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Draft:Verse 47 of Sura al-Baqara

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Verse 47 of Sura al-Baqara
Verse's Information
Suraal-Baqara (Qur'an 2)
Verse47
Juz'1
Content Information
Place of
Revelation		Medina
TopicRecalling God's blessings upon the Israelites
AboutThe superiority of the Israelites over the worlds in their era
Related VersesQur'an 2:40 • Qur'an 2:122


Qur'an 2:47 serves as a divine reminder of the blessings bestowed upon the Israelites and their elevation above all other nations. Exegetes generally interpret the phrase "superiority over all the worlds" as denoting a temporal exclusivity, signifying their preeminence solely within their own era. These divine favors encompassed the mission of the messengers, the revelation of scripture for their guidance, the descent of manna and quails, the drowning of Pharaoh, and the manifestation of signs through which they could more profoundly recognize the existence and power of the Creator.

In a tradition, Imam al-Hasan al-Askari (a) attributes the spiritual preeminence of this people's ancestors to their acceptance of the guardianship of Muhammad (s) and his Household (a). The author of Majma' al-bayan posits that the repetition of the verse's opening clause—which also appears in Qur'an 2:40—underscores the gravity of the subject matter and emphasizes the necessity of gratitude for the Lord's blessings.

Text and Translation

The standard text and translation of verses 47 and 122 of Sura al-Baqara are as follows:

God's Blessings to the Israelites

Certain exegetes contend that the superiority of the Israelites was characterized by distinct privileges, including the mission of messengers, the revelation of celestial books for their guidance, the descent of manna and quails, the drowning of Pharaoh, and the provision of signs enabling a deeper comprehension of the Creator's existence and omnipotence.[1] Al-Tabrisi, the author of Majma' al-bayan, includes these instances alongside the appointment of a ruler from among their people during the era of Prophet Solomon (a) as manifestations of God's blessings.[2] In Al-Tibyan, Al-Shaykh al-Tusi enumerates the sending of countless prophets as a specific blessing upon the Israelites, citing interpretations that define "blessing" in this verse as the multitude of prophets raised from their midst.[3]

Interpretation of Superiority over the Worlds

Citing Ibn 'Abbas, the commentary Majma' al-bayan interprets the superiority of the Israelites over the worlds as being relative to the people of their specific epoch. This interpretation is grounded in the consensus that the Islamic Ummah holds superiority over all nations, just as the Final Prophet (s) is superior to all other prophets.[4] In Tasnim, Abd Allah Jawadi Amuli argues that the material and spiritual superiority of the Israelites was restricted to a specific historical period, noting that the Qur'an records their subjection to humiliation and wretchedness in other phases of their history.[5] Similarly, the Shi'a exegete Nasir Makarem Shirazi asserts that, in light of other verses such as Qur'an 7:137, the superiority of the Israelites refers to their preeminence over the people of their own environment and era.[6]

According to a hadith, Imam al-Hasan al-Askari (a) identified the acceptance of the guardianship of Prophet Muhammad (s) and his Household (a) as the underlying cause for the religious superiority of the Israelites' ancestors.[7] Furthermore, in an esoteric interpretation of the verse, Imam al-Sadiq (a) identified the "Children of Israel" as the Household of Muhammad (s).[8]

In another narration, when questioned regarding the concepts of the general (al-ʿāmm) and the specific (al-khāṣṣ) in the Qur'an, Imam 'Ali (a) recited this verse. He cited it as an exemplar of verses employing a general term—"al-'alamin" (the worlds)—while intending a specific meaning, namely, superiority exclusively over the people of the Israelites' own time.[9]

Repetition of the Verse and its Rationale

The initial segment of Qur'an 2:47, "O Children of Israel, remember My blessing which I bestowed upon you," recurs in two other verses: Qur'an 2:40 and Qur'an 2:122.

Exegetes have proposed three primary reasons for this repetition:

  1. To emphasize the necessity of gratitude for divine blessings.[10]
  2. To employ a rhetorical strategy of first stating blessings briefly, followed by a detailed elaboration.[11]
  3. To first address the blessings bestowed upon the immediate audience, and subsequently, the blessings bestowed upon their forefathers.[12]

Notes

  1. ↑ Al-Ṭabrisī, Majmaʿ al-bayān, 1372 Sh, vol. 1, p. 221.
  2. ↑ Al-Ṭabrisī, Majmaʿ al-bayān, 1372 Sh, vol. 1, p. 207.
  3. ↑ Al-Ṭūsī, Al-Tibyān, vol. 1, p. 209.
  4. ↑ Al-Ṭabrisī, Majmaʿ al-bayān, 1372 Sh, vol. 1, p. 221.
  5. ↑ Jawādī Āmulī, Tafsīr-i Tasnīm, 1381 Sh, vol. 14, p. 206.
  6. ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, 1374 Sh, vol. 1, p. 221.
  7. ↑ Al-Baḥrānī, Al-Burhān fī tafsīr al-Qurʾān, 1416 AH, vol. 1, pp. 210-211.
  8. ↑ Al-Baḥrānī, Al-Burhān fī tafsīr al-Qurʾān, 1416 AH, vol. 1, p. 210.
  9. ↑ Al-Majlisī, Biḥār al-anwār, 1403 AH, vol. 90, p. 23.
  10. ↑ Al-Ṭabrisī, Majmaʿ al-bayān, 1415 AH, vol. 1, p. 199; Al-Ṭūsī, Al-Tibyān, vol. 1, p. 209.
  11. ↑ Al-Ṭūsī, Al-Tibyān, vol. 1, p. 209.
  12. ↑ Al-Ṭabrisī, Majmaʿ al-bayān, 1372 Sh, vol. 1, p. 221.

References

  • Al-Baḥrānī, Hāshim b. Sulaymān. Al-Burhān fī tafsīr al-Qurʾān. Tehran: Biʿthat, 1416 AH.
  • Jawādī Āmulī, ʿAbd Allāh. Tafsīr-i Tasnīm. Qom: Markaz-i Nashr-i Isrāʾ, 1381 Sh.
  • Al-Majlisī, Muḥammad Bāqir b. Muḥammad Taqī. Biḥār al-anwār. Beirut: Dār Iḥyāʾ al-Turāth al-ʿArabī, 2nd ed., 1403 AH.
  • Makārim Shīrāzī, Nāṣir. Tafsīr-i nimūna. Tehran: Dār al-Kutub al-Islāmiyya, 1st ed., 1374 Sh.
  • Al-Ṭabrisī, Faḍl b. al-Ḥasan. Majmaʿ al-bayān fī tafsīr al-Qurʾān. Edited by Muḥammad Jawād Balāghī. Tehran: Nāṣir Khusraw, 3rd ed., 1372 Sh.
  • Al-Ṭabrisī, Faḍl b. al-Ḥasan. Majmaʿ al-bayān fī tafsīr al-Qurʾān. Beirut: Muʾassasat al-Aʿlamī li-l-Maṭbūʿāt, 1st ed., 1415 AH.
  • Al-Ṭūsī, Muḥammad b. al-Ḥasan. Al-Tibyān fī tafsīr al-Qurʾān. Edited by Aḥmad Qaṣīr al-ʿĀmilī. Beirut: Dār Iḥyāʾ al-Turāth al-ʿArabī, [n.d].

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