In the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful.
The Abridgment of Tafsir al-Tabari,
abridged by Dr. Aqeel Ibn Salim al-Shammari.
Surah al-Baqarah.
In the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful.
“Lo! (the mountains) As-Safa and Al-Marwah are among the indications of Allah. It is therefore no sin for him who is on pilgrimage to the House (of Allah) or visiteth it, to go around them (as the pagan custom is). And he who doeth good of his own accord, (for him) lo! Allah is Responsive, Aware.” (2:158)
“Lo! (the mountains) As-Safa and Al-Marwah are among the indications of Allah. It is therefore no sin for him who is on pilgrimage to the House (of Allah) or visiteth it, to go around them (as the pagan custom is). And he who doeth good of his own accord, (for him) lo! Allah is Responsive, Aware.” (2:158)
“Lo! (the mountains) As-Safa and Al-Marwah are among the indications of Allah. It is therefore no sin for him who is on pilgrimage to the House (of Allah) or visiteth it, to go around them (as the pagan custom is). And he who doeth good of his own accord, (for him) lo! Allah is Responsive, Aware.” (2:158)
Indeed, al-Safa and al-Marwah are among the sacred symbols of Allah,
which Allah has designated as ritual sites for His servants to worship Him through supplication and remembrance,
and to perform the duties ordained upon them.
So whoever performs the Hajj pilgrimage to the House or the 'Umrah, there is no sin upon him in walking between them,
simply because the people of the Pre-Islamic Ignorance used to circumambulate the two idols set upon them;
for the polytheists used to circumambulate them out of disbelief,
while you walk between them in obedience to My command.
And whoever volunteers a Hajj or 'Umrah beyond fulfilling his obligatory pilgrimage,
then Allah is Appreciative of his voluntary act and will reward him for it,
fully Knowing what he intended and sought through the voluntary deed he performed.
“Lo! Those who hide the proofs and the guidance which We revealed, after We had made it clear to mankind in the Scripture: such are accursed of Allah and accursed of those who have the power to curse.” (2:159)
“Lo! Those who hide the proofs and the guidance which We revealed, after We had made it clear to mankind in the Scripture: such are accursed of Allah and accursed of those who have the power to curse.” (2:159)
It is they whom Allah curses,
“Lo! Those who hide the proofs and the guidance which We revealed, after We had made it clear to mankind in the Scripture: such are accursed of Allah and accursed of those who have the power to curse.” (2:159)
for those who conceal from the people what We have revealed in the Torah and the Gospel
of clarification concerning the affair of Muhammad—peace and blessings of Allah be upon him—and his prophethood,
not informing them of it after it had been made clear to the people,
these are the ones whom Allah banishes from Himself and from His mercy,
and those who invoke curses pray to their Lord that He curse them,
including the children of Adam and the rest of Allah's creation.
“Except those who repent and amend and make manifest (the truth). These it is toward whom I relent. I am the Relenting, the Merciful.” (2:160)
To these, I accept their repentance,
and I am the Accepter of Repentance, the Especially Merciful.
Truly, Allah and those who curse invoke curses upon those who conceal
the reality of the prophethood of Muhammad (peace be upon him),
except for whoever turns back from his concealment,
reforms himself by drawing closer to Allah through righteous deeds,
and openly clarifies what he knew of Allah's revelation
which He sent down to His prophets;
it is these whose repentance I accept,
and I am the One who turns the hearts of My servants back toward Me,
ever Merciful to those who turn to Me.
Indeed, those who disbelieved and died
while they were disbelievers,
“Lo! Those who disbelieve, and die while they are disbelievers; on them is the curse of Allah and of angels and of men combined.” (2:161)
“Lo! Those who disbelieve, and die while they are disbelievers; on them is the curse of Allah and of angels and of men combined.” (2:161)
and the angels, and all mankind.
Abiding eternally therein; the punishment will not be lightened for them,
nor will they be reprieved.
Indeed, those who rejected the prophethood of Muhammad (peace be upon him)
and died while persisting in their rejection,
those are the ones whom Allah has banished from His mercy,
and the angels and all people curse them by saying:
"May the curse of Allah be upon them."
These will abide eternally under this curse in the fire of Hell.
And your God is one God;
“Your Allah is One Allah; there is no Allah save Him, the Beneficent, the Merciful.” (2:163)
and the One who rightly deserves your obedience, O people,
and who warrants your worship,
is a single Object of worship.
So do not worship any other beside Him, nor associate anything with Him;
there is no Lord for the worlds other than Him,
and none warrants the worship of the servants besides Him.
For all else apart from Him is His creation,
and the obligation binding upon them all is to obey Him,
submit to His command,
abandon the worship of any rivals and deities besides Him,
and forsake all idols and statues;
because all of these are merely His creation,
and whatever blessing they enjoy in this worldly life
is entirely from Him, and not from the idols they worship.
Indeed, in the creation of the heavens and the earth,
and the alternation of night and day,
and the alternation of night and day,
“Lo! In the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the difference of night and day, and the ships which run upon the sea with that which is of use to men, and the water which Allah sendeth down from the sky, thereby reviving the earth after its death, and dispersing all kinds of beasts therein, and (in) the ordinance of the winds, and the clouds obedient between heaven and earth: are signs (of Allah's Sovereignty) for people who have sense.” (2:164)
“Lo! In the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the difference of night and day, and the ships which run upon the sea with that which is of use to men, and the water which Allah sendeth down from the sky, thereby reviving the earth after its death, and dispersing all kinds of beasts therein, and (in) the ordinance of the winds, and the clouds obedient between heaven and earth: are signs (of Allah's Sovereignty) for people who have sense.” (2:164)
with that which benefits mankind,
“Lo! In the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the difference of night and day, and the ships which run upon the sea with that which is of use to men, and the water which Allah sendeth down from the sky, thereby reviving the earth after its death, and dispersing all kinds of beasts therein, and (in) the ordinance of the winds, and the clouds obedient between heaven and earth: are signs (of Allah's Sovereignty) for people who have sense.” (2:164)
reviving the earth thereby after its death,
and scattering therein every kind of creature,
and scattering therein every kind of creature,
“Lo! In the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the difference of night and day, and the ships which run upon the sea with that which is of use to men, and the water which Allah sendeth down from the sky, thereby reviving the earth after its death, and dispersing all kinds of beasts therein, and (in) the ordinance of the winds, and the clouds obedient between heaven and earth: are signs (of Allah's Sovereignty) for people who have sense.” (2:164)
between heaven and earth,
are signs for a people who understand.
Truly, in the origination of the heavens and the earth
and their unprecedented creation,
in the succession of night and day over you, O mankind,
in the ships that sail through the sea
carrying what benefits people across the waters,
in what Allah sends down from the sky of rain,
thereby reviving the earth after its desolation
and the cessation of its vegetation,
in His scattering across it of every living creature
that does not fly with wings but rather creeps upon the earth,
and in His directing the winds to blow from diverse directions,
“Lo! In the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the difference of night and day, and the ships which run upon the sea with that which is of use to men, and the water which Allah sendeth down from the sky, thereby reviving the earth after its death, and dispersing all kinds of beasts therein, and (in) the ordinance of the winds, and the clouds obedient between heaven and earth: are signs (of Allah's Sovereignty) for people who have sense.” (2:164)
are clear signs and proofs that the Creator of all this
and its Originator is One God,
for anyone who reflects upon the grounds of proof
and grasps from Allah His indications of His divine oneness.
“Yet of mankind are some who take unto themselves (objects of worship which they set as) rivals to Allah, loving them with a love like (that which is the due) of Allah (only) - those who believe are stauncher in their love for Allah - Oh, that those who do evil had but known, (on the day) when they behold the doom, that power belongeth wholly to Allah, and that Allah is severe in punishment!” (2:165)
“Yet of mankind are some who take unto themselves (objects of worship which they set as) rivals to Allah, loving them with a love like (that which is the due) of Allah (only) - those who believe are stauncher in their love for Allah - Oh, that those who do evil had but known, (on the day) when they behold the doom, that power belongeth wholly to Allah, and that Allah is severe in punishment!” (2:165)
“Yet of mankind are some who take unto themselves (objects of worship which they set as) rivals to Allah, loving them with a love like (that which is the due) of Allah (only) - those who believe are stauncher in their love for Allah - Oh, that those who do evil had but known, (on the day) when they behold the doom, that power belongeth wholly to Allah, and that Allah is severe in punishment!” (2:165)
“Yet of mankind are some who take unto themselves (objects of worship which they set as) rivals to Allah, loving them with a love like (that which is the due) of Allah (only) - those who believe are stauncher in their love for Allah - Oh, that those who do evil had but known, (on the day) when they behold the doom, that power belongeth wholly to Allah, and that Allah is severe in punishment!” (2:165)
When they see the punishment.
“Yet of mankind are some who take unto themselves (objects of worship which they set as) rivals to Allah, loving them with a love like (that which is the due) of Allah (only) - those who believe are stauncher in their love for Allah - Oh, that those who do evil had but known, (on the day) when they behold the doom, that power belongeth wholly to Allah, and that Allah is severe in punishment!” (2:165)
“Yet of mankind are some who take unto themselves (objects of worship which they set as) rivals to Allah, loving them with a love like (that which is the due) of Allah (only) - those who believe are stauncher in their love for Allah - Oh, that those who do evil had but known, (on the day) when they behold the doom, that power belongeth wholly to Allah, and that Allah is severe in punishment!” (2:165)
And among the people are those who take rivals besides Allah,
loving these rivals as the believers love Allah;
yet those who believe are stronger in love for Allah
than those who adopt these rivals are for their idols.
“Yet of mankind are some who take unto themselves (objects of worship which they set as) rivals to Allah, loving them with a love like (that which is the due) of Allah (only) - those who believe are stauncher in their love for Allah - Oh, that those who do evil had but known, (on the day) when they behold the doom, that power belongeth wholly to Allah, and that Allah is severe in punishment!” (2:165)
The punishment of Allah which He has prepared for them in Hell,
they would surely know when they see it and witness it with their own eyes.
“Yet of mankind are some who take unto themselves (objects of worship which they set as) rivals to Allah, loving them with a love like (that which is the due) of Allah (only) - those who believe are stauncher in their love for Allah - Oh, that those who do evil had but known, (on the day) when they behold the doom, that power belongeth wholly to Allah, and that Allah is severe in punishment!” (2:165)
“Yet of mankind are some who take unto themselves (objects of worship which they set as) rivals to Allah, loving them with a love like (that which is the due) of Allah (only) - those who believe are stauncher in their love for Allah - Oh, that those who do evil had but known, (on the day) when they behold the doom, that power belongeth wholly to Allah, and that Allah is severe in punishment!” (2:165)
When they see the punishment,
“(On the day) when those who were followed disown those who followed (them), and they behold the doom, and all their aims collapse with them.” (2:166)
and they behold the torment,
and they behold the torment and all ties between them are severed.
For every leader followed in disbelief in Allah and misguidance will disassociate himself
from his followers who used to obey him in the worldly life,
once they witness the punishment of Allah in the Hereafter.
And the ties through which they sought their ends in this world will be cut asunder,
as Allah strips away any benefit they held in the Hereafter
from those who disbelieved in Him.
Neither will their mutual friendships avail them
when they are brought before their Lord,
nor their worship of their false deities,
nor their obedience to their devils;
nor will any kinfolk defend them
to rescue them from the retribution of Allah,
nor will their deeds be of any help to them;
rather, they will turn into deep regrets for them.
Thus, all the means and reliances of the disbelievers will be severed.
And those who followed will say,
“And those who were but followers will say: If a return were possible for us, we would disown them even as they have disowned us. Thus will Allah show them their own deeds as anguish for them, and they will not emerge from the Fire.” (2:167)
"So that we might disown them just as they have disowned us."
“And those who were but followers will say: If a return were possible for us, we would disown them even as they have disowned us. Thus will Allah show them their own deeds as anguish for them, and they will not emerge from the Fire.” (2:167)
“And those who were but followers will say: If a return were possible for us, we would disown them even as they have disowned us. Thus will Allah show them their own deeds as anguish for them, and they will not emerge from the Fire.” (2:167)
And the followers of the leaders whom they took
as rivals beside Allah will say:
"If only we had a return to the worldly life,
we would disown them!"
Just as He showed them the torment
which they used to deny in the worldly life,
so too will He display to them
their evil deeds as bitter regrets.
And they will never emerge from the Fire,
nor will their remorse therein save them from Allah's punishment then,
but they will abide therein forever.
O mankind,
“O mankind! Eat of that which is lawful and wholesome in the earth, and follow not the footsteps of the devil. Lo! he is an open enemy for you.” (2:168)
“O mankind! Eat of that which is lawful and wholesome in the earth, and follow not the footsteps of the devil. Lo! he is an open enemy for you.” (2:168)
“O mankind! Eat of that which is lawful and wholesome in the earth, and follow not the footsteps of the devil. Lo! he is an open enemy for you.” (2:168)
and do not follow the footsteps of Satan;
indeed, he is to you a clear enemy.
O mankind,
eat of the wholesome foods I have permitted for you
through the tongue of the Messenger Muhammad (peace be upon him),
which I have declared lawful and good for you.
Lest he ruin you, destroy you, and lead you to the places of destruction.
For Satan has openly displayed his enmity toward you
by refusing to prostrate to your father
and deceiving him until he caused him to be expelled from Paradise;
so do not take him as a counselor when he has clearly manifested his hostility toward you.
“He enjoineth upon you only the evil and the foul, and that ye should tell concerning Allah that which ye know not.” (2:169)
And that you should say about Allah what you do not know.
Satan only commands you to commit sin,
to indulge in everything whose mention is obscene and hearing repulsive,
and to say about Allah what you do not know—
such as what they used to prohibit of the Bahirah, Sa'ibah, Wasilah, and Ham animals—
asserting, "Allah has forbidden this."
This is among the lies that Satan commands you to invent.
And when it is said to them, "Follow what Allah has revealed,"
they say, "Rather, we will follow that upon which we found our forefathers."
“And when it is said unto them: Follow that which Allah hath revealed, they say: We follow that wherein we found our fathers. What! Even though their fathers were wholly unintelligent and had no guidance?” (2:170)
And when it is said to these disbelievers:
"Eat of what Allah has made lawful for you,
abandon the footsteps and ways of Satan,
and act according to what Allah revealed to His Prophet (peace be upon him) in His Book,"
they reply, "Rather, we will follow our forefathers,
adhering to what we found them practicing: declaring lawful what they permitted,
and declaring unlawful what they prohibited."
Even if the forefathers of these disbelievers
understood nothing of Allah, His obligations, His commands, and His prohibitions,
and were not guided to any right course?
“The likeness of those who disbelieve (in relation to the messenger) is as the likeness of one who calleth unto that which heareth naught except a shout and cry. Deaf, dumb, blind, therefore they have no sense.” (2:171)
Deaf, dumb, and blind, so they do not understand.
The parable of calling the disbelievers to admonition, and their admonisher,
is like a shepherd shouting to his flock and calling out to them:
they hear his call and cry, but do not comprehend his words.
Or the likeness of the disbelievers in their utter lack of understanding from Allah and His Messenger
is like cattle that are merely shouted at,
comprehending nothing of command or prohibition except a mere voice.
These disbelievers are deaf to the truth, so they do not hear;
dumb, unable to speak the truth, righteousness, or to confess
what Allah has commanded them to affirm
and to clarify what Allah ordered them to make known concerning the affair of Muhammad (peace be upon him) to mankind;
blind to guidance and the path of truth, so they cannot perceive it;
thus they do not understand.
“O ye who believe! Eat of the good things wherewith We have provided you, and render thanks to Allah if it is (indeed) He Whom ye worship.” (2:172)
“O ye who believe! Eat of the good things wherewith We have provided you, and render thanks to Allah if it is (indeed) He Whom ye worship.” (2:172)
O you who have believed in Allah and His Messenger,
affirmed your servitude to Allah,
and submitted to Him in obedience:
Eat of the lawful provision We have permitted for you,
and praise Allah as He rightfully deserves from you
for the blessings He has granted you and made wholesome for you,
if you truly submit to His command, hearing and obeying.
He has only forbidden to you dead animals, blood,
and the flesh of swine,
“He hath forbidden you only carrion, and blood, and swineflesh, and that which hath been immolated to (the name of) any other than Allah. But he who is driven by necessity, neither craving nor transgressing, it is no sin for him. Lo! Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.” (2:173)
But whoever is forced by necessity, neither desiring it nor exceeding the limit,
there is no sin upon him;
indeed, Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.
He has forbidden to you nothing except carrion, flowing blood,
the flesh of swine,
and that which has been dedicated to other than Him,
from what was sacrificed to false deities and idols,
upon which any name other than Mine was invoked,
or which was intended for idols and statues.
So do not forbid for yourselves
what I have not forbidden to you,
such as the Bahirah, the Sa'ibah, and the like.
But whoever is overtaken by a compelling starvation
that drives him to what I have forbidden to you
of carrion, blood, and the flesh of swine,
“He hath forbidden you only carrion, and blood, and swineflesh, and that which hath been immolated to (the name of) any other than Allah. But he who is driven by necessity, neither craving nor transgressing, it is no sin for him. Lo! Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.” (2:173)
or is coerced into eating it,
there is no consequence upon him for consuming it,
nor any blame,
provided he does not eat it out of transgression,
seeking what has been prohibited to him,
nor exceeding the limit in his eating
while he has a way to avoid it
through that which Allah has made lawful for him,
finding an alternative or sufficiency elsewhere.
Indeed, Allah is All-Forgiving:
if you obey Allah in your Islam,
refraining from consuming what He has forbidden to you,
and abandoning following Satan
in what you used to make unlawful
during your pre-Islamic days of ignorance,
He will pardon you;
and He is Merciful to you
if you obey Him.
"Indeed, those who conceal..."
“Lo! those who hide aught of the Scripture which Allah hath revealed and purchase a small gain therewith, they eat into their bellies nothing else than fire. Allah will not speak to them on the Day of Resurrection, nor will He make them grow. Theirs will be a painful doom.” (2:174)
“Lo! those who hide aught of the Scripture which Allah hath revealed and purchase a small gain therewith, they eat into their bellies nothing else than fire. Allah will not speak to them on the Day of Resurrection, nor will He make them grow. Theirs will be a painful doom.” (2:174)
“Lo! those who hide aught of the Scripture which Allah hath revealed and purchase a small gain therewith, they eat into their bellies nothing else than fire. Allah will not speak to them on the Day of Resurrection, nor will He make them grow. Theirs will be a painful doom.” (2:174)
"They consume nothing
into their bellies
except the Fire."
"They consume nothing
into their bellies
except the Fire.
And Allah will not speak to them,
and Allah will not speak to them
on the Day of Resurrection,
nor will He purify them,
and for them is a painful punishment."
Indeed, the rabbis of the Jews
who concealed from the people
the matter of Muhammad, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
and his prophethood,
purchased, by their concealment of the matter of Muhammad (peace be upon him),
a petty gain of worldly vanity.
And these people who conceal [it]—
“Lo! those who hide aught of the Scripture which Allah hath revealed and purchase a small gain therewith, they eat into their bellies nothing else than fire. Allah will not speak to them on the Day of Resurrection, nor will He make them grow. Theirs will be a painful doom.” (2:174)
what they consume in bribes for that
and wages will only lead them into the Fire.
He will not speak to them with what they love and desire,
but only with what distresses and repulses them.
Nor will He cleanse them from the filth of their sins
and their disbelief,
and they shall have an agonizing torment.
"Those are the ones who have purchased error at the price of guidance
and torment at the price of forgiveness."
“Those are they who purchase error at the price of guidance, and torment at the price of pardon. How constant are they in their strife to reach the Fire!” (2:175)
Those are the ones who took misguidance and abandoned guidance,
who took what entails Allah's punishment on the Day of Resurrection,
and abandoned what entails His forgiveness and pleasure.
How audacious they are in facing the torment of the Fire,
and how persistently they perform the deeds of its inmates!
This which these rabbis did—
from among the Jews—
by concealing from the people what they concealed regarding the matter of Muhammad (peace be upon him)
and his prophethood,
and by defying My command and obedience to Me,
along with My preparation of painful punishment for them,
is because I sent down My Book in truth,
yet they disbelieved in it and disputed over it.
For the Jews disbelieved in what Allah recounted in it
of the stories of 'Isa ibn Maryam and his mother,
while the Christians believed in some of that
and disbelieved in other parts.
And indeed, those who disputed concerning what I have revealed to you, O Muhammad,
are in deep schism and divergence from the truth,
far removed from right guidance and correctness.