Surah Al Baqarah 21-29

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful 


Last Wednesday I posted this post about the first part of Surah Al Baqarah. Like I said earlier, it is a very important surah and there are many subjects covered in it. 
I want to continue writing about Surah Al Baqarah in this post and tell you more about the second part of Surah Al Baqarah, ayaat 21 to 29.

2:21 O mankind! Worshop your Lord, Who created you and those who were before you so that you may become Al-Muttaqun.

This is addressed to all of mankind, since the Quran invites all people to Islam. However, not all people might benefit from it if they are not meeting the set prerequisites mentioned in the first part of Surah Al Baqarah (click here for more information). 

2:22 Who has made the earth a resting place for you, and the sky as a canopy, and sent down water from the sky and brought forth therewith fruits as a provision for you. Then do not set up rivals unto Allah while you know (the Truth).

Once you acknowledge that all of this has been done by Allah (swt) then there is no other good choice to make than to worship Allah (swt) alone. You should not worship others beside Him, because He is the only ilah, the only god. 

2:23 And if you are in doubt concerning that which We have sent down to Our slave, then produce a Surah of the like thereof and call your witnesses besides Allah, if you are truthful.

Producing a Surah was given as a challenge to the opponents of Islam to prove to them that the Quran is indeed Divine Word and that no human is able to produce such a thing. 

2:24 But if you do it not, and you can never do it, then fear the Fire whose fuel is men and stones, prepared for the disbelievers.

The fuel of the Fire is men and stones, meaning that the disbelievers will end up as fuel of the Fire as well as the idols made of stone that they worship besides or instead of Allah (swt). 

2:25 And give glad tidings to those who believe and do righteous good deeds, that for them will be Gardens under which rivers flow. Every time they will be provided with a fruit therefrom, they will say: "This is what we were provided with before," and they will be given things in resemblance and they shall have therein companions pure, and they will abide therein forever.

This ayah tells the believers that if they enter Paradise, the fruits they eat there are the fruits they recognise from this world - the fruits in Paradise are however infinitely more delicious than the fruits of this world. It also tells us about the matter of spouses in Paradise. The believers that enter Paradise will enter with their spouse if they both led pious lives in this world. If one of them did not live a pious life, the other shall be given another spouse in Paradise. The other spouse is a person that did lead a pious life in this world - but his or her partner did not. 

2:26 Verily, Allah is not ashamed to set forth a parable even of a mosquito or so much more when it is bigger than it. And as for those who believe, they know that it is the Truth from their Lord, but as for those who disbelieve, they say: "What did Allah intend by this parable?" By it He misleads many, and many He guides thereby. And He misleads thereby only those who are Al-Fasiqun.

Disbelievers draw wrong conclusions from the parables mentioned in the Quran, they get confused by these parables and go astray from the Truth. All of this because of their own corruption. However, the believers will know that the parables are from none other than Allah (swt) because they have been given the insight. Al-Fasiqun are the people that are rebellious and disobedient to Allah (swt).

2:27 Those who break Allah's Covenant after ratifying it, and sever what Allah has ordered to be joined, and do mischief on earth, it is they who are the losers.

Allah's Covenant is His command of submitting, obeying and worshipping Allah (swt) alone. The confirmation of this refers to the covenant that the whole of mankind agreed to when Allah (swt) created Adam. 
To 'sever what Allah has ordered to be joined' means that the disbelievers break off relations which Allah (swt) has commanded to be established. This covers the entire moral world and every relationship. It doesn't just mean violation of human relations, but also abuse in any way since the result will be equal. These are the people that produce chaos in this world.
In this ayah the complete definition of Al-Fasiqun is given: the ones who break off or corrupt relations of any kind and like that produce chaos in this world.

2:28 How can you disbelieve in Allah? Seeing that you were dead and He gave you life. Then He will give you death, then again will bring you to life and then unto Him you will return.

This ayah shows the disbelievers, and also the believers, that you are only alive because Allah (swt) wanted you to be. He will decide when you live and He will decide when you die. 

2:29 He it is Who created for you all that is on earth. Then He rose over towards the heaven and made them seven heavens and He is the All-Knower of everything.

The significance of the seven heavens is a thing that we cannot determine, it is a thing only known to Allah (swt). In this part of the Surah mankind has been warned of two things: that you should not be a disbeliever, and that Allah (swt) is the Source of all knowledge. 

I hope you benefited from this post and that the information was clear enough. In a later post insha'Allah I will talk about the rest of Surah Al Baqarah.

 
May peace, mercy and blessings from Allah be upon you