Surah 2. Al-Baqara

Believe in that which I have [now] bestowed from on high, confirming the truth already in your possession, and be not foremost among those who deny its truth; and do not barter away My messages for a trifling gain;³² and of Me, of Me be conscious!

  - Mohammad Asad

A reference to the persistent Jewish belief that they alone among all nations have been graced by divine revelation. The "trifling gain" is their conviction that they are "God's chosen people" - a claim which the Qur'an consistently refutes.

Believe in My revelations, which are confirming your scriptures; do not be the first one to deny My revelations, and do not sell them for a petty price, fear Me and Me alone.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And believe in that which I reveal, confirming that which ye possess already (of the Scripture), and be not first to disbelieve therein, and part not with My revelations for a trifling price, and keep your duty unto Me.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

And do not overlay the truth with falsehood, and do not knowingly suppress the truth;³³

  - Mohammad Asad

By "overlaying the truth with falsehood" is meant the corrupting of the Biblical text, of which the Qur'an frequently accuses the Jews (and which has since been established by objective textual criticism), while the "suppression of the truth" refers to their disregard or deliberately false interpretation of the words of Moses in the Biblical passage, "The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken" (Deuteronomy xviii, 15), and the words attributed to God Himself, "I will raise them up a prophet from among thy brethren, like unto thee, and will put My words in his mouth" (Deuteronomy xviii, 18). The "brethren" of the children of Israel are obviously the Arabs, and particularly the musta'ribah ("Arabianized") group among them, which traces its descent to Ishmael and Abraham: and since it is to this group that the Arabian Prophet's own tribe, the Quraysh, belonged, the above Biblical passages must be taken as referring to his advent.

Do not mix the Truth with falsehood, or knowingly conceal the truth.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Confound not truth with falsehood, nor knowingly conceal the truth.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

and be constant in prayer, and spend in charity,³⁴ and bow down in prayer with all who thus bow down.

  - Mohammad Asad

In Islamic Law, zakah denotes an obligatory tax, incumbent on Muslims, which is meant to purify a person's capital and income from the taint of selfishness (hence the name). The proceeds of this tax are to be spent mainly, but not exclusively, on the poor. Whenever, therefore, this term bears the above legal implication, I translate it as "the purifying dues". Since, however, in this verse it refers to the children of Israel and obviously implies only acts of charity towards the poor, it is more appropriate to translate it as "almsgiving" or "charity". I have also adopted this latter rendering in all instances where the term zakah, though relating to Muslims, does not apply specifically to the obligatory tax as such (e.g., in 73:20 , where this term appears for the first time in the chronology of revelation).

Establish Salah (prayers); give Zakah (charity); and bow down with those who bow down in worship.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Establish worship, pay the poor-due, and bow your heads with those who bow (in worship).

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Do you bid other people to be pious, the while you forget your own selves - and yet you recite the divine writ? Will you not, then, use your reason?

  - Mohammad Asad

Would you ask others to be righteous and forget to practice it yourselves? Even though you read your Holy Book? Have you no sense?

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Enjoin ye righteousness upon mankind while ye yourselves forget (to practise it)? And ye are readers of the Scripture! Have ye then no sense?

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

And seek aid in steadfast patience and prayer: and this, indeed, is a hard thing for all but the humble in spirit,

  - Mohammad Asad

Seek Allah's help with patience and Salah: it is indeed hard to be patient and to be punctual in offering Salah except for those who fear Allah,

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Seek help in patience and prayer; and truly it is hard save for the humble-minded,

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

who know with certainty that they shall meet their Sustainer and that unto Him they shall return.

  - Mohammad Asad

who are certain in their mind that they are going to meet their Rabb and that they are going to return to Him for final judgement.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Who know that they will have to meet their Lord, and that unto Him they are returning.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

O children of Israel! Remember those blessings of Mine with which I graced you, and how I favoured you above all other people;

  - Mohammad Asad

O' Children of Israel! Remember the special favor which I bestowed upon You; that I exalted you above all other nations.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

O Children of Israel! Remember My favor wherewith I favored you and how I preferred you to (all) creatures.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

and remain conscious of [the coming of] a Day when no human being shall in the least avail another, nor shall intercession be accepted from any of them, nor ransom taken from them,³⁵ and none shall be succoured.

  - Mohammad Asad

The "taking of ransom ('adl)" is an obvious allusion to the Christian doctrine of vicarious redemption as well as to the Jewish idea that "the chosen people" - as the Jews considered themselves - would be exempt from punishment on the Day of Judgment. Both these ideas are categorically refuted in the Qur'an.

Guard yourselves against the day on which one soul shall not avail another, no intercession shall be accepted, no ransom shall be taken and no help shall be given.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And guard yourselves against a day when no soul will in aught avail another, nor will intercession be accepted from it, nor will compensation be received from it, nor will they be helped.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

And [remember the time] when We saved you from Pharaoh's people, who afflicted you with cruel suffering, slaughtering your sons and sparing [only] your women³⁶ - which was an awesome trial from your Sustainer;

  - Mohammad Asad

See Exodus i, 15-16, 22.

Remember how We delivered you from the people of Fir'on (Pharaoh): they had subjected you to severe torment, killing your sons and sparing your daughters; you were facing a tremendous trial from your Rabb.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And (remember) when We did deliver you from Pharaoh's folk, who were afflicting you with dreadful torment, slaying your sons and sparing your women: That was a tremendous trial from your Lord.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

and when We cleft the sea before you, and thus saved you and caused Pharaoh's people to drown before your very eyes;

  - Mohammad Asad

And We parted the Red Sea for you, taking you to safety, and drowned Fir'on's people before your very eyes.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And when We brought you through the sea and rescued you, and drowned the folk of Pharaoh in your sight.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

and when We appointed for Moses forty nights [on Mount Sinai], and in his absence you took to worshipping the [golden] calf, and thus became evildoers:

  - Mohammad Asad

Remember when We communed with Musa (Moses) for forty nights and in his absence you took the calf for worship, thus committing a wicked transgression.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And when We did appoint for Moses forty nights (of solitude), and then ye chose the calf, when he had gone from you, and were wrongdoers.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

yet, even after that, We blotted out this your sin, so that you might have cause to be grateful.³⁷

  - Mohammad Asad

The story of the golden calf is dealt with at greater length in 7:148 ff. and 20:85 ff. Regarding the crossing of the Red Sea, to which verse {50} above alludes, see {20:77-78} and {26:63-66}, as well as the corresponding notes. The forty nights (and days) which Moses spent on Mount Sinai are mentioned again in 7:142 .

Even then We forgave you, so that you might become grateful.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Then, even after that, We pardoned you in order that ye might give thanks.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

And [remember the time] when We vouchsafed unto Moses the divine writ - and [thus] a standard by which to discern the true from the false³⁸ - so that you might be guided aright;

  - Mohammad Asad

Muhammad 'Abduh amplifies the above interpretation of al-furqan (adopted by Tabari, Zamakhshari and other great commentators) by maintaining that it applies also to "human reason, which enables us to distinguish the true from the false" (Manar III, 160), apparently basing this wider interpretation on 8:41, where the battle of Badr is described as yawm al-furqan ("the day on which the true was distinguished from the false"). While the term furgdn is often used in the Qur'an to describe one or another of the revealed scriptures, and particularly the Qur'an itself, it has undoubtedly also the connotation pointed out by 'Abduh: for instance, in 8:29, where it clearly refers to the faculty of moral valuation which distinguishes every human being who is truly conscious of God.

We gave Musa (Moses) the Holy Book (Torah) and the criterion of right and wrong so that you might be rightly guided.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And when We gave unto Moses the Scripture and the Criterion (of right and wrong), that ye might be led aright.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

and when Moses said unto his people: "O my people! Verily, you have sinned against yourselves by worshipping the calf; turn, then, in repentance to your Maker and mortify yourselves;³⁹ this will be the best for you in your Maker's sight." And thereupon He accepted your repentance: for, behold, He alone is the Acceptor of Repentance, the Dispenser of Grace.

  - Mohammad Asad

Lit., "kill yourselves" or, according to some commentators, "kill one another". This literal interpretation (probably based on the Biblical account in Exodus xxxii, 26-28) is not, however, convincing in view of the immediately preceding call to repentance and the subsequent statement that this repentance was accepted by God. I incline, therefore, to the interpretation given by 'Abd al-Jabbar (quoted by Razi in his commentary on this verse) to the effect that the expression "kill yourselves" is used here in a metaphorical sense (majazan), i.e., "mortify yourselves".

Remember when Musa returned with the Divine Book he said to his people: "O my people! You have indeed grievously wronged yourselves by taking the calf for worship; so turn in repentance to your Creator and slay the culprits among you; that will be best for you in His sight." He accepted your repentance; surely He is the Forgiving, the Merciful.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And when Moses said unto his people: O my people! Ye have wronged yourselves by your choosing of the calf (for worship) so turn in penitence to your Creator, and kill (the guilty) yourselves. That will be best for you with your Creator and He will relent toward you. Lo! He is the Relenting, the Merciful.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

And [remember] when you said, "O Moses, indeed we shall not believe thee unto we see God face to face!" - whereupon the thunderbolt of punishment⁴⁰ overtook you before your very eyes.

  - Mohammad Asad

The Qur'an does not state what form this "thunderbolt of punishment" (as-sa'iqah) took. The lexicographers give various interpretations to this word, but all agree on the element of vehemence and suddenness inherent in it (see Lane IV, 1690).

Remember when you said: "O Musa! We shall never believe you until we see Allah with our own eyes," a thunderbolt struck you while you were looking on and you fell dead.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And when ye said: O Moses! We will not believe in thee till we see Allah plainly; and even while ye gazed the lightning seized you.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall