| An-Nisa (The Women): (13-14) These are the limits of Allah...

Issues in the Verse:

There are two views regarding what the demonstrative pronoun tilka (those/these) refers to:

1. First View: It refers specifically to the rules of inheritance just mentioned.
2. Second View (Al-Asamm's view): It refers to everything mentioned from the beginning of the Surah up to this point, including the rulings concerning orphans' wealth, marriage regulations, and inheritance shares.

Arguments:

• The argument for the first view is that the pronoun typically refers to the nearest preceding subject.
• The argument for the second view is that if there is no obstacle preventing the pronoun from referring to a more distant subject, it should refer to the entirety of the preceding context.

Some scholars argued that the subsequent verses, "And whoever obeys Allah and His Messenger" and "And whoever disobeys Allah and His Messenger," are specific only to the commands mentioned in this Surah (i.e., inheritance laws).

The established scholars hold that these statements are general and encompass all commands, not just those immediately preceding. This is because the wording itself is general, necessitating that it covers everything. The fact that this general statement follows specific rulings does not restrict its generality. An analogy is a parent who might admonish a child for a specific act, then follow up with a general warning: "Beware of disobeying me in all matters." The intent here is the same—to prevent disobedience in all affairs.

There is a difference in recitation regarding the verbs "We have prepared" (أعتدنا) and "We will cast" (سنلقى):

• Nafi' and Ibn 'Amir recited both with the first-person plural pronoun (the Nun form: أعتدنا and سنلقى). This is done following the pattern of iltifat (shift in perspective), similar to when the text says, "Rather, Allah is your protector," and then shifts to, "We will cast..." (سنلقى).
• The Rest of the Reciters used the third-person singular pronoun (the Ya form: أعتد and سيلقي), which is straightforward in meaning.

A question arises: The phrase "We will admit him into Gardens" (يدخله جنات) uses the singular pronoun (hu), fitting a single person, but the following phrase "abiding therein" (خالدين فيها) uses the plural form, fitting a group. How are these reconciled?

Answer: The word man (من) in "And whoever obeys Allah..." is singular in form but plural in meaning. Therefore, both singular and plural references are appropriate.

The word khālidīn (abiding) is in the accusative case (منصوب) and functions as a ḥāl (circumstantial adverb) referring to the pronoun hu (him) in "We will admit him" (ندخله). The implied meaning is: "We will admit him while he is abiding in Hell."

The Mu'tazilites argue that this verse proves that grave sinners (فساق) among the prayerful will remain eternally in the Fire.

Their Argument: The phrase "And whoever disobeys Allah and His Messenger and transgresses His limits" (ومن يعص الله ورسوله ويتعد حدوده) must either:

1. Be specific to those who transgress the limits of inheritance mentioned just before.
2. Be general, covering that and other transgressions.

In either case, anyone who transgresses the inheritance limits is subject to this threat. Since this threat is general regarding the transgressor (whether they are a person of prayer or not), the verse proves the certainty of the threat and that the punishment is eternal (مخلد).

They reject the counter-argument that this threat is restricted only to those who transgress all of Allah's limits (i.e., the disbeliever), based on two points:

1. Impossibility of Transgressing All Limits: If the verse meant transgressing all limits, it would be meaningless. Allah has forbidden Judaism, Christianity, and Zoroastrianism. To transgress all limits would mean abandoning all these prohibitions simultaneously, which requires embracing Judaism, Christianity, and Zoroastrianism all at once—an impossibility. Thus, the verse would be void of benefit. Therefore, it must refer to transgressing any of Allah's limits.
2. Contextual Restriction: Since this verse follows the verses on inheritance division, the intended meaning of "transgressing His limits" must be transgressing the limits related to the matters mentioned in these preceding verses (inheritance). This resolves their question.

Al-Razi's Rebuttal and Elaboration (Recap from Surah Al-Baqarah):

We agree that this threat is conditional upon not repenting. If repentance occurs, the threat is lifted.

Furthermore, we argue that this generality is specific to the disbeliever (Kafir), supported by two points:

1. The Logic of Exception (Istithna'): We argue that conditional statements introduced by man (من) imply generality because exceptions can be made from them. An exception excludes what would have been included otherwise. If this logic holds, then the phrase "And whoever disobeys Allah and His Messenger" must apply to all types of disobedience, which is only fully realized by the disbeliever. Since embracing all religions (Judaism and Christianity simultaneously) is impossible, the literal meaning of the word implies generality unless a rational or scriptural restriction exists. This refutes the Mu'tazilite argument.
2. Avoiding Redundancy: The phrase "disobeys Allah and His Messenger" implies committing sin/disobedience. If "transgresses His limits" meant the exact same thing, it would be redundant, which violates the principle of avoiding unnecessary repetition. Therefore, "transgressing His limits" must be interpreted as disbelief (Kufr).

Regarding the Mu'tazilite attempt to restrict the transgression to inheritance limits: Even if we accept that the transgression refers to inheritance laws, the issue remains. Transgression of inheritance limits can occur in two ways:

• Believing the laws are true but deliberately abandoning them.
• Believing the laws are not wise or correct (the ultimate form of transgression).

The first case (abandoning a known truth) is rarely termed "transgressing Allah's limits" in the severe sense; otherwise, it leads to the redundancy mentioned above. Therefore, this threat is reserved for the disbeliever who does not accept the division of inheritance prescribed by Allah.

| And those [women] from your women who commit lewdness, call to witness against them four [witnesses] from among you. And if they testify, then confine them in houses until death takes them or until Allah ordains for them a way [out].