Tafsir of Al-Baqarah 2:284

Surah Al-Baqarah (2:284)

"To Allah belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth. And whether you disclose what is within yourselves or conceal it, Allah will bring you to account for it. Then He forgives whom He wills and punishes whom He wills. And Allah is over all things competent."

The First Issue: The Connection (Nathm)

There are several perspectives on how this verse connects to the preceding text:

1. Al-Asamm's View: Since this Surah has covered numerous foundational principles (proofs for Tawhid and Prophethood) and detailed legal rulings (Prayer, Zakat, Qisas, Fasting, Hajj, Jihad, Menstruation, Divorce, Waiting Periods, Dowry, Khul', Ila', Suckling, Sales, Riba, and debt documentation), Allah concluded the Surah with this verse as a form of warning (Tahdid).
   • My Commentary: True perfections are only Power (Qudra) and Knowledge (Ilm). Allah expressed perfect Power by saying, "To Allah belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth" (in terms of ownership and dominion). He expressed perfect, all-encompassing Knowledge by saying, "And whether you disclose what is within yourselves or conceal it, Allah will bring you to account for it." When perfect Power and Knowledge are established, everyone in the heavens and earth is a created servant, brought into existence by His creation and formation. This serves as the ultimate promise for the obedient and the final warning for the sinful. This is why Allah concluded the Surah with this verse.

2. Abu Muslim's View: After Allah stated at the end of the previous verse, "And Allah is All-Aware of what you do," He immediately followed it with what serves as an intellectual proof (Dalil 'Aqli): "To Allah belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth."
   • The meaning of this ownership is that since these things are created, they came into being through His formation, creation, and origination. Whoever performs these intricate, perfect, wondrous, and strange actions, which contain numerous wisdoms and great benefits, must necessarily be knowledgeable about them. It is impossible for a perfect, intricate action to originate from an ignorant being. Thus, Allah used the creation of the heavens and the earth, with all their intricacies and perfections, as proof of His being All-Knowing, encompassing their parts and minutiae.

3. The Judge's (Al-Qadi's) View: Since Allah commanded the documentation of debts, witnessing, and taking pledges (in the preceding verses), the purpose of these commands was to safeguard wealth and ensure its preservation. Allah clarified that the purpose of these measures is for the benefit of the creation, not for any benefit accruing to Him, as "To Allah belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth."

4. The View of Al-Sha'bi, 'Ikrimah, and Mujahid: Since Allah forbade the concealment of testimony and threatened punishment for it, He followed this by stating that He owns the heavens and the earth, and thus He will justly recompense both concealment and disclosure.

The Companions (Ashab) used this verse, "To Allah belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth," as proof that the servant's actions are created by Allah. The reasoning is that human actions are included in "whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth," as evidenced by the validity of the exception (referring to the subsequent verse, 2:286, which is implied contextually). The Lām (preposition 'for') in Lillāh (To Allah) is not for purpose (as a sinner's purpose in sinning is not to obey Allah); therefore, it must signify ownership and creation.

The Companions used this verse as proof that the non-existent (al-ma'dum) is nothing. The argument is that the realities and essences of things are included in "whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth." These realities must therefore be under Allah's power. This is only true if Allah is capable of actualizing those realities and forming those essences. If Allah's power constitutes the formation of entities and the actualization of realities, then the assertion that the non-existent is something is false.

It is narrated from Ibn Abbas that when this verse was revealed, Abu Bakr, Umar, Abd al-Rahman ibn Awf, Mu'adh, and others came to the Prophet (peace be upon him) and said: "O Messenger of Allah, we have been burdened with deeds we cannot bear. Indeed, one of us thinks to himself of things he dislikes to have established in his heart, even if he possessed the entire world." The Prophet (PBUH) replied: "Perhaps you say what the Children of Israel said: 'We heard and we disobeyed.' Say instead: 'We heard and we obeyed.'" They replied, "We heard and we obeyed." This weighed heavily upon them for a year, until Allah revealed: "Allah does not burden a soul beyond that it can bear" (2:286), which abrogated this. The Prophet (PBUH) then said: "Indeed, Allah has pardoned my Ummah for what they think to themselves, unless they act upon it or speak of it."

The point of contention in this verse is whether the statement "And whether you disclose what is within yourselves or conceal it, Allah will bring you to account for it" includes whispers of the self (hadith al-nafs) and corrupt thoughts that cross the heart, which one cannot repel. Holding one accountable for these seems to be imposing a burden beyond capacity. Scholars have responded in several ways:

1. The First View (The Accepted Answer): Thoughts arising in the heart are of two types:
   • One type that a person settles upon and resolves to bring into existence.
   • The second type that is merely a passing thought which the person dislikes and cannot repel.
   • The first type is subject to accountability, but the second is not. Do you not see Allah saying: "Allah does not hold you accountable for your idle oaths, but He holds you accountable for what you intended by them" (2:225)? And at the end of this Surah: "It has [the benefit of] what it has earned, and it suffers [the consequence of] what it has incurred" (2:286). Also, "Indeed, those who love that immorality should spread among the believers..." (24:19). This is the relied-upon answer.

2. The Second View: Everything in the heart that does not translate into action is subject to pardon. The meaning of "And whether you disclose what is within yourselves or conceal it, Allah will bring you to account for it" is that this [internal matter] enters existence, either openly or secretly, as an action. As for intentions and desires found in the heart that do not connect to action, all of that is subject to pardon.
   • Critique: This view is weak because most accountability pertains to the actions of the heart. Do you not see that the belief in disbelief or heresy is purely an action of the heart, and the greatest forms of punishment are linked to it? Furthermore, actions of the limbs, if devoid of actions of the heart (like the actions of a sleeper or one who is heedless), incur no punishment. Thus, the weakness of this answer is established.

3. The Third View: Allah holds one accountable for them, but the accountability in this world is through grief and sorrow (ghumūm). Al-Dahhak narrated from Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) that she said: "Whatever evil a servant thinks to himself, Allah's accountability for it is through a sorrow that afflicts him in this world, or sadness, or harm. When the Hereafter comes, he will not be questioned or punished for it." She narrated that she asked the Prophet (PBUH) about this verse, and he answered her with this meaning.
   • Objection: How can accountability occur in this world when Allah says: "On the Day every soul will be recompensed for what it earned" (40:17)?
   • Response: This specific verse takes precedence over the general one.

4. The Fourth View: Allah said, "Allah will bring you to account for it" (yuḥāsibukum), not "Allah will punish you for it" (yu'ākhidhukum). We have already discussed the meanings of Him being Hasīb (One who reckons) and Muḥāsib (The Reckoner). One interpretation is that He is All-Knowing of these matters. Thus, the meaning of the verse reverts to Allah being All-Knowing of everything in the innermost thoughts and secrets. It is narrated from Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) that when Allah gathers the creation, He informs them of what was in their souls. The believer is informed, and then pardoned. The people of sin are informed of the disbelief or sin they concealed.

5. The Fifth View (Labeled Seventh in the Original Text): Allah mentioned immediately after this verse: "Then He forgives whom He wills and punishes whom He wills." Therefore, forgiveness is the portion of one who disliked the arrival of those thoughts, while punishment is the portion of one who insisted upon those thoughts and found them appealing.

6. The Sixth View: Some said the meaning of this verse is the concealment of testimony. This is weak because the wording is general, and even though it followed that specific issue, it should not be restricted to it.

7. The Seventh View (Labeled Seventh again): What we narrated from some commentators is that this verse is abrogated by "Allah does not burden a soul beyond that it can bear" (2:286). This is also weak for several reasons:
   • First: This abrogation would only be valid if we held that they were commanded before the abrogation to guard against thoughts they were incapable of repelling, which is false, as obligation (Taklīf) has never been imposed except upon what is within capacity. This is why the Prophet (PBUH) said: "I have been sent with the easy, tolerant Hanifiyyah."
   • Second: Abrogation is only needed if the verse indicated the occurrence of punishment for those thoughts, and we have shown the verse does not indicate that.
   • Third: Abrogation of a report/statement (Khabar) is not permissible; only the abrogation of commands and prohibitions is permissible.
   • Note: There is a difference of opinion among people regarding whether a report can be abrogated, which we have discussed in Usul al-Fiqh.

The First Issue: The Companions used this verse as proof for the permissibility of forgiving the sins of major sinners (Kabā'ir). The reasoning is: The obedient believer is certain to be rewarded and not punished. The disbeliever is certain to be punished and not rewarded. The phrase "Then He forgives whom He wills and punishes whom He wills" removes the certainty from one of these two outcomes. Therefore, the remaining possibility must be that this [forgiveness/punishment] is the portion inherited by the sinner through his deeds.

The Second Issue (Qira'at): 'Asim and Ibn Amir read fayaghfiru and yu'adhdhibu with the indicative mood (raising the final letter, raf') for both verbs. The rest of the reciters read them with the jussive mood (jazm).

• The raf' (indicative) reading is for independent clauses (Istinaf), meaning: "So He forgives."
• The jazm (jussive) reading is by conjunction (Atf) to yuḥāsibukum (He will bring you to account).
• It is narrated that Abu Amr assimilated the rā' into the lām in yaghfiru liman yashā'. The author of Al-Kashshāf stated that this is a linguistic error (laḥn) and attributing it to Abu Amr is a lie, as such an error would not befit the most knowledgeable person in Arabic.

By saying "To Allah belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth," Allah established that He is perfect in Ownership and Dominion. By saying "And whether you disclose what is within yourselves or conceal it, Allah will bring you to account for it," He established that He is perfect in Knowledge and Comprehension. Then, by saying "And Allah is over all things competent," He established that He is perfect in Power, dominant over all possibilities through coercion, power, creation, and annihilation. There is no perfection higher or greater than possessing perfection in these attributes. Any being described with these perfections must, by necessity, be worshipped obediently, submissive to His commands and prohibitions, and cautious of His displeasure. Success is by Allah.

7 < { The Messenger has believed in what was revealed to him from his Lord, and [so have] the believers. All have believed in Allah and His angels and His books and His messengers, [saying], "We make no distinction between any of His messengers." And they say, "We hear and we obey. [We seek] Your forgiveness, our Lord, and to You is the [final] destination." } > 7 !