Surah 1-2 - YasSarNal QuR'aN

Al-Baqarah (The Cow) | THE MESSAGE SPELT OUTbe deeply grateful.Those who “observe prayer,” revere and worship none but God Almighty. Theynever debase themselves by worshipping anyone or anything else. They turn to thereal and ultimate power in this world, humbling their hearts and souls to Him alone.In this way they link up to the cause and origin of existence; their lives assume realmeaning and noble purpose, transcending the crude and trivial pursuits and needs ofworldly living. Their ties with God give them power over other creatures and feedtheir conscience with moral strength and fear of God. Prayer is an essential elementin the building of a believer’s character and shaping his concepts, feelings andbehaviour and in linking them directly with God.“And give of what We bestow upon them.” (Verse 3) This implies the believers’recognition that what they own and possess is a gift and a favour from God. It is notof their own making. Such a belief brings mercy and benevolence towards the weakand the poor, and mutual fellowship and a true spirit of brotherhood and humancommunity among all. The outcome is to eliminate greed and fill people’s heartswith compassion and humanity, making life an opportunity for cooperation ratherthan an arena for conflict and confrontation. The sick, the weak and the young andhelpless in society are given security, so that they feel they are living among humanbeings with compassionate hearts and scrupulous souls, rather than selfish beastswith nothing but claws and teeth.This kind of benevolent spending comprises the obligatory zakāt, as well as thegiving of alms, voluntary donations and all other forms of charitable offerings. Thelatter had been instituted in Islam long before zakāt, because they are more generaland wide-ranging than zakāt, which relates to the obligatory aspect of charitablespending. Fāţimah bint Qays quotes the Prophet Muĥammad as saying: “There is arightful claim to people’s money, other than zakāt.” [Related by al-Tirmidhī] Thisstatement by the Prophet clearly establishes the general principle with respect tofinancial obligations.“Who believe in what has been revealed to you and what was revealed before you.” (Verse4) This is a characteristic of the Muslim community, or ummah, the rightful heir to,and custodian of, God’s message and the legacy of all prophets since the dawn ofhuman life, and the leader of mankind. This characteristic embodies such concepts asthe unity of man, the oneness of God, the unity of the divine faith and God’smessengers. It purges man’s soul of bigotry and petty fanaticism. It reassures us ofGod’s everlasting grace and protection which He has shown by sending successivemessengers preaching one and the same faith and offering the same guidance to allmankind. It allows us to feel proud of being the recipients of God’s pure anduniversal guidance, which remains a bright shining star that is never extinguished,even in the darkest days of human history.30