Surah 4. An-Nisa

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Verses [Section]: 1-10[1], 11-14 [2], 15-22 [3], 23-25 [4], 26-33 [5], 34-42 [6], 43-50 [7], 51-56 [8], 57-70 [9], 71-76 [10], 77-87 [11], 88-91 [12], 92-96 [13], 97-100 [14], 101-104 [15], 105-112 [16], 113-115 [17], 116-126 [18], 127-134 [19], 135-141 [20], 142-152 [21], 153-162 [22], 163-171 [23], 172-176 [24]

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Quran Text of Verse 71-76یٰۤاَیُّهَاO youالَّذِیْنَwhoاٰمَنُوْاbelieve[d]!خُذُوْاTakeحِذْرَكُمْyour precautionsفَانْفِرُوْاand advanceثُبَاتٍ(in) groupsاَوِorانْفِرُوْاadvanceجَمِیْعًا all together وَ اِنَّAnd indeedمِنْكُمْamong youلَمَنْ(is he) whoلَّیُبَطِّئَنَّ ۚlags behindفَاِنْthen ifاَصَابَتْكُمْbefalls youمُّصِیْبَةٌa disasterقَالَhe saidقَدْVerilyاَنْعَمَ(has) favoredاللّٰهُAllahعَلَیَّ[on] meاِذْ[when]لَمْ(that) notاَكُنْI wasمَّعَهُمْwith themشَهِیْدًا present وَ لَىِٕنْAnd ifاَصَابَكُمْbefalls youفَضْلٌbountyمِّنَfromاللّٰهِAllahلَیَقُوْلَنَّhe would surely sayكَاَنْas ifلَّمْ(had) notتَكُنْۢthere beenبَیْنَكُمْbetween youوَ بَیْنَهٗand between himمَوَدَّةٌany affectionیّٰلَیْتَنِیْOh! I wishكُنْتُI had beenمَعَهُمْwith themفَاَفُوْزَthen I would have attainedفَوْزًاa successعَظِیْمًا great فَلْیُقَاتِلْSo let fightفِیْinسَبِیْلِ(the) wayاللّٰهِ(of) Allahالَّذِیْنَthose whoیَشْرُوْنَsellالْحَیٰوةَthe lifeالدُّنْیَا(of) the worldبِالْاٰخِرَةِ ؕfor the Hereafterوَ مَنْAnd whoeverیُّقَاتِلْfightsفِیْinسَبِیْلِ(the) wayاللّٰهِ(of) Allahفَیُقْتَلْthen he is killedاَوْorیَغْلِبْachieves victoryفَسَوْفَthen soonنُؤْتِیْهِWe will grant himاَجْرًاa rewardعَظِیْمًا a great 4. An-Nisa Page 90وَ مَاAnd whatلَكُمْfor youلَا(that) notتُقَاتِلُوْنَyou fightفِیْinسَبِیْلِ(the) wayاللّٰهِ(of) Allahوَ الْمُسْتَضْعَفِیْنَand (for) those who are weakمِنَamongالرِّجَالِthe menوَ النِّسَآءِand the womenوَ الْوِلْدَانِand the childrenالَّذِیْنَthose whoیَقُوْلُوْنَsayرَبَّنَاۤOur Lordاَخْرِجْنَاtake us outمِنْofهٰذِهِthisالْقَرْیَةِ[the] townالظَّالِمِ[the] oppressor(s)اَهْلُهَا ۚ(are) its peopleوَ اجْعَلْand appointلَّنَاfor usمِنْfromلَّدُنْكَYourselfوَلِیًّا ۙۚa protectorوَّ اجْعَلْand appointلَّنَاfor usمِنْfromلَّدُنْكَYourselfنَصِیْرًاؕa helper اَلَّذِیْنَThose whoاٰمَنُوْاbelieveیُقَاتِلُوْنَthey fightفِیْinسَبِیْلِ(the) wayاللّٰهِ ۚ(of) Allahوَ الَّذِیْنَand thoseكَفَرُوْاwho disbelieveیُقَاتِلُوْنَthey fightفِیْinسَبِیْلِ(the) wayالطَّاغُوْتِ(of) the false deitiesفَقَاتِلُوْۤاSo fight (against)اَوْلِیَآءَ(the) friendsالشَّیْطٰنِ ۚ(of) the ShaitaanاِنَّIndeedكَیْدَ(the) strategyالشَّیْطٰنِ(of) the Shaitaanكَانَisضَعِیْفًا۠weak

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Translation of Verse 71-76

(4:71) Believers! Take your precautions (against the unbelievers);²⁰⁶ then go forward (in small) detachments or go forward all together.²⁰⁷

(4:72) Surely, there are some among you who drag their feet;²⁰⁸ then, if an affliction befalls you, he says: ‘Allah favored me that I was not present with them.’

(4:73) But if a good fortune from Allah visits you, he says - as if there was no affection between you and him²⁰⁹ - ‘How I wish I was with them. I would have then made a great fortune.’²¹⁰

(4:74) Let those then, who (will readily) sell the life of this world for the next, fight in the way of Allah.²¹¹ Whoso fights in the way of Allah and is slain, or overcomes (the enemy), We shall surely bestow on him a mighty reward.²¹²

(4:75) How is it with you, that you do not fight in the way of Allah, and in the way of oppressed men, women and children pleading: ‘Our Lord, rescue us from the people of this tyrannous town, and appoint for us a protector from You, and appoint to us a helper from You.²¹³

(4:76) The believers fight in the way of Allah, while the unbelievers fight in the way of taghut.²¹⁴ Fight you, then, against the friends of Shaytan. Shaytan’s guile is weak indeed.²¹⁵

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Commentary

206. What it means is, do not sit back and relax, rather prepare yourself against the enemies of Islam (Ruh). Mawdudi writes: “This discourse was revealed after the battle of Uhud, when the tribes living around Madina had been greatly encouraged by the defeat of the Muslims. The dangers seemed to surround the Muslims on all sides. Day in and day out news poured in about the hostile intentions of some tribe after another ... Beyond Madina neither their life nor property was secure. Consequently, the Muslims had to prepare themselves for a fierce struggle for a tremendous all out effort to ensure that the Islamic movement would not be crushed.”

207. The meaning hidden in the words “go forward all together” is that a man must try and take part in every good activity before his appointed term ends (Ruh). Asad writes: “The problem of war as such arises from the principles of ideological statehood postulated in verse 59 of this surah. Since the Muslims are expected to organize their communal life within the framework of a state based on the ideological premises laid down in the Qur’an, they must be ready for hostility on the part of groups or nations opposed to the world-view and the social system of Islam and, conceivably, bent on its destruction: consequently, the concept of a defensive war in God’s cause (jihad) plays a very prominent role in the socio-political scheme of Islam and is frequently alluded to throughout the Qur’an.” Since the concept that Islam sanctions only a defensive war is commonly prevalent, the above requires a slight modification. The words “defensive war,” destroy the objective “in God’s cause” stated in the same sentence. Jihad can only be “in God’s cause,” if it is waged to uphold the Word of God and put down the Word of taghut. Helping the oppressed Muslims, is only subsidiary and an additional cause, and cannot be called “God’s cause” per se. Also see note 212 below. Though of course, this is all theory. In actual fact, Muslims will have to keep conducting the Jihad of self-defence because never will they be spared the enemy-sword (Au.).

208. Such as those who do not prepare themselves - with arms and provisions - for the battles that are anticipated (Ibn Kathir).

209. There was, in fact, no love and affection between the hypocrites and Muslims, but this is what they used to claim (and these words were added to refute their claim) - Zamakhshari.

210. Mujahid, Qatadah and Ibn Jurayj have said that the allusion is to the hypocrite in this verse (Ibn Jarir, Ibn Kathir). Yusuf Ali explains: “The doubter detaches himself in thought and action from the community. If the general body has a reverse, he blesses Allah that he was not among them, instead of being ashamed of himself for desertion. If the general body wins a success, he does not rejoice for the common cause, but only regrets for himself that he was not there to share in the glory and the gains.”

211.

212. So, for a believer fighting in the way of Allah, it is either martyrdom or victory. Defeat is out of the question (based on Majid’s note).

213. Thus, there are two reasons that entail the necessity of jihad: one, to establish the religion of Allah, and the other to help the oppressed Muslims (Shabbir). Ibn `Abbas, Mujahid, Suddi, Hasan and Ibn Zayd say that the situation refers to the early days after hijrah when weak men, women and children were left back in Makkah and were the target of persecution (Ibn Jarir). Ibn `Abbas has said in a report of Bukhari: “I and my mother were the “oppressed ones" that Allah spoke of in this verse (Ibn Kathir).

214. For explanation of the word taghut see note 172 of this surah and 553 of al-Baqarah.

215. ‘Thus the Qur’an implies that “evil” is not an independent, esoteric factor of life, but rather a result of a man’s succumbing to the temptations arising from his own moral weakness and thereby “denying the truth”. In other words, the “power” of the negative principle symbolized by Satan has no intrinsic reality (“Satan’s guile is weak indeed”): it becomes real only through man’s wilfully choosing a wrong course of action’ (Asad).