286. " allah does not impose upon anyone a duty but to the extent of
his capacity; in his favour shall be what he has earned, and
against him shall be (the evil) he has wrought.
our lord ! punish us not if we forget or make a mistake.
our lord ! lay not upon us a burden such as you did lay upon those
before us.
our lord ! burden us not with what we have no strength to bear.
and pardon us, and forgive us, and have mercy on us;
you are our guardian,
so help us against the people who are infidels"

commentary:

the beginning statement of this verse says :
" allah does not impose upon anyone a duty but to the extent of
his capacity; ..."
the entirety of the islamic legislations, from the view point of
capacity and capability of man, are rendered and depended on this very
verse. then, it adds that whatever good or evil a person does returns to
him:
"... in his favour shall be what he has earned, and against him
shall be (the evil) he has wrought. ..."
by this statement, the above verse awares the believers of their
responsibilities and the result of their own actions. it rejects the
imagination of determinism, chance, horoscope and fancies of this kind.
next to these two essential principles (that the duty of fulfilment
is due to capacity, and everyone is responsible for one's own deeds),
seven suplications are asked allah from the tongue of the believers.
these invocations are indeed, as instructions for all in general, to teach
them what they say in supplication and what they ask for. at first, it
says:
"...our lord ! punish us not if we forget or make a mistake. ..."
therefore, the forgetfulnesses resulted from carelessness are
punishable. since they know that they are punishable for their own
actions, they call allah as their lord, the one who has a specific grace
in their training with a special cry and say that life, in any rate, is not
empty of forgetfulness and mistake. they try not to commit any
intentional sin, but it is allah who may forgive them their mistakes
and sins. as to their second invocation, it says :
our lord ! lay not upon us a burden such as you did lay upon those
before us. ..."
for their third invocation it adds :
" ...our lord ! burden us not with what we have no strength to bear..."
this sentence may refer to the divine severe trials, or the hard
punishments of this world and the next, or both of them. in the fourth,
fifth and sixth invocations, they say:
" ...and pardon us, and forgive us, and have mercy on us; ..."
finally, in the seventh invocation, which is the last invocation,
here, they say:
"...you are our guardian, so help us against the people who are infidels. "
thus, their invocations cover the afairs of this world and the next,
those like personal and social successes, divine forgiveness, and the
mercy of allah. this is an inclusive supplication.

the end of

sura al-baqarah