Surah 2. Al-Baqarah

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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]

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Quran Text of Verse 97-103قُلْSayمَنْWhoeverكَانَisعَدُوًّاan enemyلِّجِبْرِیْلَto Jibreelفَاِنَّهٗthen indeed heنَزَّلَهٗbrought it downعَلٰیonقَلْبِكَyour heartبِاِذْنِby (the) permissionاللّٰهِ(of) Allahمُصَدِّقًاconfirmingلِّمَاwhatبَیْنَ(was)یَدَیْهِbefore itوَ هُدًیand a guidanceوَّ بُشْرٰیand glad tiding(s)لِلْمُؤْمِنِیْنَ for the believers مَنْWhoeverكَانَisعَدُوًّاan enemyلِّلّٰهِ(to) Allahوَ مَلٰٓىِٕكَتِهٖand His Angelsوَ رُسُلِهٖand His Messengersوَ جِبْرِیْلَand Jibreelوَ مِیْكٰىلَand Meekaelفَاِنَّthen indeedاللّٰهَAllahعَدُوٌّ(is) an enemyلِّلْكٰفِرِیْنَ to the disbelievers وَ لَقَدْAnd indeedاَنْزَلْنَاۤWe revealedاِلَیْكَto youاٰیٰتٍۭVersesبَیِّنٰتٍ ۚclearوَ مَاand notیَكْفُرُdisbelievesبِهَاۤin themاِلَّاexceptالْفٰسِقُوْنَ the defiantly disobedient اَوَ كُلَّمَاAnd is (it not that) wheneverعٰهَدُوْاthey tookعَهْدًاa covenantنَّبَذَهٗthrew it awayفَرِیْقٌa partyمِّنْهُمْ ؕof themبَلْNayاَكْثَرُهُمْmost of themلَا(do) notیُؤْمِنُوْنَ believe وَ لَمَّاAnd whenجَآءَهُمْcame to themرَسُوْلٌa Messengerمِّنْ(of)عِنْدِfromاللّٰهِAllahمُصَدِّقٌconfirmingلِّمَاwhatمَعَهُمْ(was) with themنَبَذَthrew awayفَرِیْقٌa partyمِّنَofالَّذِیْنَthose whoاُوْتُواwere givenالْكِتٰبَ ۙۗthe Bookكِتٰبَ(the) Bookاللّٰهِ(of) Allahوَرَآءَbehindظُهُوْرِهِمْtheir backsكَاَنَّهُمْas if theyلَا(do) notیَعْلَمُوْنَ ؗknow 2. Al-Baqarah Page 16وَ اتَّبَعُوْاAnd they followedمَاwhatتَتْلُواrecite(d)الشَّیٰطِیْنُthe devilsعَلٰیoverمُلْكِ(the) kingdomسُلَیْمٰنَ ۚ(of) Sulaimanوَ مَاAnd notكَفَرَdisbelievedسُلَیْمٰنُSulaimanوَ لٰكِنَّ[and] butالشَّیٰطِیْنَthe devilsكَفَرُوْاdisbelievedیُعَلِّمُوْنَthey teachالنَّاسَthe peopleالسِّحْرَ ۗ[the] magicوَ مَاۤand whatاُنْزِلَwas sent downعَلَیtoالْمَلَكَیْنِthe two angelsبِبَابِلَin BabylonهَارُوْتَHarutوَ مَارُوْتَ ؕand Marutوَ مَاAnd notیُعَلِّمٰنِthey both teachمِنْanyاَحَدٍoneحَتّٰیunlessیَقُوْلَاۤthey [both] sayاِنَّمَاOnlyنَحْنُweفِتْنَةٌ(are) a trialفَلَاso (do) notتَكْفُرْ ؕdisbelieveفَیَتَعَلَّمُوْنَBut they learnمِنْهُمَاfrom those twoمَاwhatیُفَرِّقُوْنَ[they] causes separationبِهٖwith itبَیْنَbetweenالْمَرْءِthe manوَ زَوْجِهٖ ؕand his spouseوَ مَاAnd notهُمْthey (could)بِضَآرِّیْنَat all [be those who] harmبِهٖwith itمِنْanyاَحَدٍoneاِلَّاexceptبِاِذْنِby permissionاللّٰهِ ؕ(of) Allahوَ یَتَعَلَّمُوْنَAnd they learnمَاwhatیَضُرُّهُمْharms themوَ لَاand notیَنْفَعُهُمْ ؕprofits themوَ لَقَدْAnd indeedعَلِمُوْاthey knewلَمَنِthat whoeverاشْتَرٰىهُbuys itمَاnotلَهٗfor himفِیinالْاٰخِرَةِthe Hereafterمِنْanyخَلَاقٍ ؕ۫shareوَ لَبِئْسَAnd surely evilمَا(is) whatشَرَوْاthey soldبِهٖۤwith itاَنْفُسَهُمْ ؕthemselvesلَوْifكَانُوْاthey wereیَعْلَمُوْنَ (to) know وَ لَوْAnd ifاَنَّهُمْ[that] theyاٰمَنُوْا(had) believedوَ اتَّقَوْاand feared (Allah)لَمَثُوْبَةٌsurely (the) rewardمِّنْ(of)عِنْدِfromاللّٰهِAllahخَیْرٌ ؕ(would have been) betterلَوْifكَانُوْاthey wereیَعْلَمُوْنَ۠(to) know

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Translation of Verse 97-103

97. Say (to them): “Whoever is an enemy to Jibril (Gabriel), (should know) that Jibril brings¹¹⁶ down (revelation) to your (Prophet’s) heart by Allah’s command, confirming what came before it (Quran) and bringing guidance and glad tidings to those who believe.”

98. Whoever is (on this account) an enemy to Allah and His angels and His messengers and to Jibril and Mikail (Michael)¹¹⁷ should know that Allah (Himself) is an enemy to such disbelievers.

99. Verily We have revealed to you clear signs, and none rejects them except the disobedient.¹¹⁸

100. Is it not a fact that every time they make a covenant, some of them throw it aside? Nay, most of them never believe.

101. And when there came to them from Allah a messenger, confirming that (book) which was with them, then a section of these people of the book put Allah’s Book behind their backs as if they knew nothing.

102. And followed what the devils recited¹¹⁹ attributing to the kingdom of Sulaiman, although Sulaiman did not disbelieve but the devils disbelieved, who taught magic to¹²⁰ the people and in Babylon it (magic) was not revealed to Harut and Marut; and the two did not teach anyone without warning that they were there to tempt, therefore do not disbelieve. Even then they learnt from them that by which they could create discord between husband and wife¹²¹ although they can harm none with it except by Allah’s leave. And they learn what harms them and does not profit them; and they very well knew that whoever chose it will have no share in the Hereafter. What an evil thing is that for the exchange of which they sold their soul. Would it that they knew it !

103. And had they believed (Allah) and practised piety fearing Allah, the reward from Allah would have been far better, if only they had known.

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Commentary

116. Jews in their anger and jealousy considered the Angel Jibril (Gabriel) as their enemy. They were angry with him because he was bringing Allah’s revelation to prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) According to them the revelation should have been brought to one of their race. Their thinking was sheer folly, since Gabriel was an angel and acted under Allah’s orders. He brought revelation to Muhammad (Peace be upon him) as commanded by Allah. In other words the selection of one from the children of Ismail, Viz, Muhammad(Peace be upon him), for prophethood was done by Allah and therefore any grudge or enmity with Jibril on the ground of Muhammad’s (Peace be upon him) selection was a grudge and enmity against Allah Obviously Allah should not be expected to treat His enemies as His friends.

117. Mikail (Michael) is the name of an eminent angel.

118. The verses of the Quran are the open proof of the Quran being the Divine Book and Muhammad (Peace be upon him) being Allah’s prophet. This proof can be denied only by those who are guilty of insubordination and of breaking the covenant made with Him.

119. Here by devils is meant those evil meaning persons who involve people in superstitions and senseless acts by means of talisman, magic, witchcraft, amulet, knotted string etc and do not let them become realistic. Once they are involved in this, thereafter they have no interest in the Divine Scripture nor in truthful purpose.

During the declining years of the Jews they cast the Book of Allah (the Torah) behind their backs and forgot all about it and went after magic and witchcraft. During their slavery in Babylon, this was their practice and even after that one or the other group of the Jews indulged in these evil acts, so much so that when the Arabian Prophet declared his prophethood, which was quite according to the prophecies in the Torah, they did not pay any heed to that and ignoring the Divine Scripture went after magic and witchcraft, which caused corruption in belief and practice. They were interested in magic because they wanted to live in the world of magical mysteries and not in the world of realities.

Those who had made magic their profession, they used to mislead the people by saying that the matchless kingdom that prophet Sulaiman had established and the wonderful achievement of subjugating the jinns was achieved through the force of magic only. Some persons have translated the words’ Ala Mulk-i-Sulaiman’ as ‘in the period of Sulaiman’, which is neither correct according to the dictionary nor according to the fact. In the dictionary the meaning of Mulk-i Sulaiman is the kingdom of Sulaiman and not the age of Sulaiman or period of Sulaiman and the word ’Ala’ is used in the meaning of attributed to as it is used in Ayah ‘Yaftaroona ‘ Alallahil kaziba’. (See Tafseer Razi). And prophet Sulaiman had subjugated Jinns and his kingdom was an Islamic kingdom established by a prophet; how could then the evil-meaning people be allowed in his reign to spread the teaching of magic and witchcraft to promote misguidance.

120. Sulaiman was a prophet and his period was ten century years before Christ. His was a magnificent kingdom. The winds, the birds and the Jinns were made subservient to him. This kingdom was given to him by a special favour from Allah and his great achievements were exclusively for the religious purposes. For these pure goals the means adopted by him were also pure Dawatul Qur’an 45 and clean. But the extra-ordinary strength and power that he had achieved was explained by the evil-meaning people as achieved by means of magic and witchcraft. In this way to divert the people from truth and to involve them in superstition and senseless activities they invented ‘Soloman’s Talisman’ (Naqshe Sulaimani) and things like that which innovations found their way among those Muslims who were under the influence of the Jews. And some superstitious persons even dream of subjugating jinns. Quran admonishes such people very severely, for Allah reveals His Book for providing guidance and commands for good acts. To put it behind the back and to go after magic and witchcraft is the work of those who had nothing to do with God nor with the Hereafter .

It may be noted that Quran declares magic to be disbelief and emphatically repudiates the charge of the Jews that prophet Sulaiman was a magician, and declares him to be innocent of disbelief.

121. Harut and Marut are the names of two angels whom Allah had sent to Babylon in the form of humans to test the people. It is like a similar case in which Allah had sent angels in the form of beautiful boys to the community of Prophet Loot (Lot) to test them. (Please see Surah Hijr, Note No.62.)

However, it is not true that magic or some such thing was revealed to these angels. In order to make it look lawful, the Jews ascribed it to prophet Sulaiman and also to the angels Harut and Marut but Quran denies both the untruths.

At one time in Babylon practice of magic was very much rampant, and to discourage its practice Allah had sent two angels to the people of babylon and they were given the task of explaining to the people the reality about magic and inform them about its depredations, so that they might avoid it. But when they started explaining the reality about magic, those people who had wicked minds indulged in sowing the seeds of discord between husbands and wives, instead of taking advantage of the instructions from the angels. It is obvious that this kind of activitiy would interest only those whose minds were wicked and who were mean and evil. How can such people have the courage to become the bearers of Allah’s Book? Harut and Marut were angels and as is well known angels are innocent and Allah’s loyal slaves therefore, the absurd stories which have been narrated in some narratives are not worthy of consideration because there things are contrary to the attributes of the angels. What a pity such baseless narratives in which the story of Zuhra (Venus) has been narrated has found place in commentaries.