Surah Al-Baqarah, Ayah 123

We mentioned a similar Ayah at the beginning of this Surah, and it is mentioned here to emphisize the importance of following the Ummi Prophet and Messenger, who is described for the People of the Scriptures in their Books by his characteristics, name, the good news about him and the description of his Ummah. Allah warned them against concealing this information, which is among the favors that Allah granted them. Allah also commanded them to remember their daily life and their religious affairs and how He blessed them. They should not envy their cousins, the Arabs, for what Allah has given them, the Final Messenger of Allah ﷺ being an Arab. Envy should not incite them to oppose or deny the Prophet or refrain from following him, may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him until the Day of Judgment.

A large section of this Sarah, ending with the previous verse, has been dealing with different aspects of the conduct of the Israelites (that is, the Jews) in the course of their history. This account had begun with the statement which has been repeated at the end in these two verses. The statement is of a general and principal kind, and the verses which come in between the beginning and the end are, so to say, a detailed demonstration of the statement. On the one hand, it encourages the Israelites to come back to the Straight Path by reminding them of the blessings which Allah has bestowed on them; on the other hand, it warns them of the consequences of their lapses by depicting the Day of Judgment. The purpose of repeating the statement at the end of the discussion is to make the two ideas sink deep into their minds. For, what is aimed at in a discussion is the affirmation of certain basic and general principles -- being succinct, they are easily kept alive in the mind, and, being comprehensive and readily applicable to particular situations, they make it easy for one to remember the details too. In the art of writing and speaking, it is considered to be one of the most effective means of carrying conviction that, before starting on a long analytical discussion of a subject, one should define the basic ideas very briefly and clearly which are always helpful in comprehending the details and the particularities, and that, in concluding the argument, one should repeat these ideas by way of a summary. The repetition of the introductory statement here is of this very nature.

All those whom God has sent to preach truth on earth have been confronted with the same kind of reaction. ‘If you are God’s envoy,’ people say to them, ‘Why are you not blessed with great worldly treasures?’ Such people themselves can think only in worldly terms, so they expect God’s messenger to come up to their materialistic standards. They cannot conceive of someone being God’s messenger who is not endowed with worldly grandeur. This is the reason the prophets of God have had to face opposition throughout the ages. How, people think, could a great God, whose kingdom encompasses everything, starting with the earth and going to the furthest expanse of the heavens, have chosen such an ordinary person as His messenger? The signs of God were reflected in the lives and teachings of His prophets; indeed, the prophets’ words and deeds, based as they were on truth, were manifestations of God’s signs. But people could not see such signs because they were too materialistic in their thinking. Their minds were moulded in such a manner that they acknowledged only tangible, visible signs of greatness; the invisible, but intensely meaningful signs that God gave His prophets meant nothing to them. When the preacher comes armed with forceful arguments based on truth, his hearers fail to comprehend them because of their negative mindset. In ancient times the Jews and Christians had been the bearers of divinely revealed religion on earth. When they went into decline, however, their religion was reduced to a set of ethnic customs: piety lay in belonging to their community and impiety in being apart from it. Their sole criterion for judging between truth and falsehood was the individual’s relation to his own community. This sectarian attitude prevented them from accepting genuine unadulterated religion when it was presented to them. True religion can be accepted only by those who are alive to their own true, human natures unlike those who, having suppressed their own true natures, have forsaken natural religion for artificial dogmas.