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Al-Baqarah (the Cow) has been so named from the story of the Cow occurring in this Surah (67-73). It has not, however, been used as a title to indicate the subject of the Surah. It will, therefore, be as wrong to translate the name Al-Baqarah into "The Cow" or "The Heifer" as to translate any English name, say Mr. Baker, Mr. Rice, Mr. Wolf etc., into their equivalents in other languages or vice versa, because this would imply that the Surah dealt with the subject of "The Cow". Many more Surahs of the Quran have been named in the same way because no comprehensive words exist in Arabic (in spite of its richness) to denote the wide scope of the subject discussed in them. As a matter of fact all human languages suffer from the same limitation.

<h2>Name</h2>Why the name Al-Baqarah?Al-Baqarah (The Cow) has been so named from the story of the Cow occurring in this Surah (<a href="/2/67-73" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">67-73</a>). It has not, however, been used as a title to indicate the subject of the Surah. It will, therefore, be as wrong to translate the name Al-Baqarah into "The Cow" or "The Heifer" as to translate any English name, say, Mr. Baker, Mr. Rice, Mr. Wolf, etc., into their equivalents in other languages or vice versa, because this would imply that the Surah dealt with the subject of "The Cow". Many more Surahs of the Quran have been named in the same way because no comprehensive words exist in Arabic (in spite of their richness) to denote the wide scope of the subject discussed in them. As a matter of fact, all human languages suffer from the same limitation.<h2>Sequence</h2>Though it is a Madani Surah, it follows naturally a Makki Surah Al- Fatihah, which ended with the prayer: "Show us the straight way." It begins with the answer to that prayer, "This is the Book (that)...is guidance..."The greater part of Al-Baqarah was revealed during the first two years of the Holy Prophet's life at Al-Madinah. The smaller part which was revealed at a later period has been included in this Surah because its contents are closely related to those dealt with in this Surah. For instance, the verses prohibiting interest were revealed during the last period of the Holy prophet's life but have been inserted in this Surah. For the same reason, the last two verses (<a href="/2/284-286" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">284-286</a>) of this Surah which were revealed at Makkah before the migration of the Holy Prophet to AI-Madinah have also been included in it.<h2>Historical Background</h2>In order to understand the meaning of this Surah, we should know its historical background:<ol><li>At Makkah, the Quran generally addressed the mushrik Quraish who were ignorant of Islam, but at Al-Madinah it was also concerned with the Jews who were acquainted with the creed of the Unity of Allah, Prophethood, Revelation, the Hereafter, and angels. They also professed to believe in the law which was revealed by Allah to their Prophet Moses (Allah's peace be upon him), and in principle, their way was the same (Islam) that was being taught by Prophet Muhammad (Allah's peace be upon him). But they had strayed away from it during the centuries of degeneration and had adopted many un-Islamic creeds, rites, and customs of which there was no mention and for which there was no sanction in the Torah. Not only this, they had tampered with the Torah by inserting their own explanations and interpretations into its text. They had distorted even that part of the Word of God which had remained intact in their Scriptures and taken out of it the real spirit of true religion and were now clinging to a lifeless frame of rituals. Consequently, their beliefs, their morals, and their conduct had gone to the lowest depths of degeneration. The pity is that they were not only satisfied with their condition but loved to cling to it. Besides this, they had no intention or inclination to accept any kind of reform. So they became bitter enemies of those who came to teach them the Right Way and did their worst to defeat every such effort. Though they were originally Muslims, they had swerved from the real Islam and made innovations and alterations in it and had fallen victims to hair splitting and sectarianism. They had forgotten and forsaken Allah and begun to serve mammon. So much so that they had even given up their original name "Muslim" and adopted the name "Jew" instead, and made religion the sole monopoly of the children of Israel.</li><li>This was their religious condition when the Holy Prophet went to Al-Madinah and invited the Jews to the true religion. That is why more than one-third of this Surah has been addressed to the children of Israel. A critical review of their history, their moral degeneration, and their religious perversions have been made; side by side with this the high standard of morality and the fundamental principles of the pure religion have been put forward in order to bring out clearly the nature of the degeneration of the community of a prophet when it goes astray and to draw clear lines of demarcation between real piety and formalism, and the essentials and non-essentials of the true religion.</li><li>At Makkah, Islam was mainly concerned with the propagation of its fundamental principles and the moral training of its followers. But after the migration of the Holy Prophet to Al-Madinah, where Muslims had come to settle from all over Arabia and where a tiny Islamic State had been set up with the help of the Ansar (local supporters), naturally, the Quran had to turn its attention to the social, cultural, economic, political and legal problems as well. This accounts for the difference between the themes of the surahs revealed at Makkah and those at Al-Madinah. Accordingly about half of this Surah deals with those principles and regulations which are essential for the integration and solidarity of a community and for the solution of its problems.</li><li>After the migration to Al-Madinah, the struggle between Islam and un-Islam had also entered a new phase. Before this, the Believers, who propagated Islam among their own clans and tribes, had to face their opponents at their own risk. But the conditions had changed at Al-Madinah, where Muslims from all parts of Arabia had come and settled as one community and had established an independent city-state. Here it became a struggle for the survival of the Community itself, for the whole of non- Muslim Arabia was bent upon and united in crushing it totally. Hence the following instructions, upon which depended not only its success but its very survival, were revealed in this Surah:</li><li class="ql-indent-1">The Community should work with the utmost zeal to propagate its ideology and win over to its side the greatest possible number of people.</li><li class="ql-indent-1">It should so expose its opponents as to leave no room for doubt in the mind of any sensible person that they were adhering to an absolutely wrong position.</li><li class="ql-indent-1">It should infuse in its members (the majority of whom were homeless and indigent and surrounded on all sides by enemies) that courage and fortitude which is so indispensable to their very existence in the adverse circumstances in which they were struggling and to prepare them to face these boldly.</li><li class="ql-indent-1">It should also keep them ready and prepared to meet any armed menace, which might come from any side to suppress and crush their ideology, and to oppose it tooth and nail without minding the overwhelming numerical strength and the material resources of its enemies</li><li class="ql-indent-1">It should also create in them that courage that is needed for the eradication of evil ways and for the establishment of the Islamic Way instead.</li><li>That is why Allah has revealed in this Surah such instructions as may help achieve all the above-mentioned objects.</li><li>During this period, a new type of "Muslims," munafiqin (hypocrites), had begun to appear. Though signs of duplicity had been noticed during the last days at Makkah, they took a different shape at Al-Madinah. At Makkah, there were some people who professed Islam to be true but were not prepared to abide by the consequences of this profession and to sacrifice their worldly interests and relations and bear the afflictions which inevitably follow the acceptance of this creed. But at Al-Madinah different kinds of munafiqin (hypocrites) began to appear. There were some who had entered the Islamic fold merely to harm it from within. There were others who were surrounded by Muslims and, therefore, had become "Muslims" to safeguard their worldly interests. They, therefore, continued to have relations with the enemies so that if the latter became successful, their interests should remain secure. There were still others who had no strong conviction of the truth of Islam but had embraced it along with their clans. Lastly, there were those who were intellectually convinced of the truth of Islam but did not have enough moral courage to give up their former traditions, superstitions, and personal ambitions and live up to the Islamic moral standards and make sacrifices in its way.</li><li>At the time of the revelation of Al-Baqarah, all sorts of hypocrites had begun to appear. Allah has, therefore, briefly pointed out their characteristics here. Afterward, when their evil characteristics and mischievous deeds became manifest, Allah sent detailed instructions about them.</li></ol><h2>Theme: Guidance</h2>This Surah is an invitation to the Divine Guidance and all the stories, incidents, etc., revolve around this central theme. As this Surah has particularly been addressed to the Jews, many historical events have been cited from their own traditions to admonish and advise them that their own good lies in accepting the Guidance revealed to the Holy Prophet. They should, therefore, be the first to accept it because it was basically the same that was revealed to Prophet Moses (Allah's peace be upon him).<h3>Topics and their Interconnection</h3>These introductory verses declare the Quran to be the Book of Guidance, enunciate the articles of the Faith -- belief in Allah, Prophethood, and Life-after-death; divide mankind into three main groups with regard to its acceptance or rejection -- Believers, disbelievers, and hypocrites. <a href="/2/1-20" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">1-20</a>Allah invites mankind to accept the Guidance voluntarily and to submit to Him, the Lord and the Creator of the Universe and to believe in the Quran, His Guidance, and in the Life-after-death. <a href="/2/21-29" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">21 - 29</a>The story of the appointment of Adam as Allah's Vicegerent on Earth, of his life in the Garden, of his falling a prey to the temptations of Satan, of his repentance and its acceptance, has been related to show to mankind (Adam's offspring), that the only right thing for them is to accept and follow the Guidance. This story also shows that the Guidance of Islam is the same that was given to Adam and that it is the original religion of mankind. <a href="/2/30-39" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">30-39</a>In this portion invitation to the Guidance has particularly been extended to the children of Israel and their past and present attitude has been criticized to show that the cause of their degradation was their deviation from the Guidance. <a href="2/40-120" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">40 - 120</a>The Jews have been exhorted to follow Prophet Muhammad (Allah's peace be upon him) who had come with the same Guidance and who was a descendant and follower of Prophet Abraham whom they highly honored as their ancestor, and professed to follow as a prophet. The story of the building of the Kaabah by him has been mentioned because it was going to be made the qiblah of the Muslim Community. <a href="/2/121-141" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">121-141</a>In this portion, the declaration of the change of qiblah from the Temple (Jerusalem) to the Kaabah (Makkah) has been made as a symbol of the change of leadership from the children of Israel to the Muslim Community, which has also been fore-warned to guard against those transgressions against the Guidance that had led to the deposition of the Jews. <a href="/2/142-152" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">142-152</a>In this portion, practical measures have been prescribed to enable the Muslims to discharge the heavy responsibilities of the leadership that had been entrusted to them for the promulgation of Guidance. Salat, Fast, Zakat, Haj, and Jihad have been prescribed for the moral training of the Ummat. The Believers have been exhorted to obey authority, to be just, to fulfill pledges, to observe treaties, to spend wealth, etc., in the way of Allah. Laws, rules, and regulations have been laid down for their organization, cohesion, and conduct of day-to-day life and for the solution of social, economic, political, and international problems; on the other hand, drinking, gambling, lending money on interest, etc., have been prohibited to keep the Ummat safe from disintegration. In between these, the basic articles of the Faith have been reiterated at suitable places, for these alone can enable and support one to stick to the Guidance. <a href="/2/153-251" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">153-251</a>These verses serve as an introduction to the prohibition of lending money on interest. The true conception of Allah, Revelation, and Life-after-death has been emphasized to keep alive the sense of accountability. The stories of Prophet Abraham (Allah's peace be upon him) and of the one who woke up after a sleep of hundred years have been related to show that Allah is All-Powerful and is able to raise the dead and call them to account. The Believers, therefore, should keep this fact in view and refrain from taking an interest in money. <a href="/2/252-260" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">252-260</a>The theme of <a href="/2/153-251" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">153-251</a> has been resumed and the Believers have been exhorted to spend in the way of Allah in order to please Him alone. In contrast to this, they have been warned against the evils of lending money on interest. Instructions have also been given for the honest conduct of day-to-day business transactions. <a href="/2/261-283" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">261-283</a>The basic articles of the Faith have been recapitulated here at the end of the Surah, just as they were enunciated at its beginning. Then the Surah ends with a prayer which the Muslim Community needed very much at that time when they were encountering untold hardships in the propagation of the Guidance. <a href="/2/284-286" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">284-286</a>

وكذلك جعلناكم امة وسطا لتكونوا شهداء على الناس ويكون الرسول عليكم شهيدا وما جعلنا القبلة التي كنت عليها الا لنعلم من يتبع الرسول ممن ينقلب على عقبيه وان كانت لكبيرة الا على الذين هدى الله وما كان الله ليضيع ايمانكم ان الله بالناس لرءوف رحيم

وَكَذَٰلِكَ جَعَلْنَـٰكُمْ أُمَّةً وَسَطًا لِّتَكُونُوا۟ شُهَدَآءَ عَلَى ٱلنَّاسِ وَيَكُونَ ٱلرَّسُولُ عَلَيْكُمْ شَهِيدًا ۗ وَمَا جَعَلْنَا ٱلْقِبْلَةَ ٱلَّتِى كُنتَ عَلَيْهَآ إِلَّا لِنَعْلَمَ مَن يَتَّبِعُ ٱلرَّسُولَ مِمَّن يَنقَلِبُ عَلَىٰ عَقِبَيْهِ ۚ وَإِن كَانَتْ لَكَبِيرَةً إِلَّا عَلَى ٱلَّذِينَ هَدَى ٱللَّهُ ۗ وَمَا كَانَ ٱللَّهُ لِيُضِيعَ إِيمَـٰنَكُمْ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ بِٱلنَّاسِ لَرَءُوفٌ رَّحِيمٌ

ANDRA SURAN
AL-BAQARAH (KON)
Medina-perioden
NAMNET på denna sura har hämtats från berättelsen i verserna
67–73. Det är den första sura som uppenbarades i sin helhet efter Profetens
utvandring till Medina; huvuddelen kom under periodens två
första år, men verserna 275–281 daterar sig från månaderna före hans
död (vers 281 anses vara hans sista uppenbarelse).
Suran inleds med en förklaring om syftet med uppenbarelsen av Koranen
som helhet – nämligen att ge människan vägledning i alla andliga
och världsliga ting – och innehåller vid sidan av upprepade eftertryckliga
maningar till fördjupat gudsmedvetande talrika anspelningar på fel
som begåtts av dem som i äldre tid fick ta emot uppenbarelsen, framför
allt Israels barn. Orden i vers 106 att de budskap som kommit till Profeten
Muhammad har trätt i stället för de tidigare budskapen är av största
betydelse för en rätt förståelse av suran, ja av hela Koranen. Många av
de legala föreskrifter som meddelas här (särskilt i surans senare del) – i
etiska frågor, samhällsangelägenheter, krig, familjerättslig lagstiftning
etc. – följer direkt av denna viktiga principförklaring. Gång på gång
framhålls att Koranens stadganden och föreskrifter svarar mot den
mänskliga naturens reella behov och såtillvida enbart utgör en fortsättning
av den moraliska vägledning som Gud har skänkt människan sedan
släktets begynnelse. Särskild uppmärksamhet ägnas åt Abraham, profeten
och patriarken, som med sin starka inriktning på principen om Guds
Enhet lagt grunden till de tre stora monoteistiska religionerna; och påbudet
att de som underkastar sig Guds vilja (vilket är innebörden av ordet
muslimun, sing. muslim) skall förrätta bönen vända mot Kabah,
Abrahams helgedom, kan sägas bekräfta och sätta inseglet på alla sanna
troendes medvetna identifiering med Abrahams tro.
Som en röd tråd genom suran löper Koranens lära i fem punkter:
Gud är den totalt behovslösa och av allt oberoende källan till allt varande
(al-qayyum); vissheten om Hans existens, förkunnad av profet efter
profet, ligger inom räckhåll för människans intellekt; ett rättskaffens liv
– inte tron enbart – är ett nödvändigt komplement till denna intellektuella
visshet; den kroppsliga döden kommer att följas av uppståndelse
och dom; de som är djupt medvetna om sitt ansvar inför Gud ”skall inte
känna fruktan och ingen sorg skall tynga dem”.

Koranens Budskap

Koranensbudskap.se

Koranen

Koranens budskap

Mohammed Knut Bernström

Vers 2:143 ur sura 2 Al-Baqarah (Kon) på svenska — arabisk text, translitterering och Mohammed Knut Bernströms tolkning i Koranens budskap.

Koranen 2:143

Al-Baqarah

Vers 2:143

Eller ”ett medelvägens samfund” – dvs. ett samfund som iakttar en rätt
balans mellan ytterligheterna och visar realism i sin inställning till människans
natur och möjligheter och därför fördömer såväl ett liv i utsvävningar som överdriven
askes. I linje med de ofta återkommande uppmaningarna till måttfullhet i
alla livets skiften råder Koranen de troende att inte fästa alltför stor vikt vid tillvarons
fysiska och materiella aspekter; samtidigt uppställer den premissen att
människans sinnliga begär och drifter är något av Gud givet och sålunda legitimt.
Driver man analysen vidare kan uttrycket ”mittens [el. ’medelvägens’] samfund”
sägas vara en sorts summarisk definition av Islams syn på människans existentiella
problem i sig: ett förnekande av tanken att det råder en inbyggd konflikt mellan
det andliga och det kroppsliga och ett djärvt bejakande av det naturliga sambandet
mellan dessa två aspekter av människans liv, varigenom Guds vilja förverkligas.
Denna balanserade hållning, utmärkande för Islam, är ett direkt utflöde
av principen om Guds Enhet och ett enda enhetligt, hela skapelsen underliggande
syfte. Orden om ”medelvägens samfund” utgör, där de står, en passande inledning
till det följande avsnittet med dess tema, Kabah – symbolen för den
Ende Guden.

Dvs. ”för att ert levnadssätt skall vara ett exempel för människorna, liksom
Sändebudet är ett exempel för er”.

Dvs. ”dem som Han har skänkt insikt” (Razi). Den ”svåra [prövningen]
(kabirah)” bestod däri att muslimerna, som alltsedan utvandringen till Medina
vant sig att vid bönen stå vända i riktning mot Jerusalem, som de förband med
de flesta av de tidigare, i Koranen nämnda profeternas förkunnelse, nu uppmanades
att vända sig mot Kabah som vid denna tidpunkt (två år efter utvandringen)
fortfarande begagnades som helgedom av det hedniska Quraysh, som
där dyrkade stammens talrika avgudar. Koranen framhåller emellertid här att
sanna troende inte skulle finna det svårt att återgå till Kabah som qiblah, eftersom
de instinktivt skulle uppfatta den gudomliga visdomen bakom detta påbud,
som etablerade Abrahams tempel som symbol för Guds Enhet och gjorde det till
brännpunkten för Islams ideologiska konsensus. (Se också not 116 ovan.)