Tafsir of Al-Baqarah 2:138

Surah Al-Baqarah (The Cow) - Verse 138

{صِبْغَةَ اللَّهِ وَمَنْ أَحْسَنُ مِنَ اللَّهِ صِبْغَةً وَنَحْنُ لَهُ عَابِدُونَ}

Know that when the Almighty mentioned the second answer—which is citing what indicates the truthfulness of this Religion—He followed it by mentioning what indicates that the proofs of this Religion are clear and manifest, saying: {The Dye of Allah}.

In this verse, there are several issues:

Issue 1: The Meaning of Ṣibghah (Dye/Coloring)

Ṣibghah refers to what is used to color garments. The verb ṣabagha (to dye) has three pronunciations for the bā’: fatḥa (a), kasra (i), or ḍamma (u). The noun ṣabgh (the act of dyeing) has two pronunciations: fatḥa or kasra. The word {ṣibghah} (dyeing/state of being dyed) is formed like jalsah (a sitting) from jalasa (to sit), signifying the state upon which the dye falls.

There are differing opinions regarding the intended meaning of {Ṣibghat Allāh} (The Dye of Allah):

The First Opinion: It means the Religion of Allah. Scholars offered several justifications for naming the religion of Allah as the "Dye of Allah":

1. Rebuttal to Christian Practice: Some Christians used to immerse their infants in yellow water, which they called Baptism (al-maʿmūdiyyah), claiming it was a purification. When one did this to his child, he would say, "Now he has become a Christian." Allah Almighty responded by saying: Seek the {Ṣibghat Allāh} (the true Religion/Islam), not their dyeing. The reason for applying the term ṣibghah to religion is through analogy/conformity (mushākalah). This is like telling someone who plants trees, when you intend to command him toward generosity, "Plant like so-and-so plants," meaning, "Be persistently generous." Similar examples in the Qur'an include:
   • {We are only mocking. Allah mocks them...} (Al-Baqarah: 14-15)
   • {They seek to deceive Allah, but He is deceiving them...} (An-Nisā’: 142)
   • {And they plotted, and Allah plotted...} (Āl ‘Imrān: 54)
   • {And the recompense of an evil is an evil like it...} (Ash-Shūrā: 40)
   • {If you mock us, then surely we will mock you...} (Hūd: 38)

2. Imprinting Beliefs: The Jews dye their children Jewish, and the Christians dye their children Christian, meaning they immerse them and imprint upon them (through what they instill in their hearts). Qatādah said (as reported by Ibn al-Anbārī): It is said, "So-and-so dyes so-and-so in a matter," meaning he immerses him in it and makes it adhere to him, just as the dye adheres to the cloth. Al-Thaʿlab cited poetry supporting this idea:

   Leave evil and settle in salvation for protection, If no dyer dyes you in evil, then [do so].

3. Visible Manifestation: The religion is called ṣibghah because its appearance is evident through the signs of purity and prayer. Allah says: {Their mark is on their faces from the trace of prostration} (Al-Fatḥ: 29).

4. Distinction from Falsehood: Al-Qāḍī [Al-Fāḍil] stated that {Ṣibghat Allāh} is connected to the preceding statement: {Say, "We believe in Allah..."} (Al-Baqarah: 136) up to {...and we are submissive to Him} (Al-‘Ankabūt: 46). Thus, their declaration of faith is described as the {Ṣibghat Allāh} to clarify that the distinction between this Religion chosen by Allah and the religion chosen by falsehood is clear and manifest, just as the difference between colors and dyes is apparent to one with sound senses.

The Second Opinion: It means the innate disposition (Fiṭrah). This aligns with the verse: {The innate disposition of Allah upon which He has created all people. There is no altering the creation of Allah} (Ar-Rūm: 30). The meaning here is that humanity is marked in its composition and structure by neediness and poverty, and the signs pointing to its contingency and dependence on the Creator are like an inherent dye or mark upon it.

Al-Qāḍī noted that whoever interprets {Ṣibghat Allāh} as Fiṭrah is close in meaning to those who say it is the Religion of Allah, because the Fiṭrah they are commanded to follow is what is necessitated by rational and scriptural proofs, which is also the Religion. However, the interpretation as "Religion" is more explicit because the context refers to what they described themselves with in {Say, "We believe in Allah..."}. It is as if Allah is saying: The Religion of Allah, which He has obligated you to adhere to, its benefit will appear in this world and the next, like the beauty of a dye appears. If the discourse is understood this way, then the view that this was said due to a custom practiced by Jews and Christians regarding a dye used for their infants has no relevance, because if the statement stands upon the best interpretation without it, there is no need for it.

We will now mention the remaining opinions of the exegetes:

The Third Opinion: It means Circumcision (Khitān). This is considered a purification, meaning: just as the specific rite of the Christians is a purification for them, so too is circumcision a purification for Muslims (from Abū al-‘Āliyah).

The Fourth Opinion: It means the Proof of Allah (from Al-Aṣamm), or the Sunnah of Allah (from Abū ‘Ubaydah). The soundest opinion is the first one (that it means the Religion). And Allah knows best.

Issue 2: Grammatical Analysis of the نصب (Accusative Case) of Ṣibghah

There are several views regarding why {Ṣibghata} is in the accusative case:

1. It is an appositive (badal) and an explanation for the word millah (creed/path) mentioned previously (referring to the path of Abraham).
2. It is an object of an implied command: "Follow the {Ṣibghata Allāh}."
3. Sibawayh stated that it is an emphatic verbal noun (maṣdar mu’akkid), made accusative because of what preceded it, similar to how wa‘da Allāh (the promise of Allah) is accusative in relation to preceding statements.

As for the phrase {وَمَنْ أَحْسَنُ مِنَ اللَّهِ صِبْغَةً} (And who is better than Allah in dyeing/coloring?), it means that He dyes His servants with faith and purifies them thereby from the filth of disbelief; thus, no dyeing is better than His Dyeing.

Regarding the phrase {وَنَحْنُ لَهُ عَابِدُونَ} (And we are to Him worshippers): The author of Al-Kashshāf stated that this is coordinated (ma‘ṭūf) with {بِاللَّهِ} (in Allah) from the preceding clause {Say, "We believe in Allah..."}. This refutes the view of those who claim that {Ṣibghata Allāh} is an appositive for the millah of Abraham, or that it is accusative due to the imperative sense (ighrā’) meaning "Adhere to the {Ṣibghata Allāh}," because that breaks the structure. The interpretation where it is an emphatic verbal noun, as mentioned by Sibawayh, is the correct one. The saying of Ḥadhām is the truth.

{قُلْ أَتُحَاجُّونَنَا فِي اللَّهِ وَهُوَ رَبُّنَا وَرَبُّكُمْ وَلَنَا أَعْمَالُنَا وَلَكُمْ أَعْمَالُكُمْ وَنَحْنُ لَهُ مُخْلِصُونَ}