Page 15 Notes

02 Surah Al-Baqarah (continued)

Page 15 Grammar 

Page 15 - Related Hadith/Sunnah

2:94

2:95

2:96

2:97

2:98

2:99

2:100

2:101

Translation of the meaning by Sahih International.

Page 15 - Related Hadiths and Sunnah

Page 15 of the Quran covers verses 94 through 101 of Surah Al-Baqarah. This page contains some of the most intellectually intense debates between the Prophet Muhammad and the opposing religious factions in Medina. It challenges their claim to exclusive salvation (the "Mubahalah" challenge), exposes their fear of death due to their actions, addresses their animosity toward the Angel Gabriel, and concludes with how they cast the scripture behind their backs when the Prophet Muhammad arrived.

The Hadiths and Sunnah related to these verses provide the explicit historical triggers for these revelations and establish core theological principles in Islam.

1. Verses 94–96: The Challenge to Wish for Death

"Say, [O Muhammad], 'If the home of the Hereafter with Allah is for you peculiarly, exclusive of the people, then wish for death, if you should be truthful.' But they will never wish for it, ever, because of what their hands have put forth..." (2:94-95)

The Unaccepted Challenge (Mubahalah)

When the religious leaders of Medina claimed that they were the exclusive "chosen people" and the sole inheritors of Paradise, Allah commanded the Prophet Muhammad to issue a definitive spiritual challenge: If you are certain of your exclusive salvation, invoke a curse on whichever side is lying by wishing for immediate death.

• The Hadith Context: Abdullah ibn Abbas narrated that the Prophet Muhammad said regarding this verse:
  "If they had wished for death [to prove their truthfulness], every single one of them would have died on the spot, and they would have seen their places in the Fire." (Musnad Ahmad; Tafsir Ibn Kathir)

• The Sunnah Connection: Because they internally knew the Prophet was truthful, they strategically declined the challenge. This historical event established a Sunnah method of intellectual debate known as Mubahalah (mutual invocation of a curse), used as a last resort when one party stubbornly rejects clear evidence.

2. Verses 97–98: Animosity Toward the Angel Gabriel

"Say, 'Whoever is an enemy to Gabriel—it is he who has brought the Qur'an down upon your heart, [O Muhammad], by permission of Allah...' Whoever is an enemy to Allah and His angels and His messengers and Gabriel and Michael—then indeed, Allah is an enemy to the disbelievers." (2:97-98)

The Incident of Ibn Sariya and the Jewish Rabbis

These verses were revealed as a direct answer to a specific theological objection raised against the Prophet Muhammad regarding his angelic source of revelation.

• The Hadith: Abdullah ibn Salam (a prominent chief rabbi of Medina who later accepted Islam) reported that when he first went to question the Prophet to test his prophethood, he asked: "Who is your companion among the angels who brings you revelation?" The Prophet replied: "Gabriel." Abdullah ibn Salam responded:
  "He is the one who descends with war, fighting, and punishment. He is our enemy among the angels. If it had been Michael, who brings mercy, rain, and vegetation, we would have followed you." Upon this conversation, Allah revealed verses 97 and 98 to clarify that all angels operate strictly under divine command, and being an enemy to one angel is equivalent to being an enemy to Allah Himself. (Sahih al-Bukhari)

3. Verse 99: Clear Signs (Ayat Bayyinah)

"And We have certainly sent down to you verses [which are] clear proofs, and no one denies them except the defiantly disobedient." (2:99)

The Nature of Quranic Clarity

Verse 99 asserts that the proofs given to the Prophet were so manifest that rejection of them could only stem from deliberate rebellion (Fisq), rather than genuine confusion.

• The Sunnah Connection: The Prophet Muhammad modeled a lifestyle of teaching the Quran in clear, accessible ways so that no sincere seeker would be confused. Aisha narrated that: "The speech of the Messenger of Allah was clear and distinct, such that everyone who heard it could understand it." (Sunan Abi Dawud).

4. Verses 100–101: Throwing the Scripture Behind Their Backs

"Is it not that every time they took a covenant, a party of them threw it away?... And when a messenger from Allah came to them confirming that which was with them, a party of those who had been given the Scripture threw the Scripture of Allah behind their backs as if they did not know." (2:100-101)

The Rejection of the Prophet's Description

Verse 101 describes a vivid physical metaphor: "throwing the book behind their backs." This refers to their deliberate decision to ignore the prophecies concerning the final prophet.

• The Hadith Context: In commentaries preserved from the companions, Ibn Abbas and Malik bin Sayf explained that when the Prophet Muhammad arrived in Medina, he confronted them with the covenants they had made in the Torah to support the coming messenger. Instead of honoring it, they actively hid the sections of the Torah detailing his physical description, lineage, and signs, acting "as if they did not know" it existed.

• The Prophetic Warning for Muslims: The Prophet Muhammad fiercely warned his own followers against treating the Quran the same way—memorizing or reading its words while tossing its laws and morals "behind their backs." He stated:
  "The Quran is a proof either for you [on your behalf] or against you." (Sahih Muslim)

References

• Sahih al-Bukhari, Book of Prophetic Commentary on the Quran (Tafsir), Hadith 4480 (The narration of Abdullah ibn Salam).

• Sahih Muslim, Book of Purification, Hadith 223 (The Quran as a proof for or against a person).

• Musnad Ahmad, Vol. 1, Hadith 2483 (The verification of the death challenge).

• Sunan Abi Dawud, Book of Literature (Al-Adab), Hadith 4839 (Clarity of prophetic speech).

• Tafsir Ibn Kathir, Historical background on Surah Al-Baqarah, Verses 94–101.