Al-Baqarah · Madani · ayah 137 of 286

Al-Baqarah 2:137

فَإِنْ ءَامَنُوا۟ بِمِثْلِ مَآ ءَامَنتُم بِهِۦ فَقَدِ ٱهْتَدَوا۟ ۖ وَّإِن تَوَلَّوْا۟ فَإِنَّمَا هُمْ فِى شِقَاقٍ ۖ فَسَيَكْفِيكَهُمُ ٱللَّهُ ۚ وَهُوَ ٱلسَّمِيعُ ٱلْعَلِيمُ

“So if they believe in the same as you believe in, then they have been [rightly] guided; but if they turn away, they are only in dissension, and Allāh will be sufficient for you against them. And He is the Hearing, the Knowing.”

Saheeh International

Essence

Whoever believes as you believe is guided; whoever turns away has split off into opposition, and Allah, the Hearing, the Knowing, will be enough for you against them.

A reflection

You do not have to win every argument

It is past one in the morning. A young man has been arguing about religion in a comment thread for three hours. He has written long replies, found sources, rewritten his best points. The other person has not budged. He cannot sleep until he has had the last word.

This ayah was revealed to a Prophet ﷺ surrounded by opposition. After he had stated the faith clearly (2:136), Allah told him what to do if people turned away. Not 'argue harder'. Instead: 'Allah will be enough for you against them.'

The verb is kafā. Its root means the measure that needs nothing added. A kufya was a ration of food that was enough to live on. To kafā someone a matter was to take it off his hands and see it through. A rhetorician among the commentators notes the small prefix sa: it will certainly happen, even if it takes time.

Then the ayah closes with two names. 'He is the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing.' The same commentator reads them both ways. To the opponents, a warning: He hears what you say and knows the envy you hide. To the Prophet ﷺ, a promise: He hears your prayer and knows your intention.

This is humbling for the ego that needs to win. Our part is to speak the truth clearly and kindly. The outcome is not ours to force. The One who is enough has taken the matter into His hands.

Does Allah need us to praise His sufficiency? No. He is free of all need (35:15). It is we who need to know it, so that we can stop carrying what was never ours.

The young man could close the laptop. The argument was never his to finish.

The full entry has 5 more reflections, questions to sit with, and "Live it today" - with the words, the roots and the tafsir alongside. Free, no account, works offline.