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The opening as it read in 2005

Surat al-Baqarah ("the Cow") is the second, and the longest, sura of the Qur'an , with 286 ayat . The Sura's name is in reference to an argument between Moses and the Israelites over a cow they should sacrifice in order to know the murderer of a slain man (see ayahs 67-74 [1] ). From the Muslim perspective, the story is told to demonstrate that such idle argument is the wrong way to react to a direct commandment from God , as opposed to direct submission mandated by Islam . It is a Madinan sura ; most of it was revealed during the first two years after the Hijra , but some sections (for instance, the verses prohibiting interest ) were revealed later, and the last three verses had been revealed in Makka .¹ It addresses a wide variety of topics, including substantial amounts of law , and retells stories of Adam and Moses and Abraham . A major theme is guidance: urging the pagans and Jews of Madina to become Muslim , and warning them and the hypocrites of the fate God had visited in the past on those who failed to heed his call.² It begins with the letters Alif Lam Mim . It appears to be one of the earliest suras (with an-Nisa and some others) to be mentioned by name in a non-Muslim written source. John of Damascus (~ 730s ) speaks of "the text of the Cow", and the Syriac Disputations of a Monk of Beth Hale and an Arab Notable (date hard to determine, but apparently post- 710 ) has the monk saying "I think that for you, too, not all your laws and commandments are in the Qur'an which Muhammad taught you; rather there are some which he taught you from the Qur'an, and some are in surat albaqrah and in gygy ( Injil ?) and in twrh ( Torah .)"³

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The opening as it stood in 2010 9 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear

The chapter comprises 286 ayat (verses) and verse 282 is the single longest verse in the Qur'an. The famous Ayat ul Kursi (Verse 255) is also part of this Surah. The last two verses of the chapter are also of special importance. The last two verses of Surah al Baqarah

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The opening as it stood in 2015 3 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear

First verses of Al-Baqara Surat al-Baqarah ( , Sūratu l-Baqarah , "The Cow") is the second and longest chapter ( Surah ) of the Qur'an . It is a Medinan sura , with the exception of verse 281 which Muslims believe was revealed during the The Farewell Pilgrimage . It is also considered to be one of the first chapters revealed after the Hijra from Mecca to Medina . The chapter comprises 286 verses ( ayat ) according to the division of Ali , the most widely accepted count among all Muslim denominations, and includes the single longest verse in the Qur'an (2:282). The surah's name references verses 66–72 which recall the story of a heifer sacrificed by the Israelites . Surah al-Baqara enjoins fasting on the believer during the month of Ramadan . El - Awa, Introduction to Textual Relations in Qur'an , pg. 1. Part of the Routledge Studies in the Qur'an series. Michael Binyon, Fighting is 'allowed' during the holy month of fasting The Times , 18 December 1998

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The opening as it stood in 2020 6 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear

2nd chapter of the Quran First verses of al-Baqarah Al-Baqarah ( , "The Heifer" or "The Cow") is the second and longest chapter ( sūrah ) of the Quran . It consists of 286 verses ( āyāt ), 6,201 words and 25,500 letters. It is a Medinan surah , that is to say that it was supposedly revealed at Medina after the Hijrah , with the exception the verses with regard to riba (interest or usury) which Muslims believe were revealed during the Farewell Pilgrimage , the last Hajj of Muhammad. 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. Surah al-Baqarah (Quran 2) enjoins fasting on the believer during the month of Ramadan . El - Awa , Introduction to Textual Relations in Qur'an , pg. 1. Part of the Routledge Studies in the Qur'an series.

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The opening as it stood on October 6, 2023

2nd chapter of the Quran Folio from the Blue Quran with the fragment of the chapter Al-Baqara. Museum of Islamic Art, Doha . Left-side of a Double-page Opening of the Qur'an from Terengganu with beginning of the chapter Al-Baqara. End of the 18th or 19th century. Al-Baqara , alternatively transliterated Al-Baqarah ( , ’al-baqarah ; lit. "The Heifer" or "The Cow"), is the second and longest chapter ( surah ) of the Quran . It consists of 286 verses ( āyāt ) which begin with the " muqatta'at " letters alif ( ا ) , lām ( ل ) , and mīm ( م ). Q 2:282 is the longest single verse in the Quran, and is concerned with agricultural futures contracts . The sūrah encompasses a variety of topics and contains several commands for Muslims such as enjoining fasting on the believer during the month of Ramadan ; forbidding interest or usury ( riba ); and several famous verses such as The Throne Verse , Al-Baqara 256 , and the final two or three verses. The sūrah addresses a wide variety of topics, including substantial amounts of law , and retells stories of Adam , Ibrahim (Abraham) and Mūsa (Moses). A major theme is guidance: urging the pagans ( Al-Mushrikeen ) and the Jews of Medina to embrace Islam , and warning them and the hypocrites ( Munafiqun ) of the fate God had visited in the past on those who failed to heed his call. Al-Baqara is believed by Muslims to have been revealed at Medina over a long period after the Hijrah , with the exception of the riba verses which Muslims believe were revealed during the Farewell Pilgrimage , the last Hajj of Muhammad. In particular, verse 281 in this chapter is believed to be the last verse of the Quran to be revealed, on the 10th day of Dhu al-Hijja 10 A.H., when Muhammad was in the course of performing his last Hajj, 80 or 90 days before he died. El - Awa , Introduction to Textual Relations in Qur'an , pg. 1. Part of the Routledge Studies in the Qur'an series. The Koran: Commonly Called the Alkoran of Mohammed .. . Caner Dagli , 2 The Cow al-Baqarah , Study Quran Michael Binyon, Fighting is 'allowed' during the holy month of fasting The Times , 18 December 1998 Sadr-'ameli Sayyid Abbas. Mahmoud Ayoub, The Qurʾan and its interpreters , pg. 55.

Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 1177366537.

The opening as it stood in 2025 2 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear

2nd chapter of the Quran Folio from the Blue Quran with the fragment of the chapter Al-Baqara. Museum of Islamic Art, Doha . Left-side of a Double-page Opening of the Qur'an from Terengganu with beginning of the chapter Al-Baqara. End of the 18th or 19th century. Al-Baqarah ( Arabic : الْبَقَرَة , ’al-baqarah ; lit. "The Heifer" or "The Cow"), also spelled as Al-Baqara , is the second and longest chapter ( surah ) of the Quran . It consists of 286 verses ( āyāt ) which begin with the " muqatta'at " letters alif ( ا ) , lām ( ل ) , and mīm ( م ). The Verse of Loan , the longest single verse, and the Throne Verse , the greatest verse, are in this chapter. The sūrah encompasses a variety of topics and contains several commands for Muslims such as enjoining fasting on the believer during the month of Ramadan ; forbidding interest or usury ( riba ); and several other famous verses such as the final two verses, which came from the treasure under the Throne and the verse of no compulsion in religion . The sūrah addresses a wide variety of topics, including substantial amounts of law , and retells stories of Adam , Ibrahim (Abraham) and Mūsa (Moses). A major theme is guidance: urging the pagans ( Al-Mushrikeen ) and the Jews of Medina to embrace Islam , and warning them and the hypocrites ( Munafiqun ) of the fate God had visited in the past on those who failed to heed his call. The surah is also believed to be means of protection from jinns. Al-Baqara is believed by Muslims to have been revealed in a span of 10 years starting from 622 in Medina after the Hijrah , with the exception of the riba verses which Muslims believe were revealed during the Farewell Pilgrimage , the last Hajj of Muhammad. In particular, verse 281 is believed to be the last verse of the Quran to be revealed, on the 10th day of Dhu al-Hijja 10 A.H., when Muhammad was in the course of performing his last Hajj, 07 or 09 or 21 days before he died. El - Awa , Introduction to Textual Relations in Qur'an , pg. 1. Part of the Routledge Studies in the Qur'an series. The Koran: Commonly Called the Alkoran of Mohammed .. . Michael Binyon, Fighting is 'allowed' during the holy month of fasting The Times , 18 December 1998 An-Nasaa’i in As-Sunan Al-Kubra and Ibn Hibbaan in As-Saheeh Sadr-'ameli Sayyid Abbas (23 January 2014). Mahmoud Ayoub, The Qurʾan and its interpreters , pg. 55.

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