Tafsir of An-Nisa' 4:41-42

Surah An-Nisa (The Women): Verses 41-42

Contextual Link (Wajh al-Naẓm):

Allah (Exalted is He) has clarified that in the Hereafter, no injustice will befall anyone. He rewards the doer of good according to his merit and increases it beyond that right. In this verse, He clarifies that this judgment will occur through the testimony of the Messengers, whom Allah made the proof (Hujjah) against creation. This makes the refutation against the evildoer more profound, his humiliation greater, and his regret more intense. Conversely, the joy of the Messenger and the manifestation of obedience will be greater. This serves as a warning to the disbelievers (regarding the verse: “Indeed, Allah does not wrong [anyone] by an atom’s weight” [An-Nisa: 40]) and a promise to the obedient (regarding the verse: “And if there is a good deed, He doubles it” [An-Nisa: 40]).

There are several related issues:

It is narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to Ibn Mas‘ud: “Recite the Qur’an to me.” Ibn Mas‘ud replied: “O Messenger of Allah, You are the one who taught it to me!” He said: “I love to hear it from someone else.” Ibn Mas‘ud said: I began reciting Surah An-Nisa, and when I reached this verse, the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) wept. Ibn Mas‘ud stopped reciting.

Al-Saddi mentioned that the Ummah of Muhammad (PBUH) will testify to the Messengers regarding the delivery of the message, and the Messenger (PBUH) will testify for his Ummah regarding their acceptance. This is why Allah says: “Thus, We have made you a community justly balanced that you will be witnesses over the people and the Messenger will be a witness over you” (Al-Baqarah: 143). It is narrated that Jesus (peace be upon him) said: “And I was a witness over them as long as I was among them” (Al-Ma’idah: 117).

It is customary among the Arabs to use the phrase "How will it be for you if X happens?" when anticipating an event. The meaning here is: How will you fare on the Day of Judgment when Allah calls every nation to witness its Messenger, and calls you (the addressees of the Qur’an, whom he witnessed and knew their conditions) to witness over them?

Furthermore, the people of every era will testify against those they witnessed. This aligns with what Jesus (peace be upon him) said: “And I was a witness over them as long as I was among them.”

Then Allah describes that Day:

{يَوْمَئِذٍ يَوَدُّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا وَعَصَوُا الرَّسُولَ لَوْ تُسَوَّىٰ بِهِمُ الْأَرْضُ وَلَا يَكْتُمُونَ اللَّهَ حَدِيثًا}

There are several related issues:

The phrase “those who disbelieved and disobeyed the Messenger” implies that disobeying the Messenger is distinct from disbelief (Kufr). This is because connecting an attribute to itself using 'and' (wa) is not permissible in Arabic rhetoric. Therefore, the disobedience to the Messenger must refer to sins other than disbelief. If this is established, the verse indicates that disbelievers are accountable for the branches (Furu') of Islam. They will be punished on the Day of Judgment not only for their disbelief but also for those specific sins. If those sins had no bearing on the outcome, mentioning their disobedience here would be meaningless.

1. Ibn Kathir, ‘Asim, and Abu ‘Amr read it as {تُسَوَّى} (Tusawwā) with a ḍammah on the tā’ and a light sīn (passive voice, mā lam yusamma fā‘iluhu).
2. Nāfi‘ and Ibn ‘Āmir read it as {تُسَوَّى} (Tussawwā) with a fatḥah on the tā’ and a doubled sīn (active voice, meaning tatassawwā), where the tā’ is assimilated into the sīn due to proximity. The combination of two shaddahs (doublings) is permissible here, as seen in similar constructions in the Qur’an, such as {Aṭṭayarnā bikum} (An-Naml: 47). This reading allows the Earth to be the active subject.
3. Hamzah and Al-Kisā’ī read it as {لَوْ تَسْوَى} (Taswā) with a fatḥah on the tā’ and a light sīn, omitting the tā’ that Nāfi‘ assimilated. This omission is justified because the letter was already affected by assimilation, so it is also affected by omission.

There are several interpretations:

1. They wish they could be buried, and the earth would become level over them, just as it becomes level over the dead.
2. They wish they had never been resurrected and that they were equal to the earth itself (i.e., non-existent).
3. They wish they were dust, like the animals, as mentioned in the verse: “The disbeliever will say, ‘Oh, I wish I had been dust!’” (An-Naba: 40).

Exegetes have two main approaches to this phrase:

Approach 1: It is connected to the preceding clause. This has two sub-interpretations:

• Ibn ‘Abbās’s view: They wish the earth would close over them, and they had not concealed the truth about Muhammad (PBUH), nor disbelieved, nor acted hypocritically. Here, concealment refers to what they hid concerning the Prophet (PBUH).
• The second view: When the polytheists see on the Day of Judgment that Allah forgives the Muslims but not Shirk (polytheism), they will say: “Come, let us deny it! By Allah, our Lord, we were not polytheists!” hoping Allah will forgive them. At that moment, their mouths will be sealed, and their limbs will speak, testifying to their deeds. It is then they will wish they were dust and had not concealed the truth from Allah.

Approach 2: It is a new, independent statement (Musta’naf). Since what they did is manifest to Allah, how could they possibly conceal it?

There are several ways to reconcile these statements:

1. Different Stations (Mawāṭin) in the Hereafter: The Day of Judgment involves many stages. In some, they will be silent (“So hear not except a faint sound” [Ṭā-Hā: 108]). In others, they will speak, such as saying: “We used to do no evil” (An-Nahl: 28) or “By Allah, our Lord, we were not polytheists.” They will lie in some stages, and in others, they will confess their disbelief and ask for a return, as in: “They will say, ‘Oh, would that we were sent back, and we would not deny the verses of our Lord’” (Al-An’am: 27). The final stage is when their mouths are sealed, and their hands, feet, and skins testify. May Allah protect us from the disgrace of that Day.
2. Concealment is merely a wish: The denial is not an actual act of concealment but part of their desperate wishing, as explained previously.
3. Misguided Self-Perception: They did not intend to conceal the truth from Allah, but rather they spoke according to what they thought was true: “By Allah, we were not polytheists in our own estimation, but rather correct in our assumptions until now, when the reality became clear.” (Further discussion on this will follow in Surah Al-An’am, Allah willing.)

Section Ten: The Directives Mentioned in This Surah

{يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَا تَقْرَبُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَأَنتُمْ سُكَارَىٰ حَتَّىٰ تَعْلَمُوا مَا تَقُولُونَ وَلَا جُنُبًا إِلَّا عَابِرِي سَبِيلٍ حَتَّىٰ تَغْتَسِلُوا ۚ وَإِن كُنتُم مَّرْضَىٰ أَوْ عَلَىٰ سَفَرٍ أَوْ جَاءَ أَحَدٌ مِّنكُم مِّنَ الْغَائِطِ أَوْ لَامَسْتُمُ النِّسَاءَ فَلَمْ تَجِدُوا مَاءً فَتَيَمَّمُوا صَعِيدًا طَيِّبًا فَامْسَحُوا بِوُجُوهِكُمْ وَأَيْدِيكُمْ ۗ إِنَّ اللَّهَ كَانَ عَفُوًّا غَفُورًا}