Tafsir of An-Nisa' 4:43

"O you who have believed..."

It is narrated that ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn ‘Awf prepared food and drink and invited a group of the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) while alcohol was still permitted. They ate and drank, and when they became intoxicated and the time for the Maghrib prayer arrived, they put one of them forward to lead them in prayer. He recited: "I do not worship what you worship, and you are not worshippers of what I worship." Then this verse was revealed.

Consequently, they would not drink during prayer times. Once they prayed Isha, they would drink, and by morning, the intoxication would have left them, and they would know what they were saying. Then, the prohibition of alcohol was revealed.

The meaning of "Do not approach prayer": Do not draw near to it, do not stand up for it, and avoid it. This is like His saying: "And do not approach unlawful sexual intercourse" (Al-Isra: 32), and "Do not approach immoralities" (Al-An'am: 151).

It is also said that it means: do not approach its places, which are the mosques, based on the saying of the Prophet (ﷺ): "Keep your mosques away from your children and your madmen."

It is also said that it refers to the intoxication of drowsiness and the overpowering of sleep, as in the verse: "And they were overcome by the intoxication of their slumber."

Regarding "Sukara" (intoxicated): It is read as sukara (with a fatha on the sin) and sukra (as a plural, like halka and ju'a, because intoxication is an ailment that affects the intellect), or as a singular meaning "while you are a group of intoxicated people," like saying imra'a sukra (an intoxicated woman). It is also read sukra (with a damma on the sin, like hubla), as an adjective for the group. Janah ibn Hubaysh reported kasla and kusla (lazy) with both fatha and damma.

"Nor in a state of Janaba (major ritual impurity)..." This is conjoined to the phrase "while you are intoxicated." The position of the sentence, along with the waw, is in the accusative case as a state (hal). It is as if it were said: "Do not approach prayer while intoxicated, nor while in a state of Janaba." The term junub applies equally to the singular, plural, masculine, and feminine, because it is a noun that functions like a verbal noun (masdar), which is ijnab.

"Except those passing through..." This is an exception from the general states of the addressees, and its accusative case is due to it being a hal (state). If you ask how this state is combined with the previous one, I say: it is as if it were said, "Do not approach prayer in a state of Janaba, unless you have another state for which you are excused, which is the state of travel." "Passing through" is an expression for this.

It is also permissible that it is not a hal, but an adjective for the word junub—meaning: "Do not approach prayer while in a state of Janaba, not being travelers." That is, "Do not approach while in a state of Janaba while being residents who are not excused." If you ask how their prayer could be valid in a state of Janaba due to the excuse of travel, I say: the intended meaning of junub is those who have not performed ghusl. It is as if it were said: "Do not approach prayer without having performed ghusl until you do so, unless you are travelers."

Those who interpreted "prayer" as "the mosque" mean: "Do not approach the mosque while in a state of Janaba, except when passing through it if the path to water is inside it, or if the water is inside it, or if you had a wet dream inside it." It is said that some men of the Ansar had their doors opening into the mosque, and they would become in a state of Janaba and find no passage except through the mosque, so they were granted a concession.

It is narrated that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) did not permit anyone to sit in the mosque or pass through it while in a state of Janaba, except for Ali (may Allah be pleased with him), because his house was in the mosque.

If you ask: "You have included four categories under the condition—the sick, the travelers, those who have broken their ablution, and those in a state of Janaba—so to whom does the consequence (the command for Tayammum when water is absent) apply?" I say: The apparent meaning is that it applies to all of them. The sick, if they lack water due to the weakness of their movement and inability to reach it, may perform Tayammum. Likewise, the traveler if they lack it due to distance, and those who have broken ablution or are in a state of Janaba, if they do not find it for certain reasons.

Al-Zajjaj said: Al-Sa'id is the surface of the earth, whether it is dust or otherwise. Even if it were rock with no dust on it, if the one performing Tayammum struck his hand upon it and wiped, that would be his purification. This is the school of Abu Hanifa (may Allah have mercy on him).

If you ask: "What do you do with the saying of the Almighty in Surah Al-Ma'idah: 'Wipe your faces and your hands with it' (Al-Ma'idah: 6), meaning 'some of it,' and this is not possible on rock that has no dust?" I say: They said that min (from) is for the beginning of the limit (ibtida' al-ghaya). If you say that their claim that it is for the beginning of the limit is a forced interpretation, and no Arab understands from the speaker saying "I wiped his head with oil, or water, or dust" anything other than partiality (tab'id), I say: It is as you say, and yielding to the truth is more deserving than disputing.

"Indeed, Allah is ever Pardoning, Forgiving." This is a metonymy for concession and ease, because one whose habit is to pardon those who err and forgive them prefers to be facilitating, not causing hardship.

If you ask: "How are the sick and travelers placed in the same category as those who have broken ablution and those in a state of Janaba, when illness and travel are causes for concession, while breaking ablution is a cause for the obligation of Wudu, and Janaba is a cause for the obligation of Ghusl?" I say: He (the Almighty) intended to grant a concession to those for whom purification became obligatory but who lack water, allowing them to perform Tayammum with dust. He singled out the sick and travelers first because they are foremost in deserving the mention of the concession due to the frequency of illness and travel, and their prevalence over other causes for concession. Then, He generalized it to everyone for whom purification became obligatory and who lacks water due to fear of an enemy, a beast, lack of drawing equipment, or being in a place where there is no water, and other things that do not occur as frequently as illness and travel.

It is read as min ghait (from the privy); it is said to be a lightening of gha'it, like hayyin in hayin.