Verse 286 of Surah Al-Baqarah, as the concluding verse of this blessed chapter, portrays a profound supplication by the believers in which they beseech their Lord for forgiveness, facilitation of duties, and relief from burdensome obligations. This verse, by focusing on the concepts of forgetfulness (unconscious negligence), error (conscious shortcoming), and their distinction from rebellion and transgression, depicts a deep dialogue between the servant and the Lord. This dialogue holds unparalleled significance not only from the perspective of religious ethics but also within theological and philosophical frameworks. The verse, through elucidation of the levels of existence, individual and collective responsibilities, and the human relationship with the Divine Essence, responds to fundamental epistemological and ontological questions. In this treatise, by synthesising the content of the lecture series and academic analyses, the verse is examined in a scholarly and systematic manner. The objective is to present a novel perspective on the ranks of creation, human responsibility, and the Divine educational system, articulated in an exalted style befitting a learned audience.
رَبَّنَا لَا تُؤَاخِذْنَا إِنْ نَسِينَا أَوْ أَخْطَأْنَا ۚ رَبَّنَا وَلَا تَحْمِلْ عَلَيْنَا إِصْرًا كَمَا حَمَلْتَهُ عَلَى الَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِنَا ۚ رَبَّنَا وَلَا تُحَمِّلْنَا مَا لَا طَاقَةَ لَنَا بِهِ
Our Lord! Do not hold us accountable if we forget or err. Our Lord! Do not impose upon us a burden as You imposed upon those before us. Our Lord! Do not lay upon us that which we have no strength to bear.
This verse is a supplication in which believers implore their Lord to be spared from accountability due to negligence or error, to be relieved from heavy burdens of obligations, and to be protected from imposition beyond their capacity. The structure of the verse, through the repeated invocation of رَبَّنَا (Our Lord), emphasises the intimate and guiding relationship between the servant and the Lord and highlights, from a theological standpoint, the Divine educational system.
The verse is organised into three primary segments: first, the request for exemption from accountability for forgetfulness and error; second, the plea for relief from burdensome obligations akin to those imposed on previous nations; and third, the request not to be burdened beyond ones capacity. Each segment unveils a layer of the human relationship with God and the gradations of responsibility. This structure, like a harmonious melody, guides from apparent simplicity to profound philosophical and theological depth.
Forgetfulness, understood as unconscious negligence, and error, as conscious shortcoming, are two levels of non-rebellious deviations addressed in this verse. Forgetfulness falls like an inadvertent shadow upon the human psyche, diverting one from attention to duty, whereas error, as a conscious choice, stems from a will that results in a mistake. This distinction, like delicate lines in a unique design, clarifies the degrees of awareness and responsibility before the Lord.
For instance, forgetfulness may occur momentarily due to negligence, such as spilling water unintentionally during sleep. Though unconscious, such an act has consequential effects (e.g., obligation to compensate). Conversely, error, such as delaying the timely performance of prayer out of laziness or neglect, is conscious and entails a heavier psychological burden (acquisition) that generates anxiety and unrest in the believers soul.
Forgetfulness and error, compared with rebellion (conscious disobedience) and transgression (exceeding Divine limits), occupy a lower rank. Rebellion is like a storm disrupting moral order, and transgression is akin to a destructive flood that breaks Divine boundaries. However, forgetfulness and error, though compromising complete purity (absence of deviation), do not belong within the domain of sin. This distinction, like light breaking through clouds, highlights the varied gradations of deviations and their impact on human psyche and responsibility.
Complete purity is a state in which no forgetfulness or error exists. This state, like a lofty summit, is the ideal of the believers, where psyche and conduct remain untainted by deviation. Forgetfulness and error, at unconscious and conscious levels respectively, compromise purity and impose different responsibilities on the individual. These gradations serve as steps towards perfection, inviting reflection on ones awareness and will.
The Divine Essence and Attributes are true and pure, and no creature, including Prophets and Immaculate Ones, shares the pure Essence or Attributes. The Divine Essence, described in the Holy Quran as الصمد (The Eternal Refuge, Surah Al-Ikhlas, Verse 2), is unique and unparalleled. Creatures, ranging from the highest (Prophets and Immaculate Ones) to the middling (believers) and lowest (transgressors), are all determinations situated at various ranks of creation. Absolute Goodness is exclusive to God; the Immaculate Ones represent the highest good, believers the intermediate good, and others the lower goods. Evil, as a relative shadow, is not absolute but defined within the levels of creation.
The Holy Quran emphasises the preference among Prophets (فَضَّلْنَا بَعْضَهُمْ عَلَىٰ بَعْضٍ, Surah Al-Baqarah, Verse 253), not their absolute exaltation. Prophets, within the pedagogical context, are free from commands and prohibitions, and their shortcomings fall under the category of minor negligence. The descent of Adam (peace be upon him), as a journey towards perfection, was not a deficiency but the fulfilment of Divine purposes. Conversely, exaggeration regarding the saints, such as attributing Divine Essence to the Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him), is false since they too are creatures. This critique serves as a clear mirror emphasizing the necessity to preserve monotheism and avoid excess in praising saints.
In morphological literature, the application of the term Essence Name to creatures (e.g., رجل [man]) is incorrect, as Essence belongs exclusively to God. Creatures are determinations devoid of pure Essence. This critique, akin to linguistic surgery, stresses the necessity for precision in philosophical and morphological terminology and prevents confusion between God and creatures.
The verse, in the segments رَبَّنَا وَلَا تَحْمِلْ عَلَيْنَا إِصْرًا and رَبَّنَا وَلَا تُحَمِّلْنَا مَا لَا طَاقَةَ لَنَا بِهِ, stresses the request for facilitation and release from burdensome duties. إِصْر refers to heavy burdens such as the duties imposed on former nations (e.g., prohibition of lawful foods or killing in repentance) which are absent in Islamic law. مَا لَا طَاقَةَ لَنَا بِهِ refers to unbearable duties, such as killing oneself, leading to disobedience and sin. These supplications, like a gentle breeze, highlight Divine mercy and facilitation within the concluding Sharia.
Islamic Sharia, as a vast university, promotes reason and awareness and does not demand the rigour of former nations. The rational development of humanity, like a clear stream, has enhanced capacity for understanding and practising Divine rulings. This characteristic is manifest in Verse 185 of Surah Al-Baqarah (يُرِيدُ اللَّهُ بِكُمُ الْيُسْرَ وَلَا يُرِيدُ بِكُمُ الْعُسْرَ), which underscores ease and mercy in the Sharia.
يُرِيدُ اللَّهُ بِكُمُ الْيُسْرَ وَلَا يُرِيدُ بِكُمُ الْعُسْرَ
God intends ease for you and does not intend hardship for you.
The difference of this Ummah from previous nations relates to the finality of the religion and the rational advancement of humanity, not to intermediation by the Prophet (peace be upon him) or the Imams (peace be upon them). Belief in the forgiveness of sins through saints, as in Christian doctrines, is incompatible with Quranic logic. Former nations, like the Children of Israel, faced heavy duties (e.g., killing in
