On the benefits of the last 2 ayat of surah baqarah:
Abd al-Rahman b. Yazid said:
I asked Abu Mas’ud while he was making circumambulation of the Ka’bah (about the recitation of some verses from the Qur’an). He said: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: If anyone recited two verses from the last of Surah al-Baqarah at night, they will be sufficient for him.
Sahih (Al-Albani)
Sunan Abi Dawud 1397
| The last two ayat of Surah Baqarah are two fairly short ayats that contain a lot of barakah (blessings). From Bukhari, we are told this two ayat are sufficient for anyone who will read them at night. In today’s newsletter, we will reflect on the first ayah and tomorrow the second, Insha-Allah. The first ayah is a statement of faith and true belief, while the second verse contains three supplications to Allah (swt). |
| ءَامَنَ ٱلرَّسُولُ بِمَآ أُنزِلَ إِلَيۡهِ مِن رَّبِّهِۦ وَٱلۡمُؤۡمِنُونَۚ كُلٌّ ءَامَنَ بِٱللَّهِ وَمَلَـٰٓئِكَتِهِۦ وَكُتُبِهِۦ وَرُسُلِهِۦ لَا نُفَرِّقُ بَيۡنَ أَحَدٖ مِّن رُّسُلِهِۦۚ وَقَالُواْ سَمِعۡنَا وَأَطَعۡنَاۖ غُفۡرَانَكَ رَبَّنَا وَإِلَيۡكَ ٱلۡمَصِيرُ Aamanar-Rasoolu bimaaa unzila ilaihi mir-Rabbihee walmu’minoon; kullun aamana billaahi wa Malaaa’ikathihee wa Kutubhihee wa Rusulihee laa nufarriqu baina ahadim-mir-Rusulih wa qaaloo sami’naa wa ata’naa ghufraanaka Rabbanaa wa ilaikal-maseer The Messenger has believed in what was revealed to him from his Lord, and [so have] the believers. All of them have believed in Allah and His angels and His books and His messengers, [saying], “We make no distinction between any of His messengers.” And they say, “We hear and we obey. [We seek] Your forgiveness, our Lord, and to You is the [final] destination.”Qur’an 2:285 |
This one verse encapsulates what it truly means to be a Muslim. It gives us a framework teaching us what we are required to believe in, the values we should uphold, and the ethics of our conduct. “Each one believes in Allah and His angels and His Books and His Messengers. […] We do not differentiate between any of His Messengers.” This one ayah encompasses five of the six articles of faith. 1. To believe in the Oneness of Allah (tawheed). 2. To believe in all His Angels. 3. To believe in all His Books. 4. To believe in all His Prophets. 5. To believe in the Day of Resurrection. The last one not mentioned here but in the hadith would be belief in the existence of Allah’s qadr, i.e., His divine decree. Background of this ayah:The general belief is that this ayah is a reference to the Night of Journey (Isra and Mi’raj), where Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) ascended to Jannah. It was narrated that Ibn Abbas said:“When Jibril was with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), he heard a sound from above like a door opening. Jibril, peace be upon him, looked up toward the sky and said: ‘This is a gate in Heaven that has been opened, but it was never opened before.” He said: “An Angel came down from it and came to the Prophet (ﷺ) and said: ‘Receive the glad tidings of two lights that have been given to you and were never given to any prophet before you: The Opening of the Book (Al-Fatihah) and the last verses of Surat Al-Baqarah. You will never recite a single letter of them but you will be granted it.’” Sahih (Darussalam) Sunan an-Nasa’i 912 Honoring all Prophet (may peace be upon them): In this verse, Allah (swt) says, “The Messenger [Muhammad (ﷺ)] believes in what has been sent down to him from his Lord” but he doesn’t only mention the faith of the Prophet, he follows it to include “And so do the believers” referring to the entire Muslim Ummah. This includes us, those who currently follow Islam and were mentioned in the name of the Prophet (ﷺ). We are the last Ummah on earth, and he commended us for being among the believers. All the communities Allah (سُبْحَٰنَهُۥ وَتَعَٰلَىٰ) previously sent guidance for have either perished or been led astray. Next, it mentions, laa nufarriqu baina ahadim-mir-Rusulih “We do not differentiate between any of His Messengers”. Islam respects and honors every Prophet equally, and Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) was mindful to remember the struggle all the other Prophets had faced with guiding their communities. This often gave him comfort knowing he was not alone during the difficulties and gave him the courage to persevere just as they had. This is also a reminder to us that we should not just study the life and teachings of Rasulullah (ﷺ) but learn about the lives of all the Prophets (may peace be upon them). The disbelievers: In Surah An-Nisa, it mentions those who disbelieve will say, “We hear and disobey” and “hear but not heard” (4:46). Contrast this to how a believer would respond according to this ayah, sami’naa wa ata’naa meaning, “We hear, and we obey”. There are two parts to this. First, we must actively listen and hear the message, and second, we must obey. When it comes to Allah (سُبْحَٰنَهُۥ وَتَعَٰلَىٰ) we act, there is no questioning or doubt, we listened, and we obeyed. Do we obey one hundred percent of the time? No, we are not perfect. In life, we’re going to make mistakes. This is why the verse finishes seeking His abundant forgiveness, ghufraanaka Rabbanaa wa ilaikal-maseer, meaning “[We seek] Your Forgiveness, our Lord, and to You is the return [of all].” Seeking truth: In psychology, there is a concept known as social proof that describes how we look to others to inform our own opinions and beliefs. The human condition is memetic in nature, meaning we like to copy others when we ourselves are uncertain about how to behave. An example of social proof at work is imagining a few hundred people running down an alley you were walking. Would you join the crowd and run in the same direction, trusting that they were escaping from some fast-approaching danger? Or would you dare to step aside and let the crowd go by so that you could find out for yourself? Chances are you would take the former approach and run, and rightfully so. This is a natural human reaction to use social cues for survival, and in this situation, following the crowd could be the difference between life and death. Here your gut instinct would have served you well, but there are situations where that’s not always clear. We really must grow to appreciate what Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) sacrificed for us, he (ﷺ) risked his life for the message, and if it weren’t for him, we wouldn’t be where we are. Remember, he was at the age of forty when it was revealed to him by Jibreel that he was the Messenger of Allah. He was in denial himself and needed to be affirmed. When he finally accepted his role, he now had to fight against the commonly held beliefs and practices in Mecca. People were not receptive to this foreign message and began ostracizing Muhammad (ﷺ). They thought he was insane. We learn in the Qur’an his own uncle Abu Lahab staunchly opposed Islam and openly campaigned against him. They mocked him and slandered him. When Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) began to gain traction and some high-profile conversions, the other tribes viewed it as a threat. They argued if Muhammad (ﷺ) was against the traditional social and religious values of Mecca, then he must be prepared to endure separately from its economy. These sanctions were an attempt to put internal pressure on his clan to outlaw Muhammad (ﷺ) or force him to abandon the cause because of the effect the crippling sanctions would inevitably have (i.e., hunger and personal humiliation). It’s a difficult task not to follow the masses, but if you followed Abu Lahab and others, you would’ve been misled. In moments like this, we need to practice independent thinking rather than assuming the masses are correct just because they have the numbers. How could we become among those who say, “We hear, and we obey. [We seek] Your Forgiveness, our Lord, and to You is the return [of all].” If you existed in the Prophet’s (ﷺ) time, what you could’ve done to protect yourself is to listen with an open mind and try to be a student of the truth and decide for yourself. Learn both sides of the argument to the extent you know the other side’s view better than they know it. |
