Lit. “The Concluding Verses from Surah al-Baqarah.”
Surah al-Baqarah (2:284)
لِّلَّهِ مَا فِى ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَمَا فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ ۗ وَإِن تُبْدُوا۟ مَا فِىٓ أَنفُسِكُمْ أَوْ تُخْفُوهُ يُحَاسِبْكُم بِهِ ٱللَّهُ ۖ فَيَغْفِرُ لِمَن يَشَآءُ وَيُعَذِّبُ مَن يَشَآءُ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَىْءٍۢ قَدِيرٌ
2:284. To Allah belongs all that is in the heavens and all that is on the earth. Whether you disclose what is within yourselves or conceal it, Allah will call you to account for it. He forgives whom He wills and punishes whom He wills, and Allah has power over all things.
Commentary
Here Allah tells us that to Him belongs all that is in the heavens and all that is on the earth. He created everyone, granted them provision, and guides them to that which is in their best interests, both worldly and spiritual.
Therefore, they are His possessions and servants. They possess no power to harm or benefit themselves, nor do they have power over death, life, or resurrection. He is their Lord and Sovereign who controls their affairs based on His wisdom, justice, and kindness.
He has ordained commands and prohibitions for them and will bring them to account for all that they conceal or disclose.
“He forgives whomever He wills,” namely the one who takes the measures that lead to forgiveness.
“And He punishes whomever He wills” for his sins, the one who does not take any steps that could lead to expiation.
(Note: Sins may be expiated by different means, such as hardship, sickness, the loss of loved ones, and so on.)
“For Allah has power over all things,” and nothing is beyond Him. Rather, all people are subject to His control, His will, His decree, and His requital.
Surah al-Baqarah (2:285)
ءَامَنَ ٱلرَّسُولُ بِمَآ أُنزِلَ إِلَيْهِ مِن رَّبِّهِۦ وَٱلْمُؤْمِنُونَ ۚ كُلٌّ ءَامَنَ بِٱللَّهِ وَمَلَـٰٓئِكَتِهِۦ وَكُتُبِهِۦ وَرُسُلِهِۦ لَا نُفَرِّقُ بَيْنَ أَحَدٍۢ مِّن رُّسُلِهِۦ ۚ وَقَالُوا۟ سَمِعْنَا وَأَطَعْنَا ۖ غُفْرَانَكَ رَبَّنَا وَإِلَيْكَ ٱلْمَصِيرُ
2:285. The Messenger believes in what has been revealed to him from his Lord, as do the believers. Each of them believes in Allah, His angels, His Books, and His Messengers. We make no distinction between any of His Messengers. And they say, “We hear and we obey. Grant us Your forgiveness, our Lord, and to You is the final return.”
Commentary
Here Allah tells us about the faith, submission, and obedience of the Messenger and the believers who were with him, as well as their asking Him for forgiveness.
He tells us that they believe in Allah, His angels, His Books, and His Messengers. This implies belief in everything that Allah has told us about Himself and what His Messengers have conveyed about Him, including the attributes of His perfection and majesty, both in general and in detail. It also affirms that He is far above being likened to His creation and above any denial of His attributes or any imperfection.
This belief also includes faith in the angels mentioned in the texts, both generally and specifically, as well as belief in all the Messengers and the revealed Books. Consequently, it requires belief in everything the Messengers have conveyed and everything contained in the Books, including stories, commands, and prohibitions.
The believers do not differentiate between any of His Messengers; rather, they believe in all of them because they are all intermediaries between Allah and His servants. Disbelief in one of them is disbelief in all of them and, in reality, disbelief in Allah.
They say: “We hear”—meaning what You have commanded and what You have forbidden—“and we obey.” We are not like those who say, “We hear,” but then disobey.
Because people will inevitably fall short with regard to the rights of Allah and are therefore always in need of His forgiveness, they say:
“Grant us Your forgiveness.” That is, we ask You to forgive the shortcomings and sins we have committed and to erase our faults.
“And to You is the return [of all].” That is, all creatures will return to You, and You will requite them for what they have done, whether good or evil.
Surah al-Baqarah (2:286)
لَا يُكَلِّفُ ٱللَّهُ نَفْسًا إِلَّا وُسْعَهَا ۚ لَهَا مَا كَسَبَتْ وَعَلَيْهَا مَا ٱكْتَسَبَتْ ۗ رَبَّنَا لَا تُؤَاخِذْنَآ إِن نَّسِينَآ أَوْ أَخْطَأْنَا ۚ رَبَّنَا وَلَا تَحْمِلْ عَلَيْنَآ إِصْرًۭا كَمَا حَمَلْتَهُۥ عَلَى ٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِنَا ۚ رَبَّنَا وَلَا تُحَمِّلْنَا مَا لَا طَاقَةَ لَنَا بِهِۦ ۖ وَٱعْفُ عَنَّا وَٱغْفِرْ لَنَا وَٱرْحَمْنَآ ۚ أَنتَ مَوْلَىٰنَا فَٱنصُرْنَا عَلَى ٱلْقَوْمِ ٱلْكَـٰفِرِينَ
2:286. Allah does not burden any soul with more than it can bear. For it is what it has earned, and against it is what it has committed.
Our Lord, do not hold us accountable if we forget or fall into error. Our Lord, do not lay upon us a burden like that which You laid upon those before us. Our Lord, do not place on us a burden greater than we have the strength to bear.
Pardon us, forgive us, and have mercy on us. You are our Protector, so help us against the disbelieving people.
Commentary
When Allah revealed the words: “Whether you disclose what is within yourselves or conceal it, Allah will call you to account for it” (2:284), the Muslims were distressed. They thought they would be called to account for whatever thoughts entered their minds, whether persistent or fleeting.
In this verse, Allah clarifies that He does not place upon any soul a burden greater than it can bear. In other words, whatever responsibility He places upon an individual is within that person’s ability. He does not overburden anyone or make matters excessively difficult.
Allah also says elsewhere:
“…He has not imposed any hardship upon you in religion.” (al-Ḥajj, 22:78)
In principle, the commands and prohibitions are not too difficult for people to adhere to; rather they are nourishment for the soul, a remedy for the body, and protection from harm. Allah enjoined these things for His slaves out of mercy and kindness, yet despite that, if something is too hard to adhere to for some reason, He grants concessions to make it easier, by waiving it either completely or partially, as in the case of the concessions made for those who are sick or travelling, and so on.
Then Allah tells us that each soul will be rewarded for what it did of good, and whatever it did of evil will be counted against it; no soul will carry the burden of another and no one’s reward will be given to someone else. The word which is translated here as “earned” (kasaba) flows more easily on the tongue, which indicates that doing good is easier and takes less effort, and as soon as a person forms the intention to do good, the reward begins. On the other hand, the word translated here as “committed” (aktasaba) is more difficult to say, which indicates that doing evil is not recorded against an individual unless he actually makes the effort to do it.
As Allah has told us about the faith of the Prophet (ﷺ) and the believers who were with him, and that each person will be requited for his actions, and that man will inevitably fall short, make mistakes and forget, He then tells us that He does not place on us any burden greater than what we can bear. He also tells us of the supplication of the believers to that effect. The Prophet (ﷺ) told us that Allah said: “I have done that,” in response to this supplication.
“Our Lord, do not hold us accountable if we forget or fall into error.” The difference between the two is that forgetting occurs when one becomes absent-minded about what he is instructed to do, so he fails to do it because he forgot it. Error occurs when a person aims to do something that is permissible, then the result of his action is not permissible. Allah has pardoned this Ummah for whatever they fall into of these two things, out of mercy and kindness towards them.
Based on that, if a person prays wearing a stolen or unclean garment, or he forgot about some impurity that was on his body, or he talks during the prayer because he forgot, or if he does something that breaks the fast because he forgot, or he does one of the actions that are forbidden when in ihrâm but does not involve killing an animal (this refers to hunting, which is forbidden when in ihrâm and for which a compensatory sacrifice must be offered), because he forgot, he is forgiven for that. By the same token, the one who swore an oath not to do something is not regarded as having broken his oath if he does the thing he swore not to do because he forgot. Similarly, if a person kills someone accidentally or destroys property accidentally, there is no sin on him; rather he is liable and must offer some compensation because of the results of his action, not because of his sin. Similarly, if a person forgets to mention the name of Allah at times when he should mention His name, it does not matter.
“Our Lord, do not lay on us a burden” that is, difficult responsibilities “like that which You laid on those who came before us”. And Allah answered this supplication, as He granted concessions to this Ummah in matters pertaining to purification and different acts of worship, which He made easier in a way that he did not do for other nations.
“Our Lord, do not lay on us a burden greater than we have strength to bear”. Allah has answered this supplication also; to Him be praise.
“Pardon us, forgive us and have mercy on us”. Pardon and forgiveness are acts by means of which one may ward off evil and harm; mercy is that by virtue of which one attains well-being in all one’s affairs.
“You are our Protector” that is, You are our Lord, Sovereign and God, Whose protection and care for us have never faltered since You created us and formed us. Your blessing is constantly bestowed upon us at every moment of our lives. Moreover, You have bestowed upon us a great blessing and marvellous gift, namely the blessing of Islam to which all other blessings are secondary. So we ask You, O our Lord and Sovereign, to complete Your blessing by helping us against the disbelieving people who have disbelieved in You and Your Messenger (ﷺ), opposed the followers of Your religion and disobeyed You. Help us against them with proof and evidence, and on the battlefield, by causing us to prevail in the land and causing their defeat; bless us with faith and righteous deeds that lead to victory. Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds.
End quote from Tafseer As-Sa‘di.
The Enduring Good Deeds 
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