The Verse (2:177)
“It is not righteousness (al-birr) that you turn your faces towards the east or the west, but righteousness is (in) one who believes in Allah, the Last Day, the Angels, the Book, and the Prophets, and gives his wealth, in spite of love for it, to relatives, orphans, the needy, the traveler, those who ask, and for freeing slaves; and (who) establishes prayer and gives zakāh; and (those who) fulfill their promises when they make them; and (those who) are patient in poverty and hardship and during battle. Those are the ones who have been true, and it is they who are the righteous.”
Context
Early Muslims had disputes with Jews and Christians about the Qiblah (direction of prayer). Jews faced Jerusalem, Muslims initially did too, but later were commanded to face the Kaʿbah in Makkah. This verse clarified: Righteousness is not about mere rituals or directions, but about true faith and action.
Breakdown of Teachings
1. Faith (Belief): Faith is Islam is based on the following pillars. Unless a believer has unswerving belief in one true God, he cannot step into the fold of Islam. Having done so, one has to have a firm belief that this world is a temporary abode in which man is tested continuously - those who remain patient and steadfast in their belief, have a blind faith in all angels, the Divine Scriptures (The Psalms, Torah, Injeel and Al Qur'an) and finally all prophets, right from Prophet Adam (عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ) till Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم are said to be true believers, for True righteousness begins with Imān which has following pillars:
- Belief in Allah.
- The Last Day.
- Angels.
- Books.
- Prophets.
2. Worship (ʿIbādah)
Unlike other Divine religions where worship of Allah is restricted to one day only, Islam makes it mandatory for all able bodied health adults to offer five obligatory prayers throughout the day. In addition to Ṣalāh, one has to pay Zakāh from the wealth held for one year.
- Prayer (Ṣalāh): regular, sincere devotion to Allah.
- Zakāh (Charity): purifying wealth by giving obligatory dues.
3. Social Responsibility
Other than Ibadah / worship and Zakāh, one has has many a social responsibility. One has his obligations for:
- Spending wealth, despite love for it, on:
- Relatives (maintaining kinship ties).
- Orphans.
- Needy/poor.
- Travelers (stranded, refugees).
- Beggars (those who ask).
- Freeing slaves.
Islam links piety with compassion and justice.
4. Moral Character
- Keeping promises/covenants (honesty and reliability).
- Patience in:
- Poverty (personal struggle).
- Hardship (general adversity).
- Battle (defending truth and justice).
5. True Righteousness
- Allah concludes: These are the truthful and God-conscious people.
- Meaning: Faith must show itself in action.
- Hadith Connections
- The Prophet ﷺ said: “The most beloved deeds to Allah are those that are most consistent, even if small.” (Bukhārī, Muslim)
- Also: “None of you truly believes until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself.” (Bukhārī, Muslim)
- Both tie into Imān + action + ethics, exactly what this verse summarizes.
Relevance Today
- Muslims should not reduce religion to rituals or outward symbols.
- True piety is holistic: belief, worship, social justice, moral integrity, patience.
It reminds us that faith without action is incomplete, and action without belief is hollow.
In short: 2:177 is a manifesto of Islam’s moral and spiritual vision — righteousness is faith combined with action, worship with justice, and patience with sincerity.
You may refer to more Selected Verses from Surah 2 Al Baqarah (The Cow) already published
May Allāh (سبحانه و تعالى) help us understand Qur'ān and follow the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, which is embodiment of commandments of Allah contained in the Qur'ān. May Allah help us to be like the ones He loves and let our lives be lived helping others and not making others' lives miserable or unlivable. May all our wrong doings, whether intentional or unintentional, be forgiven before the angel of death knocks on our door.
وَمَا عَلَيۡنَاۤ اِلَّا الۡبَلٰغُ الۡمُبِيۡنُ
(36:17) and our duty is no more than to clearly convey the Message.”
That is Our duty is only to convey to you the message that Allah has entrusted us with. Then it is for you to accept it or reject it. We have not been made responsible for making you accept it forcibly, and if you do not accept it, we shall not be seized in consequence of your disbelief, you will yourselves be answerable for your actions on Day of Resurrection.
May Allah forgive me if my posts ever imply a piety far greater than I possess. I am most in need of guidance.
Reading the Qur'ān should be a daily obligation of a Muslim - Reading it with translation will make it meaningful. But reading its Exegesis / Tafsir will make you understand it fully. It will also help the Muslims to have grasp over social issues and their answers discussed in the Qur'an and other matter related to inter faith so that they are able to discuss issues with non-Muslims with authority based on refences from Qur'an.
Note: When we mention God in our posts, we mean One True God, we call Allah in Islam, with no associates. Allah is the Sole Creator of all things, and that Allah is all-powerful and all-knowing. Allah has no offspring, no race, no gender, no body, and is unaffected by the characteristics of human life.
You may also refer to our exclusive reference page: Selected verses from selected Surahs of Al-Qurʾān for compiled verses from other surahs.
For more Selected Subjects, please refer to our reference page: Selected Verses from Al Qur'an about a Specific Subject (Reference Page) to know more about what Qur'an says about specific subjects and our reference page: Selected Verses from the Qur'an. .
An effort has been made to gather explanation / exegesis of the surahs and selected verses of Al-Qurʾān from authentic sources and then present a least possible condensed explanation of the surah. In that the exegesis of the chapters of the 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.
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