Surah Al Baqarah (Section 1)

2-1         I, Allah, am the best Knower.

2-2         This Book, there is no doubt in it,

               is a guide to those who keep their duty,

الٓمٓ

ذَٲلِكَ ٱلۡڪِتَـٰبُ لَا رَيۡبَ‌ۛ فِيه

هُدً۬ى لِّلۡمُتَّقِينَ

2-1       الٓمٓ These letters that come at the beginning of certain surahs are called مقطّعات (maqtaat; literal meaning, parts, portions or pieces). There are twenty-nine surahs that begin with such letters. Very often, the Quranic translations do not give their meanings although there is evidence dating back to the Companions of the Holy Prophet that these letters have meanings. These letters stand for words; abbreviation of words by letters is in vogue in many languages. It is particularly common in the English language. This was the custom in Arabia as well. For example, in the hemistich: قلت لھا قفی قالت قاف the meaning of ق is قد و قفت i.e. I (female) stopped. There are many other examples as well but there was no standardization of Arabic abbreviations that a letter always stands for the same word. The meaning of the Arabic abbreviations had to be understood with reference to the context. Accordingly, in the Quran, it is not necessary that the meaning of a letter adopted in one place would be the same when the letter appears in another place. However, if there is a sequence of letters and the same sequence is repeated in other places then the meaning of the letters in the sequence is always the same. Thus, the sequence of الٓمٓ occurs at the beginning of five other surahs besides this one. These are: اٰل عمران which immediately follows البقرہ and العَنکبوت – الرُّوم – لقمَان – السَّجدَة. The last four named surahs are from the Makkah period and follow one another in the Quranic arrangement, being surahs number 29, 30, 31 and 32. This makes a total of six surahs that begin with الٓم.  

            The meaning of الٓمٓ are stated by Ibn Abbas as انا ﷲ اعلم  i.e. I, Allah, am the best knower.

2-2a     ذَٲلِكَ This word is normally used to indicate a remote thing (that) but is also used to indicate the greatness of a near thing in the sense of “this.” Here it has been used to indicate the greatness of the Book. In other places, the word ھزا (this) has also been used to indicate the Book, as for example: هَـٰذَا كِتَـٰبٌ أَنزَلۡنَـٰهُ مُبَارَك (…this is a Book We have revealed, full of blessings) (6:155). It can also be that ذَٲلِكَ is used in its usual sense of indicating a remote thing i.e. that promised book, in which case, the meaning would be that Book which was promised to Moses and Jesus (RM).

            ٱلۡڪِتَـٰبُ       – کتاب  is a verbal noun (مصدر) which is derived from کتب whose real meaning is to join one thing to another or to gather things and is also used for writing, because in writing the words are joined together and کتاب is a revealed book along with what is written in it (R). The communication of Allah is called کتاب whether it is written or not (R). This word has also been used for  the Quran (as in the present context) for a surah, for previous religious laws, for the revelation of every prophet, and for referring to the combined revelation of all prophets.

            رَيۡبَ is doubt that casts an aspersion (T).

The negation of رَيۡبَ (doubt) and its proof: Any doubt with regards to this Book is dispelled  here and the evidence for this claim is later stated as: وَإِن ڪُنتُمۡ فِى رَيۡبٍ۬ مِّمَّا نَزَّلۡنَا عَلَىٰ عَبۡدِنَا فَأۡتُواْ بِسُورَةٍ۬ مِّن مِّثۡلِهِۦ (And if you are in doubt as to that which We have revealed to Our servant, then produce a chapter like it…) (2:23).  No opponent, to this day, has been able to produce a book like the Qur’an.. So, this claim stands proven and true.

2-2b    هُدً۬ى here means ھَدِیْ (guide) i.e. it is the pilot on the path that leads to the desired destination. Also see note 1: 5a

            مُتَّقِينَ (plural) مُتَّقِیْ (singular) is the nominative form (اِسْمُ فاعِل) of the verb اِتَّقَی (to guard against) and اِتَّقَی was originally اِوْتقٰی which is a verbal noun derived from the root وقَّی (to preserve, guard, shield) and the meaning of the infinitive form وِقَایَة is:مما یُؤزیه و یضُرّهٗ حفظ الشىٔ (guarding a thing from that which harms or injures) (R). The literal meaning of تقویٰ (taqwa) is: جَعْلُ النَّفْسِ فیِ وِقَایَةٍ مِمَّا یُخَاف (To safeguard against what one is afraid of) (R),  Subsequently, its meaning is sometimes taken to be “fear” and in the terminology of the shariah تقویٰ  (taqwa) is to save oneself from falling into sin حِفْظ النَّفْس عَمَّا یُؤثَمُ (R). According to a hadith, the Holy Prophet said: لا یبلغ العبد ان یکون من المتقین حتی یدع ما لا باس به حذرا ممّا به باس (A person does not become a muttaqi unless he gives up those things which are not evil so he can save himself from things that are evil . In another hadith, the word توقه is used with نفس (self or soul) and Ibn Kathir has explained that as meaning: Do not present your soul for spiritual ruin;  guard it against all dangers. According to Taj al-Arus the meanings of توقی and اتقی are the same. The question now is: What is تقوی ﷲ ? And what is meant by اتقوا ﷲ ? because a متقی can only be one who adopts تقوی ﷲ . It is obvious that Allah is not a fearful Being who a person needs to evade, or from whom he must save or protect himself.  On the contrary, obtaining nearness to Allah is the objective of life. The Quran states in the beginning of Surah Nisa وَٱتَّقُواْ ٱللَّهَ ٱلَّذِى تَسَآءَلُونَ بِهٖ وَٱلۡأَرۡحَامَ‌ (And keep your duty to Allah by Whom you demand one of another (your rights), and (to) the ties of relationship) (4:1). By putting these two words (ٱتَّقُواْ ٱللَّهَ) together, Allah has cast light on the meaning of تقوی ﷲ . The meaning of taqwa of relationships is to safeguard the rights of relationships. تقوی ﷲ is therefore, safeguarding rights and a مُتَّقِیْ is one who guards rights. So, the meaning of اتقوا ﷲ is to safeguard the rights of Allah and مُتَّقِیْ is one who safeguards rights. Consider  that the meaning given by Imam Raghib is the same, because the only way of avoiding falling into sin is to safeguard rights and to ensure that no right is usurped. The same meaning is found in Hadith because the Holy Prophet calls that person مُتَّقِیْ who safeguards himself from evils  to the extent that for the sake of saving oneself from vice, a person will even forsake a thing which in itself is not a sin (the connotation of evil here is the usurpation of rights). Thus, مُتَّقِیْ is a person who safeguards himself from sin and usurpation of rights and the meaning of اتقوا ﷲ is to safeguard the rights of Allah. Because all types of rights have been made the responsibility of man by Allah, the Most High, تقوی ﷲ includes the safeguarding of all rights. Even if the meaning of  تقوی ﷲ is taken as fear, then the fear or dread of God is the fear of the calamity or punishment that is a consequence of sin. Thus, the true significance is to safeguard against sin, where sin signifies  squandering the rights of Allah or the rights of men.

How is the Quran a guide for مُتَّقِينَ (those who keep their duty)? The Quran is here called هُدً۬ى لِّلۡمُتَّقِينَ (a guide for those who keep their duty) and, in another place, it is  called هُدً۬ى لِّلنَّاسِ (a guide for men) (2:185). Based on the different meanings of ہدایت (guidance) both the statements are correct (See 1-5). It is a guide for all in that it shows the way for all people without exclusion, and people are free to adopt the way or not. It is a guide for those who keep their duty  مُتَّقِينَ in that it guides them to their desired destination.

Guidance for the righteous: It is absurd to say (as some do) that a righteous person does not require guidance. A righteous (مُتَّقِی) person is one who is just and guards against harmful and sinful things. However, they  need to be informed about their obligations, things that are harmful, and about the way to reach perfection. Without guidance from Allah, no man can achieve perfection merely through his own striving because his knowledge is limited. Allah’s light and guidance is needed  as manifested in هُدً۬ى لِّلۡمُتَّقِينَ (a guide for those who keep their duty). Human endeavor is required which is born from taqwa and Divine light is needed for guidance to reach the desired destination. Just as the person who says: ٱلۡحَمۡدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ ٱلۡعَـٰلَمِينَ (Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds) and then declares: إِيَّاكَ نَعۡبُدُ (Thee do we serve) is dependent on: ٱهۡدِنَا (Guide us), in the same way a muttaqi who believes in Allah and avoids harmful things, is still dependent on the light of this Book to reach his desired destination.

Unlimited progress for the muttaqi (مُتَّقِی): Further, we are  informed that regardless of how far a person has progressed in righteousness, this Book will continue to illuminate a path for further development. There is no stage of spiritual progress at which a person will find that this Book has become incapable of providing guidance for further progress. Just as human spiritual progress is unlimited, in the same way the light of this Book just keeps on illuminating.

Taqwa is the first step on the staircase to perfection: It is true that even in taqwa there are stages and a person who steps on the first rung desiring to seek guidance from this Book can ultimately progress to its final stage here called فلاح (success) and elsewhere called the station of صدیقیت (truthfulness) and شھید (witness). But taqwa or avoiding affliction is not the perfection of man. It is only the first step on the ladder  to perfection. Against these are people who act without fear of distress and suffering. They are mentioned in verse 6.

2-3       Who believe in the Unseen

and keep up prayer

and spend out of what We have given them

ٱلَّذِينَ يُؤۡمِنُونَ بِٱلۡغَيۡبِ

وَيُقِيمُونَ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ

وَمِمَّا رَزَقۡنَـٰهُمۡ يُنفِقُونَ (٣)

2-3a     يُؤۡمِنُونَ – ایمان is from امن and اٰمن is used in two ways. As a transitive verb as in اٰمنتة which means I made him secure and accordingly one of the names of Allah is المؤمن  (Al-Momin) i.e. one who grants security, peace and tranquility to His worshippers. Its second use is as an intransitive verb, where آمن will have the meaning, he became secure. In common parlance, it is sometimes used for a verbal confession of faith i.e. the declaration of belief in Muhammad as the messenger of Allah, as in إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ وَٱلَّذِينَ هَادُواْ (Surely those who believe, and those who are Jews) (2:62) and يَـٰٓأَيُّہَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓاْ ءَامِنُواْ بِٱللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِۦ (O you who believe, believe in Allah and His Messenger…) (4:136). And sometimes it means to affirm the truth by becoming fully obedient to it, and this requires three things to be present i.e. to affirm verbally, to firmly believe in one’s heart that it is the truth, and to have all of one’s being acting according to it, as in وَٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ بِٱللَّهِ وَرُسُلِهِۦۤ أُوْلَـٰٓٮِٕكَ هُمُ ٱلصِّدِّيقُونَ‌ۖ وَٱلشُّہَدَآءُ (And those who believe in Allah and His messengers, they are the truthful and the faithful ones…)(57:19). It has subsequently also become applicable to belief, and to truthful speech and righteous actions (R).

The meaning of Iman (ایمان or belief) in the light of the Hadith: This meaning of Iman is further substantiated by some hadith of the Holy Prophet where Iman refers sometimes just to belief, sometimes just to righteous actions and sometimes to both together. The use of Iman as belief is obvious. Examples of the uses in the other senses are to be found in the prophet’s sayings as in ‘modesty is from Iman,’ and ‘Iman has more than sixty branches,’ and similarly other actions have also been made part of Iman. The truth is that confession with the tongue is the seed of Iman but its nurturing and completion cannot take place without righteous actions.

The meaning of Iman specific to Islam: The meaning of Iman in Islam is not the same as in other religions. In Christianity, for example, Iman is merely the declaration of belief in atonement. Iman in Islam has a meaning that requires action. Belief in Allah requires the believer to mold his disposition in the virtues of Allah, to consider gaining His love and knowledge as the real purpose of life; belief in the Angels is accepting  their virtuous suggestions; belief in Messengers is to follow in their footsteps; belief in the scriptures is to act according to them; belief in the Hereafter is that every action has a causative effect and a person should not consider any action to be absurd; and so on.

2-3b    اَلۡغَيۡبِ is an infinitive i.e. verbal noun. Anything that is hidden from a person’s eye is called غاب. Similarly, those things that are hidden from the physical senses are called غیب and a thing will be called غاءب with reference to certain persons. Allah is عَـٰلِمُ ٱلۡغَيۡبِ وَٱلشَّهَـٰدَۃ‌ meaning that He knows things that humans cannot see and the things that they can see. اَلۡغَيۡبِ here refers to those matters that are not within the ambit of the five senses and are not on the authority of human guidance but knowledge of which is given by the Prophets (R). Some commentators have taken اَلۡغَيۡبِ to refer here to the Quran (IJ) although the Quran has been mentioned separately in مَآ أُنزِلَ إِلَيۡكَ (…that which has been revealed to thee…), some have taken it to mean belief in Allah, angels and Messengers (F) and some only Allah (RM-F) from the fact that the Allah is the most deeply concealed, hidden and distant Being. This seems to be the correct interpretation. The angels though can also be included in the meaning.

The reality of belief in the Unseen: Why has the word اَلۡغَيۡبِ (Unseen) been used in the beginning of the Book instead of belief in Allah? Firstly, because knowledge of His attributes is gained only through the prophets, and secondly because all progress is dependent on belief in the unseen. In every discipline, one moves forward based on certain assumptions and the subsequent results provide evidence for the veracity of these assumptions. No person can gain the full knowledge about Allah on day one, because that Being is deeply concealed. But when a person moves ahead with a firm belief in the Unseen, he can ultimately get full knowledge of Allah and can even communicate with Him. It can, therefore, be said that the Quran can take a person from belief in the Unseen to becoming a witness of the Unseen.

            فلاح (success) Out of the five principles that are mentioned in this surah for religious and worldly success, the first one is Belief in the Unseen i.e. Belief in Allah.

2-3c     يُقِيمُونَ The root of اقام is قوم and the meaning of اقام الامر is kept the work in the right condition.

The meaning of اقامت صلٰوۃ (keep up prayer): Wherever صلٰوۃ is mentioned in the Quran either in the sense of praise or urging, the word اقام, or its derivative, is used with it– as in أَقِيمُواْ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ – يُقِيمُونَ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ – المقیمین ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ . اقام (keep up) has been specially mentioned with صلٰوۃ (prayer) in order to caution that the purpose is to fulfill all the rights and conditions of prayers, not just perform the ritual. Thus, there is a narration which states: there will be many who pray (مصلّی) but few who will keep up prayer (R). It is for this reason, that under conditions of censure the word مصلّی is used rather than مقیم ٱلصَّلَوة as in: فَوَيۡلٌ۬ لِّلۡمُصَلِّينَ (So woe to the praying ones) (107:4). The conditions for what constitutes keeping up the prayer are specified in the Quran and these are:

1. Cleanliness such as wudu or a full bath, etcetera (5:6).
2. Praying at the specified times for each prayer: كَانَتۡ عَلَى ٱلۡمُؤۡمِنِينَ كِتَـٰبً۬ا مَّوۡقُوتً۬ا (Prayer indeed has been enjoined on the believers at fixed times 4:103).
3. Constancy in prayers i.e. to offer all the prayers and not to offer some and miss others: عَلَىٰ صَلَاتِہِمۡ دَآٮِٕمُونَ (Who are constant at their prayer70:23).
4. Safeguarding the prayers i.e. not missing a prayer regardless of whether one is in a journey, or sick, or in a battle or in any other kind of difficulty: عَلَىٰ صَلَاتِہِمۡ يُحَافِظُونَ (…those who keep a guard on their prayer) (70:34).
5. Mindfulness of the real spirit of the prayer: صَلَاتِہِمۡ سَاهُونَ (So woe to the praying ones, Who are unmindful of their prayer) (107:4,5).
6. Prayer that is not offered for show (to be seen by others): ٱلَّذِينَ هُمۡ يُرَآءُونَ (Who do (good) to be seen) (107:6).
7. Prayer offered without laziness. The Quran states about the hypocrites: لَا يَأۡتُونَ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ إِلَّا وَهُمۡ ڪُسَالَىٰ (…they come not to prayer except as lazy people…) (9:54). A hadith narration states that the Holy Prophet felt great pleasure in prayer.
8. Prayer should be offered in congregation: وَٱرۡكَعُواْ مَعَ ٱلرَّٲكِعِينَ (…and bow down with those who bow down.) (2:43).
9. Fear of God and humility should be present in prayer: ٱلَّذِينَ هُمۡ فِى صَلَاتِہِمۡ خَـٰشِعُونَ (Who are humble in their prayers) (23:2).
10. Prayer should lead to an abandonment of evil and indecency: إِنَّ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ تَنۡهَىٰ عَنِ ِ‌ ٱلۡفَحۡشَآءِ وَٱلۡمُنكَر (Surely prayer keeps (one) away from indecency and evil) (29:45).

2-3c     ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ  – صلّی is spoken both with reference to lighting a fire and entering a fire as in: يَصۡلَى ٱلنَّارَ ٱلۡكُبۡرَىٰ (…will burn in the great fire) (87:12) and يَصۡلَوۡنَ سَعِيرً۬ا (…will burn in blazing fire) (4:10). And صلٰوۃ is a quasi-infinitive noun of صلّی and signifies prayer, supplication or petition (LL) and blessings. Accordingly, the meaning of صلیت علیہ is stated to be دعوت له i.e. I prayed for him. And a poet says: وصلّی علٰی دَنِّھَا وَارْتَسَمْ I kept praying and petitioning on her water-skin. A few examples from the Quran showing the use of the word in this sense are: وَصَلِّ عَلَيۡهِمۡ‌ۖ إِنَّ صَلَوٰتَكَ سَكَنٌ۬ لَّهُمۡ‌ۗ (and pray for them. Surely thy prayer is a relief to them) (9:103), إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ وَمَلَـٰٓٮِٕڪَتَهُ ۥ يُصَلُّونَ عَلَى ٱلنَّبِى  (Surely Allah and His angels bless the Prophet) (33:56) and أُوْلَـٰٓٮِٕكَ عَلَيۡہِمۡ صَلَوَٲتٌ۬ مِّن رَّبِّهِم (Those are they on whom are blessings from their Lord) (2:157). The place of worship is also called صلٰوۃ as in لَّهُدِّمَتۡ صَوَٲمِعُ وَبِيَعٌ۬ وَصَلَوَٲت (…and churches, and synagogues, and mosques would have been pulled down) (22:40). صلٰوۃ also means the specific prayer that the Holy Prophet taught the Muslims, and when it is prefixed by اقامت , this form specifically just refers to the Muslim prayer (R) i.e. اقامت صلٰوۃ means saying the Muslim prayer.

Details about the prayer: The Quran does state that it is required that prayers should be offered at the prescribed time ( كِتَـٰبً۬ا مَّوۡقُوتا). However, the details about how many times prayers should be offered during a day, the timing of prayers, the number of rakahs in each prayer, the components of each rakah, their arrangement within a rakah, and the number of recitals of the phrases of glorification are not mentioned in the Quran in any one place. It is a different matter that some may conjecture about these details based on indications they observe in certain definitive verses of the Quran.

Islamic consensus about the components and timings of prayers: Surprisingly, there is largely consensus about these matters in the Islamic world. Sunnis, Shias, Khawarij, Muqallid (conformists), Ghair-muqallids (non-conformists) and those sects who have always remained at loggerhead with each other, from the east to the west, and from the beginning to the present, have said their prayers in the same manner and continue to do so. In China or in the jungles of Africa, in the islands of the Indian ocean or in the far-flung areas of Russia, wherever one goes, one finds the same timing of prayers, the same number of rakahs in each prayer, and the same arrangement of components of the prayer. Just as Allah in one, the Prophet is one, the Kiblah is one, in the same way, the form of prayer is one. This conformity exists because the first practitioner of the prayer, Prophet Muhammad, on him be peace and blessings,always said the prayer in the same way, his companions followed his example, and each subsequent generation learned from, and followed the example of the previous generation. It is this prayer that the righteous are commanded to keep up.

The relation between ‘Belief in the Unseen’ and prayer (صلٰوۃ):  Prayer is the sole channel to achieve nearness to Allah. For this reason, the mention of ‘belief in the Unseen’ is immediately followed by the mention of prayer.Thus the importance of action is stressed by linking belief to action in the foundational principles of Islam. Belief in Allah would have remained merely lip service if the means by which a relationship could be forged with this deeply hidden Being had not been provided. This information also provides the method for a person to reach his highest perfection. Prayer is synonymous with humbly submitting to Allah. The more a person submits to Allah the more he gets colored in the virtues of Allah and the greater the fulfillment of the real objective of belief in the Unseen. Prayer is the second of the five foundational principles of Islam, and the first principle requiring practical action in a person’s life.

2-3d    رَزَقۡنَـٰهُم – The word رزق is sometimes used for a continuing favor in this world or the Hereafter, sometimes it is used for a share or a portion and sometimes for food (R). Hence it is not only wealth that is included here in مِمَّا رَزَقۡنَـٰهُم but also station in life and knowledge (R). In fact, any kind of power that a person is endowed with is included in it.

2-3e     يُنفِقُونَ – انفاق is from نفق which means that a thing has passed. A tunnel is called نَفَقَ because it passes into the earth. نفاق is derived from نَفَقَand means to enter faith one way and leave from another (R)  اَنْفَقَ when it is an intransitive verb means the diminishing of wealth as in: إِذً۬ا لَّأَمۡسَكۡتُمۡ خَشۡيَةَ ٱلۡإِنفَاق (…then you will withhold them for fear of squandering it) (17:100) where the meaning of انفاق is squandered. And if it is a transitive verb, the meaning is to spend (T).

The meaning of spending in the way of Allah: This is the third foundational principle and the second rule of action without which success cannot be achieved. The sum and substance of it is to devote all of one’s powers, wealth and knowledge in the way of Allah i.e. for the betterment of humanity. Payment of zakat is  one part of it. Its mention after prayer is in natural order because a person who has a connection with the Creator can best serve humanity. The way to forge a connection with the Creator is through prayer. Through prayer, one develops a relationship with God and becomes colored in His virtues, the foremost of which is that He is the nourisher unto perfection. The service of humanity, then, becomes an essential imperative; because if the desire to serve humanity does not arise after establishing a relationship with God through prayer then it would be as though the purpose of prayer is invalid.

 The wisdom of mentioning zakat and salat (prayer) together: This is the reason why the mention of keeping up prayer in the Quran is always followed by zakat or service to humanity and why the Quran classes those who fail to undertake even small acts of kindness to humanity as being ignorant of the true purpose of prayer, and says that they pray only to be seen: ٱلَّذِينَ هُمۡ يُرَآءُونَ  وَيَمۡنَعُونَ ٱلۡمَاعُونَ  (Who do (good) to be seen; and refrain from acts of kindness) (107:6-7)

Hassan (حسن) and Ahsan (احسان) or Good and Favor: In the practical sense, there are only two facets for the development of a person’s soul – to bow before God and to serve God’s creation. One facet may be called Hassan (good) and the other Ahsan (favor). When prayer creates Hassan (goodness), then the next step is to do favors to humanity which the Quran teaches through مِمَّا رَزَقۡنَـٰهُم.

2-4       And who believe in that which has been revealed to thee and that which was revealed before thee, and of the Hereafter they are sure.

وَٱلَّذِينَ يُؤۡمِنُونَ بِمَا أُنزِلَ إِلَيۡكَ وَمَا أُنزِلَ مِن قَبۡلِك وَبِٱلۡأَخِرَةِ هُمۡ يُوقِنُون (٤)   

2-4a     أُنزِلَ – The actual meaning of نزول is to come down from on high to low, but in practice the coming down from high to low is not an essential element in its meaning. انزال is absolutely ایصال و ابلاغ i.e. to deliver a certain thing (R). Certain statements from the Quran to illustrate this are: أَنزَلۡنَا عَلَيۡكُمۡ لِبَاسً۬ا يُوَٲرِى سَوۡءَٲتِكُم (sent down to you clothing to cover your shame) (7:26), وَأَنزَلَ لَكُم مِّنَ ٱلۡأَنۡعَـٰمِ ثَمَـٰنِيَةَ (He sent down for you eight of the cattle in pairs) (39:6), and أَنزَلۡنَا ٱلۡحَدِيدَ (We sent down iron) (57:25). It is obvious that clothing , cattle and iron do not descend from above.

The نزول (sending) of Messengers and revelation: The word تنزیل or انزال has been used only for the revelation of Messengers. In fact, the word نزل has been used to explain why the Holy Prophet was sent: قَدۡ أَنزَلَ ٱللَّهُ إِلَيۡكُمۡ ذِكۡرً۬ا () رَّسُولا (Allah has indeed sent down to you a Reminder – A Messenger…) (65:10-11). Imam Raghib, in his commentary of this verse explains that the Holy Prophet here has been named ذکر (the Reminder) just as Jesus was named کلمة (the Word) and writes that انزال ذکر means the advent of the Holy Prophet.

Belief in Divine revelation: A fourth principle is expounded here for a righteous person to act on. This principle is belief in what was revealed to Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah and what was revealed before him. This is the second principle of belief, the first being belief in Allah, and the second being belief in Divine revelation. Belief in Allah cannot be born unless there is belief in revelation. Divine revelation creates a true bond between the Creator and the created. Perfect belief in Allah is born only from revelation and cannot be born just by looking at beautiful natural wonders. A wondrous sight may indeed provoke a thought that there must be a Creator, but belief that causes the power to act is born out of establishing the ties which in reality exist between the Creator and the created and the sole means to achieve that is Divine revelation. This relationship is also indicated by the word الغیب.

The wisdom of belief in previous revelation: The need for belief in Divine revelation has not been limited here just to belief in the Quran. Divine revelation to previous prophets has also been made an element of belief. This establishes that there is nothing novel in the matter of Muhammad and that this relationship between the Creator and the created has always existed. Another reason why it is necessary to make مَا أُنزِلَ مِن قَبۡلِكَ part of the belief system is because the revelation of the Quran was for the whole of humanity, and all the nations of the world had to be gathered together by it. Hence it was necessary to mention the previous revelations. Belief in what was revealed before created a magnificent basis for unity that showed that just as Allah was the physical nourisher of all humanity, His spiritual nourishment was also for all nations. An unlettered Arab taught this principle to the world,  a principle even the greatest philosophers had not discerned. Whereas it is incumbent to act on مَآ أُنزِلَ إِلَيۡكَ  i.e. the Quran, there is no need to act on the previous revelations. The Quran itself narrates that these Books have been altered and therefore they cannot be acted upon (in total). Additionally, the teachings in these Books were given to meet the specific needs of a people in a specific locale– so portions of the Books are redundant and unactionable. The portions of the previous scriptures that contained teachings of eternal value aree gathered together in a comprehensive form in the Quran as stated in: فِيہَا كُتُبٌ۬ قَيِّمَة (Wherein are (all) right books) (98:3). Hence, only the Quran need be acted on because by acting on the Quran, one follows the eternal teachings of all the books.

2-4b    ٱلۡأَخِرَةِ – اٰخِرٌ (last) is the opposite of اوّل (first) and اٰخَر (another; one more) is distinct  from واحد (one, unique). And الدار الاٰخرۃ means النشاۃ الثانیة i.e. the second life or Hereafter. Sometimes the word الدار is dropped and only الاٰخرۃ is used in place of الدار الاٰخرۃ (R). This is the dictionary meaning. If the Quran is examined, then other than the places where الاٰخرۃ occurs as belief in the Hereafter or denial of Hereafter, the word الاٰخرۃ is used in eighteen places and these all mean  النشاۃ الثانیة. For verification see: (6:92,113,150), (7:45), (11:19), (12:37), (16:22,60), (17:45), (23:74), (27:3,4), (31:4), (34:8,21), (39:45), (41:7), (53:27). Hence, to consider ٱلۡأَخِرَة to mean الوحی الاٰخرۃ and conclude from this that some other revelation will come, belief in which will be necessary, is totally antithetical to the Quran.

2-4c     يُوقِنُونَ – یقین is the attribute of knowledge that is beyond just awareness and scholarship etcetera (R).

The meaning of belief in the Hereafter: Belief in the Hereafter is the fifth principle of religion enunciated here. الاٰخرۃ (Hereafter) or النشاۃ الثانیة (the second life) is the life which is the consequence of actions done in this worldly life. Belief in that life means a firm belief that actions have consequences by way of reward and punishment. When a person considers a particular action to be harmful, he normally does not commit that action and when he considers an action to be good, he attempts to do it. If there are some immediate benefits from an action but its long-term consequences are detrimental, then an intelligent person will avoid it.A child who does not know better, likes play and sport, but a wise person keeps in mind the consequences that come ten, twenty years or even hundred years ahead. The stratagems of the European statesmen during the last century were an evil use of this otherwise good trait. The further a person scans the future the greater is the ability to avoid unpleasant consequences.

The real purpose of religion: Religion teaches a person that the consequences of actions are not just confined to this human life, or to twenty or a hundred years, but continue for thousands of years and cast their influence on the person even after the life of this world is over. In fact, just as in this world the immediate benefit of a particular action may appear good, but the ultimate consequence may be bad, similarly, an action may appear to have good consequences in this world but its consequences for the next world may be very bad. Hence an action that is intrinsically bad should be avoided even if worldly benefits from it may appear great. Vice versa, an action that is intrinsically good is worth undertaking even if its immediate consequence in this world may be troublesome. Hence the responsibility for an action should be understood in terms of the intrinsic good or bad nature of the act and not based on the consequences that could possibly arise in this world. For example, a person may be able to take the property of another person by resorting to falsehood and may also be able to avoid punishment, or a nation may use its overwhelming military superiority to act cruelly towards another nation without fear of any retaliation. But a righteous person acts only based on whether the action is good or bad.

Surety of reward and punishment saves one from sin: The use of the word یقین (sure) with اٰخرۃ (Hereafter) shows that unless there is full surety of reward and punishment in the Hereafter, a person cannot save himself from sin. There are many people who claim to believe in the Hereafter but because they do not have certainty in their hearts about it, they live their life in the servitude of sin. A person who is certain that there is a snake in a burrow will not put his hand in it, likewise, how can he go against the commandments of God if he is certain of requital.

2-5         These are on a right course from their Lord and these it is that are successful.^a

أُوْلَـٰٓٮِٕكَ عَلَىٰ هُدً۬ى مِّن رَّبِّهِم

وَأُوْلَـٰٓٮِٕكَ هُمُ ٱلۡمُفۡلِحُونَ (٥)

2-5a     ٱلۡمُفۡلِحُونَ – The literal  meaning of فلح is شق i.e. to split, cleave or fissure. This word is also used for plowing the earth. For this reason, a farmer is called فلّاح and the meaning of فَلاح is ظفر وادراك (R) i.e. success and the achievement of the desired objective. Just as plowing brings up the latent powers and talent of the earth, the same is the case with human potentialities which lie latent until they are brought out, and this is success. The meaning of فلّاح is not just worldly success but the manifestation of the hidden human potentialities. The mere earning of wealth or gaining kingship is not فلّاح (success) and such a person cannot be called مفلح (successful). The meaning of فلّاح is الفوزوالخیر which combines both secular and religious success. Accordingly, it is stated in Taj al-Arus that there is a consensus among linguistic scholars that there is no word in the Arabic language that more comprehensively incorporates both secular and religious good actions than فلّاح.

Who is a مفلح i.e. a successful person? It is stated here that those who accept these five principles and make the Quran the basis of their actions are rightly guided. The evidence for their right guidance is furnished by the fact that they will achieve فلّاح or success both in this world and the Hereafter, and their physical and spiritual powers will be nourished in the best manner. The companions of the Holy Prophet have furnished the best evidence of this to the world. In other words, “These are on the right course” is the claim and “these it is that are successful” is the proof.

2-6            Those who disbelieve^a —it being alike to them whether thou warn them^b or warn them not —they will not believe.

إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا سَوَآءٌ عَلَيۡهِم ءَأَنذَرۡتَهُمۡ أَمۡ لَمۡ تُنذِرۡهُم لَا يُؤۡمِنُون (٦)

2-6a     کفٰر – کافر: کفروا –کُفْر (kufr) the dictionary meaning is: سَتْرالشَّیِٔ i.e. to cover a thing. Accordingly, the night is referred to as کافر and so is a farmer because he covers the seed with earth in the ground. کُفْر is ungratefulness for a favor because not expressing gratitude for it is tantamount to hiding it. And the greatest کُفْر (ungratefulness) is denial of Oneness of God, or shariah or prophethood (R).

Every contemptible act is included in kufr; basic and subsidiary kufr:  Just as every praiseworthy action is part of Iman (belief), every blameworthy action is kufr (unbelief) (R). Ibn Kathir has written that kufr is of two types. One is disbelief in the basic principles ofiman (faith) and opposition to it, and the second is disbelief in some subsidiary aspect of Islam which does not expel a person from being a believer. Accordingly a citation from Azhari is quoted: قد یقول المسلم کفرا . Hence in religious terminology the rejection of the prophethood of the Holy Prophet is kufr, but some subsidiary actions arising out of it that have been labelled as kufr such as: سباب المسلم فسوق و قتاله کفر or من رغب عن ابیه فقد کفر are merely actions that are kufr of the off-shoots of iman and do not expel a person from the pale of Islam. The actual meaning is expansive [and prohibits people from excommunicating other Muslims from Islam for minor infractions].

2-6b    انذرت – Is from نذر which means making something incumbent on oneself (R). The literal meaning of اَنْذَرَ or اَنْذَار in the dictionary is اَعْلَمَ i.e. knowledge about the matter was given to him (T) and it has also been said that اَنْذَار is to give knowledge about a matter with a view to caution and frighten. The real meaning of اَنْذَار is اَعْلَمَ i.e. to give knowledge about a matter (T) and it has also been said that مُنْذِر is a person providing knowledge who cautions the nation about dangers as for example from enemies. Hence the real meaning of اَنْذَار is not to threaten but to provide knowledge and, in particular, knowledge that informs of an impending danger.

Mention of opposing scenarios: The style of the Quran is such that it compares opposing scenarios in order to highlight the major objectives. After mentioning the righteous persons and their success i.e. the achievement of their real perfection, mention is made of people who, when they are told that their actions are evil and would have detrimental consequences, take no heed. The righteous person is one who saves himself from all unrighteous acts and quite the opposite is the person who when informed that the matter is sinful, does not care. In addition, a question arises whether the term هُدً۬ى لِّلۡمُتَّقِينَ (guide to those who keep their duty) in  a Book meant for the whole of humanity means that a section of people would be left bereft from its guidance. The answer is given that only those would be left bereft who do not care.

Those not heeding the warning: سَوَآءٌ عَلَيۡهِمۡ ءَأَنذَرۡتَهُمۡ أَمۡ لَمۡ تُنذِرۡهُم (it being alike to them whether thou warn them or warn them not) is a fault-finding phrase that explains the condition of إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ. Bahr al-Muhit and Ruh al-Maani agree with the correctness of this sentence structure. If it is not taken as a phrase of objection, the sentence would become meaningless. If it is taken to be information about إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ then the meaning would be that it is useless for you to warn the kafir because the result would be the same whether you warn them or not, and this is against the objective reality and one cannot accept a Quranic interpretation that is against reality. The fact is that the Holy Prophet kept on warning the kafirs and the Quran too has repeated commands to warn the kafirs. As a result, conversions to Islam from the kafirs continued. Thus, the real meaning is that those who reject the truth and reject it with such vehemence that it makes no difference to them whether they are warned or not warned are the ones who would not accept. It is a truism, that a person who does not care about the warnings is not able to benefit. However, if he changes the condition of his heart, then he too would be able to benefit. This order is a general statement and is not directed at a specific person.

2-7         Allah has sealed their hearts^a

              and their hearing;

              and there is a covering on their eyes^b,

              and for them is a grievous chastisement.^c

خَتَمَ ٱللَّهُ عَلَىٰ قُلُوبِهِم

وَعَلَىٰ سَمۡعِهِم

وَعَلَىٰٓ أَبۡصَـٰرِهِمۡ غِشَـٰوَة

وَلَهُمۡ عَذَابٌ عَظِيم (٧)

 2-7a  خَتَمَ – The dictionary meaning of خَتَمَ and طبع are the same i.e. to cover a thing and to tie the cover so strongly that no other thing can enter it (T).

The meaning of sealing the heart: Imam Raghib in his book Al-Mufradat has interpreted the sealing of hearts by stating that when a person becomes exceedingly remiss in evil beliefs or the commission of sins such that he pays no attention to the truth he will become habituated to think of evil as good and, so to say, the person’s heart is sealed by this condition. Imam Raghib  further writes that this is a metaphor just like: وَجَعَلۡنَا عَلَىٰ قُلُوبِہِمۡ أَكِنَّةً أَن يَفۡقَهُوهُ (We have cast veils over their hearts so that they understand it not) (6:25) and جَعَلۡنَا قُلُوبَهُمۡ قَـٰسِيَةً۬‌ (We hardened their hearts) (5:13).

2-7b     غِشَـٰوَةٌ‌ – The root word is غشی whose meaning is to cover and غِشَـٰوَة is that with which a thing is covered. There are many derivatives from this in the Quran such as: غَشِی – یَغْشیٰ – تَغْشیٰ –  غاشیة – مغشی – اِسْتَغْشَوا – غشاوة – غشی.

God’s sealing is a result of a person’s actions: This verse refers to the same people referred to in the previous verse. The personal pronoun ھم (their) in عَلَىٰ قُلُوبِهِمۡ (their hearts) does not refer to the ordinary unbelievers, but only to those unbelievers who have reached the most extreme stage of unbelief, and about whom it is said that it is the same for them whether they are warned. The sealing of the heart is not a condition they are predisposed to at birth. God does not cause some people to be born with seals on their hearts. The sealing of the hearts is a consequence of their actions. When a person does not reflect and contemplate, their power to do so is lost  in much the same way that the hand of a person becomes useless if it is not used for a long time. Further, just as physical strength can be restored with proper treatment, the seal on the heart can also be broken. The Quran is the treatment for this as it is: شفاء لما فی الصدور (healing for what is in the chest). But the treatment is only for those who wish to be treated.

The testimony of the Quran and Hadith that shows the effect of evil takes place concurrently: The idea of the seal being a consequence is verified by the Quran which states in another place: بَلۡۜ رَانَ عَلَىٰ قُلُوبِہِم مَّا كَانُواْ يَكۡسِبُونَ  (Rather, what they earned is rust on their heart) (83:14). Just as a person’s actions build rust on the heart, they also seal it. The buildup of the rust is the first stage and the seal is the last stage. It is narrated in a hadith by Tirmidhi that when a person commits a sin, a black spot appears on his heart; if the person repents, his heart becomes clean again (by heart here is meant the spiritual heart); but if the person keeps on sinning the blackness keeps on growing and he becomes an example of : رَانَ عَلَىٰ قُلُوبِہِم . So the light that God has placed within him becomes fully subdued. This shows that rusting and sealing of the heart is not specific to unbelievers. Even a Muslim who habitually sins  can have a seal put on his heart. This verse  shows that the effect of evil on the soul takes place concurrently with its commission.

Not using intellect is a seal on the heart: What is meant by seal on the heart? Commenting on خَتَمَ ٱللَّهُ عَلَىٰ قُلُوبِهِمۡ وَعَلَىٰ سَمۡعِهِم Ibn Masud and some other Companions explain its meaning as: لا یعقلون و لا یسمعون (they neither use their intellect nor do they hear). The Quran too gives the same explanation: وَمِنۡہُم مَّن يَسۡتَمِعُ إِلَيۡكَ حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَا خَرَجُواْ مِنۡ عِندِكَ قَالُواْ لِلَّذِينَ أُوتُواْ ٱلۡعِلۡمَ مَاذَا قَالَ ءَانِفًا‌ۚ أُوْلَـٰٓٮِٕكَ ٱلَّذِينَ طَبَعَ ٱللَّهُ عَلَىٰ قُلُوبِہِم (And there are those of them who seek to listen to thee, till, when they go forth from thee, they say to those who have been given knowledge: What was it that he said just now? These are they whose hearts Allah has sealed…) (47:16). In other words, sealing is a state where one listens but does not understand. In another place, the Quran states: لَهُمۡ  قُلُوبٌ۬ لَّا يَفۡقَهُونَ بِہَا وَلَهُمۡ أَعۡيُنٌ۬ لَّا يُبۡصِرُونَ بِہَا وَلَهُمۡ ءَاذَانٌ۬ لَّا يَسۡمَعُونَ بِہَآ‌ۚ  (…they have hearts wherewith they understand not, and they have eyes wherewith they see not, they have ears wherewith they hear not…) (7:179).

Considering evil actions to be good is a seal on the heart: When an evil act is committed repeatedly, the outlook about the act gradually changes until the evil act begins to look like a virtue. This is a seal on the heart because then one even ceases to reflect that the action being committed is evil.

Attributing the sealing to Allah: The sealing of the heart is attributed to Allah because the result of every action done by a person is produced under the laws created by Allah. For example, it can be said that when a person closes all the doors of his house, Allah leaves him in darkness, or when a person stops using his hand, Allah atrophies his hand. In the same way, when a person is warned of the evil consequences of an action but instead of heeding the warning, he keeps on increasing his evil actions then Allah seals his heart.

Zoroastrian belief contradicted : This idea contradicts  the Zoroastrian belief that light is from God and darkness is from Satan. Islam considers God to be the causer of all outcomes.

2-7c     عَذَابٌ – Its root word is عذب and sweet and high quality water is called مَاءٌ عَذْبٔ . The Quran states in another place: هَـٰذَا عَذۡبٌ۬ فُرَاتٌ۬ (…the one sweet, very sweet…) (25:53). Extreme suffering is called عذاب, the reason for this is that the meaning of عَذَبَ الرَّجُلُ is he stopped eating and drinking. Thus, تعذیب actually is to deprive a person from food, water and sleep. Some consider تعذیب to be the nullification ofعذب  i.e. to be removed from the good things of life, similar to تَمْرِیض (removal of illness) being the nullification of مرض (illness). Thus, being deprived of good things is عذاب.

Use of عذابin the Quran: The Quran has used this word for any kind of punishment or affliction. When the owners of an orchard did not get the benefit of their labor, the Quran described it as كَذَٲلِكَ ٱلۡعَذَابُ‌ (Such is the chastisement) (68:33). The destruction and suffering of nations in this world is also called عذاب. The punishment for a crime is also called عذاب as in وَلۡيَشۡہَدۡ عَذَابَہُمَا (witness their chastisement) (24:2)The chastisement of the Hereafter is also called عذاب. The pain that the heart feels after committing an evil deed is also عذاب.

Grievous chastisement (عَذَابٌ عَظِيمٌ) and painful chastisement (الیم عَذَابٌ): In the Quran chastisement (عذاب) is sometimes referred to as grievous (عَظِيم) based on the external difficulties  of the chastisement and sometimes as painful (الیم ) based on the internal pain that one suffers. In accordance with this distinction, the chastisement that was going to be inflicted on the unbelievers is called grievous because of the manifest nature of this punishment, while later in the chapter the chastisement of the hypocrites is described as painful.