The Heifer (Al-Baqarah)
Verses 284-286 GROUP_77 2.284-286
284
لِّلَّهِ ما فِي السَّمَاواتِ وَمَا فِي الأَرْضِ وَإِن تُبْدُواْ مَا فِي أَنفُسِكُمْ أَوْ تُخْفُوهُ يُحَاسِبْكُم بِهِ اللّهُ فَيَغْفِرُ لِمَن يَشَاء وَيُعَذِّبُ مَن يَشَاء وَاللّهُ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ
All that the heavens and the earth contain belongs to God, whether you disclose what is in your minds or keep it hidden. God will bring you to account for it. He will forgive whom He will and punish whom He pleases: He has power over all things.
285
آمَنَ الرَّسُولُ بِمَا أُنزِلَ إِلَيْهِ مِن رَّبِّهِ وَالْمُؤْمِنُونَ كُلٌّ آمَنَ بِاللّهِ وَمَلآئِكَتِهِ وَكُتُبِهِ وَرُسُلِهِ لاَ نُفَرِّقُ بَيْنَ أَحَدٍ مِّن رُّسُلِهِ وَقَالُواْ سَمِعْنَا وَأَطَعْنَا غُفْرَانَكَ رَبَّنَا وَإِلَيْكَ الْمَصِيرُ
The Messenger believes in what has been sent down to him from his Lord, and [so do] believers. They all believe in God and His angels, His scriptures, and His messengers. They say, ‘We do not differentiate between any of His messengers. We hear and obey. Grant us Your forgiveness, Lord, to You we shall all return!’
286
لاَ يُكَلِّفُ اللّهُ نَفْسًا إِلاَّ وُسْعَهَا لَهَا مَا كَسَبَتْ وَعَلَيْهَا مَا اكْتَسَبَتْ رَبَّنَا لاَ تُؤَاخِذْنَا إِن نَّسِينَا أَوْ أَخْطَأْنَا رَبَّنَا وَلاَ تَحْمِلْ عَلَيْنَا إِصْرًا كَمَا حَمَلْتَهُ عَلَى الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِنَا رَبَّنَا وَلاَ تُحَمِّلْنَا مَا لاَ طَاقَةَ لَنَا بِهِ وَاعْفُ عَنَّا وَاغْفِرْ لَنَا وَارْحَمْنَآ أَنتَ مَوْلاَنَا فَانصُرْنَا عَلَى الْقَوْمِ الْكَافِرِينَ
God does not charge a soul with more than it can bear. It shall be requited for whatever good and whatever evil it has done. [They pray], ‘Our Lord, do not take us to task if we forget or make a mistake! Our Lord, do not place on us a burden like the one You placed on those before us! Our Lord, do not place on us a burden we have not the strength to bear! Pardon us; and forgive us; and have mercy on us. You are our Lord and Sustainer, so help us against those who deny the truth.’
No class discussions published for this verse group yet.
Commentary
(a) Everything in the universe is under God’s command. Right from dust particles to the stars, all are bound by God’s decreed plan. They must follow the path set for them by God. Man alone is the creature who finds that he may choose different paths of his own free will. But man does not possess freedom in an absolute sense: if he has freedom, it is so that he may be put to the test. Man has also to submit to the will of God like the rest of the universe. The life of restraint that the rest of the universe is obliged to follow must be followed voluntarily by man. He should not be deceived by the appearance of there being no one before or behind him. The truth of the matter is that at all times man is watched over by the Lord of the universe. He watches each and every thing, whether great or small, whether within him or without. (a) Who is that man who measures up to the standards of the Almighty? He is one who is a man of faith, who submits and obeys. Faith means a conscious surrender to God, while obedience means practical surrender. For this to become a reality, man must enshrine God within himself as his Creator and Sustainer. He must be one to discover the reality that the system of the universe is not soulless or mechanical. Rather it is a live system, which is run by God’s devoted workers. He must be one to recognize those servants of God chosen by Him to communicate this message to mankind. The Book revealed by God for the guidance of mankind must be accepted by him and become a part of his thoughts in the real sense. When faith in God, His angels, His Books and His messengers is firmly rooted in his heart and mind, he wholeheartedly surrenders himself to treading the path shown by God. This faith and obedience should not be a matter of rituals or just an outward show. Rather, faith and obedience should be so inseparable from his soul that he starts to remember God at all times, and his whole life becomes entirely dependent on God.