Tafsir Maariful Quran
Quran Translation and Commentary by Maulana Mufti Mohammad Shafi. Translation by Prof. Muhammad Hasan Askari & Prof. Muhammad Shamim. Revised by Justice Mufti Muhammad Taqi UsmaniQuran Translation
Word for Word by
Dr. Shehnaz Shaikh
& Kausar Khatri
1. Al-Fatihah
2. Al-Baqarah
3. Al-Imran
4. Al-Nisa
5. Al-Maidah
6. Al-Anam
7. Al-Araf
8. Al-Anfal
9. Al-Taubah
10. Yunus
11. Hud
12. Yusuf
13. Al-Rad
14. Ibrahim
15. Al-Hijr
16. Al-Nahl
17. Bani Israil
18. Al-Kahf
19. Maryam
20. Ta-Ha
21. Al-Anbiya
22. Al-Hajj
23. Al-Muminun
24. An-Nur
25. Al-Furqan
26. Ash-Shuara
27. An-Naml
28. Al-Qasas
29. Al-Ankabut
30. Ar-Rum
31. Luqman
32. As-Sajdah
33. Al-Ahzab
34. Saba
35. Fatir
36. Yasin
37. As-Saffat
38. Saad
39. Az-Zumar
40. Al-Mumin
41. Ha-Meem-As-Sajdah
42. AShura
43. Az-Zukhruf
44. Ad-Dukhan
45. Al-Jathiyah
46. Al-Ahqaf
47. Muhammad
48. Al-Fath
49. Al-Hujurat
50. Al-Qaf
51. Adh-Dhariyat
52. At-Tur
53. An-Najm
54. Al-Qamar
55. Al-Rahman
56. Al-Waqiah
57. Al-Hadid
58. Al-Mujadalah
59. Al-Hashr
60. Al-Mumtahinah
61. As-Saff
62. Al-Jumuah
63. Al-Munafiqun
64. Al-Taghabun
65. At-Talaq
66. At-Tahrim
67. Al-Mulk
68. Al-Qalam
69. Al-Haqqah
70. Al-Maarij
71. Nuh
72. Al-Jinn
73. Al-Muzzammil
74. Al-Muddhththir
75. Al-Qiyamah
76. Ad-Dahr
77. Al-Mursalat
78. An-Naba
79. An-Naziat
80. Abas
81. At-Takwir
82. Al-Infitar
83. At-Tatfif
84. Al-Inshiqaq
85. Al-Buruj
86. At-Tariq
87. Al-Ala
88. Al-Ghashiyah
89. Al-Fajr
90. Al-Balad
91. Ash-Shams
92. Al-Lail
93. Ad-Duha
94. Al-Inshirah
95. At-Tin
96. Al-Alaq
97. Al-Qadr
98. Al-Bayyinah
99. Az-Zilzal
100. Al-Adiyat
101. Al-Qariah
102. At-Takathur
103. Al-Asr
104. Al-Humazah
105. Al-Fil
106. Al-Quraish
107. Al-Maun
108. Al-Kauthar
109. Al-Kafirun
110. An-Nasr
111. Al-Lahab
112. Al-Ikhlas
113. Al-Falaq
114. An-Nas
لَنْ Never یَّسْتَنْكِفَ will disdain الْمَسِیْحُ the Messiah اَنْ to یَّكُوْنَ be عَبْدًا a slave لِّلّٰهِ of Allah وَ لَا and not الْمَلٰٓىِٕكَةُ the Angels الْمُقَرَّبُوْنَ ؕ the ones who are near (to Allah) وَ مَنْ And whoever یَّسْتَنْكِفْ disdains عَنْ from عِبَادَتِهٖ His worship وَ یَسْتَكْبِرْ and is arrogant فَسَیَحْشُرُهُمْ then He will gather them اِلَیْهِ towards Him جَمِیْعًا all together فَاَمَّا Then as for الَّذِیْنَ those who اٰمَنُوْا believed وَ عَمِلُوا and did الصّٰلِحٰتِ the righteous deeds فَیُوَفِّیْهِمْ then He will give them in full اُجُوْرَهُمْ their reward وَ یَزِیْدُهُمْ and give them more مِّنْ from فَضْلِهٖ ۚ His Bounty وَ اَمَّا And as for الَّذِیْنَ those who اسْتَنْكَفُوْا disdained وَ اسْتَكْبَرُوْا and were arrogant فَیُعَذِّبُهُمْ then He will punish them عَذَابًا (with) a punishment اَلِیْمًا ۙ۬ painful وَّ لَا and not یَجِدُوْنَ will they find لَهُمْ for themselves مِّنْ from دُوْنِ besides اللّٰهِ Allah وَلِیًّا any protector وَّ لَا and not نَصِیْرًا any helper یٰۤاَیُّهَا O النَّاسُ mankind قَدْ Surely جَآءَكُمْ has come to you بُرْهَانٌ a convincing proof مِّنْ from رَّبِّكُمْ your Lord وَ اَنْزَلْنَاۤ and We (have) sent down اِلَیْكُمْ to you نُوْرًا a light مُّبِیْنًا clear فَاَمَّا So as for الَّذِیْنَ those who اٰمَنُوْا believed بِاللّٰهِ in Allah وَ اعْتَصَمُوْا and held fast بِهٖ to Him فَسَیُدْخِلُهُمْ then He will admit them فِیْ in رَحْمَةٍ Mercy مِّنْهُ from Himself وَ فَضْلٍ ۙ and Bounty وَّ یَهْدِیْهِمْ and will guide them اِلَیْهِ to Himself صِرَاطًا (on) a way مُّسْتَقِیْمًاؕ straight 4. An-Nisa Page 106 یَسْتَفْتُوْنَكَ ؕ They seek your ruling قُلِ Say اللّٰهُ Allah یُفْتِیْكُمْ gives you a ruling فِی concerning الْكَلٰلَةِ ؕ the Kalala اِنِ if امْرُؤٌا a man هَلَكَ died لَیْسَ (and) not لَهٗ he has وَلَدٌ a child وَّ لَهٗۤ and he has اُخْتٌ a sister فَلَهَا then for her نِصْفُ (is) a half مَا (of) what تَرَكَ ۚ he left وَ هُوَ And he یَرِثُهَاۤ will inherit from her اِنْ if لَّمْ not یَكُنْ is لَّهَا for her وَلَدٌ ؕ a child فَاِنْ But if كَانَتَا there were اثْنَتَیْنِ two females فَلَهُمَا then for them الثُّلُثٰنِ two thirds مِمَّا of what تَرَكَ ؕ he left وَ اِنْ But if كَانُوْۤا they were اِخْوَةً brothers and sisters رِّجَالًا men وَّ نِسَآءً and women فَلِلذَّكَرِ then the male will have مِثْلُ like حَظِّ share الْاُنْثَیَیْنِ ؕ (of) the two females یُبَیِّنُ makes clear اللّٰهُ Allah لَكُمْ to you اَنْ lest تَضِلُّوْا ؕ you go astray وَ اللّٰهُ And Allah بِكُلِّ of every شَیْءٍ thing عَلِیْمٌ۠ (is) All-Knower
(4:172) The MasīH shall never spurn to be a slave of Allah, nor shall the angels who are stationed near to Him. And whoever spurns to worship Him, and shows arrogance,-then, He shall gather all of them before Himself
(4:173) As for those who believe and do good deeds, He shall give them their reward in full, and give them more out of His grace. But, to those who spurn and show arrogance, He shall give a painful punishment, and they shall find for themselves neither a friend other than Allah, nor a helper
(4:174) O people, a proof has come to you from your Lord, and We have sent down to you a vivid light
(4:175) Now those who believe in Allah and hold on to Him - He shall admit them into Mercy from Him, and Grace, and shall lead them to Himself through a straight path
(4:176) They seek a ruling from you. Say, “Allah gives you the ruling concerning Kalālah . If a person dies having no son, but he does have a sister, then, she will get one half of what he leaves. (On the other hand) He will inherit her if she has no child. If they are two (sisters), they will get two third of what he leaves. If they are brothers and sisters, both male and female, then, the male will get a share equal to that of two females.” Allah explains to you, lest you should go astray. Allah has full knowledge of everything
Commentary
The Honour of being a servant of Allah
Maulana Shabbir Ahmad ` Usmani, in his comments on the opening statement of Verse 172: لَّن يَسْتَنكِفَ الْمَسِيحُ أَن يَكُونَ عَبْدًا لِّلَّـهِ (The Masih shall never spurn being a slave of Allah, nor shall the angels, the close ones), says that so it is because being a servant of Allah, being devoted to His worship and being obedient to His will and command, is an honour by itself and certainly a nobility of the highest class. Sayyidna Masih (علیہ السلام) and the close angels are the best testifiers to the worth and value of this blessing. How could they spurn an honour like that? Quite contrary to this, the worst disgrace and dishonour there can be imagined lies in worshipping someone other than Allah. This is what the Christians did when they took Sayyidna Masih (علیہ السلام) as the son of Allah and the object of their worship. Similar was the case with disbelievers who took angels as daughters of Allah and started worshipping them alongwith their idols. So, for them, there is punishment, and disgrace. (Notes in Tafsir Usmani)
What is Burhan?
The word, Burhan, appearing in verse قَدْ جَاءَكُم بُرْهَانٌ مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ proof has come to you from your Lord) lexically means proof refers to the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم . (Ruh al-Ma` ani)
Sayyidna Ibn ` Abbas ؓ says that the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم was referred to as 'Burhan' in consideration of his blessed person, his noble morals, his miracles and his being the very recipient of the revelation of the Book of Allah. All these are open proofs of his prophethood beyond which there remains no need for any other proof. Thus, in summation, his person is, in itself, proof personified.
As for the word, وَأَنزَلْنَا إِلَيْكُمْ نُورًا مُّبِينًا (and We have sent down to you a vivid light) (174), it refers to the Holy Qur'an (Ruh al-Ma` ani) which also seems to be the case in Verse 15 of Surah al-Ma` idah (5): قَدْ جَاءَكُم مِّنَ اللَّـهِ نُورٌ وَكِتَابٌ مُّبِينٌ (There has come to you from Allah a light and clear Book). In the explanatory translation of Maulana Ashraf Thanavi (رح) in Bayan al-Qur'an, the rendering of this verse appears as: 'There has come to you from Allah a light and (which is) a clear Book (that is) the Qur'an.' In this verse, what has been first identified as 'Nu-r' (light) has later been called 'kitabum-mubin' (clear Book). Let there be no doubt at this point that the conjunction demands dissimilarity, therefore, Nur (light) and Kitab (book) cannot be one and the same thing. The answer is that dissimilarity in expression is sufficient, even though the meanings are the same. (Ruh al-Ma` ani)
And if 'Nur' (light) is taken as referring to the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم and 'Kitab' (the Book) to the Holy Qur'an - that will also be correct (Ruh al-Ma` ani). But, this does not go on to prove that the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم was Nur or light in the literal sense, therefore, it is not against his being physically human.
Summary of the Rulings given2
The verse (176) was revealed in answer to the question posed by some Companions of the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم regarding the inheritance of a Kalalah. Kalalah means a person who dies leaving neither children nor parents. The verse has clarified that the property left by a Kalalah shall be distributed in the following manner:
(1) If the Kalalah has left one real sister, or one half sister from father's side, 3 then, after settling the preferential rights (such as debts, wills, burial expenses) she will get one half of the property. The other half will be given to the heirs falling in the category of Asbat. If no heir from the category of Asbat is alive, then this half, too, will be given back to the sister of the deceased (meaning thereby that she will secure the whole property).
1. Kalalah: A person who has no ascendent or descendent at the time of his death.
2. This summary is based on the given in the original, without translating it word-by-word. (Muhammad Taqi Usmani)
3. As for a half sister from mother's side, her share has already been mentioned in 4:12 as being one sixth if she is alone. And if there are two or more such sisters or brothers, they will share one third of the property equally. (Muhammad Taqi Usmani)
(2) If the sister referred to in Para (1) above dies, and leaves children, and her brother is alive, then he will get the whole property left by her.
(3) If a Kalalah, male or female, dies and leaves two or more sisters, either real sisters or half-sisters from fathers side then they shall get two thirds of the property left by the Kalalah." The remaining one third will be given to Asbat, if any, and in the absence of Asbat this one third will also be given to the sisters who will distribute their share among themselves equally.
(4) If a Kalalah leaves behind a combination of brothers and sisters (either real or from fathers side only), then the whole property, after satisfying the preferential rights, shall be distributed between them on the principle that every brother will get twice the share of every sister.
Important Notes
1. The cause of revelation and the injunction of Kalalah described in the verse beginning with: يَسْتَفْتُونَكَ قُلِ اللَّـهُ يُفْتِيكُمْ فِي الْكَلَالَةِ (They seek a ruling from you. Say, "Allah gives you the ruling concerning kalalah" ) provides us with information on certain important aspects. To be noted first is a comparison between two examples given earlier in the text. In verse 170 وَإِن تَكْفُرُوا فَإِنَّ لِلَّـهِ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ (And if you disbelieve, then, to Allah belongs what is in the heavens and the earth), there was the condition of disbelievers. Then came a similar statement in Verse 175: فَأَمَّا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا بِاللَّـهِ وَاعْتَصَمُوا بِهِ الخ (Now those who believe in Allah and hold on to Him) which presented the model of the noble Companions of the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم . These two parallel but divergent states of the believers and the disbelievers were brought into focus so that people can fully understand how astray and evil were those who turned away from the revelation (wahy) and how true and virtuous were those who followed it.
2. Subsequent to observations made above, it also becomes obvious that the People of the Book did something terrible when they made the abomination of suggesting a partner and son in the purest conceivable divinity of Almighty Allah an article of their faith. They also went as far as taking a blatant position against the Divine revelation.
Quite contrary to this is the life style of the nobel Companions of the Messenger of Allah, may the blessing of Allah and peace be upon him. Not to say much about their consistent concern for the fundamentals of Faith and the most devoted performance of acts of worship, they would be equally inquisitive and eager to find out their obligations in matters subsidiary and commonplace such as those of inheritance and marriage. They would wait for Wahy, the command of Allah through revelation and they would look for guidance from the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم in everything they did. Though, it is easier to do your own bidding under the dictate of reason or desire, yet they did not elect to be ruled by their personal desire or reason. If they did not understand some-thing at a given time, they would return to the Prophet to recheck until they were satisfied. Here are two sets of people, so different and so apart!
3. This also tells us that our noble Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم would not give a decision on his own without the guiding command of Wahy (revelation). If there was no standing guidance revealed through Wahy present in a certain case, he would put his decision on hold and wait for the coming of Wahy. When it did, he gave his verdict. In addition to that, there is a subtle hint here in the direction of the wisdom behind the gradual revelation of the Qur'an. If the whole Book was revealed all at one fixed time as demanded by the People of the Book, it would have not carried the same benefits as there are in the fact that the Qur'an was revealed as needed and when appropriate, all functionally spaced out. This modality accommodated the requirements of addressees who could ask a question out of some necessity and be answered through the recited revelation (al-Wahy al-Matluww). An example of this methodology appears right here in the present verse while others appear at several other occasions in the Qur'an. No doubt, this form is far beneficial, but the core of its distinction lies elsewhere. That is because of the most refined sublimity of men and women of faith who turn to Allah in remembrance and are honoured by being addressed by their most exalted Creator. This is indeed a great honour never granted to any other community. Certainly no grace is greater than the grace granted by Allah, the ultimate dispenser. Now, any verse of the Qur'an which was revealed in the favour of or in answer to the question of a particular Companion is treasured as a testament of his virtues. And a Wahy which came favouring the position taken by one of them on the occasion of some matter causing difference of opinion is sufficient to keep the name and merit of that Companion alive right upto the Day of Doom.
Thus, by referring to the question and answer regarding Kalalah, hint has been given towards similar questions and answers elsewhere.
(Exegetical notes, Tafsir ` Usmani
by Maulana Shabbir Ahmad ` Usmni)
Praised be Allah. Surah al-Nis-a' ends here
وَ للہِ الحَمدُ اَوَّلَہ و آخِرَہ