Surah An-Nisa 4:51-56 - Quran Translation Commentary

(4:51) Have you considered those that were given a portion of the Book (but) they believe in sorcery¹⁷¹ and taghut¹⁷² and say about the pagans that they are better guided on the Way than the believers?¹⁷³

(4:52) They are the ones upon whom Allah has laid His curse. And you shall not find a helper for him whom Allah has cursed.¹⁷⁴

(4:53) Or, have they a share in sovereignty? If that had been so they would not have given the people even so much as a particle.¹⁷⁵

(4:54) Or, are they jealous of the people for what Allah has bestowed upon them out of His grace?¹⁷⁶ Yet We gave Ibrahim’s family the Book and the Wisdom and conferred upon them a great kingdom.¹⁷⁷

(4:55) Yet, there were some among them who believed in him (i.e., in Ibrahim) but some who averted their faces from him. Jahannum suffices for a blaze.

(4:56) Surely, those who denied Our signs, We shall soon roast them in a Fire. As often as their skins are burned, We shall replace them with other skins so that they may (wholly) taste the torment.¹⁷⁸ Verily Allah is Powerful, Wise.

Commentary

171. Opinions vary over the word jibt of the original as to its exact connotation. `Ikrimah has said that jibt is used for Shaytan in the Abyssinian language. Ibn Jarir summarizes various opinions by saying that jibt (and the following word) taghut are generic terms by which are meant everything that is worshipped besides Allah. Abu Da’ud has a hadith which says:

الْعِيَافَةُ وَالطَّرْقُ وَالطِّيَرَةُ مِنَ الْجِبْتِ

“To divine things by the flight of birds, or by drawing lines, constitutes jibt” (Ibn Kathir and others).

172. `Umar, Ibn `Abbas, Mujahid, `Ata’, `Ikrimah, Sa`id b. Jubayr, Sha`bi, Hasan and `Atiyyah have said that the jibt of the original alludes to sorcery and taghut to Shaytan. However, in view of other interpretations offered by others of the Salaf, jibt and taghut can be interpreted as any object, living or non-living, that is worshipped besides Allah (as Imam Malik has said: Ibn Kathir), be they sorcerers, soothsayers, idols or Shaytan. Thus, at the time of revelation the words were applicable to Huyyiy b. Ukhtab, Ka`b b. al-Ashraf and others, which is another interpretation coming rom Ibn `Abbas (Ibn Jarir, Ibn Kathir). For taghut see also al-Baqarah note 553 (Au.).

173. Ibn `Abbas, `Ikrimah, Suddi and others have reported that when Ka`b b. al-Ashraf visited Makkah the Quraysh asked him about themselves and the Prophet and his followers as to who was better guided, he said emphatically that they, the pagans, were better guided than the Muslims and that their religion was superior to Islam (Ibn Jarir, Ibn Kathir). It is also reported that (in a second incident: Au.) Huyyiy b. Ukhtab (and 30 other Jews went to Makkah, seeking alliance with the Makkans against the Prophet: Ma`arif). During the talks (the Makkans insisted that the Jews prostrate themselves before their idols to prove their fidelity, and the Jews complied: Ma`arif), the Makkans asked them what they thought of them and the Prophet saying, “We are illiterate while you read the holy Scriptures. Give us your opinion of us and Muhammad.” The Jews enquired: “What are you and what is Muhammad?” The Makkans said: “Well, We join the blood relations, sacrifice for God, water the pilgrims, free the slaves.” The Jews asked: “And what is Muhammad?” The Makkans replied: “He is a weak man who cuts asunder blood relationship and has as his followers thieves of Ghifar tribe (meaning perhaps Abu Dhar Ghifari: Au.).” The Jews told them that they were certainly better guided and that their religion was better than that of Muhammad (Qurtubi, Ibn Kathir, Shawkani, Ma`arif). It might be noted that neither the Quraysh nor the Jews were unaware of the true nature of the religion that the Prophet was preaching and the religion that the Quraysh were following (Au.). Sayyid comments: “There is not much variation in the theme. The Jews say today: the pagans are better guided than the Muslims. They use all the means of media and propaganda that their hands possess, to plant doubts about Islamic movements appearing anywhere on the globe. They offer their unconditional support to the misguided people in their efforts to destroy those movements, exactly as they offered their whole-hearted help and support to the pagans of Quraysh against the Islamic movement of that time. Although in the modern times they have - following their perverted and cunning nature and guileful methods of the contemporary world - discreetly changed their techniques. Now they do not openly praise falsehood and its followers, rather, content themselves with planting doubts and cynicism about the truth and its followers, in order to indirectly help falsehood in the destruction and defeat of the truth. For, in the contemporary world, open praise and commendation of falsehood is looked at with suspicion and might cast doubts on the conniving supporters of falsehood... Indeed, their cunning is of such order, that sometimes they even express their dislike and enmity of their own friends and affiliates speaking out hollow words against them in order to drive away all doubts about their own sincerity and impartiality. (But at heart they are with them, aiding them by all means possible)... It is the same plan, the same scheme, same methods and same objectives, because of which Allah loves them - but with curse, and anger, and lack of divine support - so that victory will never be theirs, even if they were to be able to muster the help of the whole world in their cause: ‘These are the ones upon whom Allah has laid His curse. And you shall not find a helper for him whom Allah has cursed.’”

174. Mufti Shafi` writes the following: La`nah (curse) implies that the one cursed is away from Allah’s mercy and so has ignominy attached to his neck. We might enquire as to what other kind of people (apart from those mentioned in these verses) earn Allah’s curse. A hadith of Muslim says that the Prophet cursed those who accept usury, give usury, register it, or bear testimony for it. In another hadith he said that the homosexuals stand accursed. In a third hadith he cursed those who manufacture wine, drink it, serve it or buy it. There are other acts that have earned the same kind of rebuke. Since la`nah is a thing of such fearful consequence, Muslims have been advised not to curse. In a hadith of Mishkat the Prophet said:

لَيْسَ الْمُؤْمِنُ بِالطَّعَّانِ ، وَلا بِاللَّعَّانِ ، وَلا بِالْفَاحِشِ ، وَلا بِالْبَذِيءِ

“A believer is not given to vituperation, cursing, ill-tongued, nor obscene.” In this context, there is another hadith in Abu Da’ud. It says,

إِنَّ الْعَبْدَ إِذَا لَعَنَ شَيْئًا صَعِدَتْ اللَّعْنَةُ إِلَى السَّمَاءِ فَتُغْلَقُ أَبْوَابُ السَّمَاءِ دُونَهَا ثُمَّ تَهْبِطُ إِلَى الْأَرْضِ فَتُغْلَقُ أَبْوَابُهَا دُونَهَا ثُمَّ تَأْخُذُ يَمِينًا وَشِمَالًا فَإِذَا لَمْ تَجِدْ مَسَاغًا رَجَعَتْ إِلَى الَّذِي لُعِنَ فَإِنْ كَانَ لِذَلِكَ أَهْلًا وَإِلَّا رَجَعَتْ إِلَى قَائِلِهَا. سنن ابي داؤد

When a man curses something (undeserved of it: Au.), his curse rises up to the heavens but, finding its doors locked, turns back toward the earth where it finds doors shut for it, then it goes to the right and left, but not finding an opening returns to the one cursed. But if it is not deserving of it, returns to the originator. Hence, one should exercise great control over the use of the word. In fact, cursing even an unbeliever is not allowed, unless it is known for certain that he died on disbelief, such as Abu Jahl, Abu Lahab and others of their kind. Accordingly, it is stated in Shami (a standard Hanafiyy fiqh book) that Yezid cannot be cursed. Further, if one has to curse, he might only curse in general terms, such as to say, ‘May Allah curse the unbelievers,’ or ‘May Allah curse the liars,’ etc. Once, winds blew away a man’s mantle. He cursed the winds. The Prophet told him:

لا تَلْعَنْهَا ، فَإِنَّهَا مَأْمُورَةٌ ، وَإِنَّ مَنْ لَعَنَ شَيْئًا لَيْسَ لَهُ بِأَهْلٍ رَجَعَتِ اللَّعْنَةُ إِلَيْهِ

“Do not curse it, for it follows the orders given to it. If it is undeserving of a curse, the curse will come back to the originator.”

175.

176. Apart from prophethood, the progeny of Ibrahim was also given temporal powers and great kingdoms, such as that granted to Da’ud, Sulayman and Yusuf. Now, if that was not strange, then, why another descendant’s temporal powers trouble the Jews? (Thanwi). Ibn Kathir writes: Despite the fact that the Jews claim to be descendants of Ibrahim and his progeny, they differed among themselves. So that, while some believed, others denied and refused to believe in prophets raised out of Ibrahim’s progeny. How then can you, O Muhammad, expect to be believed in by these people, when you are not even an Israelite?

177.Thanwi points out: The verse implies that there is no conflict between spiritual and temporal powers.

178. The choice of words, “that they may (truly) taste the torment,” indicates that burning of the skin and its replacement will be real (and not symbolic: Au.) - Razi.