Anwar Al-Quran

Verses 114–121

4. An-Nisaa · The Women

Madinan176 verses

۞ لَّا خَيْرَ فِى كَثِيرٍۢ مِّن نَّجْوَىٰهُمْ إِلَّا مَنْ أَمَرَ بِصَدَقَةٍ أَوْ مَعْرُوفٍ أَوْ إِصْلَٰحٍۭ بَيْنَ ٱلنَّاسِ ۚ وَمَن يَفْعَلْ ذَٰلِكَ ٱبْتِغَآءَ مَرْضَاتِ ٱللَّهِ فَسَوْفَ نُؤْتِيهِ أَجْرًا عَظِيمًۭا

4:114There is no good in much of their secret talks, excepting him who enjoins charity or what is right or reconciliation between people, and whoever does that, seeking Allah’s pleasure, soon We shall give him a great reward.1

وَمَن يُشَاقِقِ ٱلرَّسُولَ مِنۢ بَعْدِ مَا تَبَيَّنَ لَهُ ٱلْهُدَىٰ وَيَتَّبِعْ غَيْرَ سَبِيلِ ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ نُوَلِّهِۦ مَا تَوَلَّىٰ وَنُصْلِهِۦ جَهَنَّمَ ۖ وَسَآءَتْ مَصِيرًا

4:115Whoever defies the Apostle, after the guidance has become manifest to him, and follows a way other than that of the faithful, We shall abandon him to his devices and We shall make him enter hell, and it is an evil destination.2

إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَا يَغْفِرُ أَن يُشْرَكَ بِهِۦ وَيَغْفِرُ مَا دُونَ ذَٰلِكَ لِمَن يَشَآءُ ۚ وَمَن يُشْرِكْ بِٱللَّهِ فَقَدْ ضَلَّ ضَلَٰلًۢا بَعِيدًا

4:116Indeed Allah does not forgive that any partner should be ascribed to Him, but He forgives anything besides that to whomever He wishes. And whoever ascribes partners to Allah has certainly strayed into far error.

إِن يَدْعُونَ مِن دُونِهِۦٓ إِلَّآ إِنَٰثًۭا وَإِن يَدْعُونَ إِلَّا شَيْطَٰنًۭا مَّرِيدًۭا

4:117They invoke none but females besides Him, and invoke none but a froward Satan,

لَّعَنَهُ ٱللَّهُ ۘ وَقَالَ لَأَتَّخِذَنَّ مِنْ عِبَادِكَ نَصِيبًۭا مَّفْرُوضًۭا

4:118whom Allah has cursed, and who said, ‘I will surely take of Your servants a settled share,3

وَلَأُضِلَّنَّهُمْ وَلَأُمَنِّيَنَّهُمْ وَلَءَامُرَنَّهُمْ فَلَيُبَتِّكُنَّ ءَاذَانَ ٱلْأَنْعَٰمِ وَلَءَامُرَنَّهُمْ فَلَيُغَيِّرُنَّ خَلْقَ ٱللَّهِ ۚ وَمَن يَتَّخِذِ ٱلشَّيْطَٰنَ وَلِيًّۭا مِّن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ فَقَدْ خَسِرَ خُسْرَانًۭا مُّبِينًۭا

4:119and I will lead them astray and give them [false] hopes, and prompt them to slit the ears of cattle, and I will prompt them to alter Allah’s creation.’ Whoever takes Satan as a guardian instead of Allah has certainly incurred a manifest loss.4

يَعِدُهُمْ وَيُمَنِّيهِمْ ۖ وَمَا يَعِدُهُمُ ٱلشَّيْطَٰنُ إِلَّا غُرُورًا

4:120He makes them promises and gives them [false] hopes, yet Satan does not promise them anything but delusion.

أُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ مَأْوَىٰهُمْ جَهَنَّمُ وَلَا يَجِدُونَ عَنْهَا مَحِيصًۭا

4:121The refuge of such shall be hell, and they will not find any escape from it.

Tafsir

Commentary on this passage

Verse 114

1.Minds eschewing intrigue always talk about secrecy and their topic is on nothing other than the creation of quarrels. The Holy Quran has drawn our attention towards this point that there is no security in secret conversations until their topics are to be of three types. (i) Charity (ii) Good virtue (iii) Good advice. And all these three depend on Allah’s will. Fakhruddin Razi has narrated that no other verse is auspicious like this verse. As the three words of this verse encompass the happiness and welfare of the entire life of human being.

Verse 115

2.This word is the sign that a man is not helpless in doing his deeds and this word explains the way to leading astray and good guidance etc.

Verse 117

3.In the period of ignorance, the Arabs thought that angels were akin to women and called them the daughters of Allah. Then, they created imaginary images and worshipped them as their gods. They acted upon the guidance of Shaitan. The Holy Quran has represented their manners as the worship of women and Shaitan.

Verse 119

4.The sign of the followers of Shaitan is to create changes in the condition of Allah. A man creates some changes in the body by order of Allah such as cut hair, nails, circumcision etc. These are not diabolical acts like the shaving of beard. For, the shaving of beard is another topic of discussion under the relevant group of ayahs an4 in light of traditions showing that this change is against Allah’s will.

Footnotes

Explanations of words and phrases in these verses

  1. 1

    Sadaqah - Spending in the way of Allah. Ma ‘roof-speak good words. Islah Bainan Naas - Make peace between the people. All these are acts that if performed for Allah become great deeds and become eligible for great rewards.

  2. 2

    The path fixed by Allah for the believers and the way on which the believers are moving. It is not a path evolved by the believers themselves, as some people have thought that it means Ijma, while the ayat was revealed during the lifetime of the Prophet. While the Ijma is born after him.

  3. 3

    Because an evil trail is also present in man and this is the medium through which the Shaitan deviates him. Thus he has laid claim to half of humanity.

  4. 4

    The ignorant Arabs used to slit the ears of cattle for their idols, and thus they used to distort Allah’s creation. That is why the Shaitan has called these acts as his own. The Holy Quran also mentions this fact. Benefit The ayat is speaking of the idols whom the idol-worshippers call. This word is derived from 'Ans’ and it means weakness and this is indicating towards the weakness of the idols that they are all powerless.