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wa-man ʾaẓlamu mimman manaʿa masājida llāhi ʾan yudhkara fīhā smuhū wa-saʿā fī kharābihā ʾulāʾika mā kāna lahum ʾan yadkhulūhā ʾillā khāʾifīna lahum fī d-dunyā khizyun wa-lahum fī l-ʾākhirati ʿadhābun ʿaẓīmun
Who is a greater wrongdoer than those who deny access to the mosques of Allah lest His Name be celebrated therein, and try to ruin them? Such ones may not enter them, except in fear. There is disgrace for them in this world and a great punishment in the Hereafter.
— Ali Quli Qarai
Surah Al-Baqarah, Verse 114
And who if more unjust than he who prevents the mosques of Allah of His Name being remembered therein and strives for their ruin? Such (people) might never enter them, save in fear. For them if disgrace in this world, and in the Hereafter a great punishment. (2:114)
Occasion of Revelation
It has been narrated from Ibn Abbas, cited in the book ‘Asb-ab-un-Nuzul’, that this verse was revealed about Fatlus-ur-Rumi, a Roman, and his friends. They fought against the Children of Israel and burnt the Torah. In that war, Jewish children were made captives, and Jerusalem was ruined and filled with corpses.1 The Late Tabarsi, a great commentator, narrates from Ibn Abbas, in his book ‘Majma’ul-Bayan’ that this strives for the destruction of Jerusalem was continued until when that Holy Land was conquered by Muslims...2
A tradition from Imam as-Sadiq (‘a) says that this verse was revealed about the Quraysh when they prevented the Holy Prophet (S) from entering Mecca and the Ka’bah.3 Also, a third occasion of revelation is cited for this verse. It says the verse is referring to the sites in Mecca where Muslims used to pray at, which pagans destroyed totally after the emigration of the Prophet (S) from that City.4 There is no discrepancy in saying that all three of these occasions of revelation refer to their own individual incidents. Therefore, each of them illustrates one of the dimensions of the subject.
The Most Unjust Ones!
When dealing with the occasions of revelation of the above-mentioned verse, it is understood that the words are about all three groups: the Jews, the Christians and the pagans, while the words in the previous verses were mostly about the Jews and sometimes about the Christians. At any rate, the Jews, creating mischief about the Qiblah, tried to return the direction of the prayers of Muslims toward Jerusalem in order to appear to have, by that manner, a kind of superiority in the eyes of the community of Muslims and also weaken the lustre and elegance of the Sacred Mosque and the Ka’bah.5
The pagans of Mecca, having prevented the Holy Prophet (S) and Muslims from visiting and pilgrimaging to the Sacred House, the Ka’bah, practically stepped forth toward the desolation of this Holy Structure. The Christians, too, having conquered Jerusalem and having performed actions which gave rise to what was said to be the occasion of revelation of this verse, as narrated by Ibn Abbas, tried to ruin it. The Qur’an, warning these three groups and all others who pave a similar way, says:
And who is more unjust than he who prevents the mosques of Allah of His Name being remembered therein and strives for their ruin?... (2:114)
Thus, the Qur’an considers this prevention unjust and introduces contrivers of it as the most unjust people. Indeed, what greater ‘unjust’ could be committed than that they strive to ruin the Monotheistic centers and prevent people from remembering the Name of their Providence, whose consequence would be the spread of polytheism and corruption in the society! Then, the verse continues saying:
…Such (people) might never enter them, save in fear.… (2:114)
That is, Muslims and monotheists of the world should stand so firm against these transgressors that their hands be curtailed from these sacred sites so that none of them can freely and without fear enters therein. In commenting on the above verse, a possible meaning is that these kind of unjust people with these kinds of actions will never truly is succeed in taking these Holy shrines and places of worship under their own control. The final circumstance will be such that they will not be able to enter them save in fear. They will be subject to just the same fate and fortune that the pagans of Mecca had regarding the Sacred Mosque.
Finally, through the concluding words of the verse and with a shocking statement, the Qur’an has referred to the penalty of those transgressors both in the present world and the coming world. It says:
…For them is disgrace in this world, and in the Hereafter a great punishment. (2:114)
And this is the end of those who want to separate servants from their Providence.
Explanation: Mosques and the Ways of Their Desolation
There is no doubt that the above verse has a vast meaning which is not confined to a particular time or place. The verse, from this point of view, is like other verses of the Qur’an which have been revealed in relation to a specific condition or circumstance referred to as the occasion of revelation, but their ordinances are valid in all ages. Therefore, anyone or any group who strive in any form to ruin the mosques of Allah or prevent the Name of Allah from being remembered and adored therein, will be faced with the same disgrace and great punishment which have been pointed out in this verse.
It is also necessary to pay attention to this fact that the prevention of worshippers from entering into the Sacred Mosque and the barring of the remembrance of the Name of Allah and His adoration along with striving for ruining it, does not only refer to the mosque being destroyed by shovel and pick, but involves any actions that cause mosques to be ruined or seem dull and lustreless. As it will be explained when commenting on Surah Al-Tawbah, 9:18, the purpose of the Qur’anic phrase /ya’muru masajid /, mentioned in the verse, according to the clear meanings of some Islamic narrations and traditions, is not merely ‘to build or to mend the mosques’.
Attending these holy shrines and remembering the Name of Allah and adoring Him therein not only is a means of maintaining them but also is counted as their most important form of maintenance. Therefore, in the opposite case, whatever causes people to neglect the remembrance of the Name of Allah and keeps them apart from the mosques, is a very grand injustice.
Supplication
O’ Lord! Guard us from, and against, any deviation and corruption!
Footnotes