لِلّٰهِ To Allah (belongs) مَا whatever فِی (is) in السَّمٰوٰتِ the heavens وَ مَا and whatever فِی (is) in الْاَرْضِ ؕ the earth وَ اِنْ And if تُبْدُوْا you disclose مَا what فِیْۤ (is) in اَنْفُسِكُمْ yourselves اَوْ or تُخْفُوْهُ you conceal it یُحَاسِبْكُمْ will call you to account بِهِ for it اللّٰهُ ؕ Allah فَیَغْفِرُ Then He will forgive لِمَنْ [to] whom یَّشَآءُ He wills وَ یُعَذِّبُ and He will punish مَنْ whom یَّشَآءُ ؕ He wills وَ اللّٰهُ And Allah عَلٰی on كُلِّ every شَیْءٍ thing قَدِیْرٌ (is) All-Powerful اٰمَنَ Believed الرَّسُوْلُ the Messenger بِمَاۤ in what اُنْزِلَ was revealed اِلَیْهِ to him مِنْ from رَّبِّهٖ his Lord وَ الْمُؤْمِنُوْنَ ؕ and the believers كُلٌّ All اٰمَنَ believed بِاللّٰهِ in Allah وَ مَلٰٓىِٕكَتِهٖ and His Angels وَ كُتُبِهٖ and His Books وَرُسُلِهٖ ۫ and His Messengers لَا Not نُفَرِّقُ we make distinction بَیْنَ between اَحَدٍ any مِّنْ of رُّسُلِهٖ ۫ His Messengers وَ قَالُوْا And they said سَمِعْنَا We heard وَ اَطَعْنَا ؗۗ and we obeyed غُفْرَانَكَ (Grant) us Your forgiveness رَبَّنَا our Lord وَ اِلَیْكَ and to You الْمَصِیْرُ (is) the return لَا (Does) not یُكَلِّفُ burden اللّٰهُ Allah نَفْسًا any soul اِلَّا except وُسْعَهَا ؕ its capacity لَهَا for it مَا what كَسَبَتْ it earned وَ عَلَیْهَا and against it مَا what اكْتَسَبَتْ ؕ it earned رَبَّنَا Our Lord لَا (Do) not تُؤَاخِذْنَاۤ take us to task اِنْ if نَّسِیْنَاۤ we forget اَوْ or اَخْطَاْنَا ۚ we err رَبَّنَا Our Lord وَ لَا And (do) not تَحْمِلْ lay عَلَیْنَاۤ upon us اِصْرًا a burden كَمَا like that حَمَلْتَهٗ (which) You laid [it] عَلَی on الَّذِیْنَ those who مِنْ (were) from قَبْلِنَا ۚ before us رَبَّنَا Our Lord وَ لَا [And] (do) not تُحَمِّلْنَا lay on us مَا what لَا not طَاقَةَ (the) strength لَنَا we have بِهٖ ۚ [of it] (to bear) وَ اعْفُ And pardon عَنَّا ۥ [from] us وَ اغْفِرْ and forgive لَنَا ۥ [for] us وَارْحَمْنَا ۥ and have mercy on us اَنْتَ You (are) مَوْلٰىنَا our Protector فَانْصُرْنَا so help us عَلَی against الْقَوْمِ the people الْكٰفِرِیْنَ۠ [the] disbelievers
(2:284) All that is in the heavens333 and the earth belongs to Allah.334 Whether you disclose whatever is in your hearts or conceal it,335 Allah will call you to account for it, and will then forgive whomsoever He wills, and will chastise whomsoever He wills. Allah has power over everything.336
(2:285) The Messenger believes, and so do the believers, in the guidance sent down upon him from his Lord: each of them believes in Allah, and in His angels, and in His Books, and in His Messengers. They say: “We make no distinction between any of His Messengers. We hear and obey. Our Lord! Grant us Your forgiveness; to You we are destined to return.”337
(2:286) Allah does not lay a responsibility on anyone beyond his capacity.338 In his favour shall be whatever good each one does, and against him whatever evil he does.339 (Believers! Pray thus to your Lord): “Our Lord! Take us not to task if we forget or commit mistakes.
Our Lord! Lay not on us a burden such as You laid on those gone before us.340 Our Lord! Lay not on us burdens which we do not have the power to bear.341 And overlook our faults, and forgive us, and have mercy upon us. You are our Guardian; so grant us victory against the unbelieving folk.”342
333. These are the concluding observations on the subject. Just as this surah opened with an enunciation of the basic teachings of religion, so the fundamentals upon which Islam rests are reiterated in the concluding section of the surah, It is useful to go through the first section of this surah see (verses 1-5) while reading these concluding verses.
334. This is the first fundamental principle of Islam. That God is the Sovereign of the heavens and the earth and all they contain, and that it is improper for man not to bend himself in obedience and service to God.
335. This sentence mentions two other matters. First, that man is individually responsible to, and answerable before, God. Second, that the Lord of the heavens and the earth, before Whom man is answerable, is All-Knowing. Thus, nothing is concealed from Him, not even intentions and thoughts which lie hidden deep in the hearts and minds of people.
336. This refers to God's absolute authority. He is not bound by laws framed by others which might limit Him to operating in a certain manner. He is an absolute sovereign and has the full power either to punish or pardon people.
337. This verse outlines what one is required to believe in and what should be the distinguishing characteristics of one's conduct. They consist of the following: belief in God, in His angels, in His Books, in all His Messengers (instead of some rather than others), and in the fact that ultimately one will have to stand before God's judgement. These are the five fundamental articles of faith in Islam. Having accepted them, the only proper attitude for a Muslim is to cheerfully accept and follow whatever directives he receives from God. Instead of exulting in his moral excellence he should be humble and should constantly seek God's forgiveness and mercy.
338. Man's answerability to God is limited by the extent of his ability. If a man does not have the ability to do a certain thing, God will not take him to task for not having performed it. In the same way, if it is really beyond a man's ability to abstain from something, God will not blame him for having failed to abstain from it. It should be noted here that man will not be the final judge as to whether he had the ability to do something or not. Such judgement will be made by God alone.
339. This is the second fundamental principle of God's law of retribution. Every man will be rewarded for the services he has rendered, none will be rewarded for services rendered by others. The same applies to punishment. It is the one who is guilty who will be punished. It is possible, however, that if a man has initiated either good or bad practices, they will continue to affect people's lives. The resulting good and bad deeds of people will be reckoned either to their credit or against them, since they are clearly related to their efforts and actions. It is impossible, however, that a map should be either rewarded for an act of goodness or punished for an act of evil in which he has had no share - neither by intent nor practical action. The requital of acts is not transferable.
340. The prayer made here is that God should not subject them to the severe tests and the terrible persecutions and hardships undergone by their predecessors. It is God's law that those who commit themselves to follow Truth and righteousness are subjected to severe tests and tribulations, and it is a believer's duty to meet them with patience and fortitude. At the same time, the believer should always pray that God may make it easy for him to follow the path of Truth and righteousness.
341. Believers pray to God not to place upon them a burden beyond their capacity of endurance, and to subject them only to those tests from which they may emerge triumphant. May it not happen that the hardships are too much for them to bear, and that their feet falter and are turned away from the path of righteousness,
342. In order to appreciate fully the spirit of this prayer, one should remember that these verses were revealed on the occasion of the ascension of the Prophet, a year before his migration to Madina. At that time the struggle between Islam and unbelief had reached its climax. Not only in Makka, but throughout the Arabian peninsula, there was no place where the lives of those who wished to follow the religion of God had not been made extremely difficult. In these circumstances the Muslims were told in what manner they ought to pray to their Lord. It is obvious that if the bestower himself tells one how to present one's request, the granting of the request becomes virtually assured. Hence, this prayer greatly strengthened the hearts of the Muslims. Moreover, this prayer implicitly taught the Muslims not to allow their feelings to flow along undesirable channels. They should instead mould them into a prayer to their Lord.
Think of the heart-rending cruelties to which the Muslims were subjected merely because of their devotion to Truth, and then turn to the contents of this prayer, where there is no trace of bitterness against the enemies. Consider the physical afflictions and material losses which the Muslims suffered, then note how this prayer does not contain the slightest hint of worldly ambition. Compare the wretchedness and misery of these devotees of Truth with the pure, exalted feelings with which this prayer is overflowing. This comparison will enable us to appreciate the nature of the spiritual and moral training provided to men of faith.