Surah 2. Al-Baqara

Those We have given the Scripture recognize this 'Prophet' as they recognize their own children. Yet a group of them hides the truth knowingly.

  - Mustafa Khattab

The people of the Book know this as they know their own sons; but some of them conceal the truth which they themselves know. ¹⁵¹

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

The People of the Book should have known all this as well as "they knew their own sons", as their past traditions and teaching should have made them receptive of the new message. Some commentators construe the demonstrative pronoun "this" to refer to the Apostle. In that case the interpretation would be: The People of the Book know Muhammad as well as they know their own sons; they know him to be true and upright; they know him to be in the line of Abraham; they know him to correspond to the description of the prophet foretold among themselves; but selfishness induces some of them to act against their own knowledge and conceal the truth.

'This is' the truth from your Lord, so do not ever be one of those who doubt.

  - Mustafa Khattab

The truth is from thy Lord so be not at all in doubt. ¹⁵⁴

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

The simile of a race is continued, and so the Qibla command is repeated from that point of view. In ii. 144 it was mentioned as the new symbol of the new nation (Muslim): now it is shown as the symbol of Good, at which we should all aim, from whichever point we started, e.g., as Jews or Christians, or our individual point of view; the Qibla will unite us as a symbol of the Goal of the Future. In ii. 150 below, it is repeated: First for the individual, on the ground of uniformity and the removal of all occasions of dispute and argument; and secondly for the Muslim people, on the same ground, as a matter of discipline. There is another little harmony in the matter of the repetitions. Note that the race and starting point argument begins at ii. 149 and is rounded off in the latter part of ii. 150. The latter argument includes the former, and is more widely worded: "wheresoever ye are": which in the Arabic expression would imply three things; in whatever circumstances ye are, or at whatever time ye are, or in whatever place ye are. I have spoken before of a sort of musical harmony in verbal repetitions: here there is a sort of pictorial harmony, as of a larger circle symmetrically including a smaller concentric circle.

Everyone turns to their own direction 'of prayer'. So compete with one another in doing good. Wherever you are, Allah will bring you all together 'for judgment'. Surely Allah is Most Capable of everything.

  - Mustafa Khattab

To each is a goal to which Allah turns him; then strive together (as in a race) toward all that is good. Wheresoever ye are Allah will bring you together. For Allah hath power over all things. ¹⁵³

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

The question is how we are to construe the pronoun huwa in the original. The alternative translation would be: "To each is a goal to which he turns." The simile of life being a race in which we all zealously run forward to the one goal, viz., the goal of good, may be applied individually and nationally. This supplies another argument of the Ka'ba Qibla, viz., the unity of goal, with diversity of races, traditions and temperaments.

Wherever you are 'O Prophet', turn your face towards the Sacred Mosque. This is certainly the truth from your Lord. And Allah is never unaware of what you 'all' do.

  - Mustafa Khattab

From whencesoever thou startest forth turn thy face in the direction of the Sacred Mosque; that is indeed the truth from thy Lord. And Allah is not unmindful of what ye do. ¹⁵⁴

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

The simile of a race is continued, and so the Qibla command is repeated from that point of view. In ii. 144 it was mentioned as the new symbol of the new nation (Muslim): now it is shown as the symbol of Good, at which we should all aim, from whichever point we started, e.g., as Jews or Christians, or our individual point of view; the Qibla will unite us as a symbol of the Goal of the Future. In ii. 150 below, it is repeated: First for the individual, on the ground of uniformity and the removal of all occasions of dispute and argument; and secondly for the Muslim people, on the same ground, as a matter of discipline. There is another little harmony in the matter of the repetitions. Note that the race and starting point argument begins at ii. 149 and is rounded off in the latter part of ii. 150. The latter argument includes the former, and is more widely worded: "wheresoever ye are": which in the Arabic expression would imply three things; in whatever circumstances ye are, or at whatever time ye are, or in whatever place ye are. I have spoken before of a sort of musical harmony in verbal repetitions: here there is a sort of pictorial harmony, as of a larger circle symmetrically including a smaller concentric circle.

Wherever you are 'O Prophet', turn your face towards the Sacred Mosque. And wherever you 'believers' are, face towards it, so that people will have no argument against you, except the wrongdoers among them. Do not fear them; fear Me, so that I may 'continue to' perfect My favour upon you and so you may be 'rightly' guided.

  - Mustafa Khattab

So from whencesoever thou startest forth turn thy face in the direction of the Sacred Mosque; among wheresoever ye are turn your face thither that there be no ground of dispute against you among the people except those of them that are bent on wickedness; so fear them not but fear Me; and that I may complete My favors on you and ye may (consent to) be guided.

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Since We have sent you a messenger from among yourselves- reciting to you Our revelations, purifying you, teaching you the Book and wisdom, and teaching you what you never knew-

  - Mustafa Khattab

A similar (favor have ye already received) in that We have sent among you an Apostle of your own rehearsing to you Our signs and sanctifying you and instructing you in Scripture and wisdom and in new Knowledge. ¹⁵⁵

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

This verse should be read with ii. 150., of which the sentence is here completed. The argument is that in the grant of the Ka'ba Qibla, God was perfecting religion and fulfilling the prayer for the future made by Abraham. That prayer was threefold: (1) That Mecca should be made a sacred Sanctuary (ii. 126); (2) that a truly believing (Muslim) nation should be raised, with places of devotion there (ii 128); and (3) that an Apostle should be sent among the Arabs with certain qualities (ii. 129), which are set out there and again repeated here to complete the argument.

remember Me; I will remember you. And thank Me, and never be ungrateful.

  - Mustafa Khattab

Then do ye remember Me; I will remember you. Be grateful to Me and reject not faith. ¹⁵⁶

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

The word "remember" is too pale a word for zikr, which has now acquired a large number of associations in our religious literature, especially Sufi literature. In its verbal signification it implies: to remember; to praise by frequently mentioning; to rehearse; to celebrate or commemorate; to make much of; to cherish the memory of as a precious possession. In Sufi devotions zikr represents both a solemn ritual and a spiritual state of mind or heart, in which the devotee seeks to realise the presence of God. Thus there is zikr of the mind and zikr of the heart. For beginners the one may lead to the other, but in many cases the two may be simultaneous. There is a subtler distinction, between the zikr that is open, and the zikr that is secret, corresponding to the two doors of the heart, the fleshly and the spiritual. In English some account (very imperfect) of zikr will be found in Hughe's Dictionary of Islam, covering over 14 columns.

O believers! Seek comfort in patience and prayer. Allah is truly with those who are patient.

  - Mustafa Khattab

O ye who believe! seek help with patient perseverance and prayer: for Allah is with those who patiently persevere. ¹⁵⁷

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

See ii. 45 and n. An additional meaning implied in sabr is self-restraint. Haqqani defines it in his Tafsir as following Reason and restraining Fear, Anger, and Desire. What can be a higher reward for patience, perseverance, self-restraint and constancy than that God should be with us? For this promise opens the door to every kind of spiritual well-being.

Never say that those martyred in the cause of Allah are dead- in fact, they are alive! But you do not perceive it.

  - Mustafa Khattab

And say not of those who are slain in the way of Allah: "They are dead." Nay they are living though ye perceive (it) not. ¹⁵⁸

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

The "patient perseverance and prayer" mentioned in the last verse is not mere passivity. It is active striving in the way of Truth, which is the way of God. Such striving is the spending of one's self in God's way, either through our property or through our own lives, or the lives of those nearest and dearest to us, or it may be the loss of all the fruits of a lifetime's labour not only in material goods but in some intellectual or moral gain, some position which seemed in our eyes to be eminently desirable in itself, but which we must cheerfully sacrifice if necessary for the Cause. With such sacrifice, our apparent loss may be our real gain: he that loses his life may really gain it; and the rewards or "fruits" that seem lost were mere impediments on our path to real inward progress.

We will certainly test you with a touch of fear and famine and loss of property, life, and crops. Give good news to those who patiently endure-

  - Mustafa Khattab

Be sure We shall test you with something of fear and hunger some loss in goods or lives or the fruits (of your toil) but give glad tidings to those who patiently persevere. ¹⁵⁹

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

The glad tidings are the blessings of God in ii. 157 or (which is the same thing) the promise in ii. 153 that God will be with them.

who, when faced with a disaster, say, 'Surely to Allah we belong and to Him we will 'all' return.'

  - Mustafa Khattab

Who say when afflicted with calamity: "To Allah we belong and to Him is our return."

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

They are the ones who will receive Allah's blessings and mercy. And it is they who are 'rightly' guided.

  - Mustafa Khattab

They are those on whom (descend) blessings from Allah and Mercy and they are the ones that receive guidance.

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Indeed, 'the hills of' Safa and Marwah¹ are among the symbols of Allah. So whoever performs the pilgrimage or minor pilgrimage,² let them walk between 'the two hills'. And whoever does good willingly, Allah is truly Appreciative, All-Knowing.

  - Mustafa Khattab

 Ṣafa and Marwah are two hills near the Ka’bah in Mecca.

 Known as ḥajj and ’umrah to the Sacred Mosque in Mecca.

Behold! Safa and Marwa are among the Symbols of Allah. So if those who visit the house in the season or at other times should compass them round it is no sin in them. And if anyone obeyeth his own impulse to good be sure that Allah is He Who recogniseth and knoweth. ^{160 161 162}

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

The virtue of patient perseverance in faith leads to the mention of two symbolic monuments of that virtue. These are the two little hills of Safa and Marwa now absorbed in the city of Mecca, and close to the well of Zam-zam. Here, according to tradition, the lady Hajar, mother of the infant Ismail, prayed for water in the parched desert, and in her eager quest round these hills, she found her prayer answered and saw the Zam-zam spring. Unfortunately the Pagan Arabs had placed a male and a female idol here, and their gross and superstitious rites caused offence to the early Muslims. They felt some hesitation in going round these places during the Pilgrimage. As a matter of fact they should have known that the Ka'ba (the House of God) had been itself defiled with idols, and was sanctified again by the purity of Muhammad's life and teaching. The lesson is that the most sacred things may be turned to the basest uses; that we are not therefore necessarily to ban a thing misused; that if our intentions and life are pure, God will recognise them even if the world cast stones at us because of some evil associations which they join with what we do, or with the people we associate with, or with the places which claim our reverence.

The House - the Sacred Mosque, the Ka'ba. The Season of regular Hajj culminates in the visit to Arafat on the ninth day of the month of Zul-hajj, followed by the circumambulation of the Ka'ba. A visit to the Sacred Mosque and the performance of the rites of pilgrimage at any other time is called an Umra. The symbolic rites are the same in either case, except that the Arafat rites are omitted in the Umra. The Safa and Marwa are included among the Monuments, as pointing to one of the highest of Muslim virtues.

The impulse should be to Good; if once we are sure of this, we must obey it without hesitation, whatever people may say.

Those who hide the clear proofs and guidance that We have revealed- after We made it clear for humanity in the Book- will be condemned by Allah and 'all' those who condemn.

  - Mustafa Khattab

Those who conceal the clear (Signs) We have sent down and the guidance after We have made it clear for the people in the book on them shall be Allah's curse and the curse of those entitled to curse. ¹⁶³

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Those entitled to curse: i.e., angels and mankind (see ii. 161 below): the cursed ones will deprive themselves of the protection of God and of the angels, who are the Powers of God, and of the good wishes of mankind, because by contumaciously rejecting Faith, they not only sin against God but are false to their own manhood, which God created in the "best of moulds" (Q xcv. 4). The terrible curses denounced in the Old Testament are set out in Deut. xxviii. 15-68. There is one difference. Here it is for the deliberate rejection of Faith, a theological term for the denying of our higher nature. There it is for a breach of the lease part of the ceremonial Law.

As for those who repent, mend their ways, and let the truth be known, they are the ones to whom I will turn 'in forgiveness', for I am the Accepter of Repentance, Most Merciful.

  - Mustafa Khattab

Except those who repent and make amends and openly declare (the truth) to them I turn; for I am Oft-Returning Most Merciful.

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali