Tafsir of Al-Baqarah 2:74

Surah Al-Baqarah (The Cow): Verse 74

{ثُمَّ قَسَتْ قُلُوبُكُم مِّن بَعْدِ ذَٰلِكَ} Then your hearts became hard after that.

Issue 1: The Meaning of Hardening (Qaswat al-Qalb)

That which is inherently capable of receiving an impression from something else, if an accident befalls it preventing that reception, it is described as becoming hard, coarse, and rigid.

1. Physical Analogy: A body, in its essence as matter, can receive impressions. However, when the quality of stoniness afflicts a body, the stone body becomes incapable of receiving impressions.
2. The Heart's Nature: Similarly, the heart is meant to be affected by contemplating signs, verses, and admonitions. Its being affected means abandoning rebellion, arrogance, and pride, and showing submission, humility, and fear of God.
3. Hardening: If an affliction befalls the heart that removes it from this state, it becomes similar to a stone in its inability to be affected. Thus, the heart is described as having hardened (qasā) and become coarse (ghaluzh). This is why God described the believers with tenderness, saying: {A Book whose verses are mutually reinforcing, causing the skins of those who fear their Lord to tremble} (Az-Zumar: 23).

Issue 2: Identifying the Addressees

Al-Qaffal suggested that the addressees of {your hearts} might be the People of the Book during the time of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). Their hearts hardened after the clear proofs that came to their predecessors, the events that transpired, the punishment that befell those among them who persisted in sin, the signs brought by their prophets, and the covenants they took upon themselves and upon all who followed the Torah. This description highlights their transgression and harshness despite possessing knowledge of God's signs, which should soften hearts. This interpretation is preferred because the verse {Then your hearts became hard} is a direct address to those present.

Alternatively, the intended meaning could specifically refer to the Jews during the time of Moses (AS), or even their ancestors before them.

Issue 3: The Meaning of {after that}

This phrase can refer to several things:

1. The Miracle of the Slain Man: It may refer to the event where God revealed the killer by having the slain man strike him with a piece of the slaughtered cow. It is narrated that when the killer was identified, he denied it and sought to incite sedition, supported by a group. In response to this, God described them: "After the appearance of such a sign, their hearts became hard, meaning they became like stones in their hardness."
2. All the Blessings of Moses: It could refer to all the great favors and manifest signs God showed through Moses (AS). Despite witnessing these repeatedly, those Jews persisted in obstinacy and objection toward Moses, as evidenced by the accounts of their wandering in the wilderness (al-Tīh).

Issue 1: The Meaning of the Particle 'Or' (أو)

The particle aw (or) implies doubt, which is unsuitable for the Knower of the Unseen. Therefore, interpretation is necessary, and there are several views:

1. Meaning 'And' (و): Similar to {up to one hundred thousand or more} (As-Saffat: 147), meaning 'and more.' Also like {except what is apparent of it} (An-Nur: 31), meaning 'and their fathers.' And {There is no blame upon the blind, nor is there blame upon the lame...} (An-Nur: 61), meaning 'and the houses of your fathers.' Examples include {perhaps he will remember or fear} (Taha: 44) and {a reminder or a warning} (Al-Mursalat: 5-6).
2. Intended Ambiguity: God intended to keep it ambiguous for the servants, similar to when someone says, "I ate bread or dates," while being certain they ate one or the other, intending to convey the general idea to the listener.
3. Inclusion of Degrees: It means: "They are like stones, and some of them are harder than stones."
4. Human Perception: When humans observe the state of their hearts, they say, "They are like stones, or they are harder than stones," as implied in {a measure of two bow lengths or nearer} (An-Najm: 9), meaning in your sight and belief.
5. Meaning 'But Rather' (بل): They cite poetry where aw means bal (but rather).
6. Exclusion of Alternatives: It means: "I only eat sweet or sour things," implying my food is nothing outside these two categories, and it does not imply doubt, but rather the negation of anything else.
7. Permissibility (الإباحة): Aw is a particle of permission, as if saying: "Whichever of these two you liken their hearts to, you are correct." Like saying, "Sit with Al-Hasan or Ibn Sirin," meaning sitting with either one is correct, and sitting with both is also correct.

Issue 2: Grammatical Analysis of {or harder}

The author of Al-Kashshaf states that {harder} (ashaddu) is coordinated with the kāf (the 'like' in ka-l-hijārah). Either it means "or like: harder in hardness," where the possessed noun is omitted and the possessive suffix stands in its place, or it means "or they themselves are harder in hardness."

Issue 3: Reasons for Describing Them as Harder Than Stone

1. Stones Would Respond: If stones possessed intellect and were confronted with this sign, they would accept it, just as God said: {If We had sent down this Qur'an upon a mountain, you would have seen it humbled, splitting apart out of fear of Allah} (Al-Hashr: 21).
2. Stones Obey God's Decree: Stones do not resist what God decrees for them, even in their hardness; they are subject to His will. These people, despite the continuous signs and favors bestowed upon them, refuse obedience to God, and their hearts do not soften in recognizing His right. This is like {And there is no creature on earth nor bird that flies with its two wings} (Al-An'am: 38) followed by {And those who deny Our signs are deaf and dumb in darkness} (Al-An'am: 39). The meaning is that animals other than humans are communities subject to what they are commanded, while these disbelievers resist what God wills from them.
3. Lack of Benefit: Stones can be beneficial in some ways, and water may emerge from them in certain circumstances. However, the hearts of these people offer absolutely no benefit, nor do they soften toward obedience to God in any way.

Issue 4: The Objection of Predestination (Al-Qadi's View)

If God is the Creator of their persistence in disbelief, how can He justly blame them in this manner? If Moses (AS) addressed them, they could argue: "The One who created the hardness in stones is the One who created the hardness in our hearts. The One capable of making rivers burst forth from stones is capable of changing us from our disbelief to faith by creating faith in us. If He does not do so, our excuse is clear." This would make their argument stronger than his. This line of reasoning has been discussed extensively before.

Issue 5: {Harder} vs. {Hardest}

He said {harder} (ashaddu qaswatan) and not aqsa (hardest) for two reasons:

1. It indicates an extreme degree of hardness.
2. It does not intend the superlative meaning of aqsa, but rather describes the hardness itself as intense. It is as if saying: "The hardness of stones is intense, and the hardness of their hearts is more intense."
   • It was also read as qasāwatan (with a fatḥa on the sīn), omitting the comparative pronoun because there is no ambiguity, similar to saying, "Zayd is generous, and 'Amr is more generous."

Furthermore, God favored stones over their hearts by showing that stones yield three types of benefits, none of which are found in these hearts.

First Benefit: {And indeed, there are stones from which rivers burst forth}

Issue 1: The Reading of {And indeed} (وَإِنَّ)

It was read with the lightened inna (وإن), which is the lightened form of the heavy inna that requires the distinguishing lām (e.g., {And indeed, all of them will be brought forth before Us} (Ya-Sin: 32)).

Issue 2: The Meaning of Bursting Forth (يَتَفَجَّرُ)

Tafajjur means opening widely and abundantly. It is said of a sore that it infajarat (burst open) with pus. Fajr (dawn) and fujūr (wickedness) derive from this. Malik ibn Dinar read it as yanfajiru (splits open), meaning water flows out, forming rivers.

The wise say that rivers originate from vapors accumulating beneath the earth. If the surface is soft, these vapors escape. If the surface is hard stone, the vapors gather. They continue to accumulate until they become numerous, causing the earth to split and the water to flow out as valleys and rivers.

Second Benefit: {And indeed, there are stones from which water comes forth}

This means that stones crack, and water emerges, forming a spring, not necessarily a flowing river. Stones can be moist with much or little water, indicating varying degrees of moisture within them. Sometimes the moisture is great enough for rivers to flow, and sometimes it is less.

However, the hearts of these people are at the utmost limit of hardness; they are not moistened by accepting any admonition, nor do they open up to guidance.

The reading {yashaqqaqu} (يَشَّقَّقُ) means yatashaqqaqu (splits), where the tā’ is assimilated, like {yadhakkaru} (remembers) meaning yattadhakkaru, and like the address in {O you wrapped in garments} (Al-Muzzammil: 1) and {O you shrouded one} (Al-Muddaththir: 1).

Third Benefit: {And indeed, there are stones from which what descends out of fear of Allah}

The Problem: Descending out of fear of God is a quality of rational, living beings, whereas stone is inanimate. Therefore, this description seems inapplicable to stone. Scholars offered several interpretations to resolve this:

1. Abu Muslim's View (The Pronoun Refers to Hearts): The pronoun in {And indeed, there are stones from which...} refers back to the hearts, as hearts are capable of fear, while stones are not. Although stones were mentioned previously, since this description suits hearts better than stones, the pronoun must refer to the hearts.
   • Objection 1: The preceding statement {So they are like stones, or harder than stones} is a complete sentence. Then God began describing the state of stones with {And indeed, there are stones from which rivers burst forth}. Therefore, {And indeed, there are stones from which what descends out of fear of Allah} must also refer to the stones.
   • Objection 2: Descending suits stones better than hearts, so interpreting descending is no less problematic than interpreting fear.

2. View of a Group of Commentators (Stones are Alive): The pronoun refers to the stones, but we do not concede that stones are not living and acting beings. The reference is to Mount Sinai when it trembled and God revealed Himself to it. God created life, intellect, and perception within it, which is not impossible for God's power. A parallel is {And they will say to their skins, "Why did you testify against us?" They will say, "Allah has made us speak, the One who made everything speak"} (Fussilat: 21). Just as skin was made to speak, hear, and understand, the mountain is described with fear. Also, {If We had sent down this Qur'an upon a mountain, you would have seen it humbled, splitting apart out of fear of Allah} (Al-Hashr: 21). This implies that if God had given it intellect and understanding, it would have become so. It is narrated that the palm trunk moaned when the Prophet (PBUH) ascended the pulpit. It is also narrated that when revelation first came to the Prophet (PBUH), the stones and trees greeted him, saying, "Peace be upon you, O Messenger of Allah." Thus, it is not impossible for some stones to be created with intellect and understanding, leading to fear. The Mu'tazila rejected this view because they require structure and balanced temperament for life and intellect, and they have no proof for this requirement other than mere improbability.

3. View of the Majority (Metaphorical Interpretation): The pronoun refers to the stones, which do not possess intellect. They offered several metaphorical interpretations:
   • Falling from a High Place: Some stones tumble down from a high place to a lower one. Since these disbelievers are persistent in obstinacy and arrogance, this descent is used as a metaphor for submission. {out of fear of Allah} means: If such a descent occurred in a chosen, rational being, it would be an act of fearing God. This is like {then they found a wall about to collapse, so he rebuilt it} (Al-Kahf: 77)—the wall showed inclination toward falling, which, if it occurred in a chosen being, would imply a desire to collapse. Poets use similar imagery, describing hoof-marks on hills as prostration to the hooves, or the shaking of city walls as fear. Similarly, the signs of distress among the people of Medina were likened to humility. Scholars interpret verses like {The seven heavens and the earth and whatever is in them exalt Him...} (Al-Isra: 44) and {And to Allah prostrates whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on earth...} (An-Nahl: 49) in this metaphorical sense.
   • Cause and Effect: {out of fear of Allah} means: Stones descend and crack during earthquakes because of what God intends by it—that His servants develop fear and turn to Him in supplication and repentance. The mīn (مِن) here indicates the cause: the descent happens because the fear of God is to be established in hearts.
   • Interpretation as Hail (Al-Jubba'i): He interpreted "stones" as hail descending from the clouds as a warning from God to His servants. {out of fear of Allah} means: It descends as a warning or something that necessitates fear of God, similar to saying, "The Qur'an was revealed concerning the prohibition of X," meaning it established that prohibition for people. Al-Qadi objected, saying this interpretation abandons the apparent meaning without necessity, as hail is fundamentally water, even if intense upon descent, and it is not appropriately termed "stone."

The meaning is that God is watching these hard-hearted people, recording their deeds, and will recompense them in this world and the Hereafter. This is like {And your Lord is never forgetful}. This verse contains a severe warning and threat to deter them.

Question: Is it correct to describe God as "not unaware" (bighāfil)?

Answer (Al-Qadi): No, it is not correct, as it implies that the possibility of unawareness exists for Him, which is not the case. Negating a quality from something does not necessitate that the quality is valid for it. Proof is found in {Neither drowsiness overtakes Him nor sleep...} (Al-Baqarah: 256), where the negation of sleep does not imply that sleep is possible for Him. (And Allah knows best.)

Verse 75

{أَفَتَطْمَعُونَ أَن يُؤْمِنُوا لَكُمْ وَقَدْ كَانَ فَرِيقٌ مِّنْهُمْ يَسْمَعُونَ كَلَامَ اللَّهِ ثُمَّ يُحَرِّفُونَهُ مِن بَعْدِ مَا عَقَلُوهُ وَهُمْ يَعْلَمُونَ} Do you then hope that they will believe for you, while a party of them used to hear the word of Allah and knowingly alter it after they had understood it?