Al-Baqarah: (62) Indeed, those who believed...

Recitation Variants and Linguistic Notes

It is known that the famous recitation is {هادوا} (hādū) with a ḍammah on the dāl. However, from al-Ḍaḥḥāk and Mujāhid, it is recited with a fatḥah on the dāl and a quiescent wāw.

Regarding الصابئين (al-Ṣābi’īn) and الصابئون (al-Ṣābi’ūn):

• The common reading includes the hamzah (glottal stop) in both forms, wherever they occur.
• From Nāfiʿ, Shaybah, and al-Zuhri, it is recited as الصَّابِين (al-Ṣābīn) with a quiescent yā’ without a hamzah.
• From others, it is الصَّابُون (al-Ṣābūn) with a ḍammah on the bā’ and the omission of the hamzah.
• Al-ʿUmari recites it with a hamzah in both forms.
• Abū Jaʿfar recites it with two pure yā’ letters, which substitute for the hamzah.

As for omitting the hamzah, two possibilities exist:

1. It derives from صبا يصبو (ṣabā yaṣbū), meaning "he inclined toward something and loved it."
2. The hamzah was inverted, leading to الصَّابِيِّين (al-Ṣābiyyīn) and الصَّابِيُّون (al-Ṣābiyyūn).

The preferred reading is with the hamzah, as it is the recitation of the majority and is closer to the meaning of the exegesis, since scholars state that the Ṣābi’ūn are those who depart from one religion to another.

Context and Structure of the Verse

It is the custom of God (Exalted is He) when mentioning a promise or a threat to follow it with its opposite, to make the discourse complete. Here, after mentioning the ruling concerning the disbelieving People of the Book and the punishment that befell them, He informed [us] about the great reward and noble recompense for the believers. This indicates that the Almighty recompenses the doer of good with his goodness and the doer of evil with his evil, as He says: {That He may recompense those who do evil for that which they have done, and recompense those who do good with the best.} (An-Najm: 31).

He then said: {Indeed, those who believed...}

The exegetes differed regarding the intended meaning of this phrase. This difference stems from the subsequent phrase in the verse: {who believed in Allah and the Last Day}. This implies that the meaning of "believed" in the first part must be different from the meaning of "believed" in the second part. A similar ambiguity is found in the verse: {O you who have believed, believe in Allah...} (An-Nisā’: 136).

Because of this ambiguity, they mentioned several interpretations:

1. The view of Ibn ʿAbbās: It refers to those who believed before the mission of Muhammad (peace be upon him) through ʿĪsā (Jesus) (peace be upon him), while disavowing the falsehoods of the Jews and Christians. Examples include Quss ibn Sāʿidah, Buḥayrā the Monk, Ḥabīb the Carpenter, Zayd ibn ʿAmr ibn Nufayl, Waraqah ibn Nawfal, Salmān al-Fārisī, Abū Dharr al-Ghifārī, and the delegation of the Negus. The meaning is as if God said: Those who believed before Muhammad's mission, and those who were upon the false religion of the Jews, and those who were upon the false religion of the Christians—all of them who believed after the mission of Muhammad (peace be upon him) in Allah, the Last Day, and in Muhammad—they shall have their reward with their Lord.
2. The view of Sufyān al-Thawrī: Since the beginning of this Sūrah mentioned the manner of the hypocrites, followed by the Jews, the intended meaning of {Indeed, those who believed} refers to those who believe only with their tongues but not with their hearts—the hypocrites. Thus, after mentioning the hypocrites, then the Jews, Christians, and Ṣābi’ūn, it is as if God said: All of these people of falsehood, whoever among them comes with true faith, becomes one of the believers in the sight of God.
3. The view of the theologians: The intended meaning of {Indeed, those who believed} refers to those who truly believed in Muhammad (peace be upon him) in the past. The subsequent phrase {who believed in Allah} implies the future. Therefore, the meaning is: those who believed in the past and remained steadfast upon that belief, continuing it into the future.

Etymology of "Those Who Judaised" ({والذين هادوا})

They differed regarding the derivation of this term:

1. View 1 (from Ibn ʿAbbās): They were named this when they repented from worshipping the calf and said: {Indeed, we have turned back to You} (Al-Aʿrāf: 156), meaning "we repented and returned."
2. View 2: They were named this because they were attributed to Judah (Yāhūdhā), the eldest son of Jacob. The Arabs used the dāl (D) instead of the thā’ (Th) due to Arabization, as Arabs often change some letters when transferring foreign names into their language.
3. View 3 (from Abū ʿAmr ibn al-ʿAlā’): They were named this because they perform tahawwud (تهود), meaning they move or sway when reciting the Torah.

Etymology of "The Christians" ({والنصارى})

There are several views regarding the derivation of this name:

1. View 1 (from Ibn ʿAbbās, Qatādah, and Ibn Jurayj): It is attributed to the village where ʿĪsā (peace be upon him) resided, which was called Nāṣirah (Nazareth).
2. View 2: It is derived from tanāṣur (mutual support) among themselves, meaning they supported one another.
3. View 3: Because ʿĪsā (peace be upon him) said to the disciples: "Who will be my helpers toward Allah?"

The author of Al-Kashshāf stated that al-Naṣārā is the plural of naṣrān (a man is naṣrān, a woman is naṣrānah). The yā’ in naṣrānī is for emphasis, similar to aḥmarī (very red), because they supported/helped the Messiah.

Etymology of "The Ṣābi’ūn" ({والصابئين})

This term derives from صَبَأ (ṣaba’a), meaning "he exited from his religion to another religion." The Arabs also used to call the Prophet (peace be upon him) a Ṣābi’ because he revealed a religion different from theirs. The stars ṣaba’at when they emerge from their rising point. Ṣaba’nā bihi means "we exited with it."

The exegetes have differing opinions on the doctrine of the Ṣābi’ūn:

1. View 1 (from Mujāhid and al-Ḥasan): They are a sect of the Magians and Jews; their slaughtered animals are not eaten, and their women are not married.
2. View 2 (from Qatādah): They are a people who worship the angels and pray toward the sun five times daily. Qatādah also said: There are five religions: four belong to Satan and one to the Merciful. The Ṣābi’ūn worship angels, the Magians worship fire, the polytheists worship idols, and [the remaining two are] the Jews and Christians.
3. View 3 (The most probable): They are a people who worship the stars. They hold two sub-views:
   • First: The Creator of the universe is Allah (Exalted is He), but He commanded the glorification of these stars and taking them as the qiblah (direction of prayer) for supplication and veneration.
   • Second: Allah (Exalted is He) created the celestial spheres and the stars, and the stars are the administrators of all good and evil, health and sickness in this world, and they are the creators thereof. Therefore, humanity must venerate them because they are the deities administering this world. Furthermore, these stars worship Allah (Exalted is He). This doctrine is attributed to the Chaldeans, to whom Abraham (peace be upon him) was sent to refute and invalidate their saying.

God (Exalted is He) clarified concerning these four groups (Jews, Christians, Ṣābi’ūn, and Magians, as mentioned in Sūrat al-Ḥajj) that if they believe in Allah, they have reward in the Hereafter. This is to show that all proponents of misguidance, if they return from their error and believe in the true religion, God (Exalted and Majestic) accepts their faith and obedience and never turns them away from His presence.

It should be noted that belief in Allah includes belief in what He has mandated, namely, belief in His Messengers. And belief in the Last Day includes all rulings pertaining to the Hereafter. Thus, these two statements encompass everything related to religions, both in the time of obligation (this world) and in the Hereafter (reward and punishment).

Meaning of {with their Lord} ({عند ربهم})

The intended meaning is not spatial proximity, as that is impossible for God (Exalted is He), nor is it preservation like deposits. Rather, it means their reward is certain and established, as if it is already present with their Lord.

Meaning of {no fear will come upon them, nor will they grieve} ({ولا خوف عليهم ولا هم يحزنون})

It has been said that this refers to the removal of fear and grief from them in this world. Others say it refers to the Hereafter, at the time of reward. The latter view is sounder because the statement {no fear will come upon them} is general in its negation, as is {nor will they grieve}. This attribute is not fully realized in this world, especially for those under religious obligation, as they are never free from fear and grief, whether concerning worldly matters or matters of the Hereafter.

It is as if God (Exalted is He) promised them the reward in the Hereafter, and then clarified that a characteristic of that reward is that it is devoid of fear and grief. This necessitates that their bliss is eternal, because if it were conceivable that it could cease, great grief would afflict them.

If someone asks: God mentioned this verse in Sūrat al-Mā’idah as: {Indeed, those who believed and those who Judaised and the Ṣābi’ūn and the Christians—whoever believed in Allah and the Last Day and did righteousness—no fear will come upon them, nor will they grieve} (Al-Mā’idah: 69). And in Sūrat al-Ḥajj: {Indeed, those who believed and those who Judaised and the Ṣābi’ūn and the Christians and the Magians and those who associated others with Allah—indeed, Allah will judge between them on the Day of Resurrection. Indeed, Allah is over all things a Witness} (Al-Ḥajj: 17). Is there a significance in the variation of these verses regarding the order of the groups, the raising of (al-Ṣābi’ūn) in one verse and its accusative case in another?

The answer is: Since the speaker is the most perfect of judges, these variations must have wisdom and benefits. If we grasp those wisdoms, we have achieved perfection. If we fail, we attribute the shortcoming to our own intellects, not to the speech of the Wise. And Allah knows best.

Verse 7