Surah Baqarah
Surah Al-Baqarah is the second surah of the Quran and the longest one. It was revealed in Madinah. It starts in Juz 1, fills Juz 2 and ends in the first part of Juz 3. Baqarah means cow. The surah is named after the cow story in verses 67 to 73.
Main Topic of Surah Baqarah
- Verses 1–20: the Quran as guidance, and three groups of people: believers, disbelievers and hypocrites
- Verses 30–39: the creation of Adam
- Verses 40–123: Bani Israel and their history
- Verses 124–129: Ibrahim and the Kaaba
- Verses 142–150: the change of the Qiblah
- Verses 183–187: fasting in Ramadan
- Verse 255: Ayat al-Kursi
- Verses 275–282: interest, loans and debt. Verse 282 is the longest verse in the Quran.
- Verses 285–286: the closing verses
Benefits of Reciting Surah Baqarah
- Shaytan runs away from a house in which Surah Baqarah is recited (Sahih Muslim).
- Surah Baqarah and Surah Aal-Imran will come on the Day of Judgement and speak for those who recited them (Sahih Muslim).
- The Prophet ﷺ said that taking Surah Baqarah is a blessing and leaving it is a regret (Sahih Muslim).
Surah Baqarah Ayat al-Kursi (2:255)
Ayat al-Kursi is verse 255. The Prophet ﷺ called it the greatest verse in the Quran (Sahih Muslim). A hadith in Sahih al-Bukhari also mentions reciting it before sleep.
Surah Baqarah Last 2 Ayat (2:285–286)
The last two verses are 285 and 286. The Prophet ﷺ said that whoever recites them at night, they will be enough for him (Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim). Scholars explain the word 'enough' in different ways, such as protection.
ا يُكَلِّفُ اللّٰهُ نَفۡسًا اِلَّا وُسۡعَهَا ؕ لَهَا مَا كَسَبَتۡ وَعَلَيۡهَا مَا اكۡتَسَبَتۡؕ رَبَّنَا لَا تُؤَاخِذۡنَاۤ اِنۡ نَّسِيۡنَاۤ اَوۡ اَخۡطَاۡنَا ۚ رَبَّنَا وَلَا تَحۡمِلۡ عَلَيۡنَاۤ اِصۡرًا كَمَا حَمَلۡتَهٗ عَلَى الَّذِيۡنَ مِنۡ قَبۡلِنَا ۚرَبَّنَا وَلَا تُحَمِّلۡنَا مَا لَا طَاقَةَ لَنَا بِهٖ ۚ وَاعۡفُ عَنَّا وَاغۡفِرۡ لَنَا وَارۡحَمۡنَا اَنۡتَ مَوۡلٰٮنَا فَانۡصُرۡنَا عَلَى الۡقَوۡمِ الۡكٰفِرِيۡنَ (۲۸۶)
“Allah does not burden a soul beyond what it can bear. It will have [the reward of] what [good] it has earned, and it will bear [the burden of] what [evil] it has done. Our Lord, do not impose blame upon us if we forget or make a mistake. Our Lord, do not lay upon us a burden like that which You laid upon those before us. Our Lord, do not burden us with what we cannot bear. And pardon us; forgive us; and have mercy upon us. You are our protector, so give us victory over the disbelieving people.”
How to Memorize Surah Baqarah
The surah is about 48 pages, so you can plan by pages:
- Beginner: half a page a day, about 3 months
- Intermediate: 1 page a day, about 7 weeks
- Advanced: 2 pages a day, about 3 to 4 weeks
You can read the Arabic text on this page and listen to the full surah here: Surah Baqarah.