2-160
except those who repent and amend and make clear (the truth which they were hiding). Then those are the persons towards whom I turn (mercifully) and I am the Accepter of repentance, the Merciful.
“Same as Verse No. 159”
Al-Baqarah (The Cow)
2-161
Those who did not believe and died while they were infidels, they are certainly the persons over whom is the curse of Allah and the angels and the human beings combined,
“Those who die as infidels are under the curse of Allah (SWT), His angels and mankind. This curse appears to be a kind of punishment which will not be reduced and the infidels will not be given time or a chance of amendment after their death.”
2-162
they will stay therein, their punishment will not be lightened over them nor will they be given time.
“Same as Verse No. 161”
2-163
And your God is One God, there is no god except Him, the Beneficent, the Merciful. (R 19)
“There is only One God i.e. there is only One Supreme Authority – Allah (SWT). Who is the Beneficent the Merciful.”
2-164
In the creation of the skies (heavenly bodies) and the earth, and in the successive alternation of the night and the day, and in the ships that sail in the sea with that which profits human beings, and the water which Allah sends down from the sky, then gives life with it to the earth after its death, and in the spreading in it of every (kind of) animal, and the changing of the winds and the clouds that are subjected to serve between the sky and the earth, there are certainly signs for people who have sense.
“The intellectuals specially the scientists are invited to reflect on the proofs of existence and powers of Allah (SWT). In: –
1) The creation and organization of the whole universe considered in detail under Verse No. 29. We come across heavenly bodies measuring in millions of kilometers, weighing millions of tones, freely suspended in space, rotating, revolving and moving at velocities measured in lakhs of kilometers per hour and burning at millions of degrees.
2) An insignificant part of this system, the rotating and revolving earth giving rise to the alternation of day and night.
3) The heavily loaded ships which float on water in accordance with the principle discovered by Archimedes – a principle laid down by Allah (SWT)
4) The original source of water on earth – the rain which also helps in growing food
5) The beings which survive on this food
6) The whole water – cycle – a marvel – the evaporation of water from oceans and seas, formation of clouds containing suspended water molecules in such huge amounts that sometimes even cities are drowned in rain water and
7) The driving of the clouds by the winds. The unity and order in the whole set up of the universe forces one to accept that the whole affair is managed by a single supreme Authority and that the universe cannot be self styled.”
1) The creation and organization of the whole universe considered in detail under Verse No. 29. We come across heavenly bodies measuring in millions of kilometers, weighing millions of tones, freely suspended in space, rotating, revolving and moving at velocities measured in lakhs of kilometers per hour and burning at millions of degrees.
2) An insignificant part of this system, the rotating and revolving earth giving rise to the alternation of day and night.
3) The heavily loaded ships which float on water in accordance with the principle discovered by Archimedes – a principle laid down by Allah (SWT)
4) The original source of water on earth – the rain which also helps in growing food
5) The beings which survive on this food
6) The whole water – cycle – a marvel – the evaporation of water from oceans and seas, formation of clouds containing suspended water molecules in such huge amounts that sometimes even cities are drowned in rain water and
7) The driving of the clouds by the winds. The unity and order in the whole set up of the universe forces one to accept that the whole affair is managed by a single supreme Authority and that the universe cannot be self styled.”
2-165
And among human beings are those who take (objects) besides Allah,(as His) equals, they love them as they should have loved Allah, but those who believe are strongest in love for Allah. Oh! those who are unjust will realize when they see the punishment, that power is wholly Allahs and that Allah is severe in punishment.
“Although Allah (SWT) is the only Supreme Authority there are people who regard other things from His creation as His equals loving them more than Him. Allah (SWT) loves us the proof of which is that He provides us with everything inspite of our faults. The response for love should be love and this requires that we should implement the Quran in accordance with the instructions given by Prophet Muhammed (PBH) 3:31. This type of intense love is displayed only by the believers. When the unjust see the punishment for not obeying Allah (SWT) and His messenger then they will realize the power is totally His. Under these circumstances the leaders will disown their followers who in turn would say that if they were given a chance to lead their life in the world again then they too would disown the leaders. The misleaders and their followers will be full of regrets for all that they did because of their remaining in the fire.”
2-166
When they see the punishment, those who were followed will disown those who followed (them) and their relations with them will be cut off,
Same to Verse No. 165
2-167
and those who followed will say, “”Had there been a return for us (to the world), then we (too) would disown them as they have disowned us.”” Thus Allah will show them their deeds as regrets for them, and they will not be taken out from the fire. (R 20)
Same to Verse No. 165
2-168
O mankind! eat from that which is lawful and good in the earth, and do not follow the footsteps of the devil, he is certainly your open enemy,
“Allah (SWT) orders that we should eat only permitted good things. On the contrary, the Devil who is an open enemy of man is always busy trying to lead human beings to hell by instigating them to eat forbidden bad things, do evil and indecent things and to say about Allah (SWT) that of which one has no knowledge.”
2-169
he enjoins on you only evil and that which is indecent and that you should say about Allah what you do not know.
“Allah (SWT) orders that we should eat only permitted good things. On the contrary, the Devil who is an open enemy of man is always busy trying to lead human beings to hell by instigating them to eat forbidden bad things, do evil and indecent things and to say about Allah (SWT) that of which one has no knowledge.”
2-170
And when it is said to them, “”Follow that which Allah has sent down,”” they say, “”No, we will follow that on which we found our fathers.”” What! even if their fathers were not having understanding of anything and had not received guidance?
“When people are invited to follow the Holy Quran in accordance with the instructions of Prophet Muhammed (PBH) there are some who refuse and say that they would prefer to follow their forefather’s tradition. Allah (SWT) is asking such people that would they follow the wrong family traditions even if they are not based on sense and guidance from Him? The infidels are like those who hear only blank calls or words without understanding them.”
2-171
And the likeness of those who do not believe is as the likeness of one who calls out to (something) which hears nothing except a call and a cry, deaf, dumb, blind, so they do not understand.
“Same to Verse No. 170”
2-172
O you who believe! eat of the good (things) which We have provided for you and be grateful to Allah, if it is He alone Whom you serve.
“Believers are ordered to eat permissible good food and be grateful to Allah (SWT) for providing it to them if they claim to be those who serve or worship only Him. Then a list of forbidden food is given.
1. Dead animals not slaughtered in the Islamic manner, because flesh of such animals could be poisonous and harmful due to decay.
2. Blood is harmful as food because it may contain disease germs and other harmful things. It is reported that incomplete bleeding (during slaughter) encourages the spread of bacteria, the better and more sanitary the bleeding, the better will be the keeping quality of meat (Food Microbiology by W.C. Frazier page 266. Tata Mc Growhill publishing Co. Ltd. New Delhi 1967) It is probably due to this reason that in the Islamic way of slaughtering an animal for food, it is made to die due to excessive bleeding which minimizes many agents of disease
3. Pork: Harmful organisms like Trichinella Spirales, Trichina Tenia, tapeworm etc. normally infest the flesh of swine and they cause serious diseases in persons who consume pork.
4. Eating something on which the name of someone or something other than Allah (SWT) is invoked, amounts to disloyalty to Him, leading to polytheism which is an unforgivable sin 4:48. These prohibitions are under normal circumstances but there could be abnormal occasions when one is forced to eat prohibited food, for instance, the case of a person who is hungry to such an extent that if he does not eat anything immediately he may die. Allah (SWT) forgives such acts of helpless persons out of mercy. At the same time, it is made clear that a believer should not eat prohibited food in normal circumstances just because of his desire for tasty food or to revolt against the order of Allah (SWT). Muslims are required to be within the limits imposed by Allah (SWT) and His messenger (PBH) 4:14, 9:112 as they have no choice in affairs decided by these two authorities 33:36.”
2-173
Forbidden to you is only (that which is) dead and blood and flesh of swine and that over which (a name) other than that of Allah has been invoked; but if anyone is driven to necessity (being helplessly forced to eat), neither desiring it nor revolting, then there is no sin on him, Allah is certainly Protectively Forgiving {14}, Merciful.
“Same to Verse No.172”
Ghafoor:
The words ‘Ghafrun and Ghafeer’ mean to cover, protect, guard etc. The word ‘Ghafara’ means to forgive, pardon etc. The root alphabets of the word Ghafoor appear to convey the sense of protection as well as forgiveness, therefore the words ‘Ghafoor, Ghaffar’, etc. have been translated as ‘Protectively Forgiving.’
2-174
Those who hide that which Allah has sent down of the book and take for it a small price, those are certainly the persons who do not swallow into their stomachs (anything) but fire, and Allah will not speak to them on the day of resurrection nor will He purify them and for them there will be a painful punishment.
“The Prophet hood of Muhammed (PBH) was announced in the Torah, the Injeel and other Divine Scriptures 7:157, 26:192-197 and all Prophets were ordered to believe in him and help him (probably by propagating among their respective followers the news of his coming, with instructions to follow and help him) and they agreed to it 3:81. When Muhammed (PBH) actually came, most of the owners of these books i.e.Torah and Injeel, specifically the priest rejected him and his message, the Quran. This they did for personal worldly benefits. Had they accepted him as the last messenger of Allah (SWT) and the Quran the final Divine revelation then they would have had to follow him because these orders were contained in the Torah, the Injeel and the Quran itself, under such circumstances they would have lost their importance as religious leaders. Therefore, for pity personal gains they did not reveal to their followers that the news of the coming of Prophet Muhammed (PBH) was there in Torah and Injeel. They thus purchased error and punishment at the cost of guidance and forgiveness, therefore for hiding and rejecting the truth and opposing it they will be punished in the fire.”
2-175
Those are the persons who purchase error at the cost of guidance and punishment at the cost of protective forgiveness. Then, what patience they (must) have over the fire!
“Same to Verse No. 174”
2-176
That is because Allah has sent down the book containing the truth, and those who disagree about the book are certainly in opposition, very far off (from the truth). (R 21, P 1
“Same to Verse No.174”
2-177
It is not righteousness that you turn your faces towards the east and the west, but righteous is he who believes in Allah and the period hereafter and the angels and the book and the prophets, and gives wealth out of love for Him to the relatives and the orphans and the poor and the wayfarer and to those who ask (beggars) and for setting the slaves free, and establishes worship(salat) and gives charity (zakat), and those who keep up their agreements when they make an agreement, and the patient in poverty and adversity and at the time of conflict. Those are the persons who are true (believers) and those are the persons who guard (against evil).
“Here is a hint that more than the law, following the spirit of the law is important. Turning towards a particular direction say towards the Qibla is procedural but what is of real significance is righteousness which consists of right faith followed by correct action:
1. The first item of faith is belief in Allah (SWT) which means being certain of His Existence with all His Attributes, His Unity and Powers. Belief in destiny (mentioned in Ahadees) is part of belief in Allah (SWT) because He it is Who has written down the destines of everything He created 25:2 and if He wills He can change them 13:39 because He has power over everything 2:20 and does whatever He wills to 3:40 or intends to 11:107 to do.
2. Belief in the hereafter is the certainty of accountability of faith and deed after death. It was explained in Vs. No. 4 that this belief is like the belief in the announcement of the results by the university after the examinations. This belief gives rise to hope of success and fear of failure which keep the candidate serious.
3. Belief in angels is the certainty that Allah (SWT) has created them for executing His orders. If angels are regarded as Incharges of various energies, then belief in them is the certainty that the human control on energies, which is the sole cause of the scientific and technological progress, is not human achievement but a gift of Allah (SWT) to the human race because it was He who made them bow before Adam (PBH) i.e. man 2:34.
4. Belief in books is the certainty that Allah (SWT) has sent down these laws for the peaceful existence of humanity just like other laws of nature which are instrumental in keeping everything in the Universe peaceful, the violation of which will give rise to chaos.
5.Belief in Prophets is the certainty that the Divine books were revealed to them by Allah (SWT) and they were required to illustrate the laws contained in them through their own faith and deed and thereby invite others towards Allah (SWT), Who would grant paradise to the followers of the Divine books and the respective messengers (PBH) and hell to those who went against them. These items of faith are to be exhibited through actions:
1.Giving wealth in charity out of love for Allah (SWT) i.e. to please Him
2.Establisment of Salat five times a day as far as possible in Mosques for the remembrance of Allah (SWT) 20:12
3.Giving Zakat at a fixed rate annually for the uplift of the poor.
4.Keeping up agreements, the most important of which is our agreement with Allah (SWT) that ‘There is no god except Allah and Muhammed (PBH) is His messenger’, which means that we will not accept any other person as the supreme Authority except Allah (SWT) and that we will implement His orders given to us through the Quran, in accordance with the teachings of Prophet Muhammed (PBH), His messenger.
5.And finally exhibiting patience while practicing Islam when faced with poverty, adversity or conflict. These are the persons who are the believers in the real sense and these are the persons who can be classed as ‘Those who keep away from sin fearing Allah (SWT).”
2-178
O you who believe! retaliation is prescribed for you in the matter of murder: the free for the free, and the slave for the slave and the female for the female. And for him who is pardoned somewhat by his (injured) brother, there should be prosecution according to recognised (good procedure) and payment to him in good manner. This is a relaxation from your Fosterer and (His) mercy. Then whoever exceeds the limits after that, then for him there is a painful punishment.
“A person belonging to group A murders a person belonging to group B, if group A hands over the murderer to group B, they may kill him in retaliation or take blood money from him and leave him. This practice will give a chance to group B for retaliation and save many innocent lives which could have been lost in an armed clash between the two groups, in this sense there is life in the law of retaliation i.e. only one life, that too, of the murderer may be lost and many others would be saved. To whatever category the murderer may belong in group A, a free man, a slave or a woman, he or she should be handed over to group B. However influential the murderer might be only he should be murdered in retaliation and not others. If group B demands blood money from the murderer and spares him then both the parties should not exploit each other. When the murderer and the murdered are both Muslims, then instructions given in 4:92 – 93 are to be followed.”
2-179
And in (the law of) retaliation there is life for you, O you who understand, that you may restrain (from killing or harming uninvolved innocent people).
“Same to Verse No.178”