Anwar Al-Quran

Verses 148–154

4. An-Nisaa · The Women

Madinan176 verses

۞ لَّا يُحِبُّ ٱللَّهُ ٱلْجَهْرَ بِٱلسُّوٓءِ مِنَ ٱلْقَوْلِ إِلَّا مَن ظُلِمَ ۚ وَكَانَ ٱللَّهُ سَمِيعًا عَلِيمًا

4:148Allah does not like the disclosure of [anyone’s] evil [conduct] in speech except by someone who has been wronged, and Allah is all-hearing, all-knowing.1

إِن تُبْدُوا۟ خَيْرًا أَوْ تُخْفُوهُ أَوْ تَعْفُوا۟ عَن سُوٓءٍۢ فَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ كَانَ عَفُوًّۭا قَدِيرًا

4:149Whether you disclose a good [deed that you do] or hide it, or excuse an evil [deed], Allah is indeed all-excusing, all-powerful.

إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ يَكْفُرُونَ بِٱللَّهِ وَرُسُلِهِۦ وَيُرِيدُونَ أَن يُفَرِّقُوا۟ بَيْنَ ٱللَّهِ وَرُسُلِهِۦ وَيَقُولُونَ نُؤْمِنُ بِبَعْضٍۢ وَنَكْفُرُ بِبَعْضٍۢ وَيُرِيدُونَ أَن يَتَّخِذُوا۟ بَيْنَ ذَٰلِكَ سَبِيلًا

4:150Those who disbelieve in Allah and His apostles and seek to separate Allah from His apostles, and say, ‘We believe in some and disbelieve in some’ and seek to take a way in between2

أُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلْكَٰفِرُونَ حَقًّۭا ۚ وَأَعْتَدْنَا لِلْكَٰفِرِينَ عَذَابًۭا مُّهِينًۭا

4:151—it is they who are truly faithless, and We have prepared for the faithless a humiliating punishment.

وَٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ بِٱللَّهِ وَرُسُلِهِۦ وَلَمْ يُفَرِّقُوا۟ بَيْنَ أَحَدٍۢ مِّنْهُمْ أُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ سَوْفَ يُؤْتِيهِمْ أُجُورَهُمْ ۗ وَكَانَ ٱللَّهُ غَفُورًۭا رَّحِيمًۭا

4:152But those who have faith in Allah and His apostles and make no distinction between any of them—them He will soon give their rewards, and Allah is all-forgiving, all-merciful.

يَسْـَٔلُكَ أَهْلُ ٱلْكِتَٰبِ أَن تُنَزِّلَ عَلَيْهِمْ كِتَٰبًۭا مِّنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ ۚ فَقَدْ سَأَلُوا۟ مُوسَىٰٓ أَكْبَرَ مِن ذَٰلِكَ فَقَالُوٓا۟ أَرِنَا ٱللَّهَ جَهْرَةًۭ فَأَخَذَتْهُمُ ٱلصَّٰعِقَةُ بِظُلْمِهِمْ ۚ ثُمَّ ٱتَّخَذُوا۟ ٱلْعِجْلَ مِنۢ بَعْدِ مَا جَآءَتْهُمُ ٱلْبَيِّنَٰتُ فَعَفَوْنَا عَن ذَٰلِكَ ۚ وَءَاتَيْنَا مُوسَىٰ سُلْطَٰنًۭا مُّبِينًۭا

4:153The People of the Book ask you to bring down for them a Book from the sky. Certainly they asked Moses for [something] greater than that, for they said, ‘Show us Allah visibly,’ whereat a thunderbolt seized them for their wrongdoing. Then they took up the Calf [for worship], after all the manifest proofs that had come to them. Yet We excused that, and We gave Moses a manifest authority.3

وَرَفَعْنَا فَوْقَهُمُ ٱلطُّورَ بِمِيثَٰقِهِمْ وَقُلْنَا لَهُمُ ٱدْخُلُوا۟ ٱلْبَابَ سُجَّدًۭا وَقُلْنَا لَهُمْ لَا تَعْدُوا۟ فِى ٱلسَّبْتِ وَأَخَذْنَا مِنْهُم مِّيثَٰقًا غَلِيظًۭا

4:154And We raised the Mount above them for the sake of their covenant, and We said to them, ‘Enter the gate prostrating’ and We said to them, ‘Do not violate the Sabbath,’ and We took from them a solemn covenant.

Tafsir

Commentary on this passage

Verse 148

1.Backbiting or slandering anyone is a great sin. In the language of Quran it is likened to eating the flesh of a dead brother but this similarity carries a few exceptions along with it. Complaint of an oppressed is one of them. He can raise his voice to protest against the cruel person whether his tyranny is individual or collective and from this verse of Quran. legality becomes manifest to protest against the ruler and oppressed gets right to criticise openly. But it is not permissible if it produces another conflict in itself because Islam does not settle disputes with other disputes.

Verse 153

2.The believers have right to requisition of miracles but the term is that intention should be to believe and understand the truth otherwise if request for new miracles is for entertainment or request is for impossible thing, it is not necessary to fulfill it but necessary to prevent it so that the feelings can be created in mind to believe in Prophet and feelings should not be created in mind to make other people believe in us. In today’s world, we notice a few of the people becoming Muslims to attain their desires from the Prophet or Imam and when they do not get their wishes fulfilled at the proper time or Prophet or Imam himself requisites the religious tax or one fifth part of their income then these people deviate from their faith and they are surprised at the restrictions because they are conceited people, they do not believe in rules. Islam means to obey and accept a suggestion but one cannot force others to believe in it.

Footnotes

Explanations of words and phrases in these verses

  1. 1

    Backbiting is serious sin in Islam however the oppressed ones are exempted from it.

  2. Benefit

    The 149th ayat apparently says that pardoning of the oppressor by the oppressed one will encourage further oppression, and consequently there shall be more injustice in the world. But the actual fact is that it is applicable when injustice has been completely defeated and there is no chance of its raising its head again. Otherwise an uprising against injustice is an important Islamic duty.

  3. 2

    This concerns the Jews who believed in Moosa (a.s.) but denied Hazrat Isa (a.s.) and the Prophet of Islam (s.a.w.s.). It also concerns the Christians who believed in Isa (a.s.) butwho denied the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.).

  4. 3

    The Jews used to tell the Prophet (s.a.w.s.) that they would not believe in him till the complete book is revealed on him like the complete Taurat was revealed to Moosa (a.s.). The Almighty answers that He had fulfilled all their previous demands but they did not bring faith so the Prophet (s.a.) should ignore their demands now. Although the Jews of Medina were not those who had demanded Moosa (s.a.) to show them Allah, but since they were the followers of the same creed they were partners in that deed.