The Artistry of the Opening of Surah al-Baqarah: A Study and Analysis (Part Three)

براعة الاستهلال في سورة البقرة؛ عرضٌ وتحليلٌ

The Artistry of the Opening of Surah al-Baqarah: A Study and Analysis (Part Three)

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

ثانيًا: التعريف بسورة البقرة:

Second: An Introduction to Surah al-Baqarah:

سورة البقرة مدنيةٌ نزلَت أوَّل الهجرة واستمر نزول آياتٍ منها إلى أواخر الحياة النبوية، وقد رُتِّبت في المصحف الشريف ثانيةً بعد الفاتحة وإن كان نزولها متأخِّرًا، وهي أطولُ سور القرآن؛ إِذْ يبلغ عددُ آياتها مائتين وخمسًا وثمانين آيةً عند أهل العدد بالمدينة ومكة والشام، وستًّا وثمانين عند أهل العدد بالكوفة، وسبعًا وثمانين عند أهل العدد بالبصرة.

Surah al-Baqarah is a Madinan surah that began to be revealed at the beginning of the Hijrah, while some of its verses continued to be revealed until the later years of the Prophet’s life ﷺ. In the arrangement of the Noble Mushaf, it comes second after al-Fatihah, even though its revelation occurred later. It is the longest surah in the Qur’an: its verses number 285 according to the scholars of verse-counting in Madinah, Makkah, and Syria, 286 according to the Kufan count, and 287 according to the Basran count.¹

وقد سُمِّيت بهذا الاسم على لسان النبي -صلى الله عليه وسلم- في أحاديثَ عديدةٍ في الصحيحين وغيرهما، وهي أحاديثُ وردت في بيان فضلها والحثّ على قراءتها، أو في بيان فضل جزءٍ منها؛ كآية الكرسيِّ والآيتين الأخيرتين منها، كقوله -صلى الله عليه وسلم-:

The surah was given the name “al-Baqarah” by the Prophet ﷺ in numerous hadiths found in the two Sahih collections and elsewhere. These hadiths mention its virtues, encourage its recitation, or describe the virtue of particular passages within it, such as Ayat al-Kursi and its final two verses. Among them is the saying of the Prophet ﷺ:

(مَنْ قَرَأَ بِالآيَتَيْنِ مِنْ آخِرِ سُورَةِ البَقَرَةِ فِي لَيْلَةٍ كَفَتَاهُ).

“Whoever recites the last two verses of Surah al-Baqarah at night, they will suffice him.”²

ووجه تسميتها بهذا الاسم أنها ذُكرت فيها قصة البقرة التي أمر اللهُ بني إسرائيل بذبحها لتكون آيةً، ووصفَ سوء فهمهم لذلك، وهي مما انفردت هذه السورة بذِكْره.

The reason for this name is that the surah contains the story of the cow that Allah commanded the Children of Israel to slaughter as a sign, together with the description of their poor understanding of that command. This story is among the distinctive subjects uniquely mentioned in this surah.³

ومن أعظم خصائص هذه السورة أنها سورةٌ جامعةٌ لِما تفصَّل في القرآن من الهدى والأحكام حتى لُقِّبت بسبب ذلك بفُسطاط القرآن،

Among the greatest characteristics of this surah is its comprehensiveness: it brings together the guidance and rulings that are elaborated throughout the Qur’an. For this reason, it has been given the title Fustat al-Qur’an.⁴

وفي هذا الصَّدَد يقول ابن عاشور: «هذه السورة متراميةٌ أطرافها، وأساليبها ذاتُ أفنانٍ، قد جمعت من وشائج أغراض السور ما كان مصداقًا لتلقيبها فُسطاط القرآن، فلا تستطيع إحصاء محتوياتها بحسبانٍ»

In this regard, Ibn ‘Ashur says: “This surah is vast in scope and diverse in its styles. It gathers together so many connections with the purposes of other surahs that it truly deserves the title Fustat al-Qur’an. Its contents cannot be fully enumerated by calculation.”⁵

ولأجل هذه الجامعية التي في السورة عَظُم شأنُ العَالِم بها؛ إِذْ جاء عن أنسٍ -رضي الله عنه- قوله: «وَكَانَ الرَّجُلُ إِذَا قَرَأَ البَقَرَةَ وَآلَ عِمْرَانَ، جَدَّ فِينَا -يَعْنِي عَظُمَ-».

Because of this comprehensive nature of the surah, a person who had mastered it was held in high esteem. It is reported from Anas ibn Malik, may Allah be pleased with him, that he said: “When a man had recited al-Baqarah and Ali ‘Imran, he became highly regarded among us” — meaning that his standing became great and distinguished.⁶

To be continued in the next part, in sha Allah

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1. See at-Tahrir wa at-Tanwir (1/202).
2. (Narrated by Imam al-Bukhari), Kitab Fada’il al-Qur’an, no. 5009.
3. See at-Tahrir wa at-Tanwir (1/201).
4. Fustat: something that encompasses a place and gathers together its scattered parts. See Taj al-‘Arus, by az-Zabidi, Kuwait: Dar al-Hidayah, 1965, entry: (فسط), vol. 19, p. 542.
5. See at-Tahrir wa at-Tanwir (1/203).
6. (Narrated by Ahmad), Musnad al-Mukthirin min as-Sahabah, no. 12215.