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Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books Al-mizan an Exegesis of the Qur'an (volume Four) Volume 4: Surah Baqarah, Verses 285-286 The Apostle believes in what has been revealed to him from his Lord, and (so do) the believers: they all believe in Allah and His angels and His books and His apostles; We make no difference between any of His apostles. and they say: "We hear and obey; our Lord! Thy forgiveness (do we crave), and to Thee is (our) march" (285).
Allah does not impose upon any soul a duty but to the extent of its ability; for it is (the benefit of) what it has earned, and upon it (the evil of) what it has wrought; "Our Lord! do not punish us if we forget or do a mistake; Our Lord! do not lay on us a burden as Thou didst lay on those before us; Our Lord!
do not impose upon us that which we have not the strength to bear; and pardon us and forgive us and have mercy on us; Thou art our Guardian, so help us against the unbelieving people" (286). **GENERAL COMMENT ** These are the last verses of this chapter. They summarize the details given in it, and recapitulate its main objective.
As we mentioned at the beginning, the chapter aimed to show that it was an integral part of the worship of Allah to believe in all that He sent to His creatures through His apostles, without making any difference between those apostles. It is this reality which is described in the first of these verses: "The Apostle believes . . between any of His apostles".
The chapter then gives many stories of the Israelites: How Allah bestowed upon them His countless bounties, like the Book, the prophethood, the kingdom, etc., and how they answered it with disobedience, rebellion, breach of covenant and even infidelity.
It is these stories that are obliquely hinted at in the remaining part of the first and the whole of the second verse, where the believers are reported as saying "We hear and obey", and then they go on seeking the protection, forgiveness and help of Allah. Thus, these verses connect the end of the chapter with its beginning. The epilogue is a mirror of the prologue.
Allah opens this chapter by describing the qualities that are essential for a God-fearing people, and without which they cannot discharge their duties towards their Lord.