Reflections on the Quran: Understanding Surahs Al-Fatihah & Al-Baqarah

By Irfan Ahmad Khan

Comments on the first two chapters of the Qur'an, "Surahs Al-Fatihah", and "Al-Baqarah".

• Language: English
• Publisher: Kube Publishing Ltd
• Release date: Nov 17, 2021
• ISBN: 9780860378471

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EXPLANATORY NOTES RELATED TO THE STUDY OF SURAH AL-FATIHAH

1. HOW TO BEGIN RECITATION OF A SURAH OF THE QUR’AN

Refer to 96:1 (surah 96, ayah 1) Read in the name of your Lord, which is the first ayah revealed to the Prophet. This ayah of the Qur’an commands its addressee to read the Book. At the same time this ayah tells each addressee of the Qur’an to start this reading with the name of his/her Lord which is Allah (which is the equivalent of God in the Arabic language). In other words the ayah is saying "say ‘bismillah’... and read the Book".

To start any action with God’s name will bring His Blessings. But taking His name is all the more important before beginning to read His Book. The purpose of this reading is to seek guidance. Having God’s name before reading His Book would signify that we are seeking His Help in having guidance through reading this Book.

AL-FATIHAH CONTAINS SEVEN VERSES (AYAT OR SIGNS). BUT WHICH IS THE FIRST VERSE (AYAH) OF AL-FATIHAH?

Every surah of the Qur’an, with the exception of Surah al-Tawbah which is surah number 9, starts with "bismillah..." i.e. the ayah numbered one (see our Text). Still this ayah is not treated as part of the following surah, with the exception of this first surah of the Qur’an, where bismillah is treated by some scholars as its part. All agree that this surah has seven ayat (ayat is plural of ayah). This agreement is due to the Qur’anic suggestion in 15:87. According to those who do not treat "bismillah..." as part of this surah, the first ayah of this surah is what is numbered 2 in the above, and then in order to complete the number of the ayat as seven, the ayah 7 is broken into ayah 6 and ayah 7. (Please see if you can find any such difference in numbering of ayat in different copies of the Scripture.) Please note that counting of ayat of the Qur’an, even if counting of its words and letters was done at a very early stage, it is only recently that the printers of the Scripture became so particular concerning numbering the ayat of a surah according to sequence.

There is, however, another place where "bismillah..." is according to everyone, part of a Qur’anic surah, that is, in surah number 27 or al-Naml, where it is part of its ayah number 30.

We would also request our readers to refer to 16:98, according to which seeking Allah’s refuge from Satan is required when we read the Qur’an. This is why, whenever a Muslim recites the Qur’an he/she first says, a’ [udhu billahi minash-Shaytanir rajim (I seek the refuge of God from Satan, the rejected) then says "bismillah..." and then reads the Qur’an.

While reading this ayah we are starting with His Proper Name in Arabic, which is Allah. (For the convenience of the English-speaking people we used God, while some translators would prefer to use Allah which being the proper name of God in Arabic, the Qur’an uses for God. Please note we are treating God as a real substitute for Allah in the English language.) However, it is important to note that with His Proper Name we also bring in two other Good Names of God, both of which signify "Rahmah, i.e. Mercy". We say that we are starting with the name of God Who is Merciful – bringing in two words each of which means ‘Merciful’. This is, in fact, saying that He is very, very Merciful. At the same time we should try to understand two aspects or two dimensions of His Mercy which these two Good Names may be denoting.

2. The structure of the word "Rahman suggests emphasis upon the aspect of intensity. Thus the good name Al-Rahman" signifies His overflowing Love and Mercy for all of His servants. God is Merciful to all − even to His disobedient servants. Even if someone turns away from Him thanklessly, He does not immediately withdraw His Mercy from such a person. He gives sustenance to believers, as well as to disbelievers. His sun shines for all of them. His rain falls for all. He gave all of us the ability to think and make judgements and then He sent prophets and books for our guidance. In doing all this He did not make a distinction on the basis of anyone’s prior performance.

3. The structure of the word "Rahim, on the other hand, signifies durability", e.g., something which will have its special manifestations in the Hereafter. It refers to those special favours of God with which He blesses His virtuous servants. Out of His Rahmaniyah (i.e. His being Rahman) God warns even His sinful servants, and tells them to correct themselves. He warns them to stop their wrongdoings, repent and ask for His forgiveness. (Obviously this is for the benefit of these servants.) Even if they do not seek His forgiveness and do not correct themselves, He gives them food to eat. Likewise, He continues His many other blessings. It is due to His Rahmaniyah that He is so tolerant of them and gives them time to correct themselves. Suppose they seek His forgiveness, repent and correct themselves, then they qualify for His Rahimiyah. While God is Merciful to all, His very special favours are directed towards those who seek His forgiveness and try to do good actions.

Thus this life’s pleasures and beauties which His disobedient servants may enjoy as much as (and sometimes even more than) His obedient servants, are due to God’s Rahmaniyah. On the other hand, God’s Rahimiyah has the Hereafter as its special domain. His Rahimiyah operates in this world only to a limited extent. God does help His faithful servants in their spiritual and moral development and supports them in their pursuit of the Truth (etc.) which are expressions of His Rahimiyah. However, their efforts are fully rewarded only in the Hereafter.

4. "Hamd signifies a servant’s praise for God by way of thanks. A very eloquent expression in good style to thank God is to say all praise is due to God".

So many persons and institutions do good to us, but ultimately it is God Who made them do so, and it is He to Whom every heart full of gratitude is seeking to say thank You for being so nice to me.

5. MAN-GOD RELATIONSHIP, AS [ABD-RABB RELATION

"Rabb has quite often been translated as Lord. It is a good translation in so far as it combines love and concern with authority. The words gain their meaning through their usage. The way Lord has been used in the Christian world signifies love in the Lord as well as in the servant. I mean, when someone says to someone my lord, it is suggested that the person saying this loves his/her lord, and it is also suggested that his/her lord loves him/her. At the same time, in the lord-servant relationship lord has a status which is much higher than that of servant, and thereby deserves honour, reverence, submission and, sometimes, even worship. Lordship implies mastership but it may also include sovereignty and even divinity".

Some translators have used Sustainer, Cherisher or similar words for "Rabb". They try to be true to the root-meaning. Of course, ‘our Rabb’ is One Who takes care of our nourishment and development. He gives us what is needed for our growth and progress and protects us from everything which is harmful or stands in the way of our proper development. But while these persons are concerned with something which is very basic in the connotation of Rabb, the words which they use as its equivalent miss the important elements, which are underlined in its Qur’anic usage, some of which we mentioned in the above.

"Rabb" is a Qur’anic term and as such it has a uniquely comprehensive meaning. Therefore it is not possible to find an equivalent in languages other than Arabic. As we pointed out earlier, words gain their meanings from their usage. "Rabb" was used prior to the Qur’an and as such had some meanings. However, it has acquired its present uniquely comprehensive meaning mainly due to the Qur’an. And its usage in the Hadith and other Islamic literature, which was inspired by the Qur’an, and which was very much directed toward understanding the Qur’an and applying its guidance to human life, led to further development of it meaning as a Qur’anic term. In this light, our Rabb is One Who takes care of us at every stage of our development giving us everything that we need and protecting us from everything that is harmful. He is our Master and He is the Sovereign. He is the source of our being and we all ultimately return to Him. This may indicate salient dimensions of His Rububiyah, and explain what His being our Rabb means. But we must remember that the terms which the language of religion uses (e.g. those which emerge from our study of the Scripture) are very much different in their nature from those of the language of science. The terms of science are very strict (to the point of their being rigid) in their meaning and this is why they are very often clearly defined in the very beginning to disallow any digression from their strictly defined meanings. The clarity in the meanings of some religious terms (mainly those which emerge from the study of some scriptures), however, does not stand in the way of the development of the immense possibilities of meaning which are inherent in them. We hope the readers will themselves grasp the fuller meaning of this Qur’anic term as they try to understand its repeated occurrence in the text of the Qur’an. For this purpose instead of using an English substitute of "Rabb, as a synonym of this term, we may sometimes use Rabb itself. But even when we would use Lord, we would mean what Rabb means in the Qur’an and the same with Lord and Rabb". In fact, this is the way we want all those words of the English language to be understood which we are using as real substitutes of some Qur’anic terms. We can treat some English words as our Qur’anic terms (as we would be doing in this treatise) and this would give us a right to use these words in a special meaning. The wider usage of these words in the English language, therefore, should not confuse its special meanings which are intended by us during our effort to understand the Qur’an. And we shall adopt the same policy for all the Qur’anic terms of cardinal importance.

However, there is one more point which we must consider before we proceed further. We said concerning God and Allah that they both are proper names. The former is the name which English-speaking people have been using, the latter is the proper name which Arabic-speaking, as well as many other, Muslims have used. Now Rabb is the kind of name which is used to designate the relationship between God and Man. According to the Qur’an, the God-Man relationship is the Rabb-[Abd or Lord-Servant relationship. Sometimes Father-Son has also been used for God-Man relationship, but this is liable to create a misunderstanding because Father-Son is a Man-Man relationship. God-Man relationship is a unique relationship which has no parallel in our terrestrial world. I mean, no Man-Man relationship or Man-Thing relationship is like the God-Man relationship. Of course, if we also consider intelligent beings other than human beings, e.g., angels and jinn, then their relationship with God will be similar to the God-Man relationship which is Rabb-[Abd relationship. Two options seem to be open to those who decide to use Father-Son for the God-Man relationship, but who, at the same time, are serious about avoiding the confusion which this policy may create. They may stop using Father-Son for any human relations and use some other linguistic device to designate this mutual human relation. Or they may decide that Father would have different meanings in the two contexts. The same two options will be open to those who would use King-Subject, Lord-Servant, Master-Slave or some other linguistic device which was used for some mutual human relationship to designate the Man-God relationship. Obviously, we will have a problem in both the options, though, of course, the problem would be less serious if that relationship actually ceases to exist in the human world – as is the case with the abolishment of slavery, and as some day may be the case with the abolishment of kingship.

The Qur’an uses "Rabb-[Abd for the God-Man relation. Prior to the Qur’an the word [Abd was used for slave". A linguistic reform was introduced that [ibad (plural of [abd) or slaves should not be called "[abid (slaves). The Qur’an itself mostly uses ma malakat aymanukum, i.e. what your right hands possess for slave girls and other slaves, though at some places [abid or ima’ are also used, which inform us of the fact that sometimes a word which in its current usage denotes the relationship of a person of his/her true Lord, (Who is God) was used to denote a person’s relationship with another human being. The people, due to the above-mentioned linguistic reform, would call a slave boy or girl" etc. This linguistic reform was carried along with the moral reform which emphasized that slaves should be treated nicely. Freeing of slaves was considered a virtue of a very high order. At the same time some legal sanctions were imposed which were supposed to help a gradual withering away of slavery. For certain offences or sins, freeing of slaves was made a penalty or ransom (see 4:92; 5:89; 58:3). Every slave was given a right to free himself/herself through paying a required amount of money in easy instalments and could make a contract with his/her master to this effect (24:33). All this went along with the prohibition that no free person would be turned into a slave – even prisoners of war could not be treated as slaves (47:4). Thus, the Book initiated a process which was supposed to lead to the elimination of the institution of slavery. What is most important, the Qur’anic movement with its tawhidic message (that there should be no lordship of man over man, because all human beings are just one family of the servants or [ibad of One God) itself involved an educational process which would correct the attitude and mentality of persons who mutually related with each other as master-slave. It seems that the Muslims did not do their duty as nicely as they were supposed to have done. However, some other forces were also working in the human world. Throughout human history the prophets of God had been delivering the Message of tawhid which implied the dignity of Man. The essence of this message was: all human beings are servants/slaves of God only. No person is servant/slave of any other person. There are no gods. No man shares any divinity or lordship. Thus all persons as such, are equally respectable. In spite of some distortions of their message and deviations from their teachings of many of their followers and in spite of all injustice in the human world the teaching of the prophets kept stirring the conscience of humanity from inside. At last a time came when the institution of slavery was formally abolished. Of course, credit goes to the West, for having taken the lead; and then the people of the East also followed.

We agree that "[abd and slave are synonymous. Still the word slave" has such undesirable associations, even in America, which are quite fresh in many minds. On the other hand, the way [abd has been used in the Qur’an and Hadith is associated with the affection and love which our true (Lord, i.e.) Rabb, has with His (servants i.e.) [ibad. The way English-speaking Christians have used servant, it is also associated with the same kind of love which [abd has in the minds of many Muslims. But we still have house servants in many eastern countries. And the word service is used in car-service and for many other services. "We are [ibad of God and God alone is the most basic principle of Islam. But if we want to say we are servants of God and God alone and want to avoid all possibilities of confusion, we cannot do it without making a linguistic reform, which seems to be, at least presently, beyond our power. Due to this and some other considerations Rabb-[Abd remains the best linguistic device for God-Man relationship. We hope through this usage our readers will soon begin to feel at home with these Qur’anic terms, even if they experience some problem in the beginning. However, even when we will use Lord-Servant it should be understood, in the context of Qur’anic terminology, as a real substitute for Rabb-[Abd".

6. WHAT ARE WORLDS OF PERSONS?

World in English can be very well treated as having the same meaning as "[alam in Arabic. But here for worlds the word [alamin is used. As opposed to [awalim, [alamin" is the kind of plural which is used for beings like men, jinn, and angels. So in thanking "Rabb of all the worlds" we are thanking the Rabb of all human beings, or even the Rabb of all persons, i.e. of all humans, jinn and angels. We would request our readers to consult an index of Qur’anic words for the occurrence of "al-[alamin" in the Qur’an and decide for yourselves whether this word is used for (worlds of) persons or humans.

The question may also arise concerning the significance of the plural. Why do we have the worlds (of humans or of persons) instead of the world (of humans or persons)?

One answer would be that all human beings at a time, or over a period of time, may constitute what would be called a world of human beings, whereas, when you look into the past of humanity, as well as its possible future, there are many such human worlds and God is the Rabb of all such human worlds.

On the other hand, if by worlds we mean worlds of all persons, that is, worlds of humans, jinn, angels..., then the question may be even easier to answer. God is Lord of the world of human beings (i.e. totality of all human beings), as well as Lord of the world of jinn, and Lord of the world of angels. Thus God is Lord of all worlds of persons.

In thanking God, as the Lord of worlds of persons we are expressing our own belonging with the totality of His servants – as if we are thanking Him on behalf of all the worlds of persons, being ourself a member of al-[alamin.

Apparently, "hamd and thanksgiving" would make more sense with persons than with things.

It is very important to note that the very first ayah of the Qur’an does away with the narrow boundaries of race, sex, nation, etc. It sees each individual and every group (of which any individual is a member) as part of the human family. We are to thank the Lord of all human beings for being so good to our family – and are supposed to do it with a true sense of belonging to the whole human family. And, in fact, if we take the other meaning (in which case we are thanking the Lord of all persons), then we have a sense of belonging to an even larger family. We feel that all human beings, as well as all jinn and all angels are just one family of His [ibad (servants), and that it is the family to which we belong.

7. The first thing which would occur to our mind when we think that God is the Rabb of all worlds of persons, is the fact that He is Compassionate, Merciful, Affectionate, Benevolent to all persons.

In the above we have already pointed out the two advantages of bringing two words for God’s Mercy – it will underline God’s Mercy and at the same time give us an opportunity to ponder over various aspects of His Mercy which these two Good Names of God could signify.

Please also note how, after its occurrence in the first ayah, the statement of the fact that God is Merciful is being repeated again in the third ayah. This signifies the importance of Mercy as His attribute and tells us that He is very Merciful.

8. We will not go into more details. But we will just point out that the way the fourth ayah comes immediately after mentioning God’s being al-Rahim in the third ayah, further confirms what we said earlier, in note 3. This world is too short for the expression of God’s Special Favours to His thankful servants, therefore to reward His faithful servants, He creates another world.

Thus the explication of His Rububiyah does not end with ayah three, it includes ayah four too.

As we also pointed out earlier, Rabb is the One from Whom we came and to Whom we will return. Our Rabb is our Master and our Sovereign. The fact that He is the Rabb of all human beings, therefore, implies that all human beings will return one day to Him, to answer for their deeds. The Qur’an calls it the Day of Din (which we shall soon try to understand).

9. THE MEANING OF DIVINE SOVEREIGNTY ON THE JUDGEMENT DAY

God is Sovereign even today. Everything is ultimately in His Hand. Nothing happens without His permission − without His letting it happen. But this fact is not obvious to many people. On that day it becomes quite clear to everyone that God alone is Sovereign (see 82:17-19 and also 40:16-17).

In this world God has given His servants some freedom. They have power even to act against what He has commanded them to do. He has done so just to test them. On that Day this power will be taken away from everyone. In fact, even today the small power which others have can be taken away from them at any moment by the Almighty, if He so wills. However, as a general rule, He has appointed fixed terms (which only He knows) for the unjust people. He does not take action against them during this period, and they have an opportunity to correct themselves. But if they so choose, instead of getting any lesson from Divine reminding during this period they may go further away from guidance and deserve His punishment.

10. SHADES OF MEANING IN DIN

The Qur’anic word "Din which, in most popular usage, means religion", also refers, for obvious reasons, to the law of the land (see for example 12:76) or to obedience or even system of obedience (see for example 61:9 and 9:33) or for remuneration or retribution mainly the reward and punishment which is given from the authority on the doing of some deeds according to such a system of obedience as is the case over here (see also 15:35 or 24:25 which makes this meaning very clear).

However, it should be quite clear that these different senses of din are very closely related. Religion wants us to submit to God and obey Him. It gives us a system of obedience, legislating for us a law − the Divine Law for Human Beings − which looks for its operation in our world. However, from a practical point of view, the following is most important:

Religion informs us of a Day when human beings will return to their Forgiving, Merciful and Just Lord to receive their share of His Reward and Punishment. Those who followed the Divine Law will be rewarded and those, who refused to submit to Him and did not seek His forgiveness, will be punished. This is the Day when the most essential Religious Truth that God alone is the Sovereign will become obvious to everyone (see 40:16 and also 82:19).

From the above it should be quite clear that what we called "the most popular sense of din" is also the most central, even the crucial, sense of it. Sometimes there is a tendency to regard it as unimportant which is both fallacious and dangerous. Religion straightens out the Man-Man relationship only through straightening out the Man-God relationship.

In fact, the ambiguity brought on by the presence of the different senses (or different shades of meanings which work like different shades of the same colour) of the word "din" increases the beauty of the Qur’anic language rather than confusing its intelligent reader − the beauty which we appreciate and enjoy when we see more than one shade of meaning of the same word going together. In this respect the language of a religious scripture is different from the language of a book of science. This is why the people who are not familiar with the Language of the Scripture need time to learn to appreciate this ambiguity. It seems to me that the most significant place from the point of view of such multi-shade meanings of din, is the usage of this word in Surah 107, where all the above senses of the word seem to be combined without losing the centrality of its sense as religion.

11. [IBADAH IS WHAT AN [ABD DOES TO HIS RABB

Here we are making a declaration, and we are reviving our covenant which we already have with God as His [ibad, i.e. we will worship (do [ibadah to) Him and Him only; He alone will be our Lord (Rabb) and we will be His servants ([ibad) only.

[Ibadah (the word "[ibadahis translated as worship") is what an [abd does to his/her Rabb as His [abd. We have already explained in note no. 5 that the God-Man relation is a unique relation which is altogether different from any Man-Man or Man-Thing relation. We called it the "Rabb- [abd relation". Man is [abd (servant) of God and God is Rabb (Lord) of man. But there are [ibad of God other than human beings. Angels and jinn are also [ibad of God. As we indicated earlier, all persons are [ibad of God. On the other hand, those creatures of God which have a status lower than that of persons, cannot have the honour that [ubudiyah (one’s being an [abd) brings with it.

(In our later discussions we have given these beings a general name things. God has created many things for human beings. But the status of things is too low to be called [ibad.)

The above perspective can help us in understanding how deviation in human lives takes place. Human beings are [ibad of God and God only. The deviation in human life takes place when a man becomes someone else’s [abd and behaves toward someone other than God the way one should act toward God only. This person does [ibadah to other than God. And in doing so, this person makes someone other than God his/her Rabb. This is what the Qur’anic term Shirk (making someone or something a partner with God) means.

The other word which could be used here in the place of Rabb is ilah or deity (we may explain it in detail later). The basic point which the Qur’an makes is that we should not give anyone other than God the status of God, that is, we should never behave toward anyone the way an [abd behaves toward his/her Rabb or ilah. In other words, as God alone is our Rabb (Lord) and as He alone is our ilah (deity), we should not do [ibadah (worship) to other than Him.

But as we know there are persons who worship idols. There are persons who believe in many different gods and goddesses, and worship them. There is a goddess of wealth, a goddess or god of power, a goddess of rain, a goddess of earth. Likewise, the sun, moon and stars have been worshipped as gods or goddesses. Likewise, sometimes religious or political leaders of the past are worshipped. And sometimes even those who are living, supposedly, share divinity and are worshipped by their followers. In fact, there is a very long list of false gods and goddesses and false lords − a long list of persons and things with whom the people relate the way they should relate to God (Who is their True Lord) only.

All these tendencies are, directly or indirectly, the target of Qur’anic criticism. But the Qur’an also points out two such tendencies which are often neglected. Sometimes those who think they are Monotheists are, in fact, worshipping false deities other than God, or treating someone other than God as their Lord. The two Qur’anic examples are the following:

The people blindly follow their religious leaders. The Jews and Christians were given a Divine Book and they were supposed to follow it. Their priests and other religious leaders and scholars were their teachers who were supposed to help them in understanding the Book. But sometimes their religious leaders misinterpreted the Book, (e.g.) quoting it out of context and thus distorting its teachings and their followers would not take the trouble of going to the original text and questioning their religious leaders. On the other hand, they blindly followed them. (Please consider 2:41-42, 75, 78-80, 170-171.)

The Qur’an criticised these people that instead of having God alone as their Rabb (Lord), they were making their religious leaders their arbab (plural of rabb, lords). (Please consider 9:31. Also 3:64 carefully.)

And the same is true of political authorities who want unconditional obedience from their people as Pharaoh did.

Likewise, the Qur’an repeatedly points out that those who instead of following the Divine Book (which is the source of True Knowledge and which shows the Way of Reason or [Aql) follow their wishful thinking, they are in fact worshipping their whims and desires. They do not worship their True God. Apparently, they may be worshipping various gods and goddesses; but actually their real (false) god is their whim which alone they worship (15:42-44; 45:23).

While we make the declaration, and thus remake our covenant with God that He alone will be our Rabb and our Ilah and we will be only His [ibad, worshipping Him alone, we must keep the above points in our minds, so that we do not commit the same mistake which some earlier people made.

12. PRAYER AND WORSHIP: ASKING FOR HIS HELP, ITS MEANING AND SIGNIFICANCE

Prayer (du[a’) is part of worship ([ibadah). Our being [abd of God implies that we will worship Him, we will follow His commandments and we will pray to (supplicate) Him.

But here asking for His help has acquired a special significance. While we are making a courageous declaration that we will not serve any false lord and have the determination, to be His [abd only, we need all the time His protection and support. Therefore, we are saying, O God, help us in being true to our covenant, show us the way and give us strength.

13. ‘GUIDING’ IS MORE THAN ‘SHOWING’

What was implicit in the later part of ayah no. 5, becomes explicit here. We should note that guiding is more than showing. Thus we are not asking for light only we are asking for strength too. There is one more point here.

In one way being guided is having the right direction, or making a proper turn in one’s life. Consider the example of a person who was a servant of other lords, and who receives a light from God. It becomes clear to him/her that God alone is his/her Lord, and thereby he/she changes the direction of his/her life. But life is a continuous journey. We need His guidance all the time. Every day we face a new situation in life. Life is a journey toward God which we have to travel stage by stage and at every step we need from Him light, strength and support. In making du[a’ (supplication or prayer) for guidance we are, in fact, asking Him to be with us throughout the journey of our life.

14. STRAIGHT TO GOD WITH STEADFASTNESS

As we walk on the straight path leading to God (see 4:175 and 11:56; 15:41; 22:24; 34:6; 42:52-53 and also 6:126, 153), we face temptations (3:14; 7:16-17; 4:119-120; 15:39) which want to carry us off the track.

Likewise, those who try to be straightforward face challenges and even threats. In praying to God to lead us on the straight path we are also asking Him to give us steadfastness (istiqamah) in the face of temptations and threats which tend to take us off the track.

RELIGION AS A PATH

It is very important to note that the Qur’an repeatedly speaks of religion as a path. Life itself is a journey. In asking for the straight path we are asking Him for light which shows us the right path leading us straight to Him. As we will see, the next surah opens with the words Here is the Book, i.e. here is the guidance which you were seeking. Thus the Qur’an is the answer of our prayer for guidance. The question may still arise that the Book has already come, then what sense does our repeating the prayer, Guide us to the straight path, make now? Again, we should not forget that life is a journey, and religion is a path. Living the Book is a striving − a journey which an individual continues throughout his life, and the believing community continues it till the Last Day. While we continue the task of understanding and living the Book we need Divine Help all the time. Through the last twenty-three years of his life’s journey, the Prophet himself was living the Book under Divine Guidance. His twenty-three years’ effort is also a journey on the straight path which he continued with his Companions in a step-by-step process. Sunnah (the way, the tradition) of the Prophet was a journey which was carried out in concrete life situations. And the journey still continues. In very different life situations we have to continue the task of understanding and living the Book. Though in a sense we are moving forward, the early part of this journey remains before us as a Model. While we read the Book for our guidance we also keep before our eyes how the Book was lived by the Prophet and, under his directions, by his Companions. The Prophet was leading the journey under Divine Supervision, and we are required to keep his model before our eyes.

16. WHERE DO WE BELONG? − IDENTITY WITH ALL VIRTUOUS PEOPLE OF THE PAST

This is why we say Guide us along the path of those who received Your favours and blessings. These are the people who walked on the straight path, worshipping only One God, seeking His help at every step. God guided them at every stage of their journey, helped them to a better understanding of Religion, in living a more pious life, and helped them in carrying out their mission. And, in the Hereafter too they will receive God’s Special Mercies.

(Please have a look at note no. 3 where we briefly explained God’s Rahimiyah. Also try to find out from the Qur’an how God blessed His faithful servants.)

It is important to note that by making this prayer we are identifying ourselves with all good and pious people of the past. Through this du[a’ we are expressing our belonging to all the faithful servants of God. In the beginning we were thanking God for being so kind to the human world. At that place we were expressing our belonging to the whole human family or even the totality of [ibad. But now we observe that some members of the family went off the right track. They barred themselves from the special Mercy of God since they failed to correct themselves in spite of His guidance and warnings. Therefore, we express our separation from them. Our true forefathers are the good people of the past and we want to walk on their path.

17. Of course, the real punishment will follow in the Hereafter. But some people were punished by God even in this life. The Qur’an again and again tells us the stories of such people, so that we learn a lesson from their history. See, for example 7:59-167; 10:71-92; 11:25-102.

While we are making du[a’ that we do not have the same fate, it is also required that we try to understand why they deserved God’s Wrath, and then seriously try not to be like them.

These were the people who deviated from the straight path. Instead of following the way of God’s messengers and having God alone as their Lord, they had based their life, in one way or the other, on lordship of Man over Man. They did not correct themselves in spite of God’s repeated warnings.

18. But it is also important to note that before the punishment of God comes, God reminds His servants. In fact, God gives the unjust people a fixed period of time (which as a general rule is known only to Him) to correct themselves. The Wrath of God does not come before its appointed time.

Therefore if some peoples were not punished in this life it is not a sure sign of their being correct. Some people may act as rebels, and still prosper in this life, because the time of their being punished has not yet come.

Reference is to groups and not only to individual persons − who had Divine Blessings or Divine Wrath, or who were misguided. We, with all the righteous people of the past and present, dissociate ourselves from all the groups of wrongdoers. We will study their detailed stories as we proceed further. The Qur’an discusses the rise and fall of some civilizations. It explains how victory and support of God came to the supporters of the prophets, and how ultimately the unjust were punished.

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF UNDERSTANDING

THE SURAH AS A WHOLE

Read the surah over and over again, and try to understand it as a systematic discourse. Ask yourself: What is being said and how is it organized?

If you are well versed in classical Arabic you are in a better position to understand the surah. If you do not know Arabic, you can try to compensate for this deficiency by making a comparative study of different translations. In our literal translation, we have tried to help build the readers’ relationship with each word.

Remember the greatest help in understanding the Qur’an comes from the Qur’an itself. One part of the Qur’an explains another part. Those who keep reading the Qur’an are in a more advantageous position to understand it.

We have elaborated some points related to the understanding of the surah. These emerge from our own study of the Qur’an. These notes as well as other available commentaries may be helpful. But we would suggest, apply your own mind to the Qur’anic text before you seek the help of others. Mufassirs (the commentators) are our teachers. Teachers help better when you do your homework – trying to develop your own relationship with the Text, understanding it with your own mind. Remember, your focus should remain the Text, which the commentator is also trying to make us understand through his explanations. Do not get lost in his/her explanations. What is most important, try to understand the surah as a whole − as a systematic discourse in Divine Words.

AN OVERALL LOOK AT SURAH AL-FATIHAH

We have two formulations of essentially the same insight of the inner structure of the surah.

The first ayah is bismillah. We start reading the Book with the name of our Lord, God, the Compassionate, the Merciful. It is the introduction. The main body of the surah is made up of three parts:

A. The first part presents God’s servants thanking and praising the Lord of the Worlds.

The consciousness of God’s blessings which we experience everywhere, and the way He has been taking care of humankind, fills our hearts with gratitude and we say what the surah states from ayat 2-4. Our Lord is compassionate to all, but for those who try to do good deeds and seek His forgiveness He has His Special Mercies.

This reminds us of the Day when His faithful servants will receive His Special Mercies. The Day of Judgement also reminds us of His Justice, and His Punishment of those who do not repent and do not ask for His Forgiveness.

B. (This brings us to the middle of the surah, i.e. ayah 5.) At this point His [ibad revive their covenant with Him.

We promise Him that we will worship Him only, and we will seek His Help alone, and we actually worship Him and pray to Him that He helps us in fulfilling our covenant.

C. We pray to Him that He guides us along His Straight Path, the way He guided those who received His favours, and saves us from being misguided, so that we do not deserve His Wrath.

ANOTHER LOOK AT SURAH AL-FATIHAH

We see the blessings of God around us. These make us conscious of the fact that our Lord cares so much for us! A sense of gratitude is awakened. Thus through the expression of His Mercy to His [ibad (servants) God makes them conscious of His rububiyah − that He alone is their True Lord. When their hearts are full of gratitude, He gives them words and teaches them the way to thank Him. He is doing this through ayat 2-4.

The [ibad develop an understanding of the nature of their relationship with their Merciful and Forgiving Rabb and make a declaration and commitment. They say: "We will act as Your [ibad only or You alone we worship". And they seek His help in doing what is involved in being His [ibad, saying: and You alone we ask for help.

(God teaches them how to say all this.)

Starting with the consciousness of our [ubudiyah – of the fact that we are servants of God Who alone is our Rabb the surah establishes the relationship between ourselves and our Lord in the form of a covenant between [ibad and Rabb.

The question still remains how to live with this covenant in the concrete life situations? What are the practical implications of this convenant? We need light as well as strength. We need an action plan as well as a caravan of fellow travellers. Life is a journey, but where is the path and who are the companions and where do we belong − with which group we align ourselves when taking sides becomes inevitable? All this takes the form of a prayer which He teaches His [ibad. Guide us on the straight path. The path of those upon whom You bestowed favours, not of those upon whom (Your) Wrath was brought down, nor those who go astray.

The prayer is accepted. The Book, of which al-Fatihah is the preface, is the answer. Al-Baqarah, the following surah is the first course of comprehensive guidance to the Community of Believers who make this prayer. As the understanding (and the living) of the Revealed Guidance in Divine Words continues, more is added to it in the form of the following surahs, from Surah 3 to Surah 114.

OVERALL STRUCTURE OF SURAH AL-BAQARAH

Part I: Address to Humankind Ayat 1-39

Here is the Book of Guidance! But who will benefit?

The Message: Become God’s faithful servants −

stop being servants of others!

Man is created with a special assignment

God’s Planning and His Expectations from Humankind

Angels obey Divine Command and prostrate to Adam

Iblis’s arrogance and envy

Adam and Eve stumble and then correct themselves

Our parents tested in the Garden, before our taking charge

of worldly affairs

Part II: Address to the Children of Israel Ayat 40-123

This community with Divine Guidance was tried

for the leadership of Humankind

God’s expectations from them today

His Special Favours to them in the past

Their disregard of the covenant and their disbelief

Part III: Who is next? Ayat 124-152

Permanent assignment of leadership to a wider

(open) community

The Legacy of Abraham

The Meaning of "Islam and being chosen"

The Ummah Muslimah of Abraham’s du[a’ and its qiblah

Part IV: To the new (open) community of believers Ayat 153-286

Stand up with the Truth, and follow the Book

Social implications of the tawhidic message

and striving in His Way

Training and purification through salah,

sawm, hajj and infaq

PART I

TO THE CHILDREN OF ADAM

[The readers should purify their intentions before they proceed. The surah gives its essential message, placing it in the perspective of Humankind’s covenant with its Creator.]

GUIDANCE IS HERE! BUT WHO WILL BENEFIT? Ayat 1-20

[The three kinds of attitudes]

THE ESSENTIAL MESSAGE OF THE BOOK Ayat 21-29

[How tawhid straightens human life?]

Divine call to human beings:

Become My [ibad (servants) only, doing your

mutual duties as assigned by Me

As explained by this Book and illustrated by My Servant,

(Invest your resources for the benefit of your fellow

[ibad so that you may obtain true

everlasting Happiness in the Hereafter.)

HOW IS IT RELATED WITH MAN’S CREATION? Ayat 30-39

[Adam and Eve before taking charge of worldly affairs]

Divine Favour: Humankind will have supremacy on Earth

Angels’ apprehensions removed − they all prostrate

Iblis’s arrogance and envy − a lesson for Man

Guidance and Human Destiny!

The Paradise and the Hell!

PART II

TO THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL

[God had special expectations from them, which they, quite often, failed to fulfil. The beginning ayat tell them to be the first to join this new open believing community and the closing ayah appreciates those who truly recite the Book.]

THANK GOD FOR HIS BLESSING TO YOU Ayat 40-46

[How should you do this?]

Fulfil your covenant

Be the first to believe: you are God’s witness,

so Establish the Religion

Seek His help through Prayer and steadfastness −

preparing to see Him when you return

DIVINE BLESSING AND THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL Ayat 47-62

[How did they fail to be thankful?]

BUT WHAT, IN ESSENCE, WAS THE COVENANT? Ayat 63-82

[Where lies the failure in fulfilling it?]

THE SOCIAL DEMANDS OF THE COVENANT Ayat 83-87

[Were these demands fulfilled?]

ACTING LIKE A DISBELIEVING COMMUNITY Ayat 87-123

PART III

THE DIVINE COVENANT WITH ABRAHAM

[And the transfer of leadership to this open community of believers]

ABRAHAM, LEADER OF THE INTERNATIONAL TAWHIDIC MOVEMENTAyat 24-133

Promise of leadership to his progeny was conditional

Abraham and Ishmael built this House of God

as spiritual (tawhidic) centre for all Humankind

Both Abraham and Jacob told their children to be

Muslims (obedient servants) to God alone

MERE SENSE OF BELONGING WOULD NOT HELP Ayat 134-141

Follow the tawhidic way

of your truthful ancestors

As Abraham’s true followers,

believe in all the prophets

Join this open Muslim community

as His obedient servants

THE CHANGE OF QIBLAH STANDS FOR TRANSFER OF LEADERSHIP Ayat 142-152

According to the prayer of Abraham

a new Muslim Community has arisen

under the guidance of the Prophet

From now onward face toward this

House of God

PART IV

TO THE PRESENT COMMUNITY OF BELIEVERS

[The later half of the surah contains Divine Assignment to us. The Prophet reads the text of our covenant − the Book which the angels bring from our Lord. We say We listened and we obeyed and pray for His Forgiveness and Help.]

SHOW A BETTER PERFORMANCE Ayat 153-163

If you will do your part of the covenant,

I will do Mine. You will be tested

Seek help through salah and sabr

Stand as witness to the Truth

Convey the message: Your Merciful Lord alone is ilah

DO NOT MAKE ANDAD (EQUALS) OF GODAyat 164-176

Do not blindly follow your leaders − use your reason ([aql)

Reflect upon Divine Signs and follow the law (of the Book)

Do not sell the Truth for worldly gains

(as the earlier believing community did)

A COMPREHENSIVE MOVEMENT FOR MORAL EXCELLENCE Ayat 177-260

THE KEY TO PARADISE LIES IN SPENDING, FOR HIS PLEASUREAyat 261-283

Therefore, whatever resources He has given at your

disposal spend in His Way and for His needy

servants − day and night, without making a show, and without expecting a return from the recipients

Riba manifests a diametrically opposite tendency

Clarity, a necessary condition for justice and honesty

in all financial dealings; therefore, write down the

contracts and have witnesses

CLOSING REMARKS AND DU[A’ Ayat 284-286

The present (open) believing community has made

the above covenant with

the Almighty, the Sovereign of the whole universe,

Who has sole power to forgive or to punish.

And you are responsible only for what you can do

The believers listen (to His Book) and obey

His commandments

Their prayer

Part IV is further developed later. See "An Outline of al-Baqarah’s Later Half" at the end of 360 (a) and also 528 (a).

Verses 1–5

WHO WILL GAIN GUIDANCE FROM THE BOOK

1.0 Alif Lam Mim (A.L.M.) These are just three Arabic letters that constitute the first ayah (verse) of Surah al-Baqarah.

For different theories concerning their possible meanings, please consult available commentaries and translations of the Qur’an. Find out which surahs start with "alif, lam, mim". Are there special features common to all these surahs? What does this signify?

2.0 Dhalika literally means that. It is used here for an object that is nearby, and, therefore, this rather than that should have been used. The use of dhalika here signifies the greatness of the object thus pointed out.

3.0 In "Dhalika al-Kitab (This is the Book), what does the", the definite article, signify? Here are a few answers:

The Book that you were asking for in your prayer (in Surah al-Fatihah) when you said, Guide us along the straight path, is here.

The Book that you have been waiting for, the Book promised in earlier scriptures, is here.

The guidance that human beings were in need of, is here!

(Just as you give water to a thirsty person, saying, Here it is!)

4.0 There is no doubt in it, that is, no doubt in This is the Book. Read it and you will yourself see that it is the Book.

Each of the answers in 3.0 gives a meaning for This is the Book, which is the first assertion of ayah 2:2.

The second assertion of ayah 2:2 says about the first assertion that there is no doubt in it.

O you who have been looking for guidance, here it is! Read this book and you will see, for sure, that it is what you need.

Now there is another way to phrase the earlier assertion of the ayah as, This is the Book, without a doubt. And then in it goes with "guidance for the muttaqis which will now read, In it, there is guidance for muttaqis." The way the Text is generally written, with special punctuation marks, indicates the possibility that either reading is correct.

Some interpreters propose that the referent of it is the Book, and they still follow the former grammatical structure. According to them the ayah says: There is no doubt in this Book. Its ayat are so clearly true that there is no room for any doubt in its content anywhere.

5.0 WHO WILL RECEIVE GUIDANCE FROM THIS BOOK THAT SEEKS TO GUIDE ALL HUMAN BEINGS?

This book is guidance for all human beings (see 2:185). But actually only a muttaqi will obtain guidance from it.

6.0 THE MEANING OF TAQWA AND MUTTAQI AS QUR’ANIC TERMS

The Arabic word "muttaqi" (plural muttaqun or muttaqin) means "one who has taqwa. Derived from the root w, q, y meaning protecting or guarding oneself from something harmful or evil," taqwa signifies being watchful or being on guard.

Muttaqi (i.e., a person with taqwa) is a cautious person who always remains on guard. You may say that a muttaqi is a wise and responsible person who takes every step carefully.

In Qur’anic usage muttaqis are persons who are seriously concerned that they do nothing to displease their Lord, and thus they take great care that they do not neglect their duty to God. It is important to note that taqwa has more to do with action than with a mere feeling of fear. For the feeling of fear the Qur’an uses other words like Khawf, and "Khashiyah".

Likewise, taqwa does not mean merely God Consciousness, unless God consciousness is understood as something that controls our behaviour or makes us perform certain actions. Taqwa is thus the attitude of being cautious or watchful in our behaviour. We emphasize this point because some English translators of the Qur’an do not seem to be sufficiently careful in this regard. (The Urdu and Persian words parhezgar and parhezgari are good translations of muttaqi and taqwa.)

"The Qur’an is guidance for muttaqis" means that persons who are serious and have a sense of responsibility will obtain guidance from the Qur’an. Obviously, irresponsible persons are not interested in truth or in knowing their duty. Such unwise persons may be so concerned with their immediate pleasures that they totally neglect the long-term rewards gained from doing their duty to God.

God wants all human beings to correct themselves, but does not compel them to become guided. He shows His way to all people and helps those who are sincere and serious. The Book explains the Truth very clearly and warns the wrongdoers. But if some persons are more interested in things other than guidance and the Truth, then God allows them to go astray.

7.0 IS BELIEF IN THE INVISIBLE NECESSARY TO OBTAIN GUIDANCE FROM THE QUR’AN?

Ayah 2:2 states that muttaqis will obtain guidance from the Book, but 2:3 asserts that these muttaqis believe in the hidden. This seems to imply that those who do not believe in the invisible will not be guided by the Book.

This is very puzzling because there may be persons who are sincerely looking for guidance and thus want to read the Book, but they do not believe in the hidden. How can we solve this riddle?

There are two ways of understanding ayat (verses) 2:2-5. They may be understood as addressed to a believer (maybe a person born in a Muslim family who has thereby inherited this Book from his/her forefathers); or they may be understood as addressed to a non-believer, even a person who does not believe in the hidden.

To the believers these ayatstate that the Qur’an will help them in their progress if they fulfil the required conditions: "Try to develop true iman bi’l-ghayb (belief in the hidden), be serious about the establishment of salah (prayer), and spend in the way of God what He has blessed you with. Make this Book your guide in your journey of life, having firm belief that one day you will have to answer to Him for all your deeds. Keep moving forward as you fulfil these conditions. Ultimately you will achieve true success."

To other human beings these ayatstate that a minimum of seriousness is required to obtain guidance from this Book. For example, if you have decided that you are not going to believe in anything that you do not observe, or which cannot be scientifically investigated, then this Book cannot guide you.

[This Book gives you knowledge of a reality that is beyond the reach of science. Thus the question of having scientific evidence (in the narrow sense of the word) of Heaven and Hell, of God and other hidden realities does not arise. The Book uses other ways to establish the existence of unseen realities for its devout readers. As they read the Book and reflect upon its ayat the truth becomes quite evident to them, and they can clearly see the irrationality of rejecting belief in what remains outside the domain of scientific inquiry and the dangers involved in this irrationality. Is it impossible that God exists and that He is testing us? Is it impossible that there is life after death when He will reward those who performed good