النص المفهرس

546
Surah Al-Nisa'
4 :94-96
Commentary
Sequence of Verses
Stern warning has been given against the killing of a Muslim in
previous verses. Now it is being said that the apparent profession of
Islam is all that is needed for a Muslim to be regarded as a Muslim
obligated to observe the laws of the Shari'ah. So, it is necessary to
abstain from the killing of a person who professes Islam. Furthermore,
it is also not permissible to dig deep into his inward state of belief just
because of some suspicion and to keep waiting for a definite proof of
his certitude in faith in order that Islamic laws can be applied in his
case. This is what happened during some battles with disbelievers
when some Companions were unable to observe the fine line of distinc-
tion in this rule. On those occasions, there were some people who
presented themselves as Muslims but some Companions took their
profession of Islam as a lie and killed them, taking their belongings as
war spoils. Allah Almighty condemned this indiscretionary practice.
However, an admonition was considered sufficient and no severe
warning was revealed for them against this act because the Compan-
ions did not know the rule clearly till that time. (Bayan al-Qur'an)
Signs of Islam are sufficient to identify a Muslim:
In the first of the three verses cited above, the guidance given is
that in the case of one who professes to be a Muslim, no Muslim is
allowed to interpret his declaration of Islam as hypocrisy, without
certain knowledge and proof. This verse (94) was revealed in the back-
ground of certain episodes relating to some Companions where they
had not taken the correct line of action.
So, it has been reported from Sayyidna 'Abdullah ibn 'Abbas in
Tirmidhi and the Musnad of Ahmad that a man from the tribe of Banu
Sulaym met a group of the noble Companions who were going on a
Jihad mission. This man was grazing his goats. He offered salam
greetings to the group which was a practical demonstration of his
being a Muslim. The Companions thought that this man was just
pretending in view of the situation before him. Thus, taking his profes-
sion of Islam as a ruse to save his life and property whereby he could
get away from them by tricking them with greeting in the Muslim
style, they killed him and appropriated the herd of his goats as war

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Surah Al-Nisa' 4 : 94-96
spoils which they took to the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم . Thereupon,
this verse was revealed. It laid down the rule: Do not take anyone who
greets you by offering salam in the Islamic manner as a pretender and
never assume, without valid proof, that his profession of Islam was a
trick and never take possession of his property as spoils. (Ibn Kathir)
There is another narration from Sayyidna 'Abdullah ibn 'Abbas
which has been reported by al-Bukhari briefly and by al-Bazzar, in
details. According to this narration, the Holy Prophet @ sent out a
group of mujahidin which included Sayyidna Miqdad ibn al-Aswad.
When they reached the designated spot, everyone present there ran
away. The only man left there had a lot of valuable things with him.
Facing the Companions, the man recited the kalimah: 201 10, 331 (I
testify that there is no god but Allah). But, Sayyidna Miqdad Le dio, ,
assuming that the man's heart was not behind his verbal declaration
of faith and that he was doing it simply to save his life and property,
killed him. One Companion from among the group present admon-
ished him for what he had done: He had killed a person who had testi-
fied that there is no god but Allah. He declared that he will make it a
point to relate this incident before the Holy Prophet & when and if he
would have the honour of returning to him. Finally, the group
returned to Madinah and reported the incident to the Holy Prophet
who called for Sayyidna Miqdad and gave him a stern warning. He
said: 'What would you say on the Day of Doom when the kalimah of Ily
لَا تَقْوَّلُوا لِنُ اَلْقُلِى إِلَيْكُمُ السَّلَمَ will stand as a plaintiff against you? The verse إِلَّ اللهُ
új? Eu (do not say to the one who offers you salam, "You are not a
believer") was revealed on this occasion.
Other incidents, apart from the two mentioned here, have been
reported with reference to this verse, but respected scholars of Tafsir
do not admit of any contradiction in these narrations, for these events
as a whole could have been the cause of the revelation.
The words of the verse are: ◌َالْفُىَ إِلَيُكُمُ السَّلَم (offer you salam). If the
word, salam in the text is taken to mean 'salam' in the technical sense
(Muslim greeting or salutation), it applies to the first event more suit-
ably. However, if 'salam' is taken to mean submission or surrender to
the will of Allah in the literal sense, then, this meaning applies to both
events equally. Therefore, salam in the present textual setting has also

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Surah Al-Nisa'
4 : 94-96
been translated in the sense of submission and obedience to Allah.
It is impermissible to take a decision without investigating
into related facts of an event
The first sentence of the verse (94) carries a general rule which
must be followed by all Muslims: Let no Muslim do anything
summarily as based on guess alone. The words of the verse are: 22 151
hi Jos & (when you go out in the way of Allah, be careful). Acting
on conjecture is likely to land one in trouble. The restriction of travel
in the verse is there because these events came to pass during the
state of travel. Or, it may be because doubts crop up during travel to
previously unvisited places as compared with the city of residence
where things and people are generally familiar. Otherwise, the basic
rule, in travel or while resident, is general, that is reacting to any situ-
ation without proper investigation is not permissible. In a hadith, the
Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم has said: "To act sensibly is from Allah and
to rush through is from Shaytan" (al-Bahr al-Muhit)
The second sentence : تُتَّقُونَ عَرَضَ الْحَيْوةِ الدُّنْيَا (seeking goods of the worldly
life) in verse 94 is a prescription for weakness which caused this false
step. The weakness was their desire to acquire worldly wealth through
collecting spoils. But, immediately after, it was pointed out that
Almighty Allah has set aside many more spoils destined for them.
Why, then, should they bother about material gains? By way of further
admonition, they were asked to recollect that there were so many
among them who would not have dared to come out openly with their
faith in Islam. It was only when Allah favoured them that they were
delivered from the encirclement of disbelievers and were able to
profess Islam openly. Keeping this situation in mind, would it not be
possible that the person who is saying Lun fjor's at the sight of the
Muslim army, might really be an adherent of Islam from the early
days but was unable to profess it freely fearing reprisals from the
disbelievers. When he saw the Muslim army, he lost no time in doing
so. If they looked into their own situation, they would realize that
there was the time when they had recited the Kalimah and had called
them Muslims, the Shari'ah of Islam had never asked them to first
prove their being Muslims. There was no such condition. They were
never asked to let their hearts be examined. They were not ordered to

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Surah Al-Nisa' 4 : 94-96
produce a proof of their Islam before they could be declared as
confirmed Muslims. Quite contrary to all this, the simple recital of the
Kalimah of Islam: det als was considered good enough to
recognize them as Muslims. Keeping this in mind, it was their duty
that they should now take anyone who recites the Kalimah before
them as a Muslim.
The meaning of not taking a Muslim to be a Kafir
From this verse comes the important ruling that anyone who
professes Islam and declares that he is a Muslim - by reciting the
Kalimah or by associating himself with some marked feature of Islam
such as the Adhan and the Salah - should be treated as a Muslim. All
Muslims must deal with him as they would do with any other Muslim.
They are not supposed to wait and worry about finding out whether
such a person has embraced Islam with all his heart or it has been
done out of expediency.
In addition to that, this is a case in which even his doings will not
serve as the criterion. Suppose, someone skips Salah, does not fast and
is involved with all sorts of sins - still, no one has the right to say that
he has gone outside the pale of Islam or to treat him as one would
treat a disbeliever. Therefore, the great Imam Abu Hanifah said: y
We do not call 'the people of the Qiblah' Kafirs because of) اهل القبلة بذنب
some sin). Similar statements appear in hadith narrations also, such
as, 'Do not say that 'the people of Qiblah' are Kafirs, no matter how
sinful and evil-doing they may be.'
At this point, there is something everyone should understand and
remember, clearly and particularly. This relates to the authority of
the Qur'an and Sunnah from which it is proved that calling or taking
someone who calls himself a Muslim to be a Kafir is not permissible. It
clearly means that until such time he says or does something which
provides the positive proof of Kufr (disbelief), his profession of faith in
Islam shall be deemed as sound and he will continue to be taken as a
Muslim and, for all practical purposes, he will be dealt with as one
would deal with Muslims. No one will have the right to debate what
goes on in his heart or how sincere or hypocritical he may or may not
be.
But, there may be a person who professes Islam, attests to faith,

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4 : 94-96
yet disgraces himself by uttering words of disbelief or prostrates before
an idol or denies an injunction of Islam which is absolute and obvious,
or takes to a religious way or mark of disbelievers - such a person will
certainly be declared a Kafir because of his deeds which prove his infi-
delity. It will be noticed that, the word las (be careful or investigate)
in the present verse provides a hint to this effect, otherwise, the Jews
and the Christians all claimed to be believers. Then, there was Musay-
limah, the Liar. He was declared to be a Kafir with the consensus of
Companions, and killed. As for him, he was not only a professor of the
Islamic creed but a practicing adherent of Adhan and Salah as well. In
his Adhan, he had the Muezzin say: Qui 121 3[ 2] (I testify that there
is no god but Allah) which was duly followed by Jis fasi (I
testify that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah). But, while he did
this, he also claimed to be a prophet and a messenger who received
revelations. This was an open denial of the binding injunctions of the
Qur'an and Sunnah. It was on this basis that he was declared to be an
apostate and a Jihad force was sent against him with the consensus of
the Companions.
In short, the correct course of action when faced with this problem
is: Take everyone who recites the Kalimah and adheres to Islam (ahl
al-Qiblah: the people of Qiblah) to be a Muslim. Peeking into his heart
is not our business. Let Allah be the judge. But, when you see one
professing faith yet doing things to the contrary, take him to have
become an apostate subject to the condition that such deeds be, abso-
lutely and certainly, contrary to the dictates of Faith and that it
admits of no other probability or interpretation.
Finally, we can now see that 'the reciter of the Kalimah' (Kalimah-
go) or Ahl al-Qiblah (the people of Qiblah, meaning Muslims who
universally turn to the direction of Holy Ka'bah when praying) are
technical terms applied solely to one who, after his professing Islam,
does nothing by his word and deed which can be classed as infidelity.
Some Injunctions about Jihad
The second verse (95) takes up some injunction related to Jihad. It
says that people who do not participate in Jihad without some valid
excuse cannot be equal to those who fight in the way of Allah staking
everything they have, even their lives. In fact, Almighty Allah has

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4 :94-96
raised the ranks of those who fight in the way of Allah over those who
do not. However, along with this declaration of the precedence of Muja-
hidin, it was also said that Almighty Allah has promised good returns
for both groups. Both shall be blessed with Paradise and Allah's
forgiveness - the only difference between them will be that of ranking.
According to leading exegetes, this verse tell us that Jihad is Fard
'ala al-Kifayah under normal conditions. Fard Kifayah, as opposed to
Fard 'ala al'Ayn (an obligation for every individual), is an obligation of
sufficiency. It means that should some people fulfill it, the rest of
Muslims stand relieved subject to the condition that those engaged in
Jihad must be sufficient for that Jihad. If the situation is otherwise,
Jihad will become an obligation (Fard 'Ayn) on all Muslims living in
the neighbouring areas who will have to come forward to help the
Mujahidin.
The Definition of Fard Kifayah
In the terminology of the Shari'ah, Fard 'ala al-Kifayah refers to
obligations the fulfillment of which is not mandatory on every indi-
vidual Muslim. Instead, if some fulfill it, that will be good enough.
Most activities of a collective nature fall under this category. Teaching
of religious sciences and their wider dissemination is also an obliga-
tion of this nature - if some people are devoted to the fulfillment of this
obligation and their number is fairly sufficient, then, other Muslims
are absolved of this duty. But, should it be that just about nobody is
discharging this obligation wherever there be the need to do so, then,
everyone becomes a sinner.
The Salah for the deceased, the bathing and shrouding of the body
is also a collective obligation, for a brother fulfills the rights of a
Muslim brother and this is how it is supposed to be, a requirement of
the Islamic law. The making of Masajid and Madaris (mosques and
religious schools) and running programmes of public welfare are
included under this very injunction, that is, if some Muslims do that,
the rest stand absolved of the obligation.
Generally, injunctions related to collective needs have been, of
necessity, classed as Fard Kifayah by the Shari'ah of Islam so that all
duties can be discharged under the principle of distribution of work.
Thus, some people would be engaged in Jihad, others in education and

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Surah Al-Nisa' 4 : 97-100
da wah activities and still others in attending to various other Islamic
or human needs.
The statement وَكُلَّا وَعُدَ اللّهُ الْسُنَّى (and to each, Allah has promised good)
in this verse gives peace of mind to those who are engaged in religious
duties other than Jihad. But, this injunction is operative in normal
conditions when the Jihad waged by some people is sufficient for
defence against the enemy attack. Should it be that their Jihad needs
additional support, Jihad becomes an absolute obligation on neigh-
bouring Muslims in the first instance. If this support too turns out to
be still deficient, Jihad becomes an absolute obligation on Muslims
living nearby in their proximity. Finally, just in case, they too are
unable to meet the challenge from the enemy, the mantle of Jihad duty
falls on the shoulders of other Muslims to the limit that there may
come a time when every Muslim from the East and the West may have
to participate in the Jihad as solemn religious obligation.
The third verse (96) too recounts the same degrees of precedence
that the Mujahidin have over others.
Ruling
Jihad is not obligatory on the lame, the crippled, the blind, the sick
and on others who are excusable under the Islamic law.
Verses 97 - 100
إِنَّ الَّذِيْنَ تَوَقُّهُمُ الْمَتِكَةُ ظَالٍِّ انْفُسِهِمْ قَالُوا فِيْمَ كُنتُمُ،
قَالُوا كُنَّا مُسْتَضْعَفِيْنَ فِى الْأَرْضِ، قَالٌُاَ الَمْ تَكُنْ أَرْضُ
اللَّهِ وَاسِعَةٌ فَتُهَاِرُوا فِيْهَا، فَأُولَئِكَ مَأْوَاهُمُ جَهَتَّمُ، وَسَاءَتُ
مَصِيْرًا (١٧) إِلَّ الْتَضْعَفِيْنَ مِنَ الرِّجَالِ وَالنِّسَاءِ وَالْوِلْدَانِ
لَا يَسْتَطِيعُونَ حِثْلَةً وَّلَا يَهْتَدُوُنَ سَبِئْلَا (٩٨) فَأُولَئِكَ عَسَى
اللَّهُ أَنْ يَعْفُوَ عَنْهُمْ، وَكَانَ اللَّهُ عَقُوًّا غَفُورًا﴿٩٩) وَمَنْ يُّهَاجِرُ
فِى سَبِيْلِ اللَّهِ يَجِدُ فِى الْأَرْضِ مُرُغَمًا كَذِيْرًا وَسَعَةٌ، وَمَنُ
يَّخْرُجُ مِنْبَيْتِهِ مُهَاجِرًا إِلَى اللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ ثُمّ يُدْرِكُهُ الْوُتُ
فَقَدٌ وَقَعَ آَجُرُهُ عَلَى اللَّهِ، وَكَانَ اللّهُ غَفُورًا رَّحِيُمَا﴿١٠٠)

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Surah Al-Nisa' 4 : 97-100
Those whom the angels take while they had wronged
themselves, (to them) the angels said, "What were you
(involved) in?" They said, "We were oppressed in the
earth." They said, "Was not the earth of Allah wide
enough that you might have sought refuge in it?" As for
such, their shelter is Jahannam. And it is an evil place
to return [97] - except the oppressed, men and women
and children, who cannot manage a device nor can find
a way. As for such, it is likely that Allah would pardon
them. And Allah is Most-Pardoning, Most-Forgiving. [99]
And whoever migrates in the way of Allah shall find in
the earth many a place to settle and a wide dimension
(of resources). And whoever leaves his home migrating
for the sake of Allah and His Messenger and death
overtakes him, then, his reward is established with
Allah. And Allah is Most-Forgiving, Very-Merciful. [100]
Commentary
The Definition of Hijrah
In the four verses cited above, the merits, blessings and injunctions
of Hijrah have been described. Lexically, Hijrah, Hijran and Hajr
mean 'being displeased with something and leaving it'. In common
parlance, the leaving of one's home country is known as Hijrah. In the
terminology of the Shari'ah, leaving Dar al-Kufr (Homeland of disbe-
lievers) and going to Dar al-Islam (Abode of Islam) is called Hijrah (Ruh
al-Ma‘anī).
In Sharp al-Mishkah, Mulla 'Ali al-Qari has said: Leaving a home
country for religious reasons is also included under Hijrah (Mirqat, p. 39,
v.1).
From the verse ◌ْ59:8) الَّذِيْنَ أُخْرِمُوا مِنْ دِيَارِهِمْ وَآَمْوَالِهِم): "Those who have been
driven away from their homes ... ' revealed about emigrating Compan-
ions, we know if disbelievers of a country forcibly expel Muslims
because they are Muslims, this too will be included under Hijrah.
From this definition, we learn that Muslims migrating from India
to Pakistan who came here out of disgust for Dar al-Kufr at their own
choice or were driven away by non-Muslims simply because they were
Muslims, are all 'Muhajirs' in the Islamic legal sense. But, those who
have moved to benefit from business or employment opportunities are

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not entitled to be called 'Muhajir' in that Islamic legal sense.
Then, there is the hadith from al-Bukhari and Muslim in which the
Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم has been reported to have said:
اَلْمُهَاجِرْ مَنْ هَجَرَ مَانَهَى اللَّهُ عَنْهُ وَرَسُوْلُهُ
Muhajir is one who leaves everything Allah and His
Messenger have prohibited.
The full sense of the saying becomes clear from the first sentence of
this very hadith which is as follows:
اْلِمُ مَنْ سَلِمَ الْلِمُونَ مِنْ لِّسَانِهِ وَبَدِهِ
A Muslim is the one from whom all Muslims remain safe -
(safe) from his tongue and (safe) from his hands. (Tirmidhi,
Kitab al-'Īman)
As obvious, it means that a true and staunch Muslim has to be the
one who hurts none. Similarly, a true and successful Muhajir is the
one who does not consider migration from his home country as the
ultimate obligation. He should, rather, leave everything else the
Shari'ah has declared to be unlawful or impermissible. Said poetically,
it would be saying something like: ابن دل كوبهى بدل جامه احرام كم ساته (When
you change into the Ihram garment, better change your heart too!)
The Merits of Hijrah
Just as the verses about Jihad are spread out all over in the Holy
Qur'an, Hijrah too has been mentioned many times in most of the
Surahs. A cumulative view of these verses shows that there are three
kinds of themes in verses relating to Hijrah. Firstly, there are the
merits of Hijrah; secondly, its worldly and other-worldly blessings;
and thirdly, warnings against not migrating from Dar al-Kufr despite
having the ability to do so.
As for the merits of Hijrah, there is a verse in Surah al-Baqarah:
إِنَّ الَّذِيْنَ امَنُوا وَالَّذِيْنَ هَاجَرُوا وَجَاهَدُوْا فِى سَبِيْلِ اللَّهِ أُولَئِكَ يَرْجُونَ رَحْمَةٌ
اللَّهِ وَاللَّهُ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ .
As for those who believed and those who migrated and carried
out Jihad in the way of Allah, they do hope for Allah's mercy
and Allah is Forgiving, Very-Merciful - (2:218).

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Surah Al-Nisa' 4 : 97-100
The second verse appears in Surah al-Taubah:
الَّذِيْنَ امَنُؤًا وَهَاجَرُوا وَجَاهَدُوا فِىُ سَبِيْلِ اللَّهِ بِأَمْوَالِهِمْ وَأَنْفُسِهِمْ أَعْظَمُ
دَرَجَةً عِنْدَ اللهِ وَأُوَلِكَ هُمُ الْفَأْتِزُونَ
And those who believed and emigrated and took up Jihad in
the way of Allah with their wealth and lives are greater in
rank in the sight of Allah - and they are the successful ones -
(9:20).
The third verse belongs to Surah al-Nisa' and appears right here as
part of the set of verses under study:
وَمَنْ تَّخُّرُجُ مِنْ بَيْتِهِ مُهَاجِرًا إِلَى اللَّهِ وَرَسُوْلِهِ ثُمَّ يُدُرِكُهُ الْمُوُتُ فَقَدٌ وَقَعَ آَجُرُهُ
عَلَى اللَّهِ
And whoever migrates in the way of Allah shall find in the
earth many a place to settle and a wide dimension (of
resources). And whoever leaves his home migrating for the
sake of Allah and His Messenger and death overtakes him,
then, his reward is established with Allah. And Allah is Most-
Forgiving, Very-Merciful - (4:100).
According to some narrations, this last verse was revealed about
Sayyidna Khalid ibn Hizam at the time of the migration to Ethiopia.
He had left Makkah on his way to Ethiopia with the intention of
Hijrah. Enroute, a snake bit him which caused his death. In short, the
three verses cited above have clearly emphasized Hijrah from Dar al-
Kufr (migration from the Abode of Disbelief) and the many merits it
has.
اَلْهِجْرَةُ تَهْدِمُ مَاكَانَ قَبْلَها : has said صلى الله عليه وسلم In a hadith, the Holy Prophet
meaning: Hijrah will undo all sins which may have been committed
before it.
The Blessings of Hijrah
As for blessings, a verse from Surah al-Nahl says:
وَالَّذِيْنَ هَاجَرُوْا فِى اللَّهِ مِنْ بَعْدٍ مَاطِلِمُوا لَنُوْنَنَّهُمْ فِى الدُّنْيَا حَسَنَةٌ وَلاَ جُ
الْآخِرَةِ أَكْبَرْ لَوْ كَانُوا يَعْلَمُونَ .
And those who migrated for the sake of Allah after they were
subjected to injustice, to them We shall give a good place to be
in the world while the reward of the Hereafter is certainly

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great - only if they had realized! (16:41)
The fourth verse of the set of four verses (97-100) appearing at the
head of this part of the Commentary deals with approximately the
same subject. There it has been said:
وَمَنْ ◌ُهَاِجِرْ فِىُ سَبِيْلِ اللَّهِ يَجِدُ فِى الْأَرْضِ مُرْغَمًا كَثِيْرًا وَسَعَةٌ
And whoever migrates in the way of Allah shall find in the
earth many a place to settle and a wide dimension (of
resources).
The word 'muragham' in the verse is a verbal noun which means 'to
move from one land to the other' and the place to which one moves
and settles is also called 'muragham'.
Both these verses quoted above tell us about the open and the
hidden blessings of Hijrah where Almighty Allah has promised to
everyone who migrates for the sake of Allah and His Messenger that
He shall open new opportunities in the world for them and give them a
good home to settle. As for the rewards and ranks of the Hereafter,
they are beyond any reach of expectation or imagination.
The words kas Guides which promise 'a good place to be' in the
world have been interpreted variously. Mujahid explains it as 'lawful
sustenance', Hasan al-Basri as 'good home' while some other commen-
tators have interpreted it as 'superiority in excellence, honour and
power over antagonists.' The truth of the matter is that all these
elements are included within the sense of the verse. World history
bears witness that whoever has left his homeland for the sake of Allah,
to him Almighty Allah has given a home far better than what he had
earlier, far more honour and far more comfort. Sayyidna Ibrahim de
JI migrated to Syria from his homeland in Iraq - Allah gave him all
those things. Sayyidna Musa and the Bani Isra'il migrated from Egypt,
their homeland for the sake of Allah, then He gave them the land of
Syria, a better homeland. Then, they got Egypt too. When our master
and the last of the prophets, Sayyidna Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم and
his Companions left Makkah for the sake of Allah and His Messenger,
these blessed emigrants found the best of shelter in Madinah, far
better than Makkah. There they had honour and power and peace and
prosperity. Of course, this does not include the transitory hardship

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Surah Al-Nisa' 4 : 97-100
faced during the early period of Hijrah. But, soon after that, the bless-
ings, which were showered on these people and which continued
through several generations, shall be the proper yardstick in this
matter.
Events related to the poverty and hunger of Noble Companions so
well-known belong generally to the early period of Hijrah; or, go as
what can be called volitional acceptance of poverty, a dignified attitude
of readiness to live with less (Faqr). In other words, they just did not
like worldly wealth and property as a result of which they lost no time
in spending what they received, in the way of Allah. This was very
much the state in which the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم lived. His lack
of means and patience in hunger were simply voluntary. He just did
not choose to be rich. Nonetheless, during the sixth year of Hijrah,
after the conquest of Khyber, things had changed and sufficient means
of sustenance were available for the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم and his
family. The same was the case with all righteous caliphs. When they
reached Madinah, Allah had given them everything they needed. But,
when Islam needed their support, Sayyidna Abu Bakr came forward
and donated everything he had in his house. The Mother of the
Faithful, Sayyidah Zaynab would give away all her stipend money to
the poor and the needy and remain satisfied living indigently. For this
reason, she was called "The Mother of the Needy'. On the other side, no
less in number were the rich ones among the Companions who left
wealth and property behind. There were many among the Companions
who were poor in their home-city of Makkah but Allah Almighty made
them rich and happy after Hijrah. Sayyidna Abu Hurairah Jule
can be cited as a good example. When he was appointed the
governor of a province, he used to enjoy talking about his past with
unusual relish. He would formally address himself and say: 'O Abu
Hurairah, you are the same man, the servant of a tribe. Your salary
was what you could eat. Your duty was to walk with those who rode on
a journey and your duty was to collect firewood for them when they
broke their journey at a certain stage. Today, because of Islam, you are
here, so high from so low, and they call you the Commander of the
Faithful!
In summation, it can be said that the world has openly witnessed

558
Surah Al-Nisa' 4 : 101-104
the fulfillment of the promise Allah has made in the Qur'an. However,
the verse has put a condition that they must be 'true emigrants for the
sake of Allah', a substantiation of Hajaru fi-llah. This kind of emigrant
should have not migrated for the sake of wordly wealth, office, power,
recognition, honour or influence. Otherwise, in a hadith of al-Bukhari,
the Holy Prophet صلى اللّه عليه وسلم has also been reported to have said:
'Those who migrate for the sake of Allah and His Messenger, their
migration is precisely for Allah and His Messenger.' It means that this
is the correct mode of Hijrah the merits and blessings of which appear
in the Qur'an. As for those who migrate to make money or marry a
woman, their compensation against Hijrah is exactly what they
migrated for.
In our time, some groups of muhajirin (emigrants) who are living in
distress are either in that transitory stage of the early period of Hijrah
which is usually marked with hardships, or they are not Muhajirs in
the real sense. They should correct their intention and take charge of
the circumstances under which they live. After their intention and
their corresponding deeds have been corrected, they shall witness the
truth of Allah's promise with their own eyes.
Verses 101 104
وَإِذَا ضَرَبُهُمْ فِى الْأَرْضِ فَلَيُسَ عَلَيُكُمُ جُنَاحٌ أَنْ تَقْصُرُوُا
مِنَ الصَّلوةِ إِنْ خِفْتُمْ أَنْ يَفْتِنَكُمُ الَّذِيْنَ كَفَرُوْاء إِنَّ الْكُفِرِيْنَ
كَانُوا لَكُمُ عَدُوًّا تُبِئْنًا (١٠١) وَإِذَا كُنْتَ فِيُهِمْ فَأَقَمْتَ لَهُمُ
الصَّلوَةَ قَلْتَقُمْ طَائِفَةٌ مِنْهُمْ مَعَكَ وَلْيَأْخُذُوَّا أَسْلِحَتَهُمْ نَ فَإِذَا
سَجَدُوا فَلْيَكُنُوْا مِنْ وَرَائِكُمْ ، وَلْتَأْتِ طَائِفَةٌ أُخْرَى لَمْ
فُصَلُّوا فَلُيُصَلُّوْا مَعَكَ وَلْيَأْخُذُّوًا حِذُرَهُمْ وَاَسْلِحَتَهُمْ وَقَّ
الَّذِيْنَ كَفَرُوا لَوْ تَغْفُلُونَ عَنْ آَسْلِحَتِكُمُ وَاَمْتِعَتِكُمْ فَيَمِثُلُوْنَ
عَلَيْكُمْ قَيْلَةً وَاحِدَةَ، وَلاَ جُنَاحَ عَلَيْكُمُ إِنْ كَانَ بِكُمْ آَذَّى مِّنُ
تَّطَرِ آَوْكُنْهُمْ تَرْضَى أَنْ تَضَعُوْاْ آَسْلِحَتَكُمُ، وَخُذُوْا حِذُرَّكُمْ إِنَّ

559
Surah Al-Nisa'
4 : 101-104
اللَّهَ اَعَدَّ لِلْكُفِرِيْنَ عَذَابًا تُهِيْنًا﴿١٠٢﴾ فَإِذَا قَضَيُمُ الصَّلَوةَ
فَاذْكُرُوا اللَّهَ قِيَامًا وَفُعُوْدًا وَعَلَى جُنُوبِكُمُ، فَإِذَا اْمَأْنَنْهُمُ
فَأَقِيمُوا الصَّلوَةَ إِنَّ الصَّلَوةَ كَانَتُ عَلَّى الْمُؤُمِنِيْنَ كِثْبًّا
مَّوْقُونًا (١٠٣﴾ وَلَ تَهِنُوْا فِى ابْتِغَاءِ الْقَوْمِ إِنْ تَكُوْنُوا تَأْمُنَ
فَإِنَّهُمْ يَأْمُنَ كَمَاتَأْلَمُنَةٍ وَتَرْجُوْنَ مِنَ اللَّهِ مَالَا يَرْجُوُنَ، وَكَانَ
اللهُ عَلِيمًا حَكِيمًا (١٠٤)
And when you travel in the earth, there is no sin on
you in shortening your Salah if you fear that the disbe-
lievers would put you in trouble. Surely, the disbe-
lievers are an open enemy for you. [101]
And when you (O prophet) are in their midst, and
arrange for them the Salah, then, a party from them
should stand with you and should take their arms
along. Then, once they performed Sajdah,' they should
move away from you and the other party, which has
not yet performed Salah, should come and perform
Salah with you, and should take their precautionary
measures and their arms. Those who disbelieve would
want you to become heedless to your arms and your
belongings so they come down upon you in a single
move. And there is no sin on you, if you have some
inconvenience due to rain or you are sick, in putting
your arms aside. And do take your precautionary meas-
ures. Surely, Allah has prepared for the disbelievers a
humiliating punishment. [102]
And once you have finished your Şalah, then, remember
Allah while standing, sitting and reclining. And as soon
as you are secure, perform the Salah as due. Surely,
Salah is an obligation on the believers which is tied up
with time. [103]
And do not show weakness in pursuing these people. If
you suffer, then, they suffer as you suffer, while you
hope from Allah what they do not hope. And Allah is
1. Sajdah or Sujud, a way of prostration specified by the Shari'ah of Islam as
a part of Şalah.

560.
Surah Al-Nisa'
4 :101-104
All-Knowing, All-Wise. [104]
Commentary
The subject of Jihad and Hijrah were taken up in previous verses.
Since travel is involved in Jihad and Hijrah under most conditions, the
likelihood of confrontation with the enemy is strong and frequent
while making such a trip. Therefore, special mention has been made in
the verses cited above of some particular leaves and concessions in the
performance of Salah in due consideration of travel and its dangers.
The concessions given in travel
(In Islamic legal terminology, Safar means journey or travel; Qasr
refers to the making of one's Salah short while in that status. Thus,
four obligatory Raka'at of Zuhr, 'Aşr and 'Isha are reduced in number
and confined to two Raka'at only.)
Rulings:
1. Full Salah is made in a journey which is less than 48 miles.
2. If, after reaching the destination at the end of the journey, one
intends to stay there for less than fifteen days, rules relating to
'journey' will continue to apply to him, that is, the obligatory four
Raka'at of Şalah will be reduced to half. This is Qasr. Now, if one
intends to stay at one place for fifteen days, or more, it will become his
place or country of residence. Here too, Qasr will not be observed as it
was not observed in his original home country, that is, full Salah will
be performed.
3. Qasr is done in the Fard (obligatory) Salah of Zuhr, 'Aşr and 'Isha'
only. There is no Qasr in Maghrib and Fajr, nor in Sunnah and Witr
prayers.
5. If, there be no fear of possible danger during a journey, Qasr will
still be observed in making Şalah.
6. Some people are troubled by apprehensions of sin when making
their Salah short (Qasr) in place of the regular full Salah. This is not
correct because Qasr is also a rule of the Shari'ah following which
brings no sin. On the contrary, it brings reward.
7. Verse 102 mentions a special way of offering Salah in a state
where, due to the fear of enemy, all the Muslims cannot pray in a

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single congregation. This special way is called 'Salatul-Khawf, the
details of which are found in the books of Islamic Fiqh. Verse 102 says:
And when you {0 prophet) are among them and) وَإِذَا كُنْتَ فِيُِهِمْ فَأَقَمْتَ لَهُمُ الصَّلوَةَ
arrange for them the Salah). Let this not be construed to mean that the
injunction of the Salah of Fear (Salatul-Khawf) is no more imperative
because the blessed person of the noble Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم is no
more present among us. The reason is that this restriction has been
mentioned here in terms of the situation at that particular time, for
there can be no sans-excuse Imam of Salah in the presence of the
Prophet. After him, whoever is the Imam shall be deemed to be
standing in his place and he will be the one to lead the Salatul-Khawf.
All leading religious authorities agree that the injunction of Salatul-
Khawf is operative even after him and has not been abrogated.
8. Just as making Salatul-Khawf is permissible when in fear of
hostility from human beings, so it is when one is gripped with the fear
of hurt from some beast like a lion or python and there is very little
time left to make the Salah.
9. In this verse (102), mention has been made of both groups
making one Raka'ah each, but the method of performing the second
Raka'ah has appeared in Hadith which says: 'When the Holy Prophet
,turned for Salam after the completion of his two Raka'at صلى الله عليه وسلم
the two groups went on to complete their one Raka'ah each on their
own'. More details can be seen there.
Verses 105 - 113
إِنَّ أَنْزَلْنَا إِلَيْكَ الْكِتَبَ بِالْحَقِّ لِتَحْكُمَ بَيْنَ النَّاسِ بِّا أَرْكَ
اللّهُ وَلاَ تَكُنُ لِلْخَانِيْنَ خَصِيْمَا ﴿١٠٥﴾ وَاسْتَغْفِرِ اللَّهَ إِنَّ
اللَّهَ كَانَ تَفُورًا تَّحِيُّهًا ﴿١٠٦) وَلَا تُجَادِلُ عَنِ الَّذِيْنَ يَخْتَأُوْنَ
أَنْفُسَهُمْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَ يُحِبُّ مَنُ كَانَ خَوَانًا أَنِيْمَا ﴿١٠٧)
يَسْتَخُفُونَ مِنَ النَّاسِ وَلَا يَسْتَخْفُوْنَ مِنَ اللَّهِ وَهُوَ مَعَهُمْ إِذٌ
يُبَيِّئُونَ مَا لَا يَرْضِى مِنَ الْقَوْلِ، وَكَانَ اللَّهُ بِمَا يَعْمَلُوْنَ
مُحِيُّطًا (١٨) هَنْتُ لَهُلَاءِ جَادَلْتُمْ عَنْهُمْ فِى الْخَوِ الدُّنْيَانِ

562
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فَمَنْ تُجَادِلُ اللَّهَ عَنْهُمْ يَوْمَ الْقِيْمَةِ آَمْ قَهُ بَّكُوْنُ عَلَيْهِمْ
وَكِيُلَا (١٠١) وَمَنْ يَعْمَلُ سُرْ ءًا أَوْ يَظْلِمُ نَفْسَةً ثُمَّ يَسْتَغْفَرِ
اللَّهَ يَجِدِ اللَّهَ غَفُورًا رَّحِيمًا( ١١) وَمَنْ يَّكُسِبُ إِثْمًا فَإِنَّاً
يَكْسِبُهَ عَلَى نَفْسِهِ، وَكَانَ اللهُ عَلِيمًا حَكِيْمًا﴿١١١﴾ وَمَنْ
يَكْسِبُ خَطِيْئَةٌ أَوْ إِثْمًا تُمَّ يَرُعِ بِهِ بَِّا فَقَدِ احْتَمَلَ بُهْتَانًا
وَإِثُمَا مُّبِيْنًا ﴿١١٢﴾ وَلَوْ لَا فَضْلُ اللَّهِ عَلَيْكَ وَرَحْمَتُهْ لَهَمَّتُ
قَائِفَةٌ مِّنْهُمْ آَنْ يُضِلَّوُكَ، وَمَا يُضِلَّوْنَ إِلَّ أَنْفُسَهُمْ وَمَا
يَضُوْنَكَ مِنْ شَىُْ وَاَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْكَ الْكِتْبَ وَالْحِكْمَةَ
وَعَلَّمَكَ مَالَمْ تَكُنُ تَعْلَمُ، وَكَانَ فَضُلُ اللَّهِ عَلَيْكَ
عَظِيمًا ﴿١١٣﴾
Surely, We have revealed to you the Book with the
truth so that you may judge between people with the
insight Allah has given to you. And do not be an advo-
cate for those who breach trust. [105] And seek forgive-
ness from Allah. Surely, Allah is All-Forgiving, Very-
Merciful. [106]
And do not argue on behalf of those who betray them-
selves. Surely, Allah does not like anyone who is a
sinful betrayer. [107] They hide from people but do not
hide from Allah. And He is with them when they make
plans to say what He does not approve. And Allah
encompasses whatever they do. [108] Look, this is what
you are -- you have argued for them in the worldly life
but who shall argue for them with Allah on Doomsday,
or who shall be their defender? [109]
And whoever acts evil or wrongs himself, then seeks
forgiveness from Allah, shall find Allah Most-Forgiving,
Very-Merciful. [110]
And whoever commits a sin, commits it only against
himself. And Allah is All-Knowing, All-Wise. [111]
And whoever commits a vice or a sin, then shifts its
blame to an innocent person, he indeed takes the

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burden of a false imputation and a glaring sin. [112]
And if the grace of Allah and His mercy were not with
you, a group from them had resolved to mislead you.
And they mislead none but themselves. And they can
do you no harm. And Allah has revealed to you the
Book and the wisdom and has taught you what you did
not know. And the grace of Allah on you has always
been great. [113]
Sequence
While discussing the matters relating to the open disbelievers, the
Holy Qur'an has, in some places in the previous verses, referred to the
hypocrites and has pointed out that Kufr or disbelief was the common
denominator between them. Further on, a particular episode relating
to some hypocrites finds mention in the present verses, details of
which are being given below.
The background of these verses
The nine verses (105-113) cited above refer to a particular episode.
But, very much in accordance with the characteristic style of the
Qur'an, the instructions given in this conection are not peculiar to this
episode. They are, rather, a set of basic principles and rules commonly
beneficial for all Muslims whether of a given time or of future genera-
tions.
Let us go to the event first, then consider the wisdom of related
instructions which provide solutions to corresponding problems. The
episode centres around the clan of Banu Ubayriq in Madinah. A man
from this clan - his name being Bashir as in the narration of Tirmidhi
and Hakim, or Tu'mah as in the narration of al-Baghawi and Ibn Jarir
- broke into the house of Sayyidna Rifa'ah, the uncle of Sayyidna
Qatadah ibn al-Nu'man, and committed a theft.
In the narration of Tirmidhi, it is also mentioned that this man
was, in reality, a hypocrite. He used to live in Madinah yet was auda-
cious enough to compose poetic satires insulting the noble Companions
di Algo, and used to publicise these in the name of others while
keeping his identity concealed.
As for the actual theft it was committed during the early period of
Hijrah when Muslims generally lived under straightened circum-

564
Surah Al-Nisa' 4 : 105-113
stances facing all sorts of need, hunger and deprivation. The common
food they ate was bread from barley flour or dates, or wheat flour
which was scarce and just not available in Madinah. Once in a while,
when it did come from Syria some people would buy it for guests or for
some other special need. Thus, Sayyidna Rifa'ah bought some wheat
flour for himself, put it in a bag, added some arms on top of it and
stashed the bag in a small roomette of the house in all possible safety.
But, this man - Ibn Ubayriq, Bashir or Tu'mah - somehow came to
know, broke into the house and decamped with the bag. When Sayy-
idna Rifa'ah discovered the theft in the morning, he went to his
nephew, Qatadah and told him about it. Together they went out inves-
tigating in the locality. Some people said that they had seen the light
of fire coming from the Banu Ubayriq house last night and that prob-
ably they were cooking what was stolen. When Banu Ubayriq learnt
about their secret being out, they themselves came there and charged
that the theft was committed by Labid ibn Sahl. Labid was well-known
as a sincere and pious Muslim. When Labid himself came to know
about this allegation, he came out of his house, sword in hand, saying:
You are blaming me for this theft, now I am not going to put my sword
back into the sheath, until the truth of this theft becomes clear.
Quietly, Banu Ubayriq confided to him: Do not worry. Nobody is
blaming you. Moreover, this is not the sort of thing you would do. At
this point, the narration in al-Baghawi and Ibn Jarir says that Banu
Ubayriq charged a Jew with the theft and, very cleverly, made a track
of seemingly falling flour from a slit in the bag, which was their own
work, all the way from Rifa'ah's house to the house of the Jew. When
the traces of the flour were discovered and word went around, they
carried the stolen arms and armours as well to the same Jew and left
these with him for safe keeping. Following investigations, they were
recovered from his house. The Jew declared on oath that these were
given to him by Ibn Ubayriq.
In order to bring the two narrations of Tirmidhi and al-Baghawi
into harmony, it can be said that may be Banu Ubayriq had first
charged Labid ibn Sahl with the theft, but once they realized that their
ruse was not working, they targeted the Jew with the blame. Ulti-
mately then, the case now rested between the Jew and Banu Ubayriq.

565
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On the other side, Sayyidna Qatadah and Rifa'ah were overwhelm-
ingly convinced on the basis of circumstancial evidence that this was
the work of Banu Ubayriq. Sayyidna Qatadah went to the Holy
Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم and told him about the theft and also told him
that he strongly suspected Banu Ubayriq. When Banu Ubayriq heard
the news, they came to the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم and complained
against Sayyidna Qatadah and Rifa'ah that they were putting the
blame for the theft on them without having any valid legal proof and
despite the fact that the stolen property was recovered from the house
of the Jew. They appealed to the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم to restrain
Sayyidna Qatadah and Rifa'ah from blaming them for the theft and if
they had to sue anyone, they should sue the Jew.
Things as they appeared on the outside made even the Holy
Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم incline towards the probability that the theft was
committed by the Jew and that the accusation against Banu Ubayriq
was not correct. So much so that, according to the narration of al-
Baghawi, the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم had the intention of inflicting
the punishment for theft on the Jew and sever his hand.
Matters went worse when Sayyidna Qatadah appeared before the
Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم who admonished him by saying that he was
accusing a Muslim family of theft without any proof. Sayyidna
Qatadah was grieved about the whole thing and wished that he had
not spoken to the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم about this matter even if
he had to bear by the loss of his property. Similarly, when Sayyidna
Rifa ah learnt about what the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم had said, he
too exercised patience and said: ¿ Lawtl Ji, (And Allah is the one from
whom all help is sought).
Not much time had passed when a whole section of the Qur'an was
revealed about this episode through which the reality behind it was
shown to the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم and general instructions
covering such cases were given. As the Holy Qur'an exposed the theft
committed by Banu Ubayriq and acquitted the Jew. Banu Ubayriq
were left with no choice but to return the stolen property to the Holy
Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم who had it returned to the owner, Sayyidna
Rifa'ah, who finally endowed all those arms for use in Jihad. When
Banu Ubayriq found their theft exposed, Bashir, the son of Ubayriq