Tafsir of An-Nisa' 4:81

An-Nisā’ (The Women): Verse 81

{وَيَقُولُونَ طَاعَةٌ فَإِذَا بَرَزُوا مِنْ عِنْدِكَ بَيَّتَ طَائِفَةٌ مِنْهُمْ غَيْرَ الَّذِي تَقُولُ}

Translation: And they say, "Obedience," but when they depart from you, a group of them plots something other than what you say.

Commentary (Al-Razi's Perspective):

{وَيَقُولُونَ طَاعَةٌ} (And they say, "Obedience"):

• Grammar/Meaning:
  • The word طَاعَةٌ (obedience) is in the nominative case (رفع). This implies: "Our command and our state is obedience."
  • Alternatively, it can be read in the accusative case (نصب), meaning: "We obey you with obedience" (أطعناك طاعة), similar to how one says, "I hear you with hearing and obedience" (سمعاً وطاعة).
  • Sibawayh mentioned that some reliable Arabs, when asked, "How are you?" would reply, "Praise be to God and glorification to Him" (حمد الله وثناء عليه), meaning, "My affair and state is praise to God."
  • The accusative (نصب) indicates the mere act of the action. The nominative (رفع) indicates the stability and establishment of that obedience.

{فَإِذَا بَرَزُوا مِنْ عِنْدِكَ} (But when they depart from you): Meaning, when they leave your presence.

{بَيَّتَ طَائِفَةٌ مِنْهُمْ غَيْرَ الَّذِي تَقُولُ} (a group of them plots something other than what you say): Regarding this phrase, there are several issues:

• Al-Zajjaj stated that any matter about which one reflects deeply, considering its benefits and harms extensively, is called a mubayyat (plotted matter). This is supported by the verse: {While they plot by night what displeases Him of speech} (An-Nisā’: 108).
• Etymology of Tabyīt (Plotting):
  1. From Baytūta (Staying at home at night): The most suitable time for deep thought is when a person sits in their house at night, as thoughts are clearer and distractions fewer. Since people usually engage in deep contemplation at night while at home, the thoroughly considered thought is termed mubayyat.
  2. From Bayt al-Shi'r (Poetic Verse): Al-Akhfash said that when Arabs intended to compose poetry, they would exert extreme thought into it. Thus, the deeply considered matter was named mubayyat, likened to a verse of poetry because it is structured and carefully managed.

• Why did God specify a group of the hypocrites engaging in this plotting?
  1. God mentioned only those whom He knew would persist in their disbelief and hypocrisy. Those He knew would return were not mentioned.
  2. This specific group spent their nights plotting (tābīt), while others heard and remained silent without plotting overnight, so they were not mentioned.

• Qirā’āt (Recitations): Abū ‘Amr and Hamzah read it by merging the tā’ into the ṭā’ (إدغام): Biyyaṭa ṭā’ifatun. The rest read it with clear separation (إظهار): Bayyata ṭā’ifatun.
• Justification for Merging (Idghām):
  1. Al-Farrā’ suggested that the tā’ was made silent due to the succession of vowels, and once silent, it was merged into the ṭā’.
  2. The ṭā’, dāl, and tā’ originate from the same articulation point. The closeness between them allows for merging, similar to common phonetic assimilation patterns. Furthermore, the ṭā’ has the quality of iṭbāq (emphatic closure) which the tā’ lacks, making the merging of the less emphatic sound into the more emphatic sound appropriate.
• Justification for Separation (Iẓhār): They are two letters from two different articulation points in two separate words, so each must retain its original form.

• God said {بَيَّتَ} (masculine) and did not say {بَيَّتَتْ} (feminine), even though ṭā’ifah (group) is grammatically feminine.
  • This is because the femininity of ṭā’ifah is not real (it refers to a collection of people, not a singular female entity).
  • Also, ṭā’ifah is used synonymously with fariq (group) and fawj (troop), which are often treated as masculine in context.
• Al-Kashshāf’s interpretation: {Bayyata ṭā’ifatun} means they fabricated and beautified something contrary to what you say, or contrary to the obedience they promised. This is because they concealed rejection rather than acceptance, and disobedience rather than obedience.

{وَاللَّهُ يَكْتُبُ مَا يُبَيِّتُونَ} (And Allah records what they plot):

• Al-Zajjaj offered two interpretations:
  1. It means that this plot is revealed to you in the Scripture (revelation).
  2. It means that this is recorded in the scrolls of their deeds so they may be recompensed for it.

{فَأَعْرِضْ عَنْهُمْ} (So turn away from them):

• This means: Do not expose their secrets, do not shame them, and do not mention them by name. God commanded the concealment of the hypocrites' affairs until the cause of Islam was firmly established.

{وَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَى اللَّهِ} (And rely upon Allah): Regarding their matter, for God will suffice you against their evil and take vengeance upon them. {وَكَفَى بِاللَّهِ وَكِيلًا} (And Allah is sufficient as a Trustee) for whoever relies upon Him.

• Scholarly Note on Abrogation: The commentators mentioned that the command to turn away from the hypocrites was applicable in the early days of Islam, but it was later abrogated by the command: {Strive against the disbelievers and the hypocrites} (At-Tawbah: 73, At-Taḥrīm: 9).
• Al-Razi's Critique: This view is questionable (fīhi naẓar). The command to pardon/ignore is absolute and applies to a single instance. The subsequent command for Jihad would not abrogate this specific instance of being commanded to overlook.

{أَفَلَا يَتَدَبَّرُونَ الْقُرْآنَ وَلَوْ كَانَ مِنْ عِنْدِ غَيْرِ اللَّهِ لَوَجَدُوا فِيهِ اخْتِلَافًا كَثِيرًا}

Translation: Do they not then reflect upon the Qur'an? If it had been from other than Allah, they would have found within it much contradiction.