Tafsir of An-Nisa' 4:81

(And they say: "Obedience") The pronoun refers to the hypocrites, as reported from Ibn Abbas—may Allah be pleased with them both—as well as al-Hasan and al-Suddi. It is also said that it refers to the Muslims about whom it was narrated that they fear people as they fear Allah. That is, when you command them to do something, they say: ("Obedience"), meaning: "Our affair and our state is obedience." This is based on it being a predicate for an obligatorily omitted subject. The estimation "Your obedience is obedience" as a predicate for an obligatorily omitted subject is contrary to the apparent meaning. It may also mean "Our obedience" or "From us is obedience," as a subject whose predicate is omitted. Originally, it should have been in the accusative case (an infinitive acting as a verb), as a lover would say: "Listening and obeying!" However, the nominative case is permissible in such instances—as Sibawayh explicitly stated—to indicate that it is a quality established for them prior to the response.

("But when they leave you"), meaning when they depart from your gathering and separate from you, ("a party of them"), meaning a group of them—specifically their leaders—("conspire"). "Tabyit" (conspiring/plotting) comes either from baytuta (spending the night), because the action is planned and resolved upon at night—from which comes the "tabyit" (nocturnal intention) of fasting; it is said: "This is an affair plotted at night." Or, it comes from the bayt (verse) of poetry, because the poet plans and arranges it. Or, it comes from a built bayt (house), because it is arranged and planned—though this is far-fetched, even if al-Raghib established it linguistically. The intent is: they falsify and arrange ("at night something other than what you say"), meaning something contrary to what you told them or what they told you of acceptance and guaranteeing obedience. The shift from the past tense is to imply continuity. Attributing the action to a "party of them" is to show that they are the ones specifically initiating it, while the rest are their followers in that, not because the others are firm in obedience. The verb is masculine because the feminine subject (ta’ifa) is not a true feminine. Abu ‘Amr and Hamza recited bayyita with idgham (assimilation) due to the proximity of the two letters in their point of articulation. Some researchers noted that idgham here is contrary to the origin and the rule, and no other moving ta has been assimilated except this one.

("And Allah records what they plot"), meaning He writes it in their scrolls to recompense them for it, or [He writes it] in what He reveals to you, so He informs you of their secrets and exposes them, as al-Zajjaj said. The intent in the first interpretation is to threaten them, and in the second, to warn them.

("So turn away from them"), meaning keep your distance from them and do not seek to take revenge upon them, or show less concern for them. The fa (so) indicates that the preceding [revelation] is the cause for what follows.

("And rely upon Allah"), meaning entrust your affairs to Him and trust in Him in all your matters, especially regarding their affair. The mention of the Majestic Name is to signal the reason for the ruling.

("And sufficient is Allah as a Disposer of affairs"), managing what has been entrusted to Him of planning, so He suffices you against their harm and takes revenge for you against them. The explicit mention of the Name [of Allah] is for what preceded and to signify that the sentence is independent and sufficient in every way from everything else.