The exegesis of verse 90 from Surah Al-Baqarah opens a profound window towards an in-depth understanding of the spiritual deficiencies and moral-social deviations inherent in humanity. This verse, articulated in a lofty and meaningful style, analyses the roots of the conscious disbelief of the People of the Book, highlighting the roles of envy, arrogance, and ethnic prejudices in their deviation from the truth. The central theme of this interpretation is the concept of bgh (transgression and envy), which acts as a spiritual corrosion preventing communities from accepting divine grace. In this treatise, lecture content and meticulous analyses, every dimension of the verse is presented comprehensively and systematically. The structure of the text, with scientific segmentation and meaningful headings, is designed for specialised audiences and academic environments, ensuring both rich content and refined literary quality.
بِئْسَمَا اشْتَرَوْا بِهِ أَنْفُسَهُمْ أَنْ يَكْفُرُوا بِمَا أَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ بَغْيًا أَنْ يُنَزِّلَ اللَّهُ مِنْ فَضْلِهِ عَلَىٰ مَنْ يَشَاءُ مِنْ عِبَادِهِ ۖ فَبَاءُوا بِغَضَبٍ عَلَىٰ غَضَبٍ ۚ وَلِلْكَافِرِينَ عَذَابٌ مُهِينٌ
How wretched is that for which they sold their own selves: that they disbelieved in what Allah has revealed, out of envy that Allah should bring down His grace upon whom He wills of His servants. So they returned with wrath upon wrath. And for the disbelievers is a humiliating punishment.
Verse 90 of Surah Al-Baqarah points to one of the deepest spiritual deficiencies of human beings: a psychological and spiritual corruption emanating from envy and arrogance, embodied in the term bgh. This flaw, like a smouldering fire beneath ashes, has historically entangled human societies and obstructed their acceptance of the truth. The People of the Book, once the bearers of monotheistic torch, due to ethnic envy and pride, rejected the Holy Quran and the prophethood of the Messenger of Allah . This deviation was not born from ignorance but from conscious defiance and obstinacy, which intensifies the disgracefulness of their actions.
The term bgh linguistically denotes seeking and striving accompanied by transgression and aggression. In this verse, bgh refers to the envy and oppressive efforts of the People of the Book to monopolise prophethood within their own ethnic group (Bani Isra'il). This endeavour, unlike positive endeavours such as preserving values, is destructive in nature and originates from arrogance and ethnic prejudice. The envy of the People of the Book towards the divine favour (prophethood and the Quran) bestowed upon Bani Ismail led them to disbelief and deviation.
The phrase بِئْسَمَا اشْتَرَوْا بِهِ أَنْفُسَهُمْ (How wretched is that which they sold their own selves for) refers to a damaging transaction whereby the People of the Book sold their most precious assettheir own soulsat the price of disbelief. The word اشتروا literally means to buy or to trade, but here it implies selling ones soul for disbelief in a negative connotation. This transaction is described with the term بئس, one of the strongest words of condemnation in Arabic, signifying the utmost ugliness and baseness of the act.
The first section analysed the concept of bgh and disbelief in verse 90 of Surah Al-Baqarah, demonstrating that ethnic envy and arrogance were the primary roots of the People of the Books deviation from truth. The verse, with an elevated style, critiques spiritual deficiencies and underscores the necessity of self-awareness and self-reformation as a guiding beacon for humanity.
The People of the Book, comprising Jews and Christians, at one point in history were torchbearers of monotheism and awaited the Messiah. Before the advent of Islam, they taunted the disbelievers with prophecies of victory through a forthcoming prophet and considered themselves prepared to dominate their opponents. However, with the revelation of the Quran and the emergence of the Messenger of Allah , who hailed from Bani Ismail rather than Bani Israil, their ethnic envy and prejudice led them astray. This cycle of faith and disbelief is an example of behavioural contradiction rooted in ethnic biases.
Ethnic sensitivities between Bani Israil and Bani Ismail have deep historical roots. These tensions have manifested in various matters such as the sacrifice of Ismail or Ishaq and even reflect in disputes between Shia and Sunni sects. For example, some Sunni traditions attribute the sacrifice to Ishaq, while historical and Quranic evidence confirms the sacrifice of Ismail. These disagreements exemplify deliberate distortions aimed at preserving ethnic identity.
Ethnic and religious sensitivities are not confined to Bani Israil and Bani Ismail alone. Within Islamic history, tensions between Shia and Sunni Muslimsespecially regarding personalities such as Lady Khadijah (peace be upon her) and Aishaillustrate such divides. Shia revere Lady Khadijah for her purity, piety, and role as the mother of Lady Fatimah (peace be upon them), whereas Sunnis emphasize Aishas political and ideological prominence. These sensitivities serve as sociological phenomena demonstrating the influence of personalities on religious identity formation.
This section, by examining the historical and sociological trajectory of the People of the Books disbelief, demonstrated how ethnic prejudices and envy hindered the acceptance of truth. The analysis highlights the necessity to avoid ethnic and religious biases as a key to the guidance and unity of human societies.
Prophet Abraham (peace be upon him), as the chief of prophets and father of prophets, holds an eminent position due to his pure monotheism and boundless love for God. Unlike other prophets known for apparent miracles such as raising the dead or transforming a staff into a serpent, the greatness of Abraham (peace be upon him) lies in his monotheism. This monotheism, serving as a solid foundation for the primordial religion (dn anf), distinguishes him from other prophets.
The corruption in the scriptures of the People of the Book resulted from their reprehensible actions and moral deviations, which led to the revocation of prophethood and blessings from them. This corruption, akin to spiritual corrosion, prevented them from accessing the truth. Conversely, the Qurans immunity from corruption has stirred deep regret within the hearts of the People of the Book.
The verses phrase فَبَاءُوا بِغَضَبٍ عَلَىٰ غَضَبٍ (so they returned with wrath upon wrath) refers to the doubled wrath of God upon the People of the Book. This wrath is the result of their repeated deviations, including the persecution of Prophet Moses (peace be upon him), the rejection of Prophet Jesus (peace be upon him), and the denial of the final Messenger . The second wrath, related to the rejection of the Seal of the Prophets, highlights the intensity of their obstinacy and arrogance.
The phrase وَلِلْكَافِرِينَ عَذَابٌ مُهِينٌ (and for the disbelievers is a humiliating punishment) refers to a degrading punishment that the disbelievers will experience in the hereafter. This punishment is not only physical but also psychological, accompanied by eternal despair and humiliation. The disbelievers remain in absolute despair even after other sinners have exited Hell, akin to a decayed and worn residue.
This section, by exploring the theological and psychological dimensions of the verse, demonstrated that the monotheism of Prophet Abraham (peace be upon him), the corruption in the religions of the People of the Book, the divine double wrath, and the humiliating punishment collectively critique spiritual deviations and highlight the necessity to return to the truth. This analysis underscores the importance of monotheism and avoidance of prejudice as keys to human felicity.
Ethnic prejudices act as barriers to guidance, preventing humans from following the truth. The example of an individual who imitates another merely because they share the same hometown illustrates the harm of such prejudices. Verse 90 of Surah Al-Baqarah, by criticising the behaviour of the People of the Book, emphasises the necessity to follow truth based on reason and logic.
Religious syncretism, such as equating Shia and Sunni or blending Islam with non-monotheistic schools of thought like Marxism, leads to deviation and discord. A prominent example is the emergence of hypocrites from Islamic Marxists, which sparked widespread sedition in Muslim communities.
The People of the Book, due to their disbelief and transgression (bgh), are considered ritually impure (najis) from
