Surah 1-2 - YasSarNal QuR'aN

Al-Baqarah (The Cow) | THE SACRED MONTHS, FIGHTING AND PILGRIMAGEThe Qur’ān exhorts Muslims to invoke God’s name following their departure from`Arafāt. It reminds them that this is part of the guidance God favoured them with,and that their actions are an expression of gratitude for that favour. They are alsoreminded of the gloom and despair that had marked their way of life prior to Islam:“Remember Him who has given you guidance. Before this you were certainly in error.”Those early Muslims were fully aware of this profound truth. They were only afew years away from the pagan Arab way of life, with its lamentable religiousignorance and its worship of idols, jinn and angels, who were also conceived to bedaughters of God, while the jinn were thought to be His in-laws. Such foolishsuperstitions had in turn led to confusion in religious practices. These included theunjustified and unexplained prohibition of the meat of certain animals, or the meatfrom their backs, and the sacrifice of children to idols, gods or jinn.Pre-Islamic Arab life was plagued with a host of socially unjust and morallycorrupt practices. The sūrah points specifically to one of them here, class distinction,by commanding: “Surge onwards from the place where all other pilgrims surge.”The Arabs’ decadence was also shown in the senseless and bloody tribal conflictswhich at the time had totally undermined their position in the world. It was furtherreflected in the near-total confusion of their sexual mores, marriage customs, andfamily relationships in general. It was apparent in the injustice inflicted upon theweak by the strong, in the total absence of ethical or legal guarantees to restore thebalance. Above all, it was manifested in the Arabs’ marginal existence andinsignificance on the world stage, which had only begun to be redressed with theadvent of Islam.The Qur’ānic words, “Remember Him who has given you guidance. Before this you werecertainly in error,” brought all that dark history back to the Muslims’ minds, and ledthem to consider their new life under Islam, to reflect on God’s grace in guidingthem, and to appreciate its value and role in shaping their existence. This remainstrue for Muslims of all nations and generations. Without Islam they would fall intoutter insignificance.Islam has been the main force that has transformed Muslims’ lives and lifted themfrom tiny, subservient and confused communities to a great pioneering nation.Muslims appreciate this transformation only when they sincerely and diligentlyadopt Islam and build their whole way of life on its principles. In fact, all mankindneeds Islam’s guidance and blessings. This is confirmed, and highly appreciated, bythose who come into the fold of Islam after having lived a different life. They find thecontrast immeasurable.As a believer in Islam reflects on the social philosophies and ideologies developedand adopted by various societies throughout human history, he is usually astonished244