The Virtues of Ayat of Al-Baqarah, 2: 285-286

The Virtues of Ayat Al-Baqarah, 2: 285-286

Ibn Kathir

In the name of Allāh, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful;

All the praise and thanks are due to Allāh, the Lord of al-‘ālameen. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allāh, and that Muhammad,Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam is His Messenger.

Would Allāh hold His servants accountable for what they do and conceals in their hearts?

Allāh states that His is the kingship of the heavens and earth and of what and whoever is on or between them, that He has perfect watch over them. No apparent matter or secret that the heart conceals is ever a secret to Him, however minor it is. Allāh also states that He will hold His servants accountable for what they do and what they conceal in their hearts.

In similar statements, Allāh said: “Qul in tukhfū ma fī sudūrikumaw tubdūhu ya’lamhullāhu waya’lamu ma fī assamawatiwama fîl ardi wallahu ‘alakulli shay-iñ qadīr (Say (O Muhammad): "Whether you hide what is in your breasts or reveal it, Allāh knows it, and He knows what is in the heavens and what is in the earth. And Allāh is able to do all things)” [Ali-‘Imran, 3:29]; and, “Ya’ lamus sarr wa akhfa (He knows the secret and that which is yet more hidden.)”[Ta-Ha, 20:7]

There are many other ayat on this subject. In this ayah [Al-Baqarah, 2:284], Allāh states that He has knowledge of what the hearts conceal, and consequently, He will hold the creation accountable for whatever is in their hearts. This is why when this ayah was revealed, it was hard on the Companions, since out of their strong faith and conviction, they were afraid that such reckoning would diminish their good deeds.

Abu Hurayrah (radiyallāhu`anhu) reported, who said: "When the ayat: “Lillahi ma fī assamawatiwama fīl-ardi, wa-in tubdū ma feeanfusikum aw tukhfūhu yuhasibkum bihillah, fayaghfiru liman yashāu, wayu ‘azzibu man yasha, wallahu ‘ala kulli shay-iñ qadīr (To Allāh belongs all that is in the heavens and all that is on the earth, and whether you disclose what is in yourselves or conceal it, Allāh will call you to account for it. Then He forgives whom He wills and punishes whom He wills. And Allāh is able to do all things)” [Al-Baqarah, 2:284] was revealed to the Messenger of Allāh (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam), it was very hard for the Companions of the Messenger.

Subsequently, the Companions came to the Messenger (Sallallāhu `alayhi wasallam) and fell to their knees saying, `O Messenger of Allāh! We were asked to perform what we can bear of deeds: the prayer, the fast, Jihad and charity. However, this ayah was revealed to you, and we cannot bear it.'

“Sami’na wa ata’na (We hear and we obey!)” 

The Messenger of Allāh (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, “Do you want to repeat what the “Ahlul Kitab” (People of the Two Scriptures) before you said, that is, “Sami’na wa `asoi na (We hear and we disobey)” Rather, say, “Sami’na wa ata’na ghufrânakarabbana wa-ilaikalmasīr (We hear and we obey, and we seek Your forgiveness, O our Lord, and the Return is to You.)”

It was when the people accepted this statement and their tongues recited it, Allāh sent down afterwards: “Amana arrasūlu bima ônzila ilaihi min rabbihi walmu’ minūn. Kullun âmanabillahi wamala-ikatihi wakutubihiwarusulih. La nufarriqu baina ahadin min rusulih. Waqalū sami’na wa ata’na ghufrânakarabbana wa-ilaikalmasīr. (The Messenger believes in what has been sent down to him from his Lord and (so do) the believers. Each one believes in Allāh, His Angels, His Books, and His Messengers. (They say,) "We make no distinction between one another of His Messengers ـ and they say, "We hear, and we obey. (We seek) Your forgiveness, our Lord, and to You is the return (of all).''

It was when they did that, Allāh abrogated the Ayah [Al-Baqarah 2:284] and sent down the Ayah:  La yukallifullāhu nafsanilla wus`aha laha maktasabat wa `ālayha maktasabat rabbana lâtuâ khizna in nasīnā aw akhta’na,(Allāh burdens not a person beyond his scope. He gets reward for that (good) which he has earned, and he is punished for that (evil) which he has earned. "Our Lord! Punish us not if we forget or fall into error.'') , untill the end.''

[Recorded by Imām Ahmad]

Muslim recorded it with the wording; "When they did that, Allāh abrogated it [Al-Baqarah 2:284] and sent down, “La yukallifullāhu nafsanilla wus`aha laha maktasabat wa`ālaiha maktasabat rabbana lâtuâ khizna in nasīnā aw akhta’na, (Allāh burdens not a person beyond his scope. He gets reward for that (good) which he has earned, and he is punished for that (evil) which he has earned. "Our Lord! Punish us not if we forget or fall into error)''.

Allāh said, `I shall (accept your supplication)’: “Rabbana wala tahmil ‘alayna israñ-kama hamaltahu ‘alallazī na min-qablina (Our Lord! Lay not on us a burden like that which You did lay on those before us (Jews and Christians)''Allāh said, ‘I shall (accept your supplication)’: “Rabbana wala tuham-milna mala tā qata Lanā bih, (Our Lord! Put not on us a burden greater than we have strength to bear.)” Allāh said, ‘I shall (accept your supplication)’: “Wa’fu ‘anna waghfirlana warhamnā anta mawlana fansurna ‘alalqaw mil kafirīn. (Pardon us and grant us forgiveness. Have mercy on us. You are our Mawla (Supporter and Protector) and give us victory over the disbelieving people.')”

Allāh said: ‘I shall.''' 

[Recorded by Muslim]

Mujahid (radiyallāhu’anhu) said: "I saw Ibn ‘Abbas (radiyallāhu’anhu) and said to him, ‘O Abu Abbas! I was with Ibn `Umar (radiyallāhu’anhu), and he read this ayah and cried.' He (Ibn ‘Abbas) asked, `Which Ayah' I said, “Waintubdu ma amfusikum awtukhfu (And whether you disclose what is in yourselves or conceal it.)”

[Recorded by Imām Ahmad]

Ibn ‘Abbas (radiyallāhu’anhum) said: `When this ayah was revealed, it was very hard on the Companions of the Messenger of Allāh (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) and worried them tremendously. They said: O Messenger of Allāh! We know that we would be punished according to our statements and our actions, but as for what occurs in our hearts, we do not control what is in them.' The Messenger of Allāh (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, “Waqalū sami’na wa ata’na (Say, ‘We hear and we obey.’)”  They said, “Sami’na wa ata’na (We hear and we obey.)” Thereafter, the previous ayah was abrogated by this ayah,“Amana arrasūlu bima ônzila ilaihi min rabbihi walmu’ minūna kullun âmanabillah (The Messenger believes in what has been sent down to him from his Lord and (so do) the believers. Each one believes in Allāh), until, “La yukallifullāhu nafsanilla wus`aha laha maktasabat wa`ālayha maktasabat (Allāh burdens not a person beyond his scope. He gets reward for that (good) which he has earned, and he is punished for that (evil) which he has earned.)”Therefore, they were pardoned what happens in their hearts, and were held accountable only for their actions.'''

[Recorded by Imām Ahmad]

Abu Hurayrah (radiyallāhu’anhu) said that the Messenger of Allāh (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said: “Allāh has pardoned my Ummah for what they say to themselves, as long as they do not utter it or act on it.” [Al-Bukhari, Muslim, Ahmad, An-Nasā’ie]

Abu Hurayrah (radiyallāhu`anhu) said that the Messenger of Allāh (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said: ”Allāh said (to His angels), "If My servant intends to commit an evil deed, do not record it as such for him, and if he commits it, write it for him as one evil deed. If he intends to perform a good deed, but did not perform it, then write it for him as one good deed, and if he performs it, write it for him as ten good deeds.''

[Al-Bukhari and Muslim]

The Verse.

285. Amanar rasūlu bima ônzila ilaihi min rabbihi walmu’ minūn. Kullun âmanabillahi wamala-ikatihi wakutubihiwarusulih. La nufarriqu baina ahadin min rusulih. Waqalū sami’na wa ata’na ghufrânakarabbana wa-ilaikalmasīr.

(The Messenger believes in what has been sent down to him from his Lord, and (so do) the believers. Each one believes in Allāh, His Angels, His Books, and His Messengers. (They say) "We make no distinction between one another of His Messengers ـ and they say, "We hear, and we obey. (We seek) Your forgiveness, our Lord, and to You is the return (of all).'')

 286. La yukallifullāhu nafsanilla wus ‘aha laha maktasabat wa ‘ālayha maktasabat; Rabbana lâtuâ khizna in nasīnā aw akhta’na, Rabbana wala tahmil ‘alayna israñ-kama hamaltahu ‘alallazī na miñ-qablina; Rabbana wala tuham-milna mala tā qata lana bih, Wa’fu ‘anna waghfirlana warhamnā; Anta mawlana fansurna ‘alalqaw mil kāfirīn

 (Allāh burdens not a person beyond his scope. He gets reward for that (good) which he has earned, and he is punished for that (evil) which he has earned. "Our Lord! Punish us not if we forget or fall into error, our Lord! Lay not on us a burden like that which You did lay on those before us (Jews and Christians); our Lord! Put not on us a burden greater than we have strength to bear. Pardon us and grant us forgiveness; And have mercy on us. You are our Mawla (Patron, Supporter and Protector) and give us victory over the disbelieving people.'')

Its Virtues

Ibn Mas’ud (radiyallāhu’anhu) said that the Messenger of Allāh (Sallallāhu `alayhi wasallam) said, “Whoever recites the last two ayat in Surat Al-Baqarah at night, they will suffice for him.”

[Narrated by al-Bukhāri]

The rest of the six also recorded similar wording for this Hadith. The Two Sahihs recorded this Hadith using various chains of narration, and Imām Ahmad also recorded it.

‘Abdullah (radiyallāhu’anhu) said, "When the Messenger of Allāh (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) went on the Isrā’ journey, he ascended to the Sidrat Al-Muntaha in the sixth heaven, where whatever ascends from the earth ends at, and whatever descends from above it ends at. [“Iz ya’shadrata yaghshâ (When that covered the lote tree which did cover it!)” (Al-Najm, 53:16) meaning, a mat made of gold.] The Messenger of Allāh (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) was then given three things: the five prayers, the last ayat of Surat Al-Baqarah and be granted forgiveness for whoever did not associate anything or anyone with Allāh to the ummah ''

[Narrated by Muslim]

A Hadith regarding the virtues of Surat Al-Fātihah from Ibn ‘Abbas (radiyallāhu’anhum) which stated, "While the Messenger of Allāh (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) was with Jibril, he heard a noise from above. Jibril lifted his sight to the sky and said, `This is a door that was opened just now in heaven, and it was never opened before.' An angel came down through the door to the Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) and said, ‘Receive the good news of two lights that you have been given and which no Prophet before you was given: the Opener of the Book (Al-Fātihah) and the last ayat in Surat Al-Baqarah. You will not read a letter of them, but you will be granted its benefit.'''

[Narrated by Muslim and An-Nasā’ie, and this is the wording collected by An-Nasā’ie].

Wallāhu’alam.

[Via Tafsir Ibn Kathir]


Addendum:

The Importance of Quran Surah al-Baqarah Verses 285-286

By Ma’rifatul Qur’an

In the name of Allāh, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful;

All the praise and Thanks is due to Allāh, the Lord of al-‘ālameen. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allāh, and that Muhammad, Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His Messenger

The Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam) has said that one who recites these two verses during the night, they will be sufficient for him.

‘Umar bin Al-Khattab and ‘Ali bin Abi Talib (radiyallāhu’anhum) said: Anybody who understands would never go to sleep without having recited these two verses. Therefore, you should make special effort to learn these verses, and at the same time, teach your family members how to recite them

Those 2 verses are Qur’ān 2:285-286:

The Messenger has believed in what was revealed to him from his Lord and [so have] the believers. All of them have believed in Allāh and His angels and His books and His messengers, [saying], "We make no distinction between any of His messengers." And they say, "We hear and we obey. [We seek] Your forgiveness, our Lord, and to You is the [final] destination."

Allāh 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."

Commentary

These are the last two verses of Surah Al-Baqarah. Great merits have been attributed to these two verses in authentic ahadith. The Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam) has said that one who recites these two verses during the night, they will be sufficient for him.

As narrated by Ibn ‘Abbas (radiyallāhu’anhum), the Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said: “Allāh Almighty has sent forth these two verses out of the treasures of Paradise and the 'Rahman had already written them by His own hand two thousand years earlier than the creation of all things and beings. One who is able to recite them after the Solah of 'Isha', they will stand for Tahajjud in his case.” As it appears in the Mustadrak of al-Hakim and in Bayhaqi, the Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said: “Allāh Almighty 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 'Arash' (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”. It is because of this is the merit that 'Umar bin Al-Khattab and 'Ali bin Abi Talib (radiyallāhu`anhum) said: “...Anybody who has any sense in him would never go to sleep without having recited these two verses”.

Meaning-wise, these verses have many special features. One of the distinct ones is that they come at the end of Surah Al-Baqarah where most of the injunctions of Shari'ah appear briefly, or in detail, such as, those dealing with the articles of faith, modes of worship, mutual dealings, morals and social living etc. The first of the two verses opens with words of praise for the Muslims who are true and obedient, those who agrees with all their heart to all injunctions ordained by Allāh, and were all set to carry them out. In addition to being an assertion of Allāh's infinite mercy, the second verse also answers the doubt which started bothering the noble Companions when verse 2:284, the one preceding these two, was revealed. The words of the said verses, as mentioned earlier briefly, were:  whether you manifest that which is in your hearts, or conceal it, Allāh will call you to account for it. The verse was actually referring to the accounting of whatever one does with his or her choice and volition. Unintentional thoughts and errors were just not included under its purview.

However, the words of the Qur’ān were general because of which people surmised that man will be taken to account even for thoughts that entered his mind without his intention. Nervously excited, the noble Companion presented themselves before the  Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam)and said: 'Ya Rasūlullāh, till now we thought that we shall be called to account for only those deeds that we do with our will and choice, and we shall not be called to account for thoughts that cross our minds involuntarily. But this verse seems to tell us that every thought that enters our minds will be subject to accounting. This way it is extremely difficult to escape punishment.' Although, the Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam) knew the correct intended meaning of the verse but he, in view of the generality of its words, did not elect to say anything on his own. Instead, he waited for the Wahyu (revelation) and instructed the Companions that they should obey whatever Allāh Almighty 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 slightest of hesitation in accepting Allāh's command when it comes. As soon as you hear the command of Allāh, say:  'We have listened, and obeyed. Our Lord, Your pardon! And to You is the return.'

The noble Companions did exactly what they were told by the Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam), although their minds were still ticking with the apprehension that building a security shield against involuntary intrusions of thoughts was enormously difficult indeed! Thereupon, Allāh Almighty revealed these last two verses of Surah Al-Baqarah. The first one praises Muslims while the other gives a correct explanation of the verse that created doubt in the minds of the noble Companions. Let us look at the words of the first verse. These are: The Messenger has believed in what has been revealed to him from his Lord and the believers as well. All have believed in Allāh 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."

The first seven words of this verse admire the Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam). It may be noted that the verse does not address him by his name, but, by calling him 'Rasul', his honour and dignity have been made clear. The word, 'the believers' follows immediately after that. It means that just as the Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam) firmly believes in the revelation (Wahyu) from Allāh, so do the true Muslims in general. The style chosen for this sentence is also worth consideration. The major part has been used to describe the state of the 'iman (belief) of the Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam), then, the 'iman (belief) of the general Muslims has been described separately. This indicates that, although the Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) and all Muslims share in the wealth of 'iman as such, still there is a great difference between the two in terms of the relative degrees of 'iman. The knowledge of the Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam) is based on seeing and hearing while the knowledge of other Muslims takes the form of 'iman bil ghayb or 'believing without seeing' as based on the 'ru'yah' or 'seeing' of the Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam).

After that come details of the 'iman (belief) which was common between the Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam) and the Muslims in general. This 'iman consisted of the belief that Allāh Almighty does exist and that He is One and that He is endued with all the perfect attributes, and that there are angels, and that all Scriptures and all Messengers sent by Allāh are true.

After that it was clearly stressed that the 'believers' of this ummah (Muslim community) will do nothing as was done by past communities when they planted seeds of discord among messengers of Allāh by accepting some as prophets and by denying that status to others. The Jews accepted that Musa (‘alayhissalam) was a prophet; the Christians accepted that 'Isa (‘alayhissalam) was a prophet, but that the Last of the prophets, Muhammad (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam) was a prophet but was not accepted by them.

Praised here is the distinction of this ummah which is made of people who do not reject any prophet. This is followed by words of admiration for what the noble Companions had said when so directed by the Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam): We have listened, and obeyed. Our Lord, Your pardon! And to You is the return.

After that comes the second verse where the doubt, which could have risen during the comprehension of some sentences in the previous verse, has been removed in a style that is very special. It will be recalled that the question was as to how one would escape punishment if thoughts concealed in hearts were also made subject to accounting. It was said: 'Allāh burdens not anyone beyond his or her capacity.' Therefore, thoughts that enter the heart without one's intention and control and are not translated into action stand all excused in the sign of Allāh Almighty. Deeds, that are undertaken with choice and volition will be the only ones apprehended and called to account.

A little detail will show that there is an outward aspect of human deeds which concerns what is done with the hand, head, eye, tongue and other parts of the body. This is further divided into two kinds. The first reflects what is done with choice and volition. This is voluntary, such as, to speak by choice or to beat somebody by choice. The second kind is involuntary, that which just issues forth without choice or volition, for instance, saying something other than what one actually intended to say, or a palsied hand moving unintentionally caused pain to somebody. Here everyone knows that accounting and retribution, reward and punishment are particularly related to voluntary deeds. As far as non-voluntary deeds are concerned man is neither obligated nor constrained therein, and certainly, there is no thawab (reward) or 'adzab (punishment) on them.

Similarly, the deeds relating to one's heart are also of two kinds. The first one is voluntary, for instance, the belief in kufur and shirik, which one has implanted firmly in one's heart with intention and choice, or the arrogance one assumes as a result of conscious and willful self-pride, or the making of firm resolution to start drinking. The second kind is the non-voluntary, for instance, the entry of some evil thought in one's heart without volition and intention. Here too, the accounting, the reckoning and the reprehensibility covers voluntary deeds only, and does not cover non-voluntary deeds.

By this explanation given by the Qur'an itself, peace was restored in the hearts of the noble Companions. They were satisfied that there was no accounting, reckoning, punishment or reward on non-voluntary thoughts. The same subject has been further clarified towards the end by saying: man is rewarded for what he intends to do and is punished for what he elects to do.

But it should be borne in mind that the drive of the meaning of this verse is that, one will initially face direct reward or punishment for what is done with intention and volition. However, the indirect coming of reward or punishment after any such deed which was not intended is not contrary to this. This provides an answer to the doubt that there are times when man faces reward or punishment even without intention and volition. In this context, several other verses of the Qur'an and many reports from ahadith prove that one who does something good which persuades others to act similarly, then its reward will continue reaching the original doer of the good deed as long as the later followers of the original deed continue with their good deeds. Similar is the case with one who gives currency to an evil way; he too will be incurring its curse as the original innovator of this evil way when later people follow him, and keep getting involved with the sin for all times to come.

Similarly, narrations in hadith prove that one can transmit the reward of one's good deeds to any other person. It is clear that in all these situations, man is receiving reward or punishment without intention and volition.

Here is an answer to this doubt. It is obvious that this reward and punishment did not reach a person directly, but it reached him through the medium of another person. In addition to that, one's own act and choice do surely play a role in making another person a medium of thawab for oneself. The reason is that whoever adopts a good or evil way initiated by someone, and then in his doing, there certainly is a role played by the voluntary act of the original person, even if he did not intend to release such particular effect. Similar is the case of a person who does his isal al-thawab (the prayer for transmittal of reward) for somebody only when he has done him some favour. In view of this, the said reward and punishment of somebody else is, in reality, the reward and punishment of one's own deeds.

The noble Qur'ān, towards the far end, teaches Muslims to make a special du'a or prayer in which forgiveness has been sought on commission of some act because of forgetfulness or neglect or mistake. It was said: Our Lord, do not hold us accountable, if we forget or make a mistake.

Then it was further said: 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. Indicated here are the severe restrictions 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. Alternately, it could mean that punishment should not visit us as it visited the Bani Isra'il following their evil deeds.

In short, Allāh Almighty bestowed His best when He promised the acceptance of all these prayers through His Rasul, the last among the prophets, may the peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him.

And Allāh Almighty knows best.

[Exerpted from “The Importance of Quran Surah al-Baqarah Verses 285-286”, Article Ref: MQ1303-5398, By Staff (Ma’rifatul Qur’an), 5th Mach 2013, Via Islamicity.]