^{Surah Name:} Al-Baqarah ^Meaning: The Cow

Key Points

Surah Al-Baqarah

Secrets Of Revelation

Who believe (in the Qura'an)... shall be no fear nor shall they grieve.

Being condemned to eternal humiliation is indeed a grave situation; but there is still hope, because the source of mercy for the entire Universe has arrived. The beneficence of Prophet Muhammad^-SW is universal and for everyone, for a Muslim, a Jew, a Christian or a non-believer. The only condition is to believe in Allaah^-SWT, the Last Day, and all that which has been revealed to him^-SW as Allaah^-SWT's Messenger, and to follow his^-SW teachings and practise righteousness. Righteous are only those deeds, which are in accordance with Sunnah, and an action that stands in conflict with it, loses its validity and merit. It is indeed a wrong notion that Allaah^-SWT will accept the good deeds of every sect, because without belief there is no virtue in any deed. However, anyone from any school of thought is welcome to embrace Islam. If the Muslims are being blessed, it is not because of their persons, but because of their belief and conduct.

Therefore, O Bani Israil and all the other sects of the world! If you follow the Holy Prophet^-SW in beliefs and in conduct, you can also receive these blessings. However, if ( Allaah^-SWT forbid!) the Muslims abandon his way of life, they too will be condemned like the Bani Israil. This is exactly the situation we are facing today. We no longer possess the qualities, which had won the Muslims global honour and eternal bliss. Muslim blood is being spilled the world over. Our roots are being torn apart through treachery but we do not even stir in our indifferent slumber. May Allaah^-SWT guide us to repentance, and bless us with beliefs and actions to which the Holy Prophet^-SW has invited us! Only those who adopt his Sunnah will deserve Divine Favours, and shall neither have fear for the future nor any grief over the past.

The Summary Of Tasawwuf

This is the essence of Tasawwuf; by a continuous repetition of Allaah^-SWT's Name, the heart attains that capability, by which a person accepts the Islamic beliefs from the depths of his heart, and then finds the courage to follow the Sunnah. If someone goes against the Sunnah and calls it Tasawwuf, it is just like calling a crow, a falcon!

"And when We took a pledge from you...so that you may observe Taqwa"

The Bani Israil are being reminded of the lime when Allaah^-SWT had suspended the Mount ‘Tur’ over them in order to make them accept what had been sent unto them. They were warned that if they did not hold on to the Torah firmly, the mountain shall be lowered down upon them. Then they all prostrated before Him and began to beg and promise. And Allaah^-SWT terms this persuasion as a great favour, for had they not accepted the Commandment, who would have been at loss? Thus Allaah^-SWT, by forcing them into accepting the Commandments, gave them a chance to attain righteousness. The principle: 'La ikrah fid Deen' (there is no compulsion in Deen) is not applicable here, because these people had accepted Allaah^-SWT's faith earlier and were practically turning their backs to the Torah, saying that it was too difficult to act upon. Therefore, Allaah^-SWT suspended the Mount Tur over them, warning them that if they did not comply, they would he destroyed. Similarly in Islam, death is the punishment for an apostate, not for a non-believer.

Responsibility Of The Rulers

To make a Muslim practise Islam is the responsibility of a ruler, and he should punish the defaulters. If he fails to do so, he will be deemed as an accomplice. This is why during the auspicious era of the Companions^-RAU, Caliph 'Umar Faruq^-RAU roamed around with a whip in his hand. If only Allaah^-SWT would grant this sense to the rulers of today!

And even after that you turned away... the losers for sure.

The Bani Israil once again broke their promise and the latest example of this breach of faith was their animosity towards the Holy Prophet^-SW. Allaah^-SWT reiterates that it is because of His Grace and general Mercy that they have been granted respite until they live, otherwise they were at a great loss and on the verge of being doomed. They had been wrongdoers from the very beginning; it was only His Mercy, which held them time and again. And then the raising of the Holy Prophet^-SW was a special blessing; because of which even the non-believers were relieved of a general doom. But for how long can they escape Allaah^-SWT's wrath? One day they have to present themselves in His Court. If after deserting Prophet Musa^-AS they still continue to survive, it does not mean that they will also be able to escape the eternal doom. So this too is Allaah^-SWT's Blessing that He did not seize them immediately for their follies and granted them respite, so that they may atone. And they very well know this fact.

And you very well knew those of you,... "Be you apes, despised and rejected".

And those people who transgressed on Saturdays were also from amongst them. This incident took place during the period of Prophet Dawud^-AS They lived along the coastline and fishing was their means of earning a livelihood. Allaah^-SWT had ordered them to abstain from fishing on Saturdays, as this day was sacred for them, and was dedicated for worship. Plenty of fish, more than usual, would muster up the shore on Saturdays and they could not resist the temptation to catch it. They invented an excuse for violating the ban. They dug out several ditches along the shore and connected them to the sea with ducts. When the ditches would fill up with fish, they would seal off the ducts, and would not lake any fish on that day. The next day they would catch the trapped fish. Some would lower a fishing rod in the water and the fish so hooked would be taken out the following day. Some of them who obeyed Allaah^-SWT strongly opposed this crime and tried their best to stop the violators. The dispute became so grave that the wrongdoers drove the noble men out of their settlement, and constructed a wall in between to keep them confined to their homes, out of sight.

One morning, the expelled heard no human voice from the evildoer’s settlement. All that could be heard was the cries of apes and the shrieks of pigs. When they checked it out they saw that all had transformed into apes and pigs. The young ones were turned into apes and the old ones changed into pigs. They recognised their relatives, and would toss around restlessly at their feet, but nothing could be done for them. After a few days all of them died. According to the ‘Hadith’ the nations subjected to such punishment had left no pedigree behind. The monkeys we see today are a separate species, which existed even before this incident, and have nothing to do with these condemned folk.

The Forms of Justification

It has been clearly indicated that any justification, which negates or violates a law of Shari'ah, is not only wrong, but also a serious crime. However, the justifications of Islamic jurists, which aim at obeying the Shari'ah and not negating it do not fall in this category. Secondly, living with pious people is also a source of protection against a general Divine punishment. As long as the two Sabbath groups lived together, they were safe, but when the fundamentalists were separated, the so-called civilized were seized by Divine punishment. May Allaah^-SWT bless us with the company of nobles!

And We made this an example for their... and a lesson for the Muttaqeen.

The Bani Israil caught the fish but, for this Allaah^-SWT turned them into apes and pigs, a sorry sight, a lesson and a source of repentance for their contemporaries and those to follow in time, whereas, for the pious it is a source of greater guidance. The Punishment of distortion was generally discontinued with the advent of the Holy Prophet^-SW. It is one of his^-SW Barakah. But it is not surprising to see individual cases of distortion. In our village, a woman habitually used abusive language, especially against Hadhrat Abu Bakr Siddique^-RAU, and generally for the Holy Prophet's^-SW wives and other Companions^-RAU. Before she died, her face got terribly disfigured and her tongue hung out four inches just like a dog’s, which simply would not retract. She could neither keep quiet, nor articulate any words and her voice resembled a dog's grumble. She was taken to Lahore for medical aid, but nothing seemed to help and after four months of torture she died. There are many such incidents, to list them all would be impossible here, but such exceptional cases of physical distortion do take place

State of Spiritual Distortion

In case of the Spirit, it cannot retain its human appearance without Islamic faith and practice. It would resemble the beast or animal whose traits are predominant in a person. The Spirits of only those Muslims who have enlightened hearts retain their human appearance. Even the Spirits of the practising Muslims take the appearance of permissible animals, whereas those of the non-believers and the wrongdoers take the shape of beasts. They live cloaked in human form, but it would not last forever. If Allaah^-SWT bestows the power of spiritual observation, it can be seen that towns and cities are infested with beasts. This is the reason why people look human but behave worse than beasts. May Allaah^-SWT forgive us!

And when Musa said to his people... being an ignorant".

The Bani Israil are being reminded of Allaah^-SWT's Favour at the time when a person from amongst them was murdered and the murderer could not be traced. They approached Prophet Musa^-AS and requested for help. The Prophet^-AS, in accordance with Allaah^-SWT's orders told them to slaughter a cow. They asked him if it was a joke. He said that he could not possibly indulge in such ignorance as to joke about Divine Orders. Only someone who is unaware of Allaah^-SWT's Greatness could do such a foolish act and such a person, no matter how educated he may be, is indeed an ignorant. Given the Divine Cognition one can never dare to joke about the Divine Commands, and the exalted Prophets^-AS enjoy an exemplary level of cognition. To make fun of someone or tell lies even while joking is also prohibited in Shari'ah. However, there is no harm in joking within close friends if the facts are correct and the aim is not to insult anyone. But no liberty can be taken with Divine Laws.

Now, why did the Bani Israil take it as a joke? Probably it looked irrelevant to them that sacrificing a cow could be helpful in the investigation of a murder. What possibly could be achieved by doing so? This is a world of 'cause and effect'. It is Allaah^-SWT's Wisdom that He has connected every single event with a cause, and He Alone knows the logic behind it. These events which we witness in our daily lives do not surprise us as we have become accustomed to them and treat them as routine. Otherwise, what sense does it make to bury in the soil whatever grains one is left with, for more yield? But our experience tells us that by doing so the land yields a crop and grains are multiplied manifold, and does not allow us to be surprised. In fact, everything in this Universe is a definite proof of Allaah^-SWT's Omnipotence. He intended to show these people yet another proof, being well aware of the wisdom behind every command Therefore, it is imperative to execute the commands of the Prophets^-AS and the promised results are bound to manifest, whether we can discern the link or not, just as the ignorant critics of today have opined that the amount of money on Eid ul Adhha, on slaughtering animals is a waste, which could be put into welfare projects. They suggest that instead of spending millions of Rupees every year on Hajj, the money could be invested in establishing universities. These opinions stem out of the same Jewish mentality. Otherwise, the aim is only to follow the Holy Prophet^-SW. By sacrificing a paltry goat or a cow, one receives his share of the same Barakah, which were attained by Prophet Ibrahim^-AS when he put the knife on his son's throat. This duty indeed is a great Divine Favour to us. It is a marvellous achievement to arouse a gleam of Prophet Ibrahim^-AS 's noble character in oneself. And to absorb the Divine Refulgence peculiar to Hajj is indeed an extremely glorified state, impossible to acquire without performing Hajj. Can anyone else claim to build the human character in a better way than the one who conveyed these Divine commands to humanity? Is there anyone in the history of mankind, equal to the Holy Prophet^-SW of Islam? Not at all! And today these animals in human guise, who claim to be civilized, inculcate beastly qualities in the children of Adam in their universities and colleges, and pass sarcastic remarks on Divine Commands!

State of Spiritual Distortion

In case of the Spirit, it cannot retain its human appearance without Islamic faith and practice. It would resemble the beast or animal whose traits are predominant in a person. The Spirits of only those Muslims who have enlightened hearts retain their human appearance. Even the Spirits of the practising Muslims take the appearance of permissible animals, whereas those of the non-believers and the wrongdoers take the shape of beasts. They live cloaked in human form, but it would not last forever. If Allaah^-SWT bestows the power of spiritual observation, it can be seen that towns and cities are infested with beasts. This is the reason why people look human but behave worse than beasts. May Allaah^-SWT forgive us!

They said, "Pray to your Rubb... pleasing the onlookers".

If we compare that truly Islamic society with our own and see which one offers salvation to humanity, the glory of following the Holy Prophet^-SW will surely dawn upon us. We may realize that only that university or college is worthwhile, which educates its students to follow the Sunnah. Otherwise, such educational institutions are just slaughterhouses, where humanity is skinned! Adherence to the Prophet^-AS is synonymous to a complete trust in him^-AS. But the Bani Israil, after being ordered to slaughter a cow, engaged in endless arguments with Prophet Musa^-AS about its appearance. He^-AS replied that it was neither too young, nor old, and that they must not indulge in pointless arguments and just do as Allaah^-SWT had ordered. But they again requested Prophet Musa^-AS to ask his Rubb what must be the colour of that cow? He replied that Allaah^-SWT said, it must be of a bright yellow colour, which pleased the beholders. They were still not satisfied and told Prophet Musa^-AS that there were too many cows of that description, so he should ask his Rubb to clarify further. Each time they said, "Musa^-AS! Ask your Rubb "; never for once did they say ‘our Rubb '. They asked for more indications, and said that if Allaah^-SWT was willing, they would comply with His Command.

They said, "Pray to your Rubb...we shall then be rightly guided"

According to the Holy Prophet^-SW had they not added "In-sha-Allaah", they would never have been able to execute the Divine Command. Prophet Musa^-AS told them that Allaah^-SWT said that it was a cow that had never been yoked, nor had ploughed or watered the till, nor was there any scar or mark on its body from being yoked or beating. Now everything was clear, they said. They finally bought a cow and willy-nilly slaughtered it. Allaah^-SWT is reminding the Jews of His great favour unto their ancestors. They were awfully slack in obeying their Prophet^-AS, but inspite of that He accepted their sacrifice and allowed the desired result to be obtained. Their sacrifice could have gone in vain without bearing any result because of their wrong conduct. The trouble they went through was only because of their useless probing which led to more and more restrictions. Had they just slaughtered any cow after receiving the order, it would have served the desired purpose.

No Argument With The Shaikh

Similarly, if a Shaikh wants the seeker to do something, the latter should not ask further questions to create hardship for himself. For example, if a seeker is told to recite a certain number of Darud Sharif then whichever Darud Sharif he may recite, will serve the purpose. But if he asks the Shaikh, which Darud Sharif should he recite, then he will be bound to recite whichever the Shaikh tells him. The prescribed time of its recital must also be observed if fixed; otherwise the desired benefit would not be achieved.

He said, " He says: a cow unyoked,...they had no intention to do so.

The commentators have recorded another strange incident regarding the slaughtering of the cow by the Bani IsraiI. They explain that a righteous man, who owned a calf, drove it to the woods before his death, supplicating to Allaah^-SWT to make it a source of livelihood for his son. The calf is said to have grown up as a beautiful cow, and the more the Bani Israil probed, Allaah^-SWT continued to reveal its features. Now no other cow could fulfil the specification revealed by Allaah^-SWT. On the other hand, the owner of the cow got an intuition to charge the Bani IsraiI a handsome amount of money. Thus the price of the cow was finally fixed to be gold coins stuffed in its hide. The Bani Israil had tried to play smart by cross-questioning the Prophet^-AS, while Allaah^-SWT desired to benefit the one who had totally relied on Him.

Therefore, neither should any objection be raised against the laws of Shari'ah, nor any excuses be made to evade the instructions of a Shaikh. This certainly invokes worldly hardships besides the additional risk of losing one's faith. On the path of love, sincerity carries real value; deep devotion is wisdom, while logic and calculation carry no weight!