The Rewards of Amanar Rasul
The last two ayats of Surah Al-Baqarah is known as Amanar Rasul. We are encouraged to recite them at night, by the will of Allah they will be sufficient for us. The Prophet (ﷺ) was given the last verses of Surah Al-Baqarah and two other glad tidings; the 5 obligatory prayers and the forgiveness from Allah for whoever dies without associate any partner with Allah from the ummah of Prophet (ﷺ); when he (ﷺ) went to the miraculous journey of Isra and Miraj with Angel Jibreel. Which happened during a time when the Prophet (ﷺ) was facing hardships, rejections and trials. However, Allah gave him (ﷺ) a beautiful gift and a great miracle. Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala promised us in the Quran “Verily, along with every hardship is relief.” (94:5). We put our trust in Him, He is our Rabb.
Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala said “Exalted is He who took His Servant for a journey by night from al-Masjid al-Haram (in Makkah) to al-Masjid al-Aqsa (in Jerusalem), whose surroundings We have blessed, to show him of Our Signs. Verily, He is the All-Hearer, the All-Seer.” (17:1)
It was narrated that Abdullah said: “When the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was taken on the Night Journey, he came to Sidrah Al-Muntaha, which is in the sixth heaven. That is where everything that comes up from below ends, and where everything that comes down from above, until it is taken from it. Allah says: When what covered the lote-tree did cover it! [1] He said: “It was moths of gold. And I was given three things: The five daily prayers, the last verses of Surah Al-Baqarah, and whoever of my Ummah dies without associating anything with Allah will be forgiven for Al-Muqhimat.” [2] [1] An-Najm 53:16. [2] “The sins of the worst magnitude that drag one into the Fire.” (An-Nihayah)” (An-Nasai, 451)
آمَنَ الرَّسُولُ بِمَا أُنْزِلَ إِلَيْهِ مِنْ رَبِّهِ وَالْمُؤْمِنُونَ كُلٌّ آمَنَ بِاللَّهِ وَمَلَائِكَتِهِ وَكُتُبِهِ وَرُسُلِهِ لَا نُفَرِّقُ بَيْنَ أَحَدٍ مِنْ رُسُلِهِ وَقَالُوا سَمِعْنَا وَأَطَعْنَا غُفْرَانَكَ رَبَّنَا وَإِلَيْكَ الْمَصِيرُ.285 لَا يُكَلِّفُ اللَّهُ نَفْسًا إِلَّا وُسْعَهَا لَهَا مَا كَسَبَتْ وَعَلَيْهَا مَا اكْتَسَبَتْ رَبَّنَا لَا تُؤَاخِذْنَا إِنْ نَسِينَا أَوْ أَخْطَأْنَا رَبَّنَا وَلَا تَحْمِلْ عَلَيْنَا إِصْرًا كَمَا حَمَلْتَهُ عَلَى الَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِنَا رَبَّنَا وَلَا تُحَمِّلْنَا مَا لَا طَاقَةَ لَنَا بِهِ وَاعْفُ عَنَّا وَاغْفِرْ لَنَا وَارْحَمْنَا أَنْتَ مَوْلَانَا فَانْصُرْنَا عَلَى الْقَوْمِ الْكَافِرِينَ.286
“The Messenger has believed in what was revealed to him from his Lord, and [so have] the believers. All of them have believed in Allah and His angels and His books and His messengers, (saying), “We make no distinction between any of His messengers.” And they say, “We hear and we obey. (We seek) Your forgiveness, our Lord, and to You is the (final) destination.” (285) Allah does not charge a soul except (with that within) its capacity. It will have (the consequence of) what (good) it has gained, and it will bear (the consequence of) what (evil) it has earned. “Our Lord, do not impose blame upon us if we have forgotten or erred. Our Lord, and lay not upon us a burden like that which You laid upon those before us. Our Lord, and burden us not with that which we have no ability to bear. And pardon us; and forgive us; and have mercy upon us. You are our protector, so give us victory over the disbelieving people.” (286)
The first ayat of Amanar Rasul mentions the nature of the islamic faith and belief. According to one of the hadiths in Muslim, the 6 pillars of iman (Faith) are to believe in Allah, His Angels, His Books, His Messengers, the Day of Resurrection and the Divine Decree. The second verses tell us that Allah will not burden us with what we can't bear. We will receive the consequences of our good or bad actions and deeds. Moreover, the verse also includes supplications of seeking Allah's forgiveness, mercy, protection and victory.
The prophet advised us to read Amanar Rasul at night. According to the hadiths below, reciting the last two ayats of surah Al-Baqarah is sufficient for us and it will protect us from evil and Shaitan.
Narrated Abu Mas’ud: The Prophet (ﷺ) said, “If somebody recited the last two Verses of Surah Al-Baqara at night, that will be sufficient for him.” (Bukhari, 5009)
Another Hadith narrated by An-Numan bin Bashir: that the Prophet (ﷺ) said: “Indeed Allah wrote in a book two thousand years before He created the heavens and the earth, and He sent down two Ayat from it to end Surat Al-Baqarah with. If they are recited for three nights in a home, no Shaitan shall come near it.” (At-Tirmidhi, 2882)
It was narrated that Ibn Abbas said: “When Jibril was with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), he heard a sound from above like a door opening. Jibril, peace be upon him, looked up toward the sky and said: ‘This is a gate in Heaven that has been opened, but it was never opened before.’ He said: An Angel came down from it and came to the Prophet (ﷺ) and said: ‘Receive the glad tidings of two lights that have been given to you and were never given to any prophet before you: The Opening of the Book (Al-Fatihah) and the last verses of Surah Al-Baqarah. You will never recite a single letter of them but you will be granted it.’” (An-Nasai, 912)
Good habits to do before going to sleep are:
- Avoid a heavy meal before sleeping and eat dinner early to digest the food
- The prophet encouraged his companions to go to bed early and to wake up early
- Put away electronic devices at least 1 hour before bedtime. According to research the blue light from screens impact sleep.
- Take a bath or shower, do skin care or brush teeth
- Perform Wudu (ablution) before going to sleep
- Pray Isha, Witr and voluntary prayer
- We are encouraged to read Surah Al-Mulk, Al-Sajdah and the last two verses of Surah Al-Baqarah
- Read the Quran and reflect on the meanings
- Write your toughts and reflections in your journal, and write to do list for the next day
- Read at least one page from a book
- Do not forget to read the supplications before going to sleep (chapter 28, Hisnul Muslim)
- Before going to bed, it is a sunnah to close the doors and turning off lights, dust your bed, sleep on your right side, your right hand under your right cheek, and recite the duas
Doing the habits above will improve your quality of sleep and give you a great energy the next morning