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com

The compilation of this work is an attempt to document the

linguistic definitions of words and verbs, some tafseer
commentary, and the explanation done by Ustadh Nouman
Ali Khan in his “Qur’an: Cover to Cover” project at the
Bayyinah Institute. It is highly recommended to couple this
PDF with watching the videos on Bayyinah T.V. to attain
maximum benefit.

‫ورةُ الْبَ َق َرة‬‫س‬

َ ُ
Surah Al-Baqarah
“The Cow”

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Ayah 1
‫امل‬
Muhsin Khan
Alif-Lam-Mim. [These letters are one of the miracles of the Quran and none but
Allah (Alone) knows their meanings].

‫[ امل‬Alif-Lam-Meem] these letters in Arabic are called ‫وف‬

ُ ‫ُح ُر‬
‫[ الْ ُم َقطَّ َعات‬hurooful muqat-ta-aa3ti] which literally means the
severed letters. We find that some surahs in the Quran
begin with a different sequence of letters whether it be
one, two, three, four, or even five. The majority opinion
amongst the Muslims is that Allah alone knows their
meanings. However, with that said, some people have
tried to give an explanation as to what they possibly could
mean. Though these are all speculations, there is something
that does hold some weight. In the divine sequence the
Quran was compiled in we see that these letters [‫ ]امل‬come
right after Surah Al-Fatihah where human beings are
asking for guidance. So it is as if Allah is telling us that
when you approach this book [The Quran] and life in
general, don’t expect to know everything. This is supposed
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to be a humbling effect on the human being when he/she

comes to terms that their knowledge is limited and Allah’s
knowledge it limitless. We will see in the next ayah that
Allah explains that this Quran is from a higher source, a
source we can’t begin to fathom and thus putting the
human being in his/her place.
Another point of benefit to note here is that this is a
Madani surah [one that was revealed in Al-Madinah]. The
Prophet ‫صلّى هللا عليه و سلّم‬was amongst educated Arab Jews
and Christians who prided themselves on being educated.
When the Prophet ‫ صلّى هللا عليه و سلّم‬recited ‫ امل‬this was baffling
to the people of Al-Madinah. He ‫ صلّى هللا عليه و سلّم‬is supposed
to be someone who is unable to read or write and now is
he making mention of some of the names of the letters the
Arabic Language consists of. They knew that someone
who knows these names has to be someone who can read
or write and that fact of the matter was is that he was
unlettered. So, this is a proof in of itself that He
‫ صلّى هللا عليه و سلّم‬was getting divine inspiration and not
speaking from His ‫ صلّى هللا عليه و سلّم‬own desires.

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Ayah 2
‫ي‬ ِ ‫ْكتَاب ََل ريب فِ ِيه ه ًدى لِلْمت‬
‫َّق‬ ِ ‫ك ال‬
َ ِ‫َٰذَل‬
َ ُ ُ َ َْ ُ
Muhsin Khan
This is the Book (the Quran), whereof there is no doubt, a guidance to those who are
Al-Muttaqun [the pious and righteous persons who fear Allah much (abstain from all
kinds of sins and evil deeds which He has forbidden) and love Allah much (perform
all kinds of good deeds which He has ordained)].

َ ِ‫[ َٰذَل‬thaalika] is a demonstrative pronoun meaning ‘that’.

‫ك‬
This demonstrative pronoun is used for something far
away.
‫اب‬ ِ
ُ َ‫[ الْكت‬al-kitaabu] commonly translated as ‘book’, it
literally means something that is etched, carved in, written,
or documented.
So, here Allah uses ‫ك‬ َ ‫ َذل‬instead of the demonstrative
pronoun ‫[ َه َذا‬haatha] meaning ‘this’ which is used for
something near. Why did Allah refer to ‫اب‬ ُ َ‫ اَلْكت‬as something
far and not near when it is being recited by the Prophet ‫صلّى‬
‫ هللا عليه و سلّم‬to His companions? The answer is in the
meaning of the word ‫اب‬ ُ َ‫ اَلْكت‬which we already discussed its
meaning. This ayah is referring to the Quran that is

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written and documented in the preserved tablet or in

ُ َّ‫[ اَلل‬al-lawhul mah’foothu]. The
Arabic called ‫وح الَ َم ْح ُفو ُظ‬
Quran was not completely revealed in its entirety at this
point however, it was in its entirety in the preserved tablet
then and now.
‫ب فِ ِيه‬
َ ْ‫[ ََل َري‬la rayba feehi] There is absolutely no doubt in
it [The Quran].
Whether we understand something in it or not, it’s
irrelevant. This Quran is something there is absolutely no
doubt in.
‫ي‬ ِ ‫[ لِل‬lil-mut-taqeena] comes from the verb ‫[ اتَّ َقى‬it-taqa]
َ ‫ْمتَّق‬
ُ
which means to protect oneself, to take precautionary
measures. From it we have the word ‫[ وقَايَة‬wiqaayatun]
which means protection.
So, here Allah is saying that this Quran is a book wherein
there is no doubt and is guidance for the type of people
who really want to protect themselves. Due to the fact
they want to protect themselves from the anger of Allah
they will find the truth of this faith of Al-Islam.

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Ayah 3
‫اه ْم يُ ِنف ُقو َن‬‫ن‬ ‫ق‬
ْ ‫ز‬ ‫ر‬ ‫ا‬َّ
‫ِم‬ِ‫الص ََل َة و‬
َّ ‫ن‬
َ ‫و‬ ‫يم‬ ِ ‫ب وي‬
‫ق‬ ِ ‫ي‬ ‫غ‬ْ
‫ل‬ ‫ا‬ِ
‫ب‬ ‫ن‬
َ ‫و‬ ‫ن‬ ِ‫الَّ ِذين ي ْؤ‬
‫م‬
َ
ُ َ َ َ ُ َُ ْ َ ُ َُ

Muhsin Khan
Who believe in the Ghaib and perform As-Salat (Iqamat-as-Salat), and spend out of
what we have provided for them [i.e. give Zakat , spend on themselves, their parents,
their children, their wives, etc., and also give charity to the poor and also in Allah's
Cause - Jihad, etc.].

‫[ يُ ْؤِمنُو َن‬yu’minoona] is the present tense verb of the verb

‫[ َآم َن‬aamana] which means to believe. Here this present
tense verb gives the meaning of those who currently
believe and those who will believe in the future. This is
one of the benefits of a present tense verb that it can carry
these two different meanings of time.
‫الص ََل َة‬
َّ [as-salaata] meaning ‘prayer’. Its literal meaning is
‫[ صلَة‬silatun] ‘connection’. Through its establishment one is
constantly connected to Allah, our cautiousness of trying to
avoid the anger of Allah remains present, and our ‫إ ْْيَان‬
[eemaan] ‘faith’ in ‫ب‬ُ ‫[ اَلْغَْي‬al-ghaybu] ‘the unseen’ stays alive.

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* Here Allah has listed some qualities in order. He starts off

by mentioning those who seek to protect themselves.
These people are those who believe in the unseen, and
establish prayers, and spend from the wealth Allah has
bestowed upon them. This is the qualities of a truth
believer. A true believer in Allah will do these things.

Ayah 4
‫ك َوبِ ْاْل ِخ َرِة ُه ْم‬ ِ
‫ل‬
َ ْ ‫ب‬ ‫ق‬
َ ‫ن‬ ِ
‫م‬ ‫ل‬
َ ِ
‫ز‬ ‫ُن‬
‫أ‬ ‫ا‬‫م‬ ‫و‬ ‫ك‬
ََ َ ْ ‫ي‬َ‫ل‬ِ
‫إ‬ ‫ل‬
َ ِ
‫ز‬ ‫ُن‬
‫أ‬ ‫ا‬‫ِب‬
َ ِ ‫ن‬
َ ‫و‬ ‫ن‬ ِ
ُ ُ َ َّ‫َوال‬
‫م‬‫ؤ‬ْ ‫ي‬ ‫ين‬‫ذ‬ِ

‫يُوقِنُو َن‬
Muhsin Khan
And who believe in (the Quran and the Sunnah) which has been sent down
(revealed) to you (Muhammad Peace be upon him ) and in [the Taurat (Torah) and
the Injeel (Gospel), etc.] which were sent down before you and they believe with
certainty in the Hereafter. (Resurrection, recompense of their good and bad deeds,
Paradise and Hell, etc.).

In this surah the belief in the message is a constant theme.

It’s very important to keep this in mind as you proceed
through the surah. Already Allah has mentioned ‫اب‬ ِ
ُ َ‫ اَلْكت‬and
now in this ayah Allah makes mention of the Quran &
Sunnah that has been revealed and the scriptures of the

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previous nations. So, again it’s the reoccurring theme of

belief in the message.
‫[ أَنْ َز َل‬anzala] means to send down in entirety, all at one
time. When this verb is followed by the preposition ‫َعلَى‬
[a3la] meaning ‘on’ then it means ‘to send down in entirety
at one time as a burden/obligation’. If the verb ‫ أَنْ َز َل‬is
followed by the preposition ‫[ إِ َل‬ila] meaning ‘to’ then it
would me ‘to send down in entirety at one time as a
privilege/gift/favour.
The people of tawqa [those who are conscious of Allah,
fear Him, and take the precautionary measures to try and
avert His anger] are those who believe in the scripture [The
Quran] that was revealed to the Prophet ‫صلى هللا عليه و سلم‬
and those scriptures that were given to the Prophets ‫عليهم‬
‫ السَلم‬before.
This is a refutation of sects such as the Ahmadiyyah who
believe that the Prophet
‫ صلى هللا عليه و سلم‬wasn’t the final messenger sent by Allah and
that revelation hasn’t seized. Allah mentions that what it
takes to be a believer is to believe in the Quran and the

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scriptures that came before. Allah did not mention a third

source coming after His final revelation in The Quran.
‫[ يُوقِنُو َن‬yuqinoona] comes from the verb ‫[ أَيْ َق َن‬ayqana]
which means to have conviction as though you can see
something. From this verb we get the word ‫[ يَقي‬yaqeenun]
absolute certainty and unshakeable conviction.
Allah is saying here that those who believe and have taqwa
are those whose belief in the hereafter is so strong that it is
as if they have experienced it already.

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