An-Nisa’ Section 21 - Fate Of The Hypocrites
Deceitfulness of the hypocrites, Friendship with the enemies, Fate of the hypocrites.
An-Nisa’ Verses 142 – 152
إِنَّ الْمُنَافِقِينَ يُخَادِعُونَ اللَّهَ وَهُوَ خَادِعُهُمْ وَإِذَا قَامُوا إِلَى الصَّلَاةِ قَامُوا كُسَالَىٰ يُرَاءُونَ النَّاسَ وَلَا يَذْكُرُونَ اللَّهَ إِلَّا قَلِيلًا
“Verily the hypocrites strive to deceive God while He is deceiving them; and when they stand up for prayer, they stand up sluggishly (without earnestness) they do it only to be seen of men, and they remember not God save a little.” (4:142)
مُذَبْذَبِينَ بَيْنَ ذَٰلِكَ لَا إِلَىٰ هَٰؤُلَاءِ وَلَا إِلَىٰ هَٰؤُلَاءِ وَمَنْ يُضْلِلِ اللَّهُ فَلَنْ تَجِدَ لَهُ سَبِيلًا
“Wavering between that (and this); Neither towards these (believers) nor towards those (infidels); And whoever God leaveth to go astray, never then shall thou find for him a way.” (4:143)
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَا تَتَّخِذُوا الْكَافِرِينَ أَوْلِيَاءَ مِنْ دُونِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ أَتُرِيدُونَ أَنْ تَجْعَلُوا لِلَّهِ عَلَيْكُمْ سُلْطَانًا مُبِينًا
“O’ ye who believe! take not the disbelievers for friends rather than the believers; Desire ye to furnish unto God against yourselves a manifest authority (proof) (to punish you)?” (4:144)
إِنَّ الْمُنَافِقِينَ فِي الدَّرْكِ الْأَسْفَلِ مِنَ النَّارِ وَلَنْ تَجِدَ لَهُمْ نَصِيرًا
“Verily the hypocrites shall be in the lowest stage of the (Hell) fire, and never shalt thou find for them a helper.” (4:145)
إِلَّا الَّذِينَ تَابُوا وَأَصْلَحُوا وَاعْتَصَمُوا بِاللَّهِ وَأَخْلَصُوا دِينَهُمْ لِلَّهِ فَأُولَٰئِكَ مَعَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَسَوْفَ يُؤْتِ اللَّهُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ أَجْرًا عَظِيمًا
“Except those who repent, and Amend (themselves) and hold fast to God and purify their religion1(wholly) for God, these then shall be with the (true) believers; and anon will God give the believers a great reward.” (4:146)
مَا يَفْعَلُ اللَّهُ بِعَذَابِكُمْ إِنْ شَكَرْتُمْ وَآمَنْتُمْ وَكَانَ اللَّهُ شَاكِرًا عَلِيمًا
“What hath God to do to torment you, if ye be grateful and ye believe? While God is the (greatest) Appreciator (of worth) and the All-Knowing.” (4:147)
لَا يُحِبُّ اللَّهُ الْجَهْرَ بِالسُّوءِ مِنَ الْقَوْلِ إِلَّا مَنْ ظُلِمَ وَكَانَ اللَّهُ سَمِيعًا عَلِيمًا
“Loveth not God, open utterance of evil2in speech except by one who hath been wronged; And God is the Hearer, the Knower.” (4:148)
إِنْ تُبْدُوا خَيْرًا أَوْ تُخْفُوهُ أَوْ تَعْفُوا عَنْ سُوءٍ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ كَانَ عَفُوًّا قَدِيرًا
“If ye do good openly or conceal3it, or pardon an evil, then Verily, God is Pardoning, Powerful.” (4:149)
إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يَكْفُرُونَ بِاللَّهِ وَرُسُلِهِ وَيُرِيدُونَ أَنْ يُفَرِّقُوا بَيْنَ اللَّهِ وَرُسُلِهِ وَيَقُولُونَ نُؤْمِنُ بِبَعْضٍ وَنَكْفُرُ بِبَعْضٍ وَيُرِيدُونَ أَنْ يَتَّخِذُوا بَيْنَ ذَٰلِكَ سَبِيلًا
“Verily those who deny God and His apostles and desire that they differentiate4between God and His apostles and say, “We believe in some and we deny some”, intend they to take between (this and) that a (midway).” (4:150)
أُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الْكَافِرُونَ حَقًّا وَأَعْتَدْنَا لِلْكَافِرِينَ عَذَابًا مُهِينًا
“These are they the infidels truly, and We have prepared for the infidels a disgraceful torment.” (4:151)
وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا بِاللَّهِ وَرُسُلِهِ وَلَمْ يُفَرِّقُوا بَيْنَ أَحَدٍ مِنْهُمْ أُولَٰئِكَ سَوْفَ يُؤْتِيهِمْ أُجُورَهُمْ وَكَانَ اللَّهُ غَفُورًا رَحِيمًا
“And they who believe in God and His apostles and differentiate not between anyone of them, they, (are those whom) He will grant them their recompense; And God is Oft-Forgiving, Merciful.” (4:152)
Commentary
Verse 142
For a similar warning see 2:9.
It is obvious that none with common sense will think of deceiving God. It means the attempt to deceive the believers-believers standing for God. Similarly, God is above the evil of deceiving anyone. His giving the disbelievers and the hypocrites and not exposing them which results in their fall, is termed as God’s deceiving them. (A.P.)
Verse 143
Wavering between truth and falsehood, faith and disbelief.
Refers to the psychological state of some of the new converts who had embraced Islam fascinated by the force of the new faith and not yet freed from their traditional traits. ‘Ali was the only one whose cognitive self ‘Wajh’ was honoured by God, in not turning to anything save to Him. Which fact the Muslim world even to this day acknowledges by titling him as ‘Karrama Allaho Wajhaho’, i.e., He whose cognitive-self God has honoured, whereas all the others the Muslims wish them as ‘Radhi Allaho Ta’ala’ i.e., May God be pleased with him. The same condition is true of those whose minds are in conflicting state between the material and spiritual forces. (A.P.)
Verse 144
Vide Verse 4:139.
Verse 145
The hypocrites are the hidden enemies of the faith and the Holy Prophet. A hidden enemy is worse than an open enemy. Hence the hypocrites shall have the worst punishment.
Verse 146
The condition of repentance being accepted, is laid in clearcut words that the repentant should amend their conduct and character and must sincerely hold fast to God with purest faith and devotion. Mere verbal declaration is of no avail. Holding fast to God is not possible without a ‘Wasila’ or a medium mentioned in 5:35.
Verse 147
‘Shakir’ literally means one who gives thanks for any good done to him.
But when this quality is attributed to God it means one who recognise: and appreciates goodness and rewards it in multiple degrees more than the act increasing it in His estimation.
Verse 148
Islam strictly forbids every kind of defamation either by speech or in action. But open defamatory speech by an aggressed one against the aggressor is a natural expression of the aggressed’s feelings of pain for the injury suffered by the individual. Islam being a natural and a practical religion tolerates such exposition of the human feelings in an open utterance. Thus, the cursing of a tyrant by those who feel for the tyranny has been exempted. The devoted Muslims who identify themselves with the Holy Prophet and his Holy Ahl Al-Bayt naturally feel for their sufferings and openly invoke the curse of God upon the tyrants. Such an open cursing is alluded under this verse. It must be remembered that cursing with the justification for it, is a godly act. God. the Angels, the men of God and the people curse those who deserve the cursing5
Verse 150
Distinguishing between God and His apostles means believing in God and not believing in any one of His apostles. The Jews believed in Moses and disbelieved in Jesus. The Christians believed in Jesus and disbelieved in the other apostles of God. The Jews and the Christians believe in Moses and Jesus but disbelieve in the Holy Prophet. Islam demands belief in God and in all the apostles of God. Disbelief in any one of God’s apostles, takes the individual out of the fold or the category of believers and places him among the disbelievers. Believing in a few and disbelieving in the others is not allowed6.
Verse 152
It is noteworthy for every student of comparative study of religions that Islam and no other religion demands its adherents to believe in all the apostles of God without any distinction about their being Truthful and being from God.
(Differentiate) See also the subsequent: verse. Qur’an asserts a complete representative status of every apostle during his mission to the people to whom they had been sent. Any attempt to differentiate between the authority of God and the prophets, and between the prophets with regard to the representative status of each one of them within the prescribed and the declared limits of time and place, is infidelity.
The attempt of some schools of thought to differentiate the extent of God’s authority and that of the Holy Prophet who was sent to mankind as a whole, for all times, saying that the authority of the Holy Prophet has ended with his death viz., ‘Man kaana Yabodu Muhammadan faqad maat’ i.e., ‘let him who did worship Muhammad know that he is dead’; or ‘Hasbona Kitabu Allah’, i.e., suffices for us the Book of God, or some of his utterances, were the result of his personal discretion and not the divine revelation: is the outstanding example to which those verses imply. (A.P.)
