Surah Al-Baqarah 2:284-286 - Quran Translation Commentary

284. To Allah belongs⁴⁷⁵ all that is in the heavens⁴⁷⁶ and on the earth. Whether you show what is in your hearts or conceal it, Allah will bring you to account for it⁴⁷⁷. He will forgive whom He will please and punish whom He will please. And Allah has power over all things⁴⁷⁸.

285. The Messenger believes in that which has been revealed to him from his Lord as do the men of Faith⁴⁷⁹. Each one (of them) believes in Allah, His angels, His scriptures, and His Messengers, (saying) “We make no distinction between one and another of His Messengers”⁴⁸⁰ And they say: “We hear and we obey:⁴⁸¹ (We seek) Your forgiveness our Lord and to You we shall all return”.

286. On no person Allah places a burden greater than he can bear.⁴⁸² For him is that which he has earned And on him the suffering for the evil he has committed⁴⁸³. (Pray): Our Lord reckon with us not if we forget or fall into error;⁴⁸⁴ ! Our Lord lay not on⁴⁸⁵ us a burden like that which you laid on those before us;⁴⁸⁶ our Lord!⁴⁸⁷Lay not on us a burden greater than we have strength to bear.⁴⁸⁸ Pardon⁴⁸⁹ us, absolve⁴⁹⁰ us and have mercy on us, You are our Protector⁴⁹¹ ; and give us victory over the infidels.⁴⁹²

Commentary

475. These last three verses are the concluding part of this chapter.

476. “All that is in the heavens and on the earth” is the style of Quran to refer to the vast Universe. And the meaning of all this belonging to Allah is that whether it be one universe or thousand universes or worlds, whatever is in them belongs to Allah and He alone is the Lord of all and everything. Everything is under His control. He rules over everything and everything will finally return to him. This is the central truth about this world and the Universe and this unqualified oneness of Allah is the main basis of Islamic belief and faith. The correct knowledge and recognition of this fact enables a man to shoulder the heavy responsibility of the Shariah of Allah.

477. That is: Man will have to account for his intention and designs, which takes shape in man’s heart or mind.

478. It does not mean that the reward or punishment before Allah will not be given justly and wisely, but the meaning is that in the matter of reward or punishment there is no power which can interfere with Allah’s will or desire. He is All-Powerful and He has full authority and control of giving rewards or punishment.

479. The Chapter was started with the statement about who would accept the Divine Guidance and accept the faith. The chapter is concluding with the remarks that the prophet has found such companions as are gifted with the wealth of faith. As they were not prejudiced against anything or anybody, they were blessed with the treasure of belief. In this way, under the guidance of the prophet an Ummah (Nation) came into being, which has the correct knowledge and understanding about Allah, and which has been burdened with the responsibility of following the Islamic Shariah and being the standard bearers of the Islamic system.

480. This is the statement of the men of faith; as if the Ummah is declaring with one voice that like other ummahs or nations we are not entertaining any prejudices in connection with the Divine Guidanace, whether it be national, racial or any other sectarian prejudices, requiring us to accept and recognise one prophet and reject another; we make no distinction and accept all the prophets without reservation, regardless of their belonging to this nation or that race.

481. Here hearing means believing and obeying.

482. This is an expression of the Divine Law from Allah that although the responsibility of following and establishing Shariah is very heavy, every man is responsible for attending to this responsibility according to his capacity. If any man is unable to fulfil this responsibility on account of some really extenuating circumstances, then he is responsible for following it to the extent he is able to do. This principle has been fully considered in the commands of the Shariah and exemptions have been granted in view of the extenuating circumstances, e.g. one who is unable to offer prayers while standing can do so in a sitting position; if water is not available or is harmful for ablutions before prayer, then ‘tayammum’ can serve the purpose Similarly regarding social life a Muslim will be responsible for following the commands which he can possibly follow or he will be supposed to strive for following the commands to the extent he is capable of doing and he will not have to account for what is beyond his capacity and ability.

483. Every one is responsible for his acts and on the Day of Judgment the results of his acts will come before him. On that day every man will reap what he had sown in the world. Every act which may be either good or evil, has its essential effect or reaction and Allah’s law of consequences or reward and punishment is absolutely just and impartial. Therefore, it is not possible that a man may commit bad acts and another man may have to account for it. And it is also not possible that a man perform a good deed and the reward may be entered in the accounts of B. The consequences of acts and deeds are not transferable. Why should a man get a reward or punishment in consequence of an act in the commitment of which neither his intention nor his physical actions taken any part? This statement of the Quran in the matter of reward and punishment is the principle which is an Islamic law, which also denies the Christian belief of ‘Kaffara’ (atonement) etc. Similarly it refutes certain practices followed by the present day Muslims in the matter of ‘Sawab’ (rewards).

484. The Surah (Chapter) is concluding on prayer. This is a collective prayer, which is being said by the Ummah and every word of this prayer reflects the heavy responsibility with which the Muslim Ummah is burdened.

485. This prayer of the men of faith has been granted by Allah, as is clear from the following Hadith :

‘’The error and forgetfullness of my Ummah are forgiven and also the acts which they are forced to do.’’

“ Inspite of this forgiveness, it is necessary to pray for forgiveness so that a man may remain conscious of his guilt before Allah and also because this prayer is an expression of his helplessness and weakness. And this is the proper attitude for a grateful slave.

486. This points to the burden which the jews shouldered, and on account of their rebellion they were given harsh commands like observing Sabbath. The prayer of the companions of the Prophet (Peace be upon him) was for not making their Shariah heavy and for not burdening them with the responsibility which would be difficult for them to shoulder. This prayer of the Ummah was also granted. Accordingly, the Shariah which has been laid down for the Ummah of Muhammad (Peace be upon him) is free from intolerable commands and the distinctive quality of this Shariah is that it is very simple and a Shariah of exemptions. As stated in the Hadith the Prophet (Peace be upon him) says:

“I have been sent with such a religion as is simple and straight.”

Despite the grant of the prayer, its being continued on the lips of the men of faith reminds one of the time when the Shariah was in the stage of revelation and the Ummah was being shouldered with the burden of the Shariah. Moreover with these words the Ummah expresses its helplessness and weakness before the Almighty so that it may deserve to receive more and more of His favours.

487. The repetition of the words ‘our Lord’ expresses the deep attachment and love of the slave saying the prayer before his Lord Allah. In this style of prayer is also hidden the etiquette of saying the prayer.

488. That is : We should not be made to pass through such difficulties and troubles while fulfilling our religious responsibilities that we may not be able to do full justice to them and we may not be confronted with such trials as may be unbearable for us.

489. That is: Our shortcomings that may be found in fulfilling our responsibilities may be condoned and we may be pardoned.

490. “ Absolve us “ is translated for the word which has been derived from the word: “Maghfirat”, which means to cover, that is to cover the sins.

491. By addressing Allah as Protector, the Ummah is expressing its sense of conviction that to remain on the path of Guidance and to pass safely through the storm of opposition without Allah’s help and protection is not possible.

492. This is a prayer for help and victory over the enemies of Islam: After giving the commands of Shariah in detail and directing the Ummah to follow them, this prayer from the lips of the Ummah for help and victory over the enemies of Islam demands that the Ummah should have freedom to lead its life according to the commands of the Islamic Shariah and that collectively and socially it should have strength to be able to establish the Islamic system of Shariah. Besides, power and strength is necessary to remove and root out the hurdles which the opponents of Islam place in the path of the Ummah in their efforts to lead a life according to Islamic Shariah.