Surah Al-Baqara 2:268 — Meaning, Translation & Reflection

ٱلشَّيْطَٰنُ يَعِدُكُمُ ٱلْفَقْرَ وَيَأْمُرُكُم بِٱلْفَحْشَآءِ ۖ وَٱللَّهُ يَعِدُكُم مَّغْفِرَةًۭ مِّنْهُ وَفَضْلًۭا ۗ وَٱللَّهُ وَٰسِعٌ عَلِيمٌۭ

English: Satan threatens you with the prospect of poverty and commands you to do foul deeds; God promises you His forgiveness and His abundance: God is limitless and all knowing,

Bengali: শয়তান তোমাদেরকে অভাব অনটনের ভীতি প্রদর্শন করে এবং অশ্লীলতার আদেশ দেয়। পক্ষান্তরে আল্লাহ তোমাদেরকে নিজের পক্ষ থেকে ক্ষমা ও বেশী অনুগ্রহের ওয়াদা করেন। আল্লাহ প্রাচুর্যময়, সুবিজ্ঞ।

Meaning & Reflection

'Satan promises you poverty and commands you to immorality, while God promises you forgiveness from Him and bounty. And God is All-Encompassing, Knowing.' Ibn Ashur and al-Saadi note the two opposing whispers at the exact moment of giving — Satan's threat, 'if you give, you will be poor; hold back!', against God's promise of forgiveness *and* increase ('fadl'). Ask yourself: this names the precise voice that grips my hand shut when I am about to give — the sudden anxiety, 'you can't afford this, you'll need it, keep it'. The verse identifies that fear-of-lack as *Satan's* promise, a lie designed to make me stingy. Against it stands God's promise: give, and receive both forgiveness and more. So generosity becomes a moment of choosing which voice to believe — the whisper of scarcity or the promise of abundance. Next time my heart tightens at the point of giving, can I recognise the fear itself as the enemy's lever — and give *anyway*, trusting the One who promises bounty over the one who threatens poverty?

Grounded in classical tafsir: Ibn Ashur, al-Saadi, Ibn Kathir.

Reflect with the Five Lenses

Maani's framework for Tadabbur (heart-centred reflection) on Surah Al-Baqara 2:268:

• Wording. Look closely at the specific words and structure. Which word stands out, and why might Allah have chosen it here?
• Quranic Worlds. Place the verse in its context — what is happening around it, and what world does it open up?
• Personal Experience. Ask not just what this means, but what it means TO me and FOR me, right now in my life.
• Connections. How does this verse connect to other verses, to the Sunnah, or to themes across the Quran?
• General Lessons. What timeless lesson or action point can I carry away and live by?