Chapter 2: Surat Al-Baqarah (The Cow), verses 158-162
Translation:
Safa and Marwa are two of God’s beacons. It shall be no offence for the pilgrim or the visitor to the Sacred House to walk around them. And one who does good of his own accord should know that God is Appreciative and All-Knowing. Those that hide the clear proofs and the guidance We have revealed after We have proclaimed them in the Book, shall be cursed by God and shall be cursed by those who invoked damnation; except those that repent and mend their ways and make known the truth. Towards them I shall relent. I am the Relenting One, the Merciful. But the infidels who die unbelievers shall incur the curse of God, the angels, and all people. Under it they shall remain forever; their punishment shall not be lightened, nor shall they be given respite.
Tafsir
(Commentary):
Abraham, on
whom be peace, was a native of Iraq. Acting under God’s command, he took his
wife Hajira and infant son Ishmael, and left them in the place now known as
Mecca. No one lived there then, and there was no water. Thirst forced Hajira to
go out in search of water. Distressed, she ran back and forth between the hills
of Safa and Marwa. After seven unsuccessful journeys, she returned to their
dwelling. There she found a spring, now known as the spring of Zamzam, flowing
from the ground. This was a symbolic event, showing us how Almighty God treats
His servants. If one presses on in service of God, eventually reaching a stage
where there is nothing but burning sand beneath one’s feet, then God in His
mercy will cause a refreshing spring to gush forth from the dryness of the
desert sands. When Muslims perform the pilgrimage to Mecca, they repeat
Hajira’s historic quest between these hills, thus commemorating the profound
relevance of the event to everyone who struggles in the path of God.
God’s
signs were displayed so clearly in the Prophet Muhammad’s words and actions,
that it was not difficult to see that he had been sent by God. Yet the Jewish
intelligentsia denied him. They were prevented from believing by the fear that
if they accepted an Arab prophet, their religious hegemony would come to an end.
People would stop looking up to the Jews as their leaders. Old established
religious traditions and the interests which come to be associated with them,
(the Jews being the main beneficiaries) would be destroyed. They deemed it wise
to conceal the truth, for they thought that they would lose their worldly status
were they to accept it, but it would have been much wiser for them to have
proclaimed it. They forgot that God’s servants are required to put truth
before their worldly interests. One who becomes destitute for the Lord’s sake
gains succour from the inexhaustible pastures of divine grace.