of Nokounam, , Session (534)

Exegesis of Quranic Verse 2:187 - Fasting Rules and Spousal Relations

Part One: Exegesis of Verse 187 of Surah Al-Baqarah: Fasting Rulings and Spousal Relations

Introduction: The Position of the Verse within the Epistemological and Jurisprudential Structure of the Holy Qur'an

Surah Al-Baqarah, as one of the most comprehensive chapters of the Holy Qur'an, encompasses a coherent collection of divine rulings, knowledge, and guidance. Verse 187 of this Surah, by focusing on the rulings of fasting and spousal relations, not only articulates a jurisprudential injunction but, through presenting criteria, contexts, and insights, invites a dynamic and rights-based jurisprudence. Due to its length and comprehensiveness in detailing multiple rulings, this verse is classified among the lengthy (awl) verses and delivers its injunctions alongside epistemological and ethical frameworks with unparalleled subtlety. In this section, a scholarly and academic interpretation and analysis of this verse is undertaken, emphasising the connection between jurisprudential rulings and Qur'anic knowledge, so as to present a model for a responsive and dynamic jurisprudence tailored to contemporary societal needs.

Text and Translation of Verse 187 of Surah Al-Baqarah

أُحِلَّ لَكُمْ لَيْلَةَ الصِّيَامِ الرَّفَثُ إِلَىٰ نِسَائِكُمْ ۚ هُنَّ لِبَاسٌ لَكُمْ وَأَنْتُمْ لِبَاسٌ لَهُنَّ ۗ عَلِمَ اللَّهُ أَنَّكُمْ كُنْتُمْ تَخْتَانُونَ أَنْفُسَكُمْ فَتَابَ عَلَيْكُمْ وَعَفَا عَنْكُمْ ۖ فَالْآنَ بَاشِرُوهُنَّ وَابْتَغُوا مَا كَتَبَ اللَّهُ لَكُمْ ۚ وَكُلُوا وَاشْرَبُوا حَتَّىٰ يَتَبَيَّنَ لَكُمُ الْخَيْطُ الْأَبْيَضُ مِنَ الْخَيْطِ الْأَسْوَدِ مِنَ الْفَجْرِ ۖ ثُمَّ أَتِمُّوا الصِّيَامَ إِلَى اللَّيْلِ ۚ وَلَا تُبَاشِرُوهُنَّ وَأَنْتُمْ عَاكِفُونَ فِي الْمَسَاجِدِ ۗ تِلْكَ حُدُودُ اللَّهِ فَلَا تَقْرَبُوهَا ۚ كَذَٰلِكَ يُبَيِّنُ اللَّهُ آيَاتِهِ لِلنَّاسِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَّقُونَ

It has been made lawful for you to approach your wives on the nights of fasting; they are a covering for you and you are a covering for them. Allah knows that you used to deceive yourselves, so He turned to you in mercy and pardoned you. So now, approach them and seek what Allah has decreed for you. And eat and drink until the white thread of dawn becomes distinct to you from the black thread [of night]. Then complete the fast until nightfall. And do not approach them while you are in retreat in the mosques. These are the limits set by Allah, so do not approach them. Thus does Allah make His signs clear to the people that they may become righteous.

Structural and Content Analysis of the Verse

Classification of Verses and the Position of Verse 187

The verses of the Holy Qur'an, according to their length and content, are categorised into three groups: short (qar), medium (mutawassi), and lengthy (awl), analogous to the classification of chapters (suwar). Verse 187 of Surah Al-Baqarah, due to its expansive content and multiple injunctions, falls within the category of lengthy verses. This verse, by detailing rulings related to conjugal relations during the nights of fasting, retreat (itikf), and eating and drinking, exhibits comprehensiveness and complexity. This comprehensiveness signifies the Qur'ans capability to provide jurisprudential rulings alongside knowledge and ethical contexts, distinguishing it from a text purely juridical in nature.

Key Point: Verse 187 of Surah Al-Baqarah, as a lengthy verse presenting multiple rulings integrated with knowledge, stands as an exemplary instance of the Qur'ans comprehensiveness in conveying both rulings and knowledge.

Complexity of Rulings and Their Contexts

The rulings in this verse, due to their dependence on causes, characteristics, and contexts, possess complexity. The phrase It has been made lawful for you on the night of fasting to approach your wives, by specifying the temporal context (nights of fasting) and the thematic restriction (lawful spouses), offers a precise and limited ruling. This complexity distances the verse from simplistic or rigid jurisprudence and invites a deeper understanding. By presenting epistemological contexts such as Allah knows that you used to deceive yourselves, the verse demonstrates that divine rulings are grounded in recognition of human needs and weaknesses.

Critique of a Duty-Centric View of the Religious Community

Contrary to prevalent assumptions, the religious community is not solely duty-centred but also rights-based, encompassing rights of the individual towards self, others, God, and God towards the individual. Verse 187, by articulating the mutual rights of spouses They are a covering for you and you are a covering for them, highlights the connection between duty (fasting) and rights (lawful conjugal intimacy). This connection indicates that the religious community, contrary to being ontologically separate from the civil society, is inherently rights-based and defines duties in the service of realising rights.

Key Point: Verse 187, by emphasising the mutual rights of spouses and their linkage with the duty of fasting, alludes to the rights-based nature of the religious community and rejects any essential separation from civil society.

Critique of the Separation between Religious and Civil Societies

The ontological separation of the religious (duty-based) community from the civil (rights-based) society is incorrect. Verse 187, by emphasising spousal rights and presenting fasting rulings alongside epistemological insights, reveals the intertwining of duties and rights within the religious community. This perspective rejects the narrow duty-centric view and calls for a comprehensive religious community encompassing both rights and duties.

Reasons for the Rigidity of Religious Knowledge

The rigidity of some approaches to religious knowledge arises from det