Surah An-Nisa 4:135-141 - Quran Translation Commentary

(4:135) Believers! Be you upholders of justice,³²⁴ bearers of testimony for Allah,³²⁵ even if it is against yourselves, or your parents and kinsmen, whether the person concerned be rich or poor; Allah is closer to both.³²⁶ Follow not caprice, lest you swerve; for if you twist (the facts) or refuse (to bear the testimony),³²⁷ then, surely, Allah is Aware of what you do.

(4:136) O those who have believed!³²⁸ Believe in Allah and His Messenger, in the Book He has revealed unto His Messenger and in the Book He revealed earlier.³²⁹ Whoso disbelieved in Allah, His angels,³³⁰ His Books, His Messengers, and the Last Day, surely, fell into a distant error.³³¹

(4:137) Surely, those who believed, then they disbelieved, then they believed, and then again disbelieved, and then went on increasing in disbelief, Allah will not forgive them, nor will guide them to (the right) path.³³²

(4:138) Give good tidings to the hypocrites that for them awaits a painful chastisement.

(4:139) Those who take the unbelievers for friends instead of the believers.³³³ Do they seek power in them?³³⁴ (If so) Then, all power belongs to Allah.

(4:140) He has already revealed to you in the Book that when you hear Allah’s verses being denied and made mockery of, then, do not sit with them until they engage themselves in another topic.³³⁵ (If you do not) Then surely, you shall be like them.³³⁶ Surely, Allah will gather together the hypocrites and the unbelievers - all of them - in Hell.

(4:141) Those who wait upon you so that if a victory comes to you from Allah, they ask: ‘Were we not with you?’ But if the unbelievers get a share of it they say (to them): ‘Did we not gain the mastery over you,³³⁷ and protect you from the believers?’ Allah will judge between you on the Day of Judgment. And He will not grant the unbelievers any way over the believers.³³⁸

Commentary

324. The word in the original is qawwamin, an intensive form, implying that the quality of justice should be of a high order, a permanent phenomenon, and not a passing one (Kashshaf, Razi, Qurtubi and others).

325. Ibn Jarir states: “To stand out firmly for justice should be a part of your character and a necessary quality. And the meaning of the whole verse is: ‘Stand out firmly for justice, and bear testimony for the sake of Allah.’” Ibn Jarir also quotes Ibn Shihab (al-Zuhri) as saying that the righteous men of the first few generations (the Salaf al-Salih) were people of such quality that they could be trusted for testimony in cases involving their parents, brothers, wives or other kinsmen. But, after them came a people who could not be trusted to that degree. Therefore, their testimony, where their kinsmen were involved, became unacceptable. It happened in India once, during the time of the British, that there arose a dispute among Muslims and Hindus over a piece of land. Neither of them possessed valid documents in support of their claims. Finally, the Hindus suggested that the testimony of an aged trusted Muslim scholar of the town may be sought because he knew the truth of the matter. But the problem was that after the failed 1857 insurrection against the British rule, spearheaded by Muslims, the said scholar had sworn that he would not look at the face of a British again. The magistrate laughed and said that he could testify without looking at his face. His condition accepted, the aged man came in, stood with his back to the magistrate and testified that the land belonged to the Hindus. Another version says that the magistrate actually went to the Sheikh’s house who testified from behind a half-open door that the land belonged to the Hindus (Au.). Fiqh Point Qurtubi states that Hasan, Nakha`i, Sha`bi, Shurayh, Malik, Thawri, Shafe`i and Ibn Hanbal were of those who did not accept the testimony of a person when his close relatives were involved, although there are others who allowed it on condition that the man meet with the condition of an “`adul” (i.e., one who is trustworthy, religious and without any of those minor blemishes that are unbecoming of a gentleman). Imam Malik and Abu Hanifah do not allow a husband’s or wife’s testimony in favor or against each other. Further, according to a tradition of Abu Da’ud, the Prophet had refused to accept the testimony of a dishonest person, of a person against another with whom he bore a grudge, and of the head of a family, in favor of the family members, which leads us to the rule that wherever a person stands to gain something, in some way or the other, his testimony is not acceptable.

326. That is, poverty of one, or richness of another, should have no bearing upon your testimony, for Allah is a better Protector of either, than you can be (`Ali, Ibn `Abbas, Qatadah and others: Ibn Jarir). When `Abdullah ibn Rawaha had gone to Khyber to collect jizyah and the Jews tried to bribe him, he said: “By God. I have come to you from a man who is the dearest to me on earth. And you are the most hateful to me as the descendants of pigs and monkeys. But, neither his love nor your hatred, can prevent me from being just to you”. They said, “The heavens and the earth are in their place because of this” (Ibn Kathir).

327. The translation is based on the opinions of Ibn `Abbas, Mujahid, Qatadah, Ibn Zayd and others as found in Ibn Jarir.

328. Ibn Jarir’s opinion is that by the words, “O those who have believed” it is the Jews and Christians who have been addressed who are being told: ‘O those who have believed in the earlier Prophets, believe in this latest Prophet Muhammad and his mission also.’ But the opinion of most of the other commentators is that the address is to the Muslims, who are being asked to seek reaffirmation, purification and a full realization of their faith.

329. Although the rendering here is “revealed” for both the occasions, the original text has nazzala for the Qur’an and anzala for the previous Scriptures. Nazzala implies a gradual revelation, little by little, in pieces, whereas anzala implies a one time revelation, in one whole (Kashshaf, Razi and others). Asad adds: “What is meant here is belief in the fact of earlier revelations, and not in the earlier-revealed scriptures in their present form, which - as repeatedly stated in the Qur’an - is the outcome of far-reaching corruption of the original text”.

330. Since Allah conveys His messages to the Prophets and Messengers through the medium of angels, belief in angels is co-related with belief in Allah and His Messengers. This explains the placement of the statement concerning belief in the angels, between belief in Allah on the one hand, and His Messengers on the other (based on Razi’s and Asad’s notes).

331. That is, whoso disbelieved in any of articles mentioned in the verse, is an unbeliever (Alusi).

332. Although the apparent reference is to the hypocrites, Qatadah’s opinion is that the allusion is to the Jews who believed in Musa and then disbelieved in him, to Christians who believed in `Isa and then disbelieved in him - their disbelief was expressed in their abandoning of the Tawrah and Injil - and then they increased their disbelief by not believing in Muhammad Ibn Jarir).

333. It is reported by `A’isha that when a pagan wished to fight along with the believers, the Prophet refused to accept him, telling him:

ارْجِعْ. إِنَّا لاَ نَسْتَعِينُ بِمُشْرِكٍ.

“(You may) Return. We do not seek help of a pagan” (Qurtubi).

334. A hadith of Abu Rayhana reported in Ahmad says:

من انتسب إلى تسعة آباء كفار، يريد بهم عزًّا وفخرًا، فهو عاشرهم في النار

“Whosoever sought to link himself with nine of his unbelieving fathers and forefathers, out of pride and in search of honor, shall be the tenth of them in the Fire” (Ibn Kathir).

335. Some Muslims used to sit in the company of Jews who poked fun at Islam. This verse was revealed to forbid them. Abu Wa’il is reported to have said: “Sometimes a man utters a single word just to make his companions laugh. But it evokes Allah’s anger.” When Ibrahim Nakha`i was told about Abu Wa’il’s statement he said: “He spoke the truth.” Khawhirzadah has said: “To have no objections to the kufr of a kafir is itself a kind of kufr” (Alusi).

336. It is said that a group of people were caught drinking during the time of `Umar ibn `Abdul `Aziz. He had them all whipped including one who was actually fasting. `Umar recited this verse when they protested that the man was fasting. His point was that he had brought the punishment on himself by being in their company (Ibn Jarir, Qurtubi). In fact, a hadith of the Prophet says:

مَنْ كَانَ يُؤْمِنُ بِاللَّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ فَلَا يَجْلِسْ عَلَى مَائِدَةٍ يُدَارُ عَلَيْهَا بِالْخَمْرِ

“Let not him who believes in Allah and His Messenger, sit on a table on which wine is served” (Ibn Kathir). Dahhak has said that the rule applies to all innovators and habitual sinners of all times (Qurtubi).

337. The meaning is: “Did we not manage to get the upper hand over you, yet, despite that, we identified ourselves with you and helped you in your efforts to overcome the believers, until you achieved your objectives” (Shawkani).

338. When `Ali had suffered the setbacks he suffered, a man came to him and reciting the second half of the verse “And He will not grant the unbelievers any way (of triumph) over the believers,” asked him how he would explain it. `Ali told him to get closer. Then he recited the whole verse to him: “Allah will judge between you on the Day of Judgment. And (that day) He will not grant the unbelievers any way (of triumph) over the believers.” That is, the verse is applicable to the situation in the Hereafter (Ibn Jarir, Qurtubi, Ibn Kathir, and Shawkani). Qurtubi and Ibn Kathir, however, add that the verse could equally hold good for this life, as Allah will never allow the unbelievers a total dominance over the believers, even though temporary setbacks are not ruled out, as said Allah in (40: 51):

إِنَّا لَنَنْصُرُ رُسُلَنَا وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا فِي الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا وَيَوْمَ يَقُومُ الْأَشْهَادُ [غافر : 51]

“Verily, We shall grant victory to our Messengers and those who believed in them in the life of this world and on the Day when witnesses will stand forth (for testimony).” In fact, according to a report in Muslim, the Prophet supplicated to Allah that He may not give the unbelievers total dominance over this Ummah and the supplication was accepted. The whole hadith runs something like this. The Prophet made three supplications for the Ummah. Two were accepted, third was rejected. He asked that the Ummah never be completely overpowered by its enemies. It was granted. He asked that starvation does not destroy this Ummah. It was granted. Finally, he prayed that they do not fight among themselves. This supplication was rejected (Au.). However, Qurtubi adds the opinion of Ibn al-`Arabi, that excluded is the situation in which the Muslims do not counsel good deeds, do not prohibit evil deeds, and do not repent their own misdeeds, in which case the unbelievers might be granted dominance over them.