The Virtue of Surat al-Baqarah and the Rulings It Contains

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Question:
The verses of fasting were mentioned, Honorable Shaykh Ghalib, in Surat al-Baqarah, this great surah. Have you informed the listening brothers about the virtue of this surah, the virtue of memorizing it, and the great rulings and judgments it contains?

Answer:
This is a great surah, and it is the longest surah in the Qur'an. It is the peak of the Qur'an. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:

Satan runs away from the house in which Surah Baqara is recited.

إن الشيطان يفر من البيت الذي تقرأ فيه سورة البقرة

Sahih Muslim 780

. The Companions praised this surah, as Ibn 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said when he stopped at the Jamarah after stoning it. He stopped to supplicate after stoning the Jamarah and said, "This is the station where Surat al-Baqarah was revealed," in exaltation of this great surah, and because Surat al-Baqarah contains the rulings of Islam.
It contains the great rulings of Islam and its great foundations. It speaks about tawhid (the oneness of Allah), which is the first pillar of the pillars of Islam. In the first, in the first address that appears in the Mushaf in this surah specifically, Allah the Exalted said:

O mankind, worship your Lord

يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ اعْبُدُوا رَبَّكُمُ

[Al-Baqarah 2:21]

who created you and those before you, that you may become righteous - ⁽²²⁾ [He] who made for you the earth a bed [spread out] and the sky a ceiling and sent down from the sky, rain and brought forth thereby fruits as provision for you. So do not attribute to Allah equals while you know [that there is nothing similar to Him].

الَّذِي خَلَقَكُمْ وَالَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ الَّذِي جَعَلَ لَكُمُ الْأَرْضَ فِرَاشًا وَالسَّمَاءَ بِنَاءً وَأَنزَلَ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ مَاءً فَأَخْرَجَ بِهِ مِنَ الثَّمَرَاتِ رِزْقًا لَّكُمْ فَلَا تَجْعَلُوا لِلَّهِ أَندَادًا وَأَنتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ

[Al-Baqarah 2:21-22]

Then the verses followed in affirming tawhid, prohibiting shirk (associating partners with Allah), and refuting the mushrikin (those who associate partners with Allah).
Especially the Jews and the Christians. Then the rulings of zakah (the obligatory alms) came in the Qur'an, meaning the command for zakah, the command for zakah in this surah. Yes. And the command for spending in the path of Allah. The obligatory spending and the voluntary spending, and the prohibition of riba (usury or interest) in this great surah, at its end. Then the command to establish the prayer came before the zakah. The command to establish the prayer, yes, which is the second pillar of the pillars of Islam. The command to establish the prayer, "and bow down with those who bow down," and other verses that command the establishment of the prayer in this surah.

Indeed, those who believe and do righteous deeds and establish prayer and give zakah will have their reward with their Lord, and there will be no fear concerning them, nor will they grieve.

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ وَأَقَامُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَآتَوُا الزَّكَاةَ لَهُمْ أَجْرُهُمْ عِندَ رَبِّهِمْ وَلَا خَوْفٌ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا هُمْ يَحْزَنُونَ

[Al-Baqarah 2:277]

Then came the command to give zakah (the obligatory alms), as mentioned previously, and to spend in the cause of Allah (Mighty and Majestic), and this is the third pillar of the pillars of Islam. Then came the command to fast

O you who have believed, decreed upon you is fasting as it was decreed upon those before you that you may become righteous -

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ الصِّيَامُ كَمَا كُتِبَ عَلَى الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ

[Al-Baqarah 2:183]

up to His saying, the Exalted: "And do not consume one another's wealth through false pretenses, nor offer it to the judges so that you may consume a portion of the wealth of people through sin, while you know." All of this is in the verses of fasting and the rulings of fasting.
Then the command for Hajj (the major pilgrimage) came. Allah the Exalted said:

And complete the Hajj and 'umrah for Allah

وَأَتِمُّوا الْحَجَّ وَالْعُمْرَةَ لِلَّهِ

[Al-Baqarah 2:196]

until He said, "And fear Allah and know that you will be gathered to Him." Therefore, it contains the rituals of Hajj and the rulings of Hajj. It is a surah that contains the mothers of Islam, the pillars of Islam, and the great foundations of Islam. It also contains the pillars of faith.

but [true] righteousness is [in] one who believes in Allah, the Last Day, the angels, the Book, and the prophets

وَلَٰكِنَّ الْبِرَّ مَنْ آمَنَ بِاللَّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ وَالْمَلَائِكَةِ وَالْكِتَابِ وَالنَّبِيِّينَ

[Al-Baqarah 2:177]

Then He said, the Exalted and Majestic:

The Messenger has believed in what was revealed to him from his Lord, and [so have] the believers. All of them have believed in Allah and His angels and His books and His messengers

آمَنَ الرَّسُولُ بِمَا أُنزِلَ إِلَيْهِ مِن رَّبِّهِ وَالْمُؤْمِنُونَ كُلٌّ آمَنَ بِاللَّهِ وَمَلَائِكَتِهِ وَكُتُبِهِ وَرُسُلِهِ

[Al-Baqarah 2:285]

It came with the pillars of faith alongside the pillars of Islam. Yes, a great surah with great contents. Yes.

The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.

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