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 97-100اِنَّIndeedالَّذِیْنَthose whomتَوَفّٰىهُمُtake them (in death)الْمَلٰٓىِٕكَةُthe Angelsظَالِمِیْۤ(while) they (were) wrongingاَنْفُسِهِمْthemselvesقَالُوْاthey sayفِیْمَIn what (condition)كُنْتُمْ ؕwere youقَالُوْاThey saidكُنَّاWe wereمُسْتَضْعَفِیْنَoppressedفِیinالْاَرْضِ ؕthe earthقَالُوْۤاThey saidاَلَمْNotتَكُنْwasاَرْضُ(the) earthاللّٰهِ(of) Allahوَاسِعَةًspacious (enough)فَتُهَاجِرُوْاso that you (could) emigrateفِیْهَا ؕin itفَاُولٰٓىِٕكَThen thoseمَاْوٰىهُمْ(will have) their abodeجَهَنَّمُ ؕ(in) Hellوَ سَآءَتْand it is an evilمَصِیْرًاۙdestination اِلَّاExceptالْمُسْتَضْعَفِیْنَthe oppressedمِنَamongالرِّجَالِthe menوَ النِّسَآءِand the womenوَ الْوِلْدَانِand the childrenلَا(who) notیَسْتَطِیْعُوْنَare able toحِیْلَةًplanوَّ لَاand notیَهْتَدُوْنَthey are directedسَبِیْلًاۙ(to) a way فَاُولٰٓىِٕكَThen thoseعَسَیmay beاللّٰهُAllahاَنْwillیَّعْفُوَpardonعَنْهُمْ ؕ[on] themوَ كَانَand isاللّٰهُAllahعَفُوًّاOft-Pardoningغَفُوْرًا Oft-Forgiving وَ مَنْAnd whoeverیُّهَاجِرْemigratesفِیْinسَبِیْلِ(the) wayاللّٰهِ(of) Allahیَجِدْwill findفِیinالْاَرْضِthe earthمُرٰغَمًاplace(s) of refugeكَثِیْرًاmanyوَّسَعَةً ؕand abundanceوَ مَنْAnd whoeverیَّخْرُجْleavesمِنْۢfromبَیْتِهٖhis homeمُهَاجِرًا(as) an emigrantاِلَیtoاللّٰهِAllahوَ رَسُوْلِهٖand His Messengerثُمَّthenیُدْرِكْهُovertakes himالْمَوْتُ[the] deathفَقَدْthen certainlyوَ قَعَ(became) incumbentاَجْرُهٗhis rewardعَلَیonاللّٰهِ ؕAllahوَ كَانَAnd isاللّٰهُAllahغَفُوْرًاOft-Forgivingرَّحِیْمًا۠Most Merciful

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Translation of Verse 97-100

(4:97) Behold, the angels who withdraw the souls of those who continued to wrong themselves ask: ‘In what circumstances were you?’ They reply: ‘We were oppressed in the land.’²⁶⁴ They ask: ‘But was not Allah’s earth vast enough in which you could have emigrated?’²⁶⁵ Such people then, their resort is Jahannum, an evil retreat.²⁶⁶

(4:98) Except the truly helpless: men, women and children²⁶⁷ who do not find the means (to escape) and are not guided to a way.²⁶⁸

(4:99) It is hoped of such that Allah will forgive them.²⁶⁹ Allah is ever Pardoning, Forgiving.

(4:100) Whoso emigrates in the way of Allah will find many refuges²⁷⁰ and vast expanses in the eart.²⁷¹ Further, whoso abandons his home, as an immigrant to Allah and His Messenger, but death overtakes him, surely, his reward is due with Allah.²⁷² Allah is ever Forgiving, Merciful.

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Commentary

264. The verse refers to those who embraced Islam secretly in Makkah and did not emigrate to Madinah even after the Prophet’s emigration. Muhammad ibn `Abdul Rahman reports: “A contingent was being raised against the Syrians (during the Khilafah of `Abdullah ibn al-Zubayr) and my name was included. I met `Ikrimah and told him about myself. He discouraged me in very strong terms from joining the contingent and related Ibn `Abbas as saying, ‘Some people who had borne testimony to the faith were in the pagan ranks and (were forced to: Au.) participate in battles against the Muslims. Arrows flew and kill them, or they fell to a sword. It is in reference to such that Allah revealed, “The angels who withdraw the souls of those who continued to wrong themselves ask: ‘In what circumstances were you?’" (Ibn Jarir). The above report is in Bukhari (Qurtubi). Another report in Ibn Abi Hatim identifies the battle in the above hadith as that of Badr (Ibn Kathir).

265. Mawdudi writes: “Those people who had willingly acquiesced to living under an un-Islamic order would be called to account by God and would be asked: If a certain territory was under the dominance of rebels against God, so that it had become impossible to follow His Law, why did you continue to live there? Why did you not migrate to a land where it was possible to follow the law of God?”

266. Abu Da’ud has a hadith which records the Prophet as having said:

من جامع المشرك وسكن معه فإنه مثله

“Whoever intermingled with a pagan and lived with him is like him” (Ibn Kathir).

267. Although the inclusion of children sounds superfluous, it is perhaps to say that the inability to migrate should be of the order of that suffered by the children, in order to be counted as a good excuse (Thanwi).

268. Ibn `Abbas is widely reported as saying: “I and my mother were of the helpless ones who did not have the means nor were guided to a way” (Ibn Jarir).

269. According to reports, the Prophet used to supplicate for the deliverance of these people in his Prayers, even naming some, such as `Ayyash ibn Rabi`ah, Salamah ibn Hisham and others (Ibn Jarir). Such reports are in Bukhari also (Ibn Kathir).

270. The word in the original is muragham which can also be explained as one who leaves his people against their will (Zamakhshari).

271. Mawdudi writes: “Some people have misunderstood the tradition which says: ‘There is no hijrah after the conquest of Makka’. This tradition is specifically related to the people of Arabia of that time and does not embody a permanent injunction. At the time when the greater part of Arabia constituted the Domain of Unbelief (Dar al-Kufr) or the Domain of War (Dar al-Harb), and Islamic laws were being enforced only in Madina and its outskirts, the Muslims were emphatically enjoined to join and keep together. But when unbelief lost its strength and elan after the conquest of Makka, and almost the entire peninsula came under the dominance of Islam, the Prophet (peace be upon him) declared that migration was no longer needed. This does not mean, however, that the duty to migrate was abolished for Muslims all over the world for all time to come, regardless of the circumstances in which they live.” Also see note 243 above. Asad adds: “While the physical exodus from Mecca to Medina ceased to be obligatory for the believers after the conquest of Mecca in the year 8 A.H., the spiritual exodus from the domain of evil to that of righteousness continues to be a fundamental demand of Islam.”

272. Sa`id ibn Jubayr, Qatadah, `Ikrimah, Dahhak and Suddi have reported that when the previous verse was revealed (no. 97) a man of Banu Khuza`ah called Damurah, who was sick, and was living among the Makkans, ordered that he be put on a stretcher and carried to the Prophet. He was in Tan`im when death overtook him. Some Muslims felt sorry that he did not die in Madinah. The Makkans made fun of him saying: ‘The fellow neither died among his people, nor among those he wished to be with.’ In response this verse was revealed (Ibn Jarir). The report is also in Ibn abi Hatim (Ibn Kathir); and also in Haythami’s Majma` al-Zawa‘id (who judged it trustworthy) and in Ibn Hajr’s Al-Matalib (S. Ibrahim).