Al-Baqarah · Madani · ayah 158 of 286

Al-Baqarah 2:158

۞ إِنَّ ٱلصَّفَا وَٱلْمَرْوَةَ مِن شَعَآئِرِ ٱللَّهِ ۖ فَمَنْ حَجَّ ٱلْبَيْتَ أَوِ ٱعْتَمَرَ فَلَا جُنَاحَ عَلَيْهِ أَن يَطَّوَّفَ بِهِمَا ۚ وَمَن تَطَوَّعَ خَيْرًا فَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ شَاكِرٌ عَلِيمٌ

“Indeed, aṣ-Ṣafā and al-Marwah are among the symbols[55] of Allāh. So whoever makes ḥajj [pilgrimage] to the House or performs ʿumrah - there is no blame upon him for walking between them.[56] And whoever volunteers good - then indeed, Allāh is Appreciative[57] and Knowing.”

Saheeh International

Essence

Two small hills where a mother once ran for water are among Allah's marks, and the One who needs nothing thanks whoever walks them.

A reflection

The King who says thank you

A five-year-old helps her grandmother make a pie. The grandmother rolls the pastry, cuts the apples and bakes it. The child presses a fork round the edge. At dinner the grandmother tells the whole table who made the pattern, and the child glows.

The ayah ends: 'Allah is shākirun, ʿalīm.' Shākirun is the one who thanks. It is a startling word to find beside His name. We are the ones meant to thank Him. Yet the Lord of everything calls Himself the One who thanks His servant. One modern commentary explains it plainly: He rewards a little with a great deal. Another says He accepts the deed and repays it.

Set that beside the ego. We keep careful count of the thanks we are owed. The favour done for a colleague, the lift given to a cousin, the extra hour at work. When the thanks do not come, we feel robbed.

Allah owns the hills, the feet that walk between them and every breath the pilgrim takes on the way. He enabled each step that He then thanks. The grandmother's praise is generous, but she made the pie. Allah made the pie, the fork and the hand that held it, and still He thanks.

ʿAlīm completes the picture. He knows. The pilgrim who walked slowly because her knees hurt. The volunteer no one saw. The intention that wavered and came back. Nothing done for Him falls into a crack.

Does a God who calls Himself appreciative need our deeds? No. He is free of all need (35:15). His thanks is not payment for something He lacked. It is generosity flowing downhill. The only thing that shrinks here is our pride, the quiet conviction that we are owed. If the King of all thanks a servant for walking, who are we to withhold thanks from anyone?

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.