Quran Garden

Session 317

Chapter 2

Verse 286

Allah does not burden any soul, except with something within its capacity: for it what it earned and against it what it had acquired. - ‘Our Lord, do not take us to task if we have forgotten or erred.  Lord, do not burden us as You burdened those before us. Lord, do not burden us with more than we have the strength to bear. Pardon us, forgive us, and have mercy on us. You are our guardian, so help us against the disbelievers.’ (Chapter 2: Verse 286)

When it comes to life’s burdens, there are three conditions that you may face: The first is to encounter a task that is clearly overwhelming and outside your capacity.  The second is to face a challenging task that pushes you to your limits.  Lastly, there are tasks well within your capacity.  Hence, the phrase: ‘Allah does not burden any soul, except with something within its capacity,’ means that Allah does not assign you any obligation unless it is clearly within your ability.   

Every Muslim is obligated to pray five times a day, but don’t you personally know people who offer ten prayers every day? Allah has obligated every Muslim to fast the entire month of Ramadan.  Don’t you personally know people who also fast Monday and Thursday of every week? Similar is the case of almsgiving –zakat-.   Many people give far more than the obligated amount. 

This means that all religious obligations are well within our capabilities.  Once you complete your obligations, you are welcome to do more if you choose.   God says in the 184^th verse of ‘The Cow:’ ‘Should anyone do good of his own accord, that is better for him.’

It is narrated that when Allah heard His Messenger and the believers supplicate: "Lord, do not burden us as You burdened those before us.” He replied: ‘It is done.’ And when He heard them supplicate: “Lord, do not burden us with more than we have the strength to bear.”  He replied: ‘it is done.’ 

Allah did not obligate us with anything beyond our capacity, and that capacity is the average ability of all the believers.  People who have greater abilities, or are more willing than others, can volunteer to do extra worship beyond the obligation. 

As for those with less ability, Allah eased their burden according to their condition.  For example, Islamic law recognizes the difficulty one may face during travel, so the traveler is encouraged not to fast Ramadan during trips, and to make up the days later.  Those who are poor are not obligated to give the Zakat almsgiving or to make the Hajj pilgrimage.  Here is another example from the Quran.  God says:

But God has lightened your burden for now, knowing that there is a weakness in you––a steadfast hundred of you will defeat two hundred, and a steadfast thousand of you will defeat two thousand, by God’s permission: God is with the steadfast. (08:66)

Before the revelation of this verse, the proportion of fighters that obligated Muslims to stand up and fight their enemies was one against ten.  God eased this requirement to one against two due to a weakness in the capacity of the believers.  

Some people misinterpret verse 286 of ‘The Cow’ for their benefit.  They think that it is up to them to decide what they can bear and what they are not able to do.  When they are faced with a religious obligation that they like, they do it.  When they are faced with a religious duty that is tough or inconvenient, such as fasting long summer days, they say we are not obligated to do it because ‘Allah does not burden any soul, except with something within its capacity'  In other words, they want to be the judge of which of God’s commands applies to them. 

The truth is exactly the opposite; Allah is the best judge, and He has absolute knowledge of what you and I can do.  So, when Allah assigns a duty to you, then rest assured that it is well within your ability because ' Allah does not burden any soul, except with something within its capacity.'   You do not define ability, and then measure the obligation against your opinion.  If an obligation is assigned to you, then it is well within your ability. 

The verse continues, ‘for it what it earned and against it what it had acquired.‘  Here, we should pause and study God’s words in the Arabic origin because they hold the key to understanding the verse.  The word ‘earned’ is translated from the Arabic origin 'Kasaba.'  The verb 'Kasaba' is often used to describe natural and lawful actions that do not require much effort.  The phrase ‘had acquired’ is translated from the origin ‘Iktasaba.’  It is a longer verb that indicates an unnatural –often unlawful- action that requires deliberate effort and intention. 

Take the example of a man looking at his beautiful wife; is he doing something unnatural or unlawful? Of course not.  This man is relaxed enjoying his family.  It is an action that falls under the ‘kasaba’ category.  Contrast that to a man who wants to look at the wife of his friend.  First, he would look around to make sure no one is paying attention; then he would take a quick glance at the woman, then he would turn around to make sure that no one caught him looking.  This unlawful act requires a lot of deliberate effort and falls under the category of ‘Iktasaba.’ 

When you read the Quran, you will come across the following verse:  

Truly those who earn evil and are surrounded by their sins will be the inhabitants of the Fire, there to remain. (2:81)

It is interesting to note that, although the verse is talking about sin, Allah used the word ‘earn’ –Kasaba- rather than acquire –Iktasaba-.  Why, you may ask? We answer that this verse is talking about one of the calamities that can befall a society.  It happens when people lose their sense of faith and decency and become accustomed to transgression.   Note the description 'and are surrounded by their sins' indicating repetition and complete immersion in sin making it second nature to people. 

Take the example of a person stealing for the very first time.  He or she would plan for days and may hesitate whether to steal or not, and then, after the theft is committed, he or she would worry for days about every sound and every movement.  You can say that this person 'Iktasaba' the stolen goods and money.  However, as this person continues to steal for years, he or she becomes a professional thief, and stealing becomes second nature.  There is less worry, and no hesitation to commit the crime over and over.  At that point you can say that he or she 'kasaba' the stolen goods and money. 

In another example, a man who cheats on his wife for the first time may feel guilty for months, however, if he continues down that path, self-blame would stop, and you may find him bragging to his friends about the affair.  It is a real tragedy when a person, or a society, reaches a level where sin is widely acceptable.

So when you hear the phrase: ‘for it what it earned and against it what it had acquired,’ be smart and make sure that you pile on the good deeds and shift the balance in your favor.