Surah Baqarah (83-100)
Qur’anic Exegesis
وَإِذْ أَخَذْنَا مِيثَاقَ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ لاَ تَعْبُدُونَ إِلاَّ اللّهَ وَبِالْوَالِدَيْنِ إِحْسَاناً وَذِي الْقُرْبَى وَالْيَتَامَى وَالْمَسَاكِينِ وَقُولُواْ لِلنَّاسِ حُسْناً وَأَقِيمُواْ الصَّلاَةَ وَآتُواْ الزَّكَاةَ ثُمَّ تَوَلَّيْتُمْ إِلاَّ قَلِيلاً مِّنكُمْ وَأَنتُم مِّعْرِضُونَ (83)
And recall[1] when We made a covenant[2] with the Israelites: ‘Worship none but God, show kindness[3] to your parents[4], to your kinsfolk, to orphans, and to the destitute[5] and say what is good to people[6] and diligently attend to your prayers and pay the Zakah.’
وَإِذْ أَخَذْنَا مِيثَاقَكُمْ لاَ تَسْفِكُونَ دِمَاءكُمْ وَلاَ تُخْرِجُونَ أَنفُسَكُم مِّن دِيَارِكُمْ ثُمَّ أَقْرَرْتُمْ وَأَنتُمْ تَشْهَدُونَ ثُمَّ أَنتُمْ هَؤُلاء تَقْتُلُونَ أَنفُسَكُمْ وَتُخْرِجُونَ فَرِيقاً مِّنكُم مِّن دِيَارِهِمْ تَظَاهَرُونَ عَلَيْهِم بِالإِثْمِ وَالْعُدْوَانِ وَإِن يَأتُوكُمْ أُسَارَى تُفَادُوهُمْ وَهُوَ مُحَرَّمٌ عَلَيْكُمْ إِخْرَاجُهُمْ أَفَتُؤْمِنُونَ بِبَعْضِ الْكِتَابِ وَتَكْفُرُونَ بِبَعْضٍ فَمَا جَزَاء مَن يَفْعَلُ ذَلِكَ مِنكُمْ إِلاَّ خِزْيٌ فِي الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا وَيَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ يُرَدُّونَ إِلَى أَشَدِّ الْعَذَابِ وَمَا اللّهُ بِغَافِلٍ عَمَّا تَعْمَلُونَ أُولَئِكَ الَّذِينَ اشْتَرَوُاْ الْحَيَاةَ الدُّنْيَا بِالآَخِرَةِ فَلاَ يُخَفَّفُ
Then except for a few all of you broke [it] and [in reality] you are those who break promises[7]. (83)
And recall when We made a covenant[8] with you: ‘You shall not shed your kinsmen’s blood or turn them out of their dwellings’. Then to this you consented and bore witness[9]. Yet you are the very ones who slay your own kinsfolk, and drive out a group of yours from their dwellings, and help one another against them with sin and aggression; and when they come to you as captives, you ransom them[10] though in the first place their expulsion was unlawful for you. Then do you believe in one part of the Book of God and deny another? So those of you who act thus shall be rewarded with disgrace in this world and with a grievous punishment on the Day of Resurrection. [You always do this] and whatever you do, God is not unaware of it. Such are
عَنْهُمُ الْعَذَابُ وَلاَ هُمْ يُنصَرُونَ (84-86)
وَلَقَدْ آتَيْنَا مُوسَى الْكِتَابَ وَقَفَّيْنَا مِن بَعْدِهِ بِالرُّسُلِ وَآتَيْنَا عِيسَى ابْنَ مَرْيَمَ الْبَيِّنَاتِ
they who exchange the life of this world at the price[11] of the life to come. So [now] their punishment shall not be lessened, nor shall they be helped. (84-6)
And to Moses We gave the book and sent after him messengers[12] one after the other[13] and [at the very end] gave Jesus son of Mary very clear signs and strengthened[14] him with
وَأَيَّدْنَاهُ بِرُوحِ الْقُدُسِ أَفَكُلَّمَا جَاءكُمْ رَسُولٌ بِمَا لاَ تَهْوَى أَنفُسُكُمُ اسْتَكْبَرْتُمْ فَفَرِيقاً كَذَّبْتُمْ وَفَرِيقاً تَقْتُلُونَ وَقَالُواْ قُلُوبُنَا غُلْفٌ بَل لَّعَنَهُمُ اللَّه بِكُفْرِهِمْ فَقَلِيلاً مَّا يُؤْمِنُونَ (87-88)
وَلَمَّا جَاءهُمْ كِتَابٌ مِّنْ عِندِ اللّهِ مُصَدِّقٌ لِّمَا مَعَهُمْ وَكَانُواْ مِن قَبْلُ يَسْتَفْتِحُونَ عَلَى الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ فَلَمَّا جَاءهُم مَّا عَرَفُواْ كَفَرُواْ بِهِ فَلَعْنَةُ اللَّه عَلَى الْكَافِرِينَ بِئْسَمَا
the Holy Spirit.[15] [Do you know what your attitude was with those signs]? So whenever a messenger of [Ours] brings to you what does not suit your fancies, will you always be disdainful [to him]? So this is what happened: you kept on rejecting one group [of Our Messengers] and slaying the other[16] – and [these are the people] who say: ‘Our hearts have covers’[17]. But God has cursed them[18] for their disbelief. So [now] they will seldom believe. (87-88)
And [these are the people that] when a Book[19] from God came to them in confirmation of the predictions they had with them and before this they had been praying for victory[20] [with reference to this book] against those who had rejected their religion. Thenwhenthat came to them which they fully recognized,
اشْتَرَوْاْ بِهِ أَنفُسَهُمْ أَن يَكْفُرُواْ بِمَا أنَزَلَ اللّهُ بَغْياً أَن يُنَزِّلُ اللّهُ مِن فَضْلِهِ عَلَى مَن يَشَاء مِنْ عِبَادِهِ فَبَآؤُواْ بِغَضَبٍ عَلَى غَضَبٍ وَلِلْكَافِرِينَ عَذَابٌ مُّهِينٌ (89-90)
وَإِذَا قِيلَ لَهُمْ آمِنُواْ بِمَا أَنزَلَ اللّهُ قَالُواْ نُؤْمِنُ بِمَآ أُنزِلَ عَلَيْنَا وَيَكْفُرونَ بِمَا وَرَاءهُ وَهُوَ الْحَقُّ مُصَدِّقاً لِّمَا مَعَهُمْ قُلْ فَلِمَ تَقْتُلُونَ أَنبِيَاء اللّهِ مِن قَبْلُ إِن كُنتُم مُّؤْمِنِينَ وَلَقَدْ جَاءكُم مُّوسَى بِالْبَيِّنَاتِ ثُمَّ اتَّخَذْتُمُ الْعِجْلَ مِن بَعْدِهِ وَأَنتُمْ ظَالِمُونَ
they rejected it. So God’s curse be upon these rejecters! Evil is that for which they have sold[21] away their souls: to deny God’s own revelation, grudging[22] that He should reveal His bounty to whom He chooses from among His servants! So they have incurred God’s wrath upon wrath[23]. And [now] an ignominious punishment awaits these disbelievers [in this world and in the Hereafter]. (89-90)
And [these are the people that] when it is emphasized that they should believe in what God has revealed, reply: ‘We believe in what was revealed to us’, and [in this manner] they openly deny what is besides it[24] although it is the truth[25] in confirmation of the predictions that are with them. Ask them: ‘If you are believers of [the guidance which has been revealed to you] why did you kill the prophets of God [who came to you]? And [you knew that] Moses came to you with clear signs, but in his absence
وَإِذْ أَخَذْنَا مِيثَاقَكُمْ وَرَفَعْنَا فَوْقَكُمُ الطُّورَ خُذُواْ مَا آتَيْنَاكُم بِقُوَّةٍ وَاسْمَعُواْ قَالُواْ سَمِعْنَا وَعَصَيْنَا وَأُشْرِبُواْ فِي قُلُوبِهِمُ الْعِجْلَ بِكُفْرِهِمْ قُلْ بِئْسَمَا يَأْمُرُكُمْ بِهِ إِيمَانُكُمْ إِن كُنتُمْ مُّؤْمِنِينَ (91-93)
قُلْ إِن كَانَتْ لَكُمُ الدَّارُ الآَخِرَةُ عِندَ اللّهِ خَالِصَةً مِّن دُونِ النَّاسِ فَتَمَنَّوُاْ الْمَوْتَ إِن كُنتُمْ صَادِقِينَ وَلَن يَتَمَنَّوْهُ أَبَدًا بِمَا قَدَّمَتْ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَاللّهُ عَلِيمٌ بِالظَّالِمينَ (94-95)
you worshipped the calf and at that time committed a great injustice’.[26] And recall when We made a covenant with you and raised Tur above you with the command: ‘Grasp fervently what We have given you and listen and obey’; so [the attitude which your forefathers adopted clearly showed that] they [at that time also in fact had] said: ‘We hear but disobey’. And because of their disbelief the love of the calf was made to sink into their hearts. Ask them: ‘If you are believers then what evil is it to which your faith prompts you’. (91-3)
Tell them: ‘If to God, the Abode of the Hereafter is for yourselves alone[27] leaving all others aside, then be desirous of death if you are true [in this claim of yours]!’[28]and [you will see that] they will never wish for death because of what they have sent forward by their hands and [in reality] God is fully aware of these wrong-doers. (94-5)
وَلَتَجِدَنَّهُمْ أَحْرَصَ النَّاسِ عَلَى حَيَاةٍ وَمِنَ الَّذِينَ أَشْرَكُواْ يَوَدُّ أَحَدُهُمْ لَوْ يُعَمَّرُ أَلْفَ سَنَةٍ وَمَا هُوَ بِمُزَحْزِحِهِ مِنَ الْعَذَابِ أَن يُعَمَّرَ وَاللّهُ بَصِيرٌ بِمَا يَعْمَلُونَ (96)
قُلْ مَن كَانَ عَدُوًّا لِّجِبْرِيلَ فَإِنَّهُ نَزَّلَهُ عَلَى قَلْبِكَ بِإِذْنِ اللّهِ مُصَدِّقاً لِّمَا بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ وَهُدًى وَبُشْرَى لِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ مَن كَانَ عَدُوًّا لِّلّهِ وَمَلآئِكَتِهِ وَرُسُلِهِ وَجِبْرِيلَ وَمِيكَالَ
And indeed, you will find them to be the greediest of all people for life even more than those who have adopted idolatry as their religion[29]. Each one of them would love to live a thousand years. But even if their lives were thus prolonged, then this will surely not save them from the torment of God and [indeed] God is watching all their actions.[30] (96)
[In enmity with the Qur’an, they have now become enemies of Gabriel]. Tell them: ‘Whoever is an enemy of Gabriel [is in reality an enemy of God[31]]’ because he [O Prophet!] has revealed it to your heart by the permission of God[32] in confirmation with the predictions which are present from before and [revealed it] to give guidance and glad tidings to the believers.[33] [They should know that] whoever is an enemy of God, His angels, and His Prophets and Gabriel and Michael[34], then God is the enemy of
فَإِنَّ اللّهَ عَدُوٌّ لِّلْكَافِرِينَ (97-98)
وَلَقَدْ أَنزَلْنَآ إِلَيْكَ آيَاتٍ بَيِّنَاتٍ وَمَا يَكْفُرُ بِهَا إِلاَّ الْفَاسِقُونَ أَوَكُلَّمَا عَاهَدُواْ عَهْداً نَّبَذَهُ فَرِيقٌ مِّنْهُم بَلْ أَكْثَرُهُمْ لاَ يُؤْمِنُونَ (99-100)
such disbelievers.[35] (97-8)
And [in the shape of this Qur’an, O Prophet!] We have sent down to you clear arguments and in reality none will deny them except such defiant people. What! Whenever they make a covenant, must some of them cast it aside? In fact, the truth is that most of them do not have faith.[36] (99-100)
(Translated from Ghamidi’s Al-Bayan by Shehzad Saleem)