An-Nisa’ Section 20 - Equity To Everyone, The Jewish Hypocrisy Condemned
Firmness in equity, fair play and faith enjoined, Coveting for worldly goods forsaking truth is due to weakness in faith.
An-Nisa’ Verses 135 – 141
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا كُونُوا قَوَّامِينَ بِالْقِسْطِ شُهَدَاءَ لِلَّهِ وَلَوْ عَلَىٰ أَنْفُسِكُمْ أَوِ الْوَالِدَيْنِ وَالْأَقْرَبِينَ إِنْ يَكُنْ غَنِيًّا أَوْ فَقِيرًا فَاللَّهُ أَوْلَىٰ بِهِمَا فَلَا تَتَّبِعُوا الْهَوَىٰ أَنْ تَعْدِلُوا وَإِنْ تَلْوُوا أَوْ تُعْرِضُوا فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ كَانَ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ خَبِيرًا
“O’ ye who believe! do stand1firmly with justice, Witnesses for God’s sake, though it be against your own selves or your parents or your kindred, be he rich or poor, for God is closer2(than you) to them both; Therefore follow not your inclination3, lest ye deviate, (from the truth) and if ye swerve4(from the truth) or turn aside, then Verily God is All-A ware of what ye do5.” (4:135)
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا آمِنُوا بِاللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ وَالْكِتَابِ الَّذِي نَزَّلَ عَلَىٰ رَسُولِهِ وَالْكِتَابِ الَّذِي أَنْزَلَ مِنْ قَبْلُ وَمَنْ يَكْفُرْ بِاللَّهِ وَمَلَائِكَتِهِ وَكُتُبِهِ وَرُسُلِهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ فَقَدْ ضَلَّ ضَلَالًا بَعِيدًا
“O’ ye who believe! Believe in God, and His Apostle6and the Book which He hath sent down unto His Apostle (Muhammad) and the Book which He hath sent down before (him); and whoever denieth God, and His Angels, and His Books, and His Apostles and the Last Day (of judgment) hath indeed strayed off, far away (from the right path).” (4:136)
إِنَّ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا ثُمَّ كَفَرُوا ثُمَّ آمَنُوا ثُمَّ كَفَرُوا ثُمَّ ازْدَادُوا كُفْرًا لَمْ يَكُنِ اللَّهُ لِيَغْفِرَ لَهُمْ وَلَا لِيَهْدِيَهُمْ سَبِيلًا
“Verily, those who believed and thereafter disbelieved7, again believed, and again disbelieved, thereafter increased they in disbelief, It is not for God to pardon them, nor will He guide them to the (right) way.” (4:137)
بَشِّرِ الْمُنَافِقِينَ بِأَنَّ لَهُمْ عَذَابًا أَلِيمًا
“Announce (O’ Our Apostle Muhammad!) to the hypocrites that for them there shall be a painful torment.” (4:138)
الَّذِينَ يَتَّخِذُونَ الْكَافِرِينَ أَوْلِيَاءَ مِنْ دُونِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ أَيَبْتَغُونَ عِنْدَهُمُ الْعِزَّةَ فَإِنَّ الْعِزَّةَ لِلَّهِ جَمِيعًا
“Those who take the disbelievers for (their) friends8rather than believers; Do they seek honour from them? Then, Verily, All honour (as a whole) belongeth (only) to God.” (4:139)
وَقَدْ نَزَّلَ عَلَيْكُمْ فِي الْكِتَابِ أَنْ إِذَا سَمِعْتُمْ آيَاتِ اللَّهِ يُكْفَرُ بِهَا وَيُسْتَهْزَأُ بِهَا فَلَا تَقْعُدُوا مَعَهُمْ حَتَّىٰ يَخُوضُوا فِي حَدِيثٍ غَيْرِهِ إِنَّكُمْ إِذًا مِثْلُهُمْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ جَامِعُ الْمُنَافِقِينَ وَالْكَافِرِينَ فِي جَهَنَّمَ جَمِيعًا
“And indeed hath He sent down unto you (O’ Believers!) in the Book9(Qur’an) that when ye hear the signs of God disbelieved in, and mocked at, then sit ye not with them until they enter into some other discourse, otherwise, ye would become like them; Verily, God will gather the hypocrites and the infidels in Hell all together.” (4:140)
الَّذِينَ يَتَرَبَّصُونَ بِكُمْ فَإِنْ كَانَ لَكُمْ فَتْحٌ مِنَ اللَّهِ قَالُوا أَلَمْ نَكُنْ مَعَكُمْ وَإِنْ كَانَ لِلْكَافِرِينَ نَصِيبٌ قَالُوا أَلَمْ نَسْتَحْوِذْ عَلَيْكُمْ وَنَمْنَعْكُمْ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ فَاللَّهُ يَحْكُمُ بَيْنَكُمْ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ وَلَنْ يَجْعَلَ اللَّهُ لِلْكَافِرِينَ عَلَى الْمُؤْمِنِينَ سَبِيلًا
“Those who (keep) watch upon you; then if there be for you a victory from God say they “Are we not with you?” and if the infidels have a share (in the victory), say they “Did we not acquire mastery over you and defend you from the believers?” Therefore God shall judge between you on the Dry of Resurrection; And never will God make for the infidels a way (to triumph) against the believers.” (4:141)
Commentary
Verse 135
There shall not be any partiality expecting in favour from the rich or fearing any harm from them, nor a witness be given for any undue compassion to anyone. Neither the ties of blood or of love, nor the consideration of any fear or favour or compassion should make anyone swerve at all from the course of the Truth and Justice,
Here Qur’an wants man to maintain justice witnessing for God, in 5:8 to stand for God witnessing justly meaning justice and godliness always go together inseparably. Refer to Verse 34:46 which gives a synthesis of these two passages, commanding man to stand for God collectively and individually. (A.P.)
Verse 136
The address in this Verse is to the believers, to believe in God, His Apostles, His Books.
It clearly indicates that a mere hereditary belief will not be of any avail to anyone. One should earn the correct belief for one’s own self by a careful study, with compare and contrast. This Verse invites every man and woman to know the truth by himself or herself for his or her own salvation. This is a clear warning against the blind following of the ancestral belief, or any hereditary creed or faith.
The Universality of Islam is clearly proved by the injunction to believe not only in what was revealed to the Holy Prophet (The Holy Qur’an) but also in all the Holy Scriptures and the Prophets that appeared in the various parts of the world in various times to the various people10.
No religion other than Islam ever indicates any acknowledgement of the truthfulness or the sanctity of the other apostles of God and the other holy scriptures. On the other hand, blasphemy over blasphemy have been piled against the other apostles of God-in the Testaments, of the Christian Church.
Verse 137
The reference here is to the people who first believed in Moses and then disbelieved in him and worshipped the Calf and then again believed in Uzair and again returned to disbelief and they believed in the Holy Prophet and then disbelieved in him and their disbelief was continuous and on the increase. Ibn e-Abbas says that every hypocrite who lived in the time of the Holy Prophet, in land or on sea, comes under this and this statement is proved to be true by the immediately succeeding Verse which relates about punishment to the hypocrites. (M.S.)
Refers to the hypocrites who professed Islam, then reverted and then again professed and again reverted. This they did to weaken the faith of the others or owing to their inherent weakness of their wavering minds. This applies to all identical cases be that among the hypocrites or the Muslims and all those who adopted this attitude during the time of any apostle of God.
Verse 138
‘Basharat’ is generally used for announcement or giving of a glad tiding, a news which produces joy in those whom it is meant for. But it is also used ironically while announcing a punishment to a people who arc persistently on the wrong path and yet hold themselves to be on the right one.
Verse 139
It is a warning against seeking protection of the disbelievers instead of that of the believers (the Muslims) while every believer should know that glory, grace and triumph belongs to none but God. Believers in God should always be with God and depend upon none but on Him-and seek everything from Him. Every Muslim has to declare his faith in this fact every day through the prescribed daily prayers (Salat, i.e., Namaz), through the opening chapter of the Holy Qur’an saying:
إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وَإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ
“To Thee alone do me worship (serve) and of Thee only do we seek (every) help”. (1:4)
Verse 140
In Verse 6:68, also it has been enjoined upon the believers to leave the assembly where truth is mocked at. Some Christian critics draw a peculiar inference from this injunction and say that the Muslims have been asked by their faith to shun criticism. Any intelligent one would only ridicule at such an inference for it needs nothing more than common sense to differentiate between ridicule or mockery and criticism.
This is applicable to anyone who associates himself with those who criticise or deny the validity of any religious precepts, including the modern attempt by some authorities to amend certain religious laws. This does not prevent any sensible discussion with any reasonable critics of Islam, if the aim is to understand the truth. We have to hear them and clear their doubts in the best way possible and as enjoined in 16:125. (A.P.)
Verse 141
The reference here is to the hypocrites who always joined the triumphant side to have their share in the gains.
The last portion of the verse has been incorporated as a principal legislation governing all social, political, economic, rules and regulations restricting their validities to (non-Muslims) to the extent not giving chance of the superiority to the disbelievers over the believers (the Muslims). (A.P.)
In the concluding words of the Verse, there is the promise of God that never shall the disbeliever have such a triumph to wipe Islam out of existence, i.e., Islam has been established for ever.
The fulfilment of this divine promise needs some group or at least one such individual in the world who could be rightfully termed in the real sense of the word the custodian of the true faith, i.e., Islam- Original. Such a one cannot be but a true replica of the personality of the Holy Prophet. And none but the one of the Holy Prophet’s blood and flesh can own the purity of the physical body, mind and soul. This proves existence of an Imam in every age and similarly of the present age.
