Al-Baqarah: 286
**"God does not burden a soul beyond its capacity"**
Wus‘ (capacity) is that which a human can bear without it being narrow or burdensome for him. It means He does not charge them except with that which their strength can accommodate and which is easy for them, short of the limit of exhaustion and extreme effort. This is an announcement of His justice and mercy, like His saying: "God intends for you ease" (Al-Baqarah: 185). For it was within human possibility and capacity to pray more than five times, to fast more than a month, and to perform more than one pilgrimage. Ibn Abi ‘Ablah read it as wus‘ah (with a fatha).
"For it is what it has earned, and against it is what it has acquired"
It benefits from the good it has earned, and it is harmed by the evil it has acquired. No one else is held accountable for its sin, nor is anyone else rewarded for its obedience. If you ask: "Why was 'earning' (kasb) specified for good and 'acquiring' (iktisab) for evil?" I say: Iktisab implies exertion. Since evil is something the soul desires, is drawn to, and commands, the soul is more active and diligent in obtaining it; thus, it is described as muktasib (acquirer) regarding it. Since the soul is not like this in the realm of good, it is described with a term that carries no indication of such exertion.
"Do not hold us accountable if we forget or make a mistake"
Meaning: Do not punish us for forgetfulness or error if they occur from us. If you ask: "Forgetfulness and error are already pardoned, so what is the meaning of praying to be spared accountability for them?" I say: The mention of forgetfulness and error refers to the negligence and oversight that cause them. Do you not see His saying: "And none made me forget it except Satan" (Al-Kahf: 63)? Satan does not have the power to create forgetfulness; he only whispers, and his whispering becomes a cause for the negligence from which forgetfulness arises. Furthermore, because they were fearing God as He ought to be feared, no slip occurred from them except by way of forgetfulness or error. Thus, describing them as praying for this is an indication of their innocence from anything for which they would be held accountable—as if it were said: "If forgetfulness and error are things for which one is held accountable, then there is no cause for accountability in them except error and forgetfulness." It is also permissible for a person to pray for what he knows has already been granted to him by God’s grace, in order to sustain it and acknowledge the blessing therein.
"And do not lay upon us a burden (isr)"
Isr is the load that binds its carrier, meaning it keeps him in his place, unable to stand due to its weight. It is a metaphor for burdensome obligations, such as the killing of souls, the cutting of skin or clothing where impurity has touched, and so on. It is read as asaran (in the plural). In the reading of Ubayy, it is "Do not load (tahmil) upon us" with a shadda. If you ask: "What is the difference between this shadda and the one in 'Do not burden us (la tuhammilna)'?" I say: This one is for emphasis in "loading upon," while the other is for shifting the verb from one object to two objects.
"And do not burden us with that which we have no strength to bear"
Regarding the punishments that befell those before us, they requested exemption from the burdensome obligations that those before them were charged with, and then from the punishments that befell them due to their negligence in observing those obligations. It is said that the meaning is the difficult tasks that are barely possible to perform. This is a repetition of His saying: "And do not lay upon us a burden."
"Our Protector (Mawlana)"
Our Master, and we are Your servants; or our Helper, or the One who manages our affairs.
It is the right of the Master to grant victory to His servants, or because that is Your habit, or because that is among our affairs which You are responsible for managing. From Ibn Abbas: "When the Messenger of God (peace be upon him) prayed these prayers, it was said to him at every phrase: 'I have done so.'"
From him (peace be upon him): "Whoever recites the two verses from the end of Surat al-Baqarah in a night, they will suffice him."
From him (peace be upon him): "I have been given the concluding verses of Surat al-Baqarah from a treasure beneath the Throne, which no prophet before me was given."
From him (peace be upon him): "God sent down two verses from the treasures of Paradise, which the Most Merciful wrote with His own hand two thousand years before He created the creation. Whoever recites them after the late-night prayer ('isha), they will suffice him instead of standing in prayer at night."
If you ask: "Is it permissible to say 'I read Surat al-Baqarah' or 'I read al-Baqarah'?" I say: There is no harm in that. It has come in the Hadith of the Prophet (peace be upon him): "From the end of Surat al-Baqarah," "the concluding verses of Surat al-Baqarah," and "the concluding verses of al-Baqarah." From Ali (may God be pleased with him): "The concluding verses of Surat al-Baqarah are from a treasure beneath the Throne." From Abdullah ibn Mas'ud (may God be pleased with them both), he threw pebbles at the Jamrah and then said: "From here, by the One besides whom there is no god, was thrown the one upon whom Surat al-Baqarah was revealed." There is no difference between this and saying "Surat al-Zukhruf," "Surat al-Mumtahanah," or "Surat al-Mujadilah." When it is said "I read al-Baqarah," it is not confusing that the intended meaning is Surat al-Baqarah, just like His saying: "And ask the town" (Yusuf: 82). Some disliked this and said: "One should say, 'I read the Surah in which the cow (al-baqarah) is mentioned.'"
From the Messenger of God (peace be upon him): "The Surah in which the cow is mentioned is the pavilion of the Quran. Learn it, for learning it is a blessing, abandoning it is a regret, and the sorcerers (al-batalah) cannot handle it." It was said: "Who are the sorcerers?" He said: "The magicians."
