Indexed OCR Text

566
Surah Al-Nisa'
4 : 105-113
ran away from Madinah landing in Makkah where he joined the disbe-
lievers. Consequently, if he had been a hypocrite earlier, he became an
acknowledged disbeliever; and, if he was a Muslim earlier, he was an
apostate now.
It appears in Tafsir al-Bahr al-Muhit that the curse of his antago-
nism to Allah and His Messenger did not allow Bashir ibn Ubayriq to
live peacefully even in Makkah. When the woman at whose house he
had taken up residence found out about this episode, she threw him
out of her house. Thus, loitering on the streets came the day when he
broke into somebody else's house. The wall through which he went in.
collapsed on him and killed him right there.
These are the details of the episode. Let us now give some thought
to what has been said in the Qur'an:
After telling the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم the reality behind the
case of theft, in the first verse (105), it was said: Allah has given you
the Qur'an through revelations so that you can use the knowledge and
insight gifted to you to decide matters accordingly, abstaining from
taking sides with traitors, that is, Banu Ubayriq. No doubt, the
obvious circumstances and evidences were such that a tilt towards the
probability of the Jew having committed the theft was not a sin, yet
contrary to the actual fact it was. Therefore, in the second verse (106),
the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم was asked to seek forgiveness from
Allah because the station of prophets WMode is very high and Allah
does not favour the issuance of even something so insignificant from
them.
In the third verse (107), it has been emphatically asserted once
again that the Messenger of Allah should not defend those who are
disloyal and treacherous, for Allah does not like them.
The fourth verse (108) describes the condition of people who betray
trust and act treacherously. It is strange that these people feel shy
before other people like them and conceal their theft from them while
they do not feel shy before Allah who is with them all the time and
watches over everything they do, specially the occasion when they
mutually conspired to put the blame on the Jew, went to the Holy
Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم , complained against Rifa'ah and Qatadah,

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Surah Al-Nisa' 4 : 105-113
charged them of false accusation and appealed to the Holy Prophet
for support against the Jew.
The fifth verse (109) gives a strict warning to the supporters of
Banu Ubayriq telling them that their support given to betrayers of
trust in the mortal world does not end at that. There will be the Day of
Doom when their case will come before Almighty Allah. Who will lend
support to them at that time? The verse serves two purposes. It
admonishes them, then reminds them of the hazards of the Hereafter
persuading them thereby to repent and turn to Allah.
In the sixth verse (110), we can once again see the wise way of the
Qur'an at work when, in order to save sinners from total disappoint-
ment, it was said that a sin was a sin, big or small. When a sinner
repents and seeks Allah's forgiveness, he finds Him forgiving,
merciful. As obvious, there is an element of persuasion for those who
have committed sin suggesting that they still had the time and the
hope to just desist and repent sincerely; nothing is lost, Allah will
forgive everything.
In the event that these people choose not to repent despite the
option given to them, the seventh verse (111) carries the assurance that
this action of theirs brings no harm to Almighty Allah or His
Messenger or to Muslims. The sad nemesis of a person's evil deed
shall be faced by the person himself.
In the eight verse (112), a general rule of conduct has been set forth.
It stipulates that anyone who himself commits a crime, then goes on to
put the blame on some innocent person (as in the episode cited above
where the theft was committed by Banu Ubayriq themselves and they
went on to put the blame on Sayyidna Labid or the Jew) has done
something grave by levelling a false accusation of great magnitude
against an innocent person plus an open sin weighing heavy on one's
shoulders.
Addressing the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم in the ninth verse (113), it
has been said: It was Allah's grace and mercy that He revealed to you
the reality behind the event of theft, otherwise these people would
have misled you into error. But, since you are not alone, Allah's grace
and mercy is with you, these people can never mislead you into error.

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Surah Al-Nisa' 4 : 105-113
On the contrary, they themselves fall into error. Be sure that these
people cannot harm you in any way whatsoever because Allah has
revealed the Book and wisdom to you and taught you what you did not
know.
The Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم and Ijtihad
إِنَّ أَنْزَلْنَا إِلَيُكَ الْكِتَبَ بِالْحَقِّ:From verse 105 which begins with the words
(Surely we have revealed to you the book with the truth) helps estab-
lish five rulings:
1. The Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم had the right to arrive at his
judgement in situations not covered by an explicit authority given in
the Holy Qur'an. In situations of major importance, there were many
decisions he took by his Ijtihad.
2. The second rule that emerges from here is inseparably linked
with the authenticity of Ijtihad. It means that, in the sight of Allah, an
Ijtih ad can be considered trustworthy only when it is based on and is
deduced from Qur'anic principles and the clear authority of its text.
Simple opinions or views are not trustworthy, nor can they be termed
as Ijtihad in the sense recognized in Shari'ah.
3. The third rule of guidance we get to know is that the Ijtihad
done by the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم was not like that done by
Mujtahid Imams where the probability of an error of judgement
always remains. As for the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم , when he took a
decision on the basis of his Ijtihad any possible error in the judgment
would always stand corrected by Allah Almighty. Therefore, when he
took a decision based on his Ijtihad and nothing against it came from
Almighty Allah, then, this was an indicator that the decision taken
finds favour with Allah and is correct in His sight.
4. The fourth rule of guidance we come to know is: What the Holy
Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم understood from the Qur'an was nothing but
what Almighty Allah had Himself made him understand. A possibility
of misunderstanding just did not exist there. This is contrary to the
case of other 'Ulama and Mujtahidin whose understanding of the
Qur'an cannot be attributed to Almighty Allah in the sense that it was
what Allah had told them. You will realize the difference when you
carefully look at 'Life (with the insight Allah has given to you)

569
Surah Al-Nisa' 4 : 105-113
which refers to the noble Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم in this very verse. This
is why - when someone said to Sayyidna 'Umar: Quiajf YL'u (Decide as
Allah shows you to) - he scolded him by saying: "This is special to the
." صلى الله عليه وسلم Prophet of Allah
5. The fifth ruling we deduce from here is that pursuing or advo-
cating a false case or a false claim or to second or support them is
totally haram (forbidden).
The Reality of Repentance
Verse 110 which begins with the words: ◌ًوَمَنُ بَعْمَلُ مُنَّمَ اوُ يَظَلِمُ نَفْسَة tells us
that all sins, whether they affect others or affect one's own self, that
is, whether they violate the rights of human beings (Huququl-'Ibad) or
rights of Allah (Huququllah), can be forgiven by one's repenting and
praying for forgiveness. But, it is necessary to know the reality of
showing repentance and seeking forgiveness. Mere verbal declarations
of 'I seek Allah's forgiveness' (Astaghfirullah) and 'I turn to Him in
repentance' (Wa atubu ilaihi) are not acts of genuine repentance as
such. Therefore, according to a consensus of 'Ulama, the person who is
involved in some sin, is not ashamed of it and does not leave it or, at
least, does not resolve to leave it in the future, then, his verbal declar-
ation of Astaghfirullah is an open mockery of repentance.
In short, for repentance (Taubah) to be genuine, three things are
necessary:
1. Being ashamed of past sins.
2. Immediately leaving the sin one is in.
3. Resolving to stay away from sin in future.
However, forgiveness for sins related to the rights of the servants of
Allah has to be sought from the wronged party itself; or, one should, to
begin with, pay what was due or fulfill what was denied. These are
binding conditions of genuine repentance.
Attributing one's sins to others brings added punishment
From verse 112 - وَمَنْ يَكْسِبُ خَطِيْنَةً أَوُ اِثُمَّاثُمَّ يَرُم بِه الغ - we know that a person
who himself commits a sin, then goes on to ascribe it to an innocent
man, does something terrible - he doubles and hardens his sin. He has
made himself deserving of severe punishment, the punishment of his

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Surah Al-Nisa' 4 : 114-115
own sin, then the added punishment for lying and accusing falsely.
The Reality of Qur'an and Sunnah
In verse 113 :ُوَأَثْرَلَ اللهُ عَلَيْكَ الْكِتْبَ وَالْحِكُمَةَ وَعَلَّمَكَ مَالَمْ تَكُرُ تَعْلَم (And Allah has
revealed to you the Book and the wisdom and has taught you what you
did not know), by pairing al-Kitab (the Book) and al-Hikmah (the
Wisdom) it has been pointed out that Hikmah which is the name of the
Sunnah and teachings of the noble Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم was also sent
down by none but Allah Almighty. The difference is that its words are
not from Allah and that is why they are not part of the Qur'an. But, its
meanings and that of the Qur'an are certainly from Allah, therefore, it
is obligatory to act in accordance with both.
This explains what some jurists say about Wahy (Revelation) being
of two kinds: Matluww - that which is recited, and Ghayr-Matluww -
that which is not recited. Wahy Matluww or the revelation which is
recited is the name of the Qur'an - the words and meanings of which
are both from Allah. And Ghayr-Matluww or that which is not recited
is the name of the Hadith of the Rasul the words of which are from the
Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم and the meanings of which are from Allah.
Another problem which gets resolved from the words: Jies g&sju actes
(and taught you what you did not know) (113) is that the noble Prophet
did not have the all-comprehending knowledge of the صلى الله عليه وسلم
entire universe equal to Almighty Allah, as some ignorant people do
insist. The truth is that the measure of his knowledge was corre-
sponding to what Allah bestowed upon him. However, there is no
doubt that the knowledge bestowed upon the Holy Prophet
exceeds
the combined knowledge of all created beings.
Verses 114-115
لَ خَيْرَ فِيْ كَثِيْرٍ مِنْ تَّجُوبُهُمْ إِلَّ مَنْ آَمَرَ بِصَدَقَةٍ أَوْ مَعُفٍ
أَوْ إِصْلَاحُ بَيْنَ النَّاسِ، وَمَنْ يَّفْعَلُ ذَلِكَ ابْتِغَاءَ مَرْضَاتِ اللّهِ
فَسَوْفَ تُؤْتِيْهِ أَجْرًا عَظِيمًا (١١٤) وَمَنْ تُّشَاقِقِ الرَّسُوْلَ مِنٌ
بَعْدٍ مَاتَبَيَّنَ لَهُ الْهُدَى وَيَتَّبِعُ غَيْرَ سَبِئْلِ الْمُؤْمِنِيْنَ نُوَلِّمُ
مَا تَوَلَى وَنُصْلِهِ جَهَنَّمَ، وَسَأَتْ مَصِيرًا ﴿١١٥﴾

571
Surah Al-Nisa'
4 : 114-115
There is no good in most of their whisperings unless
one bids charity or a fair action or a reconciliation
between people. And to one who does this to seek the
pleasure of Allah, We shall give a great reward. [114]
And whoever breaks away with the Messenger after the
right path has become clear to him and follows what is
not the way of the believers, We shall let him have what
he chose, and We shall admit him to Jahannam. And it
is an evil place to return. [115]
Sequence
Moving from the episode of theft and the conspiracies made to
cover up the crime by false accusations against others, the text now
highlights positive things that can be done through mutual consulta-
tion and which could help one to remain obedient to the Messenger's
teachings and the command of Allah without ever trying to go against
the ideal path taken by those who believe in Allah and His Messenger.
Commentary
In the first part of the verse (114):
e (114) :ْلَخَيُرَ فِىٌ كَثِيْرِ يِّنُ نَّجُرُهُم translated as
'there is no good in most of their whisperings .. ', it has been declared
that most talks people hold and plans they make to ensure transitory
worldly gains, while unmindful of the concerns of their life-to-come,
are devoid of good.
The second part: ◌ِإِلَّ مَنْ آَمَرَ بِصَدَقٍ أَوُ مَدُرُوفٍ أَوْ إِصْلاَجُ بَيْنَ النَّاس means that real
good can come forth from mutual consultations only when people
persuade each other to take part in charitable activities or ask people
to do what is good and right or tell them to make peace between one
another. It is said in a hadith that anything one says is harmful for
him in one way or the other unless, of course, the subject of his utter-
ance is the remembrance of Allah or that he is bidding the Fair and
forbidding the Unfair.
Bidding the Fair stands for Amr bi al-Ma'ruf which refers to every
action considered good in the Shari'ah and is patently recognized as
such by those who know it. In contrast, there is the forbidding of the
Unfair which stands for Nahy 'an al-Munkar which refers to every
action considered undesirable in the Shari'ah and is squarely unrecog-
nized and unfamiliar to those who know it.
Bidding the Fair includes all imperatives and motivations through

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Surah Al-Nisa' 4 : 114-115
which people are led to do what is good and right. Things like helping
the oppressed, assisting the needy with loans, guiding the lost, all fall
under this broad category. Though, charity and reconciliation between
people are also part of this definition, but they have been taken up
separately because their benefit reaches from one to another and
improves the collective life of a community.
In addition to that, these two fields of activity cover what is most
essential about public service. They seek to bring benefit to Allah's
creation and they protect people against pain and loss. Charity
spreads out benefits to people and reconciliation between them stops
mutual pain and loss. Therefore, according to a consensus of the
scholars of Tafsir, the word Sadaqah (charity) used here carries a
general sense which includes the obligatory zakah, voluntary charities
and everything done to bring benefit to someone.
The Graces of Making Peace
The Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم has spoken highly about the merit
of removing mutual bickerings among people and of bringing them to
understand, accommodate and cooperate with each other. He said:
"Shall I not tell you about an act which is far superior in rank
to fasting, prayers and charity? The Companions submitted,
'Please do.' He, then, said: "That act is the removal of discord.
That is, to remove bickering between two persons, make peace
between them and thus eliminate discord."
He has also said: فساد ذات البين هى الحالقة "Mutual discord among people is
what really shaves." Then, he explained it by saying: "This discord
does not shave the head, but it shaves off one's faith."
In the concluding part of the verse (114), there appears a significant
reminder that these good deeds to bid charity and fair action or a
reconciliation among people can only be worthwhile and acceptable
when they are undertaken sincerely, and exclusively for the pleasure
of Allah, without any traces of personal or material interest.
The Consensus of the Community is a Valid Religious
Authority
Two things have been identified as a great crime and as a cause of
one's consignment to Hell in verse 115:وَمَنْ تُشَاقِقِ الرَّسُوْلَ مِنْ بَعْدٍ مَا تَبَيَّنَ لَهُ الْهُدَى (And
whoever breaks away with the Messenger after the right path has

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Surah Al-Nisa' 4 : 116-121
become clear to him ... ). The first is opposing the Messenger of Allah.
Obviously, doing so is Kufr (disbelief, infidelity) and a terrible curse.
The second crime relates to a violation of universal Muslim consensus.
It means the abandoning of something which has the universal agree-
ment of all Muslims and opting for some other way against them. This
explains that the consensus of the Muslim community has valid relig-
ious authority. In other words, we know that following the injunctions
given in the Qur'an and Sunnah is obligatory. Similarly, when the
Muslim Ummah (Community) agrees about something universally,
following its consensus becomes equally obligatory. Any opposition to
this consensus is a grave sin as was said by the Holy Prophet u in a
hadith:
◌َدُ اللَّهِ عَلَى الْجَمَاعَةِ، مَنْ شَذَّ ◌ُلَّ فِى النَّارِ
That is, the hand of Allah is on the Muslim community.
Whoever breaks away or separates himself from it will
himself be separated for consignment to Hell.
Imam al-Shafi i was asked: 'Can the validity of the authority of the
Consensus of Muslim Ummah be proved from the Holy Qur'an?' He
devoted to the recitation of the Qur'an full three days, completing
three recitals each during the day and night. Finally, the proof that he
came up with was this verse. When he cited it before scholars, they all
agreed: This proof is sufficient to confirm the authority of 'Ijma', the
Consensus of Muslim Community.
Verses 116-121
إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَ يَغْفِرُ أَنْ تُشْرَكَ بِهِ وَيَغْفِرْ مَادُونَ ذَلِكَ لِمَنُ يَّشَّاءُ
وَمَنْ تُشْرِكُ بِاللّهِ فَقَدُ ضَلَّ ضَلْلَا بَعِيْدًا (١١٦) إِنٌ يَدُوْنَ مِنْ
دُوْنِهَ إِلَّ إِنْقَاءَ وَإِنٌ يَدْعُونَ إِلَّ شَيْطِنَّا قَرِيْدًا (١١٧) لَّعَنَهُ اللَّهُ:
وَقَالَ لاَ تَّخِذَنَّ مِنْ عِبَادِكَ نَصِيْبًا تَّفُرُوْضًا ﴿١١٨) وَلَاُ ضِلَّنَّهَمُ
وَ لْأُمَّتِيَنَّهُمْ وَلََّ مُوَنَّهُمْ فَلَهُبَتِكُنَّ اذَانَ الْآَنَعَاحِ وَلَأَ مْوَنَّهُمْ
فَلَيُغَتِّوَنَّ خَلْقَ اللَّهِ، وَمَنْ بَّتَّخِذِ الشَّيْطُنَ وَلِبَّا مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ
فَقَدُ خَسَِّ خُشْرَانًا تُبِيِّنًا﴿١١٩) يَعِدُهُمُ وَيُمَنِّيْهِمْ، وَمَا يَعِدُهُمُ

574
Surah Al-Nisa' 4 : 116-121
الشَّيْطُنُ إِلَّ مُوُّرًا ﴿١٢٠) أُولَئِكَ مَأْوَهُم جَهَنَّمُ: وَلَا يَجِدُونَ
عَنْهَا مَحِيُصًا﴿١٢١)
Surely, Allah does not forgive the ascribing of a
partner to Him and forgives anything short of that for
whomsoever He wills. And whoever ascribes a partner
to Allah has indeed gone far astray. [116] They invoke
none, besides Him, but females; and they invoke none
but Satan, the rebel [117] whom Allah has cursed. And
he (the Satan) said, "For sure, I will take a set share
from Your slaves, [118] and I will lead them astray and I
will tempt them with false hopes and give them my
order so they shall slit the ears of cattle and I will give
them my order so they shall alter the creation of Allah.
And whoever takes the Satan as friend instead of Allah
has incurred an obvious loss. [119] He (the Satan) makes
promises to them and he tempts them with hopes. And
the Satan does not make a promise to them but to
deceive. [120] As for such, their shelter is Jahannam and
they shall find no escape from it. [121]
Sequence
Though, the mention of Jihad in preceding verses includes all
forces hostile to Islam, yet the actual description was limited to Jews
and the hypocrites. Out of the larger group of antagonists there were
the pagans who were much more in numbers. The verses that follow
take up their beliefs and point out to the punishment they will face.
This has a coherence of its own at this place. It will be recalled that
the thief mentioned earlier became an apostate. The lasting punish-
ment he thus earned for himself becomes evident. (Bayan al-Qur'an)
Commentary
The first verse (116) ◌ُإنَّ اللَّهُ لاَ يَغْفِرْ أَلُ ◌ّهُرَكَ مٍ عَمْفِرُ مَادُونَ ذَلِكَ لِرَوَيَّقَاء (Surely, Allah
does not forgive the ascribing of a partner to Him and forgives
anything short of that for whomsoever He wills ... ) has appeared
earlier (48) in Surah al-Nisa' in the same words except for the words at
their ends. In verse 48 appearing earlier, the words at the end are: 345
And whoever ascribes a partner to Allah has) ◌َشْرِكُ بِاللَّهِ فَقَدِ افْتَزَّى إِنُمَا عَظِيْمًا
designed a great sin) while the words at the end of verse 116 before us
are : وَمَنْ يَشْرِكُ بِاللَّهِ فَقَدُ ضَلَّ ضَلَلََّ بَعِيدًا (And whoever ascribes a partner to Allah
has indeed gone far astray). As explained by master exegetes, the

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4 :116-121
reason for this difference is that the addressees of the earlier verse (48)
were the Jewish people of the Book who knew all about the truth of
Tauhid (Allah's oneness), the falsity of Shirk (ascribing of a partner to
Allah) and the veracity of the mission of the noble Prophet e di.
du, through the Torah. Despite that, they got involved in Shirk. Thus,
through their own conduct, they pretended that it was the very
teaching of the Torah which is total forgery and false accusation. That
is why it was said : فَقَدِ افْتَرَّى إنّمًا عَظِيمًا ( ... has designed a great sin) at the
end of verse 48. As for the verse before us (116), the addressees were the
pagans of Makkah who did not have the background of any Book or
Prophet before that time, but the rational arguments in support of the
Oneness of Allah were all too clear. Taking stones crafted with their
own hands as their objects of worship was something ineffectual, false
and erroneous even in the sight of someone with ordinary common-
sense. Therefore, here it was said : فَقَدُ صَلَّ ضَلَلا بَعِيدًا ( ... has indeed gone far
astray).
The eternal Punishment of Shirk and Kufr:
Some people express doubt at this point. They think that punish-
ment should be proportionate to the deed. The crime of disbelieving
and of ascribing partners to Allah committed by the Kafir and the
Mushrik was committed within the limited time frame of a given life.
Why would its punishment be limitless and permanent? The answer is
that the doer of Kufr and Shirk simply does not regard what he does as
crime. This is, on the contrary, taken as something good and proper,
worth one's while. Therefore, his line of action is accompanied by his
firm intention that he will always be like that. Now, if such a Kafir or
Mushrik adheres to this position right through the last breath, he has
committed a permanent crime to the extent of his choice and volition,
therefore, the punishment for it has to be permanent.
Zulm:
There are three kinds of Zulm (injustice):
1. That which Allah will never forgive.
2. That which could be forgiven.
3. That which meets retribution from Allah.
The first kind of injustice is Shirk, the ascribing of a partner to
Allah; the second kind of injustice is falling short in fulfilling the

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Surah Al-Nisa' 4 : 122-126
rights of Allah, known as Huququllah; and the third kind of injustice is
the contravention of the rights of Allah's created beings against each
other, known as Huququl-'Ibad. (Ibn Kathir vide Musnad Bazar)
What is the reality of Shirk?
To consider any created being other than Allah equal to Allah in
worship, or in love and reverence, is what Shirk really is. The Holy
Qur'an has reported the words of the disbelievers they shall utter on
arrival into the Jahannam:
تَاللّهِ إِنْ كُنَّا لَفِىْ ضَلْلِ تُبِيْنٍ، إِذُ نُسَوِّبُكُمْ بِرَبِّ الْعَالِيْنَ
By Allah, we were in obvious error when we had equated you
with Allah, the Lord of all the worlds. (26:97,98)
It is evident that even the polytheists did not believe that the idols
of their making were the Creator and the Master of the universe. It
was, rather, under other erroneous assumptions that they had taken
to regarding their idols equal to Allah in worship or in love and rever-
ence. This was the Shirk which caused their being in Jahannam (Fath
al-Mulhim).
In short , taking any created being as equal to Allah in His partic-
ular attributes - such as, the Creator, the Provider, the Absolute
Master, the Knower of the Seen and the Unseen - is Shirk.
Verses 122-126
وَالَّذِيْنَ امَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصُّلِحُتِ سَنُدُخِلُهُمْ حَتْتٍ تَجْرِىٌ مِنْ
تَحْتِهَا الْآَنْهُوْ خُلِدِيْنَ فِيْهَا أَبَدًّا، وَبُدَ اللَّهِ حَقَّهُ وَمَنْ أُصُدَقُ
مِنَّ اللَّهِ قِيْلًا (١٢٢) لَيْسَ بِآَمَانِكُمْ وَلََّ آَمَانِيٌّ آَهْلِ الْكِتْبِ،
مَنْ يَعْمَلُ سُؤْ ءًا ◌ُّجُزَبِهٌ وَ لَ يَجِدُ لَهُ مِنْ دُوْنِ اللَّهِ وَلِيَّا وَََّّ
نَصِيرًا﴿١٢٣) وَمَنْ بَعْمَلُ مِنَ الصُّلِحْتِ مِنْ ذَكَرٍ أَوْ أُنْغُى
وَهُوَ مُؤُمِنٌ فَأُولَئِكَ يَدْخُلُّنَ الْجَنَّةَ وَلَا يُظْلَمُونَ نَقِيْرًا (١٢٤)
وَمَنْ أَحْسَنُ دِيْنًا ◌ِنْ أَسْلَمَ وَجْهَهُ لِلْهِ وَهُوَ مُحُسِنٌ وَاتَّبَعَ مِلَّةً
إِبْرَاهِيمَ حَنِفًا، وَاتَّخَذَ اللَّهُ إِبْرٌ هِيْمَ خَلِيْلَا (١٢٥) وَلِلّهِمَا فِى

577
Surah Al-Nisa' 4 : 122-126
السَّمُوْنِ وَمَا فِى الْأَرْضِ، وَكَانَ اللّهُ بِكُلِّ شَيْئُ
مُحِيْطَا ﴿١٢٦)
And those who believe and do good deeds, them We
shall admit to the gardens beneath which rivers flow.
They shall live there for ever - a real promise from
Allah. And who is more truthful than Allah in his word?
[122]
This is not (a matter of) your fancies or the fancies of
the People of the Book. And whoever does evil shall be
requited for it and shall find for himself, besides Allah
neither friend nor helper. [123] And whoever, male or
female, does good deeds and is a believer -- they shall
enter Paradise and they shall not be wronged in the
least. [124]
And who is better in Faith than one who has surren-
dered his self to Allah and is good in deeds, and has
followed the creed of Ibrahim, the upright. And Allah
has made Ibrahim a friend. [125]
And to Allah belongs what is in the heavens and what
is in the earth. And to everything Allah is encom-
passing. [126]
Commentary
A dialogue between Muslims and the People of the Book
contending for glory against each other
: لَيْسَ بِآَمَانِّكُمُ وَلََّ آَمَانِيٌّ أَهْلِ الْكِتُبِ : Verse 123 which begins with the words
"This is not (a matter of) your fancies or the fancies of the People of the
Book ... ', is about a cross talk between Muslims and the People of the
Book. It is followed by a wise and judicious ruling on the confronting
claims aimed at bringing the contestants to the right path. Finally,
given here is a standard measure of determining as to who is superior
and acceptable in the sight of Allah, a standard which, if observed
carefully, would not let any human being fall into error or go astray.
According to Sayyidna Qatadah, once it so happened that some
Muslims and the People of the Book started talking to each other in a
vainglorious strain. The People of the Book said that they were
superior to Muslims because their Prophet came before the Prophet of

578
Surah Al-Nisa' 4 : 122-126
Islam and that their Book appeared before the Qur'an of Muslims did.
The Muslims countered by saying that they were superior to all of
them for their Prophet was the Last of the Prophets and their Book
was the Last of the Books which has abrogated all previous Books.
Thereupon, the verse cited above was revealed. It means that such
self-glorification and self-congratulation does not behove anyone for
nobody becomes superior to anybody simply on the basis of conjec-
tures, fancies and claims. Instead, everything depends on deeds. No
matter how noble and superior one's Prophet and Book may be, it is
the deed of the adherent which will count. If he acts evil, he will
receive the kind of punishment from which he can never hope to be
rescued by anyone.
When this verse was revealed, the noble Companions were acutely
disturbed. Imam Muslim, al-Tirmidhi, al-Nasa'i and Ahmad il>,
have reported a narration from Sayyidna Abu Hurairah in which he
said: When this verse was revealed مَنْ يَعْمَلُ مُرْءًا يُجْزَبه :"And whoever does
evil shall be requited for it", we were deeply grieved and concerned.
We submitted to the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم :'This verse leaves
nothing out - the minutest of evil found in our deeds shall be requited!'
The Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said: 'Do not worry. Keep doing what
you can to the best of your ability for (the punishment mentioned here
does not necessarily have to be that of Hell, instead) whatever hard-
ship or pain which afflicts you makes amends for your sins and
requites your evil deeds, to the limit that even a thorn which pinches
someone's foot becomes an expiation of some sin.'
.
There is another narration which says that any sorrow or pain or
sickness or anxiety which afflicts a Muslim in the life of this world
becomes an expiation of his or her sins.
According to a narration of Sayyidna Abu Bakr we all yo, as reported
in Jami' al-Tirmidhi, Tafsir Ibn Jarir and elsewhere, when the Holy
Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم recited this verse: ◌ٍمَنْ يَعْمَلُ مُؤًَّ ا يَّجُزَبِه (And whoever
does evil shall be requited for it) to him, he felt as if his back was
broken. When the noble Messenger of Allah noticed the reaction on
him, he asked: 'What is the matter with you?' Thereupon, Sayyidna
Abu Bakr as Al gø, submitted: 'Ya Rasulallah, there is hardly anyone
among us who can claim to have done nothing bad in one's life. Now, if

579
Surah Al-Nisa'
4 : 122-126
every evil deed has to be requited, who can hope to go unscathed from
among us?' He said: 'O Abu Bakr, you and your believing brothers need
not worry about it because worldly hardships that you face shall make
amends for your sins.'
As it appears in another narration, he said: 'O Abu Bakr, do you
not get sick? Are you never tested by distress and sorrow?' Sayyidna
Abu Bakr said: 'No doubt, all this does happen.' Then, he said: 'There,
this is the requital of whatever evil you may have done.'
In a hadith appearing in Abu Dawud, Sayyidah 'A'ishah has been
reported to have said: 'A discomfort faced by a servant of Allah in
fever, or a pain that afflicts him in any other way, even the pinch of a
thorn, all become an expiation of his or her sins, so much so that even
the insignificant effort made by someone to look for something in one
of his pockets and finding it in another comes to be an expiation of his
sins.'
In short, this verse is a reminder to Muslims as well that they
should not indulge in tall claims and wishful thinking. On the
contrary, they should be concerned with what they actually do, for
their success will not come solely on the basis of their formal adher-
ence to a given Prophet and a Book. Instead, their real prosperity lies
in making certain that their belief in them is correct and that they are
particular about doing good deeds as enjoined. Verse 124 says: 12. 336
It means a man مِنَ الصُلِحْتِ مِنْ ذَكَرٍ أَوْ أُنُّى وَهُوَ مُؤْمِنٌ فَأُولَتِكَ يَدُخُلُوُنَ الْجَنَّةُ وَلَا يُظْلِمُوْنَ نَقِيْرًا
or woman who does good deeds, subject to the condition that such
deeds issue forth from true faith, shall certainly go to Paradise fully
rewarded for all his or her deeds without being wronged in the least.
The hint given here is that the People of the Book or other non-
Muslims may also have some good deeds of their own, but, since their
faith is not sound, therefore, those deeds of theirs are not acceptable.
As for Muslims, since their faith is sound and their deeds too are good,
therefore, they are the successful ones, and superior to others.
Acceptability in the sight of Allah: A Criterion
The fourth verse (125) lays down a criterion to help determine
correctly as to who is acceptable in the sight of Allah, and who is not.
This criterion has two components. Any shortfall in either of the two
components makes all efforts go waste. A careful look will reveal that

580
Surah Al-Nisa' 4 : 122-126
all strayings into error and evil, wherever they may be in this wide
world, are triggered because of a shortfall in one of these two compo-
nents. Compare Muslims with non-Muslims. Or, compare the different
sects, groups and parties within the Muslim community itself. You will
come across the same two points of reference - any deviation from
either is bound to land one in disgrace. The verse says:
وَمَنُ أَحْسَنُ دِيْنًا يَُ اسْلَمَ وَجْهَهُ لِلَّهِ وَهُوَ مُحُسِنٌ وَاتَّبَعَ مِلَّةً إِبْرُهِيْمَ حَنِيُّفًا
And who is better in Faith than one who has surrendered his
self to Allah and is good in deeds, and has followed the creed
of Ibrahim, the upright ... ) (125)
It means that there can be no way better than the way of the
person who is an embodiment of two virtues:
1. Firstly, 'surrenders his or her self to Allah.' In other words, acts
for the good pleasure of Allah with all sincerity at one's command
without ever contaminating one's deeds with hypocritical or material-
istic motives.
2. Secondly, 'and is good in deeds.' In other words, the way in
which one acts should also be correct. According to the great commen-
tator, Ibn Kathir, the way in which one acts, the correct way, means
that it will not be some self-invented way. On the contrary, this will
have to be the unalloyed way of Islam as based on the injunctions of
Almighty Allah and the teachings of His noble Messenger
Thus, we can see that there are two conditions for any deed to be
acceptable in the sight of Almighty Allah. These are sincerity of inten-
tion and soundness of action, that is, being in accordance with the
Shari'ah and Sunnah. The first of the two conditions, Ikhlas or
sincerity, relates to the heart, the inner most human dimension. The
second condition, the compatibility with Shari'ah, relates to the human
exterior. Whoever fulfills both these conditions finds his or her exterior
and interior perfectly synchronized. But, the moment one of the two
conditions is found missing, that which is done becomes imperfect and
unsound. The loss of sincerity makes one a hypocrite in practice while
the failure in following the Shari'ah, the designated way, makes one go
astray.

581
Surah Al-Nisa' 4 : 122-126
Nations go astray because they lack sincerity or do not act
right.
The history of nations and faiths reveals that all deviant groups of
peoples have either lacked sincerity or have not acted right. These
very two groups have been indentified in Surah Al-Fatihah as those
who have deviated from the straight path. Those referred to as
PPLE (who incurred {Your) wrath) are people who lack sincerity, and
those called gju (who have gone astray) are those who have not acted
right. The first group is a victim of desires while the other, that of
doubts.
Everyone generally understands the first condition, that is, the
need for sincerity and the futility of acting without it. But, good
conduct - that is, following the Shari'ah - is the condition even many
Muslims ignore. They think a good deed is a good deed and could be
done at one's choice although the Holy Qur'an and the Sunnah have
made it perfectly clear that good conduct depends exclusively on the
teachings of the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم and on following the
Sunnah, the example set by him. Doing less than that and doing more
than that are both crimes. The way offering three raka'at of Zuhr
prayers instead of the prescribed four is a crime, so, offering five is
also a crime and sin of the same nature. The rule is: The condition set
forth by Almighty Allah and His Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم for any act of
worship is final. Any addition of conditions or restrictions from one's
own side or taking to some form other than the one laid out by him are
all impermissible and patently against the norms of good conduct, no
matter how attractive they may appear to be on the surface. All new
alterations (Bid'at and Muhdathat) in the established religion which
the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم declared to be straying into error, and
against which he left behind emphatic instructions for Muslims so that
they "can stay safe, are all of this nature. Ignorant people do this with
'sincerity' as an act of worship worthy of the reward and pleasure of
Allah, but the deed of such a person goes waste or becomes even sinful
in the light of the Shari'ah bequeathed by the noble Prophet . It is
for this reason that the Holy Qur'an has repeatedly stressed on good
conduct, that is, on following the Sunnah. It appears in Surah al-Mulk:
So that He tests you as to who among you is good in) لِيَبْلُوَكُمْ آَيُّكُمْ احْسَنٌ عَمَلًا
deed - 67:2). It will be noticed that the words used here are: S 231

582
Surah Al-Nisa'
(good in deed) and not Segí (outnumbering in deeds). It shows that
the text is not talking about the numerical abundance of deeds. It is,
rather, pointing out to the doing of good deeds - and a good deed is
nothing but what is done in accordance with the Sunnah of the Holy
Prophet . .
This very concept of good conduct and the practical adherence to
the Sunnah of the noble Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم has been identified in
وَمَنْ أَرَادَ الْأَخِرَةَ وَسعى لَهَا سَعُيَهَا another verse of the Holy Qur'an in the words
(17:19) It means that Allah accepts the efforts and deeds of those who
intend to have the good of the Hereafter, pure and unadulterated by
any temporal considerations, and that they are making the needed
effort, and that the effort they are making is proper as well, and the
proper effort is exactly what has been explained to the community by
the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم through his word and deed. Any shift
from this ideal of effort - whether increased or decreased - will not be
accepted as the proper effort. Proper effort is nothing but what has
been termed as good deed in the present verse.
Let us now recapitulate that the acceptance of any deed with Allah
depends on the fulfillment of two conditions. These are sincerity and
good deed. Good deed is another name of the act of following the
Sunnah of the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم .Therefore, everyone who
intends to do a good deed with full sincerity must first find out how it
was done by the noble Messenger of Allah and what instructions he
has left behind for us in that connection. We must understand that
any deed of ours which stands removed from the course set by our
noble Prophet, known as his Sunnah, will stand unacceptable. There-
fore, in all our deeds relating to Şalah, Şawm, Hajj, Zakah, Sadaqat,
Khayrat, Dhikr of Allah, Şalah (durud) and Salam, it is necessary to
keep in mind the way these were done by the Messenger of Allah
and how he told us to do them.
At the end of the verse (125), an example has been cited, the
example of sincerity and good conduct set by Sayyidna Ibrahim
the following of which has been declared as mandatory. By saying: 13,
Sus pray ain (And Allah has made Ibrahim a friend), it has been hinted
that this high station bestowed on Sayyidna Ibrahim >JIQue has good
reason behind it for he was absolutely and superbly sincere and his

583
Surah Al-Nisa' 4 : 127-130
deed too was sound and correct with intimation from Allah.
Verses 127-130
وَيَسْتَفْتُوْنَكَ فِى النِّسَاءِ* ◌ُلِ اللَّهُ هُفْتِيُكُمُ فِيُهِنَّ وَمَا يُتْلَى
تَلَيْكُمُ فِى الْكِتُبِ فِىٌ يَتْمَ الِنِسَآءِ الَّتِىُّ لَا تُؤْ نُوْنَهُنَّ مَا
كُتِبَ لَهُنَّ وَتَرُّغَبُونَ أَنْ تَنْكِتُؤُهُنَّ وَالْمُسْْتَضْعَفِيْنَ مِنَ
الْوُلْدَانِ، وَأَنْ تُقُوُمُوا لِلْيَتْمِى بِالْقِسْطِ، وَمَا تَفْعَلُوا مِنْ خَيْرٍ
فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ كَانَ بِهِ عَلِيمًا ﴿١٢٧﴾ وَإِنِ امْرَأَهٌ خَافَتٌ مِنْ بَعْلِهَا
نُشُوُزَا أَوُ اِعْرَاضًا فَلَا مُجُنَاحَ عَلَيْهِمَا أَنْ تُصْلِحًا بَيْنَهُمَا
صُلُحَاء وَالصُّلُحُ حَدٌ، وَأُحُضِرَتِ الَّ نُفُسُ الشَُّّ، وَإِنْ
تُحُسِنُوا وَتَتَّقُوا فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ كَانَ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ خَبِيْرًا (١٢٨﴾ وَلَنْ
تَسْتَطِيُكُمْ أَنٌ تَعْدِلُوا بَيْنَ النِّسَاءِ وَلَوْ حَرَصُهُمْ فَلَ فِيُّلُوْا
كُلَّ الْلِ فَتَذَرُؤُهَا كَالْعُلَّقَةٍ، وَإِنْ تُصُلِحُوا وَتَتَّقُوْا فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ
كَانَ تَفُورًا تَحِيُّمًا ﴿١٢٩﴾ وَإِنْ يَتَفَرَّقَا بُغُنِ اللَّهُ كُلَ قِّرُ
سَعَتِهِ، وَكَانَ اللّهْ وَاسِعًا حَكِيْمًا﴿ ١٣)
And they ask you about women. Say, "Allah answers
you about them, and so does what is recited to you
from the Book regarding orphaned women whom you
do not give what is prescribed for them and tend to
marry them," and regarding the weak from the chil-
dren and that you should maintain justice for the
orphans. And whatever good you do Allah is aware of
it. [127]
And if a woman fears ill treatment or aversion from her
1. The Qur'anic words ':313425; admit two possible translations: First,
"and tend to marry them," which refers to the people who, attracted to the
beauty of the orphan girls, used to marry them without giving them the
due rights of a wife. The second possible translation is: "and you avoid
marrying them". It refers to the people who did not marry the orphan girls
because of their unattractive features, but at the same time did not let
them marry others, because they wanted that their wealth should remain
in their hands.

584
Surah Al-Nisa' 4 : 127-130
husband, then, there is no sin on them in entering into
a compromise between them. And the compromise is
better. And avarice is made to be present in human
souls. And if you do good and fear Allah, then, Allah is
all-aware of what you do. [128]
And you shall never be able to maintain real equality
between wives, even though you are eager to. So, do
not lean totally (towards one) and leave the other
hanging. And if you mend and fear Allah, then, Allah is
Most-Forgiving, Very-Merciful. [129]
And if they separate, Allah shall, through His capacity,
make each of them need-free. And Allah is All-
Embracing, All-Wise. [130]
At the beginning of this Surah, particular injunctions relating to
orphans and women were mentioned. Also stressed there was the
mandatory nature of the need to fulfill their rights. The reason was
that, during the days of Jahiliyyah, some people would simply refuse to
give any part of the inheritance to them, others would unlawfully eat
up what they got in inheritance or through any other alternate source,
still others would marry them but avoided paying full dower they were
entitled to; these were practices prohibited as stated earlier. This
caused different situations to arise. There were those who thought
that women and children are not entitled to inherit as a matter of
right - may be, this injunction had come as an expedient measure for
some people only and it was likely that it will be abrogated later. Some
of them even waited for this to happen. But, when there was no abro-
gation, they decided among themselves that they should go directly to
the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم and ask him. This they did. According to
Ibn Jarir and Ibn al-Mundhir, this very question was the reason
behind the revelation of this verse and the verses which followed
carried additional rulings relating to women (Bayan al-Qur'an).
Commentary
Some Qur'anic Instructions about Married Life
Verses 128-130 which begin with the words: 412 356 121 gl, (And if
a woman fears ill treatment or aversion from her husband ... ) and end
at @ Gl; ( ... All-Embracing, All-Wise) carry instructions about the
painful and hard part of married life which is faced by every married

585
Surah Al-Nisa'
4 :127-130
couple during one or the other stage of their long association. This is
mutual displeasure and tension which, if allowed to prevail without
being checked through proper control, does not only result in severe
problems for the couple in their married lives but also, at times,
carries the evil effects to families and tribes involving them in all sorts
of mutual confrontation and even fighting and killing. The Glorious
Qur'an has come to introduce a system of family life for man and
woman both, keeping in view the whole range of their feelings. This
system when followed will definitely make a home a paradise. Love
and harmony will replace whatever bitterness there may be in the
family. Just in case, inevitable circumstances bring the couple to the
limit of separation, it would still be desirable to see that the parting of
ways is done smoothly and painlessly. After that, when the relation-
ship breaks, it is also necessary to watch that it leaves no emotional
fallouts in the form of enmity, hostility, harm or hurt.
Out of these three verses, verse 128 is about circumstances under
which relationship between a husband and wife becomes strained for
reasons beyond their control. Both parties seem to be helpless in the
matter. However, their mutual bitterness makes it likely that they
will fail in fulfilling the rights they have on each other. For example, a
husband does not have amorous feelings in his heart for his wife and
she has no control over the means which could change his heart. She
may be ugly or aged while the husband is handsome. Thus, it is
obvious that the woman cannot be blamed in any way for what she is,
nor can the man be censured for whatever he is.
Eventualities of this nature as part of the background in which the
worse under reference was revealed, have been reported in Mazhari
and elsewhere. Under such circumstances, as for men, the general rule
given by the Holy Qur'an is :ِ2:229) فَإِمُسَاكٌ بِمَعْرُفٍ أَوْ تَسْرِيحٌ بِإِحْسَان) that is, 'retain
in an honourable manner or part amicably'. It means that if the inten-
tion is to continue living with one's wife, then, it is necessary to live
with her amicably, fulfilling all rights due to her in the recognized
manner. For anyone who finds himself incapable of doing so, it is
proper to release her from the bond of marriage in a decent way. Now,
if the woman too is willing to be released, the situation is open and
clear as the parting of ways will come about in a pleasant manner.