Indexed OCR Text

284
Surah Al-Baqarah 2 : 106 - 107
the Mu'tazilah tried to explain away the whole question of Naskh. Log-
ically speaking, there is a possibility -- so ran their argument -- of ab-
rogation in the case of divine injunctions, and the possibility cannot be
denied on any rational ground, but abrogation has not actually oc-
curred in the Holy Qur'an, and there is no verse in the Holy Book
which abrogates another (Nasikh) and no verse which has been abro-
gated (Mansükh). This view is attributed to Abu Muslim al-Isfahani,
but the 'Ulama' in general have always rejected this opinion, and re-
futed the argument. Thus, we read in "Ruh al-Ma'ani":
واتفقت اهل الشرائع على جواز النسخ ووقوعه وخالفت اليهود
غير العيسويّة فى جوازه وقالوا: يمتنع عقلاً وأبو مسلم الاصفهانى فى
وقوعه فقال: إنه و إن جاز عقلا لكنه لم يقع
"The people belonging to all the Shari'ahs are unanimous in
accepting the validity of abrogation and its actual occurrence
both. Only the Jews -- with the exception of their 'Isawiyyah
sect have denied the possibility of abrogation, and Abu Mus-
lim al-Isfahani has denied its occurrence, for he says that it is
rationally possible, but has not actually taken place."
Imam al-Qurțubi says:
معرفة هذا الباب أكيدة وفائدته عظيمة لا تستغنى عن معرفته العلماء
ولا ينكره الاّ الجهلة الاغبياء
"It is essential to understand the question of abrogation, and
great benefits flow from such an understanding, which no
scholar can dispense with, and no one can deny abrogation ex-
cept the ignorant and the dull-headed."
In this connection, al-Qurtubi has related a very illuminating
incident. The fourth Khalifah Sayyidna 'Ali salu, saw a man
preaching in the mosque. He asked the people what the man was
doing. On being told that he was preaching, the blessed Khalifah said:
"He is not doing anything of the sort, but only announcing to the
people that he is such and such a man and the son of such and such,
and asking them to recognize and remember him." Calling the man to
his side, he asked: "Do you know the injunctions which have been
abrogated and those which have abrogated the earlier ones?" When he
confessed that he did not, the Khalifah turned him out of the mosque,
and ordered him never to preach there.
1

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Surah Al-Baqarah 2 : 106 - 107
It is not feasible to cite here all the sayings of the blessed
Companions and their immediate Successors (Tabi'in) which affirm
the actual occurrence of abrogation in the case of injunctions laid down
by the Holy Qur'an and the Hadith. Some of these have been quoted,
along with the evidence for the authenticity of the reports, in the
commentaries of Ibn Jarir and Ibn Kathir etc. and in "Al-Durr
al-Manthur". As for the reports less strongly authenticated, they are
just innumerable. That is why there has always been a total
consensus of the 'Ulama' on the question of Naskh, except for Abu
Muslim al-Isfahani and a few others from among the Mu'tazilah who
have denied the actual occurrence of abrogation -- but Imam Razi has,
in his commentary, exposed in detail the hollowness of their opinion.
The terminology of the Naskh
It is also essential to keep in mind a certain distinction in the use
of the word Naskh as a technical term of the Shari'ah. The technical
sense of the word implies changing an injunction, and replacing one
injunction by another. Now, this change may consist in repealing an
injunction altogether and replacing it by another (for example, fixing
the Ka'bah as the Qiblah -- the direction towards which Muslims turn
in their prayers -- instead of the Baytul-Maqdis); the change may
equally consist in retaining an injunction but adding certain condition
and provisions to it. The 'Ulama' of the early period of Islam have
used the word Naskh in this general and comprehensive sense which
includes the total repeal of an injunction as well as a partial change in
an injunction with the addition of certain conditions, provisions or
exceptions. That is why the 'Ulama' of the earlier period have
indicated some five hundred verses of the Holy Qur'an which,
according to them, have been abrogated.
But, according to the 'Ulama' of a later period, only that change is
to be called a Naskh which cannot in any way be brought into
consonance with an earlier injunction. Obviously, this approach
greatly reduces the number of abrogated verses. For example, there
are, according to al-Suyuti, only twenty such verses. Later on, Shah
Waliyyullah, seeking to bring the abrogated injunctions in consonance
with the earlier injunctions, reduced the number of abrogated verses
to only five -- these being the cases where later injunctions could not

286
Surah Al-Baqarah 2 : 106 - 107
be made to correspond with the earlier ones without far-fetched
interpretations. This effort is highly commendable, because the basic
postulate behind an injunction is its permanence, while abrogation
goes against this postulate, and hence it is not proper to posit
abrogation in a verse laying down an injunction which can, in some
justifiable manner, be shown to be still valid.
But this effort to reduce the number of abrogated verses does not,
and cannot in the least imply 28 that the presence of abrogation is in
any way -- may Allah forgive us for reproducing a blasphemy -- a
shortcoming or defect in the Holy Qur'an or Islam, that the 'Ulama'
have for the last fourteen hundred years been trying to remove it, that
the ultimate inspiration came to Shah Waliyyullah whose extraordi-
nary achievement lies in having reduced the number of abrogated
verses to five, and that now one may wait for a few geniuses who
would bring the number down to zero.
To adopt such an approach towards the question of "Naskh" is no
service to Islam or to the Holy Qur'an,29 nor can it obliterate the
profound investigations into truth of the matter made by the blessed
Companions, their Successors, and the 'Ulama' of the generations that
followed them during the last fourteen hundred years, nor can it stop
the recriminations of the enemies of Islam. In fact, all it would do is to
furnish a weapon to the present-day traducers of Islam and those who
wish to rebel against Islam, who would now be saying that what the
'Ulama' of the Islamic Ummah have been maintaining on the subject
for the last fourteen hundred years has finally proved to be wrong.
May Allah forbid such a thing! If this door is opened, it would Jet in all
kinds of disorders, and all the injunctions of the Shari'ah would come
under suspicion. Then, is there any guarantee that the results of this
"modernistic" research would not turn out to be wrong tomorrow!
We have come across certain recent writings in which an attempt
has been made to revive the argument of Abu Muslim al-Isfahani.
28. As the 'modernists' have been all too impatient to believe.
29. To which pretends the whole tribe of self-styled scholars, researchers,
"experts in Islamic studies" and "revivificateurs of Islam."

287
Surah Al-Baqarah 2 : 108
Such writers begin with the assumption that the Arabic word Ma in
verse 106 is not a relative or adverbial pronoun signifying "whenever",
or "whichever" but a conjunction implying "if" that introduces a
conditional clause; so, they translate the first phrase of the the verse
not as "whichever verse We abrogate", but as "if We abrogate a verse",
and say that the statement pertains to a supposition or to an
imaginary situation as do the phrases beginning with the Arabic word
Law (أو : if) -- for example: ◌ُلَوْكَانَ فِيُهمَا الَه :"If there were in the sky and the
earth another god beside Allah" (21:22) or ◌ْإنْ كَانَ لِلرَّحْمنِ وَلَل :"If the
All-Merciful had a son" (43:81). On this basis, they argue that
abrogation is possible, but has never actually occurred. Such writers,
we are afraid, do not show an intimate knowledge of Arabic grammar,
for there is a great deal of difference between a condition suggested by
the word Ma and the imaginary situation introduced by the
conjunction Law. Moreover, it is on the basis of this verse itself that
the blessed Companions have affirmed the occurrence of abrogation,
and have even cited many instances. So have their Successors and all
authentic Commentators. In view of such unanimity, the new-fangled
interpretation cannot be acceptable. Even Shah Waliyyullah, in
reducing the number of abrogated verses, has never thought of
denying the fact of abrogation. In short, all the authentic and
authoritative 'Ulama', from the days of the blessed Companions down .
to our own day, have always affirmed not only the possibility, but also
the actual occurrence of abrogation. This has been the position of all
the 'Ulama' of Deoband too, without any exception.
The injunctions with regard to abrogation are too many and too
intricate to be discussed here -- they properly belong to the books on
the Principles of Jurisprudence.
Verse 108
أَمْ تُرِيدُونَ أَنْ تَسْتَلُوْا رَسُوْلَكُمْ كَمَّا سُئِلَ مُوسَى مِنُ قَبْلُهـ
وَمَنْ يَتَبَّدَّلِ الْكُفْرَ بِالْإِيمَانِ فَقَدُ ضَلَّ سَوَاءَ الَّبِيْلِ ٥
Or, do you rather want to ask your Prophet as Musa
was asked earlier? And whoever takes to infidelity in
exchanges of faith has certainly missed the straight
path. (Verse 108)

288
Surah Al-Baqarah 2 : 109 - 110
Hostility to the Holy Prophet
had become so habitual to the
Jews that they were always making insolent demands. Once they
asked him to bring before them whole of the Qur'an all at once just as
the Torah had been revealed. In reprimanding them for making such
improper demands on the prophets of their time, the verse reminds
them how their forefathers too had done the same -- for example, they
had asked Sayyidna Musa (Moses WUJi _e ) to help them to see Allah
openly with their physical eyes. In such cases, the intention of the
Jews had never been to seek guidance or to satisfy their doubts or to
strengthen their faith, but only to cast aspersions on a prophet, or to
question the wisdom of Allah. The verse indicts this behavior as Kufr
(infidelity). Such demands are improper, because there is a raison
d'etre for everything Allah does, but divine wisdom alone knows what
that is, and the creature has no right to determine the precise mode of
his Creator's acts -- he should not even ask the why and wherefore of a
divine action, but accept it and submit himself to the Divine Will.
If one takes this verse as having been addressed to the Muslims,
it would mean that they are being warned against making improper
demands on the Holy Prophet .
Verses 109 - 110
وَ كَثِيْرٌ مِّنْ أَهْلِ الْكِتْبِ لَوْ بَرُوْنَكُمٌ ◌ِنٌ بَعْدِ إِيْمَانِكُمْ كُفَّارَاء
حَسَدًا يِّنُ عِنْدِ انْفُسِهِمْ رِنْ بَعْدِ مَا تَبِّيَّنَ لَهُمُ الْحُقُّ فَاهُقُوْا
وَاصْفَحُوا حَتّْى يَأْتِىَّ اللّهِ بِآَمُرٍِ إِنَّ اللّهَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْئٍ
قَدِيْرٌ وَاَقِيمُوا الصَّلُوَةَ وَاتُوا الزَّكْوَةَ وَمَا تُقَدِّمُوُا ◌ِنْفُسِكُمُ
◌ِنُ خَيْرٍ تَجِدُوُهُ عِنْدَ اللّهِ إِنَّ اللهَ بِمَا تَعْمَلُوْنَ بَصِيْرَّ )
Many among the people of the Book desire to turn you,
after your accepting the faith, back into disbelievers --
all out of envy generating from their hearts, even after
the truth has become clear to them. So, forgive and
overlook till Allah brings out His command. Certainly,
Allah is powerful over everything. And be steadfast in
Salah, and give Zakah. And whatever good you send

289
Surah Al-Baqarah 2 : 109 - 110
forth for yourselves, you will find it with Allah. Cer-
tainly, Allah is watchful of what you do. (Verses 109 -
110)
Some of the Jews, pretending to be the well-wishers of the
Muslims, were always inventing new stratagems to make them turn
away from Islam, and, in spite of repeated failure in this effort, did not
refrain from it. The verse warns the Muslims against their intentions,
which are motivated, not by sincerity and friendship, but by envy --
which in its turn arises not from anything the Muslims do, but
spontaneously from within themselves even after they have come to
understand clearly what the truth is. The verse also asks the Muslims
not to give way to their justifiable anger at such misconduct, but to
forgive the Jews, and wait till Allah sends a new commandment with
regard to such matters. Thus, the verse gives an indication that Allah
is soon going to lay down a law for the preservation of peace and order
on the earth which would guide the Muslims in dealing with
mischief-makers -- the law, of course, being the permission to go to
war against the enemies of Islam. The Muslims were actually
conscious of their own weakness and the strength of their foe, and
could have wondered how they would be able to act upon the new law.
So, the verse reminds them that Allah's power extends over
everything, small or big, ordinary or extraordinary.
The next verse asks the Muslims to continue offering their prayers
and paying Zakah and when the new law comes down, they can add
the participation in a Jihad to these good deeds which they have
already been performing. Nor should the Muslims suppose that until
they can take part in a Jihad, mere prayers and fasting will not bring
them the spiritual merit they desire; in fact, they shall receive a full
reward in the other world for each and every good deed they perform,
for Allah knows what people do, and not a particle of one's good deeds
shall be lost.
This command to show forbearance towards the Jews was proper
to the situations of the Muslims at that time. Later on, Allah fulfilled
the promise made in verse 109, and sent down the injunction with
regard to Jihad. Then, this new law was applied to the Jews as well
as to other miscreants - in order to prevent disorder and to make peace

290
Surah Al-Baqarah 2 : 109 - 110
and order prevail on the earth, Muslims went to war against them,
and the mischief-makers were either killed, or forced into exile, or
made to pay Jizyah.30
Verses 111 - 113
وَقَالُوا لَنْ يَّدْخُلَ الْجَنَّةَ إِلَّ مَنْ كَانَ هُوْدًا أَوْ نَصْرَى تِلْكَ
آَمَانِيُّهُمْ قُلُ هَاتُوْا مُرْهَانَكُمْ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ صَدِقِيْنَ ا بَلَى مَنْ
اَسْلَمَ وَجُهَةً لِلْهِ وَهُوَ مُحْسِنٌ فَلَةَ أَجُرُةً عِنْدَ رَبِّهِ وَلَا خَوْفٌ
عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَهُمْ يَحْزَنُون ) وَقَالَتِ الْيَهُوَدُ لَيْسَتِ النَّصْرِى عَلى
شَيْئٍ وَقَالَتِ النَّصْرِى لَيْسَتِ الْيَهُوُدُ عَلَى شَيْىٍتَّهُمْ يَتْلُوْنَ
الْكِتْبَّ كَذْلِكَ قَالَ الَّذِيْنَ لَا يَعْلَمُوُنَ مِثْلَ قَوْلِهِمْ فَاللَّهُ يَحُكُمُ
بَيْنَهُمْ يَوْمَ الْقِيْمَةِ فِيُمَا كَانُوا فِيْهِ يَخْتَلِفُونَ )
And they say that no one shall ever enter Paradise
unless he is a Jew, or a Christian. These are their
fancies. Say, "Bring your proof, if you are truthful." Of
course, whosoever submits his self to Allah and is good
in deeds has his reward with his Lord, and there shall
be no fear for such men, nor shall they grieve. And the
Jews say: "The Christians stand on nothing" and the
Christians say, "The Jews stand on nothing" -- and they
both read the Book! Similarly, those who do not know
say as they (the Jews and the Christians) do. So Allah
will judge between them on the Day of Resurrection in
what they used to dispute. (Verses 111 - 113)
The Jews and the Christians were hostile not only to the Muslims,
but also to each other. They had forgotten the essence of religion --
that is, adherence to the true and authentic doctrines, and
performance of good deeds as laid down by the Shari'ah -- and had
identified it with a mere affiliation to a racial or social community.
Each of the two groups claimed that it had the exclusive right to go to
30. Which is a special levy on non-Muslims who live under the protection of
the Islamic state and which absolves them from military service.

291
Surah Al-Baqarah 2 : 109 - 110
the Paradise, without having any argument to substantiate the claim.
The Jews read the Torah, while the Christians read the Evangel, and
they could have easily seen that the two Books confirm each other.
Each party used to assert, in its malice, that the religion of the other
was baseless. This gave an excuse to the mushrikin (associators) who,
in spite of their ignorance, began to say the same of both the religions.
The Holy Qur'an dismisses these pretensions as mere fancy and
self-delusion. It declares that other people too will go to Paradise who
have, in their time, been following the Shari'ah of their own prophet,
and who, now that the Holy Qur'an also has abrogated all the earlier
Divine Books, follow the Islamic Shari'ah. Verse 112 lays down the
general principle in this respect, which is accepted by the followers of
all the Divine Books. The essence of religion, whether it be Islam or
Christianity or Judaism, lies in two things. (1) One should obey Allah
in one's belief as well as in one's actions. (2) This obedience should not
arise from expediency, but one should surrender oneself to divine
commandments in all sincerity. Moreover, it is not enough to be
worthy of Paradise merely to have a sincere intention to obey Allah,
and then to invent, according to one's own fancy, the modes and forms
of obedience, for it is absolutely essential that the forms of worship
and the modes of obedience should be no other than those which Allah
Himself has appointed through the agency of His prophets -- it goes
without saying that since the revelation of the Holy Qur'an this can
only mean accepting and following the Islamic Shari'ah. We may add
that in connection with the first of these two principles, the Holy
Qur'an employs the Arabic word ) : Aslama which signifies total
submission to Allah, and in connection with the second word Muhsin,
which signifies 3 22 "", : "one who performs good deeds" according to
the Shari'ah.
The differences between the Jews and the Christians
In so far as these verses deal with the claims of the Jews and the
Christians, the point of the argument is this :- Having laid down the
two principles the acceptance of which makes one worthy of Paradise,
the Holy Qur'an suggests that they should now try to find out who is
really acting upon them. Obviously, one who keeps following an in-

292
Surah Al-Baqarah 2 : 114 - 115
junction even after it has been abrogated cannot be described as obedi-
ent, and hence the Jews and the Christians no longer deserve this ti-
tle. After the abrogation of an injunction, obedience consists in acting
upon the new injunction which has replaced the earlier one. This con-
dition is now being fulfilled only by the Muslims who have accepted
the latest and the last Prophet & and his Shari'ah. Hence, they alone
shall now be considered worthy of Paradise. The condition of one's be-
ing sincere in one's obedience excludes the hypocrites too, for the Sha-
ri'ah counts them among the infidels, and thus assigns them to Hell.
Verse 112 also announces the reward of those who act upon these
principles -- on the Day of Judgment, they shall have nothing to fear,
nor shall they grieve, as angels will give them good tidings. As for the
debates among the Jews, the Christians and the associators, Verse 113
declares that Allah will Himself decide the question finally on the Day
of Judgment. In fact, the question has already been settled on the
basis of what Allah has revealed in His Books as well as on the basis
of rational argument; the final decision on the Day of Judgment will be
of the visible kind -- those who follow the Truth will be sent to
Paradise, while those who go after falsehood will be cast down in Hell.
These verses provide a warning to the Muslims as well, lest they
too should delude themselves like the Jews and the Christians, and
suppose that merely because they belong to the social community of
Muslims and can, as such, claim to be Muslims, whereby they can dis-
pense with the need to obey Allah and to follow the Shari'ah, and yet
receive the rewards Allah has promised to give to true Muslims. Even
Muslims have no right to hope for these rewards until and unless they
submit themselves totally, in thought and deed both, to the command-
ments of Allah and His Prophet .
Verses 114 - 115
وَمَنْ أَظْلَمُ مِمَنُ مَّنَعَ مَسجِدَ اللهِ أَنْ تُذْكَرَ فِيْهَا اسْمُهُ وَ
سَعلى فِىْ خَّرَابِهَادُولَتِكَ مَا كَانَ لَهُمْ أَنْ يَّدُخْلُوُهَا إِلَّخَانِفِيْنَهُ
لَهُمْ فِى الدُّنْيَا خِزْبٌ وَّلَهُمْ فِى الْآخِرَةِ عَذَابٌ عَظِيمٌ ) وَلِلْهِ

293
Surah Al-Baqarah 2 : 114 - 115
الْمُشْرِقُ وَالْمَغْرِبُ فَيْنَمَا بُولُوا فَمَّ وَجُهُ اللَّهِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ وَاسِعٌ
عَلِيمُ )
And who is more cruel than the one who prevents the
mosques of Allah from His name being recited therein,
and strives for their destruction? It was not for such
men to enter them except in awe. For them there is
disgrace in this world, and for them, in the other
world, there is a mighty punishment. To Allah belongs
the East and the West. So, whichever way you turn,
there is the Face of Allah. Indeed, Allah is all-
Embracing, all-Knowing. (Verses 114 - 115)
In order to understand these two verses, one should keep in mind
three different incidents connected with the three groups hostile to
Islam, all of which were, in one way or another, guilty of preventing
people from worshipping Allah in mosques and of laying them waste.
(1) When Allah changed the Qiblah -- that is to say, commanded
the Muslims to turn towards the Ka'bah in their Salah, and not
towards the Baytul-Maqdis -- , the Jews raised all kinds of objections to
it, and tried to produce in the minds of the Muslims doubts and
misgiving which, had they taken root, would have led to the denial of
the Holy Prophet and to the giving up of prescribed Salah, thus
laying waste the mosque of the Holy Prophet .
(2) The Romans had once invaded Jerusalem, and the ignorant
among them had polluted the Baytul-Maqdis, which naturally
prevented people from performing Salah in this mosque. The
Christians in a way looked upon the Romans as their ancestors;
moreover, the humiliation of the Jews was in itself pleasing to them.
Thus, in refusing to condemn this misdeed of the Romans, the
Christians too were being indirectly responsible for laying waste the
mosque.
(3) At the time of the peace of Hudaybiyyah, the mushrikin
(associators) did not allow the Holy Prophet & to enter Makkah and to
perform the Hajj. So, this group too was guilty of the same sin.
According to the blessed Companion 'Abdullah ibn 'Abbas, Verse
114 refers to the second of these three incidents -- the commentator

294
Surah Al-Baqarah 2 : 114 - 115
Ibn Jarir too accepts this view. But the commentator Ibn Kathir
follows Ibn Zayd in preferring the third as being the occasion on which
this verse was revealed. The Holy Qur'an, however, speaks in general
terms of "the mosques of Allah" so as to lay down a regular and
permanent law, for all the peoples, covering all the possible cases of
desecrating mosques and of hindering the "remembrance" ( Ss) of Allah
in any way and thus laying them waste -- it denounces those who are
capable of such a misdeed as being "unjust" or "cruel", and threatens
them with humiliation in this world and dire punishment in the other,
for the dignity of a mosque requires that one should enter it in a spirit
of lowliness and respect, and with the fear of Allah in one's heart.
The prediction of the Holy Qur'an came true. The groups which
had been trying to lay waste the mosques were soon humiliated, and
came under the Muslim rule. They are, of course, to meet a dire
punishment in the other world for being disbelievers, but the
punishment will be all the more severe on account of this additional
sin.
The earlier verses have told us how each of these groups claimed to
be on the right path. The present verse, in referring to their desecra-
tion of mosques, refutes this claim as being a shameless pretension on
the part of those whose behaviour itself gives them the lie.
As for Verse 115, let us recall that the idolaters compelled the Holy
Prophet @ to migrate from Makkah to Madinah, and thus separated
him from the Ka'bah (the incident is, of course, known as the Hijrah).
For some sixteen or seventeen months after that, the Muslims had to,
under the commandment of Allah, turn towards the Baytul-Maqdis (at
Jerusalem) while offering Salah. But the Holy Prophet & felt a deep
longing for turning towards the Ka'bah, and from time to time he
would look upwards, waiting for the Archangel Jibra'il to come with a
new commandment in this respect. Finally, such a commandment did
come, and Allah changed the orientation (Qiblah). Speaking of this
modification, the Holy Qur'an says:
قَدْتَرَى تَقَتُّبَ وَجْهِكَ فِى السَّمَاءِ فَلْنُوَلْتَّكَ قِْلَةً تَرْضُهَا ،فَوَلٍ وَجْهَكَ
شَطْرَالمُسْجِدِ الْخَرَامِ وَحَيْثُ مَاكُنْتُمْ فَوَلَّوْا وُجُوْهَكُمْ شَطْرَةَ «
We do see how you raise your face again and again towards

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Surah Al-Baqarah 2 : 114 - 115
the sky. So, We are going to give you the orientation which
you desire. Therefore, turn your face towards the Holy
Mosque at Makkah, and all of you too, wheresoever you may
be, turn towards it." (2:144)
This new commandment naturally made the Muslims very happy,
but the Jews, in their habitual malice, made it an occasion for
taunting them and accusing them of going against the way of the
earlier prophets.
Thus, there are two facets to Verse 115. On the one hand, it is an
answer to the objection raised by the Jews; on the other hand, it brings
comfort to the Holy Prophet , and to the blessed Companions. The
verse points out that had Allah been limited to any one direction, a
fixed and permanent orientation would have been necessary for
worshipping Him, but that, being infinite and beyond all possible
limitations and qualifications, He is the Lord of the East and the West
and of all conceivable directions -- He is everywhere, and surrounds
everything. Wheresoever a man turns, he shall find Allah "facing" him
-- that is to say, ready to accept his prayers and to shower His bounties
on him. Consequently, neither does the Baitul-Maqdis nor the Ka'bah
enjoy an inherent or inalienable superiority; either of them can
acquire a position of privilege only through divine ordination. All that
matters is to obey the commandment of Allah, which alone can make
one worthy of receiving His grace. In order to win His pleasure, one
has to orient oneself according to what He Himself has determined. If,
in spite of being infinite and free from all limitations, Allah has yet
fixed a particular orientation, it is because He is Omniscient, and
knows what is the best in a certain situation and for a certain people.
Although it is not possible for man to comprehend fully the wisdom
which is inherently present in each and every divine commandment,
yet the fixing of a definite orientation for Salah has a very obvious
raison d'etre. Whichever way one turns, one would, no doubt, find
Allah "facing" him; but if one has to choose a direction every time one
starts to pray, it would only mean a dispersion of one's attention. And
when several men are offering their prayers jointly it would really be
odd if each one of them adopts a different orientation. So, a fixed
orientation for all helps the individual and the groups both in

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acquiring the necessary concentration of mind and the sense of a joint
purpose.
This explanation satisfactorily dispels the objection often raised by
certain antagonists who accuse the Muslims of being "the worshippers
of the Ka'bah." If, by way of self-justification, they should still assert
that they too keep the idols in front of them while meditating or
worshipping for the same purpose of attaining a state of concentration,
the claim does in no way reinforce their accusation against the
Muslims. Moreover, an impartial investigation into the respective
attitudes and frames of minds would easily show how genuine the
Muslims are in their claim to be worshipping no one but Allah, and
how dubious the position of the others is in this respect. Even if we
accept the claim that idols or icons are no more than a means to an
end, one would, in employing idols as a "support", still be required to
produce a relevant injunction from a Shari'ah which has not been
abrogated as yet. Today, the Muslims alone possess such a Shari'ah.
Before we proceed, we must sound a note of caution. Verse 115
says that whichever way one turns, one would find "the face of Allah",
and that Allah being "All-Embracing" surrounds everything. Wisdom
lies in not trying to investigate unnecessarily into the meanings of
these or similar statements. For, just as it is not at all possible for a
creature to comprehend fully the "Being" (Dhat) of Allah, it is equally
impossible to comprehend the essential reality of the "Attributes"
(Sifat). All that man is required to do is to have a general faith in the
Realities of the Divine Order - there is no obligation for him to look
into the particularities of this sphere which is totally beyond human
reach.
Injunctions and related considerations
Verse 114 lays down, or helps us to infer, some very important
injunctions :-
(1) All the mosques in the world are equally worthy of respect.
Just as it is a great sin to desecrate in any way the Baytul-Maqdis, or
the mosque attached to the Ka'bah (Al-Masjid al-Haram) or the
mosque of the Holy Prophet , the same prohibition holds good with
regard to all other mosques. These three mosques, no doubt, enjoy a

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superior position, and special respect is to be paid to them. The reward
for offering prayers once in Al-Masjid al-Haram is equal to that of
praying a hundred thousand times elsewhere; the reward for praying
in the mosque of the Holy Prophet and in the Baytul-Maqdis
equals that of praying fifty thousand times. To make a long journey
for the purpose of praying in any one of these three mosques is a
meritorious act which makes one worthy of receiving a special
barakah. On the other hand, the Holy Prophet & has forbidden it that
one should make a long journey in order to offer one's prayers in a
mosque other than these three, believing it to be a meritorious act.
The sanctity of the Mosque
(2) It is forbidden to prevent people, in any form or manner
possible, from offering their prayers or "remembering" Allah in a
mosque. An obvious form of such interference is not to allow someone
to enter a mosque or to offer his prayers or to read the Holy Qur'an
there. A less explicit form is to produce some kind of a noise in the
mosque itself or play music nearby, and thus to disturb people in their
prayers or in their "remembrance" (Ss) of Allah. Similarly, if one
starts reciting the Holy Qur'an or "remembering" Allah loudly so as to
disturb the people who are offering supererogatory prayers (Nawafil)
or themselves reading the Holy Qur'an or silently "remembering"
Allah (Dhikr), one is being guilty of the same sin. Therefore, the
Fuqaha' (masters of Islamic jurisprudence) have forbidden this
practice. But, if people are not present in the mosque, one may recite
the Holy Qur'an or make "dhikr" in a loud voice. On the basis of this
principle we can also see that it is forbidden to beg or to collect
donations even for a religious purpose while people are engaged in
their prayers or in "dhikr."
(3) All the possible forms of laying waste a mosque are forbidden.
This includes not only demolishing and destroying a mosque, but also
producing conditions which result in a mosque being laid waste or
deserted. For, laying waste a mosque implies that few, or only a few
people should come there for offering their prayers. A mosque can be
said to be flourishing, not on the score of the beauty of its architecture
or of its ornamentation, but only when it is full of men who come to
pray and to "remember" Allah. Says the Holy Qur'an:

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Surah Al-Baqarah 2 : 114 - 115
إَِّ يَعْمُرُ مَسِجِدَ اللهِ مَنْ أَمَنَ بِاللهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الآخِرِ وَأَقَامَ الصَّلْوَةَ وَاثْنَى الَّكُوَةَ
وَلَمْ يَخْشَ إِلَّ اللهَ
Only those do populate the mosques of Allah who believe in
Allah and in the Day of Judgment, who are steadfast in Salah
and pay the Zakah, and do not fear anyone but Allah" (9:18).
So, the Holy Prophet has foretold that when the Day of
Judgment comes close, the mosques of the Muslims would be
beautifully designed and decorated and be apparently full of people,
but they would in reality be deserted, for a few people would go there
for the purpose of offering their prayers. We are also reminded of
what the fourth Khalifah and the blessed Companion 'Ali ce Algo, has
said. There are, according to him, six deeds which behove a man --
three of them pertain to the state when one is living at home, and the
other three to the state when one is on a journey. The first three are --
to read the Holy Qur'an, to populate the mosques, and to bring
together a number of friends who wish to serve Allah and His faith.
The other three are -- to spend out of what one has over one's needy
companions of the way, to be polite to everyone, and to be cheerful
with one's co-travellers so long as one does not go beyond the limits
allowed by the Shari'ah. What he means by "populating" the mosques
is that one should enter them in a spirit of humility and with the fear
of Allah in one's heart, and then engage oneself in prayers or in
reciting the Holy Qur'an or in making "dhikr." In opposition to this,
the laying waste of mosques would mean that few, or only a few people
should offer their prayers in them, or that a set of circumstances is
allowed to develop which makes it difficult for those who are present
to acquire the proper attitude of humility.
If Verse 114 was revealed on the occasion of the Peace of
Hudaybiyyah when the mushrikin (associators) of Makkah had
prevented the Muslims from entering Al-Masjid al-Haram, then it is
quite obvious that laying waste a mosque does not merely mean
demolishing it, but also that it is not being allowed to be used for the
purpose for which it was built -- that is, for Salah and for the Dhikr
(remembrance) of Allah.
As for Verse 115, we have already pointed out that Allah not being

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Surah Al-Baqarah 2 : 114 - 115
limited to any particular direction or place, the Muslims do not, in
turning towards the Ka'bah, at all mean to worship it, but that this
particular orientation has been fixed on account of certain other
considerations. We have also noted that for sixteen or seventeen
months after the Hijrah, the Holy Prophet and the blessed
Companions were made to turn towards the Baytul-Maqdis in their
prayers under divine commandment. This was, so to say, a practical
demonstration of the truth that one can find Allah in every direction,
and that Allah's attention encompasses all possible directions and
dimensions simultaneously. A further and permanent demonstration
of the same truth is provided by the injunction with regard to
supererogatory prayers (Nawafil). That is to say, if one wishes to offer
such prayers while travelling on a horse or a camel etc., it is not
necessary for him even to turn towards the Qiblah, for he is allowed to
keep his face towards the direction in which his horse is moving, and
to offer his supererogatory prayers through the gestures of his head
and arms. In fact, according to certain commentators, Verse 115 lays
down just this rule with regard to supererogatory prayers. But one
must bear in mind that this injunction applies only to that form of
travel which involves animals like a horse or a camel that makes it
difficult for one to turn towards the Qiblah. But in other forms of
travel (e.g., in a train or a ship or an aeroplane) where it is not difficult
to turn towards the Qiblah, one has to adopt the proper orientation
even in offering supererogatory prayers. However, should the train or
the aeroplane change its direction while one is still praying and there
is no room for readjusting one's orientation accordingly, one can go on
and finish the prayers in the same state.
Similarly, if one does not know the direction of the Qiblah, nor can
correctly determine it on account of the darkness of the night or for
some other valid reason, nor can find someone to provide correct
information, the same rule would apply in this case too. In such a
situation, one is allowed to follow one's conjecture, and to turn in the
direction which seems to be the most likely. The direction one chooses
would serve as the Qiblah. If, having finished one's prayers, one
discovers that the choice of this particular direction was wrong, even
then one's prayers would remain acceptable, and one would not have
to repeat them.

300
Surah Al-Baqarah 2 : 116 - 117
Verses 116 - 117
وَقَالُوا اتَّخَذَ اللّهُ وَلَدًا سُبْحْتَهَّ ◌َلُ لَّهَ مَا فِى السَّمُوْتِ وَ
اْأَرْضِ،كُلٌّ لَّهْ قِنْتُوْنَ ا بَدِيْعُ السَّمُوتِ وَالْأَرْضُِ وَإِذَا قَضْىَ
آَمْرًّاً فَإِنَّمَا يَقُوْلُ لَهُ كُنُ فَيَكُوْنُ 0
And they say: "Allah has got a son." Pure is He. Instead,
to Him belongs all that there is in the heavens and the
earth. All stand obedient to Him. Originator of the
heavens and the earth, when He decides a matter, to it
He simply says: "Be", and it comes to be. (Verses 116 -
117)
As the Holy Qur'an reports in some other verses, some of the Jews
called the Prophet Uzayr (Ezra WILLe ) the son of God, as did the
Christians in the case of Sayyidna 'Isa (Jesus WILLe ) and most of
them still do, while the mushrikin of Makkah considered the angels to
be the daughters of God. These two verses show the absurdity of such
assertions. For, even on rational grounds, it is totally impossible that
God should have offspring. Were it at all possible, the situation would
necessarily involve either of the two alternative characteristics -- the
offspring would belong either to the same genus as the father does, or
to a different genus. If it belongs to a different genus, that obviously is
a defect, while God should in order to be God, be free of all defects -- as
reason itself requires, and as Verse 116 affirms. If the offspring
belongs to the same genus, that too is a contradiction in terms, for God
has no equal and no existent can belong to the same genus as He does.
Let us explain what we mean. God alone is the Necessary Being
(Al-Dhat al-Wajib), and hence necessarily carries within Himself the
Attributes of Perfection which are peculiar to Him alone and which
cannot exist in any one other than God. Now, if we deny a necessary
attribute to a certain being, we automatically deny the existence of
that being. So, no one other than God can be a necessary being.
Insofar as "necessity" is in itself the essence of the Ultimate Reality, or
an inalienable quality of the Ultimate Reality, any one other than God
cannot share the Reality with Him. Hence, it would be a plain and
simple contradiction in terms of claim that any one other than God can
belong to the same genus.

301
Surah Al-Baqarah 2 : 116 - 117
Having refuted the false claims of the Jews, the Christians and the
mushrikin, the two verses proceed to demonstrate how and why the
Attributes of Perfection are peculiar to Allah Himself and Him alone.
Firstly, all that exists in heaven or earth belongs to Allah. Secondly,
everything is also subservient to Him -- in the sense that no one can
interfere with His omnipotence (for example, with His power to create
and to destroy), even if some men may be lax in obeying the
injunctions of the Shari'ah. Thirdly, He is the Creator and the
Inventor of the skies and of the earth. Fourthly, His power of creation
is so mighty that when He wishes to do something (for example,
wishes to create something), He does not need any instruments or
helpers -- all that He does is to say, "Be", and the thing becomes what
He wishes it to be. These four qualities are not to be found in anyone
other than Allah. In fact, even those who attributed offspring to Him,
believed in this truth. Thus, their claims to the contrary stand finally
refuted.
The two verses give rise to certain other important considerations.
(1) If Allah has chosen to assign certain tasks to certain angels (for
example, sending down rain or bringing to the creatures their
nourishment), or has chosen to employ causes, materials or physical
forces in order to produce certain effects, He has done so in His
wisdom. So, it is neither permissible nor proper that men should look
upon these angels or causes or physical forces as being effective agents
in themselves, and turn to them for help in their need.
(2) The commentator al-Baydawi has remarked that, Allah being
the First Cause of the things, the earlier Shari'ahs had allowed the use
of the title "Father" for Him, but that the ignorant misunderstood and
distorted the sense of "Fatherhood" so badly that to entertain such a
belief or to apply this title to Allah has now been declared to be an act
of infidelity (Kufr). As this practice can lead to all kinds of doctrinal
disorders, it is no longer permissible to employ this particular word or
a similar expression with reference to Allah. 31
31. As for creation taking place through the Divine Command, "Be", we
would like to add a note, following the example of Maulana Ashraf 'Ali
Thanavi in his "Bayan al-Qur'an", for the benefit of those who happen
to be interested in Western philosophy, or in Christian theology, or,
worst of all, in the writings of the Orientalists and their translations of
Sufi texts. Let us begin by saying that it is a mystery -- and we are
Continued

302
Surah Al-Baqarah 2 :118
-
Verse 118
وَقَالَ الَّذِيْنَ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ لَوْلَا يُكَلِّمُنَا الَّهُ أَوْنَاْتِيْنَا أَيَّةً كَذَلِكَ
قَالَ الَّذِيْنَ مِنْ قَبْلِهِمْ ◌ِتُلَ قَوُلِهِمْ ،َتَشَّابَهَتَّ قُلُوبُهُمْ قَدْبَّنَا
الْأَيْتِ لِقَوْمٍ يُوقِنُوْنَ 0
And say those who do not know: "Why is it that Allah
does not speak to us, nor does a sign come to us?" So
spoke those before them as these men do. Their hearts
resemble each other. We have indeed made the signs
clear for people who have certitude. (Verse 118)
The Jews, the Christians and the mushrikin used to deny the
prophethood of Sayyidna Muhammad @ and some of them did so out
of sheer malevolence. In order to feel triumphant in this obstinacy,
they would make absurd and impossible demands, two of which have
Continued
using the word "mystery", not in the debased and the modern sense, but
in the original meaning of the term which implies that certain realities
are altogether beyond the reach of human understanding, and that
certain other realities cannot and must not, even when partially or
wholly understood, be given out to those who have no aptitude for
receiving them, and that with regard to them it is advisable "to keep
one's lips closed." In these matters, when and what one chooses to
reveal is ultimately not the question of liberalism or democratism or
egalitarianism, but that of "spiritual etiquette." Having repeated the
warning given by Maulana Thanavi himself, we shall do no more than
explaining what "Bayan al-Qur'an" says on the subject.
Regarding this particular mystery, there is a difference of approach
between the two groups of the Mutakallimin (the masters of al-'Ilm
al-Kalam or dialectical theology). According to the Asha'ri group, "Be,
and it comes to be"( 3 53' :Kun fa Yakun) is a metaphorical or
allegorical expression. That is to say, the phrase does not signify that
Allah actually addressed an existent and commanded it "to be", but it is
an allegorical illustration of His omnipotence, suggesting that there is
no interval between an act of will on His part and its realization. The
commentator al-Baydawi has adopted this view. But, according to the
Maturidi group, the phrase literally means what it says. This approach
to the subject, however, produces a difficult problem. A command is
given only to an existent. If a thing does not exist at all, how can Allah
address it? On the other hand, if a thing does already exist, it is
superfluous to command it "to be." The problem can easily be resolved if
we keep two considerations in mind. Firstly, this command does not
Continued

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Surah Al-Baqarah 2 :118
been mentioned here. To begin with, they insisted that Allah Himself
should speak to them, either directly as He speaks to the angels, or
through the angels as He speaks to the prophets, and that He should
Himself proclaim his injunctions to them so as to make the
intervention of a new prophet unnecessary, or should at least
announce that He had sent Sayyidna Muhammad @ as a prophet,
thus making it easy for them to have faith in him and to follow his
guidance. Should Allah choose not to accept this demand, they were
ready with another -- that is, Allah should send them a sign or proof in
confirmation of his prophethood.
Continued
belong to the order of Tashri': ( ___ : legislation) which requires the
addressee to exist in actual fact and to possess understanding; it
belongs to the order of Takwin :( & : creation) which is concerned with
giving existence to non-existents.
This explanation, in its turn, brings us into the thick of a controversy
that has muddled a great deal of Western philosophy and theology. We
refer to the question of "creation arising out of nothingness" (Ex Nihilo),
and the second of our two considerations will clarify it. It is usual
enough to place "existence" (%) : Wujud) in opposition to "nothingness or
non-existence" („_ : 'Adam). But it has also been said that non-existence
does not exist. For, Allah is omniscient, and Divine Knowledge
comprehends everything that has been, or is, or will be, so that what
does not yet exist according to our reckoning, does already exist in
Divine Knowledge. To use a different expression, everything past,
present or future has its "pure" and "subtle" counterpart in Divine
Knowledge. If Western terminology should be more easily
comprehensible to some of our readers, we can call these Prototypes,
Numbers, or Essences, or Ideas or Archetypes, but each time we will
have to give a more refined and a higher signification to these terms
than Pythagoras or Plato ever did. The Sufis, however, call them
"Al-A'yan al-Thabitah." With the help of this explanation we can see
that when Allah wishes to create a thing, He commands its Essence,
which already exists in His Knowledge, "to be", and it "comes to be" --
that is to say, comes to be actualised in the world. Thus, "creation" does
not arise out of "nothingness." Before a thing comes to exist as an
"actuality" in the world, it already exists as a "potentiality" in Divine
Knowledge. It is this "potentiality" to which the Divine Command "Be"
is addressed. Hence, it is equally true to say that Essences do not exist,
and to say that Essences do exist. The first statement pertains to the
knowledge of the creatures, and the second to the Divine Knowledge.
At the end, we shall again insist that no good can come out of
unnecessarily meddling with such delicate questions, specially if the
purpose is no more than to seek a new sensation.