Verses 216–219
2. Al-Baqara · The Cow
Madinan286 verses
كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ ٱلْقِتَالُ وَهُوَ كُرْهٌۭ لَّكُمْ ۖ وَعَسَىٰٓ أَن تَكْرَهُوا۟ شَيْـًۭٔا وَهُوَ خَيْرٌۭ لَّكُمْ ۖ وَعَسَىٰٓ أَن تُحِبُّوا۟ شَيْـًۭٔا وَهُوَ شَرٌّۭ لَّكُمْ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ يَعْلَمُ وَأَنتُمْ لَا تَعْلَمُونَ
2:216Warfare has been prescribed for you, though it is repulsive to you. Yet it may be that you dislike something, which is good for you, and it may be that you love something, which is bad for you, and Allah knows and you do not know.
يَسْـَٔلُونَكَ عَنِ ٱلشَّهْرِ ٱلْحَرَامِ قِتَالٍۢ فِيهِ ۖ قُلْ قِتَالٌۭ فِيهِ كَبِيرٌۭ ۖ وَصَدٌّ عَن سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ وَكُفْرٌۢ بِهِۦ وَٱلْمَسْجِدِ ٱلْحَرَامِ وَإِخْرَاجُ أَهْلِهِۦ مِنْهُ أَكْبَرُ عِندَ ٱللَّهِ ۚ وَٱلْفِتْنَةُ أَكْبَرُ مِنَ ٱلْقَتْلِ ۗ وَلَا يَزَالُونَ يُقَٰتِلُونَكُمْ حَتَّىٰ يَرُدُّوكُمْ عَن دِينِكُمْ إِنِ ٱسْتَطَٰعُوا۟ ۚ وَمَن يَرْتَدِدْ مِنكُمْ عَن دِينِهِۦ فَيَمُتْ وَهُوَ كَافِرٌۭ فَأُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ حَبِطَتْ أَعْمَٰلُهُمْ فِى ٱلدُّنْيَا وَٱلْءَاخِرَةِ ۖ وَأُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ أَصْحَٰبُ ٱلنَّارِ ۖ هُمْ فِيهَا خَٰلِدُونَ
2:217They ask you concerning warfare in the holy month. Say, ‘It is an outrageous thing to fight in it, but to keep [people] from Allah’s way, and to be unfaithful to Him, and [to keep people from] the Holy Mosque, and to expel its people from it are more outrageous with Allah. And persecution is graver than killing. They will not cease fighting you until they turn you away from your religion, if they can. And whoever of you turns away from his religion and dies faithless—they are the ones whose works have failed in this world and the Hereafter. They shall be the inmates of the Fire, and they shall remain in it [forever].12
إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَٱلَّذِينَ هَاجَرُوا۟ وَجَٰهَدُوا۟ فِى سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ أُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ يَرْجُونَ رَحْمَتَ ٱللَّهِ ۚ وَٱللَّهُ غَفُورٌۭ رَّحِيمٌۭ
2:218Indeed those who are faithful and those who have migrated and waged jihad in the way of Allah—it is they who expect Allah’s mercy, and Allah is all-forgiving, all-merciful.
۞ يَسْـَٔلُونَكَ عَنِ ٱلْخَمْرِ وَٱلْمَيْسِرِ ۖ قُلْ فِيهِمَآ إِثْمٌۭ كَبِيرٌۭ وَمَنَٰفِعُ لِلنَّاسِ وَإِثْمُهُمَآ أَكْبَرُ مِن نَّفْعِهِمَا ۗ وَيَسْـَٔلُونَكَ مَاذَا يُنفِقُونَ قُلِ ٱلْعَفْوَ ۗ كَذَٰلِكَ يُبَيِّنُ ٱللَّهُ لَكُمُ ٱلْءَايَٰتِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَفَكَّرُونَ
2:219They ask you concerning wine and gambling. Say, ‘There is a great sin in both of them, and some profits for the people, but their sinfulness outweighs their profit.’ And they ask you as to what they should spend. Say, ‘All that is surplus.’ Thus does Allah clarify His signs for you so that you may reflect3
Tafsir
Commentary on this passage
Verse 216
1.It is an open announcement from Islam that Allah is not subservient of anyone’s permission. Cowards dislike Jihad but Allah has made it obligatory and clarified that your knowledge is not like the knowledge of Allah. Allah knows better. It is your duty to believe in His laws and act upon them. It is an open challenge against intelligence of the present age. That interference in divine laws is a propaganda to prove oneself superior to Allah which can be called madness and not intelligence.
Verse 219
2.Apparently the matter was complete but here the Quran has replied to a secret mischief that infidels refer to the holy month and quiet the Muslims. Allah has made it clear that if fighting is as a sin on the holy month then the acts of the infidels by preventing the Muslims from the Mosque, by ousting them from therein and constantly inventing mischiefs are much greater sins. The Muslims but beware of this mischief and they should not give up fighting just because of the Holy months.
3.Annexing territories is not actually the aim of the infidels their actual intention is to destroy Islam which had been witnessed in every age and about which the Muslim of every age had been heedless. And that is why he is prepared to make peace at once. Just as it is seen in the conflict of Palestine. On the other hand Islam had kept Jihad obligatory till mischief is not completely destroyed, the infidels are not routed and there is nothing but the religion of Allah and this requires a great courage and that is why the martyrs and the muhajirs have been given such a high status in Islam.
4.It is the honesty and sagacity of Islam that we neither refuse the truth nor keep an eye only on material profit. We also keep in mind the unexpected harms also. Intoxicants carry the destruction of reason. will power and character and gambling has the mischief of consuming haraam wealth and all this is much worse than the apparent benefits in them. Thus there can be no question of their being permissible.
Footnotes
Explanations of words and phrases in these verses
- 1
The Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) sent Abdullah bin Jahash with a small battalion to intercept the caravan of Quraysh. There was an encounter between the two groups and a person of the infidel party was killed. At this time the new moon of the month of Rajab had already appeared. The infidels raised a hue and cry that the killing was done in one of the holy months. The Holy Quran replied to it and also remarked about the seriousness of mischief.
- 2
The destruction of deeds is only due to death on disbelief. Apart from this there is no such belief in Islam that a particular sin can destroy all the good deeds.
- 3
Khamr is an intoxicating drink, which stalls reasoning capacity. With regard to wine the following persons are cursed: One who extracts (manufactures) it, one who cultivates (grapes etc.) for making wine, one who drinks it, one who serves it, one who sells it and one who buys it. It is called the ‘mother of indecencies’. In Islam drinking wine is considered a trait of Yazeed (l.a.).
Benefit
Alcoholism is such a social evil that also affects human life and the progeny as the child of a drunkard is born with 35 diseases. Moreover, it is the evil that destroys good manners and the bad effects created by it on the society have to be corrected by spending huge amounts. Much more than what the government earns from taxes on wine trade. Gambling is another social ill that inflicts the society and it gives rise to greed, laziness and hatred. Every society must get rid of this disease in order to tread the path ofprosperity.