Indexed OCR Text

704
Surah Al-Baqarah 2 : 275 - 281
Baytul-Mal is established under its aegis, and in which is deposited
the zakah of amwal zahirah of all Muslims, then this Baytul-Mal can
take care of the need of everyone needy. Should a situation call for a
larger loan, this can be given without interest. Similarly, the
unemployed can be inducted into the work force by arranging to have
them run small shops and stores or by engaging them into a unit of
industry. True was the remark made by some European expert who
said that Muslims, if they strictly followed the system of zakah they
have, will soon find that there is nobody poor and distressed in their
community.
In short, just because practices of interest have spread out these
days like some epidemic, it is incorrect to take for granted that
abandonment of interest-based business would amount to economic
suicide, and therefore, modern man is helpless when involved with
interest-based dealings in business.
This much is, however, conceded that such an abandonment is
surely difficult for one or many individuals unless a whole nation, or a
determined major party, or an Islamic government itself resolves to
accomplish this objective with full and consistent attention. But this
phenomena cannot be taken as an excuse for justifying riba in
principle.
What has been said here has two aims:
1. Muslim groups and governments who can accomplish this task
correctly should focus their attention in this direction to free Muslims,
rather the whole world, from the accursed effects of interest.
2. At least, all of us should start knowing what is right and correct
in this respect. The disease should be recognized as a disease. Taking
or giving interest is a sin but taking the haram to be halal is a much
greater sin. At the least, this could be avoided. The practical sin does
have some sort of outward benefit but this second sin against
knowledge and belief, that effort be made to prove interest as halal, is
greater than the first one. It is absurd and wateful as well because
there is hardly any financial loss in regarding interest as haram and
confessing any involvement with it as sin. Doing so will close no
business down. But the confession of a crime does become fruitful

705
Surah Al-Baqarah 2 :275 - 281
when one gets the tawfiq (God-given ability) to repent at some time
when one could think of ways to avoid it.
In the end, I present some ahadith of the Holy Prophet & to
further strengthen the statement of above-mentioned aims. These
re-assert the same Qur'anic verses where riba has been strongly
prohibited and where warnings of severe punishment have been given
to those involved in it. The purpose is to bring about, at least, a sense
of awakening - the realization that a sin is a sin, and the concern that
something should be done to abstain from it. Perhaps, the minimum
change that can come out of this is not to make two sins out of one by
treating the haram as halal. Thus we shall be saved from seeing even
highly righteous and observing Muslims who would spend nights in
tahajjud (pre-dawn nafl salah) and dhikr of Allah (remembrance of
Allah), yet when they reach their store or factory in the morning, they
would not even think that, by indulging in dealings of interest and
gambling, they are committing some sin!
Sayings Of The Holy Prophet
About Riba or Interest:
عن النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم قال: اجتنبوا السبع المبقات ، قالوا: يا
رسول اللّه! والسحر، وقتل النفس التي حرم الله إلا بلحق، وأكل الربوا
، وأكل مال اليتيم والتولى يوم الزحف ، وقذف المحصنات الغافلات .
(رواه البخارى ومسلم وابوداؤد والنسانى)
"Abstain from the seven disasters." The people asked him:
"What are they, O Messenger of Allah?" He replied: "To as-
cribe partners to Allah, to practice sorcery, to unjustly kill one
whom Allah has declared inviolable, to take riba (interest or
usury), to exploit the property of an orphan, to escape at the
time of war and to slander the chaste women who are believ-
ers, unwary."
قال النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم: رءيت الليلة رجلين أتيانى، فأخرجانى
إلى ارض مقدسة فانطلقنا حتى أتينا على نهر من دم فيه رجل قائم وعلى
شط النهر رجل بين يديه حجارة ، فأقبل الرجل الذى فى النهر ، فإذا أراد
أن يخرج رمى الرجل بحجر فى فيه، فرده، حيث كان، فجعل كلما جاء

706
Surah Al-Baqarah 2 : 275 - 281
ليخرج رمى فى فيه بحجر، فيرجع كما كان، فقلت: ماهذا الذى رأيته فى
النهر؟ قال أكل الربا، (رواه البخارى، هذا فى البيوع مختصرا)
This night I saw two men who came to me and brought me to
a sacred land. We walked until we reached a river of blood,
wherein a man was standing, and another man was standing
on the bank of the river with some stones before him. Then
the man who was standing in the river came forward, and
when he intended to come out of the river, the other man
threw a stone at his mouth, and turned him back to the place
where he was earlier - thus he began to do the same with him
whenever he tried to come out of the river by throwing a stone
at him and turning him back. I asked him, "What is that
which I have just seen going on?" He replied, "He is the one
who used to take riba (interest or usury).
لعن رسول الله صلی الله عليه وسلم اكل الربا ومو كله وكاتبه ، وشاهديه
، وقال: هم سواء (رواه مسلم وغيره)
The Messenger of Allah cursed the one who accepts riba
(interest or usury), the one who pays it, the one who writes it
and the persons who gives witness to it, and said, "They are
all alike."
عن النبى صلى اللّه عليه وسلم قال: أربع حق على الله أن لايد خلهم الجنة
ولا يذيقهم نعيمها: مدمن الخمر، وأكل الربا، وأكل مال اليتيم بغير حق،
والعاق لوالديه (رواه الحاكم)
There are four kinds of people about whom Allah has decided
not to admit them to Paradise and not to let them taste its
bliss: The one who is addicted to wine, the one who takes the
riba, the one who exploits the property of an orphan and the
man who is disobedient to his parents.
عن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم قال: الدرهم يصيبه الرجل من الربا
أعظم عندالله من ثلاثة وثلثين زنية يزنيها فى الإسلام (رواه الطبرانى)
A dirham a man receives as riba (interest or usury) is, in the
sight of Allah, more serious than thirty three acts of fornica-
tion or adultery in Islam.
عن ابن عباس رضى الله عنهما قال: نهى رسول اللّه صلى الله عليه وسلم

707
Surah Al-Baqarah 2 : 275 - 281
أن تشترى الثمرة حتى تطعم وقال: إذا ظهرا لزنا والربا فى قرية فقد
أحلوا بأنفسهم عذاب اللّه (رواه الحاكم)
The Holy Prophet has forbidden the fruits to be sold or pur-
chased before they are eatable, and said, "When zina
(adultery) and riba (usury or interest) become rampant in the
people of a town they themselves invite the punishment of Al-
lah.
ما من قوم يظهر فيهم الربا إلا أخذوا بالسنة، وما من قوم يظهر فيهم
الرشا الا أخذوا بالرعب (رواه أحمد)
The society in which riba becomes rampant is punished with
famine, and the society where bribe is rampant is punished
with horror (of others).
قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم: رأيت ليلة أسرى بى لما انتهينا إلى
السماء السابعة فنظرت فوقى، فإذا أنا برعد وبروق وصواعق، قال فأتيت
على قوم بطونهم كالبيوت فيها الحيات ترى من خارج بطونهم، قلت: يا
جبرئيل! من هؤلاء؟ قال هؤلاء أكلة الربا (رواه احمد)
On the night (of Ascension: Mi'raj) when we reached the sev-
enth sky, I looked upwards and saw thunder, lightnings and
thunder-claps. Then I came accross some people whose stom-
achs seemed to be houses full of snakes - one could see them
from the the outside of their stomachs. I asked Jibra'il: "Who
are they?" He replied: "They are those who used to take riba
(interest or usury). "
وروى عن عوف بن مالك رضى الله عنه قال: قال رسول اللّه صلى اللّه
عليه وسلم إياك والذ نوب التى لاتغفر، الغلول، فمن غل شيئا أتى به يوم
القيامة وأكل الربا (الحديث)
Abstain from sins which are not forgiven: Embezzling of the
spoils, for whoever embezzles anything will come with it on
the Day of Judgment, and the other sin is riba.
عن أنس رضى الله عنه عن النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم قال: إذا أقرض
الرجل الرجل فلا يأخذ هدية (مشكوة)
When a man gives a loan to a person he must not accept a gift
(presented by the debtor).

708
Surah Al-Baqarah 2 : 282 - 283
To sum up, presented here were seven verses of the Holy Qur'an
and ten sayings from the ahadith of the noble Prophet which
concern the definition of riba, and its nature, and point out to the
disasters it brings in the world. This much is enough for a thinking
and feeling Muslim. For those interested in a more comprehensive
research on the subject and a more detailed discussion on the
remaining aspects may see Mas'ala-i-sud, a separate book in Urdu on
the problem of interest published by this humble writer.
Verse 282 - 283
يَتُّهَا الَّذِيْنَ امَنُوا إِذَا تَذَايَنْتُمْ بِدَتِنٍ إِلى اَجَلٍ تَُتَّى
فَاكْتُبُوْهُ «وَلْيَكْتُبُ بَيْنَكُمْ كَاتِبٌ بِالْعَدْلِ ، وَلَا يَأْبٌ كَاتِبُ أَنْ
يَكْتُبَ كَمَا عَلَّمَهُ اللّهُ فَلْيَكْتُبْ وَلْيُمْلِلِ الَّذِىْ عِلَيْهِ الْحَقِّ
وَلْيَتَّقِ اللّهَ رَبَّهُ وَلَا يَبُخَسْ مِنْهُ شَيْئًا(فَإِنْ كَانَ الَّذِىُ عَلَيْهِ
الْحُقُّ سَفِيْهَا أَوْضَعِيْفًا أَوْلَا يَسْتَطِيعُ أَنْ تُمِلَّ هُوَ فَلْيُمْلِلُ
وَلِيُّهُ بِالْعَدُلِ وَاسْتَشْهِدُوْا شَهِيْدَيْنِ مِنْ رِّجَالِكُمْ فَإِنْ لَّمْ
يَكُوْنَا رَجُلَيْنِ فَرَجُلٌّ وَامْرَأَ ثْنِ مَنْ تَرْضَوْنَ مِنَ الشُّهَدَاءِ أَنْ
تَضِلَّ ◌ِحْدَهُمَا فَتُذَكّرَ إِحُدُهُمَا الْأُخْرِىِّ وَلَا يَأْبَ الشُّهَدَاءُ إِذَا
مَادُعُوْادَوَلَا تَسْتَهْوَآ أَنْ تَكْتُبُوُهُ صَغِيْرًا أَوْ كَبِيْرًا إِلَى أَجَلِهِ*
ذُلِكُمْ أَقْسُطُ عِنْدَاللَّهِ وَأَقُوَمُ لِلشَّهَادَةِ وَأَدُنْىَ الَتَرْتَابُوْآَ إِلَّ
أَنْ تَكُونَ تِجَارَةً حَاضِرَةً تُدِيْرُوْنَهَا بَيْنَكُمُ فَلَيْسَ عَلَيْكُمْ جُنَاحٌ
آلَّ تَكْتُبُوْهَا وَاشْهِدُوًا إِذَا تَبَايَعُهُمْ وَلَا بُضَارَّ كَاتِبٌ وَلَا شَهِيْ،
وَإِنْ تَفْعَلُوا فَإِنَّهَ فُشُوْقٌ بِكُمْ وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَيُعَلِّمُكُمْ اللَّهُ وَاللّهُ
بِكُلِّ شَىْءٍ عَلِيْمْ () وَإِنْ كُنْتُمْ عَلَى سَفَرٍ وَلَمُ تَجِدُوا كَاتِبًا
فَرِهِنٌ تَقُبُوُضَةُ فَإِنْ أَمِنَ بَعْضُكُمْ بَعْضًا فَلْهُؤَِّ الَّذِى اؤْتُمِنَ
آَمَانَتَهْ وَلْيَتَّقِ اللهَ رَبَّهُ وَلَا تَكْبُهُوًا الشَّهَادَةَ، وَمَنْ يَّكْتُمُهَا
فَإِنَّهَ أَثِمَّ قَلْبُهُ وَاللّهُ بِمَا تَعْمَلُوْنَ عَلِيُمْ )
O those who believe, when you transact a debt payable

709
Surah Al-Baqarah 2 : 282 - 283
at a specified time, put it in writing. And let a scribe
write it between you with fairness. And no scribe
should refuse to write as Allah has educated him. He,
therefore, should write. And the one who owes should
give the dictation, but he must fear Allah, his Lord, and
should not curtail anything from it. And if the one who
owes is feeble-minded or weak or cannot himself give
the dictation, his guardian should dictate with
fairness. And have two witnesses from among your
men. And if two men are not there, then one man and
two women from those witnesses you are pleased with,
so that if one of the two women errs the other woman
may remind her. And the witnesses should not refuse
when summoned. And, be not loath to write it down, as
payable at its time, no matter how short or long. That is
more equitable with Allah and more establishing for
the evidence and nearer to that you fall not in doubt,
unless it be a cash deal you carry out among
yourselves. In that case there is no sin on you if you do
not write it. And have witnesses when you transact a
sale. And neither scribe nor witness should be harmed.
And if you do, it is certainly a sin on your part. And
fear Allah. And Allah teaches you. And Allah is
All-Knowing in respect of everything.
And if you are in travel, and find no scribe, then (resort
to) security, taken in possession. However, if one of you
trusts the other, then the one who has been trusted
upon should fulfil his trust, and should fear Allah, his
Lord. And do not conceal the testimony. And whoever
conceals it, his heart is, surely, a sinner. And Allah is
All-Aware of what you do. (Verses 282 - 283)
The Qur'anic injunctions on Loan
An important principle of the Law of Dealings, or the Law of
Contracts in modern legal terminology, has been taken up in the
verses appearing above. Following this, appears a specific principle of
the general rules of evidence.
These are times when writing is the rage. The written word has
taken the place of human speech but think of the days of fourteen
hundred years ago when almost the entire business of the world was
conducted verbally. The principle of writing and retaining documents

710
Surah Al-Baqarah 2 : 282 - 283
did not just exist. It was the Qur'an which first pointed out to its
importance and said:
إِذَا تَدَايَنْتُمُ بِدَيْنِ إِلَّ أَجَلٍ تُسَمَّى فَاكُبُوُْ
When you transact a debt payable at a specified time, put it in writing.
Two principles have been stated here. These are:
1. A written document should be prepared while concluding a
transaction on deferred payment basis, so that it may be availed of in
cases of error or refusal.
2. While making a transaction on deferred payment basis, it is
necessary that the due date of its payment should be determined. It is
not permissible to defer the payment for an indefinite period of time
because this can open the doors of dispute. This is why the Muslim
Jurists have stressed that the time limit so set should not have any
ambiguity at all. It should specify the exact date and month. There
should be nothing vague about it, for instance, the time of the
harvesting of crops cannot be fixed, because the time of harvesting
may vary subject to weather conditions. Since writing was not common
in those days (and even after writing has become so common, the
majority of world population is the same as does not know how to
write), it was possible for the scribe of the agreement to write down
what was not intended, thereby causing undue loss or gain to one or
the other party. Therefore, it was said:
وَلْيَكُتُبُ بَيْنَكُمُ كَاتِبُ بِالْعَدُلِ
And let a scribe write it between you with fairness.
Firstly, the instruction given here requires that the scribe should
not be prejudiced in favour of one of the parties. On the contrary, he
should be impartial so that there remains no scope for doubt or
concern for anyone. Secondly, the scribe was instructed to write justly.
Let him incur no permanent loss on himself by working for the
vanishing gain of others. After that, the attention of the scribe has
been drawn to the fact that Allah Almighty has given him the ability
to write, for which he can show his gratefulness by not refusing to
write.
As to who should initiate the writing of the document, it was said:

711
Surah Al-Baqarah 2 : 282 - 283
وَلْيُمْلِلِ الَّذِى عَلَيْهِ الْحَقُّ
And the one who owes should give the dictation.
For instance, if a person has made a purchase on credit, then he is
the one who should dictate the entries of the document because this
will be a written agreement on his behalf. In order to offset the possi-
bility of any addition or deletion in the written document, it was said:
وَلْيَتَّقِ اللّهَ رَبَّهْ وَلَا يَبْخَسُ مِنْهُ شَيْئًا
But he must fear Allah, his Lord, and should not curtail any-
thing from it.
It some times happens that the person incurring debt is
fickle-minded, or superannuated in age, or a minor, or mute, or the
speaker of a language not known to the scribe. Since such a person
does not have the ability to dictate a document, it was said that, in a
situation like this, his wali or guardian should dictate the written
agreement. The need for a guardian in respect of the insane and the
minor is obvious since all their affairs are handled through a
guardian. The guardian of the mute, or the speaker of the language
unknown to the scribe could also do this, and should he make
somebody his representative, it would still be possible. Here, the word,
'wali' in the Qur'an covers both meanings.
The rules of witnessing
Upto this point the statement was limited to the writing or
dictating of documents in transaction. Later on, it is enlarged by
saying that the writing of the document should not be taken as
sufficient. It should rather have witnesses as well so that, in case
there is a dispute, the appearance of witnesses in the court could help
resolve it. This is why the Muslim jurists, may Allah's mercy be upon
them, have said that simple writing of an agreement is not a
conclusive proof in the sight of Islamic Shari'ah. Unless there is an
oral evidence of witnesses, as approved by the Shari'ah, on the
agreement, no decision could be taken on simple writing. Common
courts of today also follow the same practice when they do not take a
decision unless there is a verbal evidence to prove the document.
The number of witnesses
Now follow some important rules of evidence:

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Surah Al-Baqarah 2 : 282 - 283
1. It is necessary according to Islamic rules of evidence that there
be two men, or one man and two women. One man alone, or only two
women are not sufficient witnesses in common dealings.
The qualifications of witnesses
2. The witnesses should be Muslims. The Qur'anic expression: 3
"65: 'from among your men' points out in this direction.
3. The witnesses should be trustworthy and just whose word could
be relied upon. They should not be sinners and liars. This injunction is
contained in ◌ِمِمِنُ تَرْضَوْنَ مِنَ الشَّهَدَاء :'from those witnesses you are pleased
with.'
Refusing the act of witnessing is a sin
After that, the Holy Qur'an directs the people that they should not
refuse to be witnesses when it is required from them, since evidence is
the way to revive truth and the method to resolved disputes. Even if
there is a trouble in giving evidence, it should to be tolerated, taking it
as a national duty. Following that, emphasis was laid on writing down
the document of deeds. It was said that the agreement, big or small,
should invariably be written down: 'And, be not loath to write it down,
as payable at its time, no matter how short or long.' Of course, if there
is a hand-to-hand transaction, not involving any debt, it could be left
unwritten. However, as a precuationary measure, two witnesses
should be taken to confirm the agreement anyway, just in case there
arises a dispute between the parties concerned. For instance, the seller
may say that the price was not received, or the buyer may charge that
he did not receive everything he bought. Evidence of witnesses will
serve well in deciding this dispute.
Witnesses should not suffer
When the verse began, scribes were instructed not to refuse
writing or testifying agreements. In this case, it was possible that
people would give them more trouble than necessary .. Therefore, it
was said towards the end of the verse:
وَلَا يُضَارَّ كَاتِبْ تَوَلَا شَهِيدٌ
And neither scribe nor witness should be harmed.
It means that, in order to protect one's own rights and benefits, one

713
Surah Al-Baqarah 2 : 282 - 283
should not disturb the rights and benefits of others. Then it was said:
" SiSE PHE 3: 'And if you do, it is certainly a sin on your part.'
This tells us that causing harm to the scribe or the witness is
prohibited. For this reason, the Muslim jurists have said that the
scribe who demands his wages while writing, or the witness who
claims his legitimate two-way conveyance allowance, are entitled to
get it as a matter of their right. Not paying these dues is included
under the scope of harming them, and is, therefore, impermissible. No
doubt, under its system of justice, Islam has forced the witnesses to
appear in court, and has made the concealment of evidence a grave
sin; but at the same time, the other side of the picture has also been
duly taken care of, so that people are not made to stay away from
testifying. It was the effect of this two-way precaution that truthful
and selfless witnesses were available in every case, and cases were
decided easily and quickly true to the demands of justice. When the
modern world bypassed this Qur'anic principle, the whole court system
went to pieces. Real and true witnesses in cases became virtually
extinct. Everyone was compelled to shy away from appearing as a
witness. The reason is simple. Being identified as a witness means
trouble. If the case involves the police and a crime, the chief of the
police station would call the witness everyday and any time, and on
occasions, would have him sit there for hours. Even in civil courts, the
witness is treated as if he was some sort of criminal. Then the dates of
the case keep changing endlessly. New dates are given on which the
poor witness is bound to come leaving his business, job and needs. If
he fails, the threat of an arrest-warrant hangs over his head.
Therefore, every decent person engaged in earning his livelihood has
been forced to take the appearance in court as punishment for no
crime of his, and therefore, he has been left with no choice but to avoid
it as far as he can. Professional witnesses are all you get and they
make no distinction between the lie and the truth. The Holy Qur'an,
after emphasizing these basic ingredients, helps eliminate these
malpractices by saying at the end of the verse:
وَاتَّقُوا اللهَ وَيُعَلِّمْكُمُ اللّهَ وَاللهُ بِكُلِّ شَىءٍ عَلِيْمَّ)
And fear Allah. And Allah teaches you. And Allah is All-
Knowing in respect of everything.
It will be noted that this verse carries many injunctions. Some

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Surah Al-Baqarah 2 :284
Muslim jurists have deduced twenty important juristic rulings from
this verse. We should also keep in mind the recurring style of the
Qur'an whereby, before and after giving a particular law, it creates an
inner impulse to follow Divine injunctions by introducing the fear of
Allah and the fear of the Day of Retribution. It is in accordance with
this method that the verse was concluded with an exhortation to fear
Allah and to remember that there is nothing hidden from Him. If you
try any contravention, under any impermissible pretext whatsoever,
you will still remain unable to cheat Allah.
The second verse takes up the following two subjects:
1. In cases involving a credit deal, it is quite permissible for a
person to keep something as mortgage to secure his debt. But the
Qur'anic word ' (taken in possession) indicates that deriving any
benefit out of the thing mortgaged is not permissible for him. The only
right the mortgagee has is to keep the thing in his possession until the
time when his debt is cleared. Any benefit that accrues from it
rightfully belongs to the original owner.
2. Secondly, it was said that the person who knows the correct situ-
ation in a disputed matter should not withhold his testimony. If he
does withhold it, his heart is a sinner. The heart has been identified as
the sinner because somebody might think his sin was restricted to the
tongue (which failed to speak up). But it was in the heart that he first
decided to do what he did and therefore, the sin of his heart comes
first.
Verse 284
لِلْهِ مَا فِى السَّمُوتِ وَمَا فِى الْأَرْضِمُ وَإِنْ تُبُدُوا مَارِفِىَّ
أَنْفُسِكُمْ أَوْتُخْفُوُهُ يُحَاسِبْكُمْ بِهِ اللَّهُ فَيَغْفِرُ لِمَنْ يَّشَاءُ
وَيُعَذِّبُ مَنْ ◌َشَاءُوَاللَّهُ عَلَى كُلِّ شَىْءٍ قَدِيْرٌ )
And to Allah belongs what is in the heavens and what
is in the earth. And if you disclose what is in your
hearts or conceal it Allah shall make you account for it,
then He shall forgive whom He wills and punish whom
He wills. And Allah is powerful over everything. (Verse
284)

715
Surah Al-Baqarah 2 : 284
Commentary
The earlier verse mentioned the injunction to reveal evidence and
forbade its concealment. This verse is also a complement of the same
subject. Here, warning has been given that it is haram (unlawful) to
conceal evidence. 'If you concealed the truth of a matter knowingly,
your Lord who is all-Knowing and all-Aware, will make you account
for it' - this interpretation of the verse has been reported from
رضى الله عنهم أجمعين Sayyidna Ibn 'Abbas, 'Ikrimah, Sha'bi and Mujahid
(Qurțubi).
Taken in the general sense of the words, this verse is universal,
and covers all articles of faith, modes of worship and mutual dealings
(I'tiqadat, 'Ibadat and Mu'amalat). This is exactly what Sayyidna
'Abdullah ibn 'Abbas has said in his well-known commentary on this
verse.
The verse means that Allah Almighty will make all His created
beings give an account of all their deeds. It will include deeds they
have actually done, and those they were determined to do but kept
them secret in their hearts and were never able to do. This conforms to
the report of Sayyidna Ibn 'Umar appearing in Sahih al-Bukhari and
Muslim: 'I have heard from the Holy Prophet & that the believer will
be drawn near his most exalted Lord when Allah Almighty will make
him recall his sins one by one and will ask him if he knew that he had
committed those sins. The believer will confess. Allah Almighty will
say: 'I concealed your sins in the life of the world and never allowed
this to be known to others. Today, I forgive that.' He will be given the
Book of Good Deeds, while the sins committed by disbelievers and
hypocrites will be announced before everybody.
It appears in another hadith that Allah Almighty will say on the
day of Doom (Qiyamah): "This is the Day when hidden things will be
surveyed and secrets concealed in hearts will be laid out in the open.
And (forget not that) My angels charged with writing down your deeds
wrote down only those visible on the outside, and I know what angels
do not know, nor did they write those in your Book of Deeds. Now I tell
you all about it and ask you to stand and answer. I shall forgive
anyone I will and I shall punish anyone I will.' True believers will then
be forgiven and the disbelievers (kuffar) will be punished. (Qurtubi)

716
Surah Al-Baqarah 2 : 284
Here a doubt may arise in view of the hadith in which the Holy
Prophet ¿ has been reported to have said:
إن الله تجاوز عن أمتى عما حدثت أنفسها مالم يتكلموا أو يعملوا به
Allah Almighty has forgiven my ummah all that they thought
of in their hearts unless they said or did it.
It shows that there is no punishment or wrath on the volition of
the heart. Imam al-Qurtubi has said that this hadith relates to the
worldly effects of an act. Divorce, freeing of slaves, sales, and gifts are
not authentically concluded by a simple volition of the heart unless
they are done verbally or practically. Since the verse refers to the
effects of an act appearing in the Hereafter, there is no contradiction
here. However, other 'ulama' have answered this doubt by saying that
the hadith, in which forgiveness of things hidden in the heart has been
mentioned, refers to the involuntary thoughts that enter the human
heart without volition; in fact, they would still keep coming even if one
tried to stop them. Allah Almighty has forgiven such involuntary
thoughts for this ummah. The accounting that has been identified in
the above-mentioned verse relates to what man intends and proposes
with his choice and volition. It means that he not only nurses these in
his heart, but also tries to put into them in practice. It does not matter
if he is unable to act upon them due to accidental causes. He will still
have to account for these firm intentions on the Day of Doom
(Qiyamah). Therefrom things rest with Allah Almighty. He, in His
grace, may then forgive anyone He wills and punish anyone He wills,
as it has already appeared in the hadith of al-Bukhari and Muslim
referred to above.
Since a surface view of the words used in the verse under
discussion includes both kinds of thoughts, be they voluntary or
involuntary, the noble Companions got extremely worried when this
verse was revealed. They asked themselves if involuntary thoughts too
became subject to accounting and censure, who could escape and stay
safe? When they carried their anxiety to the Holy Prophet , he
instructed them all to firmly resolve to obey and act in accordance
with the Divine imperatives, and say
that is, we heard, and سَمِعْنَا وَأطَعُنًا
we obeyed. The noble Companions, may Allah be pleased with them
all, did exactly what they were told to do, upon which the following

717
Surah Al-Baqarah 2 :284
statement of the Qur'an was revealed: لَا يُكْلِفُ اللّهُ نَفْسًا إِلاّ وُسْعَهَا :Allah
burdens not anyone beyond his or her capacity.
This verse clarified that involuntary thoughts will not be subjected
to accounting and censure. This gave the noble Companions their
peace of mind. This hadith has been reported in Sahih Muslim on the
authority of Sayyidna Ibn 'Abbas (Qurtubi). The whole verse is coming
next.
According to al-Tafsir al-Mazhari, out of the deeds made fard
(obligatory) or haram (unlawful) for human beings, some have a
physical aspect. Included there are Salah, Sawm, Hajj and all
dealings. Then there are injunctions and deeds that relate to man's
heart, his inner dimension, his batin. Everything concerning matters
of belief and articles of faith ('Iman and I'tiqad) belongs right there. As
for kufr and shirk, disbelief and polytheistic associationism, they are
most unlawful and impermissible; and these too belong to the human
heart. Also related to the heart are good morals, such as, humility,
patience, contentment, generosity and many more. Similar is the case
of bad morals, such as, arrogance, envy, grudge, greed and the craze
for worldly gains and others of their kind. All these are absolutely
haram (unlawful) in a certain degree. They too do not relate to man's
outward physique - his limbs, his body parts. They belong to the heart,
to the batin, the inner dimension.
In this verse, it has been made known that the way an accounting
of outward deeds will be taken in Qiyamah, very similarly, inward
deeds too will have to be accounted for. Even unintentional sins will be
called to account. The placement of this verse at the end of Surah
al-Baqarah has great wisdom behind it because Surah al-Baqarah is
such an important and consequential Surah of the Holy Qur'an, that a
fairly large part of Divine injunctions appears in it. It gives important
fundamental and subsidiary instructions regarding life in this world
and in the life to come. Then it holds within its fold details concerning
Salah, Zakah, Sawm, Qisas (even retaliation), Hajj, Jihad, Taharah
(prescribed state of purity), Talaq (divorce), 'Iddah (waiting period),
Khul' (divorcement sought by wife), Rada'ah (suckling), unlawfulness
of liquor and interest and methods which are permissible or
impermissible in matters of loans and deals. It is for this reason that,

718
Surah Al-Baqarah 2:285 - 286
in hadith, this Surah has also been called ;i al L. (Sinam al-Qur'an:
the highest peak of the Qur'an).
Let us bear in mind that ikhlas or pristine sincerity is the essence
behind what we do in carrying out all these injunctions. In other
words, doing something or abstaining from something should both be
for nothing but the pleasure of Allah Almighty. On no account should
these be tainted with a desire for public recognition or some other
selfish motives. It is obvious that ikhlas (sincerity) is related to human
heart, the batin. If ikhlas is there, everything comes out right. It was
for this reason that man was warned through this verse at the end of
the Surah, by telling him that, in carrying out obligations or in
abstaining from the prohibited, it was quite possible to dodge people
around, to find an excuse and to get away with it. But, Allah Almighty
is 'Alim and Khabir (All-Knowing and All-Aware). Nothing is hidden
from Him. Therefore, let one do what one must but let him be sure
that there is someone there - his Raqib and Hafiz, the One Who is
watching and guarding over him, and Who is recording all that is
happening to him, externally and internally, and a full accounting of
which has to be given on the day of Resurrection. The noble Qur'an, by
cultivating this unique spirit in human beings, has posted on human
hearts a sentry on guard, in the form of the fear of Allah and the
concern of the Hereafter. So, before and after every law, the sentry
whistles, as a result of which, they are scared of breaking any Divine
Law even in the darkness of nights and the privacy of homes.
Verses 285 - 286
أُمَّنَ الرَّسْوُلُ بِمَا أُنْزِلَ إِلَيْهِ مِنْ تَبِهِ وَالْمُؤْمِنُوْنَ «كُلٌ أَمَنَ
بِاللهِ وَمَلَئِكَتِهِ وَكُتُبِهٍ وَرُسْلَّةٌ لَا نُفَرِّقُ بَيْنَ أَحَدٍ مِّنَّ رُسُلِّفـ
وَقَالُوْا سَمِعْنَا وَاَطَعْنَاةُ ثُقْرَانَكَ رَبَّنَا وَإِلَيْكَ الْمَصِيُر )
لَا يُكَلِّفُ اللّهُ نَفْسًا إِلَّا وُسُعَهَا،لَهَا مَا كَسَبَتُ وَ عَلَيْهَا مَا
اكْتَسَبَتْ رَبَّنَا لَا تُؤَاخِذْنَ إِنْ تَسِينَآ أَوْ اَخْطَأْنَاءُوَّنَا وَلَا تَحْمِلُ
عَلَيْنَا إِصُّرًا كَمَا حَمَلْتَهْ عَلَى الَّذِيْنَ مِنْ قَبْلِنَاءَرَبَّنَا وَلَا

719
Surah Al-Baqarah 2 : 285 - 286
تُحَمِّلْنَا مَالَا طَاقَةَ لَنَبِهِ وَاعْفُ عَنَّأْ وَاغْفِرْلَنٌَّ وَارْحَمْتٌ أَنْتَ
مُؤْلُنَا فَانْصُوْنَا عَلَى الْقَوْمِ الْكُفِرِيْنَ 0
The Messenger has believed in what has been revealed
to him from his Lord, and the believers as well. All
have believed in Allah, and His angels and His Books,
and His Messengers. "We make no division between any
of His Messengers," and they have said: "We have
listened, and obeyed. Our Lord, Your pardon! And to
You is the return."
Allah does not obligate anyone beyond his capacity.
For him is what he has earned, and on him what he has
incurred.
"Our Lord, do not hold us accountable, if we forget or
make a mistake and, Our Lord, do not place on us a
burden such as You have placed on those before us.
And our Lord, do not make us bear that for which we
have no strength. And pardon us. And grant us
forgiveness. And have mercy on us. You are our Lord.
Help us, then, against the disbelieving people." (Verses
285 - 286)
Commentary
These are the last two verses of Surah al-Baqarah. Great merits
have been attributed to these two verses in authentic ahadith. The
Holy Prophet & has said that one who recites these two verses during
the night, they will be sufficient for him.
As narrated by Sayyidna Ibn 'Abbas as A, , the Holy Prophet
said that Allah Almighty has sent forth these two verses out of the
treasures of Paradise and the 'Rahman' had already written them by
His own hand two thousand years earlier than the creation of all
things and beings. One who is able to recite them after the Salah of
'Isha', they will stand for Tahajjud in his case. As it appears in the
Mustadrak of al-Hakim and in Bayhaqi, the Holy Prophet , said that
Allah Almighty has concluded Surah al-Baqarah with these two
verses, which have been given to me in His grace from out of the
special treasure that lies under the 'Arsh.(Divine Throne). Therefore,
you should make special effort to learn these verses, and at the same

720
Surah Al-Baqarah 2 : 285 - 286
time, teach your women and children how to recite them. This is why
Sayyidna 'Umar and Sayyidna 'Ali رضى الله عنهم أجمعين said that they
thought that anybody who has any sense in him would never go to
sleep without having recited these two verses.
Meaning-wise, these verses have many special features. One of the
distinct ones is that they come at the end of Surah al-Baqarah where
most of the injunctions of Shari'ah appear briefly, or in detail, such as,
those dealing with the articles of faith, modes of worship, mutual deal-
ings, morals and social living etc. Here, the first of the two verses
opens with words of praise for the Muslims who are true and obedient,
those who said yes with all their heart to all injunctions ordained by
Allah, and were all set to carry them out. In addition to being an as-
sertion of Allah's infinite mercy, the second verse also answers the
doubt which started bothering the noble Companions when verse 284,
the one preceding these two, was revealed. The words of the said vers-
, وَإِنْ تَبْدُواْ مَافِىَ أَنْفُسِكُمْ أَوْتُخُفُوُهُ يُحَاسِبُكُمْ بِهِ اللّهُ: es, as mentioned earlier briefly, were
that is, whether you manifest that which is in your hearts, or conceal
it, Allah will call you to account for it. Here the verse was actually re-
ferring to the accounting of whatever one does with his or her choice
and volition. Unintentional thoughts and errors were just not included
under its purview. However, the words of the Qur'an were general
because of which people surmised that man will be taken to account
even for thoughts that entered his mind without his intention.
Nervously excited, the noble Companion presented themselves before
the Holy Prophet and said: 'Ya Rasul Allah, till now we thought
that we shall be called to account for only those deeds that we do with
our will and choice, and we shall not be called to account for thoughts
that cross our minds involuntarily. But this verse seems to tell us that
every thought that enters our minds will be subject to accounting. This
way it is extremely difficult to escape punishment.' Although, the Holy
Prophet i knew the correct intended meaning of the verse but he, in
view of the generality of its words, did not elect to say anything on his
own. Instead, he waited for the Wahy (revelation) and instructed the
Companions that they should obey whatever Allah Almighty ordains
for them. It may be easy or difficult to carry out, but it is not the way
of a true Muslim to show the slightest of hesitation in accepting
Allah's command when it comes. As soon as you hear the command of

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Surah Al-Baqarah 2 : 285 - 286
Allah, say :ُسَمِعْنَا وَأَطَعُنَا غُفُرَانَكَ رَّبَّنَا وَإِلَيْكَ المَصِيُر ,that is, 'We have listened, and
obeyed. Our Lord, Your pardon! And to You is the return.'
The noble Companions did exactly what they were told by the Holy
Prophet
, although their minds were still ticking with the
apprehension that building a security shield against involuntary
intrusions of thoughts was enormously difficult indeed! Thereupon,
Allah Almighty revealed these last two verses of Surah al-Baqarah.
Here the first one praises Muslims while the other gives a correct
explanation of the verse that created doubt in the minds of the noble
Companions. Now let us look at the words of the first verse. These are:
أُمَنَ الرَّسُولُ بِمَا أُنْزِلَ إِلَيْهِ مِنْ تَرَّهِ وَالْمُؤْمِنُوْنَ كُلُّ أَمَنَ بِاللَّهِ وَمَلَئِكَتِهِ وَكُتُبِهِ
وُرُسُلٍِ لَ تُفَرِّقُ بَيْنَ احَدٍ مِّنْ تُسُلِهِ وَقَالُوا سَمِعْنَا وَاَطَعْنَا غُفْرَانَكَ رَبَّنَا وَإِلَيْكَ
الْمَصِدُ 0
The Messenger has believed in what has been revealed to him
from his Lord, and the believers as well. All have believed in
Allah and His angels and His Books and His Messengers. "We
make no division between any of His Messengers," and they
have said: "We have listened, and obeyed. Our Lord, Your par-
don! And to You is the return."
The first seven words of this verse admire the Holy Prophet
. It
may be noted that the verse does not address him by his name, but, by
calling him 'Rasul', his honour and dignity have been made clear. The
word, 'the believers' follows immediately after that. It means that just
as the Holy Prophet @ firmly believes in the revelation (Wahy) from
Allah, so do the true Muslims in general. The style chosen for this
sentence is also worth consideration. The major part has been used to
describe the state of the 'iman (belief) of the Holy Prophet , then,
the 'iman (belief) of the general Muslims has been described
separately. This indicates that, although the Holy Prophet @ and all
Muslims share in the wealth of 'iman as such, still there is a great
difference between the two in terms of the relative degrees of 'iman.
The knowledge of the Holy Prophet & is based on seeing and hearing
while the knowledge of other Muslims takes the form of 'iman bi
l'ghayb or 'believing without seeing' as based on the 'ru'yat' or 'seeing'

722
Surah Al-Baqarah 2 : 285 - 286
of the Holy Prophet
After that come details of the 'iman (belief) which was common
between the Holy Prophet & and the Muslims in general. This 'iman
consisted of the belief that Allah Almighty does exist and that He is
One and that He is endued with all the perfect attributes, and that
there are angels, and that all Scriptures and all Messengers sent by
Allah are true.
After that it was clearly stressed that the 'believers' of this ummah
(Muslim community) will do nothing as was done by past communities
when they planted seeds of discord among messengers of Allah by
accepting some as prophets and by denying that status to others. The
Jews accepted that Sayyidna Musa WIul was a prophet, the
Christians accepted that Sayyidna 'Isa >JI ue was a prophet, but that
the Last of the prophets, Sayyidna Muhammad & was a prophet was
not accepted by them.
Praised here is the distinction of this ummah which is made of
people who do not reject any prophet. This is followed by words of
admiration for what the noble Companions had said when so directed
by the Holy Prophet
سَمِعُنَا وَ أَطَعُنَا تُقْرَانَكَ رَبَّنَا وَإِلَيْكَ الْمَصِيْرُ 0
We have listened, and obeyed. Our Lord, Your pardon! And to
You is the return.
After that comes the second verse where the doubt, which could
have risen during the comprehension of some sentences in the
previous verse, has been removed in a style that is very special. It will
be recalled that the question was as to how one would escape
punishment if thoughts concealed in hearts were also made subject to
accounting. It was said : لاَيُكَلِّفُ اللهُ نَفُسًا إِلَّ وُسْعَهَا :Allah burdens not anyone
beyond his or her capacity.' Therefore, thoughts that enter the heart
without one's intention and control and are not translated into action,
stand all excused in the sight of Allah Almighty. Deeds, that are
undertaken with choice and volition will be the only ones apprehended
and called to account.
A little detail will show that there is an outward aspect of human
deeds which concerns what is done with the hand, head, eye, tongue

723
Surah Al-Baqarah 2 : 285 - 286
and other parts of the body. This is further divided into two kinds. The
first reflects what is done with choice and volition. This is voluntary,
such as, to speak by choice or to beat somebody by choice. The second
kind is involuntary, that which just issues forth without choice or
volition, for instance, saying something other than what one actually
intended to say, or a palsied hand moving unintentionally caused pain
to somebody. Here everyone knows that accounting and retribution,
reward and punishment are particularly related to voluntary deeds.
As far as non-voluntary deeds are concerned man is neither obligated
nor constrained therein, and certainly, there is no thawab (reward) or
'adhab (punishment) on them.
Similarly, the deeds relating to one's heart are also of two kinds.
The first one is voluntary, for instance, the belief in kufr and shirk,
which one has implanted firmly in one's heart with intention and
choice, or the arrogance one assumes as a result of conscious and
wilful self-pride, or the making of firm resolution to start drinking.
The second kind is the non-voluntary, for instance, the entry of some
evil thought in one's heart without volition and intention. Here too,
the accounting, the reckoning and the reprehensibility covers
voluntary deeds only, and does not cover non-voluntary deeds.
By this explanation given by the Qur'an itself, peace was restored
in the hearts of the noble Companions. They were satisfied that there
was no accounting, reckoning, punishment or reward on non-voluntary
thoughts. The same subject has been further clarified towards the end
by saying: ◌ْلَهَا مَاكَسَبَتُ وَ عَلَيْهَا مَا اكْتَسَبَت ,that is, man is rewarded for what he
intends to do and is punished for what he elects to do.
But it should be borne in mind that the drive of the meaning of this
verse is that, one will initially face direct reward or punishment for
what is done with intention and volition. However, the indirect coming
of reward or punishment after any such deed which was not intended,
is not contrary to this. This provides an answer to the doubt that there
are times when man faces reward or punishment even without
intention and volition. In this context, several other verses of the
Qur'an and many reports from ahadith prove that one who does
something good which persuades others to act similarly, then its
reward will continue reaching the original doer of the good deed as