Surah Al-Baqarah 2:113-121 - Quran Translation Commentary

(2:113) The Jews say, ‘The Christians are on nothing.' And the Christians say, ‘The Jews are on nothing,' while they both read the Book.²²⁹ So say those who have no knowledge, making similar statements.²³⁰ Allah will decide between them on the Day of Judgment in all those matters over which they were differing.

(2:114) And who can do greater wrong than he who prevents Allah's Name from being raised in the places of worship and strives to destroy them?²³¹ It was not for such to enter them but in fear. For them is ignominy in the present world and a mighty chastisement awaits them in the world to come.

(2:115) To Allah belong the east and the west. So whithersoever you turn, there is Allah's Face.²³² Verily Allah is All embracing, All knowing.

(2:116) And they say, ‘Allah has taken a son.'²³³ Glory to Him! Nay. To Him belongs all that is in the heavens and the earth. All are bent to His Will.²³⁴

(2:117) He is The Originator²³⁵ of the heavens and earth! When He decrees a thing He says to it, ‘Be' and it is.²³⁶

(2:118) And those who have no knowledge say, ‘Why does Allah not speak to us or send us a sign?'²³⁷ So said those who went before them, uttering similar words. Their hearts are all alike. We have indeed made clear the signs for those who believe.²³⁸

(2:119: Indeed, We have commissioned you (O Muhammad) with truth: as a bearer of glad tiding and a warner. And you shall not be questioned about the people of the Fire.²³⁹

(2:120) The Jews and Christians will never be pleased with you until you follow their religion.²⁴⁰ Tell them, ‘Allah's guidance is the true guidance.' And if you followed their wishes after the Knowledge has reached you, you shall have no one besides Allah as friend or helper.

(2:121) Those unto whom We gave the Book recite it in the true manner of its recitation.²⁴¹ It is these who believe in it. As for those who reject it, it is they indeed who are the losers.

Commentary

229. These verses were revealed to refute the Jews and Christians, who, while drawing inspiration from the Holy literature common to them, dismissed each other's faiths as being without any basis. Ibn `Abbas said (Ibn Kathir, Razi): When the Christians of Najran came to see the Prophet (saws) in the first year after hijrah, the Jews began to argue with them. Rafi` b. Hurmala (a Jew) told them, 'You Christians are on nothing.' He rejected both `Isa as well as the Gospels. In reply a man from Najran told him that the Jews were on nothing. He denied Musa as well as the Tawrah. Allah revealed this verse.

230. Making statements of this sort requires knowledge of the Scriptures. Now, when those who have the Scriptures, make such irresponsible statements, then, what about those who have no knowledge whatsoever of the Scriptures? (Au.).

231. There are two opinions about what occasioned the revelation of this verse. One, preferred by Ibn Jarir (and based on opinions of Mujahid, Qatadah, and Hasan al Basri), is that it refers to the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem at the hands of the (pagan) Romans, in which the Christians took active part. A second opinion (based on the opinions of Ibn `Abbas and Zayd, and of Ibn Kathir's preference), is that it refers to the Arab polytheists preventing the Muslims from worshipping in the Grand Mosque at Makkah. If the earlier interpretation is accepted as true then the "destruction" (referred to in the latter part of the verse) would be actual and physical. But, if the second interpretation, which is weightier of the two, is treated as valid, then it is figurative.

Asad writes: "It is one of the fundamental principles of Islam that every religion which has belief in God as its focal point must be accorded full respects, however much one may disagree with its particular tenets. Thus, the Muslims are under an obligation to honor and protect any house of worship dedicated to God, whether it be a mosque or a church or a synagogue (cf. the second paragraph of 22:40); and any attempt to prevent the followers of another faith from worshipping God according to their own lights is condemned by the Qur'an as sacrilege."

Mosques

Since the textual word "masajid" has occurred for the first time, Imam Razi has dealt with the subject of construction, visit, decoration, and rules pertaining to the mosques with his usual thoroughness. We shall present only the main points here.

Construction: When some Companions objected to `Uthman the third caliph's intention to expand the Prophet's mosque at Madinah, he said: مَنْ بَنَى لِلَّهِ مَسْجِدًا بَنَى اللَّهُ لَهُ مِثْلَهُ فِى الْجَنَّةِ (سنن الترمذى) "I have heard the Prophet (saws) say, 'Whoever built a mosque for the sake of Allah, will have a house built for him in Paradise by Him.'"

(According to Tirmidhi, thehadith is trustworthy: Au.).

Another hadith says, "خير البقاع المساجد وشر البقاع الأسواق" "The best of places in the sight of Allah are mosques, and the worst, the commercial centers."

(Haythami added that except for a minor glitch, the report is trustworthy: Au.).

Visiting Mosques: A hadith (in Bukhari: Au.) says, إِذَا تَوَضَّأَ فَأَحْسَنَ وَأَتَى الْمَسْجِدَ ، لاَ يُرِيدُ إِلاَّ الصَّلاَةَ ، لَمْ يَخْطُ خُطْوَةً إِلاَّ رَفَعَهُ اللَّهُ بِهَا دَرَجَةً ، وَحَطَّ عَنْهُ خَطِيئَةً "When a man makes ablution and starts for the mosque for no other reason but to offer Prayers, then, with his every step a sin is erased and with the next step his position is elevated in Paradise." A report says that the family of Banu Salamah, whose dwellings were a little way off, intended to shift to the vicinity of the Masjid al Nabawi. The Prophet (saws) asked them if what he heard of their intention was true. They affirmed. He said, يَا بَنِى سَلِمَةَ دِيَارَكُمْ تُكْتَبْ آثَارُكُمْ دِيَارَكُمْ تُكْتَبْ آثَارُكُمْ "O Banu Salamah, stay put in your dwellings. Your footsteps are registered, your footsteps are registered."

(The report is in Muslim: Au.).

Decorating the Mosques: Ibn `Abbas says the Prophet (saws) said: ما أمرت بتشييد المساجد "I have been ordered not to raise the walls of the mosque high." When `Umar the second Caliph ordered a mosque built, he instructed the contractor: "Take care to shelter the people from rain. And beware that you use red or yellow paints. That will divert the attention of the worshippers." It is reported of Anas that he was passing by a place along with a few friends. When he intended to offer Prayers in a mosque, someone suggested, "I wish we could Pray in such and such a mosque." He enquired, "What mosque?" They said, "A new mosque yonder there." Anas said, "I have heard the Prophet (saws) say: سيأتي على أمتي زمان يتباهون في المساجد ولا يعمرونها إلا قليلاً 'A time will come when my people will compete with each other in building mosques. But they will not pray in them.'"

Worldly Dealings inside the Mosques: The Prophet (saws) has said: إذا رأيتم من يبيع أو يبتاع في المسجد فقولوا : لا أربح الله تجارتك "If you find a man selling or buying in a mosque, say, 'May Allah bless you not in your dealing.'"

Sleeping in the Mosques: Some scholars permit sleeping in the mosques. But Ibn `Abbas used to say, "Do not sleep in them, nor take your siesta there."

Sanctity: A hadith says: من أكل من هذه الشجرة المنتنة فلا يقربن مسجدنا فإن الملائكة تتأذى مما يتأذى منه الإنس "Let him not, who ate onion or garlic come into the mosque. The angels dislike those smells that the humans dislike." (That is, it is the raw ones that have been prohibited: Au.).

Qurtubi adds the following points:

With this verse (i.e. "And who can do greater wrong than he who prevents Allah's Name from being raised in the places of worship?"), as the basis, the jurists say:

a) women should not be prevented from Praying in the mosques,

b) another mosque should not be built next to one already existing, if the intention is to create division among the Muslims,

c) there should not be two Friday mosques in a single town,

d) a single mosque should not have two imams,

e) two congregations should not be allowed in the same mosque

f) once a place is marked for Prayers, it becomes public property, and,

g) if a man allocates a place in his house exclusively for Prayers for himself or for the people of the house, it remains his property, but if he declares it open to the public, it becomes public property and he cannot reclaim it.

232. Once again there are several opinions. We shall state three. First, the verse was revealed in answer to the Jews who objected to the change in the direction of orientation in Prayers (qiblah) from Bayt al Maqdis in Jerusalem to Masjid al Haram at Makkah. Second, it refers to a group of Companions who, in a dark night during a journey, Prayed in different directions but discovered in the morning that they hadn't oriented themselves properly. When they mentioned this to the Prophet (saws), this verse was revealed. A third opinion is that it was revealed when the Prophet (saws) prayed for Najashi of Abyssinia at his death. The Companions were surprised that he died a Muslim, and expressed some misgivings about what direction he faced while offering his Prayers. Allah (swt) then revealed: "To Allah belong the East and the West."

Of course, it is quite possible that all these incidents took place in close range of time, invoking the revelation of this verse (Au.).

Majid quotes the following from "The Muslim World", New York, January, 1937, p.13): "From very early times and in more than one ethnic religion, the direction toward which the worshipper made his prayer was considered of great importance.... The Essenes prayed in the direction of the rising sun and the Syrian Christians also turned eastward at prayer. The Zoroastrians attached great importance to the points of the compass in their ritual of purification or prayer and in the building of the fire temples, the Bareshnum, and the towers of silence ... In the Anglican Church the import and importance of the eastward direction is still a matter of grave discussion."

233. Bukhari has the following to report from the Prophet in explanation of this verse: عَنْ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ قَالَ اللَّهُ كَذَّبَنِي ابْنُ آدَمَ وَلَمْ يَكُنْ لَهُ ذَلِكَ وَشَتَمَنِي وَلَمْ يَكُنْ لَهُ ذَلِكَ فَأَمَّا تَكْذِيبُهُ إِيَّايَ فَزَعَمَ أَنِّي لَا أَقْدِرُ أَنْ أُعِيدَهُ كَمَا كَانَ وَأَمَّا شَتْمُهُ إِيَّايَ فَقَوْلُهُ لِي وَلَدٌ فَسُبْحَانِي أَنْ أَتَّخِذَ صَاحِبَةً أَوْ وَلَدًا.‏ "Allah said: 'Son of Adam cries lies to Me, while it behooves him not to do that. He calls Me names which behooves him not. As for his crying lies to Me, it is his belief that I cannot resurrect him in the form and shape he was. And his calling Me names, is to say that I have a son. Glorified I am and above that I should take a son or a wife.'" And a hadith in the Sahihayn says: لاَ أَحَدَ أَصْبَرُ عَلَىَ أَذىً يَسْمَعُهُ مِنَ اللّهِ عَزّ وَجَلّ. إِنّهُ يُشْرَكُ بِهِ، وَيُجْعَلُ لَهُ الْوَلَدُ، ثُمّ هُوَ يُعَافِيهِمْ وَيَرْزُقُهُمْ "No one is more forbearing with insults than Allah (swt). People ascribe a son to Him yet He feeds them and gives them peace" (Ibn Kathir).

Majid writes: "According to the Christians, God the Son is the second Person of the Blessed Trinity. He is the only begotten and eternal Son of the Father. He is consubstantial with the Father' (CD. p.912). The first two articles of the Apostle's creed run: `I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord.' The form of the words "ittakhadha" `Hath taken unto him' suggests that the reference is, in particular, to the `Adoptionists' Christianity which held that Christ as Man was only the adoptive Son of God (CD. p. 13). The Adoptionists hold `that Christ was a mere man, miraculously conceived indeed, but adopted as the Son of God only by the supreme degree in which he had been filled with the divine wisdom and power' (UHW. IV. p. 2331). They asserted that `Jesus was a man imbued with the Holy Spirit's inspiration from his baptism and so attaining such a perfection of holiness that he was adopted by God and exalted to Divine dignity' (EBr. I. p.177)."

234. It is reported of `Ali (ra) that he told a Christian: "If Jesus had not rebelled against God refusing to worship Him, I would have become a Christian." The man protested saying: "How can you say that about Jesus when we know that he was totally devoted to God, turning to Him in obedience and worshipping Him all the time?" `Ali said: "If Jesus was God himself, how come he worshipped someone else? It is a slave and a creation of God that worships God." The Christian had no reply (Razi).

235. The word in the original is badi` which is used for the act of creation involving no previous example.

Majid writes: "He is the Creator of all that exists; its sole Maker and Master. That alone describes the correct relationship between Him and the world. To ascribe to Him the grossly materialistic relationship of fatherhood and sonship, in however etherealised a form, is the height of absurdity."

236. That is, the creative act is verbal and the mode of creation is directly opposed to the principle that nothing can be created from nothing. But, is this act of creation with a word kun really contradictory to scientific postulates? Perhaps not, for the substance of all things, is, in the final analysis, matter. And matter can be converted into energy. In fact the physicists say matter is a form of energy. Now, if the word can be interpreted as a form of energy, then there will be no mystery in the act of creation with a kun. (Adopted from "The Qur'anic Phenomenon" by Malek Bennabi).

However, the point here is to demonstrate the speed with which the act of creation is executed (Razi).

Ibn Kathir writes: There is no need to suggest that Allah (swt) took a son simply because Jesus was born without a father since Allah (swt) creates with verbal power, as He said: إِنَّ مَثَلَ عِيسَى عِنْدَ اللَّهِ كَمَثَلِ آَدَمَ خَلَقَهُ مِنْ تُرَابٍ ثُمَّ قَالَ لَهُ كُنْ فَيَكُونُ [آل عمران/59] "The example of Jesus with Allah (swt) is like that of Adam whom He molded from clay and then said, 'be,' and he was."

237. It is reported on the authority of Ibn `Abbas that Rafi` b. Huraymalah challenged the Prophet (saws) saying: "Muhammad! If you are truly a Messenger of God as you claim, then ask God to address us so that we can directly hear Him speak." Allah revealed this verse. However, Abu al `Aliyyah, Rabi` b. Anas, Qatadah and Suddi believe that this verse was revealed in reply to the demand made by the polytheists (Ibn Kathir).

238. "The demand that God should speak to them directly was too absurd even to be answered. The question dealt with here concerns the demand for a sign that would convince them of the Truth. In response to this it is pointed out that many signs do exist, but all such signs are of profit only to those who are inclined to believe" (Mawdudi).

239. "The holy Prophet in the tenderness of his heart was exceedingly solicitous for the unbelievers. He is told now that his responsibility as a Prophet ended with his preaching the true doctrines and expounding the Message. Everyone was accountable for his own actions. Why should the Prophet burden his heart with anxiety on their account?" (Majid)

Although the application is general, some believe that the verse was revealed in response to the Prophet wishing to know where his parents were: in Heaven or Hell (Qurtubi, Ibn Kathir).

240. That is, short of accepting their religion and culture, their way of life and thought, their way of setting up a government, managing the economy, and accepting a subservient position in all walks of life, there is no way in which you will be able to appease the Jews and Christians (Au.).

Majid comments: "The argument addressed to the Prophet in effect is this: You cannot by any means win the support and goodwill of the Christians and the Jews, since it is dependent on your accepting and adopting their religion which, as they exist, are untrue and unsubstantial to the core. But your acceptance of such untruths is impossible, since it involves your being accursed of God, which you most emphatically are not. Your enjoyment of the highest Divine blessings and favors is self evident; hence your deviation from the right course is an absurdity."

241. `Umar's explanation of the words, "they recite it in the true manner of its recitation" is that when the reader passes by the verses promising Paradise he prays for it and when passing by the verses mentioning the Fire, he seeks Allah's refuge from it. Ibn Mas`ud's interpretation is that he treats its lawful as lawful, the unlawful as unlawful, reads it exactly as Allah (swt) has revealed it, without altering a word or giving it a meaning that was not intended (Ibn Kathir).

Asad writes: "[The verse can also be worded as]: 'Apply themselves to it with true application' i.e., try to absorb its meaning and to understand its design."