Al-Nisa’ 4: 131–5
(131) All that is in the heavens and all that is in the earth belongs to Allah. We enjoined upon those who were given the Book before you, and also yourselves, to have fear of Allah. But if you disbelieve, then bear in mind that all that is in the heavens and all that is in the earth belongs to Allah. Allah is Self-Sufficient, Most Praiseworthy. (132) To Allah belongs all that is in the heavens and all that is in the earth; and Allah suffices for help and protection. (133) If He wills, He has full power to remove you, O mankind, and bring in others in your place. (134) He who desires the reward of this world, let him know that with Allah is the reward of this world and also of the World to Come. Allah is All-Hearing, All-Seeing.
(135) Believers! Be upholders of justice, and bearers of witness to Truth for the sake of Allah, even though it may be against yourselves or against your parents and kinsmen, or the rich or the poor, for Allah is more concerned with their well-being than you are. ▶
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Al-Nisa’ 4: 136–7
Do not, then, follow your own desires lest you keep away from justice. If you twist or turn away from (the Truth), know that Allah is well aware of all that you do.
(136) Believers! Believe in Allah and His Messenger and in the Book He has revealed to His Messenger, and in the Book He revealed before.85 And whoever disbelieves in Allah, in His angels, in His Books, in His Messengers and in the Last Day,86 has indeed strayed far away. (137) Allah will neither forgive nor show the Right Way to those who believed, and then disbelieved, then believed, and again disbelieved, and thence- forth became ever more intense in their disbelief. ▶
85 To ask the believers to “believe” might at first sight seem strange. The fact is, however, that belief as used here has two meanings. In the first instance, belief denotes that a man has preferred to acknowledge the soundness of God’s true guidance, to distance himself from the fold of those who disbelieve, and to join the camp of the believers. In the second instance, however, belief denotes firm faith, a man’s believing in the Truth with all his heart, with full earnestness and sincerity. This verse is addressed to all those who are “believers” in the first sense of the term, and they are asked to transform themselves into true believers, i.e. believers in the second sense.
86 Kufr has two meanings. One signifies categorical rejection. The other signifies that pretence of belief even when one’s heart is not fully convinced or one’s conduct is flagrantly opposed to the demands of one’s belief.
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Al-Nisa’ 4: 138–42
(138) Give tidings of painful chastisement to the hypocrites (139) who take the unbelievers for their allies in preference to the believers. Do they seek honour from them whereas honour altogether belongs to Allah alone? (140) Allah has enjoined upon you in the Book that when you hear the Signs of Allah being rejected and scoffed at, you will not sit with them until they engage in some other talk, or else you will become like them. Know well, Allah will gather the hypocrites and the unbelievers in Hell – all together. (141) These hypocrites watch you closely: if victory is granted to you by Allah, they will say: “Were we not with you?” And were the unbelievers to gain the upper hand, they will say: “Did we not have mastery over you, and yet we protected you from the believers?” It is Allah Who will judge between you on the Day of Resurrection, and He will not allow the un- believers, in any way, to gain advantage over the believers.
(142) Behold, the hypocrites seek to delude Allah, but it is He Who has subjected them to delusion. ▶
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Al-Nisa’ 4: 143–6
When they rise to Prayer, they rise reluctantly, and only to be seen by people. They re- member Allah but little. (143) They dangle between the one and the other (that is, faith and unbelief), and belong fully neither to these nor to those. And he whom Allah lets go astray, for him you can find no way.87
(144) Believers! Do not take the unbelievers as your allies in preference to the believers. Do you wish to offer Allah a clear proof of guilt against yourselves? (145) Surely the hypocrites shall be in the lowest depth of the Fire and you shall find none to come to their help, (146) except those who repent and mend their ways and hold fast to Allah and devote their faith exclusively to Allah. ▶
87 Here an important fact has been stated about the person who has remained undirected to the Truth despite his acquaintance with the Book of God and the life of the Prophet (peace be on him). His case is of a person who was so averse to the Truth and so infatuated with error that even God let him go forth along the same erroneous direction that he had chosen for himself, a person on whom the door of true guidance was shut and the way towards error was made smooth and easy by God. It is virtually beyond the power of human beings to direct such a person to the Truth.
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Al-Nisa’ 4: 147–50
Such shall be numbered with the believers and Allah will certainly bestow on the believ- ers a great reward. (147) Why should Allah deal chastisement to you if you are grateful to Him and believe? Allah is All- Appreciative,88 All-Knowing.
(148) Allah does not like speaking evil publicly unless one has been wronged.89 Allah is All-Hearing, All-Knowing. (149) (Even though you have the right to speak evil if you are wronged), if you keep doing good – whether openly or secretly – or at least pardon the evil (then that is the attribute of Allah). Allah is All-Pardoning and He has all the power to chastise.
(150) There are those who disbelieve in Allah and His Messengers and seek to dif- ferentiate between Allah and His Messengers, and say: ▶
88 In the context of the God-man relationship, when the word shukr is used in respect of God, it denotes God’s appreciation of man’s service and obedience. When it is used in respect of man, it denotes his acknowledgement of God’s benefaction and his feeling of gratitude to Him.
89 The one who has been wronged is justified in speaking out against the person who has done wrong to one.
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Al-Nisa’ 4: 151–4
“We believe in some and deny others,” and they seek to strike a way between the two. (151) It is they,
