Tafsir of Al-Baqarah 2:3

Al-Baqarah (The Cow): Verse 3

{Those who believe in the Unseen...}

The phrase {الذين يؤمنون} (Those who believe) can be analyzed in two main ways:

1. As a continuation (adjective) of the preceding word {المتقين} (the pious):
   • It could be in the genitive case (مجرور) as an adjective following al-muttaqīn.
   • It could be in the accusative case (منصوب) as an apposition (مدح) with an implied verb like aʿnī (I mean).
   • It could be in the nominative case (مرفوع) as an apposition (مدح) with an implied subject like hum (they are).
   • If it is connected (mawsūl), stopping at al-muttaqīn is acceptable but not a complete stop (waqf ghayr tām).

2. As a separate, independent clause (munqaṭiʿ):
   • It would be in the nominative case (مرفوع) as the subject (mubtadaʾ), with {أولئك على هدى} (those are on guidance) serving as its predicate.
   • If it is independent, stopping at al-muttaqīn constitutes a complete stop (waqf tām).

Some scholars suggest that the following description—{الذين يؤمنون بالغيب ويقيمون الصلواة ومما رزقناهم ينفقون} (who believe in the Unseen, establish prayer, and spend from what We have provided for them)—serves as an explanation for why they are considered pious (muttaqīn).

• The pious person is one who performs good deeds and refrains from evil deeds.
• Deeds of the heart: This is covered by {يؤمنون} (belief).
• Deeds of the limbs: These are founded upon Prayer (Salat) and Charity (Zakat). Worship is either physical (best exemplified by Salat) or financial (best exemplified by Zakat). The Prophet (PBUH) said: "Salat is the pillar of religion, and Zakat is the bridge of Islam."
• Refraining from evil: This is encompassed within the command to perform Salat (e.g., "Recite what has been revealed to you of the Book" [Al-ʿAnkabūt: 45], which implies avoiding what contradicts it).

However, the more likely view is that these actions are not merely an explanation of taqwā. True happiness requires both refraining from what is improper (taqwā) and performing what is proper (belief, prayer, charity).

Why is Taqwā (refraining) mentioned first? The heart is like a tablet ready to receive true beliefs and virtuous characteristics. The tablet must first be cleansed of corrupt inscriptions before good ones can be inscribed. Similarly, the soul must first be purified of vices before virtuous actions can be established. Therefore, Taqwā (abstention) is mentioned first, followed by the performance of what is required.

The word Īmān is derived from al-Amn (security). To say āmanahu (he believed him) means he confirmed him, securing him from disbelief and contradiction. Its transitive use with the preposition bi- (in/with) implies acknowledgment and confession.

The scholars of the Qibla (Muslims) differ on the precise definition of Īmān in religious terminology, which can be grouped into four main schools:

Group 1: Belief is the sum of Heart Actions, Limb Actions, and Verbal Confession.

(Muʿtazilah, Khawārij, Zaydiyyah, and Ahl al-Hadith)

• Khawārij: Belief encompasses knowing God and everything proven by rational or textual evidence (Qur'an/Sunnah), as well as obedience in all commanded actions and abstentions, major or minor. Omitting any part of this is considered disbelief (kufr).
• Muʿtazilah:
  • When Īmān is transitive with bi- (e.g., āmana bi-llāh), it means confirmation/assent (taṣdīq). This is because Īmān meaning "performing obligations" cannot take this preposition (one doesn't say, "He īmana by praying and fasting").
  • When used absolutely (non-transitive), it shifts from its linguistic meaning (assent) to another meaning, which they further divide:
    1. It means performing all acts of obedience, whether obligatory or recommended, verbal, physical, or creedal (View of Waṣil ibn ʿAṭāʾ, Abū al-Hudhayl, al-Qāḍī ʿAbd al-Jabbār).
    2. It means performing obligatory acts only, excluding supererogatory ones (View of Abū ʿAlī and Abū Hāshim).
    3. It means avoiding everything mentioned with a threat (waʿīd). A believer is one who avoids all major sins. Some followers specified that avoiding all major sins is the condition for belief, both in God's sight and in ours (View of al-Naẓẓām).

• Ahl al-Hadith (Traditionalists):
  1. Knowledge (Maʿrifah) is the complete foundation of belief. Every act of obedience is a separate instance of belief, contingent upon the foundation of knowledge. Denial in the heart is disbelief (kufr), and every subsequent sin is also disbelief. They hold that obedience is not belief unless preceded by knowledge and confession, and sin is not disbelief unless preceded by denial. (View of ʿAbd Allāh ibn Saʿīd ibn Kullāb).
  2. Belief is the name for all acts of obedience combined—one single entity. Obligations and supererogatory acts are all part of Īmān. Omitting an obligation diminishes Īmān; omitting a supererogatory act does not. Some among them restrict Īmān only to the obligatory acts.

Group 2: Belief is in the Heart and the Tongue combined.

(This group is further divided)

• First View: Belief is verbal confession (Iqrār) and heart knowledge (Maʿrifah). (View of Abū Ḥanīfah and the majority of jurists).
  • They differ on the nature of this knowledge: some define it as firm conviction (whether traditional or derived from evidence—the majority who accept the muqallid [follower] as a Muslim), while others define it as knowledge derived from inference.
  • They also differ on what must be known: Some theologians say knowledge of God and His attributes in a complete manner. Others (the fair-minded) say it is knowledge of everything necessarily known to be part of the religion of Muhammad (PBUH).

• Second View: Belief is assent in the heart and the tongue combined. (View of Bishr ibn ʿUṭāy al-Marīsī and Abū al-Ḥasan al-Ashʿarī). Assent of the heart means the inner speech (al-kalām al-qāʾim bi-l-nafs).

• Third View: (Some Sufis) Belief is verbal confession and sincerity (Ikhlāṣ) of the heart.

Group 3: Belief is only the action of the Heart.

(This group is divided into two views)

1. Belief is knowledge of God in the heart. One who knows God in his heart but denies Him verbally and dies before confessing is considered a complete believer. (View of Jaḥm ibn Ṣafwān, who excluded knowledge of books, messengers, and the Last Day from Īmān). Al-Kaʿbī attributed a view to Jaḥm that Īmān is knowledge of God plus everything necessarily known to be part of Muhammad's religion.
2. Belief is mere assent in the heart. (View of al-Ḥusayn ibn al-Faḍl al-Bajallī).

Group 4: Belief is only Verbal Confession (Iqrār) of the Tongue.

(This group is divided into two factions)

1. Verbal confession is belief, but knowledge in the heart is a prerequisite for the verbal confession to count as belief, though knowledge itself is not part of the definition of belief. (View of Ghaylān ibn Muslim al-Dimashqī and al-Faḍl al-Raqāshī).
2. Belief is purely verbal confession. (View of the Karāmiyyah). They hold that the hypocrite (munāfiq) is outwardly a believer but inwardly a disbeliever, thus receiving the rulings of a believer in this world and the disbeliever in the Hereafter.

Our Position: We hold that Belief (Īmān) is assent in the heart (taṣdīq bi-l-qalb). We must define the nature of this assent:

When one says, "The world is created (muḥdath)," the meaning is not that the world is described by the attribute of creation, but rather the speaker judges the world to be created. This mental judgment (of affirmation or negation) is distinct from the actual existence of the attribute (the world being created). This mental judgment is also distinct from knowledge, as an ignorant person might still make such a judgment. Therefore, taṣdīq means this specific mental judgment.

Conclusion on Īmān: Īmān is the assent to everything necessarily known to be part of the religion of Muhammad (PBUH), coupled with conviction. Establishing this requires proving four conditions:

First Condition: Īmān is Assent (Taṣdīq). Evidence:

1. Linguistically, Īmān originally meant assent. If it shifted in religious usage, the Qur'an would not be considered Arabic speech.
2. Īmān is a frequently used term among Muslims. If its meaning shifted from its original definition, the call to know the new meaning would be overwhelming, leading to widespread knowledge, which has not happened. Thus, it remains at its original meaning.
3. We agree that Īmān transitive with bi- retains its original meaning (assent); therefore, the non-transitive form must also retain it.
4. Wherever God mentions Īmān in the Qur'an, He attributes it to the heart (e.g., "Their mouths say what is not in their hearts" [Al-Baqarah: 41]; "His heart is at rest with faith" [An-Nahl: 106]; "He has written faith into their hearts" [Al-Mujadilah: 22]; "Say not, 'We have believed,' but say, 'We have submitted,' for faith has not yet entered your hearts" [Al-Ḥujurāt: 14]).
5. God always couples Īmān with righteous deeds. If deeds were part of Īmān, this would be redundant repetition.
6. God often couples Īmān with sin, such as in: "Those who believed and did not mix their faith with injustice" (Al-Anʿām: 82). Ibn ʿAbbās used the verse regarding retaliation: "O you who have believed, prescribed for you is retribution for the killed" (Al-Baqarah: 178) as proof:
   • Retribution is only for the intentional killer, yet the address is to believers, implying the killer was a believer.
   • The verse mentions brotherhood: "if he [the killer] obtains any concession from his brother" (Al-Baqarah: 178). This brotherhood is only the brotherhood of faith (Al-Ḥujurāt: 10).
   • The verse calls the concession a "lightening and a mercy" (Al-Baqarah: 178), which suits a believer.
   • Other proofs include verses addressing those who aided the Prophet (PBUH) but did not migrate (Al-Anfāl: 72), where great threats were issued against leaving Hijra, yet they were still called believers. Also, commands like "O you who have believed, do not take My enemy and your enemy as allies" (Al-Mumtaḥinah: 1) and commands to repent (Al-Taḥrīm: 8; An-Nūr: 31) imply that the addressees are believers who commit sins.

Second Condition: Īmān is not merely verbal assent. Proof: "And among the people are those who say, 'We believe in Allah and the Last Day,' but they are not believers" (Al-Baqarah: 8). If belief were just verbal assent, this negation would be invalid.

Third Condition: Īmān is not absolute assent. Proof: One who assents to Jibt (idols) and Ṭāghūt (false deities) is not called a believer.

Fourth Condition: Belief in all attributes of God is not a prerequisite for Īmān. Proof: The Prophet (PBUH) judged the faith of those about whom it never occurred to them whether God was self-sufficient or possessed knowledge by His essence. If such detailed knowledge were a condition, the Prophet could not have judged their faith before testing them on these specific points.

Addressing Two Scenarios (The Ghazālī Debate):

1. Scenario 1: A person proves God's existence through evidence but dies before uttering the Shahada. If we say he is not a believer, we contradict the Hadith: "He will be brought out of the Fire who has an atom's weight of faith in his heart." If we say he is a believer, we violate the consensus that verbal confession is required.
2. Scenario 2: A person proves God's existence, has the opportunity to utter the Shahada, but refrains from doing so. If we say he is not a believer, we contradict the Hadith about the atom's weight of faith (since silence does not remove faith from the heart). If we say he is a believer, we violate the consensus requiring verbal confession.

The Answer: Al-Ghazālī rejected the consensus in both scenarios, ruling that both individuals are believers, treating the refusal to speak as a sin committed while possessing faith, similar to other sins.

The word al-Ghayb is a maṣdar (verbal noun) used in place of the active participle (like ṣawm meaning ṣāʾim). There are two main interpretations for {يؤمنون بالغيب}:

1. Abū Muslim al-Iṣfahānī’s View: Al-Ghayb is an adjective describing the believers, meaning they believe in God in their absence (in private) just as they believe in Him when present—unlike the hypocrites who say one thing in public and another in private (Yūsuf: 52). This praises believers for their outward consistency with their inward state.

2. The Majority View: Al-Ghayb refers to what is absent from the senses. This unseen reality is divided into two types: that which has evidence, and that which does not.
   • The verse praises the pious for believing in the Unseen that has evidence (i.e., through contemplation and inference), such as knowledge of God, His attributes, the Hereafter, Prophethood, and religious laws. Since deriving these requires effort, they merit great praise.

Arguments for the Majority View (Against Abū Muslim):

1. Verse 4 states: {والذين يؤمنون بما أنزل إليك وما أنزل من قبلك وبالأخرة هم يوقنون} (And who believe in what has been revealed to you, and what was revealed before you, and are certain of the Hereafter). If al-Ghayb meant all unseen things, then Verse 4 would be repeating the same concept, which is impermissible (like saying "and Gabriel and the angels").
2. If al-Ghayb means all unseen things, it implies humans know the Unseen, contradicting: {وعنده مفاتح الغيب لا يعلمها إلا هو} (And with Him are the keys of the Unseen; none knows them except Him) (Al-Anʿām: 59).
3. The term Ghayb is typically applied to something that can be present. Therefore, it cannot strictly apply to the essence and attributes of God. If al-Ghayb meant all unseen things, belief in God's essence (the greatest pillar of faith) would be excluded, which is impossible.

Rebuttals to the Arguments:

1. Rebuttal to 1: {يؤمنون بالغيب} refers to unseen things generally, and Verse 4 specifies certain unseen things (revelations and the Hereafter). This is a valid structure of general statement followed by specific examples (like mentioning Gabriel and Michael after angels).
2. Rebuttal to 2: There is no dispute that we believe in things unseen to us. This qualification is necessary in both interpretations. (Regarding whether man knows the Unseen: We know what has evidence; only God knows what has no evidence).
3. Rebuttal to 3: We do not concede that Ghayb can only apply to things capable of presence. Theologians use the term al-ghāʾib (the absent) to refer to God's essence and attributes when they discuss relating the absent to the present.

Some Shīʿa scholars claim that al-Ghayb refers specifically to the promised Mahdī. They cite:

1. The verse: {وعد الله الذين آمنوا منكم وعملوا الصالحات ليستخلفنهم في الأرض كما استخلف الذين من قبلهم} (Allah has promised those who believe among you and do righteous deeds that He will surely make them successors in the land just as He made those before them successors) (An-Nūr: 55).
2. The Hadith: "If only one day remained of the world, Allah would lengthen that day until a man from my household emerges, whose name matches my name and whose patronymic matches mine, who will fill the earth with justice and equity just as it was filled with tyranny and oppression."

Ruling: Restricting an absolute term without textual evidence is invalid.

Several meanings are given for Iqāmat al-Ṣalāt (establishing prayer):

1. Rectifying its pillars and preserving it from any defect in its obligations, Sunnahs, and etiquette (like aqāma al-ʿūd—straightening the stick).
2. Perseverance and continuity in performing it (like qāmat al-sūq—the market thrived). If prayer is maintained, it is desired; if neglected, it becomes undesirable.
3. Total dedication to performing it without any slackness or hesitation (like qāma bi-l-amr—he undertook the matter fully).
4. Performing the prayer itself. The term Iqāmah is used as a substitute for performance, just as parts of the prayer (like rukooʿ or sujood) are sometimes used to refer to the whole act.

The Preferred Interpretation: The meaning that earns the greatest praise is the one that implies perpetual performance without defect in its pillars and conditions. This is analogous to the one entrusted with the soldiers' provisions (al-qayyim) being truly worthy of the title only if he delivers their full rights without deficiency. God is described as Qāʾim and Qayyūm because His existence is perpetual, and He perpetually sustains the provision of His servants.

Several linguistic origins are suggested for Ṣalāt:

1. Supplication (Duʿāʾ).
2. Derived from Ṣalā (fire), meaning to straighten something using heat (like straightening a stick over fire). The worshipper is thus straightening his inner and outer state.
3. Adherence/Clinging. Evidenced by verses describing hellfire: {تَصْلَىٰ نَارًا حَمِيَةً} (will be burned in a fiercely blazing Fire) (Al-Ghāshiyah: 4).
4. Al-Kashshāf's View: It is derived from ṣallā (like zakāh from zakā). The reality of ṣallā is moving the ṣalawīn (the two hip joints), which the worshipper does in bowing and prostration.

Two Important Discussions:

First Discussion: Critique of Al-Kashshāf’s Derivation. If Ṣalāt originally meant moving the hip joints, this would severely undermine the Qur'an's authority as evidence. The word Ṣalāt is extremely common. If its original meaning was obscure, known only to a few specialists, then it would be possible that all words in the Qur'an have obscure meanings unknown to us today, rendering us unable to ascertain God's intent. Since Muslims agree this is false, Al-Kashshāf's derivation must be rejected.

Second Discussion: Ṣalāt in Religious Law. In Sharia, Ṣalāt refers to specific, sequential actions, beginning with takbīr al-taḥrīm and ending with taslīm. This term applies to both obligatory (farḍ) and supererogatory (nafl) prayers. However, in this verse, it specifically refers to the Obligatory Prayer, as righteousness depends upon it. When the Prophet (PBUH) taught the Bedouin the obligatory prayer, he said, "I will neither add to it nor subtract from it," to which the Prophet replied, "He has succeeded if he is truthful."

In Arabic, Rizq linguistically means share or portion (e.g., "And you make your portion of it [the Qur'an] that you deny it" [Al-Wāqiʿah: 82]).

Rejected Definitions:

• What is eaten or used: Rejected because God commands spending from what He has provided ({وَأَنفِقُوا مِمَّا رَزَقْنَاكُمْ} [Al-Baqarah: 254]). If rizq were only what is eaten, it could not be spent.
• What is owned: Rejected because one prays, "O God, grant me righteous offspring or a righteous wife," neither of which is owned, nor is the intellect which one asks to be sustained by. Animals also have rizq but no ownership.

In Religious Terminology (Sharia):

• Muʿtazilah View (Abū al-Ḥusayn al-Baṣrī): Rizq is the empowerment of an animal to benefit from something, while preventing others from preventing that benefit. Thus, if God "provided us with wealth," it means He enabled us to benefit from it without hindrance. Consequently, they hold that the forbidden (Ḥarām) cannot be Rizq.

• Our Position (Ahl al-Sunnah): The forbidden can be Rizq.
  1. Linguistically, Rizq is a share/portion. If someone benefits from something forbidden, that forbidden thing becomes his share, hence it is his Rizq.
  2. God states: {وَمَا مِن دَابَّةٍ فِي الْأَرْضِ إِلَّا عَلَى اللَّهِ رِزْقُهَا} (And there is no creature on earth except that upon Allah is its provision) (Hūd: 6). If a person lives his whole life eating only stolen goods, it must be said he ate from his Rizq.

Muʿtazilah Arguments Against Us:

1. Qur'an: {وَمِمَّا رَزَقْنَاهُمْ يُنفِقُونَ} praises them for spending from what God provided. If Ḥarām were Rizq, they would be praised for spending Ḥarām, which is agreed to be false.
2. Qur'an: If Ḥarām were Rizq, the usurper could spend from it based on {وَأَنفِقُوا مِمَّا رَزَقْنَاكُمْ} (Al-Baqarah: 254). Muslims agree the usurper cannot spend what he took; he must return it.
3. Qur'an: {قُلْ أَرَأَيْتُم مَّا أَنزَلَ اللَّهُ لَكُم مِّن رِّزْقٍ فجَعَلْتُم مِّنْهُ حَرَامًا وَحَلَالًا} (Say, "Have you seen what Allah has sent down to you of provision, and you have made of it unlawful and lawful?") (Yūnus: 59). This implies that whoever forbids God's Rizq is lying against God, proving Ḥarām is not Rizq.
4. Hadith: A narration where a singer asked permission to earn through singing, and the Prophet (PBUH) rebuked him, saying: "You have chosen what Allah has forbidden of your Rizq instead of what Allah permitted for you of His lawful provision." This implies Ḥarām is a type of Rizq.
5. Reason: God forbids the responsible person from benefiting from Ḥarām and commands others to prevent him. If one is prevented from taking something, it is not said that God provided it to him.

Our Rebuttals to Muʿtazilah:

1. To the verses: God often specifies things for honor. He says, "A spring from which the servants of Allah drink" (Al-Insān: 6), specifying the pious, even though disbelievers are also servants. Similarly, Rizq is specified as lawful for honor, even if Ḥarām is also provision.
2. To the Hadith: The Prophet's statement, "You have chosen what Allah has forbidden of your Rizq," explicitly confirms that Rizq can be forbidden.
3. To Reason: This is a linguistic matter of whether Ḥarām is called Rizq or not; rational proofs are irrelevant to mere terminology.

The root meaning of Infaq is taking money out of one's hand. This is seen in: nafaqa al-mabīʿ (the sale was completed due to many buyers), nafaqat al-dābbah (the animal died, its spirit left), and nāfiqāʾ al-fār (the mouse holes from which it exits). The verse uses the partitive particle min ({وَمِمَّا}) for several benefits:

1. Protection against extravagance and wastefulness (which are forbidden).
2. Prioritizing the object (the spending) over the verb, suggesting that dedicating some wealth to charity is highly important.
3. Infaq includes both obligatory spending (Zakat, spending on self and dependents, spending in Jihad) and recommended spending (charity mentioned after the command to spend before death). All these forms merit praise.

(This verse is presented here for context, as the preceding discussion covered the belief in the unseen, which includes these elements.)