Surah 1-2 - YasSarNal QuR'aN

Al-Baqarah (The Cow) | PROLOGUEtheir role as guardians and carriers of God’s Message to mankind. It offers guidanceon the beliefs and concepts that were to distinguish the Muslim faith and way of lifefor all time to come. (Verses 142-283) This part begins by defining the qiblah, thedirection to which Muslims should turn when praying. It was to be the sacred site atMakkah housing the Ka`bah, the House of God built by Abraham and Ishmael, itsfirst keepers and custodians. The sūrah tells us that even while the Muslims had beenpraying towards Jerusalem, the centre of Judaism, Muĥammad was privatelyyearning for the Ka`bah to become the exclusive direction for the Muslims duringPrayer. (Verse 144)The sūrah goes on to outline the principles and systems of Islam in several fieldsincluding faith and outlook, rites of worship and religious matters, personal andpublic behaviour and conduct. It teaches the Muslims that those who give their livesfor the cause of God never die; that insecurity, hunger and poverty are notnecessarily evil in themselves, but are means to test the believers, to assess theirpotential and refine and strengthen their capacity to advance God’s cause in theworld. It reassures Muslims that God is their patron and will always be on their side,while their detractors and opponents will be led astray into a wilderness of darknessby impostors, false mentors and bogus leaders. The sūrah outlines aspects of lawfuland unlawful food and drink, penal measures, rules governing wills, fasting, war,and pilgrimage. It dwells at length on the regulation and organization of familyaffairs, including marriage and divorce, and covers rules governing spending, usury,lending and trade.Although during this extensive discussion the sūrah refers, from time to time, toinstances and glimpses from Jewish history, the main body of the second part dealsbasically with the structure and organization of the Muslim community, and theessential features and qualifications it requires to uphold God’s message and fulfil itsprime role as His trustee and the custodian of His message for all time to come.The following section of the sūrah is almost entirely devoted to the education,formation and building of the Muslim community, which was destined to take upthe task of expounding God’s message to the rest of humanity. We continue, fromtime to time, to come across discourses and arguments dealing with those opposed toIslam, especially the Israelites, and their plots and schemes to thwart its progress andstifle the growth of the Muslim community. There are also instructions to theMuslims on how to fight back and what precautions to take in order to avoid theirtraps.Nevertheless, the chief concern of this section, and of the rest of the sūrah, remainsthe establishment and codification of the distinguishing qualities and features of theMuslim community. It is a community that has its own laws, confirming and18