Anwar Al-Quran

Verses 188–193

2. Al-Baqara · The Cow

Madinan286 verses

وَلَا تَأْكُلُوٓا۟ أَمْوَٰلَكُم بَيْنَكُم بِٱلْبَٰطِلِ وَتُدْلُوا۟ بِهَآ إِلَى ٱلْحُكَّامِ لِتَأْكُلُوا۟ فَرِيقًۭا مِّنْ أَمْوَٰلِ ٱلنَّاسِ بِٱلْإِثْمِ وَأَنتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ

2:188Do not eat up your wealth among yourselves wrongfully, nor proffer it to the judges in order to eat up a part of the people’s wealth sinfully, while you know [that it is immoral to do so].1

۞ يَسْـَٔلُونَكَ عَنِ ٱلْأَهِلَّةِ ۖ قُلْ هِىَ مَوَٰقِيتُ لِلنَّاسِ وَٱلْحَجِّ ۗ وَلَيْسَ ٱلْبِرُّ بِأَن تَأْتُوا۟ ٱلْبُيُوتَ مِن ظُهُورِهَا وَلَٰكِنَّ ٱلْبِرَّ مَنِ ٱتَّقَىٰ ۗ وَأْتُوا۟ ٱلْبُيُوتَ مِنْ أَبْوَٰبِهَا ۚ وَٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ

2:189They question you concerning the new moons. Say, ‘They are timekeeping signs for the people and [for the sake of] hajj.’ It is not piety that you enter houses from their rear; rather, piety is [personified by] one who is Godwary, and enter houses from their doors and be wary of Allah, so that you may be felicitous.

وَقَٰتِلُوا۟ فِى سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلَّذِينَ يُقَٰتِلُونَكُمْ وَلَا تَعْتَدُوٓا۟ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَا يُحِبُّ ٱلْمُعْتَدِينَ

2:190Fight in the way of Allah those who fight you, but do not transgress. Indeed Allah does not like transgressors.2

وَٱقْتُلُوهُمْ حَيْثُ ثَقِفْتُمُوهُمْ وَأَخْرِجُوهُم مِّنْ حَيْثُ أَخْرَجُوكُمْ ۚ وَٱلْفِتْنَةُ أَشَدُّ مِنَ ٱلْقَتْلِ ۚ وَلَا تُقَٰتِلُوهُمْ عِندَ ٱلْمَسْجِدِ ٱلْحَرَامِ حَتَّىٰ يُقَٰتِلُوكُمْ فِيهِ ۖ فَإِن قَٰتَلُوكُمْ فَٱقْتُلُوهُمْ ۗ كَذَٰلِكَ جَزَآءُ ٱلْكَٰفِرِينَ

2:191And kill them wherever you confront them, and expel them from where they expelled you, for persecution is graver than killing. But do not fight them near the Holy Mosque unless they fight you therein; but if they fight you, kill them; such is the requital of the faithless.3

فَإِنِ ٱنتَهَوْا۟ فَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ غَفُورٌۭ رَّحِيمٌۭ

2:192But if they desist, then Allah is indeed all-forgiving, all-merciful.

وَقَٰتِلُوهُمْ حَتَّىٰ لَا تَكُونَ فِتْنَةٌۭ وَيَكُونَ ٱلدِّينُ لِلَّهِ ۖ فَإِنِ ٱنتَهَوْا۟ فَلَا عُدْوَٰنَ إِلَّا عَلَى ٱلظَّٰلِمِينَ

2:193Fight them until persecution is no more, and religion becomes [exclusively] for Allah. Then if they desist, there shall be no reprisal except against the wrongdoers.4

Tafsir

Commentary on this passage

Verse 188

1.There are two kinds of corruptions. Ordinary people swallow up the property by false means and the clever ones bribe the judge and have the case decided in their favour and in their view they have made it lawful and consumed it. Both are forbidden in Islam, rather it has made haraam the bribe through which wealth is accumulated.

Verse 189

2.It is an external method of good deed but actual righteousness is taqwa which is in the conscience of man and that which encourages him to do good deeds. The Prophet of Islam (s.a.w.s.) had said: I am the city of knowledge and Ali (a.s.) is its gate. And if you need knowledge you should come through the gate. Coming by other ways is Khayanat (cheating) and not the acquisition of knowledge.

Verse 191

3.Seeing the Muslims observing the sacred city and prohibited months the polytheists began to harass them that they could not give a verbal reply. Thus Allah announced openly that starting hostilities is haraam but when oppression begins they should be killed whenever and wherever they are found and they should not worry that this is a prohibited month. Because they are sacred for both the sides and whoever does not care for the respect will have to recompense for it. To start a battle in the sacred city or month is a mischief against the prohibition which is worse than killing. So when they could create this mischief why should you hesitate to kill them in retaliation?

Footnotes

Explanations of words and phrases in these verses

  1. 1

    Batil denotes every type of illegal mean. Whether it be approved by the people or not. Like interest, gambling, drinking, false testimony, adulteration, betrayal of trust, stealing and usurpation.

  2. 2

    It shows that fighting will not be carried out with women and children.

  3. 3

    This rule has great morality and comprehensiveness. In a murder a person or a group of persons are killed. Fitna (mischief) affects unlimited number of people and that is why Hazrat Fatima (s.a.) had said in the Sermon of Fadak that people had decided the matter of Caliphate fearing Fitna. Though such Caliphate itself is a Fitna whose effects will continue to show till the Day of Judgment.

  4. 4

    In Islam Jihad is to be waged till Fitna is eradicated and the religion of Allah is established. And that is all. That is why to calculate days and years shows ignorance of Islamic law.

  5. Benefit

    (i) In the 186th ayat Allah is mentioned seven times and people are also mentioned seven times. It is a great superiority of this ayat and the greatest proof of the merit of Dua. (ii) In the I 89th ayat Laisa al Birr denotes that to question the divine commands is like breaking into a house. One should inquire about the duties incumbent on him so that character building could be accomplished. There is no benefit in debating the philosophy of the new moon. (iii) In the 190th ayat there is graphic description of Jihad. The method is in the way of Allah. The enemy is the one who will kill you and the limit is undefined.