2-211 Ask of the Children of Israel how many a clear sign We gave them! And whoever changes the favour of Allah after it has come to him, then surely Allah is Severe in requiting (evil).a
سَلۡ بَنِىٓ إِسۡرَٲٓءِيلَ كَمۡ ءَاتَيۡنَـٰهُم مِّنۡ ءَايَةِۭ بَيِّنَةٍ۬ۗ وَمَن يُبَدِّلۡ نِعۡمَةَ ٱللَّهِ مِنۢ بَعۡدِ مَا جَآءَتۡهُ فَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ شَدِيدُ ٱلۡعِقَابِ (٢١١)
2-211a سَلۡ – includes everyone addressed. The meaning is not that every person should necessarily ask the Children of Israel, but that Bani Israel particularly and others generally should reflect on the many signs that were given to them.
بَيِّنَةٍ ايَةِۭ – What were these clear signs? Foremost were the prophecies generationally prevalent in their scriptures about the coming of the Holy Prophet. Second, were the signs regarding the truthfulness of the Holy Prophet which they could see because as the followers of the Book, they were familiar with the traditions of prophets.
يُبَدِّلۡ نِعۡمَةَ ٱللَّهِ – The favor of Allah is Islam (IJ) By change is meant rejecting the favor of Allah. This rejection is termed change because Bani Israel changed an article of their belief which they had accepted previously, that is they rejected the coming of the Last Prophet. The Muslims too reject this favor because they profess belief, but their actions belie it.
The last ruku ended with the unbelievers demanding a sign of their demise. Their stance is that if this Prophet is genuine, why are they not destroyed even though they are trying to destroy him. This ruku starts by stating that many signs of the Prophet’s genuineness have been manifested, then why do they not accept them instead of demanding their own destruction.
2-212 The life of this world is made to seem fair to those who disbelieve, and they mock those who believe. And those who keep their duty will be above them on the Day of Resurrection. And Allah gives to whom He pleases without measure.a
زُيِّنَ لِلَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ ٱلۡحَيَوٰةُ ٱلدُّنۡيَا وَيَسۡخَرُونَ مِنَ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْۘ وَٱلَّذِينَ ٱتَّقَوۡاْ فَوۡقَهُمۡ يَوۡمَ ٱلۡقِيَـٰمَةِۗ وَٱللَّهُ يَرۡزُقُ مَن يَشَآءُ بِغَيۡرِ حِسَابٍ۬ (٢١٢)
2-212a زُيِّنَ – زان or زین – is said of a thing that manifests or enhances beauty, whether by word or action (R). The passive tense of the verb shows they like this beauty and their hearts are attracted to it, and they do not rise above it. Who makes this fair seeming to them? It is their own base desires and low mentality. Allah has imputed the beauty of good things to Himself, as in: وَلَـٰكِنَّ ٱللَّهَ حَبَّبَ إِلَيۡكُمُ ٱلۡإِيمَـٰنَ وَزَيَّنَهُ ۥ فِى قُلُوبِكُمۡ (But Allah has endeared the faith to you and has made it seemly in your hearts) (49:7), and the attraction for evil things to Satan, as in وَزَيَّنَ لَهُمُ ٱلشَّيۡطَـٰنُ مَا ڪَانُواْ يَعۡمَلُونَ (And the devil made all that they did seem fair to them) (6:43), (وَڪَذَٲلِكَ زَيَّنَ لِڪَثِيرٍ۬ مِّنَ ٱلۡمُشۡرِڪِينَ قَتۡلَ أَوۡلَـٰدِهِمۡ شُرَڪَآؤُهُمۡ) And thus their associate-gods have made fair-seeming to many polytheists the killing of their children) (6: 137).
يَسۡخَرُونَ – The meaning of سخر is to mock a person and to make him subordinate to the mocker or to make him work for the mocker. The word is used in both these senses. The mocking of the believers by the unbelievers was out of derision because they had given up worldly respect, wealth, and inheritance for the sake of their faith. For those in whose eyes worldly wealth and provisions is everything, they are unable to respect a community that is poor. They probably also would have mocked because the believers were promised great victories but their current situation appeared dismal. Towards the end, it is stated again that Allah will grant them so much wealth and victories that the unbelievers cannot even imagine. And so it happened that the Arabs, who lived in a society where numbers finished at one thousand, came individually to possess wealth worth millions.
وَٱلَّذِينَ ٱتَّقَوۡاْ فَوۡقَهُمۡ يَوۡمَ ٱلۡقِيَـٰمَةِ – On the great Day of Requital, when all reality becomes manifest, it will become apparent that greatness does not lie in the possession of wealth but in the degree of righteousness, that is, in fulfilling the rights of Allah and the rights of men, in obeying the right rules, and by following justice and truth. The Quran does not denounce the life of this world and its provisions, as is stated in: قُلۡ مَنۡ حَرَّمَ زِينَةَ ٱللَّهِ ٱلَّتِىٓ أَخۡرَجَ لِعِبَادِهِ (Say: Who has forbidden the adornment of Allah, which He has brought forth for His servants) (7:32). What the Word of Allah denounces is to make the life of this world as the objective of existence, and to consider eating and drinking as the real purpose of life. Those who love the life of this world to the extent that they mock those who pursue truth and justice because they are poor, stray far from the real purpose of life. It is therefore emphasized that real greatness lies in inculcating high morals and not in amassing wealth. The Christian nations fell into the misconception that the life of this world is the ultimate objective, and are making every effort to grab the worldly resources of Muslims. If Muslims would only inculcate the moral values of the Quran, they would be able to witness their own greatness even in this world.
2-213 Mankind is a single nation. So Allah raised prophets as bearers of good news and as warners, and He revealed with them the Book with truth, that it might judge between people concerning that in which they differed. And none but the very people who were given it differed about it after clear arguments had come to them, envying one another. So Allah has guided by His will those who believe to the truth about which they differed. And Allah guides whom He pleases to the right path.a
كَانَ ٱلنَّاسُ أُمَّةً۬ وَٲحِدَةً۬ فَبَعَثَ ٱللَّهُ ٱلنَّبِيِّـۧنَ مُبَشِّرِينَ وَمُنذِرِينَ وَأَنزَلَ مَعَهُمُ ٱلۡكِتَـٰبَ بِٱلۡحَقِّ لِيَحۡكُمَ بَيۡنَ ٱلنَّاسِ فِيمَا ٱخۡتَلَفُواْ فِيهِۚ وَمَا ٱخۡتَلَفَ فِيهِ إِلَّا ٱلَّذِينَ أُوتُوهُ مِنۢ بَعۡدِ مَا جَآءَتۡهُمُ ٱلۡبَيِّنَـٰتُ بَغۡيَۢا بَيۡنَهُمۡۖ فَهَدَى ٱللَّهُ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ لِمَا ٱخۡتَلَفُواْ فِيهِ مِنَ ٱلۡحَقِّ بِإِذۡنِهِۦۗ وَٱللَّهُ يَهۡدِى مَن يَشَآءُ إِلَىٰ صِرَٲطٍ۬ مُّسۡتَقِيمٍ (٢١٣)
2-213a كَانَ – is used in several different ways. It is used to describe things that have passed. In defining the attributes of Allah, it is used to bear testimony to His eternal existence, as in: كَانَ ٱللَّهُ بِكُلِّ شَىۡءٍ عَلِيما and when it is used to describe a particular quality in a thing, it indicates that that quality is an integral part of that thing as in: کان الانسان کفورا and كَانَ ٱلۡإِنسَـٰنُ أَڪۡثَرَ شَىۡءٍ۬ جَدَلاً۬ which would be translated as: Surely, man is ungrateful, and man is in most things contentious respectively (R). Similarly, in كُنتُمۡ خَيۡرَ أُمَّةٍ the meaning is: You are the best nation, and that is the meaning here.
يَحۡكُمَ – The meaning of حُکم is to stop someone so as to correct or reform him. And to give a حکم is to judge whether a particular thing is this way or not, regardless of whether such a judgment is mandated or not (R).
The general rule about the coming of prophets: This verse is explained in two different ways by commentators. One is that in the beginning all persons were pious but subsequently there were contentions, the settling of which required prophets to be sent. Some other commentators take its meaning to be that previously all the people were astray and Allah sent His prophets to separate the good from the bad. But both these meanings are contrary to the Quran because Allah clearly outlines the system of discernment and guidance which was established through the prophets as starting at the time of Adam. By adopting the meaning of كَانَ explained above, the meaning of this verse becomes clear. All of mankind is one community, and Allah’s deals with all in the same way, by sending His prophets to all of them. Allah did not discriminate by depriving some nations of prophets and selecting one to send prophets to, as was the belief of Bani Israel. It is further stated that all the prophets gave good tidings of success to the followers of truth, and warnings of ultimate failure and chastisement to the opponents of truth. Allah gave a Book to every prophet so that disagreements among the people may be settled according to it. In spite of this, people differed after the coming of prophets.
Need for the coming of the Holy Prophet: The Holy Prophet was sent to put a final end to disagreements about guidance. His followers were given the right guidance and they were charged with the establishment of a great truth. This meaning of this verse is further corroborated by the Hadith. According to a narration by Hazrat Ayesha, when the Holy Prophet got up at night, he would pray in the following words: اللّٰھم ربّ جبریل و میکال و اسرافیل فاطر السمٰوات و الارض عالم الغیب و الشھادة انت تحکم بین عبادك فیما کانو افیه یختلفون اھدنی لما اختلف فیه من الحق باذنك انك لتھدی من تشاء الیٰ صراط مستقیم (O Allah! The Lord of Gabriel, Michael and Raphael, the Originator of the Heaven and earth, the Knower of the seen and unseen, Thou judges those things about which Thine servants differed; with your permission guide me in these matters about which there is contention in matters of Truth. Surely, Thou guidest to the right path whom Thou pleasest). The words of the latter part of the verse and the hadith are very similar, and it shows that the Holy Prophet considered himself and his followers as the object of this verse. So, the meaning of the verse would then be: Prophets came in all nations to resolve contentious matters, but their followers differed and Allah sent the Holy Prophet to settle these differences; why, then, do you oppose him?
One other matter about which this verse provides evidence is that Allah made every prophet a bearer of glad tidings and also a warner with a revealed a Book with every prophet. So, there cannot be a prophet without a Book, just as there cannot be a prophet unless he is the bearer of good news and a warner. The words أَنزَلَ مَعَهُمُ show categorically that a Book is revealed to every prophet, and that every prophet is a judge. That is, he has the authority to decree on the basis of his revelation, which is his Book, all contentious matters. For this reason, it is stated elsewhere in the Quran: لیطاع باذن اللّٰه that is, he is the one to be obeyed, not the one who has to obey.
2-214 Or do you think that you will enter the Garden, while there has not yet befallen you the like of what befell those who have passed away before you. Distress and affliction befell them and they were shaken violently, so that the Messenger and those who believed with him said: When will the help of Allah come? Now surely the help of Allah is nigh!a
أَمۡ حَسِبۡتُمۡ أَن تَدۡخُلُواْ ٱلۡجَنَّةَ وَلَمَّا يَأۡتِكُم مَّثَلُ ٱلَّذِينَ خَلَوۡاْ مِن قَبۡلِكُمۖ مَّسَّتۡہُمُ ٱلۡبَأۡسَآءُ وَٱلضَّرَّآءُ وَزُلۡزِلُواْ حَتَّىٰ يَقُولَ ٱلرَّسُولُ وَٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ مَعَهُ ۥ مَتَىٰ نَصۡرُ ٱللَّهِۗ أَلَآ إِنَّ نَصۡرَ ٱللَّهِ قَرِيبٌ۬ (٢١٤)
2-214a مَّثَلُ – it’s meaning is explained in 2-17a but sometimes its purport is the attribute of a thing (R). This is the sense here, that is, faced the condition of.
زُلۡزِلُواْ – The actual meaning of زلزال is to shake violently, and it is a metaphor for the coming of afflictions (T). The meaning of اصابت القوم زلزلة (literally the nation was struck by an earthquake) in Lisan al-Arab is the diminution and cautioning of the nation, and the meaning of زلزال in Taj al-Arus is given as calamity or violent events. A statement in Hadith runs: اللّٰھم اھزم الاحزاب و زلزلہم and Ibn al-Athir has translated it as: “Make their action unsustainable and a source of consternation and perplexation for them.” The Quran states in a description of the battle of Ahzab: هُنَالِكَ ٱبۡتُلِىَ ٱلۡمُؤۡمِنُونَ وَزُلۡزِلُواْ زِلۡزَالاً۬ شَدِيدً۬ا (There were the believers tried and they were shaken with a severe shaking) (33:11). So the meaning of زُلۡزِلُواْ here is severe distress or in particular the hardships associated with battle.
Difficulties in the way of establishing the truth: When the Muslims were informed that a great task had been entrusted to them of removing the religious strife among nations, it was also pointed out that the establishment of truth is not an easy task and that they will have to face many difficulties. They had to face great difficulties to establish truth on a minor scale, but now they must be prepared to face much greater difficulties for this great event. The ability to face difficulties is the key to success, and snags and impediments cause a person to mature and reach perfection. Without going through this process, how can a person enter paradise? The question in this verse is about entry into paradise but in response they are told that the help of Allah is nigh. When the assistance of Allah comes and makes the believers successful in achieving their desired objective, this constitutes nothing short of paradise for them. There is a clear indication in this verse of the coming battles.
What is the nature of Allah’s help: When resources are insufficient, and failure encircles one from all directions, and the power of the opponent keeps on increasing, the believers who trust in the promises of Allah cry out, “when will the help of Allah come?” It is precisely then that the help of Allah comes, and Allah creates circumstances that amaze the world, and what appeared to be impossible comes to pass.
2-215 They ask thee as to what they should spend. Say: Whatever wealth you spend, it is for the parents and the near of kin and the orphans and the needy and the wayfarer. And whatever good you do, Allah surely is Knower of it.a
يَسۡـَٔلُونَكَ مَاذَا يُنفِقُونَۖ قُلۡ مَآ أَنفَقۡتُم مِّنۡ خَيۡرٍ۬ فَلِلۡوَٲلِدَيۡنِ وَٱلۡأَقۡرَبِينَ وَٱلۡيَتَـٰمَىٰ وَٱلۡمَسَـٰكِينِ وَٱبۡنِ ٱلسَّبِيلِۗ وَمَا تَفۡعَلُواْ مِنۡ خَيۡرٍ۬ فَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ بِهِۦ عَلِيمٌ۬ (٢١٥)
2-215a خَيۡرٍ – The meaning of خیر as abundant wealth is explained in 2-179a. But wealth that is accumulated by praiseworthy means is called خیر (R).
Need for spending: As mention was made of facing difficulties, and indication was given of coming wars, it became necessary to reference the need for spending wealth. The verse first alludes to spending wealth, then to doing good and then informs us that using one’s capacities for good causes is also included in this idea of spending. What to spend? The reply is that whatever you spend is for parents etcetera. This is a way of stating that whatever you spend is for the benefit of your own people so spend what you can; either because the first class of expenditure is for the benefit of parents, near of kin, orphans etcetera or because this expenditure on jihad by those who had fled Mecca, would free many of their near ones and elders who were left behind and still under the domination of the unbelievers in Makkah. Some commentators assume that there is no reply to the question “What to spend?” and take the meaning of ما ذا to be کیف , that is, how to spend. But as stated, the answer is given, and verse 210 elaborates this further or one can consider that the referenced question is answered in two parts, one here and the other in verse 219. The difference is that here there is mention of spending on near ones and orphans, and there on opposing the enemy.
2-216 Fighting is enjoined on you, though it is disliked by you; and it may be that you dislike a thing while it is good for you, and it may be that you love a thing while it is evil for you; and Allah knows while you know not.a
كُتِبَ عَلَيۡڪُمُ ٱلۡقِتَالُ وَهُوَ كُرۡهٌ۬ لَّكُمۡۖ وَعَسَىٰٓ أَن تَكۡرَهُواْ شَيۡـًٔ۬ا وَهُوَ خَيۡرٌ۬ لَّڪُمۡۖ وَعَسَىٰٓ أَن تُحِبُّواْ شَيۡـًٔ۬ا وَهُوَ شَرٌّ۬ لَّكُمۡۗ وَٱللَّهُ يَعۡلَمُ وَأَنتُمۡ لَا تَعۡلَمُونَ (٢١٦)
2-216a کره – Its meaning is hard work or toil which is not external but internal, that is doing something that one dislikes. And کَرۡہ is external or physical hard work (R). And کَرِھۡت is used in both the senses but more so for کُرہ (R), that is internal dislike.
Muslims disliked war: More clarity is introduced through a subtle change, and it is stated that the enemies of Islam are so bent upon opposing the truth that even though unwilling, the Muslims will have to fight to save the truth. But what would be the nature of this war? It would be a war that is hard, unpleasant, and disliked by the Muslims. The reason for this is obvious. There were only a handful of Muslims. How could they fight an enemy much larger in number who surrounded them from all sides. The paucity of Muslim resources was pitiable and they were pitted against an enemy whose profession was fighting. The real objective of the Muslims was to propagate the unity of Allah, but this new dimension of fighting was thrust between them and their objective. For all these reasons Muslims disliked and were averse to fighting. Critics of Islam who claim that Muslims fought to gain spoils of war need to reflect how strongly the Quran contradicts this view. The permission to fight would be an occasion for rejoicing for a people who wanted to gain spoils of war, and not an unpleasant injunction.
Current situation and fighting: Muslims understand that at times there are things that are disliked but these things are good for them. A thing that is liked may in the end prove to be a losing proposition. It is possible that there may be an indication in these two statements that right now you dislike war but fighting is in your best benefit, but a time will come when you may want to fight and it may not be to your benefit. This second situation seems to fit the current state of Muslims. Current events seem to bear this out because the Muslims have had reverses in recent wars.
Bayan-ul-Quran 