Verse 172 of Surah Al-Baqarah, like a shining gem in the divine discourse, opens a profound discussion on the relationship between humans and divine sustenance, as well as gratitude for the boundless blessings of the Creator. This verse, addressing the believers directly, places the emphasis on benefiting from the pure provisions and giving thanks to God, while also outlining a limited set of prohibited foods, thereby portraying an expansive approach to Islamic law. This article, with a systematic and scholarly analysis of the verse and its related concepts, offers an academic examination of its meaning. The structure is meticulously segmented into thematic sections, with precise subheadings to extract and analyze all key points, enriching the text with a language befitting the academic context.
"O you who have believed, eat from the good things which We have provided for you and be grateful to Allah if it is Him that you worship."
This verse, with the address "O you who have believed," specifically directs its message to the believers, calling them to benefit from the pure sustenance that Allah has provided. "Pure" refers to provisions that are both legally and naturally clean and permissible. This invitation, like a key unlocking a door, opens a path toward religious expansion.
This specific address highlights the special status of the believers in the divine legislative system. In Quranic discourse, "pure" not only refers to the material purity of sustenance but also to its spiritual and legal purity. This emphasis reflects the Islamic approach of connecting the enjoyment of blessings with the observance of divine boundaries, as though divine sustenance flows like a clear stream for the believers to benefit from, under the umbrella of gratitude and servitude.
"And be grateful to Allah if it is Him that you worship."
This phrase presents gratitude as the natural result of faith and servitude. This condition ties the enjoyment of pure sustenance to the relationship between humans and God, positioning gratitude as a bridge between material blessings and spiritual devotion.
In Islamic philosophy, gratitude (shukr) signifies the proper use of blessings in the path of servitude. This concept elevates the enjoyment of sustenance from a purely material level to a spiritual level, inviting individuals to reflect on the source of blessings and express gratitude to the Creator. This connection, like the beads of a prayer rope, binds the various aspects of religiosity together.
Verse 172, in comparison to verse 168 of Surah Al-Baqarah, which addresses all people with the command to eat from what is lawful and pure, specifically targets the believers. This distinction indicates the special attention given to the believers in the observance of prohibitive laws.
This comparison reveals the gradual structure of Quranic discourse. Verse 168, emphasizing the principle of permissibility, invites all human beings to benefit from lawful blessings, while verse 172, with its specific address, presents prohibitive laws as exceptions to this general principle. This structure, like a precise map, outlines the place of prohibitive laws within the religious system.
"He has only forbidden you dead meat, blood, the flesh of swine, and that on which has been invoked the name of other than Allah."
Among the 173 verses in the beginning of Surah Al-Baqarah, this is the only verse that addresses prohibitive laws (dead meat, blood, swine flesh, and slaughtering in the name of others than Allah). This limited number reflects the relative scarcity of prohibitive laws in contrast to the broader teachings of the Quran.
This point highlights the marginal role of legal prohibitions compared to the theological, ethical, and social teachings of the Quran. In Islamic tradition, jurisprudence is part of the religion, not its entirety, and this verse, by limiting prohibitions to four specific cases, underscores the comprehensiveness of the faith.
The excessive focus on secondary laws has led to neglecting the foundational theological, ethical, philosophical, mystical, and sociological aspects of religion, thereby fostering a decline in religious excellence.
This criticism points to methodological challenges in religious studies. Throughout Islamic history, an overemphasis on legal rulings has weakened other dimensions of religious knowledge. This decline, like a heavy shadow, has impacted the dynamism of religion and highlights the need for revisiting the priorities in religious scholarship.
Of the 173 verses in the beginning of Surah Al-Baqarah, only one verse addresses prohibition, demonstrating the overwhelming dominance of the principle of permissibility over prohibition.
This ratio underscores the dominant principle of permissibility in the Quranic discourse. The principle of permissibility, like a prevailing current, takes precedence over prohibitions, with this verse reinforcing this fundamental approach.
Religious sciences have witnessed the alternating dominance of various groups, from the literalists and mystics to the theologians and jurists. This diversity reflects the lack of comprehensiveness in religious approaches.
This observation points to the dynamic nature of Islamic sciences. In religious sociology, the dominance of one group over others, like an unstable wind, has led to imbalances in the production of knowledge and underscores the need for a comprehensive approach.
The current religious sciences lack prominent philosophers, mystics, sociologists, psychologists, and exegetes, focusing solely on jurisprudence and religious authority. This deficiency, like a deep void, has led to the inefficacy of religious knowledge.
This critique emphasizes the need for diversity in religious expertise. In the philosophy of science, interdisciplinary diversity, like fertile soil, fosters the growth of comprehensive knowledge, and its absence leads to intellectual and practical stagnation.
Jurisprudence must be rich and encompass the study of issues, criteria, and rulings, not merely secondary laws. This comprehensiveness, like a guiding light, helps jurisprudence meet contemporary needs.
This proposal refers to a dynamic methodology in jurisprudence. The study of issues (identifying new matters) and the understanding of the criteria behind rulings (muhakamat)
