المعنى
What is the "burden" (iṣr) in this āyah?
الجواب
Imām Ibn al-Jawzī (d. 597/1201) summarized the scholars' opinions in his book "Zād al-Masīr" as follows:
- It refers to a covenant. [Ibn ʿAbbās, Mujāhid, al-Ḍaḥḥāk, al-Suddī]
- It refers to a heavy weight, meaning: "Do not impose on us obligations as heavy as those You imposed on the Children of Israel." [Ibn Qutaybah]

