the lecture series of Nokounam , Session 1624
Surah Al-Baqarah, akin to a boundless ocean, is replete with divine knowledge encompassing fundamental principles of human life across various dimensionsfrom nutrition and religious rulings to resource management and societal leadership. This surah, with illuminating verses, offers a comprehensive guide for living in the path of divine guidance. The present text, with a profound insight into the verses of this surah, endeavours to elucidate its foundational principles in a clear and dignified language, conveying the exalted Quranic concepts to readers. Employing literary metaphors and allusions, this work strives to preserve the authenticity of meanings while establishing a connection between Quranic wisdom and the contemporary needs of society.
The Holy Quran, in verse 172 of Surah Al-Baqarah, invites the believers to partake of pure and lawful blessings and links this act with gratitude towards God. This invitation pertains not only to physical nourishment but also to the spiritual and psychological health of humans. Tayyibt, like radiant jewels in nature, symbolise the blessings that God has bestowed to ensure human well-being and felicity.
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا كُلُوا مِنْ طَيِّبَاتِ مَا رَزَقْنَاكُمْ وَاشْكُرُوا لِلَّهِ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ إِيَّاهُ تَعْبُدُونَ
O you who have believed, eat from the good things which We have provided for you and be grateful to Allah if it is [indeed] Him that you worship.
This verse, emphasising the consumption of Tayyibt, calls on humans to choose foods that are pure, lawful, and beneficial for both body and soul. Gratitude, presented here as the consummation of worship, signifies the profound link between pure nutrition and spirituality. This principle, like a guiding light illuminating the path of life, directs humanity towards health and felicity.
Verse 173 of Surah Al-Baqarah, enumerating the prohibitions in dietary matters, provides a framework for healthy nourishment:
إِنَّمَا حَرَّمَ عَلَيْكُمُ الْمَيْتَةَ وَالدَّمَ وَلَحْمَ الْخِنْزِيرِ وَمَا أُهِلَّ بِهِ لِغَيْرِ اللَّهِ ۖ فَمَنِ اضْطُرَّ غَيْرَ بَاغٍ وَلَا عَادٍ فَلَا إِثْمَ عَلَيْهِ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ غَفُورٌ رَحِيمٌ
He has only forbidden to you dead animals, blood, the flesh of swine, and that which has been dedicated to other than Allah. But whoever is forced [by necessity], neither desiring it nor transgressing its limit, there is no sin upon him. Indeed, Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.
This verse, by delineating prohibitions, establishes a framework for preserving physical and spiritual health. The exception granted for necessity, akin to a window of divine mercy, indicates the flexibility of rulings under dire conditions. This flexibility testifies to divine wisdom in legislation, aligning with human needs.
One of the challenges facing Islamic societies is the absence of a comprehensive system for managing food resources and recycling non-pure substances. Religious sciences, inspired by Quranic verses, must design a system capable of converting non-beneficial materials into usable forms. This endeavour, akin to the restoration of an ancient structure, requires innovation and the utilisation of contemporary knowledge to ensure the communitys health.
Verses 172 and 173 of Surah Al-Baqarah, by elucidating the principle of Tayyibt and prohibitions, provide a comprehensive framework for healthy nutrition. These verses, connecting gratitude to God and flexibility in cases of necessity, manifest divine wisdom in legislation. Religious sciences, to meet contemporary needs, must devise an efficient system for managing food resources to guarantee the physical and spiritual health of society.
The Holy Quran, in verse 185 of Surah Al-Baqarah, introduces the principle of ease as a fundamental basis of religious rulings:
شَهْرُ رَمَضَانَ الَّذِي أُنْزِلَ فِيهِ الْقُرْآنُ هُدًى لِلنَّاسِ وَبَيِّنَاتٍ مِنَ الْهُدَىٰ وَالْفُرْقَانِ ۚ فَمَنْ شَهِدَ مِنْكُمُ الشَّهْرَ فَلْيَصُمْهُ ۖ وَمَنْ كَانَ مَرِيضًا أَوْ عَلَىٰ سَفَرٍ فَعِدَّةٌ مِنْ أَيَّامٍ أُخَرَ ۗ يُرِيدُ اللَّهُ بِكُمُ الْيُسْرَ وَلَا يُرِيدُ بِكُمُ الْعُسْرَ وَلِتُكْمِلُوا الْعِدَّةَ وَلِتُكَبِّرُوا اللَّهَ عَلَىٰ مَا هَدَاكُمْ وَلَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ
The month of Ramadan [is that] in which was revealed the Quran, a guidance for the people and clear proofs of guidance and criterion. So whoever sights [the new moon of] the month, let him fast it; and whoever is ill or on a journey - then an equal number of other days. Allah intends for you ease and does not intend for you hardship and [wants] for you to complete the period and to glorify Allah for that [to] which He has guided you, and perhaps you will be grateful.
This verse, like a blazing torch, introduces the principle of ease as a general maxim of all religious rulings. This principle extends not only to fasting but also to all acts of worship, economic, and social rulings. Wherever hardship and difficulty arise, it lies outside the scope of religion. This divine wisdom aligns rulings with the capacity of the ordinary human being.
Islamic rulings are based on a threshold (standard measure), not relativism. The threshold, like a precise measuring line, considers the capability of an average human to prevent the rulings from becoming unimplementable. For example, fasting under conditions that exceed human capability falls outside the threshold and requires reassessment.
Verse 185 of Surah Al-Baqarah, by clarifying the principle of ease, provides a wise framework for implementing religious rulings. This principle, highlighting threshold-based jurisprudence, aligns rulings with human capacity. Religious sciences, to address contemporary needs, must apply this principle in the design of social and economic systems to avoid unnecessary hardship.
The Holy Quran, in verse 249 of Surah Al-Baqarah, introduces water as a vital element and a divine trial:
فَلَمَّا فَصَلَ طَالُوتُ بِالْجُنُودِ قَالَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ مُبْتَلِيكُمْ بِنَهَرٍ فَمَنْ شَرِبَ مِنْهُ فَلَيْسَ مِنِّي وَمَنْ لَمْ يَطْعَمْهُ فَإِنَّهُ مِنِّي إِلَّا مَنِ اغْتَرَفَ غُرْفَةً بِيَدِهِ ۚ فَشَرِبُوا مِنْهُ إِلَّا قَلِيلًا مِنْهُمْ
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