Tafsir of An-Nisa' 4:148

"Allah does not like..."

"...except [by] one who has been wronged."

• "Except [by] one who has been wronged" (illā man ẓulima): This is an exception to the "speaking evil" (jahr bi-l-sūʾ) which Allah does not like. It refers to the oppressed person speaking out, which means invoking [Allah] against the oppressor and mentioning the evil that is in him.
• It is also said: It means to initiate the insult, so he responds to the one who insulted him.
• [Reference:] "And whoever defends himself after having been wronged" (Ash-Shūrā: 41).
• It is also said: A man was a guest of some people, but they did not feed him. He began to complain, and was rebuked for his complaining, so this [verse] was revealed.
• It is also recited as illā man ẓalama (active voice), implying a disjunctive exception (istiṯnāʾ munqaṭiʿ), meaning: "But the oppressor is committing what Allah does not like by speaking evil."
• It is also permissible for man ẓulima to be in the nominative case (marfūʿ), as if it were said in the sense of: "No one came to me except Zayd," meaning "None came to me except Zayd."
• An example of this is: "None in the heavens and the earth knows the unseen except Allah" (An-Naml: 65).

Encouragement to Pardon

• Then, He encourages pardoning, such that no one should speak evil against another, even if it is by way of defending oneself after having been wronged.
• Although He permitted speaking evil and made it permissible, He encouraged what is more beloved to Him, more excellent in His sight, and more indicative of nobility, humility, and servitude.
• He mentioned "revealing good or concealing it" to draw attention to [the virtue of] pardoning. Then, He linked [pardoning] to them, regarding it as significant and drawing attention to its status, showing that it holds a central place in the category of good deeds.
• The evidence that pardoning is the intended purpose behind mentioning the revealing and concealing of good is His saying: "For indeed, Allah is ever Pardoning, Competent."
• Meaning: He pardons the offenders despite His competence to exact retribution, so you must follow the way of Allah.