1:2The definite article used in the Arabic is rendered as “All” in English to capture the expanse of human gratitude to the Divine.
1:2The Arabic for “universe” is ʿalamin (pl. of ʿalam), literally, “the worlds” or “all worlds.” It covers the spectrum of creations in the heavens and earth, land and sea, at the same time that it also includes other creatures who are not human, both jinn and angels (see multiple references in the Quran, especially Sura 55 on the jinn). The word “universe” is used here instead of “worlds” in order to convey the fact that God’s creation, while composed of many worlds and many levels of being, is ultimately a unity. Also see Glossary, page 529.
1:4Al-din can mean “religion” but here as yawm al-din it is clearly the final day or the day of reckoning, reward, or punishment. See Glossary, page 530.
1:5To “worship” God is also to be subservient to Him, and so the more graphic reference of worship is submission, servanthood, and slavery, connotations that are familiar in the Hebrew Bible and also in the Gospels.
1:7It is crucial to stress that neither divine anger (“wrath”) nor human deviance (“gone astray”) is the final message of the opening sura. The two verbs used here are “to guide” (hada) and “to favor” (anʿama), and their respective nouns, hidaya (guidance) and niʿma (favor), recur in the Quran as the insistent divine hope for all humankind and for all creatures in all worlds.
Sura 2
The Cow (Al-Baqara)
2:1These letters are part of what is known as muqattaʿat, or disconnected letters, different combinations of which are found at the beginning of several suras. See Glossary, page 531.
2:4The Prophet Muhammad.
2:8Arabic wa-ma hum bimuminin: literally, “But they are not among the believers.”
2:14In addition to the notion of a single Satan (Shaytan or Iblis), there are also multiple Satans or devils, like multiple jinn and angels, who can be, and are, seen to be part of Islamic cosmogony, acting in this world and the next.
2:22Arabic jaʿalna lakum al-ard firash: literally, “we made the earth a place spread out,” an image found here and at 51:48. Similar to 40:64, God is projected here as a grand domestic architect, with earth as His habitat or couch, the sky His canopy.
2:29“The seven heavens” is a metaphor for the entire cosmos, and like the number 7 in biblical literature it has a symbolic meaning, not a literal one.
2:30The “regent” is Adam, who will appear by name in the next verse. Adam appears as regent or deputy for God on earth in several passages: see 7:69, 74; 10:14, 73; 27:62; and 35:39.
2:31The word ism (name) implies use of reason and insight to distinguish between visible and invisible entities. The implication in the Arabic is that Adam is being given more profound knowledge than simply the “names” of things.
2:31If the angels are right in their fear about the regent.
2:34Iblis is another name for Satan, the enemy of humankind. Iblis’s refusal to bow down to Adam is cited in several other passages: 7:11, 17:61, 18:50, 20:116, and 38:74–75.
2:36God’s speech is addressed to Adam, Eve, and Iblis. There are two other Quranic passages where the creation story features Satan/Iblis seducing Adam and Eve: 7:10–25 and 20:115–27.
2:41Here is the first of several Quranic passages confirming the Quran as a completion of earlier scriptures. See ahl al-kitab in Glossary, page 529.
2:47The word translated as “peoples” is the Arabic ʿalamin: literally, “all the worlds or the universe.” See Glossary, page 529.
2:51This is the “golden calf,” depicted in Exodus 32:1–35; also cited in suras 7:148–53 and 20: 83–98.
2:53On furqan (the criterion), see Glossary, page 530.
2:54Arabic fa-uqtulu anfusakum: literally, “and kill yourselves,” but here with a metaphorical meaning.
2:60Arabic kull unas: literally, “all the people,” but commentators agree that this refers to the tribes.
2:61I.e., the children of Israel.
2:62Since the Sabians, followers of the Queen of Sheba, were considered monotheists, and may be linked to the Mandaeans of southern Iraq, this passage echoes the Quranic message of inclusiveness: all who believe and do good will find salvation.
2:65Arabic kunu qirada khasiin: literally, “be apes, despised.” This figure of speech is also used elsewhere in the Quran, e.g., 31:19 and 62:5.
2:67Arabic aʿudhu bi Allah an akun min al-jahilin: literally, “I seek refuge with God from being among the ignorant.”
2:70This account can be compared to the biblical narrative in Numbers 19: 2–3, where the people of Israel are commanded to sacrifice a red heifer which is without defect or blemish and has never been placed under a yoke, as part of a purification ritual.
2:71Arabic jiʾta bil-haqq: literally, “you have brought the truth.”
2:87Here and in v. 253 (as also in 4:171; 5:110; and 16:2, 102), the original uses the Arabic phrase ruh al-quds—literally, “the spirit of [God] the Holy.” See Glossary, page 532.
2:95Arabic bima qaddamat aydihim: literally, “on account of what their hands have sent forth.”
2:98Gabriel, often implied, is mentioned by name here and in one later sura (26:193), while Michael is mentioned only here. Both appear as quasi-angelic forces in Jewish literature, but since Gabriel was not only the holy or noble spirit but also the harbinger of death, some Jews saw him in a negative light.
2:101Arabic alladhina utu al-kitab kitab Allah waraa dhuhurihim: literally, “Those given the Book put the Book behind their backs.”
2:102Solomon was not only king of Israel after David but, as a renowned source of wisdom, he also became the paragon of magicians and it is against this misuse of “Solomonic wisdom” that the current verse is warning.
2:102Harut and Marut, two contrarian angels mentioned only here in the Quran, are said to be linked to the planet Venus; from there they allegedly derived special powers, at once magical and disruptive.
2:104Some Jews in Medina opposed to the Prophet mispronounced raʿina as ra`ayna (being a derogatory term in Hebrew, raʿuna meaning “thoughtlessness”) so that it became an abusive expression. The same derogatory verbal word game is cited elsewhere, at 4:46.
2:106The technical word for “abrogation” is naskh (where a given verse is canceled or replaced by another); see Glossary, page 532.
2:110A reference to the day of judgment echoed elsewhere; see especially 99:7–8.
2:112Arabic man aslama wajhahu li Allah: literally, “whoever submits his face to God.”
2:113Arabic laisat al-nasara ʿala shay: literally, “Christians have nothing to stand upon.”
2:125The place near the Kaʿba where Abraham was said to have stood as he prepared to sacrifice his son Ishmael. See below, 37:100–111.
2:128As elsewhere, the root verb, s-l-m, refers both to peace (salam) and submission (islam), and in the period when the Muslim movement had not yet coalesced into community aware of itself as such, the emphasis was on submitting to God and to God’s will both as individuals and as a group.
2:129Verses 124–29 are a kind of prayer consecrating the Kaʿba. Abraham’s prayer here (v. 129) has been answered with the appearance of Muhammad. The religion of Abraham (millat Ibrahim) includes his covenant (through circumcision) with God, so that millat Ibrahim means “community of the covenant with Abraham.” See also 2:135 and 16:123. Abraham becomes the prototype of the new community of believers, al-muslimun, those who submit (2:135–36). See Glossary, page 531.
2:132The word din, here rendered as “religion,” has multiple meanings. See Glossary, page 530.
2:133Arabic am kuntum shuhadaʾa idh hadara Yaʿqub al-mawt: literally, “did you witness when death approached Jacob?” This is directed to the Jews, who claimed Jacob as their forefather.
2:134Umma is here rendered as “community” since the distinction of belief in One God is not limited to Jews or Christians, but applies to all who followed the example of Abraham. For other meanings, see Glossary, page 533.
2:138The word for color (sibgha) distinguishes the creed of Abraham from others by its hue or color, for many signified as “green.”
2:142In Arabic, qibla signifies the direction of prayer, which was changed from Jerusalem to Mecca in the year 624 CE, and remains the direction of worship for Muslims today.
2:143Arabic umma wasat: literally, “a community of the middle or the middle way,” stressing that God is the God of East and West. To paraphrase 1:5, “the straight path” is also the middle path—at once moderate and broad, avoiding extremism or exclusion in all forms.
2:143Arabic linaʿlama: literally, “that We might know.”
2:148The Arabic pronoun li-kull is indefinite; it can refer to an individual or a collective, but the collective “community” seems best here.
2:156Arabic inna li-Allah wa-inna ilayhi rajiʿuna (“To God we belong, and to God we shall return”) is one of the most important emblems of Muslim belief and practice in the Quran. It is often found on tombstones and is customarily recited on the news of anyone’s death.
2:157Arabic ulaʾika ʿalayhim salawat min rabbihim wa-rahma: literally, “on whom descend prayers from their Lord and mercy.”
2:158Safa and Marwa are two hills between which Abraham’s wife Hagar ran in search of water for her son Ishmael. Her quest is commemorated by Hajj pilgrims, who walk or run between the two hills.
2:158The Hajj is the major pilgrimage, to be performed during the pilgrimage season; the ʿUmra, or minor pilgrimage, can be performed at any time of the year. The importance of the Hajj is accented by its placement in the obligations incumbent on each Muslim. ʿEid al-Adha is the feast of the near sacrifice of Ishmael by Abraham, celebrated every year, after the Hajj, as the major Islamic festival.
2:185This
