Lessons to Learn from Surah Baqarah

Lessons , Learn , Surah Baqarah

Surat al-Fatihah is the introduction to the Quran and Surat al-Baqarah is its second chapter. In this surah, Allah (swt) introduces us to the Quran, and tells us about three different types of people – those who will benefit from the guidance of the Quran, those who won’t, and those who are only pretending to be people of the Quran. The rest of the surah is a beautiful blend of history, life lessons, and instructions.

  1. “….so whenever guidance comes to you from Me, then whoever follows my guidance, then there will neither be any fear on them nor will they grieve.” (2:38)

No grief:

It is human to feel emotions of grief when we look at our past and see the errors, misjudgments, and harsh words that were uttered or immature decisions that we took at some point of time or another in our lives.

While some mistakes act as catalysts in helping us learn and make better choices, others will have negative effects that come back to haunt us every once in awhile. “If only I had taken a different decision…” is a common thought that crosses our minds, making us grieve.

But here, Allah says, those who follow His guidance need not grieve…meaning, as long as you stay close to His words and hold on to His guidance, Allah will remove those feelings and emotions that weigh so heavily in your heart. He can make it right, and make you feel okay about things that have gone wrong. Furthermore, He can strengthen your heart, helping you to focus on things that matter right now, because as much as you would like to ponder over your past, you need to remind yourself that the present and future matter more than the events that have already passed.   

No fear:

Similarly, we are always anxious and apprehensive of what the future holds. This leads to a sense of fear. While some are able to convince their hearts that Allah will take care of everything, others just can’t keep themselves composed.

So, the next you see fear rising in your heart, remind yourself that Allah is in control and as long as you rely upon Him, stay close to Him and seek guidance from Him, be rest assured that He will guide you through every single phase of your life.

  1. “…and when Allah parted the sea for you and He delivered you and drowned the people of Firawn while you were seeing.” (2:50)

Just as the sea was parted for Musa (AS) to help him and his followers escape from Firawn, so too can He make a way out of every difficulty and hardship you are going through. Remind yourself that no challenge you face is impossible for Him to rectify.

The question that needs to be asked is, “How much reliance do you have upon Allah?” When a calamity strikes, what is your immediate reaction? Do you despair and think the world is against you or do you remind your heart with strong conviction that Allah is all you need and that He can set everything right?

If Allah could part a SEA for Musa (AS), so too can He clear your path in dunya and make it stress free. But this comes with a price – you need to have strong levels of imaan to rely completely upon Allah after putting in your 100% and taking all the necessary precautions to come out of the difficulty you are facing. Do your bit, and leave the rest to Allah.

  1. “When his Fosterer said to him (Ibrahim), “Submit”, He replied, “I submit before the Fosterer of the worlds” (2:131)

At some point of time in our lives, we have found certain commandments easier to follow when compared to others. While it may be easy for some to sport a beard or wear the hijab, they might be seriously struggling with praying their five daily prayers. For others, performing salah on time may be the easiest thing to do, but wearing the hijab or giving up on riba might be a huge struggle. This verse teaches us how Ibrahim (AS) lived his life – complete submission to Allah.

This should be our life motto too — submitting to every single commandment that Allah has mentioned in His glorious book. So, assess yourself tonight and see where you are slacking, make a list of things you would like to rectify and start acting upon correcting them – one at a time. With loads of dua, sincerity and 100% effort, following each and every commandment of Allah is very much possible!