2. Al-Baqara

As also We have sent this verbal clause ka-mā arsalnā ‘as We have sent’ is semantically connected to wa-li-utimma of the previous verse that is to say ‘Also We have sent by way of perfection’; as it My grace has been perfected by Our sending among you of yourselves Muhammad (s) a messenger to recite Our verses the Qur’ān to you and to purify you to cleanse you from idolatry and to teach you the Book the Qur’ān and wisdom the rulings therein and to teach you what you knew not.

So remember Me through prayer glorification and the like I will remember you this is said to mean ‘I will reward you’; in a hadīth about God that He says ‘whoever remembers Me in himself I will remember him in Myself and whoever remembers Me in an assembly I will remember him in an Assembly more excellent than his’; and be thankful to Me for My grace by being obedient and be not ungrateful towards Me through disobedience.

O you who believe seek help regarding the Hereafter through patience in obedience and afflictions and prayer He singles it out for mention on account of its frequency and its greatness; surely God is with the patient helping them.

And say not of those slain in God’s way that ‘They are dead’; rather they are living their spirits are according to a hadīth contained in green birds that take wing freely wherever they wish in Paradise; but you are not aware but you do not know their condition.

Surely We will try you with something of fear of an enemy and hunger by way of drought and diminution of goods as a result of destruction and lives as a result of slaughter death and disease and fruits by way of crop damage that is to say We will try you to see if you practise patience or not; yet give good tidings of Paradise to the patient during calamities;

those who when they are struck by an affliction a calamity say ‘Surely we belong to God we are His possession and servants with whom He does as He pleases; and to Him we will return’ in the Hereafter whereupon He will requite us in one hadīth it is said that ‘whoever pronounces the istirjā‘ sc. the formula ‘surely we belong to God and to Him we will return’ when an affliction befalls him God will reward him and compensate him with what is better’. Similarly it is said that on one occasion when his lamp blew out the Prophet s uttered the istirjā‘ whereupon ‘Ā’isha said to him saying ‘But it is just a lamp’ to which he replied ‘Whatever bothers a believer is an affliction of sorts’ this is reported by Abū Dāwūd in his section on mursal reports.

Upon those rest blessings forgiveness and mercy grace from their Lord and those — they are the truly guided to rectitude.

Truly Safā and Marwa two mountains near Mecca are among the waymarks sha‘ā’ir plural of sha‘īra of God the ritual ceremonies of His religion so whoever makes the Pilgrimage to the House or the Visitation that is whoever prepares to perform the Pilgrimage hajj or the Visitation ‘umra the original sense of both terms hajja and i‘tamara is ‘to aim for’ and ‘to visit’ respectively; he would not be at fault it would not be a sin if he circumambulates them the original tā’ of yatatawwafa ‘circumambulate’ has been assimilated with the tā’ by pacing quickly sa‘y between them seven times this was revealed when the Muslims were averse to this circumambulation because the pagan Arabs used to circumambulate them and there was an idol atop each mountain which they used to stroke. It is reported from Ibn ‘Abbās that this pacing between the two is not obligatory based on the fact that when no sin can be incurred the context implies free choice. Al-Shāfi‘ī and others however considered it to be a pillar of the Pilgrimage rituals. The Prophet made clear its obligatory aspect when he said that ‘God has prescribed for you the pacing sa‘y’ as reported by al-Bayhaqī and others; and he the Prophet also said ‘Begin with what God has begun’ meaning al-Safā as reported by Muslim; and whoever volunteers tatawwa‘a a variant reading is yattawa‘ the ta’ here being assimilated good that is any good deed such as circumambulation or other that is not obligatory on him; God is Grateful for such a deed and rewards that person for it Knowing it.

The following was revealed concerning the Jews Those who conceal from people the clear proofs and the guidance that We have revealed such as the ‘stoning’ verse and the description of Muhammad (s) after We have shown them clearly in the Scripture the Torah — they shall be cursed by God that is He will move them far away from His mercy and by the cursers the angels believers or by every single thing when they supplicate that they be cursed.