Which Is the Longest Ayah in the Quran, and in Which Surah?
ما هي أطول آية في القرآن وفي أي سورة هي؟
It is Ayah number 282, and it is in Sura Al-Baqarah (the Cow).
(O believers! When you contract a loan for a fixed period of time, commit it to writing. Let the scribe maintain justice between the parties. The scribe should not refuse to write as Allah has taught them to write. They will write what the debtor dictates, bearing Allah in mind and not defrauding the debt. If the debtor is incompetent, weak, or unable to dictate, let their guardian dictate for them with justice. Call upon two of your men to witness. If two men cannot be found, then one man and two women of your choice will witness, so if one of the women forgets the other may remind her. The witnesses must not refuse when they are summoned. You must not be against writing ˹contracts˺ for a fixed period, whether the sum is small or great. This is more just ˹for you˺ in the sight of Allah, and more convenient to establish evidence and remove doubts. However, if you conduct an immediate transaction among yourselves, then there is no need for you to record it, but call upon witnesses when a deal is finalized. Let no harm come to the scribe or witnesses. If you do, then you have gravely exceeded ˹your limits˺. Be mindful of Allah, for Allah ˹is the One Who˺ teaches you. And Allah has ˹perfect˺ knowledge of all things.) [Al-Baqarah 2:282]
هي آية المداينة ورقمها 282 في سورة البقرة.
(يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓا۟ إِذَا تَدَايَنتُم بِدَيْنٍ إِلَىٰٓ أَجَلٍۢ مُّسَمًّۭى فَٱكْتُبُوهُ ۚ وَلْيَكْتُب بَّيْنَكُمْ كَاتِبٌۢ بِٱلْعَدْلِ ۚ وَلَا يَأْبَ كَاتِبٌ أَن يَكْتُبَ كَمَا عَلَّمَهُ ٱللَّهُ ۚ فَلْيَكْتُبْ وَلْيُمْلِلِ ٱلَّذِى عَلَيْهِ ٱلْحَقُّ وَلْيَتَّقِ ٱللَّهَ رَبَّهُۥ وَلَا يَبْخَسْ مِنْهُ شَيْـًۭٔا ۚ فَإِن كَانَ ٱلَّذِى عَلَيْهِ ٱلْحَقُّ سَفِيهًا أَوْ ضَعِيفًا أَوْ لَا يَسْتَطِيعُ أَن يُمِلَّ هُوَ فَلْيُمْلِلْ وَلِيُّهُۥ بِٱلْعَدْلِ ۚ وَٱسْتَشْهِدُوا۟ شَهِيدَيْنِ مِن رِّجَالِكُمْ ۖ فَإِن لَّمْ يَكُونَا رَجُلَيْنِ فَرَجُلٌۭ وَٱمْرَأَتَانِ مِمَّن تَرْضَوْنَ مِنَ ٱلشُّهَدَآءِ أَن تَضِلَّ إِحْدَىٰهُمَا فَتُذَكِّرَ إِحْدَىٰهُمَا ٱلْأُخْرَىٰ ۚ وَلَا يَأْبَ ٱلشُّهَدَآءُ إِذَا مَا دُعُوا۟ ۚ وَلَا تَسْـَٔمُوٓا۟ أَن تَكْتُبُوهُ صَغِيرًا أَوْ كَبِيرًا إِلَىٰٓ أَجَلِهِۦ ۚ ذَٰلِكُمْ أَقْسَطُ عِندَ ٱللَّهِ وَأَقْوَمُ لِلشَّهَـٰدَةِ وَأَدْنَىٰٓ أَلَّا تَرْتَابُوٓا۟ ۖ إِلَّآ أَن تَكُونَ تِجَـٰرَةً حَاضِرَةًۭ تُدِيرُونَهَا بَيْنَكُمْ فَلَيْسَ عَلَيْكُمْ جُنَاحٌ أَلَّا تَكْتُبُوهَا ۗ وَأَشْهِدُوٓا۟ إِذَا تَبَايَعْتُمْ ۚ وَلَا يُضَآرَّ كَاتِبٌۭ وَلَا شَهِيدٌۭ ۚ وَإِن تَفْعَلُوا۟ فَإِنَّهُۥ فُسُوقٌۢ بِكُمْ ۗ وَٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ ۖ وَيُعَلِّمُكُمُ ٱللَّهُ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ بِكُلِّ شَىْءٍ عَلِيمٌۭ) [البقرة 2: 282]
1. The Longest Verse in the Quran | أطول آية في القرآن
Ibn Kathir opens his commentary on this verse by stating that it is the longest verse in the Quran. In the standard Madinah Mushaf it fills page 48 on its own, and it sets out the rules for a debt contracted for a fixed term. The same surah also holds the greatest verse in the Book of Allah, Ayat al-Kursi (2:255). It is not, however, the verse with the most occurrences of the name Allah: that is Al-Muzzammil 73:20, as explained in which verse contains the name Allah the most times.
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِذَا تَدَايَنتُم بِدَيْنٍ إِلَىٰ أَجَلٍ مُّسَمًّى فَاكْتُبُوهُ (سورة البقرة: 282)
قال ابن كثير في أول تفسيره لهذه الآية: هذه الآية الكريمة أطول آية في القرآن العظيم. وهي تشغل الصفحة 48 وحدها في مصحف المدينة، وتبين أحكام الدين إلى أجل مسمى. وفي السورة نفسها أعظم آية في كتاب الله، وهي آية الكرسي (البقرة 2: 255).
2. Writing Down a Debt for a Fixed Term | كتابة الدين المؤجل
The verse tells the believers to write down a debt contracted for a fixed term, through a scribe who writes with justice, while the debtor dictates and fears Allah. Ibn Kathir explains that writing keeps the amount and the due date safe and makes the testimony firmer, as the verse itself says: that is more just in the sight of Allah. He reports that some scholars took the command as guidance rather than an obligation, while others, among them al-Sha'bi and al-Hasan, held that it had been binding and was lifted by the words if one of you entrusts another (2:283). The ruling is explained in what the ruling is on writing down a debt.
وَلْيَكْتُب بَّيْنَكُمْ كَاتِبٌ بِالْعَدْلِ (سورة البقرة: 282)
تأمر الآية المؤمنين بكتابة الدين إذا كان إلى أجل مسمى، يكتبه كاتب بالعدل، ويملي الذي عليه الحق وليتق الله ربه. وبين ابن كثير أن الكتابة أحفظ لمقدار الدين وميقاته وأضبط للشاهد فيه، كما قال تعالى: (ذلكم أقسط عند الله وأقوم للشهادة وأدنى ألا ترتابوا) (البقرة 2: 282). ونقل أن الأمر بالكتابة أمر إرشاد لا أمر إيجاب كما ذهب إليه بعضهم، وأن آخرين منهم الشعبي والحسن قالوا: كان ذلك واجبا ثم نسخ بقوله تعالى: (فإن أمن بعضكم بعضا فليؤد الذي اؤتمن أمانته) (البقرة 2: 283).
3. Witnesses, and No Harm to Scribe or Witness | الإشهاد ونفي الضرر عن الكاتب والشهيد
The verse calls for two male witnesses, or one man and two women, so that if one of the two women forgets, the other reminds her, and it tells witnesses not to refuse when they are called. It forbids harming the scribe or the witness and calls doing so defiance (fusuq). For buying and selling, Ibn Kathir notes that the majority took the command to take witnesses as guidance and recommendation, not as an obligation.
وَلَا يُضَارَّ كَاتِبٌ وَلَا شَهِيدٌ (سورة البقرة: 282)
تطلب الآية إشهاد رجلين، فإن لم يكونا رجلين فرجل وامرأتان، أن تضل إحداهما فتذكر إحداهما الأخرى، وتنهى الشهداء عن الامتناع إذا دعوا، وتنهى عن الإضرار بالكاتب والشهيد وتجعله فسوقا. ونقل ابن كثير أن الأمر بالإشهاد على البيع محمول عند الجمهور على الإرشاد والندب لا على الوجوب.
4. A Pledge When No Scribe Is Found | الرهن عند فقد الكاتب
The next verse, 2:283, says that travelers who find no scribe may take a pledge in hand. A little before the Verse of Debt, Allah commands patience with a debtor in hardship: if he is in difficulty, then grant him time until it is easy for him (2:280), as explained in what a lender should do when the borrower cannot repay.
وَإِن كُنتُمْ عَلَىٰ سَفَرٍ وَلَمْ تَجِدُوا كَاتِبًا فَرِهَانٌ مَّقْبُوضَةٌ (سورة البقرة: 283)
تبين الآية التالية أن من كان على سفر ولم يجد كاتبا فله أن يأخذ رهانا مقبوضة: (وإن كنتم على سفر ولم تجدوا كاتبا فرهان مقبوضة) (البقرة 2: 283). وقبل آية الدين أمر الله بإنظار المدين المعسر: (وإن كان ذو عسرة فنظرة إلى ميسرة) (البقرة 2: 280).
5. Allah Is Sufficient as Witness and Guarantor | كفى بالله شهيدا وكفيلا
If the parties trust one another, the one who is trusted must deliver his trust and fear Allah (2:283). The Prophet told of a man from the Children of Israel who asked another to lend him a thousand dinars. Asked for witnesses, he said: Allah is sufficient as a witness; asked for a guarantor, he said: Allah is sufficient as a guarantor. When he could find no ship at the due date, he put the thousand dinars and a letter inside a piece of wood and cast it into the sea, and Allah delivered it to the lender (Sahih al-Bukhari 2291). Ibn Kathir cites this hadith under the Verse of Debt.
فَإِنْ أَمِنَ بَعْضُكُم بَعْضًا فَلْيُؤَدِّ الَّذِي اؤْتُمِنَ أَمَانَتَهُ وَلْيَتَّقِ اللَّهَ رَبَّهُ (سورة البقرة: 283)
فإن أمن بعضهم بعضا فليؤد الذي اؤتمن أمانته وليتق الله ربه. وأخبر النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم عن رجل من بني إسرائيل سأل بعض بني إسرائيل أن يسلفه ألف دينار، فقال: ائتني بالشهداء أشهدهم، فقال: كفى بالله شهيدا، قال: فأتني بالكفيل، قال: كفى بالله كفيلا. فلما لم يجد مركبا عند الأجل أدخل الألف وصحيفة منه في خشبة ورمى بها في البحر، فأداها الله عنه إلى صاحبه (صحيح البخاري 2291). وأورد ابن كثير هذا الحديث في تفسير آية الدين.
Frequently Asked Questions | الأسئلة الشائعة
Which is the longest ayah in the Quran?
Verse 282 of Surah Al-Baqarah, known as the Verse of Debt (Ayat ad-Dayn). Ibn Kathir states that it is the longest verse in the Quran.
Why is it called the Verse of Debt?
Because it sets out how a debt contracted for a fixed term is written down by a just scribe and witnessed, so that rights are kept and doubts removed.
Is writing down a debt obligatory?
Ibn Kathir reports that some scholars took the command as guidance rather than an obligation, while others held that it was binding and later lifted by 2:283. The verse itself says that writing is more just and firmer for testimony.
What if no scribe can be found on a journey?
Verse 2:283 allows a pledge taken in hand. If the parties trust one another, the one who is trusted must deliver his trust and fear Allah.