SURAH AL-E-IMRAN: 1-5 - Part 1

بِسۡمِ اللهِ الرَّحۡمٰنِ الرَّحِيۡمِ

الٓمّٓ ۚۙ‏ ﴿۱﴾ اللّٰهُ لَاۤ اِلٰهَ اِلَّا هُوَۙ الۡحَىُّ الۡقَيُّوۡمُؕ‏ ﴿۲﴾ نَزَّلَ عَلَيۡكَ الۡـكِتٰبَ بِالۡحَقِّ مُصَدِّقًا لِّمَا بَيۡنَ يَدَيۡهِ وَاَنۡزَلَ التَّوۡرٰٮةَ وَالۡاِنۡجِيۡلَۙ‏ ﴿۳﴾ مِنۡ قَبۡلُ هُدًى لِّلنَّاسِ وَاَنۡزَلَ الۡفُرۡقَانَ  ؕ‌ اِنَّ الَّذِيۡنَ كَفَرُوۡا بِاٰيٰتِ اللّٰهِ لَهُمۡ عَذَابٌ شَدِيۡدٌ  ‌ؕ وَاللّٰهُ عَزِيۡزٌ ذُو انۡتِقَامٍؕ‏ ﴿۴﴾ اِنَّ اللّٰهَ لَا يَخۡفٰى عَلَيۡهِ شَىۡءٌ فِى الۡاَرۡضِ وَلَا فِى السَّمَآءِ﴿۵﴾ ؕ‏

With the name of Allah the All-Merciful, the Very-Merciful

Alif Lam Mim. (1) Allah: There is no God but He, the Alive, the All-Sustaining. (2) He has revealed to you the Book with the truth confirming what has been before it, and sent down the Torah and Injil (3) (the Evangile) earlier to give guidance to mankind, and sent down the Furqan (the criterion of right and wrong). Surely those who have rejected the verses of Allah, for them there is severe punishment. And Allah is Mighty, Lord of Retribution. (4) Surely, Allah is such that nothing is hidden from Him, either in the earth or in the heaven. (5) 

To be continued...

SURAH AL-BAQARAH: 285-286 - 9th and last part

Right at the end of the Surah the Holy Quran teaches Muslims to make a special Dua or prayer asking for forgiveness on commission of some act because of forgetfulness or neglect or mistake. It says,

"رَبَّنَا لَا تُؤَاخِذۡنَاۤ اِنۡ نَّسِيۡنَاۤ اَوۡ اَخۡطَاۡنَا" 

"Our Lord, do not hold us accountable, if we forget or make a mistake."

Then it was further said,

"رَبَّنَا وَلَا تَحۡمِلۡ عَلَيۡنَاۤ اِصۡرًا كَمَا حَمَلۡتَهٗ عَلَى الَّذِيۡنَ مِنۡ قَبۡلِنَا ‌‌ۚرَبَّنَا وَلَا تُحَمِّلۡنَا مَا لَا طَاقَةَ لَنَا بِهٖ‌"

"Our Lord, do not place on us a burden such as You have placed on those before us. And our Lord, do not make us bear that for which we have no strength."

This is referring to the severe restrictions that had been placed on the Bani Isra'il (Israelites), such as, a piece of cloth could not be made fully pure unless cut or burnt, or that repentance could not be accepted without killing. Alternatively, it could mean that punishment should not be visited upon us in this world, as it was visited upon previous communities.

Allah Almighty bestowed His best when He promised the acceptance of all these prayers through His Rasool, the last among the Prophets, may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.

From Ma'ariful Quran, by Mufti Muhammad Shafi Rehmatullah Elaih

SURAH AL-BAQARAH: 285-286 - Part 8

It needs to be understood that this sentence "For him is what he has earned, and on him what he has incurred" means that initially one gets reward or punishment for what one does with one's own intention and volition. It is not contrary to later on earning reward or punishment for what was done without his direct intention. For example, several other verses of the Quran and many reports from ahadith say that if a person does something good which persuades others to act in a similar fashion, then the reward of that virtuous deed performed by the followers will keep reaching the original doer of the good deed for as long as the followers continue performing that good deed. In the same way, if a person sets up a new tradition of performing a sin, he will continue incurring the curse of that sin for as long as his followers keep engaging in that sin.

Similarly, narrations in Hadith prove that one can gift the reward of one's good deeds to any other person. It is clear that in all these situations, a person is receiving reward or punishment for acts done without his own intention and volition.

From Ma'ariful Quran, by Mufti Muhammad Shafi Rehmatullah Elaih

SURAH AL-BAQARAH: 285-286 - Part 7

Similarly, the deeds that a person carries out mentally are also of two kinds. The first is voluntary, for instance, the belief in kufr (disbelief) and shirk (believing that someone shares Allah's existence or powers), which one has chosen to believe with one's free will and choice, or believing oneself to be mightier and loftier than all other human beings (Takabbur, arrogance) which one believes as a result of conscious and wilful self-pride, or vowing to drink alcohol. The second kind of these mental deeds are involuntary, for example, entry of some bad thoughts or impulses  into a person's mind without their volition or intention. Just like the physical deeds, a person is only accountable for, and will be punished or rewarded for, those mental deeds that a person carries out voluntarily and intentionally, and not for thoughts and impulses that come involuntarily.

This explanation given by the Holy Quran itself put the noble Companions' hearts and minds at ease that they won't have to account for involuntary thoughts and impulses passing through their minds. The Holy Quran has clarified this further in the next sentence "لَهَا مَا كَسَبَتۡ وَعَلَيۡهَا مَا اكۡتَسَبَتۡ" meaning "that the man is rewarded for what he elects to do and is punished for what he elects to do."

From Ma'ariful Quran, by Mufti Muhammad Shafi Rehmatullah Elaih

SURAH AL-BAQARAH: 285-286 - Part 6

In the second verse, the doubt as to whether a person was accountable for all involuntary thoughts going through his or her mind, which could have arisen from the literal meaning of words of the previous verse, has been removed by the sentence, "لَا يُكَلِّفُ اللّٰهُ نَفۡسًا اِلَّا وُسۡعَهَا" meaning "Allah does not burden anyone beyond his or her capacity". Therefore, the thoughts that enter a person's mind without one's intention and control, and are not translated into actions, will be forgiven in Allah's Court. On the Day of Judgment a person will only have to account for deeds that were undertaken with choice and volition.

To understand this in a bit more detail, there are two types of physical or outward deeds that a person carries out with their hands or feet, or tongue, or eyes. The first type are those physical deeds that a person carries out voluntarily, for example, saying something unpleasant to someone by choice, or hitting someone by choice. The second kind of deeds are involuntary physical deeds, for example when a person intended to say something but by mistake said something else that he did not mean, or the involuntary movement of a diseased arm hitting someone by mistake. In these circumstances, everyone understands that a person will only be held accountable for, and will be rewarded or punished for, those deeds that they carried out voluntarily, out of their own free will. There will be no punishment or reward for involuntary deeds that happened without their volition.

To be continued...

From Ma'ariful Quran, by Mufti Muhammad Shafi Rehmatullah Elaih

SURAH AL-BAQARAH: 285-286 - Part 5

In the first verse those details of Iman (belief) have been described which are common between the Holy Prophet ﷺ and the Muslims in general. This Iman consists of the belief that Allah Ta'alah does exist, and that He is One, and that He possesses all the perfect attributes, and that there are angels, and that all Scriptures and Messengers sent by Allah are true.

After that it has been stressed that the believers (Momineen) of this Ummah will not do what the previous communities had done, in that they will not differentiate between the Messengers of Allah by believing some of them as Prophets, while not accepting others to be Messengers of Allah. The Jews accepted that Hazrat Musa AS (Moses) was a Prophet of Allah, the Christians accepted that Hazrat Isa AS (Jesus) was a Prophet, but both denied that Hazrat Muhammad ﷺ was the last Prophet of Allah.

To be continued...

From Ma'ariful Quran, by Mufti Muhammad Shafi Rehmatullah Elaih

SURAH AL-BAQARAH: 285-286 - Part 4

Continued from before...

Even though Rasool Allah ﷺ knew the correct intended meaning of the verse but he, in view of the generality of the words, chose not to say anything on his own. Instead, he waited for the Wahy (revelation) and instructed the Companions (Sahaba) that they should obey whatever Allah Ta'alah ordains for them. It may be easy or difficult to carry out, but it is not the way of a true Muslim to show the slight hesitation in accepting Allah's command when it comes. What they should do is that as soon as they heard the command of Allah, they should say, "سَمِعۡنَا وَاَطَعۡنَا‌ غُفۡرَانَكَ رَبَّنَا وَاِلَيۡكَ الۡمَصِيۡرُ", meaning "We have listened, and obeyed. Our Lord, Your pardon! And to You shall we return."

The noble Companions did exactly what they were told by the Holy Prophet ﷺ, although in their minds they were still anxious that stopping involuntary undesirable thoughts from coming to their minds was nearly impossible. Upon this, Allah Ta'alah revealed these last two verses of Surah al-Baqarah. The first one praises Muslims while the other gives a correct explanation of the earlier verse that created worry in the minds of the noble Companions. 

To be continued...

Adapted from Ma'ariful Quran, by Mufti Muhammad Shafi Rehmatullah Elaih

SURAH AL-BAQARAH: 285-286 - Part 3

The first of these two verses begins with words of praise for the Muslims who are true and obedient, those who said yes with all their heart to all injunctions ordained by Allah, and were all set to carry them out.

The second verse, in addition to being an assertion of Allah's infinite mercy, also answers the doubt and worry which started bothering the noble Companions (Sahaba) when the verse preceding these two was revealed. In that verse Allah Ta'alah had said, وَاِنۡ تُبۡدُوۡا مَا فِىۡۤ اَنۡفُسِكُمۡ اَوۡ تُخۡفُوۡهُ يُحَاسِبۡكُمۡ بِهِ اللّٰہ, meaning "whether you manifest that which is in your hearts, or conceal it, Allah will hold you to account for it." The verse was actually referring to the accountability for whatever one does with his or her choice and volition, and not unintentional thoughts and errors. However, the words of the Holy Quran were general because of which people surmised that human beings will also be held accountable for thoughts that came to their minds without their intention. Because of this worry the noble Companions presented themselves before the Holy Prophet ﷺ and said, "Ya Rasool Allah, till now we believed that we will be held accountable only for those deeds and acts that we do by our own will and choice, and will not be held accountable for those thoughts that pass through our mind involuntarily. But this verse seems to tell us that we will be held accountable for every thought that passes through our mind. If that is the case it will be very difficult for anyone to escape punishment."

Continued...

From Ma'ariful Quran, by Mufti Muhammad Shafi Rehmatullah Elaih

SURAH AL-BAQARAH: 285-286 - Part 2

These are the last two verses of Surah al-Baqarah. Great merits have been attributed to these two verses in authentic Ahadith. The Holy Prophet ﷺ has said that  one who recites these two verses during the night, they will be sufficient for him.

As narrated by Sayyidna Ibn Abbas Razi Allah Anhu, the Holy Prophet ﷺ said that Allah Ta'alah has sent forth these two verses out of the treasures of Paradise and the 'Rahman' has already written them by His own hand two thousand years earlier than the creation of all things and beings. If a person reads them after the Salah of Isha they will be a substitute for Tahajjud for him.

As it appears in the Mustadrak of al-Hakim and Bayhaqi, the Holy Prophet ﷺ said that Allah Ta'alah has concluded Surah al-Baqarah with these two verses, which have been given to me in His grace from out of the special treasure that lies under the 'Arsh' (Divine Throne). Therefore, you should make special effort to learn these verses, and at the same time, teach your women and children how to recite them.

Continued..

From Ma'ariful Quran, by Mufti Muhammad Shafi Rehmatullah Elaih

SURAH AL-BAQARAH: 285-286 - Part 1

اٰمَنَ الرَّسُوۡلُ بِمَاۤ اُنۡزِلَ اِلَيۡهِ مِنۡ رَّبِّهٖ وَ الۡمُؤۡمِنُوۡنَ‌ؕ كُلٌّ اٰمَنَ بِاللّٰهِ وَمَلٰٓٮِٕكَتِهٖ وَكُتُبِهٖ وَرُسُلِهٖ لَا نُفَرِّقُ بَيۡنَ اَحَدٍ مِّنۡ رُّسُلِهٖ‌ وَقَالُوۡا سَمِعۡنَا وَاَطَعۡنَا‌ غُفۡرَانَكَ رَبَّنَا وَاِلَيۡكَ الۡمَصِيۡرُ‏ ﴿۲۸۵﴾ لَا يُكَلِّفُ اللّٰهُ نَفۡسًا اِلَّا وُسۡعَهَا ‌ؕ لَهَا مَا كَسَبَتۡ وَعَلَيۡهَا مَا اكۡتَسَبَتۡ‌ؕ رَبَّنَا لَا تُؤَاخِذۡنَاۤ اِنۡ نَّسِيۡنَاۤ اَوۡ اَخۡطَاۡنَا ‌ۚ رَبَّنَا وَلَا تَحۡمِلۡ عَلَيۡنَاۤ اِصۡرًا كَمَا حَمَلۡتَهٗ عَلَى الَّذِيۡنَ مِنۡ قَبۡلِنَا ‌‌ۚرَبَّنَا وَلَا تُحَمِّلۡنَا مَا لَا طَاقَةَ لَنَا بِهٖ‌ ۚ وَاعۡفُ عَنَّا وَاغۡفِرۡ لَنَا وَارۡحَمۡنَا اَنۡتَ مَوۡلٰٮنَا فَانۡصُرۡنَا عَلَى الۡقَوۡمِ الۡكٰفِرِيۡنَ‏ ﴿۲۸۶﴾

The Messenger has believed in what has been revealed to him from his Lord, and the believers as well. All have believed in Allah, and His angels and His Books, and His Messengers. "We make no division between any of His Messengers"' and they have said: "We have listened, and obeyed. Our Lord, Your pardon! And to You is the return."

Allah does not obligate anyone beyond his capacity. For him is what he has earned, and on him what he has incurred. 

"Our Lord, do not hold us accountable, if we forget or make a mistake and, our Lord, do not place on us a burden such as You have placed on those before us. And our Lord, do not make us bear that for which we have no strength. And pardon us. And grant us forgiveness. And have mercy on us. You are our Lord. Help us, then, against the disbelieving people. 

Continued...

From Ma'ariful Quran, by Mufti Muhammad Shafi Rehmatullah Elaih