Tafsir of An-Nisa' 4:170

(A call to all those accountable, after He, Exalted is He, recounted to His Messenger (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) the Jews' indulgence in fallacies and their invalid proposals out of obstinacy, and after He, Majestic is His glory, responded to them with what was revealed and emphasized it with that which He emphasized. The address is directed to them, commanding them to believe, coupled with a threat, after alerting them that the clear path has been made manifest and the proof has been established, leaving no one any excuse for accepting it.)

It has been said: The address is to the people of Mecca, because "O Mankind" whenever it occurs in the Quran refers to them. It is not hidden, however, that generalization is more appropriate, and what is mentioned is in the realm of deduction, even if it is narrated from some of the predecessors that it is based on the majority. It is also said: It is for the disbelievers generally, keeping the command on its literal meaning, and there is no need to interpret it to encompass new events and the established ones.

(The Messenger has come to you), meaning Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace). His being mentioned—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—under the title of "Messenger" is to emphasize the obligation of obeying him.

(With the truth), that is, clothed in it. It has been interpreted as the Quran, the religion of Islam, or the testimony of monotheism. It is permissible that the ba (in bil-haqq) is for transitive or causative purposes, related to "came," meaning: He came to you due to the establishment of the truth.

His saying, Exalted is He: (From your Lord), is related either to the verb as well, or to an implied state (hal) of the truth: meaning he came to you with it from Allah, the Exalted, or it being from Him, Exalted is He. The mention of the title of Lordship, while being annexed to the pronoun of the addressees, is to notify them that this is for their upbringing and bringing them to the perfection befitting them, as an incentive for them to comply with the command that follows, just as mentioning the sentence is a precursor to what follows it. It is said: It is a repetition of the testimony, a confirmation of that which is testified to, and a foundation for what has been mentioned.

(So believe), that is, in the Messenger (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) and in the truth he brought. The fa (so) is to indicate the necessity of what preceded it for what follows it.

His saying, Exalted is He: (It is better for you), is in the accusative case due to an obligatorily omitted verb, the estimated meaning being: "Do" or "Adopt" [belief], for it is better for you. Al-Khalil and Sibawayh held this view. Al-Farra’ held that it is an adjective for an implied verbal noun, i.e., "Believe a belief that is better for you." An objection was raised against this, namely that it implies belief is divided into "good" and "non-good." It was defended by saying that it is an emphatic adjective and that the concept of the adjective might not be considered; and if it is considered, it might be said: its mention is a veiled rebuke to the People of the Book, for they have faith in some of what must be believed—such as the Last Day—yet it is not "better" as it was not in the acceptable manner.

Al-Kisa’i and Abu Ubayd held that it is the predicate of an implied kana (to be), the estimation being: "Belief would be better for you." This was rejected on the grounds that kana is not omitted with its noun while keeping its predicate except in places that require it, and that the implied predicate is the response to an omitted conditional, so it would necessitate the omission of both the condition and its response, for the estimation is: "If you believe, belief would be better." It was answered that restricting the omission of kana and its noun to specific places is not accepted by this proponent, and that the necessity of omitting the condition and its response is based on the condition being an implied one. If we say that it is based on the matter itself and its sisters—as is the position of some grammarians—this objection does not arise. Makki narrated from some Kufans that it is in the accusative as a state (hal), but this is remote.

(But if you disbelieve, then to Allah belongs whatever is in the heavens and the earth)—among the existing beings that were included within their reality, and thereby the state of their own selves is known in the most eloquent and emphatic way, or those existing outside them but established within them, whether they be rational beings or otherwise. The addressees are included in this primarily. That is, all of this belongs to Him, Exalted is He, by creation, ownership, and disposal, and not a speck or less than that escapes His dominion and subjugation. The sentence is a proof for the response, placed in its stead because its content was established before their disbelief, so it is not suitable as a response. The estimation is: "If you disbelieve, He, Exalted is He, is capable of punishing you for your disbelief, because to Him, Majestic is His glory, belongs what is in the heavens and the earth," or "He is independent of you and is not harmed by your disbelief, just as He is not benefited by your belief."

Some said: The estimation is: "If you disbelieve, then you have contradicted your own intellects; for to Allah, Exalted is He, belongs all that points to the falsity of your state and belief, so how can disbelief in Him come about?" It is also said: The estimation is: "If you disbelieve, then He has other slaves who do not disbelieve, but rather worship Him and submit to His command," though this is not without remoteness.

(And Allah is ever Knowing) of the states of everyone, and their disbelief is included in this primarily, (Wise) in all His statements and decrees, and the punishment of those who disbelieve is also included in this.