Continued.
His commentary on "On no soul doth Allah Place a burden greater than it can bear.":
"al-Wus'" is ability and power. Originally, the word was used for dimension, to show the area or capacity of a place or receptacle; then the power of man was thought of as a receptacle from which his actions come forth. A man has the ability to do a certain task; it is as though the said task is accommodated in his ability. On the other hand, a task which he cannot do is too great for his power and ability. In this way, the word 'dimension' came to mean power and ability.
As mentioned above, it is the sum total of the rights of Allah on man that he should hear and obey. Obviously, man can say "I hear" only about that which he can understand; how can he answer by hearing and accepting what he cannot understand? Also, he can say "I obey" only about that which can be performed by his faculties and organs directly or through some tools. Obedience means that man follows the given order, and his faculties and organs are actuated to perform accordingly. The question of obedience does not arise about things that cannot be done; for example, if one is told to hear by his eyes, or to sit in two rooms at the same time, or that one should be born from his parents a second time. No such order can be given by any sane person. When the believers answer the Call of religion with hearing and obedience, it means that the Call is about such things that are within their power and ability; and it is these things which man obeys or disobeys, earning for himself what will benefit him or harm him. The "earning", mentioned in this verse, is the best proof to show that what man earns, he earns through his ability and power.
The words of Allah "Allah does not impose upon any soul ..." describe the divinely established system that Allah does not impose upon His servants what is beyond their power; for example, He does not tell them to believe in that which is beyond their understanding; nor does He ordain for them a duty which they cannot do. This is, also, the custom of all sane persons. It is a sentence that is neither more nor less than the believers' declaration "We hear and obey"; it agrees with it perfectly.
This sentence, that is, "Allah does not impose upon any soul...", is in perfect harmony with the preceding and the following sentences. It is related to the preceding one, as it shows that Allah does not impose any duty except that which the servants can hear and obey, that is, which is within their ability and power.
And it is related to the following sentences, as it shows that what the Apostle and the believers prayed for - that Allah should not punish them if they forget or do a mistake, and should not lay on them burden as He laid on past nations, and should not impose upon them anything which they do not have strength to bear - was not an imposition beyond the extent of their ability, although such things, if imposed, could cause hardship. When Allah imposes upon a group that which they have not the strength to bear, it is not the imposition of a duty; it is the imposition of a punishment for their transgression and rebellion.
Forgetfulness and committing mistakes, per se, are beyond man's power; but, more often than not, it is man himself who paves the way for them. It is possible to prevent these two (forgetfulness and erring) by desisting from those things which cause them. It is especially true in cases where one forgets or commits a mistake because of his wrong choice.
The same may be said about laying on one a burden like that which was laid upon previous people. It refers to the cases in which Allah imposed hard rules in place of easy ones, when those people went against those easy rules. It was not the unwarrantable imposition of duty beyond one's ability; it was brought upon them by those people themselves because of their wrong choice. And such punishing rules are not bad in law.*
I own a copy of the Holy Qur'an with translation and commentary by S.V. Mir Ahmed Ali and Ayatullah Agha H.M.M. Pooya Yazdi which I would recommend as they give some interesting insights into the Qur'an. On verse 2:286 they comment:
*Note the spirit of humility and supplications forwarded through islamic prayer and the ultimate end sought by the supplicant, is triumph of the truth against falsehood, or of godliness against satan, and the faith against infidelity.
'Os'at' literally means extent not ability. It means more than capacity i.e., ability with ease. However it refutes the doctrine of the Determinists 'Jabriah' that God may order man beyond his ability. If it is taken in the second sense, it would mean that not only God does not order beyond the capacity, but He even does not order man to do what is difficult for him, which would be in agreement with, 22:78 and the saying of the Holy Prophet "I have brought you a very easy religion with lots of facilities."
'Wala tahmil alaina' i.e. Burden us not with such duties as the hard injunctions regarding the too extreme of the ideal cleanliness for man and woman, the validity of the voluntary celibacy and the prohibitory orders on 'Sabt' etc.