Surah al-Baqarah - The Cow: Chapter 2 of Quran - (Exegesis Overview)

Sūrah Al Baqarah "البقرة" is the longest Sūrah of the Qurān with 286 verses and forty ruku, spanned over Juz' 1-3. 

The name of the Sūrah is from the Parable of the Heifer in ii. 67-71, which illustrates the insufficiency of carping obedience. When faith is lost, people put off obedience with various excuses: even when at last they obey in the letter, they fail in the spirit, which means that they get fossilized, and their self-sufficiency prevents them from seeing that spiritually they are not alive but dead. For life is movement, activity, striving, fighting, against baser things. And this is the burden of the Sūrah.

There are many peculiarities of  Sūrah Al Baqarah:

• While the the Opening Sürah Fatiha sums up in seven beautiful verses the essence of the, Qurân, so this Sürah sums up in 286 verses the whole teaching of the Qurän.
• In it occurs the longest verse (ii. 282) of the Qurän.
• Ayat ul Kursi, the most popular and most read ayat of the Qurän falls in this  Sürah. In fact ayat ul Kursi is one of those verses which is almost remembered by heart by every Muslim.
• Although, the surah has been named as Al-Baqarah (the Cow) , it has not been used as a title to indicate the subject of the Sürah.
• It is generally believed that verse 281 is the last verse that was revealed to the Prophet of Allah at the occasion of the only pilgrimage the Prophet performed after the surrender of Makkah to the Muslims,as narrated by ibn Abbas. [However, majority of the scholars in Islam are of the opinion that the last Aayat of the Holy Quran was this verse in Chapter 5 Surah Maidah Aayat 3: “This day have I perfected your religion for you, completed my favor upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your religion.”]
• Thus Sürah Al Baqarah is considered to be the last completed Sürah of the Qurän.
• The last two verses of Surah al-Baqarah, 285-286 are said to have great importance. The Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him) has been reported as saying that one who recites these two verses during the night, these will be sufficient for him.
• This Sürah is said to have taken the longest t be revealed.

Owing to the length of the Sürah and varied subjects mentioned therein, the exegesis has been divided into sections and parts. Already we have posted two posts which contain the Summary of the entire Sürah and it has also been explained as to why it has been named after a cow: Chapter 2 Sūrah al-Baqarah (The Cow) - Why the Surah is so named.

From here onward, we begin the lengthy journey of exegesis of the Sürah verse by verse divided into segments as mentioned herein under:

Introduction: This section extends over the first thirty-nine verses of the surah. It begins with the mention of those among its addressees who shall accept faith and those who would reject it. Herein, Bani Ismael have been warned that this Book of Allah has revealed the truth in its ultimate form upon them. It would be extremely unfortunate for them if they are still led astray by the mischievous machinations of the Jews and thus deprive themselves of this great blessing - the Quran. The introduction ends on the tale of Satan's malicious rivalry and the khilaafat of man.

Section 1: This section ranges from verse 40 to verse 121 (Ruku 5-14) and has been further divided into two parts as under:

• Part I:  (Verses 40-63) In verses 40-46, the Bani Israel have been specifically addressed and urged to profess faith in the Prophet hood of Mohammad (pbuh) to which their own scriptures so clearly testify. In verses 47-63, it has been explained, first of all, that a person shall be rewarded in the Hereafter on account of his faith and deeds and not on the basis of his association with a particular family or clan. 
• Part II: verses 64-121 are actually a history of the breach of promises and the traitor-ship of the Jews as to how they disobeyed the commandments of Allah and how this criminal mentality had been nurtured in them since the very beginning. A mention has also been made of their superstitions and of other activities which were instrumental in debasing the Shariah and the Book of Allah in their eyes.

Section 2: This section starts at verse 122 and ends with verse 163 (ruku 15-19), the part of life of Prophet Ibraheem (Abraham, peace be upon him) which relates to the building of the Baitullah.

Section 3: This section, which ranges from verse 164 to verse 242 mainly consists of the laws and directives of the Shariah revealed to the Muslim Ummah. It has been further sub divided into three parts as under:

• Part I: This part contains verses 164-188 and covers subjects like Tawheed, prayer/zakat, qisas/diyat, wills, fasting and Prohibition of bribery and wealth obtained through ill-means.
• Part II: Verses 189-218 relate to matters related to Haj and then jehad and infaaq on account of the relationship of the latter two with the former because at that time the Baitullah was under the control of the idolaters (189-218),
• Part III: Verses 219-242 relate to matters related to prohibition of intoxicants and gambling, permission of incorporating the affairs of the orphans with their guardians and prohibition of marriage among idolaters and other matrimonial issues like divorce, eela, khula`, radaa`at, naan-u-nafqah of the deceased among the spouses and other issues of marital life

Section 4: In this section (243-83), the Muslims have been induced to wage jihad against the unbelievers to liberate the Baitullah from their hold. The last three verses (284-86) are the concluding verses. explained that everything in this Universe is under the control of the Almighty. The surah ends with a prayer in which every word speaks of the tremendous responsibilities of this Book which the Jews and the Christians were unable to fulfill and which now have been passed on to the followers of this new religion.

Please look for the various parts of the exegesis of the surah in our coming posts.

You may refer to our post "114 Chapters (Sūrahs) of the Holy Qur'an" for translation, meaning and summary of other chapters (Though not complete but building up from 30th Part backwards for chapters in 30th Part are shorter and easier to understand). 

Calligraphy by Shahid Rana | References: | 1 | 2 | 3 |

An effort has been made to gather explanation of the surahs of the Holy Qur'an from authentic souses and then present a least possible condensed explanation of the surah. However, those wanting detailed explanations and tafsir (exegesis), may refer to sites the references of which are given above.

If you like Islam: My Ultimate Decision, and to keep yourself updated on all our latest posts to know more about Islam, follow us on Facebook

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Please share this page to your friends and family members through Facebook, WhatsApp or any means on Social Media so that they can also be benefited by it and better understand Islam and the Holy Qur'an - Insha Allah (Allah Willing) you shall be blessed with the best of both worlds.

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The Holy Quran (Summary): Chapter 109 Sūrat al-Kāfirūn - The Unbelievers

Propagating a new religion among the desert hardened pagans of Makkah was not an easy task for Prophet of Allah, Muhammad (peace be upon him). The rich and famous of Makkah took pride in their age old traditions and polytheism, the worship of far too many idols for each season and humanly desires. Since over 300 idols placed in and around of Ka'aba, provided a means of sustenance to them as people from all over Arabia came to Makkah to pay homage to their gods and thus brought trade and money. Therefore, an end to their beliefs as manifested by emergence of Islam was taken as a great threat and they did their best to persuade prophet of Allah from propagating the concept of monotheism.

When every effort failed to convince Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), the nobles among the Banu Quraysh started offering him different options, like entering into each others beliefs on yearly basis, or else offering him gifts, wine and women to stop talking of his new religion and faith. Then as a last resort they asked Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) to stop talking against their gods and idols and stop polluting the minds of the non believers. 

This definitely has a a telling effect on the Prophet of Allah who  was finding it difficult to make a headway or breakthrough. It was under such circumstances that Sūrat al-Kāfirūn was revealed by Allah, which provided a relief to the Prophet and a new course of action to keep the non believers at bay and to their beliefs.

Here is the English translation of Sūrat al-Kāfirūn:

In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.

Say: Oh you who turn away

I do not worship what you worship,

nor do you worship what I worship.

And I will not worship what you worship,

Nor will you worship what I worship.

Your way is yours, and my way is mine.

The theme of this Surah is very simple and easy to understand: While it out rightly rejects polytheism, it gave a clear message to the pagans of Makkah that Islam was there to stay and that Muslims would never ever revert to idol worshiping, for it was against their very belief of monotheism, and that they would not tolerate sharing of wordily gods with one absolute Allah, the creator of the universe and mankind.

And this was not the only place where Allah has directed his Prophet to tell the non believers in very clear words that Muslims shall never follow the wordily gods ever again:

 "And if they reject you, then say: 'To me my deeds and to you your deeds and you are innocent of my accounts and I am innocent of yours,' " [Al-Qur'an 10:41] 

"For us our deeds and for you your deeds." [Al-Qur'an 28:55] 

This surah, like many others, also leave a clear message that Muslims believe in one Allah as was believed by Prophet Ibraheem (Abraham, peace be upon him) and all prophets and messengers who came thereafter. Thus anyone who digresses from the concept of monotheism, and shares others with Allah, is not whom we follow or support. This clearly emphasizes that Islam is free from idol worshiping and concept of God sharing or the concept of Trinity. And those who have beliefs and faith tangent to the faith and belief of Muslims and this can be summed up in one sentence: "To you your religion and to me mine."

The Prophet of Allah liked this surah so much which strengthened his faith that by Abdullah ibn Umar. son of second caliph Umer bin Khatab and a prominent authority on hadiths, has quoted that on many an occasion he heard Muhammad recite Sūrat al-Kāfirūn and Sūra al-Iklas in the two Rakats before the Pre-Dawn (Fajr) obligatory Prayer and in the two rakats after the Sunset (Maghrib) obligatory Prayer. He would also recommended reciting all four surahs starting with "Qul" before going to bed and before getting up from the bed in the morning.

Now you may like to listen to recitation of Sūrat al-Kāfirūn:

Calligraphy by Shahid Rana | References: | 1 | 2 | 3 | 
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Sūrah Al Falak - The Daybreak: Summary of 113th Chapter of The Holy Quran

Sūrah Al Falak and Sūrah An Nas (the last Sūrah of the Holy Qur'an) have the same subject in common: The Evil. However the distinct difference being the form of evil from which refuge is being sought in both the sūrahs: Evil within in Sūrah An Nas while Sūrah Al Falak speaks of evil without. Read the English translation below and you would come to know of the type of evil referred to in this sūrah:

In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.

Say: I seek refuge with the Lord of the Dawn,

from anything harmful in Creation,

from the evil of darkness as it spreads,

from the evil of knotted spells,

from the evil of the envier when he envies.

The word Falak  means “to split.” Here the word split refers to the break of dawn because it splits the night and darkness. The daybreak is a relief for the man for all evils, both from men and jinn, are spread in the cover of darkness, that is the time between the sunset and sunrise. It has been quoted in the hadith reference book of Sahih Bukhari that Prophet of Allah has encouraged to bring children inside when the sun begins to set. "When the night falls, keep your children indoors, for the devils are out and about at this time. When an hour of the night goes by, you can let them go."

In this surah while refuges is sought from Allah, who is the lord of the dawn and dusk, it is specified that refuge is being sought from the evil of what created. And then refuge of Allah is being sought from the evil that creeps out in the darkness of night, the evil of magic and the last of all the evil oozing out of someone who envies one's blessing.

And we all know that the three forms of evils talked about in this surah are the one that are very common in our daily lives, specially that of evil of "Naffaathaat (women) who blow in Uqad (knots)" - like the soothsayer techniques to partially tie a knot, utter a curse and spit into the knot and pull it tight. In the pre-Islamic period, soothsayers claimed the power to cause various illnesses. According to soothsayers the knot had to be found and untied before the curse could be lifted. Such women (and men too) were very common in the times when this surah was revealed and once Prophet of Allah, peace be upon him, too was victim of such sorcerers and it is believed this surah was revealed then to be recited to ward of the ill effects so desired.

The last of the evils from which refuge is sought is that of envious men who envy others for the favours and blessings or better position or wealth. Remember the story of two sons of Prophet Adam when Allah accepted the devotion of Able and Cane became envious of his own brother and killed him. Thus one seeks refuge from the evil eye of an envious man for it can be harmful.

Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, is often quoted to have been saying to recite both Sūrah Al Falak and Sūrah An Nas at sunset and daybreak time to ward off evils of darkness and day.

Both these sūrahs are easy to remember and should be recited as often as one can to be in Allah's refuge from all evils that reside within and without. May Allah protect us all against all evils.

You many now listen to recitation of Sūrah Al Falak;

Calligraphy by Shahid Rana | References: | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |

An effort has been made to gather explanation of the surahs of the Holy Qur'an from authentic souses and then present a least possible condensed explanation of the surah. However, those wanting detailed explanations and tafsir (exegesis), may refer to sites the references of which are given above.

If you like Islam: My Ultimate Decision, and to keep yourself updated on all our latest posts to know more about Islam, follow us on Facebook
Follow @IslamUltimate

Please share this page to your friends and family members through Facebook, WhatsApp or any means on Social Media so that they can also be benefited by it and better understand Islam and the Holy Qur'an - Insha Allah (Allah Willing) you shall be blessed with the best of both worlds.

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The Holy Quran (Summary): Chapter 110 Sūrah an-Naṣr

Sūrah an-Naṣr (The Divine Help) is the last surah that was revealed unto Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). It was resealed in Medina after the fall of Makkah, the stronghold of the pagans of Arabia. It is the third shortest surah consisting of just four verses after surahs Al-Asr and Al-Kawthar.

English translation of Sūrah an-Naṣr :

When comes the Help of Allah, and Victory,And you see the people enter Allah’s Religion in crowds,Celebrate the praises of your Lord, and pray for His Forgiveness: For He is Oft-Returning (in Grace and Mercy).

Sūrah an-Naṣr has many names like The Victory, Help, Divine Assistance or Succor. All pointing towards the most sought out victory over the pagans of Makkah and a big step towards consolidation of Islam as after the fall of Makkah pagans and non Muslims entered the fold of Islam in great numbers. All those who claim that Islam was spread with the sword should know that when Muslim army encircled Makkah, the pagans led them enter the city without any fight and Makkah fell without a drop of blood being shed.

The conquest of Mecca opened a new chapter in the history of Islam. When the call for Islam was made by the Prophet, many of the pagan tribes resisted accepting Islam and waited to see who would emerge victorious between the Prophet and the Quraysh. They reasoned that if the Quraysh were victorious, then Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was a fake prophet! But if he was victorious, they reasoned, then he must really be a Messenger of Allah. And the fall of Makkah scored the point against their wishes as Islam in the end became victorious and there was no doubt left of the authenticity of the prophet-hood of Muhammad (peace be upon him).

Muslims waited for the fall of Makkah for a long time since they migrated to Medina and endured many a hardships at the hands of non Muslims and non believers. With the fall of Makkah thus, the victory that had Allah guaranteed to the Muslims finally came. And it also indicated that Allah had completed the mission of His Messenger by making him successful in conveying the message. 

Praising Allah and asking for his forgiveness is the last message of Allah for it is Allah alone who brought joy of fall of Makkah and without the divine help, Muslims could not have seen the greatest of the victories over the non believers. Allah also instructs his believers to seek forgiveness upon reeving good tidings rather than boasting one's achievement out of vanity and pride, for Allah doe not like those who boast and place them at a high pedestal for achieving a landmark. It is Allah alone who can grant us happiness and victories, so we must turn to him and seek forgiveness lest our vanity overtakes our thankfulness.

When this surah was revealed, Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) understood the divine message that whatever was revealed unto him has seen its culmination with the fall of Makkah and that his mission has completed. So must therefore he should praise Allah and ask seek Allah's forgiveness. A few months thereafter the Prophet breathed his last.

It is quoted that when this Surah was revealed and the holy Prophet (S) recited it to the followers, they all became happy, but Abbas, the uncle of the holy Prophet (S), began shedding tears. The holy Prophet asked him why he was crying. He answered that he feared the Surah foretoldProphet's death. And the Prophet said: "It is so, my uncle"

Praising Allah and prostrating and asking for forgiveness has been the ways of prophets always. If we recall an earlier verse of Quran (Surah Yousaf), Prophet Yousaf (Joseph) too prostrated in front of Allah when his father joined him and he was exalted to the throne, praising Allah for His many bounties and blessings and asking for forgiveness:

My Lord! You have given me something of sovereignty and power and have taught me something of the interpretation of visions. Creator of the heavens and the earth! You are my Protector in this world and the here after. Let me die in submission and join the righteous. (Qur'an 12:101)

You may like to listen to the recitation of Sūrah an-Naṣr in Arabic along with English translation:

References: | 1 | 2 | 3 |

An effort has been made to gather explanation of the surahs of the Holy Qur'an from authentic souses and then present a least possible condensed explanation of the surah. However, those wanting detailed explanations and tafsir (exegesis), may refer to sites the references of which are given above.

If you like Islam: My Ultimate Decision, and to keep yourself updated on all our latest posts to know more about Islam, follow us on Facebook
Follow @IslamUltimate

Please share this page to your friends and family members through Facebook, WhatsApp or any means on Social Media so that they can also be benefited by it and better understand Islam and the Holy Qur'an - Insha Allah (Allah Willing) you shall be blessed with the best of both worlds.

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Surah An Nas - The Mankind: Summary of 114th Chapter of The Holy Quran

Sūrah An-Nās  is the 114th and the last surah of the Holy Quran.  This surah was revealed in Makkah when a witch had put a spell on him, causing him difficulties. Thus this surah was revealed to be recited to remove evil spell on the Prophet. 

In the first surah of the Holy Qur'an, Sūrah al-Fātiḥah,  man seeks protection of Allah and begs of Him to guide him to  the righteous path and protect him from the paths of those upon whom wrath of Allah fell or those who go astray. Now in the last surah of the Qur'an, man seeks Allah's protection from the evil whispers from within. Thus from start till end, man is at the mercy of Allah and those who have firm faith in Allah ask His protection to remain on the righteous path.

It may also be noted that Sūrah Al Falak (Chapter 113) and Sūrah An-Nās both seek refuge of All from the evil. However while the former seeks from the evil that prevails all around us, the latter concentrates on the evil that resides inside the man. Read both surahs in together as both are intended to ward off evil and evil effects.

Here is the English translation of the Sūrah An-Nās:

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.Say: I seek refuge with the Lord of mankind.The Sovereign of mankind.The God of mankind.From the evil of the whisperer who withdraws.Who whispers in the breasts of mankind.Of Jinn and mankind.

In this the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is asked to seek refuge and protection from the Lord of the mankind and shielding against the evil, the Satan or devil or the shiahteen.

As regards the whispering of the evil into the breasts of the mankind, both jinn and humans, Al-Hafidh Abu Ya'la Musily quoted a Hadith which reported the Prophet as saying:

"Satan puts his hand on the heart of man. If he celebrates the remembrance of Allah, Satan removes his hand and if he forgets Allah, Satan overcomes his heart fully. This is the 'evil of the whisperer.' "

The philosophy behind revelation of Sūrah An-Nās is best understood in the present era when the means to go astray and follow the evil are much more than ever before. The nudity and the pornography has very enchanting ways to attract man from the divine path. But those who really believe and know how to differentiate between right or wrong, good or evil seek Allah's protection from falling into the shackles of Satan. 

Even Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) warned believers to beware of Satan as it resides inside everyone. The Companions asked, "Is there a devil even with you?" The Prophet said, "Yes, but Allah has granted me protection against him."

Talking of the healing powers hidden in this surah, Paola Garcia, a writer and translator from Chihuahua, Mexico, in her post on "How the Quran Helped Me Defeat Codependency" writes:

Sūrah An-Nāsh encapsulates the central tenet of Islam: there is no God but God. What does this mean in practical terms? It means that no thing, no person, no job, no financial situation, no government, nothing in this world has power over us, only God does. This principle is tremendously empowering and the key to inner strength and peace. We submit to God only and by doing so, we are free, we are never slaves to other human beings or to false gods, such as money or fame. 

If we are unconscious, if we are heedless, if we do not mindfully and purposely direct our thoughts by praying for God’s help and engaging in continuous personal and spiritual development,, then evil whispering (lowly, pessimistic, evil ideas) can enter our hearts through the company we keep, media, books and music we consume. If these have inferior motivations and lower energy, they will influence us and the negativity will seep into our hearts, and with the passage of time, our lives will reflect this. We will find ourselves in a low station in life because of this. If we do not engage in spiritual growth, the external ‘evil’ influences will overpower us. We will come to believe these ideas and false principles and act accordingly. Then we will wonder why we are not at peace. Thus we need God’s protection to avoid this. We need to remember who God is to us: God is Most Powerful, Most Merciful; God is always with us and guides us; we are highly valuable in God’s eyes; God wants us to succeed. Through prayer, we communicate with Him and He gives us what we ask for.

This surah is a protection surah that I love very much. It is seven verses long and each of them is enormously powerful if we reflect upon its meaning deeply and regularly, personally connecting it to our lives. I use this surah to ask God to safeguard me from codependency and help me avoid putting human beings on a pedestal. 

When Eating Disorder thoughts hit your mind, when you are having problems with your heart, conscious, or beliefs, recite this Surah to chase the Demon away and clear your mind. Remember, that no harm can come to you without the permission of Allah and He is the best of protectors.

May Allah protect us from the evil whispering of the Satan and make our faith ever stronger to fight the evil strategies. Aameen.

Now you may like to listen to the beautiful recitation of Sūrah An-Nās:

Calligraphy by Shahid Rana | References: | 1 | 2 | 3 |

An effort has been made to gather explanation of the surahs of the Holy Qur'an from authentic souses and then present a least possible condensed explanation of the surah. However, those wanting detailed explanations and tafsir (exegesis), may refer to sites the references of which are given above.

If you like Islam: My Ultimate Decision, and to keep yourself updated on all our latest posts to know more about Islam, follow us on Facebook

Follow @IslamUltimate

Please share this page to your friends and family members through Facebook, WhatsApp or any means on Social Media so that they can also be benefited by it and better understand Islam and the Holy Qur'an - Insha Allah (Allah Willing) you shall be blessed with the best of both worlds.

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Surah al-Baqarah - The Cow: Chapter 2 of Quran - Part 1 (Summary)

Surah al Baqarah is the longest surah of the Quran revealed in Medina. Because of its length it is not possible to cover its details and the Divine messages and commandments contained therein in one post. Therefore we have segmented it and will cover the surah in a number of posts for better and easy understanding.

Here in this post, we are presenting a summary of the entire surah. The summary is being published here as it is contained in the Islamic site Al Mawrid with their exclusive permission. The summary has been Translated from Islahi's "Tadabbur-i-Quran" into English by Shehzad Saleem:

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ 

"In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful"

Quranic Exegesis

A subject-wise analysis of Surah Baqarah, the longest of the Quranic surahs, reveals that the surah can be distinctly divided into an introduction, a main body comprising four sections, and a conclusion. A study of this analysis shall not only be helpful in understanding the relationship of its various sections with its central theme, but also give the reader a general idea about the surah itself. We take up these sections in order.

Introduction

This section extends over the first thirty-nine verses of the surah. It begins with the mention of those among its addressees who shall accept faith and those who would reject it. A reference is then made to the mental perplexity and confusion of the latter after the Quran had begun to be revealed. In this regard, the Bani Ismael have been warned that this Book of Allah has revealed the truth in its ultimate form upon them. It would be extremely unfortunate for them if they are still led astray by the mischievous machinations of the Jews and thus deprive themselves of this great blessing---the Quran.

The introduction ends on the tale of Satan's malicious rivalry and the khilaafat of man. This tale is actually a mirror which reflects the whole scene which was created when the Prophet (pbuh) had started disseminating the Message of Allah, and it clearly brings out the supporters and the adversaries of the new religion. The criticism of the angels on the khilaafat of man and their subsequent satisfaction over it is actually the example of those people who initially kept away from Islam because they had some doubts about it, but, later on, as soon as the truth of this religion became evident to them, they became its supporters and allies. This was because they were true seekers of the truth and were not jealous and obstinate like others who had rejected Islam merely on these bases.

On the contrary, the opposition offered by Satan is actually the example of those who were opposing the Prophet (pbuh) due to sheer pride and vanity about their creed and status. The Jews and the leaders of the Quraish are perfect representatives of this category. Such hostile factions do not end their rivalry once they are aware of the truth, instead they get more hostile. Consequently, the more they were convinced of the truth of the Prophet's mission, the more they increased their aggression.

In the light of this tale, the Jews and their supporters have been explained that their malice and jealousy for the Prophet (pbuh) and his mission is exactly the same as was shown by Satan towards the khilaafat of man. It has been emphatically stated, simultaneously, that just as the khilaafat of man was constituted against the wishes of Satan, the Prophet hood of Mohammad (pbuh) shall be established against their wishes as well.

MAIN BODY

Section I

This section ranges from verse 40 to verse 121 and can be further divided into three subsections. In the first of these which ends with verse 46, the Bani Israel have been specifically addressed and urged to profess faith in the Prophet hood of Mohammad (pbuh) to which their own scriptures so clearly testify. They have then been reminded of the covenant they had pledged in supporting and helping this mission and in fact outdoing each other in this cause, as has been mentioned in the Torah. They have been cautioned that they must not forget this promise merely on the bases of malice and envy and have been further advised to refrain from the mean tactics they had adopted of mingling the true with the false. They have been urged to persevere in the cause of truth and pray regularly as both these would bring them Allah's help.

In the next subsection (verses 47-63), it has been explained, first of all, that a person shall be rewarded in the Hereafter on account of his faith and deeds and not on the basis of his association with a particular family or clan. It must be borne in mind that the Jews had fallen prey to the misconception that the position of power and respect they possess is due to the fact they they were the progeny of the prophets Abraham and Jacob. They, therefore, thought that this association would grant them salvation as well in the Hereafter. In fact, this arrogance proved the biggest obstacle for them in their acceptance of the Prophet hood of Mohammad (pbuh). It has consequently been made clear to them in the subsequent verses that whatever position and strength they possess and reckon to possess later are and would be a sheer blessing from the Almighty. They must not forget that if He has showered His favours and blessings upon them, He has also punished them whenever they have been ungrateful to Him. Therefore, they must turn to Him instead of depending on the false bases of race and creed; they must face the reality and give up their superstitious beliefs.

The last subsection (verses 64-121) is actually a history of the breach of promises and the traitor-ship of the Jews as to how they disobeyed the commandments of Allah and how this criminal mentality had been nurtured in them since the very beginning. A mention has also been made of their superstitions and of other activities which were instrumental in debasing the Shariah and the Book of Allah in their eyes.

All these details have been stated to make it clear upon the Jews that though they claim to be the recipients of a Divine Book, yet they have shown total indifference to it, and have broken all their promises with Allah. Therefore, it is necessary that the Almighty should depose them from their position of leadership, and grant this position of trust to those who are worthy of it.

Section II

In this section, which starts at verse 122 and ends with verse 163, the part of Abraham's life which relates to the building of the Baitullah is covered. It must be borne in mind that when Abraham had started to build the Baitullah, he had prayed to the Almighty to raise a Muslim Ummah among his progeny and a Prophet among them as well. Initially, it has been made clear in this section that the religion of Abraham and his descendants was Islam and not Judaism or Christianity. The Almighty created an Ummat-i-wast for the propagation of Islam. In accordance with Abraham's prayer, this Ummah's qiblah was the Baitullah and not the Bait-ul-Muqaddas. The Bait-ul-Muqaddas was only a temporary qiblah and therefore it was soon changed.

A subtle indication is then made that since at that time the Baitullah was under the control of the isolators of Makkah, it would have to be liberated and taken under control. This would require a lot of sacrifice---both of life and wealth---and success in this undertaking would depend on the Almighty's help. The only sources through which this help can be sought are praying to Him and showing perseverance in this cause.

Since the real purpose of narrating this tale is to highlight the fact that Abraham's prayer was answered in the Prophet hood of Mohammad (pbuh) and that he was the true inheritor of Abraham's mission, therefore, all distortions and tampering which the Jews were guilty of committing with their own scriptures in this regard have been brought to light. The Jews, it must be kept in mind, wanted to hide every evidence which related to Abraham and the Baitullah and the alter of Marwah.

Section III

This section, which ranges from verse 164 to verse 242 mainly consists of the laws and directives of the Shariah revealed to the Muslim Ummah. Since the Jews and the idolaters had distorted and twisted many of these and were also responsible for many religious innovations, all these adulteration have been exposed. These laws and directives have not been stated in any juristic order, instead, their order is according to the circumstances which arose. The order aims at the the general education and reformation of the Muslims. Briefly stated these directives are:

(1) Tauheed (163-172),

(2) prayers and zakat (177),

(3) Qisaas and deeyat (178-79),

(4) legacies and wills (180-82),

(5) fasts (183-87),

(6) Prohibition of bribery and wealth obtained through ill-means (188),

(7) Haj and then jehad and infaaq on account of the relationship of the latter two with the former because at that time the Baitullah was under the control of the idolaters (189-218),

(8) Prohibition of intoxicants and gambling, permission of incorporating the affairs of the orphans with their guardians and prohibition of marriage among idolaters (219-21),

(9) Marriage ,divorce, eela, khula`, radaa`at, naan-u-nafqah of the deceased among the spouses and other issues of marital life (222-42).

Section IV

In this section (243-83), the Muslims have been induced to wage jihad against the unbelievers to liberate the Baitullah from their hold. They have also been motivated to spend in the way Allah for this cause. A reference is then made to the battle fought by Bani Israel, which has many similarities with the battle of Badr, to set free their qiblah from the Palestinians. Then after a parenthetical sentence infaaq is further stressed. In this regard, various examples have been cited to elucidate what type of people does the Almighty guide from the gloom of darkness to the radiance of light and who among the people are left by Him to rove in the darkness. A mention is next made of the blessings of infaaq, its conditions and characteristics and of some important sections of the society which should be its recipients. Simultaneously, a prohibition of riba, the very antithesis of infaaq, is made. The section ends with a directive which pertains to precautionary measures that should be undertaken in lending and borrowing.

Conclusion


This section (284-86) is the conclusion of the surah. It has been first of all explained that everything in this Universe is under the control of the Almighty; He shall take account of everything whether hidden or visible and punish and bless according to His law whomsoever He wills. It has subsequently been elaborated that whether anyone else believes or not, the Prophet (pbuh) and his followers firmly believe that this Book has been revealed by the Almighty. The surah ends with a prayer in which every word speaks of the tremendous responsibilities of this Book which the Jews and the Christians were unable to fulfill and which now have been passed on to the followers of this new religion.

You may now like to listen to Arabic recitation of Surah al-Baqarah with English subtitles:

You may refer to our post "114 Chapters (Sūrahs) of the Holy Qur'an" for translation, meaning and summary of other chapters (Though not complete but building up from 30th Part backwards for chapters in 30th Part are shorter and easier to understand). 

Photo  | References: Why Surah named after Cow | Āyat al-Kursī |

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:

• Exegesis by Maulana Mufti Muhammad Sharif, revised by Justice Mufti Muhammad Taqi  Usmani
• Verse by Verse Qur'an Study Circle
• Tafsir Ibn Khatir
• Al-Quran, Yusuf Ali Translation

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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The Holy Qur'an (Summary): Chapter 103 Surah Al-'Asr - The Time

Surah Al-'Asr is a unique surah  of the Holy Qur'an in which the Allah Almighty reminds the mankind about the importance of time. We have been listening to the advice from our elders to not to waste time as it flies and never returns. And that one can never make good of the lost time for Time and Tide wait for none.

Therefore in this surah Allah cautions that Mankind is in loss except for those who chose to believe in the oneness of Allah and then do good deeds as demanded of them after accepting the will of Allah and guide others to be on the righteous path.Thus those who did not believe in the last of the commandments of Allah sent down onto Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) are really at loss for they have missed the bus.

Herein under is the English translation of this short but very meaningful chapter of the Holy Qur'an:

“Time is witness that,

indeed, Mankind is in loss, 

Except for those who have believed and done righteous deeds and advised each other to truth and advised each other to patience.” 

Thus making good of one's time and dividing it for one's wordily needs and preparation for the life in the hereafter is very important. And this surah also emphasizes the need to not only believe in Allah and his apostle, but also spread the message to others who may not be able to read or not in access of the right knowledge. This will thus ensure that word of Allah is spread so as to provide an opportunity to others to make good  of their time by following Allah's chosen path for them.

While looking for better explanation of Surah Al 'Asr, I came across an excellent Research Paper on Surat 103 Al-Asr (SUMMARY OF QURAN) By Abu Bakr Karolia of which am sharing a few excerpts herein under. But I would suggest my readers to read the paper in full for it is an excellent paper to read to really understand the timings of revelation of this surah and its detailed explanation:

This surah opens to an admonition to humankind by God. God takes an oath by “time” and declares that humankind is in a state of loss (khusr) if it does not secure four conditions/principles  of this oath: First, to have faith (iman); second, to do righteous deeds and act ethically (̀amal-al-salihat); third, to encourage the truth (watawasaw-bil-haqq) and finally, to urge each other to have fortitude/steadfastness/patience (watawasaw-bis-sabr).

The Shafi-Ash’arite theologian, Fakhr al-Din al-Razi(d. 1209) states that he understood the meaning of Surat-al-Asr  from an ice seller who was appealing to people in the bazaar to pity him and buy his ice before it melted away (Al-Razi, 2010). The analogy of melting ice to time instantly gives a feeling of life withering away and the urgency to do something to stop the loss. The surah effectively appeals to believers to learn about the consequence of time before the age limit that humankind is allotted with, which will pass away as the melting of ice. 

Herein under are the commentary of some of the prominent Muslim scholars about Surah Al 'Asr:

Abul Ala Maududi, prominent Muslim scholar from Pakistan opines that: This Surah is a matchless specimen of comprehensiveness and brevity. A whole world of meaning has been compressed into its few brief words, which is too vast in content to be fully expressed even in a book. In it, in a clear and plain way it has been stated what is the way to true success for man and what is the way to ruin and destruction for him. Imam Shaafi has very rightly said that if the people only considered this Surah well, it alone would suffice them for their guidance.

Mufti Muhammad Shafi, an well known South Asian Islamic scholar comments: the Struggle of the human being is like the one who is trying to sell ice. It is melting away and he needs to sell it quickly and make as much sales before the end of the day comes. Otherwise - all his valuables' and efforts will go to waste. [In the past - there were no Freezers, so your ice would melt into water by the end of the day.]

Al-Zamakhshari, Persian scholar has this to say about this surah: People are in tremendous loss because of that which they buy and sell in life (of good and bad), except for the Saaliheen (righteous). O Allah, make us of the Saliheen (righteous), Aameen. Because the Saliheen buy for the next life instead of for the pleasures of this life. And then they were profitable and happy on Judgment Day, and whoever was an enemy to their buying - then he was in loss and despair.

Now you may like to listen to the recitation of Surah al 'Asr along with its English translation (Each verse will be repeated thrice for those who wish to memo rise the surah):

Calligraphy by Shahid Rana | References: |1|2|3|

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The Holy Qur'an (Summary): Chapter 2 Sūrah al-Baqarah (The Cow) - Why the Surah is so named

Alif, Lam, Meem.

This is the Book about which there is no doubt, a guidance for those conscious of Allah,

Who believe in the unseen, establish prayer, and spend out of what We have provided for them,

And who believe in what has been revealed to you, [O Muhammad], and what was revealed before you, and of the Hereafter they are certain [in faith].

Those are upon [right] guidance from their Lord, and it is those who are the successful.

Sūrah al-Fātiḥah is the opening chapter of the Holy Qur'an, which more essentially a prayer that a faithful recites in the beginning of each cycle of five daily prayers. And surely Sūrah al-Fātiḥah sums up the whole message of Allah contained in the holy book. Thereafter, then the message and commandments unfold in much details for the mankind to read, ponder and then act upon in totality and in complete submission to the only true creator of us all, Allah the Almighty.

From the second chapter on, the main text and elaboration of Allah's commandments begin covering all subjects of one's way of life so that every Muslim seeks guidance from these commandments and chose the righteous path that would lead to one's salvation and forgiveness by Allah on the Day of Judgment.

The five opening verses of Sūrah al-Baqarah, as translated above, give away the simple reason about the Holy Qur'an being a book of which there is no doubt and that it is for the guidance of those who are conscious of an unseen Allah, and pray to Him and spend from whatever has been provided to them. This also makes it very clear to have a belief in whatever has been revealed before this Holy scripture, like the three holy scriptures of Psalms, Torah and Bible, because only then one can be on the right path and will ultimately be successful, herein and hereafter.

Before the summary of the Sūrah al-Baqarah is presented, it would be better to explain as to why this surah has been named after a cow - and this is very important too as the incident narrated in the surah explains how those with shallow faith or a half hearted acceptance of Allah's commandments make excuses to an extent of getting away with a given task. This incident is mentioned in the verses 67-71 of the surah:

It so happened that a very wealthy man was mysteriously murdered and his body was found lying on the doorstep of a certain man. A dispute therefore arose with fingers pointing to one another. Before the swords could be drawn, the wise among them opined that the matter be taken to Prophet Musa (Moses, peace be upon him) for an amicable solution. The Prophet listened to them and Allah commanded him to ask the people to slaughter a cow and place a piece of cow's meat on the dead man's body and the dead man will speak up the name of the murderer. The conversation between the Prophet and the Israelites that ensued is as narrated in the Qur'an:

Verily, Allah commands you that you slaughter a cow.'' They said, "Do you make fun of us'' He said, "I take Allah's refuge from being among Al-Jahilin (the ignorant or the foolish)
They said, "Call upon your Lord for us that He may make plain to us what it is!'' He said, "He says, `Verily, it is a cow neither too old nor too young, but (it is) between the two conditions', so do what you are commanded.''
They said, "Call upon your Lord for us to make plain to us its colour.'' He said, "He says, `It is a yellow cow, bright in its colour, pleasing the beholders.
They said, "Call upon your Lord for us to make plain to us what it is. Verily, to us all cows are alike. And surely, if Allah wills, we will be guided.
He (Musa) said, "He says, `It is a cow neither trained to till the soil nor water the fields, sound, having no blemish in it.' '' They said, "Now you have brought the truth.'' So they slaughtered it though they were near to not doing it.

When the piece of cow's flesh was placed on the dead man's body, he woke up, pointed towards his murderer and went back to his eternal sleep. 

The purpose of explaining the reference to the context has simply been to show how a faulted faith can lead to arguing with prophets of Allah in order not to do a given commandment or a solution that apparently may not seem workable. But it is Allah alone who has the absolute knowledge and has His own ways of explaining and providing solutions. Therefore when one assumes faith in Allah, it should be held without an hesitation, doubt or halfheartedness. It is only then we shall be blessed and be faithful to our Creator.

The complete narration of the story also includes the will of a wealthy pious man who had a calf and asked his wife to wander it of in the wilderness. His wife hesitated and asked as to why she shroud wander off the only livestock they had for the future. The man told her to be patient and do what is the willed for Allah has His own way of rewarding those who do not hesitate for Allah commands them. After the man died and many years later when their son grew up, his mother told him about the calf and asked him to go to the jungle and find it. And the son, as pious as his father, went to jungle and prayed to Allah to return the animal. And he saw a well built, spotless young cow coming to him. The boy brought back the cow and started earning from its milk. 

And then the above incident happened and this was the only cow that looked exactly like as the Prophet Musa had asked the Israelites to slaughter. When the Israelites came to buy the cow, the boy refused for the price they were offering. The price was raised many times till the boy said he would not sell his cow even its skin if filled with gold. And when they even agreed, the boy said he would ask his mother and his mother readily agreed. This also explains how the farsightedness of the the old man which had the will of Allah contained in it brought wealth and prosperity to the boy and his mother.

The incident appears at many sites with some variations and can be read for detailed information.

Photo | References: |1|2|3|

An effort has been made to gather explanation of the surahs of the Holy Qur'an from authentic souses and then present a least possible condensed explanation of the surah. However, those wanting detailed explanations and tafsir (exegesis), may refer to sites the references of which are given above.

If you like Islam: My Ultimate Decision, and to keep yourself updated on all our latest posts to know more about Islam, follow us on Facebook
Follow @IslamUltimate

Please share this page to your friends and family members through Facebook, WhatsApp or any means on Social Media so that they can also be benefited by it and better understand Islam and the Holy Qur'an - Insha Allah (Allah Willing) you shall be blessed with the best of both worlds.

Read More