Surah An-Nisa 4:77-87 - Quran Translation Commentary

(4:77) Have you considered those who were told, ‘Restrain yourselves. And, (in the meantime), establish the Prayers and pay the zakah?;’²¹⁶ but as soon as fighting was prescribed for them, a party of them began to fear the people as they ought to fear Allah, or even more, and began to plead, ‘O Our Lord. Why did you prescribe fighting for us? Why did You not grant us respite for a short while?!’²¹⁷ Say, ‘Short are the enjoyments of the world, and the Hereafter is better for him who fears (his Lord).²¹⁸ And you shall not be wronged (even) by a thread.²¹⁹

(4:78) Wheresoever you may be, death will overtake you,²²⁰ although you should be in fortified castles.’²²¹ And, if a good thing happens to them, they say, ‘This is from Allah.’ But when an evil befalls them they say, ‘This is from you.’²²² Tell them, ‘Everything is from Allah.’ What then is the matter with these people that they come nowhere near to understanding the discourse?

(4:79) Whatever good happens to you, it is from Allah. And whatever evil befalls you, it is from yourself.²²³ And surely, We have sent you as a Messenger to the people. And Allah suffices as a witness.

(4:80) Whosoever obeys the Messenger, thereby obeys Allah.²²⁴ As for him who turns away: We have not sent you a watcher over them.

(4:81) They say, ‘Obedience (is the word).’ But when they leave you, a party of them spends the night pondering over options other than that you stated.²²⁵ Allah writes down their nightly resolutions. Therefore, ignore them²²⁶ and place your trust in Allah. Surely, Allah suffices as a Guardian.

(4:82) Do they not ponder the Qur’an?²²⁷ Had it been from other than Allah, surely they would have found many inconsistencies in it.²²⁸

(4:83) When a matter of security or fear comes to them, they broadcast it.²²⁹ If they had referred it to the Messenger and to those who hold command among them,²³⁰ surely those of them who can determine²³¹ the matter would have known (the truth) it.²³² And, but for Allah’s grace and mercy with you, surely, all but a few would have followed Shaytan.

(4:84) Therefore,²³³ fight in the way of Allah. You are not responsible, but for yourself.²³⁴ And urge on the believers (to fight).²³⁵ It might be that Allah will restrict the might of the unbelievers. Allah is stronger in might and more terrible in punishment.²³⁶

(4:85) Whoso intercedes in a good cause²³⁷ shall have a portion of it (in rewards); and whoso intercedes in a bad cause shall have a share²³⁸ of it in the burden.²³⁹ Allah has power over everything.²⁴⁰

(4:86) And when you are greeted with a greeting, greet with a better one, or return it (in similar words).²⁴¹ Surely Allah keeps a watchful account of everything.

(4:87) Allah, there is no god but He. He shall surely bring you all together on the Day of Judgment. (There is) no doubt about it. And who is truer than Allah in a statement?!

Commentary

216. Ibn `Abbas has said that once, tired of persecution in Makkah, `Abdul Rahman ibn `Awf and others complained to the Prophet: “As polytheists, we were people of honour. But, after Islam we are being humiliated.” the Prophet told them: “I have been ordered to forgive. Therefore, do not retaliate” (Ibn Jarir). Ibn Kathir adds: A similar report is in Nasa’i. And, one of the reasons for restraining the Muslims was that they were in the holy precincts where fighting was unlawful. The above report is also in Hakim who has declared it trustworthy (Shawkani). On the question of why Islam did not reply force with force in Makkah, Sayyid Qutb has the following to say in summary: “First of all, we need to realize that in these matters we are speaking on behalf of Allah. We might assume things. But we might be right, we might be wrong. There might have been reasons that are not clear to us, known by Allah alone. Therefore, a believer’s attitude should be, whether it is the question of jihad, or other matters such as the wisdom behind Prayers, zakah and so on, that whatever his own reason and logic lead him on to, he only takes them as possibilities and fair guesses, but no more. He is never certain about them, and will never assure himself that there is nothing beyond them. Thus disciplining ourselves, we can look into some of what we think could have been the reasons for not legislating jihad in Makkah: a) It was a phase involving discipline, training and preparation of an assortment of people, in a particular atmosphere, overruled by certain factors: being trained especially in patience and perseverance, and in the obedience to a leadership ... that leadership itself of a more profound order, and not the tribal order. b) Probably because a pacifist method suited the milieu in which Islam appeared: the milieu and culture of the Quraysh, the proud men, who would not bow down to force, rather, fight on. c) To avoid turning every home into a battle-ground, especially when an organized authority was also lacking that could restore order after the chaos. Islam would have been squarely blamed for the resulting chaos. In fact, even without any retaliation by the persecuted Muslims, Islam was being blamed for dividing homes and putting sons against fathers. d) It was from the knowledge that many of those who were then torturing Muslims and persecuting them, would themselves later turn into ardent soldiers of Islam. e) The sense of honour that the Arabs were endowed with worked in favour of Islam. If there were some of them who were torturing weak Muslims, there were others who sympathized with them, and felt guilty about it. f) Fewness of Muslims could have been another reason. The non-Makkan Arabs treated the struggle between the Quraysh and the early Muslims as a family quarrel in which they would not interfere. Had the Muslims clashed with the Quraysh ... and lost ... Islam would have ended there. g) The central figure, that of Prophet Muhammad, on whom be peace, was himself well-protected by Banu Hashim. Their protection gave him freedom to preach among the Makkans and the adjoining tribes. So long as the freedom to propagate was there, there was no pressing reason to opt for the use of force.

217. The words in the original are ‘ila ajalin qaribin‘ which have been interpreted as meaning, ‘until our deaths’ (Ibn Jarir, Ibn Kathir, Shawkani). These were the words of the hypocrites (Qurtubi, Alusi). Some commentators have attributed this behaviour to the weak Muslims. Although nothing has been said by way of substantiation, the possibility exists of some weak-hearted Muslims being unhappy over the ordinance to fight. Thanwi has said that since such of those as alluded to here did not shy away from jihad when the actual occasions arose, their initial aversion to fight - something very natural - did not entail any sin. Majid adds: “This verse gives lie direct to the imaginary eagerness of the early Muslims for warfare from love of booty. The truth of the matter is that they felt hesitant, and very naturally so, considering the heavy odds against them and the obvious risks involved, and went to the battle-field only when impelled by a sense of duty.”

218. Hasan once recited this verse and said: ‘May Allah show mercy to a man who treated this world accordingly. The whole of this world, from the beginning to the end, is no more than a man going in for a nap during which he saw things in a dream and then woke up with a start’ (Ibn Kathir).

219. For an explanation of the fatil of the original, see note 169 above.

220. A man will die on a prescribed day, neither earlier nor later, whether he took part in jihad or not. Khalid ibn Walid said on his death bed: “I have been into such and such battles. There is not a part in my body but there is a mark of a wound that I received. Yet, here I am, dying on my bed” (Ibn Kathir). In our own times we have witnessed or heard several incidents that confirm our faith in this verse. For example, once a worker slipped off the roof of a high rise building under construction in Kuwait. People rushed down but no amount of search would yield his body. He just disappeared. An hour or so later, he appeared. They thought he was a ghost. He explained that he fell right into an open truck carrying foam sheets. Then he said he would buy them all cool drinks in celebration of a new life granted. As he was crossing the street a vehicle struck him and he died on the spot. In another case, in Bangalore a hawk was carrying a snake. Perhaps it lost the hold and dropped it to the ground. The snake fell on a man riding the back seat of a scooter. It bit him immediately and he died. In a third incident police fired into a crowd of Muslims protesting against attacks on them. A bullet passed through a man’s stomach and went into another. The first man survived while the latter died. One could go on adding similar stories (Au.).

221. Mujahid has the following story to narrate: “A woman gave birth to a child. She told her servant, ‘Go and look for some fire.’ As the man was going out, he met another man at the door. The man asked him, ‘What has that woman brought?’ He replied, ‘A girl.’ The man said, ‘This girl is not going to die until she has fornicated with a hundred, and her (present) servant marries her. And she is going to die by a spider.’ The servant told himself, ‘Will I marry her after she has been in bed with a hundred?’ He turned back and cut open the stomach of the infant girl with a knife (and ran away). The baby survived. She grew into a woman and entered the profession of a prostitute. Once, she was near a port and the man happened to land there (i.e., the former servant). He was laden with great amount of wealth. He enquired in the town about the most beautiful woman whom he could marry. He was told of her as the most beautiful woman of the town, but was warned that she was in the evil profession. He ordered that she be brought to him. When she appeared she said, ‘I’ve given up prostitution and if you want to marry me I think I’m ready.’ He married her. One day, as they were talking, the man revealed the story. She told him she was that girl and showed him the mark on her stomach. She also told him, ‘And I used to be a prostitute, but I am not sure if my customers numbered a hundred, less, or more.’ Upon that the man said, ‘The man (at the door) also told me that she will be killed by a spider.’ Subsequently he built her a fortified castle in the desert. One day, as they were sitting together, she spotted a spider clinging to the roof. She cried out, ‘This spider will kill me.’ She chased it until it fell down. She tried to stamp it with her toe. It bit her below the nail. Her foot blackened from the poison and she died. Hence the verse: ‘Wheresoever you might be, death will overtake you, although you should be in fortified castles’" (Ibn Jarir). The story is also reported by Ibn Abi Hatim (Ibn Kathir).

222. Ibn Zayd has said that what they alleged was: ‘You did not do it well,’ or ‘You did not execute it well,’ and hence this misfortune took place (Ibn Jarir). Ibn `Abbas, Abu al-`Aliyyah and Suddi have, however, said that the hypocrites blamed the Prophet for anything untoward happening to them, whether a natural calamity or a personal misfortune; exactly like the people of Fir`awn about whom the Qur’an said (7: 131):

ﭑ ﭒ ﭓ ﭔ ﭕ ﭖﭗ ﭘ ﭙ ﭚ ﭛ ﭜ ﭝ ﭞﭟ ﭠ ﭡ ﭢ ﭣ ﭤ ﭥ ﭦ ﭧ ﭨ ﭩ

“Whenever a good thing happened to them they said, ‘This is from us’, but if an evil befell them they would ascribe it as an evil omen coming from Musa and his followers” (Ibn Kathir).

223. Qatadah has said, ‘Although everything is from Allah, and it is Allah who sends you good things (without you deserving it: Au.), but when a misfortune visits you, O man, it has your sins as a cause’ (Ibn Jarir). As for the misfortunes that befall a virtuous man, they are meant to purify him, and hence they are no misfortunes at all (Thanwi). Shafi` quotes a hadith from Tirmidhi. The Prophet said:

لا يصيب عبدا نكبة فما فوقها أو دونها إلا بذنب وما يعفو الله عنه أكثر

“Nothing strikes a believer, be it a minor mishap or something serious, but it is because of his sins; although much of it (i.e., his sins) goes forgiven.” Tirmidhi declared the above hadith weak. However, a Sahih report says:

لَا يُصِيبُ مُؤْمِنًا نَكْبَةٌ مِنْ شَوْكَةٍ فَمَا فَوْقَ ذَلِكَ إِلَّا حُطَّتْ بِهِ عَنْهُ خَطِيئَةٌ وَرُفِعَ بِهَا دَرَجَةً

“A believer is not pricked by a thorn or anything above it, but his sins fall off thereby and his rank is raised.” Asad paraphrases the Islamic viewpoint in a neat manner: “There is no contradiction between this statement and the preceding one that “all is from God". In the world-view of the Qur’an, God is the ultimate source of all happenings: consequently, all good that comes to man and all evil that befalls him flows, in the last resort, from God’s will. However, not everything that man regards as “evil fortune” is really, in its final effect, evil - for, “It may well be that you hate a thing the while it is good for you, and it may well be that you love a thing the while it is bad for you: and God knows, whereas you do not know” (2: 216). Thus, many an apparent “evil” may sometimes be no more than a trial and a God-willed means of spiritual growth through suffering, and need not necessarily be the result of a wrong choice or a wrong deed on the part of the person thus afflicted. It is, therefore, obvious that the “evil” or “evil fortune” of which this verse speaks has restricted connotation, inasmuch as it refers to evil in the moral sense of the word: that is to say, to suffering resulting from the actions or the behavior of the person concerned, and this in accordance with the natural law of cause and effect which God has decreed for all His creations, and which the Qur’an describes as “the way of God” (Sunnat Allah). For all such suffering man has only himself to blame, since “God does not wrong anyone by as much as an atom’s weight” (4: 40)."

224. This is one of the strongest of verses to prove that the Prophet was sinless, and that he is to be obeyed in all matters without any exception, unless the exception is proven. The latter part is also a statement of Imam Shafe`i which he made in his Al-Risalah, wherein he stated that, “since the details of the Shari`ah have not been expounded by the Qur’an, there is no recourse but to the sunan of the Prophet.” The verse also proves that obedience in truth is due to Allah alone. If the Prophet is obeyed, it is because he is the medium of instruction between us and Allah Most High (Razi).

225. Being busy during the day with various activities, it is at night that a man can collect himself and ponder over the affairs of the day (Razi).

226. “Ignore them”, i.e., neither reproach them, nor humiliate them in any way, nor yet, identify them to others (Razi).

227. We are thus invited not merely to read and recite the Qur’an but also to ponder it. It is by way of pondering and study that many of its hidden meanings are discovered. However, this is not a license for a free interpretation, or for anyone to work out the Shari`ah from it for himself or for others. That is something for the experts to do. Now, in response to what we have stated, nobody can say: ‘No one has the property rights over the Qur’an. I, being equally intelligent and knowledgeable in many ways, must have the right to interpret.’ He would be answered that it is not being said that some scholars have the property or intellectual rights over the Qur’an, that is, the rights of interpretation or legal deduction, to the exclusion of others. Rather, what is being said is that such a task has a prerequisite of a long study, in institutions run for that purpose, wherein one might also be examined and certified by a group of senior scholars to ensure that what he has learnt is right and adequate for certain purposes. It is just the same, for example, as in the field of medicine. No one can say that the doctors, medical men and the specialists alone have the intellectual rights over medicine. No one can say, ‘I should also have the rights to study on my own, make judgments and then prescribe medicines as I think fit. After all, I am no less intelligent than the doctors.’ He would be told that nobody has the rights of medical prescription reserved in his favor. He also has as much rights to prescribe medicine as any other. But he will have to undergo a systematic course of study and training under the supervision of a group of medical experts, before he can be given the licence to practice (Shafi`: paraphrased).

228. A contemporary Western new Muslim has pointed out that far from finding many inconsistencies in the Qur’an, even the word ‘inconsistencies’ has no second instance in the Qur’an. It occurs only once, at this point. Lack of any inconsistency is an amazing quality of the Qur’an and a proof of the Prophet’s authenticity. During the 23 years of Qur’anic dictation, the Prophet passed through a tempestuous period that covered every day and night of his life creating a new crisis every new morning. He was persecuted, had his honor attacked, denied food, shelter; abused in the streets of Makkah, and chased by urchins and bootleggers out of the town of Ta’if. He conducted his gatherings in hideouts, was molested in the Grand Mosque, and instructed his followers to migrate in secret while he remained in the abusive town to watch his dearest moral and material supporters go cold before his sad eyes. Left with not a penny in the pocket, and three daughters to feed and protect, with no clue about what would happen next, he was ordered to stand long hours before his Lord during the best part of the night while conspiracies were being hatched by his adversaries discussing the best way of spilling the blood of a man who, under a new leadership of the clan, had been denied tribal support and asked to fend for himself the best way he could in a violent world dangerously hostile to him. He migrates on order, hides himself in a cave, is chased right up to his destination, to be greeted by the wealthy Jews at Madinah with acidic smiles and threatening looks, to receive messages from his enemies back home to either give up or watch them tear the town of his refuge in less time than a goat could be milked. Arrest warrant arrives from the Persian Emperor, and the Romans gather forces at the borders of the desert. Raids after raids, battles after battles, his tired and aging feet tread 50,000 km chasing the enemy out or subduing the wild tribes – during the intervals he fights, winning and losing, defending his town from enemy onslaught of such ferocity that believers in him sweat from their teeth. Attempts at his life, guards at the tent, poison in the food, and risk of his mount while he prays on its back in the darkness of night, being sent tumbling into a ravine from hilltop by the goad of hypocrites, unsettle his peace as much as slander against his wife, death of his daughters, a bite by a scorpion, a fall from a horse, loss of a tooth, a chilling stare in disbelief at the corpse of his dear uncle, and, in ordinary times, ‘no money, no food, no nothing,’ chorus announcement of his wives and treacherous murder of 70 of his Companions – disturbing events a mere fraction stated here, leads one to wonder how at all he could have maintained his balance, far from dictating an ever-lasting masterpiece, never to be imitated, without a single inconsistency? The adversaries of Islam, the blind of truth may ask themselves, “could he have been a Prophet?’ instead of the firm dissolve to destroy his followers, even if at the risk of destruction of the world (Au.) Ibn Kathir presents a tradition from Ahmad as reported by Shu`ayb’s grandfather. It says:

عَنْ عَمْرِو بْنِ شُعَيْبٍ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنْ جَدِّهِ قَالَ لَقَدْ جَلَسْتُ أَنَا وَأَخِي مَجْلِسًا مَا أُحِبُّ أَنَّ لِي بِهِ حُمْرَ النَّعَمِ أَقْبَلْتُ أَنَا وَأَخِي وَإِذَا مَشْيَخَةٌ مِنْ صَحَابَةِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ جُلُوسٌ عِنْدَ بَابٍ مِنْ أَبْوَابِهِ فَكَرِهْنَا أَنْ نُفَرِّقَ بَيْنَهُمْ فَجَلَسْنَا حَجْرَةً إِذْ ذَكَرُوا آيَةً مِنْ الْقُرْآنِ فَتَمَارَوْا فِيهَا حَتَّى ارْتَفَعَتْ أَصْوَاتُهُمْ فَخَرَجَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ مُغْضَبًا قَدْ احْمَرَّ وَجْهُهُ يَرْمِيهِمْ بِالتُّرَابِ وَيَقُولُ مَهْلًا يَا قَوْمِ بِهَذَا أُهْلِكَتْ الْأُمَمُ مِنْ قَبْلِكُمْ بِاخْتِلَافِهِمْ عَلَى أَنْبِيَائِهِمْ وَضَرْبِهِمْ الْكُتُبَ بَعْضَهَا بِبَعْضٍ إِنَّ الْقُرْآنَ لَمْ يَنْزِلْ يُكَذِّبُ بَعْضُهُ بَعْضًا بَلْ يُصَدِّقُ بَعْضُهُ بَعْضًا فَمَا عَرَفْتُمْ مِنْهُ فَاعْمَلُوا بِهِ وَمَا جَهِلْتُمْ مِنْهُ فَرُدُّوهُ إِلَى عَالِمِهِ

“I and my brother took part in an assembly which I would not exchange with red camels. Once I visited the Prophet where we found some senior Companions sitting by his door. We did not wish to divide their assembly, so we sat at the edge. They quoted a verse. But they disagreed over its meaning and began to argue. Voices rose high. At that, the Prophet emerged. His face was red with anger. He threw dust at them and said, ‘Take it easy, my people, for this is what destroyed the nations before you: it was by disagreeing with their prophets and misquoting parts of their books to counter other parts of it. The Qur’an has not been revealed for some parts of it to be refuted with the others, rather, its parts testify (support and explain) each other. Therefore, live by what you understand. As for what you cannot understand, leave it to the experts.’” In a shorter form the essence of the hadith is in a report of Muslim also (Ibn Kathir).

229. Suddi and Ibn Jurayj have said: What happened was that when a Muslim battalion encountered an enemy force the news spread about so and so of the unbelievers having been killed or so and so of the Muslims having been killed (without any verification of the reports) - Ibn Jarir. In a report of Muslim and Abu Da’ud the Prophet said:

كفى بالمرء كذبا أن يُحدِّث بكل ما سمع

“It is enough of a lie for a Muslim to reproduce all that he hears.” In another sahih hadith (of Muslim and Tuhfah: Hussein) he said:

من حَدَّث بحديث وهو يرى أنه كذب فهو أحد الكاذبَيْن

“Whoever reports something about which he knows that it is false, is one of the fabricators” (Ibn Kathir).

230. The words in parenthesis are based on the interpretation of Suddi, although according to Hasan, Qatadah and Ibn abi Layla, it is scholars alone who are alluded to. The verse also implies that the common people have no recourse but to follow the scholars in matters where textual instruction (nass) is lacking (Shafi` from Jassas). Imam Razi adds that since the application of the verse cannot be restricted to jihad affairs (for the reasons that it speaks of matters concerning both security as well as fear), it can be used for substantiating the validity of qiyas (analogy).

231. The word in the original is “yestambi-tunahu” with its root in nabt which is used for the “first pail of water that is extracted from a well being dug” (Razi, Qurtubi, Shawkani).

232. It is reported in sahih ahadith that when the news spread that the Prophet had divorced his wives, `Umar went to the mosque. Some people had already gathered there. They attested to the news. But `Umar would not believe them. He sought permission to see the Prophet. When he was allowed in, the first question he asked was, ‘Have you divorced your wives?’ When the Prophet said, ‘No,’ `Umar cried out Allahu Akbar, went down to the entrance of the mosque and shouted in a loud voice: ‘The Prophet has not divorced his wives.’ “At this”, says `Umar, “this verse was revealed, and I am one of those who determined (the truth of the matter)” - Ibn Kathir.

233. The “therefore” (fa of the original) returns to verse 75 above: “And how is it with you that you do not fight in the way of Allah, while the (weak and the) oppressed men, women and children are pleading: ‘Our Lord. Rescue us from this town whose people are tyrannical, and appoint for us a protector from You, and appoint to us a helper from You.” That is, ‘Fight you, therefore, O Muhammad, in the way of Allah, since such is the cry of the helpless ones’ (Razi, Qurtubi).

234. Accordingly, after the battle of Uhud when the Prophet decided to chase Abu Sufyan and announced his intentions, only a few were inclined to follow him. That was perhaps because of want of time for preparation and the injuries that they had earlier received. However, the Prophet was not discouraged at all. He declared: “I am going, even if alone” (Thanwi).

235. Bukhari has preserved a hadith of Abu Hurayrah’s narration in which the Prophet said:

"من آمن بالله ورسوله وأقام الصلاة، وآتى الزكاة، وصام رمضان، كان حقا على الله أن يدخله الجنة، هاجر في سبيل الله أو جلس في أرضه التي ولد فيها" قالوا: يا رسول الله، أفلا نبشر الناسَ بذلك؟ فقال: "إن في الجنة مائةَ درجة، أعدَّها الله للمجاهدين في سبيل الله، بين كل درجتين كما بين السماء والأرض، فإذا سألتم الله فاسألوه الفردوس فإنه أوسط الجنة. وأعلى الجنة،وفوقه عرش الرحمن، ومنه تُفَجَّر أنهار الجنة"

“Whoever believed in Allah, did the Prayers well, paid the zakah and fasted ... it is due from Allah that He admit him into Paradise whether he migrated in the way of Allah, or remained in the place of his birth.” The people asked him, “Shall we not give this good news to the people, O Apostle of Allah?” He said, “Paradise has a hundred levels that Allah has prepared for the mujahidin in His path. Between each level is a distance equal to the distance between the earth and the heaven. Therefore, when you ask, ask for Jannatu al-Firdaws, for it is in the best part of Paradise and in the loftiest area, directly under the `Arsh of al-Rahman ... from there it is that the rivers of Paradise spring out.” Muslim has another hadith according to which the Prophet addressed Abu Sa`id al-Khudri and said:

"يا أبا سعيد، من رضي بالله ربا، وبالإسلام دينا، وبمحمد نبيًا، وجبت له الجنة" قال: فعجب لها أبو سعيد فقال: أعدها عليَّ يا رسول الله. ففعل. ثم قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم: "وأخرى يرفع الله بها العبد مائة درجة في الجنة، ما بين كل درجتين كما بين السماء والأرض" قال: وما هي يا رسول الله؟ قال: "الجهاد في سبيل الله"

“Abu Sa`id. Whoever is satisfied with Allah as his Lord, with Islam as his religion, and Muhammad as a Prophet, has Paradise written for him.” Those words pleased Abu Sa`id. “Can you repeat them for me?” he asked. The Prophet did that and added: “Then there is something else by which Allah raises a man by a hundred levels in Paradise with each level being at a distance from the other equal to the distance between the earth and the heaven.” Abu Sa`id asked: “What is it, O Apostle of Allah?” He replied: “Jihad in the way of Allah” (Ibn Kathir).

236. Surely, Allah had power over them but, as He said (in 47: 4):

ﮘ ﮙ ﮚ ﮛ ﮜ ﮝ ﮞ ﮟ ﮠﮡ

“Had Allah desired, He would have punished them, but (if He did not, it was because) He wants to try some of you with others” (Ibn Kathir).

237. The connection between this and the previous verse should be obvious. The Prophet was ordered in the previous verse to urge on the believers to fight. This verse spells out the reward and the punishment for those who discouraged believers from joining the jihad (Razi). Conversely, adds Sayyid, those who encourage others to join in jihad, will have their rewards for such encouragement.

238. The word in the original is kifl, which stands for a share, portion, allotment etc. But it also has the connotation of evil in it, while nasib is free of such connotation (Ibn Jarir, Shawkani). Imam Razi, however, points out that as against nasib, which is for any share, earned or not, kifl is used for that share for which one has put in some efforts. Hence the beauty in the choice of the two words at those particular points.

239. Ibn Jarir thinks that although the application is general, this specifically refers to the recommendations of the Companions to wage a battle against the unbelievers, while the hypocrites recommended a non-confrontational attitude. Zamakhshari explains: A good intercession is one in which a person recommends the case of another, deserving person, in order that the man might obtain his rights, or acts to spurn away an evil from him, for the sake of Allah, without a wage taken for it, with the additional condition that the affairs themselves be of the lawful nature. What does not meet with these conditions is an evil intercession. It is said that once Masruq interceded for another man. After the affair the man sent Masruq a slave-girl as a gift. Masruq was upset. He said, ‘Had I known your intention, I would not have interfered in your affairs, nor shall I ever do after this.’ Mufti Shafi` remarks: Recommendations have been taken to their extremes (in the sub-continent) and turned into leverage for the application of personal power and influence. So that, if someone’s recommendation is not accepted, he is angered. Whereas, someone to whom a case or person has been recommended, is free to either accept or reject the recommendation. When Barirah (Ayesha’s freed slave girl) obtained divorce, her husband, being in love with her, used to go about lamenting over her. The Prophet recommended that she re-marry him. Barirah asked the Prophet if that was an order from him or a recommendation. When he said that it was merely a recommendation, she said that she had no liking for the person whatsoever, and therefore, was not ready to accept the Prophet’s recommendation. The Prophet let her do as she wished without feeling being snubbed by the refusal.

240. The muqita of the original has been variously interpreted as meaning: ‘one who has power (over everything)’; ‘one who is a witness’; as well as, ‘one who guards; or, ‘has an account (of a thing)’ - Ibn Jarir, Razi, Qurtubi and others. It also means “the Provider” (Lughat).

241. That is, if someone says, ‘Al-salamu `alaykum,’ either you respond with the same words saying, ‘Wa `alaykum al-salam’, or add some words of your own to say, for example, ‘Wa `alaykum al-salam wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu.’ Many kinds of responses have been reported of the Prophet - Ibn Jarir. The connection between the verses is as follows. Sometimes when the Muslims marched out against the unbelievers, they came across someone who greeted them with the Islamic greeting. The Muslims attached no weight to his greeting and considered him an unbeliever outright, because he lived in the enemy territory. (Hijrah to Madinah was then an obligation: Au.). Sometimes they even killed him. They were ordered to return the greeting and respect the person, rather than attempt at his life (Razi). Ibn Kathir adds: The rule in the verse applies to Muslims. Abu Da’ud has a tradition – evaluated Sahih - which says:

والذي نفسي بيده، لا تدخلوا الجنة حتى تؤمنوا ولا تؤمنوا حتى تحابوا أفلا أدلكم على أمر إذا فعلتموه تحاببتم ؟ أفشوا السلام بينكم

“By Him in whose Hands is my life, you shall not enter Paradise until you believe. And you will not believe until you love each other. And, shall I not lead you to something, that, if you did, you would begin to love each other?: spread Salam between yourselves.” As for the non-Muslims, the Prophet is reported to have said in a hadith preserved by Muslim:

لا تبدؤوا اليهود والنصارى بالسلام، وإذا لقيتموهم في طريق فاضطروهم إلى أضيقه

“Do not take the initiative in saying Salam to the Jews or Christians. Rather, if you encounter them on the way, force them into its narrower area.” Hasan has said that initiating the Salam to Muslims is recommendatory. But its reply is wajib (Ibn Jarir). That is also the opinion of Imam Nakha`i. But it is not obligatory to reply during the Friday sermon, or if one is reciting the Qur’an in a loud voice, or is narrating a hadith, or when people are in a study circle, or during Prayer-calls or when Iqamah is being said. Further, Abu Yusuf has ruled that if someone tells another, ‘Give so and so my greetings,’ then conveying it is wajib. He has also said that Salam may not be said to those playing chess, or to a singer, one attending to a nature’s call, one flying pigeons, or one naked. It is also said that a man should say Salam to his wife, but not to a strange Muslim woman (unless she be quite old: Qurtubi). Also, a rider should greet the pedestrian, the pedestrian, the one sitting, the one riding a horse should greet the man on a donkey, the younger should greet the older, (although the Prophet used to greet even children: Qurtubi) and a smaller group should greet a larger group. It is also reported of the Prophet that he said that if the Jews and Christians say “Peace be upon you,” say in return, “`Alayka” i.e., ‘And upon you’ (Zamakhshari). A single person returning the greeting on behalf of a group is adequate (Alusi). The Companions used to greet each other even if, during a walk together, they were separated for a few seconds by a tree (Qurtubi). Adds Shafi` from Muwatta’: It is reported that `Abdullah ibn `Umar sometimes visited the market place with no other intention but to say Salam to the people there. Majid quotes an English lady: “`As-salam-alaikum’, these gentle words of greeting each other as they pass, is a music to the ear. It is amusing to watch the dexterity with which two friends will sustain a competition in greeting: each endeavouring to outdo the other in compliments... Master and the servant, the rich and the poor, the learned and the unlettered, greet each other with the same dignity on both sides, leading to no loss of self-respect to either.”