Surah 1-2 - YasSarNal QuR'aN

Al-Baqarah (The Cow) | JEWISH EFFORTS TO UNDERMINE ISLAMtowards the Prophet and the Muslims, and how much He is willing to defend andprotect them against their detractors.The sūrah goes on to expose further Jewish ill-will and animosity towards theMuslims, so that they may beware of their malign influence and hold fast to whatGod has entrusted them with: “Neither the unbelievers among the people of earlierrevelations nor the idolaters would like to see any blessing ever bestowed upon you by yourLord. But God favours with His mercy whom He wills; His grace is infinite.” (Verse 105)The verse speaks of Jews, Christians and idolaters in the same vein, describing themas unbelievers because they have all denied God’s last and final message to manwhich was revealed to Muĥammad (peace be upon him). They share the samegrudges and hatred towards the Muslims for being chosen by God as recipients ofHis revelation and as trustees and custodians of His religion on earth.Earlier, we saw other manifestations of this jealousy and the blind hatredunderlying it, and how it was extended even to angels such as Gabriel who was nomore than a carrier of God’s revelations to the Prophet Muĥammad.In stating that “God favours with His mercy whom He wills”, the sūrah emphasizesthat God’s decisions in these matters are not arbitrary. If He chooses to bestow Hismercy on Muĥammad and his followers, it is because He knows that they bothdeserve and are worthy of it. The comment at the end of this verse is: “His grace isinfinite” (Verse 105).The greatest of God’s bounties is His message, and the advocacy of His faith.Thus, believers should realize in their hearts how favoured they have been. Theywould be able then to counter the hatred and doubt campaign led always by the Jewsto weaken the faith in the hearts of Muslims, with awe and gratitude, coming as itdoes after they have been alerted to the unbelievers’ intrigues and ill-will. All thesefeelings may be seen as an essential mobilization to counter the Jews’ campaignagainst Islam.The main reason for this impudent attack, as mentioned earlier, was theabrogation, replacement or amendment of certain Qur’ānic directives and rulings,especially the one regarding the qiblah. This last ruling instructed Muslims to face theKa`bah in Makkah, rather than Jerusalem, in prayer.Regardless of the immediate occasion, the sūrah at this point gives a definitivestatement with regard to this important issue: “Any revelation We annul or consign tooblivion We replace with a better or similar one. Do you not know that God has power over allthings?” (Verse 106)Partial amendments of rulings in response to changing circumstances during thelifetime of Prophet Muĥammad could only be in the interest of mankind as a whole.As the originator of revelations, God, the Creator, is the final and absolute authority116