An-Nahl (The Bee): Verses 126–128

"And if you punish, punish with the like of that with which you were punished. But if you are patient, it is better for the patient." (16:126)

Issues in the Verse:

Al-Wahidi mentioned that there are three sayings regarding this verse:

The First Opinion (The General View): The Prophet (peace be upon him) saw Hamza (may Allah be pleased with him) mutilated and said, "By Allah, I will mutilate seventy of them in your place!" Then Gabriel (peace be upon him) descended with the concluding verses of Surah An-Nahl, and the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) restrained himself and stopped what he intended. This view is held by Ibn Abbas (in the narration of 'Ata), Ubayy ibn Ka'b, and Ash-Sha'bi. According to this view, the entirety of Surah An-Nahl is Meccan, except for these three verses.

The Second Opinion: This occurred before the command for fighting (Jihad with the sword) was revealed, when Muslims were only commanded to fight those who fought them, without initiating aggression, as stated in: "And fight in the way of Allah those who fight you, but do not transgress. Indeed, Allah does not like transgressors." (Al-Baqarah: 190). In this verse (16:126), Allah commanded them to retaliate only with the equivalent of the harm inflicted upon them, and not to exceed it.

The Third Opinion: The intent of this verse is to forbid the oppressed from taking more than what is due from the oppressor. This is the view of Mujahid, An-Nakha'i, and Ibn Sirin. Ibn Sirin said: "If a man takes something from you, take the like from him."

My Preferred View (Al-Razi's Analysis): To restrict this verse to a specific incident unrelated to the preceding context would imply a poor arrangement in the Divine Word, which is highly improbable. The sounder view is that Allah commanded Muhammad (PBUH) to call people to the true religion through one of three ways: wisdom, good admonition, or the best manner of argument. This call necessarily involves commanding them to abandon their forefathers' religion, judging it as disbelief and error. This naturally disturbs hearts and provokes listeners, often leading them to attack the caller—sometimes with killing, sometimes with striking, and sometimes with cursing. When the truth-seeker witnesses such foolishness and hears such disputes, his nature compels him to discipline those fools, sometimes by killing and sometimes by striking. At this juncture, the truthful ones are commanded to observe justice and fairness, and to refrain from excess. This is the correct interpretation upon which the verse must be based.

Addressing a Counter-Argument: If one asks: Does this invalidate the narration that the Prophet (PBUH) abandoned his intention of mutilation and broke his oath because of this verse? We reply: There is no need to invalidate that narration. We say that the incident falls under the general scope of this verse, so the verse can be used as evidence regarding that specific event. What is disputed is restricting the verse only to that event, as that would imply poor arrangement in the Divine Word.

Allah commanded the observance of justice and fairness in this verse, establishing it across four ranks:

The First Rank: "And if you punish, punish with the like of that with which you were punished." This means if you desire retribution, be content with the equivalent and do not exceed it, for taking excess is injustice, which is forbidden by Allah's justice and mercy. This phrase implicitly suggests that not retaliating is preferable, just as saying to a sick person, "If you eat fruit, eat apples," implies that it is better for him not to eat fruit at all. Allah hints at the preference for forbearance.

The Second Rank: Transitioning from implication to explicit statement: "But if you are patient, it is better for the patient." This explicitly states that refraining from vengeance is preferable, as mercy is superior to harshness, and benefiting others is better than causing them pain.

The Third Rank: A firm command to cease: "And be patient." In the second rank, forbearance was mentioned as better; in this third rank, the command for patience is stated definitively. Since patience in this context is difficult and severe, Allah immediately follows it with what facilitates it: "And your patience is not, except by Allah." Meaning, it is through His success and aid. This is the primary, ultimate cause for achieving patience and all forms of obedience. Following this ultimate cause, Allah mentions the proximate, specific cause: "And do not grieve over them, nor be distressed by what they plot." The human inclination toward vengeance and inflicting harm arises only from intense anger, which stems from one of two things:

1. Loss of a past benefit: Indicated by "And do not grieve over them," which can mean not grieving over the slain of Uhud, or not grieving over the loss of friends—ultimately relating to the loss of benefit.
2. Fear of future harm: Indicated by "nor be distressed by what they plot." Whoever understands these subtleties knows that no speech can be more perfectly structured for goodness and precision than this.

Linguistic Points within the Verse:

• First Point: Ibn Kathir recited "wa lā taku fi ḍīqin" (with a kasra on the ḍād), and similarly in An-Naml. The rest recited it with a fatḥa on the ḍād in both instances. The justification for the famous reading (with kasra) includes: Abu Ubaidah said ḍīq (with kasra) refers to scarcity of livelihood or dwelling, while ḍīq (with fatḥa) refers to distress in the heart. Abu 'Amr said ḍīq (with kasra) means hardship, and ḍīq (with fatḥa) means grief. Al-Qutaibi said ḍīq (with kasra) is a softening of ḍīq (with fatḥa), like hayyin and hayyin, or layyin and layyin. By this path, Ibn Kathir's reading is validated.
• Second Point: It was also read as "wa lā takun fi ḍīqin" (And do not be in distress).
• Third Point: The phrasing "wa lā taku fi ḍīqin" (And do not be in distress) is structurally inverted (as ḍīq is an attribute, and the attribute should be in the described, not the described in the attribute—i.e., distress should not be in you, rather you should not be in distress). However, the benefit of using this phrasing is that when distress becomes great and powerful, it surrounds a person from all sides, like a garment enveloping him. This meaning is intended by using this specific wording. (And Allah knows best.)

The Fourth Rank: "Indeed, Allah is with those who fear [Him] and those who are doers of good." This serves as a warning. In the first rank, refraining from vengeance was hinted at; in the second, the hint turned to explicit statement ("But if you are patient, it is better for the patient"); in the third, the command for patience was firm; and in this fourth rank, the threat regarding taking vengeance is mentioned: "Indeed, Allah is with those who fear [Him]"—those who refrain from taking excess—"and those who are doers of good"—those who refrain from vengeance altogether. If you wish for Allah to be with you, then be among the pious and the doers of good.

Whoever grasps this arrangement understands that enjoining good and forbidding evil must proceed step-by-step with gentleness and kindness. When Allah told His Messenger: "Invite to the way of your Lord with wisdom and good instruction," He mentioned these four ranks to indicate that the invitation through wisdom and good instruction must follow this very sequence. Upon realizing these subtleties, the intelligent person knows that this Noble Book is a boundless ocean.

"Indeed, Allah is with those who fear [Him]..." His companionship here means with mercy, grace, and high rank. "Those who fear [Him]" points to the reverence for Allah's command. "And those who are doers of good" points to compassion for Allah's creation. This indicates that the perfection of human felicity lies in these two matters: reverence for Allah's command and compassion for His creation. Some shaykhs expressed this as: "The perfection of the path is sincerity with the Truth and good character with creation." The philosophers said: Human perfection lies in knowing the Truth for its own sake, and knowing the Good for the sake of acting upon it. It is narrated that when Harm bin Hayyan was near death, he was asked for a final bequest. He replied, "Bequests are only for wealth, and I have no wealth. But I bequeath to you the concluding verses of Surah An-Nahl."

Some scholars held that "And if you punish, punish with the like of that with which you were punished. But if you are patient, it is better for the patient," is abrogated by the Verse of the Sword (referring to verses commanding fighting). This view is extremely remote, as the purpose of this verse is to teach good manners in calling people to Allah, avoiding transgression, and refraining from seeking excess. These matters have no connection to the Verse of the Sword. Many commentators are preoccupied with multiplying claims of abrogation, but I see no benefit in it. (And Allah knows best what is correct.)