"AND ONCE YOU HAVE FULFILLED YOUR RITES, RECITE THE NAME OF ALLAH, AS YOU WOULD SPEAK OF YOUR FOREFATHERS, OR EVEN WITH GREATER FERVOR. NOW AMONG THE PEOPLE THERE IS ONE WHO SAYS: 'OUR LORD, GIVE TO US IN THIS WORLD...;'AND HE, IN THE HEREAFTER, HAS NO SHARE. AND THERE IS ANOTHER AMONG THEM WHO SAYS: 'OUR LORD, GIVE US GOOD IN THIS WORLD AND GOOD IN THE HEREAFTER AND SAVE US FROM THE PUNISHMENT OF FIRE.' FOR THEM THERE IS A SHARE OF WHAT THEY HAVE EARNED, AND ALLAH IS SWIFT AT RECKONING." (SURAH AL-BAQARAH:200-202)

Continued...

From Ma'ariful Quran, by Mufti Muhammad Shafi RE

"THEN FLOW DOWN FROM WHERE THE PEOPLE FLOWED, AND SEEK FORGIVENESS FROM ALLAH. CERTAINLY ALLAH IS MOST-FORGIVING, VERY-MERCIFUL." (SURAH AL-BAQARAH:199)

Part 2

This verse of the Quran gives us an important civic lesson that people of a higher social status should not segregate themselves from those of a lower social status, but should intermingle with them and live between them. This creates a feeling of love and affection between people, and breaks down the barriers between the rich and the poor. In the sermon that Rasool Allah ﷺ (the Holy Prophet SAW) gave during his last Hajj he clearly declared for all times to come that no Arab is superior to a non-Arab, and no white person is superior to a black person. Superiority in Islam depends on Taqwa (fear of Allah) and Ita'ah (obedience to His commands).

From Ma'ariful Quran, by Mufti Muhammad Shafi RE

"THEN FLOW DOWN FROM WHERE THE PEOPLE FLOWED, AND SEEK FORGIVENESS FROM ALLAH. CERTAINLY ALLAH IS MOST-FORGIVING, VERY-MERCIFUL." (SURAH AL-BAQARAH:199)

Part 1

This verse was revealed in a particular context. The Quraysh of Arabia being the custodians of the Ka'abah enjoyed a unique position of influence and distinction in the country. During the days of Jahiliyyah (ignorance), while everyone went to Arafat, the Quraysh would, in order to show that they were superior to and different from everyone else, stop at Muzdalifah and stay there. They said that being the custodians of the Ka'abah and care-takers of the Haram it was not proper for them to go out of the limits of the Haram. As Muzdalifah is situated within the limits of the Haram and Arafat is outside it, they would stay in Muzdalifah and come back from there without going to Arafat. In this verse Allah Ta'alah has pointed out their mistake and commanded them to go where everyone goes, i.e. Arafat, and return from there with everyone else.

Trying to distinguish oneself from everyone else and keep a distance from them is in itself an act of arrogance (Takabbur). Doing it in the days of Hajj where the garment of Ihram  and the sameness of place and purpose teaches the lesson that all human beings are equal, and that the distinction of rich and poor, learned and ignorant, big and small, doesn't exist here, is an even greater sin.

To be continued...

From Ma'ariful Quran, by Mufti Muhammad Shafi RE

"...LATER, WHEN YOU FLOW DOWN FROM ARAFAT, RECITE THE NAME OF ALLAH NEAR AL-MASH'AR AL-HARAM (THE SACRED MONUMENT) AND RECITE HIS NAME AS HE HAS GUIDED YOU, WHILE BEFORE IT, YOU WERE AMONG THE ASTRAY."(SURAH AL-BAQARAH:198)

Mash'ar al-Haram is a mountain which is situated on the plain of Muzdalifah. When coming from Arafat on the day of Arafah during Hajj it is Wajib (necessary) to offer both Maghrib and Isha' prayers together in Muzdalifah. In the command in this verse, "recite His name as He has guided you," it is perhaps meant to advise us that we should recite the name of Allah and pray as He has guided us, and not devise our own ways of praying according to our own personal opinions. Logically one should worship the Maghrib prayer at the time of Maghrib, and Isha' prayer at the time of Isha', but on that particular day Allah Ta'alah wants us to delay the Maghrib prayers and offer it with Isha'.

From this verse a principle can be derived that the manner of worshipping Allah and reciting His name has not been left to people's personal opinions and wishes, but that real Ibadah (worship) is doing it in accordance with the principles laid down by Allah Ta'alah and Rasool Allah (The Holy Prophet) ﷺ. Allah Ta'alah is not pleased if someone offers prayers earlier or later than prescribed, or if they pray less or even more than prescribed. For example if someone wants to pray more at Maghrib and prayers four Rika'at rather than three, not only his additional Rika'at would not be accepted but it will also lay waste to his earlier three Rika'at as well. Similarly, sometimes people add some rules to Nafl (non-obligatory) Ibadat or voluntary charity by their own opinions, start believing that they are necessary, start criticising people who do not follow their opinions and start considering them to be sinners, without any such conditions laid down by Allah Ta'alah and Rasool Allah SAW. This verse points out their mistake that Ibadat is truly Ibadat if done following the rules laid down by Allah Ta'alah and Rasool Allah SAW, otherwise it is not Ibadat but just pleasing oneself.

From Ma'ariful Quran, by Mufti Muhammad Shafi RE

"AND TAKE PROVISIONS ALONG, FOR THE MERIT OF PROVISION IS TO ABSTAIN (FROM ASKING)." (SURAH AL-BAQARAH:197)

This verse is a warning for those who leave their homes for Hajj and Umrah without adequate preparation claiming that they do so because they have trust in Allah. Then they end up asking other people for money and provisions, they not only suffer themselves but become a burden on others as well. That is why they have been instructed that they should take the provisions required during Hajj with them when they set out for the journey. This is against Tawakkul (trust in Allah). In fact the very essence of Tawakkul is that one should first acquire and collect all the means and resources provided by Allah Ta'alah to the best of one's ability, and then place their trust (Tawakkul) in Allah. This is how Tawakkul has been defined by Rasool Allah ﷺ. Forsaking all efforts to acquire means of subsistence (tark-al-asbab) and then calling it Tawakkul is sheer ignorance.

From Ma'ariful Quran, by Mufti Muhammad Shafi RE

"...AND DO GOOD. OF COURSE, ALLAH LOVES THOSE WHO DO GOOD." (SURAH AL-BAQARAH:195)

This verse encourages Muslims to do everything nicely. 'Doing something nicely', which has been referred to as 'Ihsan' in the Holy Quran, is of two kinds, the first pertains to Ibadat (acts of worship), the second to social transactions and behaviour.

Rasool Allah (the Holy Prophet ﷺ) has defined Ihsan in Ibadah, in the Hadith of Jibrail, as "worship Allah as if you are seeing Him, and if you can not attain that degree of Ihsan, then you should, at the least believe that Allah Ta'alah is seeing you."

In relation to social transactions and dealings the Holy Prophet SAW has explained Ihsan by saying (as reported in the Musnad of Ahmad on the authority of the noble Companion Mua'adh) that "you should like for others what you like for yourselves, and in the same manner, you should dislike for others what you dislike for yourselves". (Mazhari)

From Ma'ariful Quran, by Mufti Muhammad Shafi RE

"AND SPEND IN THE WAY OF ALLAH AND DO NOT PUT YOURSELF INTO DESTRUCTION..."(SURAH AL-BAQARAH:195)

The blessed Companion Hazrat Abu Ayyub al-Ansari said: "This verse was revealed about us. We can explain it best. When Allah gave Islam authority and power, we starting saying that Jihad was not necessary any more, and that we could stay home and take care of our wealth and property." Thereupon this verse was revealed which made it clear that the word 'destruction' in this verse refers to the abandonment of Jihad. This proves that the banishing of Jihad from Muslim lives is the cause of their downfall. This is why the blessed Companion Hazrat Abu Ayyub al-Ansari spent his entire life in Jihad, out of Medinah, his home, and eventually he passed away in Constantinople (Istanbul), Turkey, and was buried there.

Sayyidna Bara ibn Azib said that to lose hope in the mercy and forgiveness of Allah is a path to self-destruction, therefore, losing hope in Allah's forgiveness in Hara'am (impermissible).

Some commentators said that spending so much in the way of Allah that the rights of one's family are breached and wasted, is going for 'self-destruction'. That is why such excess in expenditure is impermissible.

al-Jassas RE has said that all these rules can be inferred from this verse.

From Ma'ariful Quran by Mufti Muhammad Shafi Re

"AND FIGHT IN THE WAY OF ALLAH AGINST THOSE WHO FIGHT YOU AND DO NOT TRANSGRESS. VERILY, ALLAH DOE NOT LIKE THE TRANSGRESSORS." (AL-BAQARAH:190)

The command in this verse is that Muslims should fight only those disbelievers who come to fight against them. It means that it is not permissible to kill those disbelievers in Jihad who do not take part in fighting, such as, women, children, the very old, priests and other religious people who devote themselves to quiet religious pursuits, the physically handicapped, and those labourers who work for non-believers but do not take part in fighting.

In a Hadith from Al-Bukhari and Muslim, as narrated by the blessed Companion Abdullah ibn Umar RAA, it is said:

"The Holy Prophet ﷺ has prohibited the killing of women and children."

The following instructions from the Holy Prophet ﷺ given to the Companions going for Jihad have been narrated in a Hadith from Sayyidna Anas RAA which appear in Abu Dawud:

"Go for Jihad in the name of Allah adhering to the community of the Messenger of Allah. Do not kill anyone old and weak, any young child or any woman." (Mazhari)

When Sayyidna Abu Bakr al-Siddiq sent Yazid ibn Abi Sufyan to Syria, he gave him the same instructions. Also added there is the prohibition of killing the religiously-devoted, the monks and priests, and the labourers employed by employed by disbelievers, specially when they do not take part in fighting. (Qurtubi)

The expression ۱ولا تعتدو (and do not transgress) towards the end of he verse, according to the majority of the commentators means - "do not go beyond the limit in fighting as to start killing women and children."

From Ma'ariful Quran, by Mufti Muhammad Shafi RE

Part 3

"THEY ASK YOU ABOUT THE NEW MOONS. SAY: THEY ARE INDICATIVE OF TIME FOR THE PEOPLE, AND OF THE HAJJ. AND IT IS NOT RIGHTEOUSNESS THAT YOU COME INTO YOUR HOUSES FROM THEIR BACK SIDE BUT RIGHTEOUSNESS IS THAT ONE FEARS ALLAH. AND COME TO THE HOUSES THROUGH THEIR DOORS. AND FEAR ALLAH SO THAT YOU MAY BE SUCCESSFUL. (SURAH AL-BAQARAH:189)

Continued from before...

From the second half of this verse also comes the ruling that people should not start believing by their own opinion that certain acts are Wajib (necessary) or Ibadat (act of worship), if those acts have not been declared Wajib or Ibadah by Shariah. Similarly, if an act has been declared permissible by Shariah it is a sin to declare it a sin. This was exactly what had been done by the people of that time that they considered entering their houses from the front door, which was permissible, to be a sin, and considered entering after breaking down the rear wall which was unnecessary, to be necessary. 

The reason why Bid'at (declaring non-Ibadat Ibadat) have been forbidden is that it involves considering those acts necessary which have not been declared necessary by Shariah, and considering impermissible what has been declared permissible by Shariah.

From Ma'ariful Quran, by Mufti Muhammad Shafi RE

Part 2

"THEY ASK YOU ABOUT THE NEW MOONS. SAY: THEY ARE INDICATIVE OF TIME FOR THE PEOPLE, AND OF THE HAJJ. AND IT IS NOT RIGHTEOUSNESS THAT YOU COME INTO YOUR HOUSES FROM THEIR BACK SIDE BUT RIGHTEOUSNESS IS THAT ONE FEARS ALLAH. AND COME TO THE HOUSES THROUGH THEIR DOORS. AND FEAR ALLAH SO THAT YOU MAY BE SUCCESSFUL. (SURAH AL-BAQARAH:189)

Continued from before...

While in matters of religious matters, the Ibadat, the lunar calendar has been declared obligatory, it has also been favoured in social and business transactions because to serves as a basis for the acts of Islamic worship, as well as a symbol of Islamic identity. The use of solar calendar is not prohibited, the only condition being that its use should not lead to complete cessation of use of lunar calendar, as this would lead to disruption in obligatory Ibadat like Hajj and fasting. If Muslims use solar calendar in office settings, particularly when they have to do transactions with non-Muslims, but use the lunar calendar for the rest of their office correspondence and private dealings not only will it lead to earning the Thawab (reward) of performing a Fard ala al Kifayah (an obligation which if performed by some Muslims, suffices for others), but will also lead to preservation of their national identity.

From Ma'ariful Quran, by Mufti Muhammad Shafi RE