The Heifer (Al-Baqarah) البقرة 208–212
208
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ ادْخُلُواْ فِي السِّلْمِ كَآفَّةً وَلاَ تَتَّبِعُواْ خُطُوَاتِ الشَّيْطَانِ إِنَّهُ لَكُمْ عَدُوٌّ مُّبِينٌ
Believers, surrender yourselves totally to God, and do not follow in the footsteps of Satan; surely, he is your sworn enemy.
209
فَإِن زَلَلْتُمْ مِّن بَعْدِ مَا جَاءتْكُمُ الْبَيِّنَاتُ فَاعْلَمُواْ أَنَّ اللّهَ عَزِيزٌ حَكِيمٌ
But if you lapse after the clear signs that have come to you, then know that God is mighty and wise.
210
هَلْ يَنظُرُونَ إِلاَّ أَن يَأْتِيَهُمُ اللّهُ فِي ظُلَلٍ مِّنَ الْغَمَامِ وَالْمَلآئِكَةُ وَقُضِيَ الأَمْرُ وَإِلَى اللّهِ تُرْجَعُ الأمُورُ
Are they only waiting for God as well as the angels to come down to them under canopies of clouds, so that the matter will be settled? All things return to God.
211
سَلْ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ كَمْ آتَيْنَاهُم مِّنْ آيَةٍ بَيِّنَةٍ وَمَن يُبَدِّلْ نِعْمَةَ اللّهِ مِن بَعْدِ مَا جَاءتْهُ فَإِنَّ اللّهَ شَدِيدُ الْعِقَابِ
Ask the Children of Israel how many clear signs We have given them. Anyone who changes God’s blessing once it has come to him will find God is stern in punishment.
212
زُيِّنَ لِلَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ الْحَيَاةُ الدُّنْيَا وَيَسْخَرُونَ مِنَ الَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ وَالَّذِينَ اتَّقَواْ فَوْقَهُمْ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ وَاللّهُ يَرْزُقُ مَن يَشَاء بِغَيْرِ حِسَابٍ
The life of this world is made to appear attractive for those who deny the truth and they scoff at those who believe. But those who fear God shall be above them on the Day of Resurrection: God bestows His bounties on whoever He pleases without stinting.
No class discussions published for this verse group yet.
(a) There are two ways of adopting Islam as one’s religion. One is to do so without any consideration for one’s own interests and reservations; to do what Islam enjoins on one and refrain from what it forbids. This is to enter Islam wholeheartedly. The other way is to take up Islam, only to the extent that it does not clash with one’s everyday life; and only so long as it serves, or at least does not harm one’s own interests. One who adopts the latter course does not let Islam undermine the habits he is accustomed to, the creeds he cherishes, the profits he craves, the honour he thrives on or the leadership he seeks to preserve and consolidate His initial enthusiasm for Islam cools when it requires him to make radical changes in his pattern of thought, or forgo personal preferences and desires. He slides back, adhering to Islam in name alone, without letting it harm his interests, or interfere with his life in any way. If it is arguments that he seeks to make him truly believe in the message of Islam, then arguments have been provided in full measure. If it is miracles he is looking for, he has God’s entire universe before him. But those who cannot bring themselves to accept clear arguments will not be won over by miracles of this nature. What else is the doubter waiting for, but that God Himself should appear, along with all the angels? When that happens, a sudden surge of belief will not benefit anyone, for that will be a time when fates are sealed, not forged. The whole point of man’s being tested in this world is that he should believe in God, without having seen Him and solely by virtue of His arguments. It is believing without seeing that will profit man, not seeing and believing. Those who put their own interests first and Islam second, and those who unconditionally enter into Islam are people of very different mettle. It is usually the former who accumulate all the worldly splendours in this life, while the latter remain bereft of things of worldly importance. The mere possession of material resources makes the former group feel justified in assuming an air of superiority. They may look down upon the true believers, but this state of affairs is quite short- lived. The world will end, to give way to a new and finer system in which they will be brought low, and the great will be cut down to size, and those who had been considered lowly will occupy high places in the heavenly world.