"O THOSE WHO BELIEVE, ENTER ISLAM COMPLETELY, AND DO NOT FOLLOW THE FOOTSTEPS OF SATAN. SURELY, FOR YOU, HE IS AN OPEN ENEMY." (SURAH AL-BAQARAH:208)

Part 1

According to Arabic grammar this verse can be translated in two ways, though both meanings are very similar to each other.

The first refers to the condition of the believers while entering Islam, which must be 'complete'. This would mean that their entire person, hands and feet, eyes and ears, feeling and thinking, after having embraced the faith, should all be within the parameters of Islam. What shouldn't happen is that while one may be physically carrying out the injunctions of Islam but he doesn't fully believe in its veracity in his heart and mind, or the other way round that while he has full faith and belief in Islam, what he is doing physically is outside the dictates of Islam.

The second meaning would refer to the perfect and complete state of Islam in which the believer must enter. So 'entering Islam completely' would mean that one must accept all injunctions of Islam, and not only the ones that one happens to like. When one enters Islam one must enter all of its facets, whether they be beliefs (Aqa'id) , acts of worship (Ibadah), financial transactions (Ma'amlaat), way of living (Ma'ashrat), or injunctions related to one's inner self (Ikhlaq). One cannot accept some and reject others.

From Ma'ariful Quran, by Mufti Muhammad Shafi RE

"AND FEAR ALLAH AND BE SURE THAT YOU ARE GOING TO BE GATHERED BEFORE HIM." (SURAH AL-BAQARAH:203)

Part 4

Another reason for reminder of Taqwa at the end of Hajj injunctions is that Hajj is a great act of Ibadah. Once someone has performed Hajj the Satan tries to put thoughts of grandeur and self-righteousness into his mind, which lay waste to all his Ibadah. That is why people were advised at the end of the conversation that just like it is important and obligatory to fear Allah and to keep obeying Him before and during Hajj, similarly one must continue to fear Allah and to keep abstaining from sins even more after completing Hajj so that all the Ibadah that he has performed do not go to waste.

From Ma'ariful Quran, by Mufti Muhammad Shafi RE

"AND FEAR ALLAH AND BE SURE THAT YOU ARE GOING TO BE GATHERED BEFORE HIM." (SURAH AL-BAQARAH:203)

Part 3

A buzurg (holy man) once said, "When I returned from Hajj I once got an impulse to carry out a sin. I then heard a voice from someone I couldn't see: Haven't you performed the Hajj? Haven't you performed the Hajj? This voice became a barrier between me and that sin, and Allah Ta'alah protected me."

There was another Buzurg who was a disciple of Maulana Jami RE. He was such a pious person that he used to observe a halo of radiance over his head. He went to perform Hajj but after he returned he observed that that halo had disappeared. When he inquired with his spiritual teacher Maulana Jami about it, he said, "Before you went for Hajj you were a humble person. You used to weep before Allah thinking of yourself as a sinner. After doing Hajj you started thinking of yourself as a pious person and a saint, and your Hajj became a source of pride for you. That is why that halo disappeared."

To be continued...

From Ma'ariful Quran, by Mufti Muhammad Shafi RE

"AND FEAR ALLAH AND BE SURE THAT YOU ARE GOING TO BE GATHERED BEFORE HIM." (SURAH AL-BAQARAH:203)

Part 2

In a Hadith it has been said that one who returns after having completed his Hajj is so cleansed of his sins as if he was born on that day. That is why those performing Hajj have been instructed to maintain the quality of Taqwa (fear of Allah), as being one who has been purified from sins, they must take all precautions against sinning again so that they can earn the best of both the worlds, the Dunya (this material world) and the Aakhirah (the Hereafter). If a person who has been cleansed of sins after doing Hajj falls prey to sins again, then his previous cleansing of sins would not be of much use to him. Religious scholars have said that the signs of a Hajj that has been accepted by Allah Ta'alah are that such a person finds his heart free of love of Dunya (material world) and attracted to making his Aakhirah (the Hereafter) better. These are signs that a person's Hajj has been accepted, his sins have been wiped clean, and his prayers will be accepted.

From Ma'ariful Quran, by Mufti Muhammad Shafi RE

"AND FEAR ALLAH AND BE SURE THAT YOU ARE GOING TO BE GATHERED BEFORE HIM." (SURAH AL-BAQARAH:203)

Part 1

This last verse contains the essence of all the Hajj injunctions given in the previous verses. It means that one should keep fearing Allah during the special days of the Hajj refraining from any shortcomings in the prescribed acts of Hajj, and continue to fear Allah after the Hajj as well. One should not feel proud of oneself after performing Hajj, and should continue to abstain from sins, because when the time comes for the deeds to be weighed (Day of Judgment) a person's sins will nullify all of his good deeds.

From Ma'ariful Quran, by Mufti Muhammad Shafi RE

"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." (SURAH AL-BAQARAH:201)

Part 3

This verse also corrects the erroneous claim by those ignorant mystics who believe that it is only Ibadah when one prays for the Aakhirah (Hereafter) and claim that they do not care about the mortal world. In reality, such a claim is false, as a human being is dependent upon this mortal world for his existence, his sustenance, and also for performing Ibadah and acts of worship. Without these, fulfilling the objectives of faith would become impossible. Therefore, the practice of the blessed Prophets of Allah Ta'alah has always been that they prayed to Allah for the best of both the worlds. One who thinks that praying to Allah for the good of this world is against piety and sainthood, is ignorant of the great station of prophethood, and ignorant of man's own place in this mortal world. However, this much is true that a person's entire struggle in life should not be devoted exclusively to the pursuit of material wealth, rather he should worry more about what will happen to him in the Aakhirah and keep praying for it.

To be continued...

From Ma'ariful Quran, by Mufti Muhammad Shafi RE

"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." (SURAH AL-BAQARAH:201)

Part 2

This prayer is so comprehensive that it covers the whole range of a person's worldly objectives, as well as objectives related to the Hereafter. And if a person keeps praying it InshaAllah it will bring peace and tranquility to him both in this world and the Hereafter. In the end the verse refers to deliverance from the fire of Hell as well. It was for this reason that Rasool Allah ﷺ used to offer this prayer frequently,

ربّنا اتنا فی الدنیا حسنة و فی الآخرة حسنة و قنا عذاب النّار".

"O Lord! give us good in this world, and good in the Hereafter, and save us from the punishment of Fire."

It is masnun (Sunnah) to say this prayer particularly while doing tawaf. 

To be continued...

From Ma'ariful Quran, by Mufti Muhammad Shafi RE

"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." (SURAH AL-BAQARAH:201)

Part 1

The word حسنتہ (hasanah)in this verse is inclusive of all that is good, internal and external. For example hasanah of this world include one's own and one's family's health, abundance and barakah (blessing) in Halal livelihood, the fulfilment of all needs, virtuous deeds, desirable morals, beneficial knowledge, honour and prestige, strength of faith, guidance towards the straight path, and perfect sincerity (Ikhlas) in Ibadah. Similarly, hasanah in Hereafter includes everything including from being admitted to Paradise and al its endless and countless blessings, to the pleasure of Allah Ta'alah and the privilege of seeing him.

To be continued...

From Ma'ariful Quran, by Mufti Muhammad Shafi RE

Part 2

Continued from previous post...

This verse is a warning also for today's Muslims who pray only for their material desires even when doing Hajj or visiting the Holy Places. There are many rich people who pray themselves or request others to pray for them, not for Maghfirah (deliverance) on the Day of Aakhirah, but for increase in their wealth, growth of business, or other worldly affairs. There are many who start believing that they are very pious and religious because they do a lot of Zikr and pray a lot, but in reality their sole desire behind all these acts of worship is increase in their wealth. It is not that it is not allowed, or it is not a matter of receiving eternal reward, to pray for one's worldly affairs, but this verse is saying that increase in wealth should not be the sole purpose of going for Hajj and doing Ibadah, to the exclusion of any consideration of what will happen to that person in the Aakhirah.

From Ma'ariful Quran, by Mufti Muhammad Shafi RE

"۔۔۔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." (Surah al-Baqarah:200)

Part 1
In the days of the Jahiliyyah (ignorance) there were people who, while they did Allah's Zikr (remembrance) and prayed to Allah during Hajj, but all their prayers were focused on their material needs like increase in their wealth, their worldly comforts, and worldly status. They did not pay any attention to the Aakhirah in their prayers. To correct their mistake it has been pointed out in this verse that there are some people who, when doing Hajj, only pray for the fulfilment of their worldly needs, and do not give due importance to the Aakhirah. These people will not earn any reward in the Aakhirah because their behaviour shows that they have gone through Hajj merely as a formality, or have done this to earn prestige in the society. It was not their goal to please Allah Ta'alah and to earn deliverance in the Aakhirah.

To be continued...

From Ma'ariful Quran by Mufti Muhammad Shafi RE