The Hadiths on the Virtue of These Two Ayat, May Allah Benefit Us by Them Al-Bukhari recorded that Abu Mas`ud said that the Messenger of Allah said ﷺ,
«مَنْ قَرَأَ بِالْآيَتَيْنِ مِنْ آخِرِ سُورَةِ الْبَقَرَةِ فِي لَيْلَةٍ، كَفَتَاه»
(Whoever recites the last two Ayat in Surat Al-Baqarah at night, they will suffice for him.)
The rest of the six also recorded similar wording for this Hadith. The Two Sahihs recorded this Hadith using various chains of narration, and Imam Ahmad also recorded it.
Muslim recorded that `Abdullah said, "When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ went on the Isra 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.
إِذْ يَغْشَى السِّدْرَةَ مَا يَغْشَى
(When that covered the lote tree which did cover it!) 53:16 meaning, a mat made of gold.
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ was then given three things: the five prayers, the last Ayat in Surat Al-Baqarah and forgiveness for whoever did not associate anything or anyone with Allah from his Ummah."
Earlier we mentioned the Hadith regarding the virtues of Surat Al-Fatihah from Ibn `Abbas which stated, "While the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was with Jibil, he heard a noise from above. Jibil 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 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-Fatihah) and the last Ayat in Surat Al-Baqarah. You will not read a letter of them, but you will be granted its benefit."' This Hadith was collected by Muslim and An-Nasa'i, and this is the wording collected by An-Nasa'i.
The Tafsir of the Last Two Ayat of Surat Al-Baqarah
Allah said,
كُلٌّ ءَامَنَ بِاللَّهِ وَمَلَـئِكَتِهِ وَكُتُبِهِ وَرُسُلِهِ لاَ نُفَرِّقُ بَيْنَ أَحَدٍ مِّن رُّسُلِهِ
(Each one believes in Allah, His Angels, His Books, and His Messengers. (They say,) "We make no distinction between one another of His Messengers.")
Therefore, each of the believers believes that Allah is the One and Only and the Sustainer, there is no deity worthy of worship except Him and there is no Lord except Him. The believers also believe in all Allah's Prophets and Messengers, in the Books that were revealed from heaven to the Messengers and Prophets, who are indeed the servants of Allah. Further, the believers do not differentiate between any of the Prophets, such as, believing in some of them and rejecting others. Rather, all of Allah's Prophets and Messengers are, to the believers, truthful, righteous, and they were each guided to the path of righteousness, even when some of them bring what abrogates the Law of some others by Allah's leave. Later on, the Law of Muhammad, the Final Prophet and Messenger from Allah, abrogated all the laws of the Prophets before him. So the Last Hour will commence while Muhammad's Law remains the only valid Law, and all the while a group of his Ummah will always be on the path of truth, apparent and dominant. Allah's statement,
وَقَالُواْ سَمِعْنَا وَأَطَعْنَا
(And they say, "We hear, and we obey") means, we heard Your statement, O our Lord, comprehended and implemented it, and adhered to its implications.
غُفْرَانَكَ رَبَّنَا
((We seek) Your forgiveness, our Lord) contains a plea and supplication for Allah's forgiveness, mercy and kindness.
Allah's statement,
لاَ يُكَلِّفُ اللَّهُ نَفْسًا إِلاَّ وُسْعَهَا
(Allah burdens not a person beyond his scope) means, Allah does not ask a soul what is beyond its ability. This only demonstrates Allah's kindness, compassion and generosity towards His creation. This Ayah is the Ayah that abrogated the Ayah that worried the Companions, that is, Allah's statement,
وَإِن تُبْدُواْ مَا فِي أَنفُسِكُمْ أَوْ تُخْفُوهُ يُحَاسِبْكُم بِهِ اللَّهُ
(And whether you disclose what is in yourselves or conceal it, Allah will call you to account for it.)
This indicates that although Allah will question His servants and judge them, He will only punish for what one is able to protect himself from. As for what one cannot protect himself from, such as what one says to himself - or passing thoughts - they will not be punished for that. We should state here that to dislike the evil thoughts that cross one's mind is a part of faith. Allah said next,
لَهَا مَا كَسَبَتْ
(He gets reward for that which he has earned) of good,
وَعَلَيْهَا مَا اكْتَسَبَتْ
(And he is punished for that which he has earned) of evil, that is, concerning the acts that one is responsible for.
Allah then said, mentioning what the believers said while directing His servants to supplicate to Him, all the while promising them that He will answer their supplication:
رَبَّنَا لاَ تُؤَاخِذْنَآ إِن نَّسِينَآ أَوْ أَخْطَأْنَا
("Our Lord! Push us not if we forget or fall into error,") meaning, "If we forgot an obligation or fell into a prohibition, or made an error while ignorant of its ruling." We mentioned the Hadith by Abu Hurayrah, that Muslim collected, wherein Allah said, "I shall (accept your supplication)." There is also the Hadith by Ibn `Abbas that Allah said, "I did (accept your supplication)."
رَبَّنَا وَلاَ تَحْمِلْ عَلَيْنَآ إِصْرًا كَمَا حَمَلْتَهُ عَلَى الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِنَا
(Our Lord! Lay not on us a burden like that which You did lay on those before us (Jews and Christians),) means, "Even if we were able to perform them, do not require us to perform the difficult deeds as You required the previous nations before us, such as the burdens that were placed on them. You sent Your Prophet Muhammad , the Prophet of mercy, to abrogate these burdens through the Law that You revealed to him, the Hanifi (Islamic Monotheism), easy religion." Muslim recorded that Abu Hurayrah said that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said that Allah said, "I shall (accept your supplication)." Ibn `Abbas narrated that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said that Allah said, "I did (accept your supplication)." There is the Hadith recorded through various chains of narration that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said,
«بُعِثْتُ بِالْحَنِيفِيَّةِ السَّمْحَة»
(I was sent with the easy Hanifiyyah way.)
رَبَّنَا وَلاَ تُحَمِّلْنَا مَا لاَ طَاقَةَ لَنَا بِهِ
(Our Lord! Put not on us a burden greater than we have strength to bear) of obligations, hardships and afflictions, do not make us bear what we cannot bear of this.
رَبَّنَا وَلاَ تُحَمِّلْنَا مَا لاَ طَاقَةَ لَنَا بِهِ
(Our Lord! Put not on us a burden greater than we have strength to bear.)
We mentioned that Allah said, "I shall (accept your supplication)" in one narration, and, "I did (accept your supplication)," in another narration.
وَاعْفُ عَنَّا
(Pardon us) meaning, between us and You regarding what You know of our shortcomings and errors.
وَاغْفِرْ لَنَآ
(And grant us forgiveness) concerning what is between us and Your servants. So do not expose our errors and evil deeds to them.
وَارْحَمْنَآ
(Have mercy on us) in what will come thereafter. Therefore, do not allow us to fall into another error. They say that those who commit error need three things: Allah's forgiveness for what is between Him and them, that He conceals these errors from His other servants, and thus does not expose them before the servants, and that He grants them immunity from further error." We mentioned before that Allah answered these pleas, "I shall," in one narration and, "I did," in another narration.
أَنتَ مَوْلَـنَا
(You are our Mawla) meaning, You are our supporter and helper, our trust is in You, You are sought for each and every type of help and our total reliance is on You. There is no power or strength except from You.
فَانْصُرْنَا عَلَى الْقَوْمِ الْكَـفِرِينَ
(And give us victory over the disbelieving people) those who rejected Your religion, denied Your Oneness, refused the Message of Your Prophet , worshipped other than You and associated others in Your worship. Give us victory and make us prevail above them in this and the Hereafter. Allah said, "I shall," in one narration, and, "I did," in the Hadith that Muslim collected from Ibn `Abbas.
Further, Ibn Jarir recorded that Abu Ishaq said that whenever Mu`adh would finish reciting this Surah,
فَانْصُرْنَا عَلَى الْقَوْمِ الْكَـفِرِينَ
(And give us victory over the disbelieving people), he would say "Amin."
The Messenger Muhammad (s) believes in affirms the truth of what was revealed to him from his Lord namely the Qur’ān and the believers wa’l-mu’minūna is a supplement to al-rasūlu ‘the Messenger’; each one the tanwīn of kullun stands in place of the second noun in an annexation sc. kullu wāhidin believes in God and His angels and in His Books all of them and each of them and His messengers and they say ‘we make no distinction between any of His messengers’ believing in some and disbelieving in others in the manner of the Jews and the Christians. And they say ‘We hear what we have been enjoined to hear and accept and obey; we ask you Your forgiveness our Lord; to You is the homecoming’ that is the return at the Resurrection. When the previous verse was revealed the believers complained of evil whisperings and it grieved them that they should be taken to account according to the principle expressed in it and so the following was revealed
The Messenger has faith in what was sent down to him from his Lord, and the faithful. Each one has faith in God, His angels, His books, and His messengers: “We make no distinc- tion among any of His messengers.” They say, “We hear and we obey! Thy forgiveness, our Lord! And to Thee is the homecoming.” God takes no soul to task beyond its capacity. It shall have what it has earned, and against it shall be what it has acquired. “Our Lord, take us not to task if we forget or make mistakes. Our Lord, put not upon us a burden such as that Thou hast put on those before us. Our Lord, and do not burden us with what we do not have the strength to bear. And pardon us, and forgive us, and have mercy upon us. Thou art our Patron, so help us against the people of the unbelievers.” This is a declaration of the greatness and eminence of the Messenger at the moment of contemplation. He said, “The Messenger has faith.” He did not say, “Thou hast faith.” This is how masters and kings are addressed in the manner of declaring their greatness. It is exactly like what He said about Himself at the beginning of the Surah of Opening: “Praise belongs to God.” He did not say, “Praise belongs to Me.” This was to declare His own greatness and to make manifest His exaltedness and majesty. The Messenger has faith. Now that He has mentioned faith, the Uprising, the Garden, the Fire, the prayer, the alms tax, retaliation, fasting, hajj, struggle, marriage, divorce, menstruation, the waiting period, expenditure, foster relationship, forswearal, divorce initiated by the wife, in- heritance, charity, vows, buying, selling, usury, debts, and ransom; and He has mentioned the stories of the prophets and the signs of His power, God completes the surah by mentioning that His prophet and the faithful assent to the truthfulness of all of it. Hence He says, The Messenger has faith in what was sent down to him from his Lord, and the faithful. This is praise and laudation of the Prophet, who explained these rulings and delivered the message, and of the faithful, for we have recognized, accepted, and held firm to all the rulings, boundaries, stories of the prophets, and marks of God's power and tremendousness that were mentioned.
The Messenger has faith in what was sent down to him from his Lord, and the faithful. Each one has faith in God, His angels, His books, and His messengers: “We make no distinc- tion among any of His messengers.” They say, “We hear and we obey! Thy forgiveness, our Lord! And to Thee is the homecoming.” God takes no soul to task beyond its capacity. It shall have what it has earned, and against it shall be what it has acquired. “Our Lord, take us not to task if we forget or make mistakes. Our Lord, put not upon us a burden such as that Thou hast put on those before us. Our Lord, and do not burden us with what we do not have the strength to bear. And pardon us, and forgive us, and have mercy upon us. Thou art our Patron, so help us against the people of the unbelievers.” This is a declaration of the greatness and eminence of the Messenger at the moment of contemplation. He said, “The Messenger has faith.” He did not say, “Thou hast faith.” This is how masters and kings are addressed in the manner of declaring their greatness. It is exactly like what He said about Himself at the beginning of the Surah of Opening: “Praise belongs to God.” He did not say, “Praise belongs to Me.” This was to declare His own greatness and to make manifest His exaltedness and majesty. The Messenger has faith. Now that He has mentioned faith, the Uprising, the Garden, the Fire, the prayer, the alms tax, retaliation, fasting, hajj, struggle, marriage, divorce, menstruation, the waiting period, expenditure, foster relationship, forswearal, divorce initiated by the wife, in- heritance, charity, vows, buying, selling, usury, debts, and ransom; and He has mentioned the stories of the prophets and the signs of His power, God completes the surah by mentioning that His prophet and the faithful assent to the truthfulness of all of it. Hence He says, The Messenger has faith in what was sent down to him from his Lord, and the faithful. This is praise and laudation of the Prophet, who explained these rulings and delivered the message, and of the faithful, for we have recognized, accepted, and held firm to all the rulings, boundaries, stories of the prophets, and marks of God's power and tremendousness that were mentioned.
The Messenger has faith in what was sent down to him from his Lord, and the faithful. Each one has faith in God, His angels, His books, and His messengers: “We make no distinc- tion among any of His messengers.” They say, “We hear and we obey! Thy forgiveness, our Lord! And to Thee is the homecoming.” God takes no soul to task beyond its capacity. It shall have what it has earned, and against it shall be what it has acquired. “Our Lord, take us not to task if we forget or make mistakes. Our Lord, put not upon us a burden such as that Thou hast put on those before us. Our Lord, and do not burden us with what we do not have the strength to bear. And pardon us, and forgive us, and have mercy upon us. Thou art our Patron, so help us against the people of the unbelievers.” This is a declaration of the greatness and eminence of the Messenger at the moment of contemplation. He said, “The Messenger has faith.” He did not say, “Thou hast faith.” This is how masters and kings are addressed in the manner of declaring their greatness. It is exactly like what He said about Himself at the beginning of the Surah of Opening: “Praise belongs to God.” He did not say, “Praise belongs to Me.” This was to declare His own greatness and to make manifest His exaltedness and majesty. The Messenger has faith. Now that He has mentioned faith, the Uprising, the Garden, the Fire, the prayer, the alms tax, retaliation, fasting, hajj, struggle, marriage, divorce, menstruation, the waiting period, expenditure, foster relationship, forswearal, divorce initiated by the wife, in- heritance, charity, vows, buying, selling, usury, debts, and ransom; and He has mentioned the stories of the prophets and the signs of His power, God completes the surah by mentioning that His prophet and the faithful assent to the truthfulness of all of it. Hence He says, The Messenger has faith in what was sent down to him from his Lord, and the faithful. This is praise and laudation of the Prophet, who explained these rulings and delivered the message, and of the faithful, for we have recognized, accepted, and held firm to all the rulings, boundaries, stories of the prophets, and marks of God's power and tremendousness that were mentioned.
The Messenger has faith in what was sent down to him from his Lord, and the faithful. Each one has faith in God, His angels, His books, and His messengers: “We make no distinc- tion among any of His messengers.” They say, “We hear and we obey! Thy forgiveness, our Lord! And to Thee is the homecoming.” God takes no soul to task beyond its capacity. It shall have what it has earned, and against it shall be what it has acquired. “Our Lord, take us not to task if we forget or make mistakes. Our Lord, put not upon us a burden such as that Thou hast put on those before us. Our Lord, and do not burden us with what we do not have the strength to bear. And pardon us, and forgive us, and have mercy upon us. Thou art our Patron, so help us against the people of the unbelievers.” This is a declaration of the greatness and eminence of the Messenger at the moment of contemplation. He said, “The Messenger has faith.” He did not say, “Thou hast faith.” This is how masters and kings are addressed in the manner of declaring their greatness. It is exactly like what He said about Himself at the beginning of the Surah of Opening: “Praise belongs to God.” He did not say, “Praise belongs to Me.” This was to declare His own greatness and to make manifest His exaltedness and majesty. The Messenger has faith. Now that He has mentioned faith, the Uprising, the Garden, the Fire, the prayer, the alms tax, retaliation, fasting, hajj, struggle, marriage, divorce, menstruation, the waiting period, expenditure, foster relationship, forswearal, divorce initiated by the wife, in- heritance, charity, vows, buying, selling, usury, debts, and ransom; and He has mentioned the stories of the prophets and the signs of His power, God completes the surah by mentioning that His prophet and the faithful assent to the truthfulness of all of it. Hence He says, The Messenger has faith in what was sent down to him from his Lord, and the faithful. This is praise and laudation of the Prophet, who explained these rulings and delivered the message, and of the faithful, for we have recognized, accepted, and held firm to all the rulings, boundaries, stories of the prophets, and marks of God's power and tremendousness that were mentioned.
The Messenger has faith in what was sent down to him from his Lord, and the faithful. Each one has faith in God, His angels, His books, and His messengers: �We make no distinc- tion among any of His messengers.� They say, �We hear and we obey! Thy forgiveness, our Lord! And to Thee is the homecoming.� God takes no soul to task beyond its capacity. It shall have what it has earned, and against it shall be what it has acquired. �Our Lord, take us not to task if we forget or make mistakes. Our Lord, put not upon us a burden such as that Thou hast put on those before us. Our Lord, and do not burden us with what we do not have the strength to bear. And pardon us, and forgive us, and have mercy upon us. Thou art our Patron, so help us against the people of the unbelievers.�This is a declaration of the greatness and eminence of the Messenger at the moment of contemplation. He said, �The Messenger has faith.� He did not say, �Thou hast faith.� This is how masters and kings are addressed in the manner of declaring their greatness. It is exactly like what He said about Himself at the beginning of the Surah of Opening: �Praise belongs to God.� He did not say, �Praise belongs to Me.� This was to declare His own greatness and to make manifest His exaltedness and majesty.The Messenger has faith. Now that He has mentioned faith, the Uprising, the Garden, the Fire, the prayer, the alms tax, retaliation, fasting, hajj, struggle, marriage, divorce, menstruation, the waiting period, expenditure, foster relationship, forswearal, divorce initiated by the wife, in- heritance, charity, vows, buying, selling, usury, debts, and ransom; and He has mentioned the stories of the prophets and the signs of His power, God completes the surah by mentioning that His prophet and the faithful assent to the truthfulness of all of it. Hence He says, The Messenger has faith in what was sent down to him from his Lord, and the faithful. This is praise and laudation of the Prophet, who explained these rulings and delivered the message, and of the faithful, for we have recognized, accepted, and held firm to all the rulings, boundaries, stories of the prophets, and marks of God's power and tremendousness that were mentioned.
صدَّق وأيقن رسول الله محمد صلى الله عليه وسلم بما أوحي إليه من ربه وحُقَّ له أن يُوقن، والمؤمنون كذلك صدقوا وعملوا بالقرآن العظيم، كل منهم صدَّق بالله رباً وإلهًا متصفًا بصفات الجلال والكمال، وأن لله ملائكة كرامًا، وأنه أنزل كتبًا، وأرسل إلى خلقه رسلا لا نؤمن -نحن المؤمنين- ببعضهم وننكر بعضهم، بل نؤمن بهم جميعًا. وقال الرسول والمؤمنون: سمعنا يا ربنا ما أوحيت به، وأطعنا في كل ذلك، نرجو أن تغفر -بفضلك- ذنوبنا، فأنت الذي ربَّيتنا بما أنعمت به علينا، وإليك -وحدك- مرجعنا ومصيرنا.
"ذكر الأحاديث الواردة في فضل هاتين الآيتين الكريمتين نفعنا الله بهما" "الحديث الأول" قال البخاري: حدثنا محمد بن كثير أخبرنا شعبة عن سليمان عن إبراهيم عن عبدالرحمن عن ابن مسعود عن النبي - صلى الله عليه وسلم - قال "من قرأ الآيتين وحدثنا أبو نعيم حدثنا سفيان عن منصور عن إبراهيم عن عبدالرحمن بن يزيد عن ابن مسعود قال: قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم: من قرأ بالآيتين - من آخر سورة البقرة - في ليلة كفتاه" وقد أخرجه بقية الجماعة من طريق سليمان بن مهران الأعمش بإسناده مثله وهو في الصحيحين من طريق الثوري عن منصور عن إبراهيم عن عبدالرحمن عنه به وهو في الصحيحين أيضا عن عبدالرحمن عن علقمة عن ابن مسعود قال عبدالرحمن: ثم لقيت أبا مسعود فحدثني به وهكذا رواه أحمد بن حنبل حدثنا يحيى بن آدم حدثنا شريك عن عاصم عن المسيب بن رافع عن علقمة عن ابن مسعود عن النبي - صلى الله عليه وسلم - قال "من قرأ الآيتين من آخر سورة البقرة في ليلته كفتاه. "الحديث الثاني" قال الإمام أحمد: حدثنا حسين حدثنا شيبان عن منصور عن ربعي عن خرشة بن الحر عن المعرور بن سويد عن أبي ذر قال: قال رسول الله - صلى الله عليه وسلم - "أعطيت خواتيم سورة البقرة من كنز تحت العرش لم يعطهن نبي قبلي" وقد رواه ابن مردويه من حديث الأشجعي عن الثوري عن منصور عن ربعي عن زيد بن ظبيان عن أبي ذر قال: قال رسول الله - صلى الله عليه وسلم - "أعطيت خواتيم سورة البقرة من كنز تحت العرش". "الحديث الثالث" قال مسلم حدثنا أبو بكر بن أبي شيبة حدثنا أبو أسامة حدثنا مالك بن مغول "ح" وحدثنا ابن نمير وزهير بن حرب جميعا عن عبدالله بن نمير وألفاظهم متقاربة قال ابن نمير: حدثنا أبي حدثنا مالك بن مغول عن الزبير بن عدي عن طلحة عن مرة عن عبدالله قال: لما أسري برسول الله - صلى الله عليه وسلم - انتهي به إلى سدرة المنتهى وهي في السماء السابعة إليها ينتهي ما يعرج من الأرض فيقبض منها وإليها ينتهي ما يهبط من فوقها فيقبض منها. قال "إذ يغشى السدرة ما يغشى" قال فراش من ذهب قال وأعطي رسول الله - صلى الله عليه وسلم - ثلاثا أعطي الصلوات الخمس وأعطي خواتيم سورة البقرة وغفر لمن لم يشرك بالله من أمته شيئا المقحمات. "الحديث الرابع" قال أحمد: حدثنا إسحق بن إبراهيم الرازي حدثنا سلمة بن الفضل حدثني محمد بن إسحق عن يزيد أبي حبيب عن مرثد بن عبدالله اليزني عن عقبة بن عامر الجهني قال: قال رسول الله - صلى الله عليه وسلم - "اقرأ الآيتين من آخر سورة البقرة فإني أعطيتهما من كنز تحت العرش" هذا إسناد حسن ولم يخرجوه في كتبهم. "الحديث الخامس" قال ابن مردويه: حدثنا أحمد بن كامل حدثنا إبراهيم بن إسحق الحربي أخبرنا مروان أنبأنا ابن عوانة عن أبي مالك عن ربعي عن حذيفة قال: قال رسول الله - صلى الله عليه وسلم - "فضلنا على الناس بثلاث أوتيت هذه الآيات من آخر سورة البقرة من بيت كنز تحت العرش لم يعطها أحد قبلي ولا يعطاها أحد بعدي" ثم رواه من حديث نعيم بن أبي هندي عن ربعي عن حذيفة بنحوه. "الحديث السادس" قال ابن مردويه حدثنا عبدالباقي بن نافع أنبأنا إسماعيل بن الفضل أخبرنا محمد بن حاتم بن بزيع أخبرنا جعفر بن عون عن مالك بن مغول عن أبي إسحاق عن الحارث عن علي قال: لا أرى أحدا عقل الإسلام ينام حتى يقرأ آية الكرسي وخواتيم سورة البقرة فإنها من كنز عطية نبيكم - صلى الله عليه وسلم - من تحت العرش ورواه وكيع في تفسيره عن إسرائيل عن أبي إسحاق عن عمير بن عمرو المخارقي عن علي قال: ما أرى أحدا يعقل بلغه الإسلام ينام حتى يقرأ آية الكرسي وخواتيم سورة البقرة فإنها من كنز تحت العرش. "الحديث السابع" قال أبو عيسى الترمذي حدثنا بندار حدثنا عبدالرحمن بن مهـدي حدثنا حماد بن سلمة عن أشعث بن عبدالرحمن الحرمي عن أبي قلابة عن أبي الأشعث الصنعاني عن النعمان بن بشير عن النبي - صلى الله عليه وسلم - قال "إن الله كتب كتابا قبل أن يخلق السموات والأرض بألفي عام أنزل منه آيتين ختم بهما سورة البقرة ولا يقرأ بهن في دار ثلاث ليال فيقربها شيطان" ثم قال هذا حديث غريب وهكذا رواه الحاكم في مستدركه من حديث حماد بن سلمة به وقال صحيح على شرط مسلم ولم يخرجاه. "الحديث الثامن" قال ابن مردويه حدثنا عبدالرحمن بن محمد بن مدين أخبرنا الحسن بن الجهم أخبرنا إسماعيل بن عمرو أخبرنا ابن مريم حدثني يوسف بن أبي الحجاج عن سعيد عن ابن عباس قال: كان رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم إذا قرأ آخر سورة البقرة وآية الكرسي ضحك وقال "إنهما من كنز الرحمن تحت العرش" وإذا قرأ "من يعمل سوءا يجز به" "وأن ليس للإنسان إلا ما سعى وأن سعيه سوف يرى ثم يجزاه الجزاء الأوفى" استرجع واستكان. "الحديث التاسع" قال ابن مردويه حدثنا عبدالله بن محمد بن كوفي حدثنا أحمد بن يحيى بن حمزة حدثنا محمد بن بكر حدثنا مكي بن إبراهيم حدثنا عبدالله بن أبي حميد عن أبي مليح عن معقل بن يسار قال: قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم "أعطيت فاتحة الكتاب وخواتيم سورة البقرة من تحت العرش والمفصل نافلة". "الحديث العاشر" قد تقدم في فضائل الفاتحة من رواية عبدالله بن عيسى بن عبدالرحمن بن أبي ليلى عن سعيد بن جبير عن ابن عباس قال: بينا رسول الله - صلى الله عليه وسلم - وعنده جبريل إذ سمع نقيضا فوقه فرفع جبريل بصره إلى السماء فقال: هذا باب قد فتح من السماء ما فتح قط قال: فنزل منه ملك فأتى النبي - صلى الله عليه وسلم - فقال له: أبشر بنورين قد أوتيتهما لم يؤتهما نبي قبلك فاتحة الكتاب وخواتيم سورة البقرة لن تقرأ حرفا منهما إلا أوتيته رواه مسلم والنسائي وهذا لفظه. فقوله تعالى "آمن الرسول بما أنزل إليه من ربه" إخبار عن النبي - صلى الله عليه وسلم - بذلك قال ابن جرير: حدثنا بشر حدثنا يزيد حدثنا سعيد عن قتادة قال: ذكر لنا أن رسول الله - صلى الله عليه وسلم - قال لما نزلت عليه هذه الآية "ويحق له أن يؤمن" وقد روى الحاكم في مستدركه حدثنا أبو النضر الفقيه: حدثنا معاذ بن نجدة القرشي حدثنا خلاد بن يحيى حدثنا أبو عقيل عن يحيى بن أبي كثير عن أنس بن مالك قال: لما نزلت هذه الآية على النبي - صلى الله عليه وسلم - "آمن الرسول بما أنزل إليه من ربه" قال النبي - صلى الله عليه وسلم - "حق له أن يؤمن" ثم قال الحاكم: صحيح الإسناد ولم يخرجاه. وقوله "والمؤمنون" عطف على الرسول ثم أخبر عن الجميع فقال "كل آمن بالله وملائكته وكتبه ورسله لا نفرق بين أحد من رسله" فالمؤمنون يؤمنون بأن الله واحد أحد فرد صمد لا إله غيره ولا رب سواه ويصدقون بجميع الأنبياء والرسل والكتب المنزلة من السماء على عباد الله المرسلين والأنبياء لا يفرقون بين أحد منهم فيؤمنون ببعض ويكفرون ببعض بل الجميع عندهم صادقون بارون راشدون مهديون هادون إلى سبيل الخير وإن كان بعضهم ينسخ شريعة بعض بإذن الله حتى نسخ الجميع بشرع محمد - صلى الله عليه وسلم - خاتم الأنبياء والمرسلين الذي تقوم الساعة على شريعته ولا تزال طائفة من أمته على الحق ظاهرين وقوله "وقالوا سمعنا وأطعنا" أي سمعنا قولك يا ربنا وفهمناه وقمنا به وامتثلنا العمل بمقتضاه "غفرانك ربنا" سؤال للمغفرة والرحمة واللطف قال ابن أبي حاتم حدثنا علي بن حرب الموصلي حدثنا ابن فضل عن عطاء بن السائب عن سعيد بن جبير عن ابن عباس في قول الله "آمن الرسول بما أنزل إليه من ربه والمؤمنون" إلى قوله "غفرانك ربنا" قال قد غفرت لكم "وإليك المصير" أي المرجع والمآب يوم الحساب. قال ابن جرير: حدثنا ابن حميد حدثنا جرير عن سنان عن حكيم عن جابر قال: لما نزلت على رسول الله - صلى الله عليه وسلم - "آمن الرسول بما أنزل إليه من ربه والمؤمنون كل آمن بالله وملائكته وكتبه ورسله لا نفرق بين أحد من رسله وقالوا سمعنا وأطعنا غفرانك ربنا وإليك المصير" قال جبريل إن الله قد أحسن الثناء عليك وعلى أمتك فسل تعطه فسأل "لا يكلف الله نفسا إلا وسعها" إلى آخر الآية.
قوله : ( آمَنَ الرسول بِمَآ أُنْزِلَ إِلَيْهِ مِن رَّبِّهِ والمؤمنون ) استئناف قصد به الإِخبار عن الرسول صلى الله عليه وسلم والمؤمنين بما يشرفهم ويعلى من أقدارهم ومنازلهم .أي : صدق الرسول صلى الله عليه وسلم بما أنزل إليه من ربه في هذه السورة وغيرها من العقائد والأحكام والسنن والبينات والهدايات تصديق إذعان وإقرار وإطمئنان ، وكذلك المؤمنون الذين صدقوه واتبعوه آمنوا بما آمن به رسولهم وداعيهم إلى الحق صلى الله عليه وسلم .وقد قرن - سبحانه - إيمان المؤمنين بإيمان رسولهم صلى الله عليه وسلم تشريفاً لهم وللإِشارة إلى أنهم متى صدقوا في إيمانهم كانت منزلتهم عند الله - تعالى - قريبة من منازل الأنبياء - عليهم الصلاة والسلام - .وفي تأخيرهم في الذكر إشارة إلى تأخر التابع عن المتبوع ، وإشارة إلى أن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم هو أول من آمن بما أوحى إليه من ربه ، وهو أقوى الناس إيماناً ، وأصدقهم يقينا . وأكثرهم استجابة لأوامر الله .وقوله : ( كُلٌّ آمَنَ بالله وملائكته وَكُتُبِهِ وَرُسُلِهِ ) بيان للإِيمان الكامل الذي اعتقدوه وصدقوا به .أي : كل فريق من هذين الفريقين وهما الرسول والمؤمنون آمن إيماناً تاماً بوجود الله - تعالى - ووحدانيته ، وكمال صفاته ، ووجوب الخضوع والعبادة له ، وبوجود الملاكئة وأنهم عباد مكرمون ( لاَّ يَعْصُونَ الله مَآ أَمَرَهُمْ وَيَفْعَلُونَ مَا يُؤْمَرُونَ ) كما آمنوا بكتب الله التي أنزلها لسعادة البشر ، وبرسله الذين أرسلهم لإخراج الناس من الظلمات إلى النور .ثم بين - سبحانه - أن من صفات هؤلاء الأخيار أنهم لا يفرقون بين رسل الله - تعالى - فقال : ( لاَ نُفَرِّقُ بَيْنَ أَحَدٍ مِّن رُّسُلِهِ ) أي يقولون لا نفرق في الإِيمان بين رسل الله - تعالى - وإنما نؤمن بهم جميعاً ، ونصدق برسالة كل رسول أرسله الله - تعالى - ولا نقول كما قال الضالون ( نُؤْمِنُ بِبَعْضٍ وَنَكْفُرُ بِبَعْضٍ ) ثم حكى - سبحانه - ما قالوه مما يدل على صدق إيمانهم ، ونقاء نفوسهم وطهارة قلوبهم فقالوا : ( وَقَالُواْ سَمِعْنَا وَأَطَعْنَا ) أي : وقالوا سمعنا قولك وفهمناه ، وامتثلنا أمرك - يا الهنا - واستقمنا عليه ، وصبرنا على تكاليفه بكل رضا واستسلام . ( غُفْرَانَكَ رَبَّنَا ) أي اغفر لنا غفرانك الذي هو من فضل رحمتك ونعمك فأنت ربنا وخالقنا والعليم بأحوالنا وبضعفنا .فقوله : ( غُفْرَانَكَ ) مصدر منصوب على المفعول المطلق والعامل فيه مقدر أي : اغفر غفرانك . وقوله : ( وَإِلَيْكَ المصير ) أي : وإليك وحدك المرجع والمآب ، ومنك وحدك يكون الحساب والثواب والعقاب ، ( يَوْمَ لاَ يَنفَعُ مَالٌ وَلاَ بَنُونَ . إِلاَّ مَنْ أَتَى الله بِقَلْبٍ سَلِيمٍ ) وبذلك نرى أن هذه الآية الكريمة قد مدحت الرسول صلى الله عليه وسلم مدحاً عظيماً ، ومدحت أتباعه المؤمنين الصادقين لاستجابتهم لأوامر الله ونواهيه ، وتضرعهم إليه بخالص الدعاء أن يغفر لهم ما فرط منهم .
القول في تأويل قوله تعالى : آمَنَ الرَّسُولُ بِمَا أُنْـزِلَ إِلَيْهِ مِنْ رَبِّهِ وَالْمُؤْمِنُونَ كُلٌّ آمَنَ بِاللَّهِ وَمَلائِكَتِهِ وَكُتُبِهِ وَرُسُلِهِقال أبو جعفر: يعني بذلك جل ثناؤه: صدق الرسول = يعني رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم، فأقر =" بما أنـزل إليه "، يعني: بما أوحي إليه من ربه من الكتاب، وما فيه من حلال وحرام، ووعد وعيد، وأمر ونهي، وغير ذلك من سائر ما فيه من المعاني التي حواها.* * *وذكر أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم لما نـزلت هذه الآية عليه قال: يحق له.6499 - حدثنا بشر قال، حدثنا يزيد قال، حدثنا سعيد، عن قتادة قوله: "آمن الرسول بما أنـزل إليه من ربه "، ذكر لنا أن نبي الله صلى الله عليه وسلم لما نـزلت هذه الآية قال: ويحق له أن يؤمن. (52)* * *وقد قيل: إنها نـزلت بعد قوله: وَإِنْ تُبْدُوا مَا فِي أَنْفُسِكُمْ أَوْ تُخْفُوهُ يُحَاسِبْكُمْ بِهِ اللَّهُ فَيَغْفِرُ لِمَنْ يَشَاءُ وَيُعَذِّبُ مَنْ يَشَاءُ وَاللَّهُ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ ، لأن المؤمنين برسول الله من أصحابه شق عليهم ما توعدهم الله به من محاسبتهم على ما أخفته نفوسهم، فشكوا ذلك إلى النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم فقال لهم رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم: لعلكم تقولون: " سَمِعْنَا وَعَصَيْنَا " كما قالت بنو إسرائيل! فقالوا: &; 6-125 &; بل نقول: " سَمِعْنَا وَأَطَعْنَا "! فأنـزل الله لذلك من قول النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم وقول أصحابه: "آمن الرسول بما أنـزل إليه من ربه والمؤمنون كل آمن بالله وملائكته وكتبه ورسله "، يقول: وصدق المؤمنون أيضا مع نبيهم بالله وملائكته وكتبه ورسله، الآيتين. وقد ذكرنا قائلي ذلك قبل. (53)* * *قال أبو جعفر: واختلفت القرأة في قراءة قوله: " وكتبه ".فقرأ ذلك عامة قرأة المدينة وبعض قرأة أهل العراق (وكتبه) على وجه جمع " الكتاب "، على معنى: والمؤمنون كل آمن بالله وملائكته وجميع كتبه التي أنـزلها على أنبيائه ورسله.* * *وقرأ ذلك جماعة من قرأة أهل الكوفة: (وكتابه)، بمعنى: والمؤمنون كل آمن بالله وملائكته وبالقرآن الذي أنـزله على نبيه محمد صلى الله عليه وسلم.* * *وقد روي عن ابن عباس أنه كان يقرأ ذلك: " وكتابه "، ويقول: الكتاب أكثر من الكتب. وكأن ابن عباس يوجه تأويل ذلك إلى نحو قوله: وَالْعَصْرِ * إِنَّ الإِنْسَانَ لَفِي خُسْرٍ [سورة العصر: 1-2]، بمعنى جنس " الناس " وجنس " الكتاب "، كما يقال: " ما أكثر درهم فلان وديناره "، ويراد به جنس الدراهم والدنانير. (54) وذلك، وإن كان مذهبا من المذاهب معروفا، فإن الذي هو أعجب إلي من القراءة في ذلك أن يقرأ بلفظ الجمع. لأن الذي قبله جمع، والذي بعده كذلك - أعني بذلك: " وملائكته وكتبه ورسله " - فإلحاق " الكتب " في الجمع لفظا به، أعجب إلي من توحيده وإخراجه في اللفظ به بلفظ الواحد، ليكون لاحقا في اللفظ والمعنى بلفظ ما قبله وما بعده، وبمعناه.* * *&; 6-126 &;القول في تأويل قوله تعالى : لا نُفَرِّقُ بَيْنَ أَحَدٍ مِنْ رُسُلِهِقال أبو جعفر: وأما قوله: " لا نفرق بين أحد من رسله "، فإنه أخبر جل ثناؤه بذلك عن المؤمنين أنهم يقولون ذلك. ففي الكلام في قراءة من قرأ: " لا نفرق بين أحد من رسله " بالنون، متروك، قد استغني بدلالة ما ذكر عنه. وذلك المتروك هو " يقولون ". وتأويل الكلام: والمؤمنون كل آمن بالله وملائكته وكتبه ورسله، يقولون: لا نفرق بين أحد من رسله. وترك ذكر " يقولون " لدلالة الكلام عليه، كما ترك ذكره في قوله: وَالْمَلائِكَةُ يَدْخُلُونَ عَلَيْهِمْ مِنْ كُلِّ بَابٍ * سَلامٌ عَلَيْكُمْ بِمَا صَبَرْتُمْ [سورة الرعد: 23-24]، بمعنى: يقولون: سلام.* * *وقد قرأ ذلك جماعة من المتقدمين: ( لا نُفَرِّقُ بَيْنَ أَحَدٍ مِنْ رُسُلِهِ ) ب " الياء "، بمعنى: والمؤمنون كلهم آمن بالله وملائكته وكتبه ورسله، لا يفرق الكل منهم بين أحد من رسله، فيؤمن ببعض ويكفر ببعض، ولكنهم يصدقون بجميعهم، ويقرون أن ما جاءوا به كان من عند الله، وأنهم دعوا إلى الله وإلى طاعته، ويخالفون في فعلهم ذلك اليهود الذين أقروا بموسى وكذبوا عيسى، والنصارى الذين أقروا بموسى وعيسى وكذبوا بمحمد صلى الله عليه وسلم، وجحدوا نبوته، ومن أشبههم من الأمم الذين كذبوا بعض رسل الله، وأقروا ببعضه، كما:-6500 - حدثني يونس قال، أخبرنا ابن وهب قال، قال ابن زيد: " لا نفرق بين أحد من رسله "، كما صنع القوم - يعني بني إسرائيل - قالوا: فلان نبي، وفلان ليس نبيا، وفلان نؤمن به، وفلان لا نؤمن به.* * *قال أبو جعفر: والقراءة التي لا نستجيز غيرها في ذلك عندنا بالنون: &; 6-127 &; " لا نفرق بين أحد من رسله "، لأنها القراءة التي قامت حجتها بالنقل المستفيض، (55) الذي يمتنع معه التشاعر والتواطؤ والسهو والغلط= (56) بمعنى ما وصفنا من: يقولون لا نفرق بين أحد من رسله= (57) ولا يعترض بشاذ من القراءة، على ما جاءت به الحجة نقلا ووراثة. (58)* * *القول في تأويل قوله تعالى : وَقَالُوا سَمِعْنَا وَأَطَعْنَا غُفْرَانَكَ رَبَّنَا وَإِلَيْكَ الْمَصِيرُ (285)قال أبو جعفر: يعني بذلك جل ثناؤه: وقال الكل من المؤمنين: " سمعنا " قول ربنا وأمره إيانا بما أمرنا به، ونهيه عما نهانا عنه =" وأطعنا "، يعني: أطعنا ربنا فيما ألزمنا من فرائضه، واستعبدنا به من طاعته، وسلمنا له = وقوله: " غفرانك ربنا "، يعني: وقالوا: " غفرانك ربنا "، بمعنى: اغفر لنا ربنا غفرانك، كما يقال: " سبحانك "، بمعنى: نسبحك سبحانك.* * *وقد بينا فيما مضى أن " الغفران " و " المغفرة "، الستر من الله على ذنوب من &; 6-128 &; غفر له، وصفحة له عن هتك ستره بها في الدنيا والآخرة، وعفوه عن العقوبة - عليه. (59)* * *وأما قوله: " وإليك المصير "، فإنه يعني جل ثناؤه أنهم قالوا: وإليك يا ربنا مرجعنا ومعادنا، فاغفر لنا ذنوبنا. (60)* * *قال أبو جعفر: فإن قال لنا قائل: فما الذي نصب قوله: " غفرانك "؟قيل له: وقوعه وهو مصدر موقع الأمر. وكذلك تفعل العرب بالمصادر والأسماء إذا حلت محل الأمر، وأدت عن معنى الأمر نصبتها، فيقولون: " شكرا لله يا فلان "، و " حمدا له "، بمعنى: اشكر الله واحمده." والصلاة، الصلاة ". بمعنى: صلوا. ويقولون في الأسماء: " الله الله يا قوم "، ولو رفع بمعنى: هو الله، أو: هذا الله - ووجه إلى الخبر وفيه تأويل الأمر، كان جائزا، كما قال الشاعر: (61)إن قومــا منهــم عمــير وأشـباه عمـــير ومنهـــم الســـفاح (62)لجـــديرون بالوفـــاء إذا قــال أخـو النجـدة: السـلاح السلاح ! !ولو كان قوله: " غفرانك ربنا " جاء رفعا في القراءة، لم يكن خطأ، بل كان صوابا على ما وصفنا. (63)* * *وقد ذكر أن هذه الآية لما نـزلت على رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم ثناء من &; 6-129 &; الله عليه وعلى أمته، قال له جبريل صلى الله عليه وسلم: إن الله عز وجل قد أحسن عليك وعلى أمتك الثناء، فسل ربك.6501 - حدثنا ابن حميد قال، حدثنا جرير، عن بيان، عن حكيم بن جابر قال: لما أنـزلت على رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم: "آمن الرسول بما أنـزل إليه من ربه والمؤمنون كل آمن بالله وملائكته وكتبه ورسله لا نفرق بين أحد من رسله وقالوا سمعنا وأطعنا غفرانك ربنا وإليك المصير "، قال جبريل: إن الله عز وجل قد أحسن الثناء عليك، وعلى أمتك، فسل تعطه! فسأل: لا يُكَلِّفُ اللَّهُ نَفْسًا إِلا وُسْعَهَا إلى آخر السورة. (64)--------------الهوامش :(52) الأثر : 6499- أخرج الحاكم في المستدرك 2 : 287 من طريق خلاد بن يحيى ، عن أبي عقيل ، عن يحيى بن أبي كثير ، عن أنس قال : "لما نزلت هذه الآية على النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم : "آمن الرسول بما أنزل إليه من ربه" قال النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم : وأحق له أن يؤمن" . ثم قال الحاكم : "هذا حديث صحيح على شرط الشيخين ولم يخرجاه" واستدرك عليه الذهبي فقال : "منقطع" .(53) انظر ما سلف رقم : 6477 .(54) انظر ما سلف 4 : 263 .(55) في المطبوعة : "التي قامت حجة . . . " ، وفي المخطوطة : "التي قامت حجته" ، وصواب قراءتها ما أثبت .(56) في المطبوعة : "التشاغر" بغين معجمة ، وهو خطأ غث . والصواب من المخطوطة . و"تشاعروا الأمر ، أو على الأمر" ، أي تعالموه بينهم . من قولهم : "شعر" أي"علم" . وهي كلمة قلما تجدها في كتب اللغة ، ولكنها دائرة في كتب الطبري ومن في طبقته من القدماء . وانظر الرسالة العثمانية للجاحظ : 3 ، وتعلق : 5 ، ثم ص : 263 ، وصواب شرحها ما قلت . وانظر ما سيأتي ص : 155 ، تعليق 1 .(57) في المطبوعة : "يعني ما وصفنا" ، والصواب من المخطوطة .(58) في المطبوعة : "نقلا ورواية" ، وفي المخطوطة"نقلا وراثة" ، وهي الصواب ، وآثرت زيادة الواو قبلها ، فإني أرجح أنها كانت كذلك . وقد أكثر الطبري استعمال"وراثة" و"موروثة" فيما سلف ، من ذلك فيما مضى في 4 : 33" . . . بالحجة القاطعة العذر ، نقلا عن نبينا صلى الله عليه وسلم وراثة . . . " / ثم في 5 : 238"لخلافها القراءة المستفيضة الموروثة . . . " . وانظر ما سيأتي ص : 155 ، تعليق : 1 .(59) انظر ما سلف 2 : 109 ، 110 .(60) انظر ما سلف في تفسير"المصير" 3 : 56 .(61) لم أعرف قائله .(62) معاني القرآن للفراء 1 : 188 ، وشواهد العيني (بهامش الخزانة) 4 : 306 . ولم أستطع تعييني"عمير" و"السفاح" ، فهما كثير .(63) أكثر هذا من معاني القرآن للفراء 1 : 188 .(64) الحديث : 6501- بيان : هو ابن بشر الأحمسي ، مضت ترجمته في : 259 . "حكيم بن جابر بن طارق بن عوف الأحمسي" : تابعي كبير ثقة ، أرسل عن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم . روى عن أبيه ، وعمر ، وابن مسعود ، وطلحة ، وعبادة بن الصامت . وروى عنه إسماعيل ابن أبي خالد ، و"بيان" . ثقة . مات في آخر إمارة الحجاج . وقيل سنة 82 ، وقيل سنة 95 . مترجم في التهذيب ، والكبير 2/1/12 . وصرح بأنه سمع عمر .فهذا الحديث مرسل .وذكره السيوطي 1 : 376 ، ونسبه أيضًا لسعيد بن منصور ، وابن أبي حاتم .ونقله ابن كثير 2 : 89 ، عن هذا الموضع من الطبري . ولكن وقع فيه تحريف في الإسناد ، من ناسخ أو طابع - هكذا : "عن سنان ، عن حكيم ، عن جابر"؛ فصار الإسناد موهما أنه حديث متصل من رواية جابر بن عبد الله الصحابي . فيصحح من هذا الموضع .
قوله تعالى : ( آمن الرسول ) أي صدق ( بما أنزل إليه من ربه والمؤمنون كل آمن بالله ) يعني كل واحد منهم ولذلك وحد الفعل ( وملائكته وكتبه ورسله ) قرأ حمزة والكسائي : كتابه على الواحد يعني القرآن وقيل معناه الجمع وإن ذكر بلفظ التوحيد كقوله تعالى : " فبعث الله النبيين مبشرين ومنذرين وأنزل معهم الكتاب " ( 213 - البقرة ) وقرأ الآخرون : وكتبه بالجمع كقوله تعالى : " وملائكته وكتبه ورسله " ( 136 - النساء ( لا نفرق بين أحد من رسله ) فنؤمن ببعض ونكفر ببعض كما فعلت اليهود والنصارى وفيه إضمار تقديره يقولون : لا نفرق وقرأ يعقوب لا يفرق بالياء فيكون خبرا عن الرسول أو معناه لا يفرق الكل وإنما قال " بين أحد " ولم يقل بين آحاد لأن الأحد يكون للواحد والجمع قال الله تعالى : " فما منكم من أحد عنه حاجزين " ( 47 - الحاقة ( وقالوا سمعنا ) قولك ( وأطعنا ) أمرك .روي عن حكيم عن جابر رضي الله عنهما أن جبريل عليه السلام قال للنبي صلى الله عليه وسلم حين نزلت هذه الآية : إن الله قد أثنى عليك وعلى أمتك فسل تعطه فسأل بتلقين الله تعالى فقال ( غفرانك ) وهو نصب على المصدر أي اغفر غفرانك أو نسألك غفرانك ( ربنا وإليك المصير لا يكلف الله نفسا إلا وسعها ) ظاهر الآية قضاء الحاجة وفيها إضمار السؤال كأنه قال : وقالوا لا تكلفنا إلا وسعنا وأجاب أي لا يكلف الله نفسا إلا وسعها أي طاقتها والوسع : اسم لما يسع الإنسان ولا يضيق عليه واختلفوا في تأويله فذهب ابن عباس رضي الله عنه وعطاء وأكثر المفسرين إلى أنه أراد به حديث النفس الذي ذكر في قوله تعالى ( وإن تبدوا ما في أنفسكم أو تخفوه ) كما ذكرنا وروي عن ابن عباس رضي الله عنهما أنه قال : هم المؤمنون خاصة وسع عليهم أمر دينهم ولم يكلفهم فيه إلا ما يستطيعون كما قال الله تعالى : " يريد الله بكم اليسر ولا يريد بكم العسر " ( 185 - البقرة ) وقال الله تعالى : " وما جعل عليكم في الدين من حرج " ( 78 - الحج )
قال الزجاج : «لما ذكر الله في هذه السورة أحكاماً كثيرةً ، وقصصاً ، ختمها بقوله : { آمن الرسول بما أنزل إليه من ربه } تعظيماً لنبيّه صلى الله عليه وسلم وأتباعه ، وتأكيداً وفذلكة لجميع ذلك المذكور من قبل» . يعني : أنّ هذا انتقال من المواعظ ، والإرشاد ، والتشريع ، وما تخلّل ذلك : ممّا هو عون على تلك المقاصد ، إلى الثناء على رسوله والمؤمنين في إيمانهم بجميع ذلك إيماناً خالصاً يتفرّع عليه العمل؛ لأنّ الإيمان بالرسول والكتاب ، يقتضي الامتثالَ لما جاء به من عمل . فالجملة استئناف ابتدائي وضعت في هذا الموقع لمناسبة ما تقدم ، وهو انتقال مؤذن بانتهاء السورة لأنّه لما انتقل من أغراض متناسبة إلى غرض آخر : هو كالحاصل والفذلكة ، فقد أشعر بأنّه استوفى تلك الأغراض . وورد في أسباب النزول أنّ قوله : { آمن الرسول } يرتبط بقوله : { وإن تبدوا ما في أنفسكم أو تخفوه } [ البقرة : 284 ] كما تقدم آنفاً .وأل في الرسول للعد . وهو عَلَم بالغلبة على محمد صلى الله عليه وسلم في وقت النزول قال تعالى : { وهمّوا بإخراج الرسول } [ التوبة : 13 ] . و { المؤمنون } معطوف على { الرسول } ، والوقف عليه .والمؤمنون هنا لَقَب للذين استجابوا لرسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم فلذلك كان في جعله فاعلاً لقوله : { آمن } فائدةٌ ، مع أنّه لا فائدةَ في قولك : قامَ القائمون .وقوله : { كل آمن بالله } جمع بعد التفصيل ، وكذلك شأن ( كلَ ) إذا جاءت بعد ذكر متعدّد في حُكْم ، ثم إرادة جمعه في ذلك ، كقول الفضل بن عباس اللَّهَبِي ، بعد أبيات: ... كُلٌّ له نِيَّةٌ في بغض صاحبهبنعمة الله نقليكم وتَقْلُونا ... وإذ كانت ( كلّ ) من الأسماء الملازمة الإضافة فإذا حذف المضاف إليه نوّنت تنوينَ عوض عن مفرد كما نبّه عليه ابن مالك في «التسهيل» . ولا يعكر عليه أنّ ( كل ) اسم معرب لأنّ التنوين قد يفيد الغرضين فهو من استعمال الشيء في معنييه . فمن جوّز أن يكون عَطْفُ { المؤمنون } عطفَ جملة وجعل { المؤمنون } مبتدأ وجعل { كلٌّ } مبتدأ ثانياً { وآمن } خبره ، فقد شذّ عن الذوق العربي .وقرأ الجمهور { وكتبه } بصيغة جمع كتاب ، وقرأه حمزة ، والكسائي : وكِتَابِه ، بصيغة المفرد على أنّ المراد القرآن أو جنس الكتاب . فيكون مساوياً لقوله : { وكتبه } ، إذ المراد الجنس ، والحقُّ أنّ المفرد والجمع سواء في إرادة الجنس ، ألا تراهم يقولون : إنّ الجمع في مدخول أل الجنسية صوري ، ولذلك يقال : إذا دَخلت ألْ الجنسية على جمع أبطلت منه معنى الجمعية ، فكذلك كل ما أريد به الجنس كالمضاف في هاتين القراءتين ، والإضافة تأتي لما تأتي له اللام ، وعن ابن عباس أنّه قال ، لما سئل عن هذه القراءة : «كتابِه أكثر من كُتبِه أو الكتاب أكثر من الكتب» فقيل أراد أنّ تناول المفرد المراد به الجنس أكثر من تناول الجمع حين يراد به الجنس ، لاحتمال إرادة جنس الجموع ، فلا يسري الحكم لما دون عدد الجمع من أفراد الجنس ، ولهذا قال صاحب «المفتاح» «استغراق المفرد أشمل من استغراق الجمع» .والحقُّ أنّ هذا لا يقصده العرب في نفي الجنس ولا في استغراقه في الإثبات . وأنّ كلام ابن عباس إن صح نقله عنه فتأويله أنّه أكْثَر لمساواته له معنى ، مع كونه أخصر لفظاً ، فلعلّه أراد بالأكثر معنى الأرجح والأقوى .وقوله : { لا نفرق بين أحد من رسله } قرأه الجمهور بنون المتكلم المشارَك ، وهو يحتمل الالتفات : بأن يكون من مقول قول محذوففٍ دل عليه السياق وعطف { وقالوا } عليه . أو النون فيه للجلالة أي آمَنُوا في حَال أنّنا أمرناهم بذلك ، لأنّنا لا نفرّق فالجملة معترضة . وقيل : هو مقول لقول محذوف دل عليه آمَن؛ لأنّ الإيمان اعتقاد وقول . وقرأه يعقوب بالياء : على أنّ الضمير عائد على { كلُّ آمن بالله } .والتفريق هنا أريد به التفريق في الإيمان به والتصديق : بأن يؤمن ببعض ويكفر ببعض .وقوله : { لا نفرق بين أحد من رسله } تقدم الكلام على نظيره عند قوله تعالى : { لا نفرّق بين أحد منهم ونحن له مسلمون } [ البقرة : 136 ] .{ وقالوا سمعنا وأطعنا } عطف على { آمن الرسول } والسمع هنا كناية عن الرضا ، والقبول ، والامتثال ، وعكسه لا يَسمعون أي لا يطيعون وقال النابغة: ... تَناذَرَهَا الرّاقُون مِنْ سُوءِ سَمْعِهاأي عدم امتثالها للرُّقْيَا . والمعنى : إنَّهم آمنوا ، واطمأنّوا وامتثلوا ، وإنّما جيء بلفظ الماضي ، دون المضارع ، ليدلوا على رسوخ ذلك؛ لأنّهم أرادوا إنشاء القبول والرضا ، وصيغ العقود ونحوها تقع بلفظ الماضي نحو بعْت .وغفرانك نُصب على المفعول المطلق : أي اغفِرْ غفرانك ، فهو بدل من فعله . والمصير يحتمل أن يكون حقيقة فيكون اعترافاً بالبعث ، وجعل منتهياً إلى الله لأنّه منتهٍ إلى يوم ، أو عالَم ، تظهر فيه قدرة الله بالضرورة . ويحتمل أنّه مجاز عن تمام الامتثال والإيمان . كأنّهم كانوا قبل الإسلام آبقين ، ثم صاروا إلى الله ، وهذا كقوله تعالى : { ففروا إلى اللَّه } [ الذاريات : 50 ] . وجعل المصير إلى الله تمثيلاً للمصير إلى أمره ونهيه : كقوله : { ووجد اللَّه عنده فوفاه حسابه } [ النور : 39 ] وتقديم المجرور لإفادة الحصر : أي المصير إليك لا إلى غيرك ، وهو قصر حقيقي قصدوا به لازم فائدته ، وهو أنّهم عالِمون بأنّهم صائرون إليه ، ولا يصيرون إلى غيره ممّن يعبدهم أهل الضّلال .
هذا إخبار من الله أنه له ما في السماوات وما في الأرض، الجميع خلقهم ورزقهم ودبرهم لمصالحهم الدينية والدنيوية، فكانوا ملكا له وعبيدا، لا يملكون لأنفسهم ضرا ولا نفعا ولا موتا ولا حياة ولا نشورا، وهو ربهم ومالكهم الذي يتصرف فيهم بحكمته وعدله وإحسانه، وقد أمرهم ونهاهم وسيحاسبهم على ما أسروه وأعلنوه، { فيغفر لمن يشاء } وهو لمن أتى بأسباب المغفرة، ويعذب من يشاء بذنبه الذي لم يحصل له ما يكفره { والله على كل شيء قدير } لا يعجزه شيء، بل كل الخلق طوع قهره ومشيئته وتقديره وجزائه
قوله : آمن الرسول بما أنزل إليه من ربه والمؤمنون كل آمن بالله وملائكته وكتبه ورسله لا نفرق بين أحد من رسله وقالوا سمعنا وأطعنا غفرانك ربنا وإليك المصير[ ص: 386 ] فيه مسائل : الأولى : قوله تعالى : آمن الرسول بما أنزل إليه من ربه روي عن الحسن ومجاهد والضحاك : أن هذه الآية كانت في قصة المعراج ، وهكذا روي في بعض الروايات عن ابن عباس ، وقال بعضهم : جميع القرآن نزل به جبريل عليه السلام على محمد صلى الله عليه وسلم إلا هذه الآية فإن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم هو الذي سمع ليلة المعراج . وقال بعضهم : لم يكن ذلك في قصة المعراج ؛ لأن ليلة المعراج كانت بمكة وهذه السورة كلها مدنية ، فأما من قال إنها كانت ليلة المعراج قال : لما صعد النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم وبلغ في السماوات في مكان مرتفع ومعه جبريل حتى جاوز سدرة المنتهى فقال له جبريل : إني لم أجاوز هذا الموضع ولم يؤمر بالمجاوزة أحد هذا الموضع غيرك فجاوز النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم حتى بلغ الموضع الذي شاء الله ، فأشار إليه جبريل بأن سلم على ربك ، فقال النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم : التحيات لله والصلوات والطيبات . قال الله تعالى : السلام عليك أيها النبي ورحمة الله وبركاته ، فأراد النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم أن يكون لأمته حظ في السلام فقال : السلام علينا وعلى عباد الله الصالحين ، فقال جبريل وأهل السماوات كلهم : أشهد أن لا إله إلا الله وأشهد أن محمدا عبده ورسوله . قال الله تعالى : آمن الرسول على معنى الشكر أي صدق الرسول بما أنزل إليه من ربه فأراد النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم أن يشارك أمته في الكرامة والفضيلة فقال : والمؤمنون كل آمن بالله وملائكته وكتبه ورسله لا نفرق بين أحد من رسله يعني يقولون آمنا بجميع الرسل ولا نكفر بأحد منهم ولا نفرق بينهم كما فرقت اليهود والنصارى ، فقال له ربه كيف قبولهم بآي الذي أنزلتها ؟ وهو قوله : إن تبدوا ما في أنفسكم فقال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم ( قالوا سمعنا وأطعنا غفرانك ربنا وإليك المصير يعني المرجع . فقال الله تعالى عند ذلك : لا يكلف الله نفسا إلا وسعها يعني طاقتها ويقال : إلا دون طاقتها . لها ما كسبت من الخير وعليها ما اكتسبت من الشر ، فقال جبريل عند ذلك : سل تعطه ، فقال النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم : ربنا لا تؤاخذنا إن نسينا يعني إن جهلنا أو أخطأنا يعني إن تعمدنا ، ويقال : إن عملنا بالنسيان ، والخطأ . فقال له جبريل : قد أعطيت ذلك قد رفع عن أمتك الخطأ والنسيان . فسل شيئا آخر فقال : ربنا ولا تحمل علينا إصرا يعني ثقلا كما حملته على الذين من قبلنا وهو أنه حرم عليهم الطيبات بظلمهم ، وكانوا إذا أذنبوا بالليل وجدوا ذلك مكتوبا على بابهم ، [ ص: 387 ] وكانت الصلوات عليهم خمسين ، فخفف الله عن هذه الأمة وحط عنهم بعدما فرض خمسين صلاة . ثم قال : ربنا ولا تحملنا ما لا طاقة لنا به يقول : لا تثقلنا من العمل ما لا نطيق فتعذبنا . ويقال : ما تشق علينا ؛ لأنهم لو أمروا بخمسين صلاة لكانوا يطيقون ذلك ولكنه يشق عليهم ولا يطيقون الإدامة عليه واعف عنا من ذلك كله واغفر لنا وتجاوز عنا ، ويقال : واعف عنا من المسخ واغفر لنا من الخسف وارحمنا من القذف ؛ لأن الأمم الماضية بعضهم أصابهم المسخ وبعضهم أصابهم الخسف وبعضهم القذف ثم قال : أنت مولانا يعني : ولينا وحافظنا فانصرنا على القوم الكافرين فاستجيبت دعوته . وروي عن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم أنه قال : نصرت بالرعب مسيرة شهر ويقال إن الغزاة : إذا خرجوا من ديارهم بالنية الخالصة وضربوا بالطبل وقع الرعب والهيبة في قلوب الكفار مسيرة شهر في شهر ، علموا بخروجهم أو لم يعلموا ، ثم إن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم لما رجع أوحى الله هذه الآيات ، ليعلم أمته بذلك . ولهذه الآية تفسير آخر ، قال الزجاج : لما ذكر الله تعالى في هذه السورة فرض الصلاة والزكاة وبين أحكام الحج وحكم الحيض والطلاق والإيلاء وأقاصيص الأنبياء وبين حكم الربا ، ذكر تعظيمه سبحانه بقوله سبحانه وتعالى : لله ما في السماوات وما في الأرض ثم ذكر تصديق نبيه صلى الله عليه وسلم ثم ذكر تصديق المؤمنين بجميع ذلك فقال : آمن الرسول بما أنزل إليه من ربه أي صدق الرسول بجميع هذه الأشياء التي جرى ذكرها وكذلك المؤمنون كلهم صدقوا بالله وملائكته وكتبه ورسله .وقيل سبب نزولها الآية التي قبلها وهي : لله ما في السماوات وما في الأرض وإن تبدوا ما في أنفسكم أو تخفوه يحاسبكم به الله فيغفر لمن يشاء ويعذب من يشاء والله على كل شيء قدير فإنه لما أنزل هذا على النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم اشتد ذلك على أصحاب رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم فأتوا رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم ثم بركوا على الركب فقالوا : أي رسول الله ، كلفنا من الأعمال ما نطيق : الصلاة والصيام والجهاد والصدقة ، وقد أنزل الله عليكم هذه الآية ولا نطيقها . قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم : أتريدون أن تقولوا كما قال أهل الكتابين من قبلكم سمعنا وعصينا بل قولوا سمعنا وأطعنا غفرانك ربنا وإليك المصير فقالوا : سمعنا وأطعنا غفرانك ربنا وإليك المصير . فلما اقترأها القوم ذلت بها ألسنتهم فأنزل الله في إثرها : [ ص: 388 ] آمن الرسول بما أنزل إليه من ربه والمؤمنون كل آمن بالله وملائكته وكتبه ورسله لا نفرق بين أحد من رسله وقالوا سمعنا وأطعنا غفرانك ربنا وإليك المصير . فلما فعلوا ذلك نسخها الله ، فأنزل الله عز وجل : لا يكلف الله نفسا إلا وسعها لها ما كسبت وعليها ما اكتسبت ربنا لا تؤاخذنا إن نسينا أو أخطأنا قال : " نعم " ربنا ولا تحمل علينا إصرا كما حملته على الذين من قبلنا قال : ( نعم ) ربنا ولا تحملنا ما لا طاقة لنا به قال : ( نعم ) واعف عنا واغفر لنا وارحمنا أنت مولانا فانصرنا على القوم الكافرين قال : ( نعم ) . أخرجه مسلم عن أبي هريرة .قال علماؤنا : قوله في الرواية الأولى ( قد فعلت ) وهنا قال : ( نعم ) دليل على نقل الحديث بالمعنى ، وقد تقدم . ولما تقرر الأمر على أن قالوا : سمعنا وأطعنا ، مدحهم الله وأثنى عليهم في هذه الآية ، ورفع المشقة في أمر الخواطر عنهم ، وهذه ثمرة الطاعة والانقطاع إلى الله تعالى ، كما جرى لبني إسرائيل ضد ذلك من ذمهم وتحميلهم المشقات من الذلة والمسكنة والانجلاء إذ قالوا : سمعنا وعصينا ، وهذه ثمرة العصيان والتمرد على الله تعالى ، أعاذنا الله من نقمه بمنه وكرمه . وفي الحديث أن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم قيل له : إن بيت ثابت بن قيس بن شماس يزهر كل ليلة بمصابيح ؟ قال : ( فلعله يقرأ سورة البقرة ) فسئل ثابت قال : قرأت من سورة البقرة " آمن الرسول " نزلت حين شق على أصحاب النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم ما توعدهم الله تعالى به من محاسبتهم على ما أخفته نفوسهم ، فشكوا ذلك إلى النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم فقال : ( فلعلكم تقولون سمعنا وعصينا كما قالت بنو إسرائيل ) قالوا : بل سمعنا وأطعنا ، فأنزل الله تعالى ثناء عليهم : آمن الرسول بما أنزل إليه من ربه فقال صلى الله عليه وسلم : ( وحق لهم أن يؤمنوا ) .الثانية : قوله تعالى : " آمن " : أي صدق ، وقد تقدم . والذي أنزل هو القرآن . وقرأ ابن مسعود " وآمن المؤمنون كل آمن بالله " على اللفظ ، ويجوز في غير القرآن " آمنوا " على المعنى . وقرأ نافع وابن كثير وعاصم في رواية أبي بكر وابن عامر ( وكتبه ) على الجمع . وقرءوا في " التحريم " " كتابه " على التوحيد . وقرأ أبو عمرو هنا وفي " التحريم " و " كتبه " على الجمع . وقرأ حمزة والكسائي " وكتابه " على التوحيد فيهما . فمن جمع أراد جمع كتاب ، ومن أفرد أراد المصدر الذي يجمع كل مكتوب كان نزوله من عند الله . ويجوز في قراءة من وحد أن يراد به الجمع ، يكون الكتاب اسما للجنس فتستوي القراءتان ، قال الله تعالى : فبعث الله النبيين مبشرين ومنذرين وأنزل معهم الكتاب قرأت الجماعة ( ورسله ) بضم السين ، وكذلك [ ص: 389 ] " رسلنا ورسلكم ورسلك " إلا أبا عمرو فروي عنه تخفيف " رسلنا ورسلكم " ، وروي عنه في " رسلك " التثقيل والتخفيف . قال أبو علي : من قرأ " رسلك " بالتثقيل فذلك أصل الكلمة ، ومن خفف فكما يخفف في الآحاد مثل : عنق وطنب . وإذا خفف في الآحاد فذلك أحرى في الجمع الذي هو أثقل ، وقال معناه مكي . وقرأ جمهور الناس ( لا نفرق ) بالنون ، والمعنى يقولون لا نفرق ، فحذف القول ، وحذف القول كثير ، قال الله تعالى : والملائكة يدخلون عليهم من كل باب سلام عليكم ؛ أي يقولون سلام عليكم . وقال : ويتفكرون في خلق السماوات والأرض ربنا ما خلقت هذا باطلا ؛ أي يقولون : ربنا ، وما كان مثله . وقرأ سعيد بن جبير ويحيى بن يعمر وأبو زرعة بن عمرو بن جرير ويعقوب " لا يفرق " بالياء ، وهذا على لفظ ( كل ) . قال هارون : وهي في حرف ابن مسعود " لا يفرقون " . وقال ( بين أحد ) على الإفراد ولم يقل آحاد ؛ لأن الأحد يتناول الواحد والجميع ، كما قال تعالى : فما منكم من أحد عنه حاجزين ف " حاجزين " صفة لأحد ؛ لأن معناه الجمع . وقال صلى الله عليه وسلم : ما أحلت الغنائم لأحد سود الرءوس غيركم وقال رؤبة :إذا أمور الناس دينت دينكا لا يرهبون أحدا من دونكاومعنى هذه الآية : أن المؤمنين ليسوا كاليهود والنصارى في أنهم يؤمنون ببعض ويكفرون ببعض .الثالثة : قوله تعالى : وقالوا سمعنا وأطعنا فيه حذف ، أي سمعنا سماع قابلين . وقيل : سمع بمعنى قبل ، كما يقال : سمع الله لمن حمده فلا يكون فيه حذف . وعلى الجملة فهذا القول يقتضي المدح لقائله . والطاعة قبول الأمر . وقوله : ( غفرانك ) مصدر كالكفران والخسران ، والعامل فيه فعل مقدر ، تقديره : اغفر غفرانك ، قاله الزجاج . وغيره : نطلب أو أسأل غفرانك .( وإليك المصير ) إقرار بالبعث والوقوف بين يدي الله تعالى . وروي أن [ ص: 390 ] النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم لما نزلت عليه هذه الآية قال له جبريل : ( إن الله قد أحل الثناء عليك وعلى أمتك فسل تعطه ) فسأل إلى آخر السورة .
Everything in the universe is under God’s command. Right from dust particles to the stars, all are bound by God’s decreed plan. They must follow the path set for them by God. Man alone is the creature who finds that he may choose different paths of his own free will. But man does not possess freedom in an absolute sense: if he has freedom, it is so that he may be put to the test. Man has also to submit to the will of God like the rest of the universe. The life of restraint that the rest of the universe is obliged to follow must be followed voluntarily by man. He should not be deceived by the appearance of there being no one before or behind him. The truth of the matter is that at all times man is watched over by the Lord of the universe. He watches each and every thing, whether great or small, whether within him or without.
Commentary
These are the last two verses of Sarah al-Baqarah. Great merits have been attributed to these two verses in authentic ahadith. The Holy Prophet ﷺ has said that one who recites these two verses during the night, they will be sufficient for him.
As narrated by Sayyidna Ibn ` Abbas ؓ ، the Holy Prophet ﷺ said that Allah Almighty has sent forth these two verses out of the treasures of Paradise and the 'Rahman' رحمان 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 Salah of ` Isha', they will stand for Tahajjud in his case. As it appears in the Mustadrak of al-Hakim and in Bayhaqi, the Holy Prophet ﷺ said that Allah Almighty has concluded Sarah 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 ` Arsh عرش (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. This is why Sayyidna ` Umar and Sayyidna ` Ali ؓ ، said that they thought that 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 Sarah 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. Here, the first of the two verses opens with words of praise for the Muslims who are true and obedient, those who said yes with all their heart to all injunctions ordained by Allah, and were all set to carry them out. In addition to being an assertion of Allah's infinite mercy, the second verse also answers the doubt which started bothering the noble Companions when verse 284, the one preceding these two, was revealed. The words of the said verses, as mentioned earlier briefly, were: وَإِن تُبْدُوا مَا فِي أَنفُسِكُمْ أَوْ تُخْفُوهُ يُحَاسِبْكُم بِهِ اللَّـهُ , that is, whether you manifest that which is in your hearts, or conceal it, Allah will call you to account for it. Here 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'an 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 Holy Prophet g and said: ia Rasool Allah, 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 Holy Prophet g 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 Wahy وحی (revelation) and instructed the Companions that they should obey whatever Allah 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 Allah's command when it comes. As soon as you hear the command of Allah, say: سَمِعْنَا وَأَطَعْنَا ۖ غُفْرَانَكَ رَبَّنَا وَإِلَيْكَ الْمَصِيرُ , that is, 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 Holy Prophet ﷺ ، although their minds were still ticking with the apprehension that building a security shield against involuntary intrusions of thoughts was enormously difficult indeed! Thereupon, Allah Almighty revealed these last two verses of Surah al-Baqarah. Here 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. Now let us look at the words of the first verse. These are:
آمَنَ الرَّسُولُ بِمَا أُنزِلَ إِلَيْهِ مِن رَّبِّهِ وَالْمُؤْمِنُونَ ۚ كُلٌّ آمَنَ بِاللَّـهِ وَمَلَائِكَتِهِ وَكُتُبِهِ وَرُسُلِهِ لَا نُفَرِّقُ بَيْنَ أَحَدٍ مِّن رُّسُلِهِ ۚ وَقَالُوا سَمِعْنَا وَأَطَعْنَا ۖ غُفْرَانَكَ رَبَّنَا وَإِلَيْكَ الْمَصِيرُ ﴿285﴾
The Messenger has believed in what has been revealed to him from his Lord, and the believers as well. All have believed in Allah 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 par-don! And to You is the return."
The first seven words of this verse admire the Holy Prophet ﷺ . 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 Holy Prophet ﷺ firmly believes in the revelation (Wahy وحی) from Allah, 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 Holy Prophet ﷺ ، then, the 'iman ایمان (belief) of the general Muslims has been described separately. This indicates that, although the Holy Prophet and all Muslims share in the wealth of 'iman ایمان as such, still there is a great difference between the two in terms of the relative degrees of 'iman ایمان . The knowledge of the Holy Prophet ﷺ is based on seeing and hearing while the knowledge of other Muslims takes the form of 'iman bi l'ghayb ایمان بالغیب or 'believing without seeing' as based on the 'ru'yat' or 'seeing' of the Holy Prophet ﷺ .
After that come details of the 'irnan (belief) which was common between the Holy Prophet ﷺ and the Muslims in general. This 'iman consisted of the belief that Allah 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 Allah 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 Allah by accepting some as prophets and by denying that status to others. The Jews accepted that Sayyidna Musa (علیہ السلام) was a prophet, the Christians accepted that Sayyidna ` Isa (علیہ السلام) was a prophet, but that the Last of the prophets, Sayyidna Muhammad ﷺ was a prophet was not accepted by them.
Praised here is the distinction of this umrnah 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 Holy Prophet ﷺ :
سَمِعْنَا وَأَطَعْنَا ۖ غُفْرَانَكَ رَبَّنَا وَإِلَيْكَ الْمَصِير
We have listened, and obeyed. Our Lord, Your pardon! And to You is the return.
When the last verse was revealed, the believers found its content disconcerting. So when the Prophet (pbuh) ascended to heaven he prostrated to his Lord, and Allah said in praise of His Prophet: (The Messenger believeth) the Messenger Muhammad (pbuh) believes (in that which hath been revealed unto him from his Lord) i.e. the Qur'an and its content, and then the Prophet (pbuh) said on behalf of his Lord (and (so do) the believers. Each one believeth in Allah and His angels and His scriptures and His messengers-We make no distinction between any of His messengers-) they say: we do not disbelieve in any of his messengers (and they say: We hear) the saying of our Lord, (and we obey) the command of our Lord, i.e. we hear and obey our Lord. The Prophet (pbuh) then said: ((Grant us) Thy forgiveness) forgive us for the discourse of our souls, (our Lord) O our Lord! (Unto Thee is the journeying) unto you is the return after death.
The Hadiths on the Virtue of These Two Ayat, May Allah Benefit Us by Them Al-Bukhari recorded that Abu Mas`ud said that the Messenger of Allah said ﷺ,
«مَنْ قَرَأَ بِالْآيَتَيْنِ مِنْ آخِرِ سُورَةِ الْبَقَرَةِ فِي لَيْلَةٍ، كَفَتَاه»
(Whoever recites the last two Ayat in Surat Al-Baqarah at night, they will suffice for him.)
The rest of the six also recorded similar wording for this Hadith. The Two Sahihs recorded this Hadith using various chains of narration, and Imam Ahmad also recorded it.
Muslim recorded that `Abdullah said, "When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ went on the Isra 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.
إِذْ يَغْشَى السِّدْرَةَ مَا يَغْشَى
(When that covered the lote tree which did cover it!) 53:16 meaning, a mat made of gold.
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ was then given three things: the five prayers, the last Ayat in Surat Al-Baqarah and forgiveness for whoever did not associate anything or anyone with Allah from his Ummah."
Earlier we mentioned the Hadith regarding the virtues of Surat Al-Fatihah from Ibn `Abbas which stated, "While the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was with Jibil, he heard a noise from above. Jibil 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 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-Fatihah) and the last Ayat in Surat Al-Baqarah. You will not read a letter of them, but you will be granted its benefit."' This Hadith was collected by Muslim and An-Nasa'i, and this is the wording collected by An-Nasa'i.
The Tafsir of the Last Two Ayat of Surat Al-Baqarah
Allah said,
كُلٌّ ءَامَنَ بِاللَّهِ وَمَلَـئِكَتِهِ وَكُتُبِهِ وَرُسُلِهِ لاَ نُفَرِّقُ بَيْنَ أَحَدٍ مِّن رُّسُلِهِ
(Each one believes in Allah, His Angels, His Books, and His Messengers. (They say,) "We make no distinction between one another of His Messengers.")
Therefore, each of the believers believes that Allah is the One and Only and the Sustainer, there is no deity worthy of worship except Him and there is no Lord except Him. The believers also believe in all Allah's Prophets and Messengers, in the Books that were revealed from heaven to the Messengers and Prophets, who are indeed the servants of Allah. Further, the believers do not differentiate between any of the Prophets, such as, believing in some of them and rejecting others. Rather, all of Allah's Prophets and Messengers are, to the believers, truthful, righteous, and they were each guided to the path of righteousness, even when some of them bring what abrogates the Law of some others by Allah's leave. Later on, the Law of Muhammad, the Final Prophet and Messenger from Allah, abrogated all the laws of the Prophets before him. So the Last Hour will commence while Muhammad's Law remains the only valid Law, and all the while a group of his Ummah will always be on the path of truth, apparent and dominant. Allah's statement,
وَقَالُواْ سَمِعْنَا وَأَطَعْنَا
(And they say, "We hear, and we obey") means, we heard Your statement, O our Lord, comprehended and implemented it, and adhered to its implications.
غُفْرَانَكَ رَبَّنَا
((We seek) Your forgiveness, our Lord) contains a plea and supplication for Allah's forgiveness, mercy and kindness.
Allah's statement,
لاَ يُكَلِّفُ اللَّهُ نَفْسًا إِلاَّ وُسْعَهَا
(Allah burdens not a person beyond his scope) means, Allah does not ask a soul what is beyond its ability. This only demonstrates Allah's kindness, compassion and generosity towards His creation. This Ayah is the Ayah that abrogated the Ayah that worried the Companions, that is, Allah's statement,
وَإِن تُبْدُواْ مَا فِي أَنفُسِكُمْ أَوْ تُخْفُوهُ يُحَاسِبْكُم بِهِ اللَّهُ
(And whether you disclose what is in yourselves or conceal it, Allah will call you to account for it.)
This indicates that although Allah will question His servants and judge them, He will only punish for what one is able to protect himself from. As for what one cannot protect himself from, such as what one says to himself - or passing thoughts - they will not be punished for that. We should state here that to dislike the evil thoughts that cross one's mind is a part of faith. Allah said next,
لَهَا مَا كَسَبَتْ
(He gets reward for that which he has earned) of good,
وَعَلَيْهَا مَا اكْتَسَبَتْ
(And he is punished for that which he has earned) of evil, that is, concerning the acts that one is responsible for.
Allah then said, mentioning what the believers said while directing His servants to supplicate to Him, all the while promising them that He will answer their supplication:
رَبَّنَا لاَ تُؤَاخِذْنَآ إِن نَّسِينَآ أَوْ أَخْطَأْنَا
("Our Lord! Push us not if we forget or fall into error,") meaning, "If we forgot an obligation or fell into a prohibition, or made an error while ignorant of its ruling." We mentioned the Hadith by Abu Hurayrah, that Muslim collected, wherein Allah said, "I shall (accept your supplication)." There is also the Hadith by Ibn `Abbas that Allah said, "I did (accept your supplication)."
رَبَّنَا وَلاَ تَحْمِلْ عَلَيْنَآ إِصْرًا كَمَا حَمَلْتَهُ عَلَى الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِنَا
(Our Lord! Lay not on us a burden like that which You did lay on those before us (Jews and Christians),) means, "Even if we were able to perform them, do not require us to perform the difficult deeds as You required the previous nations before us, such as the burdens that were placed on them. You sent Your Prophet Muhammad , the Prophet of mercy, to abrogate these burdens through the Law that You revealed to him, the Hanifi (Islamic Monotheism), easy religion." Muslim recorded that Abu Hurayrah said that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said that Allah said, "I shall (accept your supplication)." Ibn `Abbas narrated that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said that Allah said, "I did (accept your supplication)." There is the Hadith recorded through various chains of narration that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said,
«بُعِثْتُ بِالْحَنِيفِيَّةِ السَّمْحَة»
(I was sent with the easy Hanifiyyah way.)
رَبَّنَا وَلاَ تُحَمِّلْنَا مَا لاَ طَاقَةَ لَنَا بِهِ
(Our Lord! Put not on us a burden greater than we have strength to bear) of obligations, hardships and afflictions, do not make us bear what we cannot bear of this.
رَبَّنَا وَلاَ تُحَمِّلْنَا مَا لاَ طَاقَةَ لَنَا بِهِ
(Our Lord! Put not on us a burden greater than we have strength to bear.)
We mentioned that Allah said, "I shall (accept your supplication)" in one narration, and, "I did (accept your supplication)," in another narration.
وَاعْفُ عَنَّا
(Pardon us) meaning, between us and You regarding what You know of our shortcomings and errors.
وَاغْفِرْ لَنَآ
(And grant us forgiveness) concerning what is between us and Your servants. So do not expose our errors and evil deeds to them.
وَارْحَمْنَآ
(Have mercy on us) in what will come thereafter. Therefore, do not allow us to fall into another error. They say that those who commit error need three things: Allah's forgiveness for what is between Him and them, that He conceals these errors from His other servants, and thus does not expose them before the servants, and that He grants them immunity from further error." We mentioned before that Allah answered these pleas, "I shall," in one narration and, "I did," in another narration.
أَنتَ مَوْلَـنَا
(You are our Mawla) meaning, You are our supporter and helper, our trust is in You, You are sought for each and every type of help and our total reliance is on You. There is no power or strength except from You.
فَانْصُرْنَا عَلَى الْقَوْمِ الْكَـفِرِينَ
(And give us victory over the disbelieving people) those who rejected Your religion, denied Your Oneness, refused the Message of Your Prophet , worshipped other than You and associated others in Your worship. Give us victory and make us prevail above them in this and the Hereafter. Allah said, "I shall," in one narration, and, "I did," in the Hadith that Muslim collected from Ibn `Abbas.
Further, Ibn Jarir recorded that Abu Ishaq said that whenever Mu`adh would finish reciting this Surah,
فَانْصُرْنَا عَلَى الْقَوْمِ الْكَـفِرِينَ
(And give us victory over the disbelieving people), he would say "Amin."
The Messenger has faith in what was sent down to him from his Lord, and the faithful. Each one has faith in God, His angels, His books, and His messengers: “We make no distinc- tion among any of His messengers.” They say, “We hear and we obey! Thy forgiveness, our Lord! And to Thee is the homecoming.” God takes no soul to task beyond its capacity. It shall have what it has earned, and against it shall be what it has acquired. “Our Lord, take us not to task if we forget or make mistakes. Our Lord, put not upon us a burden such as that Thou hast put on those before us. Our Lord, and do not burden us with what we do not have the strength to bear. And pardon us, and forgive us, and have mercy upon us. Thou art our Patron, so help us against the people of the unbelievers.” This is a declaration of the greatness and eminence of the Messenger at the moment of contemplation. He said, “The Messenger has faith.” He did not say, “Thou hast faith.” This is how masters and kings are addressed in the manner of declaring their greatness. It is exactly like what He said about Himself at the beginning of the Surah of Opening: “Praise belongs to God.” He did not say, “Praise belongs to Me.” This was to declare His own greatness and to make manifest His exaltedness and majesty. The Messenger has faith. Now that He has mentioned faith, the Uprising, the Garden, the Fire, the prayer, the alms tax, retaliation, fasting, hajj, struggle, marriage, divorce, menstruation, the waiting period, expenditure, foster relationship, forswearal, divorce initiated by the wife, in- heritance, charity, vows, buying, selling, usury, debts, and ransom; and He has mentioned the stories of the prophets and the signs of His power, God completes the surah by mentioning that His prophet and the faithful assent to the truthfulness of all of it. Hence He says, The Messenger has faith in what was sent down to him from his Lord, and the faithful. This is praise and laudation of the Prophet, who explained these rulings and delivered the message, and of the faithful, for we have recognized, accepted, and held firm to all the rulings, boundaries, stories of the prophets, and marks of God's power and tremendousness that were mentioned.
The Messenger has faith in what was sent down to him from his Lord, and the faithful. Each one has faith in God, His angels, His books, and His messengers: “We make no distinc- tion among any of His messengers.” They say, “We hear and we obey! Thy forgiveness, our Lord! And to Thee is the homecoming.” God takes no soul to task beyond its capacity. It shall have what it has earned, and against it shall be what it has acquired. “Our Lord, take us not to task if we forget or make mistakes. Our Lord, put not upon us a burden such as that Thou hast put on those before us. Our Lord, and do not burden us with what we do not have the strength to bear. And pardon us, and forgive us, and have mercy upon us. Thou art our Patron, so help us against the people of the unbelievers.” This is a declaration of the greatness and eminence of the Messenger at the moment of contemplation. He said, “The Messenger has faith.” He did not say, “Thou hast faith.” This is how masters and kings are addressed in the manner of declaring their greatness. It is exactly like what He said about Himself at the beginning of the Surah of Opening: “Praise belongs to God.” He did not say, “Praise belongs to Me.” This was to declare His own greatness and to make manifest His exaltedness and majesty. The Messenger has faith. Now that He has mentioned faith, the Uprising, the Garden, the Fire, the prayer, the alms tax, retaliation, fasting, hajj, struggle, marriage, divorce, menstruation, the waiting period, expenditure, foster relationship, forswearal, divorce initiated by the wife, in- heritance, charity, vows, buying, selling, usury, debts, and ransom; and He has mentioned the stories of the prophets and the signs of His power, God completes the surah by mentioning that His prophet and the faithful assent to the truthfulness of all of it. Hence He says, The Messenger has faith in what was sent down to him from his Lord, and the faithful. This is praise and laudation of the Prophet, who explained these rulings and delivered the message, and of the faithful, for we have recognized, accepted, and held firm to all the rulings, boundaries, stories of the prophets, and marks of God's power and tremendousness that were mentioned.
The Messenger has faith in what was sent down to him from his Lord, and the faithful. Each one has faith in God, His angels, His books, and His messengers: “We make no distinc- tion among any of His messengers.” They say, “We hear and we obey! Thy forgiveness, our Lord! And to Thee is the homecoming.” God takes no soul to task beyond its capacity. It shall have what it has earned, and against it shall be what it has acquired. “Our Lord, take us not to task if we forget or make mistakes. Our Lord, put not upon us a burden such as that Thou hast put on those before us. Our Lord, and do not burden us with what we do not have the strength to bear. And pardon us, and forgive us, and have mercy upon us. Thou art our Patron, so help us against the people of the unbelievers.” This is a declaration of the greatness and eminence of the Messenger at the moment of contemplation. He said, “The Messenger has faith.” He did not say, “Thou hast faith.” This is how masters and kings are addressed in the manner of declaring their greatness. It is exactly like what He said about Himself at the beginning of the Surah of Opening: “Praise belongs to God.” He did not say, “Praise belongs to Me.” This was to declare His own greatness and to make manifest His exaltedness and majesty. The Messenger has faith. Now that He has mentioned faith, the Uprising, the Garden, the Fire, the prayer, the alms tax, retaliation, fasting, hajj, struggle, marriage, divorce, menstruation, the waiting period, expenditure, foster relationship, forswearal, divorce initiated by the wife, in- heritance, charity, vows, buying, selling, usury, debts, and ransom; and He has mentioned the stories of the prophets and the signs of His power, God completes the surah by mentioning that His prophet and the faithful assent to the truthfulness of all of it. Hence He says, The Messenger has faith in what was sent down to him from his Lord, and the faithful. This is praise and laudation of the Prophet, who explained these rulings and delivered the message, and of the faithful, for we have recognized, accepted, and held firm to all the rulings, boundaries, stories of the prophets, and marks of God's power and tremendousness that were mentioned.
The Messenger has faith in what was sent down to him from his Lord, and the faithful. Each one has faith in God, His angels, His books, and His messengers: “We make no distinc- tion among any of His messengers.” They say, “We hear and we obey! Thy forgiveness, our Lord! And to Thee is the homecoming.” God takes no soul to task beyond its capacity. It shall have what it has earned, and against it shall be what it has acquired. “Our Lord, take us not to task if we forget or make mistakes. Our Lord, put not upon us a burden such as that Thou hast put on those before us. Our Lord, and do not burden us with what we do not have the strength to bear. And pardon us, and forgive us, and have mercy upon us. Thou art our Patron, so help us against the people of the unbelievers.” This is a declaration of the greatness and eminence of the Messenger at the moment of contemplation. He said, “The Messenger has faith.” He did not say, “Thou hast faith.” This is how masters and kings are addressed in the manner of declaring their greatness. It is exactly like what He said about Himself at the beginning of the Surah of Opening: “Praise belongs to God.” He did not say, “Praise belongs to Me.” This was to declare His own greatness and to make manifest His exaltedness and majesty. The Messenger has faith. Now that He has mentioned faith, the Uprising, the Garden, the Fire, the prayer, the alms tax, retaliation, fasting, hajj, struggle, marriage, divorce, menstruation, the waiting period, expenditure, foster relationship, forswearal, divorce initiated by the wife, in- heritance, charity, vows, buying, selling, usury, debts, and ransom; and He has mentioned the stories of the prophets and the signs of His power, God completes the surah by mentioning that His prophet and the faithful assent to the truthfulness of all of it. Hence He says, The Messenger has faith in what was sent down to him from his Lord, and the faithful. This is praise and laudation of the Prophet, who explained these rulings and delivered the message, and of the faithful, for we have recognized, accepted, and held firm to all the rulings, boundaries, stories of the prophets, and marks of God's power and tremendousness that were mentioned.
The Messenger has faith in what was sent down to him from his Lord, and the faithful. Each one has faith in God, His angels, His books, and His messengers: �We make no distinc- tion among any of His messengers.� They say, �We hear and we obey! Thy forgiveness, our Lord! And to Thee is the homecoming.� God takes no soul to task beyond its capacity. It shall have what it has earned, and against it shall be what it has acquired. �Our Lord, take us not to task if we forget or make mistakes. Our Lord, put not upon us a burden such as that Thou hast put on those before us. Our Lord, and do not burden us with what we do not have the strength to bear. And pardon us, and forgive us, and have mercy upon us. Thou art our Patron, so help us against the people of the unbelievers.�This is a declaration of the greatness and eminence of the Messenger at the moment of contemplation. He said, �The Messenger has faith.� He did not say, �Thou hast faith.� This is how masters and kings are addressed in the manner of declaring their greatness. It is exactly like what He said about Himself at the beginning of the Surah of Opening: �Praise belongs to God.� He did not say, �Praise belongs to Me.� This was to declare His own greatness and to make manifest His exaltedness and majesty.The Messenger has faith. Now that He has mentioned faith, the Uprising, the Garden, the Fire, the prayer, the alms tax, retaliation, fasting, hajj, struggle, marriage, divorce, menstruation, the waiting period, expenditure, foster relationship, forswearal, divorce initiated by the wife, in- heritance, charity, vows, buying, selling, usury, debts, and ransom; and He has mentioned the stories of the prophets and the signs of His power, God completes the surah by mentioning that His prophet and the faithful assent to the truthfulness of all of it. Hence He says, The Messenger has faith in what was sent down to him from his Lord, and the faithful. This is praise and laudation of the Prophet, who explained these rulings and delivered the message, and of the faithful, for we have recognized, accepted, and held firm to all the rulings, boundaries, stories of the prophets, and marks of God's power and tremendousness that were mentioned.
Commentary
These are the last two verses of Sarah al-Baqarah. Great merits have been attributed to these two verses in authentic ahadith. The Holy Prophet ﷺ has said that one who recites these two verses during the night, they will be sufficient for him.
As narrated by Sayyidna Ibn ` Abbas ؓ ، the Holy Prophet ﷺ said that Allah Almighty has sent forth these two verses out of the treasures of Paradise and the 'Rahman' رحمان 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 Salah of ` Isha', they will stand for Tahajjud in his case. As it appears in the Mustadrak of al-Hakim and in Bayhaqi, the Holy Prophet ﷺ said that Allah Almighty has concluded Sarah 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 ` Arsh عرش (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. This is why Sayyidna ` Umar and Sayyidna ` Ali ؓ ، said that they thought that 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 Sarah 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. Here, the first of the two verses opens with words of praise for the Muslims who are true and obedient, those who said yes with all their heart to all injunctions ordained by Allah, and were all set to carry them out. In addition to being an assertion of Allah's infinite mercy, the second verse also answers the doubt which started bothering the noble Companions when verse 284, the one preceding these two, was revealed. The words of the said verses, as mentioned earlier briefly, were: وَإِن تُبْدُوا مَا فِي أَنفُسِكُمْ أَوْ تُخْفُوهُ يُحَاسِبْكُم بِهِ اللَّـهُ , that is, whether you manifest that which is in your hearts, or conceal it, Allah will call you to account for it. Here 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'an 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 Holy Prophet g and said: ia Rasool Allah, 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 Holy Prophet g 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 Wahy وحی (revelation) and instructed the Companions that they should obey whatever Allah 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 Allah's command when it comes. As soon as you hear the command of Allah, say: سَمِعْنَا وَأَطَعْنَا ۖ غُفْرَانَكَ رَبَّنَا وَإِلَيْكَ الْمَصِيرُ , that is, 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 Holy Prophet ﷺ ، although their minds were still ticking with the apprehension that building a security shield against involuntary intrusions of thoughts was enormously difficult indeed! Thereupon, Allah Almighty revealed these last two verses of Surah al-Baqarah. Here 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. Now let us look at the words of the first verse. These are:
آمَنَ الرَّسُولُ بِمَا أُنزِلَ إِلَيْهِ مِن رَّبِّهِ وَالْمُؤْمِنُونَ ۚ كُلٌّ آمَنَ بِاللَّـهِ وَمَلَائِكَتِهِ وَكُتُبِهِ وَرُسُلِهِ لَا نُفَرِّقُ بَيْنَ أَحَدٍ مِّن رُّسُلِهِ ۚ وَقَالُوا سَمِعْنَا وَأَطَعْنَا ۖ غُفْرَانَكَ رَبَّنَا وَإِلَيْكَ الْمَصِيرُ ﴿285﴾
The Messenger has believed in what has been revealed to him from his Lord, and the believers as well. All have believed in Allah 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 par-don! And to You is the return."
The first seven words of this verse admire the Holy Prophet ﷺ . 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 Holy Prophet ﷺ firmly believes in the revelation (Wahy وحی) from Allah, 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 Holy Prophet ﷺ ، then, the 'iman ایمان (belief) of the general Muslims has been described separately. This indicates that, although the Holy Prophet and all Muslims share in the wealth of 'iman ایمان as such, still there is a great difference between the two in terms of the relative degrees of 'iman ایمان . The knowledge of the Holy Prophet ﷺ is based on seeing and hearing while the knowledge of other Muslims takes the form of 'iman bi l'ghayb ایمان بالغیب or 'believing without seeing' as based on the 'ru'yat' or 'seeing' of the Holy Prophet ﷺ .
After that come details of the 'irnan (belief) which was common between the Holy Prophet ﷺ and the Muslims in general. This 'iman consisted of the belief that Allah 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 Allah 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 Allah by accepting some as prophets and by denying that status to others. The Jews accepted that Sayyidna Musa (علیہ السلام) was a prophet, the Christians accepted that Sayyidna ` Isa (علیہ السلام) was a prophet, but that the Last of the prophets, Sayyidna Muhammad ﷺ was a prophet was not accepted by them.
Praised here is the distinction of this umrnah 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 Holy Prophet ﷺ :
سَمِعْنَا وَأَطَعْنَا ۖ غُفْرَانَكَ رَبَّنَا وَإِلَيْكَ الْمَصِير
We have listened, and obeyed. Our Lord, Your pardon! And to You is the return.