Al-Baqarah 2:253–259

Commentary

1. In Verse 253, beginning with تِلْكَ الرُّ‌سُلُ ('those are the Messenger’), the purpose is to give solace and comfort to the noble Prophet ﷺ since the deniers refused to recognize his prophethood, inspite of the fact that it was conclusively proved, as has been stated in the verse 252: وَإِنَّكَ لَمِنَ الْمُرْ‌سَلِي (And certainly you are among the Messengers.) as well. This situation caused him pain. Therefore, Allah Almighty made him aware of the coming of other prophets too, in varying degrees of station, but universal belief was not witnessed in any of their communities -- some supported while some others opposed. However, this too has its wise considerations which may not necessarily be visible to everyone, but this much is important that one should generally believe that there is definitely a certain wisdom behind this.

2. Since the words تِلْكَ الرُّ‌سُلُ فَضَّلْنَا بَعْضَهُمْ عَلَىٰ بَعْضٍ (Those are the Messengers some of whom We have given excellence over others) in this verse clearly indicate that some prophets are given higher status than others, we have a difficulty on our hands when we compare this with a hadith, where the Holy Prophet ﷺ has said:

لا تفضلوا بین انبیاء اللہ

Do not seek preference among prophets.

لا تخیرونی علی موسٰی

Do not give me precedence over Musa.

لا اقول ان احدا افضل من یونس بن متی

I cannot say if anyone is better than Yunus ibn Matta.

These ahadith so obviously forbid the giving of preference to some prophets over some other prophets.

The reply is: These ahadith mean to tell us not to give preference to some prophets over some others, without any proof, out of our own opinion. This is because a prophet's having higher status means that he has a high station in the sight of Allah. Obviously, this knowledge cannot be acquired through conjectures and surmises but should such a proof come from the Qur'an and Sunnah, establishing the precedence of some prophets over some others, then it will be necessary to believe in it.

Now, as to his saying: لا اقول ان احدا افضل من یونس بن متی (I cannot say if

anyone is better than Yunus ibn Matta) and لا تخیرونی علی موسٰی (Do not give me precedence over Musa), this is related to the time when he was not given the knowledge that he has precedence over all other prophets. This was disclosed to him later on through revelation and he did tell the noble Companions about it. (Mazhari)

3. As regards the statement' مِّنْهُم مَّن كَلَّمَ اللَّهُ (Among them there is he whom Allah spoke to), it may be noted that the conversation with Musa (علیہ السلام) may be without an angel as intermediary, but it certainly was not without hijab (obstruction of view). So, there remains no conflict of meaning with what has been stated in the verse: وَمَا كَانَ لِبَشَرٍ‌ أَن يُكَلِّمَهُ اللَّهُ (It belongs not to any mortal that God should speak to him) (42:51), in which conversation without hijab has been negated. However, post-death conversation without hijab is possible, so this verse from Sarah al-Shura relates to the life in this world.

Commentary

Many injunctions relating to acts of worship and dealings with human beings have been taken up in this Surah, especially all those a person dislikes to obey finding them burdensome. Then, the most difficult act is to 'spend' one's life and possessions; and when you look at Divine injunctions relating to most situations they either relate to a man's life or his possessions. And when a man falls into the trap of sin, it is either caused by his love of life or expediency of possessions in most cases. As such, the love for these two is the root of sins, and the defence against and the deliverance from it is the object of all acts of obedience. It is for this reason that, following the injunctions relating to worship and social transactions, the subject of 'fighting' and 'spending' in the way of Allah were taken up. The first appeared in وَقَاتِلُوا فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ (And fight in the way of Allah) (244) and the second in مَّن ذَا الَّذِي يُقْرِ‌ضُ اللَّهَ (Who is the one who would give Allah a good loan?) (245) After that, the former was emphasized by the story of Talut طالوت ، and now, emphasis is being laid on the later by أَنفِقُوا مِمَّا رَ‌زَقْنَاكُم (Spend from what We have given to you) (254). Since a large number of affairs relating to the worship of Allah and dealings with human beings depend on spending out of what Allah has given, this subject has been dealt with in a greater detail. Therefore, the sections that follow have, in most of them, a discussion of the second aspect, which is, the 'spending' out of one's possessions. To sum up, it means: The time to act is still there. In the Hereafter, deeds are not on sale. They cannot be borrowed from a friend either. Once caught by the punishment, one cannot be released on someone's intercession, unless Allah Himself forgives.

The merits of Ayat-al Kursi

This is the greatest verse of the noble Qur'an. Ahadith carry statements featuring its wonderful merits and blessings. It appears in the Musnad of Ahmad that the Holy Prophet ﷺ has said that this verse is the most meritorious of all. According to another hadith, the Holy Prophet ﷺ asked Sayyidna 'Ubayy ibn Ka'b ؓ 'Which is the greatest ayah (verse) of the Qur'an?' Sayyidna 'Ubayy ibn Ka'b ؓ said: "Ayah al-Kursi'. Approvingly, the Holy Prophet ﷺ said: '0 Abu al-Mundhir, may Allah bless you in your knowledge'.

Sayyidna Abu Dharr ؓ ، asked the Holy Prophet ﷺ : '0 Messenger of Allah, which is the greatest ayah (verse) of the Qur'an?' He said : 'Ayah al-Kursi'. (Ibn Kathir from Ahmad in Al-Musnad).

Sayyidna Abu Hurayrah ؓ has reported the Holy Prophet ﷺ saying: 'There is a verse in Surah Al-Baqarah which is the Sayyidah سَیَدہ (the Chief) of the verses of the Qur'an. The Satan شیطان leaves the house where it is recited.'

According to a hadith in al-Nasai, the Holy Prophet ﷺ said: If someone recites Ayah al-Kursi after every fard salah فرض نماز ، nothing stops him from entering Paradise except death.' It means that, immediately after death, this person will start witnessing the traces of Paradise and its comfort and tranquility.

This verse describes the Oneness of Allah's being and attributes in a unique manner – He s living, He hears and sees, He speaks, He is self-existent, He is eternal and everlasing, He is the innovator and creator of the entire universe, He is above changes and effects, He is the Master of the whole universe, He is so exalted in His majesty tht no one can speak before Him without His permission; He is the wielder of such absolute power that the tremendous function of creating the universe, sustaining it and making it work steadily, does not cause him to tire or relax. So all-encompassing is His knowledge that not the minutest possible atom or drop, open or hidden, could stay out of it. This is, in brief, the core sense of the verse. Now let us take up the meanings of its words in some details.

This verse has ten sentences. The first sentence is: اللَّهُ لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ 'Allah: There is no god but He.' The word, (Allah) is like a proper noun for Allah's being. It means: 'the Being who combines all perfections and is free of all shortcomings.' 'There is no god but He' explains this Being. It says that there is absolutely nothing worth worshipping except this Being.

The second sentence الْحَيُّ الْقَيُّومُ : The Alive, the All-Sustaining.' The word حَيُّ means 'the living' in Arabic. Out of the Divine names, the introduction of this word is to emphasize that He is Ever-living and Ever-lasting. He is above and beyond death. The word is derived from Qiyam قیام which means 'to stand' and ga'im قایم refers to 'one who stands.' The words, Qayyum قَيُّومُ and Qayyam قَيُّمُ are forms of exaggeration. They mean: 'one who himself stands firmly and keeps others sustained and supported, all simultaneously.' Qayyum قَيُّومُ is an attribute of Allah Almighty with which no created being can be associated, for what depends on others for its own existence and survival can hardly be expected to support something else. Therefore, a human being should not be called, 'Qayyum قَيُّومُ '. It is not permissible. People who corrupt the name, ` Abdul-Qayyum قَيُّومُ (the slave of the Qayyum قَيُّومُ ) by casually using just the second part -- Qayyum قَيُّومُ , commit a grave error resulting in their sinfulness.

The combination of Hayy حَيُّ and Qayyum قَيُّومُ from among the attributive names of Allah Almighty is الاسم الاعظم (al-ism al-a zam: the Great Name) according to several revered elders. Sayyidna ` Ali ؓ says: 'There was a time during the Battle of Badr when I wished I could see what the Holy Prophet ﷺ was doing. On arrival, I saw him in the state of sajdah, (the prescribed prostration) constantly saying, یاحَيُّ یاقَيُّومُ یاحَيُّ یاقَيُّومُ

The third sentence is لَا تَأْخُذُهُ سِنَةٌ وَلَا نَوْمٌ 'Neither doze overtakes Him nor sleep.' The word (سِنَةٌ: sinatun) denotes drowsiness which is the preliminary effect of coming sleep, while the word, نَوْم : nawm refers to full sleep. The sense of the sentence; is that Allah Almighty is above and beyond states of drowsiness or sleep. When the word, قَيُّومُ Qayyum, appearing in the previous sentence; told man that Allah is holding in perfect working unison the whole universe, which includes in itself, all skies and earths and all there is in them -- one could stray on to the idea, naturally so, in view of man's instinctive inquisitiveness, that the sacred 'Being' doing such a stupendous task must, at some time, feel tired, and need due moments of rest and sleep. In this second sentence of the text, man, who has limited knowledge and insight, and limited power, was warned that he should not measure Allah on his analogy or that of other created beings, never taking Him as similar to one's own self. He is above and beyond similarities and analogies. His power is absolutely perfect before which these doings are neither difficult nor tiresome and that His sacred being is above and beyond all sense-effects, weariness, exhaustion, drowsiness and sleep.

The fourth sentence is لَّهُ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الْأَرْ‌ضِ : 'To Him belongs what is in the havens and what is in the earth.' The letter (lam ل ) appearing in the very beginning, has been used to denote ownership. Thus it means that everything on the earth or in the heavens is all owned by Allah Almighty. He is the authority, and may do whatever He deems fit with them.

The fifth sentence is مَن ذَا الَّذِي يَشْفَعُ عِندَهُ إِلَّا بِإِذْنِهِ 'Who can intercede with Him without His permission?' Here are some points implied in this sentence:

To begin with, when Allah Almighty is the master-owner of the entire universe and there is no one above Him, certainly then, no one is entitled to question Him about anything He does. In the wake of a command that flows from Him, the option of saying why and wherefore does not exist for anyone. However, someone interceding on someone's behalf was possible. This too has now been made clear that no mortal could even dare breath in the most exalted Presence of Allah Almighty; but there are servants of Allah Almighty who have received the favour of His approval and acceptance and who would be specially allowed to speak and intercede. In short, recommendation or intercession, from anyone for anyone, will not be possible without Divine permission. It appears in Hadith that the Holy Prophet ﷺ said: On the day of resurrection, I shall be the first to intercede on behalf of all human communities'. This is called al-Maqam al-Mahmud المقام المحمود ، the praised station, which is one of the distinctions of our noble Prophet ﷺ .

The sixth sentence is: يَعْلَمُ مَا بَيْنَ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَمَا خَلْفَهُمْ : 'He.knows what is before them and what is behind them.' It means that Allah Almighty is aware of all the states and events surrounding them. 'Before' and 'after' may also mean that Allah Almighty is aware of all states and events before their birth and after their birth. It is also possible that 'before' refers to states and events that are open to men, and 'after' denotes states and events that are hidden. If so, it would mean that the human knowledge covers certain things and does not cover certain others. Some things are open before a human being and some are hidden. But, before Allah Almighty all these are equal. His knowledge encompasses all these things equally. Incidentally, there is no contradiction in these two senses, which are both included in the scope of the verse.

The seventh sentence is وَلَا يُحِيطُونَ بِشَيْءٍ مِّنْ عِلْمِهِ إِلَّا بِمَا شَاءَ :'And they encompass nothing of His knowledge except what He wills.' It means that man and the rest of the created beings cannot cover even a part of Allah's infinite knowledge except a certain part which Allah Almighty Himself allows to be given out of His knowledge. This is all one can know. Here it has been made clear that the all-encompassing knowledge of every particle in the universe is a particular attribute of none but Allah Almighty. No man, no created being can claim to have a share in it.

The eighth sentence is: وَسِعَ كُرْ‌سِيُّهُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْ‌ضَ :'His Kursi کرسی extends to the Heavens and to the Earth.' It means that His Kursi کرسی (translated as chair or base of power) is so magnified that its spatial infinity houses, within itself, the seven heavens and the earth. Allah Almighty is above and beyond sitting and standing and all spatial location and placement. Such verses should not be taken up on the analogy of our own states and affairs. The comprehension of the state of being, and the reality of His attributes, is above and beyond human reason. However, there are authentic narrations in ahadith which simply tell us that ` Arsh عرش (translated as 'throne', being a seat of authority) and Kursi (chair) are heavenly bodies many times larger than the heavens and the earth.

Ibn Kathir has reported from Sayyidnu Abu Dharr al-Ghifari ؓ that he asked the Holy Prophet ﷺ as to what the Kursi was and what did it look like. He said: 'By Allah, who is the master of my life, the seven heavens and the earth as compared with Kursi are like the small circle of a finger-ring lying on a huge plain.'

In some other narrations it has been stated that Kursi as compared to ` Arsh عرش (Throne) is also like the circle of a finger-ring on a huge plain.

The ninth sentence is: وَلَا يَئُودُهُ حِفْظُهُمَا :'And it does not weary Him to look after them.' It means that supporting the two magnificent creations of the heavens and the earth is not the least burdensome for Allah Almighty since doing so, with the perfect power of the Absolute Master, is easy.

The tenth and the last sentence is: وَهُوَ الْعَلِيُّ الْعَظِيمُ :'And He is the High, the Supreme.' It means that He is most exalted and great in majesty. In the previous nine sentences, the perfections of Allah's being and His attributes were stated. After having seen and understood these, every rational human being is bound to acknowledge that all honour, power and superiority belongs to none but the same Allah Almighty. To sum up, these ten sentences epitomize a description of Allah's Oneness and His perfections with clarity, and in detail.

Commentary

One who holds on to Islam firmly stays protected against destruction and deprivation. It was for this reason that such a person was likened to one who holds on firmly to the 'ring', the looped support of a strong rope, and thus manages to avoid falling down. As there is no danger of such a rope breaking apart and causing a fall, so there is no danger of destruction or loss in Islam -- should somebody just abandon the rope, that would be an entirely different matter. And should somebody abandon Islam itself, that would be an entirely different matter too. (Maulana Thanavi (رح) : Bayin al-Qur'an).

Keeping this verse in view, some people raise objections. They say this verse tells us that there is no compulsion in faith, although the teaching of jihad جھاد and qital قتال (fighting) in Islam appears contrary to this principle.

Looking at this a little carefully, we can find out that the objection is not valid, since the teaching of jihad and qital in Islam is not to coerce people into accepting Faith. Had it been so, why would there be Islamic injunctions of jizyah جزیہ to provide an umbrella of security for kuffar (disbelievers) which protects their life, property and honour? In fact, this is to remove disorder, strife or fasad فساد ، for Allah Almighty dislikes fasad فساد ، which is what the kuffar are after. Therefore, Allah Almighty says:

وَيَسْعَوْنَ فِي الْأَرْ‌ضِ فَسَادًا ۚ وَاللَّهُ لَا يُحِبُّ الْمُفْسِدِينَ

And they go about the earth spreading disorder and Allah does not like those who spread disorder. (5:64)

It is for this reason that Allah Almighty has ordained that the fasad فساد created by these people should be removed by جھاد and qital قتال . So, killing such people is like the killing of serpents, scorpions and their harmful likes.

Islam has firmly banned the killing of women, children, the aged and the crippled etc., even in the heat of jihad on the battlefield, since they are incapable of creating disorder. Similarly, it has stopped the killing of those who become law-abiding citizens by promising to pay jizyah جزیہ (compensatory dues paid by free non-Muslims under Muslim rule against guarantee of the security of their life, property and honour).

This approach of Islam makes it clear that it does not force people to accept and enter Faith, rather far from it, by using it as a method of stopping oppression in the world, it hopes to establish justice and

equity and peace and security. When Sayyidna ` Umar ؓ invited an old Christian woman to accept Islam, she said in reply: انا عجوز کبیرۃ واموت الی قریب : 'I am an old woman nearing death.' Hearing this, Sayyidna ` Umar ؓ did not force her to come into the fold of Islam. In fact, he recited this very verse: لَا إِكْرَ‌اهَ فِي الدِّينِ that is, 'there is no compulsion in Faith.'

Really and truly, coercion and compulsion to make one accept a faith are not possible at all because faith is not related to outward physical response; it relates to the heart. Coercion and compulsion affect nothing but the outsides of physique and this is all that is affected by jihad and qital قتال (fighting in the way of Allah). Consequently, it is just not possible that people can be forced to accept faith through these measures. This proves that the verses of jihad and qital قتال are not contradictory to the verse: لَا إِكْرَ‌اهَ فِي الدِّينِ (There is no compulsion in

Faith). (Mazhari, Qurtubi)

Commentary

This verse also tells us that faith ('Iman ایمان ) is the greatest blessing

and disbelief (kufr کفر ) is the greatest misfortune, and that there is darkness in friendship with those who disbelieve (kuffar کُفار ).

The verse refers to Namrud نمرود ، the emperor of Babylon, who denied the very existence of God and had a debate with Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) on this issue. Allah has given him political power over a large territory. He should have been grateful to his Lord. But, on the contrary, his political power inflated him with pride and arrogance; he started denying the very existence of Him. It is in this context that the Holy Qur'an says: 'the one who argued with Ibrahim about his Lord, because Allah had given him kingship."

In the course of argument, he asked Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) about the basic attributes of God. He replied, "My Lord is the One who gives life and brings death." The foolish king did not understand the real nature of 'giving life' and 'bringing death.' Therefore, he argued that he, too, can kill anyone through his order and bring thereby death to him and can also let off a person sentenced to death and give thereby life to him. Obviously, his argument was totally absurd, because 'giving life' means to give life to something lifeless56.

56. And 'bringing death' means power which may remove the life from every living creature without a necessary intervention of an apparent cause.

When Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) felt that his addressee is unable to understand the real nature of 'giving life' and 'bringing death,' he switched over to another argument and said, "Allah brings the sun out from the East, now, you bring it out from the West." Here the king was baffled and could not answer the Abrahimic argument. But even after the truth became clear to him, he did not accept the guidance. Hence the Qur'anic statement: "And Allah does not put the unjust people on the right path."

Injunctions and related considerations

1. It is evident from the words used in the verse that if an infidel is given political power or a high worldly status, there is no harm (for a Muslim) in referring to him as a holder of that position (Qurtubi).

2. The verse also affirms the permissibility of having debate with such an infidel in order to manifest the difference between right and wrong.

3. Some people doubt the validity of the last argument of Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) ، because Namrud نمرود could have refuted it by a counter demand from Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) and could have said, "If there is a God, let Him bring the sun out from the West."

But it is obvious that he could not come out with this counter-demand. The reason is that as soon as he heard the argument, he came to the conclusion that (he himself or anybody else cannot bring out the sun from the East or the West and) it is surely a divine function which proves the existence of God. And once it is proved that it is God who brings the sun out from the East, it necessarily follows from it that He has the power to bring it out from the West also. The king also came to the conclusion that Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) ، ac is the messenger of Allah, and if the prayed Allah to bring out the sun from the. West, Allah will do it, in which case such a miraculous event may bring a revolution against him and he may be deprived of his kingdom. Therefore, he did not make such a demand and having no other answer, was baffled with the argument. (Bayin al-Qur'an)