Verses 100 and 101 of Surah Al-Baqarah, following verse 99, form part of the coherent Quranic system addressing the antagonistic and rebellious conduct of certain groups of people in relation to earthly covenants and heavenly verses. These verses, centred on the concepts of faith, hypocrisy, disbelief, and wickedness, analyse the social and ethical structures of human societies and provide a sociological mapping of human behaviours. The purpose of this discourse is to present a comprehensive, scientific, and dignified interpretation of these verses that remains utterly faithful to the original content, while employing a fluent language befitting an academic environment. This exegesis utilises refined Persian metaphors and allegories to enrich the literary quality of the text and, through systematic categorisation, facilitates a profound comprehension of Quranic concepts.
أَوَكُلَّمَا عَاهَدُوا عَهْدًا نَبَذَهُ فَرِيقٌ مِنْهُمْ بَلْ أَكْثَرُهُمْ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ
Translation: Whenever they made a covenant, a faction among them discarded it; rather, most of them do not believe.
وَلَمَّا جَاءَهُمْ رَسُولٌ مِنْ عِنْدِ اللَّهِ مُصَدِّقٌ لِمَا مَعَهُمْ نَبَذَ فَرِيقٌ مِنَ الَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْكِتَابَ كِتَابَ اللَّهِ وَرَاءَ ظُهُورِهِمْ كَأَنَّهُمْ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ
Translation: And when there came to them a Messenger from Allah, confirming what was with them, a faction of those who were given the Scripture cast the Book of Allah behind their backs as if they did not know.
These two verses, as part of a Quranic passage following verse 99 ("And none disbelieve therein except the defiantly disobedient."), elucidate rebellious behaviour in two realms: earthly covenants and heavenly signs. Verse 100 addresses the breach of earthly covenants, while verse 101 focuses on the denial of divine signs. Both utilise the term نَبَذَ (meaning to cast away contemptuously) to denote the hostile actions of a particular faction.
The Holy Quran categorises humanity in these verses into three groups: committed believers, antagonistic hypocrites, and the ordinary majority positioned between faith and disbelief. This classification functions as an exact schematic of social structures, revealing the influence of committed or adversarial minorities on the direction of society.
The majority, described in verse 100 as أَكْثَرُهُمْ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ, inhabit an intermediary spiritual state. They resemble the social infantry, inclined toward faith under favourable circumstances and towards sin or indifference otherwise. Their conduct is shaped by the influence of the faithful or the antagonistic minorities.
The antagonistic minority, referenced in verse 101 by كَأَنَّهُمْ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ, deny the truth despite awareness and with contempt discard the Book of God. This conduct signifies deep hypocrisy and conscious disbelief masked by feigned ignorance.
The fate of society depends on the dominance of one of these two minorities. The believers, by adherence to covenants and verses, guide society towards justice and faith (the Dawlat al-Karmah), while the hypocrites lead it towards corruption and division (the Dawlat al-Lamah). The ordinary majority serve as a flexible body, influenced by these minorities.
The term نَبَذَ, meaning to cast away with disdain and enmity, appears in both verses to describe intentional and conscious actions against truth. In verse 100, it refers to the violation of earthly covenants; in verse 101, to the denial of heavenly signs (the Book and the Messenger).
نَبَذَ conveys not only rejection but also contemptuous enmity towards truth, indicative of deep hypocrisy and conscious disbelief.
A popular cultural allegory presents a woman who, by saying yes to marriage, faithfully upheld her commitment for forty years, contrasting with a group of hypocrites who readily break their covenants. This contrast highlights the significance of fidelity versus hostile behaviour.
Violation of covenants and denial of divine signs lead to distrust and social disintegration. Such conduct resembles a destructive wind that demolishes the foundations of trust, steering society towards hypocrisy and corruption.
Some jurisprudential perspectives consider covenant fidelity as recommended (mustahabb) rather than obligatory (wjib), a stance incompatible with the spirit of the Quran and societal needs. The narration The believer, when he promises, is faithful deems breach of covenant a betrayal and crime, emphasising its compulsory nature.
Fidelity to covenants must be regarded as an obligatory ethical and religious principle. The recommendation-only viewpoint leads to diminished social trust and broken commitments.
A social culture justifying covenant violation undermines the credibility of the Islamic community and fosters distrust among others. For instance, breach of agreements owing to the non-binding perception of covenants has exacerbated social disorder.
Some religious scholars have treated governmental contracts as unilateral declarations (iq), which diminishes trust in government and leads to treaty breaches. This view conflicts with justice and Quranic principles.
In the incident of Muslim ibn Aqil, breach of allegiance due to the perceived recommendation-only status of commitments led to catastrophe. Likewise, the behaviour of some students fleeing during bombardment, due to lack of commitment, demonstrates the influence of a culture of covenant violation. In contrast, the steadfastness of a narrator continuing lessons amidst crisis exemplifies faith and psychological security.
Resolute faith empowers individuals to uphold commitments in critical conditions, whereas absence of commitment results in dishonourable conduct.
Verse 100 refers to general earthly covenants, while verse 101 addresses specific heavenly signs. Earthly covenants are universal across all societies, whereas heavenly signs pertain solely to the realm of prophecy and the divine scripture.
The Quran, by addressing both covenants and divine verses, offers a comprehensive framework for analysing human behaviour in terrestrial and celestial contexts. This comprehensiveness distinguishes it from modern sociological theories that often limit their scope to particular societal segments.
Even in non-Muslim societies, adherence to covenants (such as marriage and contracts) is essential. Covenant breaches cause social disorder and erode trust.
The Holy Quran combats evilsdisbelief, hypocrisy, wickednessnot individuals per se. Humans can reform through repentance and faith, and these verses leave the door open for correction.
The Quran condemns wrongful acts (covenant breach and denial of verses) without branding humans inherently evil, expressing hope for their reformation.
Some exegeses, by overly concentrating on specific groups (e.g., the Jews), diminish the universality of these verses and confine their message. The Quran addresses all humanity and should not be restricted to particular groups.
The exegesis of verses 100 and 101 of Surah Al-Baqarah opens a gateway to profound understanding of human social and doctrinal behaviour. These verses, by addressing covenant breach and denial of divine signs, provide a sociological analysis of societies and classify humans into believers, hypocrites, and the ordinary majority. The influence of committed or adversarial minorities on societys destiny, alongside the emphasis on fidelity to covenants and divine verses, is highlighted. The critique of jurisprudential and social views reveals the necessity for renewed perspectives
