Regarding Al-Baqarah Verse 221 (2:221)

Question:

I am Christian and i h ave many questions and nobody suitable to give me answers.
Can you pls clarify to' me the correct meaning of - 2,221, or can you let me know where i can read all explanations i need also about other versets?
God with you

Thank you

Pamelin


Answer:

Salaam and greetings dear sister.
 
Many thanks for your comments and contact. We would try and answer your queries to the best of our abilities. You can either join the forum and post your queries on the forum, or you can use the Q&A service of the web site and ask the questions.
 
If you would like to, we would be grateful if you could provide input in the interfaith section of our forum which has a thread "Understanding the Bible". So that we can also benefit from your knowledge.
 
The idea of the forum is to discuss and share our views and try to understand each other's faith and reasons behind the opinions. It is not an effort to try and convert someone to a different faith. As per our COC, the discussions have to be undertaken with full respect to other person's faith and belief.
 
I would be grateful if you could specify exactly what you would like to understand about verse 2;221. I enclose the translation and explanation done by Javed Ghamidhi (translated into English by Shehzad Saleem) and the web site link.
 

And [even for the welfare of the orphans], you shall not wed idolatrous women³², unless they embrace faith. And [remember] a believing slave-girl is better than an idolatrous woman, although you may fancy her. Nor shall you wed your women to the Idolaters, unless they embrace faith. And [remember] a believing slave is better than an Idolater, although you may fancy him.³³ These [idolatrous people] call you to the Fire; but God calls you, by His grace, to Paradise and to forgiveness³⁴. And explains His verses to people so that they may take heed.  (221)
 
[32]. The word ‘اَلمُشْرِكُوْن’ (polytheists) here qualifies the polytheists of Arabia. The Qur’an specifically uses this word for them. Other people of the world can be regarded as idolaters if they positively subscribe to idolatry (polytheism) like the Idolaters of Arabia. They cannot be called Idolaters if they have not willingly and intellectually adopted idolatry. For example, the Jews and Christians of Arabia were also involved in blatant forms of polytheism, but since they were originally upholders of monotheism and shunned polytheism, they cannot be called idolaters.

[33]. This explanation has been made so that it becomes evident to people that the standards of likes and dislikes must change once a person professes faith. While commenting on this aspect, Islahi writes:

In Islam, the standards of likes and dislikes are neither looks, nor social status nor race; being a free man or a bond man is also not bases in this matter. They are in fact based upon faith and righteous deeds. Muslims have therefore been told that their relationships and associations are not bound by race, creed or brotherhood; they are in fact subservient to faith and deeds. A charming princess of the Quraysh has no worth for them if she is not decked with the ornament of faith and a jet black African lady is like the graceful Hur of Paradise for them if her heart is illuminated with the light of faith. (Amin Ahsan Islahi, Tadabbur-i-Qur’an, 4th ed., vol. 1 (Lahore: Faran Foundation, 1991) p. 519)

[34]. The verse delineates the underlying wisdom of prohibiting marriage with upholders of polytheism. If someone does so, he would actually be surrendering his household to the calls of Hell. The reason is that People who ardently adhere to polytheism would never be forgiven by the Almighty nor would they ever enter His Paradise. A person who marries among polytheists is actually making his abode in Hell. No sane person can do such a blunder.

http://www.monthly-renaissance.com/issue/content.aspx?id=178

http://www.monthly-renaissance.com/issue/content.aspx?id=450

Best regards
Waseem Aslam
UIUK web team

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