Surat An-Nisa' (121-130)

{أُوْلَـئِكَ مَأْوَاهُمْ جَهَنَّمُ وَلاَ يَجِدُونَ عَنْهَا مَحِيصاً} [النساء: 121]

121- Those conceited people are the friends of Satan and their final destination shall be Hell from which they will not find salvation or a way out.

{وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ وَعَمِلُواْ الصَّالِحَاتِ سَنُدْخِلُهُمْ جَنَّاتٍ تَجْرِي مِن تَحْتِهَا الأَنْهَارُ خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا أَبَداً وَعْدَ اللّهِ حَقّاً وَمَنْ أَصْدَقُ مِنَ اللّهِ قِيلاً} [النساء: 122]

122- As for those who believed in Allah, satisfied with His Religion, followed their faith with righteous deeds, and did the good actions which they have been commanded to do, We shall admit them to gardens underneath are rivers flow. We shall give them perpetual residence and that is the promise of Allah to His righteous servants. Indeed, there is no more truthful than Allah in saying and action.

{لَّيْسَ بِأَمَانِيِّكُمْ وَلا أَمَانِيِّ أَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ مَن يَعْمَلْ سُوءاً يُجْزَ بِهِ وَلاَ يَجِدْ لَهُ مِن دُونِ اللّهِ وَلِيّاً وَلاَ نَصِيراً} [النساء: 123]

123- It was reported in a Mursal Hadith with an authentic chain of narration that Muslims and the People of the Book disputed together. Muslims said: we are more guided than you are and the People of the Book said: We are more guided than you are, thereupon, Allah revealed this Ayah.

The matter is neither as you wished, O Muslims, nor as you imagined, O People of the Scripture. Anyone does any fault or sin, they shall be reckoned, sooner or later, so the matter is connected with obedience and actions; and not by hopes and wishes. As for those who do bad and evil actions, transgressing all limits set by Allah, they will not find someone to defend them or rescue them from torture when it comes down.

The meaning is each religion had a certain period to prevail and the believers are those who believe in the religion in its time. As for the religion and the believers of other religions who remained after the mission of the Prophet (peace be upon them), they are not believers until they believe in Muhammad and his religion because Islam abrogated the previous religions.

At the end of the previous Hadith, it is proved that Muslims surpassed the People of the Scriptures in their plea with the following Ayah.

The general meaning of the Ayah is limited with repentance and with the people to whom Allah shall show mercy.

It was reported in Sahih Muslim that Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) said that when this verse was revealed: "Whoever does evil will be requited for it", and when this was conveyed to the Muslims they were greatly perturbed. Thereupon Allah's Messenger (may peace and blessings be upon him) said: Be moderate and stand firm in troubles that befall because there is an expiation for a Muslim in everything that hits him; even stumbling on the path or the pricking of a thorn (are an expiation for him).

Imam An-Nawawy said in his commentary to the Hadith that was reported in the beginning of this chapter: The Hadith refers to the erasing of sins with illness, calamity, and with the worries of the world. It also refers to the raising of degrees and increasing the good deeds by those mentioned matters.

He said about the meaning of “Be moderate”: do not exceed the limits or neglect but be moderate and seek the perfection as much as you can.

The meaning of the Ayah is: Anyone commits evil deeds shall be punished for, sooner or later. If the person is a disbeliever, his retribution shall be Hell and if the person is a believer, he shall be punished in the world with sickness, sadness, worries, and others and when there are some remnant bad deeds, he shall be under the will of Allah; if He wills to forgive him, it will be and if He wills to punish him, it will be.

{وَمَن يَعْمَلْ مِنَ الصَّالِحَاتَ مِن ذَكَرٍ أَوْ أُنثَى وَهُوَ مُؤْمِنٌ فَأُوْلَـئِكَ يَدْخُلُونَ الْجَنَّةَ وَلاَ يُظْلَمُونَ نَقِيراً} [النساء: 124]

124- Anyone does the righteous deeds of His Servants, male or female, provided that they have pure and correct faith, they shall enter Paradise as a reward for their actions. Their reward shall not be reduced for an atom even if it is like the thread that is in the date-stone.

{وَمَنْ أَحْسَنُ دِيناً مِّمَّنْ أَسْلَمَ وَجْهَهُ لله وَهُوَ مُحْسِنٌ واتَّبَعَ مِلَّةَ إِبْرَاهِيمَ حَنِيفاً وَاتَّخَذَ اللّهُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ خَلِيلاً} [النساء: 125]

125- There is no one better than a Muslim who devotes his actions to his Lord and does not seek the pleasure of someone else than Him. In such a case, he does the good deeds according to the instructions of the religion as well as devotion which are the balance scale for accepting the actions. Thereby, he follows the religion of Prophet Abraham that is in conformity with the religion of Islam (according to the unanimous scholars) and those who follow his religion are the nation of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).

Verily, Allah has taken Abraham as a close follower and that degree is the highest rank of love; that is because of his frequent obedience to his Lord and his execution to all His Commands. So, nothing distracted him from responding to the call of his Lord, whether small or big, until he became a leader to be followed and had reached the end and the peak rank of worship that all servants try to reach.

{وَللّهِ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الأَرْضِ وَكَانَ اللّهُ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ مُّحِيطاً} [النساء: 126]

126- All that in heavens and on earth belong to Allah because He is the Ruler and Controller of all affairs. Moreover, His Knowledge encompasses everything and nothing is hidden from Him whether small or big.

{وَيَسْتَفْتُونَكَ فِي النِّسَاء قُلِ اللّهُ يُفْتِيكُمْ فِيهِنَّ وَمَا يُتْلَى عَلَيْكُمْ فِي الْكِتَابِ فِي يَتَامَى النِّسَاء الَّلاتِي لاَ تُؤْتُونَهُنَّ مَا كُتِبَ لَهُنَّ وَتَرْغَبُونَ أَن تَنكِحُوهُنَّ وَالْمُسْتَضْعَفِينَ مِنَ الْوِلْدَانِ وَأَن تَقُومُواْ لِلْيَتَامَى بِالْقِسْطِ وَمَا تَفْعَلُواْ مِنْ خَيْرٍ فَإِنَّ اللّهَ كَانَ بِهِ عَلِيماً} [النساء: 127]

127- O Prophet, they ask you to explain to them the rulings which are ambiguous to them in regard of women. Tell them: Allah explains to you their rulings in these Ayahs and in the Ayahs that are mentioned in the Qur’an. “And if you fear that you shall not be able to deal justly with the orphan-girls, then marry (other) women of your choice.” [Surat An-Nisa’: 3]. These rulings concern the orphan girls who were raised by you and you wish to marry them after they had reached the puberty age. You do not want to give orphan girls their dowry like other women or you do not wish to marry them but you do not let them marry others in order that you benefit from their money that you control or in order to inherit it from them after their death. That action was done in the Pre-Islamic Period, but Allah forbade you to do so.

Likewise, boys and girls each has a share of inheritance, so it is not permissible to prevent them of inheritance as was done in the Pre-Islamic Period.

Do justice to orphans whom you have, give them their full rights: dowry, inheritance, and expenses and whatever good you do in their rights be sure that Allah knows it quite well and He shall reward you the best.

{وَإِنِ امْرَأَةٌ خَافَتْ مِن بَعْلِهَا نُشُوزاً أَوْ إِعْرَاضاً فَلاَ جُنَاْحَ عَلَيْهِمَا أَن يُصْلِحَا بَيْنَهُمَا صُلْحاً وَالصُّلْحُ خَيْرٌ وَأُحْضِرَتِ الأَنفُسُ الشُّحَّ وَإِن تُحْسِنُواْ وَتَتَّقُواْ فَإِنَّ اللّهَ كَانَ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ خَبِيراً} [النساء: 128]

128- When a woman feels that her husband shows off to her for some reasons, feels disaffection, or aversion from her in compare to the previous state by decreasing the alimony or by have few discussions with her, they may make an agreement in between. That agreement may include that the woman drops some of her right or all of it, such as alimony, clothes, sleeping together, or give him money or give him something that he likes or something of the like that might bring back intimacy and good relation. Reconciliation is better than separation, bad relationship, and rivalry.

The souls of humans are full of niggardliness, so women do not give their rights to men and men do not do that either which entails rivalry and divorce. If a man is miser and refuses to abandon his rights, a woman should induce him and if a woman is miser and refuses to abandon her rights, he should induce her in order to find a room for reconciliation, agreement, and good relationship.

If you do good in regard of your relations and keep away from disobedience, turning away, and observing patience to the marital rights without resorting to wasting those rights, it will be part of benevolence and piety that Allah knows its purposes. Then, He shall reward you the best for it.

{وَلَن تَسْتَطِيعُواْ أَن تَعْدِلُواْ بَيْنَ النِّسَاء وَلَوْ حَرَصْتُمْ فَلاَ تَمِيلُواْ كُلَّ الْمَيْلِ فَتَذَرُوهَا كَالْمُعَلَّقَةِ وَإِن تُصْلِحُواْ وَتَتَّقُواْ فَإِنَّ اللّهَ كَانَ غَفُوراً رَّحِيماً} [النساء: 129]

129- You are not able to set justice among wives in all aspects even if you exerted your best efforts to achieve it. Therefore, there must be difference in love, looking, and intimacy. So, if you incline to one of them, do not exaggerate in that and do not oppress the others by taking away their rights and leaving them as divorced or with no husband.

If you repaired your matters, stayed away from the inclination that Allah forbade you to do, and set justice in all that He commanded you, He shall forgive your past inclination and oppression out of His Bounty and Mercy.

{وَإِن يَتَفَرَّقَا يُغْنِ اللّهُ كُلاًّ مِّن سَعَتِهِ وَكَانَ اللّهُ وَاسِعاً حَكِيماً} [النساء: 130]

130- If spouses reached a dead end and did not find a way to reconciliation, Allah will suffice each one of them from His Richness and Power and shall give each one of them another spouse for He is Rich, with vast and great bounty, and Wise in all that He destines.