3 Oct, 2025
Quran 2:216 (Ayah al-Baqarah)
Islam, Quran , , , , , , , ,
Fighting has been made obligatory upon you ˹believers˺, though you dislike it. Perhaps you dislike something which is good for you and like something which is bad for you. Allah knows and you do not know. Quran 2:216 Surah al-Baqarah (The Cow)
Surah al-Baqarah is the longest Surah of the Qur’an with 286 Ayat, has the longest Ayat of the Qur’an (2:282), the greatest Ayat of the Qur’an (2:255), and reportedly the last Ayat of the Qur’an revealed (2:281). The Surah, revealed in Madinah, deals with a number of issues related to Guidance, Allah’s Governance on Earth, history of previous Muslim Ummah and instructions for the new Muslim Ummah.
كُتِبَ عَلَیۡكُمُ ٱلۡقِتَالُ وَهُوَ كُرۡهࣱ لَّكُمۡۖ وَعَسَىٰۤ أَن تَكۡرَهُوا۟ شَیۡءࣰا وَهُوَ خَیۡرࣱ لَّكُمۡۖ وَعَسَىٰۤ أَن تُحِبُّوا۟ شَیۡءࣰا وَهُوَ شَرࣱّ لَّكُمۡۗ وَٱللَّهُ یَعۡلَمُ وَأَنتُمۡ لَا تَعۡلَمُونَ
The Surah begins with the statement that it is Allah who revealed this book (the Qur’an) for the guidance of those who are conscious of Allah. Only those who seek guidance can benefit from the guidance of this Book. There are three types of human beings:
Those who believe in the unseen realities, perform prayers, give part of their wealth in charity, believe in what is revealed in this scripture and what was revealed before to other prophets and messengers of Allah. These are the true believers. They shall benefit from this book and they shall be eternally successful.
Second group consists of those who have decided to reject Allah’s message. They are the Kafirs. Since they have made up their minds to reject Islam, no preaching will help them. Allah will punish them on the Day of Judgment because of their rejection.
Third is the group of people who say that they have believed, but actually they have not believed. They try to be on both sides: sometimes at the side of faith and sometimes at the side of unfaith. They are the hypocrites. They may think that in this way they will gain both sides, but in reality they are also the losers.
تمہیں جنگ کا حکم دیا گیا ہے اور وہ تمہیں ناگوار ہے ہوسکتا ہے کہ ایک چیز تمہیں ناگوار ہو اور وہی تمہارے لیے بہتر ہو اور ہوسکتا ہے کہ ایک چیز تمہیں پسند ہو اور وہی تمہارے لیے بری ہو اللہ جانتا ہے، تم نہیں جانتے
The beginning of the Surah mentions the attributes of Iman [faith] that the Believer has – Ayah (2:3) and (2:4) mention Iman in:
a) al-Ghayb [unseen]
b) Belief in the Revelation sent upon Prophet Muhammad
c) Belief in the Revelations sent upon all the previous Messengers
d) Yaqeen [complete faith] in the Akhirah [afterlife]
The end of the Surah (2:285) the following aspects of Iman [faith] are mentioned:
a) Belief in Allah
b) Belief in the Angels
c) Belief in the Books [of revelation]
d) Belief in the Messengers – not differientating between any of them [their message was the same]
Combined together they form the first 5 aspects of Iman as mentioned in the Hadith of Jibril [Sahih Muslim – the only aspect of Iman not mentioned in these Ayat but said in the Hadith is Qadr [pre-destination]