2. Al-Baqara

Ask O Muhammad (s) the Children of Israel by way of rebuke how many a clear proof manifest ones such as the parting of the sea and the sending down of manna and quails which they exchanged for unbelief did We give them kam ‘how many’ is the interrogative particle linking the second object of the verb sal ‘ask’ and is also the second object of the verb ātaynā ‘We gave’ and its specifier; whoever changes God’s grace that is what God has blessed him with in the way of signs for these constitute the causes of guidance after it has come to him out of unbelief God is severe in retribution against him.

Decked out fair to the disbelievers of Mecca is the life of this world in disguise and they have fallen in love with it; and they deride the believers on account of their poverty the likes of Bilāl al-Habashī ‘Ammār b. Yāsir and Suhayb al-Rūmī mocking them and treating them condescendingly with their wealth; but those who fear idolatry namely those mentioned shall be above them on the Day of Resurrection; and God sustains whomever He will without reckoning with ample sustenance in the Hereafter or in this world when He gives to those that were mocked possession of the property and lives of those that mocked them.

People were one community in faith but they fell into disagreement and some believed while others disbelieved; then God sent forth the prophets to them as bearers of good tidings of Paradise for the believers and warners of the Fire for the disbelievers; and He revealed with them the Scripture meaning the Books with the truth bi’l-haqqi ‘with the truth’ is semantically connected to anzala ‘He revealed’ that He might decide according to it between people regarding their differences in religion; and only those who had been given it the Scripture so that some believed while others disbelieved differed about it about religion after the clear proofs the manifest arguments for God’s Oneness had come to them min of min ba‘di ‘after’ is semantically connected to ikhtalafa ‘they differed’ and together with what follows should be understood as coming before the exception illā lladhīna ‘only those’; out of insolence on the part of the disbelievers one to another; then God guided those who believed to the truth regarding which min of min al-haqqi ‘of the truth’ here is explicative they were at variance by His leave by His will; and God guides with His guidance whomever He will to a straight path the path of truth.

They will ask you O Muhammad (s) about what they should expend. This was the question posed by ‘Amr b. al-Jamūh. He was a wealthy elderly man and went to ask the Prophet s what and for whom he should expend; Say to them ‘Whatever you expend of good min khayrin ‘of good’ is an explication of mā ‘whatever’ covering small and large amounts and denotes one half of the question represented by the expender; God responds with regard to the one receiving the expenditure this pertaining to the other half of the question in the following it is for parents and kinsmen orphans the needy and the traveller that is they are the most deserving of it; and whatever good you may do by way of expending or otherwise God has knowledge of it’ and will requite it accordingly.

Prescribed for you obligatory for you is fighting disbelievers though it be hateful to you by nature because of the hardship involved. Yet it may happen that you hate a thing which is good for you; and it may happen that you love a thing which is bad for you because the soul inclines towards those desires which result in its destruction and its rejection of the religious obligations that would bring about its happiness. Perhaps then even if you are averse to it you will find much good in fighting as a result of victory booty martyrdom or reward; while if you were to reject fighting even if you would like to do so you will find much evil because then you may be subjugated impoverished and denied the reward; God knows what is good for you and you know this not so strive in what He commands you.

Thus the Prophet s sent forth the first of his raiding parties under the command of ‘Abd Allāh b. Jahsh. They fought against the idolaters and killed ‘Amr b. ‘Abd Allāh Ibn al-Hadramī in the sacred month of Rajab thinking that it was the last day of Jumādā II. The disbelievers reviled them for making fighting lawful in a sacred month and so God revealed the following They ask you about the sacred the forbidden month and fighting in it qitālin fīhi ‘fighting in it’ is an inclusive substitution for al-shahri l-harāmi ‘the sacred month’. Say to them ‘Fighting qitālun is the subject in it is a grave thing kabīr ‘grave’ is the predicate that is heinous in terms of sin; but to bar saddun is the subject people from God’s way His religion and disbelief in Him in God and to bar from the Sacred Mosque that is Mecca and to expel its people the Prophet s and the believers from it — that is graver the predicate of the last subject that is more heinous in terms of sin than fighting in it in God’s sight; and sedition your idolatry is graver than your slaying’ in it. They the disbelievers will not cease to fight against you O believers until so that they turn you from your religion to unbelief if they are able; and whoever of you turns from his religion and dies disbelieving — their good works have failed that is they are invalid in this world and the Hereafter. Thus they will not count for anything and will not result in any reward. The specification of death as a condition is because if that person were to return to Islam again his original deeds would not be invalidated and he will be rewarded for them and he would not have to repeat them deeds such as performing the Pilgrimage al-Shāfi‘ī is of this opinion. Those are the inhabitants of the Fire abiding therein.

When those of the raiding party of ‘Abd Allāh b. Jahsh thought that although they had been released from the sin of having slain in the sacred month they would not receive any reward the following was revealed Verily the believers and those who emigrate and depart from their homeland and struggle in God’s way in order to elevate His religion — those have hope of God’s compassion His reward; and God is Forgiving of believers Merciful to them.

They ask you about wine and divinatory arrows gambling and what the ruling is regarding them. Say to them ‘In both that is in the partaking of both is great sin a variant reading for kabīr ‘great’ has kathīr ‘much’ because of the fighting cursing and swearing that ensue from it; and profit for men by way of delight and enjoyment in wine and acquiring money effortlessly from gambling; but the sin in them that is the degenerate behaviour in which they result is greater graver than the usefulness’. When this verse was revealed some gave up drinking while others persisted until the verse of sūrat al-Mā’ida Q. 590-91 finally made it illicit. And they will ask you what that is to say how much they should expend. Say expend ‘Comfortably’ al-‘afwa in the accusative is also read in the nominative al-‘afwu implying a preceding huwa that is the surplus of your need and do not expend what you need ruining yourselves. So just as He explained to you what has been mentioned God makes clear His signs to you that you might reflect

on the matters of this world and the Hereafter and follow what is best for you in both. They will ask you about orphans and the distress their affair caused them for if they became intimate with them they may slip into error but if they put aside the money due to them and prepare their meals for them separately this would distress them. Say ‘To set their affairs aright in terms of their funds by looking after it and your mingling with them is better’ than you not doing this; and if you intermix with them your funds and theirs they are your brothers in religion and it is only natural for one to intermix his affair with his brother so you do too; God knows well him who works corruption in their property when he intermixes with them from him who sets it aright and God will requite both; and had He willed He would have harassed you and made it difficult for you by prohibiting you from intermixing with them. Surely God is Mighty victorious in His affair Wise in His actions.