Verses 30–37
2. Al-Baqara · The Cow
Madinan286 verses
وَإِذْ قَالَ رَبُّكَ لِلْمَلَٰٓئِكَةِ إِنِّى جَاعِلٌۭ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ خَلِيفَةًۭ ۖ قَالُوٓا۟ أَتَجْعَلُ فِيهَا مَن يُفْسِدُ فِيهَا وَيَسْفِكُ ٱلدِّمَآءَ وَنَحْنُ نُسَبِّحُ بِحَمْدِكَ وَنُقَدِّسُ لَكَ ۖ قَالَ إِنِّىٓ أَعْلَمُ مَا لَا تَعْلَمُونَ
2:30When your Lord said to the angels, ‘Indeed I am going to set a viceroy on the earth,’ they said, ‘Will You set in it someone who will cause corruption in it and shed blood, while we celebrate Your praise and proclaim Your sanctity?’ He said, ‘Indeed I know what you do not know.’12
وَعَلَّمَ ءَادَمَ ٱلْأَسْمَآءَ كُلَّهَا ثُمَّ عَرَضَهُمْ عَلَى ٱلْمَلَٰٓئِكَةِ فَقَالَ أَنۢبِـُٔونِى بِأَسْمَآءِ هَٰٓؤُلَآءِ إِن كُنتُمْ صَٰدِقِينَ
2:31And He taught Adam the Names, all of them; then presented them to the angels and said, ‘Tell me the names of these, if you are truthful.’
قَالُوا۟ سُبْحَٰنَكَ لَا عِلْمَ لَنَآ إِلَّا مَا عَلَّمْتَنَآ ۖ إِنَّكَ أَنتَ ٱلْعَلِيمُ ٱلْحَكِيمُ
2:32They said, ‘Immaculate are You! We have no knowledge except what You have taught us. Indeed You are the All-knowing, the All-wise.’
قَالَ يَٰٓـَٔادَمُ أَنۢبِئْهُم بِأَسْمَآئِهِمْ ۖ فَلَمَّآ أَنۢبَأَهُم بِأَسْمَآئِهِمْ قَالَ أَلَمْ أَقُل لَّكُمْ إِنِّىٓ أَعْلَمُ غَيْبَ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ وَأَعْلَمُ مَا تُبْدُونَ وَمَا كُنتُمْ تَكْتُمُونَ
2:33He said, ‘O Adam, inform them of their names,’ and when he had informed them of their names, He said, ‘Did I not tell you that I know the Unseen of the heavens and the earth, and that I know whatever you disclose and whatever you conceal?’
وَإِذْ قُلْنَا لِلْمَلَٰٓئِكَةِ ٱسْجُدُوا۟ لِءَادَمَ فَسَجَدُوٓا۟ إِلَّآ إِبْلِيسَ أَبَىٰ وَٱسْتَكْبَرَ وَكَانَ مِنَ ٱلْكَٰفِرِينَ
2:34And when We said to the angels, ‘Prostrate before Adam,’ they prostrated, but not Iblis: he refused and acted arrogantly, and he was one of the faithless.34
وَقُلْنَا يَٰٓـَٔادَمُ ٱسْكُنْ أَنتَ وَزَوْجُكَ ٱلْجَنَّةَ وَكُلَا مِنْهَا رَغَدًا حَيْثُ شِئْتُمَا وَلَا تَقْرَبَا هَٰذِهِ ٱلشَّجَرَةَ فَتَكُونَا مِنَ ٱلظَّٰلِمِينَ
2:35We said, ‘O Adam, dwell with your mate in paradise and eat thereof freely whencesoever you wish, but do not approach this tree, lest you should be among the wrongdoers.’
فَأَزَلَّهُمَا ٱلشَّيْطَٰنُ عَنْهَا فَأَخْرَجَهُمَا مِمَّا كَانَا فِيهِ ۖ وَقُلْنَا ٱهْبِطُوا۟ بَعْضُكُمْ لِبَعْضٍ عَدُوٌّۭ ۖ وَلَكُمْ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ مُسْتَقَرٌّۭ وَمَتَٰعٌ إِلَىٰ حِينٍۢ
2:36Then Satan caused them to stumble from it, and he dislodged them from what [state] they were in; and We said, ‘Get down, being enemies of one another! On the earth shall be your abode and sustenance for a time.’
فَتَلَقَّىٰٓ ءَادَمُ مِن رَّبِّهِۦ كَلِمَٰتٍۢ فَتَابَ عَلَيْهِ ۚ إِنَّهُۥ هُوَ ٱلتَّوَّابُ ٱلرَّحِيمُ
2:37Then Adam received certain words from his Lord, and He turned to him clemently. Indeed He is the All-clement, the All-merciful.
Tafsir
Commentary on this passage
Verse 30
1.These ayats clearly show that it is for Allah to appoint a caliph and Taqwa and holiness and knowledge of the names are the criteria for it. Allah also taught these to the Angles which they themselves confessed but they could not relate to the representatives as this demanded a human capability. Thus Allah referred to His knowledge and clarified that One who knows the unseen of the heaven and the earth also knows what is there in your hearts and also knows the future of Adam (a.s.). If the previous creation had created mischief they were not the divine vicegerents. Now I am appointing Adam as the Caliph and a Caliph of Allah is not a mischief-maker. Rather he has a good character and has the knowledge of the universe.
Verse 34
2.Iblees refused one sajdah and become a disbeliever. Then what will be the result of those who never prostrate? Every sane person should ponder upon this.
Verse 35
3.This shows it was the restriction of place and not for eating. Since Adam (a.s.) did not go near the tree it was not a sin. Only the precaution was necessary that he should have taken the permission of Allah before eating. That is why it was the Tark-e-Awla. Otherwise he was the caliph of the earth and he had to at last finally come to the earth.
Verse 36
4.This ayat points out towards the condition of the progeny of Adam (a.s.) that there will be enmity and quarrels among them on the earth.
5.According to the tradition ‘Kalemat’ means the names of the Holy Five. It is not surprising as they are the owners of Paradise, the dispenser of drinks at Kauthar and the chiefs of the inmates of Paradise. Who else other than them could 12 intercede for one to enter Paradise?
Footnotes
Explanations of words and phrases in these verses
- 1
The heavenly Angels are composed of light. They are given intelligence and wisdom by Allah and have no worldly desires. Worship of God is a part of their life. They have powers to adopt different forms. Allah, the Almighty has given this power to the Angels.
- 2
According to their views, the human beings are not capable, as they are made from dust. That is why they questioned Allah about the man’s superiority but they were not opposed to Allah’s will.
- 3
Obeisance means to put forehead on the dust for Allah.
- 4
Shaitan is the leader of all satans, who refused to obey God’s commands. Due to this attitude he was expelled from heaven. That is why he is called Iblees.
Benefit
Taubah is the action of God as well as the action of the servant. The action of the servant is ‘tum towards him’ and the action of the deity is to ‘forgive him’. It is possible that praising Allah is related to His Holy Being and hallowing Him is with regard to His creation. And that is the words are “hallowing for You” and not “hallowing You”. Names are the means to understand the realities. The knowledge of the names is the knowledge of the realities and not the knowledge of the dictionary meanings.