Al-Baqara

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Folio from the Blue Quran with the fragment of the chapter Al-Baqara. Museum of Islamic Art, Doha.
Left-side of a Double-page Opening of the Qur'an from Terengganu with beginning of the chapter Al-Baqara. End of the 18th or 19th century. Asian Civilisations Museum.

Al-Baqara, alternatively transliterated Al-Baqarah (

lām (ل), and mīm (م).[2][3] Q2:282
is the longest single verse in the Quran.

The sūrah encompasses a variety of topics and contains several commands for Muslims such as enjoining fasting on the believer during the month of

Munafiqun) of the fate God had visited in the past on those who failed to heed his call.[5]

Al-Baqara is believed by Muslims to have been

Hijrah, with the exception of the riba verses which Muslims believe were revealed during the Farewell Pilgrimage, the last Hajj of Muhammad.[6][7] In particular, verse 281 in this chapter is believed to be the last verse of the Quran to be revealed, on the 10th day of Dhu al-Hijja 10 A.H., when Muhammad was in the course of performing his last Hajj, 80 or 90 days before he died.[8]

Summary

Theme and subject matter

1-7 God-fearing rewarded, Unbelievers reproved

Following the muqatta'at, Al-Baqara begins with the declaration that the Quran is free of doubt and contains guidance for those who possess

al-ghaib (Unseen, ghayb, lit. “absent”),[11] offer salah, spend zakat from what is provided to them, believe in Muhammad's prophethood and that of the other prophets, and the books revealed to them.[10]

There follows a description of the

Last Judgment, but do not actually believe in them. It is said that they try to deceive God and the mumins (believers) but they deceive themselves without perception, that in their hearts is a disease which God increases, and that they will be punished with a painful torment. The munafiqs are also said to spread fasad (disorder/mischief) in the land, while claiming to spread peace, and to call the believers fools. To the believers they say they believe, but when they go back to their devils, they tell confess their disbelief, but they do not know that God deceives them and increases their deviation. They are then called those who engage in a profitless trade, the purchase of error with guidance. The munafiqs are then likened to a person who starts a fire and feels safe in its immediate surrounding, but God extinguishes the fire and the person is covered in darkness. The Quran then calls them deaf, dumb, and blind. Another example given is that of a person wandering in rain, thunder and lightning in darkness, such that they would have to thrust their fingers into their ears out of the fear of death. The lightning is so bright that it almost takes away their sight, but they walk toward it whenever it strikes, and stay put when it is dark.[13]

Mankind is then asked to worship God to acquire taqwa, and a description of God's creations follows: the earth as a resting place, the sky as a canopy, and rain sent from the sky to bring forth fruit and provision. They are then advised to not set up others in worship beside God. Those who doubt that the Quran was revealed to Muhammad are then challenged to produce a surah similar to it. It is then said that they will never be able to fulfill this challenge and are asked to fear Hell, which is described as being fueled with men and stones and specifically prepared for the kafirs.[14]

The stories in this chapter are told to help the reader understand the theological conception of truth in Islam.[15]

8-20 The hypocrites

Q2:8-20 in Surah Al Baqarah refer to the hypocrites (

Abd-Allah ibn Ubayy who was about to be crowned king before the arrival of Muhammad in Medina
. The hypocrites benefitted from the Muslims while not losing their association with the disbelievers. They were considered disloyal to both parties and inclined towards those who benefited them the most in the worldly sense

The surah also sheds light on the concept of

Nifaq
, which is opposite of sincerity. It is of two types:

1) Nifaq in belief: outwardly showing belief however in reality there is no belief[16]

2) Nifaq in practice: where people believe however they act like hypocrites. The signs of a hypocrite are lying, breaking promises, not keeping an amaanah or trust and when they argue they curse or use bad language.

According to a prominent scholar, Kamaluddin Ahmed, Nifaq is something that is within the heart, hence no one knows of its existence except God. Therefore, no one can be called a hypocrite or

Munaafiq through one's own self-assessment. This would amount to making Takfeer i.e. calling someone a Kafir (non-believer)
since Nifaq (hypocrisy) in belief is kufr.

26 Commences with

rubʿ al-ḥizb
), an Islamic symbol.

87-105 is preserved in the

Ṣan‘ā’1 lower text.[18]

Indeed, We gave Moses the Book and sent after him successive messengers. And We gave Jesus, son of Mary, clear proofs and supported him with the
holy spirit. Why is it that every time a messenger comes to you ˹Israelites˺ with something you do not like, you become arrogant, rejecting some and killing others?(2:84
)

Condemnation of alcoholic beverages and gambling is also first found in the chapter,[19] and it is one of only four chapters in the Quran to refer to Christians as Nazarenes instead of the more frequent terms People of the Book or "Helpers of Christ."[20]

Al-Baqarah contains several verses dealing with the subject of warfare. Q2:190-194 are quoted on the nature of

battle in Islam
.

The surah includes a few Islamic rules related to varying subjects, such as: prayers, fasting, striving on the path of God, the pilgrimage to Mecca, the change of the direction of prayer (

Qiblah) from Jerusalem to Mecca, marriage and divorce, commerce, debt, and a great many of the ordinances concerning interest or usury.[5]

255 "The Throne Verse"

Quran 2 includes many verses which have virtues like the special

Verse of the Throne (Aayatul Kursi)
. Muhammad is reported to have said,

"Do not turn your houses into graves. Verily, Satan does not enter the house where Surat Al-Baqarah is recited." [Muslim, Tirmidhi, Musnad Ahmed]

Ad-Darimi also recorded that Ash-Sha'bi said that 'Abdullah bin Mas'ud said, "Whoever recites ten Ayat from Surat Al-Baqarah in a night, then Satan will not enter his house that night. (These ten Ayat are) four from the beginning, Ayat Al-Kursi (2:255), the following two Ayat (2:256-257) and the last three Ayat."

Verse 255 is "

Islamic world
due to its emphatic description of God's omnipotence in Islam.

Verse 256
is one of the most quoted verses in the Quran. It famously notes that "There is no compulsion in religion".

256 No compulsion in religion

Main article:
Q2:256

282 "Verse of Loan and Women's testimony"

Main article: Verse of Loan

Verse 2:282 covers two specific

Islamic jurisprudence
issues: (1) undertaking a loan and (2) the status of women's testimony.

Amin Ahsan Islahi in his Tafsir of Surah al-Baqarah says when there is a loan transaction for a specific period of time, it must be formally written down. Both the lender and the debtor must trust the writer. There must be two witnesses: two men, or one man and two women. The security of the writer must be guaranteed. The length of the contract should be stated exactly.[21][22]

Main article: Status of women's testimony in Islam

al-Jalalayn says, "summon to bear witness the debt two witnesses men mature Muslim free men; or if the two witnesses be not men then one man and two women".[23]

Moses

Moses is referenced several times in Al-Baqara:

See also

Notes

References

  1. ISBN 9781134227471
  2. ^ Quran 2:1
  3. The Koran: Commonly Called the Alkoran of Mohammed
    ... New York: John B. Alden.
  4. ^ Michael Binyon, Fighting is 'allowed' during the holy month of fasting The Times, 18 December 1998
  5. ^ a b Sadr-'ameli Sayyid Abbas. "Surah Al-Baqarah, Chapter 2, Introduction". Al-islam. Retrieved 14 May 2015.
  6. ISBN 9780791495469
  7. Maariful Quran
  8. Qurtubi
  9. ^ Wherry, Elwood Morris (1896). A Complete Index to Sale's Text, Preliminary Discourse, and Notes. London: Kegan Paul, Trench, Trubner, and Co. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  10. ^
    ISBN 9781591440208
    .
  11. ^
    Study Quran
  12. ISBN 9781591440208
    .
  13. ISBN 9781591440208
    .
  14. ISBN 9781591440208
    .
  15. ISBN 9780825493423
  16. ^ "ترجمة السورة البقرة | مركز نور إنترناشيونال". ترجمة السورة البقرة | مركز نور إنترناشيونال. Retrieved 2021-07-08.
  17. ^ Quran 2:26
  18. ^ Behnam Sadeghi & Mohsen Goudarzi, "Sana'a and the Origins of the Qu'ran", Der Islam, 87 (2012), 37.
  19. ISBN 9780791450536
  20. ISBN 9789042010819
  21. ISBN 978-983-9154-88-7
    .
  22. ^ Tafsir Ibn Kathir 2:282
  23. ^ al-Jalalayn. "The Tasfirs". altafsir.com. Retrieved 7 May 2020.

External links

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