| An-Nisa' : ( 32 ) And do not wish for that...

( And do not wish for that by which Allah has made some of you exceed others. ) Al-Qaffal said: When Allah, the Exalted, forbade consuming the wealth of people unjustly and killing souls, He followed it with a prohibition against what leads to those acts, namely, coveting their wealth. It is also said: He first forbade them from infringing upon their wealth with their physical limbs, and then from infringing upon it with their hearts by way of envy, so that their outward and inward deeds might be purified.

Thus, the meaning is: Do not wish for what Allah, the Exalted, has given ( some of you ) and distinguished ( by it ) over you, whether it be wealth, status, or anything else in which people compete. For that is a distribution issued by the Wise, the All-Aware; and it is incumbent upon everyone over whom others have been favored to be content with what has been apportioned to him, and not to wish for the share of the favored one, nor to envy him. For that is akin to objecting to Him who perfected all things and made them precise, and who manages the world with His absolute wisdom and order. And the most wretched of Allah’s creation is one who spends the night ( envious ) of one who spends the night basking in His bounties.

Ibn Abbas and Abu Abdullah—may Allah, the Exalted, be pleased with them—followed this interpretation. It has been narrated from them regarding the verse: "Let no one among you say, 'I wish that the wealth, bounty, and beautiful wife given to so-and-so were mine,' for that is envy. Rather, let him say: 'O Allah, grant me the like of it.'" From this, it is understood that the aforementioned "wishing" is a metonymy for envy. Some consider the reason for the prohibition to be that it is a precursor (a dhari’ah) to envy, and every perspective has its direction.

Al-Balkhi claimed that the meaning is: It is not permissible for a man to wish that he were a woman, nor for a woman to wish that she were a man, because Allah, the Exalted, does not do anything except that which is most appropriate (al-aslah), and thus one would be wishing for that which is not most appropriate.

Shaykh al-Islam reported that when Allah assigned to the male the share of two females, the women said: "We are more in need of having two shares while men have one, for we are weak and they are strong and more capable of seeking a livelihood than us." Then this was revealed. He added: This is more suitable for explaining the prohibition with His statement: ( For men is a share of what they have earned, and for women is a share of what they have earned. ) For it is explicit that the wishing occurs between the two factions of men and women. Perhaps the masculine form in the prohibition is used because the women were referred to as "some" (part of the whole). The meaning is that for each of the two groups, there is a share in the inheritance of a specific amount, based on what they have attained according to their capacity. This has been expressed as "earning" (al-iktisab) based on a subordinate metaphor, built upon a comparison necessitated by one's state toward his share, treating it as his "earning," to emphasize the entitlement of each to his share and to strengthen its exclusivity so that it does not extend to another. This is what necessitates ceasing from the aforementioned wishing. This is the end of his words.

This meaning he mentioned for the verse is narrated from Ibn Abbas—may Allah be pleased with them—but the "it is said" (qil) that he reported following Al-Zamakhshari regarding the reason for revelation, we have not found a chain of narration for it. That which Al-Wahidi mentioned regarding it consists of three reports:

1. What he narrated from Mujahid who said: Umm Salama said: "O Messenger of Allah, men go on expeditions while we do not, and we only receive half the inheritance." Then Allah, the Exalted, revealed the verse.
2. What he narrated from Ikrimah that the women asked for [participation in] Jihad, saying: "We wish that Allah had granted us the expedition so we could attain a share of the reward as the men do." Then it was revealed.
3. What he narrated from Qatadah and Al-Suddi, who said: When the saying of Allah, the Exalted, ( For the male is like the portion of two females ) was revealed, the men said: "We hope to be favored over the women by our good deeds, just as we have been favored over them in inheritance, so our reward will be double the reward of the women." And the women said: "We hope that the burden of sins upon us will be half of that upon the men in the Hereafter, just as we have inheritance at half their share in this world." Then Allah, the Exalted, revealed ( And do not wish... ) to the end of it.

Al-Jalal al-Suyuti mentioned something similar in Al-Durr al-Manthur. It is not hidden that the "it is said" reported by him is clear in construing the prohibited wishing as envy. The first and second reports narrated by Al-Wahidi are not necessarily so, as according to them, it is permissible to construe it as envy or as that which is a precursor to it. Perhaps it appears that construing it as the latter, in view of them, is more evident. As for the third report, the meaning of the verse rejects it, whether the wishing is a metonymy for envy or a precursor, except through very far-fetched interpretation.

The meaning of the verse according to the first two [reports] is that for each man and woman, there is a share of reward according to what Allah, the Exalted, has obligated them of acts of obedience, through His perfect management. So, do not wish for the opposite of this management. This has been narrated from Qatadah, and in it is the usage of "earning" (al-iktisab) for good, although it has been used for evil. "Earning" (al-kasb) has been used for good in His saying: ( For it is what it has earned, and against it is what it has committed ).

From Muqatil and Abu Jarir, it is said that the meaning is: "what they have earned of sin." But this involves the usage of the particle lam with evil instead of ala (against), which is the opposite of what is in the verse. It is said: The meaning is that for each of the two groups, and against each, is an amount of reward and punishment according to what the Wise has arranged for their actions, except that He sufficed with the lam for ala and with "earning" (al-iktisab) for "earning" (al-kasb), and this is as you see. A rebuttal to these meanings is that the noble structure related to inheritances and the virtues of men does not support them. Perhaps those who hold these views consider the verse to be an interjection in the middle.

Some mentioned that the meaning of the verse according to the first perspective narrated from Abu Abdullah and Ibn Abbas—may Allah be pleased with them—is that for each group of men and women, there is a share destined in the pre-eternity of the luxuries of the world through trade, agriculture, and other earnings, so do not wish for the opposite of what was apportioned to him.

( And ask Allah of His bounty ) is a conjunction to the prohibition after establishing the cessation [of wishing] by providing the cause. As if it were said: Do not wish for the share of others, and do not envy those who have been favored over you; rather, ask Allah, the Exalted, for His additional favor and multiplied grace, for His treasures are full and never run out. The object is omitted to indicate generality, meaning: "Ask for whatever you wish, for He, the Glorified, will grant it to you if He wills," or because it is understood from the context, meaning: "Ask for the like of it." This is called ghibtah (emulation without malice). It is said: ( min ) is redundant, meaning: "And ask Allah, the Exalted, for His bounty." It has been reported in a narration: "Let none of you wish for the wealth of his brother; rather let him say: 'O Allah, provide for me, O Allah, grant me the like of it.'"

Some scholars held the view, as stated in Al-Bahr, that it is prohibited to wish for the like of another's bounty, even without wishing for its cessation, because that bounty might be a corruption for him in his religion and a harm to him in his worldly life. Thus, in his view, it is not permissible for him to say: "O Allah, give me a house like the house of so-and-so, nor a spouse like his spouse." Rather, he ought to say: "O Allah, grant me that which is appropriate for me in my religion, my world, my afterlife, and my livelihood," and not concern himself with those whom He has favored over him. This is attributed to the Muhaqqiqin (the researchers/verifiers), though they are countered by the narration, unless they do not accept its authenticity.

It is said: The meaning is not to wish for the world, but to ask Allah, the Exalted, for the worship that draws you near to Him. Ibn Jubayr and Ibn Sirin leaned toward this. Ibn al-Mundhir narrated from the latter that when he would hear a man wishing for the world, he would say: "Allah, the Exalted, has forbidden you from this," and recite the verse. The apparent meaning is general. From the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, he said: "Ask Allah, the Exalted, of His bounty, for Allah, the Exalted, loves to be asked, and one of the best forms of worship is anticipating relief." Ibn 'Uyaynah said: Allah, the Glorified, did not command asking except that He might give.

( Indeed, Allah is ever, of all things, Knowing. ) And for that reason, He favored some people over others according to the ranks of their readiness and the disparity of their capacities. It is also possible that the meaning is that He, the Exalted, has always been and will always be Knowing of all things, so He knows what you conceal of envy and will recompense you for it.