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Qur'an 2:216

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Qur'an 2:216
Verse's Information
SuraSura al-Baqara
Verse216
Juz'2
Content Information
Place of
Revelation		Madani
Topiccollective obligation of Jihad ● God's Absolute Knowledge ● Limitation of Human Knowledge ● Necessity of Sending Prophets
Related VersesQur'an 2:190 ● Qur'an 2:255, Qur'an 3:5


Verse 216 of Sura al-Baqara (Arabic:الآية 216 من سورة البقرة) (Qur'an 2:216) speaks about the obligation of Jihad upon Muslims. Exegetes say that the obligation of Jihad in this verse refers to a collective obligation (al-wajib al-kifa'i). According to exegetes, this verse points out that due to limited knowledge, humans may consider some things undesirable for themselves while they are beneficial and in their interest; conversely, they may like some things that are actually harmful to them.

Relying on the themes of this verse, exegetes have stated that although Jihad involves hardships for Muslims and is unpleasant, by undertaking it, they will achieve results that compensate for the natural adversities of war. Another interpretation of this verse is that human knowledge, due to its limitations, is not sufficient or optimal for determining the plan of human life. Therefore, humans must rely on God's unlimited knowledge.

Collective Obligation of Jihad upon Muslims

Verse 216 of Sura al-Baqara states: "Warfare has been prescribed for you, though it is repulsive to you. Yet it may be that you dislike something which is good for you, and it may be that you love something which is bad for you; and Allah knows, and you do not know." This verse addresses the obligation of Jihad and its collective obligation upon Muslims.[1]

A narration from Imam Ali (a) recorded in Da'a'im al-Islam likewise indicates that Jihad is a collective obligation for Muslims.[2] According to Nasir Makarim Shirazi, the verse—following Verse 215 of Sura al-Baqara, which discusses financial donation—emphasizes the readiness to sacrifice one’s life in the path of God.[3]

In Tafsir Anwar-i dirakhshan, it is explained that the verse reproached a group of Muslims who, due to the hardships associated with warfare, objected to the command of Jihad, without realizing that the divine command was issued in view of the broader interests of Islamic society and the removal of obstacles to the spread of Islam.[4]

Exegetes further explain that the verse highlights a general principle of human limitation in perceiving reality: people may misjudge matters such as Jihad in the way of God, deeming what is ultimately beneficial as harmful and what is harmful as beneficial, due to their limited knowledge.[5] Al-Fadl b. al-Hasan al-Tabarsi also notes that—with the exception of 'Ata' b. Abi Rabah, who limited the obligation of Jihad in this verse to the Companions of the Prophet (s)—there is consensus among exegetes that the verse addresses all Muslims.[6]

Why was War Unpleasant for Muslims?

Exegetes such as 'Allama Tabataba'i, Jawadi Amuli, and Sayyid Muhammad Husayn Fadlallah believe that Muslims considered war unpleasant due to its harsh nature, and therefore, they accepted Jihad solely for the sake of God's satisfaction.[7] In contrast, Muhammad Jawad Mughniyya believes that if we look at the behavior of the Companions of the Prophet (s), we see that not only was Jihad not difficult or unpleasant for them, but they sought to perform it with all enthusiasm; so much so that if they were not martyred in war, they considered themselves losers. In his view, the reason Muslims did not like war was not its harsh nature, but rather that they feared defeat due to feeling outnumbered and under-equipped compared to the disbelievers.[8]

Human Knowledge and Action Based on Desires

Muhammad Ali Rida'i Isfahani in Tafsir-i Qur'an-i Mihr, regarding the two middle parts of verse 216 of Sura al-Baqara which says: "Yet it may be that you dislike something, which is good for you, and it may be that you love something, which is bad for you," states that humans usually base their knowledge and action on their sensual desires; while according to this verse, this method is incorrect. According to him, humans love many things that are harmful to them; such as laziness, seeking comfort, forbidden foods, and sins. Conversely, they dislike some things that are actually good for them; such as bitter and unpleasant medicine prescribed by a doctor to cure a patient.[9] In Tafsir-i rahnama, it is also stated that the criterion for good and bad is not human pleasure or displeasure, and human emotions should not prevent the performance or abandonment of divine rulings.[10]

Reliance on God's Knowledge of Interests and Corruptions

Sayyid Muhammad Husayn Fadlallah, citing verse 216 of Sura al-Baqara, wrote that a Believer must trust divine laws; because God is knowledgeable about the hidden aspects and the inner reality of everything and legislates based on this knowledge. In his view, a believer's trust in divine legislation attracts good and repels evil from humans.[11] Nasir Makarim Shirazi considers this verse to contain the general principle that humans should not tie their destiny to their own limited knowledge and must connect themselves to God's infinite knowledge, especially in legislative laws.[12] A number of exegetes also considered paying attention to the limitation of human knowledge as a cause for strengthening the spirit of humility and submission to divine laws in humans.[13]

Al-Shaykh al-Tusi, explaining the final part of the verse "and Allah knows and you do not know," considered it a proof of the incorrectness of the determinists' view; because God commanded Muslims to perform Jihad with knowledge of interests and benefits.[14] Akbar Hashimi Rafsanjani also believes, according to this verse, that the legislator must be aware of the real interests and corruptions of affairs so as not to be deceived by the adorned appearance or anomalous social behaviors.[15]

Notes

  1. ↑ Ṭūsī, Al-Tibyān, Dār Iḥyāʾ al-Turāth al-ʿArabī, vol. 2, p. 202; Ṭabarsī, Majmaʿ al-bayān, 1372 Sh, vol. 2, p. 549; Ṭabāṭabāʾī, Al-Mīzān, 1390 AH, vol. 2, p. 164; Faḍlallāh, Min waḥy al-Qurʾān, 1439 AH, vol. 2, p. 220; Javādī Āmulī, Tafsīr-i Tasnīm, 1387 Sh, vol. 10, p. 536.
  2. ↑ Ibn Ḥayyūn, Daʿāʾim al-Islām, 1342 Sh, vol. 1, p. 341.
  3. ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, 1371 Sh, vol. 2, p. 130.
  4. ↑ Ḥusaynī Hamadānī, Anwār-i darakhshān, 1404 AH, vol. 2, p. 191.
  5. ↑ Hāshimī Rafsanjānī, Tafsīr-i rāhnamā, 1386 Sh, vol. 2, p. 65; Riḍāyī Iṣfahānī, Tafsīr-i Qurʾān-i Mihr, 1387 Sh, vol. 2, pp. 176–177; Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, 1371 Sh, vol. 2, p. 131.
  6. ↑ Ṭabarsī, Majmaʿ al-bayān, 1372 Sh, vol. 2, p. 549.
  7. ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, Al-Mīzān, 1390 AH, vol. 2, p. 164; Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, 1371 Sh, vol. 2, pp. 132-133; Faḍlallāh, Min waḥy al-Qurʾān, 1439 AH, vol. 2, pp. 220-221; Javādī Āmulī, Tafsīr-i Tasnīm, 1387 Sh, vol. 10, pp. 541-547; Riḍāyī Iṣfahānī, Tafsīr-i Qurʾān-i Mihr, vol. 2, pp. 176-177.
  8. ↑ Mughniyya, Al-Kāshif, 1424 AH, vol. 1, pp. 322-323.
  9. ↑ Riḍāyī Iṣfahānī, Tafsīr-i Qurʾān-i Mihr, 1387 Sh, vol. 2, p. 177.
  10. ↑ Hāshimī Rafsanjānī, Tafsīr-i rāhnamā, 1386 Sh, vol. 2, p. 66.
  11. ↑ Faḍlallāh, Min waḥy al-Qurʾān, 1439 AH, vol. 2, p. 221.
  12. ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, 1371 Sh, vol. 2, pp. 131-132.
  13. ↑ Hāshimī Rafsanjānī, Tafsīr-i rāhnamā, 1386 Sh, vol. 2, p. 66; Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, 1371 Sh, vol. 2, p. 132; Riḍāyī Iṣfahānī, Tafsīr-i Qurʾān-i Mihr, 1387 Sh, vol. 2, p. 177.
  14. ↑ Ṭūsī, Al-Tibyān, Dār Iḥyāʾ al-Turāth al-ʿArabī, vol. 2, p. 203.
  15. ↑ Hāshimī Rafsanjānī, Tafsīr-i rāhnamā, 1386 Sh, vol. 2, p. 66.

References

  • Faḍlallāh, Sayyid Muḥammad Ḥusayn. Tafsīr min waḥy al-Qurʾān. Beirut: Dār al-Malāk, 3rd ed., 1439 AH.
  • Hāshimī Rafsanjānī, Akbar. Tafsīr-i rāhnamā. Qom: Būstān-i Kitāb, 5th ed., 1386 Sh.
  • Ḥusaynī Hamadānī, Muḥammad. Anwār-i darakhshān dar tafsīr-i Qurʾān. Tehran: Nashr-i Luṭfī, 1380 AH.
  • Ibn Ḥayyūn, Nuʿmān b. Muḥammad. Daʿāʾim al-Islām. Cairo: Dār al-Maʿārif, 1342 Sh/1383 AH.
  • Javādī Āmulī, ʿAbd Allāh. Tafsīr-i Tasnīm. Qom: Muʾassisa-yi Isrāʾ, 1387 Sh.
  • Makārim Shīrāzī, Nāṣir. Tafsīr-i nimūna. Tehran: Dār al-Kutub al-Islāmiyya, 32nd ed., 1371 Sh.
  • Mudarrisī, Muḥammad Taqī al-. Min hudā al-Qurʾān. Tehran: Dār Muḥibbī al-Ḥusayn (a), 1st ed., 1419 AH.
  • Mughniyya, Muḥammad Jawād. Al-Tafsīr al-kāshif. Qom: Dār al-Kitāb al-Islāmī, 1st ed., 1424 AH.
  • Riḍāyī Iṣfahānī, Muḥammad ʿAlī. Tafsīr-i Qurʾān-i Mihr. Qom: Pazhūhishhā-yi Tafsīr wa ʿUlūm-i Qurʾānī, 1st ed., 1387 Sh.
  • Ṭabāṭabāʾī, Sayyid Muḥammad Ḥusayn. Al-Mīzān fī tafsīr al-Qurʾān. Beirut: Muʾassisa al-Aʿlamī li-l-Maṭbūʿāt, 1390 AH.
  • Ṭabarsī, Faḍl b. al-Ḥasan al-. Majmaʿ al-bayān fī tafsīr al-Qurʾān. Tehran: Nāṣir Khusraw, 1372 Sh.
  • Ṭūsī, Muḥammad b. al-Ḥasan al-. Al-Tibyān fī tafsīr al-Qurʾān. Beirut: Dār Iḥyāʾ al-Turāth al-ʿArabī, n.d.
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