Verse 105 of Surah Al-Baqarah, as one of the pivotal verses of the Holy Qur'an, centres on the critique of the impious conduct of certain human groups and the delineation of the exclusive nature of Divine goodness and mercy. It provides a profound framework for understanding the relationship between humanity, God, and society. This verse, with a dual structure, addresses both the negative behaviours of groups such as the People of the Book, polytheists, and some Muslims, and emphasises the absolute ownership of God over goodness, mercy, and grace. The present text, adopting a scholarly and systematic approach, analyses this verse and rewrites the lecture content with a theological, psychological, and social perspective. The objective is to present a cohesive, distinguished, and research-appropriate text that offers an intellectually profound and engaging resource for educated and specialised audiences.
Verse 105 of Surah Al-Baqarah is founded upon two essential axes through its exposition of the conflict between disbelief and faith: firstly, the critique of the envy and stinginess of impious groups towards Divine goodness; secondly, the emphasis on God's absolute discretion in bestowing mercy and grace. This duality invites humanity towards pure faith and reliance on God.
مَا يَوَدُّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا مِنْ أَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ وَلَا الْمُشْرِكِينَ أَنْ يُنَزَّلَ عَلَيْكُمْ مِنْ خَيْرٍ مِنْ رَبِّكُمْ ۗ وَاللَّهُ يَخْتَصُّ بِرَحْمَتِهِ مَنْ يَشَاءُ ۚ وَاللَّهُ ذُو الْفَضْلِ الْعَظِيمِ
Translation: The disbelievers among the People of the Book and the polytheists do not wish for any good to be sent down upon you from your Lord; yet Allah exclusively grants His mercy to whom He wills, and Allah is Possessor of great bounty.
Verse 105 of Surah Al-Baqarah is divided into two distinct parts: the first critiques the negative, resentful behaviour of the disbelieving groups, including the People of the Book (Jews and Christians), polytheists, and even some Muslims, who, due to their disbelief, are displeased at the descent of Divine good upon the believers. The second part emphasises God's absolute discretion in granting mercy and bounty. This dual structure, like the two wings of a bird, portrays the relationship between human behaviour and Divine will, highlighting the conflict between disbelief and faith.
The structure of the verse, by elucidating human behaviour and Divine will, offers a conceptual framework for understanding disbelief and faith. This duality invites reflection on social conduct and the necessity of reliance upon God as the source of goodness and mercy.
Goodness in the Qur'an is a multilayered and somewhat ambiguous concept, employed in 178 instances: 139 as the noun "khayr" (in the masculine form), 37 as "khayran" (adverbially), and 2 as "al-akhyar" (plural). Goodness, analogous to the number zero in mathematics, possesses a variable value dependent upon Divine will. Just as zero alongside one becomes ten, and alongside ten becomes one hundred, goodness acquires meaning only within the sphere of Divine volition. This ambiguity indicates humanitys limited comprehension of goodness and its absolute dependence on God.
Goodness in the Qur'an, like the mathematical zero, is a concept whose value is revealed solely in light of Divine will. This ambiguity summons humanity to rely upon God and abstain from egocentrism.
The disbelieving groupsincluding Jews, Christians, polytheists, and even some Muslimsdue to their disbelief, resent the descent of Divine goodness upon the believers. This negativity stems from envy, stinginess, and animosity. The phrase "مَا يَوَدُّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا" criticises this conduct and demonstrates that disbelief acts as a lethal poison, corrupting every belief, whether poured into a vessel of honey (apparent faith) or into a container of yoghurt (non-Divine worldviews).
Disbelief, understood as distrust in God and denial of Divine goodness, is the root of all social and moral corruption. This disbelief acts like a poison that no substance can neutralise. Just as toxins in small amounts produce gradual effects in natural sciences, disbelief gradually corrupts beliefs and behaviours, manifesting in actions such as envy, lying, and oppression.
Divine goodness is an unknown concept dependent upon God's will, which disbelieving groups are incapable of accepting due to envy and stinginess. Disbelief, as a lethal poison, is the root of corruption in all schools of thought and religions, and only pure faith can liberate humanity from this corruption.
The phrase "وَاللَّهُ يَخْتَصُّ بِرَحْمَتِهِ مَنْ يَشَاءُ" emphasises God's absolute discretion in granting mercy. This discretion is independent of human desire and founded upon Divine wisdom and justice. The term "yakhau" appears only twice in the Qur'an, once in this verse and once in Surah Al-Imran (3:74):
إِنَّ الْفَضْلَ بِيَدِ اللَّهِ يُؤْتِيهِ مَنْ يَشَاءُ ۚ وَاللَّهُ وَاسِعٌ عَلِيمٌ
Translation: Indeed, bounty is in the hand of Allah; He grants it to whom He wills. And Allah is All-Encompassing, All-Knowing.
These verses affirm God's absolute ownership of mercy and grace.
The phrase "وَاللَّهُ ذُو الْفَضْلِ الْعَظِيمِ" refers to God's ownership of immense grace. The term "dh" is attributed to Divine attributes in seventeen instances throughout the Qur'an, such as "dh al-fadl" and "dh al-iqb". This term, like a key unlocking the treasure chest of the Divine, underscores God's absolute ownership of goodness, mercy, and grace.
Goodness, mercy, and grace all emanate from God alone, and no human may intervene in their bestowal. This absolute ownership invites humility before Divine will.
Divine mercy and grace are exclusively God's prerogative and beyond the reach of human envy and stinginess. This reality encourages the believer to rely upon God and avoid egocentrism, whereas the disbeliever, by denying this ownership, falls into corruption and selfishness.
Disbelief is a common trait observed among Jews, Christians, polytheists, and even some Muslims. It manifests as envy and stinginess towards the goodness of others and is rooted in distrust of God. Rather than reliance on God, disbelieving groups resort to cunning and selfishness, which culminates in behaviours such as lying, oppression, and deceit.
Disbelief is akin to a poison corrupting every belief. Even in small quantities, this poison produces gradual effects, leading to ideological and social corruption. Examples such as the use of toxins in medicines illustrate that even apparent goodness, when accompanied by disbelief, ultimately results in corruption.
Disbelief, as the origin of selfishness and corruption, pervades all human groups. It generates envy and stinginess that deprive humanity of Divine goodness. Only pure faith can neutralise this poison.
Religious sciences utilise three scientific methodologies:
The third method facilitates deeper understanding of the verses by transforming Qur'anic examples into concepts.
The example-to-concept method, as a scientific approach in Qur'anic analysis, enables the extraction of profound knowledge from the verses. This method, by linking examples and concepts, enriches the epistemology of religious sciences.
Verses such as
عَسَى أَنْ تَكْرَهُوا شَيْئًا وَهُوَ خَيْرٌ لَكُمْ ۖ وَعَسَى أَنْ تُحِبُّوا شَيْئًا وَهُوَ شَرٌّ لَكُمْ
Translation: Perhaps you dislike something which is good for you, and perhaps you love something which is bad for you,
demonstrate that good and evil are relative and that only God truly knows what is beneficial or harmful.
The verse
كُنْتُمْ خَيْرَ أُمَّةٍ أُخْرِجَتْ لِلنَّاسِ
Translation: You are the best nation produced for mankind,
attributes the goodness of the community to adherence to the Imams. This goodness is contingent upon sincerity and faith in God, rather than mere outward deeds.
Good and evil in the Qur'an are relative concepts dependent on Divine will. The goodness of the Ummah is predicated on sincere obedience to the Imams and faith in God, not on superficial actions or egocentrism.
Sincerity is the key connecting humanity to Divine goodness. Prophets, such as Moses (peace be upon him), acted with sincerity and clarity, avoiding falsehood and deceit. This conduct serves as a model for believers who, even in error, attain Divine goodness through sincerity.
The Saved Sect comprises the exalted saved (prophets and Imams) and the lower saved (sincere believers). Through reliance on God and faith in Divine goodness, they distance themselves from disbelief and selfishness. This reliance acts as a shield against the insinuations of disbelief, guiding humanity towards salvation.
Sincerity and reliance are the two wings of faith that rescue the believer from disbelief and selfishness, connecting them to Divine goodness. The Saved Sect attains salvation through these qualities.
Political behaviours founded upon falsehood, oppression, and deceit are incompatible with faith and monotheism. Such behaviours signify disbelief in Divine goodness and lead humanity towards corruption and selfishness.
Faith, sincerity, and reliance liberate humanity from disbelief and selfishness. The Saved Sect attains Divine goodness by these means, whereas disbelieving behaviours, such as political manipulation, culminate in corruption.
God, by virtue of His absolute power, is capable of rendering the vanquished victorious and the dead alive. This power, like a light penetrating darkness, invites humanity to reliance and faith. The narration of Tawhid by Muf
