Exegesis of Verse 114 of Surat al-Baqarah
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Q4: What is the exegesis of the saying of Allah the Exalted: [Al-Baqarah 2:114]?
Vol. 4: The scholars have two opinions regarding who this verse was revealed about: The first opinion: that they are the Christians, or Bakhansar, or both, and the meaning is: no one is more transgressive and bold against Allah and the sanctities of His religion than the Christians and Bakhansar, for they prevented people from worshipping Allah in the House
al-Muqaddas by establishing prayer in it, studying knowledge there, and intending to visit it, and they worked to demolish it and throw filth and impurities at it; to deter people from visiting it and maintaining it through worship, and that was due to their intense hostility toward the Jews, and this opinion was chosen by Ibn Jarir al-Tabari ; because of the indication of the verses before and after this verse, as the report in that matter was about the Jews and the Christians and their mutual hostility. The second opinion: that it was revealed regarding the polytheists of Makkah who prevented the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and his Companions in the year of al-Hudaybiyyah from al-Masjid al-Haram , and the meaning is no one is more transgressive and bold against Allah than the polytheists of Makkah and those who supported them, for they prevented the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and his Companions in the year of the 'Umrah of al-Hudaybiyyah from al-Masjid al-Haram ; out of arrogance and pride, and they exerted their efforts to demolish it with polytheistic acts of worship, and to empty it from the worship of Allah alone, whether by prayer, tawaf, Hajj, or 'Umrah, and even if they did not demolish its structure, then preventing one who is qualified to maintain it and has the most right to perform the rites and worship in it, and who is more deserving of serving it, from entering it is more destructive than physical demolition, for it is the nullification of the greatest mosque on earth and the first house established for people from establishing the rites in the correct manner, even though it was built for that very maintenance, and this opinion was chosen by Ibn Kathir, and he supported it with the reports regarding the reason for the revelation of the verse, and with the saying of the Exalted:[Al-Anfal 8:34]
and His saying:[At-Tawbah 9:17-18], and other things with which he supported his opinion, and despite that, the verse is general; because the consideration is the generality of the wording, not the specificity of the reason for which it was revealed, so it is a severe condemnation and a stern warning for anyone who prevents someone from any of the Islamic mosques, and prevents him from performing the worship whose performance was legislated in them.
And who are more unjust than those who prevent the name of Allah from being mentioned in His mosques and strive toward their destruction
وَمَنْ أَظْلَمُ مِمَّنْ مَنَعَ مَسَاجِدَ اللَّهِ أَنْ يُذْكَرَ فِيهَا اسْمُهُ وَسَعَى فِي خَرَابِهَاVol. 4: The scholars have two opinions regarding who this verse was revealed about: The first opinion: that they are the Christians, or Bakhansar, or both, and the meaning is: no one is more transgressive and bold against Allah and the sanctities of His religion than the Christians and Bakhansar, for they prevented people from worshipping Allah in the House
al-Muqaddas by establishing prayer in it, studying knowledge there, and intending to visit it, and they worked to demolish it and throw filth and impurities at it; to deter people from visiting it and maintaining it through worship, and that was due to their intense hostility toward the Jews, and this opinion was chosen by Ibn Jarir al-Tabari ; because of the indication of the verses before and after this verse, as the report in that matter was about the Jews and the Christians and their mutual hostility. The second opinion: that it was revealed regarding the polytheists of Makkah who prevented the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and his Companions in the year of al-Hudaybiyyah from al-Masjid al-Haram , and the meaning is no one is more transgressive and bold against Allah than the polytheists of Makkah and those who supported them, for they prevented the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and his Companions in the year of the 'Umrah of al-Hudaybiyyah from al-Masjid al-Haram ; out of arrogance and pride, and they exerted their efforts to demolish it with polytheistic acts of worship, and to empty it from the worship of Allah alone, whether by prayer, tawaf, Hajj, or 'Umrah, and even if they did not demolish its structure, then preventing one who is qualified to maintain it and has the most right to perform the rites and worship in it, and who is more deserving of serving it, from entering it is more destructive than physical demolition, for it is the nullification of the greatest mosque on earth and the first house established for people from establishing the rites in the correct manner, even though it was built for that very maintenance, and this opinion was chosen by Ibn Kathir, and he supported it with the reports regarding the reason for the revelation of the verse, and with the saying of the Exalted:
But why should Allah not punish them while they obstruct [people] from al-Masjid al- Haram and they were not [fit to be] its guardians? Its [true] guardians are not but the righteous, but most of them do not know.
وَمَا لَهُمْ أَلا يُعَذِّبَهُمُ اللَّهُ وَهُمْ يَصُدُّونَ عَنِ الْمَسْجِدِ الْحَرَامِ وَمَا كَانُوا أَوْلِيَاءَهُ إِنْ أَوْلِيَاؤُهُ إِلا الْمُتَّقُونَ وَلَكِنَّ أَكْثَرَهُمْ لاَ يَعْلَمُونَand His saying:
(17) It is not for the polytheists to maintain the mosques of Allah [while] witnessing against themselves with disbelief. [For] those, their deeds have become worthless, and in the Fire they will abide eternally. (18) The mosques of Allah are only to be maintained by those who believe in Allah and the Last Day and establish prayer and give zakah and do not fear except Allah, for it is expected that those will be of the [rightly] guided.
مَا كَانَ لِلْمُشْرِكِينَ أَنْ يَعْمُرُوا مَسَاجِدَ اللَّهِ شَاهِدِينَ عَلَى أَنْفُسِهِمْ بِالْكُفْرِ أُولَئِكَ حَبِطَتْ أَعْمَالُهُمْ وَفِي النَّارِ هُمْ خَالِدُونَ (17) إِنَّمَا يَعْمُرُ مَسَاجِدَ اللَّهِ مَنْ آمَنَ بِاللَّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الآخِرِ وَأَقَامَ الصَّلاَةَ وَآتَى الزَّكَاةَ وَلَمْ يَخْشَ إِلا اللَّهَ فَعَسَى أُولَئِكَ أَنْ يَكُونُوا مِنَ الْمُهْتَدِينَ
Source
www.alifta.gov.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.