Learn the Last Two Ayat of Sura 2 and their Merits
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Obedient Angel Admin
Join date : 2011-04-30 Posts : 2448
Subject: Learn the Last Two Ayat of Sura 2 and their Merits Sun Jun 26, 2011 4:37 am
"The Messenger believes in what was revealed to him from his Lord, and the believers; each one believes in God and His angels, and in His Books, and His messengers, 'we make no distinction between any of His messengers'. And they say, 'We hear and obey; Your forgiveness, our Lord; to You is the homecoming'.
God charges no soul save to its capacity; for it is what it is has merited, and against it is what it has earned. Our Lord, take us not to task if we forget, or err; our Lord, burden us not with a load, such as You did lay upon those before us. Our Lord, do not burden us beyond what we have the power to bear; and pardon us, and forgive us, and have mercy on us; You are our Patron; so grant us assistance against the disbelieving folk." [2:285-286]
Occasion of Revelation of Verse 285
Adam ibn Sulayman who said: “I heard Sa‘id ibn Jubayr relating from Ibn ‘Abbas who said: ‘When the verse
( … and whether ye make known what is in your minds or hide, Allah will bring you to account for it …), was revealed, objection crept into the hearts of the prophetic Companions as it never did before.
The Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, said to them: Say, ‘we hear and we obey’.
Allah then revealed (Allah tasketh not a soul beyond its scope), up to His saying (or miss the mark) upon which he said: You did. He repeated this with each sentence of this verse until the end of it’ ”. This was narrated Muslim from Abu Bakr ibn Abi Shaybah from Waki‘.
The commentators of the Qur’an said,
“When the verse (and whether ye make known what is in your minds or hide, Allah will bring you to account for it) was revealed, Abu Bakr, ‘Umar, ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn ‘Awf, Mu‘adh ibn Jabal and a group from the Helpers all went to the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace. They kneeled down and then said,
‘O Messenger of Allah! By Allah no other revealed verse of the Qur’an is harder on us than this one. One of us speaks to himself with things that he does not like to remain in his heart even in exchange for the world and all that it contains. And now we are taken to task for the things that we speak to our own selves. By Allah, we are doomed’.
The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, said,
‘This is how it was revealed!’
They said, ‘We are ruined; we have been bound by that which we cannot possibly bear’.
The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, said, ‘Are you going to say as the Children of Israel said to Moses (We hear and we rebel!); say rather: We hear and we obey’.
They said, ‘We hear and we obey’. This was extremely hard on them, and they remained in this situation for a year upon which Allah, exalted is He, sent down relief and repose with His saying (Allah tasketh not a soul beyond its scope…) which abrogated the verse before it.
The Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, said: ‘Allah has pardoned my community for the things with which they speak to themselves as long as they do not act upon them or speak about them to others’ ”.
Meaning of Verse 286:
God charges no soul save to its capacity, that is, what it is capable of bearing; for it is what it has merited, of good and its reward, and against it is what it has earned, of evil and its burden: no person shall be requited for another’s sin or for what he has not earned, even if he was tempted to do it. Say: Our Lord, take us not to task, by way of chastisement, if we forget, or err, by straying from the right path unknowingly — as You used to take to task those before us: God has lifted this [burden] from this community, as reported in hadīth.
The petition here, then, is a way of acknowledging God’s favour; our Lord, burden us not with a load, an affair which we cannot bear, such as You did lay upon those before us, namely, upon the Children of Israel, as for example, the killing of oneself in repentance, the paying of a quarter of one’s property for alms, and the severing of the impure part.
Our Lord, do not burden us beyond what we have the power, the strength, to bear, of obligations and trials; and pardon us, effacing our sins, and forgive us, and have mercy on us, with mercy added to Your forgiveness; You are our Patron, our Master and the Guardian of our affairs; so grant us assistance against the disbelieving folk, by establishing definitive proof [for us] and victory over them in battle, for it is expected of a patron that he assist his clients against their enemies. In a hadīth it is stated that when this verse was revealed and the Prophet (s) was reciting it, after each word it was said to him, “Granted”.
Merits of these Two Ayat
Ibn Katheer wrote: Some of the ahadith narrated concerning the Excellence of these two Verses with which Allah (SWT) Hasb blessed us.
1. It is reported on the authority of Ibn Mas’ud from Rasoolillah (SAW) that he said: “Whoever recited the last two verses of suratul baqarah at night, they will be sufficient for him.” [Bukhari]
2. It is reported on the authority of Abu Dharr that he said: “Allah’s Messenger (SAW) said”: “I was given the final verses of Surath Al-Baqarah from a treasure trove beneath the Throne; no Prophet before me was given them.” (Ahmad)
3. On the authority of ‘Abdullah, it is reported that: “When Allah’s Messenger (SAW) was taken on a nocturnal journey (to the seven heavens), he arrived at Sidrat al-Muntaha- a tree in the seventh Heaven and it is at the entrance to the seventh. All things which ascend from the earth stop and are held there as do all things which descend from above (It is with regard to this that). Allah (SWT) said: “Behold! the Lote tree was shrouded with that which shrouds.” (Qur’an 53: 16) He (the narrator) said: “It (that which shrouded the tree) was (a covering of) golden butterflies.” He further added: “The Messenger of Allah (SAW) was given three things: He was given five prayers, he was given the concluding verses of Surat Al-Baqarah and forgiveness of sins for those (of his community) who do not associate partners with Allah (SWT).” (Muslim)
4. It is reported from ‘Uqbah Ibn ‘Amir Al-Juhani (RA) that he said that Allah’s Messenger (SAW) said: “Recite the last two verses from Surat Al-Baqarah, for I was given them from a treasure trove beneath the Throne” (Ahmad)
5. It is reported on the authority of Hudhaifah that Allah’s Messenger (SAW) said: “We have been favoured over the rest of mankind with three things: I was given these verses from the end of Surat Al- Baqarah from a house of treasure located beneath the Throne: None before me has been given them, and they will not be given to anyone after me.” (Narrated by Ibn Mardawaih)
6. It is reported on the authority of ‘Ali (RA) that he said: “I do not consider it fitting for anyone who has understood Islam to sleep (at night) until he has recited AyatAl- Kursi-and the ending of Surat Al-Baqarah, for they are a gift to your Prophet (SAW) from the treasure which lies beneath the Throne.” (Narrated by Ibn Mardawaih)
7. It is reported on the authority of An-Nu’man Ibn Basheer from the Prophet (SAW) that he said: “Verily, Allah (SWT) wrote something two thousand years before He created the heavens and the earth, then He (SWT) sent down from it two verses with which He (SWT) sealed (ended) Surat Al-Baqarah (the cow), and if they are not recited in any house for three nights, Satan approaches it.” (Al-Hakim narrated it thus, and declared it authentic in accordance with the conditions of acceptance applied by Muslim)
8. It is reported from Sa’eed and Ibn ‘Abbas that they said that the Messenger of Allah SAW used to laugh when he read the last verses of Surat Al Baqarah and Ayat Al- Kursi and he would say: “Verily, they are both from the treasure of Allah (SWT), which lies beneath the Throne.” And when he recited: “Whoever does evil will be recompensed accordingly.” (Qur’an 4: 123) And: (And that man will have nothing except what he strives for and that [the fruit of] his striving will be seen, then will he be rewarded with a reward complete.) (Qur’an 53: 39-41), then he would sit back, at ease.” (Narrated by Ibn Mardawaih)
9. It is reported from M’aqal Ibn Yasar that he said: The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said: “I was given Fatihat al Kitab and the closing (verses) of Surat Al-Baqarah from beneath the Throne…” (Narrated by Ibn Mardawaih)
10. It is reported on the authority of Ibn ‘Abbas that when Jibreel was sitting with the Prophet (SAW) he heard the sound of a door opening above and he raised his eyes to the heavens and said: “This is a door which has opened in the heavens which has never been opened before.” And an angel descended from it and came to the Prophet (SAW), and said: “I bring you the good tidings of two Lights which have been given to you and no Prophet before you has ever received them: Fatihat al Kitaba and the final verses of Surat Al-Baqarah; you shall not recite a single letter from them except that it (the reward of the recitation) Will be given to you.” (Narrated by Ibn Abi Laila)
“The Messenger of Allah believes in what has been revealed to him from his Rabb) Allah (SWT) informs us that the Prophet (SAW) has believed in the Revelation given to him from his Rabb. Ibn Jareer reports, on the authority of Anas Ibn Malik (RA), that he said: “When this verse was revealed to the Prophet (SAW), he said-”It is his right that he should believe.” (Narrated by Al-Hakim who said that its chain of transmission is authentic)
As do the Believers) Allah (SWT) has mentioned the Believers along with the Messenger of Allah ( Then He (SWT) says: (Each one of them believes in His angels, His Books and His Messengers. [They say:] ‘We make no distinction between one and another of His Messengers’) The Believers believe sincerely that Allah (SWT) is One (Indivisible), Alone, the Eternal, and that none has the right to be worshipped but He and that there is no Rabb but He (SWT) ; and they believe in all of the Prophets and Messengers, and all of the Books which were sent down from the heaven to the Messengers and Prophets from amongst the slaves of Allah (SWT) ; and they do not differentiate between them accepting some while rejecting others-rather they believe that all of them are truthful, pious, noble, Rightly-guided and Guides to the Path of Goodness, even though the Law brought by some of them abrogates that of others, by Allah’s permission, until He (SWT) abrogated all of them with the Law given to Muhammad (SAW), the Seal of the Prophets and Messengers, upon whose Law the Hour (the Day of Judgement) will come – and there will remain a group from amongst his Ummah clearly upon that Law.
“And they say: “We hear and obey.”" That is, “We hear your Words, 0 our Rabb! And we have understood them and we have acted upon them.” “[We seek] Your forgiveness, 0 our Rabb.” This is a request for forgiveness, mercy and kindness. It is reported from Ibn ‘Abbas that when the Believer recites these verses, up to the Words: ([We seek] Your forgiveness, 0 our Rabb) Allah says: “You are forgiven.” (Narrated by Ibn Abi Hatim)
“And to You is the end of all journeys.” That is, the return and the final destination on the Day of Reckoning. It is also reported on the authority of Jabir (RA) that when these verses were revealed, Jibreel said: “Verily, Allah (SWT) has heaped praise upon you [O Muhammad] and upon your Ummah, so ask and it shall be given. So he asked that: (OnThe Hour: The Day of Judgement no soul does Allah place a burden greater than it can bear… ) to the end of the verse.” And His Words: (On no soul does Allah place a burden greater than it can bear) means that Allah does not burden anyone with what is beyond his capacity to perform, and this is from His Kindness towards His creatures and His Goodness and Compassion. And this is an abrogation of the Words of Allah (SWT) from which the Companions were in fear:
“And whether you disclose what is in your own selves or conceal it, Allah will call you to account for it” (Qur’an 2: 284) That is, He will call to account and He (SWT) will ask, but a person will not be punished concerning those things over which he had no power, such as the whispering of oneself and one’s speech to oneself, for this Allah (SWT) will not hold mankind accountable. And to abhor the evil whispering is a part of Faith.
“it gets everything that it earns” That is, every good.
“And upon it is everything that it reaps” That is, it will receive the recompense for its evil deeds; and this is in those deeds, which are amongst those over which he had control.
“Our Rabb Condemn us not if we forget or fall into error.” That is, should we neglect any obligation due to forgetfulness, or commit sins for the same reason, or make a mistake due to ignorance of Islamic Law.
It has been authentically reported by Muslim on the authority of Abu Hurairah (RA) that when the slave says these words, Allah (SWT) replies “Yes” (i.e. your prayer is answered). And according to the hadith of Ibn ‘Abbas, Allah (SWT) says: “I have already done so.” It is reported from Ibn’Abbas (RA) that the Prophet (SAW) said: “Verily, Allah (SWT) has forgiven my Ummah for their (unintentional) mistakes and their forgetfulness and that which they do under duress.” (Narrated by Ibn Majah)
“Our Rabb Lay not on us a burden like that which You laid on those before us.” That is, do not burden us with the obligation of deeds which we may find difficult to perform and cannot bear as You made obligatory for the nations before us. It is reported by Muslim, on the authority of Abu Hurairah, (RA) that the Prophet (SAW) said: “Allah (SWT) said: “Yes.” and from ibn ‘Abbas, that Allah (SWT) said; “I have already done so.” (Muslim)
“Our Rabb! Lay not on us a burden greater than we have strength to bear.” That is, hardship, calamities, and trials-do not try us with those things which are beyond our capacity to withstand.
Ibn Abi- Hatim reports that Allah (SWT) says: “Yes” and in the other (above-mentioned) hadith: “I have already done so.” (Pardon us) That is, for that which is between us and You, which You know about from our omissions and our lapses.
“And grant us forgiveness.” That is for that which is between us and Your slaves, and do not let them know our faults and our evil deeds. “Have mercy on us” That is, in the future, and do not let us fall into other sins.
This is why it is said that the sinner requires three things:
That Allah (SWT) pardons him for that which is between him and his Rabb. That He (SWT) hides from His slaves that which is between him and them. That He (SWT) protects him from falling into other like sins. And it has been reported that when the slave makes this appeal, Allah (SWT) says: “Yes” and “I have already done so.”
“You are our Protector.” That is, You are our Protector and our Helper, and upon You we depend, and You are the One Who is asked and You we rely upon, and there is no power and no movement except through You.
“Grant us victory over the unbelievers” That is, those who reject Your Religion (Islam) and disbelieve in Your Oneness and the Message of Your Prophet (SAW), worship others instead of You and assign partners to you from amongst Your slaves. Give us victory over them and let the end result be in our favour against them-in this world and in the Hereafter. And in the aforementioned two hadith, it is said that when the Believer says these words, Allah (SWT) says: “Yes,” and “I have already done so.”
Ibn Jareer reports, on the authority of Mu’adh, that whenever he completed the recitation of this Surah, he would say: “Ameen!” (Oh Allah answer my supplication)
Surah 2 has 286 verses and is a ‘madani’ surah ie. it was revealed in Madinah. It is also the longest surah in the Holy Qur’an.
The Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) has said that whoever recites the first four verses of surah al-Baqarah, accompanied by the ‘ayatul kursi’ together with the last three verses of this surah - and makes a habit of reciting these verses daily – his life, property and family will be protected and no evil shall come upon them. Shaitan will not come close to him and he will not be from those who forget Allah (s.w.t.).
Sun Jun 26, 2011 4:37 am