Reflections on Surah Al-Baqarah

Prof. Dr Anis Ahmad is an Islamic scholar; who specializes in Islamic Jurisprudence and da'wah. He is a meritorious Professor of comparative ethics and religion. He is the founder and Vice Chancellor of Riphah International University, Islamabad, Pakistan.He has previously held senior academic positions as founding Dean, the Faculty of Ismaic Revelaed Knowlese and Human Sciences, International Islamic University, Malaysia; Dean Faculty of Social Sciences founder and Dean of the Faculty of Usul al-Din and Director General of Da'wah Academy of the International Islamic University. He also serves as Vice President, of International Islamic Univesity, Islamabad.He is Editor-In-Chief of Islam and the West, a scholarly journal published in Islamabad since 1997.He has taught at national and international universities including The Appalachian State University, North Carolina, and Temple University, Pennsylvania, USA. Lanzhou University, China International Islamic University of Islamabad, and Malaysia.He has published more than 90 research papers on socio-political and educational issues. He has contributed articles to The Oxford Encyclopaedia of Islamic World New York and London; Encyclopaedia of Islamic Economics, London UK and Encyclopaedia of Islam, Turkey and The Muslim World Book Review, Leicester, UK.

• Preface 1» Introduction to al-Baqarah 7» An Overview: Five Thematic Groups of Verses 12» The Change of Leadership 15» Guidance on Social Ethics 17» The Uniqueness of Qur’anic Guidance 17» Preservation of the Qur’an 20» The Earlier Scriptures 21» The Most Appropriate Universal Guidance (Hidayah) 24» The Universality of the Qur’an 27» Taqwa is a Prerequisite of Hidayah 29» The Ethical Empowerment of Human Beings 32» The Role of Guidance (Hidayah) in Achieving Taqwa,Virtue, Piety and Servitude 34» Taqwa as a Behavioural Practice, Objective of allActs of Devotion and a Key Theme in the Qur’an 40» The Real Success (Falah) 44» The Culture of Infaq 45» Two Types of Human Conduct and Behaviour:Disbelief (Kufr) and Hypocrisy (Nifaq) 47» The Meaning of Hypocrisy (Nifaq) 49» The Inimitability of the Qur’an 53» The Wisdom (Hikmah) in the Challenge to ProduceSomething Like the Qur’an 54» Comprehensiveness of the Din 56Lessons from the Story of Prophet Adam  61» Iblis’s Modern Forms of Temptations:Cultural Colonialism and Entrepreneurial Capitalism 63» The Fourfold Implication of Khilafah: What Khilafah is and is not 65» The Leadership Role of Earlier Peoples: The Case of Bani Isra‘il 67» In the Wilderness of Sinai 69» Shirk (Associating with Allah) and Nifaq (Hypocracy),The Two Major Transgressions that Lead to Helfire 73» Realizing Tawhid in the Social Sphere 74» The Transgressions of the Israelites 76» Allah’s Mercy and the Israelites’ Response 77» A Universal Message: Tawhid as the Common Ground 79» The Israelites’ Practice of Double Standards 82» The Negative Effects of the Israelites’ Cultural Assimilation in Egypt 83» The Response of the Jewish Community in Madinah 84» Immediacy Instead of Ultimacy 86» The Dialogical Approach 90» Implications of the Covenant: Serving Allah Through Salah and Zakah 94» Serving Parents as a Demand of Tawhid 96» The Qur’anic Model of Extended Family 98» The Rights of the Marginalized: The Culture of Ihsan 100» The Ethics of Communication 101» The Culture of Using Communication in a Dignified Way 104» The Status of Earlier Sacred Laws 105» Religious Pluralism and the Right to Worship in an Islamic Polity 111» Similarity of and Constancy in the Message (Da‘wah) of all the Prophets 113» The Conferment of Leadership on Prophet Ibrahim  115» A Dialogue Based on the Abrahamic Faith 116» Sibghat Allah: From Physical Identity to Ideological Identityand from Symbolic Colours and Signs of Devotion toSubstantial Transformation and Exemplary Conduct 117» Allah’s Colour 118» The Leadership Role of the Muslim Ummah 119» Conferment of the Leadership Role of the Muslim Ummah 121» The Ummah as a Model of Justice (‘Adl) and Moderation (Wasatiyyah) 123» The Obligations of the Leadership of Mankind 127» The Culture of Gratitude, Perseverance and Remembrance 128» The Culture of Ethical Intelligence and Striving (Jihad) 131» Continuity and Change in the Shari’ah 133» The Unreasonableness of the People of the Book 136» The Culture of Research, Reason, and Introspection 136» Qur’anic Pointers 138» Is Religion a Personal Matter? 140» The Culture of Righteousness, Piety, and Allah-consciousness:The ayat al-Birr 141» The Sanctity of Life and Legal Equality:The Principle of Justice (‘Adl) and Excellence (Ihsan) 145» Implications of the Qur’anic Ordinance: The Principle of Legal Equality 148» Social Justice 148» The Supremacy of Law and the State 149» Social and Legal Fairness 151» The Dimensions of Piety 153» Fasting and the Inculcation of Allah-Consciousness 154» The Culture of Tazkiyah in Financial,Trade and Economic Transactions 159» Liberation from Superstitions 160» War Ethics 161» The Prohibition of Self-infliction of Harm 163» The Globalisation of Da’wah and Islamic Brotherhood 164» Two Types of Personality 170» The Holistic Personality 174» The Unity of Humankind 176» The Culture of Benevolence (Infaq) and Social Engagement 179» The Culture of Benevolence 182» War Ethics 184» The Dynamics of Faith and Migration (Hijrah) 186» The Gradual Removal of Social Evils through Ma‘ruf 190» The Institutionalization of Social Engagement 192» The Building of a Compassionate Family 197» Family Ethics 199» A Graceful Family Life 201» Striving to Achieve Justice and Peace 204» The Leadership of Mankind 206» The Role of Reason, Revelation and Miracles 210» Encouragement of Social Engagement and theCulture of Spending on Others (Infaq) 212The Beauty of the Verse of the Throne (Ayat al-Kursi) 213» Religious Freedom 215» Rushd and Taghut 216» Experiential Truth 219» Manifestation of Faith in Infaq(Spending on Others for Allah’s Sake) 223» The Gift of Wisdom 225» The Culture of Almsgiving (Sadaqah) 230» The Secular Concept of Corporate Social Responsibility vs.The Culture of Infaq and Sadaqah 233» Establishing an Interest-free Society 233» No Gender Disparity in Legal Matters 236