since he advised his followers as
well to do this from time to time, seclusion in a mosque for the sake of
meditation, called i'tikdf, has become a recognizedthough optional- mode of
devotion among Muslims, especiahy during the last ten days of Ramadan.
2: 188
AND DEVOUR NOT one another's possessions wrongfully, and neither employ legal artifices* with a view to devouring sinfully, and knowingly, anything that by right belongs to others.**
* Lit., "and do not throw it
to the judges" - i.e., with a view to being decided by them contrary to
what is right (Zamakhshari, Baydaw!).
** Lit., "a part of [other]
people's possessions".
2: 189
THEY WILL ASK thee about the new moons. Say: "They indicate the periods for [various doings of] mankind, including the pilgrimage."*
However, piety does not consist in your entering houses from the rear, [as it were,] but truly pious is he who is conscious of God.** Hence, enter houses through their doors, and remain conscious of God, so that you might attain to a happy state.
* The reference, at this stage, to lunar months arises from the fact that the observance of several of the religious obligations instituted by Islam - like the fast of Ramadan, or the pilgrimage to Mecca (which is dealt with in verses 196-203)-is based on the lunar calendar, in which the months rotate through the seasons of the solar year. This fixation on the lunar calendar results in a continuous variation of the seasonal circumstances in which those religious observances are performed (e.g., the length of the fasting-period between dawn and sunset, heat or cold at the time of the fast or the pilgrimage), and thus in a corresponding, periodical increase or decrease of the hardship involved. In addition to this, reckoning by lunar months has a bearing on the tide and ebb of the oceans, as well as on human physiology (e.g., a woman's monthly courses -a subject dealt with later on in this surah).
**I.e., true piety does not
consist in approaching questions of faith through a "back door", as
it were - that is,'through mere observance of the forms and periods set for the
performance of various religious duties (cf. 2 : 177). However important these
forms and time-limits may be in themselves, they do not fulfil their real
purpose unless every act is approached through its spiritual "front
door", that is, through
God-consciousness. Since, metonymically, the word bab ("door")
signifies "a means of access to, or of attainment of, a thing" (see
Lane I, 272), the metaphor of "entering a house through its door" is
often used in classical Arabic to denote a proper approach to a problem (Razi).
2: 190
AND FIGHT in God's cause against those who wage war against you, but do not commit aggression-for, verily, God does not love aggressors.* (2: 191) And slay them wherever you may come upon them, and drive them away from wherever they drove you away - for oppression is even worse than killing.** And fight not against them near the Inviolable House of Worship unless they fight against you there first;*** but if they fight against you, slay them: such shall be the recompense of those who deny the truth.
* This and the following verses
lay down unequivocally that only self-defence (in the widest sense of the word)
makes war permissible for Muslims. Most of the commentators agree in that the
expression la ta'tadu signifies, in this context, "do not commit
aggression"; while by al=mu'tadin "those who commit aggression"
are meant. The defensive character of a fight "in God's cause" - that
is, in the cause of the ethical principles ordained by God - is, moreover,
self-evident in the reference to "those who wage war against you",
and has been still further clarified in 22: 39 - "permission [to fight] is
given to those against whom war is being wrongfully waged" - which,
according to all available Traditions, constitutes the earliest (and therefore
fundamental) Queanic reference to the question of jihad, or holy war (see
Tabari and Ibn Kathir in their commentaries on 22: 39). That this early,
fundamental principle of self-defence as the only possible justification of war
has been maintained throughout the Quean is evident from 60: 8, as well as from
the concluding sentence of 4: 91, both of which belong to a later period than
the above verse.
** In view of the preceding
ordinance, the injunction "slay them wherever you may come upon them"
is valid only within the context of hostilities already in progress (Razi), on
the understanding that "those who wage war against you" are the
aggressors or oppressors (a war of liberation being a war "in God's
cause"). The translation, in this context, of fitnah as
"oppression" is justified by the application of this term to any
affliction which may cause man to go astray and to lose his faith in spiritual
values (cf. Lisdn al-Arab).
*** This reference to warfare in
the vicinity of Mecca is due to the fact that at the time of the revelation of
this verse the Holy City was still in the possession of the pagan Quraysh, who
were hostile to the Muslims. However - as is always the case with historical
references in the Qur'an - the above injunction has a general import, and is
valid for all times and circumstances.
2: 192
But if they desist-behold, God is much-forgiving, a dispenser of grace.
2: 193
Hence, fight against them until there is no more oppression and all worship is devoted to God alone;* but if they desist, then all hostility shall cease, save against those who [wilfully] do wrong.
* Lit., "and religion belongs
to God [alone]" - i.e., until God can be worshipped without fear of
persecution, and none is compelled to bow down in awe before another human
being. (See also 22: 40.) The term din is in this context more suitably translated
as "worship" inasmuch as it comprises here both the doctrinal and the
moral aspects of religion: that is to say, man's faith as well as the
obligations arising from that faith.
2: 194
Fight during the sacred months if you are attacked:* for a violation of sanctity is [subject to the law of] just retribution. Thus, if anyone commits aggression against you, attack him just as he has attacked you - but remain conscious of God, and know that God is with those who are conscious of Him.**
* This is a free rendering of the
phrase "the sacred month for the sacred month", which is interpreted by all commentators in the sense given above.
The "sacred months" during which, according to ancient Arab custom,
all fighting was deemed utterly wrong, were the first, seventh, ; eleventh and
twelfth months of the lunar calendar.
**Thus, although the believers are
enjoined to fight back whenever they are attacked, the concluding words of the
above verse make it clear that they must, when fighting, abstain from all
atrocities, including the killing of non-combatants.
2: 195
And spend [freely] in God's cause, and let not your own hands throw you into destruction;* and persevere in doing good: behold, God loves the doers of good.
*173 Le., "you might bring
about your own destruction by withholding your personal and material
contribution to this common effort".
2: 196
AND PERFORM the pilgrimage and the pious visit [to Mecca] [*1] in honour of God; and if you are held back, give instead whatever offering you can easily afford. And do not shave your heads until the offering has been sacrificed; [*2] but he from among you who is ill or suffers from an ailment of the head shall redeem himself by fasting, or alms, or [any other] act of worship. And if you are hale and secure, [*3] then he who takes advantage of a pious visit before'the [time of] pilgrimage shall give whatever offering he can easily afford; [*4] whereas he who cannot afford it shall fast for three days during the pilgrimage and for seven days after your return: that is, ten full [days]. All this relates to him who does not live near the Inviolable House of Worship.[*5]
And remain conscious of God, and know that God is severe in retribution.[*6]
[*1] The Mecca pilgrimage (hajj)
takes place once a year, in the month of Dhu '1-Hijjah, whereas a pious visit
(`umrah) may be performed at any time. In both hajj and `umrah, the pilgrims
are required to walk seven times around the Ka`bah and seven times between
As-$afa and AI-Marwah (see notes 127 and 128 above); in the course of the hajj,
they must, in addition, attend the gathering on the plain of 'Arafat on the 9th
of Dhu '1-Hijjah (see note 182 below). irrespective of whether they are
performing a full hajj or only an `umrah, the pilgrims must refrain from
cutting or even trimming the hair on their heads from the time they enter the
state of pilgrimage (ihram) until the end of the pilgrimage, respectively the
pious visit. As mentioned in the sequence, persons who are ill or suffer from
an ailment which necessitates the cutting or shaving of one's hair are exempted
from this prohibition.
[*2] Lit., "until the
offering has reached its destination" - i.e., in time or in place;
according to RAzl, the time of sacrifice is meant here, namely, the
conclusion`of the pilgrimage, when those who participate in the hajj are
expected-provided they can afford it-to sacrifice a sheep, a goat, or the like;
and to distribute most of its flesh in charity.
[*3] The expression idhd amantum
(lit., "when you are safe") refers here to safety both from external
dangers (e.g., war) and from illness, and is, therefore, best rendered as
"hale and secure" - the implication being that the person concerned
is in a position, and intends, to participate in the pilgrimage.
[*4] This relates to an interruption, for the sake
of personal comfort, of the state of pilgrimage (ihram) during the time
intervening between the completion of an `umrah and the performance of the hajj
(cf. Mandr 11, 222). The pilgrim who takes advantage of this facility is
obliged to sacrifice an animal (see note 175 above) at the termination of the
pilgrimage or, alternatively, to fast for ten days.
[*5] Lit., "whose people are
not present at the Inviolable House of Worship" -i.e., do not permanently
reside there: for, obviously, the inhabitants of Mecca cannot remain
permanently in the state of ihrdm.
[*6] This refers not merely to a
possible violation of the sanctity of the pilgrimage but also, in a more
general way, to all deliberate violations of God's ordinances.
2: 197
The pilgrimage shall take place in the months appointed for it.[*1] And whoever undertakes the pilgrimage in those [months] shall, while on pilgrimage, abstain from lewd speech, from all wicked conduct, and from quarrelling; and whatever good you may do, God is aware of it.
And make provision for yourselves - but, verily, the best of all provisions is God-consciousness: remain, then, conscious of Me, O you who are endowed with insight! (2: 198) [However,] you will be committing no sin if [during the pilgrimage] you seek to obtain any bounty from your Sustainer.[*2]
And when you surge downward in multitudes from `Arafat, [*3] remember God at the holy place, and remember Him as the One who guided you after you had indeed been lost on your way;[*4] (2: 199) and surge onward together with the multitude of all the other people who surge onward,[*5] and ask God to forgive you your sins: for, verily, God is much-forgiving, a dispenser of grace.
[*1] Lit., "in the well-known months". Since the haii
culminates in one particular month (namely, Dhu 'I-Hijjah), the plural
apparently refers to its annual recurrence. It should, however, be noted that
some commentators understand it as referring to the last three months of the
lunar year.
[*2] I.e., by trading while in the
state of ihrdm. Muhammad `Abduh points out (in Manar II, 231) that the
endeavour "to obtain any bounty from your Sustainer" implies
God-consciousness and, therefore, constitutes a kind of worship-provided, of
course, that this endeavour does not conflict with any other, more prominent
religious requirement.
[*3] The gathering of all pilgrims
on the plain of `Arafat, east of Mecca, takes place on the 9th of Dhu '1-Hijjah
and constitutes the climax of the pilgrimage. The pilgrims are required to
remain until sunset on that plain, below the hillock known as Jabal ar-Rahmah
("the Mount of Grace") - a symbolic act meant to bring to mind that
ultimate gathering on Resurrection Day, when every soul will await God's
judgment. Immediately after sunset, the multitudes of pilgrims move back in the
direction of Mecca, stopping overnight at a place called Muzdalifah, the
"holy place" referred to in the next clause of this sentence.
[*4] Lit., "and remember Him
as He has guided you, although before that you had indeed been among those who
go astray".
[*5] Lit., "surge onward in
multitudes whence the people surge onward in multitudes": thus the
pilgrims are called upon to submerge their individualities, at that supreme moment
of the pilgrimage, in the consciousness of belonging to a community of people
who are all equal before God, with no barrier of race or class or social status
separating one person from another.