Surah Baqarah and its name
The guidance book for us -as Muslims- is the Holy Quran that is the word of Allah. This great book contains 114 Surah, and Surah Baqarah is one of them. Surah Baqarah is the longest Surah of the Holy Quran containing 286 Verses. It is the second Surah after Surah Fatiha, and it was revealed on the Messenger of Allah Muhammad (SAW) in Madinah (it is considered the first Surah that revealed in Madinah except for this Verse: وَاتَّقُوا یَوْمًا تُرْجَعُونَ فِیهِ إِلَى اللهَِّ that was revealed in Makkah).The blessings of Surah Baqarah :
This great Surah has a great reward from Allah; as it contains many provisions in addition to the Verses of Ruqyah Syar’iyyah . It also made clear that Islamic law is an organization for lives of Muslims to worship Allah, and deal with other people. Each Surah has a characteristic, and Surah Baqarah is characterized by the longest Ayah of the Holy Quran (Debt Ayah). Surah Baqarah has a great status and contains many rulings and sermons, it is named “Fostat al Quran.” Many Hadiths and Verses have explained the importance of Surah Baqarah and its recitation.Benefits of reciting Surah Baqarah:
قال رسول الله صلى الله علیه وسلم:
اقْرَؤوا القرآنَ؛ فإنه یأتي یومَ القیامةِ شفیعًا لأصحابه. اقرَؤوا الزَّهرَاوَین:
البقرةَ وسورةَ آلِ عمرانَ؛ فإنهما تأتِیان یومَ القیامةِ كأنهما غَمامتانِ، أو
كأنهما غَیایتانِ، أو كأنهما فِرْقانِ من طیرٍ صوافَّ تُحاجّان عن أصحابهما.
اقرَؤوا سورةَ البقرةِ؛ فإنَّ أَخْذَها بركةٌ، وتركَها حسرةٌ، ولا یستطیعُها
البَطَلَةُ. قال معاویةُ: بلغني أنَّ البطلَةَ السحرةُ
This Verse means that:
Reciting the Holy Quran will be an intercessor for its companions. Surah Al Baqarah , and Surah Al Imran are named Al Zahrawan; as they will come on the day of resurrection as a cloud. Barakah will come with reciting Surah Baqarah, and we will be sorry if we leave it.
It is important to say that reciting this great Surah is very difficult for a Magician.
Our beloved Prophet Muhammad (SAW) also has advised us to recite it; as it protects the house from entering Satan for 3 days.
What is the cause of naming this Surah by this name? Surah Baqarah was named by this name; as it talks about
the Cow that Allah has commanded Bene Israel to slaughter. The story of the Cow begins with the word of Allah:
بسم الله الرحمن الرحیم
وَإِذْ قَالَ مُوسَى لِقَوْمِهِ إِنَّ اللهّ یَأْمُرُكُمْ أَن تَذْبَحُواْ بَقَرَةً قَالُواْ أَتَتَّخِذُنَا هُزُوًا قَالَ
أَعُوذُ بِاللهّ أَنْ أَكُونَ مِنَ الْجَاهِلِینَ * قَالُواْ ادْعُ لَنَا رَبَّكَ یُبَیِّنَ لَّنَا مَا هِي قَالَ إِنَّهُ
یَقُولُ إِنَّهَا بَقَرَةٌلاَّ فَارِضٌ وَلاَ بِكْرٌ عَوَانٌ بَیْنَ ذلِكَ فَافْعَلُواْ مَا تُؤْمَرونَ * قَالُواْ
ادْعُ لَنَا رَبَّكَ یُبَیِّن لَّنَا مَا لَوْنُهَا قَالَ إِنَّهُ یَقُولُ إِنَّهَا بَقَرَةٌ صَفْرَآءُ فَاقِعٌ لَّوْنُهَا
تَسُرُّ النَّاظِرِینَ * قَالُواْ ادْعُ لَنَا رَبَّكَیُبَیِّن لَّنَا مَا هِىَ إِنَّ البَقَرَ تَشَابَهَ عَلَیْنَا وَإِنَّآ
إِن شَآءَ اللهّ لَمُهْتَدُونَ * قَالَ إِنَّهُ یَقُولُ إِنَّهَابَقَرَةٌ لاَّ ذَلُولٌ تُثِیرُ الاَْرْضَ وَلاَ
تَسْقِي الْحَرْثَ مُسَلَّمَةٌ لاَّ شِیَةَ فِیهَا قَالُواْ الآنَ جِئْتَ بِالْحَقِّ فَذَبَحُوهَا وَمَا كَادُواْ
یَفْعَلُونَ * وَإِذْ قَتَلْتُمْ نَفْسًا فَادَرَأْتُمْ فِیهَا وَاللهّ مُخْرِجٌ مَّا كُنتُمْ تَكْتُمُونَ * فَقُلْنَا
اضْرِبُوهُ بِبَعْضِهَا كَذَلِكَ یُحْيِ اللهّ الْمَوْتَى وَیُرِیكُمْ آیَاتِهِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَعْقِلُونَ
And now we will tell the story of Israel’s cow; in order to learn its useful lessons.
It was reported that there was a man who was killed from Bene Israel, so Allah Almighty has commanded the Prophet Musa (peace be upon him) to slay a Cow. Allah didn’t explain _to His Prophet Musa_ the
characteristic of this cow; for their convenience.
Allah has promised them that when they strike the dead person with a portion of this Cow, the dead will speak to tell about the murderer. But Beni Israel made it difficult and asked about the age and the color of this cow. At the end of the story, they brought the cow with the required specifications, threw part of it on the dead body, so tell them the name of the killer (as Allah has promised them). So Surah Baqarah was named by this name.
See More: Benefits Of Reciting Surah Baqarah