50 Fun Facts About Surah Al-Baqarah

In which city was Surah Al-Baqarah revealed, over roughly ten years starting from 622?

Medina was the Prophet's home after the Hijra, which makes Al-Baqarah a Medinan chapter full of law and community rules rather than the short warnings of the Meccan years.

Which verse number of Surah Al-Baqarah is Ayat al-Kursi, the Throne Verse many Muslims recite before sleep?

Verse 255 is the Throne Verse, held in hadith to be the greatest verse in the Quran. It is also printed on its own in countless homes and pendants.

What subject does verse 282 of Surah Al-Baqarah, the longest single verse in the Quran, deal with?

Recording a debt is the command: a fixed-term loan should be committed to writing by a scribe and witnessed, whether the sum is small or great.

According to a hadith quoted for Surah Al-Baqarah, who does not enter a house where the chapter is recited?

Satan stays out of a home where Al-Baqarah is recited, the Prophet said, adding 'do not turn your houses into graves'. The saying is recorded in Sahih Muslim.

A hadith in Sahih al-Bukhari says reciting the last two verses of Surah Al-Baqarah at night does what?

It suffices them, the hadith says, which is why many Muslims read verses 285 and 286 before sleeping. The exact wording is 'that will be sufficient for him'.

During which event, according to tradition, was the Prophet granted the final two verses of Surah Al-Baqarah?

The Night Journey (Isra and Mi'raj) is when tradition says the Prophet received them, along with the five daily prayers. They are known as a treasure from beneath God's throne.

Which disconnected letters open Surah Al-Baqarah, a combination that also begins five other chapters?

Alif Lam Mim also opens Al Imran, Al-Ankabut, Ar-Rum, Luqman and As-Sajdah. Most Muslims hold that the meaning of these letters is known only to God.

What is the Arabic term for the disconnected letters that open Surah Al-Baqarah and 28 other chapters?

Muqatta'at, 'disjoined letters', are combinations of one to five Arabic letters placed at the start of 29 of the 114 chapters. Their meaning is widely held to be known only to God.

Who alone refused when the angels were commanded in Surah Al-Baqarah to prostrate before Adam?

Iblis refused out of arrogance, and verse 34 says he thereby became one of the unfaithful. The episode is retold in six other chapters of the Quran.

What did God teach Adam in Surah Al-Baqarah that the angels then confessed they did not know?

The names of all things were taught to Adam, and when challenged the angels replied that they knew only what God had taught them. Adam then told them the names himself.

What does God announce He is placing on earth in Surah Al-Baqarah verse 30, prompting the angels' question?

A successor, 'khalifah' in Arabic, is the word used, and the angels asked whether this creature would shed blood and spread corruption. God answered, 'I know what you do not know.'

What were the Israelites told to say while entering a city's gate with humility in Surah Al-Baqarah verse 58?

'Absolve us', hittah in Arabic, was the required word, and the next verse says the wrongdoers swapped it for another. Forgiveness and extra reward were promised to those who obeyed.

What does Surah Al-Baqarah verse 63 say God raised above the Israelites while taking their covenant?

The mountain hung over them as they were told to hold firmly to the scripture, an image the chapter repeats later. Tradition identifies it with Mount Sinai.

What did the Israelites worship in Surah Al-Baqarah while Moses was away for forty nights?

The calf was worshipped in his absence, an act verse 51 calls wrongdoing. The next verse adds that God pardoned them afterwards so they might be grateful.

How many springs gushed from the rock when Moses struck it with his staff in Surah Al-Baqarah?

Twelve springs appeared, one for each tribe, so that 'each tribe knew its drinking place'. Moses had prayed for water for his people.

What did the Israelites demand in Surah Al-Baqarah instead of the single food they were given each day?

Herbs, lentils and onions, plus cucumbers and garlic, were what they asked for, and Moses replied, 'Do you exchange what is better for what is worse?'

What colour did the Israelites learn the sacrificial animal in Surah Al-Baqarah's title story had to be?

Yellow, and 'bright yellow, pleasant to see', was the answer to their question about its colour. Each further question narrowed the choice until only one animal would do.

What did striking with part of the sacrificed animal achieve in Surah Al-Baqarah's title story?

It revived a murdered man, exposing his killer after the people had disputed who was responsible. Verse 73 calls it a sign of how God brings the dead to life.

In which city does Surah Al-Baqarah place the two angels Harut and Marut, who taught magic as a test?

Babylon is where the two angels were sent, and they warned every learner, 'We are only a test, so do not abandon your faith.' The verse also clears Solomon of any disbelief.

What rift did people learn to cause with the magic described in Surah Al-Baqarah verse 102?

Between husband and wife is the rift named, though the verse adds that such magic could harm no one except by God's will. Whoever buys into it, it warns, has no share in the Hereafter.

Which group does Surah Al-Baqarah verse 62 name beside Jews and Christians as able to earn reward with God?

The Sabians are the fourth group listed, a community whose identity scholars still debate. The verse promises 'no fear for them, nor will they grieve'.

What does Surah Al-Baqarah verse 106 promise whenever a verse is abrogated or caused to be forgotten?

A better or similar one replaces it, the verse says, giving scholars the scriptural basis for the doctrine of naskh, or abrogation. It ends by asking, 'Do you not know that Allah is Most Capable of everything?'

What did Abraham and Ishmael pray for in Surah Al-Baqarah while raising the foundations of the House?

A messenger among them is what they asked for: one who would recite God's revelations and teach 'the Book and wisdom'. Muslims read this as a prophecy of Muhammad.

What was Abraham told to take in Surah Al-Baqarah when he asked to see how God gives life to the dead?

Four birds were to be trained, cut into pieces and scattered on separate hilltops, then called back to fly to him. Abraham said he believed already but wanted his heart reassured.

What challenge did Abraham set in Surah Al-Baqarah for the king who claimed he too gave life and death?

Make the sun rise westward was the dare, since God 'causes the sun to rise from the east', and the verse says the disbeliever was left dumbstruck. Tradition names the unnamed king as Nimrod.

For how long did God cause the traveller who passed a ruined city to die in Surah Al-Baqarah verse 259?

A hundred years passed, yet his food had not spoiled, while his donkey's bones were rebuilt and clothed with flesh before his eyes. He had guessed 'a day or part of a day'.

With what does Surah Al-Baqarah verse 253 say God supported Jesus, son of Mary, after giving him clear proofs?

The holy spirit supported Jesus, in a verse that says God 'chose some of those messengers above others' and spoke directly to some. Most commentators identify the spirit with the angel Gabriel.

In Surah Al-Baqarah verse 261, spending in God's cause is likened to a grain that sprouts how many ears?

Seven ears, each heavy with 100 grains, and God multiplies the reward even more for whom He wills. The image makes charity a 700-fold investment.

Toward what does Surah Al-Baqarah verse 144 tell believers to turn their faces, wherever they are?

The Sacred Mosque in Mecca became the qibla with this verse, replacing the earlier direction toward Jerusalem. The command is repeated in verses 149 and 150.

Roughly how long had Muslims prayed toward Jerusalem when Surah Al-Baqarah's qibla verses were revealed?

About 16 months after the Hijra, in the second year, the verses came down in the month of Rajab or Sha'ban. Verse 143 calls the earlier direction a test of who would stay faithful.

What kind of community does Surah Al-Baqarah verse 143 say God made the believers, as witnesses over humanity?

An upright one, 'ummatan wasatan' in Arabic, is often rendered 'a middle nation', balanced between extremes. The same verse explains why the prayer direction was changed.

According to Surah Al-Baqarah verse 256, there is 'no compulsion' in what?

Religion admits no compulsion, the verse says, 'for the truth stands out clearly from falsehood'. It goes on to praise whoever grasps 'the firmest, unfailing hand-hold'.

Which two states does Ayat al-Kursi in Surah Al-Baqarah say never overtake God?

Drowsiness and sleep never overtake Him, the verse says, before adding that His Seat encompasses the heavens and the earth. Preserving both, it adds, does not tire Him.

Which two names of God does Ayat al-Kursi in Surah Al-Baqarah give right after 'there is no god except Him'?

The Ever-Living, All-Sustaining, al-Hayy al-Qayyum in Arabic, open the verse's list of divine attributes. The same pair opens Surah Al Imran and recurs in Surah Ta-Ha.

From what does hadith say reciting Ayat al-Kursi of Surah Al-Baqarah morning and evening protects a person?

Jinn and devils are the threat named: the reciter is under God's protection from their evil. Many Muslims also recite the verse before a journey and after each obligatory prayer.

Under Surah Al-Baqarah, if two male witnesses cannot be found for a written loan, who may witness instead?

One man and two women may stand in, 'so if one of the women forgets the other may remind her'. The verse also forbids harming a scribe or witness.

Surah Al-Baqarah verse 183 says fasting was prescribed for believers just as it had been prescribed for whom?

Those before them had fasting prescribed too, the verse says, 'so perhaps you will become mindful of Allah'. It opens the run of verses that set out the Ramadan fast.

What does Surah Al-Baqarah tell someone who is ill or travelling during the month of fasting to do?

Make up the days later, 'an equal number of days', is the rule, because 'Allah intends ease for you, not hardship'. The same verse names the month as the one in which the Quran was revealed.

What compensation does Surah Al-Baqarah verse 184 set for those who can fast only with extreme difficulty?

Feeding a needy person for each day missed is the compensation, and giving more is called 'better for them'. Even so, the verse adds, 'to fast is better for you, if only you knew'.

Until what moment does Surah Al-Baqarah verse 187 allow eating and drinking before each day's fast begins?

Dawn is the cut-off, phrased in the Arabic as the white thread becoming distinct from the black thread. The fast then runs 'until nightfall'.

How many total days of fasting does Surah Al-Baqarah set for a pilgrim unable to provide a sacrificial animal?

Ten in total: three days during the pilgrimage and seven after returning home. The rule applies to those who do not live near the Sacred House.

What does Surah Al-Baqarah verse 275 say God has permitted, in the same breath as forbidding interest?

Trading is permitted while interest is forbidden, answering those who claimed 'trade is no different than interest'. Anyone who persists, the verse warns, will be a resident of the Fire.

According to the final verse of Surah Al-Baqarah, God never requires of a soul more than what?

'It can afford' is the measure set in verse 286, which closes with the plea 'grant us victory over the disbelieving people'. The verse is a prayer asking pardon for forgetting or making mistakes.

What sign of Talut's kingship did the Israelites' prophet promise in Surah Al-Baqarah, carried by angels?

The Ark would return 'containing reassurance from your Lord and relics of the family of Moses and the family of Aaron'. The unnamed prophet is traditionally identified as Samuel.

With what did Talut test his army in Surah Al-Baqarah, allowing no more than a sip from the hollow of the hand?

A river was the test, and 'they all drank their fill except for a few', leaving a small force to face Goliath. Those who crossed said, 'How many times has a small force vanquished a mighty army'.

Who does Surah Al-Baqarah verse 251 say killed Goliath, in the battle fought by Talut's small remaining force?

David killed Goliath, and the verse adds that God then 'blessed David with kingship and wisdom'. Goliath appears in the Quran under the name Jalut.

Talut, the king the Israelites' prophet announced in Surah Al-Baqarah, is identified with which biblical king?

Saul is how English translations render Talut, and the people's complaint was that 'he has not been blessed with vast riches'. God, the prophet replied, had given him knowledge and stature instead.

How did Moses answer in Surah Al-Baqarah when his people asked 'Are you mocking us?' about the sacrifice?

He sought refuge from foolishness, saying 'I seek refuge in Allah from acting foolishly', before relaying each further detail they asked for. The exchange opens the story that names the chapter.

Before granting the new qibla, what does Surah Al-Baqarah verse 144 say the Prophet was turning his face toward?

Heaven is where he kept looking, and the verse promises a direction 'that will please you'. Those given earlier scripture, it adds, knew this to be the truth.

What does God say He does in Surah Al-Baqarah verse 186, set among the fasting verses, when His servants call on Him?

Responds is the promise: 'I am truly near. I respond to one's prayer when they call upon Me.' In return the verse asks servants to respond to Him with obedience.