Allah has made this universe, fathomless without any frontiers and created man so that he is thankful to Him. In order to test His creation whether it remains thankful to Him, Allah made this universe as a testing ground for man. And man was told that he will be tested by afflicting him with fear, hunger, loss of properties and lives and fruits. And only those who remain patient through hard times are the ones who will be blessed with the best of both world. The 156th verse of Surah 2. Al Baqarah (The Cow) is for such servants of Allah who remain steadfast even under the heaviest of odds and say:
الَّذِيۡنَ اِذَآ اَصَابَتۡهُمۡ مُّصِيۡبَةٌ ۙ قَالُوۡٓا اِنَّا لِلّٰهِ وَاِنَّـآ اِلَيۡهِ رٰجِعُوۡنَؕ
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.”
However, '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.
Ibn Kathir Explanation:
Those who recite this statement to comfort themselves in the face of their loss, know that they belong to Allah and that He does what He wills with His servants. They also know that nothing and no deed, even if it was the weight of an atom, will be lost with Allah on the Day of Resurrection. These facts thus compel them to admit that they are Allah's servants and that their return will be to Him in the Hereafter.
This is why Allah said, in the next verse:
اُولٰٓـئِكَ عَلَيۡهِمۡ صَلَوٰتٌ مِّنۡ رَّبِّهِمۡ وَرَحۡمَةٌ وَاُولٰٓـئِكَ هُمُ الۡمُهۡتَدُوۡنَ
(2:157) Upon them will be the blessings and mercy of their Lord, and it is they who are rightly guided.
In these two verses, the Divine Commandment has summed up the bounties promised for those who remain steadfast under calamities and loss of property and near and dear ones for they know that their faith and belief is being tested and Allah must have good reason to subject them with such harshness. Remember, only those who are clos to Allah are always tested for Allah to ascertain their faithfulness. If we look back, we have seen even the Prophets, who were the chosen few of Allah, were put to severe tests, and yet they remained steadfast. Prophet Noah (peace be upon him) saw his son drowning when the great flood came but he did not help him for he was among the those who disbelieved in Allah. Prophet Abraham (peace be upon him) was asked to leave his wife and infant son (Ishmael, peace be upon him) in the dried desert for he knew that Allah would save them. Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was expelled from Makkah along with his followers and made to stay in wilderness for three years, but he and his followers remained steadfast. And then a time came when Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) entered Makkah at the head of a triumphant army and conquered it, while his enemies were utterly humiliates.
So please ponder over each verse of Quran and make sure you believe in these from your heart, it will only be then that you will be among those who will have the blessings and mercy of their Lord, and it is they who are rightly guided. And recite اِنَّا لِلّٰهِ وَاِنَّـآ اِلَيۡهِ رٰجِعُوۡنَؕ when under stress or when something dear has been taken away
May Allah help us understand Qur'an and help us to act upon the commandments of Allah contained therein. Aameen.
For more Selected Verses, please refer to our reference page: Selected Verses from the Qur'an
You may also refer to our Reference Pages for knowing more about Islam and Quran.
For more Selected Verses, please refer to our reference page: Selected Verses from the Qur'an
You may also refer to our Reference Pages for knowing more about Islam and Quran.
An effort has been made to gather explanation / exegesis of the surahs of the Holy Qur'an from authentic sources and then present a least possible condensed explanation of the surah. In that:
- The plain translation has been taken from the Holy Quran officially published by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. [1]
- The exegesis of the chapters of the Holy Quran is mainly based on the "Tafhim al-Qur'an - The Meaning of the Qur'an" by one of the most enlightened scholars of the Muslim World Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi. [2]
In order to augment and add more explanation as already provided by [2], additional input has been interjected from following sources:
- Towards Understanding the Quran
- Tafsir Ibn Khatir
- Muhammad Asad Translation
- Javed Ahmad Ghamidi / Al Mawrid
- Al-Quran, Yusuf Ali Translation
- Verse by Verse Qur'an Study Circle
In addition the references of other sources which have been explored have also been given above. Those desirous of detailed explanations and tafsir (exegesis), may refer to these sites.
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