This new passage aims at correcting certain principles and clarifying some misconceptions concerning the true faith. It also continues the confrontation with the Jews of Madinah, to which we were introduced earlier. They did not cease to try to present falsehood in the guise of truth, and to cause confusion among the Muslims.

However, the tone this time is rather general, presenting principles that apply to the Jews of Madinah as well as other opponents of the new faith. It also identifies a number of pitfalls that the Muslims would do well to avoid.

To begin with, we have a reference to the pilgrimage ritual of walking between the two hills of Şafā and Marwah, near the Ka`bah, clarifying the confusion surrounding them as a result of pre-Islamic pagan traditions. To some extent, this is related to the institution of the Ka`bah as the universal direction of prayer for Muslims as well as to pilgrimage rituals.

This is followed by a fierce condemnation of Jews and Christians who conceal parts of their Scriptures, while making it clear that repentance and forgiveness remain open to those of them who wish to refrain from such practices. Those who persist will meet with harsh punishment.

Then comes a reaffirmation of the concept of God’s oneness, and a reference to the marvels of the natural world that attest to it. Those who reject God’s oneness are roundly condemned, while a scene from the Day of Judgement depicts how futile it will be for unbelievers to realize their wrongdoing when it is too late.

Referring to the Jewish arguments about what is lawful and unlawful of food and drink, the passage makes a general call to mankind to enjoy the wholesome and lawful things in life which God has provided for them. An account of things that are forbidden to eat and drink is also given in this section.

The passage resumes the attack on those who suppress or tamper with God’s revelations, threatening them with God’s wrath and their own humiliation, and a most severe punishment in the life to come.

As the passage is rounded off, we have a statement of the essential principles of faith and good works, highlighting the direct link between faith and action, and such are the God-fearing. (177)

reiterating the fact that it stems from one’s heart and emotions. It is no empty gesture or hollow ritual, but a deliberate and constant state of consciousness of God’s existence and power.

The passage continues to educate and inform, and to raise the Muslims’ understanding of the principles of their religion as well as their awareness of the hostile schemes and campaigns of their enemies to undermine their faith and sow chaos and confusion in their community.

Şafā and Marwah are among the symbols set up by God. Whoever visits the Sacred House for pilgrimage or `Umrah, would do no wrong to walk to and fro between them.

He who does good of his own accord shall find that God is most thankful, All- Knowing. (Verse 158)

Several reports suggest a specific cause for the revelation of this verse; the most logical account, which is also the closest to the way of thinking Islam had cultivated in the minds of the early Muslims, is the following:

Walking between the two small hills known as Şafā and Marwah had been part of the pilgrimage rituals practised by the Arabs before Islam. However, two idols, Isāf and Nā’ilah, were erected on top of them, respectively. Hence, some Muslims felt uneasy about this walk because of the two idols that had been there, associating the two hills with polytheism.

Al-Bukhārī relates that, in answer to a question about walking between Şafā and Marwah, Anas, a Companion of the Prophet, said: “We used to consider them part of pre-Islamic ignorant tradition. With the advent of Islam, people stopped walking there as part of religious ritual. God then revealed the verse starting: “Şafā and Marwah are among the symbols set up by God.” Al-Sha`bī says: “Isāf was placed on Şafā and Nā’ilah on the Marwah, and people used to revere these idols. Hence, after Islam they felt uneasy about walking in between the two hills. Hence this verse was revealed.” No specific date can be determined for the revelation of this verse, but it seems more probable that it was revealed later than the verses dealing with the change of the direction of prayer. Although Makkah was hostile territory for the Muslims for many years after their migration to Madinah, it was possible for some of them to visit it for pilgrimage or `Umrah. It is most probably such individual Muslim pilgrims who were reluctant to include Şafā and Marwah in their rituals.

Their reluctance was the outcome of the long and rigorous process of education and purification they had undergone under their new faith. They developed a new sense of faith and religious understanding that made them question all the traditions and practices they had inherited from their pre-Islamic life, in case these were not sanctioned by Islam.

Islam shook the hearts of the Arabs who adopted it and penetrated the deepest recesses of their souls. It brought about a complete change in their psyche, perceptions and attitude. They began to view their pre-Islamic past with different eyes, and were inclined to divorce themselves from it completely. They no longer felt any affinity towards it; rather, it became a hateful legacy.

A closer study of that radical change brought about in the life of that generation by Islamic beliefs, principles and arguments would reveal how total and complete was the transformation they had undergone. It was as if the Prophet had shaken those people with an electric shock that reshaped their character and personality in a completely new form.

This is, in fact, the true essence of Islam: total departure from one’s previous jāhiliyyah1 convictions and outlook. One develops an acute sensitivity towards all that is un-Islamic, and all one’s inherited habits, customs, practices and traditions. Both heart and soul must be given up to the new religion.

The verses that follow launch a sharp attack on those Jews who, as mentioned earlier, concealed facts that were revealed in their Scriptures, in the wake of the controversy they created over the change of the direction of prayer from Jerusalem to the Ka`bah. This suggests that they continued to exploit the situation, especially after Makkah was also instituted as the place of the pilgrimage for Muslims.

Those who conceal the clear proofs and guidance We bestowed from on high, after We have expounded it clearly for mankind in the Book, shall be cursed by God and by others who curse. Excepted, however, shall be those who repent, mend their ways and make known the Truth: from these I shall accept their repentance; for I alone accept repentance and I am the Merciful. Those who reject the faith and die unbelievers shall incur the curse of God, the angels and all mankind. They shall remain under that curse for ever, their torment shall not be alleviated, nor shall they have a respite.

(Verses 159-162)

The Jews and the Christians were already aware, on the basis of their own Scriptures, of the truth of Muĥammad’s mission. They had little doubt of his honesty and integrity. Nevertheless, they spared no effort to conceal and suppress what their Scriptures had to say about him. Manipulation of religious text and tampering with revealed Scriptures have, for a variety of reasons, been encountered on numerous occasions in history. There have always been people with a propensity for evading the truth, or ignoring or suppressing it, or changing it to suit their own aims and ends. Thy knowingly conceal the truth, suppressing all evidence of the veracity of which they are most certain. They even suppress verses in God’s book so that the truth they expound is kept away from people. They do all this in order to achieve some worldly gain. In fact, we often encounter examples of such suppression of the truth. Such people shall be cursed by God and man. They shall become pariahs, denied God’s mercy and rejected by their fellow men.

Exception is, of course, made of those who come to realize their folly, repent and abandon such practices: “Excepted, however, shall be those who repent, mend their ways and make known the Truth: from these I shall accept their repentance; for I alone accept repentance and I am the Merciful.” (Verse 160) The Qur’ān opens the door, as always, for those who repent and make amends, giving them another chance to see the light and make the change within themselves. To prove that the change is genuine, they are required to make up for the past by performing good deeds, being scrupulously honest in their actions, and championing the truth and abiding by it in all they say and do. They must have full confidence in God’s mercy and be certain that He will forgive and reward their repentance.

Those who persist and refuse to repent, however, shall meet their nemesis in the worst possible way, because they rejected God’s hospitality and consciously chose to perpetrate evil and falsehood: “Those who reject the faith and die unbelievers shall incur the curse of God, the angels and all mankind They shall remain under that curse for ever, their torment shall not be alleviated, nor shall they have a respite.” (Verses 161-162)

In the creation of the heavens and the earth; in the alternation of night and day; in the vessels that sail through the sea with what is useful for mankind; in the water God sends down from the sky giving life to the earth after it had been lifeless, causing all manner of living creatures to multiply on it; in the movement of the winds, and the clouds that run their courses between sky and earth: in all this there are signs for people who use their reason. (Verse 164)

This unique Qur’ānic approach in addressing the human mind and heart tends to heighten man’s feelings and emotions and make him behold and contemplate the wonders of the Universe. Familiarity may have blunted man’s appreciation of these marvels, but the verses invite him to reflect on the world around, as if for the first time, with open eyes and eager senses and a conscious heart. The physical world is full of beautiful mysteries and awe-inspiring events that have captivated many an eye and fascinated many a heart.

The world is a boundless festival of mystery, splendour and beauty. The Heavens, the Earth, the planets, the stars, the galaxies, are all floating along their decreed orbits with incredible harmony, in a vast expanse of limitless space of dizzying dimensions.

Man has been fascinated by this vast gallery of wonders long before he was able to get a glimpse, through study and science, of how it works and what lies behind it.

The cycle of day and night and the alternation of light and darkness, dawn and dusk, have sent a million shivers through the hearts and souls of men everywhere.

For the believing heart, it is a daily marvel to behold, despite its familiarity; a constant reminder of God’s magnificence and glory.

As for “in the vessels that sail through the sea with what is useful for mankind,” I admit that I had not fully appreciated the import of this statement until the day I travelled on board a large ship, which seemed like a dot in the ocean. Waves were hitting us from all sides while we were engulfed in an almost surreal world of endless blue.

Those who have experienced sea travel know that in the middle of the ocean one is entirely at God’s mercy and that it is only with God’s will and command that one is brought to the safety of the shore.

The sūrah highlights other natural phenomena: “the water Godsends down from the sky giving life to the earth after it had been lifeless, causing all manner of living creatures to multiply on it; in the movement of the winds, and the clouds that run their courses between sky and earth.” (Verse 164) All these phenomena deserve our attention, reflection and intelligent study. They are all manifestations of God’s awesome power and infinite mercy. Life is the greatest mystery of all. How does it spring out of the earth when water makes it fertile? How does it come about, starting gently at first before manifesting itself with full vigour? By what incredible process is it carried in a seed, an egg or a gene?

It is a question that has to be asked. It is no good brushing it aside or ignoring it, as some agnostics have tried to do. Some have even gone further and claimed that life can be created by man, without the need for God’s intervention! But even in the land where the ruling class prides itself on denying God altogether they have given up and were forced to admit that this is impossible without a Creator to give life.

If the unbelievers could but see, as see they will when they are made to suffer, that all might belongs to God alone, and that He is stern in retribution. [On that day] those who were followed will disown their followers and they all shall see their punishment, while all their ties are severed. The followers will say, ‘Would that we had another chance so that we can disown them as they have disowned us!’ Thus will God show them their works [in a way which causes them] bitter regrets. They shall never come out of the fire. (Verses 165-167)

Were these transgressors to look ahead to the Day of Resurrection, they would realize their folly in worshipping anything or anybody other than God. All power belongs to Him. He has neither equals nor partners. They would also see the hopelessness of their actions and the severity of the punishment awaiting them. The leaders shall disassociate themselves from their followers, and shall be exposed as powerless to help them, or even help themselves. The truth of God’s oneness and His absolute power would be clearly manifest. The followers, on the other hand, would wish for a second chance of life in order to denounce and disown those false gods and leaders. The full extent of the fraud and the delusion under which they had been living would be exposed.

It is an awesome scene in which all the hypocrisy and the insincerity and futility of the relationship between the two groups is brought fully into the open. And then come the pain and the torment: “Thus will God show them their works [in a way which causes them] bitter regrets. They shall never come out of the fire.” (Verse 167)

This is followed by an invitation to all mankind to enjoy the good things in life and avoid the harmful ones. This is coupled with a warning against following the suggestions of Satan, who will only advise people to do evil and harmful things and to arrogate to themselves the right to legislate without reference to God. There is also a warning against following others blindly in matters of religion, and a denunciation of the worship of any deity other than God Almighty, neatly linking this passage with the preceding one.

Mankind, eat of what is lawful and wholesome on earth and do not follow Satan’s footsteps: he is indeed an open enemy for you. He enjoins you only to commit evil and indecency and to attribute to God something of which you have no knowledge. When it is said to them, ‘Follow what God has revealed, they say, ‘No; but we will follow only what we found our forefathers believing in.’ Why, even if their forefathers did not use reason at all, and followed no guidance. The unbelievers are like the one who shouts to that which hears nothing but a call and a cry. Deaf, dumb and blind, they understand nothing. (Verses 168-171)

Having set out the argument for God’s oneness and shown Himself as the Creator of all, and exposed the utter failure of those who worship gods other than Him, God Almighty states in these verses that He is also the provider and sustainer of life.

Accordingly, He is the ultimate authority to decide what food is lawful and what is unlawful; an aspect of exercising His authority as the only God. The Creator who makes and provides is also the authority who decides what is lawful and what is not.

The law, Sharī`ah, is thus inextricably intertwined with belief.

The verses give the whole of mankind permission to enjoy the food God has provided on earth, with the exception of what He has forbidden — which will be mentioned later in the sūrah. People are also instructed here that they should listen only to God concerning what may or may not be lawful for consumption. They should not listen to Satan’s views in these matters, because, as their sworn enemy, he will not give them good advice. He will only mislead them and encourage them to decide what is and is not lawful of their own accord, with no reference to God’s guidance, as the Jews used to do, and as the Arab idolaters used to claim.

These instructions show plainly how realistic and practical Islam is, and how genuinely aware of man’s nature and needs. The rule is that everything is lawful with the exception of a few things, which are listed in the Qur’ān by name.

God has created the earth and all its products for man’s free use, enjoyment and benefit. The exceptions and restrictions are made only to safeguard man’s interests, and to ensure that he does not over-consume, or abuse the resources God has provided for him. The most important condition, however, is that man should not refer to anybody other than God for the identification of those items that are not permissible, and for the determination of the limits and the conditions under which the permissible ones should be consumed and used. If they do not, then they will be listening to Satan’s promptings, and he is wont to bid people to commit only evil and indecency.

The sūrah then gives believers specific rules on the various types of animal meat that they may eat, denouncing the Jews, who argue over this matter although it has been adequately discussed in their own Scriptures.

Believers, eat of the wholesome things We have provided for you, and give thanks to God, if it is truly Him that you worship. He has only forbidden you carrion, blood, the flesh of swine, and that on which a name other than God’s has been invoked. But he who is driven by necessity, not intending to transgress nor exceeding his need, incurs no sin. God is much-Forgiving, Merciful. Those who suppress any part of the Scriptures God has revealed, and barter it away for a paltry price, eat nothing but fire in their bellies. God will not speak to them on the Day of Resurrection, nor will He purify them. A grievous suffering awaits them. It is they who barter guidance for error and forgiveness for suffering. How great is their endurance of the Fire! That is because God has revealed the Book with the truth. Those who are at variance with the Book are most deeply in the wrong. (Verses 172-176)

God addresses believers by their most important quality of having accepted the faith, clearly underlining their special relationship with Him and making it clear that they should accept only His instructions and guidelines with respect to what is or is not lawful and permissible. They are reminded that He alone provides for them and shows them what is permissible and what is not. Nothing good or wholesome has been forbidden, only what is harmful and corrupt. The purpose behind these few restrictions is not to deprive people or curb their enjoyment of the good things God has made available, and for which they should show gratitude. God directs them to thank Him if they truly worship Him alone. Thus, they are taught that thanksgiving is an act of worship. “Believers, eat of the wholesome things We have provided for you, and give thanks to God, if it is truly Him that you worship.” (Verse 172)

Then comes a list of what has been forbidden for the Muslims to eat. It starts with an Arabic word which indicates that the restriction is limited to the given items: “He has only forbidden you carrion, blood, the flesh of swine, and that on which a name other than Gods has been invoked.” (Verse 173)

Both carrion — dead putrefying flesh — and blood are unhygienic and offensive to human taste. Centuries after this Qur’ānic statement was revealed, modern medical research has shown that both attract harmful germs and carry deadly substances. There could he many more reasons why they were forbidden by Islam, which modern medical science has yet to discover.

The next item is the flesh of swine, about the banning of which some have recently raised doubts. The pig is an unattractive animal with foul habits, and God has forbidden its flesh a very long time ago. Only recently, human knowledge has shown it to be singularly prone to infection with parasitic worms that are a serious health hazard to humans. Some may yet argue that advances in health care and modern cooking methods have reduced or even eliminated this risk. But this has only come to light several centuries after Islam, and there is no guarantee that pig’s meat does not carry other risks of which we are yet to become aware. Islamic law has been well ahead of human science by many centuries. It deserves our unqualified trust. It must be considered the final arbiter in what is wholesome and what is not. It is the legislation revealed by the One who is wise and who knows all.

The Jews created considerable controversy around the Qur’ānic pronouncements on permissible and forbidden food and drink. Elsewhere, the Qur’ān informs us of other types of meat that had been forbidden to the Jews but which Muslims were allowed to eat: “To those who followed the Jewish faith did We forbid all animals that have claws; and We forbade them the fat of both oxen and sheep, except that which is in their backs and entrails or what is mixed with their bones.” (6: 146) All these are lawful to Muslims.

The Jews might have disputed this relaxation of the earlier prohibition. They even argued about other forbidden things, although these were forbidden them in their own Scriptures. Their aim, of which they never lost sight, was to create doubts about Qur’ānic commandments and undermine the fact that they were revealed by God.

This explains the strong denunciation of those who suppress what they know to he God’s revelation. “Those who suppress any part of the Scriptures God has revealed, and barter it away for a paltry price, eat nothing but fire in their bellies. God will not speak to them on the Day of Resurrection, nor will He purify them. A grievous suffering awaits them.

It is they who barter guidance for error and forgiveness for suffering. How great is their endurance of the Fire! That is because God has revealed the Book with the truth. Those who are at variance with the Book are most deeply in the wrong.” (Verses 174-176)

The verses may be directed at people of earlier Scriptures, Jews and Christians, but the condemnation applies in the widest possible sense. All those who deliberately and systematically suppress the truth, especially religious truth, or manipulate it for power or worldly gains of any kind, stand condemned by God, and are doomed to incur His wrath and a stern punishment in the hereafter. Even if they were to gain this whole world for such suppression, it remains a paltry price when compared with what they lose of God’s pleasure and His reward in the life to come.

They “eat nothing but fire in their bellies.” (Verse 174) Here we have a description that is in perfect harmony with the scene being portrayed. Their gain for suppressing the truth is nothing but fire in their bellies. Indeed they are portrayed eating fire. Yet the description is factual. When they are in hell, the fire makes their clothes and their food. As an additional disgrace and humiliation, they are totally ignored in the life to come. Their isolation is given a very graphic description in the text: “God will not speak to them on the Day of Resurrection, nor will He purify them. A grievous suffering awaits them.” (Verse 174)

Another expressive description tells us that they have made an utterly foolish choice by exchanging success for failure and making a losing deal. “It is they who barter guidance for error and forgiveness for suffering. How great is their endurance of the Fire!” (Verse 175)

This passage concludes with a verse that outlines the principles of true faith together with the rules of proper Islamic conduct:

Righteousness is not that you turn your faces towards the east or the west, but truly righteous is he who believes in God, the Last Day, the angels, the Book, and the Prophets; and gives his money, much as he may cherish it, to his kinsfolk, orphans, the needy, a stranded wayfarer, beggars, and for the freeing of slaves,’ who attends to his prayers and pays zakāt; and [truly pious are] they who keep their promises once made, Al-Baqarah (The Cow) | SETTING THE RECORD S TRAIGHT 187

and are patient in misfortune and adversity and in time of peril. Such are those who have proved themselves true, and such are the God-fearing. (Verse 177)

The subject of this verse is clearly linked to the issue of the direction of prayer and the controversy surrounding it, as discussed earlier. It now establishes a comprehensive principle that covers this issue and all matters that the Jews of Madinah were wont to dispute. These mostly centred on new religious rituals and forms of worship introduced by Islam and which differed from their own.

The purpose behind the change of the place Muslims face in prayers, and indeed all aspects of worship and ritual, has never been the direction people face, or indeed any outward form. These are not what gives worship its value or meaning, nor what makes people good and righteous. Righteousness is the result of a total feeling, an attitude and a mode of behaviour which shape the individual’s conscience and the mind set of the community. It is a discipline whose effects are immediately and constantly apparent in one’s life and the life of society as a whole. Without these aspects, facing east or west, or turning one’s face to the right and to the left at the end of prayer or the performance of the various movements of prayer would have no effect or significance.

“Truly righteous is he who believes in God, the Last Day, the angels, the Book, and the Prophets...“ Taken as a whole, the verse spells out the total sum of goodness, or righteousness. What, then, gives these beliefs and actions their value and meaning?

What is the value of believing in God, the Last Day, the angels, the Book, and the Prophets?

Belief in God marks a definite turning point in one’s life, at which one is freed from servitude and submission to all manner of powers, forces and desires, and submits to God alone. It is a transformation from chaos to order, from aimlessness to purpose, and from fragmentation to unity. It is a focal point around which all mankind stands equal in the eyes of God and which gives the whole of existence direction, balance, and coherence.

Belief in the Last Day is a belief in universal and divine justice. It is a testimony to the fact that human life on earth is not without purpose or value or order, and that good works that seem to go unrewarded shall certainly be rewarded.

Believing in the angels is an essential part of believing in a world that is beyond human perception. It is what distinguishes the way humans perceive the world and understand it from the way animals do. Animals perceive the world through their senses and instincts, while man believes in a world that lies beyond the reach of his perception.1