ﱞ ﱟ ﱠ ﱡ ﱢ ﱣ ﱤ ﱥ ﱦ ﱧ ﱨ ﱩ ﱪ ﱫ ﱬ ﱭ ﱮ ﱯ ﱰ ﱱ ﱲ
And whoever opposes the Messenger after guidance has become clear to him and follows other than the way of the believers - We will give him what he has taken and drive him into Hell, and evil it is as a destination.
Tafsir
Verse range: 4:115
It is known that the connection of this verse to the preceding verses is based on what was narrated regarding Ṭuʿmah ibn Abīraq. When he saw that Allah Almighty had exposed his secret and cleared the Jew of the accusation of theft, he apostatized and went to Mecca. There, he broke down a man's wall for theft, and the wall collapsed upon him, causing his death. Then this verse was revealed.
As for opposition (shiqāq) and contradicting (mushāqaqah), we mentioned in Sūrat al-Baqarah that it means each party being in a separate path, or that each party performs an action that necessitates hardship befalling the other.
His statement {after the guidance has become clear to him} means after the truth of the religion of Islam became clear to him through evidence. Al-Zajjāj said: This is because Ṭuʿmah had been shown through what Allah the Almighty revealed concerning his affair and what He made manifest of his theft, which indicated to him the truthfulness of the prophethood of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him). Thus, he became hostile to the Messenger, showed opposition, and apostatized from the religion of Islam. This constituted the manifestation of opposition after the guidance had become clear to him.
His statement {and follows a path other than that of the believers} means other than the religion of the monotheists. This is because Ṭuʿmah abandoned the religion of Islam and followed the religion of idol worship.
Then He said {We will let him have what he has turned to} (i.e., We will leave him to what he has chosen for himself, and entrust him to what he has relied upon). Some said: This verse is abrogated by the "Verse of the Sword," especially concerning the apostate.
Then He said {and We will admit him to Hell} (i.e., We will make Hell adhere to him). The origin of ṣalāh (admitting/burning) is adhering to the fire when seeking warmth. {and it is an evil destination}. Maṣīran (destination) is in the accusative case as a specification (tamyīz), like saying, "So-and-so is good-spirited (ṭāba nafsan)" or "sweated profusely (taṣabbaba ʿaraqan)."
In this verse, there are several issues:
It is narrated that Imam Ash-Shāfiʿī (may Allah be pleased with him) was asked for a verse in the Book of Allah that proves that consensus (Ijmāʿ) is authoritative evidence. He recited the Qur’an three hundred times until he found this verse.
The argument for proof is as follows:
The explanation for the first premise: Allah Almighty threatened with punishment whoever opposes the Messenger and follows a path other than that of the believers. Opposing the Messenger alone is sufficient to incur this threat. If following a path other than that of the believers did not also incur this threat, it would mean joining something that has no effect on the threat with something that independently necessitates that threat, which is impermissible. Thus, it is established that following a path other than that of the believers is forbidden. Once this is established, it necessitates that following the path of the believers is obligatory. This is because failing to follow the path of the believers is encompassed by the description "following a path other than that of the believers." If following a path other than that of the believers is forbidden, then failing to follow the path of the believers must also be forbidden. If failing to follow them is forbidden, then following them must be obligatory, as there is no escape from the two contradictory extremes.
Objection: We do not concede that failing to follow the path of the believers is encompassed by "following a path other than that of the believers," because it is conceivable that one follows neither the path of the believers nor a path other than theirs.
Response: This objection is answered by stating that "following" (ittibāʿ) means performing the like of what another has done. If it is the characteristic of non-believers not to follow the path of the believers, then whoever does not follow the path of the believers has performed the like of the action of non-believers, thus necessitating that they are following them.
However, one could argue: "Following" does not mean performing the like of another's action. Otherwise, it would imply that the Prophets and Angels are followers of individuals from the common people simply because they affirm the Oneness of Allah, just as every individual in the Ummah affirms the Oneness of Allah. This is clearly not stated. Rather, "following" means performing the like of another's action because it is that other's action. If this is the case, then whoever refrains from following the path of the believers—this presents a strong challenge to this proof. There are other subtle discussions regarding this which we mentioned in the book Al-Maḥṣūl fī ʿIlm al-Uṣūl. And Allah knows best.
This verse indicates the necessity of the infallibility (ʿiṣmah) of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) from all sins. The proof is: If a sin were to emanate from him, it would be permissible to prevent him from it. Whoever prevents another from an action they are performing is opposing them, because each one would be in a path different from the other's path. Thus, if a sin were to issue from the Prophet, opposition to him would be necessary. But opposing him is forbidden by this verse; therefore, sin must not issue from him.
This verse indicates the necessity of emulating the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) in his actions. If the action of the Ummah were different from the action of the Messenger, it would necessitate that each party is on a different path of action, resulting in opposition (mushāqaqah). Since opposition is forbidden, the obligation to emulate him in his actions is necessary.
Some early scholars said that every mujtaahid (one who strives in legal reasoning) is correct in matters of Uṣūl (fundamental principles), not in the sense that every one of their beliefs conforms to the believed reality, but in the sense that the sin is lifted from the one who errs. They used this verse as proof, arguing that Allah Almighty conditioned the occurrence of the threat upon the clarity of guidance. That which is conditioned is absent when the condition is absent. This implies that if the guidance does not become clear, the threat does not occur.
The Response: This is only a presumptive indication for those who hold this view. The definitive proof indicating that the threat against disbelievers is absolute is His statement immediately following this verse: {Indeed, Allah does not forgive association with Him in worship, but He may forgive what is less than that for whom He wills} (An-Nisā’: 116). The absolute (definitive) evidence cannot be contradicted by the presumptive (probable).
The verse indicates that religion cannot be validated except through evidence (dalīl), contemplation (naẓar), and reasoning (istidlāl). This is because Allah Almighty conditioned the occurrence of the threat upon the clarity of guidance. If the clarity of guidance were not considered essential for the validity of religion, this condition would be meaningless.
The verse indicates that Hudā (guidance) is the name for evidence (dalīl), not for knowledge (ʿilm). If Hudā were the name for knowledge, then "the clarity of guidance" would mean adding something to itself, which is invalid.
{Indeed, Allah does not forgive association with Him in worship, but He may forgive what is less than that for whom He wills. And whoever associates others with Allah has certainly gone far astray. They invoke nothing besides Him except female idols, and they invoke nothing except a rebellious Satan. Allah has cursed him, and he said, "I will surely take from among Your servants an appointed portion. And I will mislead them, and I will arouse in them [sinful] desires, and I will order them and they will slit the ears of livestock, and I will order them and they will change the creation of Allah." And whoever takes Satan as an ally instead of Allah has certainly suffered a clear loss. He promises them and arouses desire in them. But Satan promises them nothing except delusion. Those—their refuge is Hell, and they will find from it no escape. But those who have believed and done righteous deeds - We will admit them to Gardens beneath which rivers flow, abiding eternally therein. That is the promise of Allah, [made] truly. And who is more truthful than Allah in statement?}
