Al-Baqarah

This is the Book in which there is no doubt, a guidance for those mindful of Allah. People are of three kinds: believers, deniers, and hypocrites who say they believe but do not. Allah told the angels He would place a successor on earth; He taught Adam the names, the angels bowed, Iblis refused, and Adam and his wife were sent down with the promise of guidance. The Children of Israel are reminded of Allah's favours: the sea parted, manna and quails, water from the rock, and the covenant they broke. When told to slaughter a cow, they asked question after question before they did it. Ibrahim and Isma‘il raised the foundations of the House and prayed for a messenger from among the people. The qibla was turned from Jerusalem to the Sacred Mosque in Makkah. Allah sets out laws for the new community: fasting in Ramadan, Hajj, fighting only those who fight you, marriage, divorce, spending in charity, and the ban on interest. Talut led a small army and Dawud killed Jalut. Ayat al-Kursi describes Allah, the Ever-Living, the Sustainer, and there is no compulsion in religion. A man passed a ruined town, slept a hundred years and saw it brought back; Ibrahim saw birds return to life. Charity is like a grain that grows seven ears. Write down your debts. The surah ends with the Messenger and the believers saying: we hear and we obey, our Lord, forgive us.