النص المفهرس

606
Surah Al-Nisa'
4 : 138-141
being disbelieved and ridiculed you should not sit with
them unless they enter into some other discourse. You,
in that case, would be like them. Surely, Allah is to
gather all hypocrites and disbelievers in Jahannam [140]
- those who look for (a misfortune for) you, so, if there
is a victory for you, they say, "Were we not with you?"
And if there is a gain for the disbelievers, they say, (to
them) "Had we not overpowered you, still protected
you from the believers?" So, Allah will decide between
you on the Doomsday. And Allah shall never give the
disbelievers a way against the believers. [141]
Commentary
In the first verse (138), the hypocrites have been given the news of a
painful punishment. By articulating a distressing news with the word,
'basharah' (good news), the hint given is that everyone looks forward
to some good news to brighten his or her future but, for the hypocrites,
there is just no other news except this.
Seek Honour from Allah alone
Close friendly relations with disbelievers and polytheists have been
forbidden in the second verse (139). Warning has been served on those
who do so. Right along, after giving the reason why people get involved
with this disease, the practice has been declared ineffectual and
absurd. The words of the text are : 139) ايَبْتَغُرُنَ عِنْدَهُمُ الْعِزَّةَ فَإِنَّ الْعِزَّةَ لِلَّهِ جَمِيعًا) (Are
they seeking honour in their company? But, indeed, all honour belongs
to Allah). To explain, we can say that the urge to meet and be friendly
with disbelievers and polytheists is generally prompted by the
assumption that their outwardly visible influence, power and collective
strength may give honour and power to those who have close relations
with them. Almighty Allah has exposed the reality behind this absurd
notion by saying : You want to acquire honour from those who them-
selves have no honour. 'Izzah (+) which means might and mastery,
belongs to none but Allah and whenever some sort of might and
mastery is given to any person, it is given by Allah. With the scheme of
things being such, it would certainly be a gross lack of reason to go
about acquiring honour by displeasing the owner and giver of real
honour and stooping down to the level of scroungers for temporal
honour through His enemies?

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Surah Al-Nisa' 4 : 138-141
The same subject has appeared in the Qur'anic Surah al-Munafiqun
with one addition as follows:
وَلِلّهِ الْعِزَّةُ وَلِرَسُولِهٍ وَلِلْمُؤُمِنِيْنَ وَلكِنَّ الْنُفِقِيْنَ لَا يَعْلَمُوْنَ
For Allah is all honour, and for His Messenger, and for
believers - but, the hypocrites do not know x 63:8.
By adding the messenger and the believers with Almighty Allah in
this verse, it has been emphasized that Allah is the only owner-
possessor of real honour and it is He Who bestows on whosoever He
wills a certain part of that honour. Since the Messenger of Allah and
those who believe in them are dear in the sight of Allah, therefore,
honour and mastery are given to them. As for the disbelievers and the
polytheists, they themselves do not have this kind of honour, then,
what sort of honour can one get by acting in league with them? There-
fore, Sayyidna Umar رضى الله عنه said:
مَنِ اعْتَّ بِالْعِبِيْدِ آَذَلَّهُ اللهُ
Whoever seeks honour through human beings (His servants)
is disgraced by Allah. (Jaşsas) .
As in Mustadrak al-Hakim, Sayyidna 'Umar ate Jl », said to Sayy-
idna Abu 'Ubaydah, the Governor of Syria:
كُنْهُمْ آَقَلَّ النَّاسِ وَلَّ النَّاسِ فَكَّرَكُمُ بِالْاِ سِلَاِ، وَكُنْهُمْ أَذَلَّ النَّاسِ فَأَ عَّكُمُ
اللهُ بِالْإِسْلَامِ مَهُمَا تَطْلُبُو الْعِزَّةَ بِغَيْرِ اللَّهِ يُذَلَّكُمُ اللَّهُ.
You were the lowest (in numbers) and the weakest (in
strength) among the people (of the world), then Allah made
you exceed in numbers and strength with (the grace of) Islam;
and you were the meanest (in status) among the people (of the
world), then Allah raised you in honour with (the grace of)
Islam. So, understand this very clearly: If you seek honour
from any source other than Allah, Allah will disgrace you.
Explaining the meaning of this verse, the famous commentator,
Abu Bakr al-Jaşşaş has said in Ahkam al-Qur'an that the verse forbids
the seeking of honour through friendship with disbelievers and
sinners. However, the seeking of honour and power through Muslims
is not forbidden because this verse of Surah al-Munafiqun has made it
clear that Almighty Allah has blessed His messenger and the believers

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with honour. (Jaşşaş, p. 352, v.2)
If the 'Izzah or honour mentioned here means the everlasting
honour of the life-to-come, the 'Akhirah, then, its applicability to
Allah's messenger and the believers in the life of the present world is
quite obvious, for the honour of the 'Akhirah can never become the lot
of any disbeliever or polytheist. Conversely, if it is taken to mean
honour in the present life of the world, then, barring transitional
periods and accidental happenings, this honour and mastery is, ulti-
mately, the right of Islam and Muslims alone. Until such time that
Muslims remained Muslims in the true sense, the whole world
witnessed the spectacle. Then, there shall be the later period when
Muslims will reassemble around true Islam under the leadership of
Sayyidna 'Isa >JILL ascendancy will again be theirs. That Muslims
appear to be weak during the interim period, because of their weak-
ness of faith and involvement with sins, does not go against it.
In the third verse (140) :ِوَقَدُ نَّلَ عَلَيْكُمُ فِى الْكِتُّب ( ... and He has revealed to
you in the Book), by referring to another verse of the Holy Qur'an
which had already been revealed as a verse of the Surah al-An'am
before the event of Hijrah in Makkah al-Mukkarrmah, it has been re-
emphasized that Allah had sent, much earlier, the command that they
should not even sit in the company of disbelievers and sinners. Now,
surprising as it is, these heedless people have gone much beyond that
by establishing friendly relations with them assuming that they were
the bearers of honour and the wielders of power in their own right.
The verse of Surah al-Nisa' under discussion (140) and the verse of
Surah al-An'am (68) which has been referred to in the Surah al-Nisa'
both carry the same sense. That is, should some people sitting in a
group be engaged in denying and deriding the verses revealed by
Allah, then, as long as they stay occupied with this vain exercise,
sitting in their company to participate or observe is also forbidden
(haram). However, the words of Surah al-An'am have some generaliza-
tion, and a little more detail for it says:
وَإِذَا رَأَيْتَ الَّذِيْنَ يَخُوُضُونَ فِىَ ايَتِنَا فَأَعُرِضُ عَنُهُمْ حَتَّى يَخُوُضُبُوا فِىٌ
حَدِيثٍ غَيْرِهٍ وَإِمَّا يُنْسِيَنَّكَ الشَّيْطِنُ فَلَا تَقْعُدُ بَعْدَ الذِّكْرَى مَعَ الْقَوْمِ الْظَّلِمِيْنَ
And when you see those who indulge in Our verses adversely,

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4 : 138-141
turn away from them, until such time that they may get busy
with some subject other than that. And if Satan makes you
forget, do not sit with the unjust people after the recollection.
(6:68)
Here, in the verse cited above, the reference is to disputation in
Divine verses which includes disbelief and mockery as well. Also
included here is the act of distorting the meaning of a verse, that is,
deducing such meanings from the verses of the Holy Qur'an which are
contrary to the tafsir or explanation given by the Holy Prophet & and
his blessed Companions, or are against the consensus of the Muslim
Community. Therefore, Sayyidna 'Abdullah ibn 'Abbase Julga, , as
reported by Dahhak, has said that included within the sense of this
verse are those who explain the Qur'an (tafsir) erroneously or distort
its meaning (tahrif) or invent what is not there (bid'ah). The actual
words of this report are being given below:
دَخَّلَ فِئْ هُذِ الْأَيَةِ كُلُّ مُحُدٍِ فِى الدِّيْنِ، وَكُلُّ مُعَدِع ◌ِلَى يَوْمِ الْقِيْمَةِ
(Mazhari, p.263, v.2)
The impermissibility of listening to opinion-based
explanations of the Holy Qur'an:
From here we find out that a person who, while talking, explaining
or teaching the Holy Qur'an, is not observant of the exegetical authen-
ticity credited to the most righteous elders of the early period (i.e. the
Companions of the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم or their pupils) instead,
indulges in giving meanings of the Qur'an contrary to those stated by
them, then, participation in the Dars (teaching sessions) or Tafsir
(Exegesis) of such a person shall be impermissible under the authority
of the Qur'an, being a sin rather than a source of reward. In Tafsir al-
Bahr al-Muhit, Abu Hayyan has said: These verses tell us that what is
sinful to say verbally remains equally sinful when heard through the
ears voluntarily. He has even put it in a poetic exhortation:
كَصَوْنِ الْلِسَانِ عَنِ الُّطْقِهِ
وَسَمْعَكَ صُنُّ عَنْ سِمَاعِ الْقَبِيْجِ
Protect your ears from hearing the evil
As you protect your tongue from saying it.
After looking at the element of some generalization in the verse of
Surah al-An'am, we can now turn to the other element of additional

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Surah Al-Nisa' 4 : 138-141
remarks about the possibility of someone having joined the company of
such people unknowingly. In that case, once it is realised, the person
should immediately leave that gathering. The point is that one should
not sit with unjust people when alerted to the situation.
Now, in both verses of Surah al-Nisa' and Surah al-An'am, it has
been declared that as long as they remain occupied with their cross-
comments, sitting in their company is forbidden. Here, we face another
aspect of the problem which is: When they stop talking in that partic-
ular strain and digress to some other topic, would sitting with them
and taking part in mutual discourse at that time become permissible,
or not? The Qur'an has elected not to be explicit on this situation,
therefore, on this subject, there is a difference of views among
scholars. Some have said that the reason for this prohibition was the
disparagement and distortion of Divine verses - when that stopped,
the prohibition stopped too. Therefore, once they start talking about
something else, sitting in their company is no sin. Some others have
said that (sitting in) the company of such disbelieving, sinning and
unjust people is not correct even after that. This is the position taken
by Hasan al-Basri, may the mercy of Allah be upon him, the argument
in support of his position comes from the following sentence of Surah
al-Anam :َفَلَا تَقُعُدُ بَعْدَ الذِّكْرَى مَعَ الْقَوْمِ الْطَلِمِين It means: Once you remember, do
not sit with the unjust people. It is obvious that an unjust person
remains what he is even after having terminated the questionable
conversation. Therefore, abstaining from sitting in his company is
necessary. (Jaşşaş)
Qadi Thanaullah Panipatī has, in his al-Tafsir al-Mazhari, found
consistency in both views by saying that should comments laced with
disbelief, mockery and distortion of the Qur'an cease and be replaced
by some other topic of conversation, then, even at that time, sitting
unnecessarily in the company of such people shall, after all, remain
forbidden. But, should such participation be prompted by some relig-
ious contingency or physical need, it would be permissible.
Seclusion is better than bad company
Imam Abu Bakr al-Jaşşaş has said in Ahkam al-Qur'an: Should a
Muslim, who is charged with the duty of forbidding the evil, witness
sin being committed in a gathering, then, he should stop it by force, if

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Surah Al-Nisa' 4 : 138-141
he has the strength to do that. And should he be lacking in this capa-
bility, then, he should, in the least, show his displeasure, the lowest
degree of which is that he should rise and leave such company. This is
the reason why Sayyidna 'Umar ibn 'Abdul-'Aziz had some people
arrested on the charge that they were drinking wine. On investigation,
it was found that one of them was fasting. He did not drink the wine,
but he was sitting in the company of those drunkards. Sayyidna 'Umar
ibn 'Abdul-'Aziz punished him too for his unexplained sitting in that
sort of company. (al-Bahr al-Muhit p.375, v.3)
It is useful to know that Ibn Kathir has reported at this point in
صلى الله عليه وسلم his Tafsir the following hadith from the Holy Prophet
where he has said:
مَنُ كَانَ يُؤْمِنُ بِاللَّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الْأُخِرِ فَلاَ يَجْلِسُ عَلى مَّائِدَةٍ يُدَارُ عَلَيُّهَا الْخُمَرُ
One who believes in Allah and the Last Day should not sit to
dine where liquor is being served. (Ibn Kathir, p.567, v.1)
What has been said about leaving a gathering as part of a debated
issue summarized above is hemmed by a condition. The condition is
that leaving such a gathering shall not entail some sin according to
Shari'ah. For example, joining the Jama'ah (congregation) in a Masjid
is necessary. Should something contrary to the Shari'ah start
happening there, one should not abandon praying with the Jama'ah
because of that; instead, simple emotional displeasure against what is
undesirable shall be considered sufficient. Similarly, there could be
some other gathering the necessity of which stands proved in the
Shari'ah. If some people there start doing things which are contrary to
the Shari'ah, then, leaving that gathering just because of the sin being
committed by others would amount to committing a sin of your own.
This is neither reasonable, nor correct. Therefore, Hasan al-Basri said:
If we were to keep giving up what we must do just because of the sins
of other people, we shall be paving the way for all sorts of sinners to
come and destroy the Sunnah and Shari'ah.
To Sum Up
The nature of socialization with disbelieving or falsely-believing
people takes some of the following forms:
1. By condescending to their infidelistic assaults. This is infi-

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Surah Al-Nisa' 4 : 142-144
delity (kufr).
2. By showing repugnance when confronted with open expres-
sions of disbelief. This, if done without a valid excuse
admitted by the Shari'ah, is 'fisq' or sinfulness, contrary to
the required behaviour of unalloyed righteousness.
3. For some worldly need. This is allowed.
4. To dessiminate injunctions of Islam. This is an act of
worship, 'Ībadah.
5. Under compulsion, exigency or emergency or helplessness
(idțirar). This is excusable.
Accommodating disbelief is disbelief
Towards the later part of the verse (140), it was said: Efe (You,
in that case, would be like them). It means: 'If you kept sitting in such
a gathering where the Word of Allah is being rejected or ridiculed or
distorted, quite unruffled, almost willingly, then, you too, by becoming
an accomplice in their sin, have become like them.' The sense of
'having become like them' can be explained either as: 'God forbid, if
your own thoughts and feelings are such that you show your liking for
and are satisfied with their expressions of disbelief, then, in reality,
you too are a disbeliever (kafir), because liking kufr is nothing but
kufr.' Otherwise, if that is not the case, 'being like them' would mean:
'By your participation in the activity of those who are busy hurting
Islam and Muslims through their falsification of the Faith, you too, by
your abetment of their conspiracy, have become, God forbid, like
them.'
Verses 142 - 144
إِنَّ الْفِقِينَ يُخْدِ كُمْنَ اللّهَ وَهُوَ خَادِعْهُمْ، وَإِذَا قَامُؤْا إِلَى
الصَّلَوةِ قَامُوا كُسَالِىٌ فِرَأْ مُونَ النَّاسَ وَلَا يَذُكُنَّ اللَّهَ إِلَّ
قَلِيُلا ﴿١٤٢﴾ ◌ُذَبُذَبِيْنَ بَيْنَ ذَلِكَ ◌ّ لَّ إِلى هَؤُلَاءٍ وَلَّ إِلى
لَهَؤُلاءِ، وَمَنْ يُضُلِلَى اللّهُ فَلَنْ تَجِدَلَهُ سَبِئْلًا ﴿١٤٣﴾ ◌َيُّهَا الَّذِينَ
١١ مَنُوا لَا تَتَّخِذُوا الْكُفِرِيْنَ آَوْلِيَاءَ مِنُ دُوُنِ الْمُؤْمِنِيْنَ+ آتُرِيُدُونَ

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Surah Al-Nisa' 4 : 145-147
أَنْ تَجْعَلُوا لِلّهِ عَلَيْكُمُ سُلْطَنَا مُبِيِّنَا (١٤٤﴾
Surely, the hypocrites (try to) deceive Allah while He is
the One who leaves them in deception. And when they
stand for Salah, they stand up lazily showing off to the
people, and do not remember Allah but a little, [142]
wavering between (this and) that, neither here nor
there. And whom Allah lets go astray for him you shall
never find a way. [143] O those who believe, do not take
the disbelievers for friends instead of the believers. Do
you want to produce before Allah a clear evidence
against yourselves? [144]
The censure on hypocrites appearing earlier continues through the
present verses. Their blameworthy approach to matters of Faith has
been clearly identified here and is self-explanatory through the trans-
lation given.
Maulana Ashraf 'All Thanavi has, in his Tafsir Bayan al-Qur'an,
taken up the question of 'standing up lazily' in the expression: pu pou
which appears in verse 142 saying: 'The laziness censured here is
doctrinal laziness, (that is, slothfulness towards observance of the arti-
cles of faith due to lack of true conviction). However, laziness which is
there despite correct beliefs stands excluded from the purview of this
censure. Then, should this laziness be there due to some excuse, such
as, sickness, fatigue or sleepiness, it is not even blameworthy. But,
when without excuse, it is.'
Verses 145 - 147
إِنَّ الُْفِقِينَ فِى الَّرْكِ الْأَسْفَلِ مِنَ الثَّارِ وَلَنُ تَجِدَ لَهُمُ
نَصِيْرًا ﴿١٤٥﴾ إِلَّ الَّذِيْنَ تَابُوًا وَأَصْلَهُوْا وَاعْتَصَعُوا بِاللّهِ
وَآَخْلَصُُا دِيْنَهُمْ نِّهِ فَأُولَئِكَ مَعَ الْمُؤُمِنِيْنَ، وَسَوْفَ مُوْتِ اللّهُ
الْمُؤْمِنِيْنَ آَجُرًا عَظِيمًا (١٤٦) مَا يَفْعَلُ اللَّهُ بِعَذَابِكُمُ إِنُّ
شَكَرْ تُمْ وَامَتُهُ، وَكَانَ اللَّهُ شَاكِرًا عَلِيْمًا ﴿١٤٧﴾
Surely, the hypocrites are in the lowest level of the
Fire, and you shall never find for them a helper [145] -
except those who repent and correct themselves and

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4 : 148-152
hold on to Allah and make their Faith pure for Allah.
So, those are with the believers, and Allah shall give
the believers a great reward. [144]
What would Allah get by punishing you, if you are
grateful and believe? And Allah is Appreciating, All-
Knowing. [147]
The purpose in previous verses was to point out to some ugly traits
of the hypocrites, though their punishment of being in Hell with disbe-
lievers was also mentioned as a corollary to another subject.
From this stage onwards, the purpose is to state their punishment
clearly. Since the inherent effect of such impending punishment gener-
ates a sense of fear in a good-natured person which usually becomes
the reason for early repentance, therefore, exemption from punish-
ment has been promised to those who repent alongwith the incentive
of good reward for them.
The Meaning of sincerity
The statement: ,3, 22) (Make their Faith pure for Allah) in verse
146 shows that a deed in order to be acceptable with Allah has to be
free of hypocrisy and exclusively for His sake and pleasure, for Muslim
jurists have enunciated the meaning of Mukhlis (translated with the
weaker equivalent 'sincere') as follows:
اَلَّذِيُ يَعْمَلُ لِلّهِ لَا يُحِبُّ أَنْ تُحْمَدَهُ النَّاسُ عَلَيْهِ
A sincere person is one who acts for Allah alone and does not
like that people praise him for it. (Mazhari)
Verses 148 - 152
لاَ يُحِبُّ اللَّهُ الْجَهْرَ بِالسُّكَّوْءِ مِنَ الْقَوْلِ إِلَّ مَنْ ظُلِمَ، وَ كَانَ
اللّهُ سَمِيْعًا عَلِيْمًا ﴿١٤٨﴾ إِنْ تُبُدُوا خَيْرًا أَوْ تُحُفُوهُ أَوْ تَعُفُوْا
عَنْ سُوْءٍ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ كَانَ عَهُوَّا قَدِيْرًا ﴿١٤٩﴾ إِنَّ الَّذِيْنَ يَكْفُرُونَ
بِاللَّهِ وَرُسُلِهِ وَيُرِدُونَ آَنْ تُفَرِّقُوا بَيْنَ اللَّهِ وَ وُسْلِهِ وَيَقُلُونَ
تُؤْمِنُ بِبَعْضٍ وَنَكْفُرُ بِبَعْضٍ وَيُرِ بُدُّنَ آَنْ يَتَّخِذُوا بَيْنَ ذَلِكَ
سَبِيْلَا( ١٥) أُولَئِكَ هُمُ الْكِفِرُونَ حَقًّا وَأَعْتَدْنَا لِلْكُفِرِينَ

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Surah Al-Nisa'
4 :148-152
عَذَابًا تُهِيْنًا (١٥١﴾ وَالَّذِيْنَ امَنُوا بِاللَّهِ وَرُ سُلِهِ وَلَمْ يُمْفَرِّقُرْا
بَيْنَ احَدٍ مِّنْهُمْ أُولَئِكَ سَوُفَ يُؤْتِيْهِمْ أُجُوْرَهُمْ، وَكَانَ اللَّهُ
غَفُورًا رَّحِيُّمَا ﴿١٥٢﴾
Allah does not like the saying of evil words openly
except from anyone wronged. And Allah is All-Hearing,
All-Knowing. [148]
If you do good openly or keep it secret or overlook an
evil deed, then, Allah is All-Forgiving, All-Powerful.
[149]
Surely those who disbelieve in Allah and His Messen-
gers, and wish to make division between Allah and His
Messengers, and say, "We believe in some and disbe-
lieve in some others" and wish to take a way in between
that. [150] Those are the disbelievers in reality, and We
have prepared for the disbelievers a humiliating
punishment. [151]
And those who have believed in Allah and His Messen-
gers, and have made no division between any of them,
to them He will give their rewards. And Allah is Most-
Forgiving, Very-Merciful. [152]
Commentary
Out of these verses, the first (148) and the second (149) give a law to
eradicate injustice and oppression from the world. But, this is not like
the usual worldly laws which are limited to dictatory formulations.
This, in turn, is the kind of law which tries a combination of persua-
sion and awe whereby, on the one hand, the victim of injustice has
been permitted to protest against the perpetrator of injustice, or to go
to a court of law to seek redress. All this is nothing but the basic
demand of justice and, certainly, a source of eradication of crimes. But,
along with this option, there is a restriction on it as mentioned in
Surah al-Nahl:َوَإِنْ عَاقَبُهُمْ فَعَاقِبُوْا بِثُلِ مَا مُوقِبْتُمُ بِهِ وَلَئِنٌ صَبَرْتُمْ لَهُوَ خَيْرٌ لِلصَّابِرِين It means: 'If a
person inflicts injustice on you, you too can retaliate against him for
that injustice. But, the condition is that your retaliation should not
exceed the unjust aggressive action by him - if so, it is you who would
turn into the unjust one.' (16:126) The outcome is that returning an
injustice by another injustice is not allowed. Rather, the retaliation to

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Surah Al-Nisa' 4 : 148-152
injustice, if any, can be made only through justice. On the other hand
alongwith this course of action, comes the instruction that revenge is,
though permissible, yet observing patience (sabr) and forgiving is
better.
This verse also tells us that for an oppressed person who goes
about complaining to people about the injustice done to him or her,
this will not be included under backbiting ghibah, which is haram
(forbidden) - because it is the oppressor who has given the victim the
opportunity to complain. Thus, the Holy Qur'an has, on the one hand,
allowed the oppressed person to use the option of 'even retaliation'
against the injustice. On the other hand, by teaching the oppressed to
practice high morals and to forgive and forget, and by focusing before
him the the great gain of the life-to-come, the victim of injustice has
been persuaded to do a little sacrifice in this matter of his legitimate
right and take no revenge for the injustice inflicted. The Holy Qur'an
says:
إِنَّ تُبِّدُّوا خَيْرًا أَوْ تُخُفُؤْهُ أَوْ تَعُفُوا عَنْ سُؤٍَّ فَإِنَّ اللّهَ كَانَ عُقًُّّا قَدِيْرًا
If you do good openly or keep it secret or overlook an evil deed,
then, Allah is All-Forgiving, All-Powerful - 4:149
It means: If you do a good deed openly or do it secretly or forgive
any injustice or evil done by someone, then, this is better, because
Allah is All-Forgiving, All-Powerful. Primarily, this verse is concerned
with the forgiving of injustice but, by also mentioning the doing of
what is good, openly or secretly, the hint given is that this act of over-
looking and forgiving is great and anyone who elects to do it shall
become deserving of the mercy and forgiveness from Almighty Allah.
Towards the end of the verse, by saying فَإِنَّ اللّه كانَ عفوًا قَدِيرًا (Allah is
All-Forgiving, All-Powerful), it has been made clear that Allah is
powerful in the absolute sense. He can punish whomsoever He wills,
yet He is All-Forgiving. Now, a human being, who does not have much
of power or choice, were to think of taking revenge, it is quite possible
that he may just not have the capability to do that. Therefore, for such
a person, overlooking and forgiving is far more desirable
This is the principle which the Holy Qur'an enunciates to eradicate
injustice and reform the society. The counsel, befitting of the Sustainer
of everything, does, on the one hand permit retaliation in an equal

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measure, thus upholding justice. On the other hand, it exhorts the
aggrieved party to forgive and forgo. The result is what has been
described in Qur'an at another place:
فَإِذَا الَّذِى بَيْنَكَ وَبَيْنَهُ عَدَاوَةٌ كَانَّهُ وَلِىٌّ حَمِيُمْ
"You will see that he with whom you had enmity has become
your closest friend" (41:34).
Court decisions and taking of revenge for injustices do play a role
in checking injustice. The fact, however, is that the parties to the
dispute are usually left saddled with long term grievances and feelings
of abhorrence against each other which can result in further disputes
in the future. The impeccable lesson in morality, given by Holy Qur'an,
results in patch up among quarrelling parties such that even old enmi-
ties change into close and lasting friendships.
Now, we move on to verses 150, 151 and 152 where the Holy Qur'an
has given the clear verdict that anyone who believes in Allah but does
not believe in His messengers, or believes in some of them and does
not believe in some others is not a believer in the sight of Allah. He is,
rather, an open and avowed disbeliever for whom there is no road to
salvation in the Hereafter. Let us examine this aspect of the verses
concerned in some detail.
Salvation depends on Islam
This clear verdict of the Holy Qur'an has exposed the rudderless
and crooked ways of those who, in an effort to appear tolerant in deal-
ings with peoples of other faiths, would like to present their religion
and religious beliefs as gifts on a platter. By doing so, they wish to tell
- despite and contrary to the clear injunctions of the Qur'an and
Sunnah - people of other faiths that Muslims do not think that salva-
tion depends on Islam alone and a Jew could keep to his or her creed
and a Christian to his or hers and yet, both could look forward to
salvation; though, they deny all prophets or at least some of them, for
which reason this verse has declared them to be the kind of disbe-
lievers who are destined for Hell.
There is no doubt about the fact that Islam stands unmatched in
its attitude to non-Muslims in matters of justice and fairness,
sympathy and goodwill, favour and tolerance. But, good favours can be

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Surah Al-Nisa' 4 : 148-152
made within the limits of one's rights and possessions. Religious prin-
ciples and articles of faith are not our property which we could donate
or present to somebody. Of course, Islam is generous and benevolent in
its teachings of tolerance and good treatment with non-Muslims, but it
is also equally cautious and firm in the defence of its frontiers. It
maintains its essential approach of all possible sympathy and
maximum tolerance with non-Muslims, but, at the same time, Islam
absolves itself decisively from all forms of disbelief and customs woven
around it, declaring Muslims as a people distinct from non-Muslims -
and yet, it provides full protection to their national hallmarks. In
short, Islam prefers to keep not only the acts of worship Muslims
perform distinct from those of others, but also its way of life in a
society, the examples of which abound in the Qur'an and Sunnah.
Had Islam believed in the possibility of salvation through every
religion or community, it would have had no right to lay so much
stress on spreading the message (Tabligh) of Islam, almost to the limit
of staking property and life for it. This would have been wrong in prin-
ciple and quite contrary to dictates of reason. In fact, by accepting
such a premise, the very coming of the noble Prophet, may the bless-
ings of Allah and peace be upon him, and the revelation of the glorious
Qur'an, is rendered, God forbid, redundant. And, lest we miss, the
entire Jihad carried out by the noble Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم and the
rightly-guided Caliphs رضى الله عنهم أجمعين becomes meaningless, rather
reduced to nothing but the lust for more land.
In this case, some people have fallen victims to doubt by a
misreading of verse 62 in Surah al-Baqarah which is cited below:
إِنَّ الَّذِيْنَ امَنُوا وَالَّذِيْنَ هَادُوًا وَالنَّصْرِى وَالصُّبِيْنَ مَنُ المَنَ بِاللهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ
وَعَمِلَ صَالِحًا فَلَهُمْ أَجْرُهُمْ عِنْدَ رَيِّهِمْ وَلَا خَوْفٌ عَلَيُهِمْ وَلَاهُمْ يَحُزَنُوُنَ
Surely, those who believed in Allah, and those who happened
to be Jews and Christians, and the Sabeans - whosoever
believes in Allah and in the Last Day, and does good deeds -
they have their reward with their Lord. And there is no fear
for them nor shall they grieve.
Since, in this verse, rather than giving the full detail of what
constitutes faith, only belief in Allah and in the Last Day has been
considered sufficient, those who try to understand the Qur'an through

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an incomplete study have misunderstood the whole idea. They
assumed that simply believing in Allah and the Last Day is enough for
salvation and that believing in prophets is no condition for it.' Thus,
they failed to understand that the Qur'an has its own terminology in
which Belief in Allah, in order to be acceptable, has to be in conjunc-
tion with Belief in the Prophet. Otherwise, even the Satan admits that
there is a God and that He is One. The Holy Qur'an has itself clarified
the real issue in the following words:
فَإِنْ ءامَنُوا بِمِثْلٍ مَّا امَنْهُمْ بِهِ فَقَدِ اهْتَدَوْا وَإِنُ تَوَّلَّوًا فَأَّا هُمُ فِىٌ شِقَاقٍ
فَسَيَكْفِيْكَهُمْ: اللَّهُ وُّهَوَ السَّمِيْعُ الْعَلِيُمْ .
So, if they believe in the like of what you believe in, they have
certainly found the right path. And if they turn away, they are
nothing but in antagonism. Then Allah will suffice you
against them, and He is the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing.
(2:137)
In other words, we can say that their faith will be valid and trust-
worthy only when they have the same faith as common Muslims do, a
faith in which Belief in the Prophet is indispensably necessary with
Belief in Allah. Otherwise, if they do not do that, let it be understood
that they are the ones who wish to create dissension. After that, for
them, Allah will be sufficient on your behalf, and He is the One who
hears everything and He is the One who knows everything.
As for the verses under discussion, it has been clearly declared that
anyone who rejects even one of the prophets of Allah is an avowed
disbeliever (kafir) and a recipient of the punishment of Hell. So, let us
remember that Belief in Allah, in order to be valid, has to be with
Belief in the Prophet. If the Belief in the Prophet is not there, even
referring to Belief in Allah as such will not be correct.
In the concluding verse (15:22), it has been reaffirmed that salvation
in the Hereafter is the lot of those who believe in Him and in all of His
prophets as well. Therefore, the Holy Prophet & said:
إِنَّ الْقُوَانَ فِفَتِّرْ بَعْضُهُ بَعْضًا
One part of the Qur'an explains the other.
It is not permissible for anyone to explain the Qur'an in any way
:

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4 : 153-154
contrary to the Tafsir of the Qur'an itself.
Verses 153 - 154
يَسْتَلُكَ آهُلُ الْكِتْبِ آَنْ تُنَزِّلَ عَلَيْهِمْ كِنُبًا ◌ِنَ السَّمَاءِ فَقَدٌ
«سَلُالْمُؤْسَى أَكْبَرَ مِنُ ذلِكَ فَقَالُؤْآَ أَرِنَا اللَّهَ جَهْرَةً فَخَذَتُهُمْ
الصُّعِقَةُ بِظُلْمِهِمْ ، ثُمَ اتَّخَذُوا الْعِجْلَ مِنْ بَعُدٍ مَاجَاءَ تُهُمُ
الْبَيِّنْتُ فَعَفَوْنَا عَنُ ذَلِكَ ، وَاتَيِّنَا مُمُؤْسِى مُلُطنًا تُبِيِّنَا ﴿١٥٣﴾
وَرَفَعْنَا فَوْقَهُمُ الْطُرَ بِئْتَاقِهِمْ وَقُلْنَالَهُمُ ادْخُلُوا الْبَابَ سُجَّدًاً
وَقُلْنَا لَهُمْ لَا تَعُدُوا فِى الَّسُبْتِ وَآَخَذُنَا مِنْهُمْ قِيْثَاقًا
غَلِيُظَا ﴿١٥٤﴾
The People of the Book ask you to bring down upon
them a Book from the heaven. No wonder, (because)
they have already asked Musa something greater than
that when they said, "Make us see Allah openly." So, the
thunderbolt took them for the wrong they did. Later,
they took to themselves the calf even after the clear
signs had come to them. Then, We forgave them, and
gave Musa an open authority. [153] And We raised the
(Mount of) Tur high over them for binding them to the
pledge, and We said to them, "Do not transgress in (the
matter of) the Sabbath." And We took from them a firm
pledge. [154]
Some previous verses censured Jews for their mistrustfulness in
matters of faith. In the present verses too, there appears a long list of
some of their other evil doings and, because of these ugly problems
with them, mention has been made of their punishment. This strain
continues in many more verses coming later.
Commentary
Some Jewish chiefs came to the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم and
demanded that he bring down a book from the heaven similar to that
which came to Musa WI ale all written from there: If so, they would
believe him. They had made this demand not because they wished to
believe with all their heart on this condition. It was just a device to
drag and stall. In fact, because of their chronic urge to take an oppo-

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site stand, they were given to offering one or the other excuse all the
time. By revealing this verse, Almighty Allah made the Holy Prophet
become aware of the real state of affairs. This was to give صلى الله عليه وسلم
him comfort and peace of mind against the doings of a people who are
used to harassing the prophets of Allah. They would go to unbelievable
limits of audacity by going as far as committing outrage against
Almighty Allah. Their forefathers had gone even beyond them by
demanding something more grave: "Make us see Allah openly." Upon
this audacity of theirs, came a thunderbolt from the heaven and
destroyed them. Then, it was despite being fully cognizant of clear
signs and proofs of Allah being One and free of any partners in His
Divinity, they stooped lowest of the low by taking a calf as their object
of worship bypassing their own genuine Creator. But, Allah still
remained forbearing, otherwise the occasion demanded that they be
eliminated. Then, Allah gave His prophet, Sayyidna Musa, peace be
upon him, authority and power. Then, there came an occasion when
these people had flatly refused to acknowledge the canonical law of the
Torah whereupon Allah raised the Mount of Tur high suspending over
them, thus threatening and forcing them to acknowledge the Law of
Torah or otherwise they were to be mashed under the mountain. Allah
had also told them to enter the gate of the city of Eliah humbly filled
with fervour to obey Him. Allah had also asked them to catch fish on
the day of Sabbath which was a command from Him and which was
not to be transgressed. And Allah had taken a solemn pledge from
them, but it so turned out that they contravened every single
command one after the other breaking the solemn pledge with Allah.
So, Allah too put disgrace on them in the mortal life of the world and
they will have to undergo the worst punishment in the Hereafter as
well.
Verses 155 - 159
فَبِمَا نَقْضِهِمْ يِيْنَاقَهُمْ وَكُفْرِهِمْ بِالْتِ اللَّهِ وَقَتْلِهِمْ الْأَنْبِيَاءَ
بِغَيْرٍ حَتٍّ وَقَوْلِهِمْ قُلُوبُنَا غُفْهَ بَلْ طَبَعَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهَا بِكُفُرِهِمْ
فَلاَ يُؤْمِنُونَ إِلَّ قَلِيُلًا (١٥٥) وَبِكُفُرِهِمْ وَقَوْلِهِمْ عَلَى مَرْيَمَ
بُهْتَانَا عَظِيمًا (١٥٦﴾ وَّقَوْلِهِمْ إِنَّا قَتَلُنَا الْمُسَبِحَ عَيْسَى ابْنَ

622
Surah Al-Nisa'
4 : 155-159
مَرْكَمَ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ، وَمَا قَتَلُؤُ وَمَا صَلَبْوُهُ وَلكِنُ شُّهَ لَهُمْءُ
وَإِنَّ الَّذِيْنَ اخْتَفُؤْا فِيْهِ لَفِىْ شٍَّ ◌ِنْهُ، مَالَهُمُ بِهٍ مِنُ عِلْمٍ إِلَّ
اتِبَاعَ الظَّنِّ وَمَا قَتَلُؤُهُ يَقِيْنًا (١٥٧) )بَلُ رَّفَعَهُ اللَّهُ إِلَيْهِ، وَكَانَ
اللَّهُ مُخْزِيًَّا حَكِيْمًا ﴿١٥٨) وَإِنْ تِنْ آَهْلِ الْكِتْبِ إِلَّ كَيُؤْمِنَنَّ بِه
قَبْلَ مَوْتِهٍ، وَيَوْمَ الْقِيْمَةِ يَكُوُنُ عَلَيْهِمْ شَهِيْدًا ﴿١٥٩﴾
So, (they met their fate) for breaking their pledge, and
for their disbelief in the verses of Allah, and for their
slaying of the prophets unjustly, and for their saying,
"Our hearts are sealed" - rather, Allah has set a seal
over them for their disbelief. So, they do not believe
but a little [155] - and for their disbelief and for what
they said against Maryam as a grim imputation, {156]
and for their saying, "We have certainly killed the
Masih 'Isa (Jesus) the son of Maryam, the Messenger of
Allah." And they did not kill him, and they did not
crucify him, but they were deluded by resemblance.
And those who disputed in this matter are certainly in
doubt about it. They have no knowledge of it, but they
follow whims. And it is certain that they did not kill
him, [157] but Allah lifted him towards Himself. And
Allah is All-Mighty, All-Wise. [158] And there is not one
among the People of the Book but shall certainly
believe in him (Jesus) before he (Jesus) dies, and on
the Day of Doom, he shall be a witness against them.
[159]
Like the earlier verses, the censure of Jews continues through the
present ones. As a thematically coherent subject, their false ideas have
also been refuted which have been discussed in detail in the following
commentary.
Commentary
In the verse ◌َّيُعِبِينَى إِنّيْ مُتَوَفِّيُكَ وَرَافِعُكَ إِلَى ("O'Isa, I am to take you in full
and lift you towards Me ... 3:55) appearing in Surah 'Al-'Imran,
Almighty Allah had made five promises in connection with foiling the
Jewish plans against Sayyidna 'Isa >Jude and protecting him from
their hostile intentions. A detailed explanation of these has been given
earlier on that occasion in Surah 'Al-'Imran. One of the promises made

623
Surah Al-Nisa'
4:155-159
there was that the Jews will not be allowed to have their way with
their intention to kill Sayyidna 'Isa WJI Je . Instead of that, Allah will
lift him towards Him.
In the present verses (157-158) of Surah al-Nisa', it has been made
explicit that they did not kill nor crucify Sayyidpa 'Isa WILL , rather,
what actually happened was that they were deluded by resemblance.
How were the Jews 'deluded by resemblance?'
While explaining the words of the Qur'an: 222 36; (but they were
deluded by resemblance), master exegete, Dahak says: It so trans-
pired that, following the intention of Jews to kill Sayyidna 'Isa WILLe
his disciples assembled at a given place. Sayyidna 'Isa >JI ale joined
them there. It was Iblis who gave the address of Sayyidna 'Isa JILe
to the execution squad standing ready for the mission. Four thousand
men surrounded the suspected house. Sayyidna 'Isa MI ude said to his
disciples : 'Is one of you willing to go out and be killed and then be in
Paradise with me?' One of them offered to do so. Sayyidna 'Isa WILL
gave him his shirt and head-cover. Then, cast on him was the resem-
blance of Jesus and as soon as he came out, the Jews, believing him to
be Jesus, caught him and crucified him, and Sayyidna 'Isa WJI que was
lifted. (Qurțubī)
According to some reports, the Jews had sent a person known to
Arabs as Teetlanoos to kill Sayyidna Isa )JILL . He did not find
Sayyidna 'Isa WJILL in the house for he was already lifted by Allah
towards Himself. So, when this person came out of the house, he had
been made to resemble the looks of Sayyidna 'Isa >JILL . The Jews
took him to be Sayyidna 'Isa WJI Le . Thus, they took away their own
man and killed him. (Mazhari)
There is room for whichever of the situations came to pass - the
Holy Qur'an has not determined any particular situation. Therefore,
Allah alone knows what really happened. However, this sentence of
the Holy Qur'an seen with other exegetical reports does yield the
common factor that the Jews and Christians were subjected to
compelling delusion. The event as it took shape remained hidden from
them, though they did advance all sorts of claims based on their
conjectures which only landed them into mutual differences. This is
what the Holy Qur'an points out to in the following words:

624
Surah Al-Nisa' 4 : 155-159
وَإِنَّ الَّذِيْنَ اخْتَلَفُؤْا فِيْهِ لَفِىُ شٍَّ مِنْهُ مَالَهُمُ بِهِ مِنْ عِلُّمٍ إِلَّ اتِّبَاعَ الَّنِّ وَمَا
قَتَلُؤُهُ يَقِيْنًا
And those who disputed in this matter are certainly in doubt
about it. They have no knowledge of it, but they follow whims.
It means that they do not have certitude based on any true knowl-
edge. The diverse claims put forward by those who have differed in the
case of Masih >JI u are simply based on doubt and conjecture. The
truth of the matter is that they certainly did not kill Masih Wie,
rather Allah lifted him towards Himself.
According to some other reports, when some of them woke up to
what had happened, they said, 'We seem to have killed our own man,
for the man we have put to death resembles Masih JI e in face only
but not in the rest of the body. Now, if this man we have killed is
Masih WJI u. where, then, is our man? And if this is our man where,
'? عليه السلام then, is Masih
Verse 158, part of which was referred to immediately earlier, ends
at : وَكَانَ اللَّهُ عَزِيزًا حَكِيمًا :(And Allah is All-Mighty, All-Wise) carrying a
significant message. It means that the planning of Jews to kill Sayy-
idna 'Isa WJI ue was insignificant as matched against the Power of
Allah who has taken it upon Himself to protect Sayyidna 'Isa Wdl de.
Might and mastery are His domain. If materialists in their single-
track isolation, remain incapable of understanding the reality of the
'lifting off of Sayyidna 'Isa WJI ule , that is their own limitation. As for
Allah, He is All-Wise - everything He does is based on wisdom and
fitness to whatever end is desired.
Then comes the finale of the subject in verse 159 beginning with the
words : ◌ٍوَإِنُ مِنُ أَهْلِ الْكِتْبِ إِلَّ لَيْؤُمِنَنَّ بِهِ قَبُلَ مَوْتِه (And there is not one among the
People of the Book but shall certainly believe in him {Jesus) before he
{Jesus} dies, and on the Day of Doom, he shall be a witness against
them). It means: Though, at this time, so blinded by malice and envy
are these people that they are unable to see reality as it is, hold false
ideas about Sayyidna 'Isa WILL and, in addition to that, they are
denying the prophethood of Sayyidna Muhammad al-Mustafa g yet,
a time is to come when their eyes will open up and they will realize
that all their notions about Sayyidna 'Isa >JILL and Sayyidna

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Surah Al-Nisa' 4 : 155-159
Muhammad
were totally false.
One explanation of this verse (159), which appears in Bayan al-
Qur'an by Maulana Ashraf 'Ali Thanavi, is that the pronoun in the
Qur'anic word 's (mawtihi: his death) be attributed to the People of
the Book. The verse, in that sense, would mean that those Jews, when
they see a glimpse of Barzakh (the state between death and resurrec-
tion) moments before their death, they will readily believe in the
prophethood of Sayyidna 'Isa >JI te though, their believing at that
point of time will be of no use to them, very much useless like the
believing of Pharaoh which he did while drowning.
The second tafsir (explanation) which has been adopted by a large
number of Şahabah and Tabi'in (the Companions and their Successors)
and which also has the support of authentic Hadith maintains that the
pronoun in the word 'mawtihi' refers back to Sayyidna Masih Sulle
and, in that light, the verse means that the People of the Book of this
time, be they Jews or Christians, do not believe in Sayyidna 'Isa Je
JI in the real sense. The Jews just do not accept him as a prophet,
rather, they accuse him of being, God forbid, a liar and imposter! As
for the Christians, some of them despite claiming to believe in him,
reached a level of ignorance which, like the Jews, led them to accept
that Sayyidna 'Isa >JILL was crucified and killed. Then, there were
others among them who, in their excess of belief, went out of the limits
when they took him to be God and Son of God - but, says the verse of
the Qur'an, though they do not believe in the prophethood of Sayyidna
'Isa WJI ale at this time as they should; but the time will come, close to
the Day of Doom, when he will reappear on this earth and all Peoples
of the Book will believe in him genuinely and authentically. All Chris-
tians will become Muslims holding true beliefs. The hostile among the
Jews will be killed, the rest will become Muslims. That will be the
time when Kufr will be banished from the world along with whatever
forms it may have. Islam will finally reign supreme on the earth.
Reproduced below is a report from Sayyidna Abu Hurairah Je,
:عنه
عن أبى هريرة عن النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم أنه قال: لينزلن ابن مريم
حكما عدلا فليقتلن الدجال، وليقتلن الخنزير، وليكسرن الصليب وتكون