براعة الاستهلال في سورة البقرة؛ عرضٌ وتحليلٌ
The Artistry of the Opening of Surah al-Baqarah: A Study and Analysis (Part Ten)
By: Abd an-Nasir Salamah
Translated by: Reza Ervani bin Asmanu
This article, “The Artistry of the Opening of Surah al-Baqarah,” is included in the Tadabbur al Quran in English Category
الاهتداء بالقرآن:
Being Guided by the Qur’an:
أعقب اللهُ تعالى الثناء على كتابه بذِكْر المقصد من تنزيله وهو الهداية إلى الصراط المستقيم في قوله تعالى:
Allah Most High follows His praise of His Book by mentioning the purpose for which it was revealed: guidance to the straight path, as He says:
﴿هُدًى لِلْمُتَّقِينَ﴾ [البقرة: ٢]،
“A guidance for the people of taqwa.” (Surah al-Baqarah: 2)
وقد جاء وصف الهدى هنا قرينًا بالمتقين ليفيد بذلك التركيبِ معنيين جليلين؛ أحدهما: أن القرآن هُدًى في نفسه. والآخر: أن هُداه لا ينتفع بها إلا المتّقون الذين يعملون بمقتضاها ويلتزمونها خشيةً لله، وذلك هو معنى الاهتداء.
Here, guidance is coupled with the people of taqwa in a formulation that conveys two profound meanings. The first is that the Qur’an is, in itself, guidance. The second is that its guidance benefits only the people of taqwa — those who act in accordance with it and adhere to it out of fear of Allah. This is the meaning of truly being guided.
وهذا الوصف المركَّب من الهدى والمتقين جاء مناسبًا لاسم (الكتاب) الدال على تشريع الفرائض والأحكام على ما تبين آنفًا؛ إِذْ لا شك أن تشريعات القرآن هي هدًى قُصد بها تحقيق التقوى؛ كما يدلّ على ذلك قوله تعالى في بيان المقصد من تشريع القصاص:
This combined description of guidance and the people of taqwa appropriately corresponds to the name al-Kitab, which, as explained previously, carries an indication of the legislation of obligations and rulings. There is no doubt that the Qur’an’s legislation is guidance intended to bring about taqwa, as indicated by the words of Allah Most High concerning the purpose behind the legislation of legal retaliation (qisas):
﴿يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ الْقِصَاصُ فِي الْقَتْلَى﴾ [البقرة: ١٧٨]، إلى قوله: ﴿لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ﴾ [البقرة: ١٧٩]،
“O you who believe, legal retaliation has been prescribed for you concerning those who are killed.” (Surah al-Baqarah: 178), until His saying: “So that you may attain taqwa.” (Surah al-Baqarah: 179)
وقوله تعالى في بيان المقصد من تشريع الصيام: ﴿يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ الصِّيَامُ كَمَا كُتِبَ عَلَى الَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ﴾ [البقرة: ١٨٣]،
And concerning the purpose behind the legislation of fasting: “O you who believe, fasting has been prescribed for you just as it was prescribed for those before you, so that you may attain taqwa.” (Surah al-Baqarah: 183)
وقوله تعالى في شأن الوصية: ﴿كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمْ إِذَا حَضَرَ أَحَدَكُمُ الْمَوْتُ إِنْ تَرَكَ خَيْرًا الْوَصِيَّةُ لِلْوَالِدَيْنِ وَالْأَقْرَبِينَ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ حَقًّا عَلَى الْمُتَّقِينَ﴾ [البقرة: ١٨٠]؛
And concerning bequests: “It has been prescribed for you, when death approaches one of you and he leaves wealth, that a bequest be made for parents and close relatives according to what is fair — a duty upon the people of taqwa.” (Surah al-Baqarah: 180)
ولذلك كان مِن أجمعِ ما عُرِّفت به التقوى أنها العمل بالتنزيل، أي العمل بما جاء في القرآن من تشريعاتٍ وأحكامٍ.
For this reason, one of the most comprehensive definitions given for taqwa is: acting upon what has been revealed — that is, acting upon the legislation and rulings contained in the Qur’an.
وهذا الوصف المركَّب: ﴿هُدًى لِلْمُتَّقِينَ﴾ [البقرة: ٢]، فيه تعريضٌ أيضًا بأهل الكتاب -لا سيما اليهود- إِذْ أُعطوا كتبهم هدايةً لهم ليعملوا بما فيها من المواعظ والأحكام، كما قال تعالى:
This combined description, “a guidance for the people of taqwa” (Surah al-Baqarah: 2), also contains, according to the author, an implicit criticism of the People of the Book — particularly the Jews — since they had been given their scripture as guidance so that they would act upon the admonitions and rulings within it, as Allah Most High says:
﴿وَإِذْ آتَيْنَا مُوسَى الْكِتَابَ وَالْفُرْقَانَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَهْتَدُونَ﴾ [البقرة: ٥٣]،
“And when We gave Musa the Book and the Criterion so that you might be guided.” (Surah al-Baqarah: 53)
وفي قوله تعالى في خطابهم: ﴿وَإِذْ أَخَذْنَا مِيثَاقَكُمْ وَرَفَعْنَا فَوْقَكُمُ الطُّورَ خُذُوا مَا آتَيْنَاكُمْ بِقُوَّةٍ وَاذْكُرُوا مَا فِيهِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ﴾ [البقرة: ٦٣]،
And in His address to them: “And when We took your covenant and raised the Mount above you, [saying], ‘Hold firmly to what We have given you and remember what is in it so that you may attain taqwa.’” (Surah al-Baqarah: 63)
ومعنى: ﴿خُذُوا مَا آتَيْنَاكُمْ بِقُوَّةٍ﴾؛ خذوا ما آتيناكم في التوراة من أحكام بجدٍّ واجتهادٍ ﴿لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ﴾ [البقرة: ٦٣]؛ أي: لتكونوا بذلك من أهل التقوى
The meaning of “Hold firmly to what We have given you” is: take the rulings We have given you in the Torah with seriousness and diligence, “so that you may attain taqwa” (Surah al-Baqarah: 63) — that is, so that through this you may become among the people of taqwa.1
بَيْدَ أنهم تهاونوا في الأخذ بما أُنزل إليهم من الهدى والأحكام فلم يحصل لهم الاهتداء والتقوى؛ إِذْ لا يحصلان إلا بالعمل والامتثال المعبَّر عنه بالأخذ بالقوة، ويدلّ على ذلك قصة أصحاب السبت، وقصة ذبح البقرة؛ إِذْ تبيَّن من خلال هاتين القصّتين ما كانوا عليه من شدة الاستهتار بأوامر الله والاستهزاء بها. وهذا كلّه جاء موعظةً للمؤمنين لكي يتلقوا ما يأتيهم من الهدى في القرآن تلقيًا حسنًا ولا يكونوا كبني إسرائيل مع توراتهم وأنبيائهم؛ فإنّ النجاة والفلاح لا يحصلان بمجرّد نزول الهدى ما لم يقترن بذلك عملٌ واتّباعٌ، كما بيَّنت ذلك سورة البقرة أيضًا في قوله تعالى:
Yet they were negligent in adhering to the guidance and rulings revealed to them, and therefore did not attain guidance and taqwa, for these can only be attained through action and obedience — expressed here as “holding firmly.” This is illustrated by the story of the Sabbath-breakers and the story of the slaughtering of the cow. Through these two accounts, according to the author, their severe disregard for Allah’s commands and their mockery of them become apparent. All of this serves as an admonition to the believers, so that they receive the guidance that comes to them in the Qur’an properly and do not behave toward the Qur’an and their Prophet as the Children of Israel behaved toward the Torah and their prophets. Salvation and success are not attained merely by the arrival of guidance unless it is accompanied by action and following, as Surah al-Baqarah also explains in the words of Allah Most High:
﴿فَإِمَّا يَأْتِيَنَّكُمْ مِنِّي هُدًى فَمَنْ تَبِعَ هُدَايَ فَلَا خَوْفٌ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا هُمْ يَحْزَنُونَ﴾ [البقرة: ٣٨].
“Then whoever follows My guidance — there will be no fear concerning them, nor will they grieve.”
والذي يظهر مما تقدَّم أن هذا الوصف المركّب من الهدى والتقوى: ﴿هُدًى لِلْمُتَّقِينَ﴾ [البقرة: ٢]، قد وقع في مفتتح السورة موقع براعة الاستهلال لما أتى له من البيان والتفصيل بعد ذلك في السورة نفسها بالإخبار عن حال بني إسرائيل في علاقتهم بالتوراة وعدم انتفاعهم بها على سبيل التحذير للمؤمنين، أو ببيان أن التقوى هي غاية تنزيل الكتاب وتشريع الأحكام، كما تقدَّم صريحًا في آيتي القصاص والصيام.
What becomes apparent from the foregoing is that this combined description of guidance and taqwa — “a guidance for the people of taqwa” (Surah al-Baqarah: 2) — occupies the position of bara’at al-istihlal at the opening of the surah, because the surah later explains and elaborates upon it by describing the condition of the Children of Israel in their relationship with the Torah and their failure to benefit from it, as a warning to the believers. It also explains that taqwa is the ultimate purpose behind the revelation of the Book and the legislation of its rulings, as explicitly shown in the verses concerning legal retaliation and fasting.
وإذا ثبت كون هذه الجملة: ﴿هُدًى لِلْمُتَّقِينَ﴾ [البقرة: 2]، براعة استهلال لسورة البقرة فهي كذلك بالنسبة لجميع القرآن؛ لكثرة ما ورَد فيه من أخبار بني إسرائيل في انحرافهم عن التوراة، لا سيما في المدنيِّ منه، وكذا غيرهم ممن جاءهم الهدى من ربهم فلم يهتدوا به ممن قصَّ اللهُ علينا أخبارهم، وكذلك من جهة كثرة ما جاء في القرآن من الحضّ على التقوى، ولعلَّ أظهرَ مثالٍ دالٍّ على ارتباط الهدى بالتقوى في غير سورة البقرة افتتاحُ سورة آل عمران بالحديث عن تنزيل التوراة والإنجيل والقرآن هُدًى للناس، قال تعالى:
If the phrase “a guidance for the people of taqwa” (Surah al-Baqarah: 2) constitutes bara’at al-istihlal for Surah al-Baqarah, then it also does so in relation to the Qur’an as a whole. This is because the Qur’an contains many accounts of the Children of Israel deviating from the Torah, especially in its Madinan portions, as well as accounts of others to whom guidance came from their Lord but who failed to follow it. The Qur’an also contains numerous exhortations to taqwa. Perhaps the clearest example outside Surah al-Baqarah of the close relationship between guidance and taqwa is the opening of Surah Ali ‘Imran, which speaks of the revelation of the Torah, the Gospel, and the Qur’an as guidance for mankind, as Allah Most High says:
﴿اللَّهُ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا هُوَ الْحَيُّ الْقَيُّومُ * نَزَّلَ عَلَيْكَ الْكِتَابَ بِالْحَقِّ مُصَدِّقًا لِمَا بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ وَأَنْزَلَ التَّوْرَاةَ وَالْإِنْجِيلَ * مِنْ قَبْلُ هُدًى لِلنَّاسِ وَأَنْزَلَ الْفُرْقَانَ﴾ [ال عمران : ٢- ٤]،
“Allah — there is no deity except Him, the Ever-Living, the Sustainer of all. He has sent down upon you the Book in truth, confirming what was before it, and He sent down the Torah and the Gospel before, as guidance for mankind, and He sent down the Criterion.” (Surah Ali ‘Imran: 2–4)
ثم اختتامُها بعد ذلك بالأمر بالتقوى: ﴿وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ﴾ [البقرة: ٢٠٠]، ليدلّنا بذلك المطلع والمقطع أن الغاية من تنزيل تلك الكتب المتضمنة للهدى هو تحقيق التقوى الذي هو سبيل الفلاح، وقد عُكس هذا في سورة النساء حيث ابتُدِئَت بالأمر بالتقوى، ثم اختُتِمَت ببيان مقصد تشريع الميراث وهو الإنقاذ من الضلال الذي هو نقيض الهدى؛ فتأمّل من خلال ذلك سِرَّ هذا الافتتاح العظيم في سورة البقرة، وانظر كيف أومأ إلى كلّ ذلك بأخصر عبارةٍ.
It is then concluded with the command to observe taqwa: “And fear Allah so that you may succeed.” (Surah al-Baqarah: 200) Thus, according to the author, the opening and conclusion together indicate that the purpose of revealing those scriptures containing guidance is to bring about taqwa, which is the path to success. This pattern is reversed in Surah an-Nisa’, which begins with the command to observe taqwa and concludes by explaining that the purpose of the legislation of inheritance is to protect people from going astray — the opposite of guidance. Reflect, then, upon the secret of this magnificent opening in Surah al-Baqarah and observe how all of these meanings are indicated in the briefest of expressions.
To be continued in the next part, in sha Allah
For more comfortable reading, use the rezandroid app. Download the latest version from the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.rezaervani.rezandroid
Leave a Reply