Tafsir of An-Nahl 16:90

{ Indeed, Allah enjoins... }

{ Indeed, Allah enjoins }—that is, in what He has revealed to you as an explanation for all things (the preference for the future tense here and in what follows serves to denote renewal and continuity)—{ justice }: that is, observing the middle path between the two extremes of excess and deficiency. This is the pinnacle of all virtues, under which are subsumed: the virtue of the royal intellect, which is wisdom, standing between foolhardiness and stupidity; the virtue of the bestial appetitive power, which is temperance, standing between profligacy and frigidity; and the virtue of the predatory irascible power, which is courage, standing between recklessness and cowardice. Among the intellectual virtues is monotheism, the middle path between ta’til (denying the Attributes) and the negation of craftsmanship—as the Dahriyyah (materialists) claim—and tashrik (polytheism), as the Dualists and idolaters claim. Ibn Abbas limited his interpretation of "justice" to this, according to reports narrated from him by al-Bayhaqi in al-Asma’ wa al-Sifat, as well as by Ibn Jarir, Ibn al-Mundhir, and others. Some added to this the concept of kasb (acquisition), the middle path between pure predestination and qadar (the negation of divine decree). Among the practical virtues is the performance of obligatory acts, the middle path between idleness and abandoning work—under the delusion that it is useless, as some heretics have claimed—and the asceticism of abandoning permissible things in imitation of monks. Among the moral virtues is generosity, the middle path between stinginess and extravagance. It is reported from Sufyan ibn Uyaynah that justice is the alignment of one’s inner state with one’s outward appearance in action. Ibn Abi Hatim recorded from Muhammad ibn Ka‘b al-Qurazi that he said: Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz summoned me and said: "Describe justice to me." I replied: "You have asked about a momentous matter. Be a father to the young, a son to the old, a brother to your peers, and the same to women. Punish people according to their sins and according to their strength, and do not strike a single lash out of anger, lest you be among the transgressors." Perhaps this examination of the term is the most appropriate for the context of the questioner; otherwise, what was mentioned earlier in its interpretation is more primary.

{ And benevolence }—that is, the benevolence of deeds and worship, meaning to perform them in the fitting manner. This is either in terms of quality, as indicated by the Hadith narrated by al-Bukhari: "Benevolence (ihsan) is that you worship Allah as if you see Him, for if you do not see Him, He sees you," or in terms of quantity, such as performing voluntary acts to compensate for the deficiencies in the obligatory ones. It is also permissible that "benevolence" here refers to benevolence toward others (al-ihsan al-muta‘addi bi-ila), not the intransitive form; for one says "he did benevolence" (ahsana-hu) and "he did benevolence to him" (ahsana ilayhi). Thus, it means kindness to people and bestowing favors upon them. Ibn al-Najjar recorded in his History through the ‘Ukli from his father, who said: Ali ibn Abi Talib—may Allah honor his face—passed by some people who were speaking, and he said: "What are you discussing?" They replied: "We are discussing chivalry (muruwwah)." He said: "Has Allah not sufficed you in His Book, when He says: { Indeed, Allah enjoins justice and benevolence }? Justice is fairness, and benevolence is bestowing favors. What remains after this?" The highest rank of benevolence in this sense is kindness to those who mistreat you, which our Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—has commanded. Ibn Abi Hatim recorded from al-Sha‘bi that he said: Jesus, son of Mary—peace be upon him—said: "True benevolence is that you treat with kindness the one who mistreats you; it is not benevolence to treat only those who are kind to you." Ibn Abbas—may Allah be pleased with both of them—after interpreting "justice" as monotheism, interpreted "benevolence" as the performance of the religious obligations, thereby treating benevolence as transitive. It has also been said: Justice is to act fairly and demand fairness, while benevolence is to act fairly without demanding fairness. It is also said: Justice is in deeds, and benevolence is in words.

{ And giving to the kinsfolk }—that is, giving relatives their rights of connection and goodness. This is included under justice or benevolence, but it is explicitly mentioned here to emphasize its importance. The apparent meaning is that the "kinsfolk" encompasses all relatives, whether through the mother's or the father's side. This is what is meant by "those of the wombs" (dhawi al-arham) whose connection the Lawgiver—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—has urged, according to the more correct view. Others say "those of the wombs" refers specifically to relatives through the mother. al-Tabarsi mentions that it is narrated from Ja‘far that what is meant by "kinsfolk" here are the relatives of the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—who are referred to in His saying: { ...for Allah, and for the Messenger, and for the kinsfolk }.

{ And He forbids indecency }: exceeding the limits in pursuing the appetitive power, such as adultery. Ibn Abbas—may Allah be pleased with both of them—interpreted indecency as this, and perhaps it is an example, not an exclusive definition.

{ And the detestable } (al-munkar): that which is rejected from the one who practices it, arising from excess in manifesting the irascible power. It is narrated from Ibn Abbas and Muqatil that they interpreted it as polytheism; from Ibn al-Sa’ib that it is that for which the Fire has been promised; and from Ibn Uyaynah that it is the divergence of one's inner state from one's outward appearance. It has also been said: It is that which does not warrant a legal penalty (hadd) in this world but warrants punishment in the Hereafter. al-Zamakhshari said: "It is that which is rejected by human intellects," which Ibn al-Munir followed up by saying: "This is a nod to the Mu‘tazilite doctrine. If he had said, 'The detestable is what the Law (Sharia) has rejected,' he would have agreed with the truth, but he does not abandon the innovation of the Mu‘tazila regarding the determination of good and evil by intellect." In al-Kashf, after mentioning his statement, it is said: "That is, after reducing it to the principles of the Law, the rejection by intellect is necessary; the dispute is only in its source." The intent is that what can be interpreted according to both schools should not be the subject of contentiousness—this being a veiled criticism of Ibn al-Munir. Abu Hayyan considered it more likely that "the detestable" is more general than "indecency," saying: "Because it encompasses sins and vices," and regarding the first, the matter is as stated.

{ And transgression } (al-baghy): arrogance, seizing control over people, and oppressing them. It is one of the effects of the satanic illusory power, which is the result of the vices of the two aforementioned powers: the appetitive and the irascible. The root meaning of al-baghy is seeking, then it became specific to seeking to act haughtily through oppression and aggression. It is for this reason that it was interpreted as it was, and in this way Ibn Abbas—may Allah be pleased with both of them—interpreted it. The specification of each of the three forbidden items to one of the three powers is a position held by more than one scholar. It was objected that there is no evidence for this. Some said: "The detestable" is the most general of the three, as it refers to anything that the Law rejects and deems ugly in speech or deed, whether its ugliness or corruption is great or small, and whether it affects others or not. "Indecency" refers to that which has great ugliness among these acts; hence, it is said of extreme stinginess that it is "indecent" (fahish). On this, al-Raghib interpreted the poet’s saying: "I see death seeking out the noble and choosing the best of the wealth of the miserly, the excessive." "Transgression" is acting haughtily through oppression and aggression. Thus, the verse contains the linking of the general to the specific and the specific to the general. It is also said: "Indecency" is the opposite of "justice," and is interpreted as that which deviates from the course of moderation toward the side of excess. "The detestable" is the opposite of "benevolence," and is interpreted as that which is brought forth in an unfitting manner, in a way that is rejected and deemed ugly. "Transgression" is the opposite of "giving to the kinsfolk," and is interpreted as having brought into the verse a prohibition corresponding to the command. Each of the commanded acts is the opposite of the prohibited acts, and the coupling of command and prohibition—even though commanding a thing is forbidding its opposite, and forbidding a thing is commanding its opposite—is for the sake of increased emphasis and concern.

Imam al-Razi has extended his discussion in this place and mentioned that the manifest meaning of the verse requires a distinction between the three commanded things, and also requires a distinction between the three prohibited things. He began by clarifying the distinction between the former, then said: "In summary, 'justice' is the obligatory amount of good deeds, and 'benevolence' is the increase in acts of obedience in terms of quantity, quality, motives, distractions, and the absorption in witnessing the station of servitude and Lordship. Included in its interpretation is the magnification of Allah’s command and compassion for His creation." It is obvious that compassion for creation has many divisions, the noblest and most exalted of which is maintaining family ties; thus, He specifically mentioned it separately. Then he began to clarify the distinction between the latter and said: "The detailed discussion on this is that Allah has deposited in the human soul four powers: the bestial appetitive, the predatory irascible, the satanic illusory, and the royal intellectual. This last one does not need refining, as it is from the essence of the angels—peace be upon them—and the outcomes of the holy, celestial spirits. What needs refining are the three preceding it. Since the first, meaning the appetitive power, only desires the acquisition of appetitive pleasures—and this type is specifically named 'indecency' (fuhsh), as seen in the fact that Allah called adultery 'indecency'—He pointed to its refinement by His saying: { And He forbids indecency }, meaning the prohibition of acquiring appetitive pleasures that fall outside the permission of the Law. Since the second, meaning the predatory irascible power, always strives to bring evil, calamity, and harm to other people, He pointed to its refinement by forbidding 'the detestable,' for there is no doubt that people reject that state. Thus, 'the detestable' is the excess occurring in the effects of the irascible power. Since the third, meaning the satanic illusory power, always strives to act haughtily over people, to be arrogant, and to display leadership and advancement, He pointed to its refinement by forbidding 'transgression,' for it has no meaning other than haughtiness and arrogance over people." Then he said: "Among the wonders in this chapter is that the wise have said: the basest of these three powers is the appetitive, the middle is the irascible, and the highest is the illusory. Allah—the Exalted—observed this order, for He began by mentioning 'indecency,' which is the result of the appetitive power; then 'the detestable,' which is the result of the irascible power; then 'transgression,' which is the result of the illusory power." What was mentioned from others is taken from this. Let it be examined whether the evidence for specification is established by what he formulated, thus resolving the previous objection or not. Furthermore, the apparent meaning is that the coupling of "transgression" to what preceded it is like the coupling of "giving to the kinsfolk" to what preceded it.

In short, the verse—as al-Bukhari recorded in al-Adab, al-Bayhaqi in Shu‘ab al-Iman, and al-Hakim, who authenticated it, from Ibn Mas‘ud—is the most comprehensive verse for good and evil. al-Bayhaqi also recorded the like of this from al-Hasan. al-Bawardi and Abu Nu‘aym recorded in Ma‘rifat al-Sahaba from ‘Abd al-Malik ibn ‘Umayr that it reached Aktham ibn Sayfi that the Messenger of Allah—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—had emerged, so he wanted to go to him. He came to his people, and two men volunteered and went to the Messenger of Allah—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—and said: "We are the messengers of Aktham, asking you: Who are you and what have you brought?" The Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—said: "I am Muhammad ibn ‘Abdullah, the servant of Allah and His messenger," then he recited this verse to them: { Indeed, Allah enjoins... } etc. They said: "Repeat this word to us." He—peace and blessings be upon him—repeated it to them until they memorized it. They went to Aktham and informed him. When he heard the verse, he said: "I see him enjoining noble moralities and forbidding their opposites, so be heads in this matter and do not be tails." This verse also became—as Ahmad, al-Tabarani, and al-Bukhari recorded in al-Adab from Ibn Abbas—the cause for the establishment of faith in the heart of ‘Uthman ibn Maz‘un and his love for the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace. Because of the things it gathered, ‘Umar ibn ‘Abd al-‘Aziz, when the Caliphate came to him, used it in place of what the Umayyads—may Allah’s anger be upon them—used to include at the end of their sermons: abusing Ali—may Allah honor his face—and cursing whoever loved him or supported him. This was one of his greatest achievements—may Allah be pleased with him. Many have said: "If there were nothing in the Quran other than this noble verse, it would have sufficed as an explanation for everything and as guidance." Perhaps its placement following His saying: { And We have revealed to you the Book } is to draw attention to it; for if one considers that it has gathered what it has gathered despite its brevity, the eyes of the insights awaken and are moved to look into what is beyond it. Ahmad ibn ‘Uthman ibn Abi al-‘As recorded that he said: "I was sitting with the Messenger of Allah—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—when his gaze became fixed and he said: 'Gabriel—peace be upon him—came to me and ordered me to place this verse in this position: Indeed, Allah enjoins... etc.'" It is used as evidence for a form of command that covers both the obligatory and the recommended, its locus being the common denominator, the verification of which is in the principles of jurisprudence.

{ He instructs you }—that is, He alerts you by what He enjoins and forbids, with the best of alerts. This is either a new sentence or a circumstantial clause relative to the pronoun in the two verbs. { That you may remember }—seeking that you take heed and become alert.