Surah 2. Al-Baqarah

---

Verses [Section]: 1-7[1], 8-20 [2], 21-29 [3], 30-39 [4], 40-46 [5], 47-59 [6], 60-61 [7], 62-71 [8], 72-82 [9], 83-86 [10], 87-96 [11], 97-103 [12], 104-112 [13], 113-121 [14], 122-129 [15], 130-141 [16], 142-147 [17], 148-151 [18], 152-163 [19], 164-167 [20], 168-176 [21], 177-182 [22], 183-188 [23], 189-196 [24], 197-210 [25], 211-216 [26], 217-221 [27], 222-228 [28], 229-231 [29], 232-235 [30], 236-242 [31], 243-248 [32], 249-253 [33], 254-257 [34], 258-260 [35], 261-266 [36], 267-273 [37], 274-281 [38], 282-283 [39], 284-286 [40]

---

Quran Text of Verse 72-82وَ اِذْAnd whenقَتَلْتُمْyou killedنَفْسًاa manفَادّٰرَءْتُمْthen you disputedفِیْهَا ؕconcerning itوَ اللّٰهُbut Allahمُخْرِجٌ(is) the One Who brought forthمَّاwhatكُنْتُمْyou wereتَكْتُمُوْنَ ۚconcealing فَقُلْنَاSo We saidاضْرِبُوْهُStrike himبِبَعْضِهَا ؕwith a part of itكَذٰلِكَLike thisیُحْیِrevivesاللّٰهُAllahالْمَوْتٰی ۙthe deadوَ یُرِیْكُمْand shows youاٰیٰتِهٖHis Signsلَعَلَّكُمْperhaps you mayتَعْقِلُوْنَ use your intellect ثُمَّThenقَسَتْhardenedقُلُوْبُكُمْyour heartsمِّنْۢfromبَعْدِafterذٰلِكَthatفَهِیَso theyكَالْحِجَارَةِ(became) like [the] stonesاَوْorاَشَدُّstrongerقَسْوَةً ؕ(in) hardnessوَ اِنَّAnd indeedمِنَfromالْحِجَارَةِthe stonesلَمَاcertainly (there are some) whichیَتَفَجَّرُgush forthمِنْهُfrom itالْاَنْهٰرُ ؕ[the] riversوَ اِنَّand indeedمِنْهَاfrom themلَمَاcertainly (there are some) whichیَشَّقَّقُsplitفَیَخْرُجُso comes outمِنْهُfrom itالْمَآءُ ؕ[the] waterوَ اِنَّand indeedمِنْهَاfrom themلَمَاcertainly (there are some) whichیَهْبِطُfall downمِنْfromخَشْیَةِfearاللّٰهِ ؕ(of) Allahوَ مَاAnd notاللّٰهُ(is) Allahبِغَافِلٍunawareعَمَّاof whatتَعْمَلُوْنَ you do اَفَتَطْمَعُوْنَDo you hopeاَنْthatیُّؤْمِنُوْاthey will believeلَكُمْ[for] youوَ قَدْwhile indeedكَانَ(there) has beenفَرِیْقٌa partyمِّنْهُمْof themیَسْمَعُوْنَ(who used to) hearكَلٰمَ(the) wordsاللّٰهِ(of) Allahثُمَّthenیُحَرِّفُوْنَهٗthey distort itمِنْۢfromبَعْدِafterمَا[what]عَقَلُوْهُthey understood itوَ هُمْwhile theyیَعْلَمُوْنَ know وَ اِذَاAnd whenلَقُواthey meetالَّذِیْنَthose whoاٰمَنُوْاbelieve[d]قَالُوْۤاthey sayاٰمَنَّا ۖۚWe have believedوَ اِذَاBut whenخَلَاmeet in privateبَعْضُهُمْsome of themاِلٰیwithبَعْضٍsome (others)قَالُوْۤاthey sayاَتُحَدِّثُوْنَهُمْDo you tell themبِمَاwhatفَتَحَhasاللّٰهُAllahعَلَیْكُمْto youلِیُحَآجُّوْكُمْso that they argue with youبِهٖtherewithعِنْدَbeforeرَبِّكُمْ ؕyour LordاَفَلَاThen do (you) notتَعْقِلُوْنَ understand 2. Al-Baqarah Page 12اَوَ لَاDo notیَعْلَمُوْنَthey knowاَنَّthatاللّٰهَAllahیَعْلَمُknowsمَاwhatیُسِرُّوْنَthey concealوَ مَاand whatیُعْلِنُوْنَ they declare وَ مِنْهُمْAnd among themاُمِّیُّوْنَ(are) unlettered onesلَا(who) do notیَعْلَمُوْنَknowالْكِتٰبَthe bookاِلَّاۤexceptاَمَانِیَّwishful thinkingوَ اِنْand notهُمْtheyاِلَّا(do anything) exceptیَظُنُّوْنَ guess فَوَیْلٌSo woeلِّلَّذِیْنَto those whoیَكْتُبُوْنَwriteالْكِتٰبَthe bookبِاَیْدِیْهِمْ ۗwith their (own) handsثُمَّthenیَقُوْلُوْنَthey sayهٰذَاThisمِنْ(is)عِنْدِfromاللّٰهِAllahلِیَشْتَرُوْاto barterبِهٖwith itثَمَنًا(for) a priceقَلِیْلًا ؕlittleفَوَیْلٌSo woeلَّهُمْto themمِّمَّاfor whatكَتَبَتْhave writtenاَیْدِیْهِمْtheir handsوَ وَیْلٌand woeلَّهُمْto themمِّمَّاfor whatیَكْسِبُوْنَ they earn وَ قَالُوْاAnd they sayلَنْNeverتَمَسَّنَاwill touch usالنَّارُthe Fireاِلَّاۤexceptاَیَّامًا(for) daysمَّعْدُوْدَةً ؕnumberedقُلْSayاَتَّخَذْتُمْHave you takenعِنْدَfromاللّٰهِAllahعَهْدًاa covenantفَلَنْso neverیُّخْلِفَwill breakاللّٰهُAllahعَهْدَهٗۤHis CovenantاَمْOrتَقُوْلُوْنَ(do) you sayعَلَیagainstاللّٰهِAllahمَاwhatلَاnotتَعْلَمُوْنَ you know بَلٰیYesمَنْwhoeverكَسَبَearnedسَیِّئَةًevilوَّ اَحَاطَتْand surrounded himبِهٖwithخَطِیْٓـَٔتُهٗhis sinsفَاُولٰٓىِٕكَ[so] thoseاَصْحٰبُ(are the) companionsالنَّارِ ۚ(of) the Fireهُمْtheyفِیْهَاin itخٰلِدُوْنَ (will) abide forever وَ الَّذِیْنَAnd those whoاٰمَنُوْاbelievedوَ عَمِلُواand didالصّٰلِحٰتِrighteous deedsاُولٰٓىِٕكَthoseاَصْحٰبُ(are the) companionsالْجَنَّةِ ۚ(of) Paradiseهُمْtheyفِیْهَاin itخٰلِدُوْنَ ۠(will) abide forever

---

Translation of Verse 72-82

72. And (recall) when you slew a man and began to accuse each other, and Allah was to bring forth what you were hiding.

73. So We said: “Strike⁹³ the dead body with a piece of the cow.” Thus Allah brings the dead to life and shows you His signs, so that you may understand.⁹⁴ “

74. But even after all that your hearts were hardened and became as stones, nay harder than stones. For indeed there are stones from which rivers gush forth and stones which split asunder so that water flows from them⁹⁵ And indeed there are stones which fall down for the fear of Allah. Allah is not unaware of what you do.

75. Do you (O men of faith!) still hope that these (people) will believe you when you are aware that a group of them has heard the word of Allah and has been deliberately changing⁹⁶ (and thus distorting) it after having (clearly) understood it.

76. And when they meet men of faith, they say, “We believe.” But when they meet one another in private they say, “Will you disclose to them (the men of faith) what Allah has revealed to you (already) so that they may present it as their evidence⁹⁷ against you before your Lord? Do you not understand?”

77. Are they not aware then that Allah knows what they conceal and what they proclaim?

78. And among them are illiterate⁹⁸ people who do not know the scripture but see (in it their own) desires;⁹⁹they merely guess.

79. So woe to those who write¹⁰⁰ the Book with their hands and then say: “This is from Allah,” in order to buy some small gain¹⁰¹ with that. Woe¹⁰² to them for what they earn thereby.

80. And they say: “The fire will not touch us, but for a certain number of days.”¹⁰³ Say: “Have you taken a promise from Allah so that He will not break His promise– or are imputing to Allah what you do not know?”

81. (But) why not? Those who earn evil are surrounded by their sins and they (surely) are the companions of fire (Hell) where they shall abide eternally.

82. And those who believe and do good deeds are the companions of the Garden (Paradise). They shall abide there eternally.

---

Commentary

93. This refers to an event of Qassama’. The dead body of a murdered man was found in a field and the murderer was unknown They were blaming one another. In this connection, the method of Shariah was fixed in this manner; that affidavits were to be taken from the near people that they neither murdered the man nor did they see the murder being committed. To ensure the sincerity of the affidavits, the sacrifice of a cow was ordered so that the person giving their statements on oath may wash their hands with the cow’s blood. The Bani Israel were commanded to sacrifice a cow on this occasion. The idea was to reform the tendency of cow-worship and secondly to introduce the system of taking affidavit on oaths for settling disputes regarding murder.

94 . The command was to strike the dead body with a part of the cow which was sacrificed. Allah brought to life’ the murdered man, who gave out the name of his murderer. This was the display of Allah’s special sign. This also showed that by sacrificing a cow no disaster took place. On the contrary sacrificing a cow proved beneficial.

95. That is: a stone or rock which is hard has this quality in it that it gives forth water from within itself, but a man’s heart bereft of Allah’s fear, becomes so hard that no softness remains in it. That is why people who go on committing sin without caring for Allah’s wrath cannot be reformed by anybody.

96.There were different forms of changes or distortions which some people with Scriptures had made in Allah’s words. One form was that they used to add something of their own in the Divine text. For example, they had falsely imputed to the Lord that He had created the Universe in six days and rested on the seventh day. (Old Testament Exodus, 31 : 17) May Allah save us from this. Similarly, they falsely accused Aaron that he made the statue of the calf. (Exodus, Chapters 31, 32). The second form was that they used to interpret it wrongfully in the way they liked. The third form was that they used to distort the shape of the words e. g. Marwha, the name of a hillock in Makkah, was changed to Mowra or Murya, so that its identity may be confused and Makkah may not get the honour which is its due. And the fourth form of change in the words of the Lord was to translate the words in a way that is totally contrary to the context. Such changes are a part of the present day Torah and Gospel; these Books are not now available in their original form. The people of these Books have mixed up their own explanations and interpretations with the words of the Lord and presented the entire work as words of Allah.

97. Jews used to say among themselves that they should not reveal the prophecies of the Torah about the coming of the prophet Muhammad (p.b.u.h.) before Muslims, otherwise Muslims will bring forth this evidence against the Jews before Allah on the day of Judgement.

98. Means common people from amongst the Men of Scriptures (Jews, Christians, etc.) who were unaware of the laws and teachings of the religion.

99.When a man wants to lead his life according to his own sweet will then the limits imposed on him by religious laws appears as hindrances. Then he tries to interpret the laws of the Book in his own way to suit his purpose. Irresponsible people provide material to the common people by presenting wrong interpretations of the religions and common men thus misled, sport with these tenets. They believe that mere expression of belief in the religion and attachment with particular saints are sufficient for salvation. They think that however sinful their lives may be they would go to paradise by intercession of particular saints, etc. But Quran has completely cut out the roots of such a dogma and has left no ambiguity or vagueness with regard to the path of Salvation.

100. Means the Learned among the people of Scripture (i. e. learned Jews, Christians, etc.)

101. The purpose of their selling the religion in this way was to obtain material or temporal benefits. Therefore Allah has very clearly said that the greatest benefit that may be obtained at the cost of religion is utterly inconsequential.

102. A number of religious people have been indulging in the great sin of either adding their own words in the Revealed Book or of presenting the books written by them as the books revealed by the Lord. Quran says that it is great sin to impute to Allah what is not said by Him and those who indulge in this kind of deceit are great wrongdoers and they will have to face very severe consequences. It is obvious that to counterfeit coins in the name of religion and to deceive people is not a small crime, and therefore deserves to be punished very harshly.

103. The Jews were under the impression they were the chosen people and therefore however wickedly they might live, they would not be thrown into the Hell; and even if they would be thrown into the Hell, it would be only for a very short period after which they would be sent to Paradise. This wrong notion had made them careless of the demands of the religion and they had become accustomed to sinful life. This was a great misunderstanding about the Faith, which the Jews entertained. Unfortunately Muslims have also become victims to this kind of misunderstanding.