Too weak to fly to their homes-Those who fly to their homes not to fear straitness.

An-Nisa’ Verses 97 – 100

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ تَوَفَّاهُمُ الْمَلَائِكَةُ ظَالِمِي أَنْفُسِهِمْ قَالُوا فِيمَ كُنْتُمْ قَالُوا كُنَّا مُسْتَضْعَفِينَ فِي الْأَرْضِ قَالُوا أَلَمْ تَكُنْ أَرْضُ اللَّهِ وَاسِعَةً فَتُهَاجِرُوا فِيهَا فَأُولَٰئِكَ مَأْوَاهُمْ جَهَنَّمُ وَسَاءَتْ مَصِيرًا

“Verily those whom the angels take1away (at death) while they are unjust2to their (own) selves (in sin), they (the angels) shall ask (the sinner souls) “In what3state were ye?” They shah reply “Weakened4(and oppressed) were we in the land;” They (angels) will say “Was not the land of God vast (enough) for you to migrate therein?” So these (are those) whose refuge shall be Hell; and what a bad resort it is.” (4:97)

إِلَّا الْمُسْتَضْعَفِينَ مِنَ الرِّجَالِ وَالنِّسَاءِ وَالْوِلْدَانِ لَا يَسْتَطِيعُونَ حِيلَةً وَلَا يَهْتَدُونَ سَبِيلًا

“Except the (really) weakened ones from among the men and the women and the children, who have not in their power the means (to escape from the unbelievers) and nor they find the (right) way.” (4:98)

فَأُولَٰئِكَ عَسَى اللَّهُ أَنْ يَعْفُوَ عَنْهُمْ وَكَانَ اللَّهُ عَفُوًّا غَفُورًا

“So these, may be, God will pardon them; and God is the Clement, the Oft-Forgiving.” (4:99)

وَمَنْ يُهَاجِرْ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ يَجِدْ فِي الْأَرْضِ مُرَاغَمًا كَثِيرًا وَسَعَةً وَمَنْ يَخْرُجْ مِنْ بَيْتِهِ مُهَاجِرًا إِلَى اللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ ثُمَّ يُدْرِكْهُ الْمَوْتُ فَقَدْ وَقَعَ أَجْرُهُ عَلَى اللَّهِ وَكَانَ اللَّهُ غَفُورًا رَحِيمًا

“And whosoever migrateth in the way of God, findeth in the earth refuge abundant and spacious; and whoever goeth forth from his house migrating unto God and His Apostle (Muhammad), and then (before he reacheth the destination) death overtaketh him, indeed hath become his recompense incumbent upon God; and God is Oft-Forgiving, Merciful.” (4:100)

Commentary

Verse 97

‘Muztaz’afeen’, i.e., helpless i.e., those who could neither overcome disbelief nor could they have any way towards the faith.

Verse 98

A believer called Jundah who was at Mecca said that he could afford to leave Mecca, and also knew’ the way to Madina, hence he could not be one who could be exempted from the Migration in the cause of Truth. He took a vow that he would not pass another night at Mecca and ordered his sons to take him to Madina and even if he dies on the way to take his body to Madina. He died on the way and thus, reached his heavenly destination.

This principle has been applied other religions whose mental capacity, by nature or by the Imams of the Ahl Al-Bayt, to the followers of the by circumstances was too weak to grasp the truth of Islam. (A.P.)

Verse 99

Continuation of the preceding Verse 98, referring to the heavenly reward for those who die on the way after leaving their homes in the way of the Lord.

Verse 100

(a) The significance of this and the previous passage has been extended by the Holy Imams, as to mean not only a physical migration from a place to place but to mean the migration of one from the actual sense of the cognitive self to his own ego, i.e., ‘I’, towards the universal self, through his representative the Holy Prophet or the Imam.

(b) This does not mean any material comfort for an immigrant may gain in it or not, it means the detachment from the particular land to which he belonged, for the sake of God, so vast mental refuge and abundant attachment to the spiritual values that will give him complete peace of mind which makes the temporal loss insignificant. (A.P.)

• 1. Terminate the term.
• 2. While doing wrong to themselves.
• 3. Wherein.
• 4. Helpless.