Al-Baqarah (Arabic: البقرة, "The Heifer" or "The Cow") is the second and longest chapter (sūrah) of the Quran.[1] It consists of 286 verses, 6,201 words and 25,500 letters.[2]
It is a Medinan surah, that is to say that it was supposedly revealed at Medina after the Hijrah, with the exception of the verses with regard to riba(interest or usury) which Muslims believe were revealed during the Farewell Pilgrimage, the last Hajj of Muhammad.[3][4] in particular, Verse 281 in this chapter is believed to be the last verse of the Quran to be revealed, on the 10th of Dhul al Hijjah 10 A.H., when Muhammad was in the course of performing his last Hajj, and only 80 or 90 days later he died.[5]
Surah al-Baqarah (Quran 2) enjoins fasting on the believer during the month of Ramadan.
Background
It is the longest chapter in the Quran and was revealed over a long period. It is a Mediniite Surah dealing with the Hypocrite (Munaafiqoon) and injunctions pertaining to various matters.
It includes many verses which have virtues like the first four and last three verses and the special Verse of the Throne (Aayatul Kursi). Muhammad is reported to have said,
“Do not turn your houses into graves. Verily, Satan does not enter the house where Surat Al-Baqarah is recited.” [Muslim, Tirmidhi, Musnad Ahmed]
Ad-Darimi also recorded that Ash-Sha`bi said that `Abdullah bin Mas`ud said, "Whoever recites ten Ayat from Surat Al-Baqarah in a night, then Satan will not enter his house that night. (These ten Ayat are) four from the beginning, Ayat Al-Kursi (255), the following two Ayat (256-257) and the last three Ayat.
2:255 "The Throne Verse"
Verse 255 is "The Throne Verse" (آية الكرسي ʾāyatu-l-kursī). It is the most famous verse of the Quran and is widely memorized and displayed in the Islamic world due to its emphatic description of God's omnipotence in Islam.
Verse 256 is one of the most quoted verses in the Quran. It famously notes that "there is no compulsion in religion". Two other verses, 285 and 286, are sometimes considered part of "The Throne Verse".[14]
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