Islamicstudies.info
Tafheem.net | About |
Zoom Page: Ctrl+, Ctrl-, Ctrl0
Font | Contact us
Towards Understanding the Quran
With kind permission: Islamic Foundation UK
Introduction to Tafheem | Glossary | Verbs
Tafsirs: Maarif | Dawat | Ishraq | Clear

 Surah Al-Baqarah 2:152-157 [19/40] ↕
  
|
Intro
 ↕
Display
 ↕
Recite
|
Display Options [
V1 /
V2 /
V3 /
Book /
S1 /
S2 /
En /
Ar |
W↕
]
Section
Verse Summary -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
فَٱذْكُرُونِىٓSo remember Me,
أَذْكُرْكُمْI will remember you
وَٱشْكُرُواْand be grateful
لِىto Me
وَلَا تَكْفُرُونِand (do) not be ungrateful to Me.
﴿١٥٢﴾
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَاO you
ٱلَّذِينَwho
ءَامَنُواْbelieve[d]!
ٱسْتَعِينُواْSeek help
بِٱلصَّبْرِthrough patience
وَٱلصَّلَوٲةِ‌ۚand the prayer.
إِنَّIndeed,
ٱللَّهَAllah
مَعَ(is) with
ٱلصَّـٰبِرِينَthe patient ones.
﴿١٥٣﴾
وَلَا تَقُولُواْAnd (do) not say
لِمَنfor (the ones) who
يُقْتَلُare slain
فِىin
سَبِيلِ(the) way
ٱللَّهِ(of) Allah
أَمْوَٲتُۢ‌ۚ`(They are) dead.`
بَلْNay,
أَحْيَآءٌ(they are) alive
وَلَـٰكِن[and] but
لَّا تَشْعُرُونَyou (do) not perceive.
﴿١٥٤﴾
وَلَنَبْلُوَنَّكُمAnd surely We will test you
بِشَىْءٍwith something
مِّنَof
ٱلْخَوْفِ[the] fear
وَٱلْجُوعِand [the] hunger
وَنَقْصٍand loss
مِّنَof
ٱلْأَمْوَٲلِ[the] wealth
وَٱلْأَنفُسِand [the] lives
وَٱلثَّمَرَٲتِ‌ۗand [the] fruits,
وَبَشِّرِbut give good news
ٱلصَّـٰبِرِينَ(to) the patient ones.
﴿١٥٥﴾
ٱلَّذِينَThose who,
إِذَآwhen
أَصَـٰبَتْهُمstrikes them
مُّصِيبَةٌa misfortune,
قَالُوٓاْthey say,
إِنَّا لِلَّهِ`Indeed, we belong to Allah
وَإِنَّآand indeed we
إِلَيْهِtowards Him
رَٲجِعُونَwill return.`
﴿١٥٦﴾
أُوْلَـٰٓئِكَThose
عَلَيْهِمْon them
صَلَوَٲتٌ(are) blessings
مِّن رَّبِّهِمْfrom their Lord
وَرَحْمَةٌ‌ۖand Mercy.
وَأُوْلَـٰٓئِكَAnd those
هُمُ[they]
ٱلْمُهْتَدُونَ(are) the guided ones.
﴿١٥٧﴾

فَاذۡكُرُوۡنِىۡٓ اَذۡكُرۡكُمۡ وَاشۡکُرُوۡا لِىۡ وَلَا تَكۡفُرُوۡنِ‏  يٰٓاَيُّهَا الَّذِيۡنَ اٰمَنُوا اسۡتَعِيۡنُوۡا بِالصَّبۡرِ وَالصَّلٰوةِ ؕ اِنَّ اللّٰهَ مَعَ الصّٰبِرِيۡنَ‏  وَلَا تَقُوۡلُوۡا لِمَنۡ يُّقۡتَلُ فِىۡ سَبِيۡلِ اللّٰهِ اَمۡوَاتٌ ؕ بَلۡ اَحۡيَآءٌ وَّلٰـكِنۡ لَّا تَشۡعُرُوۡنَ‏  وَلَـنَبۡلُوَنَّكُمۡ بِشَىۡءٍ مِّنَ الۡخَـوۡفِ وَالۡجُـوۡعِ وَنَقۡصٍ مِّنَ الۡاَمۡوَالِ وَالۡاَنۡفُسِ وَالثَّمَرٰتِؕ وَبَشِّرِ الصّٰبِرِيۡنَۙ‏  الَّذِيۡنَ اِذَآ اَصَابَتۡهُمۡ مُّصِيۡبَةٌ  ۙ قَالُوۡٓا اِنَّا لِلّٰهِ وَاِنَّـآ اِلَيۡهِ رٰجِعُوۡنَؕ‏  اُولٰٓـئِكَ عَلَيۡهِمۡ صَلَوٰتٌ مِّنۡ رَّبِّهِمۡ وَرَحۡمَةٌ​ وَاُولٰٓـئِكَ هُمُ الۡمُهۡتَدُوۡنَ‏ 
Translation
(2:152) So remember Me and I shall remember you; give thanks to Me and do not be ungrateful to Me for My favours. (2:153) Believers!153 Seek help in patience and in Prayer; Allah is with those that are patient.154 (2:154) And do not say of those who are killed in the way of Allah that they are dead; they are alive even though you have no knowledge of their life.155 (2:155) We shall certainly test you by afflicting you with fear, hunger, loss of properties and lives and fruits. Give glad tidings, then, to those who remain patient; (2:156) those who when any affliction smites them, they say: “Verily, we belong to Allah, and it is to Him that we are destined to return.”156 (2:157) Upon them will be the blessings and mercy of their Lord, and it is they who are rightly guided.
Commentary

153. Since the ummah has been invested with world leadership, a set of necessary directives is now provided for its guidance. Before laying down these directives it seemed necessary to caution the Muslims that the office which had been conferred on them was indeed no bed of roses. On the contrary, it was a great and perilous responsibility. Once they undertook it, they would be subjected to all kinds of afflictions, put to all kinds of trials and tribulations and made to bear all kinds of deprivation. If, however, the Muslims persisted along the path of God despite the perils they would be rewarded with God's favour in full measure.

154. To acquire the strength that is needed to bear this heavy burden of responsibility the believers should do two things: they should develop patience and they should strengthen themselves by devoting themselves to Prayer.

Later we shall encounter elaborations which will show that 'patience' is a word embracing a whole set of moral virtues of the utmost importance. 'Patience' is indeed an indispensable key to success. Likewise, we shall later have occasion to note in some detail how Prayer prepares the Muslims, both as individuals and as a collective body, to carry out their mission.

155. The word 'death' as well as its general concept has a depressing effect. People have therefore been instructed not to refer to martyrs who laid down their lives for God as 'dead', since this might lead to the dissipation of the spirit which enables people to struggle and make sacrifices in God's cause. Instead, people have been instructed to bear in mind that anyone who lays down his life for God has in fact attained immortality. As well as being a statement of fact this also helps to arouse and sustain courage.

156. 'Saying' does not signify the mere making of a statement. It means a statement which is accompanied by a deep conviction in one's heart: 'To Allah do we belong.' This being so, a man is bound to think that whatever has been sacrificed for God has in fact attained its legitimate end, for it has been spent in the way of the One to whom all things truly belong.

'And it is to Him that we are destined to return' refers to the fact that man will not stay forever in this world and will return, sooner or later, to God. And if man is indeed destined to return to God why should he not return to Him having spent his all, having staked his life for His sake? This alternative is preferable to the pursuit of self-aggrandizement and then meeting death either by sickness or accident.