وَقَالَ الَّذِيۡنَ لَا يَعۡلَمُوۡنَ لَوۡلَا يُكَلِّمُنَا اللّٰهُ اَوۡ تَاۡتِيۡنَآ اٰيَةٌ ​ ؕ كَذٰلِكَ قَالَ الَّذِيۡنَ مِنۡ قَبۡلِهِمۡ مِّثۡلَ قَوۡلِهِمۡؕ​ تَشَابَهَتۡ قُلُوۡبُهُمۡ​ؕ قَدۡ بَيَّنَّا الۡاٰيٰتِ لِقَوۡمٍ يُّوۡقِنُوۡنَ‏ ﴿2:118﴾ اِنَّاۤ اَرۡسَلۡنٰكَ بِالۡحَـقِّ بَشِيۡرًا وَّنَذِيۡرًا ۙ​ وَّلَا تُسۡـئَـلُ عَنۡ اَصۡحٰبِ الۡجَحِيۡمِ‏ ﴿2:119﴾

(2:118) The ignorant say: “Why does Allah not speak to us?¹¹⁷ Why does no Sign come to us?” The same was said by people before them. Their hearts are all alike.¹¹⁸ We have made the Signs clear for people of firm faith.¹¹⁹ (2:119) (What greater Sign can there be than that) We sent you with the Truth as a bearer of good tidings and a warner!¹²⁰ And you will not be answerable about the people of the Blazing Flame! 

Notes

117. What they meant was that God should either appear before them Himself, tell them plainly that the Qur’an was a revelation from Him, and proclaim His injunctions, or cause them to see some extraordinary sign that would convince them that whatever Muhammad (peace be on him) told them was from Him. 

118. The fact is that the misguided people of the time of the revelation of the Qur’an did not raise any objection or make any demands essentially different from those of the misguided people of the past. From the remote past till today, error and misguidedness seem to have the same character, so the same doubts and objections are repeated over and over again. 

119. The demand that God should speak to them directly was too absurd even to be answered. The question dealt with here concerns the demand for a sign that would convince them of the Truth. In response to this it is pointed out that many signs do exist, but all such signs are of profit only to those who are inclined to believe. As for those who are bent on disbelief, what sign can be shown to them, and to what avail? 

120. Why speak of other signs when the most conspicuous sign of Truth is the very person of Muhammad? Let us recall his life before the commencement of his prophethood, the conditions existing in the area where, and the people among whom, he was born, the manner in which he was brought up and spent the first forty years of his life, and then his glorious achievements as a Prophet. What further signs could we want in support of his message?

وَقَالُوا اتَّخَذَ اللّٰهُ وَلَدًا ۙ​ سُبۡحٰنَهٗ ​ؕ بَل لَّهٗ مَا فِى السَّمٰوٰتِ وَالۡاَرۡضِ​ؕ كُلٌّ لَّهٗ قَانِتُوۡنَ‏﴿2:116﴾ بَدِيۡعُ السَّمٰوٰتِ وَالۡاَرۡضِ​ؕ وَ اِذَا قَضٰٓى اَمۡرًا فَاِنَّمَا يَقُوۡلُ لَهٗ كُنۡ فَيَكُوۡنُ‏﴿2:117﴾

(2:116) They say: “Allah has taken to Himself a son.” Glory to Him! Nay, whatever is in the heavens and the earth belongs to Him; to Him are all in obeisance. (2:117) He is the Originator of the heavens and the earth; whenever He decrees a matter He (merely) says: “Be”, and it is.

وَلِلّٰهِ الۡمَشۡرِقُ وَالۡمَغۡرِبُ​ فَاَيۡنَمَا تُوَلُّوۡا فَثَمَّ وَجۡهُ اللّٰهِ​ؕ اِنَّ اللّٰهَ وَاسِعٌ عَلِيۡمٌ‏ ﴿2:115﴾

(2:115) The East and the West belong to Allah. To whichever direction you turn, you will be turning to Allah.¹¹⁵ Allah is All-Embracing, All-Knowing.¹¹⁶

Notes

115. God is neither eastern nor western. East and west, north and south, and indeed all places and directions are His, though He is not confined to any particular place or direction. Hence, if any place or direction is fixed for worship this does not mean that God dwells there. Likewise, changes in the direction of Prayer is not a proper subject for controversy and dispute. 

116. That is, God is neither limited, mean, narrow-minded, nor poor in resources. All such notions about God, which arise from considering Him as essentially similar to human beings, are erroneous. God’s realm is boundless and so is His vision and the range of His benevolence and mercy. Moreover, God’s knowledge is all-embracing. He knows who remembers Him, as well as where, when and why he does that.

وَمَنۡ اَظۡلَمُ مِمَّنۡ مَّنَعَ مَسٰجِدَ اللّٰهِ اَنۡ يُّذۡكَرَ فِيۡهَا اسۡمُهٗ وَسَعٰـى فِىۡ خَرَابِهَا ​ؕ اُولٰٓـئِكَ مَا كَانَ لَهُمۡ اَنۡ يَّدۡخُلُوۡهَآ اِلَّا خَآئِفِيۡنَ ؕ لَهُمۡ فِى الدُّنۡيَا خِزۡىٌ وَّلَهُمۡ فِى الۡاٰخِرَةِ عَذَابٌ عَظِيۡمٌ‏ ﴿2:114﴾

(2:114) Who is more iniquitous than he who bars Allah’s places of worship, that His name be mentioned there, and seeks their destruction? It does not behove such people to enter them, and should they enter, they should enter in fear.¹¹⁴ There is degradation for them in this world and a mighty chastisement in the Next. 

Notes

114. Places of worship should properly remain in the custody of devout and God-fearing people, so that even if bad people did go there they would be deterred from committing misdeeds through fear of punishment. This is a subtle reference to the wrong perpetrated by the unbelievers of Makka, who had barred their own compatriots – the Muslims – from worshipping in the House of God.

وَقَالُوۡا لَنۡ يَّدۡخُلَ الۡجَـنَّةَ اِلَّا مَنۡ كَانَ هُوۡدًا اَوۡ نَصٰرٰى​ؕ تِلۡكَ اَمَانِيُّهُمۡ​ؕ قُلۡ هَاتُوۡا بُرۡهَانَکُمۡ اِنۡ کُنۡتُمۡ صٰدِقِيۡنَ‏ ﴿2:111﴾ بَلٰى مَنۡ اَسۡلَمَ وَجۡهَهٗ لِلّٰهِ وَهُوَ مُحۡسِنٌ فَلَهٗۤ اَجۡرُهٗ عِنۡدَ رَبِّهٖ وَلَا خَوۡفٌ عَلَيۡهِمۡ وَلَا هُمۡ يَحۡزَنُوۡنَ‏ ﴿2:112﴾

(2:111) They say: “None shall enter the Garden unless he be a Jew or (according to the Christians), a Christian.” These are their vain desires.¹¹² Say: “Bring your proof if you are speaking the truth.” (2:112) (None has any special claim upon reward from Allah.) Whoever submits himself completely to the obedience of Allah and does good will find his reward with his Lord. No fear shall come upon them, nor shall they grieve. 

Notes

112. That is, all this is merely wishful thinking, even though they express thoughts as if they were really going to happen.

وَاَقِيۡمُوا الصَّلٰوةَ وَاٰتُوا الزَّکٰوةَ  ​ؕ وَمَا تُقَدِّمُوۡا لِاَنۡفُسِكُمۡ مِّنۡ خَيۡرٍ تَجِدُوۡهُ عِنۡدَ اللّٰهِ ​ؕ اِنَّ اللّٰهَ بِمَا تَعۡمَلُوۡنَ بَصِيۡرٌ‏ ﴿2:110﴾

(2:110) Establish Prayer and dispense Zakah. Whatever good deeds you send forth for your own good, you will find them with Allah. Surely Allah sees all that you do. 

Notes

وَدَّ کَثِيۡرٌ مِّنۡ اَهۡلِ الۡكِتٰبِ لَوۡ يَرُدُّوۡنَكُمۡ مِّنۡۢ بَعۡدِ اِيۡمَانِكُمۡ كُفَّارًا ۖۚ حَسَدًا مِّنۡ عِنۡدِ اَنۡفُسِهِمۡ مِّنۡۢ بَعۡدِ مَا تَبَيَّنَ لَهُمُ الۡحَـقُّ​ ۚ فَاعۡفُوۡا وَاصۡفَحُوۡا حَتّٰى يَاۡتِىَ اللّٰهُ بِاَمۡرِهٖ ​ؕ اِنَّ اللّٰهَ عَلٰى کُلِّ شَىۡءٍ قَدِيۡرٌ‏ ﴿2:109﴾

(2:109) Out of sheer envy many People of the Book would be glad to turn you back into unbelievers after you have become believers even though the Truth has become clear to them. Nevertheless, forgive and be indulgent¹¹¹towards them until Allah brings forth His decision. Surely Allah is All-Powerful.

Notes

111. This means that one should neither allow oneself to get angry at their spite and hostility, nor waste one’s valuable time by engaging in useless debates and acrimonious polemics. It is better to wait patiently and observe how God deals with them. Instead of wasting energy in frivolous pursuits such as those mentioned above one should spend it in the remembrance of God and in acts of goodness, for it is these rather than barren controversies that will benefit man in the Life to Come.

مَا نَنۡسَخۡ مِنۡ اٰيَةٍ اَوۡ نُنۡسِهَا نَاۡتِ بِخَيۡرٍ مِّنۡهَآ اَوۡ مِثۡلِهَا ​ؕ اَلَمۡ تَعۡلَمۡ اَنَّ اللّٰهَ عَلٰى كُلِّ شَىۡءٍ قَدِيۡرٌ‏ ﴿2:106﴾ اَلَمۡ تَعۡلَمۡ اَنَّ اللّٰهَ لَهٗ مُلۡكُ السَّمٰوٰتِ وَالۡاَرۡضِ​ؕ وَمَا لَـکُمۡ مِّنۡ دُوۡنِ اللّٰهِ مِنۡ وَّلِىٍّ وَّلَا نَصِيۡرٍ‏ ﴿2:107﴾

(2:106) For whatever verse We might abrogate or consign to oblivion, We bring a better one or the like of it.¹⁰⁹ Are you not aware that Allah is All-Powerful? (2:107) Are you not aware that the dominion of the heavens and the earth belongs to Allah, and that none apart from Allah is your protector or helper?

Notes

109. This is in response to a doubt which the Jews tried to implant in the minds of the Muslims. If both the earlier Scriptures and the Qur’an were revelations from God, why was it – they asked – that the injunctions found in the earlier Scriptures had been replaced by new ones in the Qur’an? How could the same God issue divergent injunctions? Furthermore, they expressed their amazement at the Qur’anic indictment of the Jews and Christians for having allowed part of the revelation to be forgotten and lost, pointing out that it was impossible that Divine revelation should be erased from human memory. In all this, their motive was not to know the truth but to cast doubt on the Divine origin of the Qur’an. In refutation God states that He being the Absolute Sovereign has unlimited authority both to abrogate previous injunctions and to cause people to forget the injunctions He wants them to forget. However, God ensures that whatever He abrogates or causes to be erased from people’s memories is replaced by something equally or even more beneficial.

يٰٓاَيُّهَا الَّذِيۡنَ اٰمَنُوۡا لَا تَقُوۡلُوۡا رَاعِنَا وَ قُوۡلُوا انۡظُرۡنَا وَاسۡمَعُوۡا ​ؕ وَلِلۡڪٰفِرِيۡنَ عَذَابٌ اَلِيۡمٌ‏ ﴿2:104﴾ مَا يَوَدُّ الَّذِيۡنَ كَفَرُوۡا مِنۡ اَهۡلِ الۡكِتٰبِ وَلَا الۡمُشۡرِكِيۡنَ اَنۡ يُّنَزَّلَ عَلَيۡڪُمۡ مِّنۡ خَيۡرٍ مِّنۡ رَّبِّکُمۡ​ؕ وَاللّٰهُ يَخۡتَصُّ بِرَحۡمَتِهٖ مَنۡ يَّشَآءُ ​ؕ وَاللّٰهُ ذُو الۡفَضۡلِ الۡعَظِيۡمِ‏ ﴿2:105﴾

(2:104) O you who believe!¹⁰⁷ Do not say (to the Prophet): Ra’ina (Lend ear to us), but say Unzurna (Favour us with your attention) and pay heed (to him).¹⁰⁸ A painful chastisement awaits the unbelievers. (2:105) The unbelievers, be they the People of the Book or those who associate others with Allah in His Divinity, do not wish that any good should be sent down upon you from your Lord. But Allah chooses for His mercy whomsoever He wills. Allah is Lord of Abounding Bounty. 

Notes

107. This and the following verses inform the followers of the Prophet (peace be on him) of the machinations of the Jews against Islam and the Muslims, and dispel any doubts and misgivings they tried to create in their minds. Special attention is paid to the points raised during controversial discussions between Muslims and Jews. It is useful to note here that when the Prophet (peace be on him) arrived in Madina and the message of Islam began to spread the Jews tried to engage Muslims in controversial religious discussions. They raised all kinds of involved and suspicion-provoking problems so as to contaminate the simple and pure-hearted Muslims with the spiritual diseases from which they themselves suffered. Not only that, they resorted to sly and deceptive talk in the presence of the Prophet. 

108. When the Jews visited the Prophet they tried to vent their spite by using ambiguous expressions in their greetings and conversation. They, used words which had double meanings, one innocent and the other offensive. After using quite proper expressions they would then whisper some malicious words. Ostensibly they maintained the decorum of respect and courtesy while sparing no underhand means to insult the Prophet. Later we shall encounter several examples of this kind of behaviour. The particular expression referred to here, and which the Muslims were asked to avoid using since it lent itself to abuse, was employed by the Jews when in conversation with the Prophet, whenever they wanted to request a short pause in which to finish whatever they wanted to say. They, used the expression ra’ina, which meant ‘kindly indulge us’ or ‘ kindly lend ear to us’.

It was possible, however, for the expression to be used with quite a different shade of meaning. In Hebrew, for instance, there is a word similar to it which means: ‘Listen, may you become deaf.’ In the same language it also means arrogant, ignorant and fool. In actual conversation it was also used on occasions when one wanted to say: ‘If you listen to me, 1 will listen to you.’ When it was pronounced with a slight twist of the tongue it turned into ra’ina, meaning ‘our shepherd’. 

It is because of the possibility of the word being used in these different senses that Muslims were asked to avoid it and to use instead the straightforward expression unzurna, meaning ‘kindly favour us with your attention’ or ‘kindly grant us a while to follow (what you are saying)’. This advice was followed by the admonition to listen attentively to what the Prophet said, for the Jews used to ask for the same thing to be repeated merely because they did not pay proper attention to what the Prophet said but instead were engrossed in their own thoughts. If the Muslims were to heed what the Prophet said, they would scarcely need to make such requests.

وَلَمَّا جَآءَهُمۡ رَسُوۡلٌ مِّنۡ عِنۡدِ اللّٰهِ مُصَدِّقٌ لِّمَا مَعَهُمۡ نَبَذَ فَرِيۡقٌ مِّنَ الَّذِيۡنَ اُوۡتُوا الۡكِتٰبَۙ کِتٰبَ اللّٰهِ وَرَآءَ ظُهُوۡرِهِمۡ كَاَنَّهُمۡ لَا يَعۡلَمُوۡنَ‏ ﴿2:101﴾وَاتَّبَعُوۡا مَا تَتۡلُوا الشَّيٰطِيۡنُ عَلٰى مُلۡكِ سُلَيۡمٰنَ​​ۚ وَمَا کَفَرَ سُلَيۡمٰنُ وَلٰـكِنَّ الشَّيٰـطِيۡنَ كَفَرُوۡا يُعَلِّمُوۡنَ النَّاسَ السِّحۡرَ وَمَآ اُنۡزِلَ عَلَى الۡمَلَـکَيۡنِ بِبَابِلَ هَارُوۡتَ وَمَارُوۡتَ​ؕ وَمَا يُعَلِّمٰنِ مِنۡ اَحَدٍ حَتّٰى يَقُوۡلَاۤ اِنَّمَا نَحۡنُ فِتۡنَةٌ فَلَا تَكۡفُرۡؕ​ فَيَتَعَلَّمُوۡنَ مِنۡهُمَا مَا يُفَرِّقُوۡنَ بِهٖ بَيۡنَ الۡمَرۡءِ وَ زَوۡجِهٖ​ؕ وَمَا هُمۡ بِضَآرِّيۡنَ بِهٖ مِنۡ اَحَدٍ اِلَّا بِاِذۡنِ اللّٰهِ​ؕ وَيَتَعَلَّمُوۡنَ مَا يَضُرُّهُمۡ وَلَا يَنۡفَعُهُمۡ​ؕ وَلَقَدۡ عَلِمُوۡا لَمَنِ اشۡتَرٰٮهُ مَا لَهٗ فِى الۡاٰخِرَةِ مِنۡ خَلَاقٍ​ؕ وَلَبِئۡسَ مَا شَرَوۡا بِهٖۤ اَنۡفُسَهُمۡ​ؕ لَوۡ کَانُوۡا يَعۡلَمُوۡنَ‏  ﴿2:102﴾ وَلَوۡ اَنَّهُمۡ اٰمَنُوۡا وَاتَّقَوۡا لَمَثُوۡبَةٌ مِّنۡ عِنۡدِ اللّٰهِ خَيۡرٌ ؕ​ لَوۡ كَانُوۡا يَعۡلَمُوۡنَ‏ ﴿2:103﴾

(2:101) And whenever a Messenger from Allah came to them, confirming what they already possessed, a party of those who had been given the Scripture flung the Book of Allah behind their backs as if they knew nothing, (2:102) and then followed what the evil ones falsely attributed to the Kingdom of Solomon¹⁰⁴ even though Solomon had never disbelieved; it is the evil ones who disbelieved, teaching people magic. And they followed what had been revealed to the two angels in Babylon – Harut and Marut – although these two (angels) never taught it to anyone without first declaring: “We are merely a means of testing people; so, do not engage in unbelief.”¹⁰⁵ And yet they learned from them what might cause division between a man and his wife¹⁰⁶. They could not cause harm to anyone except by the leave of Allah, and still they learned what harmed rather than profited them, knowing well that he who bought it will have no share in the World to Come. Evil indeed is what they sold themselves for. Had they but known! (2:103) Had they believed and been God-fearing Allah’s reward would have been better! Had they but known! 

Notes

104. ‘Evil ones’ embraces all evil beings, whether they belong to the human species or to the jinn. Here the reference seems to be to both. 

When moral and material decline set in among the Israelites, they were overwhelmed with slavery and ignorance, with misery and poverty, and with humiliation and decadence. They were thus drained of all high ambitions and increasingly turned to magic, sorcery, witchcraft, charms and amulets. They began to search for facile means such as spells that would spare them hard work and yet ensure the achievement of their desired ends. At this stage they were misled by the evil ones, who made them believe that the mighty kingdom and astonishing power of Solomon were merely due to occult sciences and magical formulae, and that by revealing those they would pass on to them the keys to success. People were so engrossed in such practices that they ignored both the Book of God and anyone who summoned them to truth and righteousness. 

105. There are various opinions on the interpretation of this verse. My own conclusion is that at the time when the whole Israelite nation was chained in slavery and captivity in Babylonia God sent two angels in human form in order to test the Jews. In the same way as angels were sent to the people of Lot in the form of handsome youths see (Quran 11: 69 ff. – Ed.), they were presumably sent to Israel in the form of divines who could work magic and sorcery. These angels at once began working their magical wonders but they warned the people that their presence among them was designed to test their faith, and that they ought not to jeopardize their After-life by the practice of magic. Despite the warning it seems that the Israelites had become so fond of their magical artifices that they continued to resort to talismans and sorcery. 

It should not surprise anyone that angels came down to earth in human form; angels are dutiful servants of God’s kingdom, and are capable of assuming the form appropriate to the specific task they are required to perform at any particular time. Who knows how many angels may be busy performing their duties in our midst even today! 

One might also wonder why angels should teach people magic, which is after all intrinsically evil. In order to understand this we must remember that the nature of their task was no different from that of an undercover policeman who hands over marked currency notes to a corrupt official as a bribe with the aim of ensuring that he is caught red-handed. 

106. This shows that the greatest demand was for magical arts and charms to sow discord between a man and his wife and to procure the eventual seduction of the latter. This was the depth of moral depravity to which these people had fallen. A people cannot sink to a lower level of moral degeneracy than when adulterous affairs become their favourite pastime, and when seducing a married woman is considered a boastful achievement. The matrimonial relationship is, in truth, the very foundation of man’s collective life. The soundness of human civilization depends on the soundness of the relationship between the two sexes. Hence, nothing could be worse than the person who strikes at the very foundations of the structure which supports both him and society as a whole. 

There is a Tradition from the Prophet to the effect that Satan sends his agents on their missions to all parts of the world. On their return these agents report their achievements with each mentioning his own special evil act. But Satan is not completely satisfied with any of them. It is only when an agent reports that he has succeeded in separating a wife from her husband that Satan is filled with joy and embraces him. (Bukhari, ‘Talaq’, 25 – Ed.) In the light of this Tradition it is understandable why the angels who were sent to the Israelites to test them were asked to disclose those magical arts which would lead to separation between a husband and his wife, for the inclination of a people to learn such arts is a sure index of its moral decadence.