Al-Baqarah · Madani · ayah 141 of 286

Al-Baqarah 2:141

تِلْكَ أُمَّةٌ قَدْ خَلَتْ ۖ لَهَا مَا كَسَبَتْ وَلَكُم مَّا كَسَبْتُمْ ۖ وَلَا تُسْـَٔلُونَ عَمَّا كَانُوا۟ يَعْمَلُونَ

“That is a nation which has passed on. It will have [the consequence of] what it earned, and you will have what you have earned. And you will not be asked about what they used to do.”

Saheeh International

Essence

The same words return to close the argument: that generation has gone to its Lord with its deeds, and you will be asked only about yours.

A reflection

Said twice, because once is not enough

A grandmother says 'Say bismillah' at every meal. She has said it to her grandchildren for thirty years, and they are now grown up with children of their own. They tease her about it. They still say it.

This ayah repeats, word for word, an ayah only seven verses earlier (2:134). 'That was a community that has passed. It has what it earned, and you have what you have earned. And you will not be asked about what they used to do.' Why say it twice?

The commentators give several answers. A later commentary says it is repeated to warn all the more strongly against something deeply rooted in human nature: pride in one's forefathers, and leaning on them. It compares it to saying, 'Fear Allah, fear Allah.' Some habits are too entrenched to be shifted by a single sentence.

A commentary on legal rulings and language adds another reason. The repetition carries a warning. If even those prophets, for all their rank, are repaid for their own deeds, then you are all the more so.

The same later commentary records a third view. The first time, the words were aimed at the People of the Book. The second time, they are aimed at us, the Muslims, so that we do not copy the same habit.

Those who memorise the Quran know these two ayat well, because they are identical. A memoriser must remember what comes after each one. But the repetition is not only a test of memory. It is a test of humility. The point we most need to hear is often the one we hear twice.

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.