amأَمْ Or ḥasib'tum حَسِبْتُمْ (do) you think an أَن that tadkhulū تَدْخُلُوا۟ you will enter l-janata ٱلْجَنَّةَ Paradise walammā وَلَمَّا while not yatikum يَأْتِكُم (has) come to you mathalu مَّثَلُ like (came to) alladhīna ٱلَّذِينَ those who khalaw خَلَوْا۟ passed away min مِن from qablikum قَبْلِكُمۖ before you? massathumu مَّسَّتْهُمُ KenapaTuhan Memberi Kita Masalah ? Sesungguhnya cobaan adalah cara Allah untuk mengetahui maqam (tingkat) keimanan manusia. Dan dengan cobaan itu, menjadikan manusia siap memasuki surga sebagaimana yang disampaikan Allah dalam Surah Al-Baqarah ayat 214 berbunyi: “Am hasibtum an tadkhulul jannata wa lamma ya’tikum matsalulladzina Sura2 Al-Baqarah. It is the longest chapter of the Quran and covers a wide variety of topics, including a considerable amount of laws and narratives. Biblical episodes include the story of Adam and the fallen Angel Satan, Abraham, Moses and other prophets and patriarchs. An important theme is the “Straight Path”, meaning the directions amhasibtum an tadkhulul jannata wa lamm ya`tikum matsalul-ladzna kholaw min qoblikum, massat-humul ba`s`u wadh-dhorr`u wa zulzil hatt yaqlar-roslu wal-ladzna man maahu mat nashrullh, al inna nashrollha qorb. Apakah kalian mengira bahwa kalian akan masuk surga, padahal belum datang (cobaan) kepada kalian sebagaimana halnya orang-orang terdahulu Amhasibtum an tadkhulul Jannnata wa lammaa ya'lamil laahul lazeena jaahadoo minkum wa ya'lamas saabireen; Kulu nafsin zaaa'iqatul mawt; wa innamaa tuwaffawna ujoorakum Yawmal Qiyaamati faman zuhziha 'anin Naari waudkhilal Jannata faqad faaz; wa mal hayaatud dunyaaa illaa mataa'ul ghuroor; Amhasibtum an tadkhulul jannata wa lammaa yaa-tikum masalul lazeena khalaw min qablikum massathumul baasaaa'u waddarraaaa'u wa zulziloo hattaa yaqoolar Rasoolu wallazeena aamanoo ma'ahoo mataa nasrul laah; alaaa inna nasral laahiqareeb 215. Thepurpose of this blog is for people to reflect on the verse of the Quran they are reading. I am not determining the lengths of the sections but rather i am copying and pasting them from quran411.com. I will try to limit myself to the ayats at hand, but people can connect the ayats to other ayats of the quran or hadiths. Monday, 26 May 2014. EPMKK. We trust our Lord will give us a better garden than this, for we are indeed turning to our Lord with hope.” Quran 6832 As for those who believe, do good, and have faith in what has been revealed to Muḥammad—which is the truth from their Lord—He will absolve them of their sins and improve their condition. Quran 472 اَمْ حَسِبْتُمْ اَنْ تَدْخُلُوا الْجَنَّةَ وَلَمَّا يَأْتِكُمْ مَّثَلُ الَّذِيْنَ خَلَوْا مِنْ قَبْلِكُمْ ۗ مَسَّتْهُمُ الْبَأْسَاۤءُ وَالضَّرَّاۤءُ وَزُلْزِلُوْا حَتّٰى يَقُوْلَ الرَّسُوْلُ وَالَّذِيْنَ اٰمَنُوْا مَعَهٗ مَتٰى نَصْرُ اللّٰهِ ۗ اَلَآ اِنَّ نَصْرَ اللّٰهِ قَرِيْبٌ البقرة ٢١٤ ḥasib'tumحَسِبْتُمْdo you thinktadkhulūتَدْخُلُوا۟you will enterl-janataٱلْجَنَّةَParadiseyatikumيَأْتِكُمhas come to youmathaluمَّثَلُlike came toalladhīnaٱلَّذِينَthose whokhalawخَلَوْا۟passed awayqablikumقَبْلِكُمۖbefore you?massathumuمَّسَّتْهُمُTouched theml-basāuٱلْبَأْسَآءُ[the] adversitywal-ḍarāuوَٱلضَّرَّآءُand [the] hardshipwazul'zilūوَزُلْزِلُوا۟and they were shakenl-rasūluٱلرَّسُولُthe Messengerwa-alladhīnaوَٱلَّذِينَand those whonaṣruنَصْرُ[will] the helpl-lahiٱللَّهِۗof Allah comeAm hasibtum an tadkhulul jannata wa lammaa yaa-tikum masalul lazeena khalaw min qablikum massathumul baasaaa'u waddarraaaa'u wa zulziloo hattaa yaqoolar Rasoolu wallazeena aamanoo ma'ahoo mataa nasrul laah; alaaa inna nasral laahiqareeb al-Baq̈arah 2214Sahih InternationalOr do you think that you will enter Paradise while such [trial] has not yet come to you as came to those who passed on before you? They were touched by poverty and hardship and were shaken until [even their] messenger and those who believed with him said, "When is the help of Allah?" Unquestionably, the help of Allah is near. Al-Baqarah [2] 2141 Mufti Taqi UsmaniDo you think that you will enter Paradise while you have not yet been visited by difficult circumstances like those that were faced by the people who passed away before you? They were afflicted by hardship and suffering, and were so shaken down that the prophet, and those who believed with him, started saying “When will come the help of Allah?” Then, they were comforted by the Prophet who said to them Behold, the help of Allah is near.’2 Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran3 Ruwwad Translation Center4 A. J. Arberry5 Abdul Haleem6 Abdul Majid Daryabadi7 Abdullah Yusuf Ali8 Abul Ala Maududi9 Ahmed Ali10 Ahmed Raza Khan11 Ali Quli Qarai12 Ali Ünal13 Amatul Rahman Omar14 English Literal15 Faridul Haque16 Hamid S. Aziz17 Hilali & Khan18 Maulana Mohammad Ali19 Mohammad Habib Shakir20 Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall21 Muhammad Sarwar22 Qaribullah & Darwish23 Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri24 Wahiduddin Khan25 Talal Itani26 Tafsir jalalayn27 Tafseer Ibn Kathirالقرآن الكريم - البقرة2 214Al-Baqarah 2214 Alif Lam Mim أَمۡ حَسِبۡتُمۡ أَن تَدۡخُلُواْ ٱلۡجَنَّةَ وَلَمَّا يَأۡتِكُم مَّثَلُ ٱلَّذِينَ خَلَوۡاْ مِن قَبۡلِكُمۖ مَّسَّتۡهُمُ ٱلۡبَأۡسَآءُ وَٱلضَّرَّآءُ وَزُلۡزِلُواْ حَتَّىٰ يَقُولَ ٱلرَّسُولُ وَٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ مَعَهُۥ مَتَىٰ نَصۡرُ ٱللَّهِۗ أَلَآ إِنَّ نَصۡرَ ٱللَّهِ قَرِيبٞ Am hasibtum an tadkhulul jannata wa lammaa yaa-tikum masalul lazeena khalaw min qablikum massathumul baasaaa’u waddarraaaa’u wa zulziloo hattaa yaqoolar Rasoolu wallazeena aamanoo ma’ahoo mataa nasrul laah; alaaa inna nasral laahi qareeb English Translation Here you can read various translations of verse 214 Or do you think that you will enter Paradise while such [trial] has not yet come to you as came to those who passed on before you? They were touched by poverty and hardship and were shaken until [even their] messenger and those who believed with him said, “When is the help of Allah?” Unquestionably, the help of Allah is near. Yusuf Ali“Or do ye think that ye shall enter the Garden of bliss without such trials as came to those who passed away before you? they encountered suffering and adversity, and were so shaken in spirit that even the Messenger and those of faith who were with him cried “When will come the help of Allah?” Ah! Verily, the help of Allah is always near! Abul Ala MaududiDo you think that you will enter Paradise without undergoing such trials as were experienced by the believers before you? They met with adversity and affliction and were so shaken by trials that the Prophet of the time and his followers cried out “When will Allah’s help come”? Then they were comforted with the good tidings “Yes, Allah’s help is near.” Muhsin KhanOr think you that you will enter Paradise without such trials as came to those who passed away before you? They were afflicted with severe poverty and ailments and were so shaken that even the Messenger and those who believed along with him said, “When will come the Help of Allah?” Yes! Certainly, the Help of Allah is near! PickthallOr think ye that ye will enter paradise while yet there hath not come unto you the like of that which came to those who passed away before you? Affliction and adversity befell them, they were shaken as with earthquake, till the messenger of Allah and those who believed along with him said When cometh Allah’s help? Now surely Allah’s help is nigh. Dr. GhaliOr even did you reckon that you should enter the Garden, while as yet there had not come up to you the like of the ones who passed away even before you? Misery and tribulation touched them, and they were shaken until the Messenger and the ones who believed with him said, “When does victory from Allah come?” Verily, victory from Allah is surely near. Abdel HaleemDo you suppose that you will enter the Garden without first having suffered like those before you? They were afflicted by misfortune and hardship, and they were so shaken that even [their] messenger and the believers with him cried, When will God’s help arrive?’ Truly, God’s help is near. Muhammad Junagarhiکیا تم یہ گمان کئے بیٹھے ہو کہ جنت میں چلے جاؤ گے، حاﻻنکہ اب تک تم پر وه حاﻻت نہیں آئے جو تم سے اگلے لوگوں پر آئے تھے۔ انہیں بیماریاں اور مصیبتیں پہنچیں اور وہ یہاں تک جھنجھوڑے گئے کہ رسول اور اس کے ساتھ کے ایمان والے کہنے لگے کہ اللہ کی مدد کب آئے گی؟ سن رکھو کہ اللہ کی مدد قریب ہی ہے Quran 2 Verse 214 Explanation For those looking for commentary to help with the understanding of Surah Baqarah ayat 214, we’ve provided two Tafseer works below. The first is the tafseer of Abul Ala Maududi, the second is of Ibn Kathir. Ala-Maududi 2214 Do you suppose[231] that you will enter Paradise untouched by the suffering endured by the people of faith who passed away before you? They were afflicted by misery and hardship and were so convulsed that the Messenger and the believers with him cried out “When will Allah’s help arrive?” They were assured “Behold, Allah’s help is close by.” 231. In between this verse and the one above comes a whole story which has been left untold, a story which is alluded to in the present verse and which is mentioned in some detail in the Makkan surahs of the Qur’an these were revealed earlier than the present surah. The point emphasized here is that whenever the Prophets came into the world they, and their followers, were confronted with severe resistance from those in rebellion against God. At grave risk to themselves they strove to establish the hegemony of the true religion over the false ways of life. To follow this religion has, therefore, never been easy; it is not merely a matter of declaring one’s faith and then sitting back in ease and comfort. On the contrary, the profession of faith has always demanded that one should strive to establish the religion, which one has adopted as one’s faith, as a living reality and that one should spare no effort in undermining the power of the Devil who seeks to resist it. Ibn-Kathir 213. Mankind was one community and Allah sent Prophets with glad tidings and warnings, and with them He sent down the Scripture in truth to judge between people in matters wherein they differed. And only those to whom the Scripture was given differed concerning it, after clear proofs had come unto them, through hatred, one to another. Then Allah by His leave guided those who believed to the truth of that wherein they differed. And Allah guides whom He wills to the straight path. Disputing, after the Clear Signs have come, indicates Deviation Ibn Jarir reported that Ibn `Abbas said, “There were ten generations between Adam and Nuh, all of them on the religion of Truth. They later disputed so Allah sent the Prophets as warners and bringers of glad tidings.” He then said that this is how `Abdullah read the Ayah كَانَ النَّاسُ أُمَّةً وَاحِدَةً فَاخْتَلَفُوا The people were one Ummah and they then disputed. Al-Hakim recorded this in his Mustadrak and said, “Its chain of narrators is Sahih, but they Al-Bukhari and Muslim did not record it.” Abu Ja`far Razi reported that Abu Al-`Aliyah said that Ubayy bin Ka`b read the Ayah as كَانَ النَّاسُ أُمَّةً وَاحِدَةً فَاخْتَلَفُوا فَبَعَثَ اللهُ النَّبِيِّينَ مُبَشِّرِينَ وُمُنْذِرِينَ The people were one Ummah and they then disputed and Allah sent the Prophets as warners and bringers of glad tidings. `Abdur-Razzaq said that Ma`mar said that Qatadah said that Allah’s statement ﴿كَانَ النَّاسُ أُمَّةً وَحِدَةً﴾ Mankind was one community means; “They all had the guidance. Then فَاخْتَلَفُوا فَبَعَثَ اللهُ النَّبِيِّينَ They disputed and Allah sent Prophets. The first to be sent was Nuh.” `Abdur-Razzaq reported that Abu Hurayrah commented on ﴿فَهَدَى اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ لِمَا اخْتَلَفُواْ فِيهِ مِنَ الْحَقِّ بِإِذْنِهِ﴾ Then Allah by His leave guided those who believed to the truth of that wherein they differed. saying that the Prophet said نَحْنُ الآخِرُونَ الْأَوَّلُونَ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ، نَحْنُ أَوَّلُ النَّاسِ دُخُولًا الْجَنَّــةَ، بَيْدَ أَنَّهُم أُوتُوا الْكِتَابَ مِنْ قَبْلِنا وأُوتِينَاهُ مِن بَعْدِهِمْ، فَهَداَنا اللهُ لِمَا اخْتَلَفُوا فِيهِ مِنَ الْحَقَّ بِإِذْنِهِ، فَهَذَا الْيَوْمُ الَّذِي اخْتَلَفُوا فِيهِ فَهَدَانَا اللهُ لَهُ، فَالنَّاسُ لَنَا فِيهِ تَبَعٌ، فَغدًا لِلْيَهُودِ، وَبَعْدَ غَدٍ لِلنَّصَارَى» We are the last nation, but the first foremost on the Day of Resurrection. We are the first people to enter Paradise, although they Jews and Christians have been given the Book before us and we after them. Allah has guided us to the truth wherever they disputed over it. This is the day Friday that they disputed about, Allah guided us to it. So, the people follow us, as tomorrow is for the Jews and the day after is for the Christians. Ibn Wahb related that `Abdur-Rahman bin Zayd bin Aslam said that his father said about the Ayah ﴿فَهَدَى اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ لِمَا اخْتَلَفُواْ فِيهِ مِنَ الْحَقِّ بِإِذْنِهِ﴾ Then Allah by His leave guided those who believed to the truth of that wherein they differed. They disputed about the day of Congregation Friday. The Jews made it Saturday while the Christians chose Sunday. Allah guided the Ummah of Muhammad to Friday. They also disputed about the true Qiblah. The Christians faced the east while the Jews faced Bayt Al-Maqdis. Allah guided the Ummah of Muhammad to the true Qiblah Ka`bah in Makkah. They also disputed about the prayer, as some of them bow down, but do not prostrate, while others prostrate, but do not bow down. Some of them pray while talking and some while walking. Allah guided the Ummah of Muhammad to the truth. They also disputed about the fast; some of them fast during a part of the day, while others fast from certain types of foods. Allah guided the Ummah of Muhammad to the truth. They also disputed about Ibrahim. The Jews said, `He was a Jew,’ while the Christians considered him Christian. Allah has made him a Haniyfan Musliman. Allah has guided the Ummah of Muhammad to the truth. They also disputed about `Isa. The Jews rejected him and accused his mother of a grave sin, while the Christians made him a god and the son of God. Allah made him by His Word and a spirit from those He created Him. Allah guided the Ummah of Muhammad to the truth.” Allah then said ﴿بِإِذْنِهِ﴾ …by His leave meaning, `By His knowledge of them and by what He has directed and guided them to,’ according to Ibn Jarir. Also ﴿وَاللَّهُ يَهْدِى مَن يَشَآءُ﴾ And Allah guides whom He wills means from among His creation. Allah said ﴿إِلَى صِرَطٍ مُّسْتَقِيمٍ﴾ …to the straight way meaning, He commands the decision and the clear proof. Al-Bukhari and Muslim reported that `A’ishah narrated that when Allah’s Messenger used to wake up at night to pray, he would say اللَّهُمَّ ربَّ جِبْرَائِيلَ وَمِيكَائِيلَ وَإِسْرَافِيلَ، فَاطِرَ السَّموَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ، عَالِمَ الْغَيْبِ وَالشَّهَادَةِ، أَنْتَ تَحْكُمُ بيْنَ عِبَادِكَ فِيمَا كَانُوا فِيهِ يَخْتَلِفُونَ، اهْدِنِي لِمَا اخْتُلِفَ فِيهِ مِنَ الْحَقِّ بِإِذْنِكَ، إِنَّكَ تَهْدِي مَنْ تَشَاءُ إِلى صِرَاطٍ مُسْتَقِيم» O Allah, the Lord of angels Jibril, Mika’il and Israfil, Creator of the heavens and earth and Knower of the seen and the unseen. You judge between Your servants regarding what they have disputed in, so guide me to what have been the subject of dispute of the truth by Your leave. Indeed, You guide whom You will to the straight path. A Du`a reads اللَّهُمَّ أَرِنَا الْحَقَّ حَقًّا، وَارْزُقْنَا اتِّبَاعَهُ، وَأَرِنَا الْبَاطِلَ بَاطِلًا، وَارْزُقْنَا اجْتنِاَبَهُ، وَلَا تَجْعَلْهُ مُلْتَبِسًا عَلَيْنَا فَنَضِلَّ، وَاجْعَلْنَا لِلْمُتَّقِينَ إِمَامًا» O Allah! Show us the truth as truth, and bestow adherence to it on us. Show us the evil as evil, and make us stay away from it, and do not confuse us regarding the reality of evil so that we will not be led astray by it, and make us leaders for the believers. Quick navigation links Tafsir Ibnu Katsir Surat Al-Baqarah Surat Madaniyyah; Surat Ke-2 286 ayat “Apakah kamu mengira bahwa kamu akan masuk surga, padahal belum datang kepadamu cobaan sebagaimana halnya orang-orang terdahulu sebelum kamu? Mereka ditimpa oleh malapetaka dan kesengsaraan, serta digoncangkan dengan bermacam-macam cobaan sehingga berkatalah Rasul dan orang-orang yang beriman bersamanya Bilakah datangnya pertolongan Allah.’ Ingatlah, sesungguhnya pertolongan Allah itu amat dekat. QS. Al-Baqarah 214 Allah swt. berfirman am hasibtum an tadkhulul jannata “Apakah kamu mengira bahwa kamu akan masuk surga.” Sebelum kamu diuji dan dicoba, sebagaimana yang Allah Ta’ala timpakan kepada orang-orang yang sebelum kamu. Oleh karena itu, Dia pun berfirman wa lammaa ya’tikum matsalul ladziina khalau min qablikum massatHumul ba’saa-u wadl-dlarraa-u “Padahal belum datang kepadamu [cobaan] sebagaimana halnya orang-orang terdahulu sebelum kamu? Mereka ditimpa oleh malapetaka dan kesengsaraan.” Yaitu berupa berbagai macam penyakit, musibah, dan cobaan.” Ibnu Mas’ud, Ibnu Abbas, Abu al-Aliyah, Mujahid, Sa’id bin Jabir, Murrah al-Hamdani, Hasan al-Bashri, Qatadah, adh-Dhahhak, Rabi’ bin Anas, as-Suddi, dan Mugatil bin Hayyan mengatakan, al-ba’saa berarti kefakiran, adh-dharra’ berarti penyakit, wa zulzilu berarti dibuat terguncang jiwa mereka dengan goncangan yang keras dari musuh, dan mereka diuji dengan berbagai cobaan yang sangat berat. Sebagaimana dijelaskan dalam hadits shahih, dari Khabab bin al-Arat, ia menceritakan, kami tanyakan “Ya Rasulullah, mengapa engkau tidak memohon pertolongan untuk kami, dan mengapa engkau tidak mendo’akan kami?” Maka beliau pun bersabda, “Sesungguhnya orang-orang sebelum kalian, ada di antara mereka yang digergaji pada tengah-tengah kepalanya hingga terbelah sampai kedua kakinya, namun hal itu tidak memalingkan dirinya dari agama yang dipeluknya. Ada juga yang tubuhnya disisir dengan sisir besi sampai terpisah antara daging dan tulangnya, namun hal itu tidak menjadikannya berpaling dari agamanya.” Selanjutnya beliau bersabda, “Demi Allah, Allah benar-benar akan menyempurnakan perkara agama ini sehingga seorang yang berkendaraan dari Shana menuju ke Hadhramaut tidak merasa takut kecuali kepada Allah, dan hanya mengkhawatirkan serigala atas kambingnya. Tetapi kalian adalah kaum yang tergesa-gesa.” Allah berfirman yang artinya “Alif laaf miim. Apakah manusia itu mengira bahwa mereka dibiarkan saja mengatakan Kami telah beriman, sedang mereka tidak diuji lagi? Dan sesungguhnya Kami telah menguji orang-orang sebelum mereka, maka sesungguhnya Allah mengetahui orang-orang yang benar dan sesungguhnya Dia mengetahui orang-orang yang dusta”. QS. Al-Ankabuut 1-3 Sebagian besar dari cobaan tersebut telah menimpa para Sahabat pada peristiwa perang Ahzab, sebagaimana firman Allah yang artinya “Yaitu ketika mereka datang kepadamu dari atas dan dari bawahmu, dan ketika tidak tetap lagi penglihatan mu dan hatimu naik menyesak sampai ke tenggorokan dan kamu menyangka terhadap Allah dengan bermacam-macam prasangka. Di situlah diuji orang-orang mukmin dan digoncangkan hatinya dengan goncangan yang sangat. Dan ingatlah ketika orang-orang munafik dan orang-orang yang berpenyakit dalam hatinya berkata Allah dan Rasul-Nya tidak menjanjikan kepada kami melainkan tipu daya.’” QS. Al-Ahzaab 10-12 Ketika Heraclius bertanya kepada Abu Sufyan “Apakah kalian memeranginya?” “Ya”, Jawab Abu Sufyan. “Bagaimana peperangan yang terjadi di antara kalian?” tanya Heraclius. Abu Sufyan menjawab “Bergantian, terkadang kami yang menang, dan terkadang dia yang memenangkannya.” Lebih lanjut Heraclius mengatakan “Demikian juga para Rasul diuji, sedangkan kemenangan terakhir adalah untuk mereka.” Dan firman Allah Ta’ala matsalul ladziina khalau min qablikum “Sebagaimana halnya orang-orang terdahulu sebelum kamu.” Yakni, sudah menjadi ketetapan bagi mereka. Sebagaimana firman Allah yang artinya “Maka Kami telah binasakan orang-orang yang lebih besar kekuatannya daripada mereka itu kaum Musyrikin Makkah dan telah terdahulu tersebut dalam al-Qur an perumpamaan umat-umat masa lalu.” QS. Az-Zukhruf 8 Firman-Nya selanjutnya wa zulziluu hattaa yaquular rasuulu wal ladziina aamanuu ma’aHu mataa nashrullaaHi “Dan mereka digoncangkan [dengan berbagai macam cobaan] sehingga berkatalah rasul dan orang-orang yang beriman bersamanya, Bilakah datangnya pertolongan Allah?’” Artinya, mereka memohon agar diberikan kemenangan atas musuh-musuh mereka dan berdo’a agar didekatkan dengan kemenangan serta dikeluarkan dari kesulitan dan kesusahan. Maka Allah swt. pun berfirman alaa inna nashrallaaHi qariib “Ingatlah sesungguhnya pertolongan Allah itu sangat dekat.” Sebagaimana Dia berfirman fa inna ma’al usri yusran inna ma’al usri yusran “Karena sesungguhnya sesudah kesulitan itu ada kemudahan. Sesungguhnya sesudah kesulitan itu ada kemudahan.” QS. Alam Nasyrah 5-6 Dan sebagaimana difirmankan bahwa kesulitan itu diturunkan bersama pertolongan. Oleh karena itu Dia berfirman alaa inna nashrallaaHi qariib “Ingatlah sesungguhnya pertolongan Allah itu sangat dekat.” & Tag214, al-baqarah, Al-qur'an, albaqarah, ayat, ibnu katsir, surah, surat, ta fsir ibnu katsir, tafsir, tafsir alquran Why the name Al-Baqarah?Al-Baqarah the Cow has been so named from the story of the Cow occurring in this Surah vv. 67-73. It has not, however, been used as a title to indicate the subject of the Surah. It will, therefore, be as wrong to translate the name Al-Baqarah into "The Cow" or "The Heifer" as to translate any English name, say Mr. Baker, Mr. Rice, Mr. Wolf etc., into their equivalents in other languages or vice versa, because this would imply that the Surah dealt with the subject of "The Cow". Many more Surahs of the Quran have been named in the same way because no comprehensive words exist in Arabic in spite of its richness to denote the wide scope of the subject discussed in them. As a matter of fact all human languages suffer from the same it is a Madani Surah, it follows naturally a Makki Surah Al- Fatihah, which ended with the prayer "Show us the straight way." It begins with the answer to that prayer, "This is the Book that...is guidance..."The greater part of Al-Baqarah was revealed during the first two years of the Holy Prophet's life at Al-Madinah. The smaller part which was revealed at a later period has been included in this Surah because its contents are closely related to those dealt with in this Surah. For instance, the verses prohibiting interest were revealed during the last period of the Holy prophet's life but have been inserted in this Surah. For the same reason, the last verses 284-286 of this Surah which were revealed at Makkah before the migration of the Holy Prophet to AI-Madinah have also been included in BackgroundIn order to understand the meaning of this Surah, we should know its historical backgroundAt Makkah the Quran generally addressed the mushrik Quraish who were ignorant of Islam, but at Al-Madinah it was also concerned with the Jews who were acquainted with the creed of the Unity of Allah, Prophethood, Revelation, the Hereafter and angels. They also professed to believe in the law which was revealed by Allah to their Prophet Moses Allah's peace be upon him, and in principle, their way was the same Islam that was being taught by Prophet Muhammad Allah's peace be upon him. But they had strayed away from it during the centuries of degeneration and had adopted many un-Islamic creeds, rites and customs of which there was no mention and for which there was no sanction in the Torah. Not only this they had tampered with the Torah by inserting their own explanations and interpretations into its text. They had distorted even that part of the Word of God which had remained intact in their Scriptures and taken out of it the real spirit of true religion and were now clinging to a lifeless frame of rituals. Consequently their beliefs, their morals and their conduct had gone to the lowest depths of degeneration. The pity is that they were not only satisfied with their condition but loved to cling to it. Besides this, they had no intention or inclination to accept any kind of reform. So they became bitter enemies of those who came to teach them the Right Way and did their worst to defeat every such effort. Though they were originally Muslims, they had swerved from the real Islam and made innovations and alterations in it and had fallen victims to hair splitting and sectarianism. They had forgotten and forsaken Allah and begun to serve mammon. So much so that they had even given up their original name "Muslim" and adopted the name "Jew" instead, and made religion the sole monopoly of the children of was their religious condition when the Holy Prophet went to Al-Madinah and invited the Jews to the true religion. That is why more than one third of this Surah has been addressed to the children of Israel. A critical review of their history, their moral degeneration and their religious perversions has been made; side by side with this the high standard of morality and the fundamental principles of the pure religion have been put forward in order to bring out clearly the nature of the degeneration of the community of a prophet when it goes astray and to draw clear lines of demarcation between real piety and formalism, and the essentials and non-essentials of the true religion. At Makkah Islam was mainly concerned with the propagation of its fundamental principles and the moral training of its followers. But after the migration of the Holy Prophet to Al-Madinah, where Muslims had come to settle from all over Arabia and where a tiny Islamic State had been set up with the help of the Ansar local supporters, naturally the Quran had to turn its attention to the social, cultural, economic, political and legal problems as well. This accounts for the difference between the themes of the surahs revealed at Makkah and those at Al-Madinah. Accordingly about half of this Surah deals with those principles and regulations which are essential for the integration and solidarity of a community and for the solution of its the migration to Al-Madinah, the struggle between Islam and un-Islam had also entered a new phase. Before this the Believers, who propagated Islam among their own clans and tribes, had to face its opponents at their own risk. But the conditions had changed at Al-Madinah, where Muslims from all parts of Arabia had come and settled as one community, and had established an independent city state. Here it became a struggle for the' survival of the Community itself, for the whole of non- Muslim Arabia was bent upon and united in crushing it totally. Hence the following instructions, upon which depended not only its success but its very survival, were revealed in this Surah -The Community should work with the utmost zeal to propagate its ideology and win over to its side the greatest possible number of people. It should so expose its opponents as to leave no room for doubt in the mind of any sensible person that they were adhering to an absolutely wrong position. It should infuse in it's members the majority of whom were homeless and indigent and surrounded on all sides by enemies that courage and fortitude which is so indispensable to their very existence in the adverse circumstances in which they were struggling and to prepare them to face these boldly. It should also keep them ready and prepared to meet any armed menace, which might come from any side to suppress and crush their ideology, and to oppose it tooth and nail without minding the overwhelming numerical strength and the material resources of its enemiesIt should also create in them that courage which is needed for the eradication of evil ways and for the establishment of the Islamic Way is why Allah has revealed in this Surah such instructions as may help achieve all the above mentioned this period, a new type of "Muslims," munafiqin hypocrites, had begun to appear. Though signs of duplicity had been noticed during the last days at Makkah, they took a different shape at Al-Madinah. At Makkah there were some people who professed Islam to be true but were not prepared to abide by the consequences of this profession and to sacrifice their worldly interests and relations and bear the afflictions which inevitably follow the acceptance of this creed. But at Al-Madinah different kinds of munafiqin hypocrites began to appear. There were some who had entered the Islamic fold merely to harm it from within. There were others who were surrounded by Muslims and, therefore, had become "Muslims" to safeguard their worldly interests. They, therefore, continued to have relations with the enemies so that if the latter became successful, their interests should remain secure. There were still others who had no strong conviction of the truth of Islam but had embraced it along with their clans. Lastly, there were those who were intellectually convinced of the truth of Islam but did not have enough moral courage to give up their former traditions, superstitions and personal ambitions and live up to the Islamic moral standards and make sacrifice in its the time of the revelation of Al-Baqarah, all sorts of hypocrites had begun to appear. Allah has, therefore, briefly pointed out their characteristics here. Afterwards when their evil characteristics and mischievous deeds became manifest, Allah sent detailed instructions about GuidanceThis Surah is an invitation to the Divine Guidance and all the stories, incidents etc., revolve round this central theme. As this Surah has particularly been addressed to the Jews, many historical events have been cited from their own traditions to admonish and advise them that their own good lies in accepting the Guidance revealed to the Holy Prophet. They should, therefore, be the first to accept it because it was basically]y the same that was revealed to Prophet Moses Allah's peace be upon him.Topics and their InterconnectionThese introductory verses declare the Quran to be the Book of Guidance enunciate the articles of the Faith - belief in Allah, Prophethood and Life-after-death; divide mankind into three main groups with regard to its acceptance or rejection - Believers, disbelievers and hypocrites. 1 - 20Allah invites mankind to accept the Guidance voluntarily and to submit to Him, the Lord and the Creator of the Universe and to believe in the Quran, His Guidance, and in the Life-after-death. 21 - 29The story of the appointment of Adam as Allah's Vicegerent on Earth, of his life in the Garden, of his falling a prey to the temptations of Satan, of his repentance and its acceptance, has been related to show to mankind Adam's offspring, that the only right thing for them is to accept and follow the Guidance. This story also shows that the Guidance of Islam is the same that was given to Adam and that it is the original religion of mankind. 30 - 39In this portion invitation to the Guidance has particularly been extended to the children of Israel and their past and present attitude has been criticized to show that the cause of their degradation was their deviation from the Guidance. 40 - 120The Jews have been exhorted to follow Prophet Muhammad Allah's peace be upon him who had come with the same Guidance and who was a descendant and follower of Prophet Abraham whom they highly honoured as their ancestor, and professed to follow as a prophet. The story of the building of the Ka`abah by him has been mentioned because it was going to be made the qiblah of the Muslim Community. 121 - 141In this portion, the declaration of the change of qiblah from the Temple Jerusalem to the Ka`abah Makkah has been made as a symbol of the change of leadership from the children of Israel to the Muslim Community, which has also been fore-warned to guard against those transgressions against the Guidance that had led to the deposition of the Jews. 142 - 152In this portion practical measures have been prescribed to enable the Muslims to discharge the heavy responsibilities of the leadership that had been entrusted to them for the promulgation of Guidance. Salat, Fast, Zakat, Haj and Jihad have been prescribed for the moral training of the Ummat. The Believers have been exhorted to obey authority, to be just, to fulfill pledges, to observe treaties, to spend wealth etc., in the way of Allah. Laws, rules and regulations have been laid down for their organization, cohesion and conduct of day-to-day life and for the solution of social, economic, political and international problems; on the other hand, drinking, gambling, lending money on interest etc., have been prohibited to keep the Ummat safe from disintegration. In between these, the basic articles of the Faith have been reiterated at suitable places, for these alone can enable and support one to stick to the Guidance. 153 - 251These verses serve as an introduction to the prohibition of lending money on interest. The true conception of Allah, Revelation and Life-after-death has been emphasized to keep alive the sense of accountability. The stories of Prophet Abraham Allah's peace be upon him and of the one who woke up after a sleep of hundred years have been related to show that Allah is All-Powerful and is able to raise the dead and call them to account. The Believers, therefore, should keep this fact in view and refrain from taking interest on money. 252 - 260The theme of 153 - 251 has been resumed and the Believers have been exhorted to spend in the way of Allah in order to please Him alone. In contrast to this, they have been warned against the evils of lending money on interest. Instructions have also been given for the honest conduct of day-to-day business transactions. 261 - 283The basic articles of the Faith have been recapitulated here at the end of the Surah, just as they were enunciated at its beginning. Then the Surah ends with a prayer which the Muslim Community needed very much at that time when they were encountering untold hardships in the propagation of the Guidance. 284 - 286

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