Surah 1-2 - YasSarNal QuR'aN

Al-Baqarah (The Cow) | WORSE THAN MURDERhappens to a camel that grazes in polluted pastures and ends up with an inflatedbelly, and dies. The impact of this metaphor could not have been lost on them.It is almost inconceivable for someone who has truly experienced the faith of Islamto renounce it completely, unless that person has been irredeemably corrupted.Renouncing the faith of Islam, no matter how severe a pressure one is subjected to,can only result in total loss, both in this world as well as in the world to come. This isnot to say that it is not justifiable under extreme duress, when one could feigndesertion of one’s faith to save oneself from danger or death, while one continues tobelieve in one’s heart and conscience. Deliberate and conscious apostasy, on the otherhand, is a gross and loathsome offence.The warning given in this verse remains true for the rest of time. Muslims areexhorted never to desert their faith, no matter what difficulties they have to put upwith. When they are in difficulty, they should persevere, endure and look to God forhelp and salvation. No matter what hardships they undergo, Muslims areguaranteed one of two ends: victory or martyrdom.Above all, there is God’s grace and mercy, reserved for those who struggle for Hiscause. No one with true faith can ever despair of God’s mercy: “Those who havebelieved and those who have forsaken their homeland and striven hard for God’s cause areindeed the ones who may look forward to God’s mercy. God is much-Forgiving, Merciful.”(Verse 218)As long as a believer continues to trust in God’s grace, he shall never bedisappointed. Those early Muslims from Makkah, who had given up everything fortheir faith, lived up to their belief, strove hard, and received the appropriate rewards.They deservedly won God’s forgiveness and mercy, pointing the way to those whowould come after them.The Qur’ānic Method of EducationThe sūrah goes on to give the Islamic rulings on drinking and gambling, two of themost popular indulgences among the Arabs at the time, who had little else ofimportance to occupy their minds or their time:They ask you about intoxicants and games of chance. Say, ‘In both there is great evilalthough they have some benefits for people, but their evil is far greater than theirbenefit. (Verse 219)Prior to the revelation of this verse, drinking and gambling were tolerated butnever condoned. We do not have a single statement in the Qur’ān which may beconstrued as making them permissible. God, however, carefully charted the way He280