An-Nisa (The Women): Verse 36

Know that after Allah the Exalted guided each spouse toward good conduct with the other and toward removing contention and harshness, He guides in this verse toward all other good morals, mentioning ten types thereof.

Ibn Abbas said: The meaning is: Unify Him (in worship).

Know that ‘ibādah (worship) is an expression for every action and omission performed solely because Allah the Exalted has commanded it. This encompasses all actions of the heart and all actions of the limbs. Therefore, there is no reason to restrict this solely to Tawhīd (monotheism). The detailed discussion on ‘ibādah has already preceded this in Surah Al-Baqarah in His saying, {O mankind, worship your Lord...} (Al-Baqarah: 21).

Because Allah the Exalted commanded worship with {And worship Allah}, He commanded sincerity in worship with {and associate nothing with Him}. This is because whoever worships others alongside Allah is a polytheist (mushrik) and cannot be sincere. For this reason, Allah the Exalted said: {And they were not commanded except to worship Allah, [being] sincere to Him in religion...} (Al-Bayyinah: 5).

They agreed that there is an omitted word here, and the meaning is: And be good to your parents with goodness (wa-ahsinū bi-l-wālidayni iḥsānan), similar to His saying, {so strike the necks} (Muhammad: 4), meaning: strike them. It is also said: Aḥsantu bi-fulānin (I did good to so-and-so) or ilā fulānin (to so-and-so).

Know that Allah the Exalted coupled the obligation of honoring parents with His worship and monotheism in several places:

1. In this verse.
2. In His saying: {And your Lord has decreed that you worship none but Him, and to parents do good...} (Al-Isrā’: 23).
3. In His saying: {Be grateful to Me and to your parents; to Me is the [final] destination} (Luqmān: 14). This is sufficient evidence for the greatness of their right and the obligation of honoring and doing good to them.

What indicates the obligation of honoring them is His saying: {So do not say to them [even] 'uff' and do not repel them but speak to them a noble word} (Al-Isrā’: 23). He also said: {And We have enjoined upon man, good treatment of his parents} (Al-Ankabūt: 8). Regarding disbelieving parents, He said: {But if they strive to make you associate with Me that of which you have no knowledge, then do not obey them and accompany them in [this] world with goodness} (Luqmān: 15).

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "The greatest [sins]..." (The hadith is incomplete here). It is narrated from Abu Sa'id Al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) that a man came to the Prophet (peace be upon him) from Yemen seeking permission for Jihād. The Prophet (peace be upon him) asked: "Do you have anyone in Yemen?" He replied: "My two parents." He asked: "Did your parents permit you?" He replied: "No." He said: "Then return and seek their permission. If they permit you, then perform Jihād; otherwise, honor them."

Know that doing good to parents involves: serving them, not raising one's voice to them, not speaking harshly to them, striving to fulfill their needs, spending on them according to one's ability as an act of righteousness, not pointing a weapon at them, and not killing them. Abu Bakr Al-Rāzī said: Unless one is compelled to do so by fearing that if he does not kill them, they will kill him. In that case, killing them is permissible because if he does not do so, he would be causing his own death by allowing another to kill him, which is forbidden. It is narrated that the Prophet (peace be upon him) forbade Hanzalah ibn Abi 'Amr Al-Rāhib from killing his father, who was a polytheist.

This is a command to maintain kinship ties, as mentioned at the beginning of the Surah with {and kinship ties} (Al-Arḥām).

Know that parents are also relatives. However, because the kinship of offspring is distinguished by being the closest of kin and is associated with specific characteristics not found in others, Allah the Exalted appropriately distinguished them in mention from the other categories. Thus, He mentioned the kinship of offspring in this verse, followed by the kinship of other relatives.

Know that the orphan is distinguished by two types of helplessness:

1. Childhood.
2. Lack of a provider. Undoubtedly, one in this condition is extremely helpless and deserving of mercy. Ibn Abbas said: Be gentle with them, raise them, and wipe their heads. If you are their guardian, be extremely diligent in safeguarding their wealth.

Know that although the needy person lacks wealth, due to his age, he can present his situation to others, thereby attracting benefit or repelling harm. The orphan, however, lacks this ability. For this reason, Allah mentioned the orphan before the needy. Doing good to the needy is either by being kind to him or by returning kindness with kindness, as He the Exalted said: {As for the one who asks, do not repel him} (Ad-Duha: 9).

It is said that this refers to the neighbor whose dwelling is close. The jār al-jannab (distant neighbor) is the one whose dwelling is far. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "Paradise will not admit one whose neighbor is not safe from his mischief. Indeed, neighborhood extends for forty houses." Az-Zuhri used to say: Forty to the right, forty to the left, forty in front, and forty behind.

It is narrated from Abu Hurayrah that someone asked: "O Messenger of Allah, so-and-so woman fasts the day and prays the night, but her tongue harms her neighbors (i.e., she is sharp-tongued)." The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "There is no good in her; she is in the Fire."

It is narrated that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "By the One in Whose Hand is the soul of Muhammad, no one fulfills the right of the neighbor except those whom Allah has mercy upon, and they are few. Do you know the right of the neighbor? If he becomes poor, you support him; if he borrows, you lend to him; if good befalls him, you congratulate him; if misfortune befalls him, you console him; if he falls ill, you visit him; and if he dies, you attend his funeral."

Others said that {the near neighbor} refers to the relative by lineage, and {the distant neighbor} refers to the foreign neighbor. It was also read as {and the neighbor, the relative} (wa-l-jār dhā l-qurbā) in the accusative case, indicating specialization, similar to the reading {Guard strictly your prayers, especially the middle prayer} (Al-Baqarah: 238), to indicate the greatness of his right, as two obligations are combined: neighborhood and kinship.

We have already mentioned its interpretation. Al-Wāḥidī said: Al-Jannab is an adjective following the pattern fa'al, and its origin is from janābah (remoteness), the opposite of kinship. It is said: Rajulun junb if he is a stranger, distant from his family. Rajulun ajnabī is one distant from you in kinship. Allah the Exalted said: {and keep me and my sons far away} (Ibrāhīm: 35), meaning: distance me. The two sides (al-jānbān) are the two directions because of the distance of each from the other. From this comes janābah (ritual impurity from sexual intercourse) due to its distance from purity and from attending mosques for prayer until one performs ghusl. Also from this are the two sides (al-jannabān) because of the distance of each from the other.

Al-Mufaḍḍal narrated from ‘Āṣim the reading: {and the neighbor, the distant one} (wa-l-jār al-jannab) with a fatḥah on the jīm and sukūn on the nūn. This admits two meanings:

1. He means the direction (al-jannab), and the intended meaning is: and the neighbor of the direction (wa-l-jār dhī l-jannab), with the possessed noun omitted because the meaning is understood.
2. It is an intensive description, as one says: Fulānun karamun wa-jūd (So-and-so is generosity and bounty).

This is one who accompanied you by being beside you, either as a companion on a journey, or a closely adjacent neighbor, or a partner in learning or a craft, or someone sitting next to you in a gathering, a mosque, or elsewhere. Whatever minimal companionship has united you, you must uphold that right, not forget it, and make it a means to do good. It is said that aṣ-ṣāḥib al-jannab refers to the wife, as she is with you and lies down beside you.

This is the traveler who is cut off from his homeland, or it is said: the guest.

Know that doing good to slaves is a great act of obedience. ‘Umar ibn Al-Khaṭṭāb (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "Whoever buys a servant and his disposition does not suit his disposition, he should sell him and buy until his disposition suits his disposition, for people have dispositions. Do not torment the servants of Allah." It is narrated that his last words were: "The prayer, and what your right hands possess."

It is narrated that a man in Medina was beating his slave. The slave said: "I seek refuge in Allah," and the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) heard it. The master increased his beating. The Prophet (peace be upon him) appeared and said: "I seek refuge in the Messenger of Allah." The master stopped and said: "He is free for the sake of Allah." The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "By the One in Whose Hand is the soul of Muhammad, if you had not said that, the fire would have scorched your face."

Know that doing good to them involves several aspects:

1. Not burdening them with what is beyond their capacity.
2. Not harming them with harsh speech, but rather treating them well.
3. Providing them with the food and clothing they need.

In the Jāhiliyyah (Age of Ignorance), they used to mistreat slaves, forcing female slaves into prostitution (earning through their private parts). Some scholars said that every living creature is possessed (in a general sense), and doing good to all according to what suits them is a great act of obedience.

Know that mentioning the hand (right hands) is for emphasis, similar to saying: "Your foot walked," or "Your hand took." The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "The hand is responsible for what it takes." Allah the Exalted said: {from what Our hands have worked, [as] livestock...} (Yā-Sīn: 71).

After mentioning these categories, Allah the Exalted said: {Indeed, Allah does not like those who are self-deluded and boastful}. Al-Mukhtāl is one possessing khuyalā’ (self-admiration/conceit) and arrogance. Ibn Abbas said: He means the one who considers himself great and does not fulfill anyone's rights. Al-Zajjāj said: The reason for mentioning ikhtiyāl here—and we have discussed the derivation of this word when discussing {and the marked horses} (Āl ‘Imrān: 14)—is that fakhr (boasting) means showing off superiority. Al-Fakhūr is one who enumerates his merits out of arrogance and superiority. Ibn Abbas said: He is one who boasts over the servants of Allah with the blessings Allah has given him. Allah the Exalted specified these two descriptions for condemnation in this context because the conceited one (al-mukhtāl) is the arrogant one, and whoever is arrogant rarely upholds rights. He then added the condemnation of the boastful (al-fakhūr) so that one does not uphold these rights for the sake of showing off or reputation, but purely for the command of Allah the Exalted.