Tafsir of Al-Baqarah 2:203

"And remember Allah during..."

"The numbered days" are the days of Tashriq. Remembering Allah during them means the Takbir (saying Allahu Akbar) following the prayers and at the Jamarat (stoning pillars).

It is narrated from Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) that he would recite Takbir in his tent at Mina, and those around him would recite it, until the people in the streets and during Tawaf would all be reciting Takbir.

"So whoever hastens..."

"Hastening" (ta‘ajjala) and "seeking to hasten" (ista‘jala) are used as intransitive verbs (reflexive) meaning "to be quick." One says, "He was quick in the matter" (ta‘ajjala fi al-amr). They are also used as transitive verbs, as in "He hastened the departure" (ta‘ajjala al-dhahab). The intransitive sense is more appropriate for His saying:

"And whoever delays..."

Just as it is in the verse: "The deliberate person may attain some of his needs, while the hasty person may stumble." (This is in reference to the deliberate person).

"In two days"

This refers to the day after the Day of Sacrifice (Yawm al-Nahr), which is the Day of Qarr (the day the people of Mecca call the "Day of Heads"), and the day following it. One departs once they have finished the stoning of the Jamarat, as people do today. This is the school of al-Shafi‘i, and it is also narrated from Qatadah.

According to Abu Hanifah and his companions, one departs before the break of dawn.

"And whoever delays..."

Meaning, until he has stoned on the third day.

Stoning on the third day is permitted before the sun passes its zenith (zawal) according to Abu Hanifah, whereas according to al-Shafi‘i, it is not permitted.

If you ask: How can He say "there is no sin upon him" regarding both hastening and delaying? I say: It indicates that one is given a choice between hastening and delaying, as if it were said: "Either hasten or delay."

If you ask: Is delaying not better? I say: Yes, but it is permissible to offer a choice between the "virtuous" and the "more virtuous," just as the traveler is given a choice between fasting and breaking the fast, even though fasting is more virtuous.

It is also said that the people of the Pre-Islamic era (Jahiliyyah) were divided into two groups: some considered the one who hastened to be sinful, and others considered the one who delayed to be sinful. Thus, the Qur’an came to negate sin from both of them.

"For the one who fears Allah"

Meaning, this choice and the negation of sin for both the one who hastens and the one who delays is for the sake of the God-fearing pilgrim, so that no doubt may enter his heart regarding either, fearing that one might involve him in sin. This is because the God-fearing person is cautious and wary of everything that causes him doubt, and because he is the true pilgrim in the sight of Allah.

Then He said:

"And fear Allah"

So that He may care for you.

It is also possible that this refers to what has passed of the rulings of Hajj and other matters, for "the one who fears Allah" is the one who benefits from them, unlike others, as in His saying: "That is better for those who desire the countenance of Allah" (Ar-Rum: 38).