Surah Al-Baqarah 2:130-141 - Quran Translation Commentary

130. And who can turn away from the religion of Ibrahim but he who has debased himself with folly?¹⁵¹ Surely, We chose him (Ibrahim) in this world and he will be among the righteous in the Hereafter.

131. When his Lord said to him: “Be Muslim (Submissive)” Ibrahim answered: “I have submitted¹⁵² to the Lord of the Worlds.”

132. And this was the legacy that Ibrahim left to his sons and so did Yaqub : “O my sons! Allah has chosen this Deen (Religion)¹⁵³ for you; then die not except as Muslim.”¹⁵⁴

133. Were you witnesses when as death appeared before Yaqub, he asked his sons: “What will you worship after me?” They said: “We shall worship your God and the God of your fore-fathers, of Ibrahim, Ismail and Ishaq – one God and to Him we have submitted.”

134. Those were a people who have passed away Theirs is what they earned and yours is what you earn. And you will not be answerable for what they did.¹⁵⁵

135. They say: “Be Jews or Christians, then you will be rightly guided.”Say: (O Muhammad!) “Nay, but we follow the religion of Ibrahim, the upright and he was not from those who associated other gods with Allah.”

136. Say to them (O Muhammad !) : “We believe in Allah and the Guidance revealed to us and to Ibrahim, Ismail, Ishaq, Yaqub, and his descendants and what was given to Moosa and Issa and what was given to (all) the prophets from their Lord; we do not discriminate¹⁵⁶ between one and another of them and to Him we have submitted (as Muslims).”

137. So if they believe in the same way in which you believe, then they are rightly guided. But if they turn away, then they indulge in (sowing) discord; and Allah will suffice for you against them. He is the Hearer, the Knower.

138. (Say) : We have adopted the colour of Allah and who is better than Allah in colour¹⁵⁷ (And, therefore), We are His worshippers.

139. Say: Do you argue with us about Allah when He is our Lord as well as your Lord? We are accountable for our deeds and you for yours; so we are sincerely (dedicated) to Him.

140. Or do you say that Ibrahim, Ismail, Ishaq, Yaqub and his descendants were all Jews or Christians¹⁵⁸ Say: “Do you know more than Allah?” And who is more unjust than he who conceals the testimony¹⁵⁹ he has (received) from Allah? And Allah is not unaware of what you do.

141. Those are a people who have passed away¹⁶⁰; theirs is what they earned and yours is what you earned¹⁶¹. And you will not be answerable for what they did.

Commentary

151. That is turning away from the teachings and leadership of the personality selected by Allah for this set purpose is nothing short of folly.

152. Islam means complete submission and surrender. The Faith of Ibrahim was Islam, i.e. he believed in only one Being, Allah, as worthy of worship and he had completely submitted himself to the will of Allah and had chosen His Guidance for following. He had nothing to do with Judaism or Christianity or any other religion. Judaism and Christianity were non-existent in his time. These religions appeared much later and are in fact those mutilated forms of Islam which were introduced by the followers of Moosa and Issa.

153. “Deen” means the True religion that is Islam, which had been the religion given or revealed by Allah from the beginning. The prophets Ibrahim and Yaqub had enjoined upon their sons as their legacy to live according to this Faith and to die on this Faith i.e. as Muslims. But later on Bani Israel disfigured and distorted this original religion and invented new religions as Judaism and Christianity.

154. The text mentions: die not but as Muslims. Muslim is one who believes that Allah is the only Being worthy of worship and the Lord and Master of the world. A Muslim submits himself totally to the will of Allah and leads his life according to the revealed Guidance from Allah. To die as Muslim means to live steadfastly on this Faith from the cradle to the grave; to face bravely all the trials and tribulations that come in the way and not to give up this belief in adversity.

155. That is: your expression of your attachment or respect for these ancestors or your feeling of pride for their achievements is not helpful for your salvation. Their virtues will earn a reward for them and your wrong deeds will earn you punishment. You will not be asked about their achievements but you will be asked about your own deeds and beliefs. There is therefore no place for the misunderstanding that having regard or respect for the righteous ancestors or saints would help anyone in getting salvation.

156. Quran prohibits a Muslim from believing in one prophet and not believing in another prophet. This, according to Quran, is a blasphemy. According to Islam all prophets sent by Allah were teaching right Guidance and all without any exception are true prophets. All the prophets must be accepted and respected by a true believer.

157. This is a criticism of the rite of Baptism observed by the Jews and the Christians. This is only a meaningless ritual. The real thing is to colour oneself in the colour of Allah i.e. to submit oneself entirely to the will of Allah, which is possible only after accepting His Guidance and believing in all His prophets.

158. Judaism came into existence much after prophet Moosa and similarly Christianity appeared on the scene much later than prophet Isa. The question is : what was the Guidance before this groupism took place? Quran answers that the guidance was in the form of Faith of Islam, which was the Faith of every prophet and from which people of every age sought Guidance. Quran calls towards the same Guidance.

159. There is testimony in Torah about what religion was followed by Ibrahim and his progeny and whether they were Jews or Christians or were really the sincere followers of Islam. Then inspite of these clear testimonies, who will be more unjust than those who conceal these testimonies. It therefore becomes clear that to conceal the testimony of the Divine scriptures is a very unjust and tyrannical act, because on account of this concealment people are misled into taking Falsehood as Truth. Thus it is a great responsibilty of the Muslims today to place before the world the testimony of the Quran, so that people may not claim ignorance and the Muslims may be satisfied that they have fulfilled their responsibilty.

160. This is the conclusion of the discussion. Since the idea is to emphasise its importance, It has been repeated here after verse 134.

161. Every act has its consequence, good or evil which will be decided on the Day of the Judgment. This consequence is what every body earns. That is why man’s deeds in this world are described as his earnings.