Surat An-Nisa' (91-100)

{سَتَجِدُونَ آَخَرِينَ يُرِيدُونَ أَنْ يَأْمَنُوكُمْ وَيَأْمَنُوا قَوْمَهُمْ كُلَّ مَا رُدُّوا إِلَى الفِتْنَةِ أُرْكِسُوا فِيهَا فَإِنْ لَمْ يَعْتَزِلُوكُمْ وَيُلْقُوا إِلَيْكُمُ السَّلَمَ وَيَكُفُّوا أَيْدِيَهُمْ فَخُذُوهُمْ وَاقْتُلُوهُمْ حَيْثُ ثَقِفْتُمُوهُمْ وَأُولَئِكُمْ جَعَلْنَا لَكُمْ عَلَيْهِمْ سُلْطَانًا مُبِينًا} [النساء: 91]

91- There is another group of people who shows faith to you and mentions that it is with you. Thereby, they want to avoid killing, therefore, they will be secured and their blood, money, and offspring will be safe too as yours. In fact, they are hypocrites and when the infidels of Makkah asked them to go back to polytheism, they would go back to it and indulge in. If they do not stop to do that, do not lean to reconciliation with you, and do not stop fighting you, take them as captives and kill them wherever you find them. We have given you the excuse to fight them because of their clear and manifest enmity, disbelief, and wickedness.

{وَمَا كَانَ لِمُؤْمِنٍ أَنْ يَقْتُلَ مُؤْمِنًا إِلَّا خَطَأً وَمَنْ قَتَلَ مُؤْمِنًا خَطَأً فَتَحْرِيرُ رَقَبَةٍ مُؤْمِنَةٍ وَدِيَةٌ مُسَلَّمَةٌ إِلَى أَهْلِهِ إِلَّا أَنْ يَصَّدَّقُوا فَإِنْ كَانَ مِنْ قَوْمٍ عَدُوٍّ لَكُمْ وَهُوَ مُؤْمِنٌ فَتَحْرِيرُ رَقَبَةٍ مُؤْمِنَةٍ وَإِنْ كَانَ مِنْ قَوْمٍ بَيْنَكُمْ وَبَيْنَهُمْ مِيثَاقٌ فَدِيَةٌ مُسَلَّمَةٌ إِلَى أَهْلِهِ وَتَحْرِيرُ رَقَبَةٍ مُؤْمِنَةٍ فَمَنْ لَمْ يَجِدْ فَصِيَامُ شَهْرَيْنِ مُتَتَابِعَيْنِ تَوْبَةً مِنَ اللهِ وَكَانَ اللهُ عَلِيمًا حَكِيمًا} [النساء: 92]

92- It is not permissible for a believer to kill his Muslim brother by any mean and for any reason, except by mistake.

When a Muslim is killed by mistake, the penance is to free a Muslim slave and to give his heirs the blood money of the killed person unless his heirs overlooked their right of the blood money, then there will be nothing due on the killer.

If the killed person is from disbelieving people who fight you, but he is a Muslim and the killer does not know that he is a Muslim, the penance will be the Kafarrah without paying the blood money. The Kaffarah is freeing a Muslim slave because there is no inheritance between the killed believer and his people because they are infidels.

If the killed Muslim is from infidel people with whom you have no covenant, i.e., his heirs are some people with whom you have covenant and truce, they shall have the blood money of their killed person, in addition to freeing a Muslim slave as all Muslims.

However, who is not capable of freeing a slave, he may fast two consecutive months without breaking the fast amidst; this is the repentance of the killer who kills someone by mistake if he cannot free a Muslim slave.

Verily, Allah is All Knowing of His Servants and of their actions and He is All-Wise in the ordinances and legislations that He ordained and revealed.

{وَمَنْ يَقْتُلْ مُؤْمِنًا مُتَعَمِّدًا فَجَزَاؤُهُ جَهَنَّمُ خَالِدًا فِيهَا وَغَضِبَ اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَلَعَنَهُ وَأَعَدَّ لَهُ عَذَابًا عَظِيمًا} [النساء: 93]

93- Anyone kills his Muslim brother intentionally, without right, commits a great fault, a major sin, and his retribution shall be Hell forever, the wrath of Allah, His Avenge, and casting away from Allah’s Mercy. He shall have a painful torment in Hell and a terrible punishment that is indescribable.

The meaning of residing forever in torture for a Muslim is the long stay and not perpetual staying because there are other texts reported in the Qur’an and the Sunnah to prove differently.

{يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آَمَنُوا إِذَا ضَرَبْتُمْ فِي سَبِيلِ اللهِ فَتَبَيَّنُوا وَلَا تَقُولُوا لِمَنْ أَلْقَى إِلَيْكُمُ السَّلَامَ لَسْتَ مُؤْمِنًا تَبْتَغُونَ عَرَضَ الحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا فَعِنْدَ اللهِ مَغَانِمُ كَثِيرَةٌ كَذَلِكَ كُنْتُمْ مِنْ قَبْلُ فَمَنَّ اللهُ عَلَيْكُمْ فَتَبَيَّنُوا إِنَّ اللهَ كَانَ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ خَبِيرًا} [النساء: 94]

94- O believers, if you travel for fighting, make sure and know well what are you heading to and know what you are going to do and what you are going to leave. Do not rush things without deep thinking. Do not call those who greeted you with the greeting of Islam or surrendered to when he was invited to Islam “non-Muslims” or “you just said that to save yourself from killing”, as the fighting infidels. Do you seek a worldly purpose by doing this, be sure that worldly purpose will run out soon? Indeed, the reward that Allah prepared for you because of your Jihad is much better than what you seek.

Your status was like theirs short time ago; when you were seeking protection of them, you were weak and were concealing your faith for fear of the infidels, but Allah bestowed mercy on you and saved you from them. Therefore, make sure of and ascertain what you are going to do because you are the conveyers of a merciful message and responsible for the message. Verily, Allah is All Acquainted with all your public and secret actions and He shall reckon you for them, so do not be negligent in those matters and take caution.

The Ayah is a proof to the true faith of those who show Islam publically, whereas they conceal something else because Allah commanded Muslims to treat them as Muslims and apply the rulings of Islam on them.

{لَا يَسْتَوِي القَاعِدُونَ مِنَ المُؤْمِنِينَ غَيْرُ أُولِي الضَّرَرِ وَالمُجَاهِدُونَ فِي سَبِيلِ اللهِ بِأَمْوَالِهِمْ وَأَنْفُسِهِمْ فَضَّلَ اللهُ المُجَاهِدِينَ بِأَمْوَالِهِمْ وَأَنْفُسِهِمْ عَلَى القَاعِدِينَ دَرَجَةً وَكُلًّا وَعَدَ اللهُ الحُسْنَى وَفَضَّلَ اللهُ المُجَاهِدِينَ عَلَى القَاعِدِينَ أَجْرًا عَظِيمًا} [النساء: 95]

95- Those who were given permission not to engage in jihad and those who participate in jihad by themselves and money are not equal, except there is an excuse for that lagging in jihad, such as blindness, limp, or illness. Verily, Allah has preferred those who participated in jihad to those who lagged behind for an excuse with a great degree because of their sacrifice with their souls for the sake of Allah or with their money to reinforce the Muslim Army. Both teams were given glad tiding with a great reward that is Paradise, but the degree of the Mujahideen is much better than others by giving them a great reward and honor in Paradise.

{دَرَجَاتٍ مِنْهُ وَمَغْفِرَةً وَرَحْمَةً وَكَانَ اللهُ غَفُورًا رَحِيمًا} [النساء:96]

96- The Mujahideen have different degrees in Paradise according to their effort and Jihad.

It was reported in the Hadith of Abu Hurayrah that was recorded by Al Bukhari that there are hundred degrees in Paradise that Allah prepared for the Mujahideen in His Cause. The distance between each two steps is like the distance between heavens and earth.

That is the great reward and bounty of Allah to forgive their sins and show mercy to them.

Anyone sacrifices himself for the sake of Allah and defends his religion by his soul, Allah shall reward them with the best gardens in Paradise.

 {إِنَّ الَّذِينَ تَوَفَّاهُمُ الْمَلآئِكَةُ ظَالِمِي أَنْفُسِهِمْ قَالُواْ فِيمَ كُنتُمْ قَالُواْ كُنَّا مُسْتَضْعَفِينَ فِي الأَرْضِ قَالْوَاْ أَلَمْ تَكُنْ أَرْضُ اللّهِ وَاسِعَةً فَتُهَاجِرُواْ فِيهَا فَأُوْلَـئِكَ مَأْوَاهُمْ جَهَنَّمُ وَسَاءتْ مَصِيراً} [النساء: 97]

97- Those people whom the angels took away their lives while they are in the abode of polytheism, could not set up the rites of their religion, and were able to migrate but did not have wronged themselves and committed a sinful act. Allah would not accept the Islam of anyone after the migration of the Prophet (peace be upon him) except if that person migrated to Madinah, then that matter was abrogated after the opening of Makkah where the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “There is not migration after the opening of Makkah.”

The polytheists used to take those Muslim residents  with them to war to increase the number of the polytheist army, then the arrow comes to kill one of them as was reported in Sahih Al Bukhari.

The angels rebuked them saying: in which team were you: with the Muslims or with the polytheists?

They sought some excuses such as: we were unable to do anything in Makkah.

They said to them refuting their excuse: were not the land of Muslims vast before you to migrate from Makkah to Madinah?

The abode of those people is Hell and how a bad destination it is! They died as disobedient because they increased the polytheist army.

{إِلاَّ الْمُسْتَضْعَفِينَ مِنَ الرِّجَالِ وَالنِّسَاء وَالْوِلْدَانِ لاَ يَسْتَطِيعُونَ حِيلَةً وَلاَ يَهْتَدُونَ سَبِيلاً} [النساء: 98]

98- There is one exception which is if those people were weak; whether men, women, or children. Such people are forgiven because of their weakness of migration or they did not know the way or the place to which they should migrate.

{فَأُوْلَـئِكَ عَسَى اللّهُ أَن يَعْفُوَ عَنْهُمْ وَكَانَ اللّهُ عَفُوّاً غَفُوراً} [النساء: 99]

99- Perhaps, such people are forgiven for abandoning migration. The meaning is surely they are overlooked but a servant is always connected with hope and wish that Allah forgives him because He is a Generous Lord who forgives the sins of people despite their abundant sins and faults.

{وَمَن يُهَاجِرْ فِي سَبِيلِ اللّهِ يَجِدْ فِي الأَرْضِ مُرَاغَماً كَثِيراً وَسَعَةً وَمَن يَخْرُجْ مِن بَيْتِهِ مُهَاجِراً إِلَى اللّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ ثُمَّ يُدْرِكْهُ الْمَوْتُ فَقَدْ وَقَعَ أَجْرُهُ عَلى اللّهِ وَكَانَ اللّهُ غَفُوراً رَّحِيماً} [النساء: 100]

100- Anyone migrates for the sake of Allah finds a suitable refuge to resort to and they shall be given sustenance from where they cannot imagine.

Whoever leaves his house with the intention of migrating to Allah and His Messenger, then death hits him on his way before he could reach the place of migration, he shall have the reward of the migrant.

Verily, Allah is Oft-Forgiving to the sins of His servants and shows mercy to them to reward them for their actions and increase their sustenance of His Bounty.