Surah An-Nisa (4): Verse 77

ألم تر إلى الذين قيل لهم كفوا أيديكم وأقيموا الصلاة وآتوا الزكاة فلما كتب عليهم القتال إذا فريق منهم يخشون الناس كخشية الله أو أشد خشية وقالوا ربنا لم كتبت علينا القتال لولا أخرتنا إلى أجل قريب قل متاع الدنيا قليل والآخرة خير لمن اتقى ولا تظلمون فتيلا

Translation and Exegesis (Based on Mafatih al-Ghayb):

Issue 1: Is this verse describing the Believers or the Hypocrites?

There are two opinions:

First Opinion: The verse concerns the Believers.

• Narration: Al-Kalbi said it was revealed concerning 'Abd al-Rahman ibn 'Awf, al-Miqdad, Qudamah ibn Maz'un, and Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas. Before the Hijra to Medina, they suffered severe harm from the polytheists and complained to the Prophet (PBUH), asking permission to fight. The Prophet (PBUH) told them to restrain themselves, as he had not been commanded to fight them, and instead focus on establishing their religion (prayer and charity). When the Prophet (PBUH) migrated to Medina and the command to fight came for the Battle of Badr, some of them disliked it, leading to the revelation of this verse.
• Argument: Those who desire fighting are the believers. Since the Prophet (PBUH) had to tell them to hold back, it implies they were eager to fight, thus indicating the verse concerns believers.
• Rebuttal: The hypocrites used to outwardly claim they were believers and desired to fight the disbelievers. When Allah commanded fighting, the hypocrites held back, revealing the opposite of what they claimed.

Second Opinion: The verse concerns the Hypocrites.

• Argument: The verse contains descriptions uniquely fitting the hypocrites:
  1. Fear of People: Allah describes them as: "fearing the people as they fear Allah, or with greater intensity" (An-Nisa: 77). This level of fear of people exceeding or equaling the fear of Allah is only appropriate for a hypocrite; a believer cannot fear people more than Allah.
  2. Objection to Command: They said, "Our Lord, why have You prescribed fighting for us?" Questioning or objecting to Allah's decree is characteristic of disbelievers and hypocrites.
  3. Worldly Focus: Allah commands the Prophet (PBUH) to say, "Say, 'The enjoyment of this world is little, and the Hereafter is better for whoever is righteous.'" This statement is directed at those whose desire for the world outweighs their desire for the Hereafter, which is a trait of the hypocrites.

• Rebuttal to the First Opinion: Those who hold the first opinion respond by saying:
  • The fear mentioned is due to natural disposition (tab'a); the aversion to death and love of life are inherent.
  • Their statement, "Why have You prescribed fighting for us?" is interpreted as a wish for the easing of the obligation, not outright denial of Allah's command.
  • The statement, "The enjoyment of this world is little," was mentioned not because they denied it, but so that Allah might make them hear this, softening their hearts regarding worldly matters. This would then remove their aversion to fighting and love of life, enabling them to proceed with strong hearts in Jihad.

• Conclusion on the Issue: The verse is more appropriately applied to the Hypocrites. This is supported by the subsequent verse (4:78): "And if a good thing befalls them, they say, 'This is from Allah'; but if a bad thing befalls them, they say, 'This is from you [O Muhammad].'" Since the following verse clearly describes the hypocrites, and it is connected to the verse under discussion, the subject of the preceding verse must also be the hypocrites.

Issue 2: Chronology of Obligations The verse indicates that the obligation of Prayer (Salat) and Charity (Zakat) preceded the obligation of Fighting (Jihad). This sequence aligns with reason, as Prayer signifies reverence for Allah's command, and Charity signifies compassion for Allah's creation; both naturally precede Jihad.

Issue 3: Grammatical Structure The phrase "as they fear Allah" (khashyat Allah) involves an idafa (construct state) where the noun (khashyah) is added to its object (Allah).

Issue 4: Interpretation of "or with greater intensity" (aw ashadda khashyah) The apparent meaning suggests doubt on Allah's part, which is impossible for the Knower of the Unseen. There are several interpretations:

1. Ambiguity for the Listener: The intent is to leave the listener uncertain whether their fear was equal to or greater than their fear of Allah. Since fear must be either less than, equal to, or greater than another fear, Allah clarifies that their fear of people was not less than their fear of Allah; it remained either equal or greater. This does not imply Allah's doubt, but rather maintains ambiguity for the audience regarding those two possibilities.
2. 'Aw' as 'Wa' (And): The 'or' (aw) means 'and' (wa). The meaning becomes: "They fear the people as they fear Allah and with greater intensity." There is no contradiction, as someone who fears with greater intensity inherently possesses the amount of fear they have for Allah plus more.
3. Similar to Numerical Statements: This is analogous to the verse: "And We sent him to [the people of] a hundred thousand or they increase" (As-Saffat: 147). The speaker is reporting what an observer would say. Similarly here, Allah states what is observed about their fear.

And they said, "Our Lord, why have You prescribed fighting for us?"

• If these speakers were believers, their statement was not an objection to Allah, but rather due to aversion to death and love of life.
• If they were hypocrites, they were denying that Allah had truly prescribed fighting for them, implying they said this based on the Prophet's (PBUH) claim.

"If only You had delayed us for a short term." This serves as the reason for their dislike of the obligation to fight: "Why did You not let us live until our appointed time [of natural death]?"

Allah responds: "Say, 'The enjoyment of this world is little, and the Hereafter is better for whoever is righteous.'"

We affirm that the Hereafter is better for four reasons:

1. The blessings of this world are few, while the blessings of the Hereafter are abundant.
2. The blessings of this world are temporary, while the blessings of the Hereafter are eternal.
3. The blessings of this world are mixed with worries, griefs, and hardships, while the blessings of the Hereafter are pure from all impurities.
4. The blessings of this world are doubtful; even the most blessed person does not know their fate on the following day, whereas the blessings of the Hereafter are certain.

All these points necessitate the superiority of the Hereafter over the world. However, this goodness is only attained by the righteous believers; hence, Allah mentioned this condition: "for whoever is righteous" (liman ittaqa). This aligns with the Prophet's (PBUH) saying: "The world is a prison for the believer and a paradise for the disbeliever."

"And they will not be wronged, not even a fatīl."

Issue 1: Reading of the Verb

• Ibn Kathir, Hamzah, and Al-Kisai read it as "yazlimūn" (they will be wronged) using the third-person pronoun (referring back to those mentioned earlier).
• The rest of the reciters read it as "tazlimūn" (you will be wronged) using the second-person address. The second reading is supported by the preceding command: "Say [O Muhammad]..." which implies direct address.

Issue 2: Theological Implication (Mu'tazila View) The Mu'tazila argue that this verse proves:

1. They deserve reward for their obedience, otherwise, the negation of injustice (zulm) would not be meaningful.
2. It is possible for Allah to commit injustice, even though we are certain He will not, otherwise, praising Him for avoiding it would be meaningless.

Issue 3: Meaning of Fatīl "Not even a fatīl." This means they will not be diminished in the reward of their deeds by an amount equal to the fatīl of a date seed—that which you twist with your finger and then discard out of contempt. This term has been discussed previously.

Verse 78

أَيْنَمَا تَكُونُوا يُدْرِكْكُمُ الْمَوْتُ وَلَوْ كُنْتُمْ فِي بُرُوجٍ مُشَيَّدَةٍ وَإِنْ تُصِبْهُمْ حَسَنَةٌ يَقُولُوا هَذِهِ مِنْ عِنْدِ اللَّهِ وَإِنْ تُصِبْهُمْ سَيِّئَةٌ يَقُولُوا هَذِهِ مِنْ عِنْدِكَ قُلْ كُلٌّ مِنْ عِنْدِ اللَّهِ فَمَا لِهَؤُلَاءِ الْقَوْمِ لَا يَكَادُونَ يَفْقَهُونَ حَدِيثًا

Translation: "Wherever you are, death will overtake you, even if you should be in intricately constructed fortresses. And if a good thing befalls them, they say, 'This is from Allah'; but if a bad thing befalls them, they say, 'This is from you [O Muhammad].' Say, 'All is from Allah.' So what is the matter with these people that they can hardly understand a saying?"