Ruh al-Ma'ani on An-Nisa' 4:104

Surah An-Nisa' 4:104

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ﲜ ﲝ ﲞ ﲟ ﲠ ﲡ ﲢ ﲣ ﲤ ﲥ ﲦ ﲧ ﲨ ﲩ ﲪ ﲫ ﲬ ﲭ ﲮ ﲯ ﲰ ﲱ ﲲ ﲳ ﲴ

And do not weaken in pursuit of the enemy. If you should be suffering - so are they suffering as you are suffering, but you expect from Allah that which they expect not. And Allah is ever Knowing and Wise.

{Wa lā tahinū fī ibtighā’i al-qawm} Meaning: Do not weaken and do not be sluggish in pursuing the disbelievers for combat.

{In takūnū ta’lamūna fa-innahum ya’lamūna kamā ta’lamūna} This is a justification for the prohibition and an encouragement to them. It means that the pain you suffer is not exclusive to you; rather, the matter is shared between you and them. Furthermore, they endure that pain, so why should you not endure it? You are more deserving of patience than them, as you hope and aspire from Allah the Almighty for things that do not even cross their minds: the triumph of your true religion over all other false religions, and the abundant reward and lasting bliss in the Hereafter.

It has been suggested that the "hope" (rajā’) could be interpreted as "fear" (khawf). The meaning would then be: pain should not hinder you, because you have a fear of Allah the Almighty that requires caution—a caution exceeding that which one takes against physical pain—whereas they have no fear [of God] that compels them to endure pain, yet they choose it [anyway] to exalt their false religion. So, what is the reason for your weakness? This, however, is not devoid of far-fetchedness. Even further-fetched is the claim that the meaning is that pain is a common denominator, and that you worship a God who is All-Knowing, All-Powerful, All-Hearing, and All-Seeing, from whom one can rightfully hope, while they worship idols from which no good is hoped for and no evil is feared.

‘Abd al-Rahmān al-A‘raj read an takūnū with a fathah on the hamzah, meaning: Do not weaken because you are in pain. His saying, "Then they are in pain," is a justification for the prohibition of weakness due to that [pain]. It was also recited as ta’lamūna and ya’lamūna with a kasrah on the prefix letters.

It is said that this verse was revealed regarding the march to the Lesser Badr for the appointment with Abū Sufyān on the day of Uhud. Others say it was revealed on the day of Uhud regarding the pursuit of Abū Sufyān and his army toward Hamrā’ al-Asad; this is narrated from ‘Ikrimah.

{Wa kāna Allāhu ‘alīman} Exaggerating in knowledge, He knows your interests and your deeds—both what you reveal of them and what you conceal.

{Hakīman} In what He commands and prohibits. Strive, therefore, to comply with that, for in it lie praiseworthy consequences and the attainment of one's objective.

Tafsir of An-Nisa' 4:104

Ruh al-Ma'ani

{Wa lā tahinū fī ibtighā’i al-qawm} Meaning: Do not weaken and do not be sluggish in pursuing the disbelievers for combat.

{Wa kāna Allāhu ‘alīman} Exaggerating in knowledge, He knows your interests and your deeds—both what you reveal of them and what you conceal.

{Hakīman} In what He commands and prohibits. Strive, therefore, to comply with that, for in it lie praiseworthy consequences and the attainment of one's objective.