Draft:Qur'an 2:286
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| Verse's Information | |
|---|---|
| Sura | al-Baqara (Qur'an 2) |
| Verse | 286 |
| Juz' | 3 |
| About | Proportion of duty and capabilities, Qur'anic prayers |
| Related Verses | 233 al-Baqara, 152 al-An'am, 7 al-Talaq |
Qur'an 2:286 is the last verse of this sura and, along with the previous verse, they are known as the Amana l-Rasul Verse. These two verses have been considered the summary and conclusion of Sura al-Baqara and it has been recommended to be recited in the post-prayer supplications of some prayers.
Verse 286, after explicitly stating a divine tradition that everyone's duty is according to their ability and everyone sees the result of their deeds, narrates several prayers from the tongue of the believers, the content of which is requesting forgiveness and pardon for sins, mistakes, and forgetfulness, lifting unbearable duties and punishments, and seeking victory over the disbelievers.
Position of the Verse
Qur'an 2:286 is the last verse of Sura al-Baqara and its content is the narration of the prayers of the believers who in verse 285 say: O God, we heard the message of the prophets (a) and obeyed. 'Allama Tabataba'i, considering that Sura al-Baqara is the first sura revealed after the migration to Medina and relying on the last sentence of the verse which seeks victory over the disbelievers, concludes that this verse was revealed in the early years of the formation of Islam.[1]
These two verses have been called the Amana l-Rasul Verses because they begin with the phrase "Amana l-Rasul".[2] And according to the belief of Tabataba'i, they are in a way a conclusion of the entire Sura al-Baqara and an expression of the summary of the sura's message.[3]
In verse 286, after mentioning a parenthetical sentence about the relationship between ability and duty,[4] the continuation of the words of the believers is narrated in the form of several prayers.
| “ | لَا يُكَلِّفُ اللَّهُ نَفْسًا إِلَّا وُسْعَهَا ۚ لَهَا مَا كَسَبَتْ وَعَلَيْهَا مَا اكْتَسَبَتْ ۗ رَبَّنَا لَا تُؤَاخِذْنَا إِنْ نَسِينَا أَوْ أَخْطَأْنَا ۚ رَبَّنَا وَلَا تَحْمِلْ عَلَيْنَا إِصْرًا كَمَا حَمَلْتَهُ عَلَى الَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِنَا ۚ رَبَّنَا وَلَا تُحَمِّلْنَا مَا لَا طَاقَةَ لَنَا بِهِ ۖ وَاعْفُ عَنَّا وَاغْفِرْ لَنَا وَارْحَمْنَا ۚ أَنْتَ مَوْلَانَا فَانْصُرْنَا عَلَى الْقَوْمِ الْكَافِرِينَ
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| “ | 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! Catch us not if we forget or make a mistake. Our Lord! Do not lay on us a burden such as You laid on those who were before us. Our Lord! Do not put upon us that which we have no strength to bear. Excuse us and forgive us, and have mercy on us! You are our Master, so help us against the faithless lot.’
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| — Qur'an 2:286 | ||
Quoting Tafsir-i nimuna, several hadiths have invited Muslims to recite these two verses and have enumerated rewards for it.[5] Such as the traditions that have been narrated in Bihar al-anwar[6] and Tafsir al-Qummi[7] and quoting Sayyid Ibn Tawus, its recitation has been recommended in some of the recommended prayers.[8]
Proportion of Duty and Ability
The first part of Qur'an 2:286 states that God does not task anyone beyond their ability, and every good and evil returns to the person themselves. 'Allama Tabataba'i considers this principle to be among the divine traditions and a rational rule[9] and Makarim Shirazi introduces it as a rational truth.[10] This theme has also appeared in other verses such as 233 of al-Baqara, 152 of Sura al-An'am, and 7 of Sura al-Talaq.[11] From which the negation of unbearable duty is understood.[12] Furthermore, Tafsir-i nimuna emphasizes that the verse indicates the responsibility of man and the invalidity of thoughts such as predestination (jabr) and similar justifications.[13]
Prayers of the Believers
The second part of Qur'an 2:286 contains seven prayers from the tongue of the believers, which is in a way teaching them what to ask from God.[14] The believers in these prayers ask that God does not take them to task for forgetting duties or mistakes, does not place upon their shoulders heavy duties that were upon the predecessors, does not impose upon them something beyond their tolerance, overlooks and forgives their sins, has mercy upon them, and makes them victorious over the disbelievers.[15]
Lifting Heavy Duties
The sentence "Wa la tuhammilna ma la taqata lana bih" (Do not put upon us that which we have no strength to bear) has paved the way for a question. It has been said that an unbearable duty is ugly and contrary to reason, and God also does not do such a thing; therefore, it makes no sense for the believers to have such a request from God. In response, it has been said that the meaning of not having strength might not be its rational meaning, but rather it means something that has hardship and difficulty, and also it might mean punishments that are beyond human strength.[16]
Several exegetes have applied the word "isr" (burden) in the verse to the heavy duties of previous nations,[17] but in the view of Sadhiqi Tihrani, this word can also include past punishments and is not exclusive to heavy duties.[18]
Difference Between Forgiveness, Pardon, and Mercy
Tabataba'i and Muhammad Sadhiqi Tihrani also, in an analysis of the words pardon ('afw), forgiveness (ghufran), and mercy (rahma) which have come one after another in the verse, consider pardon to be a lower level of forgiveness where the form of the sin remains but its punishment is removed; but forgiveness is a higher level where the form of the sin is also cleansed from the soul of the sinner; and finally, mercy is that, in addition to that, He also bestows something from Himself, such as the sin being transformed into a good deed. And the believers in this prayer request all three levels from God.[19]
Repetition of Rabbana
The multiple repetition of the word "Rabb" (Lord) in this verse, according to Tabataba'i, is to draw attention to the attribute of God's mercy and also attention to servanthood and servitude, because the word lordship (rububiyya) also instills its opposite point, meaning servanthood, into the mind of the audience.[20]
Notes
- ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, al-Mīzān, 1393 q, vol. 2, p. 441.
- ↑ Markaz-i Farhang wa Maʿārif-i Qurʾān, Dāʾirat al-maʿārif-i Qurʾān, 1382 sh, vol. 1, p. 418.
- ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, al-Mīzān, 1393 q, vol. 2, p. 441.
- ↑ Faḍl Allāh, Min waḥy al-Qurʾān, 1419 q, vol. 5, p. 194.
- ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, 1373 sh, p. 405.
- ↑ Majlisī, Biḥār al-anwār, 1403 q, vol. 18, p. 239.
- ↑ Qummī, Tafsīr al-Qummī, 1404 q, vol. 1, p. 95.
- ↑ Ibn Ṭāwūs, Iqbāl al-aʿmāl, 1409 q, vol. 2, p. 667, 668, 691, 722.
- ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, al-Mīzān, 1393 q, vol. 2, p. 444.
- ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, 1373 sh, p. 401.
- ↑ Ṣādiqī Tihrānī, al-Furqān, 1408 q, vol. 4, p. 386.
- ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, 1373 sh, p. 405.
- ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, 1373 sh, p. 401.
- ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, 1373 sh, p. 402.
- ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, al-Mīzān, 1393 q, vol. 2, p. 441.
- ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, al-Mīzān, 1393 q, vol. 2, p. 445; Faḍl Allāh, Min waḥy al-Qurʾān, 1419 q, vol. 5, p. 191.
- ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, 1373 sh, p. 403; Faḍl Allāh, Min waḥy al-Qurʾān, 1419 q, vol. 5, p. 191.
- ↑ Ṣādiqī Tihrānī, al-Furqān, 1408 q, vol. 4, p. 390.
- ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, al-Mīzān, 1393 q, vol. 2, p. 445; Ṣādiqī Tihrānī, al-Furqān, 1408 q, vol. 4, p. 393.
- ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, al-Mīzān, 1393 q, vol. 2, p. 446.
References
- Ibn Ṭāwūs, ʿAlī b. Mūsā. Iqbāl al-aʿmāl. Tehran, Dār al-Kutub al-Islāmiyya, 1409 q.
- Ṣādiqī Tihrānī, Muḥammad. al-Furqān fī tafsīr al-Qurʾān bi-l-Qurʾān wa l-sunna. Farhang-i Islāmī, Qom, 1406 q.
- Ṭabāṭabāʾī, Sayyid Muḥammad Ḥusayn. al-Mīzān fī tafsīr al-Qurʾān. Dār al-Aʿlamī li-l-Maṭbūʿāt, Beirut, 1393 q.
- Faḍl Allāh, Sayyid Muḥammad Ḥusayn. Min waḥy al-Qurʾān. Dār al-Malāk, Beirut, 1419 q.
- Qummī, ʿAlī b. Ibrāhīm. Tafsīr al-Qummī. Edited by Ṭayyib Mūsawī Jazāʾirī. Qom, Dār al-Kitāb, 1404 q.
- Markaz-i Farhang wa Maʿārif-i Qurʾān. Dāʾirat al-maʿārif-i Qurʾān-i karīm. Qom, Būstān-i Kitāb, 1382 sh.
- Makārim Shīrāzī, Nāṣir, et al. Tafsīr-i nimūna. Dār al-Kutub al-Islāmiyya, Tehran, 1373 sh.