Verses of Aman al-Rasul
 | |
| Verse's Information | |
|---|---|
| Name | Aman al-Rasul Verse |
| Sura | al-Baqara |
| Verse | 285 and 286 |
| Juz' | 3 |
| Content Information | |
| Cause of Revelation | Comforting the companions of the Prophet (s) and teaching the way of faith |
| Place of Revelation | Medina |
| Topic | Theological |
| About | Faith in God, prophets and the resurrection |
| Others | The ease of the Religion of Islam, not giving tasks to the servants beyond their ability |
Āman al-Rasūl Verse (Arabic: آية آمَنَ الرَّسُول) or Āman al-Rasūl Verses (Arabic: آيتا آمَنَ الرَّسُول) or the Apostle Believes (Qur'an 2:285-286) emphasize the following principles: faith in God, recognition of the prophets truthfulness, belief in the resurrection, the obligation to worship God, sincerity and heartfelt faith, obedience to God among believers, God's forgiveness, and God's consideration of people's capabilities when laying obligations upon them. Quranic exegetes suggest that these verses were revealed to provide assurance to Muslims and impart knowledge about the path of belief.
These verses hold great significance within the Muslim community. Both Shi'a and Sunni hadiths recommend the recitation of these verses at night and certain recommended prayers. In certain mosques, these verses are recited following the 'isha' prayer. Exegetes of the Quran believe that these verses encapsulate the essence of Qur'an 2, underscoring the core doctrines and teachings expounded throughout the sura.
Text and Translation
| “ | آمَنَ الرَّسُولُ بِمَا أُنزِلَ إِلَيْهِ مِن رَّبِّهِ وَالْمُؤْمِنُونَ ۚ كُلٌّ آمَنَ بِاللَّـهِ وَمَلَائِكَتِهِ وَكُتُبِهِ وَرُسُلِهِ لَا نُفَرِّقُ بَيْنَ أَحَدٍ مِّن رُّسُلِهِ ۚ وَقَالُوا سَمِعْنَا وَأَطَعْنَا ۖ غُفْرَانَكَ رَبَّنَا وَإِلَيْكَ الْمَصِيرُ ﴿٢٨٥﴾ لَا يُكَلِّفُ اللَّـهُ نَفْسًا إِلَّا وُسْعَهَا ۚ لَهَا مَا كَسَبَتْ وَعَلَيْهَا مَا اكْتَسَبَتْ ۗ رَبَّنَا لَا تُؤَاخِذْنَا إِن نَّسِينَا أَوْ أَخْطَأْنَا ۚ رَبَّنَا وَلَا تَحْمِلْ عَلَيْنَا إِصْرًا كَمَا حَمَلْتَهُ عَلَى الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِنَا ۚ رَبَّنَا وَلَا تُحَمِّلْنَا مَا لَا طَاقَةَ لَنَا بِهِ ۖ وَاعْفُ عَنَّا وَاغْفِرْ لَنَا وَارْحَمْنَا ۚ أَنتَ مَوْلَانَا فَانصُرْنَا عَلَى الْقَوْمِ الْكَافِرِينَ
The Apostle has faith in what has been sent down to him from his Lord, and all the faithful. Each [of them] has faith in Allah, His angels, His scriptures and His apostles. [They declare,] ‘We make no distinction between any of His apostles.’ And they say, ‘We hear and obey. Our Lord, forgive us, and toward You is the return.’ Allah does not task any soul beyond its capacity. Whatever [good] it earns is to its benefit, and whatever [evil] it incurs is to its harm. ‘Our Lord! Take us not to task if we forget or make mistakes! Our Lord! Place not upon us a burden as You placed on those who were before us! Our Lord! Lay not upon us what we have no strength to bear! Excuse us, forgive us, and be merciful to us! You are our Master, so help us against the faithless lot!’ |
” |
| — Qur'an 2:285-286 | ||
Virtues and Content
Qur'an 2:285-286 are commonly referred to as "Aman al-Rasul" or "The Apostle Believes" due to the beginning phrase in these verses.[1] Both Shi'a[2] and Sunni[3] sources contain hadiths that highlight the virtues associated with these two verses. According to one narration, the Prophet (s) mentioned that these last two verses of Qur'an 2 were bestowed upon him from a treasure beneath the Divine Throne.[4] Additionally, it is recommended to recite these verses during certain recommended prayers[5] and before going to sleep at night.[6]
A hadith cited in Sunni sources, narrated by 'Abd Allah b. 'Umar, highlights the Prophet's (s) emphasis on reciting these two verses after the 'isha' prayer as a potential alternative to the night prayer.[7] Following the congregational 'isha' prayer, it is customary in certain mosques to recite these verses.
According to Sayyid Qutb, an Egyptian Quranic scholar, these verses effectively summarize the main themes of Qur'an 2, encompassing beliefs in God, angels, prophets, divine scriptures, the resurrection, and seeking God's forgiveness.[8] Consequently, these verses reaffirm fundamental Islamic teachings and doctrines that are introduced at the beginning of Qur'an 2.[9] Similarly, Sayyid Muhammad Husayn Tabataba'i views these two verses as concise summaries of the various topics addressed in the sura. In his view, the sura initially highlights the characteristics of the pious or the God-wary (such as belief in the unseen, prayer, and charitable acts), followed by illustrating the disobedience of the People of the Book, particularly the Jews, towards God, which led to divine punishment and calamities. The sura concludes with the narrative of the Prophet (s) and his followers, who exhibited submission to God and acknowledged their own limitations, in contrast to the People of the Book.[10]
Occasion of Revelation
Regarding the occasion of the revelation of these verses, it is reported that when Qur'an 2:284: "Whether you disclose what is in your hearts or hide it, Allah will bring you to account for it," was revealed, a group of companions of the Prophet (s) expressed their concerns to the Prophet (s). They were worried about their own inner struggles and the possibility of falling into disobedience, similar to previous communities, admitting their vulnerability to inner temptations. In response to their concerns, verses 285 and 286 were revealed as instructions regarding the path of faith, supplication, seeking divine forgiveness, and complete submission to God.[11]
Exegetical Points
Here are some exegetical issues surrounding the Verses of "Aman al-Rasul":
- Believers have faith in the messages brought by the prophets, without making distinctions or discriminations among them.[12]
- One advantage of the prophets was their unwavering faith and steadfastness in their own paths. They possessed a profound belief in the divine messages they conveyed, surpassing the faith of others. They had an unwavering commitment to their beliefs.[13]
- God does not impose obligations on individuals beyond their capacity to bear (Unbearable Obligation). This principle establishes a limitation on jurisprudential rulings.[14]
- The phrase "we hear and obey" signifies that believers fulfill their obligations with genuine faith in their hearts and practical obedience.[15]
- These verses highlight the reciprocal rights between God and His creation. The right of God is to be worshipped by His servants, while the right of people is to receive forgiveness, which God has imposed upon Himself.[16]
Notes
- ↑ Markaz-i Farhang wa Maʿārif-i Qurʾān, Daʾirat al-maʿārif-i Qurʾān, vol. 1, p. 418.
- ↑ al-Majlisī, Biḥār al-anwār, vol. 18, p. 239; Qummī, Tafsīr al-Qummī, vol. 1, p. 95.
- ↑ Ibn Kathīr, Tafsīr al-Qurʾān al-ʿaẓīm, vol. 1, p. 569-573.
- ↑ Harawī, Faḍāʾīl al-Qurʾān, p. 233.
- ↑ Ibn Ṭāwūs, Iqbāl al-aʿmāl, vol. 2, p. 667, 668, 691, 722.
- ↑ Ibn Kathīr, Tafsīr al-Qurʾān al-ʿaẓīm, vol. 1, p. 569.
- ↑ Qurṭubī, al-Jāmiʿ li-aḥkām al-Qurʾān, vol. 3, p. 433.
- ↑ Sayyid Quṭb, Fī ẓilāl al-Qurʾān, vol. 1, p. 344.
- ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, vol. 2, p. 397.
- ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, al-Mīzān, vol. 2, p. 440.
- ↑ Wāḥidī, Asbāb al-nuzūl al-Qurʾān, p. 97-98; Shāh Abdul ʿAẓīmī, Tafsīr ithnā asharī, vol. 1, p. 519.
- ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, al-Mīzān, vol. 2, p. 440.
- ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, vol. 2, p. 398.
- ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, vol. 2, p. 400-401.
- ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, al-Mīzān, vol. 2, p. 443.
- ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, al-Mīzān, vol. 2, p. 443.
References
- Harawī, Abū ʿUbayd al-. Faḍāʾīl al-Qurʾān. Damascus: Dār Ibn Kathīr, [n.d].
- Ibn Kathīr al-Dimashqī, Ismāʿīl b. ʿUmar. Tafsīr al-Qurʾān al-ʿaẓīm. 1st edition. Beirut: Dar al-Kutub al-'Ilmiyya, 1419 AH.
- Ibn Ṭāwūs, ʿAlī b. Mūsā. Iqbāl al-aʿmāl. Tehran: Dār al-Kutub al-Islāmīyya, 1409 AH.
- Majlisī, Muḥammad Bāqir al-. Biḥār al-anwār. Second edition. Beirut: Dār Iḥyāʾ al-Turāth al-ʿArabī, 1403 AH.
- Makārim Shīrāzī, Nāṣir. Tafsīr-i nimūna. Tehran: Dār al-Kutub al-ʿIlmīyya, 1371 Sh.
- Markaz-i Farhang wa Maʿārif-i Qurʾān. Daʾirat al-maʿārif-i Qurʾān-i karīm. Qom: Būstān-i Kitāb, 1382 Sh.
- Qummī, ʿAlī b. Ibrāhīm al-. Tafsīr al-Qummī. Edited by Ṭayyib Mūsawī Jazāʾrī. Qom: Dār al-Kitāb, 1404 AH.
- Qurtubī, Muḥammad b. Aḥmad al-. Al-Jāmiʿ li-aḥkām al-Qurʾān. Tehran: Intishārāt-i Nāṣir Khusraw, 1364 Sh.
- Sayyid Quṭb, Muḥammad. Fī ẓilāl al-Qurʾān. Beirut: Dār al-Shurūq, 1408 AH.
- Shāh Abdul ʿAẓīmī, Ḥusayn. Tafsīr ithnā asharī. Tehran: Mīqāt, 1363 Sh.
- Ṭabāṭabāʾī, Sayyid Muḥammad Ḥusayn al-. Al-Mīzān fī tafsīr al-Qurʾān. Beirut: Muʾassisat al-Aʿlamī li-l-Maṭbūʿāt, 1390 AH.
- Wāḥidī, Alī b. Aḥmad. Asbāb al-nuzūl al-Qurʾān. Edited by Kamāl Basyūnī Zaghlūl. Beirut: Dār al-Kutub al-Ilmiyya, 1411 AH.