Verses 135–140
4. An-Nisaa · The Women
Madinan176 verses
۞ يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ كُونُوا۟ قَوَّٰمِينَ بِٱلْقِسْطِ شُهَدَآءَ لِلَّهِ وَلَوْ عَلَىٰٓ أَنفُسِكُمْ أَوِ ٱلْوَٰلِدَيْنِ وَٱلْأَقْرَبِينَ ۚ إِن يَكُنْ غَنِيًّا أَوْ فَقِيرًۭا فَٱللَّهُ أَوْلَىٰ بِهِمَا ۖ فَلَا تَتَّبِعُوا۟ ٱلْهَوَىٰٓ أَن تَعْدِلُوا۟ ۚ وَإِن تَلْوُۥٓا۟ أَوْ تُعْرِضُوا۟ فَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ كَانَ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ خَبِيرًۭا
4:135O you who have faith! Be maintainers of justice and witnesses for the sake of Allah, even if it should be against yourselves or [your] parents and near relatives, and whether it be [someone] rich or poor, for Allah has a greater right over them. So do not follow [your] desires, lest you should be unfair, and if you distort [the testimony] or disregard [it], Allah is indeed well aware of what you do.12
يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓا۟ ءَامِنُوا۟ بِٱللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِۦ وَٱلْكِتَٰبِ ٱلَّذِى نَزَّلَ عَلَىٰ رَسُولِهِۦ وَٱلْكِتَٰبِ ٱلَّذِىٓ أَنزَلَ مِن قَبْلُ ۚ وَمَن يَكْفُرْ بِٱللَّهِ وَمَلَٰٓئِكَتِهِۦ وَكُتُبِهِۦ وَرُسُلِهِۦ وَٱلْيَوْمِ ٱلْءَاخِرِ فَقَدْ ضَلَّ ضَلَٰلًۢا بَعِيدًا
4:136O you who have faith! Have faith in Allah and His Apostle and the Book that He has sent down to His Apostle and the Book He had sent down earlier. Whoever disbelieves in Allah and His angels, His Books and His apostles and the Last Day, has certainly strayed into far error.*
إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ ثُمَّ كَفَرُوا۟ ثُمَّ ءَامَنُوا۟ ثُمَّ كَفَرُوا۟ ثُمَّ ٱزْدَادُوا۟ كُفْرًۭا لَّمْ يَكُنِ ٱللَّهُ لِيَغْفِرَ لَهُمْ وَلَا لِيَهْدِيَهُمْ سَبِيلًۢا
4:137As for those who believe and then disbelieve, then believe [again] and then disbelieve and then increase in disbelief, Allah shall never forgive them, nor shall He guide them to any way.34
بَشِّرِ ٱلْمُنَٰفِقِينَ بِأَنَّ لَهُمْ عَذَابًا أَلِيمًا
4:138Inform the hypocrites that there is a painful punishment for them
ٱلَّذِينَ يَتَّخِذُونَ ٱلْكَٰفِرِينَ أَوْلِيَآءَ مِن دُونِ ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ ۚ أَيَبْتَغُونَ عِندَهُمُ ٱلْعِزَّةَ فَإِنَّ ٱلْعِزَّةَ لِلَّهِ جَمِيعًۭا
4:139—those who take the faithless for allies instead of the faithful. Do they seek honour with them? [If so,] indeed all honour belongs to Allah.
وَقَدْ نَزَّلَ عَلَيْكُمْ فِى ٱلْكِتَٰبِ أَنْ إِذَا سَمِعْتُمْ ءَايَٰتِ ٱللَّهِ يُكْفَرُ بِهَا وَيُسْتَهْزَأُ بِهَا فَلَا تَقْعُدُوا۟ مَعَهُمْ حَتَّىٰ يَخُوضُوا۟ فِى حَدِيثٍ غَيْرِهِۦٓ ۚ إِنَّكُمْ إِذًۭا مِّثْلُهُمْ ۗ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ جَامِعُ ٱلْمُنَٰفِقِينَ وَٱلْكَٰفِرِينَ فِى جَهَنَّمَ جَمِيعًا
4:140Certainly He has sent down to you in the Book that when you hear Allah’s signs being disbelieved and derided, do not sit with them until they engage in some other discourse, or else you [too] will be like them. Indeed Allah will gather the hypocrites and the faithless in hell all together
Tafsir
Commentary on this passage
Verse 135
1.It is a very strict rule of Islam that if man checks his character in its light, he will feel himself that he is very far away from Islam. Who is that just man who can create the courage to prefer truth as compared to his relatives and can give the correct evidence. Man always considers himself as the pivot and centre of truth and wants to perform all actions in its light. Fortunate is the one who fits the criterion of the verse as he really becomes deserving to he called a believer.
2.The excuses in testimony sometimes consist of the fear that if they testify against the poor, then from where will he pay his dues? Sometimes they feel danger to their wealth from a particular personality. Allah has rejected both and said: Do not worry about it. Allah is nearer to them and both are His followers. It is your duty to give correct evidence and after that all the matters are in His hands. You need not worry about it.
Verse 140
3.Generally people tend not to do anything that would displease the society. These kinds of people were in Mecca and they are criticized in Surah Anam. Some were born in Medina and this verse of Quran warned them. Muslims are given the complete law of social standards of living and are warned: Be careful! Do not join sinful society and do not try to sit where Islam is ridiculed. Otherwise you will also be counted as one of them and you will be among the hypocrites who on the Doomsday will be gathered with the infidels.
Footnotes
Explanations of words and phrases in these verses
- 1
The meaning of ‘in’ means of. That is you must avoid following the base desires so that you may become just.
- 2
The meaning of ‘Ii’ is to wrap or twist that is. We must not twist the words when we are giving testimony, or the actual meaning may be lost.
Benefit
The addressing of Amanoo in 136th ayat is either towards the people of the book who do not believe in any other book or it is to the Muslims who had a taken belief. They did not have faith in the details. Hence they are being invited towards comprehensive faith.
- 3
Intensity in disbelief and such a bias that remains till the last moments of the life and the person dies in this very condition.
- 4
The way is obviously the path to Paradise and guidance. And Allah not guiding does not mean that He misleads the people. It means that these people are not capable to receive guidance. Hence now the way of Paradise also cannot be shown to them.
Benefit
A question arises here that the Angels one only one type of Allah’s creatures. Why is it necessary to have faith in them? But the fact is that it means the Angels of revelation or the Angels who one entrusted with the working of the Universe. In both the cases it is necessary to have belief in them. It is an article of faith and it is the part of belief in Allah’s wisdom and predestination.