Surah 2. Al-Baqara, Ayah 177
| ۞ لَيْسَ الْبِرَّ أَنْ تُوَلُّوا وُجُوهَكُمْ قِبَلَ الْمَشْرِقِ وَالْمَغْرِبِ وَلَٰكِنَّ الْبِرَّ مَنْ آمَنَ بِاللَّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ وَالْمَلَائِكَةِ وَالْكِتَابِ وَالنَّبِيِّينَ وَآتَى الْمَالَ عَلَىٰ حُبِّهِ ذَوِي الْقُرْبَىٰ وَالْيَتَامَىٰ وَالْمَسَاكِينَ وَابْنَ السَّبِيلِ وَالسَّائِلِينَ وَفِي الرِّقَابِ وَأَقَامَ الصَّلَاةَ وَآتَى الزَّكَاةَ وَالْمُوفُونَ بِعَهْدِهِمْ إِذَا عَاهَدُوا ۖ وَالصَّابِرِينَ فِي الْبَأْسَاءِ وَالضَّرَّاءِ وَحِينَ الْبَأْسِ ۗ أُولَٰئِكَ الَّذِينَ صَدَقُوا ۖ وَأُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الْمُتَّقُونَ |
| Transliteration | : | laysa al- birr 'an tuwallo wujoh -kum qibala al- mashriq wa- al- maghrib wa- laakin al- birr man 'aamana bi- 'allaah wa- al- yawm al- 'aakhir wa- al- malaa'ikah wa- al- kitaab wa- an- nabeyen wa- 'aataa al- maal calaa h.ubb -hi dhawe al- qurbaa wa- al- yataamaa wa- al- masaaken wa- ibn as- sabel wa- as- saa'ilen wa- fe ar- riqaab wa- aqaama as.- s.alaah wa- 'aataa az- zakaah wa- al- mofon bi- cahd -him 'idhaa caahado wa- as.- s.aabiren fe al- ba'saa' wa- ad.- d.arraa' wa- h.ena al- ba's 'olaa'ika 'alladhena s.adaqo wa- 'olaa'ika hum al- muttaqon |
| Pickthall | : | It is not righteousness that ye turn your faces to the East and the West; but righteous is he who believeth in Allah and the Last Day and the angels and the Scripture and the Prophets; and giveth his wealth, for love of Him, to kinsfolk and to orphans and the needy and the wayfarer and to those who ask, and to set slaves free; and observeth proper worship and payeth the poor due. And those who keep their treaty when they make one, and the patient in tribulation and adversity and time of stress. Such are they who are sincere. Such are the God fearing. |
| Asad | : | True piety does not consist in turning your faces towards the east or the west143 - but truly pious is he who believes in God, and the Last Day, and the angels, and revelation,144 and the prophets; and spends his substance - however much he himself may cherish it - upon his near of kin, and the orphans, and the needy, and the wayfarer,145 and the beggars, -and for the freeing of human beings from bondage;146 and is constant in prayer, and renders the purifying dues; and [truly pious are] they who keep their promises whenever they promise, and are patient in misfortune and hardship and in time of peril: it is they that have proved themselves true, and it is they, they who are conscious of God. |
| Malik | : | Righteousness is not whether you turn your face towards East or West; but the righteousness is to believe in Allah, the Last Day, the Angels, the Books and the Prophets, and to spend wealth out of love for Him on relatives, orphans, helpless, needy travellers, those who ask for and on the redemption of captives; and to establish Salah (prayers), to pay Zakah (alms), to fulfill promises when made, to be steadfast in distress, in adversity, and at the time of war. These people are the truthful and these are the pious. |
| Yusuf Ali | : | It is not righteousness that ye turn your faces toward East or West; but it is righteousness to believe in Allah and the Last Day and the Angels and the Book and the Messengers; to spend of your substance out of love for Him for your kin for orphans for the needy for the wayfarer for those who ask and for the ransom of slaves; to be steadfast in prayer and practice regular charity; to fulfil the contracts which ye have made; and to be firm and patient in pain (or suffering) and adversity and throughout all periods of panic. Such are the people of truth the Allah-fearing. 177 178 179 180 181 |
Note - 143Thus, the Qur'an stresses the principle that mere
compliance with outward forms does not fulfil the
requirements of piety. The reference to the turning of
one's face in prayer in this or that direction flows from
the passages which dealt, a short while ago, with the
question of the qiblah.
|
Note - 144In this context, the term "revelation" (al-kitab)
carries, according to most of the commentators, a generic
significance: it refers to the fact of divine revelation
as such. As regards belief in angels, it is postulated
here because it is through these spiritual beings or
forces (belonging to the realm of al-ghayb, i.e., the
reality which is beyond the reach of human perception)
that God reveals His will to the prophets and, thus, to
mankind at large.
|
Note - 145The expression ibn as-sabil (lit., "son of the road")
denotes any person who is far from his home, and
especially one who, because of this circumstance, does
not have sufficient means of livelihood at his disposal
(cf. Lane IV, 1302). In its wider sense it describes a
person who, for any reason whatsoever, is unable to
return home either temporarily or permanently: for
instance, a political exile or refugee.
|
Note - 146Ar-raqabah (of which ar-riqab is the plural) denotes,
literally, "the neck", and signifies also the whole of a
human person. Metonymically, the expression fi 'r-riqab
denotes "in the cause of freeing human beings from
bondage", and applies to both the ransoming of captives
and the freeing of slaves. By including this kind of
expenditure within the essential acts of piety, the
Qur'an implies that the freeing of people from bondage -
and, thus, the abolition of slavery - is one of the
social objectives of Islam. At the time of the revelation
of the Qur'an, slavery was an established institution
throughout the world, and its sudden abolition would have
been economically impossible. In order to obviate this
difficulty, and at the same time to bring about an
eventual abolition of all slavery, the Qur'an ordains in
8:67 that henceforth only captives taken in a just war
(jihad) may be kept as slaves. But even with regard to
persons enslaved in this or - before the revelation of
8:67 - in any other way, the Qur'an stresses the great
merit inherent in the freeing of slaves, and stipulates
it as a means of atonement for various transgressions
(see, e.g., 4:92, 5:89, 58:3). In addition, the
Prophet emphatically stated on many occasions that, in
the sight of God, the unconditional freeing of a human
being from bondage is among the most praiseworthy acts
which a Muslim could perform. (For a critical discussion
and analysis of all the authentic Traditions bearing on
this problem, see Nayl al-Awtar VI, 199 ff.)
|
Note - 177As if to emphasise again a warning against deadening
formalism, we are given a beautiful description of the
righteous and God-fearing man. He should obey salutary
regulation, but he should fix his gaze on the love of God
and the love of his fellow-men. We are given four heads:
(1) our faith should be true and sincere; (2) we must be
prepared to show it in deeds of charity to our fellowmen;
(3) we must be good citizens, supporting social
organisation; and (4) our own individual soul must be
firm and unshaken in all circumstances. They are
interconnected, and yet can be viewed separately.
|
Note - 178Faith is not merely a matter of words. We must realise
the presence and goodness of God. When we do so, the
scales fall from our eyes: all the falsities and fleeting
nature of the Present cease to enslave us, for we see the
Last Day as if it were today. We also see God's working
in His world and in us; His Powers (angels), His
Messengers and His Message are no longer remote from us,
but come within our experience.
|
Note - 179Practical deeds of charity are of value when they proceed
from love, and from no other motive. In this respect,
also, our duties take various forms, which are shown in
reasonable gradation: our kith and kin; orphans
(including any persons who are without support or help);
people who are in real need but who never ask (it is our
duty to find them out, and they come before those who
ask); the stranger, who is entitled to laws of
hospitality; the people who ask and are entitled to ask,
i.e., not merely lazy beggars, but those who seek our
assistance in some form or another (it is our duty to
respond to them); and the slaves (we must do all we can
to give or buy their freedom). Slavery has many
insidious forms, and all are included.
|
Note - 180Charity and piety in individual cases do not complete our
duties. In prayer and charity, we must also look to our
organised efforts: where there is a Muslim State, these
are made through the State, in facilities for public
prayer, and public assistance, and for the maintenance of
contracts and fair dealing in all matters.
|
Note - 181Then come the Muslim virtues of firmness and patience.
They are to "preserve the dignity of man, with soul
erect" (Burns). Three sets of circumstances are
specially mentioned for the exercise of this virtue: (1)
bodily pain or suffering, (2) adversities or injuries of
all kinds, deserved and underserved and (3) periods of
public panic, such as war, violence, pestilence, etc.
|
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Thus, the Qur'an stresses the principle that mere compliance with outward forms does not fulfil the requirements of piety. The reference to the turning of one's face in prayer in this or that direction flows from the passages which dealt, a short while ago, with the question of the qiblah. |
| |
In this context, the term "revelation" (al-kitab) carries, according to most of the commentators, a generic significance: it refers to the fact of divine revelation as such. As regards belief in angels, it is postulated here because it is through these spiritual beings or forces (belonging to the realm of al-ghayb, i.e., the reality which is beyond the reach of human perception) that God reveals His will to the prophets and, thus, to mankind at large. |
| |
The expression ibn as-sabil (lit., "son of the road") denotes any person who is far from his home, and especially one who, because of this circumstance, does not have sufficient means of livelihood at his disposal (cf. Lane IV, 1302). In its wider sense it describes a person who, for any reason whatsoever, is unable to return home either temporarily or permanently: for instance, a political exile or refugee. |
| |
Ar-raqabah (of which ar-riqab is the plural) denotes, literally, "the neck", and signifies also the whole of a human person. Metonymically, the expression fi 'r-riqab denotes "in the cause of freeing human beings from bondage", and applies to both the ransoming of captives and the freeing of slaves. By including this kind of expenditure within the essential acts of piety, the Qur'an implies that the freeing of people from bondage - and, thus, the abolition of slavery - is one of the social objectives of Islam. At the time of the revelation of the Qur'an, slavery was an established institution throughout the world, and its sudden abolition would have been economically impossible. In order to obviate this difficulty, and at the same time to bring about an eventual abolition of all slavery, the Qur'an ordains in 8:67 that henceforth only captives taken in a just war (jihad) may be kept as slaves. But even with regard to persons enslaved in this or - before the revelation of 8:67 - in any other way, the Qur'an stresses the great merit inherent in the freeing of slaves, and stipulates it as a means of atonement for various transgressions (see, e.g., 4:92, 5:89, 58:3). In addition, the Prophet emphatically stated on many occasions that, in the sight of God, the unconditional freeing of a human being from bondage is among the most praiseworthy acts which a Muslim could perform. (For a critical discussion and analysis of all the authentic Traditions bearing on this problem, see Nayl al-Awtar VI, 199 ff.) |
| |
As if to emphasise again a warning against deadening formalism, we are given a beautiful description of the righteous and God-fearing man. He should obey salutary regulation, but he should fix his gaze on the love of God and the love of his fellow-men. We are given four heads: (1) our faith should be true and sincere; (2) we must be prepared to show it in deeds of charity to our fellowmen; (3) we must be good citizens, supporting social organisation; and (4) our own individual soul must be firm and unshaken in all circumstances. They are interconnected, and yet can be viewed separately. |
| |
Faith is not merely a matter of words. We must realise the presence and goodness of God. When we do so, the scales fall from our eyes: all the falsities and fleeting nature of the Present cease to enslave us, for we see the Last Day as if it were today. We also see God's working in His world and in us; His Powers (angels), His Messengers and His Message are no longer remote from us, but come within our experience. |
| |
Practical deeds of charity are of value when they proceed from love, and from no other motive. In this respect, also, our duties take various forms, which are shown in reasonable gradation: our kith and kin; orphans (including any persons who are without support or help); people who are in real need but who never ask (it is our duty to find them out, and they come before those who ask); the stranger, who is entitled to laws of hospitality; the people who ask and are entitled to ask, i.e., not merely lazy beggars, but those who seek our assistance in some form or another (it is our duty to respond to them); and the slaves (we must do all we can to give or buy their freedom). Slavery has many insidious forms, and all are included. |
| |
Charity and piety in individual cases do not complete our duties. In prayer and charity, we must also look to our organised efforts: where there is a Muslim State, these are made through the State, in facilities for public prayer, and public assistance, and for the maintenance of contracts and fair dealing in all matters. |
| |
Then come the Muslim virtues of firmness and patience. They are to "preserve the dignity of man, with soul erect" (Burns). Three sets of circumstances are specially mentioned for the exercise of this virtue: (1) bodily pain or suffering, (2) adversities or injuries of all kinds, deserved and underserved and (3) periods of public panic, such as war, violence, pestilence, etc. |
