2:286 Allah tasketh not a soul beyond its scope.

By: Maged Taman

Most of the Quran is self-explanatory. You get more dimensions in the meaning when you read it more in depth. However, the tafsser or explanation of the verses ought to be done by those who are well versed in Arabic language, know the occasion of the verses if there is one and know the Quran as a whole. God would enlighten some people more than others of the understanding the meaning of the Quran.
In this verse of the Baqqera Chapter: God teaches us one of the supplication or Dawa. Dawa is also used to mean different thing which it is to call people to Islam, while the first one is a call to God like this verse:

2:286 Allah tasketh not a soul beyond its scope. For it (is only) that which it hath earned, and against it (only) that which it hath deserved. Our Lord! Condemn us not if we forget, or miss the mark! Our Lord! Lay not on us such a burden as Thou didst lay on those before us! Our Lord! Impose not on us that which we have not the strength to bear! Pardon us, absolve us and have mercy on us, Thou, our Protector, and give us victory over the disbelieving folk.
لاَ يُكَلِّفُ اللّهُ نَفْسًا إِلاَّ وُسْعَهَا لَهَا مَا كَسَبَتْ وَعَلَيْهَا مَا اكْتَسَبَتْ رَبَّنَا لاَ تُؤَاخِذْنَا إِن نَّسِينَا أَوْ أَخْطَأْنَا رَبَّنَا وَلاَ تَحْمِلْ عَلَيْنَا إِصْرًا كَمَا حَمَلْتَهُ عَلَى الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِنَا رَبَّنَا وَلاَ تُحَمِّلْنَا مَا لاَ طَاقَةَ لَنَا بِهِ وَاعْفُ عَنَّا وَاغْفِرْ لَنَا وَارْحَمْنَآ أَنتَ مَوْلاَنَا فَانصُرْنَا عَلَى الْقَوْمِ الْكَافِرِينَ (2:286)

2:286 Allah tasketh not a soul beyond its scope: God asserts here he does not burden us he does not want us to fast all year but one month Ramadan. We only pray 5 times a day and not 50.

For it (is only) that which it hath earned,: Thus we are to deserve what we earn

and against it (only) that which it hath deserved: and we deserve what we did not do from religious obligations or evil we commit.

Our Lord! Condemn us not if we forget, or miss the mark!: God asks us consequently to pray that he forgives us since we will not be perfect.

Our Lord! Lay not on us such a burden as Thou didst lay on those before us!: God teaches us also to pray to him not to burden us as he did to people before us like the Jews when some of them would not obey God.

Our Lord! Impose not on us that which we have not the strength to bear!: God teaches us again to pray that he does not impose on us what we can not bear.

Pardon us, absolve us and have mercy on us, Thou, our Protector,: To pardon us as well and have a mercy on us.

and give us victory over the disbelieving folk.: And the last of the prayers is to give us victory over the disbelieving folks this could be military but could also when they convert to Islam or they leave us alone. You may ask why the disbelievers came here in this verse. The answer is simple one of the big trials of God when they do not obey is oppression and persecution by the disbelievers. It happened with the Jews over thousands of years when they obey God they live their best days and when they disobey him he let them to their enemies. That is why the attribute protector was mentioned just before this last sentence of the verse. This is the thread of this verse to obey him so he protect us.

لاَ يُكَلِّفُ اللّهُ نَفْسًا إِلاَّ وُسْعَهَا لَهَا مَا كَسَبَتْ وَعَلَيْهَا مَا اكْتَسَبَتْ رَبَّنَا لاَ تُؤَاخِذْنَا إِن نَّسِينَا أَوْ أَخْطَأْنَا رَبَّنَا وَلاَ تَحْمِلْ عَلَيْنَا إِصْرًا كَمَا حَمَلْتَهُ عَلَى الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِنَا رَبَّنَا وَلاَ تُحَمِّلْنَا مَا لاَ طَاقَةَ لَنَا بِهِ وَاعْفُ عَنَّا وَاغْفِرْ لَنَا وَارْحَمْنَآ أَنتَ مَوْلاَنَا فَانصُرْنَا عَلَى الْقَوْمِ الْكَافِرِينَ (2:286)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5TVbeEkMdKg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1oe2enF4eRI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8hkC6NXUYuA