Revision
The surah
Al-Baqarah means the cow.
286 ayat — the longest surah in the Quran.
Nicknamed the peak of the Quran (Sanam al-Quran).
Surah Al-Baqarah and Surah Ali Imran are twin surahs. If you read them, study them, memorise them and act on their lessons, they will come on the Day of Judgement as clouds — shade on a day when there is no shade except the shade of Allah.
The surah has nine parts. We are in Part 1: Types of People.
Ayah 1 — Alif Lam Mim
What does it mean? There is a meaning, but we do not know it. Our answer is: Wallahu a’lam — Allah knows best.
We may not know the meaning, but we can learn the wisdom behind it.
1. It is a surprise call.
The Prophet ﷺ was unlettered — he did not read or write. A person who does not read or write does not recite alphabets. So the fact that he recited letters was a surprise in itself.
There is a second surprise. Listen to Arabs speaking their own language — they do not speak in tajweed. But the Prophet ﷺ recited Alif Lam Mim with full tajweed rules. A strange combination of letters, recited in a way no one spoke. It caught the audience’s attention immediately.
2. It is a challenge.
Poetry was the highest art form of the Arabs at that time. When the Quran came, they refused to accept it was from God — they said Muhammad ﷺ made it up, or learned it from somewhere.
So Allah opens with letters: Alif Lam Mim. Alif Lam Ra. Qaf. Ha Mim. Ya Sin. The same alphabet you have. Go and produce something like it.
3. It is a gate of humility.
There are things our minds can fully understand, and there are things beyond our minds. Before we can receive guidance, we have to accept that limit.
Example: Why is Fajr two rak’ah, but Dhuhr and Asr are four? Fajr is at a quiet time when you have space; Dhuhr falls in a rushed 20-minute lunch break at school. Why not make them equal? Wallahu a’lam. We obey.
Does “wallahu a’lam” mean we obey blindly? No. We arrive at obedience through reason:
The universe cannot exist without a creator.
That creator cannot himself be created — there must be an uncreated Creator.
A Creator who made a universe this complex and this beautiful must be wise.
When someone infinitely wiser than you tells you to do something — you do it.
We accept Allah through revelation and through reason. Once that foundation is in place, obedience follows. That is the gate of humility.
And we are still allowed to look for the wisdom. Two rak’ah at Fajr — you are fresh, you do not need much. Four at Dhuhr — you are hungry, tired, and about to become “hangry,” so you stop and reset. Four at Asr — before you carry your work stress home to your family, you offload it onto Allah first. Iyyaka na’budu wa iyyaka nasta’in — You alone we worship, and You alone we ask for help.
Who are we asking? The Creator of everything. Next to Allah, how big is our problem? This is why a person of prayer can walk back to their problem and face it — you are not facing it alone.
Ayah 2
ذَٰلِكَ الْكِتَابُ لَا رَيْبَ ۛ فِيهِ ۛ هُدًى لِّلْمُتَّقِينَ
“That is the Book, no doubt in it, guidance for the people of taqwa.”
Dhalika — that
al-Kitab — the Book
la rayba fihi — no doubt in it
hudan lil-muttaqin — guidance for the people of taqwa
The link to Al-Fatihah. In Al-Fatihah we made the du’a: Ihdinas-siratal mustaqim — guide us to the straight path. We asked for guidance. Allah answers immediately: the guidance is in this Book.
Guidance for everyone, or only for some? In ayah 185 of this same surah, Allah says the Quran was sent down as guidance for all mankind. Here in ayah 2, it says guidance for the people of taqwa.
The offer is open to everyone. The people of taqwa are the ones who take the offer up.
New Material: What Is Taqwa?
The literal meaning
Taqwa comes from the root waw – qaf – ya, which carries the meaning of protection.
Because taqwa also contains an element of fear, the literal meaning is: protective fear.
Protective fear vs paralysing fear
Fire in the building. Protective fear: you get out. Paralysing fear: you freeze — or you film it for TikTok.
Exam next week. Protective fear: you start studying. Paralysing fear: “que sera sera” — you give up.
The difference. Protective fear moves you to act. Paralysing fear stops you from acting.
Note on the snake example from class: standing still is the correct response to an Australian snake, because they are not hunting us — they bite out of fear when they feel threatened. That is a considered decision, not a freeze.
Fear on its own is not enough. If you find out at 9pm that there is a test tomorrow morning and you decide there is no point trying, you are still afraid — but the fear has paralysed you.
This is why taqwa needs the two wings we studied earlier: fear and love/hope. Without hope you will not move. Taqwa is not just fear — it is fear balanced by love.
What are we protecting ourselves from?
When Allah uses the word taqwa in the Quran, it means: protect yourself from Allah’s anger and His punishment, and move towards His mercy and forgiveness.
In practice: what Allah told you not to do — don’t do it. What Allah told you to do — do it.
Story time: Umar and Ubayy ibn Ka’b
Who is Ubayy ibn Ka’b? One of the Companions the Prophet ﷺ named as the best reciters of the Quran — if you want to hear the Quran as Jibril brought it, listen to these people. When Umar ibn al-Khattab established Taraweeh in congregation, he appointed Ubayy as the first Taraweeh imam. Ubayy recited so long that the Companions would lean on the walls and pillars of the masjid, and the prayer would end just in time for a small meal before Fajr.
The conversation:
Umar ibn al-Khattab asked him, “What is taqwa?”
Ubayy answered with a question: “Have you ever walked through a path full of thorns?”
Umar said, “Yes.”
“How did you do it?”
Umar said, “I would lift my garment and walk carefully.”
Ubayy said: “That is taqwa.”
Arab dress is long and flowing. On a thorny path you gather it in, and you watch every step — so your clothes are not snagged and your feet are not cut.
That is life. Every step, you are aware: Is this bringing me closer to Allah, or further away? Would Allah be pleased with this, or angry?
The technical meaning
Literal meaning = the dictionary meaning.
Technical meaning = the meaning in context.
Example: the word site. Literally, a place. Say it to a builder and he means a construction site. Say it to a web developer and she means a website. Same word, different technical meaning depending on context.
So for taqwa:
Literal: protective fear
Technical: mindfulness of Allah
Being constantly aware of whether something is beloved to Allah or disliked by Him, and whether a decision takes you towards Him or away from Him.
A person of taqwa will be guided by the Quran, because that is where you find what Allah loves, what He dislikes, what He made obligatory and what He made forbidden.
Ayah 3 — The Signs of Taqwa
Taqwa is in the heart. The Prophet ﷺ said, “At-taqwa ha huna” — taqwa is here — pointing to the chest. You cannot display it. But it produces signs, and the signs can be seen.
الَّذِينَ يُؤْمِنُونَ بِالْغَيْبِ وَيُقِيمُونَ الصَّلَاةَ وَمِمَّا رَزَقْنَاهُمْ يُنفِقُونَ
“Those who believe in the unseen, establish the prayer, and spend out of what We have provided for them.”
1. They believe in the unseen (yu’minuna bil-ghayb)
Every pillar of iman involves something unseen:
Allah — we cannot see Him.
Angels — we cannot see them.
Books — we can hold a mushaf, but we did not see Jibril bring it down. That process is what makes it different from every other book.
Prophets — the Companions could see Muhammad ﷺ the man. What they could not see was him receiving revelation, and that is what made him a prophet.
Day of Judgement — not yet seen.
Divine decree (qadar) — never seen.
Remember the three dimensions of the religion — the what, the why, and the how. Iman is the why: the root system. You do what you do because you believe Allah commanded it.
2. They establish the prayer (yuqimunas-salah)
Belief is invisible. Prayer is what that invisible belief looks like when it comes out.
3. They spend from what Allah has given them (wa mimma razaqnahum yunfiqun)
Not “what they earned” — what We have provided them. The wealth was never theirs to begin with.
Next Week
We continue with the details of ayah 3, and aim to reach ayah 5 — unless our guest speaker joins us, in which case Islamic Studies runs instead.
Key Terms
Wallahu a’lam — Allah knows best
Taqwa — literally: protective fear. Technically: mindfulness of Allah
Muttaqin — the people of taqwa
Ghayb — the unseen
Sanam al-Quran — the peak of the Quran
Questions to Test Yourself
What does Al-Baqarah mean, and how many ayat does it have?
Give the three wisdoms behind Alif Lam Mim.
Translate ayah 2 into English.
What is the difference between protective fear and paralysing fear? Give one example of each.
What did Ubayy ibn Ka’b compare taqwa to?
What is the difference between a literal meaning and a technical meaning?
Name the three traits of the people of taqwa mentioned in ayah 3.
Why is belief in the Quran still “belief in the unseen” when you can hold a copy in your hands?
